Description

Maxite Description
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................3

2 MAXITE™......................................................................................................................................................5

3 DESCRIPTION OF THE UNITS..................................................................................................................8

4 BSS FEATURES...........................................................................................................................................15

5 INSTALLATION AND COMMISSIONING.............................................................................................16

6 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE .......................................................................................................18

7 DEPENDABILITY AND QUALITY OF SERVICE.................................................................................22

8 TECHNICAL DATA....................................................................................................................................23

9 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS.....................................................................................................28

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• Please note that this description is subject to change without notice. The description
includes details on both basic and optional products. The description does not
necessarily correspond to any specific release or delivery time.

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1 Introduction
Today Ericsson has one of the smallest and most efficient micro base stations for micro
and indoor cells, available on the market. Now the next step - using micro base stations
for coverage in macro cells - is introduced with Maxite™1.

Maxite™ brings together one of the smallest two-transceiver GSM basestations - RBS
2302 - with amplifiers integrated in the antenna or mounted close to it. A battery-backed
power supply makes the solution complete. It gives a micro RBS with macro cell
coverage that can be mounted practically anywhere.

1.1 RBS 2000 Family - a World Class Solution

Maxite™ is a cost-efficient solution for coverage applications. Maxite™ is an integrated
part of the RBS 2000 family. The RBS 2000 family is ranging from high power and high
capacity base stations to the smallest high capacity micro base station, as the RBS 2302.

Figure 1. Maxite™ belongs to a family of powerful Radio Base Stations

1
Maxite is an Ericsson-registered trademark (™).

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All RBS 2000 products from Ericsson have the same user interface and uniformly handle
operation and maintenance, related to the common software of the base stations.

The different RBS 2000 and RBS 200 models can coexist in a network under the same
Base Station Controller (BSC). The two RBS generations can be installed at the same
site and be handled in a uniform way by the BSC.

The keys to success in providing high quality wireless service depends on outstanding
service to the customer in the form of high speech quality, user-friendly services, having
good customer relations, good coverage, and having high capacity. Coverage and
capacity can be seen as the most important issues, since without them other desired
qualities are lost. These are also the two major reasons to start utilising microcellular
networks, where radio base stations with new qualities like small size and flexible
antenna solutions are vital. Operators are also facing tougher competition for the few
frequencies available, and with the growth in the number of mobile subscribers comes a
dramatic increase in the need for extra capacity. Data applications for professional and
business users add to this capacity demand even further.

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2 Maxite™
Among today’s operators, some difficulties stand out more than others. These are:

• Getting coverage fast

• Finding sites easily
• Sharing sites with existing antenna systems
• Achieving cost effective operation.

In order to solve these difficulties, Ericsson has developed Maxite™. Advanced and
innovative technical solutions are used to create a new way of building radio sites for
maximum coverage without needing too much space.

A small size, high quality radio base station with low output power is combined with amplifiers
for both transmitted and received signals integrated in the antenna or mounted close to it. For
GSM 1800 and GSM1900, an Active Antenna Unit, AAU, with integrated distributed power
amplifiers as well as low noise amplifiers is used. For GSM900 a Coverage Extension Unit
(CEU) with redundant power amplifiers and low noise amplifiers is used. CEU is mounted close
to the antenna. All this has (among others) the beneficial result that feeder cable loss does not
impose radio performance degradation. Thus thinner, less expensive and more easily installed
feeder cables can be used.
.…
There are obvious advantages in using distributed or redundant amplifiers integrated to
or mounted close to the antenna patches. Many of them are strongly positive with respect
to environmental impact. To mention some, the total power consumption is reduced by
more than 65% compared to traditional macro sites. Also, the amount of material used is
strongly reduced. Components used in Maxite™ are to a high extent recyclable. Using
Maxite™, all acoustic noise is avoided due to the fact that it has no moving parts.

Separating the radio components from the amplifier puts extremely high demands on
system integration and testing. Maxite™ is designed, tested and type approved as one
product for a completely integrated site solution. In all aspects from design, installation,
site documentation, verification, type approval, down to O&M signalling and alarm
handling, Maxite™ is one product.

This results in the following main advantages for using Maxite™ compared to
conventional macro radio base station:

• Reduced site cost

• Reduced site implementation costs
• Reduced equipment size
• Reduced roll-out time
• Easier site acquisition

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2.1 Applications
The distributed power amplifier technology makes Maxite™ a cost-effective, scaleable
solution for different coverage applications ranging from mini cell to wide area
coverage.

