SFR-based vs. FFR-based inter-cell interference coordination for inband relay LTE-A networks

Relaying is a promising solution to increase the capacity and improve the experience of users in LTE-A networks. Nevertheless, inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) and resource sharing among different nodes and links are important challenges in order to obtain a real benefit from relay deployments. This paper focuses on Type 1 half-duplex inband relaying. Several strategies related to resource partition and frequency reuse between nodes and links are proposed for both access and backhaul subframes, under modified FFR-based and SFR-based resource sharing schemes for macro-ICIC. The aim is to evaluate the impact of macro-ICIC schemes on interference management in heterogeneous systems. These proposals are compared for various relay deployments, taking into account the real impact of the capacity of backhaul links on system performance. Moreover, relay cell range expansion with several bias offsets is analyzed.