Challenges in 3G Network Design

Written By: Dr. Usman Goni & Vikrant Tannan

INTRODUCTION
Third generation (3G) wireless networks have been heralded to be the ultimate mobile access platform where electronic commerce can be made ubiquitous through universal personal communications. The emergence of Mobile ecommerce (m-commerce) coupled with rich content provisioning, as well as the need for increased voice capacity have propelled the development of 3G infrastructure supporting additional services such as true multimedia and other Internet related applications. In order to create a mass market that remains attractive to subscribers, certain requirements must be met. First of all, the system coverage reliability must not only be high but sustainable. Secondly, the system should provide sufficiently high capacity to contain busy hour traffic surges, and thirdly, it should be affordable. To successfully meet these challenges in a wireless environment, 3G mobile systems must provide full area coverage better than second-generation (2G) systems, and support high peak bit-rate of service mix, meaning integrated voice, data and other real-time multimedia services. Although specifications for the 3G systems that will deliver these services consistent with the target quality requirements have been made and refined under the collaboration of various partnership projects, actual service implementation procedures are not well understood. However, planning and design of both the radio frequency (RF) and backbone networks are fundamental to the successful implementation of the 3G services. In this discourse, the challenges in designing the 3G RF and core networks to expand current network capacity as well as support future services are explored.

To continue with this article you have two options: Web Based: Click here to view the Next Page Acrobat Reader: Click here to view the PDF Version

Top of Page

Challenges in 3G Network Design (continued)

s

Introduction

3G R.F. Networks

3G Backbone Networks

Conclusion

3G R.F. NETWORKS
Traditional planning and design of the Radio Frequency (RF) portions of 2G wireless networks have been based on the criteria that network traffic (mostly voice and limited data) is circuit-switched. On this basis, the network is designed using actual or projected subscriber usage (in Erlangs) at the busy hour contingent upon the available spectrum and radio resource at the base station. Network planning tools are extensively used to incorporate databases for real-world scenarios of the particular locations where the network is designed to operate. Once the maximum distance over which a link between the user terminal and the serving base station is appropriately established, the effect of other user signals are then included to determine additional performance degradation due to noise and interference. This way, the network is optimally designed using one of the following approaches:

For non-CDMA based networks such as GSM and IS-136, certain quality criteria are established from link budget calculations and network-planning tools are configured to analyze coverage and capacity performance of the network. For 2G CDMA based networks, after the initial link budget, iterative design procedures are used wherein several snap shots of the actual user behavior and the changing radio environment are simulated to derive performance results using network planning tools.

Although the same propagation algorithms are used in both TDMA-based and CDMA-based designs, the coverage and capacity performance of CDMA systems are not mutually exclusive. A high-level representation of the approach to 3G RF network design is shown below.

Considerations in WCDMA RF network design includes the following:

Coupled behavior of coverage and capacity in CDMA networks Interference dynamics due to changing user profiles Variable rate data services supported under various quality of services classes Multi platform user terminals supported under 3G Soft handoff overhead requirements Selection of optimal technology migration paths Site selection requirements and co-location strategy

Challenges of RF Network Design

Intercell and Intracell interference pose a great challenge to CDMA system coverage and capacity performance. The interference in WCDMA system is highly dynamic, due to both changing user profiles and the local environment. A combination of multi-user interference, narrow band and wide band interference are major considerations in determining the forward and reverse links performance of WCDMA systems. Unlike in TDMA systems where estimation of mean signal levels was enough to determine best server coverage thresholds, CDMA systems QoS and capacity performance are interference driven, making coverage and capacity to be mutually non-exclusive. In other words, interference in a CDMA system changes with traffic loading to the extent that overload control thresholds are predefined in the planning process. Whilst it is sufficient to use link budgets to estimate cell size for initial 3G planning, the criteria for actual network dimensioning will be upper bounded by the traffic demand density, range limitations due to the mobile transmit power ceiling, and interference conditions. A performance curve for the reverse link of CDMA systems is shown below.

