Joint assignment and scheduling for overlapping CoMP clusters

An apparatus configured to schedule a user equipment to a best suited resource of a cooperation area comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least on memory including computer program, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
• acquire, for each of a plurality of user equipments connected to a resource of a cooperation area, a connectivity ratio of each user equipment to the resource,
• select, among the plurality of user equipments connected to the resource of a cooperation area, a first user equipment having a lowest current connectivity ratio,
• determine whether the current connectivity ratio of the selected user equipment is equal to or smaller than a stored connectivity ratio of the selected user equipment to another resource available for the user equipment,
• calculate, if the current connectivity ratio is equal to or smaller than the stored connectivity ratio of the selected user equipment to the another resource, connectivity ratios of all user equipments connected to the another resource,
• determine whether there is a second user equipment having a lower connectivity ratio to the another resource than the first user equipment, and
• if it is determined that there is at least one second user equipment having a lower connectivity ratio to the another resource than the first user equipment, to cause the first user equipment to be connected to the selected resource.

An apparatus configured to schedule a user equipment to a best suited resource of a cooperation area comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least on memory including computer program, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
• acquire, for each of a plurality of user equipments connected to a resource of a cooperation area, a connectivity ratio of each user equipment to the resource,
• select, among the plurality of user equipments connected to the resource of a cooperation area, a first user equipment having a lowest current connectivity ratio,
• determine whether the current connectivity ratio of the selected user equipment is equal to or smaller than a stored connectivity ratio of the selected user equipment to another resource available for the user equipment,
• calculate connectivity ratios of one or more user equipments connected to the another resource, and
• if there is at least one second user equipment having a lower connectivity ratio to the another resource than the first user equipment, to cause the first user equipment to be connected to the selected resource.