Power consumption evaluation using 5G energy saving technique: C-DRX

The fifth-generation mobile introduced the use of higher frequency wave with the purpose of increasing the network speed as well as the data rate. The aforementioned purpose enables a range of new applications and services like portable virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and Health. There are many challenge points for mobile devices in 5G and one of the most critical is power consumption. Energy efficiency is a key performance indicator in 5G networks for both user equipment (UE) side and base station side. Numerous power saving techniques are being studied since the initial 5G specifications. Connected mode Discontinuous Reception (C-DRX) is a power-saving technique in 5G where networks attempt to bring a balance between Quality of Service (QoS) and power consumption. This paper presents the analysis of the C-DRX power saving technique in a laboratory environment and how relevant this feature is to save battery power of 5G mobile devices. The results showed that when C-DRx is enabled, the DUT's battery consumption was 20% lower than when this feature was disabled, considering the DUT in RRC connected state.