Twin Beam Antennas

Engineering Criteria

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 1

Introduction

The purpose of this presentation is to show details on the Twin Beam

antennas and scenarios where they can be deployed in 3G networks

The presentation will focus on the use of twin-beam antennas as a way

to increase network capacity, allowing fast capacity deployment and
minimum impact in infrastructure.

We are aware that there are different solutions to increase capacity, so

other solutions are also feasible to do so.

It is important to note that the application of a strategy to increase

network capacity is not exclusive; therefore, several solutions to deploy
network capacity are usually implemented simultaneously.

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 2

Strategies to increase capacity

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 3

Higher order sectorization

What is it?

Why this choice?

When to deploy it?

Where to use it?

How to deploy it?

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 4
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3-H24A-3XR: High Performance Tri-Beam
• 1710–2180 MHz
• 3 x 24⁰ beams
• 10 dB roll-off between sectors
• Gain ~22 dBi
• <-18 dB horizontal sidelobes
• Cross-pol ratio >10 dB over cell
sector
• Individual remote electrical tilt
(RET) 0- 10⁰ for each of 3
beams
• >30 dB isolation between all ports
• Use of artificial dielectric (US patent
Cell plan and sectorization
8518537) significantly reduce resulting from 3-beam
antenna weight and cross- lensed antennas
polarization level
• Low wind load (3 times less
compare to equivalent Butler matrix
array)

Cross-pol

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Higher order sectorization

Consist of:

• Break the traditional paradigm of three sectors per site

• Add capacity in the site through the addition of radio resources
and new sectors on the site
• Operators commonly go from 3 to 6 sectors, but they can be
created different configurations (e.g. 4 or five sectors)

Is this a viable alternative, because

• Offers Instantly capacity addition

• Has minimum impact on existing infrastructure – can be deployed
without adding masts for new antennas
• Eliminates the bureaucracy associated to negotiation or licenses,
specially when compared to new sites construction
• Uses resources more efficiently, as it may not be necessary to
double Channel Elements (CE) and Iub capacity
• Cost effective due to small impact on civil works,
logistics, installation and tower space lease, among others.

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Higher order sectorization

It is implemented when

• Exists voice calls blocking (GoS> 2%)

• There are many users simultaneously connected in Busy
hour, affecting user perception
• Other alternatives have been exhausted or are not enough to
attend traffic demand
• It is necessary to add capacity quickly

It is used where

• Exists a high density of customers

• Area where the users have medium or low mobility
• Hot Spots
• A permanent capacity solution is needed
• It is not feasible/convenient to build new sites

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 9

Higher order sectorization
How to implement - General criteria for
engineering
• Identify sites or clusters of sites that demand high capacity
• Clusters with high density of sites; in these zones service
area is usually limited by capacity
• Azimuth shall be determined according to traffic needs
• Handover parameters can be used by default, and then
make fine adjustments
• The initial value of CPICH POWER shall be the same in all
sectors to avoid artificially favoring some sectors
• Limit coverage: may need to add e-tilt to maintain existing
coverage (65 ° antennas usually offer -2 or -3 dB,
compared to 33 °)
• It is essential to be aware of the irregularities of the
network: mature networks are not distributed as regular
hexagons (they’ve never been)

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Technical solution of the six sectors
with Twin-Beam HBXX 3817TB1-VTM

HBXX-3817TB1-VTM HBX-6516DS-VTM
Frequency 1710-2170 1710-2170
Gain(dBi) 18,9-19,3 17,1-17,5
H-Lobe (degrees) 38-34 68-64
V-Lobe (degrees) 7,5-6,7 7,5-6,7
E-tilt (degrees) 0 to 10 0 to 10
USLS dB 20 19
Dimensions (mm) 1390x301x181 1306x166x83
Weight (Kg) 16,5 4,7
Wind load (N @ 150 Km/h) 438 257
Antenna Ports 4 DIN 2 DIN

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 11

Lobes comparison HBXX-3817TB1-VTM

Three-HBXX 3817TB1-VTM (six sectors) Three HBX-6516DS-VTM (three sectors)

Antenna twin Beam: 2 x 38° Tradicional 65° three sectors layout
antennas in a single
0 radome 0

-5 -5

-10 -10

-15 -15

-20 -20

-25 -25

-30 -30

-35 -35

-40 -40

Sector 1 Sector 6 Sector 2 Sector 3 Sector 4 Sector 5 Sector 1 Sector 2 Sector 3

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Technical solution of the six sectors
with Twin-Beam HBXX 3817TB1-VTM
Comparison of coverage pattern - maximum dBi value - three antennas

