30th International Conference on Lightning Protection - ICLP 2010
(Cagliari, Italy - September 13th -17th, 2010)
RESEARCH ON LIGHTNING PROTECTION AND EARTHING
OF RADIO BASE STATION
Lin Yongshuang1 Liu Jike2 Meng Qi3 Wang Zhigang2
Email: linyongshuang@jm.gd.chinamobile.com, liujike@dimpt.com, mqi@emersonnetwork.com.cn，
wangzg200@chinaunicom.cn
ABSTRACT
This paper explains lightning protection and earthing
issues of RBS (radio base station) and discusses people’s
cognitive process to RBS’s attack by lightning through
four processes of Jiangmen (Guangdong Province of
China) RBS’s lightning protection and earthing
transformation. This paper proposes the key to solve
RBS’s lightning protection and earthing questions
qualitatively and quantitatively according to the lightning
protection and earthing research of RBS，and the paper
clarifies some controversial views of IEC and ITU
standards.
Key words: RBS, Lightning Strike, Lightning
Protection, Earthing, Research
1 OVERVIEW
The lightning protection and earthing technologies of
telecommunication bureau (station) cover protection
issues of up to megavolts of lightning, tens of thousands
of high-voltage power, several hundred volts of
distribution and tens of volts or even a few volts
microelectronic devices. It has been concerned widely
because it relates to the reliable transmission of
information. Jiangmen Mobile has been researching
lightning protection since the 1990s. Number of
thunderstorm days in Jiangmen is more than 70 per year,
and the thunderstorm has threatened the safety of
communication bureau (station) for many years, for
example, on June 10, 1993, Dongpaotai
Communication Center of Guangdong Jiangmen Post
Office, which has a fifty thousands lines of SPC(stored
program control) exchanges, a relatively big station in
the 1990s, was struck by lightning. The lightning strike
caused the breakdown or damage of AC power rectifier,
paging transmitter wireless transceiver, NEC rectifier
voltage monitoring circuit boards, computer interface
circuit boards (control terminal of mobile
telecommunication). The most seriously damaged
equipment was NEC-61 local telephone SPC exchanges,
the main failure components were the CPU and the
interface boards and the bus controlled by the CPU
control module as well as the module backboard, there
was no trace of burning on the damaged circuit surface,.
The paralysis of the equipment caused by the lightning
strike lasted 27 hours.
2 REVIEW OF RBS’S LIGHTNING
PROTECTION AND EARTHING
RESEARCH
China is the country with the biggest RBS number in
the world; it also has the most extensive thunderstorm
days. In Guangdong Province alone, the number of
thunderstorm days is more than 70 and even up to 120.
Guangdong Mobile alone has more than 30,000 RBSs,
so its research on lightning protection and earthing
transformation is representative, which is reviewed
below:
Phase 1 (from 2000 to 2002): The renovation
program of lightning protection and earthing was to
install the Class I spark gap or combined spark gap
SPD(surge protective devices) on power distribution
cabinet of RBS, although the SPDs of Germany top
brand were employed and the earthing resistance of
RBS was reduced, the RBSs were still struck by
lightning and the distribution cabinets equipped with
the spark gap SPD were often burnt out as the result of
the arc discharge caused by lightning. Lightning strike
caused serious losses of RBS equipments in this period.
Phase 2 (from 2003 to 2004): Both the application of
the Class I spark gap SPD and the earthing resistance
reduction measures did not contribute to the
improvement of RBS’s Lightning protection in the
phase 1 period, which led the lightning protection
technical director to a wrong understanding that the
SPD was dispensable for renovating the RBS’s
lightning protection and earthing during the second
phase of lightning protection and earthing renovation.
Therefore, another plan was adopted, that is to say, the
lightning protection and earthing renovation program
involved only equipotential modification, reduction of
earthing resistance of RBS’s grounding grid and
application of underground cables replacing previous
overhead transmission lines. The frequency of lightning
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strike and the equipment damage caused by lightning
strikes did not decrease at all in a thunderstorm year.
Phase 3 (from 2004 to 2005): Concept of integrated
lightning protection and earthing of RBS’s ground grid
optimization design[1] was proposed. Lightning
protection measures were taken for the power ports,
signal ports, ground ports and earth potential back
striking ports of RBS. Trials have proved that the
renovation of Guangdong mobile stations’ lightning
protection and earthing has achieved noticeable results.
