Mobile Communications

CHAPTER 3

The Cellular Concept - System Design

Fundamentals
INTRODUCTION
 Mobile evolution
 CMS - Conventional Mobile System: large cell, noise, call re-initiate
 IMTS - Improved Mobile Telephone System: better voice quality
 CMR - Cellular Mobile Radio : frequency reuse, PSTN connection

 Noise Limited System (NLS) and Interference Limited System (ILS)

 NLS - CMS and IMTS
 ILS - CMR
 INTRODUCTION
 Goals of a Cellular System
– High capacity
– Large coverage area
– Efficient use of limited spectrum
 Large coverage area - Bell system in New York City had
early mobile radio
– Single Tx, high power, and tall tower
– Low cost
– Large coverage area - Bell system in New York City had 12
simultaneous channels for 1000 square miles
– Small # users
– Poor spectrum utilization
 What are possible ways we could increase the number of
channels available in a cellular system?
3
CELLULAR CONCEPT

 Solves the problem of Spectral congestion and user

capacity by means of frequency reuse.
 Offers high capacity in a limited spectrum allocation
 A system level approach, replacing single high power
transmitter (large cell) by many base stations, lower
power, and shorter towers
 Small coverage areas called “cells”
 Each cell allocated a % of the total number of available
channels
 Nearby (adjacent) cells assigned different channel
groups
– to prevent interference between neighboring base stations
and mobile users
4
 CELLULAR CONCEPT

 Same frequency channels may be reused by cells a

“reasonable” distance away
– reused many times as long as interference between same channel
(co-channel) cells is < acceptable level
 As frequency reuse↑ → # possible simultaneous users↑→ #
subscribers ↑→ but system cost ↑ (more towers)
 To increase number of users without increasing radio
frequency allocation, reduce cell sizes (more base stations
↑) → # possible simultaneous users ↑
 The cellular concept allows all mobiles to be manufactured
with the same set of channels.
 *** A fixed # of channels serves a large # of users by
reusing channels in a coverage area ***
5
k
CELL SHAPES

Not suitable, (different distance from the cell’s

Centre to different point in the perimeter)

Ideal shape, but

has dead zones
CELLULAR CONCEPT
– Area to be provided with radio coverage by a radio base station
(RBS) is divided into cells represented by a regular hexagon
which fit (tessellate) the planned area nicely
– Base Station Location
• cell center → omni-directional antenna (360° coverage)
– not necessarily in the exact center (can be up to R/4 from
the ideal location)
• cell corners → sectored or directional antennas on 3
corners with 120° coverage (or 6x60 °).
– very common
– Note that what is defined as a “corner” is somewhat flexible
→ a sectored antenna covers 120° of a hexagonal cell.
– So one can define a cell as having three antennas in the
center or antennas at 3 corners. 13
 CELLULAR CONCEPT
 There are two types of cell: omni-directional and sectorized (uni-
directional) cell
 In an omni-directional cell, the RBS (centre-excited) is equipped with
an antenna system that transmits and receives equally well in all
directions. A theoretical circular shape of coverage will be achieved with
this antenna.
 In sectorized cell, the RBS (edge-excited) is equipped with an
antenna system that transmits and receives strong signal strength in the
direction where it is pointed.
The RBS also can be equipped with more than directional antennas,
e.g. 3x120 and 6x60
CELLULAR CONCEPT
Distance between Neighbouring Cells

3 3 2
Cell area Acell= = 3R2 sin (30°) Acell   R

 2 
the centre-to-centre distance between two neighbouring cells is

Dnc  2 R cos ( / 6) or 3R
FREQUENCY REUSE/PLANNING

 Design process of selecting & allocating channel

groups for all of cellular base stations within a
system.
 Two competing/conflicting objectives:
1) maximize frequency reuse in specified area
2) minimize interference between cells

17
FREQUENCY REUSE

 The greater the reuse distance, the lower the probability

of interference.

