Utility-Based Beam Selection Algorithms for Sub-6 GHz Backhauls

Small cell is a growing technology that enables Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to deploy sites in strategic locations offering smaller coverage with higher capacities, using licensed and unlicensed wireless spectrum. The most problematic and restrictive element carriers face when deploying a small cell network is backhauling. Finding a site for deploying a small cell can be a painstaking process. Beam management is a procedure that correctly selects the beams to overcome strong path loss attenuation. In this paper, a beam tracking solution for sub-6 GHz is proposed. Together with the path-loss information of all the serving hub beams, its serving hub shares this path-loss map with the other co-located hubs at the same cell/site. The remote backhaul module uses the sum-utility-based algorithm to pick the hub beam that maximizes the sum utility of the link.