A system performance evaluation of 2-branch interference rejection combining

The need for greater cellular network capacities has increased the popularity of interference limited planning where the tight reuse of radio resources is employed to maximize spectral efficiency. This has focused recent receiver algorithm design on the development of algorithms that perform well in interference limited scenarios. In this study, a low complexity interference rejection method, so-called interference rejection combining (IRC), is evaluated in dynamic radio network simulations using a novel link-to-system interface. The interfacing technique captures the challenging dependence of IRC link performance on the prevailing interference environment with an accuracy of the order of 1 dB. Using a tightly planned GSM speech network as an example, the introduction of IRC in all base station receivers is shown to increase system capacity by up to 50%. The strong but sporadic interference in such a network constitutes an ideal environment for efficient interference suppression.