18/06/2013
1
Multi-RAT mobile backhaul for Het-Nets
Andy SuttonPrincipal Network ArchitectNetwork Strategy19th June 2013
Contents:
1. Brief overview of EE
2. Introduction to multi-RAT, multi-vendor backhaul
3. Understanding the capacity requirements for current and future backhaul
4. Ensuring high performance and low latency backhaul implementationp
5. Evolving backhaul architecture to support small cells and HetNets
6. Summary
2Telecoms Evangelist No.5
18/06/2013
2
Our Orange and T-Mobile inheritanceA marriage of two great companies, with strong brands and a combined subscriber base of over 29 million. Technology have played a strong role delivering synergies and positioning EE for commercial and network leadership.
In September 2009 it was announced that France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom had agreed to merge T-Mobile UK and Orange UK into a 50:50 joint venture to create the UK’s leading mobile operator. The new company was officially formed on April 1 2010
18/06/2013Telecoms Evangelist No.5 3
EE: THE BIGGEST AND BEST NETWORK Europe’s fastest 4G rollout > The UK’s first 4G network− 4G in 80 cities and towns, and 55%
population coverage by June 2013 population coverage by June 2013 − 98% 4G coverage by end of 2014− Increasing depth of coverage and
capacity in the top 16 cities> The UK’s biggest 3G network− DC-HSDPA covering 75% of the
population (80% by December 2013)population (80% by December 2013)− 3G HSPA+21 across 95% of the
population> Fibre to 13m homes and businesses> Evolving communication with VoWiFi,
VoLTE, RCSe, and service with quality differentiation
18/06/2013
3
Mobile video consumption increases with 4G adoption
Arsenal vs Man City?
18/06/2013Telecoms Evangelist No.5 5
Man U vs Liverpool?KO 13:30
Arsenal vs Man City?KO 16:00
What exactly is mobile backhaul…
• Mobile backhaul provides the control and user plane connectivity between the radio base stations at the cell sites and associated network nodes on the connectivity sites (edge of the core network)
• 2G – GSM BTS & BSC (Abis)
• 3G – UMTS NodeB & RNC (Iub)
• 4G – LTE eNB & SeGW, then on to EPC (S1) [+X2 transport]
• In addition, the backhaul network carries network control, operations and maintenance traffic
• Mobile backhaul is evolving from TDM and ATM to all IP/EthernetMobile backhaul is evolving from TDM and ATM to all IP/Ethernet
• Mobile backhaul must scale to support the capacity requirements of the RAN technologies – 2G/3G/4G, possibly WiFi too
• Mobile backhaul must meet strict performance criteria relating to latency, packet delay variation and packet error loss rate
6Telecoms Evangelist No.5
18/06/2013
4
GSM network architecture (HLR and databases not illustrated)
GERAN - GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network
2GMSS
2GBTS
2GBTS
2G
BSC+PCU
TRAU/MGW MGW
2GBTS
2GBTS
BSC+PCU
SGSN GGSN
7Red and blue lines refer to control and user plane
UMTS Network Architecture (HLR and databases not illustrated)
Over time the CS & PS core have become common to both 2G & 3G Radio Access Networks
3GMSS
3GNodeB
3GNodeB
3G
RNC TRAU/MGW MGW
NodeB
3GNodeB
RNC SGSN GGSN
Red and blue lines refer to control and user plane 8
18/06/2013
5
EPS - Evolved Packet SystemLTE - Long Term Evolution / EPC - Evolved Packet Core
4G HSS4GeNB
4GeNB
MME
S-GW
PDN-GW
PCRF
HSS
R8 LTE specifies an IP TNL, eNBs support Ethernet connectivity
4GeNB
9Telecoms Evangelist No.5
3GPP mobile backhaul interfaces
2GBTS
3GNodeB
4G
BSC
RNC
Abis interface
Iub interface
S1 interface
Telecoms Evangelist No.5 10
4GeNB
EPCS1 interface
18/06/2013
6
Mobile backhaul…
• Mobile backhaul is a complex subject, it’s far more than “transmission”
• Developing a mobile backhaul architecture and associated technical strategy requires a detailed associated technical strategy requires a detailed understanding of:
• Multiple mobile RAN technologies• GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+ & LTE
• Tele-traffic theory and dimensioning• in a post-Erlang environment
• Transport technologiesTDM (PDH SDH) Ethernet PWE3 IP ATM FR MPLS• TDM (PDH, SDH), Ethernet, PWE3, IP, ATM, FR, MPLS
• Physical layer transmission systems• Fibre, Copper & Microwave
• Operations, administration, maintenance and provisioning
• QoS, Synchronisation, regulation etc…Telecoms Evangelist No.5 11
Mobile backhaul traffic - high level representation
Group Flow
2G
CS voiceCS dataPS dataControl plane PTPControl planeO&M
3G
rt‐DCHnrt‐DCHHSPAControl planeO&M
LTE
QCI 1QCI 2QCI 3QCI 4QCI 5QCI 6QCI 7
2GBTS
3GNodeB
4GeNB
BSC
RNC
PTP
IEEE1588-2008 Precision Timing Protocol
Abis
Iub
S1 (+X2)
Telecoms Evangelist No.5 12
QQCI 8QCI 9S1 Control planeO&MX2 User PlaneX2 Control Plane
MgmtCSG O&MTx O&MIP IGP etc.
