Interference in mobile networks

INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO

CS 422 WIRELESS AND MOBILE

NETWORKS

INTERFERENCE IN MOBILE
NETWORKS

STUDENT: Fatima Sinanović PROFESSOR: Indira Muhić

ID: 992375
 Interference in mobile networks

Contents

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................2

Co-channel interference.............................................................................................................................3

Out-of-Band Emitters.........................................................................................................................3

Desensitization...........................................................................................................................3

Intermodulation Signals from Non-linear Power Amplifiers......................................................3

Intermodulation from Non-linear External Elements................................................................4

In-Band Emitters.................................................................................................................................4

Overlap of Antenna Patterns..............................................................................................................4

ISM System Antenna Alignment Problems................................................................................4

Backlobes and Sidelobes............................................................................................................5

Reflections and Fading...............................................................................................................5

Cellular Antenna Overlap...........................................................................................................5

Adjacent-channel interference...................................................................................................................6

Types of ACI........................................................................................................................................6

Imperfect Filtering......................................................................................................................6

Near Far Effect............................................................................................................................6

References:.................................................................................................................................................8
 Interference in mobile networks

Introduction

Interference is a major limiting factor in the performance of cellular radio system.

As wireless systems proliferate worldwide, the number one enemy of wireless

systems designers and service providers is signal interference.
Interference hampers coverage and capacity, and limits the effectiveness of both
new and existing systems. Interference causes some major problems in mobile
communication.
There are two major types of interference

Co-channel interference, (CCI)

2. Adjacent channel interference, (ACI).

Interference results from a variety of sources, usually other transmitters in the area,
both licensed and unlicensed. Whether licensed or unlicensed, sources of
interference cause the same results—impaired system performance. The only
difference is that there are more potential uncontrolled sources of interference in
the unlicensed bands.
 Interference in mobile networks

Co-channel interference

Co-channel interference or CCI is crosstalk from two different radio

transmitters using the same frequency.
There can be several causes of co-channel radio interference:

Out-of-Band Emitters

Even though the affected system is designed to reject signals outside its assigned
band, there are effects caused by out-of-band emitters which can impact the in-band
performance.

Desensitization

When a high-powered transmitter, such as a UHF TV broadcast station, is nearby, the

affected receiver can be driven into RF overload even though its signal is well out-of-
band. See Figure 1[a]. This happens when the affected receiver’s pre-selection filter
is not adequate. The high power signal leaking into the affected receiver will drive
the operating point of the front-end amplifier up through its dynamic range
 Interference in mobile networks

characteristic. This destroys the normally-required linear amplification process,

introducing intermodulation distortion and serious data errors.

Intermodulation Signals from Non-linear Power Amplifiers

Modern wireless systems receive, transmit, and process hundreds of channels of

voice or data at a common base station. Most of those channels are processed via
common antennas and broadband power amplifiers at the final stage for cost
effectiveness. The multiple channel signals are combined in front of the final power
stages and then amplified together. The linearity specifications of those final power
stage amplifiers are very tight since a non-linear characteristic can cause
crossfrequency signal products to be produced and emitted. Those cross-frequency
signals might cause interference within their own system’s operating band or cross
over into other systems.

Intermodulation from Non-linear External Elements

This interference mechanism is called the “rusty fence” syndrome. If two high-
powered transmitted signals, f1 and f2 , impinge on some random rusty element
such as a steel fence, a rusty metal roof, or even corroded coaxial cable elements, an
electric effect sometimes takes place. The corrosion junction acts like a rectifying
diode and mixes all the transmit signals hitting it. This results in a whole list of new
signals, called intermodulation products, which are re-transmitted. These signals are
mathematical combinations of the original transmitted signals, such as (f1 – f2 ), (2f1
– f2 ), (3f1 +2f2 ), etc. While this effect is typically a random problem, there are
certain transmitter frequency assignments which cause the mixed products to fall
right on top of other assigned bands. When the f1 and f2 signals have exact
frequency spacing equal to the affected receiver’s input, it tries to accept these re-
transmitted intermodulation products as its own in-band data.

In-Band Emitters

Non-licensed wireless Local Area Networks (LANs) using frequency-hopping (FHSS) or

direct-sequence-spreadspectrum (DSSS) techniques spread the useful data
 Interference in mobile networks

modulation over a wider band. They operate in the ISM band which is also the home
frequency of the typical microwave oven, for example. Microwave ovens operate at
the 2.4 GHz resonance frequency of the water molecule. Although the spread
spectrum modulation schemes defend against interference from the oven leakage,
the location and power level of the leakage may overcome the interference
resistance.

Overlap of Antenna Patterns

Antenna pattern overlaps between communication systems frequently occur. There

are a variety of interference causes attributed to antenna pattern conflicts.

ISM System Antenna Alignment Problems

In non-licensed systems, users simply install their newly purchased equipment

without any licensing needed. This commonly occurs in business parks where
companies install data links between office buildings. It is easy to foresee how one
system signal becomes an interferer in an affected receiver. The signal pattern might
be where the intended transmit signal overflies its own receiver and comes right into
the aligned antenna pattern of the affected receiver.

