Abstract
The emerging data traffic demand has caused a massive deployment of network infrastructure, including Base Stations (BSs) and Small Cells (SCs), leading to increased energy consumption and expenditures. However, the network underutilization during low traffic periods enables the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to save energy by having their traffic served by third party SCs, thus being able to switch off their BSs. In this paper, we propose a novel market approach to foster the opportunistic utilization of the unexploited SCs capacity, where the MNOs, instead of requesting the maximum capacity to meet their highest traffic expectations, offer a set of bids requesting different resources from the third party SCs at lower costs. Motivated by the conflicting financial interests of the MNOs and the third party, the restricted capacity of the SCs that is not adequate to carry the whole traffic in multi-operator scenarios, and the necessity for energy efficient solutions, we introduce a combinatorial auction framework, which includes i) a bidding strategy, ii) a resource allocation scheme, and iii) a pricing rule. We propose a multiobjective framework as an energy and cost efficient solution for the resource allocation problem, and we provide extensive analytical and experimental results to estimate the potential energy and cost savings that can be achieved. In addition, we investigate the conditions under which the MNOs and the third party companies should take part in the proposed auction.
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 data traffic during the last few 39 years
We introduce an offloading mechanism, where the operators lease the capacity of an small- cell (SC) network owned by a third party, to be able to switch off their base stations (BSs) and maximize their energy efficiency, when the traffic demand is low
Exploiting the fact that, with a high probability, the actual traffic will be lower than the predicted maximum, the MNOs submit a set of bids to the SCs, requesting for lower capacity resources
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 data traffic during the last few 39 years. The network underutilization during low traffic periods (e.g., night zone) enables the mobile network operators (MNOs) to save energy by having their traffic served by third-party SCs, being able to switch off their BSs. In this paper, we propose a novel market approach to foster the opportunistic utilization of the unexploited SCs capacity, where the MNOs, instead of requesting the maximum capacity to meet their highest traffic expectations, offer a set of bids requesting different amounts of resources from the third-party SCs at lower costs. Motivated by the conflicting financial interests of the MNOs and the third party, the restricted capacity of the SCs that is not adequate to carry the whole traffic in multioperator scenarios, and the necessity for energy-efficient solutions, we introduce a combinatorial auction framework, which includes 1) a bidding strategy, 2) a resource-allocation scheme, and 3) a pricing rule. These predictions do not always correspond to the real traffic values, which can be significantly lower than the maximum values, leading to increased costs for the operators and inefficient use of the SC capacity resources
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
