Impact of 3D base station antenna in random heterogeneous cellular networks

In this paper, we study the influence of 3-dimensional (3D) base station (BS) antenna patterns on the of downlink random heterogeneous cellular networks. To assess the impact of downtilt and vertical beamwidth, we propose a mathematical framework based on stochastic geometry (to model BS locations) and random shape theory (to model building geometry). Using this framework, we study the impact of different antenna parameters at the pico cell on the coverage and area spectral efficiency of the network. Through simulations we find that narrowing the vertical beamwidth of the pico cell must be accompanied by downtilt to result in improved coverage and capacity. We also find that high building density leads to improved network performance, motivating the deployment of heterogeneous networks in dense urban areas.