LMDS & MMDS

Dr. Shahzada Alamgir Khan

Last Mile Wireless

Connections
Microwaves are higher frequency RF waves

In the 3 to 30 GHz range of the electromagnetic

spectrum known as super high frequency (SHF) band

Microwave towers are installed roughly 35

miles

(56 kilometers) apart from each other

Fixed wireless

Wireless as the last mile connection for buildings

Backhaul connection

Companys internal infrastructure connection

2

Free Space Optics

Free space optics (FSO)

Optical, wireless, point-to-point, lineof-sight broadband technology

Excellent alternative to high-speed
fiber-optic cable
Can transmit up to 1.25 Gbps at a
distance of 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) in
full-duplex mode
Uses infrared (IR) transmission
instead of RF
Transmissions are sent by lowpowered invisible infrared beams
through the open air
FSO is a line-of-sight technology
3

Free Space Optics

(continued)
Advantages of FSO

Cost
Speed of installation
Transmission rate
Security

Disadvantages of FSO

Atmospheric conditions impact FSO

transmissions
4

Free Space Optics

(continued)
Disadvantages

of FSO (continued)

FSO overcomes by sending the data in parallel

streams (spatial diversity)
From several separate laser transmitters

Dealing with fog

Increase the transmit power of the signal

Signal interference
Tall buildings or towers can distrub
Affecting the aim of the beam
5

LMDS
LMDS Local Multipoint Distribution Service
Located in 28 GHz and 31 GHz bands
Broadband radio service designed to provide
two way transmission of voice, high speed
data and video
Low powered transmitters broadcast voice,
data and video signals in metropolitan areas

Local Multipoint Distribution

Service (LMDS)

Local multipoint distribution

Fixed broadband technology that can provide a wide

variety of wireless services

service (LMDS)

High-speed Internet access

Real-time multimedia file transfer
Remote access to local area networks
Interactive video, video-on-demand, video conferencing
Telephone service

Can transmit from 51 to 155 Mbps downstream and 1.54

Mbps upstream
Over a distance of up to about 5 miles (8 kilometers)
7

Local Multipoint Distribution Service

(LMDS) (continued)

Local Multipoint Distribution

Service (LMDS) (continued)
Frequency

Based on high frequency, low-powered signals over

short distances
LMDS used the following ranges of frequencies

27.5 MHz and 28.35 MHz

29.1 MHz and 29.25 MHz
30 GHz, 31.075 GHz, and 31.225 GHz

Architecture

Cells (like a cellular telephone system)

LMDS is a fixed wireless technology for buildings
9

MMDS
MMDS - Multichannel Multipoint Distribution
Service
FCC regulated wireless cable system
Delivery of multiple video signals via point-tomultipoint microwave transmissions
Comprised of 33 microwave frequencies in
2.5 GHz band

Multichannel Multipoint
Distribution Service (MMDS)
Multichannel multipoint distribution service

(MMDS)

Fixed broadband wireless technology similar to LMDS

Can transmit video, voice, or data signals at 1.5 to 2
Mbps downstream and 320 Kbps upstream
At distances of up to 35 miles (56 kilometers)

MMDS is sometimes called wireless cable

Can broadcast 300 channels

Internet access using MMDS is an alternative to

cable modems and DSL service
11

Multichannel Multipoint
Distribution Service (MMDS)
Layout
(continued)

MMDS hub is typically located on a high point

Uses a point-to-multipoint architecture that multiplexes

communications to multiple users

Tower has a backhaul connection to carriers network

Carrier network connects with the Internet

MMDS signals can travel longer distances

Provide service to an entire area with only a few radio
transmitters

MMDS cell size can have a radius of up to 35 miles (56

kilometers)
12

Multichannel Multipoint Distribution

Service (MMDS) (continued)

13

Multichannel Multipoint
Distribution Service (MMDS)
Advantages of
MMDS
(continued)

Signal strength
Cell size
Cost

Disadvantages of MMDS

Physical limitations
Frequency sharing
Security
Availability of the technology
14

Characteristics
Configuration

similar to cellular;
Receiver is fixed (typically using a rooftop
directional antenna)
Compete with established wired services such
as telephone and cable television, and wired
Internet services such as cable modem, DSL,
and fiber
Could be used to quickly deploy services to a
large population (in countries where telephone
or cable television services are not widespread

Wireless Spectrum (1)

Broadcast TV
VHF: 54 to 88 MHz, 174 to 216 MHz
UHF: 470 to 806 MHz

30 MHz

300 MHz

3 GHz

FM Radio
88 to 108 MHz

Digital TV
54 to 88 MHz, 174 to 216 MHz, 470 to 806 MHz

30 GHz

Wireless Spectrum (2)

3G Broadband Wireless
746-794 MHz, 1.7-1.85 GHz,
2.5-2.7 GHz

30 MHz

300 MHz

3 GHz

30 GHz

Cellular Phone
800-900 MHz
Personal Communication Service (PCS)
1.85-1.99 GHz

Wireless Spectrum (3)

Wireless LAN (IEEE
802.11b/g)
2.4 GHz

30 MHz

300 MHz
Bluetooth
2.45 GHz

Wireless LAN
(IEEE 802.11a)
5 GHz

3 GHz

30 GHz

Local Multipoint Distribution

Services (LMDS)
27.5-31.3 GHz

Wireless Spectrum
Use microwave/millimeter wave bands

between 2 and 45 GHz:

Wide frequency bandwidth allocated: from
a few hundred megahertz up to more than
1 GHz
MMDS uses the band 2.5 GHz (25002690 Band )
LMCS/LMDS use the bands 24, 28, 31 or
40 GHz (varies with country)