The 3G deployment locations will include macrocells, microcells and picocells. These coverage scenarios have different channel conditions that include line-ofsight (LOS), non-LOS and obstructed LOS. The model used to define the mobile terminal under each scenario needs to consider the network configuration, services offered and other user mobility conditions. These factors influence all the different QOS and GOS parameters including throughput and reliability. Coupled with long-term fading requirements, the number of Rake fingers and searcher characteristics should be analyzed for the different network layers so that performance objectives are achieved. But what determines capacity of a 3G CDMA system? Clearly, the user traffic loading and the available base station power impacts both the range and capacity supported by the network. The ability of the Rake receivers to track and lock on to multipath impacts the performance of the network. Since more than one user terminal type (mobile phone, PDAs, multimedia terminal, etc.) may be used in the 3G wireless environment, these devises have different characteristics. Another design capacity consideration is soft handoff, which occurs as a result of macro diversity combining of signals from two or more sites. Associated with this is the need for additional processing elements at the secondary base station. Such soft handoff plus signaling overhead affects total network capacity. Therefore in designing the network, the actual capacity estimates for different service mix will be a challenging task, given the variability of user profiles and user terminal characteristics. Although elaborate frequency planning is not required in CDMA systems, code planning is essential for expediting resource allocation to subscribers during the access process. Determining the code allocation strategy is dictated by the optimal search window size for the local environment. Depending on the 3Gnetwork type, appropriate code reuse schemes need to be devised during the planning process. The reuse plan should have allowance made for incorporating additional growth sites in hot traffic spots as demands increase over time. Site and traffic distribution affects system capacity. Discontinuity (burstiness) of

packet data traffic creates dynamic loading on the network radio interface. Delay requirements for different data services including ARQ schemes, as well as the strict delay conditions of real-time services become difficult to provision for in a mixed traffic environment. Given the multitude of network performance issues, 3G RF planning requires a combination of iterative procedures for determining coverage and capacity conditions that best serve the different traffic mix. Although the operator may at the onset assign priorities to real-time services, multipath channel conditions and user interference precludes the support of guaranteed data services. Therefore, service negotiations between the user (mobile terminal) and the base station under the supervision of the network controller to determine optimal service rates have been defined. This dynamic rate selection allows appropriation of network resources commensurate with the operating channel characteristics on a specific user link. The network planner needs to consider these and other traffic dynamics in estimating capacity and coverage performance of 3G systems.

It has been estimated by various industry analysts that the volume of data traffic will total 65% of the mobile traffic in 2005. This traffic volume spans different data mixes and types, each of which bears a unique behavior and therefore, different QoS requirements. Although variable QoS criteria is a positive feature of 3G systems since it provides scalable and higher capacity, its demands on network optimization requirements require detailed analysis of varying user scenarios within the network. Whilst the quality parameters for voice services include coverage (indoors, invehicle), call success rate (dropped, blocked, failed) and call quality (Frame Error Rate-FER, Mean Opinion Scores-MOS, or Audio Quality Scores-AQS), the same objectives are not applicable to packet data. In addition to reliable coverage, the packet data services quality parameters include bit-error-rate (BER), throughput and delay. These metrics are not only new random variables on the RF design block, but have added new dimensions to the RF design paradigm.
Currently, wireless network operators are faced with several options for evolving their 2G networks to support advanced data services over packet based core networks. The various network upgrade options (through 2.5G technologies) have different implications in terms of compatibility with 2G legacy networks as well as costs associated with the upgrades. Both technical and cost considerations influence the adoption of any migration path to 3G. The particular path taken by an operator should be that path that optimizes on capital investments, maximizes affordable content and values to subscribers and lends itself to seamless network interoperability with existing infrastructure for 2G. Since 3G networks will demand more cells in high capacity, high data usage locations, the cell density will typically be higher than existing 2G networks. In a power controlled system, with everything else considered, placing base stations close to operating mobiles reduces interference on both links and conversely, mobiles operating far from the serving base stations increase interference on both links. Hence, a critical consideration for selecting 3G WCDMA cell site

location is the traffic density of the area to be served.

