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microwave-outlook
Ericsson
Microwave
Outlook
December 2018
2 Ericsson Microwave Outlook | December 2018
Executive summary
Contents Exactly when and how to introduce So the next major threshold to reach
5G New Radio (NR) will be decided is 10Gbps everywhere. While the
02 Executive summary nationally for each operator, but what they technology needed to enable this is already
will have in common is the importance available, standardization and spectrum
03 Future capacity requirements of not only securing spectrum for access regulation changes will be fundamental
but also for backhaul. It’s expected that to creating cost-efficient solutions.
05 Winning backhaul strategy
there will be an increase in the variation of With the advances in microwave
06 Trends in spectrum backhaul capacity needed for 5G NR, as technology using wider channels, higher
operators choose to deploy with variable modulations, E-band spectrum and
09 Integrated Access and
amounts of radio access spectrum and multi-band solutions, microwave as a
Backhaul in 5G NR
advanced radio features, to meet the transport technology will also meet the
10 How can 10Gbps be specific needs at each location. Many have future requirements set out by more
reached everywhere? started shifting backhaul to future-proof advanced Radio Access Networks (RAN) and
frequency bands at new installations 5G. Operator trials, such as the A1 Hrvatska
12 E-band through the or when upgrading equipment. example in Croatia, are proof of the value of
eyes of an operator E-band is not only becoming an E-band and multi-band as tools to increase
14 How machine intelligence is essential backhaul band of high global backhaul capacities over longer distances.
helping to manage networks alignment, but together with the 32GHz Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine
band, it will be an important prerequisite to intelligence (MI) have taken significant
facilitate the transition of some backhaul steps over the last decade, now offering
frequency bands to 5G NR access use. techniques that leverage the expertise of
The 5G NR standardization will enable microwave planners and engineers, allowing
a new way to backhaul, known as for management of larger, more complex
Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), or and efficient microwave networks.
self-backhauling. This is expected to be As we head towards 5G, microwave
useful for dense millimeter-wave 5G NR backhaul is well prepared to meet the
deployments on street-level sites. challenges, as operators gain the suite of
With the introduction of 5G, the interest tools they need to enable networks to cope
in E-band is high, as it can provide up with increased capacity and rapid change.
to 10Gbps for even the most extreme The combination of fiber and
dense urban sites. But capacities are microwave solutions remains a winning
constantly growing in all parts of the backhaul strategy for evolving 4G
network, from urban to rural areas. and developing 5G networks.
Key contributors
Executive Editor: Git Sellin
Articles: Jonas Edstam, Andreas Olsson, Jonas Flodin, Mikael Öhberg,
Anders Henriksson, Jonas Hansryd, Jonas Ahlberg
Co-written article: Ivan Mikulic (A1 Hrvatska)
3 Ericsson Microwave Outlook | December 2018
— Multi-band
FWA
Trends in spectrum
The next International Telecommunication 2.6GHz and 600MHz. The massive uptake (26.5–28.9GHz) for 5G NR was auctioned
Union (ITU) World Radiocommunication of 5G subscriptions is expected to be fueled in June 2018, with 800MHz allocated to
Conference (WRC-19) is scheduled to by next generation chipsets, due to be each operator. The initial deployments
take place in November 2019. However, available from 2020. In general, all 3GPP of millimeter wave (mmWave)
many countries see an urgency to start bands in use for current mobile generations 5G NR in the United States are in the
building 5G networks right away, to meet are also being considered for 5G services. 28GHz band (27.5–28.35GHz) and
the ever increasing consumer data traffic The early 5G launches in the 39GHz band (38.6–40GHz). The first
demands and act as a foundation for United States are in high band, while mmWave spectrum auction took place in
future economic growth. Securing the in Europe and Asia the initial focus is November 2018 and included available
right spectrum for 5G NR in low, mid generally in mid band with high band spectrum in the 28GHz band. This is
and high frequency bands is important. as a second stage. Microwave backhaul followed by the planned auctions of the
An increasing number of countries are is in extensive use in many frequency 24GHz band (24.25–24.45GHz and
planning and awarding 5G spectrum, bands above 6GHz and will also remain 24.75–25.25GHz) in the first half of 2019,
and the first commercial 5G NR services an essential media for transport of and of the 39GHz band (37.6–40GHz)
are being launched in the United States. 5G. The E-band and 32GHz band and 47GHz band (47.2-48.2 GHz)
The first 5G NR devices, such as pocket will grow in importance for backhaul, in the second half of 2019.
