Wavelength Assignment Algorithm for Energy Consumption Reduction in TWDM-PON Based 5G Fronthaul

The rise in high-bandwidth applications like IoT devices, smart appliances, and social networking has driven the development of 5G technology. This research focuses on enhancing the energy efficiency of Time and Wavelength Division Multiplexing Passive Optical Networks (TWDM-PON), which are widely used in PON systems. TWDM-PON is crucial for 5G fronthaul networks, which need to support a thousandfold increase in capacity, ten to a hundred times higher data rates, and reduced latency. To address these needs, the research proposes an algorithm for a flexible TWDM-PON- based mobile fronthaul (MFH) architecture. This system allows Optical Network Units (ONUs) to dynamically allocate bandwidth for efficient 5G fronthaul usage. The proposed network topology facilitates dynamic resource management based on demand, with ONUs positioned near Remote Radio Heads (RRHs) to manage wavelength allocation. Each ONU uses a laser suited to any available wavelength in the transmission link. The study shows that this architecture helps maintain average latency while significantly saving energy. The proposed algorithm optimizes wavelength allocation, achieving a 60% reduction in energy consumption per active wavelength while meeting various latency requirements without compromising 5G fronthaul performance.