Energy efficiency

As mobile networks evolve towards 5G and beyond, energy-saving enhancements will continue to play a pivotal role in reducing operational costs, extending battery life in user equipment, and minimizing the carbon footprint of mobile networks. Future investigations will likely focus on AI-driven energy optimization, dynamic network slicing, and adaptive deep sleep scheduling, further improving the sustainability of next-generation wireless networks.

3GPP Rel.15. While Release 14 did not include a specific work item dedicated solely to energy-saving enhancements, significant contributions were made under broader initiatives. The focus on energy efficiency was integrated into other key developments, such as the support for Cellular Internet of Things (CIoT), which later evolved in Release 15. These advancements laid the foundation for future enhancements in power optimization and network sustainability. The general approach: With the introduction of 5G networks in Release 15, the importance of energy-efficient design became a central focus across multiple 3GPP working groups (WGs). Unlike previous releases, where energy-saving discussions were largely confined to a few working groups such as SA5 and select RAN WGs, Release 15 expanded the scope, integrating energy efficiency into the core system architecture and network design principles. This paradigm shift was reflected in the commissioning of four dedicated studies on energy efficiency and power optimization. Notably, one of these studies was conducted directly by the TSG SA plenary, highlighting the strategic significance of energy efficiency for the entire 3GPP ecosystem. Meanwhile, the SA5 working group led three additional studies, exploring power-saving mechanisms, performance optimization, and energy-aware network operations One of the key milestones in Release 15 was the adoption of a formalized definition of energy efficiency, derived from ETSI Technical Committee EE. This definition provided a standardized methodology for assessing energy performance within mobile networks. The primary energy efficiency metric for network elements (NEs) is expressed as:

Energy Efficiency (NE) = Data Volume (DV) / Energy Consumption (EC)where DV (Data Volume) is measured in bits, representing the total data transported through a given network element, as collected via Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) systems. Also EC (Energy Consumption) is quantified in Joules, representing the total power usage of the same network element. This formula is referenced across multiple 3GPP Technical Reports (TRs) and Technical Specifications (TSs) dealing with energy performance. For radio access networks (RANs), an alternative KPI is used to assess efficiency in terms of coverage performance relative to power usage:Energy Efficiency (RAN) = Coverage Area / Energy Consumptionwhere Coverage Area represents the geographical extent within which a given RAN element provides connectivity and Energy Consumption refers to the total power usage of the corresponding RAN infrastructure components.

3GPP Rel.16 and onwards. With the advent of 5G networks, energy efficiency has become a paramount consideration in the telecommunications sector. In this context, Release 16 (Rel-16) of 3GPP specifications has introduced significant advancements in energy-saving mechanisms, particularly within the SA5 working group. Originally conceptualized under Release 15, the study titled “System and Functional Aspects of Energy Efficiency in 5G Networks” (FS_EE_5G) was ultimately integrated into Rel-16. This study provided the foundation for subsequent normative work under “Energy Efficiency in 5G Networks” (EE_5G), ensuring a systematic approach to optimizing power consumption across next-generation mobile systems.

A pivotal aspect of energy efficiency analysis is accurate energy consumption tracking. Energy measurements were collected using: power meters, built-in sensors (facilitating OAM-based monitoring), external sensors.

Release 18/19 the following use cases of energy efficiency and energy saving aspects of 5G networks and services have been investigated:

✓ Use case #1: Estimation of containerized VNF/VNFC energy consumption✓ Use case #2: Alternative option to obtain energy consumption of VNF/VNFC✓Use case #3: Enabling renewable energy consumption and carbon emission information reporting✓ Use case #4: Exposure of carbon and renewable energy related information✓ Use case #5: Estimating averaged gNB energy consumption per UE✓ Use case #6: Multi-dimensional network energy efficiency metrics✓ Use case #7: Renewable energy based LBO✓ Use case #8: Energy saving by converting QoS of a service✓ Use case #9: Renewable energy enabling 5GC NF re-selection✓ Use case #10: Deployment of Network Slices depending on the energy source of the operator site✓ Use case #11: Handling of power shortages✓ Use case #12: Cell proximity-based energy saving✓ Use case #13: Per-network slice gNB and 5GC NF Energy Consumption

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