Service aware interference management

An arrangement in a cellular communication system, for supporting inter-cell coordination of scheduling of radio resources subjected to inter cell interference, the arrangement comprising:

• an interference identifying unit, adapted to identify one or more radio resources subjected to inter-cell interference between a first cell served by a first network node and a second cell served by a second network node;
• a service value deriving arrangement, adapted to derive a first service value associated with the first network node, related to service that could be provided in the first cell by use of the one or more radio resources;
• and further adapted to derive a second service value associated with the second network node, related to service that could be provided in the second cell by use of the one or more radio resources;
• and
• a control unit, adapted to control transmissions in the one or more radio resources based on comparison of the service values to provide inter-cell service value-based scheduling of the one or more radio resources, prioritizing services having the highest value per radio resource,
• wherein the control unit is adapted to control transmissions by comparing the first service value that is associated with the first network node to the second service value that is associated with the second network node and controlling transmissions of the one of the first and second network nodes having the lower respective service value based on the comparison.

A method in a network node in a cellular communication system for supporting inter-cell coordination of scheduling of radio resources subjected to inter cell interference, the method comprising:

• identifying one or more radio resources, subjected to interference from communication in a neighbor cell served by a neighbor network node, said interference exceeding a predefined threshold;
• indicating the identified radio resource(s) to the neighbor network node;
• deriving a first service value, related to service that could be provided in a cell served by the network node by use of the identified one or more radio resources;
• and
• indicating the first service value to the neighbor network node to facilitate inter-cell service value-based scheduling of the one or more radio resources, prioritizing services having the highest value per radio resource,
• wherein the first service value is derived based on a predetermined relationship between a value of a first type of service and a performance value, and
• wherein the predetermined relationship between the value of the first type of service and the performance value is different from a predetermined relationship between a value of a second type of service and the performance value.

A network node in a cellular communication system, for supporting scheduling of radio resources subjected to inter cell interference, the network node comprising:

• an identifying unit, adapted to identify one or more radio resources, subjected to interference from communication in a cell served by a neighbor network node, said interference exceeding a predefined threshold;
• an indicating unit, adapted to indicate the identified radio resource(s) To the neighbor network node;
• and
• a service value deriving unit adapted to derive a first service value related to the service that could be provided in a cell served by the network node by use of the identified one or more radio resources,
• wherein the indicating unit is further adapted to indicate the first service value to the neighbor network node to facilitate service value-based scheduling of the one or more radio resources, prioritizing services having the highest value per uplink radio resource,
• wherein the service value deriving unit is adapted to derive the first service value based on a predetermined relationship between a first type of service and a performance value, and
• wherein the predetermined relationship between the first type of service and the performance value is different from a predetermined relationship between a second type of service and the performance value.

A method in a network node in a cellular communication system for supporting scheduling of radio resources subjected to inter cell interference, the method comprising:

• receiving an indication from a neighbor network node of one or more radio resources, which resources are subjected to interference from a cell served by the network node;
• receiving an indication from the neighbor network node of a potential first service value related to the one or more radio resources;
• deriving a second service value relating to the service that could be provided in the cell served by the network node by use of the one or more radio resources;
• and
• controlling transmissions in the one or more radio resources used on comparison of the service values to provide service value-based scheduling of the one or more radio resources, prioritizing services having the highest value per radio resource,
• wherein controlling transmissions in the one or more radio resources comprises, based on the comparison of the service values indicating that the interference to a neighbor cell served by the neighbor network node is to be reduced in at least one of the one or more resources subjected to interference:
• identifying, a set of one or more UEs served by the network node, of which the communication causes the most interference to the neighbor network node, of the UEs served by the network node, in the one or more radio resources;
• and
• limiting a communication of at least one of the UEs in the set according to rank, starting with the UE having the lowest service value curve derivative among service value curves of the UEs in the set.

A network node in a cellular communication system, for supporting scheduling of radio resources subjected to inter cell interference, the network node comprising:

• a receiving unit, adapted to receive an indication from a neighbor network node of one or more radio resources, which resources are subjected to interference from a cell served by network node;
• and further adapted to receive an indication from the neighbor network node of a potential first service value related to the one or more radio resources;
• a deriving unit, adapted to derive a second service value related to service that could be provided in the cell served by the network node by use of the one or more radio resources;
• and
• a control unit, adapted to control transmissions in the one or more radio resources based on comparison of the service values, to provide inter cell service value-based scheduling of the one or more radio resources, prioritizing services having the highest value per radio resource,
• wherein the control unit is adapted to control transmissions in the one or more radio resources by:
• identifying a set of one or more U a served by the network node, of which UEs the communication causes the most interference to the neighbor network node, of the UEs served by the network node, in the one or more radio resources;
• ranking the UEs in the set according to respective derivatives of service value curves associated with service provided to the respective at a current interference level;
• and
• limiting a communication of at leant one of the UEs in the set according to rank, starting with the UP having the lowest service value curve derivative among service value curves of the UEs in the set.