Frequency Assignment and Interference Analysis

T r a i n i n g R e s o u r c e s
FREQUENCY ASSIGNMENT
AND
INTERFERENCE CALCULATION
OF
BASE STATIONS
The frequency assignment and the interference calculation are the necessary
second steps after having created a network. This analysis can lead to modify
the initial design of the network.
In this manual, you will learn how to:
• Analyze the interferences in a network of base stations
• Assign the frequencies to a network of base stations
13/06/2006 FREQUENCY ASSIGNMENT AND INTERFERENCE CALCULATION OF BASE STATIONS 1/60
The following manual is copyright protected and remains the exclusive property of ATDI. No part of this manual, in
whole or in part, may be copied or reproduced in any way without prior written authorisation of ATDI.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 OBJECT ............................................................................................................................. 4
2 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS IN C/I MODE .................................................................. 4
2.1 Definitions ................................................................................................................... 4

2.1.1 Interference due to one interferer ........................................................................ 4
2.1.2 Nuisance field strength ........................................................................................ 5
2.1.3 Interference due to several interferers................................................................. 5
2.1.3.1 Single interferers mode .................................................................................... 6
2.1.3.2 Summed interferers mode................................................................................ 6
2.2 Conventions ................................................................................................................ 6
2.3 Important parameters.................................................................................................. 7
2.3.1 Received signals.................................................................................................. 7
2.3.2 Thresholds ........................................................................................................... 7
2.3.3 Protection ratios ................................................................................................... 8
2.3.3.1 User-defined..................................................................................................... 8
2.3.3.2 From recommendations ................................................................................... 8
2.3.4 Cross-polar discrimination ................................................................................... 8
2.3.5 Receiving antenna ............................................................................................... 9
2.3.5.1 Dynamic calculation ......................................................................................... 9
2.3.5.2 Coverage modification ................................................................................... 10
3 INTERFERENCE ANALYSIS IN C/I MODE .................................................................... 13
3.1 Process ..................................................................................................................... 13

3.2 Protection ratios ........................................................................................................ 14
3.2.1 User-defined ...................................................................................................... 14
3.2.2 From recommendations ..................................................................................... 15
3.3 Cross-polar discrimination......................................................................................... 15
3.4 Options ...................................................................................................................... 15
3.4.1 Generic options.................................................................................................. 15
3.4.2 Options of the "Protection ratio" window............................................................ 16
3.4.3 Options of the "Interference (C/I)" window......................................................... 17
3.5 Mode ......................................................................................................................... 18
3.5.1 Many to many .................................................................................................... 18
3.5.2 Optimization (TV line offset) .............................................................................. 22
3.6 Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 22
3.7 Coverage modification .............................................................................................. 23
4 FREQUENCY ASSIGNMENT IN C/I MODE.................................................................... 25
4.1 Process ..................................................................................................................... 25

4.2 Mode ......................................................................................................................... 27
4.2.1 Band................................................................................................................... 27
4.2.2 Group (multi-channels) ...................................................................................... 28
4.2.3 List...................................................................................................................... 31
4.2.4 Frequency plan .................................................................................................. 31
4.2.5 Polarization ........................................................................................................ 32

4.3 Rules ......................................................................................................................... 32
5 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS IN IRF MODE............................................................... 37
5.1 Definitions ................................................................................................................. 37

5.1.1 Unwanted signals............................................................................................... 38
5.1.2 Sum of unwanted signals................................................................................... 38
5.1.3 Wanted signal .................................................................................................... 39
5.1.4 C/Sum(I)............................................................................................................. 39
5.1.5 Threshold degradation ....................................................................................... 39
5.2 Important parameters................................................................................................ 40
5.2.1 Received signals................................................................................................ 40
5.2.2 Thresholds ......................................................................................................... 40
5.2.3 IRF ..................................................................................................................... 40
5.2.3.1 User-defined................................................................................................... 40
5.2.3.2 From recommendations ................................................................................. 40
5.2.3.3 From NFD matrix............................................................................................ 41
5.2.4 Cross-polar discrimination ................................................................................. 41
5.2.5 Noise Floor and KTBF ....................................................................................... 42
5.2.6 Receiving antenna ............................................................................................. 42
6 INTERFERENCE ANALYSIS IN IRF MODE................................................................... 43
6.1 Process ..................................................................................................................... 43

6.2 Mode ......................................................................................................................... 44
6.3 IRF masks ................................................................................................................. 46
6.3.1 User-defined ...................................................................................................... 46
6.3.2 From recommendations ..................................................................................... 46
6.3.3 From NFD matrix ............................................................................................... 46
6.4 Other options............................................................................................................. 46
6.5 Cross-polar attenuation............................................................................................. 47
6.6 Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 47
7 DOWNLINK INTERFERENCE MAP IN IRF MODE ........................................................ 48
1 Object
In this manual, the base stations are considered as transmitters only, i.e. in
downlink mode.
The problem consists then in determining :
• Where and why the signal transmitted by a base station is interfered
• How an adequate frequency assignment of the transmitters could avoid

any harmful interference
2 General considerations in C/I mode
2.1 Definitions
2.1.1 Interference due to one interferer
In the C/I mode, the term “signal” refers to the field strength delivered by the
transmitter at the entry of the receiving antenna.
Let’s consider two transmitters Tx1, Tx2 and a reception point M of the map,
on which Tx1 delivers a signal C1 and Tx2 a signal C2.
Tx1 Tx2
C2
C1
Tx1 coverage area without interferer
Tx1 coverage area with interferer M
Figure 1 – Victim, interferer and receiver
Tx1 is considered as interfered by Tx2 on the point M if :
• C1 (dBµV/m) > Threshold (dBµV/m)

and
• C1/C2 (dB) < C/I Required (dB) – RXAPA (dB) - XPD (dB)
The first condition means that the point must belong to the coverage area of
Tx1 in order to be considered as interfered. This condition implies that the
higher is the threshold, the smaller the covered and the interfered area.
The second condition means that Tx1 is jammed by Tx2 if the ratio of the two
signals is lower than a minimum value, often called protection ratio, optionally
decreased by the Rx antenna pattern attenuation of the receiver in the
direction of Tx2 (RXAPA) and by another parameter, called cross-polar
discrimination (XPD).
2.1.2 Nuisance field strength
The Nuisance field strength (NFS) delivered by Tx2 at the receiver’s

location relatively to Tx1 is defined by the following formula :
NFS (dBµV/m) = C2 (dBµV/m) + C/I Required (dB) – RXAPA (dB) - XPD (dB)
2.1.3 Interference due to several interferers
Let’s consider three transmitters Tx1, Tx2, Tx3 and a reception point M of the
map, on which Tx1 delivers a signal C1, Tx2 a signal C2 and Tx3 a signal C3.
Tx3
Tx1 Tx2
C3
C2
C1
Tx1 coverage area without interferers
Tx1 coverage area with interferers M
Figure 2 – Victim, interferers and receiver
Two different definitions of interferences can be used.
2.1.3.1 Single interferers mode

In this mode, Tx1 is considered as interfered at the point M if :

and
• C1 (dBµV/m) < Max j≠1 (NFS) (dBµV/m)

