Debates rage over whether 5G is more energy-efficient than 4G, or whether it will significantly boost operators’ energy bills – an increasingly important issue as global fuel crisis looms. There are arguments on both sides – the 5G air interface is more energy-efficient on a per-bit basis, but 5G typically supports far larger amounts of data traffic, and contains far larger numbers of cell sites and/or antenna elements. The level of densification to support high traffic demands is a key determinant of power efficiency in relation to 4G, especially the use of Massive MIMO to boost coverage and capacity. According to a new report from ABI Research: “Despite 5G consuming less power than 4G per unit of traffic, the overall energy…