Download - Power Cables report
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
1/91
1
A PROJECT REPORT
ON
WIRELINE SOLUTION FOR MOBILE BACKHAUL
FOR
STERLITE TECHNOLOGIES
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
SRINIVAS A N
(Manager-Business Development)
TOWARDS PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN TELECOM MANAGEMENT
(MBA -TM)
SUBMITTED BY
ASTHA
Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management
Pune 411 042
2010-12
MBA TM-I Batch 2010-12
Systems & Finance
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
2/91
2
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that project titled
WIRELINE SOLUTION FOR MOBILE BACKHAUL
Is a bonafied work carried out by
Astha
For
STERLITE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
Under the guidance of
Srinivas A N
(Manager-Business Development)
Towards the partial fulfillment of
Master of Business Administration in Telecom Management
(MBA- TM)
Project guide
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
3/91
3
Acknowledgement
This report is an assimilation of co operation, support and guidance of several
dignitaries. I would like to acknowledge and extend my heartfelt gratitude to the following
people who have made the completion of this report possible.
Firstly, I would like to convey my sincere gratitude to Mr. Prashant Nazare (Business
head, Sterlite Technologies Ltd) for vital encouragement and support.
I am indebted to my mentor Mr. Srinivas A N (Manager-Business Development,
Sterlite Technologies Ltd) who acted as a pillar of support and a light of knowledge
during the journey of completion of this project and also for his constant reminders and
much needed motivation.
Words are inadequate in offering my thanks to other members of Sterlite technologies for
their encouragement and support in carrying out my project work.
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank my institute Symbiosis Institute of
Telecom Management, Pune for providing me the opportunity to be a part of Sterlite
Technologies Limited. I would especially thank our director Mr Sunil Patil, Director, Mr.
Prasanna Kulkarni, Deputy Director and Mrs. Sujata Joshi, Placement Incharge for
getting me to work in this prestigious company.
(Astha)
SITM
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
4/91
4
ABSTRACT
India today stands at the threshold of great opportunities. A growing and robust
economy, a young and increasingly literate population and wide technological base give
it the opportunity of emerging as a major power. Indian telecom industry is one of the
fastest growing in the world with an average of 18 million subscribers added every
month. In 2010, Indian telecom sector witnessed the much awaited 3G & BWA
spectrum auction With the arrival of 3G, various operators in India are particular about
providing faster and more robust Internet, better access of data services including e-
commerce, social networking, audio-video conferencing, and many other broadband
applications with very high speed.
India is ready for 3G, especially in the urban market. The Indian mobile market is still
voice intensive and the operators major source of revenue. In this context, voice-based
3G services will see greater acceptance and adaptation by the domestic consumers. In
India, people love talking over the phone rather than interacting using SMS or other
means. Therefore, if one is able to provide compelling services such as video calls at
affordable prices, it will be a huge hit. But this would lead to increase in bandwidth
requirement by each customer..
The advent of 3G and 4G mobile services brings with it a surge in data traffic, which in
turn puts a strain on existing cellular networks. Nowhere is the demand for more
available capacity felt more than in the tower backhaul. Looking into their backhaul
options, operators can choose one of three physical mediums; copper, fiber or
microwave
Presently in India approx 90% of the tower backhaul are on microwave. Microwave has
some obvious advantages, the most important being less deployment time & cost of
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
5/91
5
installation. But the present microwave transmission supports a maximum of 155Mbps,
i.e, it can be used in STM1 ring but beyond this datarate microwave communication
cannot support.
With 3G and 4G coming up in India, datarate requirement per BTS would increase to
approx 20-30Mbps, whereas for existing 2G network datarate requirement per BTS is
merely 4Mbps.. Moreover the backhaul network should be scalable such that it can
cater to the need of even higher bandwidth requirement in case of 4G.In that case Fiber
cable that provides unlimited bandwidth would be the ultimate choice for operators.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
6/91
6
TABLE OFCONTENTS
Sr no. Topic Detail Pg No
1 Acknowledgement 2
2 Abstract 3
3 List of Figures 6
4 List of Data Tables 7
5 Nomenclature & Abbreviations 8
6 Title & Objective 10-12
7 Company Profile 13-19
8 1. Introduction 22
9 1.1 Indian telecom sector 23
10 1.2 Wireless subscribers in India 24
11 1.3 India Telecom Subscriber Statistics March 2011 24
12 1.4 Opportunity 26
13 2.0 Evolution of telecom technologies 29
14 2.1 Comparison of telecom technologies 30
15 3.0 Telecom architecture 31
16 3.1 Core network 32
17 3.2 Backhaul network 33
18 3.3 Detailed explanation of backhaul for 2G 34
19 3.4 Backhaul requirement in future 37
20 4.0 Microwave radio system 38
21 4.1 Capex and Opex for microwave link 40
23 4.2 Modulation scheme 43
24 5.0 Telecom infrastructure in India 47
25 6.0 Network planning 49
26 6.1 Radio network optimization 51
27 6.2 Microwave planning 52
28 7.0 Optical fiber overview 54
29 7.1 Capex /Opex & challenges in fiber deployment 58
30 7.2Optical fiber vs microwave 60
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
7/91
7
31 8.0 3G: UMTS 62
32 8.1 System architecture overview 63
33 8.2 3G:Present Indian scenario 64
34 8.3 3G plans: A sneak peek 65
35 8.4 3G prediction 65
36 8.5 Implementation of 3G: changes in the existing network 66
37 8.6 Changes in backhaul network(3G) 67
38 8.7 Calculation for throughput requirement/BTS(2G) 69
39 8.8 Calculation for throughput requirement/BTS(3G) 70
40 9.0 Demand estimation of fiber in tower backhaul(3G) 74
41 9.1 Business opportunity for Sterlite from 3G deployment 75
42 10.0 LTE: the way ahead 79
43 10.1 Wireless broadband: world scenario 81
44 10.2 LTE vs WIMAX 83
45 11.0 4G impacts to mobile backhaul 86
46 12.0 International wireless backhaul trend 88
47 Conclusion 89
48 References 91
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
8/91
8
List of Figures
Figure Number Description Pg No
Figure 1 Sterlite global operation 18
Figure 2 Sterlite clients 19
Figure 3 Wireless subscribers in India 24
Figure 4 Wireless subscribers GSM vs CDMA 25
Figure 5 Evolution of telecom technologies 29
Figure 6 Telecom architecture 31
Figure 7 Core network 32
Figure 8 Backhaul network 33
Figure 9 BTS connection to BSC via STM1 ring 36
Figure 10 Microwave components 40
Figure 11 Adaptive modulation for a microwave link. 44
Figure 12 3G network architecture 64
Figure 13 Prediction of 3G subscribers 66
Figure 14 2G/3G network architecture 85
Figure 15 Typical LTE network 87
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
9/91
9
DATA TABLES
Table No Table Description Pg No
Table 1 Throughput comparison of telecom technologies 30
Table 2 Datarate per BTS(2G) 35
Table 3 Spectrum charges 46
Table 4 State wise no of towers 58
Table 5 CAPEX per fiber deployment 58
Table 6 OPEX/ fiber/km/month 60
Table 7 Fiber vs microwave 64
Table 8 Existing 3G subscribers 65
Table 9 Datarate requirement per BTS(3G) 69
Table 10 E1 required per BTS(3G) 72
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
10/91
10
Nomenclature and Abbreviations
Abbreviations Full Forms
STL Sterlite Technologies Limited
MNP Mobile number portability
Teledensity Percentage of mobile and landline users
out of whole population
BWA Broadband wireless access
3G/4G 3r /4 generation
VAS Value added service
EDGE Enhanced Data-rates for Global Evolution
UMTS Universal mobile telecommunicationsystem
HSDPA High-Speed Downlink Protocol Access
EVDO Evolution data only
EVDV Evolution data voice
EIR Equipment identity register
AUC Authentication centre
HLR Home location register
Gbps Gigabits per second
TDM Time division multiplexing
RAN Radio access network
TRX Transmitter receiver
AGGREGATION RATIO No of BTSs connected to 1 BTS hub
STM1 155Mbps
E1 2 Mbps
LOS Line of sight
ODU Outdoor unit
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
11/91
11
IDU Indoor unit
QAM Quadrature amplitude modulation
QPSK Quadrature phase shift keying
GPS Global positioning system
ROW Right of way
RNC Radio network controller
NODE B 3G nomenclature of BTS
OFDM Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
CKm Cable km
LTE Long term evolution
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
12/91
12
TITLE OF THE PROJECT:
WIRELINE SOLUTION FOR MOBILE BACKHAUL
OBJECTIVES:
This project was undertaken in the cables department of Sterlite technologies. I was
given a Business Development project. While working on the project following
objectives were set.
