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WHEN TO USE TOWER MOUNTED AMPLIFIERS GUIDELINE

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TOWER MOUNTED AMPLIFIER GUIDELINE

Ericsson AB 2002
The contents of this product are subject to revision without notice due to continued progress in methodology, design and manufacturing. Ericsson assumes no legal responsibility for any error or damage resulting from usage of this product. This product is classified as Ericsson Commercial In Confidence

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Contents
1 2 3 4 Revision history ..................................................................5 Introduction .........................................................................5 TMA products ......................................................................5 System aspects...................................................................7

4.1 Benefits from introducing TMA...............................................................7 4.2 Considerations when introducing TMA...................................................7

5 Link budget improvement ..................................................9


5.1 Link balance and parameter variations ..................................................9 5.2 TMA benefits ........................................................................................10 5.3 Nominal figures for sensitivity and output power..................................10 5.4 Alternative parameter values................................................................12 5.5 Power balance calculations ..................................................................12 5.6 Link budget improvements ...................................................................14

6 Conclusion ........................................................................19 7 References ........................................................................20

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Revision history
Revision Date Description

Introduction
A Tower Mounted Amplifier (TMA) is mounted in the antenna tower close to the receiving antenna where it amplifies the received signal before it enters the antenna feeder. The benefit of using TMAs is an improved uplink performance. Whether it is recommended to use TMAs depends mainly on which type of Combining and Distribution Unit (CDU) the Radio Base Station (RBS) is equipped with, but also what area type that is to be covered and the network quality ambitions the operator has. This document shall serve as a short guideline describing when it is appropriate to use TMA in the Ericsson GSM system. The document describes the different TMA products, the system aspects of using TMAs and presents the potential link budget improvement by using TMAs. The document only deals with RBS 2000.

TMA products
There are two different types of TMAs: duplex and dual duplex, see Figure 1. TMA Duplex contains one duplex filter so that the TX and RX feeder can be connected to the same antenna. TMA Dual Duplex contains two duplex filters, one before the LNA and one behind. This makes it possible to use only one feeder (TX/RX) between the RBS and the TMA and to use the same antenna for TX/RX. Today, virtually all TMAs sold are Dual Duplex ones. There are two reasons for this: A/ B/ The number of feeders is reduced Only Dual Duplex TMAs are future proof for RBS2106/2206 installations/upgrades.

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Duplex DPX

Dual Duplex DPX

DPX TX RX TX/RX

DPX

: :

Duplex Filter Low Noise Amplifier

Figure 1. Duplex and dual duplex TMA.

The current TMA product range includes the following frequency options:

Table 1. TMA products. Duplex Frequency band [MHz] GSM800, RBS2000 GSM 900, RBS 2000 N/A N/A Band width [MHz] N/A N/A Dual Duplex Frequency band [MHz] 824-849 880-905 or 890-915 1710-1785 1850-1910 Band width [MHz] 25 25

GSM 1800, RBS 2000 GSM 1900, RBS 2000

1710-1785 1850-1910

25, 75 25, 60

30, 75 30, 60

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4
4.1

System aspects
Benefits from introducing TMA
The TMA is mounted in the antenna tower close to the receiving antennas, where it amplifies the received signal before it enters the antenna feeder. Thanks to the additional amplification, the uplink RX sensitivity is improved. There are two reasons for the improvement. Firstly, the feeder loss on the uplink is neutralized. Secondly, the noise figure for the uplink will decrease. In areas where noise (C/N) will limit the cell range, the improved RX sensitivity has a potential of improving the coverage or decreasing the number of sites required for coverage. Also the uplink speech quality and the dropped call rate may be improved. More details under paragraph 5.1. Improvements in speech quality and dropped call rates are often rewarded by an increase in traffic volume and billing. The improved RX sensitivity will decrease the power consumption of the MS. A TMA will however not help against low C/I. This is due to the fact that the TMA will amplify the own signal (C) as well as the interference (I) and thus not increase C/I. In case of limited bandwidth, high traffic areas such as dense city environments will call for tight frequency re-use and reduced cell ranges. The deployment of TMAs under such conditions requires some extra thought. However, if sufficient bandwidth allows TMA deployment without interference constraints, network improvement can also be gained in dense urban environments, including improving indoor coverage quality.

4.2
4.2.1

Considerations when introducing TMA


General
Placing active devices in the antenna tower puts extreme requirements on reliability. The Ericsson TMA is designed for extremely high MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) and has dual LNAs and an optional LNA by-pass functionality, to ensure a problem-free operation. For RBS2106/2206 compatibility and to minimize the number of feeders, the dual duplex TMA has to be used. Todays TMA product range includes full band versions for all GSM bands and all TMA types. Thus, TMA deployment is possible for all operators no matter their frequency allocation from the regulators.

