LTE-A enhanced Inter-cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) with Pico cell adaptive antenna

This paper presents a study of the mutual interference between a Macro cell and a Pico cell within LTE-A (Long Term Evolution — Advanced) framework. It is assumed that the Macro cell and the Pico cell share the same frequency channel and only the downlink (DL) performance is studied. In this paper, we introduce the idea that a Pico cell located within the coverage area of a Macro cell be equipped with an adaptive antenna. The Pico cell examines the interference environment around it and adjusts the antenna radiation pattern to equalize the Signal to Interference Ratio (SIR) along its circular coverage range. We compare this new approach with the existing known scheme of the Pico-cell Range Extension (PRE). The performance of enhanced Inter-cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) for LTE-A is analyzed with the Macro cell muted for different Almost Blank Sub-frame (ABS) patterns. The operation of time domain eICIC is united with Pico cell adaptive smart antenna in order to further enhance eICIC. The variable antenna gain expression is derived. Simulations are performed using 3GPP (3^rd Generation Partnership Project) guidelines to note the dissimilarity between the PRE technology and the proposed Pico adaptive antenna technology. The overall network performance is evaluated for different loading levels at Macro and Pico cells and user distributions. Also the Pico cell edge user performance is analyzed with eICIC and eICIC combined with Pico cell smart antenna.