Hot traffic spots for cell location Sparse traffic spots for handoff overlap

Clearly, the objectives are to minimize soft handoff overhead from excessive usage at the cell edges, as well as minimize interference throughout the system.
To be successful, 3G operators need to reduce and better manage their capital and operational expenses. The most valid first step towards achieving this objective is to create a reuse strategy of existing wireless sites through collocation. However, the potential for inter-modulation interference and receiver desensitization due to an increase in the noise floor need to be studied. Isolation requirements fulfilling co-existence of 3G and other existing wireless system are necessary.

3G BACKBONE NETWORKS
Backbone Network Evolution

Top of Page

The advent of third generation mobile wireless networks will bring about significantly different traffic from second-generation networks. The emphasis in the design of second-generation networks was on voice traffic, with minor amounts of data traffic. As such, second generation networks were inherently circuit-switched networks. To efficiently accommodate the increase in data traffic in 3G systems, packet-switching techniques will be introduced into the mobile wireless network backbone. In circuit-switching, a channel is held for exclusive use of a call, for the duration of the call. Using a voice call as an example, since a typical call uses a channel approximately fifty percent of the time, the remaining capacity of that channel is wasted. In packet-switching, however, a channel may be shared amongst several users. Even though several users may be connected, they may not have any data to send at every given moment; thus, packet-switching takes advantage of statistical multiplexing to share channels amongst several users.
The technology of third generation networks has been designed to handle circuit-switched as well as packet-switched connections. The driving forces behind third generation networks are a need for supporting the ever-growing amounts of data traffic, as well as bringing about higher capacity for voice.

Current second generation backbone networks are designed to handle circuitswitched traffic. The above images shows a generic second-generation Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) architecture. In this figure, interfaces to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), gateways to services such as SMS and intelligent network, OMC, NMC, billing system, etc., are not shown. To support packet-switched traffic, third-generation core networks will evolve from 2.5G networks, which will require addition of a packet-switched portion to the core network, and packet-switched infrastructure. In the first stage of third generation core networks, packet and circuit-switched traffic will share the transport medium up to the BSC. At the BSC, while the circuit-switched traffic will follow its usual path, packet-switched traffic will take a separate path through the packetswitched portion of the core network. This is especially true for third generation networks that will evolve from existing second generation networks. The below image displays a third generation network architecture.

For the second stage of third generation mobile wireless networks, the proposed network architecture for the backbone network is an all-IP network. Several options exist, depending upon whether a legacy network exists, and backward compatibility is necessary, or if the network is for an operator without a legacy network. For operators with a legacy network in place, a smooth transition to an all-IP network calls for retaining MSCs, but with gateways handling the interconnection to PSTN networks. The gateways also handle interconnection from the IP network to the PSTN. This option is there to support secondgeneration mobile phones in a market. For this option, an example network is shown below.

For the case where an operator is not constrained by a second-generation network, the all-IP network architecture is truly all-IP, not requiring the services of MSCs. That is the primary difference between a completely new network, and one that is an upgrade to a legacy network. For this type of network, some sort of VoIP or voice-over-packet standard, such as H.323, will be used for voice services.

The use of an all-IP network will bring about the following benefits: Better utilization efficiency of links due to statistical multiplexing of data from different users Reduced cost due to the packet transport Use of a single type of network to offer service to all types of applications, voice and data Improved access to Internet-based applications through the use of IPbased mobile terminals, thus providing seamless end-to-end services

