HUAWEI COMMUNICATE SEP 2011 ISSUE 61

SEP 2011 ISSUE 61

Mobile Internet: Weather the Grameenphone Evolution and

The future of Internet signaling storm secures the future deployment of VoLTE

Germany: MBB
on the fast track

Sponsor:
Huawei COMMUNICATE Editorial Board,
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
Consultants:
Hu Houkun, Xu Zhijun, Xu Wenwei
Yu Chengdong, Zhang Hongxi, Wang Tao
Editor-in-Chief:
Gao Xianrui (sally@huawei.com)
Editors:
Long Ji, Li Xuefeng, Zhu Wenli, Huang Zhuojian
Yao Haifei, Xue Hua, Fan Ruijuan, Xu Ping
Pan Tao, Chen Yuhong, Zhou Shumin
Contributors:
He Gang, Zhu Haobing, Cai Mengbo
Lars Bondelind, Sun Runping, Shao Yang, Xu Yan
Hao Guangming, Lv Xiaofeng, Yan Jun, Hu Kangyan
Jiang Yihua, Zhu Jikui, Zhu Wenjie, Hao Bing
E-mail: HWtech@huawei.com
Tel: +86 755 28789348, 28789343
Fax: +86 755 28787923
Address: B1, Huawei Industrial Base,
Bantian, Longgang, Shenzhen 518129, China
Publication registration No.:
Yue B No.10148
Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 2011.
All rights reserved.
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Mobile broadband soaring high
2010 was a boom year for mobile broadband globally. Mobile broadband
subscribers surpassed their fixed broadband counterparts, surging to nearly
one billion. They are forecast to grow 10 times in the coming five years
and, in the decade to come, increase 500-fold. Mobile broadband is an
irreversible trend.
As a major next-generation mobile broadband technology, LTE is being
deployed at a faster pace in an increasingly mature ecosystem. 218 operators
in 81 countries have committed to LTE, as confirmed by the GSA in its
recent LTE evolution report.
Since early 2010, LTE has been commercialized on an unprecedented
scale. Vodafone Germany, Deutsche Telekom, and Telefnica Germany
have announced their commercial LTE deployments. Singapores M1 rolled
out the first commercial LTE-EPC network in Southeast Asia More
encouragingly, diverse LTE devices are flooding the market, fuelling the
development of mobile broadband applications.
LTE speeds up the network, and more importantly, it revolutionizes the
lifestyles and working patterns of its subscribers, bringing them incredibly
rich applications and experience through HD video conferencing, HD
VOD, shoot & transfer, to name but a few.
Despite all the promises of LTE, operators are humbled by the
challenges of GSM/UMTS/CDMA/LTE coexistence, network overlapping,
and ever-increasing network costs. They have been desperately seeking an
effective solution to harmonize different technologies, simplify network
structure without compromising the diversity of services and technologies,
and solve the cost conundrum to maximize asset value.
The SingleRAN has come as a perfect solution. Based on Huaweis in-
depth understanding of mobile broadband, the SingleRAN helps operators
tap into the potential of mobile broadband. Highlighting convergence, eco-
friendliness, broadband and evolution, the solution realizes one network,
one deployment, one team. Supportive of various network technologies
and capable of evolution, it helps reduce TCO and improve O&M
efficiency for business success. Since its official launch in 2009, it has
been the common choice for world-leading operators like China Mobile,
Deutsche Telekom, TeliaSonera, and Vodafone.
In 2011, mobile broadband is soaring high. Huawei will, as always, work
with industry peers to promote mobile broadband. By helping operators
build efficient, sustainable, and profitable mobile broadband networks, it
will open up a highly potential market for operators, and bring people a
wonderful service experience.
Yu Chengdong
Chief Strategy & Marketing
Ofcer, Huawei
Whats inside:

P.11 P.34

News Cover Story

01 Huawei launches worlds first LTE TDD 11 Germany: MBB on the fast track
multi-mode data card Leading mobile operators have all committed to
building next-generation mobile networks, and
LTE is recognized as the primary technology.

02 Aircel successfully conducts worlds By Chen Shanshan & Zhu Jikui

first GSM/UMTS/LTE TDD trial in India

Main Topic
Experts Forum 18 Weather the signaling storm
03 Mobile Internet: The future of High-performance smartphones with large screens are
attracting increasing numbers of users and boosting
Internet operators profits, and yet they bring with them
There is no question that the future of the Internet, at unprecedented signaling storms.
least over the next decade, lies in mobile. And this is
something that is being embraced the world over, by By Chen Yang
equipment suppliers and operators, industry players and
the general public.
21 Realizing the full potential of
By Chen Jinqiao
SingleRAN
By Bernhard Scholl

06 Expanding mobile broadband Interview

horizons with HSPA+ and LTE 23 Grameenphone secures the future
By Alan Hadden By Ranajit S. Dam
 Lets COMMUNICATE beyond technology and share understandings of the latest industry trends,
successful operational cases, leading technologies and more. Based on in-depth analysis of the
matters that lie close to your heart, we will help you stay on top in the competitive telecom industry.

P.18 P.06

26 Convergence in the EPC age 43 GL1800 Refarming: A cost-effective

By Chen Jia
way to win in MBB
Spectral resources are not inexhaustible, a fact that is
becoming increasingly obvious as demand for them keeps
growing. This is requiring operators to conduct proper
29 MBB: The cost conundrum planning for and use these resources efficiently.
By Ranajit S. Dam By Chen Yifang

How to Operate 46 Exploring subscriber data

31 Exploring the cloudified BSS management for MBB
By Yu Qian
By Yin Chunlei

34 A closer look: IPv6 commercial Leading Edge

deployment
By Qin Hao
49 LTE-Advanced: The leading
technology in the new MBB era
By Shi Yong

Solution
39 Maximizing MBB profitability 52 Evolution and deployment of
with SingleRAN Evolution VoLTE
By Li Chunlin By Chen Qunhui
 News

Huawei launches worlds first LTE TDD multi-mode Huawei appointed by Genius Brand to deploy LTE
data card network in Hong Kong

Shenzhen, China, 29 July,
2011, Huawei announced that the
worlds first LTE TDD/UMTS/GSM/
CDMA multi-mode data card will
be commercially available in the
third quarter of 2011 to LTE TDD
network operators worldwide.
The E392 is a USB data card
supporting LTE TDD technology. It
incorporates LTE FDD technology
while compatible with UMTS/GSM/
CDMA networks. This is the worlds
first multi-mode data card that
supports LTE TDD/FDD/UMTS/GSM/
CDMA.
The introduction of the Huawei
E392 will bring super-fast Internet
connectivity to users worldwide and
accelerate the global development
of the LTE TDD industry, says
Wu Shimin, President of Mobile
Broadband, Huawei Device.
Although LTE will be a mainstream
standard in the future development
of telecommunications, it will
coexist with the 3G/2G standards
for a significant period of time. The
E392 represents a breakthrough to
the current single-mode status of
the LTE TDD. "
The download speed of the
E392 is up to 100Mbps, allowing
for downloading a 4GB HD movie
file in just a few minutes. This
is 20 times faster than the data
transmission speed of the existing
3G network.
Hong Kong, 17 August, 2011,
Huawei and Genius Brand Limited
(Genius Brand), a joint venture
between Hutchison Telephone
Company Limited (HTCL) and
Hong Kong Telecommunications
Limited (HKT), officially signed a
contract for the deployment of
one of the biggest and best Long
Term Evolution (LTE) networks
in Hong Kong during the 12th
National Five-Year Plan and
Economic, Trade and Financial
Cooperation and Development
between the Mainland China and
Hong Kong Forum.
In addition, Huawei has also
signed agreements with HTCL
and HKT respectively on the
evolution of their core networks
to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC)
specification, while providing
them with other solutions for
network resources management
and end-to-end user experience
QoE management.
With a population of over
seven million, Hong Kong is not
only one of the most populous
cities in the world, but also a
fiercely competitive telecom
market with high customer
expectations of quality and
efficiency. Huaweis industry-
leading SingleRAN LTE solution
will implement MOCN for
Genius Brand, allowing HTCL
and HKT to gain a competitive
edge in greatly reduced cost
and time to market through
sharing resources of the radio
network and network spectrum
while having two separate core
networks.

China Telecom provides digital trunking with Huaweis QChat at Universiade

Shenzhen, China, 26 August,
2011, Huawei announced that their
joint efforts in optimizing Shenzhen's
CDMA network during the recent
2011 Summer Universiade resulted
in significant developments in digital
trunking communications service
with Qchat. In telecommunications,
trunking refers to the grouping of
connection switches and circuits
within an exchange. It enables
the services provider to use fewer
circuits since users are able to share
connections.
During the Universiade, Huawei
deployed its QChat Push-to-Talk
service, which is based on the
CDMA2000 EV-DO network and
was used by consumers equipped
with China Telecom's Tianyi brand
devices. Among other things, these
devices were used by the official
traffic committee to provide and
monitor traffic services during the
games for 20,000 people and
2,000 cars. Traffic logistics involved
communication between seven
control centers and six service teams
spread across 126 different parking
areas. Under this unprecedented
usage, and with pressure from
increased digital trunking traffic,
the performance measurements
of Shenzhen's CDMA2000 EV-DO
network maintained maximum
stability and the overall success rate
of fixed trunking communications
was 100 percent. This large-scale
application of QChat affirms the high
performance of China Telecom's
Tianyi digital trunking system,
which outclasses other trunking
systems with its wide coverage,
flexible devices, high-quality signal,
unlimited communication distance,
and open industry chain.
"China Telecom and Huawei
utilized their joint resources to
provide unrivalled services during
the 26th Summer Universiade in
Shenzhen, said Li Linmei, General
Manager of Government and
Enterprise Customers Department,
China Telecom Shenzhen. "We are
happy to have observed that our
digital trunking system is stable
and reliable, and we hope to
continue working together with
Huawei to further accelerate the
development of digital trunking
communications."
"We first unveiled QChat during
the 2011 Xi'an Garden Expo, and we
are happy to have worked together
again with China Telecom at the
2011 Summer Universiade to provide
digital trunking services," said Wu
Hui, President of CDMA/LTE, Huawei.
"The successful deployment of QChat
at the Universiade demonstrates
once again that Huawei's CDMA
networks are able to perform at
world-class events and under heavy
usage."

1 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61

 Aircel successfully conducts worlds first GSM/UMTS/LTE TDD trial in India
New Delhi, India, 09 August,
2011, Aircel have jointly
conducted the worlds first
GSM/UMTS/LTE TDD trial on
Aircels existing GSM/UMTS
network in India using devices
that are based on Qualcomm
Incorporated's MDM9600
multi-mode chipset. The success
of this trial is a key milestone for
Huawei and Renesas Mobile set new HSUPA record
Tokyo, Japan and Shenzhen,
China, 10 August, 2011,
Renesas Mobile Corporation, a
premier supplier of advanced
cellular platforms, and Huawei
announced that they have
successfully made the worlds
first HSPA+ call with cutting-edge
speeds of up to 10.4Mbps on the
uplink to the cellular base station.
This HSPA+ call marks the first
time that an uplink data speed of
10.4Mbps was reached using an
uplink configured to HSUPA cat 7,
a 3GPP Release 7 feature defining
a new channel configuration that
supports 11Mbps on the uplink
to the base station. This next
step in the evolution of HSPA+
capabilities also benefits operators
through increased spectrum
efficiency on the uplink. The call
combined 16QAM (Quadrature
Amplitude Modulation) a 16
state quadrature modulation that
provides higher spectral efficiency
the development of the LTE TDD
ecosystem.
The trial was conducted
using Huaweis convergent end-
to-end system and Qualcomms
MDM9600 multi-mode chipset
on Aircels existing GSM/
UMTS network. During this trial
Huawei and Qualcomm jointly
executed Inter-RAT (Inter-Radio
Access Technology) related cases
covering multiple live handover
scenarios across GSM/UMTS/LTE
technologies. During the trial,
other high-speed data services
were demonstrated, including
video streaming via YouTube,
with Huaweis E-DPCCH boosting
technology and Renesas Mobiles
advanced mobile platform.
With the relatively recent
onslaught of advanced mobile
devices and applications, operators
and vendors are now faced with
the dual pressure of an increase in
uplink data traffic and customers
growing bandwidth needs for data,
including sharing on social media.
As a result, operators and vendors
must now pay more attention to
how they can effectively increase
uplink data rates.
This call, the latest achievement
in the long-term relationship
between Renesas Mobile and
Huawei, is an industry first,
and it effectively reduces the
pressure of growing uplink data
traffic, improves the uplink data
throughput, and ensures the
compatibility of the network
elements and mobile platforms and
devices.
VOD and HD video surveillance,
which met the key performance
indicators (KPIs) expected from
an LTE TDD system.
This end-to-end convergent
GSM/UMTS/LTE TDD solution is
based on Huaweis SingleRAN,
SingleCORE network, and multi-
mode devices. The trial used
Huawei E392, which is the
worlds first LTE TDD/FDD/UMTS/
GSM/CDMA multi-mode USB
dongle. It covered end-to-end
interoperability of services &
applications, radio access and
core network. Following this
milestone, Huawei is now ready
Huawei launches China Mobiles LTE TDD trial network
for the Shenzhen Summer Universiade 2011
Shenzhen, China, 12 August,
2011, Huawei announced the
successful launch of a LTE TDD
trial network for China Mobile in
Shenzhen. The network, powered
exclusively by Huawei, will serve
the main event stadiums and
surrounding areas for the 26th
Shenzhen Summer Universiade
2011.
The launch of China Mobiles
LTE TDD trial network for the
Shenzhen Summer Universiade,
marks Huaweis third successful
collaboration with the company,
following our partnership on
the 2010 Shanghai World Expo
and the 16th Guangzhou Asia
Games, said Deng Taihua,
President of WiMAX & TDS &
LTE, Huawei. We are proud
of this successful launch as it
helps move the industry forward
by demonstrating the high
quality performance of LTE TDD
to deploy commercial LTE TDD
networks for GSM/UMTS mobile
operators in order to serve the
ever-increasing demand for
mobile broadband in India.
In this era of mobile
broadband, operators are
interested in deploying multi-
mode networks to meet the
increasing demand for high
speed data services. The efficient
interoperability across networks
will help operators reduce their
network investments, operation
& maintenance costs and
ensure a rich mobile broadband
experience for end users.
networks, as we believe that LTE
TDD will play a crucial role in the
future development of mobile
broadband.
For this project, Huawei
provided China Mobile with an
end-to-end solution including LTE
TDD/FDD dual-mode USB dongle
E398, and was the first vendor
to complete network testing
and launch 110 sites. Test results
showed technological advantages
such as high data speed and low
latency.
The trial network will cover
all stadiums in the Universiade
Center and Gymnasium of
Shenzhen Bay Sports Center
and will provide a series of
mobile broadband services.
Through China Mobiles LTE
TDD trial network, people are
able to watch the torch relay,
opening ceremony and the entire
competition live.
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 2
 Experts Forum
Experts Forum

Dr. Chen Jinqiao, currently Deputy Chief Engineer at the China Academy of Telecommunication Research
of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). His main research fields are framing national
development strategies for the telecommunications industry and consulting on industrial policies and
regulations for businesses.

Mobile Internet: The future of Internet

There is no question that the future of the Internet, at least over the next decade, lies in mobile. And this is
something that is being embraced the world over, by equipment suppliers and operators, industry players and the
general public.
By Chen Jinqiao, China Academy of Telecommunication Research of MIIT

World of information at Mobile Internet has gone through

two major stages of development. Stage
fingertips One was before 2006, when it was the
so-called walled garden, primarily
Stage Two began after 2006, along
with the massive construction of 3G
wireless broadband networks and rapid
development of smartphones, and

T
he Internet offers massive
information that can be
accessed via different modes
and devices. The fixed
Internet option involves fixed lines and
relatively fixed terminals (mainly PCs);
mobile Internet, on the other hand, frees
people from those limitations and brings
a world of information within their reach
via portable devices such as smartphones
and tablet PCs. That is why it is also
dubbed the handheld Internet.
based on the Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP). As dedicated WAP
websites were needed to support mobile
devices of different types, such as feature
phones and smartphones with limited
processing power, the richness of the
content was decided and limited by the
willingness and capabilities of service
providers. This kind of development
method, with services tailored for
terminals, failed to stimulate extensive
takeup among mobile phone users.
WAP being replaced by universal web
protocols. Smart devices are getting
increasingly powerful, with the ability
to adapt to various websites, removing
obstacles in content sharing between
fixed and mobile Internet. Moreover,
smart devices are endowed with mobility
and service interoperability, allowing
better experiences for mobile Internet
users than for fixed Internet users and
enabling high convergence between
mobile phone users and Internet users.

3 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61


Ac c o rd i n g t o t h e l a t e s t re p o r t
on Internet Development in China
published by China Internet Network
Information Center (CNNIC), the
number of Internet users reached 457
million by the end of 2010. Among
them, mobile phone Internet users
reached 303 million, up by 69.3 million
over the same period in 2009. The
percentage of mobile phone Internet
users increased to 66.2% from 60.8%
at the end of 2009. The percentages of
Internet users who access the Internet
using desktop PCs, mobile phones,
Market reshuffle
produces new winners
The rise of emerging businesses
usually brings about a new market
landscape and the changing of the
guard. Mobile Internet is no exception.
In just a few years we have seen a whole
new industry ecosystem taking shape,
ranging from the upstream chips,
components, operating systems (OSs),
application software to downstream
network operation and content services.
Players who used to dominate in these
areas are all becoming less significant.
and laptops were 78.4%, 66.2%, and
45.7% respectively. The combined
percentage of mobile phone and laptop
users exceeded 100%, suggesting that
the percentage of multi-device Internet
users had increased further. According
to statistics from a consulting firm, the
number of global mobile Internet users
reached 940 million in 2010. That
represented a CAGR of 69%, and the
figure is expected to exceed 100% in the
next few years.
Ho w e v e r, t h e r a p i d g r o w t h o f
mobile Internet is bringing with it
Telecom operators, though still retaining
their dominance in network access, have
been reduced to the role of ordinary
participants, followers, or onlookers in
many other fields. Similarly, Intel has
been overtaken by ARM in the CPU
field, and Microsoft by Apple and
Google in the OS field.
Among all the forces, OS providers,
application software developers, and
application platform providers are the
three most important ones, as they
decide consumer experience in terms
of controllability of OS, timeliness of
application offerings, and integration of
applications respectively, and therefore
Huawei Communicate
the rapid decline of the traditional
communications market, especially
v o i c e s e r v i c e s . Ho w c a n t h a t b e
remedied? Actually, if the growth of
data services in terms of service volume
and user value is sufficient to offset the
decline of voice services, it makes perfect
sense to shift network capabilities
and service resources to data services.
Mo b i l e In t e r n e t h a s c o m e t o t h e
rescue at the right time, to help drive
forward the transformation of telecom
companies and mitigate the decline of
communications services.
directly affect the service traffic and
content value from users.
The smartphone OS sector is already
a battlefield. According to internal
research made by China Academy of
Telecommunication Research (CATR),
the landscape of the global mobile smart
device OS sector in 2010 went through
a huge shakeup, as Googles Android
system that matched with mainstream
chips (already more than 1GHz) in the
industry became the new dominator
with a market share of about 33%.
Apples iOS saw its market share rise to
about 16%, thanks to the popularity of
iPhone and iPad. In comparison, the
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 4
 Experts Forum
Mobile Internet: The future of Internet
market share for Symbian fell swiftly
to 31%, and Nokia was forced into
an alliance with Microsoft for new
opportunities.
Global competition will henceforth
be among these three camps led by
Google, Apple, and Microsoft-Nokia.
Lying behind the shakeup is the key of
user experience. Apples strength comes
from integrated software and hardware,
Googles from open-source and free
codes, RIMs from niche business
f u n c t i o n s , a n d Wi n d ow s Ph o n es
from the interoperability between
mobile phone OSs and desktop PCs to
strike a balance between business and
entertainment functions.
In the field of application software
development, software and Internet
companies hold the absolute
advantage. Most small and medium-
sized technology companies serve as
independent third-party application
developers and work with upstream OS
providers and downstream application
stores (platform providers) to secure
business value through the number of
downloads and traffic. Currently top
on the popular application software
list in terms of downloads are those
about communications, business, and
entertainment, such as QQ for instant
messaging, microblogs, Taobao for
online business, and Alipay for online
payment, which have been developed
by Internet companies on various
platforms.
Application platform services, usually
known as application stores, are a critical
link between users and developers.
Housing various kinds of application
software, they provide developers with
sales channels to realize the value of
applications, provide network operators
w i t h t r a f f i c re w a rd , a n d p r ov i d e
end users with query, purchase, and
maintenance services. Endowed with
ability to uncover and realize value, they
become another must-win front after
OS.
Today, OS providers and network
operators are the most engaged players
in the marketplace. Apple boasts
5 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
the most commercially successful
application store, which brings business
returns to independent developers more
quickly and directly, with the downside
that it takes quite a long period for
applications to be reviewed. The top
three Chinese telecom operators all have
invested enormously in trying to provide
the most suitable local application
development and integration. From
the perspective of long-term growth,
application platform services with
various application stores at the core
must pay equal attention to the need
for application diversity and content
security. Only in this way can they
continuously drive the user value up.
From fun to habits:
Changing business
drivers
According to sample survey in both
the global market and the Chinese
market, the top-ranking mobile Internet
applications are instant messaging,
search, browsing, email, music
download, video, online commerce,
and social networking, which is in some
ways similar to the fixed Internet. But
what makes mobile Internet unique
is how it is used to consume digital
content for the purpose of personal
enjoyment, like music, videos, and
games.
Us e r s c a n c o n ve n i e n t l y o b t a i n
digital entertainment products through
wireless networks and consume in
fragmented ways, which gives full play
to the business value of entertainment
p ro d u c t s . Ne t w o rk o p e r a t o r s , by
integrating resources of culture, music,
videos, and games, build up digital
copyright protection mechanisms
and contents distribution platforms,
thereby realizing their value in the field
of fun or entertainment. However,
it is only end users continuous use
and experience that can bring network
operators the value in traffic and content
applications, rather than the limited
resort of paid entertainment services.
With takeup increasing and user
behavior established, innovative mobile
Internet services such as identity-
based mobile payment, location-
based navigation, space-based security
monitoring, process-based public
services, image and video-based remote
medical treatment, and sharing-based
social networking services stand to
bring more business value to application
developers, content providers, and
network operators. It is not only that
users of those services have higher
spending power, but also that habitual
behavior will drive continuous use of
such services.
In terms of charging modes, mobile
Internet will combine the modes based
on traffic and content/applications.
Its revenue from ads, a typical third-
party payment mode, is likely to be
significantly lower than that in the
fixed Internet sector due to the factors
of device experience and traffic tariff.
The trend is that having users pay for
habits will bring more value than having
them pay for interest. Already, many
applications have been developed by
industries and corporate customers and
even the military in the United States
based on the iPhone and the iPad.
As mobile broadband technologies
keep upgrading and new smart devices
keep emerging, mobile Internet will
become a major force that changes
the information world. It is not only
a technical and industry force, but
also becoming a cultural and social
one. It has brought not only the rosy
future of a mobile information society
but also raised major security issues
such as user privacy leakage, potential
asset losses, public opinion crises, and
network vulnerabilities. Having a correct
understanding of its positive and negative
effects is the precondition for solving
relevant problems. We must respect the
laws of information technologies to push
the mobile Internet toward healthy and
sustainable growth.
Editor: Xue Hua xuehua@huawei.com
 Huawei Communicate

Alan Hadden is President of the GSA and has held this position since its establishment in 1998.
Previously Alan was on the senior management team of a PCN/GSM 1800 operator, which became
T-Mobile UK. He helped establish 1800MHz as a mainstream band for new mobile businesses, and
represented the company at ETSI, the GSM Association and the UMTS Forum.

