QoS provisioning in WCDMA cellular networks through rate and coverage adaptation

Our previous work proposed a novel mechanism for coverage control in WCDMA systems that can be used in instances of congestion and load imbalance. In this paper, we expand our work to accommodate the heterogeneous nature of traffic in future networks. More importantly, we derive a mathematical model to involve more realistic considerations for inter-cell interference in a system with mixed coverage. Based on different load scenarios in a hotspot area and different coverage combinations of the loaded and supporting sectors, the model is used to quantify the degradation level in the QoS parameters of low priority traffic to preserve the QoS level of high priority traffic. Achievable data rates and Bit Error Rates (BER) are determined for every possible coverage combination. The effect of rate and coverage adaptation on the transmission powers of mobile users is also analyzed.