Roberto Fantini

Energy Efficiency in LTE-Advanced Networks with Relay Nodes

this document analyses the energy efficiency of two relaying schemes that represent a possible way to deploy a relay enhanced network: the two hop scheme and the multicast cooperative scheme. Results exist in literature that provide a model for the theoretical evaluation of the capacity improvement that these solutions can yield, however no analysis is available at present on the energy efficiency of these schemes. This work enhances the existing theoretical models for capacity evaluations, providing a first analysis from an energy efficiency point of view of these two approaches, considering a fully loaded network and the total emitted RF power of the transmitting nodes. Results are provided in terms of the Energy Consumption Index (ECI) of these schemes, a metric proposed in the EARTH project for the assessment of the energy consumption of network solutions. The ECI distribution is obtained and compared with the case of a network deployed without relay nodes, showing that besides the possible improvements in capacity, relays are also candidates as a valuable tool to reduce the energy consumption of a telecommunication network.

An E 3 F based assessment of energy efficiency of relay nodes in LTE-advanced networks

this document analyses the energy efficiency of two possible schemes that have been discussed as a possible way to deploy a relay enhanced network. In the first part the main results obtained in a previous work [1] are summarized, showing the energy efficiency of a relay enhanced network obtained considering small scale simulations, in a full load scenario and measuring only the radiated power. These results provided a first indication of the potentiality of relay nodes as a tool to reduce energy consumption. In the second part a deeper analysis is provided, showing how the energy efficiency of the network can be obtained also considering the whole power consumed by all the components of the transmitting nodes, and considering scenarios where the network is not fully loaded. This kind of result has been used as input to the E3F framework proposed by the EARTH project, that allows to take into account long-term traffic variations and the mix of deployments that are typical of a modern telecommunication network, providing in that way a global assessment of energy efficiency in relay enhanced network.

Agile resource management for 5G: A METIS-II perspective

An explosive growth in the demand for higher data rates and capacity along with diverse requirements set by massive and ultra-reliable machine-type communications are the main drivers behind the development on new access technologies as part of the fifth generation (5G) networks. Currently, different air interface (AIF) and/or AIF variants, optimized based on the frequency band of operation and use case, are envisioned for such a network. Developing an agile resource management framework for 5G networks is one of the main goals of the METIS-II project. The METIS-II project builds strongly upon the EU flagship project METIS, which has laid the foundation of 5G. This framework will take into account the multi-link and multi-layer constraints currently envisioned for 5G. In this paper, we provide our first insights into agile resource management and the associated synchronous control functions. We will discuss the essential building blocks in terms of technology enablers and their mapping to 5G services and deployments. The introduced agile resource management framework for 5G is expected to enable enhanced interference management, dynamic traffic steering, fast radio access network (RAN) moderation, efficient context management, and optimized integration with legacy networks.

Enabling RAN Moderation and Dynamic Traffic Steering in 5G

The exponential increase in capacity and data rate demands, along with the diversification of use cases and verticals that are planning to use cellular radio access networks (RANs) to provide connectivity, has prompted the development of the fifth generation (5G) of radio access technology. Traffic steering, which aims at optimum mapping of the data flows to the appropriate RAN access points (APs), is considered to be one of the key enablers for supporting diverse set of requirements ranging from 1000 times higher capacity than 2010 figures to 99.999 % reliability. Furthermore, to constrain power consumption due to the ultra-densification of the network in 5G, enhanced mechanisms are required that can exploit multi-connectivity. In this paper, we build upon the envisioned connectivity provided through multiple radio links and provide schemes to enable dynamic traffic steering and energy-efficient RAN moderation in 5G. First, we present the various protocol options for tight integration of long-term evolution (LTE) and 5G networks. We then investigate how faster traffic steering over the multiple radio links can be enabled, which can both reduce the packet delivery time by increasing the capacity and reliability, and also reduce the power consumption of the network through efficient operation. Detailed performance evaluations done on the various presented mechanisms indicate the technology potential of the proposed enhancements.

Energy saving schemes for self-backhauled Small Cells in LTE-Advanced networks

In the present study self-backhauled small cells for LTE-Advanced (a particular kind of small cells with wireless backhauling) are analyzed from the energy efficiency point of view. We perform an assessment of system performances with respect to traditional homogeneous LTE-Advanced networks, not only in terms of capacity and energy consumption, but also showing the potential impacts on the Quality of Service (QoS) of the system. In particular the self-backhauled small cell architecture considered in this paper is based on the type I relay architecture specified in Release 10 of 3GPP. Moreover, a scheduling framework based on MBSFN subframe switching is described and proposed as potential enabler for further energy efficiency enhancements. In addition, a possible Centralized RAN (C-RAN) implementation is described, consisting in a partially centralized algorithm and the application of this mechanism in a centralized processing unit instructing local scheduling entities implemented in the protocol stack of Small Cells. The presence of these schedulers in conjunction with on-board sleep-modes can be a promising tool for maximizing energy efficiency benefits in conditions of low traffic load. System level simulation results showed that these Small Cells in urban and suburban environments can satisfy the need of increasing traffic demand by providing an higher energy efficiency without compromising the QoS and the system capacity.