Telecom's energy dilemma: Can elastic networking be the fix?

As telecom networks struggle with rising energy demands, elastic networking offers a solution by optimising resource allocation and minimising power waste.

- SHUBHENDU PARTH

Nokia, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), and Anritsu Corporation have successfully conducted a proof of concept (PoC) demonstrating the effectiveness of Elastic networking in reducing energy consumption in mobile networks.

Developed under the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) Global Forum architecture, the All-Photonics Network (APN) was successfully applied to the mobile fronthaul between the antenna unit (Radio Unit, RU) and the control unit (Distributed Unit, DU) of a 5G RAN base station. "This demonstrated that dynamic rerouting of the mobile fronthaul is possible by using the IOWN APN," NTT stated in its press release.

"The validation paves the way for the widespread adoption of Elastic networking to help telecom operators ensure more energy-efficient networks," Nokia stated. When deployed, Elastic networking reallocates network resources on demand, helping operators reduce energy costs by switching off network resources from a secondary to a primary destination. This approach effectively enables the hibernation of radio and optical equipment when not in use.

Dr Sidharth Shukla, a defence communication expert heading the emerging technology vertical with a leading cellular service provider, explains, "Elastic networking dynamically adjusts network capacity and resource allocation based on real-time traffic demands. This architecture efficiently scales up or down to match fluctuating usage, minimising downtime and optimising performance, particularly during peak traffic. It also reduces energy consumption significantly by hibernating unused equipment during low-demand periods. Further, it can simultaneously hibernate both radio and optical equipment, thereby enhancing energy savings.”