Dual-Cell HSDPA for Network Energy Saving

The increasing demand for mobile broadband is pushing existing 3G networks closer to their capacity limit. Additional carriers together with new HSPA features (HSPA+) are expected to provide the next necessary boost in network capacity. One specific feature in HSPA+ is referred to as Dual-Cell HSDPA (or Dual-Carrier HSDPA). This feature allows for a single user to be simultaneously scheduled over two carriers, effectively doubling its achievable data rate. The addition of a secondary carrier will require additional radio equipment at the base station site, increasing the overall energy consumption. This paper proposes an energy saving feature that exploits variations in network traffic. Based on the individual load of each sector, the feature determines if the secondary carrier is detrimental for reaching some pre-set minimum requirements. Each sector is allowed to switch off one of its two carriers, during periods of low network traffic. It is concluded that an energy saving ranging between 14% and 36% is possible. This saving comes without degradation of network performance.