Mobile VCE Workshop on Green Radio

The power consumption in providing mobile and wireless communications services is considerable. For instance, a mobile communications operator in the UK may use an average power (in electricity and gas, combined) of 40-50 megawatts in running its business, the vast majority of which is consumed by the mobile network. As well as having an associated carbon emissions level dependent on the means for generating and providing electricity among other factors, this power consumption can be very expensive for the mobile operator, especially given ongoing increases in energy prices.

In view of the above, considerable research effort is being expended to reduce energy consumption in mobile and wireless communications, thereby not only implying a reduction in the carbon emissions associated with service provision, but also potentially leading to a significant saving in operating expenditure for mobile communications operators and other service providers. This workshop aims to investigate various means for such energy consumption reduction, following two classes of approaches. First, it will cover green mobile and wireless communications architectures and techniques, such as, for example, improved modulation techniques and greener base station designs. Next, it will investigate the potential for improved spectrum usage paradigms to reduce energy consumption. Finally, a panel session will discuss the work that has been presented, in order to provide a well-rounded view on the gains of various energy consumption reduction techniques.