Therefore, there are new ideas about such issues as the
reduction of earthing resistance value and the
application of SPD for RBS.
SPD isn’t a dispensable device; instead, it must be
installed on each outer inlet port of RBS. Besides, the
selection of SPD is very critical; in the past, one always
think high of famous brand, but the application proved
that spark gap or combined spark gap SPD is unsuitable
for the working environment of China’s RBS and
voltage limiting SPD should be adopted.
Phase 4 (from March 2006 to December 2006):
Although great results and remarkable success in terms
of lightning protection and earthing had been achieved
in phase 3, we considered whether there were any other
questions needed to be resolved? The answer is yes.
People’s understanding on lightning becomes clearer as
a result of the in-depth practice, but so far lightning is
still a research subject. People are constantly exploring
the formation of lightning and the channel of lightning
strikes. However, our knowledge about lightning keeps
increasing; for example, we have been not sure about
equipotential, in fact, the equipotential bonding can be
classified into two categories: one is the steady-state
equipotential formed through direct connection; the
other is obtained by connecting with SPD to make the
ground loop stay disconnected at other times; when
over-voltage occurs due to lightning, earthing resistance
decreases sharply so as to discharge the lightning
current through the earthing system. In terms of the first
category, the equipotential concept is that no matter
how high the potential is in the potential plain where
the equipment room located (no matter it locates in the
top or the bottom of the building), it is acceptable as
long as all the equipment and facilities inside the
equipment room are at the same potential or the
potential difference can not be high enough to cause
equipment damage. The reference point is very
important; earthing connection may not be tapped from
the downstairs; it is better to set the reference point on
the floor where the equipment room is located; it is not
necessarily to follow the common view that the earthing
electrode(s) buried in the earth should be used for the
reference points. As for the other category of
equipotential: if there is no incoming power or signal
line, potentials inside the equipment room are the same;
if there are led-in power and signal lines, problem of
low potential introduction is provoked. To solve the
problem, we can install SPD on these ports so as to
achieve equipotential bonding. The power and the
signal lines can not be connected to the ground directly
because of electricity and signal transmission.
Therefore, the SPD can be used to connect the power
and signal lines to the ground indirectly; this kind of
equipotential bonding belongs to transient ground with
the aim to discharge the lightning current into the earth
through the SPD when the lightning occurs. The normal
equipotential bonding of RBS can only be used for the
metal components suitable for direct earthing; for the
equipotential bonding of the power and the signal lines
and the antenna feed lines that can’t be connected
directly to the earth, SPDs connected to the wires in a
parallel manner are the best way to achieve the transient
ground and discharge the lightning current when
lightning happens.
3 CONTENT OF THE RESEARCH
If the lightning protection and earthing renovation
still focuses on earthing resistance reduction or
application of different SPDs, it is impossible to solve
the lightning protection problems of the RBS. For
solving the RBS’s lightning protection issues, this paper
holds the following main contents:
1) Earth potential rise and waveform of the lightning
when the RBSs are struck by the direct lightning
flash;
2) Division of lightning protection zone and the
equipment insulation;
3) Relation between the maximum discharge current
of SPD and the earthing;
4) Handling principles for antenna feeder earthing
point.
5) Selection of SPDs.
4 RESEARCH ON RBS’S LIGHTNING
PROTECTION AND EARTHING
4.1 Earth potential rise and waveform of
lightning while RBS is struck by direct
lightning flash
First of all, when the direct lightning flash strikes the
lightning rod of the tower, lightning current flows
through the tower and discharges through the grounding
grid; the maximum current can be up to 200 kA, and
creates tens of thousands or even millions of volts of
earth potential rise in the RBS’s grounding grid.
Suppose that the described direct lightning flash has a
current waveform of 10/350μS, and when it flows
through the tower, the 10/350μS waveform changes
because of the inductive impedance of the tower, and
when it flows into the earth, the waveform of lightning
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current changes again.
