Sizing up the microcell for mobile radio communications

Within cellular mobile radio communication systems large cells have been widely deployed, with cell sizes decreasing as the number of subscribers increase. This has lead to the possibility of using very small cells, or microcells. However, the term microcell has been used to mean different things to different organisations. With much work being performed on propagation within microcells and on infrastructure issues for microcells there is now a sufficient base of knowledge to allow the introduction of these small cells. The paper defines the microcell, examines propagation modelling methods and tools, and looks at problematic areas such handover and the complexity of the infrastructure required. Finally, the future of microcells for mobile radio use is considered