Analysis of Cell Load Coupling for LTE Network Planning and Optimization

System-centric modeling and analysis are of key significance in planning and optimizing cellular networks. In this paper, we provide a mathematical analysis of performance modeling for LTE networks. The system model characterizes the coupling relation between the cell load factors, taking into account non-uniform traffic demand and interference between the cells with arbitrary network topology. Solving the model enables a network-wide performance evaluation in resource consumption. We develop and prove both sufficient and necessary conditions for the feasibility of the load-coupling system, and provide results related to computational aspects for numerically approaching the solution. The theoretical findings are accompanied with experimental results to instructively illustrate the application in optimizing LTE network configuration.Comment: The paper contains 22 pages with 9 figures. The paper is submitted to IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications. This is the version in Jan 2012 after one revisio

Trajectory Aware Macro-cell Planning for Mobile Users

We design and evaluate algorithms for efficient user-mobility driven macro-cell planning in cellular networks. As cellular networks embrace heterogeneous technologies (including long range 3G/4G and short range WiFi, Femto-cells, etc.), most traffic generated by static users gets absorbed by the short-range technologies, thereby increasingly leaving mobile user traffic to macro-cells. To this end, we consider a novel approach that factors in the trajectories of mobile users as well as the impact of city geographies and their associated road networks for macro-cell planning. Given a budget k of base-stations that can be upgraded, our approach selects a deployment that impacts the most number of user trajectories. The generic formulation incorporates the notion of quality of service of a user trajectory as a parameter to allow different application-specific requirements, and operator choices.We show that the proposed trajectory utility maximization problem is NP-hard, and design multiple heuristics. We evaluate our algorithms with real and synthetic data sets emulating different city geographies to demonstrate their efficacy. For instance, with an upgrade budget k of 20%, our algorithms perform 3-8 times better in improving the user quality of service on trajectories in different city geographies when compared to greedy location-based base-station upgrades.Comment: Published in INFOCOM 201

A Sharing- and Competition-Aware Framework for Cellular Network Evolution Planning

Mobile network operators are facing the difficult task of significantly increasing capacity to meet projected demand while keeping CAPEX and OPEX down. We argue that infrastructure sharing is a key consideration in operators' planning of the evolution of their networks, and that such planning can be viewed as a stage in the cognitive cycle. In this paper, we present a framework to model this planning process while taking into account both the ability to share resources and the constraints imposed by competition regulation (the latter quantified using the Herfindahl index). Using real-world demand and deployment data, we find that the ability to share infrastructure essentially moves capacity from rural, sparsely populated areas (where some of the current infrastructure can be decommissioned) to urban ones (where most of the next-generation base stations would be deployed), with significant increases in resource efficiency. Tight competition regulation somewhat limits the ability to share but does not entirely jeopardize those gains, while having the secondary effect of encouraging the wider deployment of next-generation technologies

Final report on the evaluation of RRM/CRRM algorithms

Deliverable public del projecte EVERESTThis deliverable provides a definition and a complete evaluation of the RRM/CRRM algorithms selected in D11 and D15, and evolved and refined on an iterative process. The evaluation will be carried out by means of simulations using the simulators provided at D07, and D14.Preprin

Planning Wireless Cellular Networks of Future: Outlook, Challenges and Opportunities

Cell planning (CP) is the most important phase in the life cycle of a cellular system as it determines the operational expenditure, capital expenditure, as well as the long-term performance of the system. Therefore, it is not surprising that CP problems have been studied extensively for the past three decades for all four generations of cellular systems. However, the fact that small cells, a major component of future networks, are anticipated to be deployed in an impromptu fashion makes CP for future networks vis-a-vis 5G a conundrum. Furthermore, in emerging cellular systems that incorporate a variety of different cell sizes and types, heterogeneous networks (HetNets), energy efficiency, self-organizing network features, control and data plane split architectures (CDSA), massive multiple input multiple out (MIMO), coordinated multipoint (CoMP), cloud radio access network, and millimetre-wave-based cells plus the need to support Internet of Things (IoT) and device-to-device (D2D) communication require a major paradigm shift in the way cellular networks have been planned in the past. The objective of this paper is to characterize this paradigm shift by concisely reviewing past developments, analyzing the state-of-the-art challenges, and identifying future trends, challenges, and opportunities in CP in the wake of 5G. More specifically, in this paper, we investigate the problem of planning future cellular networks in detail. To this end, we first provide a brief tutorial on the CP process to identify the peculiarities that make CP one of the most challenging problems in wireless communications. This tutorial is followed by a concise recap of past research in CP. We then review key findings from recent studies that have attempted to address the aforementioned challenges in planning emerging networks. Finally, we discuss the range of technical factors that need to be taken into account while planning future networks and the promising research directions that necessitates the paradigm shift to do so

Recent Advances in Wireless Communications and Networks

This book focuses on the current hottest issues from the lowest layers to the upper layers of wireless communication networks and provides "real-time" research progress on these issues. The authors have made every effort to systematically organize the information on these topics to make it easily accessible to readers of any level. This book also maintains the balance between current research results and their theoretical support. In this book, a variety of novel techniques in wireless communications and networks are investigated. The authors attempt to present these topics in detail. Insightful and reader-friendly descriptions are presented to nourish readers of any level, from practicing and knowledgeable communication engineers to beginning or professional researchers. All interested readers can easily find noteworthy materials in much greater detail than in previous publications and in the references cited in these chapters

Telecommunications Networks

This book guides readers through the basics of rapidly emerging networks to more advanced concepts and future expectations of Telecommunications Networks. It identifies and examines the most pressing research issues in Telecommunications and it contains chapters written by leading researchers, academics and industry professionals. Telecommunications Networks - Current Status and Future Trends covers surveys of recent publications that investigate key areas of interest such as: IMS, eTOM, 3G/4G, optimization problems, modeling, simulation, quality of service, etc. This book, that is suitable for both PhD and master students, is organized into six sections: New Generation Networks, Quality of Services, Sensor Networks, Telecommunications, Traffic Engineering and Routing