Techniques for improving cellular radio base station energy efficiency

The last ten years have witnessed explosive growth in the number of subscribers for mobile telephony. The technology has evolved from early voice only services to today's mobile wireless broadband (Internet) data delivery. The increasing use of wireless connectivity via smartphones and laptops has led to an exponential surge in network traffic. Meeting traffic demands will cause a significant increase in operator energy cost as an enlarged network of radio base stations will be needed to support mobile broadband effectively and maintain operational competitiveness. This article explores approaches that will assist in delivering significant energy efficiency gains in future wireless networks, easing the burden on network operators. It investigates three approaches to saving energy in future wireless networks. These include sleep mode techniques to switch off radio transmissions whenever possible; femtocell and relay deployments; and multiple antenna wireless systems. The impact of these approaches on achieving energy-efficient wireless communication systems is discussed.