ITSF 09 - Time & Sync in Telecoms

3rd-5ft November 2009 - Rome

WCDMA RAN IP backhauling

TIM Network Architecture and Synchronization aspects
TIM - Telecom Italia Alessandro Guerrieri
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Agenda

Synchronization in 3G Radio Access Network

Iub interface evolution from ATM to IP

Iub over IP and synchronization solutions

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Synchronization in 3G Radio Access Network

Radio Access Network

Core Network

MSC

Uu
Radio Interface Synchronization
frequency error < 50 ppb

RBS

Iub

RNC

Iu

MGW SGSN

Frame Synchronization Node Synchronization Network Synchronization

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Synchronization in 3G Radio Access Network

Network Synchronization is responsible for the distribution of clocks, and allows the clocks to operate at the same frequency in different nodes. Note that clock in this context does not deal with the time of day, but with frequency only.

Node Synchronization is the basis for the numbering of frames between the RNC and RBS nodes, and for frame timing. The correct operation of Node Synchronization is dependent on the proper operation of Network Synchronization. Frame Synchronization is responsible for the numbering of user frames, and for the transmission and reception of frames to and from the RNC node at the correct times, to compensate for transfer and processing delay in the RNC-RBS path. The correct operation of Frame Synchronization in the Intra-RNS case is dependent on the proper operation of the Node Synchronization.
Radio Interface Synchronization is responsible for the alignment of radio frames between the RBS and the UE.
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Iub interface evolution

in TIM Radio Access Network

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Iub Interface over ATM: the 3GPP Standard

Radio Network Control Plane Transport Network Control Plane User Plane

Radio Network Layer

Node B Application Part (NBAP)

Radio Layer Protocols

PCH FP

TFCI2 FP

RACH FP

FACH FP

DSCH FP

USCH FP

CPCH FP

DCH FP

ALCAP Q.2630.1 Q.2150.2

Transport Layer

SSCF-UNI SSCOP AAL Type 5

SSCF-UNI SSCOP AAL Type 5 ATM Physical Layer AAL Type 2

Transport Layer Protocols (TNL)

ALCAP protocol stack: for AAL2 connections setup

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RAN Reference architecture before 2005

UTRAN
Iub

Core Network

BTS

Iub, Mub

BTS

ATM Sw

MSC

BTS

SDH
BTS

RNC
ATM Sw Iub Iur Iu

MGW SGSN

SDH
Iub, Mub
Iub

Iu

RNC BTS
ATM Sw
Iur Iub

BTS

E1 Links STM1 links (local)

MSC
MGW
Iu

BTS

ATM Sw

BTS
BTS
Iub, Mub

SDH

ATM Sw

RNC

SGSN
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UTRAN Protocol layers - Iub over ATM

Radio Application Layer WCDMA Radio Application Channels
AAL2 AAL5 AAL0

Radio Network Layer

Specified by 3GPP

ATM Adaptation Layer ATM Layer

Transport Network Layer

Common ITU-T specifications used

VC

(Virtual Channel)

VP (Virtual Path)
Physical Layer

E1 - STM1 (PDH-SDH)
ATM Transport according to 3GPP R99

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UTRAN Protocol layers - ATM over Eth (generic)

Radio Application Layer WCDMA Radio Application Channels
AAL2 AAL5 AAL0

Radio Network Layer

Specified by 3GPP

ATM Adaptation Layer ATM Layer

Transport Network Layer

Common ITU-T specifications used

VC

(Virtual Channel)

VP (Virtual Path)
PWE3 (Martini circuits) over Eth
Electrical / Optical - GbE

Eth Layer

Physical Layer

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RAN Reference architecture after 2005

UTRAN
Iub

Core Network

BTS

BTS
Iub, Mub
GTW-A
GTW-B

ATM Sw

MSC RNC
Iub Iur Iu

BTS

MGW SGSN

OPM
BTS BTS BTS
E1 Links STM1 links (local)

Iu Iub, Mub
GTW-A

RNC
Iub

ATM Sw
Iur

MSC
MGW
Iu

Iub

BTS

ATM Sw

BTS
BTS
Iub, Mub
GTW-A

OPM

GTW-B

RNC

SGSN
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Iub over TI GbE backbone

E1
RNC
GTW-A GTW-B

OPM TI
RNC

E1

(GbE)
E1
Link E1 Link STM-1 VC 12 Link STM-1 VC 4 Ethernet

OSS

GTW-A

E1

ATM
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ATM PWE3/Ethernet
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ATM
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Iub (ATM) over GbE

