Deployment of LTE In-Band Relay and Micro Base Stations in a Realistic Metropolitan Scenario

Complementing macro-only cellular networks with low-powered base stations is a promising deployment solution to improve both network coverage and capacity, and cope with exploding data traffic in the coming years. In Beyond 3G Networks, such as LTE-Advanced, Relay Nodes and micro base stations can transmit on the same spectrum as the overlaying macro layer, and guarantee higher spatial reuse through cell splitting. Differently from previous research studies, this paper specifically aims at evaluating and comparing the potential of LTE relay and micro deployment in a realistic metropolitan scenario. A heuristic deployment algorithm which combines network coverage and realistic spatial user density information is also proposed. The results show that for the downlink, in-band relays can be deployed to improve network coverage, but not substantially the network capacity due to the limitation of the wireless backhaul link. In-band micro deployment, on the other hand, is the best solution to boost downlink network capacity (up to 5 times), while also providing full network coverage.