On optimal placement of low power nodes for improved performance in heterogeneous networks

Low power nodes have been a hot topic in research, standardization, and industry communities, which is typically considered under an umbrella term called heterogeneous networking. In this paper, we look at the problem of optimal deployment of low power nodes that could be either small cells connected via the wired backhaul or relays that utilize the same spectrum and the wireless access technology to get connected to the core network. We present that even though both relay and small cell nodes should be located somewhere at the cell edge, their optimal coordinates are not the same since relays have a limitation that comes from a link between a relay and the master base station.