 Likewise, the lower the power levels used in cells sharing

a common channel, the lower the probability of
interference.

 Thus, a combination of power control and frequency

planning is used in cellular systems to prevent
interference.
 CELL CLUSTER
 A cluster is a group of N cells using complete set of available channels
 No channels are reused within a cluster
 Cells labeled with the same letter use the same group of channels.

A 7 cells cluster Cell Frequency

(MHz)
1 900
2 900.3
3 900.6
4 900.9
5 901.2
6 901.5
7 901.8

19
 CELLULAR CONCEPT
 The cluster size, N, can be determined by

N  i 2  ij  j(i2and j - non-negative integers)

 Possible cluster sizes N are → 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 12 etc;
 (i, j) = (1,0), (1,1), (2,0), (2,1), (3,0), (2,2)
 The re-used distance depends on:
Number of co-channel cells in
the vicinity of the centre cell
 Geography of the terrain
 Antenna height
 Transmitted power within each cell
 CELLULAR CONCEPT
 The cluster size, N, can be determined by

N  i  ij  j
2 2

(i and j - non-negative integers)

i j N
1 0 1
1 1 3
2 0 4
2 1 7
3 0 9
2 2 12
3 1 13
4 0 16
3 2 19
4 1 21
4 2 28
SYSTEM CAPACITY

22
 SYSTEM CAPACITY

 S : total # of duplex channels available for use in a given

area; determined by:
– amount of allocated spectrum
– channel BW → standard specs. (e.g. AMPS)
 k : number of channels for each cell (k < S)
 N : cluster size → # of cells forming cluster
 S=kN
 M : # of times a cluster is replicated over a geographic
coverage area
 System Capacity = Total # Duplex Channel
C=MS=MkN
(assuming exactly MN cells will cover the area)
23
SYSTEM CAPACITY
 System Capacity = Total # Duplex Channels = C
C=MS=MkN

 If cluster size (N) is reduced and the cell size is kept

constant:
– The geographic area covered by each cluster is smaller, so M
must be ↑ to cover the entire coverage area (more clusters
needed).
– S remains constant.
– So C ↑
– The smallest possible value of N is desirable to maximize system
capacity.

24
SYSTEM CAPACITY
 Cluster size N determines:
– distance between co-channel cells (D)
– level of co-channel interference
– The value of N is a function of how much interference
a mobile or base station can tolerate (from other cells
using the same frequency) while maintain sufficient
quality.
– large N → large D → low interference → but
small M and low C !
– Trade-off in quality and cluster size.
– The larger the capacity for a given geographic area,
the poorer the quality.

25
SYSTEM CAPACITY

 Frequency reuse factor = 1 / N

– each cell within a cluster is only assigned 1/N of the
available channels in the system.
– each frequency is reused every N cells
– each cell assigned k ≒ S / N
 N cells/cluster

26
27
28
INTERFERENCE
 Interference is the major limiting factor in performance of all
cellular radio systems
 Interference is in both:
– voice channels: causes cross-talk, poor quality
– control channels: causes blocking and missed calls
 What are the sources of interference for a mobile receiver?
– another mobile in the same cell,
– a call in progress in a neighbouring cell,
– other base stations operating in the same frequency band, or
– any non-cellular system which inadvertently leaks energy into the
cellular frequency band.
 Two major types of system-generated interference:
1) Co-Channel Interference (CCI)
2) Adjacent Channel Interference (ACI)
29
 INTERFERENCE
 Co-channel interference (CCI): Frequency reuse in nearby cells
 Adjacent channel interference (ACI): Signal in adjacent frequency
band and signals from other cell companies
 Others: Intermodulation (IM), ISI, Simulcast Interference

Uplink (MS  BS) Downlink (BS MS)

CO-CHANNEL INTERFERENCE (CCI)

 Frequency reuse leads to interference - co-channel

interference (CCI)
 Frequency Reuse
– Many cells in a given coverage area use the same set of
channel frequencies to increase system capacity (C)
– Co-channel cells → cells that share the same set of
frequencies
– VC & CC traffic in co-channel cells is an interfering source to
mobiles in several different cells

