Reuse efficiency in urban microcellular networks

We study how efficiently radio channel resources can be reused in microcellular networks. Our focus is on dense urban networks in which cell-site antennas are located well below the rooftops of surrounding buildings. Compared with conventional cellular networks, this kind of microcellular system introduces a markedly different propagation environment, characterized by a mix of strong line-of-sight (LOS) propagation and much weaker non-LOS propagation. We address a number of important issues associated with site layout and reuse planning in such microcellular networks (rectilinear street environments) and present numerical results showing the influence of frequency, cell size, link quality requirements, shadow-fading statistics, and power control on the reuse efficiency. For 900-MHz systems, orthogonal multiple-access schemes (e.g., time division), and a typical set of system parameters, we estimate that the reuse efficiency in urban microcellular networks could be up to 50% higher than that in conventional cellular networks with three-sector antennas.