Energy efficient operation for wireless access nodes in a low-load service area within a dense deployment of wireless access nodes

A control node for a dense deployment of base stations in a cellular communication network comprising:

• a transceiver;
• and
• a processing subsystem comprising one or more processors, the processing subsystem associated with the transceiver configured to:
• identify, within the dense deployment of base stations, a plurality of base stations in a service area;
• control the plurality of base stations in the service area such that a subset of the plurality of base stations in the service area are active during each of a plurality of discontinuous transmit active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area, and a subset of the plurality of base stations in the service area are active during each of a plurality of discontinuous receive active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area;
• control the plurality of base stations in the service area such that different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area are active during different discontinuous transmit active intervals of the plurality of discontinuous transmit active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area, and different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area are active during different discontinuous receive active intervals of the plurality of discontinuous receive active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area;
• control the plurality of base stations in the service area such that:
• there are N different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during the different discontinuous transmit active intervals where subset i of the N different subsets is active every N-th discontinuous transmit active interval starting at an i-th discontinuous transmit active interval where i=1 . . . N;
• and
• there are M different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during the different discontinuous receive active intervals where subset j of the M different subsets is active every M-th discontinuous receive active interval starting at a j-th discontinuous receive active interval where j=1 . . . M.

A method of operation of a control node for a dense deployment of base stations in a cellular communication network comprising:

• identifying, within the dense deployment of base stations, a plurality of base stations in a service area;
• controlling the plurality of base stations in the service area such that a subset of the plurality of base stations in the service area are active during each of a plurality of discontinuous transmit active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area, and a subset of the plurality of base stations in the service area are active during each of a plurality of discontinuous receive active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area;
• controlling the plurality of base stations in the service area such that different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area are active during different discontinuous transmit active intervals of the plurality of discontinuous transmit active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area, and different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area are active during different discontinuous receive active intervals of the plurality of discontinuous receive active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area;
• controlling the plurality of base stations in the service area such that:
• there are N different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during the different discontinuous transmit active intervals where subset i of the N different subsets is active every N-th discontinuous transmit active interval starting at an i-th discontinuous transmit active interval where i=1 . . . N;
• and
• there are M different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during the different discontinuous receive active intervals where subset j of the M different subsets is active every M-th discontinuous receive active interval starting at a j-th discontinuous receive active interval where j=1 . . . M.

A base station in a dense deployment of base stations comprising:

• a transceiver comprising one or more radio units providing a wireless interface of the base station;
• and
• a processing subsystem configured to operate the one or more radio units in a discontinuous transmit and discontinuous receive mode of operation such that, when the base station is one of a plurality of base stations in the dense deployment of base stations that are identified as being within a service area, the base station is one of a subset of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during at least one of a plurality of discontinuous transmit active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area and one of a subset of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during at least one of a plurality of discontinuous receive active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area, wherein:
• the base station is one base station in one of a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during different discontinuous transmit active intervals of the plurality of discontinuous transmit active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area, and one base station in one of a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during different discontinuous receive active intervals of the plurality of discontinuous receive active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area;
• there are N different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during the different discontinuous transmit active intervals where the base station is in subset i of the N different subsets and the processing subsystem is further configured to control the one or more radio units such that the base station is active every N-th discontinuous transmit active interval starting at an i-th discontinuous transmit active interval where i=1 . . . N;
• and
• there are M different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during the different discontinuous receive active intervals where the base station is in subset j of the M different subsets and the processing subsystem is further configured to control the one or more radio units such that the base station is active every M-th discontinuous receive active interval starting at a j-th discontinuous receive active interval where j=1 . . . M.

A method of operation of a base station in a dense deployment of base stations comprising:

• operating one or more radio units of the base station in a discontinuous transmit and discontinuous receive mode of operation such that, when the base station is one of a plurality of base stations in the dense deployment of base stations that are identified as being within a service area, the base station is one of a subset of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during at least one of a plurality of discontinuous transmit active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area and one of a subset of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during at least one of a plurality of discontinuous receive active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area, wherein:
• the base station is one base station in one of a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during different discontinuous transmit active intervals of the plurality of discontinuous transmit active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area, and one base station in one of a plurality of different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during different discontinuous receive active intervals of the plurality of discontinuous receive active intervals for the plurality of base stations in the service area;
• there are N different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during the different discontinuous transmit active intervals where the base station is in subset i of the N different subsets and the processing subsystem is further configured to control the one or more radio units such that the base station is active every N-th discontinuous transmit active interval starting at an i-th discontinuous transmit active interval where i=1 . . . N;
• and
• there are M different subsets of the plurality of base stations in the service area that are active during the different discontinuous receive active intervals where the base station is in subset j of the M different subsets and the processing subsystem is further configured to control the one or more radio units such that the base station is active every M-th discontinuous receive active interval starting at a j-th discontinuous receive active interval where j=1 . . . M.