Cell association in cellular networks has traditionally been based on thedownlink received signal power only, despite the fact that up and downlinktransmission powers and interference levels differed significantly. Thisapproach was adequate in homogeneous networks with macro base stations allhaving similar transmission power levels. However, with the growth ofheterogeneous networks where there is a big disparity in the transmit power ofthe different base station types, this approach is highly inefficient. In thispaper, we study the notion of Downlink and Uplink Decoupling (DUDe) where thedownlink cell association is based on the downlink received power while theuplink is based on the pathloss. We present the motivation and assess the gainsof this 5G design approach with simulations that are based on Vodafone's LTEfield trial network in a dense urban area, employing a high resolutionray-tracing pathloss prediction and realistic traffic maps based on livenetwork measurements.
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