PAKISTAN TELECOMMUNICATION

COMPANY LIMITED

T&S TR-231
TECHNOLOGY AND Dec 22, 2008
STANDARDS WING
OF PTCL

SERIES TR: TRANSMISSION

Specifications of Transmission and Allied Systems

PDH Digital Radio System

PTCL Specifications TR-231

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Change History

The table below lists the significant, product-impacting changes to the document.
Editorial changes and cosmetic changes are not listed.

Issue Date Revised By Description of Change Section

or table

I 1-05-2007 Asad Naveed 1st Version

II 22-Dec-08 Asad Naveed Various Enhancements

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sr. No. Description Page No.
1. General 4
2. Technical Requirements 9
3. Characteristics of Transmitter and Receiver 12
4. Requirements for System Performance 16
5. Interference 16
6. Frequency Plan 17
7. Requirements for Antenna/Waveguide System/Feeder 17
8. Mechanical Characteristics 18
9. Requirements for Waveguide/Feeder Cable 19
10. Operation and Maintenance Requirements: 19
11. Test Equipment (Optional) 23
12. Inspection and Acceptance 24
13. Warranty 24
14. Handbooks and Documentation 24
15. Spare Parts 25

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1 GENERAL

1.1 CLAUSE BY CLAUSE COMPLIANCE STATEMENT:

1.1.1 The Bidder shall furnish a clause-by-clause compliance for each and every clause
/ sub-clause of the technical specification. As far as possible, the bidder shall provide the
detailed technical description for each compliance / partial compliance.

The following terms will be used for preparation of compliance statement:

i) “FULLY COMPLIANT”, if the systems and functions offered fully meet the
tender requirement.
ii) “PARTIALLY COMPLIANT”, if the systems and functions offered partially
meet the tender requirement. The reason why the offer is partially compliant shall be
stated. If the bidder is able to fulfill the specified requirement later, the time schedule for
this shall also be stated. In such cases, the bidder shall clearly mention the extent to
which other requirements or specifications are affected.
iii) “NON COMPLIANT”, if the systems and functions offered cannot meet the
requirements, the bidder shall also state the reasons for it.

1.1.2 In case of absence or unclear statements of compliance for any specified

requirement, PTCL will interpret that particular requirement as being “NON
COMPLIANT”.

1.1.3 For every clause, the Bidder must mention in the same table the reference of
document (document name/number and page number) where evidence has been provided
in support of the Clause. The required documents must be included in the bid.

1.2 The bidder shall include in his proposal the detailed technical information,
drawing and functional descriptions of the offered equipment to support the Compliance
to the technical requirement.

1.3 The bids will be evaluated on the basis of compliance statement. The successful
bidder will be required to deliver equipment in accordance with the compliance
statement. The bid bond / performance bond will be forfeited in case of his failure to
deliver the goods accordingly.

1.4 The bidder shall provide detailed cost breakdown of the components of the
complete system up to card level.

1.5 The Digital Radio Systems to be delivered by successful bidder will be complete
system in itself including all installation material required for installation of the system.
Any item required necessarily for a complete system according to PTCL specifications /
bidder’s compliance statement, if found short, will be delivered to PTCL without
additional cost to PTCL.

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1.6 The contractor will be required to arrange training on installation, testing and
operation of the offered systems for a period of 2 weeks at supplier premises in Pakistan.
The number of trainees for each type of equipment has been specified in the respective
Bill of Quantity.

1.7 Installation / testing of at least one complete system of each type of DRS link will
be demonstrated by the supplier during training.

1.8 PTCL reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, and to annul the bidding
process and reject all bids at any time prior to award of tenders/contract without thereby
incurring any liability towards any bidder, or any obligation to inform any bidder of the
grounds for this company’s actions. The decision of the PTCL shall be final and bidding
on bidders.

1.9 PTCL may ask any bidder to raise the standard and capability of its offered
system to match with better standard of capability of the system offered by its competitor
for PTCL required network.

1.10 Digital radio systems will be used to provide reliable telecommunication

connections required between destination points of exchanges, sources and drops, nodes
and terminating points of the PTCL Network. Designed for economic performance, the
equipment for appropriate bit rate capacities for telephone and data circuits should be
applied:

a) On spur routes of the national long distance network:

b) On links and hops within the junction network, multi-exchange areas and local
networks.

1.11 Serving all these networks requirements, digital radio systems shall basically
comprise:
a) System capacity: As per BoQ (software upgradeable).
b) Application areas: Short haul application, junction networks and local networks,
for branching signals from trunk lines and on short haul links in rural areas.

1.12 Equipment with E3 interface as per BoQ shall also be quoted.

1.13 The proposed DRS systems can be either fully indoor design or of split mount
version with indoor Unit (IDU) and Outdoor Unit (ODU) connected by an IF feeder
cable. The capacity and frequency shall be software configurable.

