On Demand Transmissions of Common Signals for Network Energy Saving

Deepak Agarwal, Deepak PM, Sheetal Kalyani, Ramya TR, J. Klutto Milleth

Abstract: 5G networks require deployment across multiple frequency bands, often involving more antennas and greater bandwidths, increasing energy consumption and raising concerns for service providers. Reducing network energy usage is essential to promote greener deployments and lower operational costs. Some energy-saving strategies were considered in 5G, however, they are mostly limited to user Equipment (UE) specific signals. Base stations (BS), responsible for transmitting common signals such as Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) and System Information Block 1 (SIB1) for initial UE access, even without active connections, are the primary contributors to energy consumption. Adapting these common operations based on network conditions can significantly reduce BS energy use. This paper explores energy saving techniques of On-demand (OD) downlink transmissions in time and space, addresses gaps in current 5G New Radio (NR) energy-saving methods, and employs the 3GPP energy consumption model to evaluate the effectiveness of proposed strategies.