Signaling system performance evaluation for personal communications

A key measure of wireless network performance is the amount of signaling information needed to deliver calls to mobile users. Estimates of the signaling system loading are widely available in recent literature. However, in all of the available publications the results are heavily dependent upon assumptions about user density, velocity, cell sizes, and other quantities related to the system and users. This paper presents a methodology to evaluate the signaling system loading that can produce general results that are independent of these assumptions. The technique relies upon the definition of an index of mobility which aggregates several key quantities in a single measure. With this index as the independent variable, graphical results reveal the behavior of a system. This paper evaluates three protocols: GSM Pan-European Cellular, IS-41 North American Cellular, and Bellcore's PCS Access Service for Networks. The method is general and can be easily applied to a new system.