On the Scalability of

Fixed Broadband
Wireless Access Network
Deployment
IEEE Communications Magazine
September 2004
pp. 512 - 518

Abstract-
Fixed Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) systems, such as the Local Multipoint
Distribution Service (LMDS), use an open system architecture that supports a
scalable solution for Internet services over IEEE 802.16 wireless networks. This
article presents an overview of various features of BWA systems toward realizing a
high level of scalability to support a potentially fast expanding network. This is
achieved by optimizing various network resources, which include utilizing the
available bandwidth efficiently, making minor enhancement to an existing system
that minimizes the disruption to network services during the network expansion
process, and combining the benefits of different features to increase network
capacity.

1
 Abbreviations and Acronyms
BWA Broadband Wireless Access
LOS Line of Sight
LMDS Local Multipoint Distribution Service
MAN Metropolitan Area Network
OC Optical Carrier
PMP Point-
Point-to-
to-Multipoint
SUE spectral utilization efficiency
WLAN Wireless Local Area Network
WLL Wireless Local Loop
XPD Cross Polarization Discrimination

2
 Outline
This article presents an overview of various
features of BWA systems toward realizing a high
level of scalability to support a potentially fast
expanding network
Wireless networks are expandable in terms of
the number of subscribers supported, data rate,
and geographical coverage
Enhancement in multimedia data services
demand more network resources

A number of system deployment parameters on network scalability are discussed.

Network scalability can be achieved by expansion of service in terms of both
number of subscribers and coverage area. Also, increase in data throughput that
makes the system capable of supporting a wider range of networking services is
directly influenced by network scalability.
Wireless networks are generally much more flexible than wired networks in terms of
scalability, especially when most enhancements can be accomplished without
temporarily disrupting the network.
Communication networks support a wide range of services, from voice over IP for
consumers to critical life-saving telemedicine applications. It is vital to ensure that a
given network is capable of providing adequate network resources for future growth
in demand.

3
 Introduction
Increasing demands for wireless internet access
for a variety of services
Various systems provide wireless network access
services
Wireless Local Loop (WLL)
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)
Wireless Cable (Multichannel Multipoint
Distribution System)
Local Multipoint Distrubution Service (LMDS)
4

Following the previous slide...

There are several deployment options available. The more common options
include:
General Packet Radio Service ~1 GHz
Wireless LAN ~ 2 5 GHz
Wireless Local Loop ~ 5 GHz
Local Multipoint Distribution Service ~ 10 40 GHz
More info:
http://www.callcentermagazine.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=1081780
0

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 Advantages of Wireless Access
Faster to install
Cheaper to install in situations where fixed
cables reach a large number of locations
Easier to expand network
Minimize service disruption when expanding
network
Network expansion can be accomplished in many
different ways

There are many advantages for using wireless access.

Device mobility is a main feature offered by wireless access although this may be
restricted by the use of highly-directional fixed antennas in BWA systems.
Spaghetti free by elimination of cabling and patching.
Among the several advantages offered by such BWA systems, it is generally less
expensive and faster to install them especially in situations where a large number of
locations have to be covered.
System deployment is based on the demand that makes the system expandable
with its scalable architecture by using open industry standards providing a high
degree of flexibility so that the network service providers can easily expand their
existing networks without being bounded by the restriction of certain manufacturers.

5
 IEEE 802.16 Standard
Proposed by IEEE 802.16 Wireless High-Speed
Unlicensed MAN access study group
Fixed Wireless Service Provider Application

Supports a metropolitan area network

Connection-oriented MAC

Focus on layers 1 and 2

Use a a point-to-multipoint topology

Fixed BWA systems using base stations to provide network access services to
customer sites based on the IEEE 802.16 WirelessMAN standard for versatile
connection in wireless metropolitan area networks.
Its purpose is to facilitate the optimal use of bandwidth from 10 to 66 GHz, as well
as the interoperability among devices from different vendors with a common
standard.
More info:
http://www.ieee802.org/16/

6
 Local Multipoint Distribution Service
Provides broadband wireless access for multimedia
services
multipoint distribution to buildings within a certain
area (typically within several kilometers radius)
LMDS deployment widely used for multicast
distribution to fixed receivers mounted on roof tops
Provides high speed point-to-multipoint data transfer
over several kilometers
Wide bandwidth, also allows frequency reuse

Local: cells each covering a relatively small area centered by a wireless hub
Multipoint: each wireless hub provides network connection to a number of
subscriber sites in a PMP arrangement
Distribution network access provides bi-directional links to each subscriber
Service a mixture of different multimedia services are simultaneously supported:
data and internet access, voice, video, etc. at high data rates (in excess of 100
Mbps is possible)
More info:
http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/lmds/

