Blocking probability estimates in a partitioned sector TDMA system

We consider a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) system in which each sector is allocated a fixed set of frequency bands. Due to spatial variation in the nature of interference, a voice call originating in a sector may have an acceptable signal to noise ratio only on a subset of the sector's frequencies. Given a Poisson traffic arrival distribution, we derive estimates of the sector blocking probability. In particular, we present lower bounds that are independent of the specific call allocation algorithm, and also examine specific call assignment algorithms such as Repacking, Least Busy and Optimal Random Routing. We develop a simple heuristic that allows us to obtain fast and accurate sector blocking probability estimates. The latter serve as crucial inputs for the design and optimization of capacity and coverage in TDMA networks.