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RAN White Paper
RAN White Paper
White paper
Contents
02 Executive Summary:
Simplifying Energy Solutions networks to reduce costs broadband world frequency use
site capabilities
15 Glossary
HSPA Nokia Siemens Networks Single RAN EDGE LTE HSPA+ EDGE
Figure 1: Single RAN boosts efficiency by integrating formerly separated network layers
Nationwide
Coverage
Coverage expectation as with voice (i.e. GSM-like coverage) Dramatic increase in bandwidth demand in urban areas (DSL-like bandwidth)
Figure 2: Two broadband opportunities urban and rural
Managing the complete network as its capabilities evolve is made simple by Nokia Siemens Networks NetAct and Self Organizing Network (SON) functionality. This common Operational Support System (OSS) optimizes all components and services across radio, transport and core networks as new technologies are adopted and capacity is expanded. With the continued growth of mobile broadband data volumes, frequency
spectrum remains the ultimate scarce resource. CSPs need to optimize overall spectral efficiency across all their frequency bands. This entails the introduction of LTE in new frequency bands, as well as the refarming and the optimization of spectral efficiency within 2G and 3G deployments. In this white paper we examine the main aspects that need to be considered to achieve the necessary network simplification.
High performance LTE High peak rates up to 173 Mbps, in the first release, achieved with efficient OFDMA radio access and wide bandwidth Low latency (round trip delays of 10-20 ms) Cost-effective handling of volume data traffic (excellent spectral efficiency) Scalable bandwidth from 1.4 up to 20 MHz and flexible spectrum allocation. LTE can also be deployed in the low-bandwidth frequency bands, thus enabling refarming of GSM frequencies LTE supports the MIMO antenna system which increases data rate and cell-edge performance
Co-ordinated usage of FDD and TDD in the same spectrum 3GPP defined several frequency bands for FDD and TDD operation (figure 3). Most of the operating networks around the globe are FDD, which provide a 3dB improvement of the link budget over TDD, partly due to its separate transmit and receive frequency bands. TDD is more suited to achieving capacity over shorter ranges than providing wide area coverage. Furthermore, TDD requires timesynchronization of both Base Stations (BS) and Mobile Stations (MS) in the network. There are significant engineering challenges associated with operating TDD and FDD in adjacent channels, making these duplex access methods impractical to mix in the same spectrum band. The possibility of a transmitting TDD terminal being in close proximity
E-UTRA Band 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 17 20
to a receiving FDD terminal places severe requirements on the filtering performance and adjacent channel spectrum masks, complicating equipment implementation considerably. Furthermore, every FDD-TDD boundary requires a guard band (unused spectrum), which in turn reduces the amount of available spectrum for carrying traffic. In particular, a narrow spectrum band of a few tens of MHz makes it inefficient to accommodate both TDD and FDD. Refarming to the traditional GSM band Higher frequency bands (> 2 GHz) are well suited to providing large capacity. Lower spectrum bands have favorable propagation characteristics and are therefore excellent for covering wide areas and providing cost-effective indoor penetration.
Nokia Siemens Networks achieves exceptionally high spectral efficiency, especially when WCDMA is refarmed to the GSM band, that increases voice capacity by up to five times with interference reduction features and unique features such as DFCA (Dynamic Frequency Channel Allocation) and OSC (Orthogonal Sub Channel). OSC alone doubles voice capacity and is an innovation driven by Nokia Siemens Networks. For further information, please refer to the OSC technology brief Doubling GSM voice capacity with the Orthonogal Sub Channel.
