Applicability of repeaters for hotspots in UMTS

The aim of this paper is to assess the applicability of repeaters for downlink capacity improvement in hotspots through field measurements. Deployment of repeaters in capacity-limited scenarios requires more careful radio network planning compared to the traditional approach for operation in coverage-limited environment. The results of the field measurements conducted in an urban UMTS network reveal that a proper configuration of a repeater can provide a substantial downlink capacity gain, which indicates the suitability of the repeaters also in capacity-limited environments. Besides, obtained outcomes show that repeaters can improve dominance in pilot polluted areas, which on the contrary reduces SHO rates. Moreover, utilization of repeaters might improve the performance of location techniques as well. Keywords-Capacity, field measurements, positioning, radio network planning, repeaters, UMTS.