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Performance Analysis and Optimisation of FFR-Aided OFDMA Networks using Channel-Aware Scheduling

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Abstract

Modern cellular standards typically incorporate interference coordination schemes allowing near universal frequency reuse while preserving reasonably high spectral efficiencies over the whole coverage area. In particular, fractional frequency reuse (FFR) and its variants are deemed to play a fundamental role in the next generation of cellular deployments (B4G/5G systems). This paper presents an analytical framework allowing the downlink performance evaluation of FFR-aided OFDMA networks when using channel-aware scheduling policies. Remarkably, the framework contemplates the use of different rate allocation strategies, thus allowing to assess the network behaviour under ideal (capacity-based) or realistic (throughput-based) conditions. Analytical performance results are used to optimise the FFR parameters as a function of, for instance, the resource block scheduling policy or the density of UEs per cell. Furthermore, different optimisation designs of the FFR component are proposed that allow a tradeoff between throughput performance and fairness by suitably dimensioning the FFR-defined cell-centre and cell-edge areas and the corresponding frequency allocation to each region. Numerical results serve to confirm the accuracy of the proposed analytical model while providing insight on how the different parameters and designs affect network performance.

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Notes

  1. Omnidirectional antenna BSs are assumed in this paper. In future work this will be extended to consider the use of sectorisation.

  2. In line with Xu et al. [20] and Jin et al. [10], note that, for the sake of analytical simplicity, only pathloss and small scale fading are considered in this paper. In future work this will be extended to consider large scale fading (shadowing) as well.

  3. The decision on which is the most adequate transmission mode to be used in the next scheduling interval can also be taken at the receiver side and then be fed back to the transmitter.

  4. Note that since the channel is assumed to be stationary, from this point onwards the time dependence (i.e., (t)) of all the variables will be dropped unless otherwise stated.

  5. Note that, in order to stress its dependency with respect to the optimisation parameters ζ and ω, the overall average throughput is represented as η(ω, ζ).

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Acknowledgments

Work supported by MINECO (Spanish Government) and FEDER under projects TEC2011-25446 and TEC2014-59255-C3-2-R, and the Conselleria d’Educació, Cultura i Universitats (Govern de les Illes Balears) under grant FPI/1538/2013 (co-financed by the European Social Fund).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mobile Communications Group, University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Palma, 07122, Illes Balears, Spain

    Jan García-Morales, Guillem Femenias & Felip Riera-Palou

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  1. Jan García-Morales
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  2. Guillem Femenias
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  3. Felip Riera-Palou
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Correspondence to Jan García-Morales.

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García-Morales, J., Femenias, G. & Riera-Palou, F. Performance Analysis and Optimisation of FFR-Aided OFDMA Networks using Channel-Aware Scheduling. Mobile Netw Appl 22, 1068–1082 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11036-016-0730-8

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