3G
SOL rame Centrale di attestazione ADM

metro

GTW_A

feeder Rete ottica metropolitana

GTW_B

RNC

SDH
NodeB
Modem SHDSL Modem SHDSL
ADM 8630

OPM
CWDM 8840 STM1

CWDM

metro Circuito ATM PWE3 (Martini circuits) VLAN per UMTS nxE1 SOL SDH DWDM GBE Infr. GBE nxSTM1 SDH

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Iub over IP

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UTRAN Iub over ATM

Radio Application Layer WCDMA Radio Application Channels
AAL2 AAL5 AAL0

Radio Network Layer

Specified by 3GPP

ATM Adaptation Layer ATM Layer

Transport Network Layer

Common ITU-T specifications used

VC

(Virtual Channel)

VP (Virtual Path)
Physical Layer

Physical Connection (E1/E3/STM1)

ATM Transport according to 3GPP R99

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UTRAN Iub over IP

Radio Application Layer WCDMA Radio Application Channels

Radio Network Layer

Specified by 3GPP

Transport Network Layer

Common ITU-T specifications used

Transport Layer

IP
Electrical / Optical (GbE)

Physical Layer

ATM Transport according to 3GPP R99

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Iub over IP Protocol Stack

Radio Network Control Plane Radio Network Layer

Network Synch

Radio Network User Plane

NBAP

NW Sync

DCH, HS-DSCH, E-DCH FACH, PCH, RACH FPs and Node Sync (over FACH)

Transport Network Layer

NTP (**)

SCTP (*) IP
Ethernet

UDP IP Ethernet

UDP IP Ethernet

(*) SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) (**) NTP (Network Time Protocol )

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Iub over IP

Eth
RNC

Eth

Eth
RNC

OPM

Eth

Eth
Link E1 Link STM-1 VC 12

OSS

Link STM-1 VC 4
Ethernet

Eth

IP
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IP
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IP
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Iub over IP Architecture (FTTB)

NodeB
GE
Optical Fiber Ring

Remote Feeder
SL Site GE SGU Site
1GE 1GE 1GE

OPM
Metro FEEDER

naked fiber

METRO

METRO di raccolta
GE

10GE

10GE

Optical Network

DWDM or naked fiber

RNC
1GE 10GE

10GE

GE

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Iub over IP - Layer 3 Architecture

RPS
Layer 3 connection MdR = Def Gateway

HSRP
Layer 3 connection MdR = Def Gateway

MdR

Remote Feeder

Eth

Eth

OPM
Optical Packed Metro Layer 2 Network

RNC
RSTP

MdR
Remote Feeder

Eth

RdG

DCN (OSS)
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HSRP

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Synchronization over IP solution

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Network Synchronization over IP

Iu over IP/ETH Iu over ATM/SDH

Client - Server synchronization architecture.

A Network Synch NTP Server is integrated in RNC and a client is in RBS

2 MHz
SS

GPS
SASE

Synch - Server connection is based on NTP

Protocol (Network Time Protocol) over UDP/IP

NTP

Network synchronization for an IP connected

RBS is achieved by aligning the frequency of the RBS to the frequency of an NTP server with traceability to a G.811 source.

IP/Ethernet Network

RBSs are synchronized using ad hoc clock

recovery algorithm that uses NTP packets (OCXO in RBS)
SC SS SC SC Synchronization Server Synchronization Client

No other synchronization functionalities

required (external devices, Synch nodes, GPS etc.)
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Network Sync details

Iu over ATM (SDH)

RNC
Sync Client

Iub over IP

Sync Server

Timing Unit

Core Network

In order to meet performance requirements, the Synch Client sends an NTP request at regular intervals. The regulator selects the NTP packet frequency based on its need. The range of 1-10 packets per second. The higher request frequency is used at start-up or acquisition to make convergence time shorter, and then when steady state is reached, the rate is decreased.

RNC
Sync Client

Iu over IP
SASE

Iub over IP

Sync Server

Timing Unit

Core Network

In case Iu is connected only over IP, there will be no transmission interface available from which the RNC can take its synchronization. In this case, the RNC must take its synchronization from the physical synchronization port on its Timing Unit. The signal to this physical synchronization port can be e.g. a 2.044 MHz signal from a SASE, or from an SDH multiplexer on site
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Iub over IP Network Synch Protocol Stack

Radio Network Control Plane Radio Network Layer

Network Synch

Radio Network User Plane

NBAP

NW Sync

DCH, HS-DSCH, E-DCH FACH, PCH, RACH FPs and Node Sync (over FACH)

Transport Network Layer

NTP (**)

SCTP (*) IP
Ethernet

UDP IP Ethernet

UDP IP Ethernet

(*) SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) (**) NTP (Network Time Protocol )

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Backhauling requirements for Iub over IP

Service requirements: no additional requirement for the backhauling IP

network compared to the "ATM over GbE" solution.

