Cost analysis issues in a wireless multihop architecture with fixed relays

The infrastructure costs of a hybrid cellular-multihop and a traditional single-hop cellular system are compared in this paper with the help of a linear cost model. The cost is evaluated in a greenfield operator scenario most suited in a suburban type of environment, by defining a desired service level as achieved bit-rate per area unit [kbps/km/sup 2/]. The hybrid system consists of macro base stations and fixed wireless routers. The impact of the radio resource allocation scheme on the cost is exemplified with schemes: a cell-based TDMA scheme and a centralized STDMA scheme. Numerical results show that the hybrid system outperforms the traditional one in terms of infrastructure cost if the STDMA scheme is used and if the cost of a relay is 3 to 7% of the macro base station cost, depending on the desired service level.