  In this paper we investigate the problem of optimal MDS-encoded cache
placement at the wireless edge to minimize the backhaul rate in heterogeneous
networks. We derive the backhaul rate performance of any caching scheme based
on file splitting and MDS encoding and we formulate the optimal caching scheme
as a convex optimization problem. We then thoroughly investigate the
performance of this optimal scheme for an important heterogeneous network
scenario. We compare it to several other caching strategies and we analyze the
influence of the system parameters, such as the popularity and size of the
library files and the capabilities of the small-cell base stations, on the
overall performance of our optimal caching strategy. Our results show that the
careful placement of MDS-encoded content in caches at the wireless edge leads
to a significant decrease of the load of the network backhaul and hence to a
considerable performance enhancement of the network.
