Standby for Mobile Operator Energy Savings
The proliferation of mobile devices and increasing demand for data usage has resulted in a large-scale expansion of wireless cellular networks. Operators need more and more cells to handle the increasing demand, but, it is hard to scale the infrastructure for mobile services in real time. You can’t build a new cell tower overnight therefore cell towers are built to handle the highest expected traffic capacity.
Traditionally, the cells have been ‘always on’ and ready to serve all cellular requests instantly. This means the energy consumption of the cell towers is enormous. In 2022, an Ericsson white paper estimated that operators were spending around $25 billion collectively on energy every year. Since then, Ericsson estimates that spending on energy could have risen above $30 billion due to soaring energy prices. And energy consumption contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases which have a direct environmental impact. According to a recent report, wireless networks in the United States alone consume an estimated 21 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, which is equivalent to the annual output of approximately 2.7 nuclear power plants.
To minimize energy consumption and therefore environmental impact, operators must control and optimize the energy usage of cell sites on-the-fly.
One solution to this problem is to dynamically switch cells off when capacity allows and when there will be a negligible impact on subscriber performance. Maintaining an acceptable quality of service to subscribers must be balanced with energy consumption reduction – no operator wants their users to experience poor performance on voice calls or when they are using data. VIAVI has been working alongside technology partners such as Amazon Web Services, and others to make dynamic switching possible, practical and trusted to operate within satisfactory user experience parameters when deployed in the field. The result allows operators to optimize their networks for performance and reduce energy consumption at the same time, not only benefiting the environment but also delivering significant cost savings to those operators.
Using specialist VIAVI equipment such as TeraVM RIC test in the lab means that operators can simulate traffic and test scenarios to train the software tools from organizations like Aira and CanGo, known as xApps and rApps. This software is designed to run on the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) and ensures the operators can try out different RAN automation and management use cases before trusting them for deployment in the field. In this case, they can train, prove and verify a combination of xApps for steering traffic around different cells, with energy efficiency xApps to determine how best to keep the cells operating at as low power as possible with a maximum impact on user performance of less than say 5%. In many cases, these tests can show that user experience improves rather than reduces.
Simulated traffic testing in the lab allows network operators to test the efficacy of their energy-saving solutions in a controlled environment. By simulating traffic patterns, network operators can estimate the potential energy savings of their solutions, identify any potential issues or bottlenecks, and optimize energy-saving strategies accordingly. They can also identify the impact of different factors on energy use. In short, the pre-rollout xApp training ensures that operators can balance their energy consumption and performance needs to realize a meaningful reduction in energy usage before ‘going live’.
Switching off cells for the period of time when they are not needed can significantly reduce the energy consumption of wireless networks by up to 20% or more, as demonstrated at MWC 2023 in Barcelona. Taking an average of 5,000 cells per operator in the United States, for example, equates to approximately $25m cost savings per operator per annum at February 2023 energy prices. This reduction in energy consumption not only results in cost-savings but also directly translates to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, benefiting the environment over time.
There are other wins for both operators and the environment too. On top of the monetary savings from spiraling energy costs, not having every cell on continuously can also help extend the lifespan of network equipment reducing the need for new equipment to be manufactured and installed as frequently.
This innovative approach to using real-time intelligence in mobile networks is just the start of how the industry can contribute to sustainability by implementing practical ways to reduce energy consumption and become more environmentally friendly. We relish the opportunity to continue playing a key part in ground-breaking projects like this.
Discover more about our sustainability initiative and ESG program.
