Planning and deployment of WiMAX networks
Sebastião, P.
;
Velez, F. J.
; Costa, R.
; Robalo, D.R.
;
Rodrigues, A. J.
Wireless Personal Communications Vol. 55, Nº 3, pp. 305 - 323, November, 2010.
ISSN (print): 0929-6212
ISSN (online): 1572-834X
Scimago Journal Ranking: 0,26 (in 2010)
Digital Object Identifier: 10.1007/s11277-009-9803-3
Abstract
Incorporation of measurement based techniques in Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) are required to improve IEEE 802.16 engineering methodologies. Wireless planning methodologies are presented, supported by a planning tool which facilitates the design and implementation of WiMAX networks. Propagation models available for WiMAX still need to be tuned and further validated. By comparing IEEE 802.16-2004 measurement results at 3.5GHz with computed values using the modified Friis and the Stanford University Interim (SUI) models, for a suburban area, we found that the use of the modified Friis equation with a propagation exponent ∼3 is more appropriate than the use of the SUI model, although, for coverage distances between 275 and 475m, the SUI-B and mainly SUI-C models may still be used. From the analysis of the carrier-to-noise-plus-interference ratio, it is clear that both noise and interference present a strong limitation to the cellular reuse performance of fixedWiMAX mainly for higher order modulation and coding schemes.With a reuse pattern K = 7, cell throughputs near the maximum are only achieved in the uplink if sub-channelisation is used together with sectorization. The planning tool provides planners with practical and useful information through quick coverage/capacity based procedures, and outputs the number and position of the base stations and an estimation of the total cost of implementation, based on data provided by different equipment manufacturers. WiMAX cellular planning exercises are presented for the zone of Covilhã, Portugal, where Geographic Information Systems are used for representation of rural and sparse urban areas. One of the main conclusions is the strong need to use sector antennas in order to guarantee an adequate coverage, and higher system capacity whilst mitigating interference for several terrain types and environments, including hilly terrain.