Overview of present Indian telecom market
To study and analyze evolution of telecom technologies (2G to 4G)
To analyze and compare present mobile backhaul technologies
Microwave vs fiber
Existing Microwave market in tower backhaul
Scope of fiber in tower backhaul networks
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
13/91
13
Company Profile
Sterlite Technologies is a leading global provider of transmission solutions for the power
and telecom industries. It is among the Top 3 global manufacturers of power conductors
and among the Top 5 global manufacturers of optical fibers and cables.[1]
Connecting every home on the planetSterlite has two broad parts of its business namely telecom and power.
The power business mainly comprises manufacture of bare overhead power conductors
and its capacity today is amongst the largest in the world. They intend to diversify this
business as well with the commencement of power cables business and currently
Sterlite is executing a project in transmission network ownership. Since the past two
decades, Sterlite has developed technical expertise in fiber optic cables and proven its
capabilities in manufacture of energy efficient bare overhead power conductors. Sterlite
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
14/91
14
has integrated these core strengths in its comprehensive OPGW solution that includes
Optical Fiber Composite Ground Wire and related hardware
In the telecom business, Sterlite offers a complete range of end-to-end optical fibers for
a variety of applications in telecommunication networks. Supported by a fully integrated
manufacturing facility and a dedicated R&D Center, Sterlites range of optical fibers
deliver superior performance in data transmission and performance reliability. It also
offers a complete range of end-to-end terrestrial copper telecom cables for a variety of
applications in telecommunications networks.With its own manufacturing facilities for UL
approved structured data cables, Sterlite offers a comprehensive range of structured
cables for premise networks
Brief history:[2]
Sterlites range of Telecom Cables had been manufactured under Sterlite Industries
(India) Limited from 1988 till Year 2000 and under Sterlite Optical Technologies from
Year 2000 onwards.
Sterlite Optical Technologies Limited was formed by the demerger of the erstwhile
telecom division of Sterlite Industries (India) Limited with effect from July 1, 2000 to
enable a sharper focus on each of the businesses. The name of the company was
changed to Sterlite Technologies Limited with effect from December 1,2007.
Number of employees: Approximately 1000 employees
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
15/91
15
Scope of business activity
Manufacture of optical fibers, fiber optic cables, copper telecom cables, structured
data cables.
Manufacture of power transmission Conductors, aluminum & alloy Rods.
Telecom systems and solutions.
Power transmission network ownership.
Vision: To connect every home on the planet
Mission: To make it easier, faster and more cost-effective for service providers to build
telecom and power infrastructure. Sterlite partners with its customers to deliver optimal
solutions for their evolving needs
Intellectual property
Sterlite has prioritized in-house R&D to catalyze product development as per evolving
industry requirements, technical enhancements and quality needs.
34 patents granted in USA, Europe, India & China.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
16/91
16
PRODUCTS:
1. OPTICAL FIBER
Sterlite Technologies manufactures a complete range of Optical Fibers, designed for
use in Optical Fiber Cables and catering to the specific technical requirements by the
Telecommunication Industry.
Sterlite PMD- -LITE Low Water Peak
Single Mode Optical Fiber
Sterlite DOF-LITE RS Single Mode Optical Fiber
Sterlite DOF-LITE LEA Single Mode Optical Fiber
Sterlite DOF-LITE Metro Single Mode Optical Fiber
Sterlite BEND-LITE Single Mode Optical Fiber
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
17/91
17
Sterlite MULTI-LITE 50/125 microns Multi Mode Optical Fiber
Sterlite MULTI-LITE 62.5/125 microns Multi Mode Optical Fiber
2. FIBER OPTIC CABLES
Sterlite's Fiber Optic Cable plants produce the complete range of Terrestrial Fiber
Optic Cables in standard and customized designs, with fiber counts up to 864.
Sterlite Duct-Lite Series
Sterlite Armor-Lite Series
Sterlite Aerial-Lite Series
Sterlite Ribbon-Lite Series
Sterlite Premise Cable Series
3. COPPER TELECOM CABLES
Foam Skin Insulated Copper Telecom Cables
Solid Insulated Copper Telecom Cables
Aerial Self-Supporting Copper Telecom Cables
PCM Z-Screened Copper Telecom Cables
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
18/91
18
4. LAN CABLES
Sterlite Cat 5e LAN Cables
Sterlite Cat 6 LAN Cables
All of Sterlites Products are manufactured at ISO 9001:2000 certified facilitiesSterlites
Optical Fiber facilities are also certified for the ISO 14001:2004 Environment
Management System and OHSAS 18001:1999 Safety Management System.
Sterlites global operations:
Figure 1: Sterlites global client
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
19/91
19
Sterlites valuable customers
Sterlite's customer list includes some of the most prominent companies in the telecomworld.
Figure 2: Sterlite clients
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
20/91
20
Growing fiber demand: overview [3]
Worldwide fiber demand for the first quarter was 49 million km, up 3 million km and 6%
compared with Q1-2010. Information from the US and other large markets suggests that
demand growth was accelerating through the quarter and has continued to do so in April
and early May.
Cablers face rising costs but also growth prospects, including backhaul
In addition to concerns about fiber availability, cable manufacturers have addressed
increasing costs for energy, transportation, and other cable elements, including polymer
resins, armour tape, water-blocking materials, and strength members.
There have been reports in April and May of increasing lead times for the supply of
optical cable in North America. Although there are some imports of fiber from Japan to
the US, the longer lead times also are affecting cable makers that do not use fiber from
Japan. The culprit seems to be the strong surge in cable demand, which is partially
fuelled by the award of grant money under the federal governments American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In the US and other markets, part of the growth comes
from new customers, such as alternative carriers, smaller independent telephone
companies, municipalities, and operators other than the large incumbent telcos. Some of
these carriers are installing fiber for cellular-mobile infrastructure, which is proving to be
a growing business opportunity for carriers in the US and elsewhere.
As it turns out, most of the fiber in cables dedicated at least initially to mobile network
operators has been installed in the developing telecom markets. In markets such as the
US and Canada, there was already an embedded base of fixed-line telecom networks in
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
21/91
21
place when cellular networks were being built out 20 to 30 years ago. Now, fiber is being
installed to increase capacity on established cellular networks, or to support capacity
requirements on new 3G and 4G transceiver stations.
The worldwide total in the backhaul application is also vulnerable to decreases when a
small number of large operators complete their projects. Since 2006, more than half the
fiber in dedicated backhaul systems has been installed by the mobile operators in China.
In 2009, for example, 74% of the worlds dedicated backhaul fiber installations were in
China, and this percentage dropped to 68% in 2010. This percentage, and also the
amount of fiberinstalled each year in Chinas cellular networks, will decrease even more
after 2010 as the large multi-year 3G network projects are nearing completion.
The quantity of fiber installed for mobile networks in China has been so great about 60
million fiber-km in the past two years that other markets are not likely to offset that
downturn in the worldwide mobile segment. On the other hand, there will be many new
opportunities associated with the deployment of LTE (sometimes referred to as 4G)
mobile broadband systems. The GSM Suppliers Association, for example, has tallied 20
LTE networks already launched in 14 countries, but says that there are another 194
being planned, tested, or built in 80 countries. The LTE technology is described as the
fastest-growing mobile technology ever, based on the number of new systems being
planned or completed. The number in operation is expected to grow from 20 this year to
81 by December, 2012.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
22/91
22
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
23/91
23
1.1 INDIAN TELECOM SECTOR
OVERVIEW:
Over the past two decades, India has grown rapidly from a command and control
economy to a market-based economy. India is now closely integrated with the global
economy and is considered one of the pillars of global economic growth. The process of
liberalization started in the mid-1980s and gathered momentum in the 1990s, with the
further opening of the economy and the creation of regulatory institutions to march
toward fully competitive markets. As a result of liberalization, Indias GDP has been
rising by more than 7% annually in the past decade, compared with 3.5% annually from
1950 to 1980. The Indian economy maintained a growth rate of more than 5% even
during the global recession. [4]
In FY10 (financial year ended 31 March 2010), Indias service sector was estimated to
account for 56.9%3 of GDP, while the industrial sector and agriculture sector contributed
28.5% and 14.6%, respectively, to GDP. Within the services sector, the telecom sector
has been the major contributor to Indias growth, accounting for nearly 3.6%4 of total
GDP in FY10. In less than a decade, the mobile phone has been transformed from being
a luxury that few could own into one of the essentials of an average Indians existence.
