CONFIGURATION & INSTALLATION OF A BASE TRANSCEIVER STATION (BTS)

By telemax

Base Transceiver Station otherwise regarded as Cell is the smallest unit of the Base Station System structure. Its the area of radio coverage of a BTS. The elements of the BTS are: Mast/Tower, Sectorial antennas, PDH & SDH Microwave, Waveguide cables, Rectifier, Generator, Radio Base Station, Duplexers, Data Distribution Frame rack, Transceiver Unit (TRU), Trunking, TX cabinet & Shelter. COMPONENTS OF THE BASE TRANSCEIVER STATION Shelter: This is the housing in which all installations, hardware configuration & termination is done. It usually is 10*10 ft kiosks with provision for two air-condition unit & a feeder window. Mast/Tower: The importance of the tower on the BTS is to have a clear Line of Sight for the PDH/SDH radio & give room for easy radiation of radio signals by the sectorial antenna. The height of the tower is dependent on the topography of the land in focus but the standard recommended height is between 35-40m approximately. Sectorial Antenna: Its a broadband antenna capable of multiplexing dual frequency bands for transmission. In Nigeria for example where telecommunication is fast becoming a good substitute for economic backbone, dual band frequency operation is used (i.e. GSM 900 & GSM1800) in order to curb the menace of both capacity & coverage building. This antenna radiates at an angle of 120. For a total coverage, three sectorial antennas are used on a tower to cover 360 circumference. It also has a radiation distance of about 35km if concentrating on capacity building for urban areas & 121km when emphasizing on coverage. A clear edge it has over omni directional antenna is that it eliminates the issue of drop calls while roaming. PDH/SDH Microwave: Plesio synchronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH) & Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) are microwaves commonly used on the Base Station System. Point to Point (p2p) & Point to Multipoint transmission e.g. Root/Hub station to other BTS sites is facilitated by these radios via line of sight. The PDH microwave has a capacity of 16E1 making it the mostly used for BTS transmission since it gives room for upgrade and it is very efficient in terms of radio transmission to the BSC on the Abis interface. SDH on the other hand has a capacity of 75 E1.Its used basically on the Hub stations for transmission to the BSC on the Ater interface i.e. if you have the BSC & Transcoder Controller (TRC) on a single node . It has a transmission length of about 50km. Waveguides: As a result of skin effect, waveguides were invented to eliminate or minimize loss of electro-magnetic signals passing through cables in the course of transmission. This black armored like cables have connectors at their tips to fit into the duplexers via feeder window on the shelter. They come in various sizes and have several connecting tips e.g. BNC. Some still refers to it as a jumper cable.

Radio Base Station (RBS): Radio Base Stations (RBS) handles the modulation of speech signals. The Transceiver Unit does basically base band speech processing, abis interface signaling processing, RF signal amplification, modulation & demodulation. Frequency assignment is done on the TRU and the transceiver units are multiplexed in the combiner unit i.e. Combiner & Distribution Unit (CDU). The combiner unit does the filtering of signals from 33.8kbps to 16kbps before its being sent to the PDH from Abis interface. Since the GSM system uses the TDMA technology, several speech signals can be conveyed on frequency. Each physical channel has 8 time slot under this technology. Every logic channel can connect via the slots. Ericsson has several versions but prominent are the RBS 2200 and RBS 2100 versions. RBS 2216 version has six TRU slots for both GSM 900 & 1800 frequencies. It has dummy slots for upgrade purpose The RBS provides interface to mobile station on the air interface also it interfaces the BSC on the Abis interface on the Distribution Switch Unit (DXU). Rectifier: The RBS works on a 48V d.c. Alternating to direct current conversion is maintained by the rectifier and its output fed into the site voltage regulator. Four 12V d.c batteries are used as backup on the rectifier. The RBS takes it power directly from the rectifier. Transmission Rack: Otherwise known as TX cabinet, it holds the PDH/SDH radio & contains the connectors on which the alarm, TX/RX installations are done. Truncking: The trunk consists of a ladder and a bus like rail on which all installation cables/ waveguides run. Duplexers: The duplexer does de-multiplexing function between the sectorial antennas and the RBS. The sectorial antenna has a dual frequency input. Waveguides connects the input of these frequencies then de-multiplexes. The duplexers have two input and four outputs. Each output connects to each 1800 TRU card on the RBS. A pair of the output on the duplexer for 900 connects to a TRU card. Data Distribution Frame: The Data Distribution Frame (DDF) or krone box acts as the interface between the Distribution Switch Unit (DXU) and the radio. Its just a connector where all E1 connections & DXU connection is terminated. The PDH radio is hold or supported on the rack. Having looked at some of the major constituents of the BTS, we can go ahead to examine the step by step way of installing the RBS. We are going to use the Ericsson RBS as a model for our study. -Firstly, the Ericsson RBS comes with a base which holds it firm & prevents it from any form of corrosion from the surface of the shelter. In placing the base of the RBS care should be taken because there has to be an edge alignment between the RBS and the base. This can be achieved using a plum. The screw at the top of the RBS can then be turned to hold the RBS firmly to its base. -The next thing is to determine the length of the cables from the power point of the RBS to the rectifier. Note that the power point for the RBS has three points each having provision for live and neutral. It is advisable that the power connection is done last but it is very good to do all measurement before doing the actual cable laying.

