Vodafone, Keysight Technologies, Wind River, Intel, and Radisys teamed up to tackle open radio access network (RAN) energy consumption, using their combined assets to reduce power needs by as much as 12% during a test at the recent Global PlugFest Spring 2022 event organized by the O-RAN Alliance. 

The test used Keysight's O-RAN Energy Savings solution, which includes containerized open RAN distributed unit (O-DU) and open RAN centralized unit (O-CU) software, open RAN cloud software, and processors with telemetry and power management features and accelerators to demonstrate reduction in power consumption for a multi-vendor open RAN system. The group was able to reduce the power consumption of open RAN infrastructure by 9% and 12% during high and low mobile traffic peak scenarios respectively. 

The test reproduced traffic scenarios like peak commuting and after school hours, and idle times when many are sleeping. Vodafone Open RAN Senior Engineer Nikoleta Patroni said more tests are needed to confirm the energy efficiency gains seen in the controlled laboratory are feasible across multiple open RAN sites supporting real traffic.

“We plan to exceed the energy efficiency of today’s mobile networks. To achieve this, we need a standardized approach to evaluating, testing, measuring, and monitoring energy consumption of disaggregated multi-vendor open RAN,” Patroni said in a statement. “This will provide a greater degree of transparency and help accelerate the acceptance of open RAN technology for larger-scaled commercial deployments.”

The testing is another result of operators like Vodafone expressing interest in energy efficiency requirements that could support their sustainability efforts through open RAN. 

The telecom industry has already signaled sustainability will be a priority moving forward, with companies like Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica leading in overall sustainability and implementation of climate-focused technologies. A GSMA report in May found that 62% of the telecom industry by revenue has committed to reducing emissions in the next decade.

However, true telecom sustainability will require continued strategic collaboration on the part of some of the industry’s biggest players. Market leaders have teamed up on open RAN several times this year, such as in efforts to secure a global RAN silicon market, but it remains to be seen how closely competitors will actually share resources in the long run. Patroni noted that in order to introduce greener technology and better connectivity, working together is key. 

“We can’t do it alone, we need the entire industry to pull together, and the O-RAN Alliance and the Work Group 6 provides the best environment for vendors and operators to work together and align the industry on this important topic.” she said.