A Framework for Load Balanced UE Association in Dense LTE Networks

Abstract

Most existing UE association techniques consider signal strength from eNBs as the primary metric for handover decisions. This may result in unbalanced distribution of UEs to eNBs in a dense LTE network with large number of users, even though a UE may have multiple good eNB options for association. In this paper we propose a load balancing framework that can be applied over any existing handover algorithm periodically to balance eNB loads. The framework uses a novel metric based on eNB-availability-option of UEs for choosing the set of UEs to handover to balance load and their target eNBs, while ensuring good signal quality. A specific algorithm based on the framework is proposed and evaluated by simulating on NS-3 over five existing handover algorithms.