Expanding mobile broadband

horizons with HSPA+ and LTE
By Alan Hadden

used more and more for our social lives.

Mobile broadband
In recent years, access to the Internet
on the move, especially broadband, has
been the major trend, and is one of the
most influential drivers of market and
technology developments, investments
a n d b u s i n e s s g row t h . Bro a d b a n d
access no longer means having to use
fixed connections; the Internet and
broadband are mobile too, and most
mobile network operators include
mobile broadband in their service
portfolios.
Initially mobile broadband service
was often positioned as extending the
fixed PC experience to mobile, using
a connected laptop. Today mobile
broadband is widely experienced on a

T
h e Wo r l d Wi d e We b i s
20 years old. It began as a
page of links as a means of
improving communications
between scientists working at the
CERN research facility in Geneva. It
was posted on the Internet on August
6, 1991 by Tim Berners-Lee, who is
credited with creating WWW as the de-
facto method of accessing information
residing on the Internet through web
pages. Now there are close to 20 billion
web pages. Internet access is essential
for efficient business-to-business
communications, business-to-consumer
marketing and sales activities, and is
plethora of portable, personal electronic
devices.
The GSA was established as a
trade association in 1998 as the
global representative organization for
mobile suppliers worldwide. Its main
objectives were to promote GSM and
the evolution of GSM as the platform

SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 6

 Experts Forum
Expanding mobile broadband horizons with HSPA+ and LTE
for WCDMA service delivery. The
worlds first WCDMA license auction
was held in the UK and ended on April
27, 2001, followed by more auctions in
eight more Western European countries
over the next 18 months.
Many consider that mobile
b ro a d b a n d b e g a n w i t h WC D M A
deployments, where peak downlink
data speeds were limited to a theoretical
peak of 384Kbps. The first commercial
7 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
WCDMA system was launched on
October 1, 2001. By January 2007,
there were 146 commercial WCDMA
networks in 67 countries and over
100 million subscriptions, supported
by around 500 user device products
launched in the market.
At about the same time as the first
WCDMA network deployments, the
industry was discussing the evolution
of GSM/GPRS data capabilities with
EDGE technology, also specified by
3GPP. As its data speeds came near to
the capabilities of the first WCDMA
systems, EDGE could be deployed by
GSM/GPRS operators as a software
upgrade in existing spectrum to triple
data throughput speeds and increase
capacity. WCDMA and EDGE are both
classified by the ITU as IMT-2000 radio
systems. More importantly, a number of
the U.S. TDMA operators, attracted by
EDGE performance levels, also began
to migrate to GSM/EDGE, boosting
the overall market. EDGE subsequently
swept through the Americas and across
the world.
The GSA actively promoted EDGE
and provided leadership for the industry
with a global program of workshops
and seminars. By January 2007, 196
commercial EDGE networks were
launched in 105 countries. Most
WCDMA operators also committed to
EDGE network deployments to ensure
service continuity and the best user
experience. In April 2011, the GSA
confirmed 545 commercial EDGE
networks launched in 198 countries.
HSPA, first significant
boost to mobile
broadband
The introduction of HSPA
technology the first evolution of
WCDMA provided the environment
for mobile broadband takeoff. HSPA
delivered a significant performance
boost and efficiency gains for WCDMA
operators, who could reuse existing
assets including spectrum. The
specifications for HSPA were included
in Release 5 and Release 6 of the 3GPP
standard. The introduction of a new
modulation technology (16QAM)
delivered substantial benefits including
a reduction of the radio frame lengths,
plus new functionalities within radio
networks. As a result, data throughput
increased and latency was reduced to
100ms (HSDPA) and 50ms (HSUPA)

according to the 3GPP specifications.
Since the first HSPA networks were
commercially launched in 2005, every
WCDMA operator has now deployed
HSPA technology in their networks,
and 410 operators have commercially
launched HSPA networks on multiple
frequency bands in 162 countries.
The first commercial launch of
HSUPA was in February 2007. By July
2011, 166 (over 40%) HSPA operators
had commercially launched HSUPA
in 78 countries, including at least 92
networks (over 55%) supporting the
5.8Mbps peak uplink data speed, and
a further nine networks supporting
11.5Mbps peak on HSPA+.
HSPA+ enters the
mainstream
HSPA Evolution (HSPA+) brought
in more new functionalities and raised
performance levels even higher. Release
7 specified MIMO antenna capability
and 16QAM modulation (for the
uplink) and 64QAM (for the downlink)
coupled with other improvements in the
radio access network. Release 7 networks
have a theoretical peak downlink data
rate of 21Mbps and 5.8Mbps on the
uplink. Release 8 enables 42Mbps peak
downlink by combining 64QAM and
two 5MHz carriers (DC-HSPA+).
Deploying 16QAM instead of QPSK
modulation on the uplink doubles the
peak rate to 11.5Mbps.
HSPA+ is now mainstream, enabling
operators to provision the required
capacity and performance for the rapidly
growing data consumption generated by
laptop and smartphone users. By July
2011, 136 HSPA operators (one third)
had commercially launched HSPA+ in
69 countries. Of these networks, 89
supported a peak downlink data speed
of 21Mbps, eight supported 28Mbps,
and 39 supported 42Mbps. The GSA
forecasts that there will be at least 170
commercial HSPA+ systems worldwide
by the end of 2011.
HSPA+ has a strong evolution path.
3GPP Release 9 combines multicarrier
and MIMO in 10MHz bandwidth to
achieve 84Mbps peak downlink data
throughput. Release 9 makes it possible
to use 10MHz by combining two 5MHz
carriers from different frequency bands.
For example, one from 2100MHz
and the other from 900MHz. Using
multicarrier on the uplink doubles the
uplink peak data rate to 23Mbps, six
operators have already committed to
this evolution step. Release 10 enables
a peak downlink data rate of 168Mbps
using four carriers combined with
22 MIMO. The next evolution step
is eight-carrier support for HSDPA,
doubling the peak rate to 336Mbps.
Eight-carrier HSDPA coupled with 44
MIMO would again double the peak
rate to reach 672Mbps.
LTE
LT E i s a h u g e l y i m p o r t a n t
development for the industr y and
provides the next step in user experience.
Mobile operators globally report strong
data traffic and revenue growth from
mobile broadband and are increasing
investments in their infrastructure and
transmission networks to cope with
current and future needs. Enthusiasm
for mobile computing and the
accelerating adoption of smartphones
explain the trends, which will continue
as key drivers for network capacity
expansion and new business. The GSA
believes that the mobile tablet segment
will also have a significant impact
on networks and service revenues.
Delivering significantly more capacity
and data throughput with lower latency,
LT E e n h a n c e s a n d e n a b l e s m o r e
demanding services and applications
its main benefits are realized when
systems are deployed in 10MHz or more
spectrum.
LTE is the fastest developing mobile
communications system technology
ever. In July 2011, the GSA confirmed
that 218 operators in 81 countries are
Huawei Communicate
investing in LTE. 166 firm commercial
LTE network deployments are in
progress or planned in 62 countries,
i n c l u d i n g 2 4 n e t w o rk s t h a t h a ve
commercially launched. A further 52
operators in 19 additional countries are
engaged in LTE trials, tests or studies.
Both the number of operators investing
in LTE and committed to commercial
deployments had doubled compared
to one year earlier. The GSA forecasts
that at least 91 LTE networks will be in
commercial service by the end of 2012.
LTE is undoubtedly the future
direction for the industry, especially
for the 3GPP-systems family mobile
operators. It is also attracting the
interest of others, including CDMA
mobile operators, cable operators, BWA
operators, utility companies, public
safety and emergency services operators.
LT E s u p p o r t s F D D a n d T D D
modes, and infrastructure solutions
offer operators an easy upgrade path to
LTE. So far, most of LTE deployments
h a v e b e e n i n F D D m o d e . LT E
TDD is an integral part of the 3GPP
standards, implementing a maximum
of commonalities with LTE FDD
and offering comparable performance
characteristics with similarly high
spectral efficiency.
LTE TDD is the perfect choice for
providing high-speed mobile broadband
access in unpaired spectrum. China
and India are expected to be the major
markets, and further deployments
are anticipated in other parts of Asia,
Australia, Europe and North America.
To promote LTE TDD as a global
t e c h n o l o g y, t h e G l o b a l T D - LT E
Initiative (GTI) was launched at MWC
2011, leveraging vast LTE economies
of scale and providing an excellent
evolution path for TD-SCDMA and
WiMAX networks.
All existing WCDMA technologies
can harmonize to LTE, becoming
a single global standard, securing
even higher economies of scale and
simplifying roaming.
Mobile operators are deploying
LTE alongside existing infrastructures,
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 8
 Experts Forum
Expanding mobile broadband horizons with HSPA+ and LTE
protecting and continuing investments
in WCDMA systems such as HSPA/
HSPA+, ensuring service continuity
and the best mobile broadband user
experience.
Spectrum for LTE
Featuring tremendous spectrum
flexibility, LTE is scalable for deployment
in 1.4 to 20MHz allocations in paired
and unpaired bands, and can be
deployed in new spectrum and existing
GSM or UMTS bands. Some 30 bands
are standardized by 3GPP and modern
multi-standard multi-band radio base
station solutions can be configured quite
easily for operation in required bands.
However, supporting a large number
of bands in user devices would be
problematic, adding each band increases
cost, and roaming becomes complicated
or even impossible. Manufacturers
would thus prefer to focus on a smaller
number of core bands for LTE. The
likely prime bands for LTE deployments
are emerging in new and refarmed
spectrum:
2600MHz is the ITU-designated
IMT extension band comprising
70MHz paired, and will be widely
allocated internationally and used for
LTE FDD deployments.
Digital dividend spectrum arises from
the TV digital switchover, and is favored
by mobile operators for its excellent
geographical coverage characteristics
and capability of improving in-building
performance. Digital dividend 700MHz
spectrum is allocated in the U.S. and
used for LTE by such operators as
Verizon Wireless and AT&T. This band
will likely extend to several parts of the
Americas while offering an opportunity
for harmonization across the Asia Pacific
region. In Europe, the digital dividend
is based on the 790 to 862MHz band
(referred to as 800MHz).
Though the 1800MHz band was
originally used for GSM, regulators are
increasingly adopting a technology-
neutral approach, and refarmed
9 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
1800MHz has emerged as a promising
band for mobile broadband. Nearly half
of the worlds mobile operators have
1800MHz spectrum, and over 60% of
1800MHz spectrum in Europes largest
markets is available in allocations of
10MHz or more. Twice the coverage
area can be achieved by deploying LTE
in 1800MHz spectrum compared to
2600MHz.
In European markets, the minimum
combination of bands to be supported
is likely to be 2600MHz, 800MHz and
1800MHz. 700MHz should be added
for roaming beyond the region. The
AWS band (1700/2100MHz) is used
for some network deployments in the
Americas, while other bands are used for
LTE in Japan.
LTE user devices also need to support
legacy GSM/WCDMA systems. In the
3GPP systems environment, products
need to support quad-band GSM/
EDGE and several HSPA/HSPA+ bands
as well as multi-band LTE.
Significant spectral resources are
available for LTE TDD. The largest
contiguous bands are at 2300MHz
(100MHz) and within the 2600MHz
band, and some leading chipset vendors
are already producing TDD and FDD
dual-mode designs.
LTE-Advanced
LTE FDD and LTE TDD have a
clear evolution toward LTE-Advanced
that includes many features originally
considered for the future ITU IMT-
Advanced system. In October 2010, the
ITU accepted and officially designated
LTE-Advanced as an IMT-Advanced
(4G) technology.
LTE-Advanced is an evolution of
LTE. Several new features are added,
including carrier aggregation and
improved support for heterogeneous
deployments. Carrier aggregation
allows bandwidth to be extended by
joining together an operators frequency
allocations that are in different bands so
that up to five component carriers can
be aggregated for achieving bandwidths
up to 100MHz. Improved support for
heterogeneous deployments allows for
deploying a denser network of picocells
as a complement to the macro coverage
layer.
Several LTE-Advanced test systems
are operating around the world.
Transmission data rates of 1Gbps on the
downlink and 200Mbps on the uplink
have been demonstrated. Backward
compatible with LTE, LTE-Advanced
enables users to download a 700MB
video file in 9.3 seconds, according to
the Electronics and Telecommunications
Research Institute (ETRI, South Korea).
3GPP has published Release 10 of the
standard and formally frozen the set
of features for LTE-Advanced. The
completion of Release 10 is the final
step in the four-year process to ensure
that the 3GPP radio interface will
meet the formal requirements of IMT-
Advanced. As is the case with current
work on HSPA Evolution (HSPA+),
LTE work will continue beyond the
current Release.
Mobile broadband
devices ecosystem
In August 2011, the GSA reported
how the enormous choice and
capabilities of HSPA mobile broadband
user devices are still expanding. 3,227
HSPA user devices have been launched,
25% higher than one year earlier, while
the number of manufacturers increased
by 29 to 264 in the same period. With
continuing improvement in device
capabilities and performance, two-thirds
of devices (compared to 50% a year ago)
support peak downlink speeds of at least
7.2Mbps.
35 manufacturers have introduced
182 HSPA+ devices a 264% year-on-
year growth.
The availability of HSUPA devices
has similarly expanded, now with 1,184
products launched. Amongst them,
729 (100% higher than a year earlier)

support a peak uplink data speed of
5.8Mbps, and 40 (ten times higher than
a year ago) support 11.5Mbps.
The expanding range of smartphones
is clear to see. Excluding notebooks and
e-book readers, 1,093 HSPA devices
(over 40% of products) now incorporate
802.11/WLAN almost 49% annual
growth; 945 (34.8%) incorporate GPS
or A-GPS, representing 42.5% annual
growth. The number of routers and
mobile hotspots increased 45% in the
same period. The choice of HSPA-
enabled tablets is also rapidly expanding.
Refarmed 900MHz spectrum,
previously exclusively used for GSM,
i s f a vo re d by m a n y o p e r a t o r s f o r
mobile broadband in Europe, Asia
and elsewhere, with the comfort of a
mature ecosystem of HSPA-capable
900MHz user devices (UMTS900).
663 UMTS900 devices are launched in
the market, 65% higher than one year
ago. 87 UMTS900 user devices support
HSPA+, including 35 products that
support 42Mbps DC-HSPA+.
The devices ecosystem for LTE is also
building quickly. On July 29, 2011, the
GSA confirmed that 45 manufacturers
had announced 161 LTE-enabled user
devices, representing 155% growth
since February 2011. The majority are
designed for the 700MHz band where
LTE networks and services are currently
developing fastest. As LTE network
rollouts accelerate in other regions,
manufacturers will quickly follow with
products for those markets. The largest
segments are routers, dongles and
embedded modules, to be followed by
more LTE smartphones and tablets in
the coming months.
Ma n y LT E o p e r a t o r s h a ve a l s o
d e p l o y e d H S PA / H S PA + s y s t e m s
and they require service continuity
throughout their operating area, which
means a fallback to current HSPA/
HSPA+ and GSM/EDGE network
assets. Manufacturers are aligning
product developments with operator
strategies; at least 100 dual-mode LTE/
HSPA devices are available. Similarly,
LTE operators with CDMA EV-DO
Demand for mobile
broadband will continue
its strong growth curve.
Operators will invest in
capacity and coverage,
leveraging the benefits
of HSPA+ and LTE as
complementary solutions,
and exploit spectrum
options in new and
refarmed bands according
to local conditions
and possibilities.
investments also require users to be able
to fall back to their legacy networks; at
least 52 LTE devices also support EV-
DO.
Market and technology
trends
Demand for mobile broadband will
continue its strong growth curve. Video
already dominates traffic, and higher-
resolution files will significantly increase
traffic load. Operators will invest in
capacity and coverage, leveraging
the benefits of HSPA+ and LTE as
complementary solutions, and exploit
spectrum options in new and refarmed
bands according to local conditions
and possibilities. Self Organizing
Network (SON) solutions will
reduce network operational costs and
simplify the complexities of coexisting
GSM, WCDMA, HSPA, and LTE
technologies. Solutions for data off-load
and indoor coverage improvement will
be deployed. A combination of LTE and
HSPA+ technologies in high and lower
spectrum (for capacity and coverage
respectively) means that broadband for
Huawei Communicate
all can be achieved.
Continuing evolution of HSPA+
and LTE will move beyond todays
super-fast access for notebooks as more
smartphones and tablets enter the
market, and network performance and
device capabilities will improve and
expand. The user experience of social
networking, news, entertainment,
sport, mobile gaming, blogging, etc.
will all be greatly enhanced. Personal
video communications will become
common and further impact network
capacity. Control of devices in the home
and video surveillance applications has
become commonplace. Motor vehicles
will become mobile smartphone docking
stations for streaming information
and services required by drivers and
passengers, and for handling vehicle-
related communications, including
security and maintenance alerts.
As smartphone price points lower,
more users will embrace them and join
the networks. Capabilities of high-
end devices will continue to evolve
and drive yet higher volumes of data
traffic. Policy control tools may need to
be extended to manage traffic and user
expectations. Developments in screen,
semiconductor and battery technologies
will ensure that required operational and
standby times are delivered for the most
complex user devices. Business mobile
broadband users benefit from efficient
communications with colleagues,
access to files residing on their intranet
systems, and productivity levels rise. For
many people it will mean fewer trips to
the office, and companies downsizing
office space.
HSPA+ and LTE are likely to serve
market needs for the foreseeable future.
All existing IMT-2000 technologies can
harmonize to LTE as the single unifying
global standard, and are supported
by a large established ecosystem of
operators and vendors. Multi-mode
devices will play a pivotal role in its
commercialization. Enhancements
leveraged from LTE-Advanced may
phase in during 2013 and 2014.
Editor: Long Ji longji@huawei.com
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 10
 Cover Story
Germany: MBB on the fast track

11 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61

 Huawei Communicate

Germany:
MBB on the
fast track
Mobile broadband services are developing
fast in Germany, as smartphones and
tablet PCs become increasingly popular
and mobile application stores mature. The
top three mobile operators in Germany,
Vodafone Germany, Deutsche Telekom,
and Telefnica Germany, announced in
the second half of 2010 that they would
deploy industry-leading commercial Long
Term Evolution (LTE) networks in order
to provide mobile broadband services.
These services would include broadband
network access, high definition (HD)
video, high-speed download, and online
gaming to subscribers in both rural and
urban areas. Germany is witnessing a
golden era of mobile broadband service
development.
By Chen Shanshan & Zhu Jikui

SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 12

 Cover Story
Germany: MBB on the fast track
Government leads in
bridging divide
A
lthough mobile broadband
development in Germany
is rapid, some 2,700,000
rural homes still have slow
Internet access (speeds of less than 1
Mbps) or, in some cases, no broadband
network connection. This is mainly
because villages are scattered over large
areas, making it difficult and costly to
deploy wired broadband connections.
With advantages such as fast network
construction, low cost, and advanced
t e c h n o l o g y, m o b i l e b r o a d b a n d
technology is regarded by the German
government as the preferred technology
for high-speed Internet access in rural
areas.
On February 18, 2009, the German
government presented the details of
a broadband strategy which included
using the digital dividend to enable
operators to deploy wireless and mobile
broadband services in rural areas. The
government stated it would focus
on four areas: speeding up digital
dividend auctions; pushing operators
to seek synergy via joint infrastructure
deployments; ensuring growth and
innovation oriented regulation, and
The government stated it would focus on four areas: speeding up
digital dividend auctions; pushing operators to seek synergy via
joint infrastructure deployments; ensuring growth and innovation
oriented regulation, and providing the necessary financial support.
13 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
providing the necessar y financial
support.
The president of Germanys Chamber
of Commerce, Ludwig Georg Braun,
said that with complete broadband
coverage, Germany can offer e-learning,
e-health and e-government services to
everybody.
LTE the best choice
LTE is recognized by the industry
as the primary technology for next-
generation mobile broadband services.
Compared with HSPA, LTE is able
to provide 10x data transfer speeds,
3x network capacity and only 1/4x
latency.
M o r e o v e r, i t c a n u t i l i z e r i c h
frequency spectrum resources, with
Europe making available the 800MHz,
1800MHz, and 2,600MHz bands for
deployment. A feature of LTE is flexible
networking with multiple frequency
bands, which operators with next-
generation mobile broadband networks
will need for a smooth evolution in the
future.
In particular, the 800MHz Digital
Dividend Spectrum (DDS) is regarded
by the industry as the Golden
Frequency Band since it is able to
provide better network coverage. It has
a coverage radius two to three times
that of the 2,600MHz band, making it
the best solution for low-cost network
construction and indoor coverage in
rural areas.
W i t h t h e d e p l o y m e n t o f LT E
solutions and devices in the 800MHz
band, non-commercial users in remote
areas can conveniently and quickly
receive broadband Internet access
services. Abundant 1800MHz frequency
resources featuring good coverage are
available, enabling operators to utilize
the band for both LTE and voice
services. As the mainstream frequency
spectrum for global LTE deployment,
the 2,600MHz frequency spectrum
is suitable for high-capacity hot spot
coverage.
The German government officially
started the LTE frequency spectrum
auction in May 2010. Operators were
competing for the 800MHz band
during the auction, which came to an
end after 27 days and 224 rounds of
bidding. Vodafone Germany, Deutsche
Telekom and Telefnica Germany all
secured their desired frequency bands
within their budgets.
At that point, Germany entered
the fast track of high-speed mobile
broadband services.

