  The intensity matching approach for tractable performance evaluation and
optimization of cellular networks is introduced. It assumes that the base
stations are modeled as points of a Poisson point process and leverages
stochastic geometry for system-level analysis. Its rationale relies on
observing that system-level performance is determined by the intensity measure
of transformations of the underlaying spatial Poisson point process. By
approximating the original system model with a simplified one, whose
performance is determined by a mathematically convenient intensity measure,
tractable yet accurate integral expressions for computing area spectral
efficiency and potential throughput are provided. The considered system model
accounts for many practical aspects that, for tractability, are typically
neglected, e.g., line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight propagation, antenna
radiation patterns, traffic load, practical cell associations, general fading
channels. The proposed approach, more importantly, is conveniently formulated
for unveiling the impact of several system parameters, e.g., the density of
base stations and blockages. The effectiveness of this novel and general
methodology is validated with the aid of empirical data for the locations of
base stations and for the footprints of buildings in dense urban environments.
