Radar In-Band and Out-of-Band Interference into LTE Macro and Small Cell Uplinks in the 3.5 GHz Band

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the interference from shipborne radar into LTE systems in the 3.5 GHz band, showing that LTE can operate with narrower exclusion zones than WiMAX, enabling deployment near coastlines.

Contribution

It provides a detailed system-level analysis of radar interference on LTE, highlighting differences from WiMAX and suggesting feasible coexistence strategies.

Findings

Radar interference impacts LTE performance but is manageable.

Narrower exclusion zones are sufficient for LTE compared to WiMAX.

Results support deploying LTE in coastal areas with less restrictive zones.

Abstract

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has proposed vast exclusions zones between radar and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) (WiMAX) systems which are also being considered as geographic separations between radars and 3.5 GHz Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems without investigating any changes induced by the distinct nature of LTE as opposed to WiMAX. This paper performs a detailed system-level analysis of the interference effects from shipborne radar systems into LTE systems. Even though the results reveal impacts of radar interference on LTE systems performance, they provide clear indications of conspicuously narrower exclusion zones for LTE vis-\`a-vis those for WiMAX and pave the way toward deploying LTE at 3.5 GHz within the coastline populous areas.