Case Study: To understand cell, cluster, frequency reuse

A mobile operator bought a 2G spectrum ( 890 MHz to 900 MHz), the region for which they allocated
this 10 MHz bandwidth has total area 100km2 ( assume a squared area of 10 km width and 10 km
length). We have to find out the ways with which maximum number of customers can be supported to
communicate simultaneously. Full duplex voice communication (in GSM) requires 200 kHz uplink and
200 kHz downlink for a single customer. Assume that the company uses 890 to 894.99 MHz for uplink
and 895 to 899.99 MHz for down Link, i.e. 5 Mhz uplink and 5 MHz downlink.
So the number of channels available = ( 5 X 106 )/( 200 X 103)= 25 i.e. 25 uplink and 25 downlink.
Now assume the 2G GSM technology is TDMA( it can also be CDMA). When TDMA is used a 200 KHz
channel can be shared between 8 devices ( that means it can be subdivided in 8 channels).
So the total number of uplink channels available= 25 X 8= 200.
Now assume if only one high power antenna is installed by the operator in the middle of square to
transmit and receive signals. Only 200 customers can communicate at a time. The question is how can
we increase the system capacity (number of channels)?
The answer is frequency reuse.
Use the following steps to increase system capacity1. Divide the region in 100 cells of 1 km2 ( Cell area Acell)
2. Install an antenna ( base station) in the middle of each region.
3. Transmit and receive signals in the same frequency range.

Figure 1: 100 km2 area (service area, Asystem) divided into 100 cells of 1 km2 area with one antenna in
middle of each cell.
In the figure 1(scenario 1) the phones are far apart and the transmission and receiving signals do not
interfere, everything goes right and this way there can be 200 customers in each squared cell (coverage
area of antenna), so total number of customers in the 100 km area who can communicate
simultaneously is 200X100=20000.

Figure 4. Communication without interference.

But step 3 creates a bigger problem- interference of transmission and reception signals from the
antenna and phones. Consider scenario 2 below.

Figure 3. communication with interference due to closeness

In scenario 2 the phones are closer to the boundary and signals emitted by both phones can be received
by both antennas and signals transmitted by both antennas can be received by both phones. If the
frequency range of both phones matches, the base stations will receive mix of two signals and there is
no mechanism to extract one if the frequency range is same.
For example let us assume that two phones are transmitting their signal in first channel of the allocated
band that is 890.0 MHz to 890.2 MHz. the base station will simple take the mix of these two signals as
one signal, but conversion of this mixed signal into voice will be quite disturbing.
What can be done to avoid interference?

Restrict the signals emitted from antenna into a cell boundary..

If anyhow the antenna (base station) signal power is reduced and restricted to the cell so that they
cannot be received in other cells the problem of interference is solved but this is impossible to restrict
the signal transmission in a region boundary accurately.
Moreover, the cell structure that we used here is squared, but the signal transmitted by the antenna is
omni-directional, that means the signal can be received at same distance in all the directions. That
means the cell structure should be circular but due to several factors like atmospheric turbulence,
obstacles, reflections etc the cell structure is hardly circular and for better division of whole region into
cells the cell is assumed to be hexagonal.
But again the cell structure does not restrict the signal to be interfered by signals from other cells if the
neighbors have same frequency signals.

Figure 3: Cluster
If we use different frequency range for neighboring cells then the interference of the signals can be
reduced highly, but it reduces the division of whole spectrum allocated to an operator. For example in
this squared cell structure a cell has 8 neighbors which cannot use the same frequency range as of the
middle one as in figure 3. So we have to divide the whole spectrum in nine parts( whole spectrum is
allocated to each cluster with the concept of frequency reuse)
Bandwidth allocated to a cell if the spectrum is 5 MHz = 5 X 10 6 / 9 = 555.55 KHz

Each customer requires a 200 KHz channel, with TDMA a 200 KHz channel can be divided in 8 time slots
(channels). So the number of channels per cell, N= 555.55/200 X 8 22.
Though 22 is much less in comparison to 200 if we had technology to restrict signals from crossing
boundary and interfering in other cells. Thus, now the total number of customers in the circle is (System
Capacity, C in channels) 22 X 100= 2200.
Thus, by reducing the size of cells we can increase frequency reuse and thus the number of customers.
Now suppose cell area Acell is 500 m2, that is the total area is divided in smaller cells.
Total number of cells in the circle = 100 km2 / 500 m2= 200.
Each cell can have 22 channel, so system capacity, C = 22 X 200 = 4400 channels ( or customers who can
talk simultaneously).
Note: the cell structure cannot be square, this assumption is just for easier computability. The ideal cell
structure is circle of radius R and cell structure in communication theory is hexagonal for accurate
division of whole area.