Small cells play a critical role in the deployment of LTE-Advanced networks to deliver enhanced cell edge performance- another key technique. The deployment of a multi-layer network of macrocells and strategically placed small cells – a Heterogeneous Network or Het Net – further increases network capacity while providing spot coverage for better performance at the cell edge. No more dropped calls. Small cells benefit from the LTE-Advanced techniques such as carrier aggregation and improved interference mitigation to help deliver LTE-Advanced’s powerful combination of capacity and coverage.
There are a number of techniques that are key for a successful LTE-Advanced deployment. Carrier aggregation enables operators to combine all available spectrum – 3G, LTE and LTE-Advanced – to deliver even more data throughput at one time.LTE-Advanced’s new MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) techniques support up to eight transmit and receive antennas, hence 8x8 MIMO, up from 4x4, providing even more performance increases. Improved interference mitigation can be achieved through the implementation of Enhanced Inter-cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) techniques. Finally, operators can implement Self-Organizing Network (SON) features that go beyond auto configuration to help mitigate interference by providing effective coordination of RF resources and efficient algorithms for mobility and load balancing.
