WCDMA Cell Load Control in a High-speed Train Scenario : Development of Proactive Load Control Strategies

Abstract: Load control design is one of the major cornerstones of radio resource management in today's UMTS networks. A WCDMA cell's ability to utilize available spectrum efficiently, maintain system stability and deliver minimum quality of service (QoS) requirements to in-cell users builds on the algorithms employed to manage the load. Admission control (AC) and congestion control (CC) are the two foremost techniques used for regulating the load, and differing environments will place varying requirements on the AC and CC schemes to optimize the QoS for the entire radio network. This thesis studies a real-life situation where cells are put under strenuous conditions, investigates the degrading effects a high-speed train has on the cell's ability to maintain acceptable levels of QoS, and proposes methods for mitigating these effects. The scenario is studied with regard to voice traffic where the limiting radio resource is downlink power. CC schemes that take levels of fairness into account between on-board train users and outdoor users are proposed and evaluated through simulation. Methods to anticipatorily adapt radio resource management (RRM) in a cell to prepare for a train is proposed and evaluated through simulation. A method to detect a high-speed train in a cell, and the users on it, is outlined and motivated but not simulated. Simulation results are promising but not conclusive. The suggested CC schemes show a surprising tendency towards an increase in congestion avoidance performance. Proactive RRM shows a significant increase in QoS for on-board users. No negative effects to users in the macro environment is noticed, with regard to the studied metrics.