Development of CDMA2000 1x EV-DO in Rural Area in Indonesia

R. Haryo Wisanggeni, Azhardiaz Budiman, A. Awaludin, Adhi Yuniarto, Riri Fitri Sari

UI-Huawei Research and Training Center Universitas Indonesia
Gedung Perpustakaan Pusat UI Lt 2.
Kampus Baru UI, Depok 16424, Indonesia

{r_haryo, azhar, awaludin, adhi, riri}@ui.edu

Abstract
The low penetration of communication technology and information access in Indonesia,
especially in rural area has motivated Indonesian government to speed up the development of information
and communication technology (ICT) in rural area. There are several factors to be considered in
designing network solution for rural area.. In this paper, we propose a network solution which is based on
CDMA 2000 1x EV-DO. We will discuss several advantages of CDMA EV-DO and show that this network
is suitable to be implemented in rural area, especially in Indonesia.

Key words: Rural, CDMA, EV-DO.

1. BACKGROUND
Indonesia is a very wide country with a
big population. The development of ICT in
Indonesia can be noticed with the rapid increase
in the number of users. Based on the data from
Directorate General of Energy, Telecommu-
nication, and Information, National Planning
Agency (Bappenas) of Republic of Indonesia, by
the end of year 2006, the number of users of fixed
telephone line in Indonesia has reached 14 million.
On the another hand, the number of cell phone
users has reached 66,5 million, and based on PT.
Telkoms data amongst them there are 5,75
million fixed wireless users. For Internet, based
on Indonesian Internet Service Provider
Association, there are approximately 25 million
subscribers. Broadband access connections are
used by 125.000 users.
Even though in statistics the number
looks big, Information and Communication
Technology has just touched small portion of
Indonesias population. Moreover, with the
population is not spreading pervaily, the
utilization of telecommunication technology is
still centered in urban area with a very low
penetration in rural area.
This low penetrating telecommunication
technology cannot be separated from the
infrastructure development which is still centered
in urban area. By the middle of the year 2007,
there are still 38.471 villages in Indonesia which
are not yet connected and get information access.
That amount is equal to 64 percent of total
villages in Indonesia. This condition has forced
the government to speed up the development of
telecommunication network in rural area which
actually has been started since 2003. In this case,
the government objective is to provide access not
only for voice, but also provides data and Internet
connection for well developed village so that the
government can eventually realized the vision to
create Indonesian information society.
Basically, there are several main factors
which determine the success of
telecommunication network development in rural
area such as infrastructure, capability, business
model, service to customer, and installation. The
condition which is pursued are low cost
infrastructure, network which is capable of
proviiding the needs of rural population, attracting
business sector to invest, user friendly service for
customer, and relatively easy to install
equipments.
Data rates transfer, coverage, and access
to data and Internet are the main considerations in
designing network solution for rural area. In this
paper, we propose a network solution based on
CDMA EV-DO which can provide voice,
multimedia, and data service.

2. TECHNOLOGY VIEW POINT
2.1. CDMA TECHNOLOGY
Unlike its predecessor, FDMA and TDMA
that allocates particular frequency (add with time
slot allocation for TDMA) when transmitting the
data, in CDMA, data is divided into many small
parts. These data chunks which are then spread
out using spreading code into several discrete
frequency in some frequency range called RF
bandwidth. In CDMA 2000 1x, the bandwidth is
1,25 MHz.
Every data chunks have some unique code
to identify every signal wicb has been sent. This
unique code is called pseudo random code or PN
code. A Correlator is used on the receiver side to
select all data chunks which will be assembled
into its original order based on its PN code. The
power of signal with the correlated PN code will
be amplified while the rest of signals will be
treated as noise.

Figure 1. Illustration of CDMA Process [5].









Figure 2. CDMA Network Topology [5].

Figure 2. CDMA Network Topology [5].

