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From: lemson@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (David Lemson)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Cellular Phone Signal Propagation Characteristics?
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Date: 3 Jan 91 06:45:00 GMT
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chapman@alc.com (Brent Chapman) writes:

>On a related topic, I've been told that cell size is not uniform, and
>that it is a common practice in densely populated areas (like downtown
>San Francisco, for instance) to reduce the power of each cell in order
>to reduce the cell size to the absolute minimum and thereby increase
>the total capacity of the system.  Is this true?

That is exactly right.  Cellular phones are directed to increase or
decrease power according to their distance (and thus, signal strength)
from the cell tower.  This allows more cell sites in a certain area,
and thus, more potential users in that same area.  This is the
principle behind the "Microcells" that will soon adorn the halls of
airports and office buildings.  A cell every few hundred yards.


David Lemson    U of Illinois Computing Services Student Consultant
Internet : lemson@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu   University of Illinois, Urbana