Nokia said that a new study it has done with Telefonica has found that 5G networks are up to 90 percent more energy-efficient per traffic unit than legacy 4G networks. The research was conducted over three months and focused on power consumption of the Radio Access Network (RAN) on Telefonica's network.
The study used Nokia’s AirScale portfolio including AirScale Base Stations and AirScale Massive MIMO Active Antenna systems. It combined actual, on-site base station energy consumption readings in different traffic load scenarios, ranging from 0 percent to 100 percent, as well as remote monitoring of actual power consumption through network management systems.
Tests examined eleven different traffic load scenarios that measured the energy used per megabyte per second, based on the traffic load distribution. They found that 5G RAN technology is "significantly" more efficient than legacy technologies in terms of energy consumption per data traffic capacity, with several hardware and software features that help to save energy.
Nokia said the roll-out of 5G networks is set to increase traffic dramatically, making it critical that power use does not rise at the same rate. Nokia and Telefonica are aligned with the ambition of limiting global warming to 1.5 Celsius.
In 2019, Nokia delivered zero-emission products to over 150 customers worldwide and aims to cut emissions from its operations by 41 percent by 2030. It said 46 percent less energy was used on average at customer base station sites that Nokia modernised in 2019, compared with unmodernised ones.
