Context-Aware Self-Healing: User Equipment as the Main Source of Information for Small-Cell Indoor Networks

This article proposes the use of context information for automatic failure management, known as self-healing, in small-cell indoor scenarios. Self-healing is one of the main functions of self-organizing networks (SONs) aiming to automate the administration, operation, and management of mobile communications infrastructure. In current deployments, the increasing use of low-power base stations, known as small cells, introduces challenges in classic self-healing procedures. This article analyzes those issues and identifies the context of user equipment (UE) as the main source of information to overcome them. Subsequently, a novel framework for integrating context awareness and self-healing is proposed, and a detailed context-based detection/diagnosis mechanism is developed. Finally, the approach is evaluated in a real small-cell deployment, showing the feasibility and usefulness of the proposed context-aware self-healing system.