Backhaul network pre-clustering in cooperative cellular mobile access networks

Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) transmission/ reception is a promising solution for interference management in wireless cellular systems. Its successful deployment, however, strongly depends on the capability of the mobile backhaul network architecture to support the capacity, latency, and synchronization requirements of cooperation. In this paper, we deal with the “feasibility” aspects related to CoMP transmission/reception. We analyze how different backhaul topologies and technologies can support Base Station (BS) cooperation. We study, for different traffic scenarios and backhaul connectivity levels, which BS clusters are actually feasible compared to the ones desirable from the Radio Access Network (RAN) perspective. We found out that a significant mismatch exists between the desired wireless cluster, as defined by the RAN, and the feasible one, as allowed by the backhaul characteristics. Based on these findings, we explore different approaches to this problem, highlighting how the adoption of layer-2 switching techniques and multicast capabilities can already improve the cooperation feasibility. Finally, we propose an algorithm that includes the backhaul network feasibility information in the wireless cluster formation process. As a result, our system avoids unnecessary signaling and user data exchange among BSs which would have not been eligible for taking part in the desired cooperative cluster.