QoS-aware Scheduling for In-Band Relays in LTE-Advanced

One key target of the fourth generation of mobile networks is the ubiquitous support of quality-of-service (QoS) aware traffic. In LTE-Advanced, relay nodes are one of the main enablers of these services for users on the cell-edge or inside coverage holes. In this work, we revisit the issue of QoS-aware scheduling for LTE-Advanced relays focusing on in-band relay deployment. While emulating QoS-aware services with different bit-rate and latency requirements for the downstream direction, we propose a new QoS-aware scheduling algorithm for in-band relays which targets equilibrium between the latency and the rate requirements. Moreover, we propose an optimization for the in-band relay backhaul link allocation which allows an efficient distribution of resources among the users in the eNB. Finally, we conclude with a comparison between the strategies to demonstrate how the proposed resource utilization strategy improves the users' performance.