404 research outputs found
A survey of machine learning techniques applied to self organizing cellular networks
In this paper, a survey of the literature of the past fifteen years involving Machine Learning (ML) algorithms applied to self organizing cellular networks is performed. In order for future networks to overcome the current limitations and address the issues of current cellular systems, it is clear that more intelligence needs to be deployed, so that a fully autonomous and flexible network can be enabled. This paper focuses on the learning perspective of Self Organizing Networks (SON) solutions and provides, not only an overview of the most common ML techniques encountered in cellular networks, but also manages to classify each paper in terms of its learning solution, while also giving some examples. The authors also classify each paper in terms of its self-organizing use-case and discuss how each proposed solution performed. In addition, a comparison between the most commonly found ML algorithms in terms of certain SON metrics is performed and general guidelines on when to choose each ML algorithm for each SON function are proposed. Lastly, this work also provides future research directions and new paradigms that the use of more robust and intelligent algorithms, together with data gathered by operators, can bring to the cellular networks domain and fully enable the concept of SON in the near future
Evaluation of the potential for energy saving in macrocell and femtocell networks using a heuristic introducing sleep modes in base stations
In mobile technologies two trends are competing. On the one hand, the mobile access network requires optimisation in energy consumption. On the other hand, data volumes and required bit rates are rapidly increasing. The latter trend requires the deployment of more dense mobile access networks as the higher bit rates are available at shorter distance from the base station. In order to improve the energy efficiency, the introduction of sleep modes is required. We derive a heuristic which allows establishing a baseline of active base station fractions in order to be able to evaluate mobile access network designs. We demonstrate that sleep modes can lead to significant improvements in energy efficiency and act as an enabler for femtocell deployments
Self-optimization of pilot power in enterprise femtocells using multi objective heuristic
Deployment of a large number of femtocells to jointly provide coverage in an enterprise environment raises critical challenges especially in future self-organizing networks which rely on plug-and-play techniques for configuration. This paper proposes a multi-objective heuristic based on a genetic algorithm for a centralized self-optimizing network containing a group of UMTS femtocells. In order to optimize the network coverage in terms of handled load, coverage gaps, and overlaps, the algorithm provides a dynamic update of the downlink pilot powers of the deployed femtocells. The results demonstrate that the algorithm can effectively optimize the coverage based on the current statistics of the global traffic distribution and the levels of interference between neighboring femtocells. The algorithm was also compared with the fixed pilot power scheme. The results show over fifty percent reduction in pilot power pollution and a significant enhancement in network performance. Finally, for a given traffic distribution, the solution quality and the efficiency of the described algorithm were evaluated by comparing the results generated by an exhaustive search with the same pilot power configuration
On/Off Macrocells and Load Balancing in Heterogeneous Cellular Networks
The rate distribution in heterogeneous networks (HetNets) greatly benefits
from load balancing, by which mobile users are pushed onto lightly-loaded small
cells despite the resulting loss in SINR. This offloading can be made more
aggressive and robust if the macrocells leave a fraction of time/frequency
resource blank, which reduces the interference to the offloaded users. We
investigate the joint optimization of this technique - referred to in 3GPP as
enhanced intercell interference coordination (eICIC) via almost blank subframes
(ABSs) - with offloading in this paper. Although the joint cell association and
blank resource (BR) problem is nominally combinatorial, by allowing users to
associate with multiple base stations (BSs), the problem becomes convex, and
upper bounds the performance versus a binary association. We show both
theoretically and through simulation that the optimal solution of the relaxed
problem still results in an association that is mostly binary. The optimal
association differs significantly when the macrocell is on or off; in
particular the offloading can be much more aggressive when the resource is left
blank by macro BSs. Further, we observe that jointly optimizing the offloading
with BR is important. The rate gain for cell edge users (the worst 3-10%) is
very large - on the order of 5-10x - versus a naive association strategy
without macrocell blanking
Throughput evaluation for the downlink scenario of co-tier interference in heterogeneous network
To extend the coverage and capacity of Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets), femtocells (HeNodeBs) has been impressive to deploy in in-house or apartment. Owing to co-channel spectrum involvement these HeNodeB sources Co-Tier interference (CTI) with neighbor HeNodeBs and users of HeNodeB (HUE) in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing Access (OFDMA). As a result, CTI is occurred which causes of system throughput degradation. This paperinvestigates the OFDMA subcarrier allocation techniques and algorithms. A Genetic Algorithm based SubcarrierAllocation (GA-SA) framework is evaluated to enhanced throughput of HeNodeB and HUE. The enhancement of the system throughput and Signal to Interference Noise Ratio (SINR) is analyzed to mitigate CTI. The system level simulation is considered to evaluate the performance of the framework. The results show that the throughput is enhanced for HUE and HeNodeB, which can mitigate the CTI in OFDMA
Simplicial Homology for Future Cellular Networks
Simplicial homology is a tool that provides a mathematical way to compute the
connectivity and the coverage of a cellular network without any node location
information. In this article, we use simplicial homology in order to not only
compute the topology of a cellular network, but also to discover the clusters
of nodes still with no location information. We propose three algorithms for
the management of future cellular networks. The first one is a frequency
auto-planning algorithm for the self-configuration of future cellular networks.
It aims at minimizing the number of planned frequencies while maximizing the
usage of each one. Then, our energy conservation algorithm falls into the
self-optimization feature of future cellular networks. It optimizes the energy
consumption of the cellular network during off-peak hours while taking into
account both coverage and user traffic. Finally, we present and discuss the
performance of a disaster recovery algorithm using determinantal point
processes to patch coverage holes
- …