The easy access to mobile services is the outcome of positive regulatory changes,
intense competition among multiple operators, low-priced handsets, low tariffs and
significant investments in telecom infrastructure and networks.[4]
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
24/91
24
Indian telecom industry is one of the fastest growing in the world with an average of 18
million subscribers added every month. Contrary to other industries, Indian telecom
industry showed no signs of recession and created job opportunities like never before.
1.2 WIRELESS SUBSCRIBERS IN INDIA
India has emerged as one of the worlds fastest-growing telecom markets, and this
growth is primarily attributed to the growth in wireless services. Indias mobile market is
the second largest in terms of subscribers in the world after China. The wireless
subscriber base in India grew from FY00 through FY10 at a compound annual growth
rate (CAGR) of 77.5%14 to reach 584.3 million subscribers in FY10. Present wireless
subscriber base (march 2011) is 812 million.
Figure 3: Wireless subscribers in India
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
25/91
25
1.3 India Telecom Subscriber Statistics March 2011
1.4 Opportunities
In 2010, Indian telecom sector witnessed the much awaited 3G & BWA spectrum auction
With the arrival of 3G, various operators in India are particular about providing faster and
more robust Internet, better access of data services including e-commerce, social
networking, audio-video conferencing, and many other broadband applications with very
high speed. The deployment of 3G services is also likely to help the emergence of new
VAS. The demand for value added services is likely to surge given that 'Gen Y' are more
1
Indian population: 1.12 Billion
Total subscriber base: 847 million Wireless subscriber base:812 million
2
Teledensity : 70.89%(total) Urban: 157.32% Rural: 33.35%
3 Wireless tele-density stands at 67.98 Overall wire line tele-density is 2.91.
4
MNP request:6.42 million Broadband subscriber: 11.87 million
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
26/91
26
inclined to use the smartphones and adopt the VAS services. Moreover, with the
implementation of mobile number portability, the service providers need to focus more on
developing VAS as a service differentiator to retain their existing customers besides
attracting the new ones. The success of the telecommunications sector had been limited
to the urban areas till now. Conventionally, voice services have been the key driver for
the development of the sector, and the telecom operators will also benefit from the
introduction of 3G services in the long term.
3G, a family of standards including CDMA, GSM EDGE, and UMTS standards, will soon
be a reality in India with mobile customers enjoying the seamless benefits of voice,
video, and data coming together at speeds that the Indian consumer has not
experienced till now. Telecom operators in the country are gearing up with their 3G
services. They are keen to explore innovative yet affordable offerings to the end users.
Also, the telecom operators are exploring cost-efficient models to migrate to newer
technologies, keeping in mind the end consumer.
One of the aspects to achieve success at both
fronts is 'creating cost-effective infrastructure'.
3G is a packet based technology, where data
gets transferred from one point to another in
packets. In the current mode, the technology
used sends the data packet over fixed circuit
path which is ineffective in 3G environment.
The mobile backhaul network is the critical
link between the broadband subscribers and the network. Mobile backhaul networks link
the remote base stations and cell towards the mobile operator's core networks, and
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
27/91
27
provide access to both the voice network and the Internet. Mobile operators are more
focused on mobile backhaul transport, largely because its costs represent up to 25% of
their opex.
With the help of a setup called 'backhaul', service providers get connectivity from cell
sites to cell site controller.. The bandwidth at backhaul will be increased upto 50 Mbps
once 3G is alive.
India is ready for 3G, especially in the urban market. The Indian mobile market is still
voice intensive and the operators major source of revenue. In this context, voice-based
3G services will see greater acceptance and adaptation by the domestic consumers. In
India, people love talking over the phone rather than interacting using SMS or other
means. Therefore, if one is able to provide compelling services such as video calls at
affordable prices, it will be a huge hit. But this would lead to increase in bandwidth
requirement by each customer. Hence the backhaul data rate would also increase.
Moreover the backhaul network should be scalable such that it can cater to the need of
even higher bandwidth requirement in case of 4G.In that case Fiber cable that provides
unlimited bandwidth would be the ultimate choice
The advent of 3G and 4G mobile services brings with it a surge in data traffic, which in
turn puts a strain on existing cellular networks. Nowhere is the demand for more
available capacity felt more than in the Backhaul. Looking into their backhaul options,
operators can choose one of three physical mediums; copper, fiber or microwave
Presently in India around 90% of the backhaul network is connected on microwave. But
with the increasing demand of bandwidth hungry application, we are expecting a shift
towards fiber which offers unlimited bandwidth.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
28/91
28
2.0 Evolution of telecom technologies
Figure5: Evolution of telecom technologies
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
29/91
29
2.1 Throughput comparison of telecom technologies:[5]
BANDWIDTH TECHNOLOGY DATARATE(EXPECTED)
2G(GSM) 200KHZ TDMA 9.6Kbps-14.4 kbps
2.5(GPRS) 200KHZ TDMA 20-40kbps
2.75(EDGE) 200KHZ TDMA 114kbps
3G(UMTS) 5MHZ CDMA&TDMA 384kbps - 2Mbps
2G(IS 95) 1.25MHZ CDMA 115kbps
(2.5G)CDMA 2000 1X 1.25MHZ CDMA 153kbps
(3G)CDMA2000X (EVDO) 1.25MHZ CDMA+TDMA 2.45Mbps
(3G)CDMA20001X
/(EVDO) 1.25MHZ CDMA+TDMA 2.45Mbps
(3G)CDMA2000/
1X(EVDV) 1.25MHZ CDMA+TDMA 3.1Mbps(forward)
(3.5G)CDMA2000/
EVDO Rev B CDMA+TDMA 46Mbps
Table1: Throughput comparison of telecom technologies
Interpretation:
Throughput /datarate increases with advancement in technology
Transition from voice-centric application to data centric applications
Increase in demand for bandwidth hungry applications
Shift toward all IP network: Next generation network
Demand for more capacity in tower backhaul and core network
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
30/91
30
3.0 TELECOM ARCHITECTURE:
Typically, a mobile network in a circle consists of mobile switching centers (MSCs), each
of which is connected to base station controllers (BSCs), with each BSC being
connected to a base transceiver station (BTS). The BTSs are installed in a contiguous
manner, so as to facilitate the handing over of signals from one BTS to another like a
chain. The radius of each BTS varies from 500 meters to as much as 8-10 km,
depending upon subscriber usage, topography, frequency band of operation and
spectrum Telecom architecture can be broadly divided into 3 parts
Figure 6: Telecom architecture
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
31/91
31
3.1 CORE NETWORK:
Figure 7: core network
It is also called as backbone network. Aggregation of BSC to MSC and interconnection
of MSCs are called core network. About fifteen years ago, the bit rate required in the
backbone networks was 565 Mbps and 1.2 Gbps, survivable ring topology was not much
in use, and maximum distances were limited to 50-60 km. Bandwidth hungry services
such as the Internet were limited only to some academic institutions. Data traffic was
such a small percentage of the overall network that its contribution to the total growth
was minimal. TDM was sufficient to combine information channels.
Today's telecom network supports a number of services by means of time division
multiplexing (TDM), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), and Internet Protocol (IP). In
most cases, the transmission bandwidth is managed separately from the services, and
the management of the transmission network itself is designed as per the vendor or the
operator.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
32/91
32
For 3G, the core network supports both TDM and packet transmission.TDM is used for
voice & packet transport for data. With NGN coming in picture, the core would be
completely packetized, ie. Both voice and data would be transmitted through packets.
3.2 BACKHAUL NETWORK
Figure 8: backhaul network
The aggregation of traffic from BTS to BSC is known as backhaul network. The backhaul
environment is the part of a mobile network that connects base stations to network
controllers within a coverage area. The advent of 3G and 4G mobile services brings with
it a surge in data traffic, which in turn puts a strain on existing cellular networks. Nowhere
is the demand for more available capacity felt more than in the Backhaul. Looking into
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
33/91
33
their backhaul options, operators can choose one of three physical mediums; copper,
fiber or microwave Presently in India around 90% of the backhaul network is connected
on microwave. But with the increasing demand of bandwidth hungry application, we are
expecting a shift towards fiber which offers unlimited bandwidth.
BACKHAUL NETWORK IN DETAIL:
3.3 BACKHAUL FOR GSM: PRESENT SCENARIO [5]
Mobile backhaul provides secure and reliable transmission between base stations and
base station controllers (BSCs), using different physical media, such as fiber, copper, or
microwave, in the radio access network (RAN) layer of mobile networks. Because all
customer terminals get access to mobile networks to use mobile services through the
RAN, the quality of mobile backhaul determines the overall quality of the mobile user's
experience.
