Achieving high capacity with small cells in LTE-A

Due to the explosive growth of mobile data traffic, operators are increasingly facing the pressure of providing high data capacity to consumers while maintaining an efficient and low-cost network. In 3GPP LTE-A evolution, it has become clear that cell deployment is migrating towards a hybrid of macro-cell and small cells, where the macro-cell provides coverage and the small cells provide high capacity for hotspot and indoor users. This paper discusses the issues and solutions related to enhancing performance for such hybrid deployment in LTE-A, including interference management, mobility, carrier aggregation, and energy efficiency.