Cellular Mobile

Communications

Cell concept

Wireless Comm. Systems

Goals

• provide coverage over a large area

• provide coverage to a large number of users

• maintain an acceptable level of quality

Wireless Systems

A single tower at the center called a base station.

Powerful transmitter attached to top of base station.

Coverage area increased by making tower taller and/or increasing transmission power.

Wireless Systems

Does this model satisfy our goals?

• Large coverage area

• High call quality

• Limited number of users

Cellular System

Cellular Concept

Base stations (BS): implement space division multiple access

• Each BS covers a certain transmission area (cell)

• Each BS is allocated a portion of the total number of channels available

• Cluster: group of nearby BSs that together use all available channels

Mobile stations communicate only via the base station, using FDMA, TDMA, CDMA…

Frequency Reuse

The total number of channels are divided into K groups.

• K is called reuse factor or cluster size.

Each cell is assigned one of the groups.

The same group can be reused by two different cells provided that they are sufficiently far apart.

Frequency Reuse

Extensive frequency reuse allows for many users to be supported at the same time.

Total spectrum allocated to the service provider is broken up into smaller bands.

A cell is assigned one of these bands. This means all communications (transmissions to and from users) in this cell occur over these frequencies only.

Frequency Reuse

Neighboring cells are assigned a different frequency band.

This ensures that nearby transmissions do not interfere with each other.

The same frequency band is reused in another cell that is far away. This large distance limits the interference caused by this co-frequency cell.

Example of Frequency Reuse

Cells using the same frequencies

Example:

K = 7

The factor K is called the cluster size and is given

K=i2+ij+j2

A

B

C

A

C

A

CA

B

C

A F

E

G

D

E

F

D E

The Cellular Concept

Cluster of 7 cells

Cells

cell

Segmentation of the area into cells

Cellular network

• use of several carrier frequencies

• not the same frequency in adjoining cells

• cell sizes vary from some 100 m up to 35 km depending on user density, geography, transceiver power etc.

• hexagonal shape of cells is idealized (cells overlap, shapes depend on geography)

• if a mobile user changes cells handover of the connection to the neighbor cell

Possible radio coverage

Idealized shape of the cell

Cellular Concept

Cell size:• 100 m in cities to 35 km on the

country side (GSM)

• even less for higher frequencies

• Umbrella cell: large cell that includes several smaller cells Avoid frequent handoffs for fast moving

traffic

Cellular Concept

Cell shape:

• Hexagonal is useful for theoretical analysis

• Practical footprint (radio coverage area) is amorphous

BS placement:

• Center-excited cell: BS near center of cell

omni-directional antenna

• Edge-excited cell: BSs on three of the six cell vertices

sectored directional antennas

Cellular Concept

Advantages:

• higher capacity, higher number of users

• less transmission power needed

• more robust, decentralized

• base station deals with interference, transmission area etc. locally

Cellular Concept

Problems:• fixed network needed for the base stations• handover necessary• interference with co-channel, adjacent-channel

Important Issues:• Cell sizing; Frequency reuse planning• Channel allocation strategies

Bottom line: Attempt to maximize availability of channels in an area

Geometric Representation

Cells are commonly represented by hexagons.

Why hexagon?

How about circle?

How about square, or triangle?

Hexagonal Cells

To find the nearest co-channel neighbor of a

particular cell, one must do the following:

move i cells along any chain of hexagons

and then

turn 60 degrees counter-clockwise and

move j cells.

19-cell reuse example (K=19)

Method of locating co-channel cells in a cellular system. In this example, K = 19 (i.e., i = 3, j = 2).

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

i

j

i=1, j=2 , K=1+2+4=7

RD

Distance Formula

RK

RjijiD

3

)(3 22

22 jijiK

Note: i and j are integers

where

Reuse factor

Channel Assignment Strategies:

Fixed Channel Assignments

Each cell is allocated a predetermined set of voice channels.

If all the channels in that cell are occupied, the call is blocked, and the subscriber does not receive service.

Variation includes a borrowing strategy: a cell is allowed to borrow channels from a neighboring cell if all its own channels are occupied. This is supervised by the MSC.

Channel Assignment Strategies:

Dynamic Channel Assignments

Voice channels are not allocated to different cells permanently.

Each time a call request is made, the serving base station requests a channel from the MSC.

