Partner Contents: Fifth generation (5G) networks have enabled new applications for both consumers and businesses, while bringing high-bandwidth connections and much lower latency to mobile users. But using his 5G equipment on cellular infrastructure will also significantly increase energy consumption.
With international efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry also aims to halve its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 and become net zero carbon by 2050. striving to achieve. -Carbon 5G infrastructure could play a key role in building a greener digital economy.
Another challenge is optimizing the performance of 5G networks to meet greater user experience expectations while incorporating multi-band wireless network technology. Especially for high-band 5G (millimeter wave – also known as mmWave), maximum coverage and capacity is particularly challenging in dense urban areas, where the signal is easily blocked by buildings and other obstacles.
Additionally, carriers and mobile network operators (MNOs) are looking to improve network efficiency, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) and maximize profits while enabling new revenue-generating services. There is constant pressure to build and expand structures. .
RAN Breaks Down Barriers
The success or failure of that mission will depend heavily on the availability of low-power 5G transmission equipment from key suppliers. ZTE is one of them. ZTE is set to flesh out its strategy to empower the operator and his MNOs at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) event in Barcelona.
Bai Yanmin, Vice President and General Manager of RAN Products, ZTE Corporation, said: “Specifically, ZTE’s RAN technology will focus on modernizing wireless networks, deepening the integration of 5G and AI, enhancing 5G capabilities, and creating new business opportunities for MNOs in both B2C and B2B markets. to improve the efficiency and sustainability of 5G.”
This year, ZTE plans to help MNOs realize the potential of 5G in a wide range of fields by integrating support for specific industry applications into its wireless network infrastructure. By increasing the processing and computing power of machines, we will be able to run AI directly on the hardware. For example, adding sensing capabilities opens the door to even more new use cases. Importantly, this should pave the way for his industry-specific 5G applications to not only support the system, but core operations as well.
ZTE’s UniSite platform enables this integration using a combination of Dual-Band Active Antenna Unit (AAU) and Tri-Band Ultra-Broadband Radio (UBR) technologies, maximizing the signal range of the remote radio units required for the network. reduce the number.
Built on top of these innovative radio products, the streamlined and highly efficient all-band and all-scenario UniSite solutions will help MNOs achieve RAN modernization and build competitive 5G networks. help. added Bai.
5G green goal
Meanwhile, increasing service and network complexity—a challenge highlighted by a recent GSMA study—is prompting ZTE to do more with RAN intelligence and automation.
“The problem is getting to the point where we have to combine AI/ML, intelligent software and automation to manage the network,” Bai explains. “AI will allow us to analyze vast amounts of data from different sources, opening up the potential for more energy-saving opportunities across the network. 5G and AI will make 5G greener and MNOs It is essential in improving network efficiency and helping us meet our sustainability goals.”
The urgent need to improve the energy efficiency of communication networks and reduce power consumption has led ZTE to focus on designing and delivering more power efficient RAN hardware. This is another feature of 3-sector low- or mid-band UBR that helps reduce the cost and physical and carbon footprint of 5G networks. Additionally, ZTE’s PowerPilot Pro solution uses AI algorithms hosted in the cloud or on the BBU itself to shut down parts of the network when not in use to save energy.
Deploying AI/ML on BBUs closer to data sources improves real-time response and also helps ZTE’s PowerPilot Pro and Radio Composer network resource orchestration capabilities. Essentially, these intelligent algorithms allow base stations to “sense” traffic and user behavior patterns and proactively route applications to the most efficient radio technology or spectrum depending on their requirements.
Cross-domain information that can affect energy consumption is also sent to the base station, allowing it to quickly activate enhanced energy-saving features. ZTE introduced various shutdown mechanisms and multiple levels of shutdown, including his own AAU hibernation mode.
“In today’s mobile industry, even AAU’s deepest power saving mode consumes about 100W because some modules cannot be completely shut down,” said Bai. “Our AAU hibernation technology is a ‘zero-load, zero-consumption’ energy-saving technology that integrates software and hardware cooperatively. Shut down all but the small power module and reduce power consumption from 100W to 5W. “
Intention-Driven Efficiency
Intelligent orchestration is a key pillar of ZTE’s wireless framework, and like PowerPilot Pro, ZTE’s Radio Composer solution is powered by AI deployed in base stations to improve user experience and radio resource management To do.
Launching in 2022, Radio Composer 2.0 relies on intent-driven technology to help operators meet specific scenario and service requirements, streamline resource allocation, and significantly reduce operating and maintenance costs. help reduce. “Radio Composer 2.0 allows the network to ‘get what it expects’,” Bai said.
While PowerPilot Pro helps save energy and Radio Composer improves user experience and network efficiency, ZTE offers many other solutions that provide additional functionality. The Dynamic Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) helps the MNO improve network coverage, and uSmartNet is designed to increase the efficiency of the telecom company’s O&M system. Elsewhere, 3D Coverage Solutions combines his AAU/RRU products with SSB 1+X beam networking technology to reduce or eliminate network blind spots.
The main goal of ZTE’s RAN portfolio is to enable operators to reduce their total cost of ownership (TCO). To this end, the company plans to accelerate the integration of communications, computing and sensing capabilities into his 5G network infrastructure to meet the needs of specific industries. For example, NodeEngine (computing engines embedded within base stations) and SmartEdge (low-latency edge gateways) combine to allow vertical applications to be deployed directly into the network infrastructure.
“5G vertical applications will gradually move from supporting systems to supporting core operations, enabling use cases that are integral to industrial manufacturing processes, which will better reflect the value of 5G networks. Let’s go,” said Bai. “Deeper integration into core operations will improve production efficiency in manufacturing and enable smart city applications such as government smart transportation.”
The combination of AI and computing power is a key driver of current network development, but it is also the foundation for intelligent RAN development for future 5G-Advanced and 6G networks. ZTE expects 5G networks to evolve further to have his AI capabilities native, whether integrated into the overall system design or injected into the core network, access network and physical layer. doing.
More importantly, ZTE’s RAN intelligence is enabling carriers to leverage advanced network automation capabilities and energy-efficient 5G equipment to deliver superior user experience to both B2C and B2B markets. That’s it.
A good example of what is possible is Guangzhou’s rural transportation industry, which in 2020 worked with China Mobile and ZTE to turn the city’s transportation system into a smart 5G-enabled platform.
China Mobile and ZTE are also helping cardboard maker Hotel Star replace its traditional Wi-Fi-based network with a high-speed private 5G network that supports real-time transfer of large amounts of data to its local data center. Did. The network has improved data collection efficiency for manufacturers, reduced deployment and maintenance costs, and increased operational agility.
Multiple operators have deployed ZTE AI-powered RAN in multiple cities to improve user experience, network traffic, and network efficiency while reducing customer churn and enhancing B2B digital transformation. These are just a few of his early efforts to digitize thousands of 5G adapters, and ZTE hopes its bolstered product portfolio will bolster similar efforts in the future.