Vodafone Germany
Golden frequency band transforms countryside
The spirit of innovation
V
odafone has an innovation
gene and has always been a
pioneer when it comes to
communications technology
innovations and applications. With the
penetration of smartphones focused on
data service applications, broadband
data services are embracing a period of
golden growth. Data services have been
placed in a position of unprecedented
importance by Vodafone, a giant in the
mobile communications sector.
Vo d a f o n e Ge r m a n y h a s a c l e a r
development strategy: becoming a
market leader through innovative,
industry-leading technologies and
reducing service cost through new
technologies, thus ensuring an
advantageous position in the mobile
broadband market.
Vodafone Germany prioritized LTE
deployment on 800MHz to reduce
deployment costs for the last mile in
rural areas. LTE 800MHz also has
the advantage that it delivers fast data
services and guarantees QoS, which
translates to a richer and better MBB
user experience.
Taking the lead in
conducting DDS trials
To deliver on its promise to the
government that it would provide
mobile broadband services in rural
areas using the 800MHz band, and
to take the lead in deploying a mobile
broadband network across the country,
Vodafone Germany conducted in-depth
research on the advantages of 800MHz.
Meanwhile, the company worked with
the local telecom authority and Huawei
to perform stringent and extensive field
verification tests.
Huaweis end-to-end (E2E) LTE
Huawei Communicate
By Zhu Jikui & Xu Bin
800MHz solution performed
exceptionally in the joint tests. It could
provide download speeds of 12 to
15Mbps when teminals were 7 to 8
km away from base stations, winning
high praise from Vodafone Germany.
After multiple rounds of verification
tests, Vodafone Germany believed that
Huaweis industry-leading, mature
LTE 800MHz solution matched its
performance requirements high speeds,
wide coverage, and short latency. Huawei
also showed the ability to respond
rapidly. For these reasons, the operator
named Huawei its strategic partner in the
LTE sector.
All this helped Vodafone Germany
take the lead in quickly deploying an
LTE network across Germany.
Commercial LTE
service sets sail from
Heiligendamm
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 14
 Cover Story
Germany: MBB on the fast track
Vodafone Germany CEO Friedrich Joussen
believes that LTE provides better growth potential,
and has the capability to be a viable alternative to
fixed-line services.
Joussen once told journalists that if Vodafone
had a euro to spare, theyd prefer to invest it in
mobile communications instead of fixed line.
Several months after receiving the DDS,
Vodafone Germany officially launched Germanys
first ever commercial LTE 800MHz station in
Heiligendamm on September 15, 2010, thus
taking the lead in commercial LTE applications in
Germany. Germany became the fifth country that
put LTE into commercial use.
The CEO and the CTO of Vodafone Germany,
along with the Chairperson of RegTP, pressed the red
button that symbolized the launch of the new services
at the kickoff ceremony. They also issued the first
LTE data card to a subscriber. The guests watched
Video-on-Demand (VOD) and videophone service
demos with a peak rate of 40Mbps thanks to higher
speeds and shorter latency. The demos received a
lot of positive comments at the site.
Vodafone Germany announced the official
launch of LTE services in Germany on December
1, 2010. The near-term objective of Vodafone
Germany is to increase coverage in rural areas.
Joussen was quoted in a press release as saying that
as a high-tech country, Germany would need an
advanced underlying communications infrastructure
whether in cities or in the countryside.
Leading a new trend of
network convergence
Dealing with the explosive growth of mobile
broadband services, and improving the quality of
services further after the countryside is fully covered
are two problems that Vodafone Germany needs
to address. To further increase download speeds
and provide customers with a high-quality mobile
broadband service experience, Vodafone Germany
plans to introduce LTE 800MHz and LTE 2,600MHz
into its existing network within three to five years.
That will come with a complex network structure:
five frequency bands, including GSM 900/1800MHz,
UMTS 2100MHz and LTE 800/2600MHz, as well
as three technology standards will coexist. The costs
of operation and maintenance will become extremely
high. Vodafone Germany is eagerly seeking a new
solution that allows a single network to support
15 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
multiple frequency bands and modes, thereby
maximizing equipment sharing. It also requires that
the solution come with All-IP technologies to reduce
network complexity and operating expenses (OPEX).
For this reason, the operator is very interested in
Huaweis Future Site solution, which is based on the
industry-leading SingleRAN solution and software
defined radio (SDR) technology. With this solution, a
single cabinet is able to support all five frequency bands
and three modes, enabling full convergence of mobile
networks under various standards.
With the Future Site solution, a single network
of Vodafone Germany is able to simultaneously
support network standards including GSM,
UMTS, and LTE. As a result, the network
structure will be simplified to the highest extent,
fundamentally increasing network performance
and reliability and satisfying high-end users
rigorous requirements from mobile broadband
services.
Meanwhile, the Future Site All-IP co-transmission
solution effectively solves the problem of transmission
limitations in mobile broadband services. It also
satisfies future data services high-bandwidth
requirements on mobile broadband connections,
thereby achieving smooth future evolution. Therefore,
it is a perfect match for Vodafone Germanys future-
oriented network construction requirements.
Additionally, anything carried by a single person
at one time must be less than 15kg in weight,
according to German laws. Otherwise, mechanical
equipment is required, which adds to installation
costs. The Future Site solution provides 3mRRU,
the industrys smallest and lightest Radio Remote
Unit (RRU), whose weight and volume are less
than 15kg and 12L respectively, thereby greatly
reducing Vodafone Germanys installation cost.
With the Future Site solution, Vodafone Germany
has realized three visions reducing network
complexity, reducing the OPEX and going All-IP.
There is an increasingly evident trend toward
LTE as an alternative to fixed networks. Vodafone
Germany expects to seize early opportunities in
the LTE market and achieve its ambition through
its leading technologies and advanced network.
Joussen said that Vodafone eventually would plan
to upgrade all base stations in Germany to LTE
- the next generation mobile communications
technology. These investments would ensure in
the mid-term that the new broadband wireless
standard would be available to customers and in
the coming years broadband Internet would be
available all over Germany.
 Huawei Communicate

Telefnica Germany
Bring ubiquitous mobile broadband
By Zhu Jikui & Zhong Lei

Paving the way for MBB

M
obile communications are
as important as oxygen in a
modern society is the poetic
slogan proposed by O2, which
was acquired by Telefnica for USD31.5 billion in
2005. Telefnica has since become the worlds third
largest telecom operator. The ubiquitous mobile
communications concept of O2 had also been
deeply integrated into Telefnicas growth strategy.
Telefnica Germany was a late entrant in
Germanys well-developed mobile communications
market. Its brand had considerable competitive
advantages due to its transnational operations.
With the prosperity of mobile broadband
services in the previous years, however, Telefnica
Germany was under heavy competitive pressure in
a mature market where mobile communications
penetration rate was as high as 131%. Facing
the challenges, Telefnica Germany developed a
new growth strategy and market objective. It was
determined to take a leading position in terms of
network coverage and performance.
Telefnica Germany started large-scale network
modernization in December 2007 in order to
pave the way for mobile broadband services. It
decided to first conduct large-scale upgrading
and capacity expansion on its GSM and UMTS
networks. Huaweis RAN solution was employed
for this project to cover the entire southern part of
Germany, including its richest and most industrially
and commercially developed regions such as Bavaria
and Baden-Wrttemberg. This upgrade included
well-known industrial cities: Munich, which
is Germanys second largest city; Stuttgart and
Nuremberg, both of which are rich, beautiful and
ancient cities; renowned tourist destinations such as
the Knigssee (Kings Lake), the Schwarzwald (the
Black Forest) and the Zugspitze (the highest peak
of the Wetterstein Mountains as well as the highest

SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 16

 Cover Story
Germany: MBB on the fast track
mountain in Germany).
Telefnica Germany successfully finished Germanys
largest-scale network upgrade in September 2009.
After the project ended, the UMTS voice service
capacity tripled, the GSM voice service traffic increased
by 10%, and all network KPIs were better than before
the swap. The two-year total cost of ownership (TCO)
decreased by 30%.
Telefnica Germany partnered with Huawei
again to launch Europes first ever commercial
HSPA + MIMO network in Munich in November
2010. With a peak download speed of 28Mbps,
it has brought Telefnica Germany subscribers
rich applications including high-quality Internet
TV, extremely responsive online games and highly
reliable business data access. This has served to
further improve the companys brand image.
Telefnica Germany saw increasing brand
influence and market share thanks to its proactive
and firm mobile broadband service approach
as well as continuous attention to technologies,
subscriber requirements, and the improvement
of network quality and user experiences. All of
these have paved the way for the subsequent rapid
growth of its mobile broadband services.
Committed to LTE
In 2 0 1 1 c o m p e t i t i o n h a s b e c o m e m o re
intense in Germanys mobile broadband market.
Subscriber demand for data services has been
driving the commercial use of LTE, which has
17 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
become an inevitable choice for Telefnica
Germany on the road to mobile broadband
services. It officially announced on July 1, 2011
that it will provide commercial LTE services using
the 800MHz band. This network is also the first
commercial LTE network of Telefnica Group.
In the early phase, Telefnica Germanys LTE
network will cover villages to bring unmatchable
mobile broadband service experiences to
subscribers in remote areas. In the futu re, it
will expand its LTE network into the 2600MHz
frequency band to cover more urban and rural
communities and provide more subscribers with
high-speed mobile broadband services.
It was not accidental that Telefnica Group
selected LTE as the direction in which to
develop mobile broadband services. It has been
discussing LTE technologies and applications
with vendors since April 2009 and announced
in late September that it would start LTE/SAE
technology experiments. Telefnica deployed
experimental LTE/SAE networks in six countries
including Spain, Britain, Germany, Czech, Brazil,
and Argentina. It selected six vendors to provide
equipment for this. Huawei was selected to
conduct in-lab and field LTE tests for the sub-
network in Britain where the most stringent
technical requirements and strictest tests were
required. Huawei took the lead in finishing the
tests in February 2010. Telefnica was very satisfied
with its LTE test result.
Meanwhile, Telefnica Germany and Huawei
carried out the first LTE-friendly user test in
Munich and Ebersberg. Several hundred users were
chosen to experience the unprecedented high-
speed mobile broadband services brought by LTE.
Praise from the users gave Telefnica Germany
confidence for rapid LTE deployment.
Now it starts: With O2 LTE fr zuhause rural
areas will finally have fast Internet access as well.
Video streaming, fast downloads and online computer
games are no longer an issue in rural areas. says Ren
Schuster, CEO of Telefnica Germany. Covering
blind spots in the countryside is only the first step of
our LTE deployment. We will provide LTE services
in cities once we meet all the requirements of the
federal network authority. This may come true within
several months at the earliest.
With Telefnica Germany on the right track,
there is no doubt the operator will make high-
speed mobile broadband service experiences as
ubiquitous as oxygen in the near future.
Editor: Li Xuefeng xuefengli@huawei.com
 Weather the signaling storm Huawei Communicate

Weather the signaling storm

High-performance smartphones with large screens are attracting increasing numbers of users and
boosting operators profits, and yet they bring with them unprecedented signaling storms.
By Chen Yang

Storms rising and boosting operators profits, and yet

they bring with them unprecedented
the iPhone, it had seen data traffic
increase by 50 times, but legacy network
signaling storms. resources had been unable to keep up.

T
he widespread adoption
of smartphones globally
has ushered in the mobile
Internet era. Data from
research firm Gartner showed that
the number of smartphones shipped
globally exceeded 296 million units (a
72% year-on-year growth), accounting
for 19% of the total shipment of
mobile terminals. High-performance
smartphones with large screens are
attracting increasing numbers of users
First, the unexpectedly fast growth
of mobile broadband (MBB) users and
Packet Data Protocols (PDP). Based on
data from the top 30 MBB networks
deployed by Huawei, in 2010 alone
the online 3G user numbers increased
by 99%, 3G PDPs by 148%, signaling
traffic per office by 268.71%, and data
traffic per office by 199.80% over 2009.
Second, frequent network congestion,
dropped calls and user complaints. For
example, since an operator launched
Smartphones have a great impact
on network capacity, signal processing,
and data transmission. Operators may
face challenges like network congestion,
overload, and frequent capacity
expansion; thus, early preparation is
required to ensure network stability.
Causes
PDP automatic activation

SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 18

 Main Topic Weather the signaling storm
Most smartphones automatically
attach to the network and active a PDP
context soon after being powered on, in
order to access the Internet and obtain
up-to-date information anywhere and
anytime. In contrast, feature phones
activate PDP only when accessing
data service, and deactivate it after the
data service is over. As a result, almost
each smartphone subscriber has a PDP
context and the average activation ratio
is much higher, which places much
greater pressure on the MBB network
capacity as smartphone penetration
increases.
Fast dormancy
Smartphones consume large amount
of power due to their large screen, long
online time, and diversified mobile
applications. To save power, smartphones
have adopted fast dormancy technology.
If there is no data transmission within
a short time (usually 3 to 10 seconds),
smartphones will automatically abort
the wireless connection and switch to
the idle mode. The connection will be
reestablished when the data transmission
is needed. All these generate large
amounts of signaling traffic.
Always-on applications
Always-on applications like instant
messaging (IM) and social networking
services (SNS) etc. are popular among
MBB users. These applications not only
occupy resources related to wireless
carrier, PDP, and IP, but also ask the
client devices to send heartbeat messages
to the server every several minutes
in order to remain online. This also
generates a heavy signaling load.
Abnormal signaling
A smartphone makes its best to be
always online. If the activation fails
due to breakdown of network node
such as AAA or OCS server, no service
subscription, and insufficient capacity, the
smartphone will repeatedly try to activate
PDP context. As a result, the activation
19 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
signaling on the network increases
sharply and the network congestion or
overload occurs consequently.
On the network of an operator, for
example, the number of repeated PDP
activations caused by failed activation
accounted for 98.76% of the total PDP
activations throughout the network, and
the success rate of activation was lower
than 3%, resulting in an extremely big
waste of network resources.
Continuous virus scan
On an MBB network using public
network addresses, the always-on
smartphones are subject to external
attacks. An intensive IP address scan/
sweep attack on terminals can evoke a
paging storm, which will lead to CPU
peak and frequent overloading of the
signaling processing board.
In general, fast dormancy and always-
on applications have made smartphone a
main contributor to an MBB networks
signaling traffic. Huawei statistics based
on 30 MBB networks show that in
2010, the wireless connection signaling
(service request/Iu release) per 3G user
increased by 157.81%, and the wireless
connection signaling took up 86% of
the total signaling.
Taking proactive
measures
To better solve the challenges brought
by smartphones, operators need to plan
their networks properly, and enhance
the ability in signaling process and data
transmission. In addition, operators
need to optimize their network resources
and deployment to ease the signaling
traffic, guard against the signaling
storm, and ensure stable network
operation. Operators can also explore
the features and impact of smartphones
on their MBB networks so as to gain a
new profit-generating model.
Differentiated network
management
Network visualization: Smartphones
a re va r i o u s a n d t h e i r i m p a c t s o n
networks are different. Huawei data
shows that Android devices generate
three times more signaling traffic than
iPhone, and 22 times more than feature
phones. The traffic models vary greatly
due to different portions of smartphones
on MBB networks.
Huaweis visualization solution
helps operators gain insight into their
networks and understand the quantities,
percentages, and signaling distributions
of various smartphones. Operators can
learn of the change in terminal types,
quantities, and traffic models in a
timely manner. In this context, they can
accurately evaluate and forecast their
network resources to avoid network
congestion and properly build a high-
quality, safe, and stable network.
D i f f e re n t i a t e d m a n a g e m e n t :
With the increased penetration of
smartphones, operators will face more
complex and variable network resource
usage. A differentiated resource and
capacity management solution is needed
to analyze network and discover resource
bottlenecks in a timely manner.
Huaweis network capacity management
service monitors smartphone distribution,
service composition, signaling and
traffic model, then analyzes the usage
of network capacity, transmission
bandwidth, signal processing resource,
IP address resource etc. This helps
quickly identify resource bottlenecks,
provide improvement advice, and
achieve differentiated capacity
management.
Enhanced SGSN: Facing the impact
of smartphones, network equipment
should feature large capacity, powerful
processing ability, and sustainable
expansion to cope with the growing
signaling and traffic pressures.
Ba s e d o n t h e ATC A p l a t f o r m ,
Huawei SGSN is known for its large
capacity, high integration, and high
throughput. The SGSN is able to
process 24,000 sessions per second,
accommodate 12 million concurrent
users and 24 million PDPs. This helps

dramatically reduce the number of network
elements and simplify the networks.
Currently, Huawei SGSN has been widely
deployed and gained increasing popularity among
operators. For an operator with seven million MBB
users and 100% smartphone penetration, only
three sets of Huawei SGSN is needed (three more
for 100% redundancy).
Relieving signaling impact
To r e l i e v e t h e s i g n a l i n g i m p a c t f r o m
smartphones, operators can start from optimizing
their network configuration and deployment,
besides enhancing the equipment capability.
Deployment optimization: Huawei network
deployment optimization service relieves the
signaling and resource pressures produced by
smartphones. The optimization service covers
network timer, IP address resource, network
security, service configuration, and more.
S m a r t D i r e c t Tu n n e l : D i r e c t Tu n n e l
technology can help operators save investment on
the user plan. However, with direct tunnel, both
establishing and releasing a wireless connection lead
to PDP updates in the Gn interface, dramatically
increasing the GGSN signaling load.
Smartphones make signaling overload or
congestion easier in the direct tunnel scenario due
to its active wireless signaling behavior. As a real
example from an operator, when the number of
direct tunnel users reaches 5%, the PDP update
increases 600% prior to the launch of direct
tunnel. When the number reaches 10%, the PDP
update increases 11 times. Smartphones make
direct tunnel a nightmare for GGSN.
Huaweis smart direct tunnel solution adopts
two-tunnel for smartphones, while direct
tunnel for feature phones. This greatly reduces the
number of signals processed by GGSN, and avoids
signaling congestion.
Preventing abnormal storms
Operators need to act actively to the abnormal
signaling storm caused by smartphones to ensure
the network stability. In addition, active measures
are needed to prevent the signaling storm in
advanced.
Guard against the storm: The Huawei SGSN
provides powerful overload control and can ideally
guard against signaling storm. The system can
preserve 80% processing capability under a 10-
time signaling load rush, and 50% under a 64-
Huawei Communicate
time signaling load rush. This ensures a reliable and
stable system, helping operators smoothly face the
signaling storm.
Suppressing the storm: Huawei provides
a solution for the signaling storm triggered by
terminals with no service subscription or by faulty
network elements. The solution monitors the PDP
activation signals of terminals. When the activation
attempts exceed the predefined threshold, the
solution automatically applies countermeasures
based on terminal type, and eliminates the
abnormal or repeated activations.
Huawei smart paging solution is applicable for
the signaling storm triggered by virus attack. GGSN
first identifies the service type of the data packets and
notifies SGSN; then SGSN decides whether to page
based on the service type, service priority, and system
load level. The SGSN will prioritize the services with
higher priority, and discards the low-priority package
if the system is overloaded. This reduces the signal
load to the network, while ensuring the experience
of high-priority user.
Ongoing innovation of
SmartLab
Huawei SmartLab is an innovative lab that
concentrates on smar tphone tests, mobile
applications, traffic models, and solutions. Its
research covers four major mobile operating
systems of iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and
BlackBerry, together with their various versions.
The lab has also researched into applications like
IM, VoIP, SNS, Streaming, and P2P. SmartLab
has established long-term partnerships with
operators worldwide. Joint efforts include testing
the new features and impacts of smartphones and
applications, identifying risks and new revenue-
growth point.
Smartphones are changing the user habits and
increasing operators income. Challenges and
opportunities always come together smartphones
are also bringing the signaling storm. The Huawei
smartphone solution effectively reduces the
signaling storm and ensures network and service
stability. With its visualization capability, the
solution helps operators precisely evaluate and
effectively plan the network, provides warning
for insufficient capacity, and avoids unnecessary
network expansion.
Editor: Pan Tao pantao@huawei.com
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 20
 Main Topic Realizing the full potential of SingleRAN
Realizing the full
potential of SingleRAN
Delivering exible resource usage and reduced OPEX, the SingleRAN solution has been playing a key role in building
an efficient radio network, and its continual improvements can help achieve the full potential of SingleRAN.
Bernhard Scholl joined T-Mobile
International (now DTAG) in 2006.
He is now Vice President for Radio
Network System Design responsible
for the GSM, UMTS and LTE radio
network design in the various
Deutsche Telekom affiliates. Prior to
his current position he worked for
Siemens Communications as Product
Manager for UMTS base stations.
21 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
O
perating in 50 countries,
we have about 150,000
base stations on different
networks, with the
smallest network having about 300 base
stations, while larger countries have
more than 50,000 base stations. We
have nearly 100% 2G coverage in all
our operations, but 3G is less; typically
it is between 60 and 90% in different
countries. We are adding LTE into our
network portfolio by starting limited
deployment.
We also have around 4000 hotspots
covered by WLAN. Additionally, we
have Flash-OFDMM, 3G TDD, and
CDMA systems; however, these three
have been deployed on a smaller scale.
Our major technologies are GSM,
UMTS and LTE for wide coverage and
macro deployment, due to the mature
ecosystem.
We a r e d e p l o y i n g S i n g l e R A N
currently to all GSM sites, which are
subject to the network modernization
in Germany, hence 12,700 sites. The
SingleRAN solution will make our
network flexible and cost-efficient, while
providing the best customer services.
Accommodating
different standards
As an operator, when we deploy
LTE or carry out modernization, we
By Bernhard Scholl
would really want everything we build
to accommodate other technologies
such as GSM and UMTS, or combine
the modernization directly with LTE
deployment.
When building a radio network, we
previously selected a supplier for GSM,
a second one for UMTS, and may be
a third one for LTE. SingleRAN has
enabled us to move away from this
multi-supplier model by using multiple
technologies per site. Huaweis base
station, for example, can accommodate
900MHz and 1800MHz in one
rack. Being highly integrated, these
installations occupy much less footprint
compared with the previous generations
of RAN equipment.
SingleRAN modules can be reused
for different standards. This helps us
reduce significantly the operational
costs regarding spare parts, logistics,
and training, while providing higher
f l e x i b i l i t y f o r i n c re a s i n g t r a f f i c .
In a d d i t i o n , t h e s i m p l e n e t w o r k
architecture has also protected our
investment, thanks to its single
transport interface for all backhaul
and the capability of handling either
GSM, UMTS, or LTE in the current
application case.
Accommodating multiple standards
in both the RF and transport layers,
however, the current SingleRAN BTS
architecture can be further improved
at the baseband layer, which is still
composed of standard specific modules.

