Enhancing spectral-energy efficiency forLTE-advanced heterogeneous networks: a users social pattern perspective

The development of LTE-Advanced and beyond cellular networks is expected to offer considerably higher data rates than the existing 3G networks. Among the many potential technologies in LTE-Advanced systems, users' characteristics and social behavior have been studied to improve the networks' performance. In this article we present the concept of user social pattern (USP), which characterizes the general user behavior, pattern, and rules of a group of users in a social manner, and utilize USP as an optimization basis for network performance enhancement. From large-scale traffic traces collected from current mobile cellular networks, the USP model is evaluated and verified. Furthermore, to evaluate the potential of spectral efficiency and energy efficiency enhancement based on USP in LTE-A HetNets, we establish a complete system and link-level HetNet simulation platform according to 3GPP LTE-A standards. Then, based on the platform, simulations are performed to evaluate the impact of USP on spectral and energy efficiency in an LTE-A network, and a USP-based spectral efficiency and energy efficiency enhancement scheme is proposed for a HetNet of the LTE-A system. Simulation results validate that USP can be used as an effective concept for network performance optimization in an LTE-A system.