Cost-effective mobile communications for developing economies

Abstract

Optimization of the radio access is a major challenge for a mobile wireless communications system, where both the channel and the multitude of users are not known exactly. The classical cellular architecture provides only rough guidelines, and at the same time, propagation modeling, statistics, and network simulations, fall short of representing and optimizing the actual network performance. Cost-aware Wireless Access Optimization (WAO) governs the radio coverage at the base stations and additional RF access points (repeaters) as required by the environment and traffic demands. Optimal performance is achieved by combining prediction models with dynamic measurements, and applying coverage and diversity means accordingly. The optimization of the new data-optimized systems – 1×EV-DO and HSDPA do not follow the same pattern, and a completely different optimization paradigm has to be taken when mixed services operate on the same network. These techniques and the corresponding benefits experienced in practical deployments are reviewed. Major savings in infrastructure costs have been shown, both in rural and in congested urban areas. The developing economies may take the leading role in developing WAO, due to their cost-awareness, fast development of networks, and the keen interest to enhance the domestic value of the systems and the service.