Towards greener next-generation Open RAN: A comprehensive survey of O-RAN energy efficiency

IF 4.2 3区计算机科学 Q1 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Computer Communications Pub Date : 2026-08-01 DOI:10.1016/j.comcom.2026.108629

Haoxin Sun, Almudena Díaz Zayas, Javier Rivas, Germán Corrales Madueño

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The rapid evolution of cellular networks has made them a critical infrastructure for modern society, but it has also led to quickly increasing energy consumption. Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), with its disaggregated architecture, offers significant potential for improving energy efficiency (EE) in next-generation networks. This survey presents a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art O-RAN energy efficiency research, structured around three key dimensions: energy measurement, energy modeling, and energy optimization. We examine both software- and hardware-based measurement techniques, highlighting their strengths, limitations, and applicability on different network functions. The survey then categorizes existing energy consumption models into theoretical and empirical approaches, with a discussion of their methodologies and constraints. Finally, we explore energy optimization strategies defined by O-RAN specifications and beyond, revealing diverse technical directions in academia and industry. The survey also highlights emerging research challenges, including the lack of high-fidelity and generic datasets, the need for standardized evaluation frameworks and methodologies, and the impact of continuous O-RAN evolution on the validity of existing studies. Overall, this work aims to serve as a foundational reference for researchers and engineers to build sustainable and energy-aware O-RAN networks.

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迈向更环保的下一代开放式RAN: O-RAN能源效率的综合调查

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来源期刊

Computer Communications 工程技术-电信学

CiteScore

14.10

自引率

5.00%

发文量

397

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： Computer and Communications networks are key infrastructures of the information society with high socio-economic value as they contribute to the correct operations of many critical services (from healthcare to finance and transportation). Internet is the core of today''s computer-communication infrastructures. This has transformed the Internet, from a robust network for data transfer between computers, to a global, content-rich, communication and information system where contents are increasingly generated by the users, and distributed according to human social relations. Next-generation network technologies, architectures and protocols are therefore required to overcome the limitations of the legacy Internet and add new capabilities and services. The future Internet should be ubiquitous, secure, resilient, and closer to human communication paradigms. Computer Communications is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes high-quality scientific articles (both theory and practice) and survey papers covering all aspects of future computer communication networks (on all layers, except the physical layer), with a special attention to the evolution of the Internet architecture, protocols, services, and applications.