This means that interference calculations are performed considering in turn
each interferer against each victim and comparing the ratio of these signals
with the required ratio.
For example, on the Figure 2, Tx1 is interfered only if it is interfered by Tx2, or
if it is interfered by Tx3.
As C1/C2 (dB) = C1 (dBµV/m) – C2 (dBµV/m), the same criteria as the one
specified in § 2.1.1 is used if there is only one interferer.
2.1.3.2 Summed interferers mode
In this mode, Tx1 is considered as interfered at the point M if :

and
• C1 (dBµV/m) < Sum j≠1 (NFS) (dBµV/m)

Sum(NFS) is defined by the following formula, where NFS(j) is the NFS due to
the j-th interferer expressed in dBµV/m:
Sum(NFS) = 10 x Log10(Σ j≠110NFS(j)/10)

This summation method is often called power sum given that, on a linear
scale, it corresponds to a quadratic sum of the NFS’s.
As C1/C2 (dB) = C1 (dBµV/m) – C2 (dBµV/m), the same criteria as the one
specified in § 2.1.1 is used if there is only one interferer.
To deal with sums of interfering signals, it is also possible to work in IRF
mode (see § 5).
2.2 Conventions
Only interferences occurring on activated stations are considered. This means

that only the signals transmitted from activated stations can be interfered.
However, in some configurations, de-activated stations can be taken into
account as interferers.
“Wanted” means potential victim, while “unwanted” means potential interferer.
On the maps, the value 255 is used to identify the interfered areas. By default,
the color of interfered areas is the pink color. The user can change this color
by clicking on the colored square, on the left side of the screen : .
2.3 Important parameters
2.3.1 Received signals
The signals received on a given point from a transmitter are extracted from
the coverage contained in the transmitter record, as it would be much too long
to recalculate it dynamically. This coverage depends on the following
parameters :
• Tx nominal power and frequency
• Tx antenna height, antenna pattern, gain and losses
• Rx antenna height
• Propagation model
• Environment (DTM and clutter)

This means that it is necessary to previously calculate the coverage of all
transmitters, either victims or interferers, before performing any interference
analysis or frequency assignment : a transmitter without coverage will be
considered as not interfered and not interfering.
2.3.2 Thresholds
Even if the threshold, expressed in dBµV/m, slightly increases with the

frequency, it is considered as an independent and constant parameter, set by
the user.
The threshold can be either global, or specific to each transmitter.
ICS telecom provides a list of standard thresholds depending on the
frequency band, the type of service, the modulation, etc. (see the button
on the left side of the screen).
2.3.3 Protection ratios
There are two types of protection ratios.

2.3.3.1 User-defined
The applied protection ratios are defined in a curve, set by the user, giving the
protection ratio following the frequency delta between victim and interferer.
C/I (dB)
Delta F
Delta F = 0 MHz
Figure 3 – C/I mask
In addition, a correction factor is applied to this curve to take into account the
bandwidths ratio between victim and interferer (see Appendix).
Therefore, the protection ratio depends on :
• The C/I mask set by the user
• The frequency delta between the victim and the interferer
• The bandwidths of the victim and the interferer

2.3.3.2 From recommendations
Instead of a user-defined C/I mask, it is also possible to use standard values
specified in international recommendations. In that case, the protection ratios
will be selected following :
• The frequency, the bandwidth, the type of signal, the modulation, the
line offset and the precision of the victim
• The same parameters for the interferer
2.3.4 Cross-polar discrimination
This parameter, also called XPD, is set by the user and decreases the
protection ratio when the victim and the interferer do not have the same
polarization.
Therefore, this parameter depends on :
• The XPD value set by the user
• The polarizations of the victim and of the interferer
2.3.5 Receiving antenna
The height of the Rx antenna is contained in the coverage of the transmitter,

but not the Rx antenna pattern, gain and losses, while they are also extremely
important to determine the received signal.
Two different methods are available to take these parameters into account.
2.3.5.1 Dynamic calculation
In this mode, the characteristics of the Rx antenna are used during the
calculation of the interference itself. More precisely, the Rx antenna is
directed towards the wanted transmitter : the wanted signal is then increased
and the interfering signals are decreased.
Three different types of antenna are available :
• None : the receiving antenna is considered as omnidirectional and with

a gain of 0 dB
• 419 GE : the receiving antenna is the one described in the

corresponding ITU recommendation
• User : the user can define his own receiving antenna
2.3.5.2 Coverage modification

Before performing frequency assignment and/or interference calculations, the
coverage can be modified itself, in order to take into account the directivity of
the Rx antennas.
This modification is applicable only if :
• Fixed directional receiving antennas are used
• Dynamic calculation is not used

To perform this modification :
• Set the maximum distance for calculation. This distance must be

greater than the cell radius as a station can interfere another one
above its covering limit
• Calculate and save the coverage
• Use one of the following functions:
• Choose the transmitters coverage to modify: Activated, De-activated or

All.
• The following window then appears :
• Set the gain (dB) of the receiver antenna (used for field / power
conversion), define its horizontal pattern by clicking on H-pattern or use
RPE file. Click on OK.
For each pixel of the coverage, ICS telecom determines the best server,
orients a virtual receiver antenna towards this station, and attenuates the
other received fields and powers according to the Rx antenna horizontal
pattern and gain.
Figure 4 – Coverage modification effects
Before the modification of the coverage, the different fields strengths are
received as if each pixel had an omnidirectional antenna. During the
modification, ICS telecom chooses on each pixel the best server and orients
the directional antenna towards it. All the received fields are then attenuated
according to the receiver antenna pattern (fields number 1, 3, 4 and 5 on the
above figure), except the field received in the main beam azimuth (field
number2).
To check if the coverage of your network has been modified, click on the Info
button of the Coverage sub-box of a station parameter box:
In the displayed Notepad window, check if "antenna orientation" is mentioned.
If you add or move a station in your network, and if you wish to modify the
new coverage, you must modify the coverage of the whole network, using the
non-modified coverage.
You should always save the non-modified coverage of your network before
launching the modification, otherwise, you would have to perform it again.
3 Interference analysis in C/I mode
3.1 Process
• Before carrying out interference calculations, the coverage calculation

must be performed (see § 2.3).
• Use the following function:
• The following window appears:
• Select the mode (see below)
• Set the threshold, the C/I ratios, the XPD and the type of receiving
antenna.
• Click on Start to launch the calculation.
3.2 Protection ratios
Click on to define the different protection ratios and cross polar

discrimination. The following window appears:
3.2.1 User-defined
The user can define his own C/I mask (see § 2.3.3.1). Two different types of
C/I masks are available :
• Multiple C/I (dB) / Compare Tx/Rx bandwidths: Defines C/I

protection ratios required: co-channel (N=0), adjacent channel (N=1),
N+2 channel (N=2) , etc. The width of the channel is the bandwidth of
the victim (see Appendix). The "Pilot channel" option allows to define
different protection ratios for the first channel if defined so in the
"Channel" item of the station's parameters box.
• Single C/I / Compare user frequency delta: Calculation will take into
account the following parameters:
¾ Frequency delta safety (MHz): If the difference between the two center
frequencies of the wanted and the unwanted signals is lower than the
delta, the interferer is taken into account for assignment. Otherwise, it
is not.
¾ C/I (dB): Protection ratio required between the wanted signal and the
interferer.
• C/I from NFD matrix: The protection ratios are calculated from the
NFD matrix depending on the delta frequency between the wanted and
the unwanted signals and on the "Required C/I (dB)" in the following
way : C/I required = Required C/I (dB)-IRF (dB).
3.2.2 From recommendations
The option C/I tables allows to retrieve the C/I ratios from standard tables
(see § 2.3.3.2).
Preview... gives the used C/I ratios.
If the option C/I tables is checked and if the corresponding values are not
defined in tables, Multiple C/I (dB) or Single C/I are used.
3.3 Cross-polar discrimination
The XPD is defined with .

