International Telecommunication Union
Telecommunications Development Bureau
Making way
for novel broadband radio services
Dr. Arturas Medeisis
ITU-BDT Spectrum Management Expert
ITU Regional Workshop on Efficiency of the
Frequency Spectrum Use in the Arab Region
Amman-Jordan, 5-7 Dec. 2011
Scope of presentation
•
•
•
•
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Why we need broadband?
Modifying existing mobile assignments
Assigning new spectrum
Other than mobile options?
Looking into the future?
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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Importance of broadband
• Enabling modern inclusive ICT services
• Wireless BB provides faster deployment,
especially to “green-field” underserved areas
with poor infrastructure
Radio Spectrum
Services competition
Convergent ICT
Wireless broadband
services platform
Inclusion
Innovativeness
IT services platform
Consumer benefits
Societal benefits
Economic growth
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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Global data traffic forecasts
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Two directions
• Creating opportunities for existing
spectrum assignments to be “upgraded” to
provide novel Broadband services:
– i.e. Technological level re-farming
• Seeking new spectrum assignment
opportunities:
– Exclusive licences
– Overlay licences (shared access)
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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Technological re-farming
• Mostly concerns the possibility of
upgrading old 2G spectrum to provide
3G/4G services
• Especially the 900 MHz band, as it
provides best coverage optimisation
The concept of
“sandwiching”
broadband
channel
between narrowband 2G
channels
Source: CEPT ECC Report 82
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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Upgrading 2G licences
• 2G operators should be given cart blanche to
freely decide on technological evolution within
their assigned spectrum
• Even typical 2 x 8...12 MHz spectrum blocks
could be well used to accommodate broadband
CDMA/OFDMA channels
• Modern Software Defined Radio (SDR) Base
Stations allow seamless re-organisation of
network access from 2G (GSM) to 4G (LTE) in
any channel combination
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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New bands for broadband
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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Importance of lower bands
• Compare mobile OFDM coverage options
for different bands (open area Hata model)
64-QAM 3/4
3.5 GHz
16-QAM 3/4
QPSK 1/2
2.5 GHz
1.8 GHz
700 MHz
0
2
4
6
8
10
km
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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The terms of licensing?
• In the past new assignments were made
to specific technology, e.g. GSM
• Nowadays, NRAs are ill placed to decide
on which broadband technology would
become the winning proposition:
– witness WiMAX vs LTE battle for dominance
• Therefore it is important that from the start
the new assignments are technologyneutral and flexible in terms of service
offering (mobile vs. FWA vs. BS/IPTV etc.)
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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Playing the neutrality card safe
• Important to engineer sufficient safeguards
into the spectrum assignments to ensure
smooth functioning of neutrality
• Primary technological solutions:
– FDD/TDD-friendly solutions
– Universal channel rasters
– Block Edge Mask concept
– Border coordination thresholds
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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FDD/TDD flexibility
a) Initial assignment
FDD duplex spacing
Operator A
Operator B
Operator A
Operator B
Operator A
FDD downlink
Operator B
TDD block 2
b) Possible outright deployment of different
technologies
Operator A
FDD uplink
Operator B
TDD block 1
Operator A
Combined contiguous TDD block
Operator B
Combined contiguous TDD block
c) If both operators agree to use TDD technology, they must be allowed to swap their respective FDD blocks
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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The BEM concept (I)
TX Output Power Density
(dBW/MHz)
Assigned
block
Adjacent block
Internal
guard band
(~1/2 system
channel)
PMAX
1st system channel
(typical size)
2nd system channel
(typical size)
-36
-77
-89
0
A
B
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
F, from the block edge
13
The BEM concept (II)
PTx
a
c
b
ΔF
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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BEM implications
• BEM favours homogenous deployment of
uniform transmitters with gradual
densification
Source: CEPT Report 19
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ITU-R work on mobile BB
• Preparation of a new ITU-R Report
“Analysis and assessment of global
broadband wireless services and
marketplace for IMT”
• Series of workshops “IMT for the Next
Decade”
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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Turning to alternative
options...
BWA concept is still alive
• Wireline quality
dedicated radio links
CS1
Internet/
Packet
Data
BWA
PSTN
Switch
/
Central
Station
(CS)
Control
• Single connection for
multimedia use
CSi
CPE
PC
TV/ video
contribution
CSN
TV
• Network roll-out faster
than DSL/fibre
• Deployment in FS
bands from 10 GHz and
above
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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Or even high density FS
• E.g. 59 GHz, 64-66 GHz
• Suitable for short hop bridging links in
dense (urban) scenarios
• High and flexible channel bandwidth:
– from 100 MHz up to 2 GHz
• 59 GHz applications could be licenceexempt, 64 GHz well suited for lightlicensing
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Thinking further into the future
• TV White Spaces (TVWS) – a mediumterm flexible solution for on-demand (ad
hoc) broadband connectivity
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How much White Spaces?
• USA:
(UC Berkeley, 2010)
• Some European countries:
(FP7’s FARAMIR, 2011)
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A closer national study
• Poland:
– Based on ITU GE-06 plan
– 30 m 36 dBm Base Stations
– Protection of interferencelimited coverage of TV
(NIT Wroclaw, 2011)
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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A vision for TVWS SM solution
UK, Ofcom
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Problems, issues to address
• Protection of existing services:
– Broadcasting Service
– Wireless microphones (Programme Making Special Events)
– Other (Radio Astronomy, Radionavigation, etc.)
• Development of TV WSD technology:
– stable technical characteristics, standardisation
– link with geo-location database, security, integrity
– business case?
• Regulatory considerations:
– regulatory mechanism for the Dynamic Spectrum Access
– equipment type approval
– enforcement issues (“FCC chip” idea, etc.)
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Conclusions
• Fuelled by the constant proliferation of
personal “smart” phones, tablets, etc., the
growth in demand of wireless broadband
services will remain an important factor
well into the future
• NRAs should consider all available options
and strive to satisfy the demand by the
industry in the most forward-looking and
flexible manner
ITU Regional Workshop, Amman, 5-7 Dec 2011
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Thank you!
Dr. Arturas Medeisis
am@sm-jazz.lt
ITU: Committed to connecting the World
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