Challenges in mobile network operation: Towards self-optimizing networks

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This paper reviews current status and trends in the application of self-organizing principles to advanced wireless networks, such as 3GPP Long-term Evolution (LTE). The transfer of research results and concepts to real-world networks imposes additional constraints and requirements, which open a multitude of interesting new fields for applied research. Particular challenges include defining appropriate assessment criteria, evaluation methodology, as well as a variety of interrelations between use cases with conflicting goals and mutual parameter dependencies yielding non-closed-form problems. Furthermore only partial, error-prone and potentially inconsistent information is available. Additional challenges include minimization of overhead, stability, and convergence issues, in particular for decentralized solutions.