HAPS-Enabled Sustainability Provision in Cellular Networks Through Cell-Switching

There is a consensus in the literature that cell-switching is a viable solution to tackle the draconian increase in the energy consumption of cellular networks. High altitude platform station (HAPS) draws considerable attention with its massive footprint, high capacity, and ubiquitous connectivity. The aim of this study is to show the potential benefits of using HAPS in cell-switching methods by being a bountiful host for offloaded users from cell-switching operations. More specifically, HAPS is included in the network so that it can increase the switching off opportunities by providing extra coverage and capacity. In this regard, a vertical heterogeneous network scenario, wherein there are terrestrial small cells and a single HAPS, is considered in the simulations, and different user density cases are tested in order to analyze the impact of network density on the performance of HAPS-enabled cell-switching. The simulation results demonstrate that a significant amount of reduction in energy consumption (as high as 16%) is obtained while ensuring quality-of-service (QoS) requirements.