Energy efficient planning of cellular radio networks

The massive deployment of cellular mobile radio networks claims attentions to their energy efficiency to favor both the eco-sustainability and the economic aspects. In this paper we study the impact of the power consumption in the design of mobile radio networks. We perform the analysis for GSM and LTE systems. The main aim is the analytical evaluation of the optimal cell radius accounting for both the network sustainability and radio coverage constraints. Overall power consumption is expressed as the sum of static and dynamic terms. The former is due to Base Stations switch on and signaling, the latter is function of the traffic in the cell. We also evaluate the beneficial effects of power control on energy consumption and we compare results with the non-power controlled case. Finally, we analyze the reduction in power consumption for LTE with respect to GSM, that covers currently more than 80% of the worlds population.