Performance analysis of carrier aggregation for various mobile network implementations scenario based on spectrum allocated

Carrier Aggregation (CA) is one of the Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) features that allow mobile network operators (MNO) to combine multiple component carriers (CCs) across the available spectrum to create a wider bandwidth channel for increasing the network data throughput and overall capacity. CA has a potential to enhance data rates and network performance in the downlink, uplink, or both, and it can support aggregation of frequency division duplexing (FDD) as well as time division duplexing (TDD). The technique enables the MNO to exploit fragmented spectrum allocations and can be utilized to aggregate licensed and unlicensed carrier spectrum as well. This paper analyzes the performance gains and complexity level that arises from the aggregation of three inter-band component carriers (3CC) as compared to the aggregation of 2CC using a Vienna LTE System Level simulator. The results show a considerable growth in the average cell throughput when 3CC aggregations are implemented over the 2CC aggregation, at the expense of reduction in the fairness index. The reduction in the fairness index implies that, the scheduler has an increased task in resource allocations due to the added component carrier. Compensating for such decrease in the fairness index could result into scheduler design complexity. The proposed scheme can be adopted in combining various component carriers, to increase the bandwidth and hence the data rates.Comment: 13 page

LTE-Advanced radio access enhancements: A survey

Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-Advanced) is the next step in LTE evolution and allows operators to improve network performance and service capabilities through smooth deployment of new techniques and technologies. LTE-Advanced uses some new features on top of the existing LTE standards to provide better user experience and higher throughputs. Some of the most significant features introduced in LTE-Advanced are carrier aggregation, enhancements in heterogeneous networks, coordinated multipoint transmission and reception, enhanced multiple input multiple output usage and deployment of relay nodes in the radio network. Mentioned features are mainly aimed to enhance the radio access part of the cellular networks. This survey article presents an overview of the key radio access features and functionalities of the LTE-Advanced radio access network, supported by the simulation results. We also provide a detailed review of the literature together with a very rich list of the references for each of the features. An LTE-Advanced roadmap and the latest updates and trends in LTE markets are also presented

Separation Framework: An Enabler for Cooperative and D2D Communication for Future 5G Networks

Soaring capacity and coverage demands dictate that future cellular networks need to soon migrate towards ultra-dense networks. However, network densification comes with a host of challenges that include compromised energy efficiency, complex interference management, cumbersome mobility management, burdensome signaling overheads and higher backhaul costs. Interestingly, most of the problems, that beleaguer network densification, stem from legacy networks' one common feature i.e., tight coupling between the control and data planes regardless of their degree of heterogeneity and cell density. Consequently, in wake of 5G, control and data planes separation architecture (SARC) has recently been conceived as a promising paradigm that has potential to address most of aforementioned challenges. In this article, we review various proposals that have been presented in literature so far to enable SARC. More specifically, we analyze how and to what degree various SARC proposals address the four main challenges in network densification namely: energy efficiency, system level capacity maximization, interference management and mobility management. We then focus on two salient features of future cellular networks that have not yet been adapted in legacy networks at wide scale and thus remain a hallmark of 5G, i.e., coordinated multipoint (CoMP), and device-to-device (D2D) communications. After providing necessary background on CoMP and D2D, we analyze how SARC can particularly act as a major enabler for CoMP and D2D in context of 5G. This article thus serves as both a tutorial as well as an up to date survey on SARC, CoMP and D2D. Most importantly, the article provides an extensive outlook of challenges and opportunities that lie at the crossroads of these three mutually entangled emerging technologies.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figures, IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials 201