31
CO-CHANNEL INTERFERENCE (CCI)

 Possible Solutions?
1) Increase base station Tx power to improve radio signal
reception?
 this will also increase interference from co-channel cells by the
same amount
 no net improvement
2) Separate co-channel cells by some minimum distance to
provide sufficient isolation from propagation of radio
signals?
 if all cell sizes, transmit powers, and coverage patterns ≈ same
→ co-channel interference is independent of Tx power

32
CO-CHANNEL INTERFERENCE (CCI)

 co-channel interference depends on:

– R : cell radius
– D : distance to base station of nearest co-channel cell
 if D / R ↑, then spatial separation relative to cell
coverage area ↑
– improved isolation from co-channel RF energy

33
 CO-CHANNEL CELL
 To find the nearest co-channel neighbors of a particular cell
 (1) Move i cells along any chain of hexagons, (perpendicular to
cell side) then (2) turn 60 degrees (counter-clockwise) and
move j cells.

34
CO-CHANNEL CELL
CO-CHANNEL CELL

N= 7

36
CO-CHANNEL CELL

N =7

N=4
N= 12

37
CO-CHANNEL CELL
i= 3, j=2
N=19
FREQUENCY REUSE DISTANCE

The centre-to-centre distance between any two co-channel cells is

D  i 2  j 2  ij  ( 3R )
Where i = j = 0, 1, 2 etc. represent the centre of a cell (reference).
For adjoining cells, either i or j can change by 1, but not both.
CO-CHANNEL INTERFERENCE (CCI)
 Assuming all cells is roughly the same size
A=6R.cos(30o).sin(30o) = (33.R2)/2 = 2.5981R2
A(large)/A(small) = D2/R2
 Because of hexagonal shape the total number
of cells included in first tier is
N + 6 (N/3) = 3N D
First Tier
 Therefore Interfering cells
D2/R2 = 3N = 3(i2 + j2+ ij) R
D/R = (3N) = Q
 The ratio of D/R (Q) is also called
Co-channel Interference Reduction Factor
(CIRF) or Co-channel Reuse Ratio
 When the cell size is the same,
Co-channel is independent of the transmitted power
CO-CHANNEL INTERFERENCE (CCI)
CO-CHANNEL INTERFERENCE (CCI)
 Fundamental tradeoff in cellular system design:
– small Q → small cluster size → more frequency reuse → larger
system capacity → (great)
– But also: small Q → small cell separation → increased co-
channel interference (CCI) → reduced voice quality → not so
great
– Tradeoff: Capacity vs. Voice Quality

42
SIGNAL TO INTERFERENCE RATIO (S/I)
 Signal to Interference ratio → S / I,

S S
 i0
..................[3.5]
I
I
i 1
i

– where
– S : desired signal power
– Ii : interference power from ith co-channel cell
– io : # of co-channel interfering cells

43
 SIGNAL TO INTERFERENCE RATIO (S/I)

 Average received power Pr at a distance d from the

transmitting antenna is:
n
d 
Pr  P0  
 d0 
Or in dB
d 
Pr (dBm)  P0 (dBm)  10nLog 
 d0 
where
P0 = Power received at a close-in reference point in the far field
region of the antenna at a small distance d0 from the Tx antenna.
n = Path lose exponent. 2< n<4 for urban cellular.
SIGNAL TO INTERFERENCE RATIO
(S/I)
 n: path loss exponent
– free space or line-of-sight (LOS) (no obstruction) → n2

 Urban cellular → n= 2 to 4, signal decays faster with

distance away from the base station.

 Having the same n throughout the coverage area means

radio propagation properties are roughly the same
everywhere
 . n
 If base stations have equal Tx power and is the same
throughout coverage area (not always true) then the equation
(Eq. 3.8) can be used.