Challenges of Packet-Switched Backbone Network Design

A primary issue that operators will face for packet-switched traffic is how to manage quality of service (QoS) for packet-switched traffic. Unlike QoS objectives for circuit-switched traffic in mobile wireless networks, which is typically measured in terms of the maximum blocking rate, QoS for packetswitched traffic is primarily measured in terms of Delay and Throughput. This will affect the choice of transport technology selected for the packet-switched core network, whether IP or ATM. ATM is a connection-oriented packet-switching technology, which has some built-in QoS mechanisms. IP, on the other hand, is a connectionless technology, that has no inherent QoS mechanisms. Also, for real-time services, a

connection-oriented technology is usually better, primarily due to the lowered delay variation or jitter. Delay variation is the time difference between arrivals of subsequent packets, and is especially important for real-time services. For example, voice services cannot suffer more than a certain amount of delay variation. The statistical multiplexing of packets for different users can cause delay variation, or due to the different paths packets may take, causing a variation in the inter-arrival time between packets. The tradeoff between different technologies is in terms of bandwidth efficiency, delay, delay variation, and cost. Determining which technology is better under what circumstances, as well as which is better for long-term evolution is a primary challenge that operators will face. At the onset of the introduction of packet-switched data services, the majority of traffic is likely to be to or from the Internet, where most of the applications are likely to reside. Hence, most of the packet-switched traffic will simply traverse the network to the gateway devices to the Internet. However, as the data traffic grows, Mobile Station (MS) to Mobile Station traffic will grow, thus affecting the design of the packet-switched network. Whereas in the former case, the majority of the traffic is to or from the Internet, in the latter case, the network has to handle traffic between several locations. Locations, as defined here, mean the locations of ATM switches or IP routers, or essentially, traffic nodes. Over time, as the nature of the traffic changes from one where it is primarily to and from the Internet to increasingly inter-personal traffic, the packet-switched network will have to evolve to conform to the nature of this traffic. Designing the initial packet-switched network is in itself a challenge. Designing it for scalability to allow a smooth expansion of the backbone network, and for a given reliability is another challenge. Other hurdles are making certain that QoS objectives are met, both for delay-tolerant data traffic, as well as real-time traffic. Following are the primary high-level tasks in designing the packet-switched portion of a backbone network:

Understand the nature of packet-switched traffic Determine the QoS requirements for different types of traffic Select appropriate transport technologies Decide on a network architecture (interconnection between traffic nodes) Select the appropriate network infrastructure (routers / switches / other traffic nodes) Estimate quantities of infrastructure equipment required to support a given amount of offered traffic Dimension links between traffic nodes Engineer the introduction of voice-over-packet services into the network

All these tasks have to be performed for desired network reliability, requiring considerations of traffic path redundancy and thus traffic node interconnectivity, as well as with cost considerations. Unlike the design of circuit-switched legacy core networks, that deal primarily with voice traffic, a packet-switched backbone network has to deal with various types of data traffic, eventually including

packetized voice, with varying QoS requirements, thus making the design of the core network a significant challenge.

CONCLUSION

Top of Page

The standardization for third-generation (3G) mobile communications has enabled the combination of high-speed mobile access with Internet Protocol (IP) based services. With 3G systems, there will be a significant synergetic effect between the IP world and mobile communications. Current mobile networks were designed for narrow band voice and data traffic. The emerging 3G networks have been designed with wideband capabilities, allowing significantly higher data rates for mobile multimedia and Internet-based services of the future. The effects of the introduction of packet-switched services as well as higher data rates will pose significant challenges to the design of the R.F. and backbone networks. Designing 3G networks will introduce another dimension of complexity relative to the design of 2G networks. Starting from the initial stages, such as accurately estimating cell counts for business planning purposes, to performing the actual design and then optimization, requires specialized knowledge and know-how. Link budgets, crucial tools for accurate site counts, simple spreadsheets for 2G systems, are complex programs for 3G. Dealing with multiple mixes of packet and circuit-switched traffic, all with varying QoS requirements, adds another dimension of complexity, as does managing the complex inter-relationship between capacity and coverage for multiple service types for CDMA networks. Building the backbone network requires an operator to make several decisions, all of which will affect the scalability, reliability, quality, and cost of the network.
Top of Page