1.14 The offered equipment shall use state of the art technology to maximize RF-
spectrum utilization.

1.15 Connectors shall preferably be of the following types:

For RF: 50/75 ohms unbalanced: SMA, N type

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For IF: 50/75 ohms unbalanced: BNC

For Base Band: 120 ohms balanced: IDC type

If other types are used, adaptors to interface these connectors to the above
mentioned types or to BNC (for IF and base band) shall be provided.

1.16 Connections for RF / Base-band input and output as well as for test purposes and
connectors for isolated IF output shall be located at the front.

1.17 HOUSING

a) All indoor equipment shall be designed for installation in racks. All equipment should
be cooled by natural convection.

b) The bidders shall provide detailed specifications for the housing of equipment.

1.18 ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

i) All equipment shall operate and guarantee the stated performance requirements under
the following conditions:

Ambient temperature: -5°C to 50°C indoor equipment

-30°C to 55°C for outdoor equipment

Relative Humidity: Up to 100% at 45°C and decreasing to 55% at 55°C

ii) All equipment shall also be suitable for transportation and storage under the
following conditions:

Ambient temperature: -30°C to +70°C

Relative humidity: 5% to 100%

iii) System design shall allow for heat dissipation inside building, housing, etc. and
for condensation during failure of air-conditioning equipment.

iv) All equipment shall be capable of being switched on in bedewed condition and shall
reach the operation condition self-supporting.

1.19 POWER SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS:

1.19.1 The digital radio equipment shall operate from a no break 48V (nominal) DC
exchange battery supply, with the positive pole earthed. The earth bus shall be directly
connected to the battery pole.

1.19.2 The guaranteed performance of the equipment shall be maintained for the
following variations of power supply (as measured at the power input to each rack):

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a) Voltage variation: 25%

b) AC ripple up to 0.5V peak to peak

1.19.3 The efficiency of the power supply shall be greater than 80%

1.19.4 The power consumption of one unprotected Digital Radio Terminal, when fully
loaded, shall not exceed 40 watts. The power consumption of one protected Digital Radio
Terminal, when fully load, shall not exceed 80 watts.

1.19.5 The power consumption of each rack and subassembly (fully equipped) shall be
stated by the bidders.

1.19.6 Rack power supplies shall, as rule, be duplicated where power failure would
involve loss of traffic. The bidders shall state any exceptions to this requirement.

1.19.7 The DC power supply shall have individual fuses or automatic circuit breakers for
each rack.

1.20 EARTHING:

1.20.1 The equipment power earths shall be connected to the station’s earth terminal.

1.20.2 For connection of all the metal housing of coaxial and power cables to the ground
system, provision be made in the rack.

1.20.3 The radio equipment including the wave-guide hatch shall be connected to the
interior ring bus and through a primary bond to the exterior ring ground.

1.20.4 The antenna shall be bonded to the metallic supporting structure to prevent
arching. Wave-guides / Feeders shall be bonded to the antenna / tower at the top and
bottom of the vertical run as well as to the wave-guide hatch.

1.20.5 Reference shall also be made to ITU-R Report 932 and handbook “Protection of
telecommunication lines and equipment against lightning discharges”

1.20.6 Bidders shall include in their bids all the necessary details concerning the earthing
of the equipment.

1.21 PROTECTION AGAINST ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE TO EQUIPMENT &

PERSONNEL:

1.21.1 Power supply units shall be provided with thermal release device protecting them
from damage in case of overheating due to output overload. The operating voltage which
they provide for the equipment insets shall be short-circuit proof.

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1.21.2 The supply voltage input shall be protected for polarity reversal.

1.21.3 The operating (internal) voltages shall be isolated from the primary side.

1.21.4 All interfaces shall be permanent short-circuit proof and open circuits stable. A
transmit unit shall operate on open circuit without any damage.

1.21.5 If single overload has caused protection circuits to operate, these circuits shall
automatically be restored when the signal level is reduced to its normal value. The
equipment will thereafter continue to operate properly without any re-adjustment.

1.21.6 The equipment shall be designed to ensure complete protection of all personnel
against contact with apparatus carrying dangerous voltages or emitting dangerous levels
of radio frequency radiation. All equipment employing dangerous voltages shall be
completely enclosed with covers of either safe insulating material or earthed, and shall be
clearly marked with warning signs for the information of personnel.

1.21.7 The following standards shall be observed:

a) Construction of rack supports and panels shall not have sharp protrusions that
could injure staff.
b) Equipment power supply voltages exceeding 50 volts DC or 230 volts AC must
have suitable covers and warning signs to warn personnel of the presence of hazardous
voltages.
c) Components such as heat sinks with an operating temperature exceeding 80 °C
must have protective covers.

1.22 EQUIPMENT MARKING:

1.22.1 Equipment marking shall be in English language. Any abbreviation should be

derived from English language terms.

1.22.2 Each equipment should be clearly marked in a position that can be easily read
when the covers are removed. All marking should be legible, durable and containing
information.
a) Article code number and revision status,
b) Equipment designation,
c) Manufacturer’s name or code.