As the current flows into the earth, the 10/350μS
lightning current waveform of the original direct
lighting changes due to the inductive impedance of the
tower and the inductance and capacitance of the
earthing electrodes. The changed lightning current and
the earthing resistance generate earth potential rise to
the infinity points, namely, earth potential back striking ,
belonging to the quadratic effects of lightning. Whether
the outgoing high potential or the incoming low
potential, earth potential rise on the wire generated
while the lightning current flows through the tower
create ultimately tens of thousands volts or even
millions of volts of common voltage or differential
voltage. Earth potential rise of ground grid impacts on
the RBS outgoing wires by means of resistive coupling,
which has nothing to do with the lightning current
waveform that flows into the earth through tower while
lightning strike, namely, irrelevant to the 10/350μS
waveform that has been under endless discussion.
Therefore, the ground voltage or ground-to-line voltage
on the outgoing wire can be described by 1.2/50μS
simulated lightning voltage waves. The 1.2/50μS
simulated lightning voltage waves are corresponding to
8/20μS simulated lightning current waves in IEC
standards. So the Class I SPD is acceptable as long as it
can withstand the 8/20μS current.
In terms of the lightning current led in along the
outgoing lines, no matter what form the lightning may
be, no matter whether the direct lightning strikes on the
distribution lines or not, no matter whether the lightning
impacts on the RBS’s equipment by way of
electromagnetic fields or not, no matter whether the
lightning current flows in along the incoming power
lines and optical fiber cables, the direct lightning can’t
strike on the power distribution lines near the RBS with
iron towers (the most severe condition) as the result of
the protection function of the tower, especially in the
case of the shielded and buried cables adopted for the
RBS distribution lines; according to the lightning zone
concept, it is in the LPZ0B~LPZ1 zone[2], so the
lightning wave should be the 8/20μS waveform rather
than the so-called 10/350μS one. Therefore, at this
point, the 8/20μS waveform should be used to describe
the lightning wave on SPD. In addition, if the lightning
current amplitude of the first lightning is higher enough,
the overhead lines will flash over to the ground. Once
the flash over occurs, the original 10/350μS waveform
can not keep unchanged. Moreover, the lightning
energy will degrade quickly while it discharges along
the distribution line.
4.2 Division of Lightning Protection Zone and
Equipment Insulation
IEC Division of Lightning Protection Zone may not
be applicable for telecommunications bureaus (or
stations); for example, voltage withstand level of high-
voltage equipment, lines and lightning protectors are
different, so the same lightning current level may not
have any impact on the switchgear of electric power
substation, but may be strong enough to damage the
supply system of communication equipment.
Besides, in communication bureaus (stations), IEC
insulation grade of the equipment is also not so
applicable, because electrical distribution equipment
there may contain components with both 6 kV
withstand voltage and only 500 V or even a few volts of
withstand voltage. In actual lightning disasters, it is, in
many cases, the so-called bulky supply equipment at the
front of telecommunication power supply system that is
damaged. If lightning protection designers of
telecommunication power supply system confine the
voltage step by step according to the protection level,
from 6 kV, 4 kV, 2.5 kV to 1 kV of the main protected
equipment [3], lightning-striking damage may be
directly caused to the telecommunication power supply
equipment.
As the automatic control technology becomes
increasingly popular, protection levels of 6 kV and 4 kV
are just in connection with the main components of the
equipment, such as the cutters and switches. Taking the
diesel engine generator for example: nowadays, most of
the diesel engine generator boxes control the switches
automatically after sampling mains supply through the
sample loop. Undoubtedly, lightning protection level of
the switch is relatively high; however, the sample loop
is often damaged by lightning strike because the low
voltage circuits in the high voltage circuit are treated in
the same way as the switches for lightning protection.
Therefore, we should regard automatic transfer switch
(ATS) as low voltage equipment and enhance the
protection of it, especially the protection level of the LC
components (The similar devices include automatic
voltage regulator, etc.) in ATS. Therefore, insulation
level of IEC can not be used for telecommunications
power supply system directly.
4.3 Relation between the Maximum Discharge
Current of SPD and the Earthing
Earthing resistance value of RBS is not as important
as before in China because the updated standard
requirements for earthing[4]. In spite of that, the RBS
earthing system is still indispensable, and the optimum
area of grounding grid is indeed very important.
