The evolution of cellular system design

Design procedures for cellular mobile telephone systems have emphasized the evolutionary nature of systems in capacity, features and service area. As time has passed since the first cellular system description in 1968, the design procedure itself has undergone evolutionary changes. Early analyses were conducted with idealized layouts to examine re-use patterns and expansion methods. These design exercises generally had no reference to actual limitations. Little or no field data was available to verify modeling as realistic. Introduction of design parameters such as varying cell sizes, better estimates of actual user density needs and considerable field data from the Motorola and AMPS activities have all contributed to new standards and guidelines for design in a more realistic form.