Chapter 13
Radio Network Planning
13.1 Introduction
This chapter presents the network planning aspects of the LTE radio interface. Essential steps and procedures are presented for estimating LTE coverage and capacity as a function of the planned environment type. The LTE link budget is introduced, as well as useful radio propagation models for the estimation of the path loss.
LTE radio network planning is similar to many other, previous mobile communications systems. The goal of this activity is to estimate the coverage and capacity of the services within given parameters and in the planned environment types.
13.2 Radio Network Planning Process
The radio network planning process can be generalized in the following way, as presented in Figure 13.1. Network planning is one item in the deployment project. The final outcome of the radio plan depends on the time frame for the rollout, the target quality, and the capacity offered. Figure 13.2 summarizes the project dependencies. The planning assumptions of LTE can be estimated to be close to the methods and values typically used in HSPA, but there are also differences due to the OFDM and SC-FDMA, and higher data speeds.
Figure 13.1 The main items of the LTE radio network planning.
Figure 13.2 The main items that affect on the total cost of the LTE network.
The focus of the nominal planning phase ...
