Energy efficient Layered Broadcast/Multicast mechanism in Green 4G wireless networks

Layered broadcast/multicast mechanism is a promising method to provide energy efficient and reliable services for users with diverse fading channels in Green 4G wireless networks, however, there is a great challenge to determine the optimal modulation parameters in applications due to the varying wireless environment and the technique characteristics. In this work, an Energy efficient Layered Broadcast/Multicast (ELBM) mechanism is proposed to solve this problem in a Nakagami-m fading channel. With consideration of both the efficiency and reliability, an energy efficiency evaluation function is formulated, and to facilitate the decision process of optimal modulation parameters, a modulation solution set is defined, which consists of limited number of optional modulation solutions and would be proved valid for achieving the optimal performance. Based on the modulation solution set, a layered modulation solution selection algorithm is illustrated to determine the optimal modulation parameters effectively. Numeric analysis is conducted to verify the proposed mechanism with comparing to conventional scheme, and the results demonstrate that ELBM mechanism could yield higher energy efficiency under different bit error rate (BER) targets and channel fading conditions.