Prediction of SINR improvement with a directional antenna or antenna array in a cellular system

We consider a reuse-1 cellular system and study the improvement in SINR possible for a fixed/nomadic receiver, from the use of an optimally oriented directional patch antenna or a Uniform Linear Array (ULA) with 2 or 4 antenna elements along with Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) combining. We perform the studies with a ray-tracing propagation model as well as an empirical statistical model that is based on measurement values, in an urban macro scenario. The results show that a mean improvement of around 5 dB in SINR is possible using either the directional antenna or a 2-antenna ULA. In contrast, a 4-antenna ULA gives a mean improvement of around 11 dB. Interestingly, the results are similar with both channel models.