Uplink Interference Identification and Coordination Scheme Based on Range Expansion in Macro-Pico Heterogeneous Networks

In Long Term Evolution (LTE) heterogeneous networks, the gap between the power of Macro base station and Pico base station makes some users access to Macrocell even if they are closer to Picocell. Under this circumstance, Picocell may suffer severe uplink interference which could not be accurately identified under current schemes. Range Expansion (RE) could mitigate the uplink interference problem. However, it may bring new downlink interference at the same time. This paper proposes an Uplink Interference Identification and Coordination scheme based on Range Expansion (UIICRE) with theoretical analysis. UIICRE could identify the uplink interference sources and their interference strength, and then coordinate the interference according to the identification results. Simulation results show that UIICRE could promote UEs uplink SINR under the condition that its downlink SINR would not be severely affected.