How much power does 5G consume?
One 5G base station is estimated to consume about as much power as 73 households (6), and 3x as much as the previous generation of base
However, Li says 5G base stations are carrying five times the traffic as when equipped with only 4G, pushing up power consumption. The carrier is seeking subsidies from the Chinese government to help with the increased energy usage.
“A 5G base station is generally expected to consume roughly three times as much power as a 4G base station. And more 5G base stations are needed to cover the same area,” -IEEE Spectrum, 5G's Waveform Is a Battery Vampire
The explosive growth of mobile data traffic has resulted in a significant increase in the energy consumption of 5G base stations (BSs).
Carriers have been looking at energy efficiency for a few years now, but 5G will bring this to top of mind because it's going to use more energy than 4G. Telcos spend on average 5% to 6% of their operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization, on energy costs, according to MTN Consulting.
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