routers and smartphones, are expected while a few other bands will eventually In the US, the suitability for 5G NR use
in early 2019, with support for frequency be transitioned to 5G NR access use in the 26GHz band (25.25–27.5GHz) and
bands such as 39GHz, 28GHz, 3.5GHz, (Figure 6). In Korea, the 28GHz band 42–42.5GHz is also being investigated.
Microwave backhaul
0–180GHz
Frequency [GHz] 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Microwave backhaul
0–90GHz (in use today)
WRC–19 candidate 5G bands
USA *Unlicensed
Korea
5G NR high bands Japan
China
Europe
3GPP 5G NR high bands
In Europe, the 26GHz band for 5G NR, as well as in the 37–42.5GHz higher capacities. Fiber penetration will
(24.25–27.5GHz) is the pioneering range. 3GPP has specified 5G NR bands increase, and the E-band is the widely
mmWave 5G NR band. However, it in the range 24.25–29.5GHz and recognized frequency choice for 5G
is expected that some countries will 37–40GHz, and work has started on transport in urban and suburban areas.
release 26.5–27.5GHz first, partly due specifications for the 42GHz band. In preparation for WRC-19, E-band is
to the current high usage of microwave For backhaul, the use of E-band has also being studied for 5G NR access.
backhaul in the 24.5–26.5GHz range grown rapidly over the last couple of However, it has only limited support
(Figure 7). For example, in October 2018 years (Figure 7). For example in Poland, and is preferred for backhauling use.
Italy auctioned 26.5–27.5GHz for 5G NR, about 20 percent of all hops are now in The 32GHz band (31.8–33.4GHz) is
with 200MHz for each of the operators. E-band, and in the Czech Republic, it is also being studied ahead of the WRC-19
The 38GHz band (37-39.5GHz) is about 15 percent. Also, the use of 32GHz for 5G NR access, but is seen as less
heavily used for microwave backhaul band has increased in the last few years, suitable. It is now being positioned
in Europe (Figure 7) – which is why for example in Middle East. The E-band as an additional microwave backhaul
Europe is interested in the 42GHz band (71–76GHz paired with 81–86GHz) replacement for the transition of the
(40.5–43.5GHz) as a second stage for is becoming an essential backhaul 26GHz and 28GHz bands to 5G NR
mmWave 5G NR, and eventually also band of high global alignment. This will access use. The band is already used for
the 66–71GHz band. Japan is expected facilitate the transition of backhaul from backhauling in Europe, the Middle East,
to release spectrum in the 27–29.5GHz bands now being designated for 5G NR and Indonesia, and is also planned to be
range for 5G NR in early 2019. China has use. In preparation for 5G, transport released in Canada. It is a strong candidate
indicated early interest in the 26GHz band networks will be upgraded to support to become a global backhaul band.