2.2. CDMA EVOLUTION
The first CDMA based telephone system
named IS-95 was created by Qualcomm. The
brand name for IS-95 is CDMAOne. IS-95 is
known as TIA-EIA-95 and became the 2G mobile
communication standard based on CDMA.
Similar to GSM, it provides data rates up to 9,6
kbps.
CDMA2000 is an evolution of
CDMAOne. This standard offers several more
advanced capability compared with its
predecessor, i.e. data rates and features. One of
the main advantages of CDMA2000 is that it can
be operated on the same spectrum as CDMAOne
that makes the migration process from
CDMAOne to CDMA2000 easier since it does
not need new spectrum allocation, unlike the case
of GSM system when it migrates to UMTS or
WCDMA.
There are several family members of
CDMA2000 which includes CDMA2000 1x,
CDMA2000 1x EV-DO, and CDMA2000 EV-DV.
CDMA2000 1x is the basic of all CDMA2000
based standard. It has 1,25 MHz RF b andwidth
and data rates of 144 kbps for uplink and
downlink. The next development of CDMA2000
1x is CDMA200 1x EV-DO (Evolution-Data
Optimization). The Rev.0 version of EV-DO
provides data rates up to 2,45 Mbps for downlink
and 0,15 Mbps for uplink. For Rev.A version, the
downlink rate is up to 3,1 Mbps and its uplink rate
is up to 1,8 Mbps. The Rev.B version of EV-DO is
now still being developed.
In general, evolution process of
CDMA2000 can be classified into three phases
[1]. The first phase is the evolution from 2G
system to 2,5G which is from CDMAOne to
CDMA2000 1x. This phase offers increased voice
capacity and data rates compared to IS-95. The
system now can also support simultaneous circuit
switched voice and packet data in the same RF
channel. The second phase is the evolution from
2,5G system to 3G system, which is CDMA2000
1x to CDMA2000 1x EV-DO. EV-DO can
support packet switched data and handles voice
data calls and data calls simultaneously. With this
feature, EV-DO is ideal for providing Internet and
fixed wireless connection while investment cost
can be reduced since no circuit switch equipment
is needed. In addition, CDMA2000 1x EV-DV
system is the advanced version of EV-DO which
is capable to provide real time packet data service.
The next phase is the evolution towards multi
carrier CDMA2000. One example of multi carrier
CDMA2000 is CDMA2000 3x which is still
being developed presently. This system offers
more RF channel bandwidth which is 3,75 MHz,
or equal to three times CDMA2000 1x RF
channel bandwidth.

Table 1. CDMAOne Family Specification.
Technology Downlink Uplink
CDMAOne 9.6 kbps 9.6 kbps
CDMA2000
1x
144 kbps 144 kbps
CDMA2000
1x EV-DO
2.45 Mbps 0.15 Mbps
CDMA2000
1x EV-DV
3.10 Mbps 1.80 Mbps















Figure 3. Expected migration path of mobile
telecommunication path [1].

2.3. PROSPECT OF CDMA SYSTEM
IMPLEMENTATION
An operator who is willing to migrate
from 2,5 to 3G system will face several problems
such as new spectrum allocation, big investment
capital, incompatibility to legacy handset terminal,
appropriation of new application and handset, etc.
These problems is faced especially by
GSM operator who plan to migrates to UMTS or
WCDMA system because new frequency
allocation and new handset are needed which
make the project very costly. On the other hand,
CDMA operator does not need new spectrum
since it can use the current spectrum. This is
called spectrum re-farming. The bandwidth
needed for operation is relatively small which is
only 1,25 MHz. In addition, CDMA system can
be operated in low frequency of 450 MHz. This
system is called CDMA450. By using low
frequency, the coverage become wider and the
number of BTS required can be reduced, which in
the end can significantly lower the investment
cost. The migration path is also clear.
With these advantages, low frequency
CDMA network is suitable to be developed in
rural area which coverage and interconnection
with its surrounding area are prioritized and there
is no such big structure that can affect signal
penetration. The clear migration path helps the
future development to be done easier. Unlike with
another system like WCDMA which is still being
developed and not used in Indonesia, EV-DO is
already available and used by some local
operators in Indonesia.

3. CDMA NETWORK CONFIGURATION
The system that we considered to be
used in Indonesia is a CDMA2000 1x EV-DO
network. This network has sufficient data rates
and capable of handling packet switch data
connection. The voice and data call can be done
simultaneously. Fixed wireless and Internet
connection can also be provided. An example of
hardware vendor for this configuration is Huawei,
taking into account the products low cost, and its
good performance.
For development in rural area,
considering that there is no such high building as
in urban area, and coverage is the main priority.
The frequency of 450 MHz is more suitable to be
used since it offers more coverage and low power
consumption. Despite of the fact that low
frequency signal is more vulnerable to
interferences, we can assume that in rural area,
there are not many signals which can generate
interference one to another like the case in urban
area where the air is so dense with signal from
many networks and devices. Therefore, the
number of BTS can be reduced and the
investment cost can be reduced significantly.

Figure 4. CDMA Network Configuration Access
Level [4].
From the features and specification, EV-
DO technology can provide access to voice, data,
and Internet service to support the government
development goal. The clear migration path of
CDMA network makes the future development of
the network can be done smoothly since there is
no need of new spectrum.
Moreover, this system can also be
upgraded by integrating it with wireless
technology such as Wi-Fi on the access level to
subscriber. With this method, more services like
wireless Internet can be provided to customer.
We believe that this system can be one of
main solution for the development of information
and communication system in rural area. In order
to realize it, high concern and commitment from
government and service provider are needed,
especially for on-site research and investment. As
a research center, UI-Huawei Research and
Training Center at the University of Indonesia is
ready to provide facility for research in this field
and to give full support for the development of
ICT in Indonesia.

4. CONCLUSION
A system which is based on CDMA2000
1x EV-DO can be a solution in providing
information and communication access in rural
area in Indonesia. With several EV-DOs
advantages and low investment cost, this network
is a promising technology. Further research and
support from all stakeholders is required to
implement this system in order to realize the
vision of creating a widely distributed
information society in Indonesia.

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