Huawei Technologies

2005.10 8
 Huawei Communicate

The green CDMA base station

Green power, environmental protection and emission reduction are currently the hottest key words in the telecom industry.
For CDMA networks, the need to balance these three factors while reducing CAPEX and OPEX has become imperative.

By Liu Silu

Base station has the

major role

A
nalysis of expenditures
on CDMA network site
construction shows that base
stations make up 30% of the
total costs, while auxiliary device costs
correspond to base stations. If the base
stations are of smaller size and have higher
power efficiency, investment, and network
construction costs will be less. Optimized
base stations also help to reduce OPEX.
Take one site for instance. The network
operation and maintenance (O&M) data
show that the power costs closely relate
to the base station. The base station and
the air conditioner use about 93% of the
power; while the power consumption
index of a base station greatly affects the
air conditioner’s capacity. Therefore, it is
wise to start with the base station when
building an eco-friendly CDMA network
with less construction and O&M costs.
Huawei has rolled out some
outstanding green CDMA base station
solutions that feature innovative
techniques and materials, which can
help operators overcome challenges and
smoothly construct a green network.
Operators can now greatly benefit in terms
of network planning and maintenance,
energy conservation and environmental
protection.

Multi-methods to
lower costs

DEC 2008 . ISSUE 45 42

 SOLUTION
The green CDMA base station
Multi-mode convergence
With the rapid development of wireless communications
technologies and product upgrades, protecting equipment
investment is critical.
The shift from one communication mode to another
is not uncommon. Each communication mode has its
advantages, but employing multiple modes also brings
risks; therefore, multi-mode convergence has become a
predominant force in mobile network development.
A conventional CDMA base station mainly consists
of the baseband module, transmit and receive module,
combiner, transmission module, and O&M module. Its
large size and complicated cabling and installation slow
down network construction and expansion.
To overcome these obstacles, Huawei CDMA base
station uses open CPRI interfaces and consists only of a
baseband module and a radio module. These two modules,
connected by fibers, enhance the flexibility of network
deployment. The baseband module is only 2U and can
be conveniently installed in existing devices such as the
auxiliary power supply cabinet, transmission equipment
cabinet, or other remote equipment cabinets. The radio
module is light enough to be installed on a tower, pole, or
against a wall.
Because the radio module can be installed flexibly on
a tower, the conventional feeder is no longer used, which
enables a closer antenna interface and avoids a 3dB loss.
Higher power efficiency increases the coverage by 40%
and helps drastically reduce O&M costs and the number
of sites. This makes seamless multi-mode convergence a
distinct possibility.
Modular design and multi-mode convergence are the
cornerstones of Huawei’s creative, eco-friendly CDMA
base station solution. A series of base stations with
different capacities for different sites share just three types
of modules. Software upgrades enable interoperability of
different telecom systems sharing the same platform, and
operator investment is protected.
Multi-carrier
Huawei’s eco-friendly CDMA base station uses advanced
multi-carrier technologies. One module can support up to
eight carriers, and multiple carriers can share one antenna
system without a combiner, allowing for a much smaller
size.
The outdoor base station ranging from S1/1/1 to S8/8/8
needs only two small cabinets, occupying an area of 0.3m2
and a size of 0.32 m3. This type of base station cuts CAPEX
and shortens network planning and deployment time.
Cabling between multiple modules is simplified,
making stack installation of base stations possible, network
construction and expansion easier, and engineering less.
What’s more, there are lower costs for transportation,
43 DEC 2008 . ISSUE 45
storage, parts, backup battery, and equipment installation.
Eco-friendly technologies
Power consumption is an essential parameter in
measuring the impact on the environment and in the
manufacturing and application process for the base station.
Technological innovations can definitely improve the
efficiency of communications equipment and reduce energy
use.
Doherty technology is currently the most advanced
power amplification technology in the telecom industry.
Based on Doherty technology, Huawei combines digital pre-
distortion correction with optimized power amplification
to enhance the efficiency of a RF amplifier to maximum
levels. The efficiency of the RF amplifier rises by 33% and
upwards to 40%. Intelligent carrier control technology also
helps to lower power consumption.
Take a typical CDMA S3/3/3 base station for example.
The power consumption of a conventional base station is
2,200W and currently the average is 1,800W.
Huawei’s eco-friendly base station consumes only
850W, saving over 8,000kWh each year. Multiplied by
one thousand base stations, the savings is 8 million kWh
per year. This means saving more than USD8,760,000 on
wireless equipment, while eliminating 7,000 tons of carbon
dioxide emissions. This win-win solution cuts costs, protects
the environment, lowers energy costs, and reduces noise
pollution, electromagnetic interference and radiation.
The base station designed with high efficiency and
low power consumption substantially enhances cooling
performance and reduces noise pollution. Special cabinet
design and embedded direct-cooling technology further
lower power consumption, noise and electromagnetic
radiation, and lessen environmental impact. With the help
of a mini air conditioner, the storage battery temperature
can be lowered by 10°C, hence the base station can
operate properly in an environment higher than the room
temperature, without harming the battery.
In addition, the eco-friendly outdoor micro base station
can work with solar or wind power. By fully using natural
energy sources, there is less power consumption and it is
even better for the environment.
In July 2008, PCCW, a leading operator in Hong Kong,
selected Huawei to build Hong Kong’s first CDMA2000
1xEV-DO Rev.A network. Based on the contract, Huawei
will provide eco-friendly 4G multi-mode CDMA base
stations to help PCCW roll out future-oriented services.
The network construction, divided into three phases, will
cover the central districts of Hong Kong. When completed,
PCCW will provide visitors to Hong Kong with seamless
CDMA roaming services and rich multi-media data
services.
Editor: Chen Yuhong chyhong@huawei.com