Uplink power control in LTE heterogeneous networks

Fractional path loss compensated power control (FPC) is adopted in LTE systems for the proper setting of User Equipment (UE) transmit power. The benefit of FPC has been extensively studied in homogeneous networks with only macro-cells. When additional small cells are co-channel deployed to form a heterogeneous networks (HetNet), new challenges are imposed to uplink power control. In this paper, we first exploit several available measurements at base station (BS) and/or UE to improve the performance of FPC. Afterwards, a framework that incorporates these power control options is proposed. It also contains methods for automatically setting the power control parameter. Finally, extensive simulation results are provided to highlight its benefit over the conventional FPC scheme.