Enhancing uplink performance in UTRAN LTE networks by load adaptive power control

Uplink power control in 3GPP UTRAN long term evolution (LTE) networks consists of a closed-loop scheme around an open-loop point of operation. The uplink performance of the network is decisively influenced by power control. This paper provides insight into the uplink power control procedure and its interworking with adaptive transmission bandwidth (ATB) as well as adaptive modulation and coding (AMC). A detailed performance evaluation is presented based on system level simulations. In the first step, the performance of pure open-loop power control (OLPC) was analysed and the impact of parameter settings on resource allocation, utilisation of specific modulation and coding schemes (MCS), re-transmission rate, and resulting throughput was determined. A two-dimensional parameter optimisation for full path-loss (PL) compensation and fractional power control (FPC) was performed to conclude the best strategy for the trade-off between network capacity and coverage. In the second step, the impact of traffic load on the interaction between the different LTE radio resource management algorithms was analysed. A novel strategy is presented which introduces traffic load dependent decisions for the closed-loop power control (CLPC) component to optimise the uplink throughput. This solution provides an automatic configuration for LTE networks without further intervention by the operator. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.