45
SIGNAL TO INTERFERENCE RATIO (S/I)

 Lets consider the forward link where :

S R n
And I i  ( Di ) n
SIGNAL TO INTERFERENCE RATIO (S/I)

 Approximation with some assumptions

– transmitted power of each BS is equal
– nis the same throughout the coverage area (not always true),

Pt n
S R n R
 i0
 i0
..................[3.8]
I Pt
 D
n
n i
i 1 Di i 1
– Di : distance from ith interferer to mobile
n
– Rx power @ mobile  Di
47
SIGNAL TO INTERFERENCE RATIO (S/I)

 Now if we consider only the first layer (or tier) of co-

channel cells
– assume only these provide significant interference
 And assume interfering base stations are equidistant
from the desired base station (all at distance ≈ D) then

S

R n

R n

D R  n


Qn

3N 
n 2
.......[3.9]
i0 n
I i0 D i0 i0 i0
D
n
i
i 1

48
SIGNAL TO INTERFERENCE RATIO (S/I)

 Many assumptions involved in eq. (3.9) :

– same Tx power
– hexagonal geometry
– nsame throughout area
– Di ≈ D (all interfering cells are equidistant from the base
station receiver)
– optimistic result in many cases
– propagation tools are used to calculate S / I when
assumptions aren’t valid

49
SIGNAL TO INTERFERENCE RATIO (S/I)

 What determines acceptable S / I ?

– voice quality → subjective testing
– AMPS → S / I ≧18 dB (assumes path loss exponentn= 4)
– Solving (3.9) for N

N 
S I i0 
2 n

63.1 6 
2 n
 6.49  7
3 3
– Most reasonable assumption is io : # of co-channel interfering
cells = 6
– N = 7 (very common choice for AMPS)

50
SIGNAL-TO-INTERFERENCE- RATIO (S/I)

 Eq. (3.5), (3.8), and (3.9) are (S / I) for forward link only,
i.e. the cochannel base Tx interfering with desired base
station transmission to mobile unit
– so this considers interference @ the mobile unit
 What about reverse link co-channel interference?
– signals from mobile antennas (near the ground) don’t propagate
as well as those from tall base station antennas
– obstructions near ground level significantly attenuate mobile
energy in direction of base station Rx
– also weaker because mobile Tx power is variable → base
stations regulate transmit power of mobiles to be no larger than
necessary

51
SIGNAL-TO-INTERFERENCE-RATIO (S/I)
1

 CIRF can also be written as:   S  n

Q  6 
  I 

 Typical value: S/I=18 dB analog - AMPS, and S/I=12 dB (digital) - GSM

i j N Q = D/R S/I (mean) =
10log(1.5N2) (dB)
1 0 1 1.73 1.76 dB (1.5)
1 1 3 3.00 11.30 dB (6.53)
2 0 4 3.46 13.80 dB (8.41)
2 1 7 4.58 18.66 dB (12.05)
3 0 9 5.20 20.85 dB (13.69)
2 2 12 6.00 23.34 dB (15.56)
3 1 13 6.24 24.04 dB (16.08)
4 0 16 6.93 25.84 dB (17.44)
3 2 19 7.55 27.34 dB (18.56)
4 1 21 7.94 28.21 dB
4 2 28 9.17 30.74 dB
S/I RATIO – WORST CASE

 S / I is usually the worst case when a mobile is at

the cell edge
– low signal power from its own base station & high
interference power from other cells
– more accurate approximations are necessary in those
cases

53
S/I RATIO – Worst Case
N =7 and S / I ≈ 17 dB

54
 S/I RATIO - Worst Case
The worst case scenario for S/I occurs when MS is at the cell boundary

S R n

I 2 D  n  2( D  R)  n  2( D  R)  n
1

2Q  n  2(Q  1)  n  2(Q  1)  n

 For N=7, n=4, S/I = 17.27 dB

(1.39 dB down)
 Hence the next value of N=9
should be used to accommodate
the worst case.
 However the capacity will be
decreased
S/I RATIO – Worst Case
N =7 and S / I ≈ 17 dB

