228
L. Stobbe et al.
In conclusion, energy efficiency and, to a lesser extent, the use of materials are
research topics that are currently being addressed in connection with the development of new communication technologies such as 5G. Improving energy efficiency is a general research objective that is pursued for economic reasons to reduce
operational costs. Material efficiency such as Gallium, Indium, and Germanium in
high-frequency components, is currently not a major research topic.
15.3 Requirement Specifications for the Model
The primary goal of modeling is to calculate the power and material demand of
mobile communication networks. The model should be scalable based on specific
technology and operating scenarios.
One objective is the analysis of the interactions between different technical options
and usage intensities. There is a reasonable assumption that the power and material
consumption of future mobile networks will not only be determined by the sum of
the individual functionalities, but rather by the configuration of the equipment and
the concentration of certain functionalities. For example, there is a trend to pool the
functionality of baseband units or routers in larger data centers. Such a measure leads
to an improved utilization of the installed hardware and a reduction of redundancy. In
addition, shifting the signal and data processing functionality from smaller distributed
sites to a larger central data center will improve in most cases the energy balance due
to lower overall air conditioning and power requirements.
The desire for a high technical accuracy determines much of the requirement
specification for the model. The model should allow the description of different
technology and business scenarios using concrete data and assumptions. In addition,
the model should reflect as much as possible technical standards, physical principles and theoretical fundamentals of communications engineering. Unlike previous
models, the new inventory model should not rely solely on exemplary products and
average values. It should be able to differentiate between different functionalities
and place them independently of a specific product within the model. This capability
of the model will provide the option to analyze the environmental effects of network
function virtualization (NFV) and other hardware pooling option in future software
defined networks (SDN).
From an environmental analysis point of view, the model should allow the calculation of a time and area specific energy and material footprint. This footprint can
potentially be used as the inventory for a full life-cycle assessment, which, however,
is not intended to be carried out in the UTAMO project. The model should enable a
detailed analysis of the interaction of network components, their configuration and
usage intensity on the one hand, with the energy and material requirements on the
other hand.
Against this background, the network model should have the following specific
references:
L. Stobbe et al.
In conclusion, energy efficiency and, to a lesser extent, the use of materials are
research topics that are currently being addressed in connection with the development of new communication technologies such as 5G. Improving energy efficiency is a general research objective that is pursued for economic reasons to reduce
operational costs. Material efficiency such as Gallium, Indium, and Germanium in
high-frequency components, is currently not a major research topic.
15.3 Requirement Specifications for the Model
The primary goal of modeling is to calculate the power and material demand of
mobile communication networks. The model should be scalable based on specific
technology and operating scenarios.
One objective is the analysis of the interactions between different technical options
and usage intensities. There is a reasonable assumption that the power and material
consumption of future mobile networks will not only be determined by the sum of
the individual functionalities, but rather by the configuration of the equipment and
the concentration of certain functionalities. For example, there is a trend to pool the
functionality of baseband units or routers in larger data centers. Such a measure leads
to an improved utilization of the installed hardware and a reduction of redundancy. In
addition, shifting the signal and data processing functionality from smaller distributed
sites to a larger central data center will improve in most cases the energy balance due
to lower overall air conditioning and power requirements.
The desire for a high technical accuracy determines much of the requirement
specification for the model. The model should allow the description of different
technology and business scenarios using concrete data and assumptions. In addition,
the model should reflect as much as possible technical standards, physical principles and theoretical fundamentals of communications engineering. Unlike previous
models, the new inventory model should not rely solely on exemplary products and
average values. It should be able to differentiate between different functionalities
and place them independently of a specific product within the model. This capability
of the model will provide the option to analyze the environmental effects of network
function virtualization (NFV) and other hardware pooling option in future software
defined networks (SDN).
From an environmental analysis point of view, the model should allow the calculation of a time and area specific energy and material footprint. This footprint can
potentially be used as the inventory for a full life-cycle assessment, which, however,
is not intended to be carried out in the UTAMO project. The model should enable a
detailed analysis of the interaction of network components, their configuration and
usage intensity on the one hand, with the energy and material requirements on the
other hand.
Against this background, the network model should have the following specific
references: