LTE Site Survey

Contents

n Overview
n Steps
n Technical Requirements
n Tools
n Precautions

2
Site Survey Purpose

n A radio network survey plays an important role in the network construction during the radio network planning
phase. It can be divided into three stages: preparation, implementation and conclusion.

n The purpose of radio network survey is to obtain the radio propagation and antenna installation environments,
and the conditions of co-sited systems, to provide the corresponding information to network planning
engineers.

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Survey Contents

n Based on radio network planning, a radio network survey includes data collection,
record and confirmation of the following information:
l Basic site information:
n Site type: Omni-directional and directional sites.
n Basic BTS information: longitude and latitude of sites, and the main coverage.
l Radio Propagation Environment:
n Because the radio network coverage and propagation environment are closely associated, it is necessary to know the
terrain, clutter, and landform in the serving cell and record the corresponding information.
l Co-sited system
n Co-sited systems include: GSM900/1800, PCS, CDMA and Microwave.
n Co-sited system antenna information includes: antenna model, installation position and azimuth.
l Aerial plane:
n In accordance with the antenna, the pole pre-installation position
n Aerial plane graph and isolation
n Antenna installation mode: rooftop pole (4 m/6 m/9 m), self-support gantry, rooftop tower, and self-support tower.
l Sector engineering parameters:
n Recommended antenna sector height, azimuth and downtilt.

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Contents

n Overview
n Steps
n Technical Requirements
n Tools
n Precautions

5
Preparation Stage

n Network information: contracts, serving range delimitation, available site information

lists and maps.
n Personnel: survey, design, network planning, and operation and maintenance
engineers.
n Tools and instruments: GPS, compass, rangefinder, digital camera, telescope, survey
information collection tables and maps.
n Vehicle: survey vehicle and drivers.
n Survey principles: principles of ZTE, customers and designing institutes.
n Survey plan: labor division, group division, survey range division, survey route and
progress arrangement, and responsibilities.
n Survey technologies: radio network survey tool knowledge, and radio network
planning knowledge.

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Implementation Stage

n After obtaining the related resources, the surveyor implements radio network survey in
accordance with the survey plan and route, and make detailed records and data
confirmation as required during the survey process.
l Engineering data
l Radio propagation environment data
l Other data: for example, if the survey for a BTS is stopped due to some reasons, you need to
record the reason and probable solution including the alternative sites and pictures.

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Conclusion Stage

n A survey summary consists of two parts: information rearrangement and communication

confirmation.
l Information rearrangement includes the periodical rearrangement and summary. The
periodical rearrangement helps to find problems and solve problems in a timely manner, and
the summary helps to provide a correct basis for detailed network planning and project
implementation.
l Communication confirmation: After all BTS are surveyed, the survey group summaries the final
documents, which should be provided to the survey principle, sent to the project manager for
making construction drawings, and copied to the network planning leader for detailed network
planning.
n Survey experience summary:
l Survey experience is summarized to form an experience library for facilitating similar survey
projects.
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Contents

n Overview
n Steps
n Technical Requirements
n Tools
n Precautions

9
Site Location Selection Principles

n Site locations should be selected based on field strength, traffic intensity, construction conditions and costs.
The following factors must be considered for site distribution:
l Traffic and distribution: the BTS distribution must be the same as the traffic distribution. The hotpot areas must be considered preferentially.
l Coverage and capacity: Coverage is considered in accordance with the following priority order: dense urban area > mean urban areas >
suburban areas > rural areas. In addition, the main communication arteries and important tourist areas should also be considered at higher
priority.
l BTS surrounding environment: the BTS antenna height should meet the coverage requirement. In most cases, there should be no obvious
obstacles within 100 m in the main lobe direction of an antenna. Meanwhile, to prevent the network capacity and quality from being affected
by overshooting coverage, antennas should not be too high. For the height of the building where the BTS is located and the antenna height,
refer to the following table. These parameters should be adjusted as required.

Area Type Antenna Height Building Height

Dense urban areas Do not select the building that is more than 6 floors higher
30 - 40 m than the surrounding buildings. The most appropriate height
Mean urban areas is 2 - 3 floors higher than the surrounding buildings.
Do not select the mountain that is much higher than the
Suburban areas 30 - 50 m
mean elevation of the suburban areas.
Determined by the
Rural areas 　
environment

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Site Location Selection Principles

n BTS radio environment: Sites should not be set near high interference sources such as wireless transmitters,
radar stations and ground stations. When the site uses the same location with an inter-RAT system, an
isolated vertical space on the aerial plane must be guaranteed.
n Network architecture: the deviation between the BTS site location and the standard cell structure should be
less than 1/4 of the inter-site distance in most cases, and should be less than 1/8 of the inter-site distance
in dense coverage areas.
n There should be not high obstacles around the site. If an obstacle exists, the blocking angle (angle between
the lines from the site and both sides of the obstacle) should be not greater than 20 degree.
n The height of the building where the BTS is located should be no greater than 1/2 of the planned height (in
dense and mean urban areas, it is not recommended to select a building higher than 50 m).
n Do not deploy sites on an isolated high building, for example, a building 20 m higher than the surrounding
buildings in dense and mean urban areas.
n The antenna height difference between the sectors of the same BTS cannot be too large. For the site whose
aerial plane is too large, it is recommended to collect the longitude and latitude information of each sector,
to ensure the correct simulation and coverage estimation.

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Antenna Type Selection Principles

n Antennas are selected in accordance with the following parameters: antenna gain,
antenna pattern, horizontal lobe width, vertical lobe width and downtilt.
l Horizontal beam angle: the horizontal lobe width and azimuth determine the coverage range of an
antenna. The horizontal beam angle is selected based on the following principles:
1. For the area in which the BTS number is larger, the coverage radius is smaller, and the traffic distribution is
denser, the horizontal beam angle should be smaller. For the area in which the coverage radius is larger and
traffic distribution is scatter, the horizontal beam angle should be greater.
2. To beamforming the service channel, the theoretical value of the horizontal beam angle of an omni-directional
antenna is 35 degree. The theoretical value of the horizontal beam angle of a directional antenna in 0 degree
beamforming is 12.6 degree, and in 40 degree beamforming is 17 degree.
3. In urban areas, the three-sector directional antenna of a 65 degree horizontal beam angle is used. In suburban
areas, the antenna of a 90 degree horizontal beam is used. In rural areas, the antenna of 105 degree is used. In
highway or high-speed railway scenarios, a high-gain antenna of 30 degree should be used.
l Vertical lobe width: the vertical lobe width and downtilt determine the coverage range of a BTS. If the
landform in a coverage range is flat and even, and buildings are low and sparse, the vertical lobe width
of an antenna should be smaller. If the landform in a coverage range is complex with high drops, the
vertical lobe width should be greater.

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Antenna Type Selection Principles

n Gain: Gain is one of the most important parameters of an antenna. Different antenna
gains are selected in different scenarios:
1. In the dense urban areas where the coverage range is relatively small, the antenna gain should be lower
to reduce signal strength and interference.
2. In the suburban and rural areas, the antenna gain can be increased appropriately, to increase the
coverage range and signal strength.
3. In highway and railway scenarios, the antenna gain can be larger so that the higher antenna gain with
smaller horizontal beam angle can achieve a long coverage distance within a narrow range.

n Downtilt: the electrical downtilt of an intelligent circular array antenna can be adjusted
within a range preset by the manufacture. In most cases, the downtilt is in a range of 0-
9 degree. The electrical downtilt of an antenna array cannot be adjusted.