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4.2.2

RXLEV Compensation
Due to its amplification, the TMA will also affect the RXLEV values sent to the BSC. This has to be taken into account during radio network optimization. For example a received signal that without a TMA is measured to be RXLEV = 10 (-100 dBm) would with a TMA having 12 dB amplification be measured as RXLEV = 22. This is an undesired behavior since it would affect parameter settings in the BSC to a large extent. The desired behavior is that the RXLEV values sent to the BSC are the ones corresponding to the locating reference point for sensitivity. If a TMA is used the reference point is defined at the antenna connector of the TMA, see Figure 2.

Reference point with TMA Reference point without TMA Feeder and jumpers RBS TMA

Rx antenna

Figure 2. Locating reference point for sensitivity with and without TMA. To transform the RXLEV values from the usual reference point at the RBS cabinet to a reference point at the antenna connector, the values for the TMA amplification and the antenna feeder loss must be specified in the Installation Data Base (IDB) of the RBS. Information on how to do this can be found in the RBS Site Test Manual.

4.2.3

BSC parameters affected by TMA introduction


For detailed information on BSC parameters influence by the TMA introduction, please refer to the applicable system release documentation.

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5.1

Link budget improvement


Link balance and parameter variations
The RF performance in a cell depends on many factors involved, as will be outlined later in this section. By initially assigning these parameter nominal values, a Nominal Cell Plan, i.e. the first site deployment draft, can be generated. However, it is essential to understand that real-life site performance including the Uplink/Downlink relation follows from actual variations of these parameters and inevitably varies over time for any cell and site. (Ref. Figure 3) Therefore, successive planning must take parameter tolerances and sitespecific aspects etc into account, to generate a realistic cell plan targeted to a desired radio network quality level.
No. of samples

Uplink > Downlink

Downlink > Uplink

TMA Improvement potential zone

Downlink superiority vs Uplink (dB) -Z -Y -X X Y Z

Figure 3. Typical Uplink/Downlink balance distribution

The reasons for the cell-specific link balance variations include: Variations in the MS populations performance. MS output is usually lower than nominal values etc. Variations in real antenna diversity gain, due to relative MS positions, indoor MS usage etc. Downlink slant loss is only to be expected for downlink paths with little or no reflections. Non-stationary reflection patterns Different fading patterns for the uplink compared to the downlink

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5.2

TMA benefits
The benefit from deploying TMAs will depend on whether the site is primarily downlink or uplink limited. Dropped calls appear in areas with marginal coverage, such as: Areas in the cell peripheries Areas suffering from relative RF shadowing Indoor environments In-vehicle communication, where MS is not connected to an external vehicle-mounted antenna

5.2.1

Potential TMA benefits in uplink limited sites:


Improving the geographic area covered, which facilitates the location of suitable site space and ultimately reduces the number of sites required. Up-front investment may be reduced. Also the uplink speech quality and the dropped call rate may be improved. The improved sensitivity can also be used to decrease the power consumption of the MS.

5.2.2

Potential TMA benefits in downlink limited sites:


By further strengthening the uplink, call quality and dropped call rate may be further improved, by minimizing the T_DR_SS_UL (Dropped call rate related to low uplink signal strength).

NOTE: Operator experience has proven that quality improvements and dropped call rate reductions can be expected also in such cells, where the nominal uplink is stronger than the nominal downlink. The reason for this is that nominal parameter figures are an approximation of the radio scenario at hand.

5.3

Nominal figures for sensitivity and output power


In Table 2, sensitivity figures for different CDU types are presented with and without TMA. The improvement at the reference point is approximately 1.5 dB when using the TMA. Note that the reference point of this improved sensitivity is defined at the antenna connector of the TMA (see Figure 2). For an RBS without TMA the reference point is where the feeder cable is connected to the RBS cabinet. This means that the sensitivity improvement by using a TMA is 1.5 dB plus the attenuation in the feeder, i.e. the total sensitivity improvement is typically 3-5 dB.

