On automatic establishment of relations in 5G radio networks

One of the first key self-organizing features introduced in LTE was Automatic Neighbor Relations (ANR), a function for automatically generating relations between radio network entities that is needed for many features such as active-mode mobility, load balancing and dual connectivity. Given the benefits of ANR in LTE, we foresee that procedures for relations establishment will be an important integrated part of 5G systems as well. Moreover, the new emerging technology components of 5G such as massive beamforming expand the scope of relations beyond the neighbor relations of LTE. In this paper, we give an overview of key 5G radio access components, discuss the need for different types of identifiers and relations, and comment on the impact from the ultra-lean design principle of 5G. The paper also discusses some possible procedures for automatic relation establishment in consideration of the specific 5G aspects.