When and how to introduce 5G NR is a gives insight into future opportunities for a
national decision, but operators have more efficient use of spectrum (Figure 8).
already now begun to prefer the use of other The emerging multi-band booster concept
future-proof frequency bands, at installations represents a paradigm shift toward a much
of new microwave backhaul equipment. more efficient use of diverse backhaul
The preparation for mid-band 5G NR is spectrum assets. This will unleash the use of
also starting in Europe, with upgrades E-band to provide transport for 5G in much
of transport networks and microwave wider geographical areas currently served
backhaul. Accordingly, a rapid decline is using 15, 18 and 23GHz bands for backhaul.
expected in the use of 26GHz for backhaul, Frequency bands below 10GHz are
which will simplify and bring forward the essential for long-range backhaul. However,
transition of the band to 5G NR access use. these are sparsely deployed, accordingly
The strong prioritization of the E-band for there is locally unused spectrum (Figure 8).
backhaul is thus an important prerequisite Interest is growing in this spectrum-sharing
to prepare transport networks to 5G, as well opportunity, and the possibility to introduce
as facilitate the transition of the 26GHz. unlicensed and licensed access in parts
In the longer term, additional spectrum of the 6GHz band. This opportunity is
will be needed for backhaul to support being studied in both the United States and
throughputs of up to 100Gbps. In preparation Europe, with the requirement that it must not
for future demands, the specifications of cause harmful interference to backhaul use.
the W-band (92–115GHz) and D-band In addition, 3GPP is also investigating the
(130–175GHz) have been finalized in Europe; use of the 6GHz band for 5G NR. It should
the Electronic Communications Committee be noted that there are large variations in
(ECC) has issued recommendations 18(02) the use of 6GHz for backhaul, in different
and 18(01), and activities have also locations, countries and regions. For example,
started in the United States (Figure 6). in the United Kingdom about 2 percent of all
Looking at microwave networks from links are in the 6GHz band, in France about
above is not only a magnificent view, it also 8 percent and United States about 30 percent.
5% of all hops 23% of all hops 46% of all hops 26% of all hops
30km average hop length 15km average hop length 7km average hop length 2.4km average hop length
Source: Ericsson based on OFCOM open data (2018)
9 Ericsson Microwave Outlook | December 2018
Historically, self-backhauling has had with several advantages: automatically Figure 9: IAB deployment scenario
limited traction, since it consumes spectrum established backhaul; no additional
resources that are valuable for radio equipment needed, when the backhaul
access. However, with mmWave 5G NR, direction is within the access sector;
large bandwidth and native beamforming and backhaul for limited line-of-sight
create an opportunity to use IAB links. path, but at a reduced distance.
This will enable fast, flexible and very dense Microwave backhaul also has advantages:
deployment of mmWave radio access high capacity without using valuable access
sites at street level, without the need for a spectrum; a latency less than one-tenth of a
denser transport network (see Figure 9). single IAB hop; and a hop distance of more
A study item on IAB is being concluded than five times that of IAB, with optional
in 3GPP, followed by a work item in higher-gain antennas. Microwave backhaul Source: Ericsson (2018)
Release 16 that will be finalized at the has been the dominant backhaul media for
end of 2019. The backhaul and access over two decades, and will remain a very
may be on the same or different frequency attractive alternative to fiber for traditional
bands, known as in-band and out-of-band. macro radio node deployments. IAB is
In-band IAB is of higher interest since expected to become an equally attractive
it could provide backhaul without any alternative to fiber for the emerging dense
additional equipment. However, it is street-level, mmWave 5G NR deployments.
also more challenging and requires tight
interworking between access and backhaul
to avoid interference, both within the radio
nodes as well as across the radio network. Figure 10: IAB characteristics to consider
The IAB relays enhance access coverage
and capacity, as users’ devices connected
to a nearby relay will experience far less Aggregated IAB load
path loss compared to a distant IAB donor 3 Asymmetric peak throughput
(see Figure 10). The IAB link from the donor
limits the total throughput of the connected
DL UL
relay nodes. The relay nodes will use a more
symmetric downlink (DL) – uplink (UL) 1 2 4
Time Division Duplex (TDD) ratio, when
compared to typical DL-heavy radio nodes,
as much user data is transiting the relay
from receive to transmit side. The latency Symmetric relay throughput
will also increase per IAB hop. The IAB
IAB relays
network should be carefully planned to
DL UL
meet the targeted end-user experience 3
at busy hours. Topologies with a limited
UL DL
number of aggregated relay nodes and
1 2 4 DL UL
few hops are expected to be most common. IAB donor
Microwave backhaul and IAB are
complementary alternatives to fiber with
different advantages and uses. IAB is part Multi-hop latency
of the 5G NR Radio Access Network, Source: Ericsson (2018)
10 Ericsson Microwave Outlook | December 2018
The 2017 edition of this report discussed how deployed in these regions. To enable use namely 64QAM/112MHz in traditional
to break the futuristic 100Gbps barrier. In this of multi-band antennas, each scenario bands and half BPSK/2000MHz in E-band.
