5G towers are consuming a lot of energy, so China Unicom is putting some of them to sleep overnight | South China Morning PostSouth China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3098964/5g-towers-are-consuming-lot-energy-so-china-unicom-putting-some-them
China Unicom decided to put some 5G base stations to sleep between 9pm and 9am, prompting concern from users
5G energy consumption is an environmental problem that’s being overlooked, some experts say
A report from Ericsson found that energy consumption is set to increase dramatically if 5G is deployed in the same way as 3G and 4G. Photo: Shutterstock
When people talk about 5G, they’re often talking about the enormous boost in speed you’ll get from using the new mobile network technology. What many people don’t realise, though, is that it’s also expending a lot more energy for Chinese telecom companies.
At the beginning of August, a China Unicom branch announced that it would put some of its ZTE 5G base stations to sleep between 9pm and 9am to reduce electricity costs in the city of Luoyang.
A recent white paper from telecom equipment maker Huawei illustrates the problem: 5G base stations use up to three-and-a-half times more energy than 4G infrastructure. Part of the problem is that this new generation of mobile connectivity requires more densely placed base stations.