Feasibility of CoMP usage in base station switching off during off-peak periods

Existing cellular networks remain operational throughout the year irrespective of traffic. The usage of Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) transmission to provide service in the coverage area of a switched off base station (BS) during off-peak traffic hours has been investigated in this work. The switching off of a BS reduces its energy consumption to zero, however to cover the switched off BS coverage area by neighbouring BS’s, CoMP transmission causes an increase in energy consumption of the neighbouring BS’s. With increasing the number of base stations taking part in CoMP transmission the power consumption of CoMP base stations and site air conditioning unit increases. Results show that the aggressive usage of CoMP is not feasible in most of the twelve switching modes investigated. From the Energy Efficiency Ratio the most energy efficient switching mode is identified. It is then applied to part of a cellular network and the amount of power saving and Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) is determined. It is found that within a network of 42 cells 7.26% power can be saved by switching off seven base stations during off-peak traffic hours.