BT Group (OTC: BTGOF), based in London, has implemented an energy-saving technology, referred to as ‘cell sleep,’ at cell sites in its EE mobile network, following successful field trials across the U.K. The company expects the ‘cell sleep’ technology will deliver energy savings of up to 2 KWh per site per day, or 4.5 million KWh per year across EE’s network, reducing its overall demand on the local grid.
‘Cell sleep’ software works by putting certain 4G LTE capacity carriers into a low-power idle state during periods of low mobile traffic when the capacity is not needed. The cell sleep software is activated based on predicted periods of low traffic which have been established for each site through AI and machine learning.
The system automatically wakes up when traffic volumes increase. It is also configured to react to unexpected surges which might occur during scheduled sleep modes. When this happens, the carriers wake up within a matter of seconds to serve demand without any interruption to customers. An even lower power state, ‘deep sleep,’ can also be activated if required during overnight periods of extremely low demand.
Both the ‘cell sleep’ and ‘deep sleep’ functionality is provided by the respective RAN equipment supplier on each of EE’s sites. BT’s site data is used to inform the statistical algorithms which then autonomously inform the functionality. Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) is one of EE’s RAN equipment suppliers and has also implemented cell sleep with Singtel in Singapore.
“There is huge potential for energy savings across our networks by dynamically matching power consumption against network usage,” says Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer, BT Group. “The optimization and roll-out of cell sleep technology to over 19,500 sites across the U.K. is a significant milestone in achieving this, and an important development in countering the massive growth in data consumption we’re seeing across our networks.”
BT Group is the largest provider of fixed-line broadband and mobile services in the U.K., according to Inside Towers Intelligence. EE reported nearly 30 million mobile subscribers as of March 31.
The telecom operator claims that its wireline and wireless networks account for around 89 percent of its total energy consumption in the sector. Increasing network energy-efficiency is integral to BT’s goal to become a net zero carbon emissions business by the end of March 2031.
Earlier this year, BT Group completed the decommissioning of its legacy 3G network. The company says switching off the 3G network is expected to deliver energy savings of 17.44 million KWh per year. EE has also made strides in upgrading to more energy-efficient RAN equipment, including the deployment of ultra-lightweight Massive MIMO technology which uses up to 40 percent less energy than the previous generation of radio equipment.
By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor
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