56
 S/I RATIO - Worst Case
• S/I (worst-case): n = 4 (complete the Table below)

i j N S/I (worst) S/I (worst)

n=4 n=3
1 0 1 -8.58
1 1 3 8.02
2 0 4 11.36
2 1 7 17.27
3 0 9
2 2 12
3 1 13
4 0 16
3 2 19
4 1 21
4 2 28
 SECTORING
 Cell sectoring will improve the value of S/I by reducing the number of
interferers
 However, trunking efficiency (the number of users which can be offered a
particular GOS) will be reduced
 Trunking efficiency can also be measured in term of number of channel per
sector (cell)
 THREE SECTOR

D
 3 N  3  7  4.58  D  4.58 R
R
(5 R )  D  (2 R )
2
1
2 2

 D1  21R  4.58 R  D
2

D2  (2 R) 2  (4 R) 2  2  2 R  4 R cos120

D2  4 R 2  16 R 2  8 R 2
 28 R 2  5.28 R
D2  5.28R D2
 (4.58R  0.71R )
 D  0 .7 R 2R
2R 5R
D1
4R
N

S I

S I

4
S R 4 R 4 1D 9 2
 4
 4
    N
I i0 D 2D 2 R  2
SIX SECTOR

D1  (2 R ) 2  (4 R ) 2  2  2 R  4 R cos120

D1  4 R 2  16 R 2  8 R 2
 28 R 2  5.28 R

D1  5.28R
 (4.58R  0.71R )
 D  0 .7 R
2R

4R D1
SECTORING (N=3)
 S/I RATIO - General
 Mean S/I (in dB)
S
(mean)  10n  log( 3 N )  10 log i0
I
n  path loss exponent
i0 - number of interferers in the first tier
i0  6 (omni), i0  2 (120 sector), i0  1 (60 sector)

 Using the formula, for N=7,   4

• 120o sector - C/I (mean) = 23.4 dB
• 60o sector - C/I (mean) = 26.4 dB
 However both values are less than the worst conditions

 Suggestion: The mean and the worst case value for sectoring should be
interchanged
Sectoring reduce trunking efficiency =(Total CH/(cluster size x no. of sector))
 ADJACENT CHANNEL INTERFERENCE

 Comes from imperfect filters that allow frequency leakage into the band
 Serious problem if interferer is nearby, near-far effect
 Nearby mobile transmits on a frequency near to that of a weak mobile
 Can be reduced by using high-Q filters in the base station receivers,
frequency split, power control and enough channel separation
– sequential assigning successive channels in the frequency band to different cells.

ACI
Power spectrum

Overlap

Overlap

Frequency
fc1 fc2 fc3
NEAR-END FAR-END (NEFE)
NEAR-END FAR-END (NEFE)
 NEAR-END FAR-END (NEFE)
 Far-End mobile at the cell edge transmits on a channel that is adjacent
to one already occupied by the Near-End mobile that is closed to the
current base station
 NEFE - the ratio of power received by the Near-End mobile to the power
received by the Far-End mobile or the power difference due to the path
loss between the receiving location and the 2 transmitter
 K – filter roll-off (e.g. 12 dB/octave), f2/f1 – channel separation

 d far 
NEFE  10n log  
dnear  d near 
NEFEx 0.3
dfar

K
f2 
 10
f1
NEAR-END FAR-END (NEFE)

n n
Pr (near ) d n
d  d far 
  
far
NEFE   near
n
 n
Pr ( far ) d far d near  d near 
n
 d far   d far 
NEFEdB  10 log10    10n log10  
 d near   d near 

NEFEdB  0.3

K
f2 
channel _ separation   10
f1
NEFE - Example

Mobile Station 1 (MS1) is using n th

channel and located at d near  1km
If another mobile station (MS2) is located at d far  20km . Find the channel
that can be used by MS2 without causing adjacent channel interference. Assume
the path loss exponent n4 and the filter roll-off K  20dB / octave
Solution:
 d far   20km 
NEFEdB  10n log10    10  4  log10    52dB
 d near   1km 
NEFEdB  0.3 52  0.3
   0.78
K 20
f2
channel _ separation   10  100.78  6
f1