1.22.3 Marking on replacement units and printed board assemblies should include:
a) Article code number and revision status,
b) Manufacturer’s name or code,
c) Date of manufacture.

1.22.4 Labeling and marking of equipment and components are expected to be in

accordance with the following requirements:

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a) All racks, units and sub-units should be clearly marked in English with their name
and type number. Any unit or sub-unit bearing the same label shall be interchangeable.
b) Each position, in a rack or unit, into which a replaceable unit or sub-unit is fitted
should be labeled with the name and type number of that replaceable unit or sub-unit.
c) Large components should be marked with their schematic references. Small
components need not be marked but should be readily identifiable from handbook
components layout diagrams.
d) All controls, switches, indicators, meters, strapping points, etc. should be clearly
marked to show their circuit designations and functions.
e) Each terminal block and terminal should be marked with an identifying code.
f) All fuses, and their holders where necessary, shall be clearly marked with the fuse
rating.
g) A suitable system of circuit components identification for fault localization shall
be employed. The system shall indicate, as a minimum, a major component or group of
components identified.
h) The frequency dependent units shall be labeled to show the working value.

1.23 Optional items as per BoQ shall also be quoted.

1.24 Unpriced BoQ shall be made part of the technical proposal.

2 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

2.1 This Technical Specification covers a complete digital radio system consisting of the
following elements:
• Terminal and Repeater Equipment
• Protection switching
• Technical characteristics
• System Performance Requirements
• Antenna and wave-guide assembly / IF feeder cable
• Operation & Maintenance requirements

2.2 This specification describes the minimum standards and requirements for digital
Radio Systems providing digital signals with bit rates from 4xE1s to 64xE1s.

2.3 The system characteristics, including any item not covered here, shall comply at
least with the latest ITU-R and/or ITU-T Recommendations, which are deemed to be an
integral part of this specification.

2.4 Impedance of E1s is 120 Ohm balanced.

2.5 The modulation methods are QAM, TCM or QPSK. No other modulation method
is to be offered.

2.6 Loop backs

The system should have near-end and far-end loop back facilities for testing.

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2.7 Add/Drop Functionality shall be supported by the DRS system. Traffic shall be
collected from different nodes on the way and carried to the far end.

2.8 Self-Healing Rings function shall be supported by the system. In case of a

breakdown at one node, the traffic shall be carried in the other direction.

2.9 Point-to-Multi Point function shall be supported by the DRS system. The number
of multi-points shall be mentioned by the Bidder.

2.10 It shall be possible to connect an existing partial ring of Optical Fiber Cable
system to DRS system so as to build a Self-Healing Ring.

2.11 It shall be possible to connect the NMS with DRS for System Monitoring
purposes, without any additional cost. The Detail specification of the NMS shall be
described by the bidder.

2.12 It shall be possible to connect the LCT with DRS for installation and maintenance
purposes. The Detail specification of the LCT shall be described by the bidder

2.13 Digital Line Rate shall be of 2.048 Mbps (E1) as per ITU G.703.

2.14 Ethernet Interface of 10/100 Mbps shall also be provided. RJ-45 interface shall be
used.

2.15 All links to be equipped with service channel facility with RS-232C, 64 kbps
synchronous co/contra-directional V.11 and Engineering Order Wire facility.

2.16 Performance Monitoring shall be according to ITU-T Rec. G.826.

2.17 Engineering Order wire (preferably clear channel) shall be provided with the
system, for each link.

2.18 DRS shall have redundancy and diversity options. Bidder shall describe the
redundancy and diversity options in detail.

2.19 DRS shall support multiple outdoor units (ODUs) with traffic routing between radio
paths and local interfaces without external cabling or patch panels.

2.20 Traffic add and drop, north-south traffic aggregation and concentration shall be
supported.

2.21 Hardware, ring and path diversity protection switching shall be supported.

2.22 The IDU shall be software configured for Nx E1 operation.

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2.24 PROTECTION SWITCHING:

2.24.1 The system shall possess switching equipment to protect the information signal
against outages caused by equipment failure, when frame alignment is lost or
when bit error rate exceeds a preset threshold.

2.24.2 The switching equipment shall automatically replace the faulty radio channel by a
protection (stand-by) channel.
2.24.3 The switching operation should be error free and shall not cause interruptions or
rapid phase discontinuities to the digital signal.
2.24.4 All switching devices shall be hitless.

2.24.5 The system shall be equalized to compensate for any differences of signal delay
between the working channel and the stand-by channel. Any add-on coaxial cable
used to equalize the difference in transmission time shall be clearly marked.

2.24.6 The bidder shall state the signal interruption time caused by the operation of the
protection switching (transmit-side). The receive-side switch shall perform a hitless
switchover.

2.24.7 The bidders shall specify which units are not protected by the switching system.

2.24.8 The bidders shall specify all units of the switching system, which are not
replaceable without interruption of the switched signal.

