Virtual cell-breathing based load balancing in downlink LTE-A self-optimizing networks

In LTE-A systems, load balancing is one of the key targets of the self-organizing network (SON). This paper proposes a virtual cell-breathing based load balancing (VCBLB) scheme for downlink LTE-A self-optimizing networks. In the proposed load balancing scheme, the coverage of serving cells and neighboring target cells is virtually controlled by adjusting virtual transmission power so that UEs handover from a heavily loaded serving cell to a lightly loaded neighboring cell. VCBLB combines the advantages of two approaches to solve the load balancing problem. Moreover, it is used to address two particular load-imbalanced cases. Simulation results show that the proposed load balancing scheme is feasible and more efficient than traditional schemes.