The backhaul environment is the part of a mobile network that connects base stations to
base station controller. Each BTS in a cell site caters to the mobile subscribers in that
particular cell site (along with the roaming subscribers).In order to meet the demands of
ever increasing subscriber base, generally a cell site is divided into sectors. Normally a
cell is divided into 3 sectors. Each sector has n numbers of TRX. Some of the most
commonly used configurations include 2/2/2, 4/4/4, 6/6/6 configurations. A 2/2/2
configuration means that a cell is divided into 3 sectors. Each sector has 2 TRX
(transmitter/receiver) each. Therefore in total a cell site under this configuration has
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
34/91
34
2*3=6 TRXs. Similarily 6/6/6 configuration means that each sector has 6 TRX. Therefore
a total of 3*6=18 TRXs in one cell site. Each TRX has 8 time slots out of which 4 are
used for traffic channel & the remaining 4 for signaling and control. Therefore 1 TRX can
support 4 users at a time in full rate and 8 users at a time in half rate. Thus maximum no
of subscribers that can simultaneously call through one BTS can be calculated. All these
BTSs are aggregated to BSC. This network is known as BACKHAUL NETWORK. In
order to calculate the bandwidth requirement of backhaul network, it is important to know
No of BTSs connected to one BSC
Bandwidth requirement of 1 BTS.
CALCULATION FOR BANDWIDTH REQUIREMENT OF 2G NETWORK (GSM)
Table 2: Bandwidth/BTS (2G)
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
35/91
35
For 2G voice application, each BSC is connected to BTSs through STM1 ring.STM1 ring
has a maximum data throughput of 155 Mbps.
One STM1 comprises of 63E1s
For 2G voice application each BTS gets a drop of max 2-3 E1s(which is sufficient for
voice and some data traffic)[6]
So a maximum of 25-30 BTSs can be connected to one BSC
Figure 9: BTS connection to BSC through STM1 ring
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
36/91
36
3.4 BACKHAUL REQUIREMENT IN FUTURE
Wireless networks are evolving from voice-only traffic to networks supporting both voice
and high-speed data services. As this transition occurs, there will be an increasing need
for additional bandwidth at cell sites. This demands for large backhaul capabilities.
Currently 3G rollouts are limited to top 40 cities in India and the primary focus has been
on upgrading and utilizing the existing infrastructure. The advent of 3G services is likely
to lead to a quantum increase in the usage of data services among consumers. The
rollout of 3G services across India cannot happen without significant addition of towers-in
urban areas to provide capacity and in rural areas to provide coverage.
For infrastructure, the 3G operators need to also focus on backhaul as this can act as a
choking point for data services. Presently, majority of backhaul is on microwave and this
needs to be upgraded to optical fiber cable for which operators need to invest heavily.
With the coming of 3G, the operators need to make even backhaul IP ready.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
37/91
37
MICROWAVE TRANSMISSION
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
38/91
38
4.0 Microwave radio system[7]
Microwave, in general, denotes the technology of transmitting information by the use of
the radio waves whose wavelengths are conveniently measured in small numbers of
centimeters. Microwave refers to terrestrial point-to-point digital radio communications,
usually employing highly directional antennas in clear line-of-sight (LOS) and operating
in licensed frequency bands from 6 GHz to 38 GHz. Microwave frequency bands
available in the 6 GHz, 7 GHz, 15 GHz, 18 GHz and 23 GHz bands. Microwave
spectrum is allocated in chunks of 7 MHz, 14 MHz and 28 MHz (each chunk is known as
a carrier) A microwave radio system is a system of radio equipment used for microwave
data transmission.
The design of microwave backhaul networks presents particular constraints. It is
essential for microwave links to have a clear line-of-sight (LOS) i.e., there is a direct
path without any obstruction (such as buildings, trees, or mountains) between the
communication endpoints which strongly dictates the network topology
A modern microwave radio consists of three basic components:
The indoor unit (IDU) which performs all digital processing operations, containing the
baseband and digital modem circuitry and, optionally, a network processing unit that
provides advanced networking capabilities such as routing and load balancing
The outdoor unit (ODU) which houses all the radio frequency (RF) modules for
converting a carrier signal from the modem to a microwave signal
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
39/91
39
The antenna: used to transmit and receive the signal into/from free space, which is
typically located at the top of a communication tower.
Antennas used in microwave links are highly directional, which means they tightly focus
the transmitted and received energy mainly into/from one specific direction. To avoid
waveguide losses, the antenna is directly attached to the ODU which, in turn, is
connected to the IDU by means of a single coaxial cable. The distance between the
indoor and outdoor equipment can sometimes be up to 300 meters.
Two microwave radios are required to establish a microwave link (usually operating in
duplex mode3) between two locations that can be several kilometers apart. It should be
noted that a single IDU can support multiple ODUs in a same site and, thus, multiple
microwave links between different locations.
Figure 10:Microwave components
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
40/91
40
Working:
In a microwave radio system, communication starts with an information source that can
be audio, video, or data in many forms. [7]
The IDU accesses a service signal, prompting baseband processing, multiplexing
and intermediate frequency (IF) modulation.
The signal is then sent to the ODU via coaxial cable for RF processing, before
being finally transmitted.
The energy radiated by the RF transmitter is amplified by the transmitting antenna
before propagating in the form of radio waves in the directions determined by the design
and orientation of the antenna.
As a radio wave travels through the atmosphere, it experiences different propagation
phenomena e.g., free-space loss, reflection, diffraction, and scattering which
negatively impact the perceived energy at the receiving antenna.
Besides the transmitted signal, the electromagnetic fields from the interference and
noise sources are also converted to power at the RF receiver, likely leading to
imprecise interpretation of the transmitted signal. Finally, the RF receiver processes
this power in an effort to recover exactly the source information that was originally
transmitted.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
41/91
41
4.1 Capital and operational cost ( capex &opex) [7]
Microwave generally has lower costs associated with it when compared to copper and
fiber lines .As a common solution, self-build microwave involves capital expenditure
(CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX).
CAPEX includes the investment in equipment and infrastructure, as well as installation
costs.
A pair of IDUs, ODUs, and antennas is required to establish one microwave link. The
installation costs are closely tied to the site location and equipment dimensions (size of
antennas).
OPEX comprises the recurrent costs, such as spectrum licenses, tower rentals,
maintenance, and energy consumption.
The spectrum price is usually a function of the amount of the assigned bandwidth.
The tower rentals normally represent an important contribution to the total OPEX.
However, the operator may also decide for the construction of the communication towers
and, in this case, all the cost is associated with the total CAPEX.
The maintenance costs are usually assumed to be a percentage of the equipment
cost on an annual basis. In addition, we must consider the energy consumption to keep
equipment in operation.
The energy costs are mainly associated with the operation of IDU (100 W per
device) and ODU (60 W per device) equipment. Energy cost commonly represents less
than 5% of the total OPEX of microwave radio systems. The rising demand for energy
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
42/91
42
has yielded a strong social and economical incentive for energy savings in
communications networks.
4.2 Modulation scheme:
The capacity of microwave links is basically determined by the channel bandwidth and
the modulation scheme used to transmit data. In response to channel fluctuations, we
assume that the modulation scheme is a random factor.
In fact, to overcome outage events, modern wireless communication systems employ
adaptive modulation which has been shown to considerably enhance radio link
performance .Adaptive modulation refers to the automatic modulation (and other radio
parameters) adjustment that a wireless system can make to prevent weather-related
fading from communication on the link to be disrupted. Since communication signals are
modulated, varying the modulation also varies the amount of traffic that is transferred per
signal. For instance, 256-QAM modulation can deliver approximately four times the
throughput of QPSK.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
43/91
43
Figure 11: Adaptive modulation for a microwave link.[7]
Some facts:
The traditional microwave bands devoted to backhaul (6 to 38 GHz) are filling up, and
in big cities and metro areas there is already an interference problem or lack of
additional space and licenses. The solution is to push higher into the spectrum. Usage
of microwave links above 60 GHz would be needed shortly for 3G and Wireless
Broadband systems.That is why there are multiple 60-GHz backhaul solutions on the
market and a growing presence of 80-GHz systems.
The 80-GHz spectrum is divided into two general segments: 71 to 76 GHz and 81 to 86
GHz. It is a licensed spectrum segment, unlike the unlicensed 60-GHz spectrum.
License fees are a low $75 compared to thousands of dollars for a license in the lower
bands. The 60-GHz segment is also used for backhaul, but the oxygen absorption level
at that frequency restricts it. This causes huge path losses in the air, far greater than
the well-known Friis formula predicts.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
44/91
44
But with sufficient power, radios in the 60-GHz space can easily achieve a range of up
to about 2 miles without difficulty. Beyond that, they are not too useful. That is why the
80-GHz segment has become the go-to place for backhaul.