7
 System Layout

PMP links between Transport and Access

The system consists of three major components:
Switching
Transport
Access

This diagram illustrates the connection between the radio hub and the service
provider via a 155Mbps OC-3 link.
A typical LMDS deployment consists of three major components-
Switching: It provides a connection point for the system to be linked to the internet.
Transport: The radio hub connects the base station to a wired IP network backbone
with an OC-3 connection and converts the data into a form that is suitable for
modulation.
Access: At the customer end, each remote site has an outdoor antenna with a
subscriber radio unit for signal reception. The received signal is then processed by
a subscriber access system where demodulation takes place followed by forwarding
data to the destination node. The black zigzag line between the radio hub and
subscribers antenna here represents both a single link serving a customers
premise as well as the return channel for each subscribers site.
Scalability should be guaranteed either by a proper design of the radio hub
architecture or by a proper functional distribution

8
 Operating Environments
High frequencies (~ 10 40 GHz)
Requires LOS or near-LOS and high resolution
planning
Atmospheric conditions- gas absorption, rain
attenuation, depolarization, etc.
Physical obstacles (stationary and mobile)-
absorption, multipath, etc.
Security can be an issue

Outdoor links such as that provided by Fixed BWA systems operate in harsh
environments. In fact, this is the main disadvantage associated with wireless
networks besides potential data security threats.
Millimeter waves have a number of propagation issues where many uncontrollable
parameters can affect the links range and availability.
At the frequencies of interest, effects of rain is the single most influential factor as
rain causes scattering, attenuation, phase shift, and depolarization. The latter has a
significant impact on network scalability as orthogonally polarized signals are often
used for better utilization of available frequency bands.
More info:
ITU-R PN.830-1, 838, 841

9
 Network Scalability
Network capacity expansion based on demand
Equipment manufacturers make transport
components versatile
Service providers perform network management
economically with minimal changes to hardware
Subscribers enjoy uninterrupted network access
even during network upgrade and no need to
fight for network resources

10

Network resources can be made available based on demands. Investments are

only made when needed.
Cell planning and utilization of sub-channels within the licensed range of available
frequencies need to be addressed in the early stage of network planning since
subsequent modification to an operational system may be difficult once the hub
locations are fixed. This is particularly important when the narrow beamwidth
antennas at subscriber sites need to be adjusted to facilitate new hubs.
Many network expansion work can be carried out without causing network
disruption with careful planning. In particular, adjustments to subscribers antennas
are not required for the introduction of new hubs.

10
 General Issues

Bandwidth Limitation
Link range and availability
Performance degradation without LOS
Cell-to-cell interference
Network capacity (number of subscribers)
Coverage area
Power efficiency

11

The deployment of BWA networks has scalability implications on a number of

factors. Many BWA systems operate in the very congested portion of the spectrum,
where bandwidth limitation is a major constraint to network scalability. Therefore,
parameters other than channel frequency bandwidth must be controlled to maintain
a high degree of network scalability.
All these factors affect the way network scalability can be achieved as they restrict
how certain parameters can be optimized.

11
 Network Planning
Parameters other than channel frequency
bandwidth must be controlled to maintain a
high degree of network scalability since many
BWA systems operate in the very congested
portion of the spectrum
Cell planning and sub-channel utilization within
the licensed range of available frequencies have
to be addressed before deployment

12

Many system parameters can be changed after system deployment based on

demand. However, there are certain issues that must be addressed prior to system
deployment since subsequent changes can be difficult or even impractical.
A channel plan facilitates network planning by dividing the available spectrum into a
number of sub-channels, possibly with different modulation schemes (more on this
later).
Scalability can be achieved by cell planning for addition of sectors and cell splitting
into microcells with hub spacing, coverage, and number of sectors per hub
optimization, or by increasing the number of sub-channels. Each sub-channel can
be re-used with frequency diversity for controlling channel-to-channel interference.

12
 What can be changed after installation?

Routing algorithm
Transmission power
Addition of sub-channels
Hub sectorization and cell splitting
Modulation scheme
Multiple access scheme
Signal polarization with sub-channels

13

Having said that changing certain parameters can be impractical once the hub
locations are fixed, a high degree of scalability can still be achieved by making
changes to a number of parameters.
These include:
Sectorization by alteration of hub configurations by splitting into more sectors.
An appropriate modulation scheme that offers an optimal performance in both
spectral efficiency and geographical coverage. It should be noted, however, that
sometimes the choice of modulation scheme may be limited in a standardization
process due to interoperability and regulation requirements.
Access options that provide efficient downstream and upstream links to maximize
utilization of channels to support both constant and variable bit rate services.
Optimal application of frequency reuse and alternate polarization where a
combination of frequency diversity and cross polarization between sectors can be
deployed to increase data capacity.
Adding an additional link by the use of horizontally polarized signal.