Total [MHz] 2X60 2X60 2X75 2X45 2X25 2X10 2X70 2X35 2X35 2X60 2X25 2X10 2X10 2X30
Uplink [MHz] 1920-1980 1850-1910 1710-1785 1710-1755 824-849 830-840 2500-2570 880-915 1710-1770 1427.9-1452.9 777-787 704-716 832-862
Downlink [MHz] 2110-2170 1930-1990 1805-1880 2110-2155 869-894 875-885 2620-2690 925-960 2110-2170 1475.9-1500.9 746-756 734-746 791-821 FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD
UMTS core US PCS 1800 US AWS US 850 Japan 800 2600 900 Japan 1700 Extended AWS Japan 1500 US upper 700 MHz US lower 700 MHz EU 800 MHz Digital Dividend
1749.9-1784.9 1844.9-1879.9
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
UMTS Core TDD UMTS Core TDD US (TDD alternative to FDD) US (TDD alternative to FDD) US 2600 TDD China UMTS TDD China
WCDMA and LTE refarming into the GSM 900MHz band increases coverage, which is especially beneficial in bringing mobile broadband to underserved rural areas that are too costly to reach with higher frequency band technologies. At 900 MHz only a third of the number of 2100 MHz base stations are needed to achieve the same coverage. Fewer base stations dramatically reduce network rollout and operational costs, improving the rural broadband business case considerably. However, in refarming adequate service should be ensured in GSM with spectral efficiency features, like OSC.
The uplink connection is the limiting factor in the interference between adjacent GSM and UMTS systems due to GSM UE limited power control. The improved Flexi BTS filtering reduces the interference from GSM UE to UMTS uplink enabling WCDMA deployment in 4.2 MHz rather than a standard deployment of 5.4 MHz (guard band included).
Power
Frequency
Modular Site Architecture Large, centralized BTS cabinets have high power consumption and restrict installation options due to their large size and weight. Modular base station architecture has changed the way that networks are built and operated, and revolutionized the costs. The Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Multiradio BTS, is capable of delivering sites at 80 percent lower costs than traditional cabinet-based BTSs and with up to 30 percent fewer sites required in the network.
The SM accommodates all the processing power and the transport interfaces to the core network. The RF Module, which hosts the power amplifiers, is connected to the antenna system with standard RF cables. The two units communicate with each other via a standard optical interface which enables flexible installation. These highly efficient base stations can now be accommodated easily almost anywhere, or even distributed over a surface separating the baseband from the radio module. Locating the entire base station as close as possible to the antenna connectors brings improved radio performance, with better coverage compared to centralized cabinet designs. The savings generated by such feederless installations are estimated to be up to 25 percent, owing to fewer sites being needed to provide coverage. Their compact size also speeds up network implementation and considerably increases the success of gaining site permissions from local authorities and property owners. Further savings are achieved through extreme low power consumption, which not only lessens the CSPs operational costs but also contributes to lower CO2 emissions.
WCDMA/ HSPA
GSM/EDGE
that provide more than one radio access technology with software-defined capabilities from the same unit are much more suited to todays and tomorrows demands than dedicated hardware and ad-hoc software. The concurrent operation of networks, in which two cellular systems share a baseband unit, enables CSPs to deliver WCDMA/HSPA services today and, when available, LTE broadband services without any major infrastructure investment. This concurrent and multi-standard mode of operating base stations brings even more benefits when combined with advanced RF units, which can handle multiple technologies at the same time. A concept called Multi Carrier Power Amplifier, MCPA, is becoming a vital technology for operating several radio access technologies on frequency bands 850/900/1800/1900 MHz. The same technology may need to be deployed on more than one frequency band, requiring base stations that can support multiple technologies on different bands concurrently. Radio components, however, cannot support infinite bandwidth so several RF modules will need to be made available according the different bands in each market.
With modular site architecture, base station functionalities are divided into two main functional blocks: Baseband Unit or System Module (SM) Radio Frequency Unit or RF Module (RF)
With such all-encompassing benefits, modular architecture is the must-have site solution of any new deployed base station. Multi-technology base stations The SM provides the processing power and intelligence needed to handle cellular transmissions. Base stations
Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi BTS platform supports multiple technologies, enabling CSPs to use the same efficient site solution for GSM, WCDMA and LTE. Introducing new technology through software upgrades enables: Fast rollout of capacity extensions, features and new technologies Substantially reduced number of site visits Fast time to revenue
Multi-Carrier Power Amplifiers The main function of the RF Module is to amplify a low-power signal to enable it to be used for radio transmission. In GSM traditional power amplifiers are designed to transmit over a carrier per time. So, a transmitter (TRX) is required for each frequency. From the very beginning of 3GPP R99 standardization multi-carrier power amplifiers have been defined for WCDMA systems. The MCPA is based on the idea of transmitting multiple carriers, wideband or narrowband, simultaneously with a single power amplifier. The term Multicarrier base station (MCBTS) derives from the 3GPP GERAN organization, which is responsible for defining appropriate RF performance requirements for multicarrier scenarios in GSM. Currently, only the single-carrier base station is described by the GERAN specification and this would, if left unchanged, restrict the design of MCPA equipment. For this reason, transmitter and receiver specifications need to be relaxed with regard to compliance with modulation requirements, spurious emission (transmitter side) and blocking on the receiver side. Two classes of equipment have been specified covering two different levels of relaxation. The multistandard base station (MSR BTS) derives from 3GPP RAN4 which studies the coexistence of one or more radio access technologies in the same band. 3GPP defined two categories for FDD:
Category 1: Bands without GSM presence, e.g. WCDMA/LTE Category 2: Bands with GSM presence, e.g. GSM/WCDMA/LTE 3GPP has defined a third category for TDD band with TD-SCDMA and TD-LTE presence.