If checked, a Global value is used for all transmitters. If not, the values
defined in the parameters box (Patterns tab) are used.
If RPE antennas are used, XPD is defined in the corresponding file,
regardless the global XPD or the XPD set in the station parameters.
If the polarization of the victim is circular and if the polarization of the interferer
is vertical or horizontal, the XPD value is always set to 3dB.
In the same way, if the polarization of the victim is vertical or horizontal and if
the polarization of the interferer is circular, the XPD value is always set to
3dB.
3.4 Options
3.4.1 Generic options
The following options are applied to all interference calculations and during
frequency assignment. The parameters are set from the "Interference
restrictions" window that can be accessed from different functions.
• "Do not interfere if same Network ID" : The stations sharing the same
"Network ID" field in the "General" item cannot interfere one with
another.
• "Do not interfere if same Group code" : The stations sharing the same
"group" field in the "General" item cannot interfere one with another.
• "Do not interfere if linked" : The linked stations ("Link" object) cannot
interfere one with another.
• "Interference from/to activated stations (only)" : Only activated stations
are considered as wanted and unwanted in turn. Deactivated stations
are ignored.
• "Wanted : all channels / Unwanted : All channels (C/I)" : In C/I
multichannel interference mode, all channels are considered as wanted
and unwanted in turn.
• "Wanted : Pilot channel only / Unwanted : All channels (C/I)" : In C/I
multichannel interference mode, the first channel only (if defined as
"Pilot") is considered as wanted. But all channels are considered as
potential interferers.
• "Wanted/Unwanted distance <=" : This option will limit interference
calculations to the interferers that are located inside a maximum radius
around each wanted station.
3.4.2 Options of the "Protection ratio" window
• "Activity factor weighting [CIreq+10.log(activity)]" : This option is used

during interference calculations and frequency assignment. The activity
factor defined for the interfering stations is taken into account ("activity
factor" in the station parameters) in order to decrease the required C/I

ratio :
C/I required = Initial C/I required + 10*log(activity factor of the unwanted
station/100).
• "Channel weighting [CIreq+10.log((nbcx-cx)/nbcx)]" : This option is
used during interference calculations and frequency assignment. It
takes into account the position of the considered channel of the wanted
station in order to decrease the required C/I ratio in the following way :
C/I required = C/I required + 10*log [(nbcx-cx)/nbcx],
with nbcx = number of channels of the wanted station (from 1 to 16)
and cx = number of the current channel (from 0 to 15).
• If both options ("Activity factor weighting" and "Channel weighting") are
checked, the C/I ratio required is then :
C/I required 1 = Initial C/I required + 10*log(activity factor of the unwanted
station/100).
C/I required final = C/I required 1 + 10*log [(nbcx-cx)/nbcx].
3.4.3 Options of the "Interference (C/I)" window
• "Threshold = wanted coverage (extd rad)" : This option considers that

the wanted coverage is equal to the receiving threshold value inside
the "Extended radius" (Site item). The unwanted coverage is the
calculated coverage.
• "Threshold = wanted coverage (station polygon)" : This option
considers that the wanted coverage is equal to the receiving threshold
value inside associated polygon. The unwanted coverage is the
calculated coverage.
• "Interferer sum applied" : This options allows working in summed
interferers mode (see § 2.1.3.2). Otherwise, the single interferers mode
is applied (see § 2.1.3.1).
• "Coverage from FDW/FDU" : This option can take into account different
coverage, depending on the status of the station : wanted or unwanted.
If the station is wanted, the callsign.fdw coverage is used, if the station
is unwanted, the callsign.fdu coverage is used.
If the FDU or FDW coverage is not found, the current coverage is
considered. The .FDW and .FDU files must be located in the same
folder, defined when checking the option.
• The"Files/Import/Import Tx coverages from FDW (FDU) files..." and
"Files /Export /Export Tx coverages to FDW (FDU) files..." functions
allow to importing and exporting coverage according to the following

principles :
Callsign.fdu : Contains the coverage that the user wants to consider
when the station ("Callsign") is wanted.
Calssign.fdw : Contains the coverage that the user wants to consider
when the station ("Callsign") is unwanted.
3.5 Mode
3.5.1 Many to many
• Global Interference
In this mode, a pixel will be considered as interfered if at least one
received signal is interfered. If the point is interfered, the displayed
value is 255, otherwise, the displayed value is the one of the best
signal received on this point, in dBµV/m.
Three options are available:
¾ Co-site excluded
If checked, interferences on a same site are not considered.
Different ways are possible to define a site :
In this example, interferences between stations having the same

coordinates and the same address will not be considered.
¾ Multi-channels:
If checked, all station channels are considered in interference
calculations. Interference between channels of a same sector
are not taken into account. It is assumed that channels are
defined in order to not interfere one with the others. The user
should use overlaid stations in order to check interference
between these channels.
¾ Activated wanted stations

If checked, only de-activated stations are considered as
interferers. If not checked, only activated stations are considered
as interferers.
• Interference + best server
In this mode, a pixel will be considered as interfered if all the received
signals are interfered. If the point is interfered, the displayed value is
255, otherwise, the displayed value is the number of the station
transmitting the best signal on this point.
Three options are available:
¾ Multi-channels
If checked, all station channels are considered in interference
calculation. Interference between channels of a same sector are
not taken into account. It is assumed that channels are defined
in order to not interfere one with the others. The user should use
overlaid stations in order to check interference between these
channels.
¾ Activated wanted stations
If checked, only de-activated stations are considered as
interferers. If not checked, only activated stations are considered
as interferers.
¾ Frequency selection
If checked, only stations whose frequencies are between Fmin
and Fmax are considered as potential victims. All activated
stations are considered as potential interferers.
• Interference on best server
In this function, a pixel will be considered as interfered as soon as the
best server on this point is interfered. If the point is interfered, the
displayed value is 255, otherwise, the displayed value is the number of
the station transmitting the best signal on this point.
• Interference Activated+De-act
In this mode, a pixel will be considered as interfered if at least one
received signal is interfered. Only activated stations can be interfered,
by activated and deactivated stations. If the point is interfered, the
displayed value is 255, otherwise, the displayed value is the number of
the station transmitting the best signal on this point.
• Interference Network ID
In this mode, a point will be considered as interfered if at least one

