Traffic Hotspot localization in 3G and 4G wireless networks using OMC metrics

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness to traffic localization techniques driven by the emergence of heterogeneous networks (HetNet) with small cells deployment and the green networks. The localization of hotspot data traffic with a very high accuracy is indeed of great interest to know where the small cells should be deployed and how can be managed for sleep mode concept. In this paper, we propose a new traffic localization technique based on the combination of different key performance indicators (KPI) extracted from the operation and maintenance center (OMC). The proposed localization algorithm is composed with five main steps; each one corresponds to the determination of traffic weight per area using only one KPI. These KPIs are Timing Advance (TA), Angle of Arrival (AoA), Neighbor cell level, the load of each cell and the Harmonic mean throughput (HMT) versus the Arithmetic mean throughput (AMT). The five KPIs are finally combined by a function taking as variables the values computed from the five steps. By mixing such KPIs, we show that it is possible to lessen significantly the errors of localization in a high precision attaining small cell dimensions.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, published in Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications 2014 (PIMRC); IEEE International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications 2014 (PIMRC

Performance Analysis of Small Cells' Deployment under Imperfect Traffic Hotspot Localization

Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets), long been considered in operators' roadmaps for macrocells' network improvements, still continue to attract interest for 5G network deployments. Understanding the efficiency of small cell deployment in the presence of traffic hotspots can further draw operators' attention to this feature. In this context, we evaluate the impact of imperfect small cell positioning on the network performances. We show that the latter is mainly impacted by the position of the hotspot within the cell: in case the hotspot is near the macrocell, even a perfect positioning of the small cell will not yield improved performance due to the interference coming from the macrocell. In the case where the hotspot is located far enough from the macrocell, even a large error in small cell positioning would still be beneficial in offloading traffic from the congested macrocell.Comment: This article is already published in IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM) 201

Offloading traffic hotspots using moving small cells

In this paper, the concept of moving small cells in mobile networks is presented and evaluated taking into account the dynamics of the system. We consider a small cell moving according to a Manhattan mobility model which is the case when the small cell is deployed on the top of a bus following a predefined trajectory in areas which are generally crowded. Taking into account the distribution of user locations, we study the dynamic level considering a queuing model composed of multi-class Processor Sharing queues. Macro and small cells are assumed to be operating in the same bandwidth. Consequently, they are coupled due to the mutual interferences generated by each cell to the other. Our results show that deploying moving small cells could be an efficient solution to offload traffic hotspots.Comment: This article is already published in IEEE ICC conference 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Wireless networks symposiu

Context-Aware Self-Healing for Small Cell Networks

These can be an invaluable source of information for the management of the network, in a way that we have denominated as context-aware SON, which is the approach proposed in this thesis. To develop this concept, the thesis follows a top-down approach. Firstly, the characteristics of the cellular deployments are assessed, especially for indoor small cell networks. In those scenarios, the need for context-aware SON is evaluated and considered indispensable. Secondly, a new cellular architecture is defined to integrate both context information and SON mechanisms in the management plane of the mobile network. Thus, the specifics of making context an integral part of cellular OAM/SON are defined. Also, the real-world implementation of the architecture is proposed. Thirdly, from the established general SON architecture, a logical self-healing framework is defined to support the context-aware healing mechanisms to be developed. Fourthly, different self-healing algorithms are defined depending on the failures to be managed and the conditions of the considered scenario. The mechanisms are based on probabilistic analysis, making use of both context and network data for detection and diagnosis of cellular issues. The conditions for the implementation of these methods are assessed. Their applicability is evaluated by means of simulators and testbed trials. The results show important improvements in performance and capabilities in comparison to previous methods, demonstrating the relevance of the proposed approach.The last years have seen a continuous increase in the use of mobile communications. To cope with the growing traffic, recently deployed technologies have deepened the adoption of small cells (low powered base stations) to serve areas with high demand or coverage issues, where macrocells can be both unsuccessful or inefficient. Also, new cellular and non-cellular technologies (e.g. WiFi) coexist with legacy ones, including also multiple deployment schemes (macrocell, small cells), in what is known as heterogeneous networks (HetNets). Due to the huge complexity of HetNets, their operation, administration and management (OAM) became increasingly difficult. To overcome this, the NGMN Alliance and the 3GPP defined the Self-Organizing Network (SON) paradigm, aiming to automate the OAM procedures to reduce their costs and increase the resulting performance. One key focus of SON is the self-healing of the network, covering the automatic detection of problems, the diagnosis of their causes, their compensation and their recovery. Until recently, SON mechanisms have been solely based on the analysis of alarms and performance indicators. However, on the one hand, this approach has become very limited given the complexity of the scenarios, and particularly in indoor cellular environments. Here, the deployment of small cells, their coexistence with multiple telecommunications systems and the nature of those environments (in terms of propagation, coverage overlapping, fast demand changes and users' mobility) introduce many challenges for classic SON. On the other hand, modern user equipment (e.g. smartphones), equipped with powerful processors, sensors and applications, generate a huge amount of context information. Context refers to those variables not directly associated with the telecommunication service, but with the terminals and their environment. This includes the user's position, applications, social data, etc

