Solution

SingleRAN@Broad: realizing GSM/UMTS and WiMAX synergy

SingleRAN@Broad
realizing GSM/UMTS and WiMAX synergy
By combining the mobility
and wide coverage of GSM/
UMTS and the low CAPEX
and high traffic capacity
of WiMAX, the Huawei
SingleRAN@Broad solution
integrates the advantages
of the two technologies
to deliver fully convergent
mobile broadband services.
By Lu Han

Elevating QoE through UMTS + WiMAX convergence solution:

SingleRAN@Broad.
Huawei SingleRAN@Broad solution
facilitates this process and allows 3G
convergence In e x p e n s i v e a n d e a s i l y o b t a i n e d operators to offload mobile broadband
WiMAX licenses imbue WiMAX with traffic, lower costs, boost revenues, and

S
tatistics compiled by Forrester
Research covering 23 operators
reveals that mobile broadband
services offer the greatest money-
making potential, the most marketable
applications being mobile music, Internet,
email, TV, and games.
However, GSM alone cannot support
these high speed data ser vices. Due
to limited 3G licenses and spectrum
resources, 3G competition has intensified,
leaving many GSM operators behind. This
is exacerbated by soaring data traffic levels
that fail to deliver correspondingly high
profits. To address these problems, Huawei
has developed its innovative GSM/
immediate cost advantages. Including
OFDMA and MIMO, WiMAX employs
4G technologies across air interfaces to
enable data rates of up to 70Mbps. The
All-IP architecture of the WiMAX core
network expedites the launch of services
and cuts deployment costs. With end-to-
end QoS and security mechanisms, the
solution effectively delivers carrier-class
multimedia services.
Accelerated by the recession, the trend
for operators to converge their networks
considerably lowers overall network
TCO and enables full service operations.
Underpinned by unique and innovative
features and mature applications, the
enhance QoE for high-end customers.
The solution also provides a differentiation
platform via which 2G operators can
maximize their competitive edge, rapidly
attract mobile broadband subscribers, and
raise ARPU.
Realizing comprehensive
convergence
SingleRAN@Broad supports convergent
billing and multi-mode terminals, and
allows the sharing of sites, cabinets,
antennas, transmission, and NMS.

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Site sharing
Sharing sites when deploying a
convergent network is not only cost
effective, but also helps operators quickly
expand their market share.
Additionally, distributed base stations
effectively solve the site selection problem.
Compact and light, the WiMAX
DBS3900 base station can be flexibly
installed in crowded equipment rooms.
At just 2U high, the BBU can be installed
in GSM, APM or transmission cabinets,
while the light, 15kg RRU can be installed
outdoors with antennas. For 2G/3G
networks in which many macro base
stations are deployed, Huawei plans to
launch WiMAX macro base stations that
allow WiMAX and GSM/UMTS to share
RF cabinets.
Power supplies can also be shared or
expanded. In sufficiently large equipment
rooms, new power supplies, such as
batteries and switching power supplies,
can be added. The coexistence of WiMAX
and GSM/UMTS requires at least a
63A AC power distribution box, 300A
switching power supply, and a 400AH to
600AH battery. If power supply expansion
is difficult due to, for example, the existing
wall-mounted switching power supply,
operators can easily replace the legacy one.
Au x i l i a r y e q u i p m e n t c a n a l s o b e
shared, including the DDF, ODF, air-
conditioners, electricity utilities, and fire
safety equipment.
The sharing of towers and masts extends
to roof tops, ground-mounted towers, and
single-pole towers. Optimizing existing
towers and masts can meet the special
engineering requirements of the WiMAX
antenna feeder system. If towers and masts
cannot be shared, operators can implement
isolation measures to share rooftops. To
solve existing problems and enable these
features, Huawei plans to launch its dual-
band and three-band antenna solutions.
Cabinets sharing
Ba s e d o n t h e c o - R F s u b r a c k f o r
multiple radio systems, the dual-mode
macro base station incorporates improved
design features such as wiring, fan control,
a space-saving lightning protection unit,
and UMTS expansion and upgrades to
support MIMO. WiMAX macro base
stations can share cabinets with GSM/
UMTS dual-mode macro base stations,
and the base bands of distributed WiMAX
base stations can share cabinets with
GSM/UMTS macro base stations.
Antennas sharing
Antenna-sharing can be achieved in
three ways:
1) Dual-band/three-band antennas that
support both 2.1G UMTS and 2.3G/2.5G
WiMAX, simplify installation, save rooftop
space, and lower rent; 2) Feeder-sharing
via a pair of combiners that replace the
feeders of different radio systems, which
is especially useful for towers with light
loads; and 3) Applying separate electrical
tilt interfaces on different radio systems,
which supports various tilt angles and
reduces engineering and O&M difficulties
in various network deployment phases.
Transmission sharing
Transmission resources can be shared
during different network deployment
stages. When a network is first deployed
and traffic is low, TDM backhaul network
can be fully utilized. In later stages when
capacity is higher, FE/GE backhaul
network can be introduced.
The traffic over air interfaces can be
controlled by setting backhaul bandwidth
and QoS parameters. This helps maximize
the utilization of bearer network resources,
while reducing the impact of WiMAX on
the GSM/UMTS backhaul.
NMS sharing
The SingleRAN@Broad applies the
concepts of ONE OSS and ONE Team to
support converged network management
over different sets of equipment, systems,
and domains. The solution also saves
energy by jointly monitoring devices and
sites; for example, carriers, power supplies,
and diesel generators can be shut down in
low traffic areas.
The converged management of various
radio systems effectively unifies alarms,
performance monitoring, and report
output on the GSM, UMTS and WiMAX
Huawei Communicate
platforms. This greatly raises O&M
efficiency compared with separate network
management systems. Moreover, cross-
domain analysis, such as joint RAN/
CN signaling tracing, can accurately and
rapidly locate faults.
Convergent billing
The WiMAX/GSM convergent billing
solution can be applied differently in IP-
CS and ETH-CS.
In IP-CS, EAP-TTLS authentication is
used, and external DHCP servers or ASN-
GWs assign IP addresses for WiMAX
subscribers. In this case, subscribers can be
switched between BS and GW.
In ETH-CS, PPPoE authentication or
portal authentication is used for WiMAX
subscribers, and external DHCP servers or
BRASs assign IP addresses. In this scenario,
WiMAX supports fixed applications only.
The Huawei WiMAX/GSM
convergence solution enables subscribers
to activate their WiMAX services through
self-service portals or SMS, combine
WiMAX and GSM accounts and
prepayments, and use the same recharging
method as for GSM.
Multi-mode terminals
Intel is expected to release a single-
chipset solution that supports WiMAX
( 3 . 5 G H z / 2 . 5 G H z / 2 . 3 G H z ) , Wi - Fi
(2.4GHz/5.8GHz), Bluetooth, and GPS.
Currently, over 60 built-in WiMAX laptops
and more than 500 models of WiMAX
terminals are available. With USBs costing
50 to 60 USD, a turning point for massive
subscriber growth has been reached.
T h e Wi M A X Si n g l e R A N @ Bro a d
solution allows subscribers to enjoy
convergent user experience and empowers
2G/3G operators to effectively develop
mobile broadband services. With the
launch of GSM/WiMAX and HSPA/
WiMAX multi-mode terminals (such as
GSM/WiMAX dual-mode handsets and
HSPA/WiMAX dual-mode data cards),
subscriber numbers will inevitably rocket,
which will in turn stimulate the rapid
growth of mobile broadband services.
Editor: Liu Zhonglin liuzhonglin@huawei.com
JUN 2010 . ISSUE 56 38