program is interfered on this point. The list of programs is determined
by all the distinct values of Network ID among the activated stations. If
the point is interfered, the displayed value is 255, otherwise, the
displayed value is the number of distinct programs received on this
point.
A program is considered as interfered on a given point if all the signals
having the same Network Id, received on this point and not interfered
by the stations having the same Network ID are interfered by at least
one station having a different Network ID.
This function is ideal for the deployment of a new FM program, in order
to check that all the existing programs will not be affected by the new
ones.
• Interference wanted signals
In this mode, a point will be considered as interfered if at least one
signal received from the activated transmitters above the threshold is
not interfered by the activated transmitters and is interfered by the de-
activated transmitters. If the point is interfered, the displayed value is
255, otherwise, the displayed value is the number of signals received
on this point and not interfered by the activated transmitters.
This function is ideal for the deployment of a new TV program. Indeed,
since you don’t know the direction of the receiving antennas on the
roofs, you need to check that all the available signals are not interfered
by the new ones (the problem is not the same in FM, since the
receiving antennas are omnidirectional).
• Interference SOFDMA
This function is intended to model the behavior of a technology using
SOFDMA (Scalable OFDM), like WiMax.
In this mode, the adaptive reduction of bandwidth due to interference is
calculated. The user must specify the max number of subchannels
used. The result is a map showing the percentage of available
bandwidth on best servers.
• C/I Map (Min C/I)
Displays the minimum C/I on each point of the coverage.
All activated stations are considered in turn. The unwanted stations
must be de-activated. Only the general frequency is considered and the
interferers are treated as having the same frequency and polarization
as the wanted signal. No XPD is taken into account.
• C/I Map (Max C/I)
Displays the maximum C/I on each point of the coverage. All activated
stations are considered in turn as wanted and unwanted. Only general
frequency is considered and the interferers are treated as having the
same frequency and polarization as the wanted signal. No XPD is
taken into account
• Protection Margin
Displays on each coverage point the result of the following calculation:
Max[(Wanted field strength) - Max(Unwanted field strength+C/I
required ratio)], for Wanted field strength ≥ Threshold.
must be de-activated. Works with general frequency only.
• Protected field strength
Displays on each coverage point the maximum interference field
strength plus the worst case protection ratio :
Max[Unwanted field strength + Maximum C/I required ratio], if
Unwanted field strength and Wanted field strength > 0
must be de-activated. Only general frequency is considered.
• Interference on serving cell
On each covered point, all potential servers are analyzed. A server
becomes "effective" if the field strength received from it (FS) is greater
or equal to the receiving threshold and satisfies :
Max FS – Handover margin<= FS <= Max FS,
with Max FS = Highest field strength value received on that point.
All servers satisfying these conditions are analyzed in terms of
interference. If one of them is interfered on one of its channels, the
point will be considered as interfered (255 code displayed on the map).
If no server is interfered, the best server number is displayed.
Al other stations are considered as potential interferers.
If the "Activated wanted stations" option is checked, only de-activated

stations are considered as interferers. If not checked, only activated
stations are considered as interferers.
A CSV report is also generated and gives for each channel of each
server the percentage of coverage interfered.
The "Interference on serving cell" method with a very high handover

margin (120dB for example) gives the same results as the "Global
interference" method
The "Interference on serving cell" method with a handover margin of

0dB gives almost the same results as the "On best server" method,
except on points where more than one best server is received with the
same value. With the "On best server" method, the result (interference
or no interference) depends on the first best server considered. With
the "Interference on serving cell" method if one of these servers is
interfered, the point in interfered (no influence of the order of the
servers).
• Server position
This function first draws an "Interference+Best server" coverage map,
then, for each point not interfered, calculates the position of the server
in terms of best field strength received.
Example 1 : No server is interfered, the server is in position 1 (best
server in terms of field strength received).
Example 2 : The best server in terms of field strength received is
interfered, but the second one is not, the server is in position 2.
Example 3 : The best server in terms of field strength received is
interfered, and also the second one, but the third one is not, the server
is in position 3.
3.5.2 Optimization (TV line offset)
Assigns line offset to each activated TV stations present on the map. The line
offset is assigned in order to reduce the C/I ratios with the adjacent stations.
Setting of service and channel of TV stations must be previously performed.
3.6 Analysis
Three different methods can be used to analyze the results :
• On the whole map : use Map/Filter/General filter to check (un)interfered

areas, clutter interfered, …
• On a given point (WAY button) :
¾ Click on at the bottom of the left side of the screen and select
"MFN interference..."
¾ Set or check required C/I ratios.
¾ Click on any point on the map (an interfered point for example). All
received signals above the threshold will be displayed and the list of
interferers, if any, will be given.
If the coverage of a station is not available, the corresponding received
field will be performed in point to point mode and “P2P” will be
displayed on the corresponding line.
The WAY function takes into account only the activated stations, both
as interferers or as victims.
• On a given point (Tx received function) :
¾ Right-click on any point of the map
¾ Select the Tx received function
¾ A report is generated with the list of the signals received from all
activated transmitters
¾ Cross these information to determine why the protection ratios are not
respected
In this function, the received signals are not extracted from the
coverage of the transmitters but recalculated in point-to-point mode.
3.7 Coverage modification
Interfered areas can be removed from the stations coverage. To do so, use
the following function :
In that case, the remarks made in § 2.3.5.2, regarding the modification due to
the receiving antenna and the importance to keep a back-up of the original
coverage, are also applicable.
Be aware not to run this function if the interference analysis has already been
done using a receiver with discrimination.
4 Frequency assignment in C/I mode

The principle of the frequency assignment is first to calculate the coverage
using a nominal frequency of the transmitters which frequencies need to be
assigned and then, to modify the frequencies in order to minimize the
interferences.
At this level, two points must be underlined :
• In order to reduce the computing time, the interference analysis

method used during the frequency assignment is a simplified method.
This means that any frequency assignment must always be validated
by a detailed interference analysis.
• As mentioned in § 2.3.1, the coverage of a transmitter varies with the
frequency.
This means that :
¾ During the frequency assignment, the frequency must vary inside a
“limited” frequency range only.
¾ After the frequency assignment, it can be necessary to re-compute the
coverage in order to perform an ultimate verification with a detailed
interference analysis.
4.1 Process
• Select the transmitters to assign

There are two ways to specify the transmitters to assign.
¾ Activated transmitters on the map
In that case, use the following function:
¾ Selected transmitters in a database

In that case, in the database menu, click on Assign :
• In both cases, the following window is displayed :
• Select the assignment mode (see below)
• Select the rules of assignment (see below)
• Click on Start to launch the assignment.

Frequencies will be assigned to all activated stations taking into
account all activated and de-activated stations in the project.
After the calculation press "f" key to display frequencies on the map (not
printable):
Or select Label/Frequency in the Tools/Objects properties box (printable):
4.2 Mode
4.2.1 Band
Frequencies to assign are defined by bands and/or sub bands.
• Click on Band... to define the frequencies:
The "Excluded frequencies" option allows to remove from the list of

frequencies that can be assigned a given set of frequencies contained in
an external ASCII file.
• Click on Preview to check the frequencies that will be assigned:
• Click on Assign to close the Frequency band assignment window.

The Multi-channels Assignment option is dedicated to the multi channel
assignment. Only one channel is considered if not checked. Each channel of
each sector is considered in turn as wanted and interferer.
If checked, a Maximum and a Minimum frequency spacing between all
channels can be defined.
4.2.2 Group (multi-channels)
Frequencies to assign are defined by groups.
• Click on Group... to define the frequencies. Click on Add... in the

appearing window and define frequency group(s): Number of Tx/ RX
channels, Tx/Rx frequencies (for each channel), duplex spacing, Tx
and Rx bandwidths.
• Use the Create orthogonal group... function to generate a list of

orthogonal sequences.
Define the different frequencies that belong to the reference sequence

considered and click on "Start".
The following groups are then created :
• Select the frequency group(s) and click on assign...
This option is more dedicated to multi-channels assignment. Frequencies

defined in the same group will be assigned to the different channels of each
base station.
Check Keep number of channels defined for each station option to keep
the number of channels defined in each station file after assignment.
The option Start index assignment is applied only to the stations using the
frequency hopping mode. If checked, this option will assign to each station the
start index of the frequency sequence (see appendix).
4.2.3 List