SPECTRUM CHARGES
TABLE3:SPECTRUM CHARGES
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
45/91
45
5.0 Telecom infrastructure in India
Initially, operators used their tower infrastructure for competitive advantage. However,
over the past few years, the leading operators have opted to share their infrastructure.
Today, there are an estimated 425,455 telecom towers in India, implying a subscriber-
per-tower ratio of 1,460. Currently, tenancy level for the industry stands at 1.55.In July
2010, telecom towers were accorded Infrastructure Status by the RBI. This constitutes
an essential and possibly the most expensive component in the entire telecom service
delivery infrastructure. The GoI provides certain benefits specifically to infrastructure
companies. The tax benefit encourages the participation of private sector through
investment. Extending Infrastructure Status to telecom towers and the resultant income
tax benefits should certainly encourage tower companies to expeditiously set up more
towers in underserved areas.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
46/91
46
TABLE 4: State wise no of towers
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
47/91
47
6.0NETWORK PLANNING:
The base of any network either it is wire line or wireless is planning. For any operator it is
necessary to plan and then execute as it optimizes their performances. This planning
can be divided in to the two parts:-
Radio network Planning (RF planning)
Transmission network planning
RF planning deals with the working of cell sites to provide connectivity to the end user.
Though this is outside the purview of my current project but I want to give an overview
about this so as to understand the complete planning process.
RADIO NETWORK PLANNING PROCESS
The main aim of radio network planning is to provide a cost-effective solution for the
radio network in terms of coverage, capacity and quality. The network planning process
and design criteria vary from region to region depending upon the dominating factor,
which could be capacity or coverage. The design process itself is not the only process in
the whole network design, and has to work in close coordination with the planning
processes of the core and especially the transmission network. The process of radio
network planning starts with collection of the input parameters such as the network
requirements of capacity, coverage and quality
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
48/91
48
These inputs are then used to make the theoretical coverage and capacity plans.
Definition of coverage would include defining the coverage areas, service probability and
related signal strength. Definition of capacity would include the subscriber and traffic
profile in the region and whole area, availability of the frequency bands, frequency
planning methods, and other information such as guard band and frequency band
division. The radio planner also needs information on the radio access system and the
antenna system performance associated with it. The pre-planning process results in
theoretical coverage and capacity plans. There are coverage-driven areas and capacity-
driven areas in a given network region. The average cell capacity requirement per
service area is estimated for each phase of network design, to identify the cut-over
phase where network design will change from a coverage-driven to a capacity-driven
process. While the objective of coverage planning in the coverage-driven areas is to find
the minimum number of sites for producing the required coverage, radio planners often
have to experiment with both coverage and capacity, as the capacity requirements may
have to increase the number of sites, resulting in a more effective frequency usage and
minimal interference. Candidate sites are then searched for, and one of these is selected
based on the inputs from the transmission planning and installation engineers.
Frequency allocation is based on the cell-to-cell channel to interference (C/I) ratio. The
frequency plans need to be fine-tuned based on drive test results and network
management statistics. Parameter plans are drawn up for each of the cell sites. There is
a parameter set for each cell that is used for network launch and expansion. This set
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
49/91
49
may include cell service area definitions, channel configurations, handover and power
control, adjacency definitions, and network-specific parameters. The final radio plan
consists of the coverage plans, capacity estimations, interference plans, power budget
calculations , parameter set plans, frequency plans, etc.
6.1 RADIO NETWORK OPTIMIZATION
Optimization involves monitoring, verifying and improving the performance of the radio
network. It starts somewhere near the last phase of radio network planning, i.e. during
parameter planning. A cellular network covers a large area and provides capacity to
many people, so there are lots of parameters involved that are variable and have to be
continuously monitored and corrected. Apart from this, the network is always growing
through increasing subscriber numbers and increases in traffic. This means that the
optimization process should be on-going, to increase the efficiency of the network
leading to revenue generation from the network. As we have seen, radio network
planners first focus on three main areas: coverage, capacity and frequency planning.
Then follows site selection, parameter planning, etc. In the optimization process the
same issues are addressed, with the difference that sites are already selected and
antenna locations are fixed, but subscribers are as mobile as ever, with continuous
growth taking place. Optimization tasks become more and more difficult as time passes.
Once a radio network is designed and operational, its performance is monitored. The
performance is compared against chosen key performance indicators (KPIs). After fine-
tuning, the results (parameters) are then applied to the network to get the desired
performance. Optimization can be considered to be a separate process or as a part of
the network planning process. The main focus of radio network optimization is on areas
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
50/91
50
such as power control, quality, handovers, subscriber traffic, and resource availability
(and access) measurements.
6.2 MICROWAVE PLANNING
SITE SURVEY
Site survey is done for the construction of new towers to expand network capacity. A
GPS set; a compass and a digital camera are required to carry out the site survey.
During a site survey, the height of the building on which the tower is to be constructed is
taken into considerations and denoted as G + x (read as ground + x). Here x denoted the
number of stories above the ground floor in the building. On top of the building, latitude
and longitude are measured with GPS handset and corresponding altitude (above mean
sea level) is noted. Then PN short code of the nearest base station is recorded. Then,
using a digital camera,
photographs are clicked at angles of 45 degrees to observe the clutter around the
building where the tower is to be constructed. There should not be any obstruction in
front of the site, as it will block the radiations, which will be emitted from the antennas of
the proposed tower. If the site satisfies all the requirements, it is finally selected for LOS
(line of sight) survey and tower construction.
Frequency planning
Microwave communications, begins with line of sight determinations and the evaluation
of path clearances with regard to refractive effects. Microwave communications path
design poses many challenges. In addition to static gain and loss considerations, terrain
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
51/91
51
and propagation dynamics can play a large role in determining whether a proposed path
will have the required signal levels, clearances and reliability.
The following tasks are some of the fundamental components of microwave path
design:
Determining whether a proposed path is line of sight.
Evaluating path clearances with regard to Fresnel zones.
Evaluating path clearances with regard to refractive effects.
Considering path reflections.
Deriving a power budget and the fade margin.
Path reliability.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
52/91
52
7.0 Optical fiber: overview
Optical fibers
An optical fiber is a glass or plastic fiber that carries light along its length. Fiber optics is
the overlap of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and
application of optical fibers. Optical fibers are widely used in fiber-optic communication,
which permits transmission over longer distances and at higher data rates than other
forms of communications. Fibers are used instead of metal wires because signals travel
along them with less loss, and they are immune to electromagnetic interference.
As I mentioned earlier that this project report is focusing more on connecting cell sites
on fiber so as to plan for future data applications. With the increase in bandwidth
requirement more and more operators are tending toward transmission planning
through fiber especially in metros.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
53/91
53
The steps for optical fiber transmission planning are as under:-
Marketing department of company generally gives the information to augment the
capacity of transmission between cell sites (if the transmission is earlier through
microwave it can be upgraded to fiber) or to connect the new cell sites through fiber. All
this information depends upon the density of user in that particular area in which cell
sites are located.
With the inputs from marketing department network planning department does a
feasibility study whether microwave or fiber will be act as an effective medium of
transmission
A topographical map of particular route is drawn by the transmission team. There are
various software tools available in which the topographical map of town is already
available. User has to just show the fiber connection between proposed cell sites for the
ease of network people. As all this process happen on software (autodesk).
After this transmission planning team takes the latitude/longitude position of the cell sites
from the RF planning team and actually goes to the proposed site to see the various
locations and mark various points in between two cell sites.
e.g. if there is some college in between two cell sites or any famous shop the
team will mark it in the sheet (in which map of that area is drawn with fiber route between
two cell sites is shown) so that it will be easy when the actual implementation of the plan
takes place. Again the map with proper points is drawn which will be used by operator for
fiber roll out.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
54/91
54
Now if the proposed area is large than it is divided into the small area for the ease of
understanding and for vendor because in a given time more than one vendor works on a
given project. By dividing in to small area means that different sub route of the proposed
OFC route will be formed in the topographical map software. As earlier told that different
vendor works on these sub routes. The print out of the sub route is given to them for their
ease.
During the same time the company looks for the vendor/contractor for outside plant
(OSP) work which is most important process as far as roll out of the fiber is concern
Transmission Team also makes a purchase request and gives to the SCM department
so that they can issue purchase order in the name of vendor
Another important point is the right of way (ROW) permission from the government
agencies. It mean that when the company through it vendor decides to work on the
project in a given area then it has to take permission from the concerned government
authority in that area.
In the case of Delhi these government agencies are MCD, PWD etc.
As far as vendor for fiber and equipment are concerned these are already decided by
corporate so this is not a project territory. The team has to only receive them from those
vendors
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
55/91
55
After taking permission (ROW) from the govt. agencies the processes of fiber roll
out will start which is also known as outside plant (OSP) process.When the OFC roll
out completes the project gets completed and it is given to the Operation &
maintenance department.
