Planning and Design Considerations
For a 4G LTE Network
2012 ACE/RUS
School and Symposium
Presented by:
Engineering Associates, Inc.
Professional Engineering Firm
Previous Speakers with Wireless Topics
• Leo Zoucha
• Connecting in the Wireless Networks (Backhaul)
• Don Swedenburg
• Will LTE be the Death of the Landline?
• Gordon Caverly, Ben Pidek
• Wireless Video in the Home
2 - CONFIDENTIAL
Overview
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3 - CONFIDENTIAL
Funding Options
Design Criteria
Technology Considerations
Frequency Bands
Core Design
RF Design - RAN
Backhaul Considerations
Bandwidth Efficiency & Traffic Planning
Investment/Pricing Models
Funding Options
• Connect America Fund
• Universal Service Fund transitioning to Connect America
Fund
• Objective is to Accelerate Broadband Build-Out in Rural
Areas
• Additional $300M of CAF Funding Available to Incumbent
Providers that Commit to FCC Broadband Requirements for
Unserved Areas
• 4 MB/s Downstream; 1 Mb/s Upstream
• Remaining Areas to Receive CAF Money Based Upon
Broadband Cost Models and Competitive Bidding
4 – CONFIDENTIAL
Funding Options
• RUS Broadband Loans
• Provides Funds to Provide Broadband Service in Eligible
Rural Areas
• Includes New Construction, Improvements, and Acquisition
• No More than One Loan Awarded per Service Area
• Broadband Grants
• Funding is Ongoing but Application Process has Ended
• Additional Funding Would Require New Legislation
5 – CONFIDENTIAL
Design Criteria
• Which Spectrum Licenses are Available?
• Is Coverage Area Urban or Rural?
• Are Existing Towers Available or Will Tower Construction
be Required?
• Applications - Fixed Solution vs. Mobility?
• CPE – Outdoor, USB Desktop, Dongle, or Handsets
• What Backhaul Options are Available?
• Product Availability and Number of Vendor Options?
• Ensure Design Reflects Goals for Geographic Coverage
and Broadband Speed?
6 – CONFIDENTIAL
700 MHz Band Plan
700 MHz – Lower Band 48 MHz; Upper Band 60 MHz
Most Blocks are 6 MHz, Allowing 5 MHz LTE Carrier
35% Build-Out Required by June 13, 2013 for A,B, & E
40% Build-Out Required by June 13, 2013 for Upper C
7 - CONFIDENTIAL
700 MHz Details
• Block A – 12 MHz Lower Band Paired
• Block B – 12 MHz Lower Band Paired
• Block C – 12 MHz Lower Band Paired and 22 MHz Upper
Band Paired
• Block D – 6 MHz Lower Band Unpaired (Video) and 10
MHz Upper Band Paired (Public Safety)
• Block E – 6 MHz Lower Band Unpaired (Video)
8 – CONFIDENTIAL
700 MHz Spectrum Ownership
• Verizon – 22 MHz Upper C Block Nationwide (except Alaska
and U.S. Territories) and Scattered Lower A and B Blocks
• AT&T – Scattered Lower B and C Blocks (Mostly Metro Areas);
Purchasing Unpaired Lower D Block Nationwide and
Unpaired
E Block in some Major Markets from QualComm
(for LTE Use)
• Sprint – No 700 MHz
• T-Mobile – No 700 MHz
• Regional Carriers – Lower B and C Blocks (Mostly Rural)
• Public Safety – 10 MHz Upper D Block
9 – CONFIDENTIAL
AWS Band Plan
AWS – Advanced Wireless Service; 1.7 GHz; 2.1 GHz
Blocks are 6 or 10 MHz, Allowing 5 or 10 MHz LTE Carrier
Substantial Service Build-Out Deadline is 2021
10 - CONFIDENTIAL
PCS Band Plan
PCS – Broadband Radio Service; 1.9 GHz
11 – CONFIDENTIAL
BRS/EBS Band Plan
BRS – Broadband Radio Service; 2.6 GHz
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12 – CONFIDENTIAL
EBS (Educational Broadband Service) was not licensed for commercial services, although
its use has been postulated for LTE in some markets.