2.24.9 Depending on the specific application of the radio-relay system either of the
following protection switching arrangements shall be used:

a) Frequency / Space diversity (1+1)

b) Hot standby (1+1)

2.24.10 The bidder shall provide full details for protection-switching arrangements,
including features, explaining operation, performance etc. and any feature, which will not
be included at present but could be added in the future.

2.24.11 The following redundancy types shall be supported for Transmission System
• Up to 8 E1s: 1+0
• From 8 E1s to 16 E1s: 1+0 and 1+1
• 16 E1s and above: 1+1

When the System is upgraded from 8 E1s to 16 E1s or more, it shall be possible to
change the system configuration from 1+0 to 1+1, without buying any additional
switching equipment.

2.25 The NMS supplied shall be fully compatible with the Central Network Operations
Center (NoC) and fully support all the relevant protocols like CORBA, SNMP, Syslog,

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JDBC and other relevant ITU recommendations. The NMS shall support the North bound
architecture.

2.26 Ethernet and IP

The system should be compatible with Ethernet and IP Services.
2.27 Data and Voice
The system must have ability to mix and match Packet Data with E1s.
2.28 Remote software upgrade and configuration
The system should have the capability to upgrade software remotely and to configure the
system parameters remotely.
2.29 Forward Error Correction (FEC)
The System must be based on Forward Error Correction (FEC) . The bidder is required to
provide the name and details of FEC type used in the equipment to be offered.
2.30 Coding
To maximize the efficiency, the system should utilize coding techniques like HDB3, AMI
or other equivalent techniques.
2.31 Loopbacks
The system should have near-end and far-end loopback facilities for testing.

2.32 Automatic Transmit Power Control (ATPC):

The equipment to be supplied shall have built-in ATPC facility to reduce interference and
improve residual BER performance. Bidder shall describe the range.

3 Characteristics of Transmitter and Receiver

3.1 Transmitter

3.1.1 RF power output (dBm) : Adjustable upto +24 dBm or more

To be specified by the bidder..
(measured at the antenna port of
branching circulator)
3.1.2 It shall be possible to reduce : The bidder shall provide range of
the output RF power for short hops adjustment.
by Software control.

3.1.3 Co-Polar RF channel spacing : The bidder shall provide technical

(Transmitted spectrum with RF detail.
channel filter)

3.1.4 Unwanted emission- : >70dB

harmonics and spurious frequency
attenuation (with RF channel
filter)

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3.1.5 RF return loss (at output port : ≥15 dB

with the RF channel filters)

3.1.6 Maximum carrier frequency : ≤± 6PPM

variation (without initial setting
error) over one maintenance
period.

3.1.7 IF frequency : To be stated by the bidder.

3.1.8 IF input impedance : Compatible within the system.

3.1.9 IF return loss : ≥15 dB

3.1.10 IF input nominal and : To stated by the bidder

maximum levels
3.2 Receiver

3.2.1 Noise figure (measure : <4 dB (To be stated by the bidder)

with RF channel filter with and
without RF preamplifier)

3.2.2 If an RF preamplifier is used,

the bidders shall state its
characteristics.

3.2.3 RF input port return loss : ≥15 dB

with RF channel filter

3.2.4 Local Oscillator : ≤±6 ppm

3.2.5 Maximum frequency

calibration inaccuracy (at initial
setting): To be stated by the
bidder.

3.2.6 Image frequency : > 80 dB

attenuation
3.2.7 Attenuation of other : ≥70 dB
spurious frequencies
3.2.8 System Gain : ≥104 dB at 25°C BER 10-6

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3.2.9 Dynamic range of the : The bidders shall state the receiver
receiver threshold for 10-3 and 10-6 Bit
Error Ratio & submit curves
showing Bit Error Ratio as a
function of received signal levels
(measured at antenna port of
branching circulator) for typical
production units.

3.2.10 Receiver input : ≤ -17 dBm

3.2.11 Automatic Gain Control : The variation of IF output shall not

deviate by more than 1 dB from
nominal IF level during RF input
level variations over its specified
range.

3.2.12 Slewing rate of AGC- : To be stated by the bidders in dB

voltage per second.

3.2.13 IF frequency : To be stated by the bidder

3.2.14 IF output impedance : Compatible within the system.

3.2.15 Return loss : ≥15 dB, if applicable

3.2.16 Nominal IF output level : To be stated by the bidders.

3.2.17 IF output level variation : To be stated by the bidder with

AGC, as per clause 3.2.11.

3.3 EQUALIZATION: The bidders shall provide detailed

The system should contain specifications of the equalizers
adaptive / transversal equalizers to : built in the system..
provide automatic compensation
of selective fading.
3.4 Modulator and Demodulator:
Paragraph of this section relating to IF signal are not required when directly modulated
transmitters are employed.

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Modulation format : As per clause 2.5

Scrambling : The bidders shall describe the

scrambling method used.

