Enablers for Energy-Aware Cooperative Decision and Control in Wireless Networks

Autonomic networking and cooperative communications paradigms have emerged as promising technologies that can pave the way for next generation networks. CONSERN project is focusing on cooperation and collaboration enablers, cooperative decision and control algorithms that will maximise the expected gains by utilising cooperative problem solving for improving energy efficiency in wireless networks. In this paper, cooperative and/or autonomous solutions are captured and a mapping to the envisaged technologies is made. Based on this mapping an initial analysis of the requirements for energy-efficient cooperation is presented. The cooperation deals with information exchange, actions coordination and decision making within and between different types of network nodes. Based on the requirements analysis a set of key cooperation enablers are identified and further elaborated upon.