The following applications are foreseen:

• “Site-friendly" RBS concepts without floor space requirements. Used for coverage
extension in mini- and macro-cells, as well as for highway and wide-area
applications.
• Extended coverage overlay cell in networks with micro cell applications. A coverage
solution in combination with micro or pico cells for improved overall/indoor
coverage. Uses Ericsson HCS functionality in the BSC
• Wide area coverage with up to 1250 W EIRP in rural applications (GSM 1900 only).
Offers a cost-effective solution for extended coverage with lower power
consumption, lower installation cost, and higher output power

To give a full understanding of the range of benefits using Maxite™, some examples of
likely usage are further described below:

Site Sharing in Existing Tower

Figure 2. Maxite™ in highway configuratin

When building the network rapidly for coverage, there is often a desire to be able to
reuse existing masts and towers. This might not only be the fastest, but also the most cost
efficient way of building coverage. Furthermore, environmental concern calls for using
as few sites as possible in one area, and hence suggests site sharing.

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The limiting factor when studying site sharing is often to fit the antenna equipment and
the feeders into the existing tower. The increased load on the tower construction must
not exceed the tower-dimensioning load.

Maxite™ is very well suited for this application. With Maxite™, thin feeders are used.
The tower load will not increase significantly by the feeders, and the radio cabinet and
the power cabinet are easily fixed to the tower structure.

Suburban Coverage with Roof-top Sites

When rolling out the coverage at an initial stage in a region, sites to cover suburban areas
will probably account for a dominant part of the network. Getting access to sites in those
areas might be both time consuming and costly. Using conventional macro base stations,
it may sometimes be difficult to negotiate an advantageous site rental agreement. With
Maxite™, on the other hand, the need of physical space for the base station cabinet is
minimised. Space on a wall or on a pole is sufficient, perhaps outdoors on a rooftop.

2.2 Environmental impacts

An Environmental Declaration of Maxite™ 1800 MHz, LRU/X-98:101 has been

performed. The purpose with this declaration is to provide environmentally related
information about Maxite™. The declaration addresses amongst other things material
declaration, end-of life treatment and energy consumption.

Some environmental highlights are:

• The total power consumption is reduced by more than 65% compared to traditional
macro sites

• The amount of material used is strongly reduced

• Components used in Maxite™ are to a high extent recyclable

• Using Maxite™, all acoustic noise is avoided due to the fact that it has no moving
parts.

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3 Description of the Units

3.1 Maxite™ Overview

Maxite™ is a complete package with everything needed to build a complete radio site.

Figure 4 Maxite™ for 900 MHz sector configuration

Maxite™ for 900 MHz consists of the following main components:

• Micro Radio Base Station, RBS 2302

• Coverage Extension Unit (CEU)
• Power and Battery Cabinet, PBC
• Passive antenna, if chosen
• Necessary cables and documentation

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Figure 5 Maxite™ sector configuration

Maxite™ for 1800 MHz consists of the following main components:

• Micro Radio Base Station, RBS 2302

• Active Antenna Unit, AAU 500W EIRP
• Power and Battery Cabinet, PBC
• Necessary cables and documentation

Maxite™ for 1900 MHz consists of the following main components:

• Micro Radio Base Station, RBS 2302

• Active Antenna Unit, AAU, 500W or 1250W EIRP
• Power and Battery Cabinet, PBC
• Necessary cables and documentation

To be able to make Maxite™ less visible and become a part of the background, the front
sunshield of the RBS and the PBC will be available in the six different colours described
below.

• Olive green: especially designed to be used in parks, as it blends in with foliage

• Brick red: resembles brick walls and orange tin roofs
• Ochre: can be described as yellow brick coloured
• Light yellow: a light colour for indoor applications and sandstone walls
• Sky blue: for indoor applications or when the site can be seen against the sky

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• Neutral grey: suitable for use with metal constructions, indoor, or where a grey tone
makes the base station unobtrusive.

The AAU and the CEU is available in "neutral grey" only.

The units can be painted in a colour well suited to the environment, but only paint
approved by Ericsson must be used. Otherwise, any guarantees are void.

3.2 Radio Base Station, RBS 2302

The RBS 2302 is a durable, well designed, weatherproof RBS that is both pleasant to
look at and unobtrusive. RBS 2302 always includes 2 transivers. The main parts are the
radiocabinet and the mounting base.

