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

Practical solution for faster and easier mobile networks

deployment

Offices in Paris , France and Silicon Valley, US

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

2nd generation (wireless CPRI), field-proven solution and

demonstrated radio KPIs similar to fiber RRH

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

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

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

2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

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

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

Which frequency bands for Wireless Fronthaul?

ISM band

Radio-frequency channel arrangements

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?

2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

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

2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

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

EBlinks 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

2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

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 EBlinks 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

Fiber-based Fronthaul

Wireless Fronthaul

Network retainability

Wireless Fronthaul

Network mobility
2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

Field proven solution: High QOS KPIs delivery

Fiber-based Fronthaul

RTT ping 32 bytes

Wireless Fronthaul

RTT ping 1400 bytes

Network integrity
2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

Wireless Fronthaul installation in the US

Three LTE sectors

over a 430m
wireless fronthaul link

EBlinks 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

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

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

2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

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

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

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

2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved

Cloud RAN 2014- Paris May 22nd 2014

Thank you

2014 - EBlink and affiliates - all rights reserved

Paris May 22nd 2014

Cloud RAN 2014-