The Spatio-temporal Patterns and Formulation Mechanisms of the 5G Network Traffic and their Utilization in Telecommunication Energy-saving

National Natural Science Foundation of China General Program (2024.01 - 2027.12), 42371236, In progress.

Abstract : Reducing energy consumption is critical to the sustainable operation of 5G networks. Stemming from geographic thinking, this study proposes that the spatio-temporal mismatch between supply and demand of 5G network resources is the root of low energy efficiency, and the corresponding energy-saving strategies require in-depth fundamental research on the spatio-temporal nature of network traffic. The study takes 5G network traffic as the object, and includes the following contents following a geographic research paradigm: 1) using geospatial analysis and statistical physics methods to uncover the spatial pattern, temporal process, and scaling laws of 5G traffic; 2) using spatio-temporal inference to establish a mechanistic explanation of the spatio-temporal patterns of 5G traffic from a behavioral geography perspective; 3) based on the discovered patterns and mechanistic laws, we construct a spatio-temporal operational model for energy-saving optimization of 5G networks, which reduces energy consumption through reducing network resource allocation to the low-demand valleys, and evaluate its expected effects and feasibility. This study expands the research scope of behavioral geography by introducing a new research object of 5G network traffic as the "digital footprint" of human activities, and the expected results will help clarify the scientific questions about the spatio-temporal nature of 5G traffic. The proposed energy-efficient methods for 5G networks not only have direct economic and social value, but also have implications for the general methodological framework of supply-demand coupling optimization in resource allocation.