CDMA 2000 Network Planning and Simulation

Coverage and Capacity Prediction for CDMA 2000 Networks

Introduction


The planning and the design of CDMA 2000 networks comes along with completely new challenges compared with 2G network planning. In CDMA networks the path loss between base station and mobile station is very important because the Tx power should be as small as possible to reduce the interference for other users in the same cell. 

WinProp's ray-optical propagation models as well as the dominant path model (DPM) can predict the path loss very accurately therefore they are ideally suited for the simulation of CDMA networks.

Network Planning of CDMA 2000 Networks


The most challenging areas for the deployment of CDMA 2000 networks are currently urban and indoor environments. Especially in these scenarios highly reliable propagation predictions are required as they influence to a great extend the serving cell assignment and the experienced interference levels. To be able to consider interference problems due to power control limitations a realistic cell assignment and therefore realistic propagation predictions are required. Advanced propagation models as implemented in ProMan are therefore the necessary groundwork for any realistic system simulation.


Due to its flexible structure the WinProp software suite is able to simulate CDMA 2000 networks in the same way as WCDMA networks (the same module NET-C for CDMA networks is required for both air interfaces). Only the specification of the air interface (with the settings of the transmission parameters) must be changed in WinProp to switch between WCDMA and CDMA 2000 networks.


The user can define an arbitrary number of transmission modes and services.

For the downlink and uplink in each transmission mode the spreading factor, the SNIR targets, the MCS, etc. can be defined individually.


The traffic in a cell (i.e. the cell load) can be defined for each cell individually or a default value (defined by the user) is applied. This allows a very flexible simulation of the interference in the downlink.

A similar approach for the noise rise in the uplink transmission is also available (defined by the user either individually for each cell or a default value is applied).
 

The following figure shows the computed cell areas for a CDMA 2000 network in a dense urban environment:


Besides cell assignment WinProp's CDMA 2000 module provides the following simulation results:
  • For each pixel location in the area:
    • max. achievable data rate (downlink and uplink)
    • max. number of received carriers/transmitters/sites (in downlink)
    • for each transmission mode:
      • required Tx power at mobile station (uplink)
      • required Tx power at base station (downlink)
      • received Rx power at mobile station (downlink)
      • received Rx power at base station (uplink)
      • SNIR in downlink and uplink
  • For each base station / cell
    • required Tx power (mean)
    • number of assigned mobile stations

Publications related to network planning

Read more about the
WCDMA Network Planning 

Read more about the
LTE Network Planning 








  Brochures related to the
WinProp Software Suite










The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP2) defined the
air interface for the CDMA 2000 radio access network.


After the first release of the specification, the standardization
in 3GPP2 continued with
parallel evolution tracks
towards data oriented systems (EV-DO).


WinProp is able to simulate speech traffic as well as data transmission (EV-DO).



Propagation Models

Network planning for CDMA air interfaces with a reuse factor of 1 relies on an accurate prediction of  signal levels and path loss because the interference can only be minimized if the Tx power is as small as possible (power control). 


WinProp offers such  propagation models for rural, urban, and indoor scenarios. WinProp's ray-optical propagation models as well as the unique Dominant Path Model (DPM) predict the path loss with a very high accuracy. This helps to model CDMA interference in a very reliable way.

WCDMA Air Interfaces





Further information about the simulation tools for 3G WCDMA based air interfaces is available on the following pages on this server:

Brochures




Further information related to the
WinProp software suite can be
found in the brochures.