Distance Separation and Guard Band Evaluation
between LTE and Space Operation Service Systems
in Shared Frequency Band
Evgeniy M. Vinogradov1, Boris M. Antipin2, Alexander D. Spirin
The Bonch-Bruevich Saint-Petersburg State University of Telecommunication
St. Petersburg, Russia
1
vinog1936@mail.ru, 2boris_antipin@mail.ru
Abstract—Shared frequency operation of different radio
systems causes the need to investigate electromagnetic
compatibility conditions for these systems. According to the
National Frequency Allocation Table the operation of
communication facilities of LTE technology and space operation
service is allowed in the 2.3–2.4 GHz band. Conditions ensuring
joint action of communication facilities of LTE technology and
space operation service in shared frequency band are considered.
A procedure to evaluate the required frequency–distance
separation between means of these different radio services and
the necessary guard band is presented.
Keywords—radio service; LTE technology; space operation
service; distace–frequency separation; guard band
I. INTRODUCTION
The frequency bands presented in Frequency allocation
tables are usually intended for interservice sharing. Application
of sharing principles and methods increases the efficiency of
spectrum use but requires determining and providing
electromagnetic compatibility conditions between facilities
belonging to different services. At present the Russian
Federation National Frequency allocation table allows joint
action of LTE communications and the downlink of the space
operation service in the 2300–2400 MHz band. It means that
emissions of LTE transmitters can interfere with space
receivers located on the Earth′s surface and operating in this
band. Transmitters of the space operation service use a
different band and cannot interfere with LTE receivers. To
provide the required quality of the space receiver operation,
when external interference occurs, different methods to reduce
the interference level are used. Spatial selectivity of antenna
patterns, sense of polarization, frequency–distance separation –
all of them can be used to weaken interference [1, 2]. The
effective way to support acceptable quality of space signal
reception with interference from LTE transmitters is a
frequency–distance separation which is sufficient to suppress
the interference till the necessary level. A guard band is a part
of the frequency separation.
The aim of this paper is to discuss a procedure that ensures
evaluation of the desired frequency–distance separation,
including the guard band, between the mentioned services.
45
II. CALCULATION PROCEDURE
Consider the situation where the space receiver and LTE
transmitter operate at different frequencies and interference in
the receiver may appear due to out-of-band emissions of the
transmitter.
The following input data will be used for calculations.
Space receiver:
• Receiver 3 dB bandwidth, MHz (or kHz) – BR;
• Receiver noise factor, dB – NF;
• Gain of receiver antenna (in the direction of
interfering LTE transmitter), dBi – GR;
• Height of receiver antenna, m – hR.
LTE transmitter:
• Mask of out-of-band emission, dBm/Bmeas – W(Δf);
here: Δf – frequency offset from the edge of the transmitter
in-band spectrum mask PT(f), MHz (or kHz), and Bmeas –
bandwidth of the measuring filter, kHz (or MHz);
• Gain of transmitter antenna (in the direction of the
space receiver), dBi – GT;
• Height of transmitter antenna, m – hT.
Other data include environmental information specifying
the type of environment (urban, suburban or rural) that
surrounds the facilities involved and the maximum permissible
value of interference-to-noise (I/N) ratio, dB, where N is the
noise floor of the receiver and I is the interference power, dBm,
coming into the receiver bandwidth at the receiver input.
Further, we will define the guard band, Bguard, as the range
of frequencies between the frequency corresponding to the
edge of transmitter in-band mask, PT(f), and the frequency
corresponding to the edge of receiver bandwidth, BR, as it is
shown in Fig. 1 where f0T and f0R are operating frequencies of
transmitter and receiver, respectively.
Now the frequency separation, ΔfTR, between the
transmitter and the receiver is
ΔfTR = BT / 2 + BR / 2 (1)
978-1-7281-0339-6/19/$31.00 ©2019 IEEE
 TABLE I. MASK OF OUT-OF-BAND EMISSIONS (INCLUDING
INTERMODULATION PRODUCTS) OF TRANSMITTERS WITH
PT(f ) Bguard BR FREQUENCY BANDS OF 5, 10, 15, AND 20 MHz (OPERATING
f FREQUENCY HIGHER THAN 1 GHz)
BT/2 BR/2 Frequency offset from the edge of Maximum Bandwidth
ΔfTR the channel to the center permissible of
of measuring filter, Δf level measuring
f0T f0R of emissions, filter
dBm
Fig. 1. Guard band and frequency separation between transmitter and
0,05 MHz ≤ Δf < 5,05 MHz lineally 100 kHz
receiver. decreases from
−7 to −14
So if we know the necessary ΔfTR, we can calculate Bguard
using (1) and vice versa: if the guard band is known we can
5,05 MHz ≤ Δf < min (10,05 MHz, fmax) −14 100 kHz
find out the minimum necessary frequency separation between
the transmitter and receiver that guarantees acceptable receiver
10,05 MHz ≤ Δf < fmax −15 1 MHz
performance.
Let The segments are measured with filters having different
I/N = α, dB (2) bandwidths. Using the calculation method represented in [4]
we can relate spectra measured with the bandwidths of Bmeas to
Since the values of I and N are expressed in units of dBm the true power spectral density, also in the form of a linear
the interference will be considered tolerable if (2) rewritten in equation
the form
S ( Δf ) = aΔf + b , dBm, (5)
I–N≤α dB (3)
1  sinh(αBmeas ) 
is satisfied. This inequality permits to solve our problem. where a = a* and b = b∗ − ln  , k = ln(10)/10,
Taking into account the above-listed data the following k  α 
calculation procedure may be suggested. α = ka/2.
Step 1: Determine the power that comes into the transmitter Now the level of unwanted emission that comes into the
antenna, IT(dBm), in the bandwidth BR using the mask of out- transmitter antenna can be assessed as follows:
of-band emissions of the LTE transmitter. The mask
corresponding to the frequency channel bands of 5, 10, 15 and
 
