Objective-driven coordination in self-organizing networks

The operation of a Self-Organizing Network (SON) such that it achieves the objectives of a cellular network operator is a complex task. The previously presented SON objective manager enables the automatic management of SON functions based on formalized operator objectives on network Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). However, this approach initially did not consider SON coordination which resolves runtime conflicts between concurrently executed SON functions. We present an objective-driven SON coordination which adapts the SON objective manager approach to SON function conflict resolution. Therefore, the SON objective manager concept is based on multiattribute utility theory and the conflict resolution is modeled as a constraint optimization problem. As a result, this approach coordinates the execution of SON functions such that the operator objectives are satisfied as quickly as possible.