Extended Planning Introduction

Training Document

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 Coverage Planning

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 Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1 Objectives 4

2 Coverage Threshold..........................................................................5
2.1 Link Budget Margins.........................................................................5
2.2 Cell Size Evaluations........................................................................6

3 Coverage Area...................................................................................9
3.1 Cell Area Evaluations........................................................................9
3.2 Cell Area Terms..............................................................................10

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1 Objectives
At the end of this module, the participant will be able to:
• Define coverage threshold
• Describe different coverage planning margins: location probability
and penetration loss.
• Calculate coverage areas.

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 DOCUMENTTYPE
2 Coverage Threshold
TypeUnitOrDepartmentHere
TypeYourNameHere TypeDateHere

2.1 Link Budget Margins

Some additional margins need to be applied to the “naked” link budget in
order to account for special environmental conditions such as in-vehicle
operation, in-building situations etc. These are Fast- and Slow Fading
Margins and penetration losses.
Fast fading margin is a factor that needs to be counted in basic power budget
calculations. The purpose of this margin is to take into account the deep
fading dips of fast fading. The intention here is to calculate the link for slowly
moving or stationary mobiles that suffer the most of the fast fading. This
margin is valid mainly for dense urban environments; the value used here is
typically 2 dB. Fast fading is also called as Rayleigh fading.
The shadowing that generates large-scale variations on the receiving level
causes slow fading margin. Slow fading is also called as lognormal fading.
This is because it has shown that the variations due to slow fading are
normally distributed when the signal levels are measured in dB scale. Slow
fading margin is not affecting the power budget calculation; it determines the
cell sizes and location probabilities.

Rayleigh
Power
fading
+20 dB

mean
value

- 20 dB Lognormal
fading
2 sec 4 sec 6 sec time

Figure 1. Illustrations of fast- and slow fading

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TypeUnitOrDepartmentHere Coverage Planning

TypeYourNameHere TypeDateHere

2 Cell Size Evaluations

As soon as the maximum allowable path loss is determined in power budget
calculations, the achievable cell sizes can be evaluated. The evaluation is
based on basic propagation models (typically Okumura-Hata) using the basic
area type correction factors.
The procedure in cell size evaluation is following. Assuming that the
performed power budget calculations have shown that the maximum
allowable path loss has a certain value, we use Okumura-Hata formula with
typical correction factors to obtain the cell range for path loss of this
magnitude, this can be called Rmax. Now we need to keep in mind that the
field strength level is normally distributed having a certain standard deviation.
This obtained value for cell range accounts for the mean value of this
Gaussian distribution, which is described in Figure 2. This means that the
location probability at the cell edge is now 50%. Of course, we are not
interested in location probability on the cell edge, but we need to know the
location probability over the whole cell area. This can be obtained by
integrating the Gaussian distribution function over the cell area. The result
depends on the broadness of the distribution, i.e. the standard deviation (σ ).

normalised, centralised distribution :

(total area below curve = 100%)

1
1 z − x2 x−m σ
Φ
0(z) =
2π
∫e
−
∞
2 dx; withz=
 σ


m - 2σ m-σ mean m+σ m + 2σ

Figure 2. Gaussian distribution

Calculations are not shown here, but for example if the standard deviation is 7
dB, cell edge location probability of 50% corresponds to approximately 75 %
location probability over the whole cell area. Typically, location probability
of 90% is aimed for; this kind of location probability, with a standard
deviation of 7 dB, over the cell are corresponds to about 74% location
probability on the cell edge.
Hence, we can say that because of slow fading and wanting location
probability higher than 75%, the cell range has to be reduced from the
maximum value Rmax. Therefore the actual achievable cell range, Ractual, will be

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 smaller than the cell range that corresponds to the maximum allowable path
loss. In Figure 3 the cell ranges in question are illustrated.

DOCUMENTTYPE

TypeUnitOrDepartmentHere
TypeYourNameHere Corresponds to 90% TypeDateHere
location
Ractual probability over the cell area
Rmax

Corresponds to 75% location

probability over the cell area

Figure 3. Illustration of cell ranges

This achievable actual cell Range, Ractual, is calculated using the same
Okumura-Hata formula as used for Rmax, but only after a slow fading margin
is deducted from the maximum allowable cell range.
As mentioned before, the slow fading margin depended on the wanted
location probability and the standard deviation of slow fading. When
evaluating cell ranges for the indoor case, we have not only to add the
building penetration losses, but also consider the increased standard deviation:
when summing normally distributed values, mean values are added and
standard deviations superimposed.

