Performance of LTE SON uplink load balancing in non-regular network

This paper presents a performance evaluation of an uplink load balancing algorithm for Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Self-Organizing Networks (SON) in a non-regular network layout and shows how cell sizes affect the performance of the algorithm. The proposed algorithm solves local overload situations by handing over users to neighboring cells and adjusting power control settings. However, the non-regular network layout and the varying cell size can limit the expected gains of the algorithm in some situations due to the chosen uplink load balancing strategies and the limitations of the LTE uplink radio access technique. The performance evaluation is done by using a fully dynamic LTE system simulator which is capable to model user and network characteristics, mobility and radio resource management (RRM) algorithms accurately.