edition we will study how to reach 10Gbps, uses the same antenna size in all bands. The availability target is set to the very
not just for shorter distances but everywhere. In all configurations, a modulation strict 99.999 percent in the lowest band
The foundation for achieving 10Gbps enabling at least 0.5Gbps per channel has (for priority traffic) and 99.9 percent
is starting with sufficient spectrum. been used to reach availability targets, in the highest band (for capacity).
Then depending on hop length, climate,
availability targets and channel
availability, different configurations
and frequency bands can be identified.
Antenna configuration, capex and
opex costs must also be considered.
In Figure 11, three different
configurations have been identified
for achieving 10Gbps in typical urban,
suburban and rural deployment scenarios.
Both a mild climate (Stockholm in
Sweden, with 27mm/h of rain exceeded
for 0.01 percent of the time according
to Rec. ITU-R P.530) and a more severe
climate (New Delhi in India, with 58mm/h
of rain) have been considered. The results
correspond well to typical hop lengths
Figure 11: How to reach 10Gbps in urban, suburban and rural deployment scenarios
2Gbps / 99.999%
Traditional low 1x 224MHz or
6–13GHz 2x 112MHz or
4x 56MHz
1Gbps / 99.999% 4Gbps / 99.99%
Traditional mid 1x 112MHz or 2x 224MHz or
15–23GHz 2x 56MHz or 4x 112MHz
4x 28MHz
4Gbps / 99.9%
Traditional high 2x 224MHz or
26–42GHz 4x 112MHz
Urban deployment of 0.9m antennas. A typical range will then be and carrier aggregation radios
In short-range urban hops, pure E-band and 15km in a mild climate and 10km in a more (in one polarization). But such radios
0.3m antennas can be used. A 2000MHz severe climate. The range can be extended inherently have a higher cost, so this option
channel, or 2x 1000MHz, is needed. In a beyond 15km by using antennas larger should only be used when wider channels
mild climate this gives a range of typically than 0.9m and/or by considering reduced are not available and when it is highly likely
2km. In more severe climates the distance availability targets. Tri-band antennas are that the second carrier will be enabled from
is typically 1km. For dense urban scenarios not available in the market today, so for the initial installation or in the near future.
where visual appearance is critical, and foreseeable future two or three antennas
the required range is shorter, smaller will be needed for this configuration. Standardization and spectrum regulation
antennas like 0.1m and 0.2m can be used. For urban and suburban scenarios, the main
Hardware optimization enabler today is the E-band. In the future
Suburban deployment All these configurations can be realized with the wide channels in E-band will be
To stretch range in suburban hops, existing single carrier radios. A maximum complemented by W-band and D-band.
the E-band needs to be complemented by a of four channels in traditional bands are In traditional bands, 112MHz channels
112MHz channel in a traditional mid band used. A graphical representation of the are today only regulated in bands
as well as using 0.6m antennas. Dual-band channels discussed in Figure 11 can be 18–42GHz. It is important that regulatory
antennas combining these frequencies found in Figure 12. The channel widths bodies also start allowing 112MHz channels
in a single antenna are available in the are drawn to scale to provide an insight in 6–15GHz. In addition, there is a need for
market today. The range is typically into the amount of spectrum needed. 224MHz channels in 6–42GHz bands.
