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Radio network energy performance: shifting focus from power to precision

It is no secret that cutting costs improves bottom line. Reducing energy consumption is a good way to lower operational expenditure, which is good news for telecom operators as they are among the topmost consumers of electricity in many countries. Rising energy prices and the global importance of deploying energy-efficient solutions indicate that everything is to be gained by making the most of new technologies that can reduce energy consumption.
Magazine
Feb 18, 2014

Improving radio network energy performance is not just about replacing old equipment with new, more energy-efficient hardware. A lot can be gained by, for example, adding energy-saving software features to the massive number of already installed RBS sites. Even if only modest savings can be made on a per node basis, the sheer number of installed sites suggests that overall savings can be significant.

The approach of building networks that focus on delivering maximum capacity at every site does not always result in the best radio network energy performance. By instead developing network architecture based on precision, choosing just the right product to meet the traffic demand at each site is a crucial part of a design process with focus on energy efficiency – resulting in networks that can provide excellent user experience as well as outstanding energy performance.

Ericsson’s Psi-coverage solution has been tested in field trials that show potential energy consumption savings of more than 40 percent. This Ericsson Review article discusses this solution as well as other hardware and software approaches that can help telecom operators to cut their energy-related costs and at the same time reduce their CO2 footprint.

Radio network energy performance: shifting focus from power to precision