Applications
Two-way communications;
Can be used for

the transmission of voice, data, and

video, e.g.
video broadcasting
pay-per-view
video-on-demand
videoconference
Internet access
telephony, fax, etc.
. Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS) licenses

Effect of Rain
Attenuation due to rain

Presence of raindrops can severely degrade the

reliability and performance of communication links
The effect of rain depends on drop shape, drop size,
rain rate, and frequency

Estimated attenuation due to rain:

A aR

A = attenuation (dB/km)
R = rain rate (mm/hr)
a and b depend on drop sizes and frequency

Effects of Vegetation
Trees near subscriber sites can lead to

multipath fading
Multipath effects from the tree canopy are
diffraction and scattering
Measurements in orchards found
considerable attenuation values when the
foliage is within 60% of the first Fresnel zone
Multipath effects highly variable due to wind

Coverage And Capacity

A single MMDS cell is capable of serving

up to a 50 Km radius coverage area

Local Multi-point Distribution Service
(LMDS), in contrast, cover an area with
only a 5 -8 Km radius

Architecture

Bandwidth
(MHz)

Spectrum Availability

Voice, Data,
Fax,
ISDN

+ Ultra
High-Speed
LAN/WAN

+ TDM
Leased Lines

+ High Speed
Internet and
Multimedia

>100 Mbps

10 to 100
Mbps

1 to 50
Mbps

256 Kbps
20 30

100
200

200

No LOS
1 GHz 2.5

MMDS

Multichannel Multipoint
Distribution Service

3.5

5.8

300

400 1000

1350 1400 2000

5000

LOS
10

24

UNII

Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure

2Ghz to 40Ghz

26

28

38

LMDS

40

Local Multipoint Distribution Service

60

Spectrum Availability
Worldwide
Voice, Data,
Fax,
ISDN

+ Ultra
High-Speed
LAN/WAN

+ TDM
Leased Lines

+ High Speed
Internet and
Multimedia

>100 Mbps

10 to 100
Mbps

1 to 50
Mbps

256 Kbps
Bandwidth
(MHz)

20 30

100
200

200

No LOS
1 GHz 2.5

3.5

5.8

300

400 1000

1350 1400 2000

5000

LOS
10

24

26

28

38

40

60

Spectrum: Horses for Courses

Less than 6 GHz

Long range (up to 30 miles), Non LOS, not affected by
weather
Low-cost equipment - residential and SOHO CPE
Spectrum suitable for mass market deployments

Greater 6 GHz
LOS, short range (1-3 miles), affected by weather, more
spectrum (1Ghz)
Spectrum used specifically for urban deployments to
Large business or Multi-tenant units

Reach Distance From Hub

Point-to-Multipoin

Point-to-Point Links
2.5 GHz
6 GHz
23 GHz
28 GHz

24 GHz
28 GHz

2.5 GHz
38 GHz
50.0

20.0

7.5

5.0

Reach Distance**, Km
**Assume Rain Zone K, 6cm antennae for 99.995% average
availability, vertical polarization.

3.57

5.34

6.92

Reach Distance*, Km
*Assume Rain Zone K, Single Channel per Transmitter, same
power, same dB gain antennaes for all frequencies.

40

P2P vs P2MP
P2P
dedicated
bandwidth

P2MP Sector

P2MP
shared
bandwidth

Cost Per Subscriber

Cost per Subscriber by

Network
This is the point at
which PMP becomes more
economically viable than
a PTP network, generally ~8 links.

PTP

PMP
CPE Cost

# of Subscribers

Unified Broadband Wireless

Reference Architecture
Industry
Suppliers
Standard I.F.

IP
ATM
WDM
FR

Integrated
Wireless MAC

FCC Compliant R.F.

SAT

38SAT
GHZ
Radio

38 GHZ
Radio

38 GHZ
Radio

LMDS
Radio

LMDS
Radio

UNII
Radio

UNII
Radio

MMDS
Radio

MMDS
Radio

10 GHZ
Radio

10 GHZ
Radio

Other Any RF band

Backhaul
Network

Wireless
Service
Modules

Small Office
PBX

Branch
Office

SOHO
Telecommuter

Other

End-to-End Services, Network Management,

Provisioning AND Billing

Consumer
CPE
Networks

Key Features

IP Packet Based Solution with DOCSIS 1.1 support

Up to 44.4 Mbps full-duplex throughput
Up to 25 Miles in connection distance
Fiber quality link
> 10-11 BER for Data, > 10-8 BER for Voice

Supports both MMDS (2.5 GHz) and UNNI (5.7 GHz)

Encryption support: 56 bit DES with RSA key
management

The Problem

Line-of-Sight:
The technology, while promising, continues to have nagging "line-of-sight"
issues. Wireless signals in these systems must have a clear path to travel as
they bounce from rooftop to rooftop. Trees, buildings and even inclement
weather, such as snow and pelting rain, can cause static, dropped calls and
hazy connections.

Leslie Cauley
staff reporter in The Wall Street Journal's New York bureau
September 20, 1999

The Solution
VOFDM (Vector Orthogonal
Frequency Division
Multiplexing) technology
employs both frequency and
spatial diversity
creates a robust processing
technique for multipath fading
and narrow band interference
VOFDM enables greater
coverage
substantially reduces LOS
limitations

Paths

Base
Station

Subscriber

Summary
WMANs

are a group of technologies

Provide wireless connectivity throughout an area such as

a city without cable infrastructure

Last mile

wired connections are the link between the

customers premises and an ISP
Transmission techniques

Broadband and baseband

Land-based fixed broadband wireless

techniques

Free space optics (FSO)

Local multipoint distribution service (LMDS)
Multichannel multipoint distribution service (MMDS)
36