Following BT trials into energy-saving cell sleep technology, last month the Group announced it had implemented this technology across its EE mobile sites nationwide.
Cell sleep technology works by putting particular 4G LTE capacity carriers to sleep when they are not needed based on expected periods of low traffic which were established through the utilisation of machine learning.
The system then wakes up during busy periods of traffic and has been designed to react to unexpected surges that may take place during sleep modes. The deep sleep mode can be activated if periods of demand are especially low. These functionalities are provided by the RAN equipment supplier on each of EE’s sites, which was not named by BT in the announcement.
“There is huge potential for energy savings across our networks by dynamically matching power consumption against network usage,” said Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer, BT Group at the time of the announcement.
Expected figures provided by the BT Group show that it believes this cell sleep technology will save up to 2KWh of energy per site per day, or 4.5m KHw per year across its entire estate.
BT also said that the switch of its legacy 3G network earlier this year delivers energy savings of 14.kkm KWh per year. Switching off 2G and 3G legacy networks has already taken place in the US and MNOs in the UK are expected to follow suit.
MNOs become more conscious of energy usage
This is not the first instance that a mobile network operator (MNO) has deployed cell sleep technology to deliver energy savings, in a sign that consciousness about energy usage and subsequent emissions is becoming a greater priority.
In February of last year, for example, Singtel said it would deploy nationwide Ericsson’s Cell Sleep Mode function in a move that would save energy at its mobile base stations as part of an overall sustainability strategy.
“We want to meet the ever-increasing demand for data and connectivity but in a socially-conscious and sustainable manner in keeping with our goal of achieving net zero by 2050,” explained Tay Yeow Lian, Managing Director (Networks), Consumer Singapore at Singtel.
The cell sleep technology provided by Ericsson and leveraged by Singtel is similar in how it operates, as the cells are put to sleep during low traffic periods. However, a noticeable difference is the use of Cognitive Software which means Singtel can gather information from large volumes of data such as usage and mobility patterns on which it can base decisions such as when to switch its radio cell transmitters to sleep mode.
“Efficient monitoring and tracking supported by revolutionary AI can help identify optimisation areas to reduce the energy used by base stations across networks,” added Martin Wiktorin, Head of Ericsson Singapore, Brunei and Philippines in the announcement.
Three UK and Ericsson recently collaborated on deploying more energy efficient radios, as Three UK deployed Ericsson’s dual-band Radio 4490. Using advanced machine learning, passive cooling and power-saving features, the radio works across 4G and 5G networks and switches off radio components when they are not active.
Three UK reported that the partnership led to network energy efficiency increasing by 70%. Evangelia Tzifa, Chief Technology Officer, Networks & Managed Services, Ericsson UK and Ireland, said in the announcement: “Together with Three UK, we are redefining the network of the future and making it both smarter and more energy efficient.”
There’s plenty of other editorial on our sister site, Electronic Specifier! Or you can always join in the conversation by commenting below or visiting our LinkedIn page.
