Coordination of SON Functions in Multi-vendor Small Cell Networks

With the increase of network complexity, there is a high need for network management automation. This is achieved thanks to Self-Organizing Network (SON) principles that enable self-configuration, self-optimization and self-healing procedures. However, even though the SON functions are meant to be autonomous themselves, a high level of coordination among them is required. To this end, efficient conflict detection and resolution techniques are needed, especially in multi-vendor deployments. This article presents a design together with a sample implementation of a coordination scheme between three key SON functions, namely cell ID assignment, coverage adjustment, and idle mode control. This ensures stability and continuity of the network operation even in a situation when the functions have contradicting objectives. The solution is based on Broadband Forum (BBF) TR-069 protocol and is applicable to multi-vendor networks. Simulation evaluation has shown over 15% reduction of cell ID conflicts resulting from SON coordination.