Demodulation : The bidders shall state the

demodulation method used.

Intermediate Frequency : To be stated by the bidder.

Intermediate Frequency setting : ±10-4

precision

Maximum variation of : ±3.1x10-3

Intermediate Frequency

Input / output impedance : Compatible within the system, and

to be stated by the bidder.

Return loss : ≥15 dB

Modulator output level : To be stated by the bidders

Modulator output level variation : To be stated by the bidders

Demodulator input level : Nominal values and range to be
stated by the bidders
3.5 Protection Switching
Characteristics of the input and output signal at the interface to the radio
equipment:

Impedance : Compatible within the system.

Return loss : To be stated by the bidders.

Input level tolerance : To be stated by the bidders.

Output level : To be stated by the bidders.
These parameters shall be consistent with the parameters for radio equipment.

Switching Criteria:
The protection switch shall switch the RF channel to the protection channel when the
former fails or is degraded. The failure is determined by a loss of signal or a loss of frame
or when the Bit Error Ratio exceeds 10-3. The degradation is determined when the bit error
ratio exceed a threshold of 10-6 . This threshold shall be selectable within a range of 10-3 to
10-6 . Detection and switching time shall be stated by the bidders.

3.6 Interface Points:

3.6.1 The digital radio systems described by the Technical Specification shall

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interface with the digital network (via a digital distribution frame) at a bit rate of
2048 kbit/s. This signal shall comply in all aspects with ITU-T Rec.G.703 and ITU-
R Rec. 596 (Rep. 938) across 120 ohms impedance.

3.6.2 The bidder shall state any other higher speed (G703) interface points available on the
equipment.

3.6.3 The radio equipment must have the capability to support Ethernet + TDM NxE1
traffic with bandwidth adjustment capability on the Ethernet throughput in E1 increments
up to a maximum capacity (To be quoted by the bidder)

4. REQUIREMENTS FOR SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

4.1 Bidders shall consider that the equipment and systems offered will also be used for
data services. Due regard shall therefore be given to both ITU-T and ITU-R
recommendations regarding designed performance of digital networks.

4.2 Bidder shall include in their offer signature curves, which indicate the relative
sensitivity of the proposed equipment to multi path conditions and frequency selective
fading. The bidder shall state all the details concerning performance calculation.

4.3 Bidder to provide equipment with MTBF of at least 15 years and PTCL shall
verify the statement from its internal experience. Bidder, when quoting equipment
availability figures, shall state their assumptions concerning the Mean Time to
Restoration (MTTR) for system components & units e.g. transmitter, receiver, modulator,
demodulator, power supply, supervision equipment and other applicable facilities.

4.4 The error performance shall be in compliance with ITU-R Rec.696 and must be
consistent with highest quality grade requirement as per ITU-T requirement G826 and
both conditions must be met simultaneously.

4.5 Jitter

Jitter at the base-band interface shall be in accordance with the values recommended in
ITU-T Rec.823 / G.921.

5 INTERFERENCE

5.1 The links(s) shall be checked for possible co-channel interference. The required
antenna decoupling between two paths using the same frequency shall be calculated and
be given.

5.2 Intra-System Interference

Bidder shall include in their offer detailed information on:

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• Overshoot-bearings.
• Mutual interference caused by transmitters at adjacent sites.
5.3 In each case, bidders shall include in their offers detailed information indicating
their methods to evaluate interference and notice power falling into the analogue base
band due to adjacent or co-channel digital signal. Similarly, evaluation of the
performance degradation in the digital channel due to the limitation of power (if required)
shall be given.

5.4 Channel selectivity shall be provided for negligible adjacent channel analogue or
digital interference while at the same time maintaining an acceptable inter symbol
interference.

6 FREQUENCY PLAN:
6.1 The Digital Radio System shall operate in the 7/8 GHz frequency band.

6.2 The bidders have to present a detailed frequency plan containing every RF-
channel to be used from frequency band for the offered radio equipment taking into
account further extensions. This Frequency Plan cannot be implemented without prior
approval of the frequency planning by the administration concerned.

6.3 The allocation of operating frequencies out of the proposed bands shall be made
in order to meet particular requirements:

• Economic utilization of RF-frequencies regarding loading of the systems

(quantity of RF-channels required).
• Economic utilization of RF-frequencies regarding antenna decoupling by
application of low cost antennas, standard types, e.g. grid types.
• Provision of new systems infrastructure.
• Extension of existing and proposed new systems considering future needs.

7 REQUIREMENTS FOR ANTENNA/FEEDER

7.1 The antenna systems offered shall be consistent with the specified transmission
performance, the envisaged ultimate radio-channel capacity, the radio frequency
environment and the climate and other restrictions. Bidders shall include in their offers
technical details relating to all types and sizes of the antenna proposed.

7.2 An appropriate variety of antennas (0.6m to 3.7m paraboloid dishes) with

performance types standard - , High – and Ultra High) and polarization types
(single/dual) shall be proposed in order to optimize each individual hop as well as the
link (system loss, interference).

