246 Copyright © 2017, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 10 DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-1712-2.ch010 ABSTRACT Driven by the continuous growth of wireless and mobile communication users, Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Long Term evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) have taken up densifcation of network as a new paradigm to meet the growing capacity demands. Small cells come with the advantage of enhanced coverage in indoor and hard reach areas and ofer trafc ofoading capacity in hotspots. However, there are challenges of interference management and self-adaptability with the overlaying macro cellular net- work since most small cell base stations are user deployed and do not have centralized control on their confguration and operation. The purpose of this chapter is to elaborate the concept of heterogeneous network and Self Organization Network (SON) in LTE-A. The various use cases of SON that can beneft the heterogeneous network have been discussed laying emphasis on interference management use case. Further the current trend of research in this feld has been highlighted. It provides a holistic picture of the heterogeneous network and SON in LTE-A and upcoming mobile communication generations. INTRODUCTION With an exponential increase in mobile traffic in recent times, the need to enhance cellular capacity has been a major issue of focus for mobile operators as well as in the field of research. Literature has sug- gested three conventional ways to address the need for increased cellular capacity. The first is to utilize more frequency bandwidth, the second is by making use of spectrally efficient transmission techniques through air interface and the last is by spatial frequency reuse which employs more number of trans- mitters and receivers at closely spaced distance. It has been established that increasing spectral reuse Self-Organization and Optimization in Heterogenous Networks Aradhana Misra Gauhati University, India Kandarpa Kumar Sarma Gauhati University, India