8km in a mild climate and 4km in a more To minimize the amount of hardware It is also crucial to review spectrum
severe climate. This configuration is often and hence capex and opex, the first fees in traditional bands. The spectrum
referred to as “multi-band booster”. choice is always to use channels that fee for wide channels in traditional bands
are as wide as possible. In an increasing can currently be very expensive. With the
Rural deployment number of markets, the important 112MHz introduction of even wider channels this
In rural scenarios, range needs to be channels are available. However, in most could become a major hurdle if the fee
extended even further. E-band is then no markets today a maximum channel calculation model is not changed.
longer a practical option. The traditional width is often 28 or 56MHz, and the The technology is available to enable
bands need to be exploited to achieve only option is to use multiple carriers. 10Gbps everywhere already today,
extended reach. Depending on spectrum Since changing regulations is a slow but standardization and spectrum
availability, channels in two or three bands process, there is also a market for dual regulation changes are fundamental
will be needed. This is combined with the use carrier radios (in one or two polarizations) to create cost-efficient solutions.
Figure 12: Capacity vs. channel width and number of channels, in E-band and traditional bands
Channel [MHz]
Capacity
2000 1000 224 112 56 28
[Gbps]
E-band Traditional bands
10
Croatia is now a popular holiday Figure 13: Remote hop lengths handled across A1 Hrvatska network
destination and each summer, thousands
Hop length
of tourists flock to the Adriatic coastline Up to 3km
and its remote archipelagos. 5% 3–10km
This annual tourist wave sees an 10–20km
increase in mobile traffic volumes, which Over 20km
the backhaul network needs to be able 25%
23% Target for multi-band
to handle cost-effectively. Operator booster with E-band
A1 Hrvatska, part of A1 Telekom Austria
Group, has been looking at increasing
backhaul capacities across its microwave
network using E-band and multi-band.
For link distances of up to 10km 47%
and beyond, A1 Hrvatska previously
used a bonded multi-channel XPIC
configuration. This provided 2.4Gbps
capacity, but had multiple disadvantages
– including high TCO, complex installation Source: Ericsson and A1 Hrvatska (2018)
and low scalability due to the limited
amount of available spectrum.
Using the E-band link in addition to the
existing low-band link solves many of these
issues, since E-band provides up to 10Gbps Figure 14: A1 Hrvatska capacity planning for E-band and multi-band
capacity over a single radio frequency
with very low licencing fees. A1 Hrvatska E-band maximum modulation
>100% [3,100]
has now started to roll out multi-band
Minimum capacity as percentage of expected capacity
Traffic [Mbps]
8 500
6 400
300
4
200
2
100
0 0
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Figure 16: E-band availability performance of a 12km A1 Hrvatska multi-band trial Unavailable seconds
Capacity, Mbps
12,500 3,500
3,000
10,000
Average daily capacity [Mbps]
Unavailable seconds per day
2,500
7,500
2,000
99.9%
availability 1,500
5,000
1,000
2,500
500
0 0
2018-09-19
2018-09-20
2018-09-21
2018-09-22
2018-09-23
2018-09-24
2018-09-25
2018-09-26
2018-09-27
2018-09-28
2018-09-29
2018-09-30
2018-10-01
2018-10-02
2018-10-03
2018-10-04
2018-10-05
2018-10-06
2018-10-07
2018-10-08
2018-10-09
2018-10-10
2018-10-11
2018-10-12
2018-10-13
2018-10-14
2018-10-15
2018-10-16
2018-10-17
2018-10-18
Figure 17: The role of structured knowledge in enabling machine intelligence and intelligent applications
Intelligent
Telco knowledge graph Machine learning
applications
Structured,
Informed
linked data Models, rules, Intelligent network
decision-making
procedures operations center
Network Contextual
information knowledge
North
South
Figure 20: Automatic detection of temporary line-of-sight blocking from construction site
– 40
dBm
– 45
– 50
– 55
Link impacted by
Aug 28 Aug 29 Aug 30 construction site
2018
Time
South North