Wireless Fronthaul: Key enabler for C-RAN

Wireless Fronthaul Technology : A key enabler for Cloud RAN

Walner SAINT-AUBIN

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved Paris May 22nd 2014

Cloud RAN 2014-

EBlink at a glance Pioneering Wireless Fronthaul since 2005

•

Founded in 2005 by Alain Rolland and Christian Bittar

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Practical solution for faster and easier mobile networks deployment

•

Offices in Paris , France and Silicon Valley, US

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1st generation deployed with tier 1 in Europe, Africa, etc.

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2nd generation (wireless CPRI), field-proven solution and demonstrated radio KPIs similar to fiber RRH

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Industry leading spectral efficiency

EBlink leading Wireless Fronthaul

Fiber & wireless

Wireless Fronthaul is required For C-RAN success

2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved


Wireless Fronthaul requirements • Addressing flexibility and capacity challenges • High radio link capacity to support typical end user data rates for LTE and beyond :10X-100X compared the current LTE end user data rates • High spectral efficiency • Multi wireless technologies: 3G, 4G, 5G • Facilitating very dense deployments of wireless fronthaul links to connect Cloud-RAN to several RRHs

• Assuring high quality of service delivery for an optimum user experience • • • • •

Network accessibility Network integrity Network retainability Network mobility Availability

• Provide a cost-efficiency solution

• More options for MNOs • Reducing TCO • Ensuring a secured and faster roll out



Meeting key CPRI Line Rate • CPRI Line Bit Rate*

• Example of CPRI configuration LTE 2x2 MIMO

• Example of CPRI Line Bite Rate requirements for a typical site configuration

*Source: CPRI Specification V6.0 (2013-08-30 ) 2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved


Which frequency bands for Wireless Fronthaul?

ISM band

• Radio-frequency channel arrangements

5

10 6 7/8 11 13 15

20 18

30 23

26 28

32

40

50

38 42 - 43.5GHz 52 55

7 GHz channel

2x5 GHz channel

V-Band

E-Band

60 57 – 64 GHz

70

80 71 – 86 GHz

Traditional Microwave bands

Millimetre-wave

≤56 MHz - Point-to-Point - Licensed

-PtP -Unlicensed & light licensed -Increase network capacity

• • •

Up to 12x112 MHz

90

100

92 – 95 GHz

Licensed/unlicensed bands? Traditional Microwave bands? Millimetre Wave bands?



Using Wireless Fronthaul for C-RAN Centralized BB processing High speed fronthaul (fibre)

High speed Wireless fronthaul

Wireless Fronthaul benefits

C-RAN benefits

 Complementary to fiber for the very last miles  Faster and easier deployment  Greater flexibility  Lower TCO

 Improvement of DL CoMP, latency, CA, eICIC, O&M, etc.  Lower OPEX/CAPEX  Energy saving  Simplify Upgrade and maintenance



Turning Macro-sites into local C-RAN Macro cell & eNode B Remote macro sector

Remote macro sector

Small sector

Wireless

Fronthaul

Small sector Small sector

EBlink’s FrontLink ™ solution FL58 microwave

• Commercially available

FL58 microwave

Wireless Fronthaul link 2,4576 Gbps, 4,9152 Gbps, 7,3728 Gbps in Less than 70 MHz BW

12’’ / 30 cm

Future mm-wave

mm-wave

Wireless Fronthaul link NX10 Gbps 6’’/ 15 cm



FrontLink™ solution overview

WFM

WFM

RRH

RRH

Antenna

BBU

Antenna

3 CPRI links over the air interface on a single wireless link

RRH

Antenna

Low latency enabled by EBlink’s Wireless Fronthaul

FrontLink™ 58 Product

Digital Interfaces

RF Interface

• • • • • • • •

Supports up to 3 RRHs on a single link Multi-techno access: UMTS and LTE Transparent to RAN frequency band Line Of Sight (LOS) Regulation : FCC & CE Compliant Link range : up to 400m (depend local regulation Bandwidth : 5725-5875MHz Capacity : Up to 3x20 LTE carrier 2x2 MIMO and up to 3x(4x5MHz) UMTS

Designed to fit different regulation constraints

Field proven solution: High QOS KPIs delivery Fiber-based Fronthaul

Wireless Fronthaul

Fiber-based Fronthaul

Network accessibility


Wireless Fronthaul

Network retainability

Wireless Fronthaul

Network mobility 2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved


Field proven solution: High QOS KPIs delivery


RTT ping 32 bytes

Wireless Fronthaul

RTT ping 1400 bytes

Network integrity 2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved


Wireless Fronthaul installation in the US

Three LTE sectors

over a 430m wireless fronthaul link

“EBlink’s FrontLink™ solutions have the potential to change the way

mobile network operators deploy their networks in the near future. EBlink has proven that a distributed Radio Access Network approach was now feasible using wireless CPRI transport, without sacrificing network performance.” Stephen Bye – CTO, Senior VP Technology Development & Strategy 2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved


TCO comparison wireless fronthaul vs. fiber

Fiber

Wireless fronthaul

“EBlink wireless fronthaul solution provides significant TCO advantage for remote RRH deployment, paving the way for new network architectures.” Denis Fauconnier – 4G Product Management Director at Alcatel- Lucent



TCO comparison wireless fronthaul vs. fiber Fiber

Fiber Wireless fronthaul Wireless fronthaul TCO analysis: macro sector extension

• • • •

TCO analysis: micro sectors densification

Wireless Fronthaul is always showing lower TCO versus a fiber based scenarios Higher TCO of fiber due to the cost of trenching for laying out a new fiber In case trenching is partially required (in the case existing fiber ducts are used), the TCO difference between fiber and wireless fronthaul decreases. However, the operator may have to incur additional lease costs to occupy the fiber duct Deploying fiber will in most cases required a larger lead time when comparing to the time to install a Wireless Fronthaul (e.g. city council permissions, time for civil works, etc.). This means that revenues that can be generated quicker with Wireless Fronthaul because of speed of deployment 2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved


Conclusion: • Wireless Fronthaul is a key enabler for C-RAN and local C-RAN • Wireless CPRI is not obvious: many stringent requirements • Wireless fronthaul provides a flexible and costeffective interconnection between base band and Remote Radio Heads • mm-Waves bands are needed to support CRAN and 5G architectures • EBlink: leading Wireless Fronthaul, field proven solution, leading spectral efficiency (up to 7.37 Gbps CPRI ) • EBlink participating actively in H2020 projects within the framework of 5G infrastructure PPP



Thank you

2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved Paris May 22nd 2014

Cloud RAN 2014-

Wireless Fronthaul: Key enabler for C-RAN

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