Moving to All-IP network:

Challenges & Solutions

Prashant Shukla
Sr. Solutions Architect
ECI Telecom
March 2012

Agenda

Mobile Backhaul: Trends & Challenges

Update on legacy migration: 2G to 3G and 3G to 4G

Strategic options for Optimized Backhaul Design

IP Synchronization: Available options

Future of Packet networks: IP/MPLS v/s MPLS-TP?

Summary

Mobile Backhaul
Trends & Challenges

Multi dimensional evolution

Different regions
Different challenges

Increase Coverage

Basic voice in the developing world

LTE and 3G all over

Subscriber &
Capacity Growth

Peak rates are

evolving: 10G per

base station

From 938M HSPA

users in 2011 to
4.9B in 2016

More base

stations

010010
100101
101010

From Voice to Data

Migration to broadband

services based on 3G
and LTE

Backhaul migration

from TDM to IP/Ethernet

Convergence of

backhaul with
enterprise and
residential

Mobile broadband explosion

0.02x Traffic
50Kbps (GPRS & 1xRTT)

2000

1x Traffic
5-7 Mbps (HSPA+ & EvDO)
~500 million Smartphones

2010

~1000x Traffic
Over 1 Gbps (LTE-A and beyond)
4 billion new Smartphones
10 billion new Smart Devices
Millions of new Apps
Video and Cloud based services

2020

Source: 4G Americas, Nokia

Update on Mobile Backhaul

migration: 2G to 3G, 3G to 4G

Decades of migrations ahead of us!

Mobile Subscribers
3Q11

Billions

4G
3G
2G

Today:

2G < 80% coverage

3G < 30% coverage

3GPP does not define how backhaul

migration should be done.

Negligible LTE coverage

LTE revolutionize the backhaul architecture

3G Architecture

LTE Networks Status Worldwide

EPC (Evolved Packet Core)

UMTS 3G: UTRAN

MME
S-GW/P-GW

GGSN

MME
S-GW/P-GW

SGSN

RNC

RNC
eNB

eNB

eNB

eNB

E-UTRAN
NodeB

NodeB

NodeB

NodeB

Only IP
Flat - Remove controllers

Mesh connectivity
More base stations

3GPP does not define exact network

architecture including transport
Variety of packet technologies and architectures to choose from

Other forums are filling

the gap

Vendors differentiate

themselves via
deployment schemes

Operators set their

internal standards

Each cellular

manufacturer has its

own set of requirements

Strategic options for Optimized

Backhaul Design

Key selection criteria

Strategy for existing infrastructure

Business plan

Availability and cost of alternatives

Projected growth rate

Services - revenue split

Technology expertise and comfort zone

Internal standards or directives

Implementation timeframe

Mobile/transport relationships

Access to capital

Possible alternatives

Competition

Even within the same network, different
sites may have varied requirements
or preferred options

Copper
Wireline
Fiber

Make
Wireless

Buy

3rd Party

Understanding these criteria is crucial

11

ECIs 1Net MBH Solution Components

A Custom-Tailored Transition
Ethernet over
TDM

Pure TDM

Embedded
Ethernet Overlay

Separate Ethernet
Overlay

TDM

Hybrid

XDM Family
BG Family

Hybrid+ for the XDM & BG

Hybrid BG-Wave

Pure Packet

Pure Packet
9000 Family
Packet BG-Wave
Hi-FOCuS

Professional Services and Unified Management

12

Backhaul Migration Schemes

Ethernet overlay - New backhaul network is rolled out to support NG mobile networks
and/or new businesses while existing backhaul continue to serve legacy mobile networks
CE/CESR
CE/CESR

L2/L3

Ethernet

Ethernet
Ethernet

Ethernet
TDM

TDM

TDM

MSPP

MSPP

TDM

All-Native
Hybrid

Eth./MPLS
Switch
Ethernet

TDM
Matrix

TDM
EoSDH

Native
Ethernet

Leverage existing backhaul network

13

Leverage the current MSPP installed base

BG/XDM-based Hybrid Offering
Hybrid+: A Suite for all-native handling of

Hybrid BG-Wave Series: An all-native

2G & 3G/4G networks and transition to

packet-based infrastructure without forklift
upgrades

Multi-Service Radio Node (MRAN) integrating

microwave radio with full multiservice &
networking functions

Enhanced native packet switch

All Hybrid+ features

E2E MPLS-TP

Flexible mix of fiber and

E2E Ethernet synchronization

microwave

Circuit emulation (CES)

