5G and Its RF Over the Air

Performance Measurements
Rolland Zhang 2018.2
Senior product manager, Keysight Technologies
• What’s new in 5G
• 5G development status/ who plans to launch 5G network
• mmWave frequency band
• Massive MIMO
• Beam forming
• 5G physical control channels
• 5G network over the air performance test and evaluation
• Addressing 5G deployment using FieldFox

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 100x 1000x Capacity
Data Rates
100x Densification

1ms Latency
1G 2G 3G 4G 5G

Reliability 99.999%

Analog Digital Voice First Mobile Ubiquitous

100x
Mobile Internet
Voice Broadband Energy Efficiency
Connectivity

Keysight in 5G 3
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Understanding the 5G NR Physical Layer
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3GPP NR ROADMAP & INTRODUCTION

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

3GPP 3GPP 3GPP 3GPP Rel. 17

Rel. 14 Rel. 15 Rel. 16 & beyond

SI: Channel Model Early drop NR spec

(acceleration plan)
SI: Scenarios and
Requirements
First 3GPP NR spec
available
SI: 5G new RAT

WI: 5G new RAT

(Phase 1)

WI: 5G new RAT

(Phase 2)

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2/21/2018
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Up to 50 GHz

2/21/2018
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mmWave 5G band in US

> 24 GHz 27.5 to 28.35GHz 37 to 38.6 38.6 to 40 64 to 71

unlicensed

BW: 850MHz 1600MHz 1400 MHz 7000MHz

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 Fresnel
Zone
R

Free space path loss = 92.45 + 20 Log (distance in km) + 20 log (freq in GHz)
Fresnel zone radius = 17.32 x 𝑑/4𝑓 (d in km, f in GHz) (60% of the zone clear)
Link budget:
Received power = Pt + Gt + Gr – path loss – rain fade (2dB/200m) - shadowing loss (20 to
30dB)– foliage loss (10 to 50dB) – atmosphere absorption – terrain /humility -– Fresnel
blockage – system margin

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 Phone ant

Data stream DL Channel

DL: Known Pilots Transfer
splits into 4
function

UP Channel UP: known Pilots

Transfer
function

- Higher data rate

- Require decent S/N on each stream
- Need sufficient time to train receiver on both ends

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Improve cell throughput

Encoded with
channel info
User 1
User 1 USER 1: single ant
User 2
User 2 Only decode user 1 data
User 3
User 3
User 4
User 4

USER 2: single ant

Only decode user 2 data

Channel
Transfer UP: known Pilots
function USER 3: single ant
Only decode user 3 data

USER 4: single ant

- Only TX keeps the channel information Only decode user 4 data
- Improve overall cell throughput
- Takes time to train BS
- Complexity of coding when user number
increases

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Multiuser MIMO when number of ant. >> number of UE

Massive amount of beams USER 1: single ant

point to single user Only decode user 1 data

Channel USER 2: single ant

Transfer UP: known Pilots Only decode user 2 data
function

• Only BS keeps the channel information

• BS antenna number >> the number of UE
• Each antenna can be controlled (gain and phase)
• Dramatically improves SNR at UE, better overall capacity
• Channel noise can be reduced with increase of number of antenna

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What is beamforming

Delay = 0 Delay ≠ 0

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UE1

Adaptive
beamformer

UE1

Compensation Estimation

Adapts per antenna weightings

and beam pattern to received
signal and channel estimations

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• Carrier
bandwidth: 90
MHz
• Sub carrier
numbers: 1200
• Sub carrier width:
75 kHz
• RB: 900kHz (12
sub carriers) and
1 time slot (7
symbols)

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Waveform, Numerology and Frame Structure
• Resource elements are grouped into Physical Resource
Blocks (PRB)
• Each PRB consists of 12 subcarriers

𝒎𝒊𝒏,𝝁 𝒎𝒂𝒙,𝝁
µ Δf 𝑵𝑹𝑩 𝑵𝑹𝑩

0 15 kHz 20 275
(240 subcarriers) (3300 subcarriers, 49.5 MHz)

1 30 kHz 20 275
(3300 subcarriers, 99 MHz)

2 60 kHz 20 275
(3300 subcarriers, 198 MHz)

3 120 kHz 20 275

(3300 subcarriers, 396 MHz)

