Content for  TR 22.882  Word version:  19.3.0

Climate change caused by excessive emissions of GHG (Green House Gas, e.g., carbon dioxide) due to human activity (e.g., burning fossil fuels for electricity generation) is the main driver to climate change, which poses a significant threat to society and the environment. Toward the goal of carbon neutrality, it is important to reduce the GHG incl. carbon emissions in the first place rather than offset them later. Recent advancements in cellular technologies (e.g., 5GS) that enable a wide range of applications has led to an explosive growth of service demands in networks. ICT sector is expected to account for 20% of the global energy consumption by 2040. 3GPP plays a crucial role in the ICT sector to enable the deployment of these technologies on a global scale and therefore must also play a central role in enabling a sustainable future. To reduce the carbon footprint, telecom operators are utilizing more renewable energy (e.g., solar, wind) that does not release carbon dioxide when producing electricity. The energy used by network can be from varied energy with different related levels of environmental impact incl. GHG emissions. Due to the highly variable and unpredictable nature of renewable energy sources, the supply of renewable energy varies substantially by time and location. In the following use case, telecom operator provides communication service considering the supply of renewable energy, in which operator utilizes renewable energy sources in a best-effort manner while ensuring the QoS levels of services to be met.

Eva has video calls with her family during the commute. She receives 5G service from the mobile network operator A. The 5G system operated by operator A is powered by both of renewable energy (e.g., solar energy) and non-renewable energy (e.g., coal). The ratio of renewable energy is determined as the ratio of the power that is used from renewable energy sources as a percentage of total power usage in a given time unit. Calculation of ratio of renewable energy is done by means of averaging or applying a statistical model. The operator A offers a "green communication service option" for which the supply of renewable energy is additionally considered during the provision of the services to users. If the green communication service option is determined to be enabled by the operator A, the operator A utilizes renewable energy sources in a best-effort manner while ensuring the QoS levels of services still be met. The operator A monitors the supply of renewables in 5GS and the network operates on different ratios of renewable energy over time. The operator may also report to user the statistics of ratio of renewable energy for providing the requested communication service. Eva loves our planet, so she subscribes the green communication service option which utilize as much renewable energy as possible without sacrificing the quality of serve for her video calls.

1. During the commute, Eva has video calls with her family via the 5G system operated by operator A.
2. Eva subscribes the green communication service option provided by operator A, which ensures the QoS level of service to be met and utilize renewable energy sources in a best-effort manner.
3. The operator A monitors the supply of renewables for its 5G system, which varies substantially by time and/or location due to the highly variable and unpredictable nature of renewable energy sources.
4. During early morning, the operator A is able to provide communication service to Eva with 40% of ratio of renewable energy since solar power is plentiful and most of users don't use services.
5. During the busy evening, many users request communication services at the same time, so the operator A is only able to provide communication service to Eva with 20% of ratio of renewable energy since the required energy consumption for network operation becomes more and the solar energy supply is decreasing.
6. Periodically, the operator reports to Eva the ratio of renewable energy for providing her communication service.
7. By "green communication service option" provided by operator A, the service requested by Eva use renewables as much as possible and Eva is still satisfied with the quality of video calls.

Eva can enjoy video calls with the satisfied quality of service while reducing her carbon footprint.

None.

[PR.5.12.6-1] [PR.5.12.6-2]