Due to current Band 7 ecosystem using FDD, BRS is of limited use until Band 41 TDD
ecosystem becomes reality.
RF Design - RAN
• Using RF Analysis Tool, Determine Predicted Coverage
Levels and Aggregate Speeds Based Upon
Technology and CPE Selection
• Utilize Various GIS Data To Evaluate Possible Tower Sites
• Select First Choice Tower Locations in Populated Areas
• Select Additional Tower Locations to Fill in Rural Areas
• Identify Areas Where New Towers May Be Required
• Generate Site Search Rings When Necessary
• Analyze Results and Add or Delete Sites as Required
13 – CONFIDENTIAL
Service Area Of Interest
• Network Planning / Design Tools-GIS Software
• E911 Location Data
• Highway/Street Traffic Count Vector Data
• Minimum UL/DL Throughput Requirements
• Network Resource Locations
Propagation Tools
• Propagation Software Tools
• Integrated With GIS Software
• Target to Customer Design
• Backhaul (Microwave) Feasibility Tool
• Operations Reports to Assist with
Customer Service
Shaded Relief Showing Topography of Area
E911 Points for Potential Locations
Evaluate Network Objective
•Percentage of Projected Coverage Area
•Coverage of Major Thoroughfares
•Ability For Sites To Be Contiguous
•Fixed Locations and/or Mobile Devices
Network Parameters
•Technology Type
•Frequency Band(s)
•Network Backbone/Backhaul
Existing Cellular Coverage in Planned
Service Area
Coverage Objective for Planned Service Area
18
Establish Search Area Ring (SAR)
Search Area Ring (SAR)
Description:
Identify feasible sites for providing necessary coverage as to existing
network.
The SAR includes the following activities and deliverables:
• Importing target coverage zones
• Develop alternate search area rings
Base map indicating:
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RSA Boundaries
E911 addresses (When Necessary)
Existing Coverage
Contours
Topography
Roadways
Target and Propagation overlay demonstrating RF coverage as related to
target zones for specified frequencies.
Review Co-Location Possibilities
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Establish Site Location
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Projected Coverage in Planned Service Area
•PERCENTAGE OF PROJECTED COVERAGE AREA
•COVERAGE OF MAJOR THOROUGHFARES
LTE Coverage Maps
LTE Downlink (USB Dongle)
2Mbps to 8Mbps
Four Towers with Five Mile Radius; Roughly 16 Miles x 16 Miles
24 – CONFIDENTIAL
LTE Coverage Maps
LTE Uplink (USB Dongle)
2Mbps to 6Mbps
Four Towers with Five Mile Radius; Roughly 16 Miles x 16 Miles
25 – CONFIDENTIAL
Backhaul
• LTE demands high-capacity backhaul
• Leased T1’s will prove inadequate
• Viable choices are fiber or microwave
26 – CONFIDENTIAL
Core Design
• Design Core Network Based Upon Projected Number of
Subscribers and Bandwidth Requirements
• Is VoIP Required or Data Only?