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Antenna Isolation Requirements

n The spacial isolation estimation is an important stage for determining interference. The theoretical
antenna isolation distance can be calculated through the inter-system antenna distance and main
lobe direction. The antenna isolation can be classified into the following three types:
l Horizontal isolation
l Vertical isolation
l Oblique isolation

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Antenna Isolation Requirements

n Horizontal isolation
dh
I H [ dB ]  22  20 lg  ( G Tx  G Rx )

n Vertical isolation
dv
I V [ dB ]  28  40 lg  (GTx  G Rx )

n Inter-system distance requirements:
　 Isolation (dB) Horizontal Distance Vertical Distance
LTE and GSM900 38 2.1 0.6
LTE and DCS1800 46 2.6 0.5
LTE and WCDMA/CDMA2000 30 0.4 0.2

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Survey Data Collection

n Coverage area division: Coverage areas are divided in accordance with traffic volume and clutters in coverage
areas.
l Traffic: Traffic is divided in accordance with areas, populations, social economy, and competitors’ user distribution.
l Clutter: Clutters are divided in accordance with local economy development, including, dense urban areas, mean urban areas, suburban areas
and rural areas.

Environment Type Coverage Range and Areas

A closed coverage area starts from the intersection of the northernmost and
westernmost streets, and then forms a loop in the sequence of north > east > south
Dense Urban Area
> west > north. The coverage sides are named by the street names, and the
coverage area is equal to length (east and west) × width (north and south).

A closed coverage area starts from the intersection of the northernmost and
westernmost streets, and then forms a loop in the sequence of north > east > south
Mean Urban Area
> west > north. The coverage sides are named by the street names, and the
coverage area is equal to length (east and west) × width (north and south).

The boundary between suburban and urban areas and the area to be covered should
Suburban Area
be clearly described. In most cases, a street is used as a boundary.
The landform including the terrain and clutter in a rural area should be described
Rural Area
clearly.

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Survey Data Collection
n Basic site survey data collection
l BTS number, BTS name, longitude and latitude information, aerial plane height, and
altitude height.
Survey Data Description
BTS number A BTS number consists of a service area abbreviation and a serial number.
A BTS name consists of the name of a place and building. In urban areas, the place name is the
BTS name
street name. In suburban and rural areas, the place name can be the name of a village or town.
Longitude and latitude Measured by the GPS.
The relative height from the aerial plane of an installed antenna to the ground, which is measured
Aerial plane height
by a rangefinder or altimeter.
Altitude The absolute height of a site, which is measured by a GPS.

n For the network planning proposal based on the collected data, refer to the following table:

Site Type Azimuth Downtilt Antenna Height Installation Mode GSM Isolation
S111 30º, 190º, 275º 4º 35 Gantry Vertical isolation
S111 0º, 160º, 250º 4º 26 Gantry Vertical isolation
S111 20º, 160º, 280º 4º 32 Pole Vertical isolation
S111 80º, 200º, 310º 4º 67 Pole Vertical isolation
S111 0º, 140º, 260º 4º 28 Gantry Vertical isolation
S111 0º, 120º, 250º 4º 63 Pole Vertical isolation
S111 20º, 130º, 250º 4º 37 Gantry Vertical isolation
S111 30º, 110º, 270º 4º 39 Gantry Vertical isolation
S111 45º, 170º, 280º 4º 57 Pole Vertical isolation
S111 30º, 160º, 290º 4º 58 Pole Vertical isolation

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Survey Data Collection

n Survey proposal based on the planned region

l Nearest BTS: Record the distance and azimuth of the BTSs within 2 km in dense urban areas, 3-5 km in mean urban areas, and 5-10 km in
suburban or rural areas. If there is no any BTS in such distances, record the nearest BTS, and clarify the reason for selecting the BTS and the
covered objects in the coverage area.