RF architecture evolution
The base band unit, in both options, can be accommodated anywhere, provided it is outdoor capable, and connected via a fiber optic link without affecting link budgets or radio performance. A compact, outdoor-capable base band unit such as the Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Base Station, provides the greatest flexibility in evolving existing base station sites. A future development may be that of active antenna technology, which integrates the functionality of a base stations active radio frequency components and passive antenna into one enclosure. Active antennas evolve traditional radiating systems into smart antennas with beam forming features that improve network capacity. Another beneficial development is MIMO technology, which has come to prominence with the development of HSPA. MIMO is a powerful method for increasing data rates and cell-edge performance. LTE introduces MIMO in the terminal and network specification from the very first release. The first step is MIMO 2x2, which requires two transmitters and two receivers, and is implemented using RRH or RF modules and a cross polarized antenna. Sites suitable for deploying MIMO should have cross polarized antennas and the capability for a software upgrade. If not, deploying MIMO 2x2 will require a site visit for major improvement, as will be the case for MIMO 4x4 implementation.
In order to meet the needs of CSPs and their demands for installation flexibility, RF unit design is evolving in two directions: Multisector Integration levels or commonly known as RF modules. In a standard 19 and 25 liters module, CSPs can benefit from the most integrated and compact 3-sector site solution. This solution enables zerofootprint, feederless and very adaptive installations. The module may be equipped with Single or Multicarrier power amplifiers featuring 3 radio technologies in 1. With a nominal power of 210W to be spread across three sectors, the RF module is the optimal solution for GSM/WCDMA/ LTE base station sites which are easier to install and more likely to be granted planning permission. Single Sector based or Remote Radio Head (RRH) which are power amplifiers, single or multicarrier, outdoor capable and optimized for single sector solution.
10
Transport Evolution
With the increasing adoption of broadband data services, traffic loads in mobile networks are rising dramatically. Mobile CSPs face the challenge of providing much more capacity within their transport networks and doing it not only ahead of the wave of demand from data services, but at a cost that will maintain profitability. I-HSPA and LTE are inherently IP-based technologies for data-dominated traffic. For this reason it is vital that base stations provide Ethernet interfaces, making them ready for evolution to IP-based transport solutions. Simply adding E1 leased lines to increase capacity is not economically viable because doubling the capacity means doubling the cost. A new architecture needs to be adopted to break this linear relationship between capacity and cost. The evolutionary path for most CSPs to migrate smoothly to all-Ethernet mobile backhaul is via an intermediate hybrid backhaul network. This is likely to be the most costeffective evolutionary path for existing CSPs, although some greenfield CSPs may have the opportunity to build a full packet-based backhaul network from scratch. The hybrid backhaul solution, known also as Dual Iub, is based on packet transport for bandwidth-hungry data services over HSPA. Packet-based transport is the key technology for next-generation mobile networks. The transition to packet backhaul brings the challenge of time synchronization to microsecond accuracy. The need for such high accuracy has led to the development of a solution for synchronizing base stations over packet networks. Known as Timing over Packet based on Precision Time Protocol PTP (PTP, IEEE 1588v2), the solution provides simplified, cost-effective and future-proof mobile network synchronization. Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi BTS offers integrated IP transport features that eliminate the need for external equipment, reducing the amount of hardware required on site. Site installation is easier and faster, with fewer upgrades needed. IP transport can be activated just through software.
