2015/12/01 by Rashid Mijumbi, Mijumbi, Rashid
Computer Science · Engineering · #Advanced Optical Network Technologies #Caching and Content Delivery #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Networking and Internet Architecture (cs.NI) #Software-Defined Networks and 5G
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1512.00215
openalex publication_date 2015/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Network Function Virtualization (NFV) has recently received significant attention as an innovative way of deploying network services. By decoupling network functions from the physical equipment on which they run, NFV has been proposed as passage towards service agility, better time-to-market, and reduced Capital Expenses (CAPEX) and Operating Expenses (OPEX). One of the main selling points of NFV is its promise for better energy efficiency resulting from consolidation of resources as well as their more dynamic utilization. However, there are currently no studies or implementations which attach values to energy savings that can be expected, which could make it hard for Telecommunication Service Providers (TSPs) to make investment decisions. In this paper, we utilize Bell Labs' GWATT tool to estimate the energy savings that could result from the three main NFV use cases Virtualized Evolved Packet Core (VEPC), Virtualized Customer Premises Equipment (VCPE) and Virtualized Radio Access Network (VRAN). We determine that the part of the mobile network with the highest energy utilization prospects is the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) where virtualization of functions leads to a 22% reduction in energy consumption and a 32% enhancement in energy efficiency.