UMTS air interface simulation

The FDD portion of UMTS uses a wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA) technique, with a frequency reuse of one. Due to the high chip rates and the effects of inter-cell interference, simulation is inherently more complicated than most of the other communications systems analysed in the past. This places one of the toughest challenges to the research and development of both the physical layer and higher layer protocols. The paper looks at three methods that are used in analysing W-CDMA cellular systems. It investigates link level simulation, which is used to derive the Eb/No, and Eb/Io graphs. It also addresses Monte Carlo simulation, providing an introduction to the method and its application to spectral engineering and capacity estimation