The switch then allocates a channel to the requested call based on a decision algorithm taking into account different factors: frequency re-use of candidate channel and cost factors.

Dynamic channel assignment is more complex (real time), but reduces likelihood of blocking.

Interference and System Capacity

sources of interference:• other mobiles in same cell• a call in progress in a neighboring cell• other base stations operating in the same frequency

band• Non-cellular system leaking energy into the cellular

frequency band

effect of interference:• voice channel: cross talk• control channel: missed or blocked calls

two main types:• co-channel interference• adjacent channel interference

Co-Channel Interference

cells that use the same set of frequencies are called co-channel cells.

Interference between the cells is called co-channel interference.

Co-channel reuse ratio: Q = D/R• R: radius of cell

• D: distance between nearest co-channel cells

Small Q small cluster size N large capacity

large Q good transmission quality

tradeoff must be made in actual cellular design

Adjacent Channel Interference

Interference resulting from signals which are adjacent in frequency to the desired signal.

Due to imperfect receiver filters that allow

nearby frequencies to leak into pass band.

Can be minimized by careful filtering and assignments, and by keeping frequency separation between channel in a given cell as large as possible, the adjacent channel interference may be reduced considerably.

Approaches to Increase Capacity

Frequency borrowing• frequencies are taken from adjacent cells by

congested cells

Cell splitting• cells in areas of high usage can be split into

smaller cells

Cell sectoring• cells are divided into a number of wedge-

shaped sectors, each with their own set of channels

Cell Splitting

subdivide a congested cell into smaller cells

each with its own base station, reduction in antenna and transmitter power

more cells more clusters higher

capacity

achieves capacity improvement by essentially rescaling the system.

Cell Splitting from radius R to R/2

Sectoring

In basic form, antennas are

omnidirectional

Replacing a single omni-directional

antenna at base station with several

directional antennas, each radiating

within a specified sector.

Sectoring

achieves capacity improvement by essentially rescaling the system.

less co-channel interference, number of cells in a cluster can be reduced

Larger frequency reuse factor, larger capacity

Sectoring improves S/I

Handover/ Handoff

Handoff

Handoffs must be:

• performed quickly

• performed infrequently

• imperceptible to users

• performed successfully

Handoff

Cell, BSC (base station controller), MSC (mobile switching center) are responsible for Handoff

Handoff scenarios• Intra-cell handover (e.g., change frequency due

to narrowband interference)

• Inter-cell, intra-BSC handover (e.g., movement across cells)

• Inter-BSC, intra-MSC handover (e.g., movement across BSC)

• Inter MSC handover (e.g., movement across MSC)

4 types of Handoff

MSC MSC

BSC BSCBSC

BTS BTS BTSBTS

MS MS MS MS

12 3 4

Styles of Handoff

Network Controlled Handoff (NCHO)

• in first generation cellular system, each base station constantly monitors signal strength from mobiles in its cell

• based on the measures, MSC decides if handoff necessary

• mobile plays passive role in process

• burden on MSC

NCHO

Mobile moves from one BS to another

BS initiated:

• BS monitors the signal level of the mobile

• Handoff occurs if signal level falls below threshold

• Increases load on BS

Monitor signal level of each mobile

Determine target BS for handoff

Styles of Handoff

Mobile Assisted Handoff (MAHO)

• present in second generation systems

• mobile measures received power from surrounding base stations and report to serving base station

• handoff initiated when power received from a neighboring cell exceeds current value by a certain level or for a certain period of time

• faster since measurements made by mobiles, MSC don’t need monitor signal strength

MAHO

Mobile assisted:• Each BS periodically transmits beacon

• Mobile, on hearing stronger beacon from a new BS, sends it a greeting changes routing tables to make new BS its

default gateway

sends new BS identity of the old BS

• New BS acknowledges the greeting and begins to route mobile’s call

Hand-Offs

Intersystem: (Roaming)

• Mobile moves across areas controlled by different MSC’s

• Handled similar to mobile assisted case with additional HLR/VLR effort

• Local call may become long-distance

Types of Handoff

Hard handoff - (break before make)

• FDMA, TDMA

• mobile has radio link with only one BS at anytime

• old BS connection is terminated before new BS connection is made.

Types of Handoff

Soft handoff (make before break)

• CDMA systems

• mobile has simultaneous radio link with more than one BS at any time

• new BS connection is made before old BS connection is broken

• mobile unit remains in this state until one base station clearly predominates