Analysis of Potential Joint Transmission Gains based on Measurements in Different Environments

Coordinated multipoint (CoMP) concepts promise significant performance gains in mobile radio networks as has been shown by numerous studies by means of limited field trials, simulations or analytical models. In order to predict the potential performance benefits of CoMP in terms of joint transmission (JT) for real network deployments in different environments, a simple semi-analytical approach based on comprehensive measurements in real-world network deployments is applied in this paper. Typical urban, suburban, rural and highway scenarios are evaluated and the performance for coherent and non-coherent JT is deduced from the evaluation of reference signal received power (RSRP) levels of available cells. Special attention is thereby devoted to the distinction between inter-site and intra-site CoMP, since this is of significant importance for network operators intending to integrate CoMP functionality into their mobile radio networks. The results confirm that rural and highway scenarios would rather necessitate inter-site JT while urban and suburban environments favor intra-site JT due to the increased site density.