If checked, a Maximum frequency spacing between all channels can be
defined.
4.2.4 Frequency plan
This mode allows specifying the frequencies that can be assigned in a

particular way for each station. These frequencies are contained in the
frequency plan associated to each station (General item).
Three different modes are available :
• Tx : The transmitting frequencies are assigned according to the

possible frequencies of the plan. The receiving frequencies are just
shifted according to the duplex spacing of each station. These Rx
frequencies are not necessarily defined in the frequency plan.
• Rx : The transmitting frequencies are not modified. Only the receiving

frequencies are selected in the frequency plan associated to each
station and according to the duplex spacing of each station.
• Tx/Rx : The transmitting and the receiving frequencies are assigned

according to the frequency plan associated to each station. The Rx
frequencies are chosen according to a minimum duplex spacing.
If checked, a Maximum frequency spacing between all channels can be
defined.
4.2.5 Polarization
Polarization only is assigned (frequencies are not changed, could be used

after a frequency assignment).
Check multi-channels interference to take into account all interfering
channels.
4.3 Rules
Several rules can be selected simultaneously and the most suitable rules to
use will closely depends on the kind of network, the number of frequencies to
assign, the coverage radius of the stations ...
• Apply frequency spacing on same site MHz :>=d1 and <=d2, if

azimuth spacing < x°
ICS telecom will apply a frequency spacing included in the frequency
range defined in MHz on two adjacent sectors, if they are separated by
less than x degrees :
|az1 – az2| < x° => |f1 – f2| >= d1 MHz and |f1 – f2| <= d2 MHz
Use 91° if four sectors, 61° if six sectors…
"Tx/Tx" : Checks the spacing between transmitting channels only.
"Tx/Rx" : Checks the spacing between transmitting and the receiving
channels.
"From TR" : Checks the minimum spacing from each station's
parameters.
• Forbid same polarization on site if azimuth spacing < x°

ICS telecom will not assign the same polarization on two adjacent
sectors.
Use 91° if four sectors, 61° if six sectors…
• Forbid same frequency on same site
ICS telecom will not assign the same frequency on two sectors
belonging to the same site..
If rules concerning both the frequency and azimuth spacing on the

same site are defined, a and/or option can also be selected for the
rules to be applied.
• Site: distance between station <= x m

Use this option if the sectors of a same site are broken out (one sector
at each corner of a building, for instance).
ICS telecom will consider separated sectors as belonging to the same
site if sectors are not more than x meters from one to another.
• Organize Tx list - frequency isolation constraint

ICS telecom will try to limit frequency reuse within a circle whose radius
is defined by the user.
• Organize Tx list - sector constraint
ICS telecom will try to limit frequency reuse on sectors belonging to
different sites but in the same azimuth.
• Organize Tx list - coverage size constraint
ICS telecom will assign the sites sorted from the largest coverage size
to the smallest one.
• Assign polarization (H/V)
ICS telecom will assign the frequencies and the polarisation at the
same time.
In some cases, it is better to assign the frequency first, and then, the
polarisation, by choosing Polarisation H/V in the mode sub-box.
• Calculation methods
Exhaustive is used in order to check all possible combinations. The
computation time is independent from the number of passes, all
combination are checked anyway, and the best one is selected. The
number of combinations is equal to (nb_freq*nb_polar)^nbstations, with
a limit of 2^32.
Monte-Carlo is recommended for WLL networks (high frequency re-

use). This method can be selected if rules are already defined. The
higher the number of passes defined, the longer the calculation.
Iterative and Sequential are recommended for GSM, Tetra and
Broadcast networks (low frequency re-use). In the database, only the
sequential method can be used. The higher the number of passes
defined, the longer the calculation. The "Sequential" method is quicker
because interference coming from not yet assigned stations are
ignored (but the iterative method does).
• Overlapping frequency re-use
Before the assignment, ICS telecom checks all couple of stations for
which there is at least one point of reception on the map where the
difference between the two signals is lower than Delta FS. All these
couples of stations will be separated in frequency by at least Delta
Freq. This option ensures than the handover between the two stations
will happen in good conditions.
• Interference wanted/unwanted
If this option is checked, interferences caused by and to the newly
assigned stations will be considered. If this option is not checked, only
the interferences caused to the newly assigned stations will be
considered.
• Number of passes
Select the number of pass: .

One pass is the assignment of all stations and generally, performing
several passes improves the result. Enter one pass if the number of
frequencies is lower than the number of channels per site to assign.
This option is not used if the exhaustive method is selected
• Clutter
Use the clutter options to define the clutter areas where interference
have to be limited (Surface factor column).
• Calculate interferences before assignment
The interferences occurring in the network are calculated before the
frequency assignment and displayed in the final report.
• Same freq
The same frequency will be assigned to the activated stations or to the

ones that are sharing the same Network ID or to the linked stations
("Link" object"). In that case, the transmitting and the receiving

frequencies of the linked stations are switched.
• Rx antenna discrimination
Refer to section § 2.3.5
• Other options
"Threshold = wanted cover. (extd rad)" : For coordination aspects, if this

option is checked, the wanted signal level is considered as equal to the
threshold in the area defined by "Ext. radius" ("Site" item in the station's
parameters box).
"Global interference" : If this option is checked, interference calculations are
made according to the "Global interference" rule, else, calculations are made
according to the "Best server" rule (refer to section 3.4).
"Virtual mode" : This options allows building an interference matrix assuming
that all stations are using the same frequency. During frequency assignment
calculations, the percentage of interference is reduced according to the C/I
ration required (if different from cochannel). The main goal is to decrease the
computing time.
"Unwanted coverage from FDU" : During the frequency assignment, the

unwanted coverage is taken from the predefined .FDU associated file, if any.
If the .FDU file is not defined, the current coverage is used.
"Delta F..." : This function calculates, for each transmitting channel of each
station, the minimum frequency offset to reach the minimum interference
level. The result depends on the frequencies that can be assigned.
"Assign all channels" : All channels are assigned.

"Assign pilot channel" : Only channels defined as "Pilot" on the first
transmitting channel will be assigned. All other channels will be set to 0.
"Assign traffic channels" : The channels defined as pilot remain unchanged
and all other channels are assigned. The exhaustive method is available in
assignment limited to the pilot channel.
5 General considerations in IRF mode

In this mode, interferers are not considered one after the other against the
victim, but as a whole. This requires to work in power (dBm) and not in field
strength (dBµV/m) as for the C/I mode.
The user should keep in mind that this mode :
• Is normally used in point-to-point calculations
• Is more « advanced » than the C/I mode
• Requires more information about the equipment which are used
5.1 Definitions
Tx3
Tx1 Tx2
C3
C2
C1
Tx1 coverage area without interferers
Figure 5 – Victim, interferers and receiver
5.1.1 Unwanted signals
The level of the interfering signal I depends on :
• The power delivered by the interferer at the receiver’s location,

extracted from the coverage of the interferer (see § 2.3.1) (I1)
The following formula gives I1 according to the field strength delivered
by the interferer at the receiver's location and the frequency of the
interferer (for more details, please refer to the document Propagation
models in ICS telecom) :
I1 (dBm) = E (dBµV/m) – 20 Log10 [ F (MHz) ] (dB) – 37.2 (dB)
• The Rx antenna pattern attenuation in the direction of the interferer (I2)
• The Rx antenna gain (I3)
• The Rx losses (I4)
• The IRF between wanted and unwanted signals (I5)
• The XPD between wanted and unwanted signals (I6)

