Energy Efficiency in Massive MIMO-Based 5G Networks: Opportunities and Challenges

As we make progress toward the 5G of wireless networks, the bit-per-joule energy efficiency (EE) becomes an important design criterion for sustainable evolution. In this regard, one of the key enablers for 5G is massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, where the BSs are equipped with an excess of antennas to achieve multiple orders of spectral and energy efficiency gains over current LTE networks. Here, we review and present a comprehensive discussion on techniques that further boost the EE gains offered by massive MIMO (MM). We begin with an overview of MM technology and explain how realistic power consumption models should be developed for MM systems. We then review prominent EE-maximization techniques for MM systems and identify a few limitations in the state-of-the-art. Next, we investigate EE-maximization in "hybrid MM systems," where MM operates alongside two other promising 5G technologies: millimeter wave and heterogenous networks. Multiple opportunities open up for achieving larger EE gains than with conventional MM systems because massive MIMO benefits mutually from the co-existence with these 5G technologies. However, such a co-existence also introduces several new design constraints, making EE-maximization non-trivial. A critical analysis of the state-of-the-art EE-maximization techniques for hybrid MM systems allows us to identify several open research problems which, if addressed, will immensely help operators in planning for energy- efficient 5G deployments.