OkCBP

RETHINKING
energy performance
With our strategy to lead our sector
in network energy performance,
Ericsson has taken a systematic
approach for energy performance
that will reduce energy consumption
while increasing app coverage.
Energy efficiency has become a key
priority for the telecom industry as mobile
network operators are increasingly
challenged by the need to build energyefficient
networks as well as deliver high
performance. Reducing energy consumption
makes good business sense, satisfies
regulatory needs and contributes to reducing
environmental impact.
Generation shift brings efficiency
The new Ericsson Radio System is a modular
approach to build and expand mobile
networks. It represents a generational
shift. The energy-efficient Ericsson Radio
System is designed to handle the mobile
data traffic increases expected by 2020.
The system is half the size and weight and
delivers twice the capacity. It enables
operators to capitalize on growing mobile
broadband demand from consumers,
businesses and the Internet of Things to
build their business as they evolve to 5th
generation mobile systems.
A holistic approach
In a mobile network, the radio access
network (RAN) is the largest consumer
of energy, and is therefore where most
energy -efficiency improvements are
focused. However, addressing the total
cost of energy of a network covers more
than reducing energy consumption of
radio base stations. It requires a holistic
approach to address all aspects, from
nodes to sites to network.
Address the installed base
Improving radio network energy performance
involves more than replacing old
equipment with new, more energy-efficient
hardware. Much can be gained, for example,
by deploying energy-saving software
features to the installed base. Whenever
new radio technology is added, existing
generations remain. Solutions must therefore
address all generations of technology;
> > From always on to always available,
there are many RAN-specific energysaving
features for 2G, 3G, 4G, giving
operator the potential to reduce energy
consumption in existing radio equipment
up to 25%. For example BCCH
Power Saving (GSM), see Turkcell case;
Traffic Aware Power Saving (WCDMA)
and Micro Sleep Tx (LTE).
> > Prolong capacity life-cycle. An energy -
efficient network can deliver needed
capacity for a long time based on flexible
capacity growth rather than hardware
upgrades. Network capacity can
be increased by staying current with the
latest software release, without adding
new hardware.
> > New hardware platforms that support
multi-standard, multi-band are more
energy efficient and future proof. The
radio unit from Ericsson Radio System
provides a 50% improvement in energy
efficiency. Ericsson Radio System was
launched during 2015.
Build with precision
From our global installed base Ericsson
offers insights into traffic and network reality,
enabling operators to understand how
traffic is distributed. Over-dimensioning
does not always result in performance
gains. Instead, it more often leads to
increased OPEX, higher energy consumption,
and inflated capital expenditures –
all of which impact the total cost of ownership.
In one trial, energy consumption of a
deployment with traditional, large-capacity
radio base stations was compared with
that of a more precisely matched mix of
solutions. Results showed that with this
approach, it is possible to reduce energy
consumption by 40%.
The different site capacity demands
need to be matched with different variants of
baseband and radio products, optimized
for each of the desired traffic segments.
Ericsson’s unique Psi Coverage is one
solution that has enabled accelerated
efficiency gain for Turkcell
Turkcell, the leading mobile operator in Turkey, required a more efficient way to operate its
network and to build in more capacity for increased mobile traffic while keeping energy
costs under control. By deploying Ericsson’s energy-efficiency software feature BCCH
(Broadcast Control Channel) Power Saving, Turkcell managed to reduce energy consumption
in GSM networks and improve network performance. The solution, designed to save
power in GSM networks, regulates the power level of time slots in the BCCH carrier while
maintaining network quality. The feature aims to save energy by down-regulating the time
slots (except for TS0) at BCCH TRX (transceiver). Turkcell has deployed this feature for the
entire network. It has not only reduced power consumption but improved network performance.
The monthly average energy consumption per site decreased by 86.8 kWh, which
resulted in a 6% reduction of total energy consumption yearly for Turkcell.
30 Ericsson | Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report 2014