In the future, the baseband should
be capable of handling multiple
technologies and provide redundancy
across the modules.
Enhancing resource
efficiency
Another major benefit brought by
SingleRAN is flexible resource usage,
including spectrum usage and using the
air interface in the most efficient way
with different technologies in parallel.
Today, the most efficient power
amplifier is the small narrowband power
amplifier. On the one hand, we require
increased power amplifier bandwidth
to cover full band or multiple bands,
and cope with fragmented spectrum.
In addition, as we want to prepare
for network sharing and protect our
investment, we need to have a power
amplifier with a full frequency band,
which we can use for the flexible design
of network sharing and have the highest
efficiency in power consumption. We
also need increased output power to
cope with increasing traffic. On the
other hand, we need to reduce power
c o n s u m p t i o n t o d e c re a s e c a r b o n
footprint and OPEX in general.
In order to solve this dilemma and
achieve the optimal balance between the
output power, bandwidth and power
consumption, SingleRAN should evolve
and offer a more flexible power amplifier
solution by which operational state is
changeable via software.
Changing O&M mindset
SingleRAN calls for a change of
mindset. There are separate GSM,
UMTS and LTE standards, and we
usually assign separate expert terms and
operation teams to tackle GSM, UMTS,
and LTE networks. SingleRAN has
enabled us to unify our O&M teams
into one. We are also expected to have
a single operation system, which can
Huawei Communicate
researching the software management
SingleRAN has enabled of SingleRAN, which aims to keep the
us to unify our O&M teams software dependency between the GSM,
UMTS and LTE parts as low as possible
into one. We are also and minimize the downtime due to
software upgrade.
expected to have a single
operation system, which can
Single transmission
exibly handle SingleRAN.
In this case, every SingleRAN t r aSingleRAN helps to reduce the
nsmission costs and helps the
network element can be network architecture migrate to single
IP-based transmission. Take Deutsche
controlled by one network Telekom for example: we currently have
element manager. more than 500 BSCs in Germany, and
about 22 RNCs. In the future, we will
have only one transport network and a
flexibly handle SingleRAN. In this case, co-location or co-rack solution of BSCs
every SingleRAN network element can and RNCs. We will also introduce the
be controlled by one network element IPSec solution for GSM and LTE traffic,
manager, while a consistency check including UMTS O&M traffic.
can be delivered for multi-standard
configuration management.
Other features are also important, for Enhancing resilience
example, plug and play when you plug
a network device, e.g. a base station, To a v o i d s i n g l e - p o i n t f a i l u r e ,
it will be configured and network SingleRAN requires additional
integrated in an automatic procedure. redundancy and resilience concepts
This functionality has currently been depending on the site priority and
provided for the LTE as part of the the required network quality. In this
SingleRAN solution, and the same case, a network swap becomes quite
functionality for the GSM and UMTS c o m p l i c a t e d . In a b i g a re a , a s i n
parts should also become available. This Germany, a swap will involve about one
can greatly enhance operation efficiency. million customers on GSM, UMTS and
LTE networks. We need an intelligent
redundancy mechanism. For LTE, we
Decrease software can easily connect two different core
networks; but for GSM and UMTS, it
dependency is not available yet. We are looking into
these challenges and trying to improve
In t o d a ys t y p i c a l d e p l oy m e n t reliability in order to avoid one single
situation, we would have three fault on a site causing massive loss of
independent software packages, each to communications.
manage GSM, UMTS and LTE system. Delivering flexible resource usage
SingleRAN combines the individual and reduced OPEX, the SingleRAN
packages, and a software upgrade enables solution has been playing a key role
the smooth evolution from GSM and in building an efficient radio network.
UMTS to LTE. The introduction of We have already reaped the SingleRAN
LTE means an upgrade of the GSM benefits and we expect to see more
b a s e s t a t i o n s . So m e t e s t e f f o r t i s improvements to achieve the full
required to ensure the high reliability of potential benefits of this solution.
the SingleRAN radio network. We are Editor: Michael huangzhuojian@huawei.com
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 22
 Grameenphone secures the future
In 2010, Grameenphone (GP), the leading Bangladeshi mobile operator, and Huawei jointly began carrying out a
country-wide radio access network swap project. The Head of Radio Planning at GP, Syed Md. Samshur Rahman, says
that the project, which deploys Huaweis industry-leading SingleRAN solution, will bring increased coverage, meet
the growing demand for data, retain the operators quality position in the market and above all make the network
compatible with future technology.
By Ranajit S. Dam

Challenges and
opportunities
COMMUNICATE: Can you describe the
market background in the lead-up to the
initiation of the swap project?
Rahman: GP initiated the radio access
network swap project in the middle of 2010. It
was a six-operator market at that time, with a 60
million subscriber base. GP had a 44% share of
the market, making it the largest operator in one
of the fastest growing mobile markets in South
Asia. However, even though it was a fast-growing
market, the mobile sector in Bangladesh had
great potential, as penetration was just 40% at
that time.
At that point, operators were expecting the
majority of the traffic to come from rural areas.
In addition, GP faced the challenge of retaining
its distinct quality position in the local market.
Also, like many other markets we were seeing
massive growth in data traffic, which was one of
the distinct features of the market.

COMMUNICATE: What were the

challenges that you wanted to overcome by
swapping the radio access network?
Rahman: We had to confront specific
challenges prior to the swap project. Take our
rural expansion strategy, for example. This was
a challenge for GP, because when you want to
develop a network in rural areas, costs are higher.
On the other hand, this is a low-ARPU market.
Syed Md. Samshur Rahman So, TCO was an overriding issue. Another
predominant factor was the prevailing power

23 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61


A new-generation access solution like SingleRAN is a
suitable option as we think it to be capable of meeting the majority
of our requirements. GP also expects to cut its power consumption
by up to 40% through SingleRAN.
shortage all over the country; we were searching
for a solution which could help us reduce
power consumption. Finally, we were struggling
to accommodate growth in data traffic while
maintaining an expected level of QoS as we waited
to evolve to 3G.
From all of the above aspects, it was important
for GPs business sustainability to find a suitable
business partner that could provide a cost-effective
network solution, was smart in accommodating
data traffic through EGPRS, and would take care
of OPEX, especially when power consumption was
a matter of concern.
The benefits of SingleRAN
COMMUNICATE: Why did you choose
SingleRAN?
Rahman: We had been searching for a cost-
effective, compact, high-capacity solution which
would help us reduce costs effectively, both in
the core and access networks. Now this is a very
important part of our business strategy. A new-
generation access solution like SingleRAN is a
suitable option as we think it to be capable of
meeting the majority of our requirements. The
multi carrier technology in MRFU, we hope, will
help GP create an optimum cost margin. The
product seems robust in terms of environmental
sustainability and we are looking forward to
eliminating our air-conditioning system which is a
key contributor to our access network OPEX. GP
also expects to cut its power consumption by up to
40% through SingleRAN.
In addition, I have seen some noteworthy
features in the Huawei BSS like power sharing
in hardware, efficient data traffic management
INTERVIEW
between dual band in 2G and some trunking
efficiency enhancement options in the PS domain
which are suitable for our network topology.
Finally, one point I think I need to mention is
about infrastructure sharing, recently introduced
in the local market, which has become popular
in a very short time. Since we consider GP to be
the pioneer, Im hopeful Huaweis solutions will
help us in terms of enhancing and promoting the
business.
COMMUNICATE: How do you expect
SingleRAN will assist you in building an
environmentally friendly network?
Rahman: Our expectation in this regard is high,
and we believe that Huawei, as our partner, will
help us reduce power consumption significantly.
From our trials prior to deploying Huaweis new-
generation SDR-capable modules, we have seen
power savings of up to 50%. But in practice, we
think, this will be somewhere between 35% and
40%. Once we are able to dismantle the majority
of our air-conditioning units from the access sites,
Im sure GP will be one step closer to becoming a
green company.
COMMUNICATE: With the Bangladesh
telecom market beginning to move towards
3G, what features and modules has GP, as the
leading mobile operator, adopted till date to
enable smooth and cost-effective evolution to a
3G network in the future?
Rahman: One of motivations in initiating this
access network swap was 3G compatibility. The
hardware we are purchasing is 3G compatible, and
we have an SDR-capable radio unit at present. So
hopefully, if technology-agnostic spectrum licenses
are issued in the future, these preparations will help
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 24
 us upgrade to 3G very quickly. Apart from this,
I think the transport layer could be a major issue
in our network. We have already implemented
A over IP Solution in our core part. The process
is underway to implement Abis over IP, which I
think will help prepare the access transport layer.
We are also using DWDM in our network, which
will help enhance IP capacity further. Additionally,
we are enhancing the capacity of the PS core
network at the same time. We are confident that
these preparations will lead to smooth transition to
3G.
Securing the future
COMMUNICATE: Operators today are
looking to transition to an All-IP network. How
are you preparing for the same?
Rahman: Given the massive growth in data
traffic worldwide, this is certainly a major focus
area of operators. You have to get prepared from
every aspect, from radio access, from transmission
and also from core, to cater for the growth.
We have already introduced A over IP Solution,
so this is one step towards All-IP solution. And we
are currently evaluating Abis over IP, and hopefully
we will be able to start implementation by the
end of this year. Apart from this, we are getting
prepared in terms of access network capacity by
introducing hybrid microwave and also exploring
the feasibility of developing partnerships with
fiber optics networks and infrastructure solution
providers.
In addition to SingleRAN, we will also
deploy Huaweis SingleCORE, ngHLR (next-
generation home location register), and IP STP
(signaling transfer point) solutions. We hope the
SingleCORE solution, with ATCA platform-based
mobile softswitches, will help us build a more
robust and flexible mobile network with a highly
reliable and simplified architecture. All of this is
expected to help GP move to an All-IP network,
most probably by next year.
COMMUNICATE: What is your future plan
when it comes to evolving the mobile network?
How do you expect Huawei to work with you in
this area?
Rahman: Like many other operators all over
the world, GP will face challenges accommodating
data traffic. Currently we are deploying SDR-
capable radio and I think in near future if the
25 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
regulator allows us to use technology-agnostic
licensing, this will be give us the flexibility to select
multi-access feasibility.
And considering evolution of technology, I
think HSPA or even HSPA+ will be a strong
contender for our network in the near future and
from a long term perspective LTE will be a good
choice maybe in the next couple of years. The way
I see it, it might not be good enough to cope with
the data growth and eventually we might need
to think about some other alternatives. I think it
would be a good idea to have some hybrid form
of access technology; it could be HSPA or LTE
together with fixed broadband. In parallel, we
need to promote localized solutions like pico and
femtocells for dense metropolitan areas.
Taking all of this into consideration, it is
important for Grameenphone to find a suitable
and efficient business partner, a vendor who can
provide support in a majority, if not all, issues. I
am sure our business partnership with Huawei will
help us retain our business position, sustain our
brand image and afford the capability to deliver to
our subscribers the service we commit to.
COMMUNICATE: How would you describe
GPs partnership with Huawei till date?
Rahman: The way the Huawei and GP teams
worked together was a landmark. Some of the
challenges we faced during implementation phase
were pretty new and unique in nature that left a
significant impact on quality. I really appreciate
the approach we have demonstrated as a single
team. I have been in this industry from almost the
beginning of my career; it was really one of my
greatest experiences.
Prior to the initiation of this project, we had
some expectations from Huawei, but we also
had some doubts. Some of the specifications
that Huawei provided at that time were, frankly
speaking, too good to be true. In time, Huawei has
demonstrated its strength in some key areas. My
personal assessment is that Huawei is very strong
in the PS domain. I could mention one example:
Huaweis new generation RF product has a
robust link budget resulting in effective enhanced
coverage, especially in rural areas. If Huawei
continues to treat operators as trusted partners,
and lead them on the track towards excellence, my
personal belief is that entire industry will benefit
from this.
Editor: Zhu Wenli zhuwenli@huawei.com
 INTERVIEW

Convergence in the EPC age

Gabriel Brown, Senior Analyst with Heavy Reading, focuses on wireless data networking technologies
with reference to how these technologies impact the wider mobile data services market. In this
interview with COMMUNICATE, Brown shares his views on networks, technologies, and products in
the EPC (Evolved Packet Core) age.
By Chen Jia

Convergence: The inevitable

trend
COMMUNICATE: Global operators have
been increasing investment in the field of
mobile broadband services since 2010. Major
operators have started or are preparing to
build commercial or trial LTE-EPC networks.
Speaking of building new LTE-EPC networks,
interconnectivity between LTE and GSM/
UMTS, and network planning remain two
concerns. What approach do you think
operators will take to building networks?
Brown: Operators today face a situation
where GSM, UMTS, and LTE technologies
coexist and will continue to do so for several
years. They are therefore looking at how they can
rationalize core network infrastructure and where
possible move to a single, common core with
the capability to support diversified services and
technologies. Issues that merit attention include:
First, of course, a focus on solutions that
balance and moderate CAPEX and OPEX.
During the early period of network rollout,
when subscriber numbers and usage on new LTE
networks are low, costs need to be controlled,
but any EPC deployment must also be able to
scale rapidly as LTE takes off.
Second, there is software-defined core
network equipment. Decoupling of application
software from platform hardware has created
opportunities for product innovation in the core Gabriel Brown, Senior Analyst with Heavy Reading
network. Vendors are now able to more quickly

SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 26

 take advantage of advances in processor technology
to rapidly evolve products. Operators can deploy
equipment that is software-configurable across
the generations of access technology, and which
can be rapidly updated with new features through
software.
Third, the interoperability between LTE and
GSM/UMTS and prevalence of smartphones
pose unprecedented challenges to operators. The
explosion in signaling traffic on mobile networks
provides a strong argument for an integrated core
network based on EPC. For example, an integrated
MME-SGSN node provides a single mobility
management instance that internalizes signaling
flows within the platform that arise from LTE-to-
UMTS handovers. This has the potential to reduce
integration complexity, lower operational costs,
and improve the user experience.
We believe that operators will evolve their
networks to converged, flat architectures that will
support GSM/UMTS/LTE access and, ultimately
non-3GPP access as well.
COMMUNICATE: As you pointed out,
convergence will be the theme for future
network deployment. In your opinion, what are
the network technology drivers of a converged
network?
Brown: A common mobile packet core based
on EPC is attractive to many operators. The very
first commercial LTE networks have typically
deployed EPC in parallel to the classic 2G/3G
packet-switch core for reasons of risk reduction,
expediency, and product availability. This will
change as vendors release more capable products
and we would expect operators to cap investment
in classic 3G equipment and migrate to the new
EPC platform over time.
A combined GSM/UMTS/LTE bearer plane
appears logical. Theres broad industry agreement
that combined GGSN and PGW nodes in the
bearer plane are advantageous from a CAPEX
perspective, obviously, but perhaps more
importantly due to a desire for common services,
policy enforcement and charging across HSPA+
and LTE. With the growing adoption of multi-
mode devices, this will be a common requirement.
Some high-profile operators have already
successfully implemented converged solutions in
the bearer plane. Deutsche Telekom, for example,
has adopted gateway common supplier for GGSN/
SGW/PGW nodes and Verizon Wireless has been
27 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
able to integrate the PGW for LTE access and
HSGW for 3G access.
There is far greater uncertainty about how
to integrate control-plane nodes. The nature of
the Evolved Packet System (EPS) architecture
has an impact on packet core platform choices
and product design. Handover requires the
participation of core network nodes since there is
no direct interface between eNodeB and RNC/
BSC. This results in frequent signaling interactions
between SGSN and MME. In a combined MME-
SGSN, such interactions are internalized within
the platform, which should improve operational
efficiency, improve the user experience by reducing
the latency and improve the reliability of LTE-to-
UMTS handovers.
That said, integration of SGSN and MME
is impacted by many other factors the type of
handover required, the impact of direct tunnel
and SGSN pooling, and the differing deployment
models for MME and SGSN nodes, for example.
Convergence in control plane
COMMUNICATE: Operators and vendors
are paying close attention to the situation in
the control plane. Can you briefly analyze the
critical issues in this area?
Brown: Perhaps the most challenging aspect of
EPC deployment is integration with the existing
core network elements including the 2G/3G
packet switch core, the circuit-switch domain,
and with the services-layer infrastructure. This
is a major challenge of architecture design and
network planning and, from an implementation
perspective, is perhaps the most technically
complex part of an LTE network deployment.
This complexity is unavoidable. But by
combining the MME and SGSN elements, some
of it can be mitigated. With both applications
running within the platform, on common
software, some of the integration challenges and
responsibility for interoperability is transferred
from the operator to the equipment vendor.
Moreover, there could be integration cost savings
from the fact that existing SGSNs wont need to be
upgraded to S4 interfaces (which instead would be
internalized), and these will be supported by the
convergent node.
In theory, there are CAPEX reductions available
from integrated SGSN and MME equipment

because only one node is needed instead of two.
Reduction in operating costs should be achievable,
as ongoing running costs related to network
monitoring, troubleshooting, software updates,
and so on, are reduced considerably.
There is a drawback, however, in that SGSNs
are typically deployed at one level of distribution
out from the GGSN in the core by virtue of their
role in mobility management and user-plane
aggregation. MME equipment does not have a
user-plane function and can potentially be more
efficiently deployed centrally. This increases the
complexity of the operator decision to consolidate
core network elements.
The second critical factor relates to mobility
management and LTE-to-UMTS handover. Much
of the signaling load between SGSN and MME is
generated by handovers. Integration of MME and
SGSN nodes will optimize the signaling process,
thereby enhancing the user experience and making
more efficient use of network resources.
There are not yet capable LTE/UMTS handsets
on the market, and handover capability has not yet
been implemented in live LTE/UMTS networks.
However, it was observed from GSM/UMTS
networks that the integration of 2G and 3G
SGSNs increased handover success rates by eight
percent and reduced latency by 30 percent, While
not an exact parallel, this provides some guidance
for the type of performance gains that might be
achieved with MME-SGSN integration. Such
improvement will be important, particularly in
the early phase of LTE network when interactions
between LTE and GSM/UMTS networks may be
frequent.
Smartphone usage patterns means that reducing
signaling load is a priority for many operators and
converged MME-SGSN nodes can help with this.
According to data from Huawei, for inter-RAT
handovers, signaling can be reduced by 20.3% and
31.8% in Gn/Gp-based handover and S4-based
handover scenarios respectively.
There are of course some issues to be addressed.
One Tunnel (also known as Direct Tunnel), for
example, is a way to offload user-plane processing
from SGSN devices by sending traffic direct
from the RNC to the GGSN. So far, a majority
of operators have tended to use One Tunnel for
dongle traffic and retain the classic dual-tunnel
model for smartphone users to avoid over-loading
the GGSN with transaction-related service
requests. How the use of One Tunnel evolves will
INTERVIEW
influence the decision to combine SGSN and
MME functions.
Convergence at product level
COMMUNICATE: The realization of the
above mentioned benefits depends on product
designs of equipment vendors. What do you
think embodies the core competitiveness of
products?
Brown: The ability to integrate functions and
scale control- and user-plane really comes down to
the underlying hardware and software platforms
chosen by vendors. It has to consciously be part
of the vendors platform choice; trying to force a
control-plane node into a data-plane role, or vice
versa, doesnt really work over the longer term.
Common hardware comprises sharing of racks,
chassis, boards, and even physical interfaces among
GSM, UMTS, and LTE. Board-level resource
sharing is most challenging, but is now emerging
as a must-have baseline capability. Sharing of
CPUs, memory, and hard disk, is included in this.
Sharing software resources is technically
challenging and is multi-faceted. Perhaps most
important is that a single user context can
be supported by a common software resource,
regardless of whether the user is connected by GSM/
UMTS or LTE. In this way, GSM/UMTS subscriber
capacity, and signaling/forwarding processing, can
be released to be re-used by LTE in the process of
migrating the subscriber base. The subscriber license
should be valid across technologies, so no new license
is needed as GSM/UMTS subscribers are migrated
to LTE.
To conclude, operators should pay close
attention to the underlying platform choices made
by their prospective vendors. The most competitive
platforms and products will provide the flexibility
to evolve the network as the subscriber base and
service mix change. Even if the operator does not
wish to integrate network elements at the outset
of the LTE deployment, the ability to combine
assets at a later date has tremendous option-value.
Being isolated with single-mode mobile packet
core equipment will prove costly in the medium
and long term. Our research shows that a majority
of operators would like to deploy a common EPC-
based core and I believe the market is moving
strongly in that direction.
Editor: Xu Ping x.ping@huawei.com
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 28
 MBB: The cost conundrum
How can operators keep costs down as they offer mobile broadband?
Informa Telecoms and Medias Dimitris Mavrakis provides some clues.
Dimitris Mavrakis is a Senior Analyst with Informa Telecoms and
Media. He is part of the Networks team, where he covers a range of
topics including Next Generation Networks, IMS, LTE, WiMAX,
OFDM, core networks, network APIs and identifying emerging
strategies for the mobile business.
29 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
By Ranajit S. Dam
A
s mobile broadband becomes
ubiquitous globally, operators around
the world face some similar problems:
keeping CAPEX and OPEX low,
securing return on investment, and dealing
with users and devices that consume different
amounts of bandwidth. Dimitris Mavrakis,
Senior Analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media,
is an expert on mobile broadband and LTE,
and he offers some pointers on making MBB
profitable.
Cost challenges
COMMUNICATE: What are the major
challenges facing operators looking to keep
CAPEX and OPEX down as they offer mobile
broadband?
Mavrakis: This is a good question, and a
multi-faceted one. Let me try and answer it
in two ways. First, lets talk about developed
markets, like the U.S., the UK and Germany.
There, operators are faced with increasing traffic
they have to manage; they not only have to carry
this traffic, but also offer a good user experience.
So they are making continuous investments,
both in terms of CAPEX and OPEX, in order
to meet this demand, but the ROI is not
guaranteed.
If you look at what operators have been
marketing in these past years, it has primarily
been mobile broadband subscriptions through
USB dongles. And these bring significantly lower
profits when compared with smartphones. So
we are seeing a shift now, with operators trying
to market smartphones more. Vodafone recently
said: If a high-powered broadband user with
a USB modem moved to another network, it
would free up space for ten smartphone users.

