A framework for mobile relay node selection for serving LTE cell edge users -

Abstract

Relaying has received a big interest in wireless communication community and standardization bodies. It is meant to improve the cell edge coverage and performance through extending the reach of the base station. Mobile relays can offer attractive advantages over fixed relays in terms of reduced cost and their suitability to varying network connection demand, when exploiting the availability of public transportation vehicles, such as busses that roam streets at relatively low speeds. Indoor UE to MRN has been studied in the literature, it has been shown that a significant coverage gain is achieved. In this work, we have explored the use of mobile relay nodes for outdoor UE connectivity enhancement. In such a case, achieving any gain is not straightforward. We proposed a system simulation framework and identified cases of relay distribution where the use of mobile relays can be beneficial. Two UE-relay association strategies have been proposed an evaluated considering interference scenario. We have concluded that for a network operator, provided relays’ and UEs’ positions are known, operator can achieve a significant gain by enabling mobile relaying using relays relatively close to UEs with a reduced signaling overhead.