The simultaneous billing of project is done in Finance department with the help of SCM
department. The project actually completes after clearance of bills and closing of all
books.
As we can see that project related to fiber transmission planning is done by three
departments i.e. N/w, SCM and Finance so it is very important to have a close
coordination between these departments. Communication with vendor is also an
essential part of the project. Though the corporate decides about the vendor for material
but the project team has to communicate with them for material. Optical fiber roll out is
always ring shape means it meet at the same point from where it starts. This is done due
to transmission purposes and in case of any cut in the fiber it will avoid from the whole
network breakdown.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
56/91
56
7.1Capital Expenditure(CAPEX)
PARAMETERS 48F(Rs/meter)*
ROW 90
TRENCHING& DUCTING 200
DUCT 100
FIBER CABLE(TYPICAL) 50
PER FIBER COST 9.16
TOTAL 440
Table5: Capex/fiber cable deployment(*Typical figures)
7.1 Operating expenditure(OPEX)
PARAMETERS 48F(Rs)*
OUTDOOR FDMS 3500
SPLICE JOINT 7000
TOTAL 10500
PER FIBER COST 219
CABLE CUTS(8/1000Kms/Month) 84000
PER FIBER COST/Km/Month 1750
Table6: Opex/fiber /km/month(*typical figures)
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
57/91
57
7.1 KEY CHALLENGES IN FIBER DEPLOYMENT
Right of way (ROW) from multiple agencies such as municipalities, PWD ,
Railways, development authorities, forest departments & private land owners
Long approval time
No structural design for network deployment
Existing deployment being disrupted by Infrastructure development works
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
58/91
58
7.2 OPTICAL FIBER VS MICROWAVE [8]
Table7: Fiber vs microwave
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
59/91
59
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
60/91
60
8.0 3rd GENERATION:UMTS
UMTS, the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, is the third-generation (3G)
successor to the second-generation GSM-based technologies, including GPRS, and
EDGE. Although UMTS uses a totally different air interface, the core network elements
have been migrating towards the UMTS requirements with the introduction of GPRS and
EDGE. In this way, the transition from GSM to UMTS does not require such a large
instantaneous investment.
UMTS, which uses wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), has had a long history. Even as the 2G
systems were first being rolled out, it was clear that these would not cater for the
demand forever. New technologies capable of providing new services and facilities
would be required.
Capabilities
UMTS uses W-CDMA as the radio transmission standard. It employs a 5-MHz channel
bandwidth (wider than the cdmaOne/CDMA2000 1XRTT channel bandwidth of 1.25
MHz), and as such it has the capacity to carry over 100 simultaneous voice calls, or to
carry data at speeds up to 2 Mbps in its original format.
Many of the ideas that were incorporated into GSM have been carried over and
enhanced for UMTS. Elements such as the SIM have been transformed into a far more
powerful USIM (universal SIM). In addition to this, the network has been designed so
that the enhancements employed for GPRS and EDGE can be used for UMTS. In this
way, the investment required is kept to a minimum
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
61/91
61
8.1 System architecture overview [5]
Like GSM, the network for UMTS can be split into three main constituents. These are the
mobile station, called the User Equipment or UE, the base station sub-system, known as
the Radio Network Sub-system (RNS), and the core network.
User equipment
The user equipment is very much like the mobile equipment used within GSM
Radio network sub-system
This is the section of the network that interfaces to both the UE and the core network. It
contains what are roughly equivalent to the Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and the
Base Station Controller (BSC). Under UMTS terminology, the radio transceiver is known
as the node B. This communicates with the various UEs, and with the Radio Network
Controller (RNC). This is undertaken over an interface known as the Iub. The overall
radio access network is known as the UMTS Radio Access Network
The RNC component of the Radio Access Network (RAN) connects to the core network.
Core network: core network of UMTS is based upon the combination of the circuit
switched elements used for GSM plus the packet switched elements that are used for
GPRS and EDGE. Thus the core network is divided into circuit switched and packet
switched domains.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
62/91
62
Some of the circuit switched elements are Mobile services Switching Centre (MSC),
Visitor Location Register (VLR) and Gateway MSC. Packet switched elements are
Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) and Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)
Figure 12: 3G network architecture
SD
Mobile Station
MSC/VLR
Base Station
Subsystem
GMSC
Network Subsystem
AUCEIR HLR
Other Networks
Note: Interfaces have been omitted for clarity purposes.
GGSNSGSN
BTSBSC
NodeB
RNC
RNS
UTRAN
SIMME
USIMME
+
PSTN
PLMN
Internet
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
63/91
63
8.2 3G: Present Indian scenario:
The third generation (3G) has created a rage since its launch four months ago, garnering
at least 9 million active users ever since. Bharti Airtel leads the 3G race with with 3
million active subscribers closely followed by Tata DoCoMo with 1.5 million subscribers.
BSNL, Idea Cellular and Vodafone have about a million 3G subscribers each. Reliance
communications was reluctant to disclose the numbers, but reliable sources revealed
that it also had close to a million subscribers.
8.3 3G PLANS: A SNEAK PEEK [9]
Table8: existing 3G subscribers
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
64/91
64
8.4 3G :Prediction
3G is the next generation mobile technology which is capable of delivering broadband
content, including a host of rich multimedia services such as video calling, video on
demand, location based services and remote access/ VPN applications. 3G services will
drive the expansion of wireless services in future. 3G subscribers are expected to reach
142 million by 2015, accounting for 12% of the total wireless subscriber base. Further,
3G subscribers are expected to be more than 300 million by 2020, accounting for 20% of
the total wireless subscriber base.[4]
Figure 13: prediction of 3G subscribers
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
65/91
65
8.5 Implementation of 3G : changes in the existing network:
3G enables applications that require high data rate. The throughput provided by 3G
would range from
144kbps: high mobility traffic
384 kbps: pedestrian traffic
2Mbps; indoor or in building traffic
This would result in higher datarate requirement per BTS
As a result E1 requirement per BTS would increase. This would depend on the number
of 3G users in a cell site
Cell sites would shrink in size and no of cell sites required to provide the same coverage
would increase
Higher transmission frequency(2100Mhz) and greater data rate: more cell sites for 3G
coverage
Increase in no of cell sites would lead to increase in the no of tower installation
Upgradation of 2G BTSs to Node B.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
66/91
66
In 2G networks 20-25 BTSs are connected to BSC through STM 1 ring. But in
case of 3G, 5-6 BTSs would be connected to 1 BTS hub through STM1 ring. And
these 4-5 BTS hubs would be connected to BSC through STM4 ring (explained
later in detail )
Core network : packet switching+ circuit switching( packet for data& circuit switching for
voice
8.6 Changes in backhaul network for 3G
To start with, lets understand the backhaul network for existing 2G network:
The backhaul environment is the part of a mobile network that connects base stations to
base station controller. Each BTS in a cell site caters to the mobile subscribers in that
particular cell site (along with the roaming subscribers).In order to meet the demands of
ever increasing subscriber base, generally a cell site is divided into sectors. Normally a
cell is divided into 3 sectors. Each sector has n numbers of TRX. Some of the most
commonly used configurations include 2/2/2, 4/4/4, 6/6/6 configurations.
A 2/2/2 configuration means that a cell is divided into 3 sectors. Each sector has 2 TRX
(transmitter/receiver). Therefore in total a cell site under this configuration has 2*3=6
TRXs
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
67/91
67
Similarily 6/6/6 configuration means that each sector has 6 TRX. Therefore a total of
3*6=18 TRXs in one cell site.
Each TRX has 8 time slots out of which 4 are used for traffic channel & the remaining 4
for signaling and control. Therefore 1 TRX can support 4 users at a time in full rate and 8
users at a time in half rate. Thus maximum no of subscribers that can simultaneously call
through one BTS can be calculated. All these BTSs are aggregated to BSC. This
network is known as BACKHAUL NETWORK. In order to calculate the bandwidth
requirement of backhaul network, it is important to know
No of BTSs connected to one BSC & Bandwidth requirement of 1 BTS.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
68/91
68
8.7 THROUGHPUT REQUIREMENT PER BTS FOR GSM NETWORK
Table 9: Datarate requirement per BTS(2G)
For 2G voice application, each BSC is connected to BTSs through STM1 ring.STM1 ring
has a maximum data throughput of 155 Mbps.
One STM1 comprises of 63E1s
For 2G voice application each BTS gets a drop of max 2-3 E1s(which is sufficient for
voice and some data traffic)
So a maximum of 20-25 BTSs can be connected to one BS
8.8 THROUGHPUT REQUIREMENT PER BTS FOR 3G
3G promises a minimum data rate of 384kbps per user under normal mobility condition.