Thus there are many challenges: keeping CAPEX
and OPEX low, handling this traffic and also
marketing it correctly to end users.
In developing markets, like Africa and Asia, the
challenge is to improve the penetration of mobile
broadband services. So operators are usually
building coverage, and then theyre expecting
subscribers to come. Its a challenge, especially in
big markets like China and India, because they
have to build a huge network, with very high
costs. So ROI may not be possible in the first few
years. And thats also a big challenge: to put so
much investment into the network in this current
economic climate, and then wait for consumers to
come. So there are challenges for operators from
both developed markets and developing markets.
COMMUNICATE: What can operators do to
reduce cost per GB in LTE?
Mavrakis: One parenthesis here is that the cost
per GB is a very subjective metric, and it only
makes sense when the networks are well utilized.
But if were talking about return on investment,
and the total cost of a network, there are many
things that the operator can do. These things
usually depend on the market. For example, a
lot of operators will be able to share parts of the
infrastructure, whether that is cell site sharing,
backhaul sharing and other technology that they
already have. But usually operators have a legacy
infrastructure, and that means for LTE, they will
require new base stations. The mechanics of the
deployment can provide some cost savings.
Making MBB profitable
COMMUNICATE: According to you, what is
the single biggest driver of profitability in MBB
services?
Mavrakis: It is clearly smartphones.
Smartphones are the new driver of mobile data
traffic. Weve seen the emergence of smartphones
that cost less than USD100. And really, this is
a great opportunity for operator to penetrate
subscriber segments that were not possible before.
Earlier, smartphones used to cost USD500 700,
and these were offered in a subsidized way for the
mass market. But with these cheap smartphones,
and Android especially, operators have the
opportunity to convert feature phone customers to
smartphone customers, and get them to use data
services. So in general, it is smartphones that are
INTERVIEW
being viewed as the cash cow, if you may.
COMMUNICATE: How can operators cost-
effectively accommodate the needs of both
heavy and casual users?
Mavrakis: This is both the beauty and the
curse of mobile broadband. With voice, every user
is the same. But in data, theyre not the same. A
user may be a very light user, or a very heavy user.
Traditionally, operators would charge the same. So
they were using a voice-centric approach in mobile
data. Its not the way it should be done.
Now, with tiered pricing plans and bundles,
this is starting to change. But it requires subscriber
education as well. So there are several things the
operator can do to increase revenue. Volume is
one. You can have tiers of gigabytes that cascade.
Some operators try to do speeds different speeds
at different prices, but that is very tricky. And
there are other things, like, for example, marketing
synergies with other products. But it seems
operators are still feeling their way around. They
are focusing now on volume, but they could also
try time and speed.
An ideal solution
COMMUNICATE: What kind of solution
will help operators secure ROI? And how does
Huaweis Single Strategy measure up in this
respect?
Mavrakis: Operators need a solution thats future-
proof, as future-proof as possible. Also, it depends
on what legacy they have, and what costs they can
save; how much OPEX they can save by investing
CAPEX. A lot of operators may completely replace
all platforms with a single one. This may cost more
in the short term, but will save them a lot of OPEX
in the long term. The ROI will take longer than
expected, because its a large investment up front, but
most operators are in the process of refreshing their
technology, because they want to support different
networks GSM, UMTS, LTE, and even LTE-
Advanced on a single platform.
As for Huaweis Single Strategy: It has been
very well received by operators. Some operators
are using it to upgrade their networks; while some
operators are using it as an LTE standalone. Also,
it has the capability to shift to LTE-Advanced and
other technologies and spectrums. And for these
reasons, it has been well received.
Editor: Long Ji longji@huawei.com
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 30
 How to Operate

Cloud computing stepped decisively into the spotlight

in 2011 with the emergence of clouds in various areas
including computing, storage, security, and testing. This
has encouraged operators such as Vodafone, China
Mobile, and China Telecom to rapidly enter the cloud
arena. What is the essence of cloud computing and how
will it impact the Business Support System (BSS)?

Exploring the cloudified BSS

By Yin Chunlei

B
y changing the business model
from buying to leasing, cloud
computing will inevitably
change the division of work of
all parties in the entire BSS ecosystem,
including managed service providers,
integrated ser vice providers, and
software and hardware vendors. In cloud
computing era, operators will outsource
their BSS to cloud service provider and
become end user of BSS cloud, allowing
them to focus on SLAs and customer
experience. BSS cloud service providers
can also share resources on a larger scale
through virtualized hardware and multi-
tenant architecture software, providing
more operators with cheaper services,
superior experiences, and improved
efficiency.
BSS vendors must prioritize mergers
and acquisitions as long-term strategies
through which to vertically consolidate
the value chain and secure dominance in
terms of market share and technologies.
Only in this way can they survive and
thrive by providing better BSS cloud
service.
BSS can be deployed in private
or public cloud. Given the current
technologies, the Internet-based public
cloud applications are more tolerant
to delays, downtime, and data leakage.
However, telecom operators have higher
requirements on the service availability of
a BSS. BSS failures can lead to decreased
customer satisfaction and revenue loss. In
addition, BSS customer data is a critical
information asset and operators cannot
control the data leakage in a public cloud.
Therefore, most operators will lease or
construct private clouds for BSS over the
next five years. BSS must be cloudified
to build a BSS could, and we will further
discuss the features and principles of a
cloudified BSS.

31 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61


Features of a cloudified BSS
W h a t a re t h e f e a t u re s a n d b e n e f i t s o f a
cloudified BSS? According to The NIST Definition
of Cloud Computing, a cloudified BSS should have
the following six key features:
1) Enterprise-wide sharing: A cloudified BSS
should maximize the IT resource sharing rather
than using separate IT systems for each region
or subsidiary. The BSS can then encapsulate
applications as services, and flexibly support
business processes and coordination within
or among enterprises by orchestrating these
services. Additionally, multi-tenant mode enables
a cloudified BSS to support autonomous and
differentiated operations within different regions or
subsidiaries.
2) SLA-driven dynamic deployment and
scheduling, dynamic scaling-on-demand, and self-
healing mechanisms: The dynamic deployment
and scheduling mechanism dynamically deploys
or schedules applications based on SLAs to ensure
that hardware can be fully shared and optimally
utilized; dynamic scaling-on-demand evaluates
service or data volumes to optimally pool resources
and provide services that guarantee SLAs; self-
healing automates the troubleshooting of failures
based on SLAs without affecting service quality or
user experience.
3) Convenient access anywhere, anytime:
Customers can smoothly access services from
any access point via compact or virtual terminal
devices.
4) Fully virtualized architecture: The storage,
computer, and network infrastructure are all
virtualized, while physical locations are transparent.
Application software is independent of hardware.
Multiple applications can run on the same physical
computer; or multiple physical computers can be
a logical computer to run a large-scale application
transparently.
5) Dynamic data distribution, real-time
synchronization, and lifecycle management:
Dynamic data distribution in a data-centric context
enables the BSS to support linear scalability
and leverage hardware resources; real-time
synchronization ensures high system availability;
data lifecycle management serves as the basis for
both dynamic data distribution and real-time
synchronization.
6) Automated intelligent management: This
covers the end-to-end monitoring and control
Huawei Communicate
of the entire computing environment including
applications, middleware and hardware. Little
manual intervention is needed as the system
automates SLA-based deployment and scheduling,
dynamic scaling-on-demand, and self-healing.
Realization of these six features position the
cloudified BSS as an evolved system that can
realize the goals beyond traditional BSSs: lowering
construction and O&M costs; ensuring better
service quality and QoE; adapting to rapidly
changing business models and requirements.
However, the SLA-based self-healing mechanism
accelerates troubleshooting and improves QoE, full
resource sharing reduces expenditure on hardware,
and automated system management lowers O&M
costs.
The cloudified BSS differs from a virtualized
BSS in several ways. Virtualization generally refers
to the logical representation of physical resources;
for example, host virtualization divides one
physical host into multiple logical hosts, storage
virtualization divides a physical storage pool into
multiple logical storage devices, and desktop
virtualization centralizes scattered physical desktop
clients into one logical desktop client.
Virtualization may enable hardware resource-
sharing, but it cannot make a cloudified BSS.
Storage virtualization, for example, is unable
to dynamically distribute application data;
equally, host virtualization cannot converge
small-granularity hardware. While an important
supplement for cloud computing, virtualization
does not underpin the conversion process to a
cloudified BSS.
Migrating to a cloudified BSS
Realizing the six major characteristics of a
cloudified BSS to deliver its expected benefits
presents considerable challenges in terms of
operation management, processes, architecture,
technology, and O&M management.
Integrated operations
The cloudified BSS is designed to enhance
operating efficiency and lower costs, especially IT
costs. Operators generally adopt separate operation
management, for example, setting up different
business units for fixed, mobile and broadband
services while establishing branches based on
regional divisions. Without operating synergy,
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 32
 How to Operate
Exploring the cloudified BSS
this leads to poor efficiency and degraded service
experience, meaning that inter-departmental
service flows need to be streamlined to synergize.
The transformation of operation modes and
service flows requires management restructuring,
which would take a considerable amount of
time. Operating synergy not only enhances
competiveness and efficiency, but also optimizes
the sharing of IT resources such as hardware and
software. Another difficulty involves the support
mechanism for differentiated operations. To do so,
operators need to convert business capabilities into
services and then flexibly manage these services
and their related processes.
Platform to meet SLAs
In terms of applications, a cloudified BSS
requires full isolation between the functional and
non-functional features. The functional features
include business logic; the non-functional features
cover system deployment, performance, reliability,
scalability, and maintenance.
The cloudified BSS can realize SLA-based
deployment and scheduling, dynamic scaling-on-
demand and self-healing without complicating
operations. This assures SLAs through the service
platform alone, allowing presentation logic,
functional logic, data storage, and access logic to exist
outside of the SLA. The service platform can deploy
applications across the optimal hardware such as a
highly reliable cluster based on a given SLA. As
SLAs may specify times for response, processing
and interruptions, the system can monitor SLA
requirements and implement dynamic scaling to
meet these requirements.
If a service platform detects an increased traffic
load but the system responds slowly, the platform
can reroute the traffic and allocate a new server
to share the load while still meeting the SLA.
After lowering the system load, the platform can
then reroute traffic again to reduce the number of
servers required.
Data access can also decrease speeds to an extent
that breaches SLA requirements if the data in a
data table increases. In this case, the system can
dynamically divide and then distribute a data table
among multiple databases. It can also change the
data route and assign the access request to multiple
databases to ensure that the SLA is met. If a fault
occurs in a database, host, or storage device, the
system self-heals based on SLA specifications.
A legacy BSS must be maximally configured (at
33 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
two to three times the average configuration) to
meet peak hour traffic. Moreover, operators opt for
static hardware configuration, which fails to reduce
traffic pressures as applications have different peak
hours. In this context, hardware utilization can
be lowered to 30 to 40%. Applications must be
deployed dynamically to maximize the hardware
utilization rate and lower the IT costs. For
example, a settlement system can free idle capacity
to the CRM and billing systems during the day.
Isolated service and technology layers
The service functions in the system architecture
of the service platform must be isolated from the
infrastructure, including hardware, middleware,
and databases. As a result, service functionality
does not rely on a specific technology and the
service platform would employ a distributed
application and data structure. Isolating the service
platform from the infrastructure also ensures
that the optimal technology is adopted in terms
of cost and efficiency. For example, a traditional
BSS adapts well to centralized architecture in
minicomputer mode, yet it cannot use lower cost
blade servers.
The rapid growth in users and services may
compromise the system reliability and performance
offered by centralized architecture; for example, a
minor fault can affect QoE for a large user base.
Migrating a legacy BSS to distributed database
architecture involves a massive workload and is
impractical. To ensure optimal cost and efficiency,
the service functions and infrastructure should be
removed from the BSS architecture.
Smart and automatic O&M
A cloudified BSS demands smart, automated
O&M. Manual maintenance frequently interrupts
services and is prone to human error even a
simple upgrade can degrade service quality for
a considerable time. In contrast, operators can
enhance QoE by presetting rules to automatically
upgrade and troubleshoot faults.
Huawei continues to explore the cloudified
BSS and is active in fields such as automated
management, distributed application architecture,
and distributed data access. Huawei is making
a decisive contribution to the next-generation
cloudified BSS and is ready to assist operators to
deliver added value.
Editor: Xue Hua xuehua@huawei.com
 Huawei Communicate

A closer look:
IPv6 commercial
deployment
The commercial deployment of IPv6 is not just
a simple shift to IPv6. Instead, it represents a
large-scale and very challenging transformation
of existing networks and services. Commercial
solutions that target the unique features of
networks and services with IPv6 can meet the
requirements for migration to IPv6 and improve
service experience in a way that enables its
successful commercialization.

By Qin Hao

E
stimation predicts that global Internet
Protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses will
be exhausted soon. Two solutions are
to either deploy IPv6 or prolong the
IPv4s life and employ a different solution. The
problem with the former approach is that the IPv6
industry chain is not nearly mature enough, and
incompatibility between IPv6 and IPv4 means
that existing services cannot be directly inherited.
Adopting IPv6 too early could significantly disrupt
services. Retaining IPv4 necessitates the application
of Network Address Translation (NAT) technology
to reuse public IPv4 addresses and increase the
utilization rate. Doing so could solve the IP address
shortage in the long term. Operators must analyze
both methods and select the optimum solution.
Three major routes to
deploying IPv6
Deploying IPv6 involves various aspects
of the network and service system and can be
achieved through three major routes: dual-
stack (DS), tunnel, and protocol translation.
Dual-stack
This is an ideal, end-to-end deployment solution
with equipment simultaneously supporting both
IPv4 and IPv6. Instead of replacing IPv4 in its
entirety, it allows IPv4 and IPv6 to coexist. DS
can support IPv6 by upgrading existing network
equipment without changing network architecture.
H o w e v e r, t h i s s o l u t i o n h a s o n e o b v i o u s
disadvantage: IPv6 will consume huge amounts of
equipment resources in the existing network. Most
key resources must be allocated between IPv4 and
IPv6, such as the routing table; L2 index table;
stream table; Access Control List (ACL); Quality of
Service (QoS) queue; and the equipments control
resources, such as the Central Processing Unit

SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 34

 How to Operate
A closer look: IPv6 commercial deployment
(CPU), user management function,
and strategy control tables. In most
current networks, IPv4 services generally
consume more than 50% of equipment
resources. The introduction of IPv6
would require large-scale network
renovation, which is unacceptable in
terms of both cost and investment
protection.
Tunnel
This solution can transmit different
protocol messages through message
packing and does not require the
network to fully support DS. There
are two ways to implement the tunnel
solution: 6in4 and 4in6.
The 6in4 tunnel solution retains
the existing IPv4 network architecture
and carries IPv6 on IPv4 sometimes
called 6rd (IPv6 Rapid Deployment).
This is commonly adopted on a small
scale in the early stages of IPv6, with the
IPv6 gateway deployed in the networks
core position to centrally connect IPv6
through the tunnel and minimize
network upgrades. However, with the
rapid development of IPv6 services, a
centrally deployed IPv6 gateway would
fail to handle the continuously growing
IPv6 ser vice volum e, li mi t i ng i t s
application to the initial stage.
The 4in6 tunnel solution introduces
IPv6 on a large scale by building network
architecture that supports IPv6 across the
board. Existing IPv4 services are directly
inherited and carried on IPv6 and are
regarded as IPv6 services. This solution
applies to scenarios involving new
networks or networks that do not plan to
use the DS design. Carrier-Grade NAT
(CGN) DS-Lite technology is typically
used for this solution.
This solution yields obvious benefits.
It enables direct and quick single-
stack IPv6 deployment, which can
directly inherit IPv4 ser vices and
avoid the network resource pressures
affecting DS networks. When IPv4
users occupy private network addresses
en masse, different users are marked
and distinguished through IPv6 tunnel
35 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
The commercial
deployment of IPv6 is
not simply a network
upgrade to accommodate
IPv6 services; it brings a
host of new and complex
challenges to network
and service development.
addresses. However, DS-Lite technology
usually only allows the CGN gateway to
be centrally deployed. The large volume
of IPv4 services poses high requirements
on the reliability, scalability, and
performance of the CGN gateway.
Protocol translation
This technology mainly enables
inter-communication between IPv4
and IPv6, such as NAT64 and NAT46.
Due to the complexity of translating
protocols and the limited adaptability
and compatibility of services, current
protocol translation technology is not
ready for commercial deployment.
As terminals or service systems evolve
from IPv4 to IPv6, the need for inter-
communication between IPv4 and IPv6
is rare. The usual approach adds support
for IPv6 instead of simply changing
IPv4 to single-stack IPv6. In addition,
the mass deployment of IPv6 generally
requires that service providers solve
protocol switching alone, with little for
operators to do at the network level.
Therefore, operators rarely consider
p rov i d i n g m a s s s w i t c h i n g a b i l i t y
between IPv6 and IPv4. Considering
the cost demand of single-stack IPv6
for mobile terminals, some mobile
operators may plan to provide the
NAT64 solution in the MBB service
field for mobile terminals.
IPv6 service deployment:
Challenges to networks
The commercial deployment of
IPv6 is therefore not simply a network
upgrade to accommodate IPv6 services;
it brings a host of new and complex
challenges to network and ser vice
development. These are as follows:
Changes in user identification
and management
IPv6 introduces a new allocation
m e c h a n i s m f o r n e t w o r k p r e f i xe s
that allocates a range of addresses to
terminal networks. This allows terminal
networks to access more terminals,
which is necessary for the emerging
services like M2M, and also changes
the terminal access mode. Compared
with the existing networks that manage
individual users PCs, terminal networks
act as a terminal network cloud and
focus on managing access for many
terminals within that cloud. This is a
revolutionary change to identifying
network users that requires a significant
shift in user operation management
methods.
The extensive use of IPv4 private
network addresses requires the
deployment of a NAT gateway for
address conversion. The levels of NAT
deployed affect the ability of services
to pass through the NAT. Normally,
one NAT level needs to be deployed
at the users home gateway for address
conversion and reuse among terminals
within terminal networks. The other
level is required on the operator side for
address reuse among different terminal
networks. This two-level structure greatly
complicates services traversing through
the NAT. Though User Datagram
Protocol (UDP) Punching can partially
solve this problem, traversing remains
an issue for Transmission Control
Protocol (TCP)-based applications and
applications that do not support UDP
Punching. Furthermore, the traversing
UPNP mechanism generally adopted by
service systems is unsuitable for a 2-level
NAT.
The number of NAT levels must
be reduced for networks in which it

