3GPP-inspired HetNet Model using Poisson Cluster Process: Sum-product Functionals and Downlink Coverage

摘要

The growing complexity of heterogeneous cellular networks (HetNets) hasnecessitated a variety of user and base station (BS) configurations to beconsidered for realistic performance evaluation and system design. This isdirectly reflected in the HetNet simulation models proposed by standardizationbodies, such as the third generation partnership project (3GPP). Complementaryto these simulation models, stochastic geometry-based approach, modeling thelocations of the users and the K tiers of BSs as independent and homogeneousPoisson point processes (PPPs), has gained prominence in the past few years.Despite its success in revealing useful insights, this PPP-based K-tier HetNetmodel is not rich enough to capture spatial coupling between user and BSlocations that exists in real-world HetNet deployments and is included in 3GPPsimulation models. In this paper, we demonstrate that modeling a fraction ofusers and arbitrary number of BS tiers alternatively with a Poisson clusterprocess (PCP) captures the aforementioned coupling, thus bridging the gapbetween the 3GPP simulation models and the PPP-based analytic model forHetNets. We further show that the downlink coverage probability of a typicaluser under maximum signal-to-interference-ratio association can be expressed interms of the sum-product functionals over PPP, PCP, and its associatedoffspring point process, which are all characterized as a part of our analysis.We also show that the proposed model converges to the PPP-based HetNet model asthe cluster size of the PCPs tends to infinity. Finally, we specialize ouranalysis based on general PCPs for Thomas and Matern cluster processes. Specialinstances of the proposed model closely resemble the different configurationsfor BS and user locations considered in 3GPP simulations.