7.3 Bidders shall include in their offer technical details relating to all types of antenna
proposed.

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7.4 The electrical characteristics specified here relate to the unit “antenna”,
comprising reflector, feed assembly and polarization duplexer but excluding feeder.

7.5 The antenna shall operate in the frequency range specified in clause 6.1.

7.6 Gain relative to an isotropic antenna across the entire band for each antenna:
To be stated by the bidder but not less than mentioned hereunder:

Diameter Antenna Gain (at 7/8 GHz)

0.6 m 30 dBi
0.9 m 33 dBi
1.2 m 36 dBi
1.8 m 39 dBi
2.4 m 42 dBi
3m Bidder to mention
3.7 m Bidder to mention

The bidder shall mention the Gain values at 18 GHz.

7.7 Radiation pattern for both vertical and horizontal planes: Bidder to supply
appropriate diagrams

7.8 Width of main lobe at half power points (Beam width): To be stated by the
bidder

7.9 Side lobe attenuation: To be stated b the bidder

7.10 Cross-polarization Decoupling: ≥ 30dB

7.11 Front-to-Back ratio : >60dB at 7/8 GHz 180° ±80°

7.12 Return loss at the antenna ports over the entire band (VSWR): 1.2 (20.8 dB) max

7.13 Type of connectors : To be stated by the bidder

8 MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

8.1 The antenna and antenna fixing methods shall survive wind forces of upto 160
kilometers per hour. The Bidders shall state the survival rating.

8.2 The dimensions, weight and front wind load (in KN at 120 Km / hour wind) of all
the antennae shall be stated by the Bidders.

8.3 Minimum azimuth adjustment range: ± 5°

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8.4 Minimum elevation adjustment range of antenna: ± 5°

8.5 The maximum permissible air pressure at the antenna feed horn shall be stated by
the bidder.

9 REQUIREMENT FOR WAVEGUIDE / FEEDER CABLE

9.1 The bidder shall propose wave guide appropriate for the frequency of operation of the
digital radio system. The attenuation per 100m (for the centre frequency of the range
specified), diameter, minimum bending radius, flange type and additional physical and
mechanical characteristics considered by the bidder to be relevant, shall be stated.

9.2 All details including the physical, electrical, and mechanical characteristics shall
be stated:
• Guaranteed return loss or reflection factor
• Characteristic impedance and tolerance
• Average attenuation at mid band
• Construction and dielectric details
• Types of connectors offered

9.3 Return loss over the entire band: ≥26dB

9.4 VSWR when terminated to the actual antenna shall be 1.1 or better.

9.5 Feeder Cable

In case of split version the connection between the Out-door Unit and the Indoor Unit
shall take place through a single 50 ohm impedance coaxial cable for each transceiver.
Through this cable IF Tx signal, IF Rx signal, alarms, service information, and power
supply are transmitted. The bidder shall state the types of the cable used and the
maximum distance allowed between the ODU and IDU.

10 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS:

10.1 The equipment shall be provided with measurement and control facilities necessary
for its supervision, adjustment and fault locating. Bidders shall give full details of the
maintenance facilities incorporated in the offered equipment.

10.2 Test points that are isolated will be preferred. Where test points are not isolated,
maximum signal degradation of 1.5 dB is permissible on testing. The bidder shall state
which test points are not isolated.

10.3 In-service meter reading shall be possible, with a built-in meter, or through single
interface by a PC / LCT to measure following values:
a) Supply voltage and currents of the power unit.

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b) Transmitter output power.

c) Received signal level or automatic gain control voltage.
d) Bit error ratio or equivalent.

10.4 It shall be possible to perform the following in-service routine and diagnostic tests
with built in meters or appropriate test equipment.

a) RF Oscillator levels
b) RF Amp levels
c) Bit Error Rate
d) RF receive level
e) Transmitter output power

The bidder shall state which tests require test equipment.

10.5 Entries shall be labeled in the unit as well as in the technical references. Easy
access to entries shall be ensured.

10.6 The equipment shall be provided with test points for recording the values listed in
para 10.3 and 10.4.

10.7 Alarms:

The equipment shall provide separate alarms for the following:

i) Fault criteria for the transmit side.

a) Loss of synchronization of the oscillator.

Phase adjustment loop (if synchronized oscillators are used) / or equivalent.

b) Transmitter output alarm indicating low or no transmitter output (adjustable 3 dB

to 6 dB below normal).
c) Power supply unit failure or over-/under-voltage.

ii) Fault criteria for the receive side.

a) Loss of synchronization phase adjustment loop (if synchronized oscillators are
used) / or equivalent.
b) Power supply unit failure or over-/under-voltage.
c) Receive level failure.

iii) Fault criteria for propagation path.

a) High BER alarm (or equivalent, i.e. eye opening) including BER greater than 10-3.
b) Loss of frame alignment.
c) Loss of radio channel identification.

