Power Versus Bandwidth Efficiency in Wireless Communications:from Economic Sustainability to Green Radio

We carry out a comprehensive analysis of a range of wireless network efficiency considerations. Firstly, we explore the properties and the implications of the power-versus bandwidth-efficiency criteria. Secondly, we perform a detailed top-down analysis of a typical commercial wireless network, which emphasizes the inherent differences between the aforementioned two efficiency metrics, while demonstrating that the appropriate choice of the network optimization criterion can have a profound effect on the overall network performance. Finally, we address the issue of resource management and its impact on the definition of the overall system efficiency. Our results suggest that no substantial area spectral efficiency gains beyond those exhibited by the 2G cellular technol- ogy may be economically achieved, and hence, no significant economic gains may be realized by simply increasing the bps/Hz bandwidth efficiency. In contrast, manifold utility and throughput gains as well as substantial Quality of Service enhancements may be attained by the appropriate combination of improved power efficiency, bandwidth expansion as well as the appropriate evolution of the networking paradigm.