Cluster-Based Load Balancing Algorithm for Ultra-Dense Heterogeneous Networks

In a highly dense heterogeneous cellular network, the loads across cells are uneven due to random deployment of cells and the mobility of user equipments (UEs). Such unbalanced loads result in performance degradation such as throughput and handover success. In order to solve the uneven load problem for better network performance, we propose a cluster-based mobility load-balancing algorithm for heterogeneous cellular networks. Traditional mobility load balancing (MLB) schemes that consider only the adjacent neighbors cannot provide enough improvement in network performance. On the other hand, the previous MLB schemes consider neighbors in the entire network suffer from unnecessary MLB actions. However, in the load balancing process, the proposed algorithm considers overloaded cells and their neighbors within then-tiers. First, the algorithm models the network as a directed multi-graph and constructs clusters taking the overloaded cells and their n-tier neighbors. Therefore, by adjusting cell individual offset parameters of the cells in the clusters the algorithm achieves load balancing locally. Since load balancing is performed inside the clusters, the network can be optimized more efficiently by avoiding unnecessary MLB actions. Simulations show that the proposed algorithm distributes the load across the network more evenly than other MLB algorithms, and in a low UE velocity scenario, it increases the overall network throughput by 6.42% compared to a non-optimized network without an MLB algorithm.