Load-aware power efficiency maximization in heterogeneous wireless networks
Abstract
This paper proposes a solution to maximize the power efficiency, i.e. datarate per power unit, in a heterogeneous wireless system that is based on integrated mobile base stations (BSs) and Wi-Fi access points (APs). In this context, a user association and downlink resource allocation optimization problem is formulated. The formulated problem considers the power consumption at both networks and mobile terminals (MTs), and the data rate requirement, i.e. load, of each MT. Since MTs could only be associated with a single network at a time, the formulated problem is binary with high complexity. Thus, a new sub-optimal solution with polynomial-time complexity is proposed based on the continuous relaxation of the problem. Simulation results show that the proposed sub-optimal solution, when compared to the trivial network selection methodology, remarkably reduces the power consumption of networks and MTs. Moreover, it is shown that the proposed solution performs close to the optimal one. © 2017 IEEE.