4 240 kHz 20 138

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 48 subcarriers 48 subcarriers
(i.e. 4 PRBs) 144 subcarriers (i.e. 12 PRBs) (i.e. 4 PRBs)

127 subcarriers

PSS
4 OFDM Sym bols

PBCH

PBCH SSS PBCH

PBCH

240 subcarriers (i.e. 20 PRBs)

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SS Block 1 SS Block 2 SS Block 3 SS Block 4 SS Block 5

Tim e

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PSS + PBCH+ SSS + PBCH
Beam-sweeping Synchronization Signals
transmission

Beam-sweeping System Information

transmission
Basic information for all UEs

Wide beam sweep

Beam-sweeping Random Access Channel Single-beam or
reception Beam-sweeping
Random Access Response & System
UE-specific Information
selected beam
Required only for UEs after random access

UE-specific Data and control channels

beamforming

Dedicated narrow beam

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• Path loss / link budget verification
• Antenna pattern verification
• Coverage test (OTA on control channels)
• Up and downlink control channel verification
• Band clearing
• eNB spurious evaluation
• Phase array antenna verification
• User experience test

2/21/2018
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Most comprehensive microwave analyzer
Frequency Independent signal generator
4/6.5/9/14/18/26.5/32/44/50

Spectrum analyzer / pre amp / Pulse measurement with SA

Tracking generator and USB Peak Power sensor

Real Time Spectrum Interference analyzer with

Analyzer record and playback

Variable DC source and

Cable and antenna / VNA
current monitor
Light weight: 7.1 lbs (3.2 kg)
Long battery life: 3.5 hrs
Channel scanner Bright display: 6.5 inch TFT Frequency counter
MIL-PRF-28800F Class 2
MIL-STD-810G, 511.5, Proc 1
iOS mapping Type Tested to IP53
Built in GPS Receiver

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Extended Range Transmission Analysis Measurement setup

Radio
Link

Trigger in Trigger out

Trigger out Trigger in

Ethernet cable

• Master / slave architecture

• Trigger in /out keep both box in sync
• Master provide test configuration, data
transfer and final measurement
Transmitter presentation
• Each box can be locked with GPS timing receiver
to get better dynamic range and stability.
• Test / jumper cable loss can be measured
using VNA and recalled as cable loss in
ERTA mode 22
Built in CW generator

300 kHz to 50 GHz

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• Measure and verify sub 6 GHz and mm-wave
frequency spectrum, reflection and penetration for
indoor and outdoor environments

• Measure accurate total channel power level over the

measured bandwidth

• Visualize the measurement results with both indoor

and outdoor maps utilizing feature-rich user interface
together with Keysight’s FieldFox handheld spectrum
analyzer

• Easily generate statistical reports and coverage plots

with data analytic tools

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Antenna pattern verification

Transmitter Ant. Under Test Golden antenna

Spectrum analyzer:
- Zero span
- Sweep time vs antenna
sweep angle

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Sync channel

The following signals are transmitted in the

downlink to facilitate cell search:

- the primary, secondary and extended

synchronization signals.

- Data can tagged with GPS

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Coverage and band clearing

• Channel Power vs location

• Channel power vs time
• Data logging (csv and KML)

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 Latency

Extended Sync Primary Sync Secondary Sync

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Phase Array

Measure the delta phase

and insertion loss between 2
elements

Vector Volt Meter

- A/B measurements

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User experience test – network test solution

Handheld Drive test Scanning In-building Outdoors CEM Autonomous

Nemo Handy Nemo Outdoor Nemo FSR2 Nemo Walker Air Nemo Invex II Nemo Nemo Explorer
(release 02/16) CEM Solution (release 02/16)

Network Network Network

Data Measurement

Network Rollout
Optimization Benchmarking Monitoring

Nemo Cloud (release 02/16)

Centralized web-based service

Data Analytics

Nemo Xynergy Nemo WindCather Nemo Analyze

Post processing and Network analytics

DAS Network Drive CEM

Small Cell Management Test

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Challenges for testing 5G networks:
• Link budget verification to guide RF planning for 28 GHz, 39GHz, and 70+ GHz;
• Quantify the effectiveness of massive MIMO and beamforming;
• Antenna test over the air
Key measurements
• Antenna system and its coverage with beamforming and massive MIMO;
• Uplink, downlink signal verification
• User experience test
FieldFox offers frequency coverage and functions to address the challenging 5G
network deployment and field troubleshooting

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