While modulation designs are supposed to offer some rejection of interference due
to different frequency-hopping parameters or different DSSS code patterns, it is
possible that the interfering signal levels at the affected receiver might still
overwhelm the rejection tolerance of the modulation scheme. It should be noted
that even if the antenna pattern lobes of the affected system are relatively narrow
(high gain), there is still considerable sensitivity to signals that are as much as 20 to
30 degrees off boresight.

Backlobes and Sidelobes

There are sidelobe and backlobe characteristics in every antenna. This means that
interfering signals might cause problems if they enter one of the sidelobes or the
backlobe of the affected system. Typical sidelobe and backlobe sensitivity is only 15
– 30 dB down from the main lobe.
 Interference in mobile networks

Reflections and Fading

The affected system often operates in signal environments which affect its system
signals. Heavy rainfall attenuates microwave frequencies. Buildings, hills, and other
natural obstructions bend or cause multiple paths to form between transmitter and
receiver. These multiple paths, or multipaths, lead to destructive signal cancellations
and cause random fades in signal strength. Other buildings, might reflect
interference into the side of the affected antenna’s main lobe. Low flying airplanes
can cause a moving reflection which might degrade data randomly.

Cellular Antenna Overlap

Cellular systems, with their theoretical hexagonal base station cell pattern spacing,
take advantage of frequency band re-use by assigning the same frequencies to cells
that are spaced just one cell distance away. As such, any given cell antenna that
happens to be misadjusted for tilt can easily overfly the adjacent cell and impinge on
an affected receiver two cells over where the signal frequency assignments are the
same.

Adjacent-channel interference

-(ACI) is interference caused by extraneous power from a signal in an adjacent

channel. ACI may be caused by inadequate filtering (such as incomplete filtering of
unwanted modulation products in FM systems), improper tuning or poor frequency
control (in the reference channel, the interfering channel or both).

Two most common causes of interference from adjacent channels are poor
frequency control and inadequate filtering. Poor frequency control occurs when one
or both of the adjacent channels are broadcast with too much or too little power
behind them. Inadequate filtering occurs when the receiving channel does not have
the proper modulation to filter out the interfering signal.
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Proper management of the broadcast spectrum is the preferred way for controlling
adjacent-channel interference.

Adjacent-channel interference (ACI) is basically interference that is created by

extraneous power from a signal source in an adjacent channel.

Types of ACI

Imperfect Filtering

Present customers’ demand is low cost of handset,i.e less cost of filter which results
in more interference. So filtering can’t be much more effective at the MS site. The
alternate way is to use expensive, very well designed filters at the base station. In
fact, the cost of the base station is being shared by so many numbers of users. So,
adjacent channel interference is actually handled more at the base stations rather at
the handsets level. The problem can be severe if the interferer is very close to the
subscriber’s receiver. This is because the mobile unit in close proximity has a strong
signal which causes adjacent channel interference. Thus resulting in crosstalk at the
receiver or if the interference is in control channel, then one of the calls might get
dropped.

Near Far Effect

Another effect of adjacent channel interference is called the near far effect. What is
the near far effect? Suppose Transmitter A and Transmitter B are operating on
adjacent channels in frequency; when the receiver is far from the desired transmitter
and very close to the undesired transmitter, adjacent channel interference is
exacerbated. When interference is close to the base station, they radiating in the
adjacent channel, while the sub-scriber is actually far away from the base station. It
is to note that the path loss exponent is close to four. The signal strength goes down
very fast to the power of four of the distance. So if the interfering handset is close to
the base station, whereas the subscriber far away from the base station, the signal
will get a lot of interference at the base station. Now let us look at it from an
example. At first put a base station and the subscriber. So the subscriber is mobile
and he is located at a certain distance from the base station. But there are lot of uses
and let us have an interfering handset sitting inside a car which happens to be closer
to the base station. As bad luck would have it, the interferer is radiating in an
adjacent frequency band. So even though the subscriber is trying to communicate
 Interference in mobile networks

with the base station, by the time the signal reaches the base station, it is fairly
weak. The path loss exponent is pretty high. So what is being received at the Base
station is a low signal level but still it can be handled. It is within the threshold. On
the other hand, for the interferer which happens to be located much closer to the
base station, it is radiating in the adjacent band and because of the imperfect filters,
a lot of energy is leaking in. But it’s a lot high energy.

References:

 International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) Volume 95– No.

10, June 2014 40 A Survey of Reduction the Interference on Cellular
Communication System

 https://www.reference.com/technology/adjacent-channel-interference-
53c1e077c3a273d8

 Fundamentals of Interference in Wireless Networks MS2711E / MS2712E /

MS2713E / MS2721B, Spectrum Master

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-channel_interference
 Interference in mobile networks

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjacent-channel_interference