BASIC Analysis of Green Communications for 5G Implementations: A Case Study of Airtel in Belagavi City

Abstract

Purpose: This paper discussed the planned rollout of the 5G network in India and its debate on energy pollution by telecom companies after the enhanced bandwidth, antenna systems, and spectral efficiency. Motivation: The ever-growing subscriber base and data consumption have exerted pressure on telecom companies to expand base stations. However, these base stations are major sources of energy consumption. Indian companies are experimenting with M2M communication, mMIMO, and heterogeneous strategies to make them green. A few companies are also adopting Cognitive radio communications. Methodology: Researchers analyzed green communication opportunities and challenges from the perspective called BASIC analysis. The analysis focused on Bandwidth, Antenna, Spectral efficiency, Information, and Cost. Findings: Researchers found that green communication brings down the energy cost. However, challenges of hardware, algorithm, and operational cost remain. More than these challenges, regulatory hurdles for spectrum allocation and spectrum sharing in India have created more obstacles for green communications. Added to these woes, the government of India’s ‘digital India’ initiative put pressure on telecom companies to reduce call drops and sharing towers and increase the speed. Conclusions: The Telecom sector in India will see a paradigm shift after 5G implementation. The data consumption will skyrocket. However, cost and information trade-offs with telecom equipment and services require sustainable efforts.

Keywords: BASIC Analysis, mMIMO, Heterogeneous Networks, M2M Communication, Green IoT

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