Improving Inter-Sector Handover User Throughput by Using Partial Reuse and Softer Handover in 3GPP LTE Downlink

"Increased cell edge bit-rate" is an important requirement for 3GPP LTE, and inter-cell interference problem is a key issue for improving the cell edge bit-rate. In this paper, we propose an inter-cell interference mitigation scheme for 3GPP LTE downlink, and particularly, we focus on intra-node-B scenario. The proposed scheme makes use of a combination of partial reuse and softer handover for inter-sector handover users. The simulation results were obtained using a dynamic system-level simulator. The simulation results show that, compared to the partial reuse scheme, the proposed scheme can provide significant throughput gains for inter-sector handover users and achieve almost the same average sector throughput.