Uplink Spectral Efficiency Analysis of In-Building Distributed Antenna Systems

Providing high data rate wireless transmissions has been difficult in indoor environments, particularly in multi-floor buildings. One way to achieve high data rate wireless transmissions is to reduce the radio transmission distance between the transmitter and the receiver by using distributed antenna systems (DASs) and employing frequency reuse. However, due to the reuse of the limited available spectrum, co-channel interference can severely degrade system capacity. In this paper, the uplink spectral efficiency of an in-building DAS with frequency reuse is studied, where remote antenna units (RAUs) deployed on each floor throughout the building are connected to a central unit (CU) where received signals are processed. The impact of co-channel interference on system performance is investigated by using a propagation channel model derived from multi-floor, in-building measurement results. The proposed scheme exploits the penetration loss of the signal through the floors, resulting in frequency reuse in spatially separated floors, which increases system spectral efficiency and also reduces co-channel interference. A comparative analysis with conventional co-located antenna deployment at the floor center is provided. Location based RAU selection and deployment options are investigated. System performance is evaluated in terms of location-specific spectral efficiency for a range of potential mobile terminal (MT) locations and various in-building propagation characteristics.