Spectral Reuse Maximization Using Multi-Level Interference Mapping in Small Cell Networks

This paper proposes a multi-level interference mapping (MIM) technique for enabling spectral-reuse maximization in cellular networks. The basic idea is to generate a user-centric interference map that can lead towards maximum resource reutilization. We focus on studying the impact of this map on the aggregate throughput, quality of service (QoS) and latency performance. In the proposed method, an interference intensity map, which indicates the level of interference between conflicting Base Stations (BSs) and users, is constructed based on each user's perspective. The purpose of this map is to classify users according to the level of interference they receive from the surrounding interfering BSs, which is used to impose orthogonalization between certain BSs and users. Such classification is then utilized jointly with power-control to achieve the maximum possible reuse efficiency without compromising QoS. For validation purposes, the performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated and compared with a predefined threshold approach, which represents the minimum required signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR). The results showed the impact of the number of interference levels on the network performance. It was shown that the MIM outperforms the predefined threshold approach and that increasing the interference levels improves the overall performance.