LTE Communications and Networks

7Antenna Consideration for LTE Femtocells

Masood Ur Rehman

School of Computer Science and Technology, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK

Antennas have been one of the key building blocks in the development of wireless communications systems right from the first demonstration of wireless technology in 1886 by Heinrich Hertz and its first practical radio application by Guglielmo Marconi in 1901. It is the only component that enables the transition of the radio energy between the wired transmission lines and free space. Hence, its efficiency essentially defines the operation and robustness of the overall communication system at both the transmission and reception sides. The last decade has seen a tremendous growth in the wireless technologies, especially with the advent of 4G and LTE standards. This in turn has dictated great advancements in antenna designs from a dimple wire dipole used by Hertz to complex array designs and upcoming massive MIMO (multiple input multiple output) systems. This chapter provides an overview of the fundamental antenna properties and required specific considerations for antenna design in the context of LTE femtocells.

7.1 Antenna Fundamentals

The antenna can be considered to be a transducer between the electromagntic waves travelling in a guided radio frequency (RF) circuit and the electromagnetic waves travelling in an unguided free space. Careful selection of the antenna element can result in an improved overall system performance and reduced ...