Dynamic load balancing in a CDMA system with multiple carriers

Multiple carriers are often deployed in the same geographical region to increase capacity. When a new call arrives in a system with multiple carriers, the carrier needs to be assigned to the user. This paper analyzes the performance of a dynamic load balancing algorithm that uses the forward link power for the carrier assignment. The proposed multi-carrier traffic allocation (MCTA) algorithm utilizes the maximum available transmit power as a criterion. The MCTA algorithm balances traffic load among carriers. Such carrier assignment requires less power per user, reduces the call blocking probability, and increases the capacity of a system. Simulation results for several networks (e.g., IS-95 based mobility and fixed networks and an IS-2000 based mobility network) are reported. The simulation results indicate that the dynamic load balancing performed by the MCTA algorithm can increase the capacity substantially compared to the random carrier assignment approach