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Analysis of Interference and Signal Quality in Cellular Wireless Networks

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3rd International Conference on Sustainable Engineering Techniques (ICSET 2020) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 881 (2020) 012143 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/881/1/012143

Analysis of Interference and Signal Quality in Cellular

Wireless Networks

Sazan AL-jaff1, Oguz Bayat1 and Adheed Hassan Sallomi2

1
Altinabas University, Istanbul, Turkey
2
Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad, Iraq
E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract. An analytical model to compute the effect of co-channel interference from the base
stations at the Multi-cell CDMA systems is proposed. The objective is to study the effect of
multiple-access interference generated by the neighbor cells on multi-cell CDMA and W-
CDMA systems capacity. The potential of adaptive antennas in interference reduction and
signal quality improvement in CDMA mobile communications systems is analyzed. The study
shows that improvement in base-station sensitivity can boost system performance.

Keywords: Interference Analysis, CDMA Capacity, Path loss Modeling, Mobile Spatial
Location, Cellular Network Capacity.

1. Introduction
The limited radio spectrum allocated for a cellular system results in crowded communication channels
making the cellular network capacity increasing to be an important issue for cellular service providers
to face the extraordinary demand for cellular communication services[1]. Multiple access and channel
assignment are mostly used techniques to maximize the efficient use of the available radio frequency
spectrum[2]. Frequency reuse technique is usually used in wireless networks to improve capacity. It
implies that the radio frequency used to serve a cell can be reused in a different cell for completely
different transmission. This introduces interference in cells that use the same channel thereby
decreasing the system capacity and its service quality[3].
In multi-cell Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, and Wideband Code Division
Multiple Access (WCDMA) that use a spread spectrum technique for capacity extension, base
stations transmit power to all users within their coverage area introducing (intra-cell interference) in
addition to interference from neighboring cells causing other cell interference(inter-cell interference).
Since the interference produced by users in other cells cannot be fully power controlled by their
serving base stations, the CDMA, and WCDMA networks are interference limited[4-6].
In [7], a model to estimate the number of interferers in adjacent cells of CDMA networks is
proposed. The effect of user density and the cell radius in CDMA systems was presented through two
different propagation models in [8]. In [9], a mathematical analysis is presented to investigate the
propagation model parameter effects on cellular network performance considering the effect of
multiple tiers of co-channel cells at different frequencies. The effect of user location on other cell
interference and CDMA network capacity is investigated in [10]. The WCDMA network capacity and
coverage area are evaluated in terms of the number of co-channel interferers, and the antenna gain.
The interference probability model has been established based on a random distribution of mobiles in
time and space with the utilization of Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) in [11].

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3rd International Conference on Sustainable Engineering Techniques (ICSET 2020) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 881 (2020) 012143 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/881/1/012143

This paper aimed to characterize the average inter-cell interference and the average number of users
that can be managed by the cellular CDMA –WCDMA systems. In the following, a model to evaluate
the number of the users moving at surrounding interfering cells will be presented in section II. The
propagation channel and the other cell interference will be characterized and analyzed in Sections III.
The simulation results are presented and discussed in section IV.

2. Derivation of the Cell Size and Number of Users

Assume that the typical cellular network illustrated in Figure 1, having cells of hexagonal shape that
approximated by circular cells each with a radius of Rc. All cells are assumed to be fully covered by
their serving base stations. The average number of mobile stations ( m ) located within any cell in the
system including cell edges have the potential to contribute to other cell interference and traffic can be
evaluated from the cell coverage area and the average mobile station density (  m ) that denotes the
number of mobiles per unit area. Therefore, the average number of mobiles can be obtained by
integrating the elementary surface (r dr dφ) of radius r :

2 Rc

m

 
0 r 0
r  m dr d   Rc2  m (1)

The acuall carried traffic per interfering cell is given by the product of the traffic produced by each
mobile station for the active user (Au) and the total number of mobile stations located within the
interfering cell.

