Concentrated multicast zone configuration in CDMA network systems

Focusing on enriched multimedia broadcast/multicast opportunities of a wireless communication network, we build a multicast cell configuration in a CDMA-based network. In a CDMA-based wireless network, a terminal can significantly reduce the bit error rate by the combining of data streams from multiple base stations. To combine the data streams, multiple base stations have to be operated with a common time schedule. The cells whose base stations are operated as such are called soft-combine cells. A terminal can take advantage of error rate reduction, if the terminal is in a soft-combine cell and at least one neighbor cell supports soft-combine. Our problem is to find a limited number of soft-combine cells under the heavy computational burden of a network controller, such that the benefit of the soft-combine is maximized.