Downlink power control method and cellular network using this method

Claim 1

A power control method for adjusting, in a cellular CMDA radiocommunication network, the power of downlink transmissions from an active set of base stations (BS), the downlink transmissions being received with at least a preset minimal power level by a mobile terminal (MT), comprising: providing respective downlink transmissions from each of the base stations (BS) in the active set to the mobile terminal; and adjusting individually, the downlink power level of each of the base stations (BS) in the active set based on characteristics of the respective downlink transmissions received by the mobile terminal and according to a specific power distribution criterion, wherein the downlink power level of each of the base stations (BS) in the active set is adjusted such that the base stations (BS) are contributing approximately equally in terms of a received Eb/Io at the mobile terminal (MT), and wherein, if one base station (BS h1 ) of the base stations (BS) in the active set is affected by heavy loading conditions as compared to the loading conditions of the other base stations (BS) in the active set, then the contribution of the one base station (BS h1 ) to the received Eb/Io at the mobile terminal is reduced by a quantity that is a function of a loading difference between the one base station (BS h1 ) and the other base stations (BS), the quantity being approximately equally distributed among the other base stations (BS).