It must be able to automate the reconfiguration of its operation to deliver assured service quality across the entire network, and flexible enough to accommodate changing user needs, business goals and subscriber behaviors.’[5] From an architectural perspective, the HetNet can be viewed as encompassing conventional macro radio access network (RAN) functions, RAN transport capability, small cells, and Wi-Fi functionality, which are increasingly being virtualized and delivered in an operational environment where span of control includes data center resources associated with compute, networking, and storage.
Self-configuration or ‘plug and play’ reduces time and cost of deployment, while self-optimization then ensures the network auto-tunes itself for maximum efficiency as conditions change.
Traffic demand, user movements and service mix will all evolve over time, and the network needs to adapt to keep pace.
[citation needed] From a semantic point of view, the heterogeneous network terminology can have different connotations in wireless telecommunications.
Therefore, using the term "heterogeneous network" without putting it into context can result in a source of confusion in scientific literature and during the peer-review cycle.