A fixed network design for site diversity enhanced wireless access

The virtual cellular network (VCN) is a network infrastructure that enables wireless connectivity by making use of site diversity. In site diversity a multitude of base stations simultaneously connect a mobile user to the fixed network. Base stations act as junctions between the wired and the wireless part of the mobile's connection path. They are interconnected through a wired, cell switched network. This network is decomposed into regions of access networks. A backbone network assumed to interconnect these regions. It is necessary to adapt the topology of the access network to the characteristics of the VCN traffic, which differs significantly from traditional traffic patterns. The paper specifies the wired network in terms of layout, scale and link topology via analysis based on effective bandwidth requirement. A simulation model is used to obtain qualitative insight into the operation of the designed network.