Virtual Small Cells Formation in 5G Networks

A novel virtual small cells formation approach for the fifth-generation mobile network is proposed in which a subset of qualified users is selected to serve as the base stations of virtual small cells in connecting other users to the macrocell base stations. In the proposed approach, the optimum virtual small cell density is obtained, so that the number of required communication links to the macrocell base stations for connecting all users directly or through small cells is minimized. It is shown that by using the proposed virtual small cell technique, the number of connections to the macrocell base stations becomes proportional to the logarithm of the user density. Since this relationship is linear in conventional cellular networks, utilization of virtual small cells can significantly increase the overall network capacity. In addition, the optimum virtual small cell density is derived for cases where the communications costs for a user-to-macrocell direct link and a small cell-to-macrocell trunk link are not the same.