Figure 6. Micro base station RBS 2302

RBS 2302 is HW prepared for a 4 or 6 transceivers solution (multi extension) by adding

two or three RBS 2302 base stations beside each other. The capacity is increased to 22
Erlang2 for a 4 transceiver solution and to 36 Erlang1 for a 6 transceivers solution, within
Maxite™ that is one antenna and PBC per RBS.

RBS 2302 is also HW prepared for half rate and data communication such as GPRS,
HSCSD and 14.4.

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Cabinet
The cabinet houses up to two transceivers plus common equipment needed for serving
one cell. Convection cooling and heater functionality allows for a small and
weatherproof cabinet.

The unit contains the most advanced software for operation and maintenance available
on the base station market, today. The product includes, for example, test functions to
facilitate distinct and rapid fault detection.

Each RBS has a built-in database where information about installed hardware is stored,
which makes it easy to maintain an actual installed-equipment inventory list. This
installation database is integrated in the RBS.

The transceivers are integrated into the Radio cabinet. This is achieved by utilising radio
and logic ASIC techniques, resulting in high availability, small volume, low weight, and
low power consumption. This integration is a prerequisite for the reduced size in the
RBS. The Micro RBS supports two transceivers.

Mounting Base
The mounting base is a necessary part for installing the RBS. It houses cable entries for
transmission cables, external alarms and mains power. The mounting base can be
installed on a pole, mast or a wall.

3.3 Active Antenna Unit and Coverage Extension Unit

3.3.1 Coverage Extension Unit for 900 MHz
In order to benefit from the Maxite™ concept also for 900 MHz, the CEU is developed
for use with the RBS 2302. The CEU comprises two separate RF-channels with
redundant power amplifiers for the downlink and low noise amplifiers for the uplink. It
also contains duplex functionality both at the RBS and the antenna port.

Maxite™ for 900 MHz provides the flexibility of choosing either omni or directional
antennas together with the CEU. In the standard product package of Maxite for 900 MHz
the following antennas configurations will be included:

Antenna Antenna Gain RF power output

(with 1dB feeder loss)

Not included in package - -

Omni 11 dBi 100 W EIRP

Directional 65’ 15,5 dBi 280 W EIRP

Directional 65’ 17 dBi 400 W EIRP

Directional 65’ 18 dBi 500 W EIRP

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Figure 7. Coverage Extension Unit, Maxite™ for 900MHz

Active Antenna for 1800 MHz

The active antenna is developed for use with the RBS 2302 and is based on available
standard, well-known technology. This includes low power, single carrier amplifier
modules, as well as the low noise amplifier modules and printed circuit sector antenna
with a 65 degree beam width.

The active antenna for 1800MHz is available for 500 W EIRP, it has an output power of
560W.

Figure 8. 500W Active antenna for Maxite™ 1800MHz

The active antenna for GSM 1800 has slant ±45° dual polarisation for both Receiver
(RX) and Transmitter (TX). The active antenna has integrated power amplifiers for two
carriers, and low noise amplifiers for polarisation diversity in the receiver chain.

The PAM in the antenna includes duplex filters connected directly to the antenna
radiating elements. In the receiver chain, the signals are combined into two signals (one
for each polarisation) which are fed to Receiver Bandpass Filters (RXBP) and Low
Noise Amplifiers (LNAs).

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3.3.3 Active Antenna for 1900 MHz

The Active antennas are developed for use with the RBS 2302 and are based on available
standard, well-known technology. This includes low power, single carrier amplifier
modules, as well as the low noise amplifier modules and printed circuit sector antennas
with a 65 degree beam width.

Figure 9. 500W and 1250W Active antennas for Maxite™ 1900 MHz

The active antenna for 1900MHz is available for 500 W and 1250W EIRP.

The active antenna for GSM 1900 has 0 and 90° dual polarisation for RX and vertical
polarisation for TX. The active antennas have integrated power amplifiers for two
carriers, and low noise amplifiers for polarisation diversity in the receiver chain.

The transmitter amplifiers use the distributed Power Amplifier (PA) technique with
several low Power Amplifier Modules (PAMs) for each carrier frequency. The antenna is
using separate RX and TX radiating elements.

For all the frequencies, in both transmitter and receiver paths, the gain is designed to
allow more attenuation in the coaxial cable between the antenna/CEU and the RBS than
traditional equipment would. This gain will allow cables having higher attenuation,
typically 12 dB that leads to less costly cabling and installation.

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Power and Battery Cabinet, PBC

Figure 11. Power and Battery Cabinet (PBC)

The power and battery cabinet is the third unit within Maxite™. It is responsible for all
O&M communication between the units. It will also provide up to two hours battery
backup to the site.

