WCDMA downlink capacity - part 1

In this paper we propose a semi-analytical approach, to evaluate WCDMA downlink capacity. New results are provided, with respect to literature, related to the role of the soft handover process and SSDT Mode (site selection diversity transmission power control) in network dimensioning. Moreover, the impact of sectorization has been taken into account in determining capacity, developing the model in case of three sectorial antennae. We show that, depending on soft handover algorithm parameters, capacity can be improved or worsened by enlarging the maximum active set size.