A game theoretic framework for energy efficient deployment and operation of heterogeneous LTE networks

In this paper, a game theoretical framework for energy efficient operation of heterogeneous LTE cellular networks is proposed. Within this framework, two game theoretic concepts are studied and analyzed. The first approach is a coalition-based method that assumes a group of base stations (BSs) in a network form a coalition. The second approach is based on the Nash bargaining solution and considers that BSs play a bargaining game where each BS attempts to maximize its own utility. These methods were implemented with utilities focusing either on traffic load and quality of service (QoS), or on the QoS versus the consumed power in the network. The tradeoffs between QoS and energy consumption are investigated, depending on the utility selected. Simulation results show that the results are utility dependent, and that the centralized coalition-based approach generally leads to better performance.