MS1  n ch th MS 2  (n th  6) ch
FREQUENCY PLANNING

i j N Q = D/R S/I (mean) =

10log(1.5N2) (dB)
1 0 1 1.73 1.76 dB (1.5)
1 1 3 3.00 11.30 dB (6.53)
2 0 4 3.46 13.80 dB (8.41)
2 1 7 4.58 18.66 dB (12.05)
3 0 9 5.20 20.85 dB (13.69)
2 2 12 6.00 23.34 dB (15.56)
3 1 13 6.24 24.04 dB (16.08)
4 0 16 6.93 25.84 dB (17.44)
3 2 19 7.55 27.34 dB (18.56)
4 1 21 7.94 28.21 dB
4 2 28 9.17 30.74 dB
FREQUENCY PLANNING

12

i j N Q = D/R S/I (mean) =

10log(1.5N2) (dB)
1 0 1 1.73 1.76 dB (1.5)
1 1 3 3.00 11.30 dB (6.53)
2 0 4 3.46 13.80 dB (8.41)
2 1 7 4.58 18.66 dB (12.05)
FREQUENCY PLANNING
Total available channels = S
N = cluster size, M = No. of clusters
Each cell gets k channels
S=kN
Capacity of the system is C = MkN
Frequency reuse factor is 1/ N
FREQUENCY PLANNING
FREQUENCY PLANNING – Example 1

Allocate frequencies for a GSM operator in the PCS B-Block using a 7/21
patter. The allocated frequency spectrum for PCS B-Block is 1950 MHz -
1965 MHz
Solution:
Givens N=7, no. of sectors per cell = 3
channel bandwidth (GSM) = 200 KHz
Block B frequency spectrum = 1950 MHz to 1965 MHz
 FREQUENCY PLANNING – Example 1

Allocate frequencies for a GSM operator in the PCS B-Block using a 7/21
patter. The allocated frequency spectrum for PCS B-Block is 1950 MHz -
1965 MHz
Solution:
Givens N=7, no. of sectors per cell = 3
channel bandwidth (GSM) = 200 KHz
Block B frequency spectrum = 1950 MHz to 1965 MHz
Total Bandwidth 1965MHz  1950 MHz 15  103 kHz
no. of channels     75 channels
channel Bandwidth 200kHz 200kHz

Block Block Block Block Block Block

A/A’ B/B’ C/C’ D/D’ E/E’ F/F’

One channel is used as a guard channel between Blocks

No. of channels = 74 channels
FREQUENCY PLANNING – Example 1
No. of channels = 74 channels
First Allocate channels for 7 cells A, B, C, D, E, F, G
10
7 74 74 4
 10  4 cells ( A, B, C , D )  10  1  11channels
7 7
70
 3cells E , F , G   10ch
4 3
Second, allocate channels between sectors of cells 3 11
For A, B, C, D cells 9
11 2 2
 3  2 sec tors ( A1 , A2 , B1 , B2 , C1 , C2 , D1 , D2 )  3  1  4 ch.
3 3 3
 1sec tor  A3 , B3 , C3 , D3   3 ch 3 10
9
For E, F, G cells
1
10 1
 3  1sec tor E1 , F1 , G1   3  1  4 ch.
3 3
 2 sec tors ( E2 , E3 , F2 , F3 , G2 , G3 )  3 ch.
Example 1 – Solution (cont.)