• Ancillary/OEM Solutions Needed
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Billing
Network Management,
Subscriber Provisioning
Regulatory (E911, CALEA)
• Identify Existing Equipment Required to Interface
• Evaluate Building Feasibility Related to Redundant
Backhaul Facilities, Security, and Back-up Power
27 – CONFIDENTIAL
LTE Evolved Packet Core
28 – CONFIDENTIAL
Technology Considerations
• 700 MHz is Fundamental Design Based Upon Coverage;
However, Bandwidth is Limited
• Reserve 700 MHz for Rural Areas that Require More Reach
but Serves Fewer Subscribers
• Use AWS, BRS, or PCS for Capacity in Populated Areas
with Shorter Reach
29 – CONFIDENTIAL
LTE vs. WiMax
• Although LTE and WiMAX are Similar in Technology,
Vendors have Moved Development Emphasis to LTE
• WiMAX has Less Vendor Competition Today
• LTE will have Longer Product Life and Future Prices are
More Likely to Decrease
30 – CONFIDENTIAL
Technology Comparison
700 MHz
31 – CONFIDENTIAL
WiMAX
LTE
Downlink
OFDMA
OFDMA
Uplink
OFDMA
SC-FDMA
MIMO Supported Today
2x2
4x2 downlink, 1x4 uplink
Cell edge interference
control
Soft frequency reuse
Inter-cell Interference
control
Mobility
Hard handoff
Full mobility
Microcells available
Yes
Yes
VoIP Support
w/ optional core
node
w/ optional IMS core
Technology Comparison
700 MHz
32 – CONFIDENTIAL
WiMAX
LTE
Router CPE
Yes
Yes
USB Dongle CPE
Yes
Yes
Outdoor CPE
Yes
Yes
Smart Phones
No
Future
Built-in Laptop Support
Not at 700 MHz
Future
Vendors at 700 MHz
One
Five or More
Industry Group
IEEE/WiMax Forum
3GPP
Bandwidth Efficiency
700 MHz
LTE
Available Licensed Bandwidth (MHz)
6+6
Usable Bandwidth (MHz)
5+5
Spectral efficiency, downlink (bps/Hz)
1.67
Spectral efficiency, uplink (bps/Hz)
0.89
Average Throughput per 3-sector site, downlink (Mbps)
25.05
Average Throughput per 3-sector site, uplink (Mbps)
13.35
Loading Factor, downlink
70%
Loading Factor, uplink
60%
* Performance data is averaged from various vendors’ claims as of 2011.
33 – CONFIDENTIAL
Subscriber Traffic Model
700 MHz
LTE
Traffic per Subscriber per Month (GB)
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Downlink Traffic (%)
70%
Uplink Traffic (%)
30%
Hours in the Busy Period per Day
Percent of Daily Traffic Carried in Busy Period
25%
Downlink Busy Hour Traffic per Subscriber
97 kbps
Uplink Busy Hour Traffic per Subscriber
42 kbps
Subscribers Supported per Sector
60
Subscribers Supported per Base Station (3 sectors)
180
* Performance data is averaged from various vendors’ claims as of 2011.
34 – CONFIDENTIAL
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Estimate of Investment
700 MHz
LTE
Access Network
3-Sector Single-5MHz-Carrier Macro Cell
Investment per Subscriber
$55,000
$306
Core Network
Broadband Data-Only Core Network
$3,000,000
Incremental for VoIP Core Network
$1,400,000
CPE Terminals
Desktop/Fixed CPE
$395
USB Dongle
$200
* Pricing data is averaged from various vendors’ proposals as of 2011.
35 – CONFIDENTIAL
Pricing - Example Network #1
700 MHz
LTE
Base Stations
50
Subscribers Supported
Total Investment
Investment per Subscriber
* Pricing data is averaged from various vendors’ proposals as of 2011.
36 – CONFIDENTIAL
9000
$9,827,500
$1,092
Pricing - Example Network #2
700 MHz
LTE
Base Stations
100
Subscribers Supported
Total Investment
Investment per Subscriber
* Pricing data is averaged from various vendors’ proposals as of 2011.
37 – CONFIDENTIAL
18,000
$15,255,000
$848
Pricing - Example Network #3
700 MHz
LTE
Base Stations
200
Subscribers Supported
Total Investment
Investment per Subscriber
* Pricing data is averaged from various vendors’ proposals as of 2011.
38 – CONFIDENTIAL
36,000
$26,110,000
$725
Summary - Start to Finish Process
• Feasibility Study and Business Case
• Preliminary RF/Backhaul Network Design
• RFP Preparation, Proposal Analysis, and Contract
Negotiation
• Site Acquisition and Lease Negotiations
• Permitting / Legal
• Detailed RF/Backhaul Network Design
• Project Management and Asset Management
• Construction Management
• As Built Drawings
39 – CONFIDENTIAL
Thank You
Engineering Associates, Inc.
1220 Old Alpharetta Road, Suite 390
Alpharetta, GA 30005
678-455-7266
engineeringassociates.com
40 – CONFIDENTIAL