No matter how large the area of a grounding grid is,
the surface of earthing electrode can be taken as
equipotential surface approximately in terms of power
frequency; therefore, area of the ground grid can be
fully utilized. However, the grounding grid consists of a
couple of earthing electrodes below the ground; under
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the surge current and the constant soil resistivity and
permittivity, the impulse equivalent radius of the
grounding grid is a constant, while the impulse
equivalent radius of the grounding grid is much smaller
than the equivalent radius of the area of grounding grid,
that is, under the surge current, a small area of ground
grid are utilized. In terms of the power frequency, the
reason why the earthing resistance is in inverse
proportion to the square root of the ground grid area is
that the potential on ground grid is well-distributed and
all earthing bodies play a role in discharging the current
and grounding grids are fully utilized. Nevertheless, the
situation is different under the lightning current. The
inductive effect of the earthing electrode makes the
potential of grounding grid uneven; the farther from the
lightning current injecting point, the lower the potential
on earthing electrode is (even zero). The change follows
a exponential decrement curve, and only the grounding
grid close to the lightning current injecting point plays a
role of discharging the current and the discharging
efficiency is in direct proportion to the potential
distribution in this area.
Lightning current flows into the earth through the
earthing system, the grounding grid provides a current
discharge channel. As the earthing resistance increases,
earth potential back striking rises, and common voltage
or differential voltage on the power distribution lines
imposed by ground potential increase. Strong electric
field is formed near the earthing electrode because of
the large current amplitude, besides, the equivalent soil
resistivity is affected by the electric field strength as
well: with the increase of the electric field strength, that
is, with the increase of current density, the spark over in
the soil may occur which will lead to the decrease of the
soil resistivity. When the electric field strength near the
earthing electrode reaches a certain value, the
relationship between voltage and current isn’t linear but
nonlinear, equivalent to the decrease of earthing
resistance. Earthing resistance is in inverse proportion
to the lightning protection level of the outgoing lines, so
reducing the earthing resistance of RBS is the
prerequisite for improving the lightning protection level
of lines. Under the situation of high resistivity,
optimized design of grounding grid should be adopted;
it seems that the requirements for the earthing resistance
are ignored, but in fact the earthing resistance is still
relatively high, leading to the rise of the ground
potential of the grounding grid, thus it is necessary to
improve the maximum discharge current of SPD due to
high earth potential back striking.
4.4 Handling Principles for Antenna Feeder
Earthing Point
Antenna feeders of RBS are under the protection of
lightning rods; according to the lightning protection
zone concept, the direct lightning can’t strike the
antenna feeder directly. In order to realize equipotential
bonding and proximity earthing, tens of meters of
feeders and metal outer sheath of coaxial cables are
required to be connected to the ground at the antenna,
the point just separating from the tower and the inlet to
the equipment room respectively; if the antenna feeder
and other coaxial cables are longer than 60 m, it is
advisable to add an extra earthing point at the middle
part of the tower; both ends of outdoor cabling racks
should be connected to the grounding grid as well.
Antenna Feeder
Feeder earthing point
Outdoor earthing RBS equipment room
bar
Grounding grid
Figure1.Tower besides RBS equipment room
According to the principle of electromagnetic
compatibility, the antenna feeder should be connected
to the ground bar at the outside of the inlet to the
equipment room, which is shows in Figure 1. As for the
tower built on the equipment room, under-tower
earthing point of the antenna feeder is also very
important.
Lightning rod
Antenna tower
Lightning
wire
Figure2.Lightning current distribution model
It can be seen from the distribution model of the
lightning current that if the lightning striking at the
lightning rod, 95% of the lightning surge current flows
through the columns and walls of the building, as
shown in Figure 2. Moreover, nearly all lightning
current that strikes the building is concentrated on the
external walls; the current through the middle columns
only accounts for several percentage. Nearly all the
lightning current inside the building flows along the
vertical columns with little current flows horizontally
except for the roof. For the RBS with nearby tower, the
lightning current through the down conductor accounts
for just a small percentage, the electromagnetic field
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 induced current of antenna feeder system protected by
the tower is even smaller.
Calculation demonstrates that in the case the
lightning current of the direct lightning is 100 kA, if
lightning current that flows through 4 square-tower
steel structures is distributed well, current value of each
tower leg is 25 kA; therefore, the current on the antenna
feeder induced by the lightning electromagnetic field is
no more than 1 kA. Through the calculation for tubular
towers, triangular towers and square-towers mentioned
in Section 4.5, we know that the transverse voltage
scope of feeder cable is just in the range 0.006～0.050
kV.
