  Cellular networks are constantly lagging in terms of the bandwidth needed to
support the growing high data rate demands. The system needs to efficiently
allocate its frequency spectrum such that the spectrum utilization can be
maximized while ensuring the quality of service (QoS) level. Owing to the
coexistence of different types of traffic (e.g., real-time (RT) and
non-real-time (nRT)) and different types of networks (e.g., small cell and
macrocell), ensuring the QoS level for different types of users becomes a
challenging issue in wireless networks. Fractional frequency reuse (FFR) is an
effective approach for increasing spectrum utilization and reducing
interference effects in orthogonal frequency division multiple access networks.
In this paper, we propose a new FFR scheme in which bandwidth allocation is
based on RT/nRT traffic classification. We consider the coexistence of small
cells and macrocells. After applying FFR technique in macrocells, the remaining
frequency bands are efficiently allocated among the small cells overlaid by a
macrocell. In our proposed scheme, total frequency-band allocations for
different macrocells are decided on the basis of the traffic intensity. The
transmitted power levels for different frequency bands are controlled based on
the level of interference from a nearby frequency band. Frequency bands with a
lower level of interference are assigned to the RT traffic to ensure a higher
QoS level for the RT traffic. RT traffic calls in macrocell networks are also
given a higher priority compared with nRT traffic calls to ensure the low
call-blocking rate. Performance analyses show significant improvement under the
proposed scheme compared with conventional FFR schemes.