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Table 2. Nominal sensitivity levels with and without TMA, with reference points according to Figure 2. CDU Sensitivity GSM 800 [dBm] with/withou t TMA n/a n/a n/a n/a -111.5/-110 Sensitivity GSM 900 [dBm] with/withou t TMA -111.5/-110 -111.5/-110 -111.5/-110 -111.5/-110 -111.5/-110 Sensitivity GSM 1800 [dBm] with/withou t TMA -111.5/-110 -111.5/-110 -111.5/-110 -111.5/-110 -111.5/-110 Sensitivity GSM 1900 [dBm] with/withou t TMA -111.5/ N/A -111.5/-110 n/a n/a -111.5/-110

CDU-A CDU-C+ CDU-D CDU-F CDU-G

The sensitivity figures presented in Table 2 are only valid if the loss in the feeder between the TMA and the RBS is less or equal to 4 dB. If the loss is higher the sensitivity will deteriorate according to Table 3. For example if the feeder loss is 8 dB, the sensitivity of an uplink equipped with CDU-A will be 111.5 + 1.5 = -110 dBm. Table 3 Sensitivity deterioration when the loss between the TMA and the RBS exceeds 4 dB. Note that the figures are measured at 12 dB TMA gain. Loss [dB] 4 6 8 10 Sensitivity deterioration [dB] 0 0.5 1.5 2.5

Table 4 shows the TX output power of the RBS for different CDU types. These values are required to analyze whether the RBS should be equipped with a TMA or not.

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Table 4. TX output power defined at the RBS cabinet. Figures excluding the optional software power boost and Coherent Combining features which increase the output power. CDU Output power GSM 800 [dBm] n/a n/a n/a n/a 42.0 / 45.5 1/ Output power GSM 900 [dBm] 44.5 41.0 42.0 43.0 42.0 / 45.5 1/ Output power GSM 1800 [dBm] 43.5 40.0 41.0 42.0 41.0 / 44.5 1/ Output power GSM 1900 [dBm] 43.5 40.0 N/A N/A 41.0 / 44.5 1/

CDU-A CDU-C+ CDU-D CDU-F CDU-G


1/

Output power is 3.5 dB lower when CDU-G is used in Capacity Mode

5.4

Alternative parameter values


Many operators use alternative values for some of the parameters in the power balance calculations (ref. Paragraph 5.5). The reason is to allow for equipment related, site related and MS population related tolerances and in some cases to further improve the network quality. Based on own practical experience, these operators assess the relative uplink strength to be weaker than in this documents nominal parameter results. By doing so, they profit from the TMAs in cases, where a nominal parameter calculation suggest no benefit would be attainable. Paragraph 5.1 outlines why this is possible. Since dropped calls may be further reduced and since no significant negative effects are generated by uplink superiority, it is always good to evaluate the potential benefits of a stronger uplink. In paragraph 5.6, an optional parameter margin to stress this potential is included in Tables 5, 6, 7 and 8. Suggestions on how to perform trial evaluation of TMA benefits are available from Ericsson (ref. 3).

5.5

Power balance calculations


To see whether it is beneficial to use a TMA one can check the power balance of the system assuming that there is no TMA. This can be done using equation (1). 45 polarized antennas and equal feeder loss uplink and downlink are assumed throughout this document. For more information about link budget equations please refer to ref. 1.

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PRBS (bal ) = PMS (max) + Gdiv + Lslant + sens


where PRBS(bal)

(1)

is the RBS output power at the TX reference point to be used in order to achieve a power balance between the uplink and the downlink. The TX reference point is where the feeder is connected to the RBS cabinet. The RBS out put power can be found in Table 4. is the maximum MS output power. Depends on the power class. is the average diversity gain (usually 3.5 dB) is the downlink propagation loss due to 45 polarized antennas (usually 1 dB). is the difference in sensitivity between the MS and RBS, i.e. MSsens - RBSsens. Note that the reference point at the RBS cabinet should be used (see Figure 2). The recommended figure for MS sensitivity is 104 dBm.

PMS(max) Gdiv Lslant

sens

If the maximum output power of the RBS is higher than the balanced one (see equation (1)), the uplink is the limiting link and the link budget can be improved by using a TMA. The link budget improvements calculated according to equation (1) are summarized in section 5.6. If it is decided to use a TMA the balanced RBS output power is given by:

PRBS ( bal ) = PMS (max) + Gdiv + Lslant + sens + L f + j + LTMA


where Lf+j LTMA

(2)

is the loss in feeders and jumpers between the RBS and the TMA is the TX loss in the TMA. For TMA Duplex and Dual Duplex this loss is 0.3 dB. For TMA Simplex there is no TX loss. is the difference in sensitivity between the MS and RBS, i.e. MSsens - RBSsens. Note that the sensitivity reference point of the RBS now is situated at the antenna connector of the TMA.

