Graph-Based Dynamic Frequency Reuse in Femtocell Networks

We address interference avoidance by resource partitioning in densely deployed femtocell networks. The main objective is to protect user equipments (UEs) that are located near the cell boundary of two or more femtocells from detrimental downlink interference. The available frequency bands are divided into subbands that are distributed among femtocells in a way that directly adjacent cells do not occupy the same subbands. For this purpose, a novel centrally controlled resource partitioning method is developed based on graph coloring that assigns subbands in terms of resource efficiency. The proposed algorithm strikes a balance between interference protection and spatial frequency reuse of subbands, and is well suited for randomly deployed wireless networks. System-level simulations reveal that cell edge capacities are significantly boosted without causing a degradation in average system throughput.