Traffic / Cell   Rc  m Au
2
(2)
The offered traffic intensity by each user is equal to the call request rate (λ) by the user multiplied by
the call time (H) [1-2].
Au   H (3)
The actual carried traffic intensity carried by a channel related to the volume of the offered traffic
intensity by the relation:
Carried traffic / cell  (1  PB )  (1  PO )  Offered Traffic per cell (4)
where PB is the system blockage probability, and Po is the outage probability of the system. Equation
(4) implies that the actual load (traffic carried by a cell) depends upon system blockage probability,
outage probability and the offered traffic that is a function of the users' number within the cell. The
outage probability depends upon the location probability that the received signal does not satisfy the
required level in the cell with a certain radius Rc. Equations (2), and (4), allow us to write

(1  PB )  (1  PO )  Offered Traffic per cell

Rc  (5)
  m Au
It can be noticed that the cell size (radius) is a function of the actual traffic managed. The acceptable
blockage and outage probability for the network must be known to decide the cell size(radius). Higher
mobile unit density requires lower the cell radius to become [2,12].
In the downlink, base stations radiate power shared between traffic and control channels,
introducing interference at mobile stations from other cells, as well as from the users at the home cell.
The multi-cell CDMA network capacity depends on the SNR required for each user, which can be
expressed as a function of bit energy (Eb ) and total interference Nt. The total interference (Nt) can be
given as P 𝜐𝑓(𝑀−1)(1+𝑓) where f is the other-cell interference factor. If the imperfect power control
factor(𝜂) is added, the actual number of users (M) that can be supported by the system is given as[13-
14]:

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3rd International Conference on Sustainable Engineering Techniques (ICSET 2020) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 881 (2020) 012143 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/881/1/012143

 Gp W N
M  1  (6)
( Eb / N t ) (1  f )  f (1  f )  f P
Where P is the signal power, No is the thermal noise, Eb/Nt represent the required SNR required for the
reliable link, W is the bandwidth, νf is the voice activity factor, Gp is the processing gain(Gp =W/R)
where R is the data rate of the user, and f is the interference factor, that denotes the other cells
interference to same cell interference ratio. The reliable link between the mobile and base station
requires sufficient Eb/Nt to cover all the active users at any cell. Any mobile should exceed the base
station sensitivity value P to tolerate interference from other mobiles[15].

3. Propagation and Interference Modeling

Assuming uniform mobile station density in target and interferer cells over the whole system, the
actual coverage area will be located at the region between (A1) and (A2) that represents the far-field
zone of the serving base station antennas located at the cell center. This area can be given as:

A2   Rc2
A1   R2
Aactual cov erage   ( Rc2  R2 )

Any active user can be at a location of distance r from its home base station, then the probability of the
distance r is (Rc-Ro), which means it can be at the shadowed area whose circumference is 2π (Rc-Ro) as
shown in Figure 1. The probability distribution function (PDF) of any mobile location relative to its
serving base station or its distance and direction relative to its home base station can be given in polar
coordinates as
2  ( Rc  R ) 2 ( Rc  R )
Pr b(r )   ;  r  Rc (7 )
 ( Rc  R ) 2 ( Rc  R ) 2
1
Pr b( )  (8)
2

A2 A1 r
Figure 1. Mobile Stations Distribution

Ro
Rc

The power received from the reference cell base station (Pri) at mobile station i is directly proportional
to the average transmitted power from the reference base station Pt, and inversely proportional to the
separation distance between the mobile and its serving station ri raised to the propagation path loss
exponent(γ). Therefore, the power received by a mobile station at distance ri can thus be expressed as:

Pri  K ri Pt (9)
Where K is the proportionality constant that will be the same for all base stations as all base stations
are assumed to produce the same transmitted power. The power received by the mobile Pri will be also
received by other mobiles in the same cell causing the same cell interference (intra-cell interference).
In order to determine the inter-cell interference generated by all of the operating base stations in the

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3rd International Conference on Sustainable Engineering Techniques (ICSET 2020) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 881 (2020) 012143 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/881/1/012143

system, we will assume omnidirectional base stations that are uniformly distributed over the whole
network coverage area. Let us assume the elementary surface (r dr dθ) at a distance r from the user i.
With a circular shape coverage area whose radius is Rca, the number of network base stations is equal
to the number of base stations located within a ring of width dr and the base station density evaluated
in base station per unit area. Then, the elementary surface contains (  BS r dr d ) base stations as
shown in Figure 2.

