Frequency re-use and the implications of limited network resources in cellular mobile systems

Ahaneku MA¹, Engr. Chijindu VC²

Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Accepted 05 February 2013

Abstract

A cellular network is used by the mobile telephone operators to achieve both coverage and capacity for their subscribers. Large geographic areas are split into smaller cells to avoid line-of-sight signal loss and to support a large number of active phones in that area. All of the cell sites are connected to exchanges (or switches), which in turn connect to the public switched telephone network. The demand for mobile services has been rising exponentially. However, the bandwidth and frequency spectrum to support these mobile services is critically limited. To address the competition for scarce resources, GSM service providers need new tools to help them efficiently and effectively optimize their networks. Several methods have been suggested such as cell splitting, frequency re-use, dynamic channel allocation or alternative routing, and adaptive cell-sizing algorithm. All these methods often imply either an increase in system complexity or a significant degradation of the quality of service. In this paper the frequency re-use techniques and implications of limited network resources are discussed.

Keywords: Base station, frequency planning, increased capacity, coverage area.