4G Deployment Options and Issues

May 5, 2012

Prepared by Russ Hamilton

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Agenda
4G Deployment Options
eNodeB Radio Location Backhaul Requirements EPC Options and Considerations Gateway Locations

4G Deployment Issues
Lessons Learned
Backhaul Site Testing Spectrum Clearing Sweep Testing Parameter Review Toy Cell

After Commercial Deployment

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eNode B Radio Locations

The standard eNodeB model calls for Remote Radio Units These can be placed either at the tower top or base of the tower
Tower Top radios have a link budget improvement of up to several dB depending on the frequency and the height of the tower Tower Top radios can also require a expensive tower crew to climb in the event of an equipment issue

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Backhaul Requirements
Under standard rural loading conditions a 5 MHz LTE Sector typically carries a maximum of 9 Mbps Down and 4 Mbps Up A three sector site will need about 45 Mbps of backhaul to each location to support this demand. This backhaul needs to be pure packet based Can be either Fiber or Microwave
Some carriers have used ADSL 2+ to support a few of their smaller site locations

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EPC Options
A full EPC with media gateways, full IMS functionality, Voice over LTE support, etc can be very costly for smaller carriers
Typical vendor pricing starts with capacity figures well above the maximum growth that the carrier might achieve

Some vendors are offering a Lite Core option that will only support basic LTE data services with limited mobility
Roaming may or may not be supported in the future This may be an attractive option initially however, if the network grows or the carrier wishes to deploy voice there may be some unexpected costs in the future

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EPC Options
Due to the cost of the EPC, several companies are looking at sharing options
These allow the company to deliver a fuller suite of services to their customers that would be too much of a burden on their own This approach also allows the carrier to focus on customer acquisition and services and not on core operations and training In the Rural Market loss of control of the entire network is still an obstacle that is difficult to overcome Due to the amount of backhaul that the eNodeBs generate, a distributed gateway model may make more sense for the carriers so that they are not paying to transport Internet traffic across the country

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Gateway Options
The gateway is the anchor that ties the eNodeBs to the EPC
This is the first point at which the signaling traffic and the customer bearer traffic can be separated It is possible to offload data traffic at the gateway location to avoid paying backhaul on email and video

With the standard LTE network architecture, it is possible to either place the gateway in the core or along the edges of the network
The tradeoff becomes balancing the cost of backhaul versus the cost of the gateway
Maintenance of the gateway with 24/7 technician access is also critical

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Lessons Learned
Backhaul
Stress Test all of the backhaul links to ensure that the expected throughput and jitter values are verified Also verify IP connectivity to the MME before installing the eNodeB In Data troubleshooting ,the rule is always check the cables first, with LTE a lot of the problems come back to insufficient backhaul or unexpected data bottle necks.

Site Testing
Have a clear understanding of the type of testing that will be completed and the expected results IPERF testing to a terminal server located next to the gateway is a good repeatable benchmark Go to Speedtest.net Your customers WILL.
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Lessons Learned
Perform a Spectrum Study before turning up a new network
Even if you have already done one, but it was several years ago Especially in the 700 MHz network.
Wireless Microphones Low Power TV Stations TV Stations that where supposed to relocated but have NOT

When evaluating propagation plots, RSRP is much more indicative of the actual coverage than RSSI
RSRP Reference Signal Receive Power

Make sure that the Tower Crews perform sweep testing of the lines before antenna installation and insist on photos of the installation
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Lessons Learned
Have a formal review of ALL of the parameters with the Vendor before proceeding with the eNodeB scripting process
This often gets dropped because of difficultly in getting everyone in a meeting Many potential problems can be solved at this step

Have a toy cell connected directly to the gateway.

This needs to only be a single sector eNodeB. Can use attenuators and a direct connection to a UE device This is important for testing at the gateway as well as verification testing of the UEs that are planed to be deployed

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After Commercial Deployment

ADVERTISE
AT&T and Verizon have spent Billions touting the advantages of LTE Piggyback on that awareness Focus on the local aspect of the Independent Rural Carrier Focus on customer support and local touch

Have a dedicated sales strategy and hold sales reps accountable

In todays highly competitive environment, you can not just build it and hope that they come.

Make sure that the network is being monitored 24/7/365

Try to know about a problem before the customer calls you

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Any Questions?
Above All have FUN THIS STUFF IS COOL!

Russ Hamilton Director Wireless CHR Solutions, Inc. 806-722-7709 Russ.Hamilton@chrsolutions.com

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