Time-domain and frequency-domain muting schemes for interference co-ordination in LTE heterogeneous networks

The need for Inter-cell Interference Coordination (ICIC) schemes in LTE heterogeneous networks, is well elucidated in literature [1]. We consider distributed scheduling mechanisms so that multiple base-station vendors can co-exist. Moreover, in legacy LTE networks, fast timescale coordination across base-stations may not be possible due to the inherent backhaul latency. In such a framework, we study the relative performance of frequency-domain and time-domain interference coordination schemes. We also compare the performance of legacy users who are agnostic to the ICIC scheme employed by the network, with users who can intelligently report channel measurements, depending on the param-eters used in the ICIC scheme. Surprisingly, we find that network can efficiently compensate for the legacy user's inadequacy in reporting. Overall, these studies can help the cellular operator to prioritize the strategy for network evolution and decide the timelines to offer advanced user equipment.