The radio access network (RAN) is the biggest energy draw in a mobile network. Because of this, network infrastructure vendors and operators are primarily focused on reducing power consumption in the radio domain. Doing this successfully has the potential to reduce power bills in what is, generally speaking, a time of increasing energy costs, and it another facet of longer-term net-zero ambitions. To understand how operators should begin reducing RAN-related energy consumption, we convened a group of experts at the Telco Sustainability Forum (available on demand here); the big takeaway was that RAN modernization is the path forward.
