Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Cell--Planning for GSM Networks

Cell

• Major Issues:
•Coverage

•Capacity

•Interference

•Cell Planning

•Environmental Aspects
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

An Initial Challenge

• GSM Services are to be provided over a small area: 20

km2.

• Number
N b off subscribers
b ib estimated
ti t d tto b
be 120
120.

• Average subscriber generates 25 mE of traffic in the

busy hour
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

An Initial Challenge
• Calculations:

20 kkm2: Circle
•20 Ci l approximately
i t l 2 2.5
5 kkm iin
radius

•120 x 25 mE = 3 Erlangs (average

activity is 3 users: “peak” of 7 users). 2.5 km

•Single
Single GSM carrier sufficient
sufficient.

•Omni-directional (single cell) site would

be used.
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Increasing the Coverage Range

• Possible Methods:

•Increase
Increase Antenna Height

•Increase Antenna Gain

•Increase Cell Power

•Sectorise the Site

•Add Additional Sites

 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Predicting Effects: Increasing Antenna Height

• Increasing Antenna Height reduces

path loss.
loss

• Not dramatic: e.g. doubling mast

height can give 4 dB reduction in path
loss.

• 4 dB reduction
d ti iin path
th lloss can llead
d tto
a 25% increase in range (approx 50%
increase in coverage area)
area).
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Predicting Effects: Increasing Antenna Gain

14 dBi antenna
• Omni-directional antennas can have
different gains (10 dBi to 14 dBi being
the commonly available range).
10 dBi antenna

• Lower gain antennas will have a larger

vertical beamwidth.
No downtilt

• Down-tilting
D tilti the
th antenna
t is
i a
technique used to ensure that there
are no coverage gaps and also to
12° downtilt
restrict interference.
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Predicting Effects: Increasing Cell Tx Power

• Communication must be two-
Downlink Coverage Uplink Coverage
way. limit limit

• Increasing
I i th
the C
Cellll T
Transmit
it
power increases downlink
coverage but does not affect
uplink coverage.
• The link will become
“unbalanced”
unbalanced .
• Balance can be restored by
implementing diversity. A site implementing
Space Diversity
• 5 dB increase typical.
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Predicting Effects: Sectorising the Site

• Instead of a single omni-

directional antenna use 3
sectored antennas.
• Gains up to 18 dBi
• Requirement is for 3 TRXs as a
minimum.
• Improvement
I t in
i both
b th coverage
and capacity.
A base station employing
sectored antennas.
antennas
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Predicting Effects: Adding an Extra Site

• A single extra site will increase

coverage in a particular
direction.
direction
• Very expensive.
• Separate
S t carriers
i mustt be
b
Interference Region
allocated to the new site
(frequency planning) to avoid
interference.
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Increasing the Capacity

• Possible Methods:

•Adding
Addi more carriers
i

•Sectorising the site

 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Predicting Effects: Increasing TRXs

• 1 Carrier: 7 timeslots: 3 Erlangs: 120
subscribers

• 2 Carriers: 15 timeslots: 9 Erlangs 360

Subscribers

• Maximum for one cell is typically 6 carriers

(45 timeslots: 36 Erlangs 1440
subscribers).

• Maximum is influenced by network

allocation (e.g. 60 carriers occupies 12
MHz) and frequency re-use strategy.
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Predicting Effects: Increasing TRXs

• Sectorising can lead to 3 separate

single-TRX cells each serving 3
Erlangs.

• This provides 9 Erlangs (the same as

with 2 TRXs on an omni site).

• Coverage will also be improved.

Approximate radiation patterns

from sectored antennas.
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Network Evolution: Increasing Coverage and

Capacity

• All previously-analysed methods may

be considered.
considered

• Quantitative analysis required.

• e.g. coverage area increased by

100%; Capacity increased by 200%.
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

The Need for Frequency Planning

• GSM network capacity is
eventually limited by inteference.

• Frequencies can only be re-used at

a far enough distance so as not to
exceed inteference limits.

• C/I of 12 dB typically required

required.

• Distance to interfering cell must be

3 times that to serving cell.
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Environmental Aspects

• Different Environments pose

different challenges.
challenges

• Rural environments have coverage

as a priority over capacity

• Capacity and Inteference issues

take priority in Dense Urban
environments.

• Path Loss Prediction difficult in a

Dense Urban environment.
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Environmental Aspects

• Planning constraints may limit

antenna
t heights,
h i ht particularly
ti l l iin
suburban areas.

• Roads are sometimes covered

by antennas with a narrow
b
beam with
ith special
i l
arrangements made for
intersections.
intersections
 Section 1 – Introduction to Cell Planning

Environmental Aspects

• Small areas of high subscriber

d
density
it can b
be b
bestt served
dbby a
low level antenna forming a
micro cell
micro-cell.

• Office buildings are sometimes

served
d by
b indoor
i d antennas
t that
th t
form a pico-cell.
 Section 2 – Link Budget for GSM

Why we need a Propagation Model

• Mobile communication is made possible using multipath propagation

• The radio wave undergoes

g scattering,
g, diffraction and attenuation

• Propagation model calculates the path loss

between transmitter and receiver

• Required for calculating power budgets

and system balance requirements

• M d l used
Model d ffor setting
tti up a network
t k ?
and subsequent optimisation
 Section 2 – Link Budget for GSM

Free Space Radiated Power

• In free space
p the wave is not
reflected or absorbed
Surface area of
sphere = 4πd2
• Attenuation is caused by spreading
th power flflux over greater
the t areas
• Power Pt is transmitted equally in all
directions P
Power Pt (W)
d
• Power flux Pd at distance d from Pd
antenna given by:

Pd = Pt / 4πd2 (W / m2)
 Section 2 – Link Budget for GSM

Free Space Received Power

• Actual power received by antenna depends on:
• Aperture of receiving antenna (Ae)
• Wavelength of received signal (λ) Isotropic antenna

• Power flux density at receiving antenna (Pd)

• Effective area of an isotropic antenna is:

Ae = λ2 / 4π

• Power received: Pr = Pd x Ae Effective area Ae

= (Pt / 4πd2) x (λ2 / 4π)
= Pt x (λ / 4πd)2
 Section 2 – Link Budget for GSM

Free Space Path Loss

• Receive Power is given by the formula:
Pr = Pt x (λ / 4πd))2

• Expressing this formula in terms of dBs gives:

Pr = Pt − 20log10(4π) − 20log10(d) + 20log10(λ) dBm

• If path loss (LP) = Pt – Pr then:

LP = 20log10(4π) + 20log10(d) − 20log10(λ) dBm

• Substituting (λ = 0.3/f) and rationalising the equation

produces the generic free space path loss formula:
LP = 32.5 + 20 log10(d) + 20 log10(f) dBm
 Section 2 – Link Budget for GSM

Plane Earth Model

Tx Rx

Reflection at
Earth’s surface

Signals at Rx may interfere constructively or destructively to

different degrees

I
Image Tx
T This depends on: Antenna heights (h1, h2)
Link distance d
Wavelength
Reflection coefficient of Earth
 Section 2 – Link Budget for GSM

Plane Earth Model Equation

• Calculations on the plane earth model lead to the following equation for path loss:
LPEL = 20 llog (d2 / h1 h2) dB

LPEL = 40 log (d) - 20 log (h1) - 20 log (h2)

• d = path length in meters

• h1 and h2 are antenna heights

• Problems with using plane earth model in GSM:

• Does not deal with multipath reflections
• Mobile height is constantly changing
 Section 2 – Link Budget for GSM

Free Space vs Plain Earth Propagation

= Free Space Loss

= Plain Earth Loss