Field validation of smart energy saving features in a GSM network

In recent years, due to the current economic recession together with increased pressure in reducing the environmental impact, Operational Expenses (OPEX) in Mobile Network Operators (MNO), and particularly energy consumption contribution to total OPEX is driving industry to develop innovative solutions in order to reduce energy consumption. Most innovative activities concentrate in the access network as Base Stations (BTSs) are the elements of the network where most of the energy is consumed. This paper presents the trial results and network energy saving estimations when several energy saving software based features are activated, for different network site configurations. Results show that savings of 15% can be achieved without degradation of perceived user experience. Traffic distribution and temperature are key parameters impacting the results.