What are the best practices for deploying and managing small cells in LTE Advanced Pro?

1 Define small cell types

Small cells are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Depending on the use case, location, and demand, different types of small cells can be deployed in LTE Advanced Pro networks. These include femtocells, picocells, microcells, and metrocells, each with different power, range, and capacity characteristics. For example, femtocells are typically used in homes or offices to provide indoor coverage and offload traffic from the macro network, while metrocells are used in busy urban areas to provide outdoor coverage and capacity enhancement. Therefore, it is important to define the appropriate small cell type for each deployment scenario and align it with the network planning and design.

2 Manage interference and coordination

One of the main challenges of deploying small cells in LTE Advanced Pro is managing the interference and coordination between the small cells and the macro network, as well as among the small cells themselves. Interference can degrade the quality of service, reduce the spectral efficiency, and increase the power consumption of the network. To mitigate interference and improve coordination, LTE Advanced Pro supports several techniques, such as enhanced inter-cell interference coordination (eICIC), carrier aggregation (CA), dual connectivity (DC), and licensed assisted access (LAA). These techniques enable the network to dynamically allocate resources, balance the load, and optimize the performance of the small cells and the macro network.

3 Optimize backhaul and fronthaul

Another challenge of deploying small cells in LTE Advanced Pro is providing adequate backhaul and fronthaul connections to the small cells. Backhaul refers to the connection between the small cells and the core network, while fronthaul refers to the connection between the small cells and the centralized radio access network (C-RAN). Both backhaul and fronthaul require high bandwidth, low latency, and high reliability to support the high data rates and low delay requirements of LTE Advanced Pro. To optimize backhaul and fronthaul, several options can be considered, such as fiber, microwave, millimeter wave, or wireless relay. The choice of the best option depends on the availability, cost, scalability, and performance of each solution.

4 Secure small cell access and data

A third challenge of deploying small cells in LTE Advanced Pro is securing the access and data of the small cells. Small cells are more vulnerable to unauthorized access, spoofing, jamming, or hacking than macro cells, due to their lower power, smaller size, and wider distribution. Therefore, it is essential to implement strong security measures to protect the small cells and the network from malicious attacks. Some of the security measures include encryption, authentication, firewall, intrusion detection, and anti-jamming techniques. Additionally, it is important to comply with the regulatory and privacy policies of each country and region where the small cells are deployed.

5 Integrate small cells with existing network

A fourth challenge of deploying small cells in LTE Advanced Pro is integrating them with the existing network infrastructure and services. Small cells need to interoperate seamlessly with the macro network and other network elements, such as core network, C-RAN, edge computing, and cloud services. They also need to support various network functions and features, such as mobility management, handover, load balancing, self-organization, and network slicing. To achieve this integration, it is necessary to adopt standardized interfaces, protocols, and architectures that enable interoperability, scalability, and flexibility of the small cells and the network.

6 Monitor and optimize small cell performance

A final challenge of deploying small cells in LTE Advanced Pro is monitoring and optimizing their performance over time. Small cells are subject to dynamic changes in traffic patterns, user behavior, environmental conditions, and network performance. Therefore, it is important to collect and analyze data from the small cells and the network to identify and resolve any issues, such as congestion, interference, outage, or degradation. Moreover, it is important to apply proactive and adaptive optimization techniques, such as self-configuration, self-healing, self-optimization, and machine learning, to improve the efficiency, reliability, and quality of service of the small cells and the network.