Policy-Guided ML for Energy Savings: Cell On/Off Switching under Operator QoS Constraints in Real 5G Networks

Energy efficiency is a critical concern in the deployment and operation of 5G networks, particularly due to the low utilization of 4G and 5G carriers during off-peak hours. While considerable research has focused on designing energy-efficient cell on/off switching strategies that avoid disrupting user connectivity, the integration of operator-specific policies to guarantee particular Quality of Service (QoS) levels has received limited attention. This paper presents a machine learning (ML)-based strategy, trained using a real-world dataset from a European mobile operator, that enforces operator-defined policies that jointly consider throughput levels and maximum outage tolerance constraints. By tuning the model’s class ratios during training, the proposed solution enables operators to manage the trade-off between energy savings and QoS policy compliance  prior to deployment in live networks. Evaluation results show that the method provides substantial energy savings while maintaining policy-compliant service levels under realistic 5G operating conditions.