Base station arrangement for a cellular communication system

摘要

A base station arrangement for a cellular communication system comprises a plurality of antennas (101-105) where each antenna (101-105) has a different coverage area. The base station arrangement can operate in a sectorised mode and a non-sectorised mode controlled by a mode controller (119). When in the sectorised mode, the base station arrangement provides an individual broadcast control carrier to each antenna (101-105) of the plurality of antennas (101-105) thereby supporting a plurality of cells each having a coverage area of the corresponding antenna (101-105). When in the non-sectorised mode, the base station arrangement provides a common broadcast carrier to all antennas (101-105) of the plurality of antennas (101-105) thereby supporting a single cell having a coverage area corresponding to a combined coverage area of the plurality of antennas (101-105). The invention may allow reduced power consumption at low loading without sacrificing peak capacity.