Chapter 4

Cellular Concept
 The cellular concept
• The cellular concept is a novel way to
ensure efficient utilization of the available
radio spectrum. The area to be covered by a
cellular network is divided into cells, which
are usually considered to be hexagonal.

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• An idealized model of the cellular radio
system consists of an array of hexagonal
cells with a base station (BS) located at the
center of each cell. The available spectrum
in a cell is used for uplink channels for
mobile terminals (MTs) to communicate
with the BS, and for downlink channels, for
the BS to communicate with MTs
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 Frequency reuse
• Cellular radio systems rely on an
intelligent allocation and reuse of channels
throughout a coverage region. Each
cellular base station is allocated a group of
radio channels to be used within a small
geographic area called a cell.

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• Frequency Reuse is the scheme in which
allocation and reuse of channels throughout a
coverage region is done. Each cellular base
station is allocated a group of radio channels or
Frequencies sub-bands to be used within a small
geographic area known as a cell. The shape of the
cell is Hexagonal. The process of selecting and
allocating the frequency sub-bands for all of the
cellular base station within a system is
called Frequency reuse or Frequency Planning.
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• Features of using Frequency Reuse:
– Frequency reuse improve the spectral
efficiency and signal Quality (QoS).
– Frequency reuse classical scheme proposed for
GSM systems offers a protection against
interference.
– The number of times a frequency can be
reused is depend on the tolerance capacity of
the radio channel from the nearby transmitter
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 Channel Assignment Strategies
• For efficient utilization of the radio
spectrum, a frequency reuse scheme that is
consistent with the objectives of increasing
capacity and minimizing interference is
required. A variety of channel assignment
strategies have been developed to achieve
these objectives.

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• Channel assignment means to allocate the
available channels to the cells in a cellular
system. When a user wants to make a call
request then by using channel allocation
strategies their requests are fulfilled.
Channel Allocation Strategies are designed
in such a way that there is efficient use of
frequencies, time slots and bandwidth.
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• Channel assignment strategies can be
classified as either fixed or dynamic.
• The choice of channel assignment strategy
impacts the performance of the system,
particularly as to how calls are managed
when a mobile user is handed off from one
cell to another.

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• In a fixed channel assignment strategy, each
cell is allocated a predetermined set of voice
channels.
• Any call attempt within the cell can only be
served by the unused channels in that
particular cell. If all the channels in that cell
are occupied, the call is blocked and the
subscriber does not receive service. Several
variations of the fixed assignment strategy
exist.
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• In one approach, called the borrowing
strategy, a cell is allowed to borrow
channels from a neighboring cell if all of its
own channels are already occupied.
• The mobile switching center (MSC)
supervises such borrowing procedures
and ensures that the borrowing of a
channel does not disrupt or interfere with
any of the calls in progress in the donor
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• In a dynamic channel assignment strategy,
voice channels are not allocated to
different cells permanently. Instead, each
time a call request is made, the serving
base station requests a channel from the
MSC.

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 Handoff Strategies
• In cellular telecommunications, the
terms handover or handoff refers to the
process of transferring ongoing call or
data connectivity from one Base Station to
other Base Station. When a mobile moves
into different cell while conversation is in
progress then the MSC (Mobile Station
Center) transfer the call to a new channel
belonging to the new Base Station.
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• When a mobile moves into a different cell
while a conversation is in progress, the MSC
automatically transfers the call to a new
channel belonging to the new base station.
This handoff operation not only involves
identifying a new base station, but also
requires that the voice and control signals
be allocated to channels associated with the
new base station.
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I. Hard Handoff:
When there is actual break in the connectivity
while switching from one Base Station to
another Base Station. There is no burden on the
Base Station and MSC because the switching
takes place so quickly that it can hardly be
noticed by the users. The connection quality is
not that good. Hard Handoff adopted the ‘break
before make’ policy.
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II. Soft Handoff:
In Soft Handoff, at least one of the links is kept
when radio signals are added or removed to the
Base Station. Soft Handoff adopted the ‘make
before break’ policy. Soft Handoff is more costly
than the Hard Handoff.

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Thank you