The mechanics of the power cabinet are similar to RBS 2302, with the same mounting
facilities.

In the event of power failure, Maxite™ will be powered from the batteries for up to two
hours. The RBS is supplied with +24 V DC and the Active Antenna Unit with -48 V DC.
The heater of the radio cabinet and power cabinet is AC fed and will not be operational
during battery backup supply conditions.

The batteries in PBC can as well supply a MINI-LINK used for transmission to the site.

The power cabinet handles alarm signals from the active antenna and transfers them as a
fault signal to the Micro RBS. The distance between the power cabinet and antenna can
be up to 100 m, and the distance between power cabinet and the RBS can be up to 5m.

• During normal operation (AC mains), battery heating inside the cabinet is provided
by heaters.
• The Power Supply Unit (PSU) inside the cabinet will be able to supply at least two
external and internal power consumers.
• The cabinet will provide flexible conjunction capabilities and will support battery
backup (up to two hour).
• Internal equipment:
− Backup batteries
• External equipment supply capabilities:
− CEU and AAU power supply and battery backup
− Micro RBS back-up
− Transmission equipment, etc.

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4 BSS Features
Maxite™ is supported by R 6.1 software, and future releases. Below, some of the most
important Maxite™ features are explained. For more information, please read relevant
Ericsson GSM System BSS feature descriptions.

• Frequency Hopping
Both synthesised and base band hopping are supported in the Maxite™

• Discontinuous Transmission (DTX)

Both uplink and downlink DTX are implemented in the Maxite™

• Dynamic Power Control

Maxite™ supports dynamic power regulation in both the MS and the RBS.

• Receiver Diversity
Polarization diversity is provided as standard in Maxite™

• Half Rate
It is possible to use the radio spectrum more efficient with half rate. With half rate it
is possible to use the double amount of traffic channels on the air interface as
compared to GSM full rate. This feature requires half rate capable mobile stations.

• Enhanced Full Rate

• Multi drop
This feature allows Maxite™ to be cascaded to share a PCM transmission link.

• E1/G.703 Long haul

E1/G.703 offers multivendor compatibility on the transmission level. Normally
E1/G.703 only offers in door short haul interface, enabling distances up to 6 dB loss.
The long haul feature allows of 30 dB loss and a more cost efficient transmission
network configuration. The interface can also be used outdoors, as it has built-in
lightning protection.

• Integrated Customer Service Unit (CSU)

The CSU adds Facility Data Link (FDL) services between the RBS 2302 and the
transmission network. With integrated CSU the operator may connect the RBS 2302
directly to the transmission network. For example, loop back commands are
supported, which can be used to test transmission networks. Benefits are that the CSU
is integrated, no modem and installation work is needed for transport management.

• LAPD Multiplexing
The functionality supported by the RBS 2000 family allows for efficient transmission
resource use. For example, a two TRX site would only require 4 x 64 kbit/s time slots
on the BTS to BSC link, thus achieving a saving of 33 %. LAPD multiplexing could
be made on 16 kbit/s and 32 kbit/s subslots. LAPD multiplexing is recommended for
small radio base stations, up to two TRXs per cell.

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5 Installation and Commissioning

Each Maxite™ delivered is tested at the factory or a workshop before installation on site.
The testing includes, for example, programme loading in all units, parameter setting, and
subsequent testing. This ensures maximum efficiency at installation, as well as the
highest possible quality of the delivered products.

5.1 Installing Maxite™

Thanks to Ericsson's O&M design strategy, the Maxite™ is easy to handle, thus
facilitating rapid roll out. With proper site preparation, the installation of the Active
Antenna unit shall not exceed a conventional antenna installation, and the
commissioning phase should normally not exceed one hour.

The Maxite™ can be wall, pole, or tower mounted using standard mounting kits,
allowing antenna mechanical down-tilt. Antenna replacement can be done without
effecting the mounting structure alignment.

Note: installation time depends very much on configuration and where the Maxite™ is
placed.

5.2 Transmission
Maxite™ supports multi drop functionality. Each RBS can be configured for stand alone
or linear cascade mode. The configuration is performed by means of the OMT.

In stand alone mode PCM port A must be connected towards the BSC (port B is unused.)
For cascading purposes, port A is connected to the previous RBS, and port B, to the next.

Long haul options for E1 and T1, allow twisted pair cables 5 times longer distance (30
dB loss) between Maxite™ and a transmission terminal. Normal E1 and T1 interfaces
have a loss of 5 dB.