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iv) Fault criteria for Waveguide / IF feeder cable.

a) Short
b) Open

v) Fault criteria for tributary side.

a) Loss of tributary i/p to modulator.

vi) Remote alarm.

(Fault condition at remote terminal due to clauses (i) to (iv) above should be indicated by
a yellow alarm.)

vii) External/Environmental Alarms

The system shall provide different types of external/environmental alarms, like door
open/close, temperature, humidity, etc and shall have the capability to extend them
remotely to the NMS.

10.8 The equivalent binary content of the Alarm Indication Signal (AIS) is a
continuous stream of “1”. The bit rate of the AIS shall be within the tolerance limits.

10.9 The AIS shall be inserted if any of the conditions described in para 10.7
subparagraphs i) a, ii) b, iii) c lasts more than 10 ms or the conditions described in
subparagraphs iii) a, lasts more than 1 s.

10.10 The equipment in a link shall facilitate extension of alarms to control stations in
telemetry.

10.11 All fault indicating alarms shall be individual at the respective shelves and / or
racks with red LEDs. Normal function shall be indicated by green LEDs.

10.12 In addition to the above individual alarms, each radio-relay rack (or group of
interdependent racks) shall be provided with a red common fault alarm lamp.

10.13 All alarms shall be extended to an easily accessible terminal block in the rack to
facilitate interconnection to a remote surveillance system. The alarm outputs to the block
shall be made by relays or optical couplers with the output circuits being isolated from
internal voltages and from ground. An alarm shall be generated by closing a contact (in
the case of fault).
The bidder shall specify the rating and tolerance of the relay contacts.

10.14 The maximum time delay between occurrence of a fault and the passing-on of the
alarm shall be less than:
 Transmission to surveillance equipment = 10ms
 Transmission to protection switching equipment = 1 ms

10.15 Supervision System:

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The offered equipment shall feature advanced supervisory functions to optimize the
operation and maintenance activities.
The equipment shall offer solutions to supervision from very small or medium links to
large networks in on evolutionary plan.

10.16 Stand-alone Solution:

For small to medium sized networks from isolated hops to several hop links it should be
possible, in a stand alone condition (without any additional master station), to interface a
local craft terminal (Personal Computer) for local and remote diagnostic and
configuration of the network elements in a friendly men-machine environment (windows
based).

10.17 Functionality:
The software tools used should be powerful enough to allow locating, monitoring and
managing radio events. The performance management capabilities shall include real time
data collection and threshold monitoring. The basic group of application covered shall
include.
• Alarm status and control
• Performance monitoring G821
• Configuration management
• Radio transmission parameters
• Administrative functions

10.18 The bidder shall include all interface equipment for extending the alarm
indications and performance monitoring to the NMS.

10.19 RELIABILITY:

10.19.1 The bidders recommended activity schedule and frequency for preventive
maintenance shall be stated in the tender, additionally available routine tests and
measures shall be detailed.

10.19.2 The equipment reliability shall be such that a low maintenance life time of
at least 15 years shall be expected.

10.20 FAULT LOCALIZATION:

10.20.1 The equipment shall be designed to facilitate quick fault localization and repair.
The plain plug-in module concept shall be used as extensively as possible. The bidders
shall explain any special features of the equipment, which will readily facilitate
maintenance.

10.20.2 It shall be possible to loop back (through software and hardware) the
repeaters and terminals at RF and base band levels to simplify fault localization.

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10.20.3 The equipment shall be provided with an order wire (voice channel)
facility for maintenance purposes.

10.21 SERVICE / AUXILIARY CHANNELS:

10.21.1 The radio system, in the overhead bytes, shall have at least one order wire
channel, one supervisory channel and one auxiliary channel.

10.21.2 The bidders shall state the capacity of service and auxiliary channels and
whether they are analogue and / or digital.

10.21.3 Bidders shall provide full details, stating the maximum number of service /
auxiliary channels, which can be accommodated by each radio channel, together with
their technical and performance characteristics and accessibility.

10.21.4 The proposed auxiliary channel on the equipment shall have the flexibility
of interfacing data terminals at standard ITU-T interface (V24, V36 etc.) accepting either
asynchronous or synchronous bit streams with drop / insert facility at intermediate
stations. Bidders shall state whether these facilities are standard or optionally available.
In case of optional, the price should be given.

10.21.5 The order wire channels and the supervisory channel must be available
between all radio systems in a link. It shall be possible to extend the mentioned service
channels from the radio link station to the maintenance center(s) by means of a cable
system. The bidder shall provide the connection diagram.

10.21.6 The system shall also include omnibus express telephone equipment (with
selective calling) in all stations and their associated maintenance center(s).

11 TEST EQUIPMENT (OPTIONAL):

11.1 All test equipment provided under this contract shall be of latest technology and of
the highest quality available. Special emphasis is placed on frequency and level stability,
accuracy, and reliability and after sales service facilities available in the country. Detailed
information on these items shall be provided.