Coverage area radius

Rca

r
dr

ri
Rc Rc
2Rc-ri ri
Rc Rc
2Rc
2Rc-ri

Rca
Figure 2. Cellular Network Configuration

The closet base station is located at a distance ( 2 Rc  ri ) from the user i, and the farthest base station
will be at ( Rca  ri ), where Rca is the radius of the whole area covered by the cellular system.
Therefore, the interference may be caused by the total number of the base station can be given as:

Rca  ri
2 K
Pi    Pt r dr d (10)
r
BS
0
2 Rc  ri
Rca  ri

r

Pi  2  BS K Pt r dr
2 Rc  ri

r 2 Rca ri

 2  BS K Pt ]2 R r
2 c i
2  K BS
Pi 
 2
Pt  (2 R c  ri ) 2  ( Rca  ri ) 2 

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3rd International Conference on Sustainable Engineering Techniques (ICSET 2020) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 881 (2020) 012143 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/881/1/012143

The ratio of the other-cell interference power received from other base stations to the same cell
interference power received from the serving base station that is the interference factor f can be used to
determine the reuse efficiency, then the network capacity (the number of users can be supported).

2  K BS
f 
Pi
Pri

 2
Pt .
1

 (2 R c  ri ) 2  ( Rca  ri ) 2 
K ri Pt

2   BS ri
f 
 2
 (2 R c  ri ) 2  ( Rca  ri ) 2  (11)

From equation (11), it can be noticed that the interference factor depends on user location within its
own cell.

4. Simulation and Results

Interference signals coming from the surrounding cells depends on the interference factor. As the W-
CDMA system capacity is interference limited, any interference will result in a linear increase in the
system capacity. The link performance for each user increases as the number of users decreases.
Figure 3 shows the base station sensitivity and the capacity (number of users) dependence for
different values of the interfering factor. It can be noticed that the reduction in interference factor
results in more users supported by the system. Furthermore, increasing the required Eb/Nt will decrease
the number of mobiles as illustrated in Figure 4.

Base Station Sensitivity With Number of Users Eb/Nt=4

45
f1=0.2
f2=0.4
40
f3=0.8

35
Number of Users

30

25
Figure 3. BS Sensitivity With Capacity

20

15

10
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Base Station Sensitivity dBm)

Base Station Sensitivity With Number of Users Eb/Nt=8

25
f1=0.2
f2=0.4
f3=0.8
20
Number of Users

15

Figure 4. BS Sensitivity With Users

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Base Station Sensitivity dBm)
5

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3rd International Conference on Sustainable Engineering Techniques (ICSET 2020) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 881 (2020) 012143 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/881/1/012143

Due to the potential of the adaptive antenna in increasing the directivity by focusing the pattern in the
desired direction other than jamming sources, it will provide a good reduction in base station number
required in the system. Figure 5, shows that increasing the gain by 6.0 dB, will result in decreasing the
base station density by 50%. The base stations number reduction can be translated into cell size
extension, and interference reduction. In a 50% loaded system, increasing the gain by 4.0 dB gain in
the receiver's sensitivity could lead to a power reduction of about 6 dB as shown in Figure 6. The
reduction in base station transmitted power is translated into the mobile battery life extension.

Base Station Reduction With Adaptive Antenna

90

80
Base Station Reduction Percentage

70

60
Figure 5. BS Density Reduction with Adaptive
50 Antenna

40

30

20
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Adaptive Antenna Gain(dB)

Transmit Power Reduction With Adaptive Antenna

-4

-6
Power Reduction With 50% load (dB)

-8

-10
Figure 6. Power Reduction with Adaptive
Antenna
-12

-14

-16
2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Adaptive Antenna Gain(dB)

In our proposed model, it can be noticed that as the mobile unit approaches the cell edge, it will
experience more interference as shown in Figure 7. It is clear that the interference factor is increased
Effect Of Mobile Location on Interference Factor
as the mobile station approaches the
0.7
cell boundary.
0.6

0.5
Interference Factor(f)

0.4

0.3

0.2 6
0.1

0
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Mobile Location Within The Target Cell(ri)

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3rd International Conference on Sustainable Engineering Techniques (ICSET 2020) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 881 (2020) 012143 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/881/1/012143

Figure 7. Mobile Location with Interference Factor

5. Conclusion
The results presented have focused on the multi-cell CDMA systems. It has been shown that any
improvement in base station sensitivity can increase the network capacity or the number of mobiles
held by the system. The adaptive antenna technique can provide more diversity gain in rich multipath
urban areas. It should be noticed that the utilization of adaptive antenna has a good potential in power
consumption enhancement and can decrease the base station density contributing to interference
reduction.

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3rd International Conference on Sustainable Engineering Techniques (ICSET 2020) IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 881 (2020) 012143 doi:10.1088/1757-899X/881/1/012143

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