For E1 operation, the synchronisation is taken from the PCM link. For T1, it can
optionally be taken from a built-in timing reference oscillator.

The Customer Service Unit (CSU) is integrated in the RBS and is only valid for T1. The
CSU supervises the network and makes it possible to set up loopbacks to test the
transmission.

LAPD concentration and LAPD multiplexing facilities could be used to make the
transmission resource more efficient.

RBS Interfaces
T1 1.5 Mbit/s, 100 Ohm

E1 2 Mbit/s, 75 Ohm

E1 2 Mbit/s, 120 Ohm

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Connections
- TNC adapters, Female, Receptacle for coaxial connection (75 Ohm).
- TWINAX (TNO), Receptacle for four wire connection (100/120 Ohm).

Coaxial connection (75 Ohm) is only available for E1 operation and does not support
long haul. The distance allowed between units is determined by the cable loss, according
to the 6 dB receiver sensitivity specified in G.703.

5.2.1 Multi extension

The RBS 2302 is HW prepared for multi extension solutions. This means that it is
possible to have two, four or six transceivers in one cell. This is possible by adding one
or two Maxite™ beside an Maxite™ and connect a cable between each RBS 2302.

The RBS 2302, which are connected to the BSC, via PCM A, will to be defined as
Master Cabinet. The other cabinet(s) is defined as Extension Cabinet. If the Master
Cabinet fails (e.g. due to major HW fault), the whole site will not work. But if one or all
Extension Cabinets fail, the site will continue to work but, of course, with reduced
capacity.

Figure 11. Multi cabinet configuration with RBS 2302.

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Operation and Maintenance

Maxite™ is designed, tested and type approved as one product. This means that it is a
completely integrated site solution. In all aspects from design, installation, site
documentation, verification, type approval, down to O&M signalling and alarm
handling, Maxite™ is one product.

The antenna unit is fully supervised by a communication link the RBS 2302 and the
antenna unit by using the power cabinet as a central concentrator for alarms from the
antenna.

The power cabinet is fully supervised by the same communication link as for the
antenna.

The operation and maintenance concept for the Maxite™ is the same as for the rest of
the RBS 2000 family.

External Alarms
RBS 2302 provides connections for external alarms from the AAU/CEU and PBC. The
external alarms are reported to the BSC via LAPD signalling on the A-bis O&M
interface. Four customer specific external alarms are used in Maxite™.

6.1 Operation
The BSC manages the RBS O&M via the A-bis O&M interface. The RBS equipment is
seen as Managed Objects (MOs) by the BSC. This is a means of describing the RBS in a
functionally oriented way. All O&M actions are based on the logical model structure
created in the BSC.

A Managed Object can comprise both hardware and software, and is not necessarily a
physical unit. The Managed Objects are common for all members of the RBS 2000
family: RBS 2000, RBS 2301 and Maxite™.

6.2 Remote Operation

Maxite™ is remotely controlled in order to minimise the need for on-site visits.
Downloading of a new software release (and even implementing a new speech codec,
like Enhanced Full Rate) can be done from the BSC or the Operation and Support
System.

When upgrading the RBS, the software can be downloaded from the BSC via LAPD
signalling. The software is stored in a non-volatile program store in the RBS, which will
speed up recovery from a power failure by eliminating the need to reload the software
from the BSC.

The software downloading from the BSC is executed as a background process and does
not interrupt on-going traffic. This will keep the cell down time limited to a minimum
(about two minutes). Downloaded software is resident in RBS 2302 even in the event of
a total loss of power in order to minimise time for recovery. As a result, loss of traffic
and revenue is kept as low as possible.

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6.3 Maintenance

Supervising the Active Antenna Unit / Coverage Extension Unit

The AAU and CEU are fully supervised by a communication link between the Maxite™
RBS and the antenna unit by using the power cabinet as a central concentrator for alarms
from the units.

The active antenna has an integrated alarm and supervision function. Each PAM and
Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) is separately supervised.

Thanks to the distributed PA solution of the AAU, with 2-3dB power loss if one PA
module is failing, the AAU offers a graceful degradation. It is assumed that an antenna
with degraded function in one TX channel can still be operated in the network.

The CEU has integrated alarm and supervision functionality for the separate branches.
The CEU is designed with redundant PA:s meaning that if one PA fails the other
automatically is switched in.

Man Machine Interface

Maxite™ has a user friendly Man Machine Interface (MMI), based on local indicators
and controls. The MMI indicates whether the Maxite™ is operating or not. A faulty unit
can be recognised immediately by means of an alarm indicator. Whether battery or mains
power is in use or not is also indicated. An indicator test function is included in the
Micro RBS.

