Technologies are generally described for generating pilot signal patterns in a base station, such as a small-cell base station, or a self-organizing network (SON) in a mobile communication system. Example devices/systems described herein may include one or more of a storage unit, a control unit and/or a communication unit in a base station. The storage unit may be configured to store a pilot signal pattern corresponding to a power variation between a first power level and a second power level. The control unit may be coupled to the storage unit and configured to generate a pilot signal in accordance with the stored pilot signal pattern. Further, the communication unit may be coupled to the control unit and configured to transmit the generated pilot signal such that any nearby mobile stations (or user equipment) can use the signal to perform cell selection or re-selection.