Analysis of capacity gain and BER performance for CDMA systems with desensitized embedded microcells

In order to serve traffic hot spots in a CDMA system it is possible to embed a microcell with minimum frequency planning since CDMA allows universal reuse of frequency; nevertheless interference is raised impacting directly on the system capacity. This work presents an analysis of the effects that microcell coverage area and site location have on the net system capacity. The proposed methodology is flexible to cope with different propagation scenarios and desensitization levels at the microcell site. A study for forward and reverse links has been conducted; analysis of BER dependence on microcell area and location is also presented. The maximum capacity achievable by the mixed micro/macro cellular system is obtained, numerical results are presented and discussed.