20 MHz (including intermodulation products) is shown in IT = 10 lg  10[S (Δf ) / 10]d (Δf ) , dBm (6)
Fig. 2 and Tab. I [3]. (
 R B ) 

W, dBm Step 2: Assume that the input impedance of the receiver is

equal to 50Ω and evaluate the noise floor of the receiver:

−7 N = −174 + 10 lg(BR [Hz ]) + NF , dBm (7)

Step 3: Determine, using (3), the acceptable interference

Bmeas=100kHz power at the input of space receiver:

−14 Bmeas=1MHz I ≤ N +α , dBm (8)

−15
0,05 5,05 10,05 Δf, MHz Step 4: Determine the basic propagation loss for the path
between the concerned LTE transmitter and space receiver that
Fig. 2. Out-of-band mask of LTE transmission ensures the required interference level at the input of the
Note that the out-of-band spectrum levels are expressed in receiver.
absolute units independently of the in-band transmitter power. The value of I can also be calculated using the formula:
The spectrum mask represented in Fig.2 has three linear
segments each of which can be described by a linear equation I = IT + GT − L(d ) + GR + γ ≤ N + α dBm (9)
like
Here γ is the loss caused by a difference between
W (Δf ) = a∗Δf + b∗ , dBm (4) polarization states of a receiving antenna and interfering signal;
d is the distance between transmit and receiving antennas and
L(d) is the basic loss at the path of d km.

46
 Now we can derive the necessary equation from (9): I ≤ −107 − 10 = −117 dBm

L(d ) ≥ I T − (N + α ) + GT + G R + γ , dB (10)
I , dBm
T
Step 5: Select the appropriate propagation model to
calculate the necessary separation distance d between the 4
transmitter and the receiver that ensures the required basic loss. 2 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
0
The procedure may be repeated for another guard band or
−2 1 2 3 4 Bguard, MHz
frequency separation.
−4
Let us consider an example of calculation with following −6
input data: BR = 2 MHz, NF = 4 dB, hT = hR = 40 m, urban −8
environment, polarizations of interference and receiving −10
antenna are identical, so that γ = 0. −12
Since the power spectral density of out-of-band emissions Fig. 3. Out-of-band emissions vs guard band for BR = 2 MHz
shown in Fig.2 and given in Tab.1 does not depend on the
bandwidth and power of primary emission the out-of-band In order to find a relationship between the distance
power coming into the transmit antenna in the receiver separation and the guard band we will specify the value of
bandwidth BR for a selected guard band Bguard also does not Bguard and determine the distance separation corresponding to
depend on these parameters of primary emission. this guard band. Let Bguard= 5 MHz. In Tab. 2 we see that
The curves represented in Fig. 2 may be described by the IT = −1 dBm for this Bguard. The numerical value of basic loss is
following equation: given by (10). In our case we have:

