5G Multi-Connectivity with Non-Ideal Backhaul: Distributed vs Centralized Architecture

We investigate the throughput performance of multi-connectivity over Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets). Specifically, we examine the effect of non-ideal backhaul on the throughput for two architecture scenarios. Such scenarios are i) the distributed HetNet scenario where the multi-connectivity anchor is co-located with the macro cell; and ii) the cloud-based HetNet scenario, where the multi-connectivity anchor point is located at a centralized network point. It is shown via an extensive set of simulations that increasing the backhaul delay results in a considerable decrease on the throughput. Moreover, the centralized, cloud-based HetNet architecture yields higher mean throughput, while the distributed HetNet architecture yields higher 5 percentile throughput.