As more and more users shift to 3G, the data rate requirement per BTS would increase.
Analysis of bandwidth requirement can be done on case basis
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
69/91
69
CASE1:- 1% OF THE EXISTING SUBSCRIBERS/BTS SHIFT TO 3G
Analysis:
Let total no of subscribers per BTS (for 2G)= 1500
1% of them shift to 3G: 15 subscribers
Maximum data rate requirement / Node B= (9.8*48)+(15*384) Kbps
(voice+data)
470 kbps +5.76Mbps = 6.23Mbps/BTS
E1 requirement per Node B: 4-5E1
6-7 Node Bs connected to 1 BTS hub.
Maximum datarate requirement per BTS hub: 155 Mbps
STM1 ring can be used to connect BTS hubs to node B.
Microwave can be used in STM1 ring
4-5 BTS hubs are connected to 1BSC through STM4 ring
STM 4 supports a maximum throughput of 622Mbps, Here microwave
cannot be used as it supports a maximum data rate of 155 Mbps.
Optical fiber, which supports unlimited datarate is a choice to connect BTS
hubs to BSC
CASE 2: 10% OF THE EXISTING SUBSCRIBERS/ BTS SHIFT TO 3G
As more and more subscribers shift to 3G, more no of cell sites would be required to
cater their datarate requirement
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
70/91
70
E1 requirement per BTS would increase to 20- 25E1 or 50-60Mbps/BTS
This would result in splitting of cell sites into smaller cell sites
As a result no of BTS hubs would also increase in number.
These BTS hubs need to be connected to BSC through optical cable because of the
huge traffic that it has to carry. Microwave cannot support that high data rate
As more no of subscribers shift to 3G these is a possibility that even BTSs will be
connected to BTs hubs through fiber.
Theoretical Calculation for datarate requirement/BTS
Figure 10: E1 requirement /BTS(3G)
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
71/91
71
INFERENCE:
Most existing 2G & 3G operators in India use microwave backhaul and have occupied
the existing slots. Currently 90% of the towers are connected through microwave. This is
primarily due to voice centric network deployments on 2G.
However, demand for backhaul for towers will increase with the advent of 3g. Increased
data usage for 3G will lead to fiber requirements at all aggregation sites
In anticipation of increased data usage and limitation of microwave , operators are
already installing fiber for wireless backhaul in cities. Over the last one year, Airtel has
been aggressively connecting their towers to fiber in the main cities.
3G expansion to occur in all Tier 2/3 cities(1100 cities) within 2-3 years-results in fiber
demand . It is predicted that all 3G towers will be deployed by 2014
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
72/91
72
9.0 DEMAND ESTIMATION OF FIBER IN TOWER BACKHAUL (3G)
Tier 1 cities are already almost connected on fiber. So,3G operators plan to deploy
networks in Tier2/3 cities in next 2/3 year.
No of 3G towers to be rolled out in next 2-3 years= 1,60,000
Total 3G towers in tier 2/3 cities= 1,00,000
Total 3G towers in Metros/Tier1= 60,000
3G operators at present plan to deploy networks in tier2/3 cities where they plan to install
(or upgrade) an average of 1,00,000 towers.
As already explained, for 3G network, 5-6 node B would be connected to 1 BTS hub
Assuming that 3G aggregation ratio- 1:5
Total BTS hubs= 1,00,000/5=20,000 Hubs
Average distance from hub to BSC= 5 Km
Average fiber count= 48F
Fiber cable demand=( BTS hubs*average distance)
(20,000*5)=1,00,000 CKm
Or1Lakh CKm
Fiber demand=(1,00,000*48)= 48Lakh Fkm or 4.8mn FKm
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
73/91
73
9.1 Business opportunity for Sterlite from 3G deployment
As per the above calculation approximately 1lakh towers need to be upgraded for 3G in
coming 2-3 years. Considering aggregation ratio of 5: 1 for 3G, ie. For every 5 BTS, 1
BTS hub is required.
So, for 1 lakh towers, 20,000 BTS hubs would be required, ie. 1,00,000/5= 20,000 hubs
These 20,000 BTS hubs need to be connected on fiber. Here lies the great opportunity
for Sterlite technologies.
As calculated above,
1 lakh cable Km is required to connect those 20,000 hubs to BSC
Cable cost/meter = Rs 50/meter (48F)
So total cost= 1lakh CKm*50,000Rs/km)
= Rs 5,000,000,000
=Rs 500 Crore
This is the total amount to be spend by all operators in coming 2-3 years for fiber
deployment in order to provide 3G services to subscribers.
So, fiber deployment for 3G has business of an approximate Rs 500 crore.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
74/91
74
10.0 LTE: The way ahead
After picking up nearly $15bn for the 3g spectrum auction in May, India closed part two
of the auction-for wireless broadband, at Rs 38,300crore.So the big story is that the
wireless broadband will finally happen. And it will be a game changer for India. Unlike 3G
data, this isnt just for mobile executives. It will drive rapid penetration of broadband in
areas outside wire-line reach. Broadband will ramp up in the year ahead-up fivefold from
its abysmal one percent penetration in India.
WHAT AFTER BWA IN INDIA?
WiMax and LTE are expected to work on the BWA spectrum as DoT has decided not to
specify the technology used on the bands. Technologies like LTE (3.9G) and WIMAX
(4G), allows high speed internet access, IP telephony, TV and other multimedia services.
Unlike cellular telephony, it is not designed for high mobility, though it can support it.
What is gives you is broadband access.
The technologies for 4G would be WiMAX and LTE, and the lobbying for which would be
a better technology is full on. There are lots of similarity between WiMAX and LTE. Both
are a wireless technology very suitable for emerging markets like India where wire line
infrastructure is severely lacking. In addition, both technologies use the same
fundamental wireless standard known as OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiplexing).
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
75/91
75
10.1 WIRELESS BROADBAND (LTE) :WORLD SCENARIO
The world's first publicly available LTE-service was opened by TeliaSonera in the two
Scandinavian capitals Stockholm and Oslo on the 14th of December 2009.
Motorola also recently signed a contract with Zain Saudi Arabia to deploy its first LTE
network in capital, Riyadh.
VMAX Telecom, a joint venture by Tecom, Vibo Telecom, Intel CapitaLand Teco Group,
the North Taiwan WiMAX operator, has announced the launch of 4G WiMax services
that aim to offer users with a high bandwidth, high speed and real-time Internet access in
Taipei.
China's ZTE also tied up with Portugal's Optimus to build the latter's SDR which will
replace its 2G/3G infrastructure and provide a smooth evolution path to LTE.
ZTE is also conducting LTE trials for Telefonica, as well as over ten other operators,
which include Singapore Telecom, China Mobile and CSL.
T-Mobile, Vodafone, France Telecom and Telecom Italia Mobile have also announced or
talked publicly about their commitment to LTE.
In August 2009 Telefnica selected six countries to field-test LTE in the succeeding
months: Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Czech Republic in Europe, and
Brazil and Argentina in Latin America.
While Japan was the first nation to test LTE, French operator SFR recently selected
Nokia Siemens Networks to expand its mobile broadband coverage, enhance service
quality, and pilot LTE.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
76/91
76
The Dutch telecom provider KPN announced that it will use LTE for its 4G network.
AlMadar Aljadeed, the biggest Libyan mobile phone operator, has announced that it will
be adopting the LTE technology passing straight from 2G technology to 4G.
SOME FACTS
In November 2004 3GPP began a project to define the long-term evolution of UMTS
cellular technology.
Related specifications are formally known as the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access
(E-UTRA) and evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN).
First version is documented in Release 8 of the 3GPP specifications.
Commercial deployment not expected before 2013, but there are currently many field
trials.
LTE Targets
Higher performance
100 Mbit/s peak downlink, 50 Mbit/s peak uplink
1G for LTE Advanced
Faster cell edge performance
Reduced latency (to 10 ms) for better user experience
Scalable bandwidth up to 20 MHz
Backwards compatible
Works with GSM/EDGE/UMTS systems
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
77/91
77
Utilizes existing 2G and 3G spectrum and new spectrum
Supports hand-over and roaming to existing mobile networks
Reduced capex/opex via simple architecture
reuse of existing sites and multi-vendor sourcing
Wide application
TDD (unpaired) and FDD (paired) spectrum modes
Mobility up to 350kph
Large range of terminals (phones and PCs to cameras)
10.2 LTE Vs WIMAX
Hazy clouds are looming over the technology after most of the players who have won
licenses for BWA services in the recently concluded auction are backing LTE
technology rather than WIMAX. The operators who have won the BWA spectrum auction
are eager to deploy LTE, which is faster and cheaper than WIMAX. This is a setback to
the WIMAX enthusiast.