sens

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5.6
5.6.1

Link budget improvements


GSM800
In Table 5, the link budget improvement of using a TMA in a GSM 800 cell is calculated for the available CDU types. The improvement is calculated according to equation (1) and that network planning must be based on the lower powered mobiles at 29 dBm (0.8 W). To accommodate for equipment related, site related and MS population related tolerances, an uplink limiting adjustment parameter the chart below includes some tolerances. The higher network quality requirements, the more attention should be given to the effect of these tolerances. Table 5. Link budget improvement of using TMAs for GSM800. CDU-G
Capacity

CDU-G
Coverage

PMS(max) [dBm] Gdiv [dB] Lslant [dB] MSsens [dBm] RBSsens [dBm] PRBS(bal) [dBm] PRBS(max) [dBm] Nominal TMA potential [dB] Uplink adjustment 2/ [dB] Adjusted TMA potential 2/ [dB]
1/

29 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 39.5 42.0 1/ 3.5 2-4 5.5-7.5

29 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 39.5 45.5 1/ 6.5 2-4 8.5-10.5

If the features Software Power Boost or Coherent Combining are used, each giving an additional 3 dB downlink power or if space diversity (no downlink slant loss) is used, the link budget calculations should be modified accordingly. Proposed uplink adjustment, as per paragraph 5.4, to capture the full potential in improved call quality and better in-door penetration.

2/

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5.6.2

GSM900
In Table 6, the link budget improvement of using a TMA in a GSM 900 cell is calculated for the available CDU types. The improvement is calculated according to equation (1). To accommodate for equipment related, site related and MS population related tolerances, an uplink limiting adjustment parameter the chart below includes some tolerances. The higher network quality requirements, the more attention should be given to the effect of these tolerances.

Table 6. Link budget improvement of using TMAs for GSM900. CDU-A CDU-C+ (CDU-C) PMS(max) [dBm] Gdiv [dB] Lslant [dB] MSsens [dBm] RBSsens [dBm] PRBS(bal) [dBm] PRBS(max) [dBm] Nominal TMA potential [dB] Uplink adjustment 2/ [dB] Adjusted TMA potential 2/ [dB]
1/

CDU-D CDU-G

CDU-G

CDU-F

Capacity Coverage

33 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 43.5 44.5 1/ 1.0 2-4 3-5

33 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 43.5 41 1/ 0 2-4 0 - 1.5

33 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 43.5 42 0 2-4

33 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 43.5 42.0 1/ 0 2-4

33 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 43.5 45.5 1/ 2.0 2-4 4-6

33 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 43.5 43.0 0 2-4 1.5-3.5

0.5 2.5 0.5 2.5

If the features Software Power Boost or Coherent Combining are used, each giving an additional 3 dB downlink power or if space diversity (no downlink slant loss) is used, the link budget calculations should be modified accordingly. Software power boost is not possible for configurations using CDU-D or CDU-F. Coherent Combining is only available for CDU-G configurations. Proposed uplink adjustment, as per paragraph 5.4, to capture the full potential in improved call quality and better in-door penetration. For GSM900/1800/1900, this adjustment to the theoretical model is necessary, to explain the well-proven TMA network benefits also for CDU types where the Nominal TMA potential is zero.

2/

One of many examples of the validity of the uplink adjustment is a German trial, which led up to a full scale GSM900 TMA deployment onto the Ericsson GSM radio network. Figure 4 below shows this trials Dropped-Call-Rate and

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Traffic as a function of the TMA deployment as well as a change in TX output power. The conclusion that the TMA deployment generates an approximately 50% reduction in the dropped call rate already with the TX output power limited by 4 dB states the case for the Uplink adjustment parameter. Figure 4. Recorded dropped call rate & Traffic volume as a function of
GSM900 TMA deployment and TX output power
Field Trials: Coverage & Quality Improvement at Rural Omni-Site
5 4 3 2 1 0
Date 1: TMAs installed Date 2: BS Tx Power increased by 2 dB Date 3: BS Tx Power increased by 4 dB
Dropped Call Rate [%] TCH Traffic [Erlang]

10

13

16

19

22

25

28

31

34

37

40

43

46

49

Day

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5.6.3

GSM1800
In Table 7, link budget improvement of using a TMA in a GSM 1800 cell is calculated for various CDU types. The improvement is calculated according to equation (1).

