An investigation of WCDMA inter-operator adjacent channel interference

OrangeUK has had an operational WCDMA trial network in Bristol since April 1999 and was the first operator within Europe to make live 3G video calls. Using its Bristol trial network OrangeUK has performed many tests to verify the performance of a WCDMA network. One such series of tests performed has been to study the possible effects of adjacent channel interference between WCDMA operators also commonly know as the "deadzone" phenomenon. This paper begins by explaining the theory behind uplink and downlink deadzones and then goes on to explain the tests performed on Orange\´s experimental network and the results obtained from these tests. From these results the paper proposes a number of measures both operators and vendors should take to avoid deadzones in an operational WCDMA network.