User Performance in Small Cells Networks with Inter-Cell Mobility

We analyze the impact of intra-cell mobility on user performance in dense networks such as that enabled by LTE-A and 5G. To this end, we consider a homogeneous network of small cells and first show how to reduce the evaluation of user performance to the case of a single representative cell. We then propose simple analytical models that capture mobility through the distribution of the residual sojourn time of mobile users in the cell. An approximate model, based on Quasi-Stationary (QS) assumptions, is developed in order to speed up computation in the Markovian framework. We use these models to derive the average throughput of both mobile and static users, along with the probability of handover for mobile users. Numerical evaluation and simulation results are provided to assess the accuracy of the proposed models. We show, in particular, that both classes of users benefit from a throughput gain induced by the "opportunistic" displacement of mobile users among cells.