Classic
E1/T1
E1/T1
Hybrid
Ethernet
Packet
Ethernet
Base Station
1588 master
2MHz/2Mbps GPS
Base Station
Figure 9: Timing over Packet solution
There are two additional options for synchronization: Synchronous Ethernet (ITU-T G.8261/2/4) TDM-based synchronization Synchronous Ethernet is implemented mainly on various access and aggregation platforms. The drawback of this standard is that it must be supported at every hop along the chain of nodes between the switching office and the cell site. TDM-based
synchronization, the traditional approach, is compatible with packet networks providing existing SDH networks are upgraded to Next Generation SDH. However, PTP and Synchronous Ethernet should not be regarded as being contradictory, rather they complement each other. It is also essential that overall site design remains lean, with transport requirements that do not entail external boxes being installed at the base station site.
12
World-first WCDMA refarming Nokia Siemens Networks NetAct manages the complete network, from the services delivered across radio, transport and core. This powerful tool meets the challenges of expansion due to data traffic increase by managing and optimizing all components in a single management system. The CSP needs fewer staff, with correspondingly less training investment to operate the whole network. NetAct Optimizer is designed for automated, measurement-based optimization of operational GSM, GPRS and WCDMA network performance and capacity. Such automation and real-time result monitoring reduces the need for expensive drive test verification. During the worlds first WCDMA refarming project, by Elisa in Finland, NetAct was used to optimize the frequencies of the existing GSM network to successfully deploy WCDMA into the same frequency area.
Nokia Siemens Networks solutions: Benefits in brief Compact Flexi BTS platform Low site costs Compact size opens up new site options High capacity BTS sites RF Module or RRH - the future for network deployments Distributed modular architecture Multiradio, multi-technology and multi-standard modules No cabinets means low capital and operational costs Software-based evolution Eliminates the need for new hardware for technology migration Protects existing investments Future-proof hardware LTE hardware ready now Energy efficiency Lower OPEX and low cost of ancillary equipment Supports off-grid power supplies No active cooling, lower maintenance Transport with standardized Sync Standardized Synchronization solutions, ToP Transport features software upgrades for migration from E1 to IP NetAct best-in-class Supports multiple technologies and multi-vendor networks LTE ready Supports interworking of different radio access technologies
14
Glossary
2G 3G 3GPP AWS BSC BSS BTS CDMA CO2 CSP DCS DFCA DSL EDGE FDD GERAN GPRS GPS GSM HSDPA HSPA HSPA+ HSUPA IEEE I-HSPA IP LTE MCBTS 2nd generation mobile communications 3rd generation mobile communications 3rd Generation Partnership Project Advanced Wireless Service Base Station Controller Base Station Subsystem Base Transceiver Station Code Division Multiple Access Carbon dioxide Communications Service Provider Digital Cellular System Dynamic Frequency Channel Allocation Digital Subscriber Line Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution Frequency Division Duple Gsm/Edge Radio Access Network General Packet Radio Service Global Positioning System Global System for Mobile Communications High-Speed Downlink Packet Access High-Speed Packet Access High-Speed Packet Acces Evolution High-Speed Uplink Packet Access The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc Internet High-Speed Packet Acces Internet Protocol Long-Term Evolution Multicarrier Base Station MCPA MIMO OFDMA OPEX OSC OSS PCS PDH PTP RAN RF RNC RRH SDH SGSN SON TCO TDD TD-LTE TDM TD-SCDMA ToP TRX UE UTRAN WCDMA Multi Carrier Power Amplifier Multiple Input Multiple Output Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access Operating Expenditure Orthogonal Sub Channel Operation Support Systems Personal Communication Services Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy Precision Time Protocol Radio Access Network Radio Frequency Radio Network Controller Remote Radio Head Synchronous Digital Hierarchy Serving GPRS Support Node Self Organizing Network Total Cost of Ownership Time Division Duplex Time Division Long-Term Evolution Time-Division Multiplexing Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access Timing over Packet Transceiver User Equipment Umts Terrestrial Radio Access Network Wideband CDMA
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