Analyses of location-based services in Africa and investigating methods of improving its accuracy

The subject area of this thesis analyses the provision of location-based services (LBS) in Africa and seeks methods of improving their positional accuracy. The motivation behind this work is based on the fact that mobile technology is the only modern form of information and communication technology available to most people in Africa. Therefore all services that can be offered on the mobile network should be harnessed and LBS are one of these services. This research work is novel and is the first critical analysis carried out on LBS in Africa; therefore it had to be carried out in phases. A study was first carried out to analyse the provision of LBS in Africa. It was discovered that Africa definitely lags much of the World in the provision of LBS to its mobile subscribers; only a few LBS are available and these are not adapted to the needs of the African people. A field data empirical investigation was carried out in South Africa to evaluate the performance of LBS provided. Data collected indicated that the LBS provided is not dependable due to the inaccuracy introduced by two major factors - the positioning method and the data content provided. Analyzing methods to improve the positional accuracy proved quite challenging because Africa being one of the poorest continents has most mobile subscribers using basic mobile phones. Consequently, LBS often cannot be provided in Africa based on the capability of the mobile phones but rather on the capability of the mobile operator’s infrastructure. However, provision of LBS using the network-based positioning technologies poses the challenge of dynamically varying error sources which affects its accuracy. The effect of some error sources on network-based positioning technologies were analysed and a model developed to investigate the feasibility of making the RSS-based geometric positioning technologies error aware. Major consideration is given to the geometry of the BSs whose measurements are used for position estimation. Results indicated that it is feasible to improve location information in Africa not just by improving the positioning algorithms but also by using improved prediction algorithms, incorporating up-to-date geographical information and hybrid technologies. It was also confirmed that although errors are introduced due to location estimation methods, it is impossible to model the error and make it applicable for all algorithms and all location estimations. This is because the errors are dynamically varying and unpredictable for every measurement

LTE Optimization and Resource Management in Wireless Heterogeneous Networks

Mobile communication technology is evolving with a great pace. The development of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile system by 3GPP is one of the milestones in this direction. This work highlights a few areas in the LTE radio access network where the proposed innovative mechanisms can substantially improve overall LTE system performance. In order to further extend the capacity of LTE networks, an integration with the non-3GPP networks (e.g., WLAN, WiMAX etc.) is also proposed in this work. Moreover, it is discussed how bandwidth resources should be managed in such heterogeneous networks. The work has purposed a comprehensive system architecture as an overlay of the 3GPP defined SAE architecture, effective resource management mechanisms as well as a Linear Programming based analytical solution for the optimal network resource allocation problem. In addition, alternative computationally efficient heuristic based algorithms have also been designed to achieve near-optimal performance