Optimal resource block allocation and muting in heterogeneous networks

In this paper, we investigate user association and resource block (RB) allocation in downlink heterogeneous cellular networks. Our goal is to jointly optimize user association and RB allocation to maximize network throughput while taking into account fairness among users. To effectively control interference, RB muting is employed. The problem is addressed in an integer linear programming (ILP) framework. Due to the combinatorial nature of the problem, the computational complexity of solving it becomes prohibitively high even for medium size networks. Therefore, we propose to decouple user association from the original problem, and formulate a low-complexity ILP problem for the optimal RB allocation and muting. Simulation results show that the proposed RB allocation and muting scheme achieves significantly higher throughput and better fairness compared with conventional schemes.