Nearest Site Information Site Location Selection Reason

Jin Jiang, Hua Lian, Xin Ye These sites cover the CNC equipment room and the surrounding industry and residential areas.
Mei Gang, Yin He The coverage area is limited and a tower is needed to be built.
These sites are on the roof of a seven-story building. A 25 m gantry is needed to be installed. There
Ming Wang, San Xiang is a mobile GSM site.
Mei Gang, Jin Jiang These sites cover the northern part of the Zhong Shan West Road elevated expressway.
Ming Wang, Gu Beiwan These sites cover the elevated expressway.
Yin He The site covers the Hong Qiao Road and the surrounding dense urban areas.
The coverage target is the surrounding residential areas and communication arteries with
San Xiang, Cao Hejing continuous coverage.
Xin Ye, Cao Hejing These sites are on the fifth floor of a building, 21 m high.
Xin Ye Thses sites cover the surrounding roads, schools and residential areas.
Cao Hejing, Dang Xiao These sites cover the surrounding office buildings, factories and roads.

l Surrounding radio environment of the survey site

l In most cases, survey pictures should be taken in eight directions.
l The pictures in each direction should be continuous (use a compass to determine the directions).
l The pictures should be clearly taken in good visibility. Do not take pictures in mist or in the evening.

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Survey report requirements

n Precautions of writing a survey report:

l The longitude and latitude of the site must be measured by GPS when the GPS locks the satellite.
l Geographical conditions: describes the geographical environment and general terrain around the site.
l Cell environment: terrains, obstacles, and coverage target. Images or photos are provided if required.
l Key spots: supplement of key areas, for example, government offices and business halls of operators.
l Azimuth: due north-based, clockwise.
l Transmission: transmission methods used by the site, for example, microwave and optical fiber.
l The information (model, KPIs, and vendor) on the antennas, TMAs, and repeaters mentioned in the
survey table must be attached to the survey report.
l Reasons should be described for alternative sites.

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Contents

n Overview
n Steps
n Technical Requirements
n Tools
n Precautions

20
Tools

n Device
l GPS: measure the longitude. latitude and altitude information of a site location.
l Compass: determines the directions of a site to understand the surrounding environment.
l Testing MS: used to know the coverage situation of an existing site to the site to be selected.
l Tape: used for measurement as needed.
l Telescope (optional): adds the visual range.
l Digital camera (optional): takes pictures of the site to be selected and the surrounding environment for
subsequent selection and determination.
l Test device (optional): tests the coverage situation of an existing site to the site to be selected, tests the
coverage of original sites (in swap scenarios), and records test data.
l Vehicle: Each survey group should own as least one car. If the survey areas are in mountains or hills, it is
necessary to use the cars suitable for long-distance traveling.

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Contents

n Overview
n Steps
n Technical Requirements
n Tools
n Precautions

22
Precautions

n Precautions of swapped sites

l If the new site is a swapped, it is necessary to obtain the original site data such as site type,
combiner type (2 in 1 or 4 in 1), and the transmitting power of the PA output interface in the
BTS. If the coverage range of the new site is different from that of the original site, you need to
notify the operator, to avoid subsequent controversy on the coverage range.
n Precautions of reused sites:
l You need to know whether there is enough space to install a new antenna. If yes, it is
recommended to install a separate antenna. If no, you need to add a power divider.
l You need to pay attention to the impacts on the existing network if a broadband antenna is
used.
l If an LTE eNodeB uses four-channel transmission, you need to use two dual-polarized
antennas.

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Precautions

n The site survey precautions are as follows:

l Cameras, rangefinders and GPSs must be put back into their packing boxes after being used, to avoid
exposure to sunlight.
l When a compass is used to measure the azimuth of an antenna, the compass must be away from metals to
control the measuring error between in 5 and 10 degrees.
l The distance that cannot be measured by a rangefinder can be measured by using other methods, for
example, by steps.
l The recommended location of a pole should be specifically marked with data on the roof plane graph, so that
the construction personnel can install the pole on the correct position.
l The aerial plane pictures should reflect the integrated information of the roof condition as much as possible.
l If a tower is installed on the roof of a building, take pictures about the tower and pole conditions.
l During the survey to an existing site, it is necessary to measure the azimuth of the installed antenna. If the
previous antenna direction is improper, you need to provide the recommended azimuth with brief reasons.

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Thank you!