Multi-beam zooming: An enabler for energy efficient 5G networks

The demand for electrical power is growing tremendously, which poses grand challenges to modern energy systems. The telecommunications industry takes a significant part in the global power consumption. In this work we introduce the multi-beam zooming concept as a new perspective to the energy-efficient 5G network, where the multi-beam zooming technique incorporates the beam zooming and multi-beam beamforming methods. This approach enables multiple beams to be casted on different users with adjustable amplitudes of individual beams based on user locations obtained using PRS in LTE. We developed an LTE simulation framework to quantitatively evaluate the advantages of the multi-beam zooming approach in terms of the power savings. Using the realistic mobility traces, we analyze the effect of crucial system setting of antenna tapering method and its effect on the potential power savings achievable at the base stations.