13
 Cell Planning
Adjustment of hub spacing, coverage, and
number of sectors per hub
Closely packed small cells can increase coverage
area with a decrease in hub spacing
Two-layer IP-LMDS network architecture
increases coverage by further splitting each cell
into microcells
Cell enlargement with high gain antennas
mounted at high elevation

14

More closely packed cells with smaller coverage per cell can increase geographical
coverage and lead to a decrease in hub spacing. The location of each adjacent hub
can be offset by as much as 1/3 to maintain a comprehensive coverage without
leaving any out-of-coverage areas in between cells.
The number of sectors per hub can be increased to achieve a higher data capacity.
Normally, a system is set up with four 90-degree sectorized antennas each covering
one sector.
A two-layer IP-LMDS network architecture provides additional coverage by further
splitting each cell into microcells. This results in an extended coverage without the
requirement of the line of sight (LOS) at carrier frequencies below 25 GHz (typically
in the range of 517 GHz). At higher frequencies, LOS requirement obviously
affects the scalability of the system in terms of its geographical coverage (e.g., a
new building rises up in front of an existing subscriber building blocking the LOS
path). On the other hand, using an ultra high operating frequency allows very high
gain directional antennas to be fabricated in small physical form factors, which will
reject multipath signals arriving from directions other than LOS.
In addition, high gain antennas, especially those mounted at a high elevation, and
high signal transmission power using a high gain amplifier, facilitate cell
enlargement
More info:
P. Mhnen, T. Saarinen, Z. Shelby, and L. Munoz, Wireless Internet over LMDS:
Architecture and Experimental Implementation, IEEE Commun. Mag., May 2001,
pp.126-132.

14
 Sectorization
Data capacity increased by higher number of
sectors per hub
Each doubling of sectorization yields a doubling
in data capacity
Each doubling of sectorization reduces the link
coverage by approximately 33%
Effectively generates more sub-channels to
support higher data rates

15

Each sectorization yields a doubling in data capacity with a consequential reduction

of the link coverage by about one third.
The data rate can be effectively doubled by doubling the number of sectors while
maintaining an omni-directional coverage. The network can be further expanded by
another sectorization.
With an increased number of hubs to cover the same geographical area, less
bandwidth will be required for each hub, and hence equipment costs can be
reduced.

15
 Subsequent Sectorization

Initial deployment with four 90o sectorized

antennas providing omni-directional coverage
Further sectorization can be achieved by an
increased number of hubs

16

In this example where an initial deployment of 7 MHz channel with 4 sectors gives
each hub a maximum data rate of 32 Mbps.
Each sectorization yields a doubling in data capacity giving 64 Mbps with 8 sectors.
Scalability can be achieved by increasing the number of sectors by reuse of the
same frequency sub-channels.
The same process can be repeated to yield further data capacity increase.

16
 Utilization of Resources
On-demand channel borrowing for resource
optimization without incurring additional costs
Bandwidth fluctuation enables a busy cell to
access unused channels of neighboring cells or
sectors
Modulation schemes can be easily changed to
achieve better SUE

17

Another way of improving scalability without necessarily incurring extra cost or set-
up is to optimize the usage of existing resources by means of channel borrowing to
meet extra demands on a needed basis. Although each cell or sector is assigned to
the fixed bandwidth, this bandwidth can be fluctuated in practice by employing the
method of channel borrowing. This enables a busy cell or sector to access the
unused channels of neighboring cells or sectors. The net effect is an optimal
utilization of resources.
More info:
I. Katzela and M. Naghshineh, "Channel assignment schemes for cellular mobile
telecommunication systems: A comprehensive survey", IEEE Personal
Communications, June 1996, pp. 10-31.

17
 Modulation Schemes
Considerations
bandwidth efficiency
cell-to-cell interference

data capacity

error rate

frequency reuse

receiver structure complexity

transmission power

18

The choice of modulation scheme has a significant impact on network scalability as

it can be easily altered to support a higher rate. There are many factors that affect
system performance of spectral efficient schemes. A few of them are listed here.
A combination of different modulation schemes can yield a high degree of scalability
as system capacity can be added by providing coverage to different subscribers
with different modulation schemes.