In terms of the tower erected on the RBS room, if the
under-tower earthing point of the antenna feeder is not
directly on the grounding grid, but on one corner of the
tower body, the distribution of lightning current can be
quite different. Lightning current that originally flows
through the tower body and columns of the building
into the earth with the value of 25 kA per tower is
divided into two channels: one is to the earth through
the columns of the building, and the other is to the earth
in the form of current that is no more than 1 kA
induced by the lightning electromagnetic field on the
feeder and lightning current that flows into the earth
through the tower body, tower corners to feeder,
equipment enclosures and earthing lines; in this case,
the current will change into thousands of amperes (even
higher than 10 kA), that is, the channels and levels that
the lightning current flows into the equipment room is
increased. For Jiangmen Mobile, towers on equipment
rooms of RBS are dominant. In the lightning protection
and earthing renovation, antenna feeder earthing lines
formerly connected to the tower corners are
reconnected to the ground grids directly, as shown
Figure3.
Feeder Feeder
Connected
Tower to the tower
corner
Feeder window
Outdoor earthing bar Column
RBS equipment room
RBS equipment room
Grounding grid
Ground grid
Figure 3 . Tower built on RBS
4.5 DC Protectors Are Indispensable in
Lightning-Prone Areas
As for the ground ports of equipment under the
impact of instantaneous potential rise, DC power supply
of equipment in RBS equipment room generally
includes two types: 24 V (DC negative earthing) and -
48 V (DC positive earthing), and these two types of
power supply need to connect to the ground. When
lightning discharges through the ground grid, potential
will rise sharply in a short time and thus the transient
potential difference between the positive and the
negative electrodes of the DC power supply becomes
very large and may damages the sensitive components
of the equipment (such as rectifier modules and
transceivers). As the rise of ground potential sometimes
will damage the equipment from the DC output port of
switching power supply, or from the DC input port of
telecom equipment such as GSM, the DC SPDs should
be installed on both ends to form transient equipotential
between the positive and negative electrodes of DC
power supply and the earth. Prevent the earth potential
back striking from damaging the equipment. In the past,
in terms of resistive coupling, people have emphasized
on the theoretical analysis on the impacts of the rise of
ground potential; through statistics on the practical
application, we found little literature on damaged DC
SPDs of switching power supply of RBS. The Figure 4
shows one case of the damaged DC SPDs on the
switching power supply by lightning. It can be seen
from the picture that the energy created by the rise of
the ground potential is considerable. Therefore, to
protect the equipment, the switching power supply DC
SPD is indispensable in areas with intensive
thunderstorm days and strong lightning density,
especially those RBSs with iron towers.
Tower
Feeder window
Figure 4 . The damaged DC SPD
5 CONCLUSION
The data on the implementation of the four phases of
lightning protection and earthing renovation from 2000
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to 2009 in Jiangmen (Guangdong Province, China) are
very persuasive. From 2005 to 2009, Jiangmen has
conducted lightning protection and earthing renovation
involving 600 RBSs for pilots. As a result, the RBSs
underwent the comprehensive lightning protection and
earthing transformation have report not one case of
equipment or Class I voltage limiting SPD box damage
by the lightning after the operation trial from 2006 to
2009, although the RBSs are also still frequently struck
by lightning. Most of these RBSs were damaged by
lightning once a year or several times a year in the past,
so they are especially representative and are singled out
for the pilots and their renovation results are persuasive.

6 REFERENCES
[1] Liu Jike, Zhanle, “ Earthing for Mobile Communication
Base Station ”, Supplement of Designing Techniques of
Posts and Telecommunications, Lightning and
Electrostatic Ablum pp.48 – 53, June 2002.
[2] IEC 62305-1，Protection Against Lightning ，Part 1：
General principles.
[3] IEC 60664-1: 2007.4 Insulation Coordination for
Equipment within Low-voltage Systems. Part 1:Principles,
Requirements and Tests,
[4] YD/T5098-2005 Specifications for Engineering Design
for Lightning Protection and Earthing Design for
Telecommunication Bureaus (Station)

Note:
1. China Guangdong Mobile Communication Co., Ltd.
Jiangmen Branch
2. China Information Technology Designing &
Consulting Institute(China Unicom)
3. Emerson Network Power Ltd. (China)

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