Optimisation of Radio Transmitter Locations in Mobile Telecommunication Networks (original) (raw)

Access Points Placement as a Discrete Optimization Problem

In this work, we consider a method of searching of the direction of a wireless network development (the places of new access points or base stations etc.) optimized with criteria of coverage of important territories and minimum cost of equipment and additional needed infrastructure which does not need the execution of special field testings and determination of the exact geometry of elements of RF-propagation medium and their RF absorbing properties but takes into account the minimum accessible information obtained from built-in measuring instruments of wireless hardware and approximate data of the medium elements shape. The problem of search of a disposition and types of the infrastructure elements of the growing network is formulated as a multicriteria discrete constrained optimization problem solvable with variant probability method [1]. The problem of a medium RF-propagation properties modeling is also formulated and solved as a discrete optimization task.

Transmitter location for maximum coverage and constructive–destructive interference management

Computers & Operations Research, 2012

Covering location models consider a demand ''covered'' if there is at least one facility sited within a preset threshold distance. If more than one facility satisfies this criterion, it is implicitly assumed that one of these facilities -usually the closest -will serve the customer, while the remaining ones will have no relation to the demand. However, there are cases in which this multiple coverage has either synergetic or undesired effects. In digital television broadcast networks using Single Frequency Network transmissions, if a customer receives transmissions from more than one transmitter, the strongest transmitter is the main signal source, while the second and following transmitters can either contribute to a good reception or act as sources of interference, depending on the technology and their relative locations. In this case, facilities should be located so as to avoid overlapping coverage if there is interference, or enhancing overlapping coverage if signals are combined constructively. We propose models that are solved using a commercial software, that address this problem. One of these models is used to compare different alternatives of network design for a region in Chile, and to find the best coverage situations. .cl (V. Marianov), haeiselt@unb.ca (H.A. Eiselt).

The automatic location of base-stations for optimised cellular coverage: a new combinatorial approach

1999 IEEE 49th Vehicular Technology Conference (Cat. No.99CH36363), 1999

The cost and complexity of a network is closely related to the number of base-stations (BSs) required to achieve the system operator's service objectives. The location of BSs is not an easy task and there are numerous factors that must be taken into account when deciding the optimum position of BSs. This paper discusses the performance of three different algorithms developed to solve the BS location problem: the greedy algorithm (GR), the genetic algorithm (GA) and the combination algorithm for total optimisation (CAT). These three methods are compared and results are given for a typical test scenario.

Optimizing the Location of Base Transceiver Stations in Mobile Communication Network Planning: Case study of the Nairobi Central Business District, Kenya

Optimal signal coverage has always been a fundamental issue for cellular network operators. Other issues related to capacity, quality of service and cost efficiency are also rapidly gaining prominence. In order to determine signal coverage, network engineers usually rely mainly on two dimensional (2D) terrain maps and rather simple empirical propagation-prediction models. In this study a framework which provides a more efficient and cost effective network coverage optimization for a dense urban environment was investigated. 3D Geographic Information System (GIS) of the study area was developed. The signal propagation-prediction tool based on ray-tracing coupled with the 3D geo-information was used to model the radio signal coverage for the Base Transceiver Stations for one of the mobile phone operators licensed to provide mobile phone services in Kenya. To determine the best locations of the BTSs for optimal signal coverage of the study area, spatial analysis tools in GIS were employed. Comparing the proposed methodology with classical methods demonstrates that this spatial analysis approach can be used to optimize mobile signal coverage in any dense urban environment without resorting to lengthy field measurements thus minimizing on costs of wireless network planning.

Adaptive Cell Tower Location Using Geostatistics

2010

In this article, we address the problem of allocating an additional cell tower (or a set of towers) to an existing cellular network, maximizing the call completion probability. Our approach is derived from the adaptive spatial sampling problem using kriging, capitalizing on spatial correlation between cell phone signal strength data points and accounting for terrain morphology. Cell phone demand is reflected by population counts in the form of weights. The objective function, which is the weighted call completion probability, is highly nonlinear and complex (nondifferentiable and discontinuous). Sequential and simultaneous discrete optimization techniques are presented, and heuristics such as simulated annealing and Nelder-Mead are suggested to solve our problem. The adaptive spatial sampling problem is defined and related to the additional facility location problem. The approach is illustrated using data on cell phone call completion probability in a rural region of Erie County in western New York, and accounts for terrain variation using a line-of-sight approach. Finally, the computational results of sequential and simultaneous approaches are compared. Our model is also applicable to other facility location problems that aim to minimize the uncertainty associated with a customer visiting a new facility that has been added to an existing set of facilities.