18
 Advantages of Single-Carrier
Efficient and low power consumption
Complexity of transmission is much simpler than that
of reception, making it suitable for asymmetrical
operations
High level of narrow-band noise immunity due to
inherent capability by use of adaptive equalization
Less susceptible to phase noise
Lower peak-to average-ratio
Frequency domain equalization for performance
improvement

19

Multicarrier modulation such as OFDM offers a number of advantages and has

been successfully used in high bit rate, long range applications. However, single
carrier modulation schemes are more suitable for wireless broadband IP networks
for the following reasons. First, with single carrier modulation schemes, circuit
complexity of transmission is much lower than that for reception (this attribute is
particularly suitable for the asymmetric operation). Other advantages include a
higher level of noise immunity and better power efficiency. Also, OFDM is less
tolerant to phase noise that can be as much as 12dB worse than the requirements
for a comparable single carrier modulation scheme. Another consideration is the
drawback with power amplifier back-off due to output power limitation that requires
an extra 1 to 3 dB sensitivity with OFDM.
Except for some legacy systems, variants of QAM are used in the vast majority of
LMDS systems currently deployed throughout the world. QPSK (4-QAM) is
currently the most popular choice primarily due to cell overlap control considerations
and good tolerance to distortion.
However, it has low bandwidth efficiency as compared to higher order QAM
schemes. The network capacity can be augmented by increasing the order of
modulation due to higher spectral efficiencies; for example, a change from 4 (QPSK)
to 64-QAM can increase the spectral efficiency from 1.5 bps/Hz to 4.5 bps/Hz

19
 Augmentation by Modulation

Utilizing the range of QPSK and SUE of higher order

QAM schemes
Further scalability possible with higher modulation
schemes
20

Moreover, a reduction in coverage range also results with each increase from
QPSK to 16 and from 16 to 64-QAM roughly halving the cell size. Generally,
selecting higher order QAM when expansion in capacity is required with a reduction
in range and noise performance can maximize bandwidth utilization. Such effects
can be compensated by careful cell planning using a combination of modulation
schemes.
In this deployment example, A combination of different modulation schemes can be
used to expand the network capacity as shown in Fig. 2b. In this illustration, adding
two extra sectors with a 16-QAM increases the data capacity. Adding 8 sectors and
using two sub-channels with 16-QAM can double the data capacity. The range for
these sectors is shorter with 16-QAM while the original sixteen QPSK sub-channels
are utilized only for providing coverage in the outer part of the cell. The inner part of
the cell is covered by the eight 16-QAM sub-channels. The consequential reduction
in coverage can be minimized by utilizing the original QPSK sectors for each
customer site at the edge of each cell. In this deployment, the range of QPSK is
supplemented by the data capacity of 16-QAM with a composite hub configuration.
The network is expandable by a further sectorization with 64-QAM as shown. This
addition is primarily aimed at providing high bandwidth links to customer sites that
are close to a base station due to the increased signal power necessary for 64-QAM.
Higher order QAM schemes are subjected to higher cell-to-cell interference, but
offer higher data capacity.

20
 Multiple Access Schemes
Affect how end user sites share the wireless
network connection
Dynamic bandwidth allocation maximizes
channel efficiency
Adaptive power control reduces effect of rain
attenuation
Further improvement achieved by wavelength
allocation on a link-to-link basis using WDM

21

The access methodology affects how end user sites share the wireless network connection. Most
existing systems apply either TDMA or FDMA methods for both the upstream and downstream links.
In either method, the link efficiency is primarily determined by the way bandwidth is allocated. The
use of Time Division duplex (TDD) is generally preferred to utilize the available bandwidth in non-
contiguous blocks over Frequency Division Duplex (FDD). This is because the transmitter-to-receiver
frequency spacing has to be carefully controlled in order to avoid unnecessarily complex filter and
demultiplexer designs that also lead to a higher demand in additional guard-band. One of the major
disadvantages of TDD is insertion losses at frequencies used in fixed BWA systems that result in an
extra 3 dB sensitivity requirement because the noise power is approximately doubled.
The physical layer that specifies the frequency band, the modulation scheme, and the time-division
multiplexing (TDM) mechanism.
In TDMA, bandwidth allocation for each customer link is based on data bursts from the customer site.
In contrast, in FDMA, bandwidth is allocated approximately constant in time to a customer.
Typically, TDMA is used in downstream links and FDMA in upstream links due to TDMAs bursty
response and FDMAs support of a constant pipe. Dynamic allocation of bandwidth maximizes the
channel efficiency and adaptive power control provides a 6 dB/s to partially compensate for the
effects of rain attenuation.
There are two modes of operations defined for the downstream link from a wireless hub to each
subscriber:
Mode A supports a continuous transmission stream for applications such as video streaming and file
transfer.
Mode B supports a burst transmission stream mainly for IP-based traffic such as web browsing.
TDMA can also be used for upstream links from subscribers to its wireless hub. In this scenario, the
system uses the Demand Assignment Multiple Access-Time Division Multiple Access (DAMA-TDMA)
scheme. DAMA is a capacity assignment scheme based on dynamically changes in demand.

