Seamless Macro-Cell Anchored Radio Transmission for Enhanced Downlink Performance in Heterogeneous Networks

Heterogeneous networks comprising overlapping layers of macro cells and small cells are expected to be widely deployed to cope with the rapidly increasing demand for wireless bandwidth. While judicious resource sharing and interference management mechanisms allow these networks to provide adequate performance for static or pedestrian users, they often fail to meet the needs of highly mobile users. In this paper, we propose a cooperative data transmission scheme called "Seamless Macro-Cell-Anchored Radio Transmission" that enables even highly mobile users to experience performance levels similar to those enjoyed by static users. The performance improvements effected by this scheme occur mainly at low percentiles; in that sense it can be said to deliver sustained end-user experience even to highly mobile users. Further improvement in edge performance is possible with the use of rate thresholds in conjunction with the proposed scheme.