Optimizing Radio Network Parameters for Vertical Sectorization via Taguchi's Method

In vertical sectorization, multiple antenna elements form two beams to better serve users based on their locations in the cell. However, it is not known how to choose the radio network parameters to ensure good network performance and the amount of capacity gain achievable with vertical sectorization. In this paper, we propose an optimization approach based on Taguchi's method for vertical sectorization deployment to improve the 50th and the 5th percentile user throughput. Unlike conventional works, our proposal is a scientifically disciplined approach optimizing jointly the downtilt angles, vertical beamwidths, and transmit powers of the two beams and taking into account the interaction amongst these network parameters. With the proposed method, the resulting 50th and 5th percentile user throughput and the total network throughput outperform those of the conventional networks without vertical sectorization.