The following formula gives I according to its different components :
I (dBm) = I1 (dBm) – I2 (dB) + I3 (dB) – I4 (dB) – I5 (dB)– I6 (dB)
5.1.2 Sum of unwanted signals
The Sum(I), also called Power Sum, is expressed in dBm and is defined as
the sum of all interfering signals. It must be underlined that, even if the terms
are the same, this power sum is completely different of the power sum defined
in § 2.1.3.2
The sum of the unwanted signals is expressed by the following formula,
where the wanted transmitter is the i-th, and the unwanted signals are
expressed in dBm :
Sum(I) (dBm) = 10 x Log10 (Σj≠i10 (Ij)/10)
5.1.3 Wanted signal
The level of the wanted signal I depends on :
• The power delivered by the wanted transmitter at the receiver’s

location, extracted from the coverage of the wanted transmitter (see
§ 2.3.1) (I1)
The following formula gives I1 according to the field strength delivered
by the wanted transmitter at the receiver's location and the frequency of
the wanted transmitter (for more details, please refer to the document
Propagation models in ICS telecom) :
I1 (dBm) = E (dBµV/m) – 20 Log10 [ F (MHz) ] (dB) – 37.2 (dB)
• The Rx antenna gain (I3)
• The Rx losses (I4)

The following formula gives I according to its different components :
I (dBm) = I1 (dBm) + I3 (dB) – I4 (dB)
Note : as the wanted transmitter is considered, there is no antenna pattern
attenuation, no IRF and no XPD, that explains the difference with the formula
giving the level of interfering signal.
5.1.4 C/Sum(I)
The C/Sum(I) value is defined by the following formula, where the wanted
transmitter is the i-th :
Ci/Sum(I) (dB) = Ii (dBm) – Sum(I) (dBm)
5.1.5 Threshold degradation
The Threshold Impairment (TI), also called Threshold Degradation (TD), is

expressed in dB and is defined by the following formula, where Sum(I) and
KTBF are expressed on a linear scale, for instance in Watt (i.e. not in dBm,
dBW…) :
TI= 10 Log (1+Sum(I)/KTBF)
This figure quantifies the degradation of the wanted signal, due to the
presence of all interferers. This figure does not depend on the level of the
wanted signal.
Only interferences occurring on activated stations are considered. This means
that only the signals transmitted from activated stations can be interfered.
However, in some configurations, de-activated stations can be taken into

account as interferers.
5.2 Important parameters
5.2.1 Received signals
See § 2.3.1
5.2.2 Thresholds
See § 2.3.2.
5.2.3 IRF
The IRF value represents the attenuation due to the filters of the interferer and
of the receiver.
There are two three types of IRF masks.
5.2.3.1 User-defined
The applied IRF values are defined in a curve, set by the user, giving the IRF
following the frequency delta between victim and interferer.
IRF (dB)
Delta F
Delta F = 0 MHz
Figure 6 – IRF mask
In addition, a correction factor is applied to this curve to take into account the
bandwidths ratio between victim and interferer (see Appendix).
In that case, the IRF value depends on :
• The IRF mask set by the user
• The bandwidths of the victim and the interferer

5.2.3.2 From recommendations
Instead of a user-defined IRF mask, it is also possible to use standard values
specified in international recommendations.
• The frequency, the bandwidth and the bit rate of the victim
• The same parameters for the interferer

5.2.3.3 From NFD matrix
This mode supposes that :
• an NFD name has been set for the receiver (for instance Rec)
• an NFD name has been set for the interferer (for instance Interf)
• a corresponding NFD file can be found in the adequate shared

directory (in that case, it should be Rec_Interf.NFD)
This file contains the IRF value of the receiving filter (receiver) against the
transmitting filter (interferer), for any frequency delta between the receiver and
the interferer.
In that mode, the bandwidths ratio is taken into account in the NFD file itself.
The expression “NFD matrix” refers implicitly to two dimensions :
• The first dimension is the frequency delta
• The second dimension is the list of all transmitting equipment present

on the map. Indeed, with the same receiving equipment, different NFD
files can be called depending on the transmitting equipment.
Each point of the matrix represents the IRF of the receiving equipment against
a given transmitting equipment at a given frequency delta.
• The NFD name of the interferer
• The NFD name of the receiver

For more details and explanations about the NFD matrices, please refer to the
documentation of the software IRF Calc, provided together with ICS telecom.
5.2.4 Cross-polar discrimination
This parameter, also called XPD, is set by the user and decreases the
interfering signal when the victim and the interferer do not have the same
polarization.
Therefore, this parameter depends on :
• The XPD value set by the user
• The polarizations of the victim and of the interferer
5.2.5 Noise Floor and KTBF
These parameters are characteristics of the receiver and characterizes its

sensitivity.
Usually, the KTBF is used to calculate the Threshold Degradation and the
Noise Floor is used to calculate the C/[N+Sum(I)].
5.2.6 Receiving antenna
The methods use in order to take into account the parameters of the receiving
antenna are the same as the ones described in § 2.3.5.
6 Interference analysis in IRF mode
6.1 Process
• Use the following function
.
• The following window appears:
• Select the action mode
• Set the threshold
• Set the IRF masks to be used and the XPD
• Set the Noise Floor or the KTBF
• Click on Start
6.2 Mode
All these actions are implicitly in many-to-many mode, i.e. all activated
transmitters are considered in turn interfered by the rest of the transmitters.
Only the points for which the received field strength is above the threshold are
considered.
• Activated station coverage modification (TD)

This function modifies the coverage of the best server taking into
account its threshold degradation (TD). TD values are performed with
wanted station KTBF and interfering power sum coming from all other
activated and deactivated stations. The modified best server coverage
is displayed at the end of the calculation.
The Rx gain value is used to convert field strength into received power.
Only general frequencies are considered.
In that case, the remarks made at the end of the § 2.3.5.2 (regarding
the modification due to the receiving antenna and the necessity to keep
a back-up of the original coverage) are also applicable.
• Threshold degradation map
This function computes and displays the threshold degradation of the
best server. TD values are performed with wanted station KTBF and
interfering power sum coming from all other activated and deactivated
stations.
Only general frequencies are considered.
• C/sum(I)+N calculation
This function computes and displays the maximum C/sum(I)+N value
on each point of the terrain according to the Noise level value of the
receiving point. C is the received wanted power coming from activated
stations considered one by one and unwanted power is the power sum
of the other stations. The Rx gain value is used to convert field strength
into received power.
The result is a C/sum(I)+N map.
If the Display best server when C/N+I >= option is checked, the
displayed result is a best C/N+I server map in each point where C/N+I
is greater than or equal to the limit value.
In addition, if the Best server offset > x dB option is checked, the
following condition is applied :
[C/N+I]Best Server> x + Max(C/N+I) Other Servers
• C/sum(I) calculation
This function computes the maximum C/sum(I) value on each point of
the terrain with C = received wanted power coming from activated
stations considered in turn and unwanted power is the power sum of
the other stations (unwanted stations are activated, or… depending on
the selected option: ).