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Backhauling requirements for Iub over IP

The max PDV is generally not a sufficient requirement for the purpose of qualifying a packet network as able to carry timing over packets. This is especially true in the definition of the start up conditions: in this case the PDV statistics is fundamental (e.g. in order to select a suitable number of good packets)

Current requirement in TIM network: when best 1% packets

have less than 20 microseconds delay variation, locking happens quite fast (<16 minutes) However when longer starting periods are acceptable, the limits might be expressed in terms of PDV (i.e. 99% of the packets below x ms depending on the actual acceptable start up period). The assumption is also that changes in the PDV disitribution are detected. After the clock has been locked, the PDV limits (e.g. 99% of packets < 10 ms) can also be considered sufficient thanks to OCXO stability (that can keep few ppb per day). Note: an alternative approach often used is to specify the requirements in terms of G.8261 (i,e, test cases 12 to 17 in Appendix VI.5.2 with traffic model 2 according to Appendix VI.2.2). However this is sometimes not practical.
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Lowest delay distribution

PDV distribution

PDV distribution

x msec

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TI Optical Packet Metro 100 Node Bs active today

NodeB
GE
Optical Fiber Ring

Remote Feeder
SL Site GE SGU Site
1GE 1GE 1GE

OPM
Metro FEEDER

naked fiber

METRO

METRO di raccolta
GE

10GE

10GE

Optical Network
DWDM or naked fiber

RNC
1GE 10GE
10GE

GE

using Iub over IP and optical fiber FTTB with dedicated naked fiber (no GPON) Project started in 1H 2008 Hundreds of Nobe B over IP planned for 2009-2010 Very stable solution No synchronization problems

24 MdR (Metro di Raccolta) 60 Metro 30 sites 70 Metro Feeder 180 Remote Feeder (180 SGU sites) OPM Load between Feeder and Metro: 5%-10% Number of nodes between Node B and RNC: 4 (Remote Feeder, Metro Feeder,
Metro, MdR) OPM Traffic Handling: QoS priority (3 queues)
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QoS for Iub over IP

QoS separation at IP level, using DSCP (Differentiated Services Code

Points). [0...63].

QoS separation at Ethernet level by using the Priority Bits (L2 Ethernet
priority 802.1p). P-bit [0..7]

Bearer X
Bearer Y Bearer Z

DSCPX
DSCPY DSCPZ

P-BitX
P-BitY P-BitZ

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QoS Mapping TIM choices

3 QoS Priority Levels Maximum: Network Synchronization and Conversational/Streaming traffic Medium: PS R99 DCHs and NBAP signaling Best effort: HSDPA/HSUPA

Layer 3: DSCP High Priority 46 Sync

Layer 2: P-bit 5
Sync, CS, Stream

18 CS & Stream
22
PS R99, NBAP

Medium Priority Best Effort

3
PS R99, NBAP

0
HSxPA

0
HSxPA

Our Optical Packed Metro is a Layer 2 network working with 3 P-bit values (5, 3, 0), so we had to adapt the mapping of DSCP to P-bit to the existing situation.
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QoS Mapping TIM choices (2)

Layer 3: DSCP Layer 2: P-bit

46 Sync 18 CS & Stream

22 PS R99, NBAP

5 Sync, CS, Stream

3 PS R99, NBAP

0 HSxPA

0 HSxPA

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Conclusions
Iub over IP is the solution for:
the transport bottlenecks removal the evolution of the network towards new services: HSDPA Evolution 64QAM (up to 21 Mbps) HSDPA Evolution MIMO (up to 28 Mbps) HSDPA Evolution MultiCarrier (up to 42 Mbps) LTE (150/300 Mbps)

Live traffic shows good performance and no quality, reliability or

throughput variations. Iub over IP (optical fiber) deployment started in 1H 2008 100 Node Bs active today using Iub over IP and optical fiber Hundreds of Nobe B over IP planned for 2009-2010 in the TIM Radio Access Network

Iub over IP (with sync based on NTP over IP) is a very stable solution:
no synchronization problems in real network (18 months)
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Acknowledgements:
Lorella Parmeggiani
(TI Opical Packet Metro Engeniering)

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Thanks for Your Attention Alessandro Guerrieri

TIM Telecom Italia Wireless Access Engineering

alessandro.guerrieri@telecomitalia.it

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