Performance analysis of JT-CoMP transmission In Heterogeneous Network over unreliable backhaul

Abstract

In Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets) co-channel inter-cell interference (ICI) is a serious concern. Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) transmission has been emerged as a promising solution to downlink ICI in HetNets. But, the performance of CoMP transmission largely depends on the nature of backhaul network over which huge X2 signaling are executed among the coordinated cells. In this context, this article investigates the most advanced CoMP technique, called Joint Transmission CoMP (JT-CoMP), in LTE-Advanced HetNets under unreliable backhaul network and compares the results with perfect backhaul. The cluster throughput is measured by means of the Link Failure Probability (LFP) of the X2 interface. Here, we test three different types of JT-CoMP architectures, namely centralized JT-CoMP, semi-distributed JT-CoMP and fully-distributed JT-CoMP. In addition, this study considers only non-coherent JT-CoMP transmission, and explicit Channel State Information (CSI) feedback mechanism is utilized among the coordinating cells. The result shows that the centralized and semi-distributed architectures of JT-CoMP perform differently at different LFP condition, whereas the fully-distributed JT-CoMP remains constant regardless the backhaul LFP. Finally, we briefly discuss the practical challenges of the targeted JT-CoMP schemes under this investigation setup.