Unified approach to predicting cellular characteristics in urban environments with rectangular grid-plan streets

This work presents theoretical predictions obtained by Blaunstein et al. [1 997], Blaunstein and Levin [1996], Walfisch and Bertoni [1988], Xia et al. [1993], Xia and Bertoni [1992], and Bertoni et al. [1994] for estimating mi crocell characteristics in a street environment in order to improve the eff ective service to individual subscribers to cellular wireless systems. In t he case when the investigated region is built in a grid-like manner with re gularly distributed rows of buildings and both antennas are located under t he average building height in conditions of line of sight (LOS) along the s treet, we use the model of a three-dimensional (3-D) multislit waveguide, a ccording to Blaunstein et al. [1997] and Blaunstein and Levin [1996], to es timate the path loss at the street level. In the case of obstructive (NLOS) conditions, when both antennas are placed below and above the rooftops in an environment with strong shadowing surrounding them, we use the 2-D model of multidiffraction from the building roofs and walls, according to Walfis ch and Bertoni [1988], Xia et al. [1993], Xia and Bertoni [1992], and Berto ni et al. [1994], modified in conjunction with actual variations of buildin g heights, the distances between them, and the actual base station antenna height variations; at street intersections we use the crossing-waveguide mo del according to Blaunstein and Levin [1997]. The contributions to path los s are obtained to predict the experimentally observed coverage effects and a cell radius in LOS and NLOS conditions to predict the microcell shape for cellular map construction in urban and suburban areas with regularly distr ibuted rows of buildings and rectangularly crossing streets.