The NS-3 simulator is used in this study to compare three (3) of the seven (7) supported Fractional Frequency Reuse (FFR) algorithms, namely Soft Fractional Frequency Reuse (SFFR), Distributed Fractional Frequency Reuse (DFFR), and Soft Frequency Reuse (SFR), to assess the system performance and the effect of Inter-Cell Interference (ICI) on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, as FFR is an effective interference-management solution for LTE networks. ICI coordination has been widely used, with a focus on spectral efficiency, signal interference noise ratio, and throughput; however, the impact of ICI on packet delay and packet loss ratio has received less attention. To achieve the set objectives, scenarios are set up to demonstrate how parameters such as packet delay, packet loss, and throughput affect the network as the load or number of user’s increases. The results show that when the same frequency is used in the adjacent cell on an LTE network, the system performance suffers a reduction in throughput and an improvement in packet delay and packet loss ratio due to the interference caused by the increase in network load or the number of users. This research will assist mobile network providers in determining the most effective interference mitigation approach for improving end-user system performance.

Keywords: Network Simulator (NS-3), Fractional Frequency Reuse (FFR), SFFR, DFFR, SFR, LTE.