3-Cell Network MIMO Architectures with Sectorization and Fractional Frequency Reuse

In this paper, we present a 3-cell network multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) architecture with fractional frequency frequency (FFR) and a novel tri-sector frequency partition scheme. One fundamental question to apply the network MIMO technique in such a high interference environment is: how many base stations should be coordinated together to provide sufficient performance? We will demonstrate that the FFR-based 3-cell network MIMO architecture with the proposed tri-sector frequency partition can not only effectively overcome the inter-group interference, but can avoid executing the complex multi-base-station joint processing for a huge number of cluster of cells at all locations. It will be shown that the proposed 3-cell network MIMO with the rearranged tri-sector frequency partition strategy can outperform the 7-cell network MIMO with omni-directional antennas. Various sector antenna architectures and the method for determining the inner region of the FFR cell planning are also discussed and analyzed on top of the network MIMO system. We hope that this study can provide important insights into the design of the network MIMO systems from the perspectives of architecture and deployment.