Indian telco Bharti Airtel and Nokia announced on Tuesday they will collaborate on an initiative to introduce energy-efficient solutions and practices across Airtel’s 4G/5G RANs using AI and machine learning.
The “Green 5G” initiative aims to implement a “zero-traffic, zero-watt operation” solution that reduces RAN power consumption to very low watts during low or zero traffic periods.
Airtel said it will combine Nokia's energy-saving features with its own AI/ML algorithms to automate and fine-tune energy-saving software across its 4G and 5G RANs. Airtel and Nokia have also trialled digital design tools to optimise cell configurations for lower transmitted power.
The initiative also leverages Nokia’s ReefShark System-on-Chip, which provides better energy efficiency by adapting internal resources to actual processing needs and optimising power consumption based on traffic load. Nokia says the latest generation of ReefShark can reduce energy consumption by an additional 15%.
According to Airtel, these solutions will optimise energy management and have a positive impact on both its energy bills and carbon footprint without compromising network performance or user experience. Airtel said the initiative is projected to reduce its carbon emissions by an estimated 143,413 metric tons of CO2 annually.
“This partnership allows us to leverage innovative solutions that deliver substantial energy savings, enabling us to significantly reduce our carbon footprint and further our environmental objectives in alignment with our business strategy,” said Airtel CTO Randeep Sekhon in a statement.
Airtel added that it has also been investing more in renewable energy. For example, the telco has deployed solar-powered systems at around 25,000 sites to date, and has also increased the renewable energy usage at its data centres. Airtel says it has sourced 220,541 MWh through green power wheeling agreements in FY2024.