11 2
 3  2 sec tors ( A1 , A2 , B1 , B2 , C1 , C2 , D1 , D2 )  3  1  4 ch.
3 3
 1sec tor  A3 , B3 , C3 , D3   3 ch

10 1
 3  1sec tor E1 , F1 , G1   3  1  4 ch.
3 3
 2 sec tors ( E2 , E3 , F2 , F3 , G2 , G3 )  3 ch.
Example 1 – Solution (cont.)
11 2
 3  2 sec tors ( A1 , A2 , B1 , B2 , C1 , C2 , D1 , D2 )  3  1  4 ch.
3 3
 1sec tor  A3 , B3 , C3 , D3   3 ch
10 1
 3  1sec tor E1 , F1 , G1   3  1  4 ch.
3 3
 2 sec tors ( E2 , E3 , F2 , F3 , G2 , G3 )  3 ch.

A1 B1 C1 D1 E1 F1 G1 A2 B2 C2 D2 E2 F2 G2 A3 B3 C3 D3 E3 F3 G3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63

64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74
FREQUENCY PLANNING
CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT – Example2

Practical system requires at least one control channel (CCH)

CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT – Example2 (cont.)

ACI (Minimum)
7 4
6 2 7 2
1 1
5 3 5 6
4 3
BS CHANNEL NO.
1 1 8 15 22 .. .. 484
2 2 9 16 23 .. .. 485
3 3 10 17 24 .. .. 486
4 4 11 18 25 .. .. 487
5 5 12 19 26 .. .. 488
6 6 13 20 27 .. .. 489
7 7 14 21 28 .. .. 490
FREQUENCY PLANNING (GSM/WCDMA)

GSM 900/1800 3G (WCDMA)

f2 f1

f7 f3 f1 f1

f1 f1

f6 f4 f1 f1

f5 f1

GSM uses more frequency channels for one WCDMA uses less frequency channel. In
operator, frequency planning (reuse) can be typical, only one or two channel used for
performed one operator
EXERCISE 1

A cellular service operator decides to use a digital TDMA

scheme which can tolerate a mean carrier-to-interference ratio of
C/Imean=15 dB. Assuming a path loss exponent of n =4, find the
optimum value of the cluster size, N, for:

(a) omni-directional antennas [N=7]

o
(b) 120 sectoring and [N=3]
o
(c) 60 sectoring [N=3]

By considering the trunking efficiency, which system will you

choose? Will your choice be the same if:

(a) path loss exponent, =3 ? [N=12,7,4]

(b) the C/I given is the worst case scenario and =4? [N=7,3,3]
EXERCISE 1 (cont.)

Solution:
S/Imean=15 dB, n=4,
(a)omni-directional antennas [N=7]
First try N=4
S
I
 
[ mean(dB)]  10n log10 3 N  10 log10 i0

 
 40 log10 12  10 log10 6  21.58  7.78  13.8dB  15dB

Since this is lower than the desired 15dB, we must choose

higher value of N

Next Try N=7

S
I
 
[ mean( dB )]  10n log10 3 N  10 log10 i0

 
 40 log10 21  10 log10 6  26.44  7.78  18.66 dB  15dB

Hence the required cluster size is N=7

 EXERCISE 1 (cont.)

o
(b) 120 sectoring
First try N=4
S
I

[mean(dB)]  10n log10 3 N  10 log10 i0 
 
 40 log10 12  10 log10 2  21.58  3.01  18.57dB  15dB

Next try N=3

S
I
[ mean( dB )]  40 log10  
3  3  10 log10 2  19.08  3.01  16.07 dB  15dB

Nect try N=1

S
I
[ mean( dB)]  40 log10  
3  1  10 log10 2  9.54  3.01  6.53dB  15dB

Hence, the optimum cluster size is N=3

 EXERCISE 1 (cont.)