21
 Typical Deployment Scenario
Customer Site
1

Base Customer Site

Station 2

Downstream
TDMA
Upstream
FDMA (1)
Customer Site
FDMA (2)
N
FDMA (N)

Commonly use TDM and FDM for downstream

and upstream multiplexing, respectively
22

High speed circuit switching is achieved by using multiple TDMA time slots per
connection with dynamic channel allocation.
In this example, there are N geographically separated customer sites are served by
the downlink stream using TDMA and each of the N customer sites is allocated with
an uplink sub-channel using FDMA. Further link efficiency can be achieved by
wavelength allocation on a link-to-link basis using WDM with wavelength conversion
to relieve data traffic congestion around the networks bottleneck. The system can
therefore be expanded by increasing link efficiency by taking into account of the
burstiness of data stream and selecting the most appropriate multiplexing method
accordingly. Factors that determine the optimal use of a multiple access method
also include the efficiency of the adopted Forward Error Correction (FEC) and
Medium Access Control (MAC).

22
 Frequency Reuse
Increase data capacity without shortening link
range
Available channles are subdivided into groups
Channel frequencies in each group assigned to a
cell with adjacent cells
Optimized by both sectorization and alternate
polarizations
Reuses the same two frequency sub-channels
with horizontal and vertical polarizations
23

Frequency reuse can increase data capacity without compromising the range. In
the simplest case, the available channel is subdivided into groups and the channel
frequencies in each group are assigned to a cell with adjacent cells operating at
different frequency sub-channels.
More info:
http://www.bsnl.in/Knowledgebase.asp?intNewsId=23027&strNewsMore=more

23
 Cells with four different set of frequencies

The same frequencies are used in different cells of

close proximity
24

This diagram shows that a cell using frequency group A has no bordering cell that
also uses A. In this illustration, the same frequencies are used in different cells of
close proximity. Careful consideration is required to ensure that these frequencies
do not interfere with each other. It is therefore desirable to use more frequencies to
further separate cells of the same frequencies.

24
 Alternate Polarization

25

Frequency reuse can also be optimized by both sectorization and polarization. A

high degree of frequency reuse can be optimized by alternating polarization for each
channel. Horizontal and vertical polarization in an alternate pattern is deployed to
maximize isolation between bordering sectors while increasing channel utilization by
twice. . In this example, four sub-channels are made available with two frequencies
and alternate polarization.

25
 What about the effects of rain?
Rain causes attenuation, scattering, and
depolarization. The latter has a direct impact on
the use of alternately polarized signals
Significant increase in fade margin necessary for
heavy rainfall
Reduction by frequency diversity and XPD to
control interference
Causes reduction in link range

26

interference between sectors and the effect of depolarization caused by rain can be
partially compensated by frequency diversity and Cross Polarization Discrimination
(XPD) to a maximum of about 20 dB for effective control of interference. This results
in a significant reduction of total coverage areas affected by cell-to-cell interference
to less than 3%. The actual application of frequency reuse in a given system is
restricted by rainfall statistics for the location where the system is deployed. To
achieve a high degree of scalability, both frequency diversity and cross polarization
discrimination (XPD) are utilized to minimize cell-to-cell interference.
As depolarization occurs due to rainfall, this can severely impact the use of
alternately polarized signals as shown in the previous slide.
Fade margin requirements impose further constraint to systems particularly
equipped with a combination of different modulation schemes for combating the
effects of uncontrollable rainfall.
More info:
http://www.dcjenn.com/EO3602/Vol5v1.3.pdf

26
 Summary
Fixed BWA networks provide a scalable solution
to facilitate network capacity expansion
Inherent attributes include:
Ease of channel addition
Cell splitting of high data density cells
Sectorization with each cell having its own channels
and frequencies taken from bordering cells
Scalability can be easily achieved by subsequent
system alternations with minimal service
disruption
27

Fixed BWA networks provide a scalable solution to facilitate network capacity

expansion in terms of both the data capacity and the number of customer nodes
supported. The versatile network architecture of LMDS contributes to the scalability
of a system at a later stage to accommodate future growth in service enhancement.

27