The 5G revolution. The operator cuts energy consumption by more than half

The German operator reported that managed to reduce energy consumption in their backbone network by 65%. The result was achieved thanks to a new resource management model that dynamically adjusts computing power and infrastructure elements to current network traffic. Instead of continuous operation, individual components are activated only when needed.

The project was created in cooperation with Lenovo, HPE, AMD and Mavenir. Lenovo provides servers, HPE provides energy-efficient network components, AMD provides advanced EPYC processors and the software layer, and Mavenir provides 5G functions. Tests in the operational network were successful, and the operator announces further expansion of the solution.

The key element is the concept “Full Stack Energy Efficiency”i.e. optimization of energy consumption at all technological levels, from hardware and processors, through operating systems and the cloud, to the 5G core itself. The whole thing works within the new architecture Horizontal Telco Cloudbased on open source standards and components, which simplifies the implementation and further scaling of services.

In the next stages, Deutsche Telekom plans to use AI to forecast traffic and activate dormant resources earlier. The operator’s strategy is based on principle “Zero Bits, Zero Watts”i.e. minimal energy consumption when no traffic is transmitted in the network. The goal is to simultaneously reduce electricity consumption and CO2 emissions while maintaining high quality of services.