Enhancing Open RAN Digital Twin Through Power Consumption Measurement

The increasing demand for high-speed, ultra-reliable and low-latency communications in 5G and beyond networks has led to a significant increase in power consumption, particularly within the Radio Access Network (RAN). This growing energy demand raises operational and sustainability challenges for mobile network operators, requiring novel solutions to enhance energy efficiency while maintaining Quality of Service (QoS). 5G networks are evolving towards disaggregated, programmable, and intelligent architectures, with Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) spearheaded by the O-RAN Alliance, enabling greater flexibility, interoperability, and cost-effectiveness. However, this disaggregated approach introduces new complexities, especially in terms of power consumption across different network components, including Open Radio Units (RUs), Open Distributed Units (DUs) and Open Central Units (CUs). Understanding the power efficiency of different O-RAN functional splits is crucial for optimising energy consumption and network sustainability. In this paper, we present a comprehensive measurement study of power consumption in RUs, DUs and CUs under varying network loads, specifically analysing the impact of Physical resource block (PRB) utilisation in Split 8 and Split 7.2b. The measurements were conducted on both software-defined radio (SDR)-based RUs and commercial indoor and outdoor RU, as well as their corresponding DU and CU. By evaluating real-world hardware deployments under different operational conditions, this study provides empirical insights into the power efficiency of various O-RAN configurations. The results highlight that power consumption does not scale significantly with network load, suggesting that a large portion of energy consumption remains constant regardless of traffic demand.

Energy Consumption Reduction for UAV Trajectory Training : A Transfer Learning Approach

The advent of 6G technology demands flexible, scalable wireless architectures to support ultra-low latency, high connectivity, and high device density. The Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) framework, with its open interfaces and virtualized functions, provides a promising foundation for such architectures. However, traditional fixed base stations alone are not sufficient to fully capitalize on the benefits of O-RAN due to their limited flexibility in responding to dynamic network demands. The integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as mobile RUs within the O-RAN architecture offers a solution by leveraging the flexibility of drones to dynamically extend coverage. However, UAV operating in diverse environments requires frequent retraining, leading to significant energy waste. We proposed transfer learning based on Dueling Double Deep Q network (DDQN) with multi-step learning, which significantly reduces the training time and energy consumption required for UAVs to adapt to new environments. We designed simulation environments and conducted ray tracing experiments using Wireless InSite with real-world map data. In the two simulated environments, training energy consumption was reduced by 30.52% and 58.51%, respectively. Furthermore, tests on real-world maps of Ottawa and Rosslyn showed energy reductions of 44.85% and 36.97%, respectively.