ZTE Corporation, in partnership with the Liaoning branch of China Unicom, has conducted a trial on the 5G wireless network in Dalian, China, piloting innovative 5G energy saving technologies. These technologies can significantly reduce the energy consumption of 5G base stations without affecting the existing network quality, and thereby making large-scale deployments possible.
The trial has fully verified three energy saving technologies suitable for the existing 5G wireless network: DTX shutdown (inclusive of timeslot shutdown and symbol shutdown), channel shutdown, and deep sleep. They also tested different combinations of energy saving technologies in various network scenarios.
The trial results show that the power consumption can be reduced by 10% to 20% with DTX shutdown technology, 15% to 25% with channel shutdown technology, and 60% to 80% with deep sleep technology. When these energy saving technologies are combined, a single 5G base station with an S111 configuration can save 10 to 12 KWh per day on average, with network KPIs remaining stable.
To address 5G challenges of larger bandwidth, more channels, higher frequency bands, and denser sites, ZTE has also introduced innovative hardware, including a 7nm chip, a new GaN high-efficiency power amplifier, and V-tooth heat dissipation with a bionic leaf vein design.
Furthermore, ZTE has developed multi-dimensional (time, space and frequency) base station energy saving software technologies, comprehensively reducing power consumption of 5G base stations. Moving forward, ZTE will keep close collaboration with China Unicom to continuously innovate and build green 5G networks.