is extensively deployed. For example, removing
the NAT at the terminal networks gateway
and keeping the level at operators equipment
reduces NAT traversing requirements for services.
However, this complicates the management of
terminal networks IPv4 private addresses, access of
the terminal network cloud, and user identification
management. Neither introducing IPv6 nor using
IPv4 private addresses to connect users solves the
problem of managing and identifying the terminal
network cloud. To do so requires radical changes to
operators current operation management systems.
Challenges to network scalability and
investment protection
As IPv6 is a new family of addresses and is
incompatible with IPv4, its introduction would
occupy the network equipment resources that
currently focus on IPv4. Simply upgrading the
equipment that currently operates high loads of
IPv4 services on existing networks is inadequate.
To increase network scalability, layering would be
generally necessary to traverse network equipment
that does not support IPv6 or the dual-stack
resource capacity. However, even if tunneling
technology is used, the differences in deployment
solutions still culminate in unfeasible workloads
and network renovation costs. Therefore, the
decision to adopt IPv6 must consider network
scalability and the utilization of existing network
equipment to protect existing investment.
Inter-communication among more
address families
The adoption of IPv6 will bring a new
IPv6 address family. To solve the IPv4 address
problem, many IPv4 private network addresses
would need to be deployed. In addition to the
existing IPv4 public addresses, the network will
simultaneously accommodate three address
families, all of which need to communicate with
each other. For optimized service access, parallel
communication from IPv4 to IPv4 and from
IPv6 to IPv6 is advisable. However, in some
situations, communication between IPv4 and
IPv6 is unavoidable, which requires carrier-class
NAT gateway equipment and protocol conversion
equipment.
To guarantee high performance and meet
the requirements of commercial operations, the
carrier-class NAT is necessary to implement policy-
Huawei Communicate
based, user-centric NAT management and the
ordered, controllable allocation of IP address and
port resources. This differs from the requirement
on existing ordinary NAT equipment, which is to
enable carrier-class operations, and is a key issue
that must be addressed.
Challenges to service perception and
service optimization with multiple
network integration
A traditional stovepipe network carries one
service over a single specific network. However, with
the trend for integrating multiple networks, various
closed service networks will eventually be integrated
and massive amounts of service terminals will need
unified IP addresses. In this case, all traditional
closed services will become open services, raising
the problem of service identification as the service
isolation and identification models of the VLANs
and VPNs that accommodate traditional closed
services cannot be used. Therefore, a new service
identification and perception model is required to
optimize services and improve service quality so as
to facilitate the successful commercial deployment
of IPv6.
Challenges to multi-topology logic
network management and the flexible
allocation of network resources
As the IPv6 protocol is incompatible with IPv4,
IPv6 has different logic network requirements.
If IPv4 and IPv6 coexist on the same physical
network, different logic network topologies and
requirements for network bandwidth on links
would be created, which results in the problem
of allocating resources between different logic
networks. For some years, networks have adopted
the single-plane, single-protocol management
model. However, IPv6 would require operators
to manage multiple logic networks to facilitate
O&M, which greatly increases the complexity of
network management and maintenance.
Generally, the commercial deployment of
IPv6 brings many new challenges and requires
extensive transformation of current networks.
This, inevitably, has directly affected the
commercialization progress of IPv6.
Advice on commercial
deployment of IPv6
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 36
 How to Operate
A closer look: IPv6 commercial deployment
The strategy for IPv6 adoption is
generally the deployment of a pipeline-
based and multi-plane network. It
is relatively simple at the backbone
network level as equipment performance
at this level is guaranteed and the DS
and dual-plane solutions can be used for
either All-IP or Multi-Protocol Label
Switching (MPLS) networking. The P
equipment for MPLS does not require
upgrading to IPv6 and can connect to
the IPv6 network through the logic
IPv6 plane (6 Provider Edge (PE)/6
VPN Provider Edge (6vPE)).
The networking architecture of metro
networks is complex and diverse, and
involves numerous equipment models.
This makes it impossible to simply adopt
the DS and multi-plane solutions; the
tunnel solution must be added to enable
traversing through and communicating
with incompatible networks. Depending
on the scenario, there are many possible
tunnel solutions, including the L2/L3
pipelines, user pipeline, and in special
cases, pipeline jointing.
Pipeline-based, multi-level
broadband service access
solutions with tunnel sensing
In the IPv6 era, access of the terminal
network cloud is a new form of user
access for broadband services. This
demands that multiple terminals within
a terminal network are identified as
one user, and that they share centrally
allocated network resources, such as
public network addresses and port
ranges.
For users adopting IPv4 private
network addresses, tunnel-sensing
access technology can uniquely mark
and manage users, and isolate them
through the tunnel. The primary NAT
of the terminal network gateway can be
removed, leaving only the NAT of the
operators network. Tunnel markings
can be added to the NAT to identify
users during address conversion. Users
private network addresses can overlap
to reduce NAT levels and increase the
NAT-traversing success rate of services.
37 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
IPv6 uses a per-user, per-network-
prefix terminal identification
mechanism. With the ne w access
requirements of the terminal network
cloud, the management of the tunnel-
sensing or network-sensing terminal
network cloud requires corresponding
technical renovations to manage and
control the users of current broadband
services.
In addition, depending on different
networking architectures for metro
networks, requirements for IPv6 access
architecture in the real world might
differ, such as in the case of centralized
or distributed Broadband Remote Access
Server (BRAS) networking. In different
stages of IPv6 adoption, networking
solutions can vary depending on the
number, density and the distribution of
IPv6 users.
In the initial stage of IPv6 adoption,
centralized IPv6 access networking
architecture is advisable as it enables
a re l a t i ve l y l ow n u m b e r o f f a i r l y
centralized users to obtain IPv6 access
through a small number of IPv6 BRAS.
The main technology of this architecture
is the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)
wholesale solution, the advantage
of which is that the BRAS gateway
equipment in the current network does
require an upgrade to facilitate DS. The
BRAS can send users IPv6 services to a
small number of centrally deployed DS
BRAS for wholesale processing.
In the future, when IPv6 is
deployed on a large scale and IPv6
access architecture must be upgraded
to distributed network architecture,
centrally deployed IPv6 BRAS
equipment can be pushed to the
network edge for use as ordinary IPv6
BRAS. Doing so effectively solves
the inheritability issue and protects
equipment investment.
In summary, to enable broadband
services in an IPv6 environment, the
overall solution should comprise the
management architecture of the terminal
network cloud with tunnel-sensing or
network-sensing and hierarchical user
access architecture.
Operating solution integrating
BNG and CGN
The inheritance of traditional IPv4 is
mainly realized through the deployment
of the carrier-class CGN, a key attribute
of which is its capability to realize
commercial operations. Address reuse
allows public IP addresses and port
resources to be shared among users.
Effectively and efficiently allocating
address resources and implementing
differentiated operation controls based
on requirements can increase address
utilization efficiency and enhance the
ability to operate and manage services.
In current IPv4 ser vice operating
systems, the BRAS is basically the
main player for management and
control. After carefully combining
and associating the CGNs address
resource management function and
the BRASs user-centric operation
management system, the CGN strategy
can implement management according
to BRAS users. This realizes an operable,
user-centric NAT control ability that
facilitates management and allocates
IP addresses and port resources, thus
maximizing the resource utilization rate.
The CGN strategy can be
dynamically issued through Remote
Authentication Dial In User Service
(RADIUS) as part of the operators
current strategy management platform
to simplify strategy management
requirements. Combining this
mechanism with tunnel-sensing
broadband access architecture can use
the same NAT public network addresses,
port conversion, and terminal network
CGN strategy control measures, such as
identical session number control for all
terminals within the terminal network
cloud.
Business-level seamless
BNG POOL & CGN POOL
reliability solution
Many real-time services such as voice
and video have high reliability demands.
Equally, high-availability data services
 Huawei Communicate

such as financial services and games

also require high reliability. To ensure
the reliability of the BRAS and service
router (SR) equipment connected to
IPv6 and the CGN equipment inherited
from IPv4, data between different
devices is dynamically synchronized in
real-time. The Bidirectional Forwarding
Detection (BFD) mechanism detects
network or equipment failures. If a
failure occurs, services can switch to
backup equipment in real time at a
speed of 50ms to ensure seamless service
continuity, carrier-class reliability, and
high QoE.
To increase equipment utilization,
the active-standby mechanism can
be applied at the port or VLAN
level through the fine-granularity
virtualization of active-standby status,
with the equipment providing mutual
backup. The POOL solution can protect
high volumes of equipment to form N:1 content-caching mechanism on network requires operators to manage and
and N + 1 pool protection ability, which equipment enables the integrated maintain multiple logic networks.
ensures the reliability of large amounts service-layer control module close to Using visualized IPv6 network and
of services. network equipment to quickly obtain service management tools to provide
content from the content cache and visualized DS network multi-topology
IPv6 service perception and re-transmit lost packets. When an management coupled with visualized
IPTV user changes channels, content routing management and real-time DS
smart optimization
provisioning is rapidly achieved as the traffic monitoring comprises a must
Operators can introduce IPTV in network can quickly obtain the initial solution for network management in
the initial stage of IPv6. As a closed programming from the cache to switch the IPv6 era.
service in an independent network, channels and ensure high QoE.
IPTV does not need to interact with Monitoring each stream can mitigate Unified platform & flexible
external networks and operators can IPTV network transmission quality architecture
easily connect the entire industry chain issues such as packet loss, delays, or
and migrate to IPv6. However, given jitter by implementing end-to-end Introducing IPv6 necessitates a
the integration of Telecom, Internet troubleshooting and quality monitoring. large number of new service modules
and Broadcast, IPTV will become an Providing better quality services in the for networks, such as IPv6 BRAS/SR,
open service and IPTV terminals on IPv6 era will help drive migration to CGN, Content Cache, and 6PE/6vPE.
the integrated network will consume IPv6. These functional modules require
massive amounts of IP addresses. This different networking architectures and
means that IPv6-based IPTV must Visualized networks & service technology combinations in different
be considered for future network operation and maintenance stages of IPv6 adoption. Using the same
integration. network platform can help unify various
The high-value ser vices offered A DS network has two different IPv6 functional components onto one
by operators require higher QoS to logic networks IPv4 and IPv6 platform. Combining components
enable network integration, the key to with different network topologies and flexibly based on services and user
which is improving service perception, bandwidth requirements. Therefore, needs meets the control requirements
intelligence and quality. To avoid adopting IPv6 will change the single- for complex services, improves network
degrading QoS through packet loss, network operation environment of scalability, and raises the resilience of
integrating the service-layer control the IPv4 era to a multidimensional network architecture.
i d e n t i f i e r a n d t h e c o r re s p o n d i n g network operation environment that Editor: Pan Tao pantao@huawei.com

SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 38

 Solution
Maximizing MBB profitability with SingleRAN Evolution
Maximizing MBB profitability
with SingleRAN Evolution
Smart device users and
network capacity are
growing explosively, and on
global mobile networks, data
traffic is expected to surpass
voice traffic for the first time.
Operators have to figure out
a way to handle the impact
of this data traffic surge and
maximize their profitability.
By Li Chunlin
39 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
I Broader: Site-level
n the mobile broadband (MBB)
era, the rapid growth of smart
devices and their applications has
caused mobile traffic to double
every year. According to a forecast, MBB
traffic will grow 500 times in the next
10 years. Traffic distribution, however,
is often unbalanced: 20% of sites
account for 80% of data traffic while
20% of users consume 80% of traffic.
Therefore, network capacity must be
expanded to cope with this flood of data
and improve MBB user stickiness. Also,
services must be personalized to increase
revenue from mobile networks. All these
will bring operators challenges such as
more complex network design, network
optimization, and network management
in their mobile network development
and evolution.
Hu a w e i i s k n o w n f o r k e e p i n g
abreast of operators, having an in-depth
understanding of the business needs and
models for MBB, and focusing on the
challenges and pressure facing operators.
Since launching its SingleRAN solution
in 2008, Huawei has again led the
industry by proposing the SingleRAN
Evolution solution for MBB network
design. Featuring improved radio
frequencies (RFs) and site efficiency,
accurate capacity coverage, and
consistent end-to-end QoE, the solution
can help operators cope with the impact
of growing data traffic on mobile
network development and evolution
from every aspect possible and maximize
their profitability by deploying efficient,
s u s t a i n a b l e , a n d p ro f i t a b l e M B B
networks.
capacity expansion
Site investment represents the largest
part of an operators expenditure.
Finding the best way of continuous site
capacity expansion to maximize site
value is key to efficient MBB network
deployment. When it comes to Huawei,
it mainly takes the following three
approaches to expansion.
The first is to continuously increase
the bandwidth of site RFs and improve
spectral efficiency. Exploring the value
of frequency resources and increasing
its efficiency is the goal that Huawei
has been pursuing relentlessly in the
following ways.
Multiplication: Dual
transmitter and high power to
double throughput
This is to improve spectral efficiency
through multiple-input and multiple-
output (MIMO), and expand the
single-site capacity by supporting multi-
mode and large-capacity configuration
through high power. Most of Huaweis
base station products support
optimization through MIMO, and the
maximum power supported can be 1
x 125W. A single module can support
the large-capacity configuration of two
transmitters and multiple modes.
Collaboration: Broadband
RRU for more frequency
collaboration and aggregation
 Huawei Communicate

At the end of 2011, Huawei will become the network or a 20% gain for individual users.
first company in the world to launch the first The third is to split a cell into smaller sub-cells,
broadband RRU the 4mRRU (Multi-band, which is also known as the 6-sector solution. This
Multi-carrier, Multi-mode, and MIMO RRU), solution can expand network capacity by 80%
supporting both 800MHz and 900MHz on through the tight frequency reuse technology.
a single amplifier. And it will go on to launch With Huaweis 3mRRU, which is only 12L and
the combination of more frequencies to meet the industrys smallest RRU, the 6-sector solution
the need for more network co-developments. can be deployed at the site easily and quickly.
Using the 4mRRU will dramatically simplify site
configuration, reduce the number of modules,
and save on TCO. The smooth cross-frequency Closer: Network-level
evolution can further support the sharing of capacity increase
resources such as power between different systems
and increase throughput. At the same time, a
The distribution of MBB traffic is very uneven
single module supporting multiple frequencies can
over different regions, and the data traffic to the
dramatically simplify the antenna feeder, reduce
most popular site is seven times higher than that
insertion loss, and boost coverage.
to an average one. Solving the capacity issue with
the busiest sites and allowing for easy connections
Accuracy: AAS for accurate coverage at higher rates for subscribers is key to the overall
The adaptive antenna system (AAS) transmits mobile network capacity expansion.
signals to communications objects (receiving Due to the scarcity of spectrum resources
terminals) centrally. It minimizes the directivity of and the difficulty in site acquisition, it is almost
non-communications objects (interfering terminals), impossible to introduce new frequencies or
and has the natural technical advantage of accurate deploy more base stations, which may result
coverage. An AAS product is not just the simple in extremely high costs. Meanwhile, the
integration of antenna and the RF module, as it traditional single-layer macro-network
also provides other functions such as BF to enhance coverage is no longer able to carry such
network performance and can significantly increase dense data traffic. The multi-layer
capacity through technologies such as independent HetNet coverage architecture has come
antenna tilt, cell division, and beam forming. In to the rescue. The micro base stations
addition, it reduces the number of components to in the multi-layer HetNet have such
be installed on the tower and save on OPEX. In features as small footprint, supporting
the future, Huaweis AAS will support multiple
frequencies and multiple modules to meet
diversity requirements and realize the goal of
building simple and clean sites. Huawei has
been awarded the industrys first contract for the
commercial AAS deployment in the UK, which
will be completed before the end of 2011.
The second measure is the enhancement
of algorithms, involving technologies such
as MIMO Prime, MIMO, DC, IC, and
CA. Usually, the gains that MIMO has
brought to operators rely on the penetration
of MIMO terminals. However, Huaweis
MIMO Prime solution, incorporating its
proprietary technology, does not rely on any
type of terminals. Additionally, using
the dual-transmitter module, the
MIMO Prime can achieve an
average 11% increase in
throughput for the

SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 40

 Solution
Maximizing MBB profitability with SingleRAN Evolution
Full portfolio of LPN
Traffic map
Location planning
Accurate Clean
Easy deployment
Easy
Easy planning
Easy backhaul
Easy site
Fig. 1 Advantages of collaboration between multi-layer networks
multiple transmission modes, and plug-and-play.
Furthermore, in combination with the traffic map,
they can accurately locate the real hotspot sites and
help operators deploy cells in the right areas more
accurately and efficiently. Looking ahead, with the
development of cloud computing, macrocells and
microcells will be able to coordinate more closely
and efficiently.
Huawei mainly uses Micro and Femto/Pico as
supplements to mobile networks so that they can
be brought closer to subscribers. Meanwhile, to
coordinate multi-system and multi-layer networks,
the SingleRAN Evolution solution adopts a
centralized SON Server of a higher level in its
architecture to extend the features of SON to the
support for HetNet The self-configuration of small
base stations, the load-balancing between multiple
macro and micro layers, and the coordination of
interference between multiple macro and micro
layers are good examples. They help implement
self-configuration, self-optimization, and self-
maintenance from single-system networks to multi-
system networks as well as multi-layer networks.
Huaweis innovative SingleHetNet solution has
advantages in site planning and deployment as well
as the collaboration between multi-layer networks,
as shown in Fig. 1.
Smarter: Improved O&M
efficiency
41 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
Load based bias SingleSON
eICIC
Power reduction + ICIC
Automatic
Cooperative
Cooperative mobility
Co-RRM
In the MBB era, without the layered service
level agreement (SLA), high-value users and
services would not enjoy the priority to access
network resources and therefore often be subject
to the interference from other users and services.
As subscribers are the most valuable asset for
operators, possible loss of subscribers will become
the biggest risk to operators during the process of
network development and upgrade. Ensuring the
smooth network development and evolution and
maintaining a satisfactory level of QoE is the top
priority for operators. Also, ensuring good QoE is
key to the successful operation of MBB networks,
which often involves the following two aspects.
Visualized operation
Network visualization will become the basic
capability of an MBB network. In combination
with the perception of services and devices and
the analysis of network resource information
and subscription information, this capability
a l l ow s o p e r a t o r t o i d e n t i f y p ro b l e m s a n d
optimize networks and service deployment. From
visualization through analysis and policy making
to network optimization, the entire process ensures
that the operator can deploy and operate an end-
to-end MBB network.
Huaweis visualized IP O&M solution can
realize the visualization of users, services, ISPs,
and devices. And it can even visualize the radio

Huaweis IP O&M solution
can even visualize the radio
resources on the RAN side,
laying the foundation for
matching MBB value and
radio resources. In addition,
it has solved a series of
problems for operators whose
wireless bearer networks
have gone IP.
resources on the RAN side, laying the foundation
for match MBB value and radio resources. In
addition, it has solved a series of problems for
operators whose wireless bearer networks have
gone IP. IP features such as pipeline, connectionless
and the intrinsic absence of carrier-class OAM.
Causing such problems as the inability to monitor
the quality of services carried over wireless bearer
networks, and difficulty in and extra long time
for locating a failure with IP bearer networks,
these features can dramatically reduce OPEX and
improve QoE.
Lean operation
In this age of MBB, data traffic on an operators
network is growing disproportionately faster
than its revenue. Data traffic from mobile devices
generates a large proportion of operating income;
web browsing is now the most popular mobile
data application, where users hope to be able to
browse web pages anytime and anywhere. On a
traditional wireless broadband network, however,
services compete for limited bandwidth resources
concurrently in equal terms despite the number
of services, and bandwidth resources will not
be allocated to web browsing first. As a result,
sometimes it is very hard for users to enjoy services
at high speeds and with low delay. In particular,
during the traffic peak, the web-browsing service
is often preempted by other services, leading to
Huawei Communicate
poor QoE. Therefore, providing subscribers with
the needed network capacity and better QoE to
stimulate their usage is critical to the successful
operation of the MBB networks.
However, due to the unbalanced development
of the MBB industry chain and the operators
MBB strategies, low-value data traffic is aplenty in
MBB pipelines, such as data traffic from portable
devices that generates little operating income.
With the further improvement of bandwidth, the
percentage of low-value data traffic in MBB traffic
will further increase accordingly in 2013 it may
exceed 80%, while their contribution to operating
income will continue to decrease.
In addition, a small number of subscribers
use the P2P service to download music and
videos. These downloads often consume large
amounts of system resources, resulting in an
unbalanced allocation of network resources and
high CAPEX for operators and negative impact
on other services that are sensitive to delays. In
this context, operators need to adopt a smarter
service package management strategy and develop
a new management model for these subscribers, to
smooth the bandwidth demand during peak time
and to avoid the situation where a small number
of users drive up the CAPEX and affect the QoE
of most users.
Huaweis deep packet inspection (DPI) function
enables deep-level service identification, to identify
web-browsing service and P2P service through
packet analysis, and to enable differentiated
operation by allocating high-bandwidth resources
to web-browsing service first and restricting P2P
traffic during busy hours. This can shorten the
loading time of the web-browsing service and
greatly improve QoE. Meanwhile, during non-
busy hours, high-speed P2P downloads will not
be restricted, enabling P2P users to fully enjoy the
convenience of high-speed MBB networks.
In the future, Huawei will have more offerings
including video and IM with respect to the DPI
protocol and services, to enable operators to
differentiate their services according to the needs
of different subscribers, depending on different
applications and contents. In light of the
agreements with subscribers, operators can also
provide timely, high-quality, and specific services
that meet users expectations and personalized
needs, therefore increasing their willingness to
buy.
Editor: Pan Tao pantao@huawei.com
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 42
 Solution
GL1800 Refarming: A cost-effective way to win in MBB

GL1800 Refarming
A cost-effective way to win in MBB
Spectral resources are not inexhaustible, a fact that is becoming increasingly obvious as demand
for them keeps growing. This is requiring operators to conduct proper planning for and use these
resources efficiently. By Chen Yifang

M
obile broadband is
ushering in a brand-new
era of communications,
in which wireless
network traffic will grow explosively by
up to 500 times in ten years. Traditional
GSM voice subscribers are no longer
satisfied with low-speed data access. This
has led to some tough questions: What
is the right way to leverage the spectral
resources of the existing networks?
How should the increasing demand for
mobile data services be addressed? What
should be done to protect the existing
network equipment investment and
ensure smooth evolution to LTE? Mobile
operators worldwide are desperately
looking for the answers, and the GL1800
Refarming solution has been proved to
be one of the best.