Carrier Grade Management

Add-on to the XDM and BG

families

TDM

TDM
Matrix
Eth./MPL
S Switch

Ethernet

TDM
EoSDH

Native
Ethernet

Flexible Physical Layer Support

Fiber

Microwave

E2E Wireless Backhaul Solution

 Backhauling any wireless technology over any medium
 Converged infrastructure supporting additional services
Optical

Network and service

management

BTS/Node B

BSC/RNC

Pure Packet
MSC/MGW

BTS/Node B

Optical, Microwave or
Pure Packet backhaul

IP/MPLS and
Optical Core

Microwave

BTS/Node B

DSL/GPON

9000, XDM, XDM-O

BG, XDM, 9000,
AccessWave

BTS/Node B

Hi-Focus
Microwave
9000
BG

Synchronization

16

IP Synchronization: Available options

Mobile requires
timing/synchronization

Handoff control
Radio framing accuracy
Control jitter/latency during transmission Phase

Most common techniques have

included traditional SDH timing or
GPS

Pure packet architectures require

Ethernet/packet based timing
schemes

Synchronous Ethernet
IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol
Adaptive clock recovery
Differential clock recovery

Frequency
Accuracy

Immune
to traffic
load
Cost

SyncE

ACR

DCR

IEEE
1588

High

Med

High

High

Med

Low

Med

High

17

Future of Packet networks:

IP/MPLS v/s MPLS-TP?

Simplicity - Less Network Failures

 In transport networks using NMS
based provisioning cause human
errors account for 4% of service
outage hours

 In IP networks human errors account

for 22% of service outage hours
Source: The Yankee Group Network Downtime Survey

MPLS-TP which uses NMS for tunnels/services provisioing,

alarms correlation , availability maps tool together with the
enhanced troubleshooting OAM tools will keep the network
simple and less prone to failures - Reducing the OPEX costs.
19

Transport-friendly MPLS-TP

A connection-oriented technology is required for deterministic performance,

resiliency, TE.

MPLS is the defacto standard in networks, but which version to deploy?

MPLS - TP

Transport network paradigm

Operationally simpler

Strengths

Automated
provisioning/protection

skills NMS-oriented

Scalable to Regional / Global

protocol skills not required

Widely deployed

Well-standardized

Easier on equipment resources

Access layer, limited path diversity
Points of heavy service

concentration

Simple, inexpensive spoke
devices

Multi-vendor environments

Networks with centralized IP

Service Edge / IP core
intelligence

Deployment
Scenarios

IP/MPLS

Access / Metro

MPLS-TP Combined With IP/MPLS

PW Switching Point

S-PE

Dynamic
Signaled LSP

Static LSP

Signaling
Gateway

MPLS-TP Domain

IP-MPLS Domain

End-to-end services can be offered across

MPLS-TP and IP/MPLS domains, with a gateway function
21

The role of L2 & L3 protocols in packet

backhaul evolution

In the access layer, by the end

of 2015, VLAN & MPLS-TP will
account for 64%.

Source:

In the aggregation layer, by the

end of 2015, VLAN & MPLS-TP
will account for 38%.

Ethernet Backhaul, July 2011

22

Summary

Evolution to LTE Backhauling

Operators usually prefer the gradual evolution to packet
leveraging and preserving TDM infrastructure

Coexisting of 2G,3G and LTE technologies in same location requires
one transport product solution like ECIs 1Net MBH Solution.

IP/MPLS and MPLS-TP have their role and are not really
competing. Each one is optimized for different domains:
IPMPLS for the edge & core and MPLS-TP for the Metro and
access layer.

LTE network sizing and complexity will influence the OPEX cost.

The backhauling network performance should be improved

comparing to current 2G/3G networks:

Supporting higher capacity

Lower delay and jitter
Supporting both phase frequency synchronization
Simple OAM for to operate much larger
number of elements

Prashant.Shukla@ecitele.com