20 20

18 18

16 16

14 14

12 12

10 10

8 8

6 6

4 4

2 2

0 0

Best Server among 360° 6 Sector Best Server among 360° 3 Sector Best Server among 360° 6 Sector (offset 30°) Best Server among 360° 3 Sector

Nulls aligned Maximum aligned

Twin Beam is better in 78% of the points Twin Beam is better in 64% of the points
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 Technical solution of the six sectors
with Twin-Beam HBXX 3817TB1-VTM
HISTOGRAM: Comparison of gain on 360 ° - 3xTwin vs. 3x65°
200 100%
99% 100% 100%
96%
180 90%

160 81% 80%

76%
140 70%

120 59% 60%

100 50%
48%
80 40%

60 30%
24%
40 20%

20 10%

0 0%
dB i 17 and
17dB andmore
more 17 - 14
14 - 17 14 - 11 11 - 14 11 - 8 8 - 11 8 or less
less than 8

HBX-6516DS-VTM HBXX-3817B1-VTM
HBX-6516DS-VTM - Accumulated HBXX-3817B1-VTM Accumulated

The 3 x Twin Beam antenna array has more points with high gain over 360
degrees: contains 48% of the points above 17dB and 76% above 14 dB, while the 3x65°
array have 24% points above 17dB and 59% of the points above 14dB

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 14

 Technical solution of the six sectors
with Twin-Beam HBXX 3817TB1-VTM
Softer handover
0 0

-5 -5

-10 -10

-15 -15

-20 -20

-25 -25

-30 -30

-35 -35

-40 -40

°are similar for the two arrays

Overlapping regions among 360°
3 x Twin beam: 7.5% points where best server - second server is below 3dB and 17.5% where it is below 6 dB
3 x 65: 8,3% points where best server - second server is below 3dB and 17.5% where it is below 6 dB
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Vertical Lobe E-Tilt Considerations

Twin beam antenna with 9º

e-tilt offers the same signal
level at 6º as the
-40

-30

-20

-10

10

20
0
65°antenna with e-tilt 6º .
Below this point, the Twin
Beam offer better
coverage and the
interference above 6º is
much lower.

HBX-6516DS-VTM_Port 1 - +45_06DT HBXX-3817TB1-VTM_Port 3 - +45_09DT

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Twin Beam vs. Dual Antenna Beam

CommScope’s Twin Beam

• A SINGLE system based in a buttler
matrix
• Sector Sculpting Solution
• Optimized overlap between sectors
• Horizontal lobe wide obtained by phase
shitfing in the inputs of the matrix

Dual Beam (V-shaped) – other vendors

• TWO 45°antennas put together in angle
• NOT a sector sculpting
• Horizontal lobe wide obtained through
reflection

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 17

Summary of the characteristics of the
antennas
• The comparison shows biggest expected coverage from a six sector
array of 3 twin beam antennas when compared with the traditional 3
sector solution
• The biggest gain of the twin beam will provide better indoor
coverage and more “raw material" to optimize coverage and
capacity
• Despite having more sectors, their overlap is well controlled and it
may be expected to maintain or even improve softer handover
efficiency and EcIo
• The overall noise on the network should decrease due to
• Increased downlink signal level (RSCP)
• Improved uplink gain may require less mobile power and, consequently, less
noise is added to the network
• Optimized small sector overlap
• Having six sectors with narrower lobes with independent e-tilt allows
better interference control on the network (similar to the increase on
interference control when evolved from omni to tri-sector sites
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 Engineering considerations

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Implementation of six sectors with
twin beam antennas
• Advantage of adding more sectors is obtained:
• In areas with high voice and data traffic
• Areas that concentrate many users with low and medium mobility
• As an alternative where it is not possible to build new sites
• Higher efficiency in CE, Iub (existing fiber / radio) usage, and energy
consumption where compared to a new node B – it may not be
necessary to duplicate these resources
• Twin beam antennas offer
• Fast deployment, deploying a minimum of new infrastructure
• Lower wind load / weight than a 6 sector single antenna array
• Optimized overlap between sectors of the same antenna

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 20

Engineering Criteria – Prior to Installation

Trigger

• Congestion (blocking) Voice / Data

• Data throughput reduced due to many simultaneous users in BH
• Trigger can be short-term: low time to market (TTM) to sectorize
compared to new site

Capacity Gain

• It should be expected a 65-80% capacity gain

Deployment - parameterization

• Evaluate and expand CE and Iub capacity according to expected

traffic gain
• Adjust neighbor list in all cells in the region; may use default
handover parameters and later adjust them during optimization
process

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 21

Engineering Criteria - Physical Adjustments

Azimuth

• Adjust azimuth according to traffic needs: try to split hot spot traffic
between the two beams of the antenna
• Try to point antennas to take advantage of the higher gain to improve
outdoor coverage and indoor service

Tilt

• It is recommended to use more e-tilt where replacing 65° antennas

• Take advantage of having independent e-tilt in six azimuths when
optimizing
• Always prefer e-tilt over mechanical tilt.