-The alarm cable should be plugged into the alarm port on the RBS meant for the 900 TRUs. The other end of the cable should be taken to the DDF rack. -On the DXU of the 900 RBS, plug the DXU cable into port A & port B of the card. Ports C & D should be left open. This action should be done on both the 900 & 1800 RBS. The other end of the cable is also taken to the DDF rack. -Fix TRU cards into the slots noting that the number of cards fixed is a factor of the cell configuration. For example, a typical BTS sited in an urban area will use a configuration of 2/2/2 to 6/6/6 signifying that much emphasis is made on capacity building at the expense of coverage. The 2/2/2 to 6/6/6 configuration tells that we will use a total of 3 TRU cards for 900 RBS and 9 TRU cards for 1800 RBS. An understanding of the configuration helps to determine how many TRU cards we are to use on a cell and even provision dummy slots for upgrade purpose. -Connect your waveguide or jumpers to the input of the duplexer from the feeder window and tighten very well. -In connecting to the input of the duplexer we should note that the dual input for a duplexer is coming from a single sectorial antenna so that tells us that since we have three sectorial antennas, we will be having three duplexers each for a sectorial antenna. The input of the duplexer has a provision for both GSM 900 & 1800 frequencies separately and this is indicated on the duplexers. For the output port, well see that two ports are provisioned for GSM 900 & two for GSM 1800. Since we are using the 2/2/2 to 6/6/6 configuration as a model for our installation. -Connect the dual output of the GSM 900 band from the sectorial with your waveguide to a single TRU card on the RBS and repeat the same for the other two duplexers meant for the other sectorial antennas. -Also, connect the outputs of the GSM 1800 band from the duplexers to the 1800 TRU cards but in doing this we should note that each output from the duplexers goes to a duplexer. We will note that in doing this installation this way, achieving our configuration is not feasible since Ericssons RBS 2216 has six slots for TRU cards and we have to use 9 cards for our 2/2/2 to 6/6/6 configuration. Another RBS needs to be deployed known as an extension to augment the other 3 TRU cards needed and give room for upgrade during capacity building but we need to cascade the bus of the extra RBS in other to achieve our configuration. -Run the cables from the DXU to the krone connector on the rack and the connection should be done based on the number of E1 we are actually using on the site. A CAT 5 cable contains 4 twisted pair cables. Lets assume we are using two E1 on this site; that means at the other terminal of the DXU cable going to the rack, we are going to cut off two pairs of the twisted cable and use just two pairs. Note that two pairs of the twisted cable make an E1. The crimping of an E1 on the RJ 45 connector is pin 1,2,4,5 with the twisted cables. -Finally we are going to connect the ESB port on the DXU. The connection goes thus:

ESB1 ESB2 1800RBS Extension ESB1 ESB2 900RBS ESB1 ESB2 1800RBS Master The hardware configuration involves the determination of the number of TRU units that will be used on the RBS but the software configuration will be done on the Base Station Controller (BSC). Amongst the configuration that will be done is -Frequency channel assignment -Base Station Identity Code (BSIC) configuration. We have little or nothing to do after our configuration but to commission the site launching the site on our own local network as the case may be.
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9 Responses to CONFIGURATION & INSTALLATION OF A BASE TRANSCEIVER STATION (BTS)

1. Mr WordPress Says:
November 19, 2007 at 2:45 pm | Reply

Hi, this is a comment. To delete a comment, just log in, and view the posts comments, there you will have the option to edit or delete them.
2. telemax Says:
December 11, 2010 at 11:35 am | Reply

Hello Ahme, Like I explained earlier, there is no conventional way of terminating cables on the BTS. Termination is a factor of the type of BTS in use. For example the Ericcson BTS differs in configuration from the Huawei. However, I ll advice you use the Huawei cabinet since its what is widely used in your continent (Africa). The Huawei 312 cabinet simplifies cable termination both for E1 and the traffic node. The cabinet has a port at the top where the termination of these cables are clearly defined. You can try to have a look at one of them and revert if you need further clarification. Bye.

3. telemax Says:
December 11, 2010 at 11:35 am | Reply

Thanks and God bless.

4. telemax Says:
December 11, 2010 at 11:37 am | Reply

Hello Joseph, Please itemize the information you need so I can provide. Thanks.
5. telemax Says:
December 11, 2010 at 11:42 am | Reply

Hi Dipo, You can submit your CV in some of the telecommunications company in your location or country. Just apply for a job that you think you fit into the description. take care.
6. elemax Says:
December 11, 2010 at 11:44 am | Reply

Hi, Anything I can do to promote your brand?

