Means of increasing capacity in cellular radio (mobile and fixed) systems

摘要

A method of configuring a plurality of directional beams in a cellular radio system having a plurality of antennas each communicating over a corresponding respective cell area by re-arrangement of directional beams using a same or like carrier frequency to each other, so as to be directed away from each other, and by restricting signal loading on beams experiencing worst case interference. Interference between geographically close cells is reduced by the method resulting in an improvement in carrier to interference ratio performance. Carrier frequencies of the inner two beams transmitted by an antenna are exchanged for the inner two beams which are transmitted in substantially the same direction by another antenna. Inner beams experiencing highest interference are restricted so as to operate at below their maximum signal load in order to reduce interference within the network. This results in an improved carrier to interference performance for all beams and may allow increased use of a lower frequency reuse factor. The techniques disclosed are applicable to center-excited or corner excited (tri-cellular) systems.