− 1.4Δf − 6.93 for 0.05 ≤ Δf ≤ 5.05 MHz L(d ) ≥ −1 + 117 + GT + GR = 116 + GT + GR , dB (13)

W (Δf ) = − 14 for 5.05 < Δf ≤ 10.05 MHz (11)
− 15 To continue the calculation procedure, we should set a
 Δf > 10.05 MHz value of frequency for the space receiver and choose an
The first two lines of the equation correspond to appropriate propagation model.
Bmeas = 100 kHz, the third one is for Bmeas= 1 MHz. In accordance with the National Frequency Allocation
Transforming (11) into (5) for Bmeas=1 MHz we will obtain Table in Russian Federation the frequency band from 2300 to
2400 MHz may be used by the mobile service to develop
− 1.4Δf + 3.07 for 0.05 ≤ Δf ≤ 5.05 MHz communications networks of the LTE standard and its future

S (Δf ) = − 4 for 5.05 < Δf ≤ 10.05 MHz (12) modifications. At the same time the band from 2341 to 2381
− 15 MHz is allowed to be utilized by the space service on the line
 Δf > 10.05 MHz “cosmos – the Earth” to control the operation of spacecrafts.
On the basis of what has been said we choose the operating
Now using (6) for different values of Bguard we will know the frequency of the space receiver f0R =2350 MHz. With the basic
power that comes into the transmitter antenna in the receiver loss in hand we will utilize the ITU-R Recommendation P.
bandwidth BR. Tab. II and Fig. 3 show the results obtained. 1546 [5] to evaluate the separation distance, d. To solve the
problem, we use the field strength versus distance curves which
TABLE II. LEVELS OF OUT-OF-BAND EMISSIONS IN THE are represented in the Recommendation for land paths, 1% of
BANDWIDTH OF 2 MHz FOR DIFFERENT GUARD BAND
time and 50% of locations. The representative clutter height
Guard band, was set equal to 20m. The results obtained for Bguard = 5MHz
0 1 2 3 4 5−8 9 10 11 are exhibited in Tab. III.
MHz
Out-of-band TABLE III. VALUES OF DISTANCE SEPARATION d
4.8 3.4 2.0 0.55 –0.56 –1 –3.7 –12 –12
emissions, dBm FOR Bguard = 5 MHz

The noise floor of the receiver, as follows from (7), is GT + GR, dB 0 5 10 20 30

3.0 4.3 5.9 10.0 16.3
( )
d, km, ≥
N = −174 + 10 lg 2 ⋅ 106 + 4 = −107 dBm
As it can be seen from this table, the results are dependent
Let α = −10 dB. This value allows the drop in the receiver on the mutual arrangement of antenna patterns. The separation
sensitivity due to interference to be only 0.4 dB. Then, how it distance can be changed by varying the relative positions of the
follows from (8), the permissible level of interference at the antenna patterns.
receiver input is: In similar manner the separation distance can be determined
for a different guard band.

47
 III. CONCLUSION
A procedure to evaluate the separation distance between
LTE transmitters and space receivers that are on the Earth's
surface, control the downlink operation of spacecrafts and
operate in the 2300−2400 MHz band was presented. It takes
into account and enables to vary mutual arrangement of
antenna patterns. The procedure can be extended over a wider
frequency range.
48
REFERENCES
[1] Rec. ITU-R SM.1132-2 General principles and methods for sharing
between radiocommunication services or between radio stations.
[2] Rec. ITU-R SM.337-6 Frequency and distance separation.
[3] Rules of applications of base stations and repeaters in mobile
radiotelephone netwoks. Part VI. Approved by the Ministry of
Communications and Mass media of Russian Federation. Order #129,
06,06.2011. (in Russian)
[4] Rec. ITU-R SM.1541-5 Unwanted emissions in the out-of-band domain.
[5] Rec. ITU-R P.1546-5 Method for point-to-area predictions for terrestrial
services in the frequency range 30 to 3000 MHz.