The result is a C/sum(I) map.
If the Display best server when C/I >= option is checked, the
displayed result is a best C/I server map in each point where C/I is
greater than or equal to the limit set.
In addition, if the Best server offset > x dB option is checked, the
following condition is applied :
[C/N+I]Best Server> x + Max(C/N+I) Other Servers
• when the C/sum(I) or the C/sum(I)+N calculation is checked, a normal

distribution expressed in % can be calculated.
Specific input data:
¾ the required C/I in cochannel (dB) (to be put in the field of "Display
best server when C/I >="), that corresponds in fact to the mean value of
the signal.
¾ the standard deviation ("stddev (dB)") of "C/I" signal.
This standard deviation can be specified as follows :
¾ If no clutter file or if the "Stddev (dB)" column is equal to 0, the default
value given in the "stddev (dB)" field will be used.
¾ Else, use of the "Stddev (dB)" column of the clutter.
In that case, the standard deviation can be automatically set
according to a measurement campaign : use the "Distribution"
function available after a "Measure/Correlation" analysis.
Principle:
For each calculated C/I value, the probability (in %) to obtain this
value is estimated.
The "C/I" signal is supposed to follow a normal distribution with
a mean value equal to the (C/I) ratio required in co-channel and
with a standard deviation given by "stddev (dB)" (from clutter or
default value).
Hypothesis:
We presume to obtain the same receiving probability without
interference in space and in time domain.
We presume that the wanted signal (C) and the interfering signal
(I) follow a normal distribution with the same standard deviation
(both signals cross the same terrain configuration).
• By default when the C/sum(I) or the C/sum(I)+N calculation is checked,
the unwanted stations are activated, or the choice is made depending
on the selected option: .
6.3 IRF masks
As mentioned in the § 5.1.2, it is possible to define three types of IRF masks.

The NFD matrix has the highest priority. The user-defined IRF mask has the
lowest priority.
6.3.1 User-defined
Define attenuation filter: co-channel (N=0), adjacent channel (N=1), N+2

channel (N=2) , etc. The width of the channel is the bandwidth of the victim
(see Appendix).
6.3.2 From recommendations
Just check the option IRF from tables or IRF from CNC-DNRc61/c54.
6.3.3 From NFD matrix
Just check the option IRF from NFD matrix. In that case, the NFD used for
the receiver is the NFD of the victim.
6.4 Other options
• "Coverage from FDW/FDU" : This option can take into account different
coverage, depending on the status of the station : wanted or unwanted.
If the station is wanted, the callsign.fdw coverage is used, if the station
is unwanted, the callsign.fdu coverage is used.
If the FDU or FDW coverage is not found, the current coverage is
considered. The .FDW and .FDU files must be located in the same
folder, defined when checking the option.
• "Activity factor weighting [IRF-10.log(activity)]" : The activity factor

defined for the interfering stations is taken into account ("activity factor"
in the station parameters) in order to increase the corresponding
rejection :
IRF = Initial IRF - 10*log(activity factor of the unwanted station/100).
6.5 Cross-polar attenuation
See § 3.3.
6.6 Analysis
See § 3.6.
7 Downlink interference map in IRF mode

Calculations on maps in coverage mode are performed with an accuracy of 1
dB. This is largely enough to find the most suitable frequency plan and to
validate it. If the user wants to check more precisely what is happening in
terms of interference on a given pixel, the Downlink interference map function
is a very good way.
The purpose is the following : a virtual subscriber (with its own parameters) is
moving on a given area and checks what is received on each covered pixel of
this area. Its antenna is oriented towards each potential server and
interference calculations are carried out. On the current pixel, the best C/I (or
C/N+I) value will be given or the corresponding server number, if any,
assuming that the subscriber antenna is oriented towards this server.
The frequency plan is supposed to be previously done and site coverage
performed.
Calculations are performed in double precision on each pixel and this can be
quite long.
Calculations can be carried out on the whole project using
"Subscribers/Downlink C/I map...".
The following window is then displayed :
Or, only on a given area using with the rectangle tool :
• Select the clutter codes on which the virtual subscriber will move.
• Set an altitude filter
• Set the grid step : this parameter can dramatically decrease computing
time, by considering only one pixel out of this grid step.
• Set the max unwanted dist parameter : the algorithm is checking all
potential wanted signals up to max wanted dist and the corresponding
unwanted signals up to max unwanted dist.
• Click on to set the virtual subscriber parameters.
• Select the activated stations to be considered clicking on .
• Set the threshold that will define the coverage, the IRF masks and the
propagation model.
• Select the interference calculation to be considered C/sum(I) or

C/N+sum(I)
• Check results on the map.

If the Display best server when C/I (or C/N+I) >= option is not checked, a C/I
(or C/N+I) map will be displayed with 255 code on pixels where calculations
have not been performed.
If the Display best server when C/I (or C/N+I) >= option is checked, a best C/I
server map will be displayed with 255 code where all servers are interfered
and 0 where no server covers.
APPENDIX - C/I ratios - IRF MASKS
General considerations
The wanted signal is Sw, with Fw central frequency and Bw bandwidth.
In point to point mode, this bandwidth is considered as the received
bandwidth.
In point to multi-point mode (coverage mode), this bandwidth is considered as
the transmitted bandwidth.
The unwanted signal is Su, with Fu central frequency and Bu transmitted
bandwidth.
The attenuation of the jamming signal (corresponding to the depth of the
rejection filter) is defined as follows:
• N=0 (normally, IRF = 0) is corresponding to Fu cochanneled with Fw.
• N=1 is corresponding to Fu adjacent to Fw (Fw+1 Bw).
• N=2 is corresponding to Fu in N+2 channel of Sw (Fw+2 Bw).
• And so on ...
In the following considerations, explanations will be described up to N+2
channel.
Principles remain the same for the other channels.
Let be Lco the frequency band occupied by the wanted signal.
Lco = [Fw-Bw/2 ; Fw+Bwu/2].
Let be Lad the frequency band occupied by the adjacent channel.
Lad = [Fw+Bw/2 ; Fw+3 Bw/2].
Let be Ln2 the frequency band occupied by the N+2 channel of Sw.
Lad = [Fw+3 Bw/2 ; Fw+5 Bw/2].
Let be Lbr the frequency band occupied by the jamming signal.
Lbr = [Fu-Bu/2 ; Fu+Bu/2].
The principles of calculations described here below are valid for either for C/I
mode or for IRF mode.
Use of IRF masks

• If Lbr ∩ Lco ≠ ∅ (non empty intersection), we are in a cochannel case.
The corresponding attenuation (IRF) is carried out as follows:
¾ If Lbr ⊂ Lco, then IRF = IRF(N=0) = 0 (normally).
¾ If Lco ⊂ Lbr, then

IRF = IRF(N=0)+10log(Bu/Bw) = 10log(Bu/Bw).
Fw
Bw
Fu
Bu
¾ If Lbr ⊄ Lco and if Lco ⊄ Lbr and if Lbr ∩ Lco = Bwi, then
IRF = IRF(N=0)+10log(Bu/BWi) = 10log(Bu/BWi).
Fw
Bw
Fu
Bu
Bwi
• If Lbr ∩ Lco = ∅ (empty intersection) and if Lbr ∩ Lad ≠ ∅, then

IRF = IRF(N+1).
• If Lbr ∩ Lco = ∅ and if Lbr ∩ Lad = ∅ and if Lbr ∩ Ln2 ≠ ∅, then
IRF = IRF(N+2).
• And so on …
APPENDIX – Frequency hopping
The calculation of interference is somewhat specific in the case of stations

working in frequency hopping mode.
First case
If the following conditions are fulfilled :
• Wanted and unwanted signals work in Frequency hopping mode
• Start pointer>=1 and Start pointer<=16 for wanted and unwanted

signals
• Frequencies of wanted and unwanted signals are the same
• Frequencies of wanted and unwanted signals are input in the same

order
• Wanted and unwanted signals have the same Channel scanning speed
(ms)
• Wanted and unwanted signals have the same BW

