Self-configured Neighbor Cell List of macro cells in network with Small Cells

Abstract

To ensure faultless handover procedure of mobile users, each cell in the network must establish a Neighbor Cell List (NCL). The NCL contains adjacent cells to which handover can be performed. A problem related to the handover from a Macro/Micro cell (MeNB) appears with the rising density of cells with the limited coverage, so-called Small Cells (SCeNBs). By using method of the NCL creation described in standards or literature, the number of neighboring cells suitable for handover from the MeNB can be extensive. Therefore, we propose an algorithm for automatic creation of the NCL with reduced number of included cells. The proposed algorithm exploits knowledge of the last visited cell in combination with the statistical information on performed handovers in the past to determine the possibility of transition to the neighboring cells. As the results show, the proposed algorithm significantly reduces the number of cells in the NCL while the probability of missing handover target cell in the NCL is kept negligible.