LTE-A Challenges and Evolving LTE

Network Architecture
Mobile and Cloud Infrastructure Convergence
Munish Chhabra - Aricent
November 2013

Agenda

LTE-Advanced and HetNets

Challenges
Evolving LTE Network Architectures
Summary

Proprietary & Confidential. Aricent Group 2013

LTE A & HetNets

Challenges.

Network Densification
Necessity to achieve desired capacity
First Step: Coverage (Macros)

Next Step: Capacity (HetNets)

Bring network closer to the user

More radio links, more antennas, higher spectral efficiency
LTE Advanced + HetNets -> Take capacity gains to the next level

Network Densification (Contd)

But, More Base Stations lead to

More Capex
Equipment (baseband, radio, antennas) at each site
Shelter, Air Conditioning, Battery at each site
Backhaul Connectivity with core network (cost vs performance)

Increased Opex

More Rental and running cost

More trained staff for network planning and maintenence
More site visits for preventive and fault handling
Energy Efficiency

Significant part of OPEX

Included Market, regulatory and customer requirements (especially for small cells)

Interoperability
Interworking nodes between different networks
A tier-1 operator in Europe typically spends around 60% of revenue in OPEX. The burden will surely increase
with LTE and LTE-A

Network Manageability
The number of network nodes go-up exponentially
Besides they co-exist with multiple other RATs
Extremely challenging to maintain and optimize such networks e.g.

# Neighbor Relationships grow exponentially

# Handover Relationships grow exponentially
Coverage / Capacity trade-offs between different network layers
Interference management becomes even more challenging
Dynamic traffic patterns and low base station utilization

Residential areas in the evening, Commercial during the day

The Backhaul Challenge

Increasing radio network complexity casts its shadow on the backhaul
More base stations, more backhaul links
Base stations differ in terms of capacity, reach, transmission power and
radio access network technology, including 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi
Puts additional complexity burden on backhaul

ICIC and CoMP (Coordinated Multipoint) Needed for better user

experience at cell edge

ICIC Coordination of spectrum allocation across multiple cells

CoMP - Multiple base stations simultaneously serve a user device
Needed - Real time co-ordination between base stations
Needed - Low latency on backhaul

Base station need sub-frame level co-ordination

Clocks need to be in phase
Common reference needed from backhaul

User Device Challenge

Carrier Aggregation
UE to handle multiple simultaneous transcievers
Contiguous and non-contiguous carriers may be aggregated
Challenging radio environment
MIMO
Up to 8 transmitters in DL
MIMO increases the number of system antennas
Design of
Radio antennas supporting Multiband and MIMO
In the tiny space on a UE
Becomes extremely challengig

Battery life of devices

Interference Management
Higher base station density, more Interference
Randomly distributed
Difficult to control and maintain coverage area, tilt, power and placement of
small form factor base stations

Particularly difficult to optimize Cell Edge users performance

Terminal assigned to macro, sees strong interference from micro
Especially if micro serves a CSG and the UE is not allowed to latch on to it

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WiFi and Offload Considerations

Almost ubiquitous availability of WiFi (especially indoors in homes and
offices) mandates it for operators to consider offload
Offload however comes with its own challenges that have no answer in
the specifications yet

Pre-mature WiFi selection

Improper choices
Degraded QoS after movement to WiFi
Managing Trusted/Non-trusted networks
Ping-pong problem

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Evolving LTE Network

Architectures

Telco SDN The Next Wave

Mobile Networks Then
Mobile Networks Now
SDN

A network of point-topoint connections

A programmable fabric that can be

manipulated in real time to meet the
needs of the applications and systems
that sit on top of it

SDN would mean

Network virtualization - Implementing more in software and using commoditized IT hardware
Programmability - The ability to centrally change traffic flows, partition the networks and
provide application-level QoS.
Separation of control and data plane

Source: Telco2.net

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SDN Example

Ref: Flexerasoftware.com

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Cloud RAN Specific SDN use-case for the RAN

Cloud RAN The first implementation of virtualization in RAN layer

Separates the computing intensive baseband processing from the remote

radio deployments
Baseband processing is pooled at a semi-centralized location
C-RAN Enables

Use of commodity HW to run baseband processing tasks

More fluid resource allocation.
Enables new feature implementation like CoMP and eICIC
Helps ease capacity crunch by placing radios closer to the user

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Cloud RAN Architecture Possibilities

Active
Antenna
System

Centralized
Baseband
Bank
2G/2.5 G
UMTS
HSPA
SON Server
LTE eNB
LTE-A

Common
Management
Server

IMS/
Operator Services

Optical
IP
Remote
Radio
Head

Internet

Coax

IP

Macro
Site

IP

Femto
Cells/
Wi-Fi

IP

Controllers
RAN SERVERS
on the
GSM/GPRS
cloud
UMTS
UMTS Femto GW
HeNBGW
Wi Fi Access Gateway

Core Network

Services are provided through optimum access technology

Resources and coverage of a geographical area can be changed
dynamically
SON can be used to get information for providing the necessary
configuration
Resources are aggregated and dynamically allocated
Reconfigurable BSs and controllers to support multiple Radio Access
technologies
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Mobile and Cloud Infrastructure Convergence

RRHs

SDN Network Controller

Centralized BBU Pools

Core Network entity

Network Devices in SDN Terminology

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Aricent eNB IPR Readiness for C-RAN Solution

ENodeB Framework
RAN on the Cloud will need to cater to variable
capacity requirements and host multiple cells.
Aricent Layer 3 and Layer 2 including Scheduler,
MAC, RLC, PDCP, GTPU, are scalable for multicore architectures, supports multiple form-factors
(femto, pico,micro) and different capacity
requirements based on deployment.

Single instance of Aricent Layer 3 can handle

multiple cells/sectors hosted on Cloud RAN
equipment and can interface with cells/sectors
hosted on other Cloud RAN equipment on X2
link.

OAM & SON

Client

RRM

RRC,S1-AP,X2-AP

Schedul
er

PDCP,
RLC,MA
C

GTPU

Aricent Layer 2 can handle one cell/sector per

instance and multiple instances of Layer 2 can be
utilized to handle multiple cells/sectors.

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Cloud Ready Aricent EPC Framework

Router
eNodeBs
Top of Rack
Switch

Top of Rack
Switch

MMEs

HSS

SGWs

PCRFs

Subnet 1

Subnet 2

Integrated software offerings for MME,

Serving GW, PDN GW, HSS and
PCRF nodes for OEMs developing
cloud EPC solutions running in
clusters across virtualized hardware
with separated routing tables

PGWs
ISP 2

EPC Frameworks

Cloud Enablers

Multi-tenant solution
Scalable deployments
EPC on virtualized environment
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Summary
The promise of SDN and C-RAN: Mobile and Cloud Infrastructure Convergence

Significant improvements in the manageability and flexibility of the network

Prevent the networks from becoming prohibitively expensive to deploy
Easy scalability
Helps in the addition of new services without the need to add more hardware
Easier for operators to exploit revenue opportunities
Meet time-to-market challenges
Helps reduce CAPEX and OPEX needs
Ability to tailor the network "on demand" to customer needs
Automated traffic management
Improved bandwidth engineering
SDN and C-RAN are the helping hands that will help LTE realize its true potential

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Proprietary & Confidential. Aricent Group 2013 21