Antennae Location Methodology for a Telecom Operator in India

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014

This paper proposes a methodology for location of Base Stations of cellular radio networks in India with the objective of optimizing and automating the process of network planning. Operations of a large telecom operator in rural parts of India are studied. The Operator's network planning team currently uses a manual approach to identify locations for the Base Stations. In this study the Base Station location problem is modelled as a discrete facility location problem and methodology that would help deal with conflicting network planning objectives i.e. cost, signal quality and coverage is presented and the best strategy under budget uncertainty is also explored. The model is run on data pertaining to one of the large States in India using CPLEX 10.0 [25] and OpenSolver [1]. Results indicate that, using the optimal approach, cost savings to the extent of 26% can be achieved. This is equivalent to a saving of INR 1 billion in the single State that is studied. Considering that the model can be replicated throughout the country, adoption of the proposed methodology can bring about substantial savings in the Operator's Base Station infrastructure costs.

Optimal Wireless Access Point Placement for Location-Dependent Services

In mobile computing scenarios, context-aware applications are more effective in relieving from the mobile user the burden of introducing information that can be automatically derived from the environment. In particular, the physical position of the mobile system (and hence of the user) is fundamental for many types of applications. User position estimation methods based on strength of the radio signals received from multiple wireless access points have been recently proposed and implemented by several independent research groups. In this paper a new approach to wireless access point placement is proposed. While previous proposals focus on optimal coverage aimed at connectivity, the proposed method integrates coverage requirements with the reduction of the error of the user position estimate. In particular, this paper proposes a mathematical model of user localization error based on the variability of signal strength measurements. This model has been designed to be independent from the actual localization technique, therefore it is only based on generic assumptions on the behavior of the localization algorithm employed. The proposed error model is used by local search heuristic techniques, such as local search, a prohibition-based variation and simulated annealing. Near-optimal access point placements are computed for various kinds of optimization criteria: localization error minimization, signal coverage maximization, a mixture of the two. The different criteria are not expected to be compatible: maximizing signal coverage alone can lead to degradation of the average positioning error, and vice versa. Some experiments have been dedicated to quantify this phenomenon and to introduce possible trade-offs.

Optimal location of transmitters for micro-cellular radio communication system design

1996

This paper is concerned with the mathematical modeling and analysis of a radio communication system design problem that seeks an optimal location of a single transmitter, or that of multiple transmitters, in order to serve a specified distribution of receivers. The problem is modeled by discretizing the radio coverage region into a grid of receiver locations and by specifying a function that estimates the path-loss or signal attenuation for each receiver location, given a particular location for a transmitter that communicates with it. The resulting model is a nonlinear programming problem having an implicitly defined objective function of minimizing a measure of weighted pathlosses. Specializations of three nonlinear optimization algorithms, namely, Hooke and Jeeves' method, quasi-Newton, and conjugate gradient search procedures are investigated for solving this problem. The technique described here is intended to interact with various propagation prediction models and may be used in a CAD system for radio communication system design.

Globally optimal transmitter placement for indoor wireless communication systems

Wireless …, 2004

A global optimization technique is applied to solve the optimal transmitter placement problem for indoor wireless systems. An efficient pattern search algorithm-DIviding RECTangles (DIRECT) of Jones et al.-has been connected to a parallel three-dimensional radio propagation ray tracing modeler running on a 200-node Beowulf cluster of Linux workstations. Surrogate functions for a parallel wideband code-division multiple-access (WCDMA) simulator were used to estimate the system performance for the global optimization algorithm. Power coverage and bit-error rate are considered as two different criteria for optimizing locations of a specified number of transmitters across the feasible region of the design space. This paper briefly describes the underlying radio propagation and WCDMA simulations and focuses on the design issues of the optimization loop. Index Terms-Bit-error rate (BER), DIviding RECTangles (DIRECT) algorithm, global optimization, power coverage, ray tracing, surrogate function, transmitter placement, wideband code division multiple access (WDCMA).