The C/I ratio or the IRF used during the calculation of interferences will be the
one corresponding to N=Start pointer (Transmitter 1) - Start pointer
(Transmitter 2)
Example : 2 transmitters have the same frequencies F1,F2,F3,F4,F5,F6,
same BW, and same Channel scanning speed (ms). The first starts at F1
(position 1) and the second transmitter starts at F3 (position 3). They will
always be in configuration N±2 and then the applied C/I or IRF is the one
applicable for N=2.
Other cases
In all other cases, if the victim and/or the interferer works in frequency
hopping mode, a probability of collision in time and frequency is estimated
(based on the recommendation CEPT WG SE 21) and this probability is
applied to the C/Ico-channel ratio or IRFco-channel.
APPENDIX – Relation between C/I and IRF
It is admitted that the IRF values can be deduced from the C/I values by using
the following relations :
• ∀ n ≥ 0, IRF(n) = C/Ico-channel - C/I(n)

Similarly, if a C/Ico-channel is defined, it is possible to deduce the C/I values from
the IRF values :
• ∀ n ≥ 0, C/I(n) = C/Ico-channel - IRF(n)

The table below gives an example of correspondence between IRF and C/I
values.
Channel C/I (dB) IRF (dB)
0 (co-channel) 22 0
1 (adjacent channel) 19 3
2 11 11
3 -6 28
4 -23 45
5 -40 62
6 -52 74
Figure 7 – Correspondence between C/I and IRF values
If this correspondence is satisfied, it is possible, in specific configurations, to

overlap interference maps calculated in IRF mode and in C/I mode.
Example :
For instance, it is possible to overlap the interference maps calculated with
the two different following configurations :
• C/I mode, C/I values specified above, interference + best server,

Interferer sum applied :
Figure 8 – Configuration 1
• IRF mode, IRF values specified above, C/Sum(I) calculation, Unwanted

= activated, Display best server when C/I > C/Ico-channel value specified
above :
Figure 9 – Configuration 2
In both cases, the same areas will be covered by the same best servers and
non-interfered on the resulting map, as illustrated on the figures below :
Figure 10 – Result in configuration 1
Figure 11 – Result in configuration 2
This can be checked by using the function Map/Filter/General filter…on both

results with the following parameters (result greater than 1 to get covered
areas, and lower than 255 to get non-interfered areas) and by clicking on the
button compute:
Explanation :
In Configuration 1 (C/I mode), a point M is not interfered (i.e. displayed in non-
pink colour) if :
∃ i where Ci ≥ Threshold at M and Ci ≥ Sum(NFS) at M

In Configuration 2 (IRF mode), a point M is displayed if :
∃ i where Ci ≥ Threshold at M and Ci /Sum(I) ≥ C/I(0) at M

The result is the same because the two conditions are strictly equivalent.
Indeed :
Ci ≥ Sum (NFS)
⇔ Ci ≥ 10 x Log10 (Σj≠i10 NFS(j)/10) (see § 2.1.3.2)
⇔ Ci ≥ 10 x Log10 (Σj≠i10 (Cj+C/I-RXAPA-XPD)/10) (see § 2.1.2)
⇔ Ci ≥ 10 x Log10 (Σj≠i10 (Cj+C/I(0)-IRF-RXAPA-XPD)/10) (see values above)
⇔ Ci ≥ C/I(0) + 10 x Log10 (Σj≠i10 (Cj-IRF-RXAPA-XPD)/10)
⇔ Ci - 20 Log10 (f) – 37.2 + Gain – Losses ≥

C/I(0) - 20 Log10 (f) – 37.2 + Gain – Losses +
10 x Log10 (Σj≠i10 (Cj-IRF-RXAPA-XPD)/10)
⇔ Ci - 20 Log10 (f) – 37.2 + Gain – Losses ≥
C/I(0) + 10 x Log10 (Σj≠i10 (Cj - 20 Log10 (f) - 37.2 + Gain - Losses - IRF - RXAPA - XPD)/10)
⇔ Ii ≥ C/I(0) + 10 x Log10 (Σj≠i10 Ij/10) (see § 5.1.3 and § 5.1.1)
⇔ Ii ≥ C/I(0) + Sum(I) (see § 5.1.2)
⇔ Ii - Sum(I) ≥ C/I(0)
⇔ Ci / Sum(I) ≥ C/I(0) (see § 5.1.4)

Frequency Assignment and Interference Analysis

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Frequency Assignment and Interference Analysis

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T r a i n i n g R e s o u r c e s

• Analyze the interferences in a network of base stations

• Assign the frequencies to a network of base stations

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2 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS IN C/I MODE .................................................................. 4

2.1 Definitions ................................................................................................................... 4

3 INTERFERENCE ANALYSIS IN C/I MODE .................................................................... 13

3.1 Process ..................................................................................................................... 13

4 FREQUENCY ASSIGNMENT IN C/I MODE.................................................................... 25

4.1 Process ..................................................................................................................... 25

4.2.5 Polarization ........................................................................................................ 32

5 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS IN IRF MODE............................................................... 37

5.1 Definitions ................................................................................................................. 37

6 INTERFERENCE ANALYSIS IN IRF MODE................................................................... 43

6.1 Process ..................................................................................................................... 43

7 DOWNLINK INTERFERENCE MAP IN IRF MODE ........................................................ 48

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• Where and why the signal transmitted by a base station is interfered

• How an adequate frequency assignment of the transmitters could avoid

2 General considerations in C/I mode

2.1.1 Interference due to one interferer

Tx1 coverage area without interferer

Tx1 coverage area with interferer M

Figure 1 – Victim, interferer and receiver

Tx1 is considered as interfered by Tx2 on the point M if :

• C1 (dBµV/m) > Threshold (dBµV/m)

2.1.2 Nuisance field strength

The Nuisance field strength (NFS) delivered by Tx2 at the receiver’s

2.1.3 Interference due to several interferers

Tx1 coverage area without interferers

Tx1 coverage area with interferers M

Figure 2 – Victim, interferers and receiver

Two different definitions of interferences can be used.

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2.1.3.1 Single interferers mode

• C1 (dBµV/m) > Threshold (dBµV/m)

• C1 (dBµV/m) < Max j≠1 (NFS) (dBµV/m)

• C1 (dBµV/m) > Threshold (dBµV/m)

• C1 (dBµV/m) < Sum j≠1 (NFS) (dBµV/m)

Sum(NFS) = 10 x Log10(Σ j≠110NFS(j)/10)

Only interferences occurring on activated stations are considered. This means

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by clicking on the colored square, on the left side of the screen : .

2.3 Important parameters

2.3.1 Received signals

• Tx nominal power and frequency

• Tx antenna height, antenna pattern, gain and losses

• Environment (DTM and clutter)

Even if the threshold, expressed in dBµV/m, slightly increases with the

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2.3.3 Protection ratios

There are two types of protection ratios.

• The C/I mask set by the user

• The frequency delta between the victim and the interferer

• The bandwidths of the victim and the interferer

• The same parameters for the interferer

2.3.4 Cross-polar discrimination

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Therefore, this parameter depends on :

• The XPD value set by the user

• The polarizations of the victim and of the interferer

2.3.5 Receiving antenna

The height of the Rx antenna is contained in the coverage of the transmitter,

• None : the receiving antenna is considered as omnidirectional and with