On the Potential of Radio Adaptations for 6G Network Energy Saving

This paper addresses the challenge of energy consumption in wireless mobile networks. These networks are designed to handle peak capacity and coverage, but the traffic demand is not evenly distributed in time and space. As a result, they typically operate with an average radio resource usage of only around 30%. Thus, to enhance network efficiency and minimize energy consumption, it is crucial to use radio adaptations that deactivate unnecessary resources during periods of low traffic demand. Our objective is to determine the most efficient radio adaptations across time, frequency, antenna, and power domains. The study evaluates and compares adaptations in these four domains using the base station power consumption model defined by the 3GPP. The primary goal is to maximize energy saving while maintaining network performance, which is evaluated based on downlink achievable rate and packet latency. The analysis shows that reducing the number of active antenna ports and adjusting transmit power levels are the most effective approaches for conserving network energy. These strategies enable a more energy-efficient utilization of radio resources while still meeting the required performance criteria, which makes them attractive for the 6G design.