Data-driven optimal antenna planning for enhanced 4G mobile networks under realistic environment

Abstract

Recently different capacity boosting technologies, including 3D beamforming and expanding operating bandwidth have been investigated and included in the enhanced fourth generation (4G) and fifth-generation standards. For mobile operators to enhance their network performance, applying these advanced technologies is vital. To achieve that, planning and optimization work need to consider the spatiotemporal distribution of users. Although the capacity impact of advanced antenna technologies is investigated well, deployment options to exploit their benefits in a cost-effective manner considering a realistic network environment are seldom reported. This work presents a data driven and multi-objective based optimal vertical beams placement for an enhanced 4G mobile network with the newly introduced C-band. The method is utilized for an area located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, taking into account the existing 4G mobile network as a reference configuration. Users are distributed based on the data collected by ethio-telecom network management system. Findings indicate that optimal vertical beams placement achieved for gradual deployment with consideration cell edge and aggregate throughput performances while reducing network cost. While being cost-effective, up to 69.2% and 73.8% cell edge performance gain is achieved at 20 and 30 pareto points relative to an existing macro mobile network.