Operation and Maintenance Terminal (OMT)

The Operation and Maintenance Terminal (OMT) is a PC based SW package that
provides efficient aid for installation, diagnostics, and maintenance for the Maxite™. For
normal maintenance tasks, the OMT is not needed. The same OMT software and a
similar user interface are used for all members of the RBS 2000 family.

The OMT uses a menu driven approach that reflects the actual configuration of Maxite™
in terms of a graphical interface. By selecting with the mouse, the user will be provided
with detailed information about that particular entity. By using the menu, the operator
can choose between different functions. For example, detailed fault information or
change parameters can be accessed. This information is stored in a non-volatile memory
in the RBS. A link to the BSC is not necessary.

It is possible to have permanently connected OMT cabling up to 50 meters. This makes it

easier for the operators in sites where the RBS 2302 are installed in high places as for
example, on a pole or a mast.

Fault Handling
In the system, two different malfunctions are distinguished:

1. Disturbance: A disturbance is detected when the supervision functionality observes

abnormal operation.

2. Fault: A fault is detected when the supervision functionality detects a malfunction.

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This is the result of filtering the disturbances. Each disturbance has specific filter
characteristics. All fault state changes are reported to BSC and OSS.

As an example of this, the temperature of the transmitter is measured in periods.

For each measurement outside the accepted range, a disturbance is generated. To decide
if a fault is present, the filtering function requires that at least five disturbances are
generated within five seconds.

Fault Detection and Localisation

Fault-detection functions are related to detecting malfunctions in GSM-based systems.
Maxite™ will report faults and disturbances to the BSC. The list below includes the most
important RBS supervision functions:

• Transmitter and receiver supervision

• Supervision of BSC communication
• Temperature
• Output power
• Timing information
• Frequency source
• Synchronisation reference
• External and internal power supervision
• Operating System (OS) fault
• Checksum in program memory

When detecting a failure, the RBS automatically evaluates the fault situation and
indicates the suspected faulty unit. This information is reported to the BSC in the fault
report, and will also be used for maintenance.

Fault isolation occurs when the faulty Managed Object is taken out of operation.

The following alarms are available from the antenna unit. They are via the power cabinet
sent to the radio cabinet for further distribution to the BSC:

• Carrier 1 severe
• Carrier 2 severe
• Carrier 1 or 2 warning

These alarms are generated by the antenna resulting from internal measurements of
power levels, amplifier gain, supply voltages, temperature etc.

The power cabinet also has extensive internal fault detection. This applies both to
converters, e.g. AC/DC and DC/DC, and to battery/charging conditions. If any fault
condition is detected the BSC is alerted via the RBS.

All Maxite™ units have Flash-PROMs maintaining a detailed fault log for repair
purposes. A summary of these faults can be read at site from the antenna unit via the
power cabinet.

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6.4 Replacement
In the Maxite™ design, a lot of effort has been put in to achieve a high Mean Time
Between Failure (MTBF) for the unit. This will save costs for the operator in reduced
numbers of service trips to RBS sites. If a problem occurs, the design also allows for
easy and fast replacement, as the whole unit is the service part. This easy and fast
replacement gives the advantage of a very short down time if a unit has to be replaced.

The complete replacement of faulty units enables fast and easy transportation of the
faulty unit to the service workshop, as well as for the replacement unit to the site or
customer location. At the site, when having done a Maxite™ unit replacement, no
complicated commissioning has to take place - saving valuable downtime, thanks to the
comprehensive built-in self-test feature.

The whole operation from unlocking the unit, loosening brackets, etc., until the site can
be left is typically about one hour, depending on the placement of the unit.

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7 Dependability and Quality of Service

The Maxite™ is designed with stringent requirements on reliability, maintainability
performance, and quality of service. The requirements apply to software, hardware,
documentation, and to the Man Machine Interfaces. Quality of service during operation
is ensured by the automatic control facilities built into Maxite™.

The total Maxite™ availability depends on the network’s structure and the number of
Mobile Switching Centres (MSCs), BSCs, RBSs, and other network nodes in the system.
Also overlapping cell structure, with both macro and micro cells, ensures high system
availability and reliability performance.

Any data given for availability and reliability are only valid if preventive maintenance is
carried out according to specification.

All traffic connections are automatically supervised in the system, including all relevant
parts of Maxite™. This is combined with checking that the serviceability remains within
pre-set limits. Supervision is carried out on live traffic.

