Intercell Interference Coordination in OFDMA Networks and in the 3GPP Long Term Evolution System

Abstract

Intercell interference coordination (ICIC) in orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) networks in general and in the 3GPP Long Term Evolution system in particular has received much attention both from the academia and the standardization communities. Understanding the trade-offs associated with ICIC mechanisms is important, because it helps identify the architecture and protocol support that allows practical systems to realize potential performance gains. In this paper we review some of the recent advances in ICIC research and discuss the assumptions, advantages and limitations of some of the proposed mechanisms. We then proceed to describe the architecture and protocol support for ICIC in the 3GPP LTE system. We make the point that the 3GPP standard is formed in a flexible way such that network operators can employ the most suitable ICIC mechanism tailored to their actual deployment scenario, traffic situation and preferred performance target.