Metrocell Antennas: The Positive Impact of a Narrow Vertical Beamwidth and Electrical Downtilt

This article discusses the positive impact that metrocell antennas with a narrow vertical beamwidth and electrical downtilt can have on heterogeneous cellular networks. Using a model of random cell placement based on a Poisson distribution, along with an innovative three-dimensional (3-D) building model that quantifies blockage due to shadowing, it is demonstrated that the network spectral efficiency and average user through-put both increase as the vertical beamwidth decreases and downtilt is applied to metrocell transmission. Moreover, the network becomes more energy efficient. Importantly, these additional gains in network performance can be achieved without any cooperation or exchange of information between macrocell base stations (BSs) and metrocells.