Technical Description

3.1 General
The objective of the MS Power Control algorithm is to adjust the output power of the MSs
so that a desired signal strength is received in each BTS. The desired signal strength is
however depending on the pathloss and quality, see Figure 1and Figure 2. The power
range, where regulation is possible, is limited by the transmitter of the MS.

Note that the algorithms in MS Power Control and BTS Power Control are the same (see
Reference [5]).

The graph in Figure 1 shows the MS output power versus the pathloss between an MS
and a BTS. An MS is only capable of transmitting at distinct power levels. Figure 1 also
shows schematically how the signal strength received in the BTS varies with the pathloss
between the MS and the BTS.

Figure 1 MS Output Power and BTS Signal Strength Versus Pathloss. Quality Is Not
Taken into Account.

When a connection to a BTS has low pathloss and good quality (the left part of the graph
in Figure 1), the MS transmits at its lowest possible power level. Although the BTS
receives a signal that exceeds the desired value, the MS cannot reduce the transmitted
power any further. Conversely, when the BTS experiences high pathloss (the right part of
the graph in Figure 1), the MS transmits at the maximum allowed power level for the
cell. The power cannot be increased even if the received signal strength in the BTS is
low.

Each segment of the graph in Figure 1 is explained below.

1. The MS transmits at its lowest possible output power (left part of Figure 1).
2. Without Power Control the received signal strength will decrease as the
pathloss increases. The received power decreases linearly (in dB units) as
pathloss increases.
 3. With Power Control enabled, the MS output power will be adjusted
(Regulation area in Figure 1).
4. The pathloss is high and the MS transmits at its maximum power (right part
of Figure 1).

When quality is taken into account, the output power is regulated up or down depending
on the received quality (see Figure 2). The MS power then varies with the quality
measured by the BTS. When a BTS has low rxqual (high quality) the MS sends on low
power and when a BTS has high rxqual, on high power. The higher the rxqual, the higher
power and vice versa.

Figure 2 Example of MS Output Power Versus Quality. Signal Strength Is Not Taken into
Account.