11.2 All test equipment shall be furnished complete with cords, accessories and
instructions manuals. Appropriate stationary test equipment shall be rack mounted
adjacent to associated test panels and be powered from station DC service.

11.3 The bidder shall recommend a selection of test equipment and measuring
instruments covering all measures and testing procedures, including routine tests, for
operation and maintenance of the digital radio systems concerned.

11.4 The recommendations shall include various calibration instruments, calibration

periods and extent of preventive maintenance required for each test equipment.

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11.5 Besides manual control, test instruments shall be capable of automatic control via
an IEC-bus interface.

11.6 All test equipment shall comply with relevant ITU-R / ITU-T Recommendations.

12 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE:

12.1 PTCL will carry out pre-shipment inspection and tests to satisfy itself that the
equipment complies with the specifications and that the systems function is correct and
meets guaranteed performance objectives. Pre-shipment expenses including fare /
subsistence allowance of the inspectors will be born by the successful bidder.

12.2 Such test shall be conducted in the presence of and witnessed by the bidder or his
authorized representative (if they wish).

12.3 The tests will basically cover the following areas:

a) Visual inspection of all items.
b) Functional test.
c) Maintenance and reliability.
d) Performance tests.
e) Others.
12.4 A complete list of the required test and corresponding test instruments shall be
included in the bidders documents.

12.5 The PTCL shall have the right to reject any part of the equipment, which in its
opinion does not comply with the specifications.

12.6 The Bidder shall provide at his expense, all labor, test instruments, incidental
material and other facilities necessary to perform all required tests.

13 WARRANTY

13.1 The warranty provided shall be for one year from the date of handing over
equipment to PTCL.

13.2 The bidder shall be responsible to provide the spare parts for 15 years and shall
mention the cost of spare parts.

14 HANDBOOKS AND DOCUMENTATION:

14.1 The purpose and scope of the instruction books should be for the guidance of the
personnel who shall operate and maintain the equipment.

14.2 The Handbooks and Documentations shall contain all relevant information on the
construction, components and the operation of the equipment to enable fault diagnosis

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and correction to be implemented and identify routine and preventive maintenance

procedures.

14.3 Complete data sheets and part lists shall be included.

14.4 In addition to schematic diagrams of complete equipment and system

configuration and detailed description with circuit diagrams of the sub-assemblies, block
diagrams of the systems and its components shall be furnished in the instruction books
and documentations. Safety precautions to be taken by the personnel employed shall be
stated clearly as well as trouble shooting details giving symptoms and remedies.

14.5 The handbooks and documentation shall be in English language, and shall
elaborate the abbreviations used, if any.

15 SPARE PARTS:
15.1 The bidder should recommend and list full details of spare parts required for the
maintenance of the system (s) for a period of five years.

15.2 The spare parts may be categorized as consumable items, spare components, spare
units, spare panels, printed cards etc.

15.3 For each items unit prices shall be quoted.

Consumable items shall include fuse plugs etc. spare components shall include items like
specially manufactured crystals, diodes, resistors, capacitors, coils, thermostats,
transistors, integrated circuits, other semiconductors, arrestors, etc. spare units and spare
panels shall comprise sub-systems like amplifiers, local oscillators, modulators,
demodulators, power supply units, logic cards, etc.

15.4 Replacement of any replaceable unit by a spare unit without realignment of

equipment shall be possible.

15.5 Replacement of any active device or component with one of similar type selected
at random shall be possible.

15.6 Bidders shall state the facilities available locally or at the factory for return and
repair of faulty units as well as the expected time between receipt and repair of the units
and the expected turn-around time.

15.7 The bidder shall consider the proposed maintenance philosophy and recommend
the distribution of consumable spares; component spares and spare units etc. for each
level of maintenance including those items, if any, to be held at each individual station.

15.8 The bidder shall indicate if any spares have a limited shelf life and if so the
precaution required for their storage.

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15.9 The bidder shall provide spares needed for replacement of faulty modules during
the warranty period at its own cost. These spares will be made over to PTCL to be used
during warranty period. Any spares from the warranty spares supplied remaining unused
may be adjusted in the order of maintenance spares for use of PTCL.

15.10 5% of each kind of module supplied shall be offered as spares, which will be
included in evaluation.

15.11 The bidder shall guarantee supply of spares for 15 years.

15.12 Upgraded version of software for radio systems supplied shall be provided, free of
cost, for 5 years by the bidder.

15.13 The successful bidder shall also provide the latest version of system design / link
engineering software, free of cost, for the radio equipment offered.

15.14 The spares offered in the bid against Bill of Quantity shall be sufficient for 2
years working under normal conditions. At the end of one year warranty period, the
requirement of spares for next two years will be calculated on the basis of experience
during warranty period. The supplier shall provide additional spares over and above the
spares quoted in the bid, if required on the basis of the experience of warranty period to
PTCL without any additional cost.

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