7. telemax Says:
December 11, 2010 at 11:46 am | Reply

Hi Gathuru, I m presently working on something in that regard but changes in technology has halted the publication. I m giving you something recent real soon. Thanks.
8. telemax Says:
January 18, 2011 at 9:18 pm | Reply

Hello Charles, sorry this reply is coming a bit late. The BSC is not a site but an equipment with nodes mapped to interface with the base transceiver stations via the abis interface. The BSC is often located at the mobile switching centre (MSC) of the telecom operator. The BSC and MSC are interfaced via the A- interface. One BSC can control several BTS depending on the capacity or configuration. PDH or SDH are used based on the number of E1 deployed in a particular location.PDH/SDH are not directly connected to the BSC . They are all components of the base transceiver station. Just understand that the BTS and BSC are interfaced via the abis interface. Thanks.

Base Transceiver Station BTS

Dec, 2006 Technology

Base Transceiver Station (BTS) is the equipment which facilitates the wireless communication between user equipments and the network. The term BTS is generally and commonly associated with mobile communication technologies like GSM and CDMA. A BTS forms part of the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) and has the equipments (transceivers) for transmitting and receiving of radio signals, signal processors, signal paths, signal amplifiers, and equipments for system management. It may also have equipments for encrypting and decrypting communications, spectrum filtering tools (band pass filters) etc. Antennas may also be considered as components of BTS in general sense as they facilitate the functioning of BTS. A BTS is controlled by a parent Base Station Controller via the Base station Control Function (BCF).The BCF provides an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) connection to the Network management system (NMS), and manages operational states of each TRX, as well as software handling and alarm collection. The BTSs are equipped with radios that are able to modulate layer 1 of interface Um; for GSM 2G+ the modulation type is GMSK, while for EDGE-enabled networks it is GMSK and 8-PSK. The Base Station Controller (BSC) provides, classically, the intelligence behind the BTSs. Typically a BSC has 10s or even 100s of BTSs under its control. The BSC handles allocation of radio channels, receives measurements from the mobile phones, controls handovers from BTS to BTS. Networks are often structured to have many BSCs distributed into regions near their BTSs which are then connected to large centralised MSC sites. Although the Transcoding (compressing/decompressing) function is as standard defined as a BSC function, there are several vendors which have implemented the solution in a stand-alone rack using a proprietary interface. This subsystem is also referred to as the TRAU (Transcoder and Rate Adaptation Unit). The transcoding function converts the voice channel coding between the GSM (Regular Pulse Excited-Long Term Prediction, also known as RPE-LPC) coder and the CCITT standard PCM (G.711 A-law or u-law). Since the PCM coding is 64 kbit/s and the GSM coding is 13 kbit/s, this also involves a buffering function so that PCM 8-bit words can be recoded to construct GSM 20 ms traffic blocks, to compress voice channels from the 64 kbit/s PCM standard to the 13 kbit/s rate used on the air interface. Some networks use 32 kbit/s ADPCM on the terrestrial side of the network instead of 64 kbit/s PCM and the TRAU converts accordingly. When the traffic is not voice but data such as fax or email, the TRAU enables its Rate Adaptation Unit function to give compatibility between the BSS data rates and the MSC capability. However, at least in Siemens and Nokias architecture, the Transcoder is an identifiable separate sub-system which will normally be co-located with the MSC. In some of Ericssons systems it is integrated to the MSC rather than the BSC. The reason for these designs is that if the compression of voice channels is done at the site of the MSC, fixed transmission link costs can be reduced. BSS interfaces

Um The air interface between the MS (Mobile Station) and the BTS. This interface uses LAPDm protocol for signaling, to conduct call control, measurement reporting, Handover, Power control, Authentication, Authorization, Location Update and so on. Traffic and Signaling are sent in bursts of 0.577 ms at intervals of 4.615 ms, to form data blocks each 20 ms. Abis The interface between the Base Transceiver Station and Base Station Controller. Generally carried by a DS-1, ES-1, or E1 TDM circuit. Uses TDM subchannels for traffic (TCH), LAPD protocol for BTS supervision and telecom signaling, and carries synchronization from the BSC to the BTS and MS. Link Access Procedures on the D channel (LAPD), is the second layer protocol on the ISDN protocol stack in the D channel. A The interface between the BSC and Mobile Switching Center. It is used for carrying Traffic channels and the BSSAP user part of the SS7 stack. Although there are usually transcoding units between BSC and MSC, the signaling communication takes place between these two ending points and the transcoder unit doesnt touch the SS7 information, only the voice or CS data are transcoded or rate adapted. Ater The interface between the Base Station Controller and Transcoder. It is a proprietary interface whose name depends on the vendor (for example Ater by Nokia), it carries the A interface information from the BSC leaving it untouched. Gb Connects the BSS to the Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) in the GPRS Core Network.

What operation Base Transceiver Station perform?

Answer: Transmitter section multiplexes baseband signals and modulates it with a carrier,then frequency translates IF to RF by frequency synthesizer and mixer. combines the power to transmit through a antenna before passing it through high power amplifier and bandpass filter. Receiver section passes RF through a band pass filter and low noise amplifier. Downconverts RF to IF by tunable local oscillator and mixer. further the signal is demodulated and demultiplexed before sending to ground communication equipments