Interference analysis for inter-band Carrier Aggregation in LTE-advanced

Abstract

The introduction of Carrier Aggregation (CA) techniques in 3GPP Rel. 10 poses some new challenges on network planning. This is especially true if the aggregation of non-contiguous carriers from different frequency bands (i.e. InterBand CA) occurs. In this paper the interference suffered by a UE when receiving aggregated carrier signals is analysed in different CA scenarios. Mathematical models are derived that allow the interference and, consequently, the Carrier-to-Interference ratio to be globally characterized. Some numerical results using different propagation models are analysed using ICS-Telecom simulation tool. A comparison with the theoretical models is also presented.