For a long time, while everyone is talking about the excellent performance of 5G with large bandwidth and high speed, they are also concerned about the power consumption of 5G. Regarding the power consumption of 5G, although there are many theoretical parameters, they lack demonstration of actual test results.
The picture below is undoubtedly the most realistic first-line test result at present, and it comes from an operator, which is very convincing.
Shown in the figure are the actual test results of the operator’s power consumption of 5G base stations from different manufacturers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
According to the conclusion in the figure:
1. The power consumption of a 5G single station is 2.5 to 3.5 times that of a 4G single station. The increase in AAU power consumption is the main reason for the increase in 5G power consumption.
2. The current full load power of a single station is nearly 3700W, and the existing network power supply and supporting facilities need to be expanded in advance.
There is no doubt that this conclusion is very surprising. Although we are mentally prepared for the increase in power consumption of 5G, the magnitude of the increase is still a bit shocking.
Some netizens even exclaimed: “State Grid may be the biggest winner of 5G!”
As we all know, the energy consumption cost of the communication network (that is, the electricity bill) accounts for about 20% of the operator’s network maintenance cost (OPEX).
Doubling power consumption means doubling electricity bills, which will undoubtedly greatly increase the operational pressure on operators. The expansion of power supply equipment mentioned in the conclusion also means an increase in 5G network construction investment (CAPEX).
The main equipment of 5G base station is mainly composed of BBU and AAU. AAU is actually the RRU+antenna in the 4G era.
The main role of the BBU is to process baseband digital signals. The main function of the AAU is to convert the baseband digital signal into an analog signal, then modulate it into a high-frequency radio frequency signal, and then amplify the power through the power amplifier unit and transmit it through the antenna.
Judging from the data in the figure, the power of the BBU is relatively stable and is not greatly affected by the business load. But AAU is different. As the load increases, the power consumption also increases significantly.
| Equipment classification | Business load | AAU/RRU average power consumption (W) | BBU average power consumption (W) |
| 5G | 100% | 1127.28 | 293.012 |
| 50% | 892.32 | 293.012 | |
| 30% | 762.43 | 292.537 | |
| 20% | 733.92 | 293.233 | |
| 10% | 699.36 | 293.416 | |
| No load | 633 | 293.568 | |
| 4G | 100% | 289.68 | 175.68 |
| 50% | 273.58 | 174.32 | |
| 30% | 259.1 | 171.92 | |
| No load | 222.59 | 169.44 |
Under S111 configuration and 100% load, the power consumption of a single station can even reach 3852.5W.
| Business load | 4G(S333) | 5G(S111) | 5G(S111) | 4/5G energy consumption comparison |
| 100% | 1044.72W | 3674.85W | 3852.5W | 5G is about 3.5 times that of 4G |
S111/S333: S represents a directional sector, 111 represents a three-sector base station with one frequency point per sector, and 333 represents a three-sector base station with three frequency points per sector.
It is worth mentioning that this is only the power consumption of the device itself, not counting the power consumption of the air conditioner. The overall power consumption of a single site will only be greater.
It should be noted that although the absolute value of power consumption of 5G base stations is increasing, its energy efficiency ratio is definitely higher than that of 4G. In other words, with the same power consumption, the network capacity of 5G will be dozens of times that of 4G, and the power consumption per bit will be significantly reduced.
Data shows that under a 5G base station, each kilowatt hour of electricity can allow you to download more than 5,000 ultra-high-definition movies. In the 4G era, the same amount of electricity can only download less than 200 devices.
| 4G/5G energy efficiency PK | 4G | 5G | ||
| 2T2R | 4T4R | 32T32R | 64T64R | |
| Energy consumption (watt) | 400 | 685 | 32T32R | 64T64R |
| Capacity (Mbps) | 150 | 300 | 5000 | 10000 |
| Energy efficiency (GB/kWh165) | 165 | 192 | 4395 | 5425 |
The amount of data that can be downloaded per kilowatt hour of electricity (comparison between 4G and 5G) data comes from network optimization mercenaries
Despite this, the sharp rise in electricity bills will still make operators sleepless. 5G power consumption control is a very urgent issue for operators and equipment manufacturers.
At present, the main response measures include: using higher process chips, more energy-saving device materials, introducing more scientific heat dissipation methods, and dynamically controlling device power through AI technology.
At the MWC 2019 Shanghai exhibition, an equipment manufacturer launched a “5G liquid cooling” base station
In particular, the last AI technology dynamic power consumption control is regarded by many manufacturers as an important breakthrough point in reducing energy consumption. At MWC, such solutions were displayed, and the effect seemed to be significant.
All in all, the power consumption of 5G equipment is a severe challenge facing operators and an important obstacle for us to promote 5G construction. If the power consumption problem cannot be effectively solved, and the 5G business model and demand are still unclear, it will be difficult for operators to have the motivation to carry out large-scale construction, and the implementation and long-term development of 5G will also be affected.
We need 5G, and we need green 5G even more. We hope that manufacturers can step up innovative research and development, launch more and more effective energy-saving technologies, further reduce 5G energy consumption, and completely dispel our concerns about building and developing 5G!
