Energy-Aware Dynamic Sectorization of Base Stations in Multi-Cell OFDMA Networks

In this paper, we propose traffic-sensitive dynamic sectorization (DS) of base stations (BSs) for energy savings in OFDMA-based cellular access networks. Under the proposal, following the tempo-spatial traffic diversity, BSs are dynamically reconfigured using fewer sectors. User data rates, service continuity and network coverage are also maintained. A generalized energy saving optimization problem is formulated, which is a challenging combinatorial problem. Therefore, a low complexity greedy style heuristic algorithm is presented. Effectiveness of the scheme is demonstrated using Monte Carlo simulations, which is further validated by comparing with semi-static sector switching, optimal exhaustive search and a BS on/off based technique.