Table 7. Link budget improvement of using TMAs for GSM1800. CDU-A CDU-C+ (CDU-C) PMS(max) [dBm] Gdiv [dB] Lslant [dB] MSsens [dBm] RBSsens [dBm] PRBS(bal) [dBm] PRBS(max) [dBm] Nominal TMA potential [dB] Uplink adjustment 2/ [dB] Adjusted TMA potential 2/ [dB]
1/

CDU-D

CDU-G
Capacity

CDU-G
Coverage

CDU-F

30 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 40.5 43.5 1/ 3.0 2-4 5-7

30 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 40.5 40 1/ 0 2-4 1.5 3.5

30 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110


40.5

30 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110


40.5

30 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110


40.5

30 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110


40.5

41 1/ 0.5 2-4 2.5 4.5

41 0.5 2-4 2.5-4.5

44.5 4 2-4 6-8

42 1.5 2-4 3.5-5.5

If the features Software Power Boost or Coherent Combining are used, each giving an additional 3 dB downlink power or if space diversity (no downlink slant loss) is used, the link budget calculations should be modified accordingly. Software power boost is not possible for configurations using CDU-D or CDU-F. Coherent Combining is only available for CDU-G configurations. Proposed uplink adjustment, as per paragraph 5.4, to capture the full potential in improved call quality and better in-door penetration. For GSM900/1800/1900, this adjustment to the theoretical model is necessary, to explain the well-proven TMA network benefits also for CDU types where the Nominal TMA potential is zero.

2/

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5.6.4

GSM1900
In Table 8, the link budget improvement of using a TMA in a GSM 1900 cell. The improvement is calculated according to equation (1). Table 8 Link budget improvement of using TMAs for CDU C and CDU-C+ at GSM1900. For CDU-A TMA is mandatory. CDU-C+ (CDU-C) PMS(max) [dBm] Gdiv [dB] Lslant [dB] MSsens [dBm] RBSsens [dBm] PRBS(bal) [dBm] PRBS(max) [dBm] Nominal TMA potential [dB] Uplink adjustment 2/ [dB] Adjusted TMA potential 2/ [dB]
1/

CDU-D CDU-G
Capacity

CDU-G
Coverage

30 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 40.5 40 1/ 0 2-4 1.53.5

30 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110


40.5

30 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 40.5 41 0.5 2-4 2.54.5

30 3.5 1 1/ -104 -110 40.5 44.5 4 2-4 6-8

41 1/ 0.5 2-4 2.54.5

If the features Software Power Boost or Coherent Combining are used, each giving an additional 3 dB downlink power or if space diversity (no downlink slant loss) is used, the link budget calculations should be modified accordingly. Software power boost is not possible for configurations using CDU-D or CDU-F. Coherent Combining is only available for CDU-G configurations. Proposed uplink adjustment, as per paragraph 5.4, to capture the full potential in improved call quality and better in-door penetration. For GSM900/1800/1900, this adjustment to the theoretical model is necessary, to explain the well-proven TMA network benefits also for CDU types where the Nominal TMA potential is zero.

2/

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Conclusion
The Rayleigh fading is different on the uplink and the downlink. In a nonfrequency hopping cell it could occasionally happen that only the uplink suffers from a fading dip. In these situations the improved sensitivity of the TMA would be beneficial even if it according to strict link budget calculations would be superfluous. Another aspect is that the link budget calculations are based on an MS sensitivity of -104 dBm and MS output power of 33 dBm and 30 dBm for GSM900 and GSM800/1800/1900 respectively. Given todays MS featuring dual and triple band capability, built-in antenna technology and the race for the best stand-by and talk-time performance, it is to be assumed that a modern MS population will deviate from these values. In the process of cell planning, all mobiles (old as well as newer ones) should be considered. Thus by adopting the uplink adjustment calculations in paragraph 5.6, we can understand why many operators install TMAs for all CDU types. Note that the link budgets are calculated for standard configurations. If the feature Software Power Boost is used, the calculation s should be modified according to footnotes 1/. To capture the full potential in improved call quality and better in-door penetration, calculation modification according to foot notes 2/ is advisable. Lastly, remember that a TMA does not improve C/I. Thus, in areas where it is interference rather than noise that limits the system performance (for example in cities with tight frequency re-use) it is questionable whether to use TMA. Also note that in these types of environment it has shown that it is the downlink and not the uplink that suffers from the worst quality. Efforts to improve the uplink will therefore not contribute so much to the overall speech quality.

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References

ref. 1 ref. 2 ref. 3 ref. 4

RF Guidelines GSM900 (1800, 1900) MHz 16 (17,18) /100 56-HSC 103 12 Rev B, 2001 Sensitivity figures and output power for RBS2000 Macro LRN/X-98:033 Rev H, 2001 TMA Field Trial Recommendations Guideline RSA 100 56 - 102 Uen Rev A 2002-05-28 Tower Mounted Amplifiers Guideline The Ericsson GSM System R7 5/100 56 HSC 103 12 Uen Rev B, 1999

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