Vodafone is trialling energy-saving 5G technology in Türkiye, deploying newly designed radio antennas and applying advanced engineering techniques to increase mobile network performance and resilience while reducing power consumption.
During the tests, the company achieved up to 10% energy savings by using new software and hardware-based power-saving systems.
It also recorded an additional 20% reduction in electricity use by employing next-generation radio units.
This setup allows the telecommunications operator to dynamically add mobile network capacity to match real-time user demand.
As a result, customers receive continuous high-speed connectivity while the network minimises unnecessary power use.
Innovative power-saving modes
In its maximum energy-saving state, the radio antenna can operate on as little as 10W of electrical power.
This is roughly the same amount of energy required to run a standard LED light bulb – yet the unit can return to its full operating capacity in approximately 30 seconds.
Throughout this process, uninterrupted mobile coverage is maintained over low-band and mid-band radio frequencies.
Full network capacity is then restored by reactivating Massive MiMo radios on the 3.5GHz spectrum. This 3.5GHz frequency is commonly deployed in urban areas of Türkiye to boost capacity in high-traffic zones.
To support sudden spikes in demand, the network also features a fast response mode. In this mode, the radios run at 50W of power and can return to full capacity in less than five seconds, making extra capacity available almost immediately when data traffic rises.
Improving emergency resilience
In addition to lowering daily electricity consumption, this engineering approach improves overall network resilience.
The increased efficiency means mobile base stations can run for longer periods on backup power supplies during electricity grid outages.
“I’m proud that we have been able to continuously push energy efficiency to its limits by switching off our radio units for very short periods, yet restore them to full operation within seconds,” says Marco Zangani, Director of Network Strategy and Architecture at Vodafone.
“This helps us deliver a great mobile experience for customers while saving power and improving resilience during emergencies.”
Testing at the BESTT facility
These technology trials are currently taking place at the operator's newly opened multi-vendor mobile test and innovation centre in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Known as Benchmark Environment Site Testing in Turkey (BESTT), this facility replicates a live telecommunications network.
Inside the site, engineers use the live environment to test and validate customer-focused Radio Access Network (RAN) software and hardware. The facility also supports broader innovation, such as 5G Advanced applications. Vodafone intends to continue testing and refining this technology.
The trials follow the operator's nationwide commercial launch of 5G in Türkiye in April 2026, when services were activated across all 81 provincial centres.
Making climate progress
Back in June, Vodafone Germany became the operator's first European market to achieve net zero emissions from its own operations, a significant step in the company's wider climate transition plans.
The achievement follows a 93% reduction in Vodafone Germany's Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2020, with the remaining emissions neutralised through investments in carbon dioxide removal projects.
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Marco Zangani
Director of Network Strategy and Architecture