1800MHz: Silver
frequency band
The 1800MHz frequency band is
now used mainly on GSM networks
the world over, according to 3GPP
in its definition of frequency bands
for radio communications. It is also
one of the bands defined for LTE
FDD, others including DD800MHz
and 2600MHz. In addition, Band 3
of 1800MHz has the richest spectral
resources, as its paired FDD spectrum
bandwidth reaches 75MHz. More
than 50 operators in over 20 European
countries each have more than 10MHz

43 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61


bandwidth in this band, according to statistics
from existing networks. Mainstream Asia-Pacific
operators in countries such as China, Australia,
and Singapore also each have more than 10MHz
bandwidth. This basically guarantees access
to spectral resources for 1800MHz frequency
refarming.
More importantly, voice traffic carried over
GSM900 and GSM1800 is decreasing due to the
increasing penetration of 3G services, subscriber
migration, and 3G traffic being mostly carried over
the 2,100MHz band. Frequencies in the 1800MHz
band can therefore be gradually refarmed to be
used for more advanced LTE networks.
The 1800MHz band features lower propagation
and penetration losses than the mainstream
2600MHz band for LTE. It achieves wider
coverage as it can multiply the coverage radius of
a single LTE station, slashing the number of sites
and reducing carbon emissions while ensuring
high-quality coverage. That will greatly reduce
TCO for operators and bring end users better
mobile broadband QoE. The GL1800 Refarming
solution results not only in significant savings
on expenditure for new spectral resources but
also faster LTE network deployment. In actual
deployment, operators may also opt to reuse sites
or even equipment based on the status of their
existing network equipment, realizing smooth
evolution to LTE from GSM. When it comes to
purchasing new bands and planning new networks,
a refarmed 1800MHz band can play a greater role
among the existing spectral resources. It is a real
silver frequency band.
Three technologies critical to
refarming
To come up with an effective 1800MHz
frequency refarming solution, three critical
technologies need to be taken into account.
The first is about how to reallocate frequencies
and control interferences between neighboring
GSM and LTE frequencies. The second is about
the method of migrating GSM voice service
subscribers to release part of the 1800MHz
spectrum. And the third is how different networks
should be coordinated.
For frequency reallocation, there are two
mainstream methods commonly used in the
industry, namely full refarming and partial
Huawei Communicate
refarming. Full refarming is suitable for mobile
operators with well developed GSM and UMTS
networks and rich spectral resources. The number
of GSM/GPRS subscribers is decreasing as 3G
services are growing and these subscribers are being
migrated to 3G networks, leading to fewer loads
on the GSM network at 1800MHz. Therefore, the
1800MHz spectrum can be fully refarmed to be
used for LTE networks, while all the voice services
are borne by GSM900.
Partial refarming is suitable for the operators
with limited spectral resources who have no UMTS
networks and have difficulty in subscriber migration
or who have a large number of GSM subscribers
that will remain stable in the short term. These
operators need to consider how to retain the existing
subscribers and provide competitive high-speed
mobile data access. They may therefore phase in
the band refarming to LTE by 5MHz or 10MHz
spectrum bandwidth. Partial refarming is done by
two methods the sandwich method and the edge
allocation method. The sandwich method releases
the middle portion of the 1800MHz band of an
operator to LTE by 5MHz or 10MHz spectrum
bandwidth. Portions on both ends are still used
by GSM. As for the edge allocation method, it
allocates either end of the band possessed by the
operator to LTE and keeps the other end for GSM.
The sandwich method is recommended, given the
GSM frequency reuse plan, interferences between
frequencies and, in particular, interferences with
other operators. Control over interferences between
GSM and LTE can be done within the frequency
band owned by an operator without needing to
coordinate neighboring bands of other operators.
Also based on the preceding two frequency
refarming methods, space division may be used to
effectively reduce mutual frequency interferences
between GSM and LTE. Operators may push
refarming from cities to suburbs, or vice versa,
from the perspectives of network loads and
subscriber needs. They may first refarm some
frequencies for LTE to satisfy the demand for
mobile data in urban areas, for example. As for
non-urban areas, they do not need to refarm
frequencies and may instead keep using their
own full-bandwidth GSM bands since there is no
strong demand for high-speed mobile data services
in these areas.
Mutual interferences of the same band between
LTE and GSM should be avoided, as they often
take place when this same band is used for LTE
in urban areas and still for GSM in non-unban
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 44
 Solution
GL1800 Refarming: A cost-effective way to win in MBB
areas. Geographically, a transitional zone may be
set between a city and its suburbs, where this band
is left unused, to spatially prevent interferences
caused by the use of the same band for both
technologies.
Migrating their GSM voice service subscribers
is a tough choice for operators, who have to
increase the data access capacity of the existing
networks they have to reduce the bandwidth of
GSM and accommodate existing subscribers at the
same time. There are now two critical technologies
to deal with this issue: half-rate voice (HRV) and
aggressive frequency reuse (AFR). HRV bears the
same number of voice service subscribers with a
half bandwidth. AFR saves on bandwidth by 25 to
50% depending on configurations ranging from
S2/2/2 to S7/7/7. Operators may employ those
technologies flexibly.
Coordination between GSM/UMTS and LTE
networks is another critical issue in frequency
refarming. It guarantees load balance between
different types of networks and the inheritance of
voice services, while providing network selection
priorities based on services, loads, and subscriber
characteristics. Meanwhile, mobility should be
guaranteed between the two networks, including
handover and interoperability between the CS
and PS domains. 3GPP has already defined the
coordination between heterogeneous networks
and set down specifications, laying a foundation
for coordination between networks using different
technologies.
Three schemes for refarming
solution deployment
If the preceding technologies are preconditions
for deploying the GL1800 Refarming solution,
then equipment performance and evolution
capabilities are tied to the TCO, and the progress
and feasibility of network deployment.
As the first of its kind, Huaweis SingleRAN
solution supports GSM, UMTS, and LTE as
well as the five bands of DD800MHz, 900MHz,
1800MHz, 2100MHz, and 2600MHz, in the same
cabinet. Its advantages become more outstanding
in GL1800 deployment. This solution supports
sharing of stations, transmission, maintenance, and
RF. It helps operators evolve smoothly to LTE1800
from GSM1800, or realize coexistence of GSM and
LTE in the 1800MHz band.
45 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
As can be seen from RF modules to antenna
feeder deployment schemes, the core issue with
deploying a new LTE1800 network on top of the
existing GSM1800 network is the RF module-
based antenna feeder solution. There are three
deployment schemes by scenarios:
The first scheme is completely separating RF
modules and antenna feeders. As GSM1800 RF
modules do not support multi-mode capabilities
and have limited transmission power, RF modules
and antenna feeders are separated to ensure the
quality of coverage. This scheme is characterized
by high investment, the requirement for a site, and
difficulties in deployment.
The second is separating RF modules but
sharing antenna feeders. This scheme is suitable for
scenarios where RF modules multi-mode support
capabilities or operating bandwidths are limited.
Though requiring new RF modules, the scheme
allows for the sharing of the antenna feeder system
through combiners to save on the space where
antenna feeders are mounted. The negative side
of this scheme includes the addition of combiners
and, typically, additional 3dB insertion loss, which
affects the transmission power to some extent.
The third is sharing both RF modules and
antenna feeders. This scheme fully reuses the
existing antenna feeder system and RF modules
with no need to add any hardware after they come
out of the base bands CRPI. Nonetheless, this
scheme requires RF modules to have multi-mode
capabilities and higher operating bandwidths,
guarantee use in discrete frequencies at 1800MHz,
a n d s u p p o r t f u t u re b a n d w i d t h i n c re a s e s .
Meanwhile, they should accordingly have higher
transmission power. In Huaweis SingleRAN
solution, the RF modules feature multi-mode
capabilities, dual channels, full bandwidth, and
high power, helping operators save on CAPEX and
facilitating network deployment. The solution is
the best choice for GL1800 refarming.
The 1800MHz band is one of the main
frequency bands commonly used by mobile
operators, and also an effective supplement to
the GSM900 network. In the foreseeable future,
with mobile data services leapfrogging, traditional
GSM voice service subscribers will be gradually
migrated to UMTS or LTE networks. Given
current spectral resources, the GL1800 Refarming
is one of the best solutions for keeping network
competitiveness, reducing investment and rapidly
deploying LTE networks.
Editor: Chen Yuhong chyhong@huawei.com

Exploring subscriber
data management for MBB
Subscriber data is the core
asset held by operators. In the
mobile broadband era, how
can they effectively manage
subscriber data when shifting
from a service-oriented to
subscriber-oriented model?
By Yu Qian
O
ver a period of around
eight years, mobile
networks have seen a 2000-
fold increase in downlink
speed, a technological leapfrog that
took 20 years for fixed networks to
realize. The rapid development of
All-IP networks, the integration of
telecom networks, and the variety
of access modes have revolutionized
network construction for operators.
The emergence of massive volumes
of Internet applications, however, has
made it clear that they cannot simply
remain pipeline providers and that the
data traffic and subscriber base deriving
from pipelines form the real sources of
revenue. The culmination of this trend
for operators is an inevitable shift from
service-oriented to subscriber-oriented
networks, one key process of which is
subscriber data management.
Subscriber data: The
core asset
Frost & Sullivan predict that the
global market for subscriber data
management will reach USD 2.78 billion
in 2012 and that quality of customer
experience (QoE), not services, will
become the decisive factor that gives
operators a competitive edge. This
emphasis on QoE positions subscriber
data rather than network infrastructure as
the core asset, the effective management
of which requires an effective solution.
Subscriber data management:
An ecosystem
Subscriber data management
involves the enablers that use the data.
All subscriber-related information
a n d f u n c t i o n s i n c o re a n d va l u e -
added ser vice (VAS) networks fall
under the scope of subscriber data
management, including service data,
behavioral data, real-time data and
historical information. Such data is
used by network elements (NE) such
as the Home Location Register (HLR),
I P Mu l t i m e d i a Su b s y s t e m Ho m e
Huawei Communicate
Subscriber Server (IMS HSS), and core
networks System Architecture Evolution
(SAE) HSS for various functions such
as authentication and positioning.
Subscriber data management is a data-
centric ecosystem for providing diverse
and open interfaces that enable the
services derived from subscriber data.
Subscriber ID Management/
Single Sign-On
While ISPs usually only retain
information about virtual users, operators
hold actual subscriber information
relating to billing, which includes names,
addresses, contact details, payment
accounts, and credit records. This gives
operators an innate advantage over ISPs
when providing services such as ID
Management (IDM) and Single Sign-
On (SSO). Given that each service
requires authentication and that each ISP
employs its own process, subscriber are
burdened by having to remember user
names and passwords for each service,
which degrades QoE. By adopting unified
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 46
 Solution
Exploring subscriber data management for MBB
ID management, operators can share subscriber
accounts with ISPs to realize account association.
When subscribers connect to the Internet through
operators networks, they can directly access the
Internet applications for which they have already
been associated. This not only improves QoE and
the competitiveness of operators, but also increases
traffic for ISPs, realizing a multiple-win situation for
operators, ISPs, and end users.
Location-based services: The next killer
service
Currently users can obtain location-based
services through the Global Positioning System
(GPS) and wireless communications networks.
However, GPS signals are difficult to acquire in
cities, especially buildings. As operators are the sole
source of commercial users exact locations, they
can dominate in the location-based service realm by
transferring information based on policies to ISPs,
such as subscriber location, preferences, and credit.
Notably, providers of mobile operating systems
(OS) such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft are
actively collecting such information from wireless
communication networks via terminals. When
completed, this will challenge operators monopoly
in the subscriber data area. Therefore, operators
must accelerate their collaboration with providers
of location-based services and adopt the technical
means to block this form of data collecting.
Evidently then, subscriber data management is
central to operators MBB operational strategies.
By providing three services authentication,
payment, and location operators that hold real
information on millions of end users can easily
profit from ISPs, either under a collaborative or
profit sharing model. In the GSM era, China
Mobile successfully established a mutually
beneficial partnership with ISPs, receiving 15% of
revenues from ISPs for providing authentication
and payment services. Additionally, operators can
analyze user behavior through pipeline records
via Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology as a
foundation for target marketing.
New direction of subscriber
data management
Just as network development has evolved from
network-oriented to service-oriented to subscriber-
47 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
oriented operations, subscriber data management
is following a similar path. User Data Convergence
(UDC) with flexible data model currently stores the
data of multiple NEs as defined in 3GPP R9, which
has evolved from 3GPP R99/R4/R5.
Current trends require that the subscriber data
management system is a total solution that allows
for stronger data management, faster data access,
and smarter data analysis.
Convergent
Currently, subscriber data is distributed among
different silo type functional components in
operators networks. As each service function has
an independent data management system, the
same subscriber data may have multiple versions
in multiple systems, which causes problems with
data synchronization and inconsistencies in QoE.
For example, voice services are provided by three
different NEs: the HLR, the SAE HSS and the IMS
HSS under GSM/UMTS/LTE networks. Subscriber
data inconsistencies among the three NEs can lead
to call connection or forwarding failures.
In the MBB era, subscriber data management
should support convergent management in multiple
scenarios; for example, GSM/UMTS/LTE; FBB/
MBB; and Telecom, Internet and Broadcasting. The
same subscriber data could be utilized to guarantee
services for subscribers anytime and anywhere via any
access mode. The MBB era will witness many more
basic services being integrated with VAS, such as
Quality of Service (QoS) strategy management for IP
access, subscriber location, and IM services. However,
all must share the same information across multiple
systems. With the help of a well-designed data model
that can be flexibly extended and provides a user-
friendly tool for editing the model itself, subscriber data
management can facilitate rapid on-site customization
to support ever-changing Internet applications and
drive mobile network-Internet integration.
The convergence of subscriber data demands
data repository with much higher capacity and
considerably more powerful processing capabilities
to cater for massive amounts of subscribers.
Although the centralized storage of subscriber data
helps reduce OPEX, the demand for reliability and
security is rising.
Open
In the MBB era, users communications demands
are shifting from basic services such as voice and SMS

to a more diverse and personalized range
of services. The Long Tail effect of the
Internet will also frame MBB services.
Similar to Internet services, each personalized
service can only have a small subscriber base,
which forces operators and ISPs to quickly
introduce ongoing services that cover more
people, while maximally cutting OPEX to
enable more services.
An open subscriber data management
system underpins diverse VAS, facilitates
business development, and enables
operators and ISPs to focus on service
development and accelerate new
service provisioning. Combining the
subscriber data management and service
provisioning platforms is an inevitable
choice if operators hope to cope with
long-tail services.
Rapid service development necessitates
open and general interfaces for subscriber
data management. Traditional data
access interfaces such as the Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol (LDAP),
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC),
Java Database Connectivity (JDBC), and
Structured Query Language (SQL) are all
extremely useful. Equally, compatibility
with the industrys general programming
interfaces, such as Oracle Call Interface
(OCI), is essential to simplify migration
to a feasible level.
Smart
The subscriber data repositor y
concentrates the data in a network and
yields complete records of subscriber
historical behavior. Operators can derive
great value from combining this data with
other types of information, such as usage
habits, preferences, and social connections.
Realizing such business intelligence in
subscriber data management can improve
operators understanding of subscribers,
increase their accuracy in targeting markets,
control the value chain, and raise ARPU.
Operators can open subscriber data to
third parties and cooperate with content
providers (CPs) and service providers
(SPs) to develop new two-sides business
models. For example, subscriber locations
can change at any time, making this
an insufficient parameter to confirm
subscribers real role; if a subscriber is in a
soccer stadium, for instance, it is unclear
whether he or she is a fan or a worker.
However, by analyzing and comparing
subscriber location data over the past one
or two years with match schedules at this
stadium, it is obvious if the subscriber is a
soccer fan, and also a fan of which team.
Such data would be highly valuable for
advertisers of soccer-related vendors.
To realize such business intelligence in
subscriber data management, a complete
record of subscribers historical behavioral
data is required. This is therefore a vital
aspect of subscriber data management upon
which operators are currently focusing.
Subscriber data
repository formed with
SingleSDB
H u a w e i s S i n g l e S u b s c r i b e r
Database (SingleSDB) solution meets
the requirements of subscriber data
management in the MBB era, providing
mature and convergent subscriber data
management products.
The SingleSDB solution separates
front-end applications from back-end
data storage. Front-end applications
do not store any data. There are 11
types of NEs already implemented: the
HLR, IMS-HSS, SAE-HSS, Equipment
Identity Register (EIR), Mobile Number
Portability (MNP), Policy and Charging
Rules Function (PCRF), Bootstrapping
Server Function (BSF), Authentication,
Authorization and Accounting (AAA),
Telephone Number Mapping (ENUM),
Domain Name System (DNS), and
Diameter Routing Agent (DRA). Each
application supports, geographical
disaster recovery, smooth expansion, pool
management, and real-time switching
and load-sharing between active and
standby equipment. A single cluster can
support 100 million HLR subscribers
or an equivalent number of other
subscribers. All subscriber data is saved at
the back end based on a reliable design
Huawei Communicate
comprising three-level tolerance and
two-level disaster recovery. The ultra-
large capacity of its high-performance
memory database can support 200
million subscribers for each service.
The recommended physically isolated
deployment ensures that a fault in one
service does not affect others.
To meet the needs of current services
and future expansion, the SingleSDB
solution suppor ts the three-layer
mapping of data models in the back-end
database. The three-layer mapping of
the application view, unified subscriber
data model, and storage model complies
w i t h t h e 3 G P P s U D C s t a n d a r d
and is the culmination of Huaweis
experience in a broad range of VAS as
well as the 11 NE applications. With
the SingleSDB providing a simple and
user friendly GUI editing tool for data
models, operators can quickly update
and expand subscriber model to support
new services.
The SingleSDB also provides a Data
Federation module for operators who
cannot or do not wish to change their
incumbent networks. The module can
integrate the currently available data
of incumbent networks into a unified
subscriber data model and application
view. The solution facilitates a smooth
transition to the MBB era and can
further reduce the risks involved in
subscriber data management.
Fo r So u t h A f r i c as C e l l C , t h e
dramatic increase in subscriber numbers,
call volume, and new services caused
its HLR to fail in terms of capacity and
reliability. By deploying the Huawei
SingleSDB solution to build a new
and highly reliable subscriber data
management system, the operator not
only overcame the legacy problems, but
was also able to integrate its databases
to realize all subscriber data with unified
storage, unified management, and
unified service provisioning. Cell Cs
OPEX and CAPEX have since reduced
and its service deployment ability has
improved, giving the operator a well-
honed competitive edge in the market.
Editor: Chen Yuhong chyhong@huawei.com
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 48
 Leading Edge
LTE-Advanced: The leading technology in the new MBB era

LTE-Advanced: The leading

technology in the new MBB era
In 1Q 2011, 3GPP released the first
version of the LTE-Advanced (LTE-A)
protocol: LTE-A Release10. LTE-A
has evolved from LTE technology
to meet the requirements of IMT-
Advanced, the fourth generation of
mobile communications systems.
LTE-A technology can dramatically
increase the peak rate, peak
spectral efficiency, average rate,
average spectral efficiency, and cell-
edge user performance. It improves
networking efficiency across the
entire network and will become
the mainstream future wireless
communications technology, riding
the wave of the new MBB era.
By Shi Yong

T
he number of mobile users
and mobile broadband users
continues to grow rapidly,
with the CAGR of the latter
group increasing by 104% between
2007 and 2011. Infonetics estimates
that the number of global mobile users
will reach 5.2 billion in 2011, mobile
broadband users will hit 5 billion, and
traffic growth per user per year will
exceed 50% over the next 10 years. As
such, network traffic will grow by a
staggering 500 times, requiring LTE-A
to step in and underpin the required
huge network capacity.

