Reducing energy consumption by 90% in comm networks

The Internet just turned 20 years old and the amount of data traffic has increased and will continue to increase exponentially and we need a way control the energy consumption by the communications networks. Optimizing the networks for energy consumption is what we need to do, according to researchers at the GreenTouch consortium, which is composed of information and communications technology companies, academic, and non-governmental research experts.

The GreenTouch initiative, started in 2010 and based on groundbreaking research conducted by Bell Labs, concluded that information and communication technology (ICT) networks had the potential to be four orders of magnitude (10,000 times) more efficient (than 2010 levels). This conclusion is based on a fundamental analysis of the underlying components of ICT networks and technologies (optical, mobile, processing, routing, and architecture) and their known physical limits.

In May 2013, GreenTouch announced a research study that shows net energy consumption in overall communications networks can be reduced up to 90% by 2020. The findings are based on network models for 2020 integrating the new architectures, technologies, and protocols developed both inside and outside of the consortium over the past three years, while taking into account the dramatic increase in traffic anticipated in communication networks.

 By 2015, the consortium expects to deliver demonstrations of the key components, architectures, and technologies needed to realize a fundamental re-design of comm networks that are optimized for maximum energy efficiency.

GreenTouch provides the platform for innovative researchers, engineers and technology experts from around the world to work together and accelerate their efforts from idea creation over demonstration to standardization and policy influencing. Right now, the consortium members have 16 projects underway. These projects are being developed and delivered by working groups composed of volunteer representatives from GreenTouch member companies, directed by the GreenTouch Technical Committee.

Mobile, wireline projects
To date, the consortium has publicly demonstrated two significant projects in the areas of mobile and wireline networks, including the Large Scale Antenna System and Bit-Interleaved Passive Optical Network (Bi-PON) technology. What distinguishes the GreenTouch Large-Scale Antenna System from other antenna systems and enables it to achieve such a significant reduction in power is the way that it transmits signals. Instead of broadcasting signals throughout the entire coverage area as other antenna systems typically do, the Large-Scale Antenna System uses knowledge of the propagation channels to transmit concentrated beams of information selectively to many users at once. The greater the number of antenna elements deployed, the higher the concentration of the beams and, therefore, the lower the power that any antenna needs to send a given amount of information. In addition to the large reduction in radiated power, signal strength and quality of service are maintained.
The Bi-PON technology is the second major milestone reached by the consortium. When deployed, it will enable a power reduction of 30 times over current technologies while improving performance and reducing cost. It is expected to be a necessity because electronic processing will increase with future 40GPON systems. Current optical network units discard 99% of all processed data, without it ever being used, whereas Bi-PON is built around a new protocol that significantly simplifies the electronic circuitry by using a selective data processing technique that dramatically reduces this energy consumption.
Find more information at www.greentouch.org.