Can network energy saving technologies mitigate 5G energy consumption?

This technical report explores how network energy saving technologies that have emerged since the 4G era, such as carrier shutdown, channel shutdown, symbol shutdown etc., can be leveraged to mitigate 5G energy consumption.

Does 5G save energy?

This will save energy because it will reduce the total “ON” time. Base station resources are generally unused 75 - 90% of the time, even in highly loaded networks. 5G can make better use of power-saving techniques in the base station part, offering great potential for improving energy efficiency across the network.

How much power does a 5G site need?

According to Huawei data on RRU/BBU needs per site, the typical 5G site has power needs of over 11.5 kilowatts, up nearly 70% from a base station deploying a mix of 2G, 3G and 4G radios.

Is energy consumption a concern for 5G networks?

Abstract—The fifth generation of the Radio Access Network (RAN) has brought new services, technologies, and paradigms with the corresponding societal benefits. However, the energy consumption of 5G networks is today a concern.

Can 5G NR reduce network energy consumption?

IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, Vol. 22, 8 (2023), 5536--5549. Pal Frenger and Richard Tano. 2019. More capacity and less power: How 5G NR can reduce network energy consumption. In 2019 IEEE 89th vehicular technology conference (VTC2019-Spring).

Why is low 5G energy consumption important?

With new devices and use cases increasing the capacity of the networks, the demand to ensure low 5G energy consumption is critical to minimizing operator expenses and ensuring they can still meet energy reduction goals. How can NR bring an answer? Figure 1: Global mobile data traffic outlook [Ericsson Mobility Report, June 2019].