Ericsson and Telcaria, a Spanish telecom R&D firm, have joined forces to enhance the energy efficiency of 5G networks. This collaboration is part of the ‘6G DAWN’ project, initiated in 2022 under the auspices of CTTC and funded by the Spanish Government’s UNICO I+D 5G program. The duo is focusing on optimising private 5G networks to reduce energy consumption without compromising on performance, aiming for 1 Gigabit per second traffic speeds over the mid-band spectrum.
In a practical setting, a private 5G network has been established at CTTC, linked to the 5TONIC lab, to trial these improvements. Here, cutting-edge technologies like Network Digital Twin and Network Exposure are being utilised. 5G’s design, coupled with AI/ML advancements, makes it over ten times more energy-efficient per gigabyte than 4G, offering significant cost savings and sustainability benefits for businesses.
Ericsson’s Private 5G networks, designed to propel Industry 4.0, provide secure and robust connectivity for a range of use cases. These networks support both indoor and outdoor operations, ensuring operational optimisation, flexibility, and security, backed by Ericsson’s top-tier radio portfolio. This next-gen connectivity is pivotal for modernising and digitising infrastructure critical to business operations.
Telcaria’s CEO, Maria Felisa Sedano accentuated on the “new challenges in energy efficiency within the future of cellular networks” and similarly, Ericsson Spain’s Head of Technology & Innovation, Manuel Lorenzo described the partnership as the creation of “new avenues for enhancing 5G network energy efficiency, enabled by the application of instrumental technologies”.