How much energy will your NGN consume? A model for energy consumption in next generation access networks: The case of Spain

Abstract

The contribution to global energy consumption of the information and communications technology (ICT) sector has increased considerably in the last decade, along with its growing relevance to the overall economy. This trend will continue due to the seemingly ever greater use of these technologies, with broadband data traffic generated by the usage of telecommunication networks as a primary component. In fact, in response to user demand, the telecommunications industry is initiating the deployment of next generation networks (NGNs). However, energy consumption is mostly absent from the debate on these deployments, in spite of the potential impact on both expenses and sustainability.[n addition, consumers are unaware of the energy impact of their choices in ultra-broadband services. This paper focuses on forecasting energy consumption in the access part of NGNs by modelling the combined effect of the deployment of two different ultra-broadband technologies (FTTH-GPON and LTE), the evolution of traffic per user, and the energy consumption in each of the networks and user devices. Conclusions are presented on the levels of energy consumption, their cost and the impact of different network design parameters. The effect of technological developments, techno-economic and policy decisions on energy consumption is highlighted. On the consumer side, practical figures and comparisons across technologies are provided. Although the paper focuses on Spain, the analysis can be extended to similar countries.

Eco-innovation practices

“…Concerning resources, scholars have addressed the effect of ICT development on specific topics, mainly energy consumption and carbon emission (Coomonte et al, 2013;Moyer and Hughes, 2012). However, Fouchal et al (2013) outline that the improvement of energy efficiency not only needs new technology options, but an understanding of what choices will lead to the greatest impact.…”

Next Generation Networks for Distributed Electronic Resources: Opportunities and Challenges

“…On the other hand, technological developments led into little progress on reducing operating costs. The NGN services are also imposing new rules to the market, since reduced time to market, reliability, sustainability and flexibility are the new concerns compared to the traditional network services such as voice (Coomonte, Feijoo, Ramos, & Gomez-Barroso, 2013). As a result of the motivations from the society, technology and market, the traffic characteristics experienced a dramatic change.…”

A cost model for radio access data networks

“…An analysis and estimation of energy consumption of mobile networks is required to understand its importance. Few studies estimate the energy consumption in the future network deployments (Coomonte et al, 2013). However, a holistic description of the cost structure of the radio access networks, including the energy consumption, as well as an analysis from an economic point of view, is largely missing from the literature.…”