Practical Limits of Femtocells in a Realistic Environment

This article deals with the interference limitations of introducing femtocells in existing mobile networks. Femtocells are cheap alternatives for mobile operators to extend their network and to provide better coverage. However, having more femtocells increases the interference in existing components. Finally, the whole system could lock up itself, if the interference exceeds the maximum acceptable level. The question is the maximum number of femtocells per macrocell. In this article, it will be shown how this limit can be computed analytically - without simulations.