Abstract
The introduction of fourth-generation wireless technologies has fueled the rapid development of cellular networks, significantly increasing the energy consumption and the expenditures of mobile network operators (MNOs). In addition, network underutilization during low-traffic periods (e.g., night zone) has motivated a new business model, namely, infrastructure sharing, which allows the MNOs to have their traffic served by other MNOs in the same geographic area, thus enabling them to switch off part of their network. In this paper, we propose a novel infrastructure-sharing algorithm for multioperator environments, which enables the deactivation of underutilized base stations during low-traffic periods. Motivated by the conflicting interests of the MNOs and the necessity for effective solutions, we introduce a game-theoretic framework that enables the MNOs to individually estimate the switching-off probabilities that reduce their expected financial cost. Our approach reaches dominant strategy equilibrium, which is the strategy that minimizes the cost of each player. Finally, we provide extensive analytical and experimental results to estimate the potential energy and cost savings that can be achieved in multioperator environments, incentivizing the MNOs to apply the proposed scheme.
Highlights
The rapid expansion of mobile services, along with the emerging demand for multimedia applications, driven by the widespread use of laptops, tablets and smart devices, has led to an impressive growth of the data traffic volume during the last few years
Taking into account the rationality of the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and their conflicting interests, we introduce a game theoretic framework that enables the MNOs to make individual switching off decisions for their own Base Stations (BSs), bypassing potential complicated service level agreements among them
Our contribution is summarized as follows: 1) As a part of an integrated roaming-based infrastructure sharing scheme for multi-operator environments, we introduce a game theoretic switching off algorithm that aims at minimizing the individual MNO cost in a distributed manner
Summary
The rapid expansion of mobile services, along with the emerging demand for multimedia applications, driven by the widespread use of laptops, tablets and smart devices, has led to an impressive growth of the data traffic volume during the last few years. The coexistence of multiple MNOs in the same geographical area [5], due to legal regulations that obligate them to install their antennas on the same buildings, has motivated a new business model, known as infrastructure sharing [6], [7] This new paradigm embraces a set of strategies that enable the MNOs to use their resources jointly to reach their common goal, which is to guarantee user service while achieving energy and cost reduction. Our contribution is summarized as follows: 1) As a part of an integrated roaming-based infrastructure sharing scheme for multi-operator environments, we introduce a game theoretic switching off algorithm that aims at minimizing the individual MNO cost in a distributed manner.
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