In case of transceiver failures, the automatic reconfiguration controlled by the BSC

ensures optimal traffic handling capability to the largest possible extent. Reconfiguration
may also be initiated manually from the BSC or from the Operations Support System.

The advanced built-in diagnostic functions and repair aids give a short time to fault
detection, and a clear indication of the fault. When the failing unit has been replaced the
system is tested by means of the test functions built into the product. This makes sure
that the fault has been remedied. The simple handling considerably reduces the active
repair time and thus the down time.

The Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) characteristics of Maxite™ is outstanding.

The MTBF performance of Maxite™ is significantly better than the performance of
conventional radio base stations for wide area coverage. The active antenna has a high
MTBF due to the different placement were it could be used.

Due to the distributed power amplifier concept’s redundancy, the active antenna unit
allows graceful degradation. When one PAM is failing, the output from the TRX will
just be degraded by approximately 3 dB.

Also the receiver (uplink) amplifiers and the internal DC/DC-converters are redundant
generating a warning when failing, but still allowing the site to operate with little
degradation.

It is assumed that an antenna with degraded function in one TX channel can still be
operated in the network. Assumptions indicate that degraded performance is allowed.
The faulty antenna unit is replaced at site. This can be done without effecting mounting
structure alignment. The time required for antenna replacement is estimated to be less
than one hour.

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8 Technical Data

8.1 Radio System Data

Table 1. Frequency Range for Maxite™ .
Frequency Band Receiver Transmitter

GSM 900 890-915 MHz 935-960 MHz

GSM 1800 1710 - 1785 MHz 1805 - 1880 MHz

GSM 19001 1850 - 1910 MHz 1930 - 1990 MHz

1, Divided into three subbands.

Carrier bandwidth: 200 kHz

Channels per carrier: Eight full rate channels

Modulation method: GMSK

Minimum channel spacing: 400 kHz

Transmitter and Receiver

The RBS output power is dynamically controlled. The control range is 26 dB in 2 dB
steps, including the configuration steps from maximum output power level.

The active antenna uses two-branch polarisation diversity. The operating frequency band
is mainly determined by the internal filters in the AAU/CEU.

The radio equipment operating specifications meet (and will in most cases exceed) the
performance requirements specified in the GSM Technical Specifications and GSM
900/1800/1900 Air Interface Specification.

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Description 24 (30)

Comparison in output power between Macro RBS,

Maxite™ 900MHz and Maxite™ 1800/1900MHz

Macro RBS Feede Antenna Radiated power

ARP 1
Macro

MAXITE 900 ARP 2

ARP 1
Micro CEU

The Maxite 900 radiated output power is depending on the passive antenna gain
and the feeder loss CEU-Antenna.

Maxite™ 1800/1900

ARP 1
Micro AAU

The Maxite 1800/1900 has a fixed maximum radiated output power, since the
passive part of the AAU (Active Antenna Unit) and the Power Amplifiers in the
AAUs are in the same unit.

Config. \ El. Power in Feeder El. power in Radiated power Remarks

ARP1 dBm attuat. dB ARP2 dBm dBm EIRP
Macro 900 45 3-8 - 59-54 CDU A and 17 dBi
Antenna
Macro 1800 44 3-12 - 58-49 CDU A and 17 dBi
Antenna
Macro 1900 44 3-12 - 58-49 CDU A and 17 dBi
Antenna
Maxite 900 32.5 0-8 41 57 1 dB loss in 2nd
feeder and 17 dBi
Antenna
Maxite 1800 32.5 0-12 - 57,5
500 W
Maxite 1900 32.5 0-12 - 57
500 W
Maxite 1900 32.5 0-12 - 61
1250 W

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8.2 Maxite™ Link Budgets (Example)

Table 2. GSM 1900 and GSM 1800 Link Budget.

GSM 900 500 W EIRP 1250 W EIRP 500 W EIRP
GSM 1800 GSM1900 GSM 1900
Antenna Up Down Up Down Up Down Up Down
Output power 30 41 30 40 30 40 30 39
Mobile Station (MS)
/ RBS (dBm)
Div. gain (dB) 3.5 - 3.5 - 3.5 - 3.5 -
Ant. Gain (dBi) 17* 17* 17.5 17.5 21 21 18,5 18,5
Slant pol. (dB) -1.5* - - 1.5 - - - -
Feedr loss (dB) -1 -1
RBS/MS rec (dBm) - 111 - 104 - 111 - 104 - 110 - 104 -111 - 104
Path loss (dB) 160.5 159.5 162 160 164,5 165 162 161,5
* Assuming a 17 dBi passive antenna gain and cross polarisation