1
type mean sigma 0,9

0,8

urban 15 dB 7 dB 0,7
σ σ
building
suburban 10 dB 7 dB 0,6

pass. car 8 dB 5 dB 0,5

0,4

Totalmean=m1 +m2 +... +mN 0,3

0,2

Totaldeviation= σ+
σ+ σ
... +2 2 2 0,1
1 2 N 0
-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

Figure 4. Summing several distributions

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 Coverage Planning

The increased broadness of path loss distribution indoors means that when
doing location probability calculations, we will come up with higher slow
fading margin values.
Like the power budget part, the cell range evaluation part can be easily done
using a spreadsheet application. One example of this kind of spreadsheet
application is shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Cell range calculation example

COMMON INFO DU U SU F O
MS antenna height (m): 1,5 1,5 1,5 1,5 1,5
BS antenna height (m): 30,0 30,0 30,0 45,0 45,0
Standard Deviation (dB): 7,0 7,0 7,0 7,0 7,0
BPL Average (dB): 15,0 12,0 10,0 6,0 6,0
Standard Deviation indoors (dB): 10,0 10,0 10,0 10,0 10,0
OKUMURA-HATA (OH) DU U SU F O
Area Type Correction (dB) 0,0 -4,0 -6,0 -10,0 -15,0
WALFISH-IKEGAMI (WI) DU U SU F O
Roads width (m): 30,0 30,0 30,0 30,0 30,0
Road orientation angle (degrees): 90,0 90,0 90,0 90,0 90,0
Building separation (m): 40,0 40,0 40,0 40,0 40,0
Buildings average height (m): 30,0 30,0 30,0 30,0 30,0
INDOOR COVERAGE DU U SU F O
Propagation Model OH OH OH OH OH
Slow Fading Margin + BPL (dB): 22,8 19,8 17,8 13,8 13,8
Coverage Threshold (dBµV/m): 59,1 56,1 54,1 50,1 50,1
Coverage Threshold (dBm): -77,2 -80,2 -82,2 -86,2 -86,2
Location Probability over Cell Area(L%): 90,0% 90,0% 90,0% 90,0% 90,0%
Cell Range (km): 1,33 2,10 2,72 5,70 7,99
OUTDOOR COVERAGE DU U SU F O
Propagation Model OH OH OH OH OH
Slow Fading Margin (dB): 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5
Coverage Threshold (dBµV/m): 40,8 40,8 40,8 40,8 40,8
Coverage Threshold (dBm): -95,5 -95,5 -95,5 -95,5 -95,5
Location Probability over Cell Area(L%): 90,0% 90,0% 90,0% 90,0% 90,0%
Cell Range (km): 4,39 5,70 6,50 10,69 14,99

Obviously, these cell ranges are average values for certain area types, in
practice, the area types are not constant, therefore these cell ranges cannot be
applied to any real environments. Anyway, these cell ranges are good average
approximations that can be used for network dimensioning.

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 3 Coverage Area

3.1 Cell Area Evaluations

After cell range has been determined, the corresponding cell area can be
calculated. In the network dimensioning phase the cell area calculation can be
done by using traditional hexagonal model. Of course, one has to keep in
mind that in real networks the actual cells are something very different from
the theoretical hexagons, but for dimensional purposes there is no other way.

R
R

Omni Bi-sector Tri-sector

A = 2,6 R2 A= 1,73 R2 A = 1,95 R2

Figure 5. Hexagonal cell area definitions

Figure 5 illustrates the correspondences between cell range and cell areas in
hexagonal model. When interpreting the area calculation formulas given in
Figure 5, one has to notice that the cell ranges are different in comparison
with the cells in different configurations. These formulas are used in NetDim
tool to calculate the number of sites.
Hexagonal cell structures are commonly used in literature to illustrate a
principle. Cells are usually very irregularly shaped, even non-contiguous
forms, see Figure 6.

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Predicted cells (dominance area) Hexagons

Figure 6. Difference between hexagon model and a predicted cell area

2 Cell Area Terms

Dominance area is the area in which the signal from the respective cell is at
least by <cell_reselection_hysteresis_margin> stronger than any other cell. In
this area all calls shall be handled only by the serving cell.
A cell’s service area is the area in which the signal is above the planned
minimum signal level. At the area borders calls will be handed over to
neighbouring cells. This is the area, which is usually displayed, and optimised
in the coverage planning process.
A cell’s coverage area is the area in which physical radio connections can be
maintained. The signal level may already drop below the planned minimum
level. Normally, mobiles within this range should already have been handed
over to the neighbouring cells. However, for reasons of congestion or
incorrect parameter settings, mobiles may still be found within this area. Note
that the physical coverage area can be --depending on planning and design
rules-- considerably larger than the actual service area. Mobiles within the
cell’s physical coverage area can act as heavy interference contributors
towards other cells, since it is not foreseen that a mobile at this point is still
connected to the respective cell.

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 • Dominance area
• Service area
• Coverage area

cell coverage range

cell service range

dominance range

6dB hysteresis margin

coverage limit

Figure 7. Cell area terms

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