Routing and scheduling for AdhoCell downlink data capacity enhancement

Poor coverage is a major concern in cellular networks; it is also an inherent problem in HSDPA/HDR-based 3G wireless downlink data access. Poor coverage lowers the overall utilization of the cell and results in location-dependent downlink throughput for mobile users. In this paper, we investigate issues related to the design and application of an ad hoc relay network (ARN) capable of relaying data from a 3G base station to mobile users and provide a more uniform downlink data access. In order to exploit the benefits of ARN, we propose the AdhoCell architecture based on a self-organized ARN. The architecture is flexible in terms of deployment and is easy to integrate with current 3G architectures. These features are based on the ARN design and route computation scheme that we present in this paper. To utilize the ARN in the most efficient manner, we propose a two-level scheduling strategy, where the base station and some of the ARN nodes participate. Simulation results show the performance of the proposed ARN scheme significantly improve the HSDPA system.