8.3 Mechanical and Power Specifications

Table 3. Maxite™ Mechanical and Power Specifications.
Unit Radio cabinet Power cabinet

Number of TX 2

Weight 29 kg 55 kg

HxWxD 535x408x170 535x408x220

Power Consumption 110/230 VAC 110/230 VAC

150 W 270-560 W*

Unit CEU Antenna unit Antenna unit Antenna unit

900 MHz 500 W EIRP 1250 W EIRP 500 W EIRP
1800MHz 1900 MHz 1900 MHz

Number of TX 2 2 2 2

Weight 22 kg 30 kg 75 kg 32 kg

HxWxD 900x245x243 1380x250x200 2560x540x110 1670x350x110

Power -48VDC - 48VDC - 48VDC - 48VDC

Consumption from PBC from PBC from PBC. from PBC.

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Description 26 (30)

200 W 220 W 260 W 220 W

* Depending on configuration.

Maximum output power from the power cabinet is 710 Watts (In battery mode supplying
1 Active antenna, 1 Picko link and 2 RBS s.

8.4 Environmental Specification

The requirements for climatic/mechanical environment are based on European
Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standard ETS 300 019 Classification of
Environmental Conditions, and IEC 721.

Temperature
The operating temperature range for Maxite™ is -33 to +45 Celsius. Solar radiation on
top of this is maximum 1120 Watts per Square Meter (W/m2) at +45°C ambient
temperature. The units within Maxite™ are cooled by free air convection. The cooling
fins are protected from solar radiation.

Wind Loading
• Function up to 30 Meters per second (m/s)
• Survival up to 50 m/s

Humidity
• Function 10 - 100%
• Complies with requirements for snow, dust, and foreign particles

Protection
All cables are protected according to ETS 300 342. No external protection is required

Earthquake Resistance
Vibration according to ETS 300 019-1-1

Ingression
The RBS fulfils the IP-55 requirement according to IEC 529.

Reliability
Maxite™ is designed for high reliability due to the type of large coverage. The active
antenna shall have a high MTBF due to the different placement were it could be used.
Due to the distributed power amplifier concept’s redundancy, the active antenna unit
allows graceful degradation. With one PA module in the antenna unit failing, the power
degradation is approximately 2 dB.

It is assumed that an antenna with degraded function in one TX channel can still be
operated in the network. Assumptions indicate that degraded performance is allowed.

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 Description 27 (30)

The faulty antenna unit is replaced at site. This can be done without effecting mounting
structure alignment. The time required for antenna replacement is estimated to be less
than one hour.

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)

Maxite™ fulfils Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements according to:

• ETS 300 342-2, the BTS product standard, in line with the European EMC Directive
89/336/EEC
• EN 55022 Class B
• GSM:11.20.

Product Safety
In accordance with the Low Voltage Directive (LVD), Maxite™ complies with the
following requirements regarding product safety:

• EN 60 950 (IEC 950)

• EN 60 215 (IEC 215)
• UL 1950
• CAN/CSA-C22.2 Number 950

The RBS Maxite™ is CE marked and UL listed in order to show this compliance.

Acoustic Noise
No acoustic noise is generated, since no active cooling components or moving parts are
used.

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9 Acronyms and Abbreviations

AAU Active Antenna Unit
ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit
BSC Base Station Controller
BSS Base Station System
BTS Base Transceiver Station
CEU Coverage Extension Unit
CSU Customer Service Unit
dBm Decibel per 1 milliwatt
DTX Discontinuous Transmission
EIRP Effective Isotropic Radiated Power
EMC Electromagnetic Compatibility
ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute
ETS European Telecommunication Standard
GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
kbit/s kilobits per Second
kg kilogram
LAPD Link Access Protocol on D-channel
LNA Low Noise Amplifier
m/s Meters per second
Mbit/s Megabits per Second
MMI Man Machine Interface
MO Managed Object
MS Mobile Station
MTBF Mean Time Between Failures
O&M Operation and Maintenance
OMT Operation and Maintenance Terminal
OSS Operations Support System
PA Power Amplifier
PAM Power Amplifier Module
PCM Pulse Code Modulation
PSU Power Supply Unit
RBS Radio Base Station
TRX Transceiver
W Watt
2
W/m Watts per Square Meter

© Ericsson. Commercial in confidence Rev F 1999-03-09 LRU/X 97:012