(c) 60o sectoring [i0=1]

First try N=3
S
I

[mean(dB)]  10n log10 3 N  10 log10 i0 
 
 40 log10 3  3  10 log10 1  19.08  0  19.08dB  15dB

Next try N=1

S
I
[ mean( dB)]  40 log10  
3  1  10 log10 1  9.54  0  9.54dB  15dB

Hence the optimum cluster size is N=3

 EXERCISE 2

Your company have been awarded license to operate a digital

cellular radio system based on DCS1800 standard covering an
area of 1560 km2 using hexagonal cells of radius 5 km and 12-
cell reuse pattern. The spectral frequency allocated range from
1760 – 1785 MHz and 1805 – 1830 MHz with channel bandwidth
of 200 kHz using 8 time slots. By stating your assumption,
(a) calculate the number of cells and cluster available
in the service area [24 BS, 2 clusters]
(b) find the theoretical maximum number of users that
could be served at one time by the system [2000]
(c) suggest practical cellular planning with maximum
capacity and minimum adjacent channel
interference
(d) Suggest modification to the frequency planning if
N = 4/12 will be deployed
 EXERCISE 2 (cont.)

Solution:
Givens System = DCS 1800
Total area= 1560 km2 , R = 5 km, N=12
spectral frequency allocated range from 1760 – 1785 MHz and 1805
– 1830 MHz, channel bandwidth of 200 kHz using 8 time slots.
(a) calculate the number of cells and cluster available
in the service area

cell _ area  2.6 R  2.6  5km   2.6  25  65km 2

2 2

Total _ area 1560km 2

no _ of _ cells   2
 24 cells
cell _ area 65km

no _ of _ cells 24
no _ of _ clusters    2 clusters
Cluter _ size 2
 EXERCISE 2 (cont.)
Solution:
Givens System = DCS 1800
Total area= 1560 km2 , R = 5 km, N=12
spectral frequency allocated range from 1760 – 1785 MHz and 1805
– 1830 MHz, channel bandwidth of 200 kHz using 8 time slots.
(b) find the theoretical maximum number of users that
could be served at one time by the system
Total _ Bandwidth
no _ of _ channels 
channel _ Bandwidth
(1785  1760)  (1830  1905) MHz 50MHz 50000kHz
    125ch.
2  200kHz 400kHz 400kHz

no _ time _ slots / cluster  125  8  1000 ts / cluster

no _ time _ slots / system  1000  2  2000 ts / system
no _ users / system  2000 users / system
 Exercise 2 (cont.)
Allocate channels for 12 cells

83 1000 4
12 1000  83  4 cells (1, 2, 3, 4)  83  1  84ch.
12 12
996  8cells 5, 6, 7,8,9,10,11,12   83ch
4

BS CHANNEL NO.
1 1 13 .. .. .. .. 997
2 2 14 .. .. .. .. 998
3 3 15 .. .. .. .. 999
4 4 16 .. .. .. .. 1000
5 5 17 .. .. .. ..
6 6 18 .. .. .. ..
7 7 19 .. .. .. ..
8 8 20 .. .. .. ..
9 9 21 .. .. .. ..
10 10 22 .. .. .. ..
11 11 23 .. .. .. ..
12 12 24 .. .. .. ..
 Exercise 2 (cont.)
(d) Suggest modification to the frequency planning if
N = 4/12 will be deployed
No. of channels = 1000 channels, N=4, 3sec/cell
First Allocate channels for 7 cells A, B, C, D, E, F, G
250
4 1000 1000
 250  4 cells ( A, B, C , D )  250ch.
4
1000
83
0
Second, allocate channels between sectors of cells 3 250
For A, B, C, D cells 249
1
250 1
 83  2 sec tors ( A1 , A2 , B1 , B2 , C1 , C2 , D1 , D2 )  83  1  84 ch.
3 3
 1sec tor  A3 , B3 , C3 , D3   83 ch
Exercise 2 (cont.)

(d) Suggest modification to the frequency planning if

N = 4/12 will be deployed
250 1
 83  2 sec tors ( A1 , A2 , B1 , B2 , C1 , C2 , D1 , D2 )  83  1  84 ch.
3 3
 1sec tor A3 , B3 , C3 , D3   83 ch

A1 B1 C1 D1 A2 B2 C2 D2 A3 B3 C3 D3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

993 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000

THANK YOU

99
100
S/I Calculation