Doing better with energy saving in the network

Written by Alejandro Medina, CTO
Published by FutureNet World on 10 October 2024 

In today’s world, where mobile connectivity is dominant, an efficient and eco-friendly mobile network has never been more desired and needed.

As we become more and more reliant on mobile devices and data services, the energy usage supporting networks also increases considerably, particularly in the Radio Access Networks (RANs) and data centres. This surge not only poses environmental concerns but also presents challenges for network operators striving to maintain a reliable and cost-effective service. Technology providers and mobile operators are called to increase their efforts in reducing power consumption, as they experience an exponential increase in energy usage due to the explosion in the adoption of smartphones and their applications, Industry 4.0 (IoT) and bandwidth-hungry applications.

Given such a complex scenario, how can mobile operators optimise their power consumption and contribute to create a more sustainable ecosystem while reducing operational costs and maintaining quality customer experience?

The strategic and planning approach

To build a more environmentally friendly digital future, a number of energy saving approaches and interventions should be considered and, in several cases, are already in the process of being adopted by mobile operators around the world. Some of those approaches are defined and applied during the planning and design phase and become part of the overall strategy of mobile operators:

• Switch to renewable energy sources. Solar and wind power options offer promising alternatives to traditional power, helping to offset carbon footprints and reduce dependency on non-renewable energy
•  Adoption of the right energy-saving strategy. Operators are called to carefully select an overall strategy that is more or less aggressive based on their individual situation, network architecture and resources available
• Intelligent design and architecture of mobile network infrastructure. The optimisation of energy consumption needs to be considered when network planning activities are defined and processes are drawn. The short and long term impact on energy requirements and power usage efficiency of each potential course of action needs to be carefully assessed before a choice is made
• Selection of energy-efficient technologies. Hardware vendors have made available low power consumption equipment such as cables, radiation systems (MIMO and beamforming), base stations, backhaul links, etc, enabling more energy-efficient choices. Software and application vendors are also much more energy-conscious and offer solutions with built-in energy saving features and functionalities

The operational intervention

Managing and reducing energy usage successfully and efficiently requires all key stakeholders, not least engineering, finance and procurement, to work closely together not only to align to a common energy saving plan, but also to approve and carry out network element swaps and upgrades. Thankfully, selecting new energy-efficient elements is becoming easier. Technology advancements and gradual maturity of the ecosystem bring regularly forward innovative solutions and opportunities for mobile operators to consider.

Most of the network elements, e.g. Nodes B, can now be monitored from the energy perspective. However, on many occasions excessive power consumption is still spent when the network serves no or little traffic. These represent real opportunities for operators to intervene, as network elements can be monitored, analysed and acted upon whenever the network is not fully utilised. For example, leveraging the power of AI, new customisable software solutions are now available to orchestrate and optimise the management of the power saving features already embedded in the various network elements provided by the RAN vendors, such as:

• Power adaptation: configuring dynamically in real time uplink and downlink transmission power considering the UEs at the cell edge
• Sleep elements configuration: setting sleeping elements per cell based on the traffic forecasted. Depending on the hardware vendor features, different types of sleep can be configured (micro, light or deep sleep), making the transition faster if required
• UEs allocation/handover: moving traffic from one cell to a more convenient one, for example in dense areas, based on the energy saving strategy and traffic forecast
• Antenna adaptation: optimising the antenna array transmission needed, muting sub arrays for instance, to fulfil the traffic and the users in the cell

Such solutions dynamically configure, monitor, orchestrate and optimise the switching on and off of multiple radio resources thanks to customisable algorithms that forecast traffic demand and performance, guaranteeing quality of service at all times. When unexpected surges in traffic occur, the solution automatically intervenes to promptly adjust power consumption to the required level.

It is easy to appreciate that the highest positive impact to control and optimise network energy consumption is achieved with the adoption of a mix of well-coordinated interventions at strategic, planning and operational levels. Mobile operators are encouraged to consider every tried and tested as well as every innovative approach to become more energy efficient and, in doing so, more cost effective, benefitting themselves, their ecosystem and the environment.