Proponents of 5G keep saying it: the next generation of mobile technology will, once deployed, consume less energy than our current 4G. A promise that 5G, currently in the deployment phase, should hold well, notes a panel of researchers brought together by Arcep. A conclusion that is however not without many caveats – and not the least, indicate the latter.
According to a study carried out by a committee of technical experts on mobile networks, meeting under the aegis of the Authority chaired by Laure de La Raudière, with the deployment of 5G, energy efficiency gains will be effective from 2023. and manifests by 2028… only in very dense areas. These energy savings will indeed be much more timid in less dense areas and will only appear at the earliest until 2025 and at the latest in 2028, note the latter.
Still, 5G will first of all increase our environmental bill. Based on two scenarios (one analyzing the energy savings of a 4G network, the other based on the same savings offered by 5G based on a 4G network), the experts brought together by the telecoms policeman are thus formal (and confirm the conclusions of the High Council for the Climate on this subject): the deployment of 5G will first of all accelerate our energy consumption.
5G uses less energy… in the long term
“Initially, the duration of which depends on the different deployment scenarios of 5G, this technology generates an increase in energy consumption”, explain the latter. As for the energy savings promised by the promoters of 5G, these will not arrive before 2023… even if they could be significant.
By 2028, the new generation of mobile technology could thus allow us energy savings of up to 10 times our energy consumption recorded in 2020, and a reduction in greenhouse gases quantified up to eight times the programs produced in 2020.
Still, these energy savings will only be really noticeable in very dense areas. “In less dense deployment areas with low traffic density, almost non-existent gains appear at the earliest in 2025, and at the latest in 2028”, summarize the experts brought together by Arcep.
A study that calls for others
As revealed by their prospective work – which is limited solely to the phase of use of the technology by the general public and does not take into account the repercussions of 5G on industrial activity – other levers would make it possible to better control the energy consumption… starting with the night-time standby of mobile networks.
In addition to activating these advanced network standby features, other features such as multiplexing – improving the energy efficiency of 5G by increasing its speeds – should contribute in the future to making the new generation of mobile technology an essential building block for making mobile networks less energy-intensive.
Race results: The authors of this study – which call for further studies on the issue taking into account the whole life cycle of 5G – suggest that the adoption of the next generation of mobile technology will allow medium term (and in the event of adoption by the general public) to guarantee us energy savings that would not allow the use of 4G networks alone…
It now remains to bring the new generation of mobile technology into the daily lives of as many people as possible. The hardest part begins for the operators.