Improving capacity and coverage is one of the main issues in next-generation wireless communication. Heterogeneous networks (HetNets), which is currently investigated in LTE-Advanced standard, is a promising solution to enhance capacity and eliminate coverage holes in a cost-efficient manner. A HetNet is composed of existing macrocells and various types of small cells. By deploying small cells into the existing network, operators enhance the users' quality of service which are suffering from severe signal degradation at cell edges or coverage holes. Nevertheless, there are numerous challenges in integrating small cells into the existing cellular network due to the characteristics: unplanned deployment, intercell interference, economic potential, etc. Recently, game theory has been shown to be a powerful tool for investigating the challenges in HetNets. Several game-theoretic approaches have been proposed to model the distributed deployment and self-organization feature of HetNets. In this chapter, the authors first give an overview of the challenges in HetNets. Subsequently, the authors illustrate how game theory can be applied to solve issues related to HetNets.
Dual connectivity for LTE-advanced heterogeneous networks