Key technologies of LTE-A

49 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61

LTE-A expands and enhances the
basic LTE platform. It is characterized
by flexible and effective spectrum
utilization, higher spectral efficiency,
simpler and optimized network
architecture, and the ability to cut TCO
and provide more services. LTE-A is
backward compatible with LTE and
represents its smooth evolution.
LTE-A needs to support a bandwidth
of up to 100MHz, a downlink peak
rate of 1Gbps with an increased spectral
efficiency of 30bps/Hz, an uplink peak
rate of 500Mbps with an increased
spectral efficiency of 15bps/Hz, and
expand downlink and uplink MIMOs
to 88 and 44 respectively.
In t ro d u c i n g t h e f o l l ow i n g k e y
technologies into LTE-A realizes these
requirements: Carrier Aggregation (CA),
Enhanced MIMO, Coordinated Multi-
point Tx/Rx (CoMP), Heterogeneous
Network (HetNet), and Self-
Organization Network (SON).
CA
To meet peak rate requirements an
uplink speed of 500Mbps and downlink
speed of 1Gbps LTE-A must support a
bandwidth of up to 100MHz. However,
it is extremely difficult to find such high
continuous bandwidth in currently
available spectrum resources. Therefore,
LTE-A integrates the key technology,
Carrier Aggregation (CA), to fully utilize
the spectrum resources scattered in
multiple frequency bands. This not only
enables high bandwidth, but also ensures
backwards compatibility with LTE.
The highest bandwidth currently
supported by LTE is 20MHz. LTE-A
aggregates multiple carriers that are
backward compatible with LTE to support
a bandwidth of up to 100MHz. LTE-A
adopts three forms of CA continuous
CA within the band, non-continuous CA
within the band, and non-continuous
CA outside of the band to aggregate
multiple continuous or non-continuous
component carriers. Given the asymmetry
of uplink and downlink traffic, LTE-A can
also aggregate asymmetric carriers in the
typical scenario that downlink bandwidth
is greater than uplink bandwidth.
CA not only dramatically increases
spectrum resource utilization,
but also helps operators flexibly
combine bandwidth and solve spectra
discontinuity to increase the users peak
rate and network throughput. CA also
poses no additional requirements on
terminals receiving ability. Therefore,
LTE-A terminals with a receiving ability
of over 20MHz can receive multiple
component carriers simultaneously,
while LTE Rel.8 terminals can normally
receive one component carrier.
Enhanced MIMO
Given that frequency resources are
increasingly scarce, increasing channel
c a p a c i t y t h ro u g h m u l t i - a n t e n n a s
has been widely adopted in multiple
standards. Notably, this is a key way of
increasing LTE-As peak and average
spectral efficiencies.
LTE Rel.8 supports one, two, or four
transmitting antennas on the downlink,
two or four receiving antennas on the
terminals, and a maximum of four layers
of transmission on the downlink. On
the uplink, LTE Rel.8 supports a single
transmitting antenna on terminals and
a maximum of four receiving antennas
at base stations. The multi-antenna
transmission mode of LTE Rel.8 includes
open-loop MIMO, close-loop MIMO,
beam forming, and transmission diversity.
In addition to single-user MIMO, LTE
also uses a multi-antenna transmission
approach multi-user MIMO to increase
spectral efficiency, which enables multiple
users to use the same wireless transmission
resource through space division.
Based on LTE Rel.8, LTE-A supports
a maximum of four transmitting antennas
on the uplink. If the physical uplink
shared channel (PUSC) adopts the
single-user MIMO, LTE-A can support
up to two codeword streams and four
transmission layers. The PUSC can also
improve transmission quality and coverage
of uplink control information through
transmission diversity. LTE-A supports
Huawei Communicate
up to eight transmitting antennas on the
downlink and can transmit two codeword
s t re a m s a n d a m a x i m u m o f e i g h t
transmission layers. This further increases
the throughput and spectral efficiency of
both uplink and downlink transmissions.
On the downlink, LTE-A supports
dynamic switching between single-
user MIMO and multi-user MIMO,
and further boosts the performance of
downlink multi-user MIMO through
enhanced channel state information
feedback and a new codebook design.
LTE-A multi-antenna technology
increases the peak and average spectral
efficiencies and dramatically enhances
capacity and coverage to improve
network performance.
CoMP
CoMP enables cell-edge users to
coordinate and simultaneously receive
signals from and send signals to users of
multiple cells. Downlink performance
can be dramatically improved if the
transmitted signals from multiple cells
coordinate to avoid mutual interference.
On the uplink, the signals of multiple cells
are received and combined. If multiple
cells are coordinated and scheduled
simultaneously, inter-cell interference can
be suppressed and the signal-to-noise ratio
of the received signals can increase.
Based on the relationships between
the nodes to be coordinated, CoMP is
mainly divided into two modes: intra-
site CoMP and inter-site CoMP. Intra-
site CoMP covers collaboration within
a single site. As there is no restriction
on backhaul capacity, large volumes
of information can be exchanged
between multiple cells within a site.
In t e r - s i t e C o M P c ove r s m u l t i p l e
site collaboration, which has higher
requirements on backhaul capacity and
delay. Currently, the performance of
inter-site CoMP is limited by backhaul
capacity and delays.
CoMP includes downlink CoMP
transmission and uplink CoMP reception.
Uplink CoMP reception increases a cell-
edge users throughput by receiving the
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 50
 Leading Edge
LTE-Advanced: The leading technology in the new MBB era
users data by coordinating multiple cells.
Downlink CoMP transmission adopts two
forms of collaboration joint processing
and co-scheduling/beamforming
depending on whether service data is
obtained on multiple coordinated points.
Joint processing occurs when multiple
cells coordinate and act as a single virtual
cell to serve terminals together. This
usually obtains better transmission gains
but has higher requirements on backhaul
capacity and delay.
Collaborative dispatch/beam forming
dynamically exchanges information
among multiple cells and coordinates
the corresponding scheduling and
transmission weights to minimize
interference among multiple cells. The
terminals must measure the channels
of multiple cells and provide feedback,
including the expected precoding vector
from the serving cell and the interference
precoding vector from the neighboring
cells that produce strong interference.
Coordinating the schedulers of multiple
cells assists each cell to reduce interference
on its neighboring cells when transmitting
beams. This ensures the signal strength
expected by the users of a cell.
CoMP is a key LTE-A technology
that effectively increases the average
capacity of cells and the signal-to-
noise ratio for cell-edge users. Although
CoMP increases system complexity, its
capacity and coverage advantages greatly
outweigh its disadvantages.
HetNet
Statistics show that 80% to 90%
of future network throughput will
take place in indoor and hotspot
nomadic scenarios. Indoor, low-speed,
and hotspot application scenarios
will rise in importance in the mobile
Internet era, requiring operators to
use new technologies to enhance the
user experience of traditional cellular
networks in hotspot scenarios.
In a traditional macrocell network,
operators can obtain more spectra or add
base stations (such as cell splitting) to
increase supply capacity. Alternatively, they
51 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
On the path of LTE evolution
to LTE-A, Huawei has
fully addressed the main
challenges facing mobile
broadband networks. It
has also designed and
developed a range of
leading products and
solutions including 3mRRU,
4mRRU, AAS & AAA, and
the HetNet with micro/pico/
femtocell solution.
can deploy more base station antennas
to realize advanced MIMO technology.
These measures raise expenditure and
deployment complexity, greatly limiting
the network performance evolution
potential of a traditional macrocell.
HetNet technology significantly
increases network throughput
and overall network efficiency by
distributing low-power nodes in areas
covered by macro base stations to form
a heterogeneous system with different
node types offering the same coverage.
Low-power nodes include micro, pico,
remote radio head (RRH), relay, and
femtocell. Increasing small, low-power
stations is cheap, flexible, and effectively
increases network throughput. Small
stations not only accurately offload the
hotspots of the macrocell, but also cover
macrocell blind spots.
The key to HetNet is the collaboration
of macro base stations and micro base
stations, especially in terms of interference
coordination and interoperability.
Huaweis innovations
Huawei is actively involved in the
3GPP work group with 1 chair, 3
vice chairs, and 32 reporters. Huawei
standard body comprising many senior
experts continually contributes to core
LTE/LTE-A technologies, based on
their specialist knowledge of market
demands, and rich product R&D and
commercialization experience.
At CTIA Wireless 2010, Huawei
demonstrated LTE-advanced. Offering
the worlds fastest downlink data
transmission rate at 1.2Gbps over 40
times faster than current commercial 3G
networks Huawei again set a new speed
record for mobile broadband networks.
On the path of LTE evolution to
LTE-A, Huawei has fully addressed the
main challenges facing mobile broadband
networks. It has also designed and
developed a range of leading products
and solutions including the 3mRRU
solution which features the lightest and
smallest dual-transmission module in
the industry, with ease of installation
and maintenance; the 4mRRU solution
which helps reduce the number of sites
and modules to be configured, cut down
combination insertion loss, simplify
antenna system, save on TCO and support
5-band and 3-mode; adaptive antenna
system (AAS) & adaptive antenna array
(AAA) which, through integration of RF
module and antenna, boast the simplest
site installation, with improved site
efficiency, saved TCO, enhanced network
performance via beamforming, and
boosted network capacity via cell splitting;
and the HetNet with micro & pico &
femtocell solution, which effectively
offloads hotspots and covers blind zones in
supplementing macro network, featuring
easy and cost-efficient deployment of
low-power nodes. These solutions offer
multiple advantages including smaller and
lighter modules, lower TCO, and the full
utilization of available frequency bands to
increase spectral efficiency and enhance
system capacity.
In the future, LTE-A will become the
mainstream MBB technology. Huawei
will continue to innovate and lay a
solid foundation for LTE and LTE-A
products and solutions to ensure MBB
becomes broader and smarter.
Editor: Xue Hua xuehua@huawei.com

Evolution and deployment of
Four approaches to
mobile broadband voice
I
n the near future and after the
evolution from TDM to IP and
from traditional switches to
softswitches, mobile voice services
will evolve to mobile broadband (MBB)
voice services. In terms of network
evolution, it will mean the evolution of
GSM/CDMA/UMTS to LTE on the
radio network side and the evolution
of CS to IMS on the core network
side. Over the last few years, there have
been multiple views, technologies, and
evolution paths for LTE voice services.
At last, four approaches have been
accepted as possible commercial choices.
The first approach is based on circuit-
switched fallback (CSFB). LTE just
provides data services, and when a voice
call is to be initiated or received, it will fall
LTE
back to the CS domain. When using this
solution, operators just need to upgrade
the MSC instead of deploying the IMS,
and therefore, can provide services quickly.
However, the disadvantage is longer call
setup delay. However, in most cases, the
CSFB solution is suitable as an interim
solution prior to the deployment of IMS
supported services. In addition, it can
also be used to handle voice calls in the
scenario of LTE roaming. For example,
when the network in the visited network
does not have the IMS or when the IMS
roaming protocol is yet to be deployed,
CSFB can provide voice-call service for
inbound LTE roamers.
The second approach is based on
simultaneous voice and LTE (SVLTE),
which is the dual radio handset approach.
In this approach, the handset works
simultaneously in the LTE and CS
modes, with the LTE mode providing
data services and the CS mode providing
Huawei Communicate
By Chen Qunhui
the voice service. This is a solution solely
based on the handset, which does not have
special requirements on the network and
does not require the deployment of IMS
either. The disadvantage of this solution
is that the phone can become expensive
with high power consumption. Currently
dual radio handsets featuring CDMA 1x
and LTE are already available and used
by some CDMA operators as an interim
solution prior to the deployment of IMS,
while dual radio handsets featuring GSM/
UMTS and LTE are not yet available.
The third approach is based on the
usage of over-the-top (OTT) services,
using applications like Skype and Google
Talk to provide LTE voice service. LTE
boasts features like broad bandwidth,
low latency, being always-online, and
All-IP, creating natural convenience for
the development of OTT and making
OTT voice calls almost barrier-free.
However, we should also note that now
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 52
 Leading Edge
Evolution and deployment of VoLTE
and in the foreseeable future, the voice call service
is, and will still be, the main revenue source for
the mobile operators. So handing the LTE voice
service over completely to the OTT actors is thus
something which is expected to not receive too
much support in the telecom industry.
Compared to OTT, telecom operators have
their own unique advantages in providing LTE
voice calls, such as user ID resource, standard-
based interconnection, QoS assurance, the ability
of handover to CS, and tariff package bundled
with data service. In the future, the percentage of
OTT calls may increase drastically, especially for
the long-distance call. However, the call service
provided by telecom operators will still be the
mainstream for a long time.
The fourth approach is the IMS-based VoLTE. IMS
has become the core networks standard architecture
in the All-IP era because it supports multiple access
modes and a wide range of multimedia services.
After developing and maturing over the last several
years, IMS today has crossed the chasm to become
the mainstream choice for VoBB and PSTN network
migration in the fixed-call field, and has also been
identified as the standard architecture for mobile
voice service by 3GPP and GSMA.
Of the above approaches, both CSFB and
SVLTE rely on the CS domain to provide voice
service and both have some limitations. They can
be used as the interim choice and non-mainstream
application, which we call pre-VoLTE. Only IMS
can provide a voice solution with the QoS assurance
based on LTE. In other words, the IMS-based
VoLTE is the inevitable path for the development of
the wireless and core network technologies.
For the operators, deploying VoLTE means
opening up the road for the evolution toward
MBB voice service. In the long run, this will create
value for the operators in two aspects: One of
which is increasing the utilization rate of wireless
frequencies and reducing network costs, because
for voice service, LTEs frequency utilization rate
is far higher than that of the traditional systems
more than four times higher than that of GSM.
Another important advantage is that it will
improve user experience, as IMS-based VoLTE
service will be significantly better compared with
a traditional CS based service. For example, the
introduction of HD voice and video codec will
significantly improve call quality. The call setup
time of VoLTE will be dramatically shortened
compared with the pre-VoLTE options. Tests
have proven that the call setup time for a VoLTE-
53 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
based call has decreased to more than half when
comparing with call based on CS. Finally, the
seamless integration with the Rich Communication
Suite (RCS) offers the opportunity to generate
many new and attractive services.
Development stages
Stage one: Pre-VoLTE applications
emerge with LTE hotspot coverage
Initially, LTE focuses on hotspot coverage,
mainly providing MBB data applications for
users with data cards and tablet PCs. However,
there will also be some early-stage LTE voice
applications. The first is the voice service based on
the soft clients, in the form of LTE data card +
soft client + PC, which can meet voice needs in
some specific scenarios and help operators make
preparations and accumulate operating experiences
for the deployment of the handset-based VoLTE
in the future. The second is the form of LTE CPE
+ fixed phone. Some European countries, such
as Germany, use this form to provide broadband
access and voice call service for users in the remote
regions. The third is the early-stage LTE phones
supporting CSFB and SVLTE. Some operators have
launched interim applications: For example, Verizon
has announced that it will support SVLTE, while
AT&T has announced that it will support CSFB.
Stage two: VoLTE applications on the
rise with LTE continuous coverage
At this stage the operators will have increased the
coverage of LTE, and be able to provide voice services,
especially in cities and densely populated areas.
Meanwhile, the advent of LTE smartphones in large
numbers will have driven the development of VoLTE.
The operators will launch IMS-based
commercial VoLTE services at this stage. However,
prior to this, the operators need to have a long
preparation period for the following reasons.
On the one hand, VoLTE involves many new
technologies and requires necessary tests and trials;
on the other hand, the deployment and integration
of IMS takes time, and some systems in the
existing networks such as MSC, HLR, and IT
systems may need a corresponding consolidation
or upgrade. We think that it is necessary for the
operators to begin preparing for VoLTE one year
in advance or even before.

In addition, LTE coverage at this stage
is still limited. The operators need to
take advantage of the width and depth
of traditional CS coverage to provide
seamless voice service. This involves the
interoperability of LTE and CS, and
operators need to consider two technical
issues here. The first issue addresses
two options for the provision of service
after LTE users have roamed to the CS
domain one is to process the voice call
completely through MSC, and the other
is to get connected to the IMS domain
through MSC to provide the voice call
service. The second option is the IMS
centralized service (ICS) architecture
defined by 3GPP, which needs to upgrade
MSC to EMSC (enhanced MSC). The
second issue is the handover from LTE
to CS during a call 3GPP has defined
the single radio voice call continuity
(SRVCC) technology for this.
Stage three: VoLTE becoming
the mainstream with full LTE
coverage
At this stage, either LTE coverage
has become quite complete, or LTE and
other MBB technologies such as HSPA
can form seamless networks, to make
the MBB voice service a mainstream
application and gradually replace the
traditional CS. Of course, this will be a
significantly long process.
Network deployment
strategy
Simplifying network
architecture
IMS is more complex than the
traditional softswitch technologies.
Moreover, the introduction of VoLTE,
especially its interoperability with CS,
has further increased system complexity.
Such complexity is reflected in the
n u m e ro u s n e t w o rk e l e m e n t s a n d
complex interactions, and simplifying
the solution architecture becomes the
top priority. This can be achieved in the
Huawei Communicate
following ways.
Fi r s t o f a l l , a d o p t a c o m m o n
After several releases
architecture. Huaweis SingleCORE including 3GPP R8/R9/R10,
architecture is based on this concept,
enabling network elements such as as well as the improvement
CS and IMS to be designed based on
the completely identical hardware and
by GSMA, VoLTE standards
software platforms, making deployment and technologies are
more flexible, resource utilization more
efficient, and operation management already mature. In 2011,
more convenient. It has natural advantages
in supporting multi-network service
the industry has two
integration and evolution. significant developments:
Second, integrate numerous functions in
a smaller number of network elements based One is that more and
on a common architecture. For example,
Huaweis MSC-S is built in with MGCF,
more tests and trials are
mAGCF, SRVCC IWF, CSFB Proxy, IBCF, taking place, the other
and IM-SSF functions. MGW is built in
with IM-MGW, IBGF, and VIG functions is the advent of the LTE
and the SBC equipment will support
P-CSCF, ATCF, and ATGW.
smartphones.
Additionally, the operators should
adopt the real FMC design to achieve
converged and simplified networks in
multi-service and multi-access scenarios.
Although the IMS standard is designed
for this, the real FMC and multi-service
access still face many challenges in
product implementation and commercial
deployment, which should be taken into
consideration at the beginning of IMS
deployment. One challenge is the need to
support multiple voice access modes and
signaling protocols. Another challenge,
which is especially of concern currently,
is that the service processing unit, the
telephony application server (TAS), needs
to process multiple voice services under
various mobile and fixed access modes,
including VoBB, PSTN, and VoLTE as
well as the customized services of some
operators. As a matter of fact, some operators
have already found that the IMS deployed
previously cannot support VoLTE, so they
have to replace some equipment.
Reducing the impact on the
existing network
The deployment of VoLTE involves
almost all the core network elements,
instead of just simply adding an IMS.
SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61 54
 Leading Edge
Evolution and deployment of VoLTE
Adjustment of or interconnection to the existing
networks equipment is often the hardest part. To
this end, we should think about how to reduce or
even eliminate the adjustment of existing network
equipment such as MSC/HLR on the one hand.
On the other hand, we should also think about
the coexistence and integration with the existing
network equipment.
To support SRVCC for handover to CS and
CSFB for inbound roaming, the operators should
upgrade the MSC. However, large-scale network
upgrade is difficult, involving a long cycle and high
costs, and therefore should be avoided during the
initial period of VoLTE development if possible.
Functions such as SRVCC/CSFB can be centrally
deployed to one or a small number of MSCs. If its
difficult to upgrade the existing networks legacy
MSC, we suggest that a new MSC be introduced
to serve as the MGCF, SRVCC IWF, or CSFB
Proxy, to replace upgrading legacy ones.
In addition, although ICS is taken as the target
architecture in the future, deploying ICS would
require the upgrade of MSC-S throughout the
network in the initial stage of VoLTE. This is
too costly for many operators. Huaweis VoLTE
solution provides two options: deploying ICS or
not deploying ICS. In the model of not deploying
ICS, after LTE users have roamed to the CS
domain, the service is completely processed in
the CS domain, and there is no need to trigger it
to IMS. This can not only avoid MSC upgrade
and shorten time-to-market, but also increase the
equipments processing efficiency.
For the deployment of HLR/HSS, we suggest
that an overlapping solution is used initially, which is
to overlap a converged HLR/HSS to manage LTEs
user data, and to keep legacy HLR for traditional CS
unchanged. This can avoid the huge work of upgrading
HLR throughout the network at the very beginning.
In addition, the deployment of VoLTE involves
many network elements such as IMS Core,
TAS, SBC, and converged HLR/HSS, and some
network elements may be already in existence
for certain services such as VoBB. As such, the
new equipment introduced to VoLTE should be
easy to be integrated with the existing networks
equipment. For example, CSCF and TAS may
be from different vendors, and the IOT and
integration between them should be addressed.
Enriching service experience
VoLTE will provide better voice and video call
55 SEP 2011 . ISSUE 61
quality and faster call setup speed, but these reasons
are not sufficient for replacing the traditional CS.
More abundant applications beyond voice are
required in MBB stage. On the other hand, facing
the competition from OTT, telecom operators need
to provide similar or more competitive services. RCS
or the simplified one, RCS-e, introduced by some
European operators can provide rich communication
experiences, including IM, image and video sharing
on the basis of voice service as well as the integration
with the Internet services. Therefore, the RCS is
expected to be widely adopted and deployed. In a
sense, the development of VoLTE cannot do without
RCS. Operators should consider the integration with
RCS when deploying VoLTE, and because both of
them are based on IMS, the seamless integration of
VoLTE and RCS is also possible.
Accelerated
commercialization
After several releases including 3GPP R8/R9/
R10, as well as the improvement by GSMA, VoLTE
standards and technologies are already mature. In
2011, the industry has two significant developments:
One is that more and more tests and trials are taking
place, the other is the advent of the LTE smartphones.
In the core network field, all the major IMS
vendors have plans to support VoLTE, and are actively
conducting tests and trials with the operators. What
is especially worth noting is that in May 2011 IMTC
(International Multimedia Telecommunications
Consortium) organized the industrys first VoLTE
IOT test in Hawaii, during which, Huawei
exclusively provided an entire suite of the LTE/EPC/
IMS network equipment and completed the test of
interconnection with the terminals. In September
2011, MSF (Multi Service Forum) will also organize
an IOT test involving multiple vendors.
In 2011, some terminal manufacturers such
as Samsung and HTC announced the first LTE
smartphones. This was an important milestone for
the LTE industry. However, these terminals mainly
support CSFB and SVLTE. Based on the progress
of mainstream chip makers and handset makers,
it is expected that smartphones that support the
IMS-based VoLTE and SRVCC will become
commercially available in 2012. Some operators in
North America, Russia, Middle East, and Europe
are expected to become the first providers of
VoLTE services from 2012 to 2013.
Editor: Li Xuefeng xuefengli@huawei.com
Huawei Communicate

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