Coverage and Capacity Planning of 4G Networks

This chapter presents the key practical aspects for capacity and coverage planning of a commercial LTE network. The basics of coverage and capacity planning are introduced. The LTE coverage and link budgets aspects are discussed in detail. The link budgets for different LTE channels are provided. The limiting channel and limiting link are analyzed in different scenarios and different frequency bands. Different propagation models and model tuning are analyzed in detail. Practical link budget examples are provided for data and VoLTE scenarios. The converge aspects of the LTE system are compared with the HSPA+ system. A case study on RF prediction for FDD‐LTE and TDD‐LTE is provided. The capacity planning aspects are presented. In addition, capacity dimensioning of LTE and HSPA+ systems is analyzed and explained in detail via practical dimensioning exercises. Specifically, several dimensioning exercises are provided for data and voice scenarios. Moreover, the dimensioning of the main LTE channels is discussed in detail, together with practical examples. A comparative analysis with the HSPA+ network is provided to benchmark and evaluate the LTE system. This chapter can be used as a reference for best practices in LTE network planning and design.