Sync IEEE1588v2 PTP
eNB
SeGW
NMS
Microwave
IDU
OAM from external equipmentmicrowave, routers etc.
18/06/2013
7
Protocol architecturemobile backhaul user plane User
data
PDCP
User data
User data
• GSM IP based Abis
GSM UMTS LTE
P-TRAU
UDP
IP
GTP-u
UDP
IP
UDP
IP
RLC
MAC-dHS DSCH FP
PDCP• Proprietary implementation of IP
based Abis
• UMTS IP based Iub• 3GPP R5 IP transport in UTRAN
Telecoms Evangelist No.5 13
IP Sec (ESP)
Outer IP
VLAN
Ethernet
IP Sec (ESP)
Outer IP
VLAN
Ethernet
VLAN
Ethernet
• LTE IP based S1 and/or X2• 3GPP R8 Evolved Packet System
Underlying (physical) network
Mobile backhaul traffic - high level network diagram
2GPTP
CSG - flexibility point - policy and QoS implementation point - service enabler…
FE or GE - Serial bit stream
EE/H3G network share via MBNL - 3G MORAN splits Iu-cs/Iu-ps to separate core networks
Single RAN base stations are available to support 2G, 3G and 4G – EE use SRAN for 2G/4G whilst 3G is
2G Abis migrates from TDM to IP therefore IPSec is implemented to ensure network service
2GBTS
3GNodeB
4GeNB
BSC
RNC
SeGW
2G/4G whilst 3G is on MORAN Node B
Point to point microwave radio systems scale to 1Gbps+ in the traditional microwave bands (6 - 42GHz)
Telecoms Evangelist No.5 14
SeGW
NMS
Microwave
IDU2G
3G 4G
IDU
MASG - flexibility point - policy and QoS implementation point - service enabler…
2G, 3G & 4G from a sub-tended site connected by point to point digital microwave radio
Third party backhaul –Optical fibre networks delivering layer 2 and layer 3 services
New <6GHz n/NLoS backhaul radios, V and E band systems along with new mesh concepts
18/06/2013
8
Real LTE deployment in multi-RAT network- Focus on mobile backhaul
Telecoms Evangelist No.5 15
Backhaul capacity for Super Macros
• Macro cell evolution is the first step towards HetNets
• Super macros contain multiple RATs, including multi-band LTEp p
• Super Macros will typically contain 3 or 6 cell sectors
• Available spectrum includes:• 2 x 5MHz @800MHz
• 2 x 45MHz @1800MHz
• 2 x 20MHz @2100MHz
• 2 x 35MHz @ 2600MHz
• Super macros may be standalone sites with ELL or hub sites for sub-tended microwave connected sites
• Backhaul may support more than one MNO
Telecoms Evangelist No.5 16
18/06/2013
9
Optimising ‘end to end’ LTE traffic performanceUser data rate/throughput, latency, PDV, PELR, availability…
Radio interfaceResource allocationRetransmissions etc.
Microwave CSG Backhaul circuit S1 flex IP VPN EPC Peering
Telecoms Evangelist No.5 17
UE
UE radio layerApplications optimisation eNB processing MASG Security infrastructure SGi service LAN
External networks
…and back…
Network evolution - Super Macros, Small cells and in-building solutions…
Macro sitesMacro sites
Microcell Microcell
18
Indoor solutions
Hot spot Cell edge
Small Cells as an underlay network
Telecoms Evangelist No.5
18/06/2013
10
Network evolution - Super Macros, Small cells and in-building solutions…
Mobile backhaul may be integrated with the macro network or, decoupled (complete off-
load) or, a hybrid of the two approaches…
19
Several factors will influence decisions – deployment timeline, RAT, spectrum strategy and future network evolution strategy (co-ordination, C-RAN etc.)
Telecoms Evangelist No.5
Small cell backhaul architecture – two options
Backhaul could be fully integrated with the macro network or completely decoupled with an overlay (underlay) solution
Integrated solution requires high-capacity macro layer backhaul however Integrated solution requires high-capacity macro layer backhaul however opens up future opportunities for coupling between layers
Dedicated backhaul decouples the traffic load between macro and small cell backhaul solutions – may limit future options for co-ordination…
Requirements will change as we evolve from 3G to LTE small cells
Telecoms Evangelist No.5 20
18/06/2013
11
Small cell backhaul architectures- integrated or decoupled…
Telecoms Evangelist No.5 21
Macro backhaul not illustrated for clarity
Small cell backhaul architectures- integrated or decoupled or a hybrid of the two…
Macro backhaul not illustrated for clarity
Telecoms Evangelist No.5 22
Macro backhaul not illustrated for clarity
18/06/2013
12
Summary
•Many factors will influence mobile backhaul evolution – technical, commercial, regulatory, strategic… g
•Backhaul capacity needs to scale significantly to support multi-RAT base station sites, particularly if backhaul is shared between operators
•Single RAN platforms support Co-Tx of multiple RAT backhaul over a single physical interface
Q lit f i i ‘ d t d’ •Quality of experience is an ‘end to end’ consideration, however backhaul could have a significant impact
•Small cells must integrate in a cost-optimised manner, consider evolution to HetNets…
23Telecoms Evangelist No.5 23
THANK YOU