Power savings in mobile networks by dynamic base station sectorization

This paper analyzes dynamic base-station sectorization as a potential energy-efficiency enabler technique for mobile networks. By reconfiguring base stations for larger sectors in night time, the service and coverage level of networks can be maintained with fewer radio units. The study focuses on one particular technique, which switches the originally 3-sector sites into omnidirectional, 1-sector sites by connecting the antennas of the 3 sectors to a common radio unit via a 3-way power splitter. The sectorization-switching algorithm is tested in dynamic simulation experiments. The performances from three scenarios are compared: a) load and performance dependent sector switching mode, b) all base stations are in constant 3-sector mode, c) all base stations are in constant omnidirectional mode. The experiments show that a reasonable compromise can be worked out between the contradicting objectives, namely, saving energy during night-time operation while maintaining a guaranteed service quality.