SON management based on weighted objectives and combined SON Function models

Abstract

The instrumentation of Self-Organising Network (SON) Functions in such way that they contribute to the operational objectives defined by a wireless network operator is a complex task. In order to enable automation of this configuration, we previously described the concept of a SON Objective Manager (SOM) which determines the best configuration based on conditional, ranked objectives and SON Function models describing the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) optimised by some configuration. However, the simplicity of the models and the complexity of the design-time inference may limit the applicability of the initial concept. In this paper, we present an extended and enhanced run-time SOM with more expressive input models, namely, context-dependent, weighted operator objectives allowing a better trade-off and SON Function models defining the possible values of KPIs for some configuration. These improvements together allow for a broader application of the concept.