Sensitivity Analysis of Ambient Backscattering Communications in Heavily Loaded Cellular Networks

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the impact of adjacent cell interference on monostatic ambient backscattering communication (AmBC) systems at LTE and 5G frequencies. In dense urban areas, cellular macro cell and small cell networks are utilised to provide coverage to backscatter devices (BDs) and traditional users. However, due to the close proximity of adjacent cell mobile base stations, a significant amount of interference is noticed in the serving cell during peak hours. Thus, the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) is much more of a limiting factor than the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the system. Therefore, the SIR needs to be considered in the system design of AmBC systems. AmBC systems utilise ambient signals as the only source of power, so, there is a necessity for good SIR for proper communication with the BD. Therefore, based on the simulations, the area in close proximity to the base station can be utilised for the deployment of the BDs. Furthermore, it is observed that the achievable range of communication reduces by 44 percent in a heavily loaded cell in comparison with an empty cell when the SIR increases by 10 dB.