Personal & Mobile Communications

Fall 2015

HW Assignment - 2
1. Explain the relationship between cluster size, capacity, and co-channel interference.
Answer:
Each cellular base station is allocated a group of radio channels to be used
within a small geographic area called cell. N cells which collectively use the complete set of
available frequencies is called a cluster.
The capacity of a cellular system is directly proportional to the number of
times a cluster is replicated in a fixed service area.
Frequency reuse implies that in a given coverage area, there are several cells
that use the same set of frequencies. These cells are called co-channel cells and interference
between signals from these cells is called co-channel interference.
Thereby, as the cluster size N increases, the capacity and co-channel
interference both decreases.
2. What are the possible solutions to increase capacity of cellular systems?
Answer:
As the demand for wireless service increases, the number of channels
assigned to a cell eventually becomes insufficient to support the required number of users. At
this point, cellular design techniques are needed to provide more channels per unit coverage
area.
A few of the possible solutions to increase capacity of cellular systems are:
cell splitting, sectoring and coverage zone approaches. Cell splitting allows an orderly growth
of the cellular system. Sectoring uses directional antennas to further control the interference
and frequency reuse of channels. While cell splitting increases the number of base stations in
order to increase capacity, sectoring and zone microcells rely on base station antenna
placements to improve capacity by reducing co-channel interference.
3. Why do we use hexagonal cellular structure instead of using other structure?
Answer:
In wireless communication systems, the cellular concept plays an important
role in solving the problem of spectral congestion and capacity. The cellular concept is
obtained by replacing a large cell with many small cells.
As the demand for services increases, the number of cells must be increased
to improve the user capacity. In wireless communication, we use the hexagonal concept to
model coverage because of the following reasons: Hexagonal model cover an entire area
without overlapping; it has the largest area of the above mentioned geometries; Hexagonal
system can be considered as the semi-realistic model.
Normally the power transmitted by the base station is in all directions (Omnidirection). According to this, if we use a circular structure, the adjacent cells may interfere
with each other causing co-channel interference. Other structures like triangle, rectangle can
also be used, but they cover less area when compared to circular structures. The hexagonal
structure is nearest to the circular structure and covers maximum area as compared to other
geometrical shapes.
4. Is co-channel interference a function of transmitted power from cell site? Explain.
Answer:

When the size of each cell is practically equal or roughly same, the co-channel
interference is independent of transmitted power from the base station and becomes the
function of radius R of cell and the resue factor D.
Q = D/R = 3K
Is called the co-channel interference reduction factor or reuse factor is measure of of
co-channel interference.
Once the size of each cell is different, the transmitted power of one cell interferes
with the signals of the adjacent cells and causes co-channel interference.
5. Discuss how to reduce CCI with sectorization.
Answer:
Sectorization is briefly described as a way to cut down equipment costs in a
cellular network. When applied to clusters of cells sectorization also reduces co-channel
interference.
This is because the power radiated backward from a directional base station
antenna is minimal and interfering with adjacent cells is reduced. The number of channels is
directly proportional to the number of cells.
6. Discuss why, in overlaid systems, the mobiles near base stations are assigned to channels
from smaller cluster size, while the mobiles away from base stations are assigned larger
cluster size.
Answer: The method for allocating resource is done by FCA (Fixed Channel Assignment)
in which fixed channels is assigned to each cell according to its present cluster size,
but it do nnot adapt to changing traffic conditions and user distributions. Such fixed
allocation of resource in cell may result in blocking in some cells, while others may have
large number of spare channels which leads to poor resource utilization.
To solve this problem channel borrowing method also could be inadequate. In order
to avoid such problem DCA(Dynamic Channel Allocation) is used to achieve high spectrum
efficiency in cellular systems by using different cluster sizes. In this method mobile far from
BS are provided with channels with smaller reuse distance (i.e from small cluster size) and
vice versa. This scheme allows less complex systems to perform efficiently without need for
adaptive modulation and power rearrangements.
7. Discuss why ACI is a problem. How can we reduce ACI?
Answer:
Adjacent-channel interference (ACI) is the interference caused by extraneous
power from a signal in an adjacent channel. ACI may be caused by inadequate filtering,
improper tuning or poor frequency control.
Adjacent channel interference occurs more frequently in small cell clusters
and heavily used cells. ACI is also caused by imperfect receiver filtering of the adjacent
channels signal and leak into the pass band. The problem with ACI is severe if the adjacent
channel user is transmitting very close to the subscriber receiver attempting to receive a base
station signal on the desired channel. This is known as near-far effect.
ACI can be reduced by careful designing of band pass filter at the receiver
end, by using proper modulation schemes that have low out of band radiation, by maintaining
proper channel interleaving by assigning adjacent channels to different cells and by the use of
multiplexing schemes in time and frequency to separate the uplink and downlink.
8. a) If the call arriving rate is 10 calls per minute. Average call holding time is 3 minutes.
Calculate traffic intensity.

b) Define the GOS. Is it better to increase or decrease it?

c) Plot the GOS as a function of number of channels for fixed offered traffic intensity.
Answer:
a) Given: Call arriving rate = 10; average call holding time h = 3 minutes;
To find: Traffic intensity E
E= xh
E = (10) (3)
E = 30 Erlangs
b) GOS (Grade Of Service):
The probability of a call in a circuit group being blocked or delayed for more
than a specified interval is known as GOS. It is expressed as a vulgar fraction or decimal
fraction. This is always with reference to the busy hour when the traffic intensity is the
greatest.