Solutions for GSM narrowband deployment

The outstanding performance of GSM and its promising evolution towards 3G services have oriented new operators to bet for this technology to deploy their mobile communication networks. However, the spectrum is a scarce resource and some new networks have to be initially deployed with a bandwidth lower than 5 MHz. Moreover, the inherent characteristics of GSM make the deployment a bit difficult due to the loose reuses normally required for BCCH frequencies. This paper presents results and conclusions of a study that aims at providing basic guidelines to deploy narrowband networks and achieve the maximum spectral efficiency with a very limited bandwidth. A network simulator and some trial results have been used during the study.