Locality-based techniques for computationally simplifying wireless network optimization [cellular network design]

As wireless networks grow and mature, service providers must develop increasingly sophisticated computational tools for effectively modeling and optimizing their networks. We investigate a flexible method for simplifying the simulation of large-scale wireless networks while maintaining simulation accuracy. The approach we discuss leverages principles of locality common to wireless networks and thus can support a variety of wireless technologies and different radio interfaces. The method is demonstrated to be effective when applied to the problem of cell site selection. We examine the trade-offs implied by the family of techniques that we consider, and we make suggestions for how one should determine the optimal level of network simplification for a particular problem.