Power control of femtocells based on max-min fairness in heterogeneous networks

In heterogeneous networks (HetNet), power control at a Home eNodeB (HeNB) is a major issue in reducing co-channel interference where the fairness among HetNet users should be taken into account. In this letter, we formulate an equation that aims to maximize the minimum user rate among macro users to determine a proper target rate. Based on the determined target rate, we obtain the transmit power of the HeNBs in a closed form by using an approximation with an assumption of a high signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR). To mitigate the complexity for channel state information exchange among HeNBs, we also propose a simple bisection method by neglecting inter-HeNB interference. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed schemes can provide higher spectral efficiency and greater fairness in an HetNet.