Digital Catapult project looks for brainwaves on Open RAN energy efficiency

Supported by Ofcom and funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), SONIC Labs is run by Digital Catapult and is described as an innovation programme and R&D facility ‘established to explore the practical viability and performance’ of Open RAN.

Digital Catapult says this is its first SONIC Labs Technology Access Programme, and it involves gathering together five firms in the space with the mission statement of crunching the problem of how energy usage in Open RAN operations can be optimised and come up with some new solutions.

Net AI, the University of York School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, and zTouch Networks will look at how AI and machine learning solutions can enhance the performance and resource usage of the radio network, by optimising a component of the Open RAN architecture called the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), which manages radio resources through real-time analytics and control, we’re told. The idea is optimisation using RIC will improve network efficiency, reduce energy consumption and enhance the performance of Open RAN networks. 

Meanwhile, G REIGNS and JET Connectivity will benchmark and optimise the energy consumption of the CPU server cores used by the Distributed Unit (DU), and Centralised Unit (CU), to improve efficiency. This will lead to ‘enhanced scalability, improved service delivery and reduced operational expenses for global MNOs and private network providers’, we’re told.

The five teams have access to ‘state-of-the-art’ indoor and outdoor testing sites and will receive technological guidance and opportunities for collaboration with the broader Digital Catapult network. The project will run for eight months, and the participating companies will also ‘have the opportunity to expand their value propositions, providing a pipeline of innovative and competitive suppliers and products in the Open RAN market.’

“Not only will this slash energy use across digital networks such as 5G, but it will also save money for network operators and provide a more competitive service to consumers,” said Telecoms Minister Chris Bryant. “We’re proud to support researchers who strive to make the UK’s tech sector more efficient and sustainable, and this is exactly the type of programme that pushes forward innovation in the telecoms sector - so the benefits of growth are felt amongst British consumers.”

Dritan Kaleshi, Director of 5G Technology at Digital Catapult, and the SONIC Labs programme added: “Energy efficiency continues to be an area of significant focus for the successful development and adoption of open networks around the world. Given this challenge, the SONIC Labs Technology Access Programme will give pioneering organisations the opportunity to work collaboratively with Digital Catapult to build, implement and test tangible solutions to help accelerate the adoption of Open RAN technology in the UK. This programme marks an exciting new phase in the evolution of SONIC Labs, working jointly with Ofcom, and the journey towards a more diverse and competitive mobile telecoms supply chain.”  

By way of shoring up why this endeavour is worth pursuing, the release says networks account for 90% of operators’ energy use, and the RAN represents 80% of this consumption.

Developing and deploying energy efficient Open RAN solutions will be ‘key to supporting the global mobile telecoms sector to achieve its environmental objectives,’ says Digital Catapult – but there is also the point made in the minister’s quote which alludes to the fact reducing energy costs could have a positive impact on operator’s bottom line, as they struggle find significant growth in the wake of huge investments in 5G.

Whatever comes out of the project will be demonstrated at a showcase event planned for early 2025 to government and industry.