An open source product-oriented LTE network simulator based on ns-3

In this paper we present a new simulation module for ns-3 aimed at the simulation of LTE networks. This module has been designed with a product-oriented perspective in order to allow LTE equipment manufacturers to test RRM/SON algorithms in a simulation environment before they are deployed in the field. First, we describe the design of our simulation module, highlighting its novel aspects. Subsequently, we discuss the testing methodology that we adopted to validate its output. Finally, we present some experimental result to assess its performance in terms of execution time and memory usage.