Fuzzy multiple criteria switch off method for dense heterogeneous networks

The growth in mobile traffic demand is leading to a dense heterogeneous cellular network. This massive deployment of mobile equipment (i.e. base stations) may cause a high increment of the network energy consumption and therefore operational expenditure for operators. One of the most promising techniques to save energy (and costs) is to switch off some underutilized cells during off peak hours. In this line, our focus is to optimize the number of base stations in dense LTE pico cell deployments in order to maximize the energy saving, while satisfying the Quality of Service constraints. We use a combination of Fuzzy Logic, Grey Relational Analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process tools to trigger the switch off actions, and jointly consider multiple decision inputs for each cell.