Green initiatives in 5G

Abstract

The proposed fifth generation of mobile communications (5G) has several advanced features. The data rates and throughputs are much larger than 4G. In addition to these high performances, 5G will incorporate device-to-device communication in a very high density heterogeneous mobile environment. Normal battery fed hand-held devices and sensors are thus expected to be replaced by energy harvesting mechanisms. Overall, the success of 5G substantially depends on the energy efficiency of the whole system. In this article, we present the energy saving initiatives of 5G which are thought to be quite instrumental in its overall success.