Green communication through optimal power allocation in 4G networks

Green communications - the ability to obtain a given communication service at minimal energy use - is of growing importance. In addition, future releases (Release-10 and beyond) of the fourth generation (4G) wireless networks are expected to carry an ever increasing number of broadband services. As such, the optimal configuration of 4G networks in the context of minimizing energy usage is very important. In this work we investigate the use of optimal power allocations in 4G networks in the context of co-operative communications. Our system models, which are based on emerging 4G standards, consist of multiple users communicating with a base station through the use of an additional relay station. We show, through analysis and simulations, how optimal power allocation schemes at the relay can lead to significant improvement in throughput. Such increases in throughput, in turn, lead to dramatic decreases in the energy usage of the network. We highlight two main energy savings that can be achieved without impacting any communication service; the opportunity to power-down base stations, and reduced energy consumption at the relay. We show how factor of two savings in energy usage can be expected from the deployment of our techniques.