Coordinated vDU relocation for an Energy Efficient PON-based Open SD-RAN

Because of the foreseen widespread deployment of B5G cells, due to the small cell size, optimizing the radio access network (RAN) energy consumption is of paramount importance for both the service providers and the environment. This paper proposes a solution for decreasing the overall energy consumption of an Open Software Defined RAN (SD-RAN) considering not only the wireless segment but also the PON-based transport network. The solution is based on jointly performing the following actions: turning OFF selected RUs based on the offered UE traffic, migrating the most of the DU closer to the CUs, reallocating the capacity to the ONUs to support the midhaul traffic. The proposed solution presents high energy saving potentials for the whole RAN. Indeed, the energy consumption is moved closer to the central office (where most the functions cannot be deactivated) reducing the amount of energy consumed at the network periphery.