INDIAN OPERATORS POINT OF VIEW
1. Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Industries backed Infotel, the largest pan India BWA
licensee, decided to opt for LTE technology.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
78/91
78
2. WiMax vendors' main business will be with BSNL and a select operators who have won
BWA
3. US based Qualcomm after winning spectrum in Mumbai and Delhi, was also betting for
LTE based network.
4. The major setback was Tata Communications, which despite having an existing
WIMAX network did not win any spectrum to run the premium service.
5. Tikona, which started out with the broadband service on unlicensed spectrum in 10
cities and was targeting 50 cities by the end of this year, might stick to the WiMax route.
LTE has interoperability with existing legacy technologies (including GSM, WCDMA,
CDMA2000 and others) and hence the natural progression would be towards LTE. For
WiMAX, however, operators need to make fresh investments. Also, to provide coverage
on a WiMAX network in metro areas (Mumbai/ Delhi) the no. of sites required would be
much higher, leading to higher capex.
LTE will bring more productivity to enterprise employees, enabling to use corporate
applications on the go. For example, LTE will enable cloud computing a feature that will
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
79/91
79
be more and more used by enterprises but also by end users. Because of this gain in
productivity, enterprises are keen on investing in LTE services
LTE will be more attractive to WiMAX operators that target mobile broadband
subscribers, giving them access to a wider choice of mobile devices, and facilitating
roaming.
Operators have the flexibility to deploy LTE using TDD or frequency division duplexing
(FDD) spectrum bands, while WiMAX equipment is limited to TDD.
Since WiMax requires 3-cell frequency reuse, and thus 30 MHz of available bandwidth,
it is questionable if it will even work to deploy WiMax in the Indian 20 MHz BWA
allocations, without severe interference issues, resulting in substantial capacity and
performance losses
INFERENCE:
So which technology will ultimately prevail?
It is arguable that LTE is more risk-free' than WiMAX because it will run on an evolution
of existing mobile infrastructure unlike WiMAX, which requires a new network to be built.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
80/91
80
So all the operators who follow a legacy might go for LTE and all those who are new in
the field, with no legacy as such might go for WIMAX.
What goes against LTE is that the technology is not fully evolved as of now. It is still in
the testing stage. Even though development and deployment of the LTE standard may
lag Mobile WiMAX, it has a crucial incumbent advantage of being backward compatible.
Following are 3 alternative solutions:
Operators are in no hurry to rollout the services given the eco-system constraints and
slower pace of equipment procurement. Almost all BWA operators will initially rollout
Wimax. Some of them intend to move on to LTE (Long-term evolution) in 2-3 years of
time, once the eco-system for LTE develops.
There is also no doubt that the advent of WiMAX has injected a new sense of urgency to
the LTE standardisation effort. This may help provide operators keen to control
investment with the confidence to wait for LTE technology to reach maturity before
upgrading their existing infrastructure, rather than invest in a brand new WiMAX network.
Then the strategy could be that LTE is used to support mobile broadband users and
WiMAX to support fixed or lower-mobility broadband users. Alternatively, they could well
use LTE for macro cellular coverage and WiMAX for micro cell coverage.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
81/91
81
11.0 4G Impacts to Mobile Backhaul
Introduction
With the introduction of 4G systems, wireless networks are evolving to next-generation
packet architectures capable of supporting enhanced broadband connections. Simple
text messaging and slow email downloads are being replaced by high-speed
connections that support true mobile office applications, real time video, streaming
music, and other rich multimedia applications. 4G wireless networks will approach the
broadband speeds and user experience now provided by traditional DSL and cable
modem wireline service.[10]
From the wireless operators perspective, 4G systems are vastly more efficient at using
valuable wireless spectrum. These spectral efficiency improvements support new high-
speed services, as well as larger numbers of users.
The additional speeds and capacity provided by 4G wireless networks put additional
strains on mobile
backhaul networks and the carriers providing these backhaul services. Not only are the
transport requirements much higher, but there is also a fundamental shift from TDM
transport in 2G and 3G networks to packet transport in 4G networks. Understanding the
impact of 4G on mobile backhaul transport is critical to deploying efficient, cost-effective
transport solutions that meet wireless carrier expectations for performance, reliability and
cost.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
82/91
82
LTE Architecture[10]
Key objectives of 4G LTE networks are to support higher data rates, improve spectral
efficiency, reduce network latency, support flexible channel bandwidths, and simplify or
flatten the network by utilizing an all packet (Ethernet/IP) architecture. In a GSM network,
whether 2G or 3G, radios (Node B) at the cell site provide
the radio air interface for each cell. A Radio Network Controller (RNC) provides control
over multiple cell sites and radio transceivers, supporting call handoffs and resource
allocation. The RNCs are connected to both a TDM voice switch and a packet gateway
located at the MSC.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
83/91
83
Figure 14: 2G/3G network architecture
The wireless industry defined each functional element in the network, as well as a set of
standard interfaces for interconnecting each of these devices. While their functions are
similar, the 3GPP wireless standards body adopted slightly different names for the
functional nodes and logical interfaces for GSM 2G and UMTS 3G
networks. Although updated in recent years to include Ethernet, historically the 2G/3G
wireless standards were based on T1 TDM physical interfaces for interconnection
between these devices. Given the wide availability of E1 copper, fiber, and microwave
services, this was a very logical choice for the physical layer.
This traditional reliance on E1 physical interfaces has, up to this point, driven mobile
backhaul transport requirements.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
84/91
84
LTE systems are based on entirely new packet-based architecture, including the use of
Ethernet physical interfaces for interconnection between the various functional elements.
Another objective of the LTE standards was to flatten and simplify the network
architecture. This resulted in pushing more intelligence into the radios (eNodeB) and
elimination of the radio controllers as a separate device. In effect, the radio controller
function has been distributed into each eNodeB radio. The resultant network, as shown
as shown below is indeed much simpler and flatter, with far fewer functional devices.
From a mobile backhaul perspective, the major changes are the higher capacities
required by LTE cell sites, as well as the use of native Ethernet as the physical interface
for connection and transport of these services back to the MSC. Given that most cell
sites will continue to support GSM 2G and UMTS 3G networks for many
years, the addition of LTE means backhaul transport carriers need to implement systems
that can support both native E1 TDM services and Ethernet services.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
85/91
85
Figure 15:A typical LTE network
11.1 Fiber requirement for LTE deployment
Due to high bandwidth requirement per BTS for LTE,all LTE towers need to be
connected on fiber as microwave has a datarate limitation of 155 Mbps(at present).
Since operators are still in the testing phase and due to the limited LTE handset
ecosystem, commercial deployment can be expected around end of 2012. By that time
it is expected that around 20-25% of the backhaul would be connected on fiber.
Moreover not all the existing towers would be upgraded for LTE.
Only those areas where data requirement is high would be upgraded to LTE cell sites.
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
86/91
86
RIL, the pan India winner of BWA is expected to deploy 60,000 sites.
Similarily, sites by other LTE operators = 60,000
Out of these total cell sites, we assume that approx 10,000 sites would require fiber
connectivity by the end of 2014
Average distance to BSC=4Km
Average fiber count = 48F
Total cost=(48000CKm*50,000Rs/km)
= Rs 2400,000,000
= Rs 240 Crore So, there is an opportunity of Rs 240 crore for fiber deployment of
LTE towers
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
87/91
87
12.0 INTERNATIONAL WIRELESS BACKHAUL TRENDS
REGION TOWER BACKHAUL TREND
CANADA Smart phone penetration is growing at a slow rate.
Bell Canada & Telus have launched a joint HSPA+
network on their fiber network, which will be later
upgraded to LTE
USA .Operators have indicated a preference to lease out
fiber for 3G & LTE backhaul(Verizon & AT&T)
AUSTRALIA Vodafone Hutchison is using a combination of
microwave(rural) and fiber(other areas) to migrate to
IP in preparation for LTE
CHINA Existing heavy data usage within 2G and 3G and
expected launch of LTE has led to majority towers
being connected with fiber. China has approx. 1047k
backhaul towers out of which 96% is connected on
fiber
INDIA India has 360k towers in backhaul out of which approx
10% is connected on fiber.
Table 11: International backhaul cases
-
7/29/2019 Power Cables report
88/91
88
CONCLUSION:
In 2010, Indian telecom sector witnessed the much awaited 3G & BWA spectrum
auction With the arrival of 3G, various operators in India are particular about providing
faster and more robust Internet, better access of data services including e-commerce,
social networking, audio-video conferencing, and many other broadband applications
with very high speed.
India is ready for 3G