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Engineering Criteria- Post Implementation

Performance and evaluation - after

implementation
• Verify that RSCP is improved due to higher
antenna gain
• Ec/Io must be maintained or improved by taking
advantage of the design of antennas with low
overlap
• Monitor impact on pilot pollution, handover
factor, RTWP to optimize network
• Check actual capacity gain

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 Actual success case

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Overview

• In late 2011, a major U.S. carrier was looking to add capacity within its core
network in a key metro market. Coverage was being provided by a cluster of
high-profile, three-sector urban sites operating in the 850 MHz and 1900
MHz bands. Nearly all of the sites were reaching their UMTS capacity limits
• To generate added capacity at critical sites, the carrier was evaluating a
variety of sector splitting solutions that would affect one sector at each site.
The specific market represents a high-revenue opportunity for the carrier
• Time to market (TTM) was a critical factor in the choice of the solution

• CommScope in partnership with Telecom Technology Services, Inc. has

offered a turn key solution using twin beam antennas, as well as the
necessary RF path components, engineering and project management.
• This involved simulating network loads and conducting pre-implementation
drive testing, not just at the cell level, but at the cluster level as well.

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 25

Overall Results

• Percentage of soft hand-off areas (within sector)

Optimized
handover
performance

Individual plots show pilot pollution delta (improvement) for individual cell (Cell1_R & Cell1_L) compared against original configuration

Charts compare the before & after polluted bins for each individual cell

The combined soft hand-off areas within a given sector, expressed as a percentage of the sector’s total coverage
area.

• Radio Resource Efficiency

Doubles cell
RR efficiency

The percentage of a radio’s coverage area in which it is identified by mobile devices as the primary
or serving radio

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 26

Active Set & Resource Usage Improvement

Cell1_R Active Set Delta Configuration RR Efficiency SHO Overlap Cell1_L Active Set Delta
(Azimuth: 30 Deg) Azimuth: 330 Deg)
Current (Cell1) 51.40% 53.10%

Post Simulation (Cell1_R) 40.10% 59.60%

Post Simulation (Cell1_L) 62.90% 62.10%

Based on the RR Efficiency of each sector post simulation, the gain of the overall
change in serving capacity is 2.02 times greater

Individual plots show Active set delta (improvement) for individual cell (Cell1_R & Cell1_L) compared
against original configuration
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TTS Proprietary & Confidential - 2011 27
Pilot Pollution Improvement

Cell1_R Pilot Pollution Delta Cell1_L Pilot Pollution Delta

(Azimuth: 30Deg) (Azimuth: 330 Deg)

Individual plots show pilot pollution delta (improvement) for individual cell (Cell1_R &
Cell1_L) compared against original configuration

Charts compare the before & after polluted bins for each individual cell
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TTS Proprietary & Confidential - 2011 28
General comments

• The case study shows improvement in the management of

the radio resources while controlling pilot pollution, improving the
efficiency and maintaining an optimal handover performance.
• Through the deployment of higher order sectorization with twin
beam antennas, the operator improved the capacity on the network
with small impact on the existing infrastructure on the sites (no site
addition / use of already installed masts).
• From the results observed, it is evident the improvement on network
capacity and on interference control; other advantages are also
significant such as short time to market and moderate impact on
infrastructure.

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 29

 How can we help you?

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © 2014 CommScope, Inc 30

 Technical solution of the six sectors
with Twin-Beam HBXX 3817TB1-VTM
Softer handover Misma antena

HBX-6516DS-VTM - 3 x 65° Antenna HBXX-3817TB1-VTM - 3 x Twin Beam antenna

30 30

24 24

18 18

dB
dB

12 12

6 6

0 0

109
121
133
145
157
169
181
193
205
217
229
241
253
265
277
289
301
313
325
337
349
1
13
25
37
49
61
73
85
97
109
121
133
145
157
169
181
193
205
217
229
241
253
265
277
289
301
313
325
337
349
1
13
25
37
49
61
73
85
97

Degrees Degrees

Best Server among 360° 3 Sector Best - Second Server Best Server among 360° 6 Sector Best - Second Server

°are similar for the two arrays

Overlapping regions among 360°
3 x Twin beam: 7.5% points where best server - second server is below 3dB and 17.5% where it is below 6 dB
3 x 65: 8,3% points where best server - second server is below 3dB and 17.5% where it is below 6 dB
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