Technique for cable interface-based load balancing between cells

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program product comprising program code portions which, when executed on a computing device of a network control entity, configures the network control entity to perform cable interface-based load balancing, LB, between a first cell and a second cell in a mobile communication network, each cell comprising at least a cable interface and an air interface, and each cell being associated with a parameter set comprising a load status of the air interface and a load status of the cable interface of the respective cell, the method being performed in a control entity of the first cell, said computer program product comprising program instructions to instruct the computing device to:

• determine the parameter set of the first cell;
• obtain the parameter set of the second cell or information indicative thereof;
• determine whether the air interface load status and cable interface load status of the first cell are low, whether the air interface load status of the second cell is low, and whether the cable interface load status of the second cell is high, wherein:
• the determining operation is performed based on comparing the air interface load status and cable interface load status of the first cell and the air interface load status and cable interface load status of the second cell with at least one threshold each,
• the at least one threshold comprises a first threshold for the cable interface load status of the first cell, a second threshold for the air interface load status of the first cell, a third threshold for the cable interface load status of the second cell, and a fourth threshold for the air interface load status of the second cell, and
• the third threshold is greater than the maximum of the first, second and fourth thresholds;
• and
• reconfigure, if the determination is affirmative, at least one air interface configuration parameter of the first cell to off-load at least a part of mobile-originated traffic from the second cell to the first cell.

A control entity for a first cell for cable interface-based load balancing, LB, between the first cell and a second cell in a mobile communication network, each cell comprising at least a cable interface and an air interface, and each cell being associated with a parameter set comprising a load status of the air interface and a load status of the cable interface of the respective cell, wherein the control entity for the first cell comprises at least one processor configured to:

• determine the parameter set of the first cell;
• obtain the parameter set of the second cell or information indicative thereof;
• determine whether the air interface load status and cable interface load status of the first cell are low, whether the air interface load status of the second cell is low, and whether the cable interface load status of the second cell is high, wherein:
• the determining is performed based on comparing the air interface load status and cable interface load status of the first cell and the air interface load status and cable interface load status of the second cell with at least one threshold each,
• wherein the at least one threshold comprises a first threshold for the cable interface load status of the first cell, a second threshold for the air interface load status of the first cell, a third threshold for the cable interface load status of the second cell, and a fourth threshold for the air interface load status of the second cell, and
• wherein the third threshold is greater than the maximum of the first, second and fourth thresholds;
• and
• reconfigure, if the determination is affirmative, at least one air interface con-figuration parameter of the first cell to off-load at least a part of the mobile-originated traffic from the second cell to the first cell.