Bennet Wong

Software-Defined Radio Base Stations for Voice/GPRS/EDGE/3G

Bennet Wong
Director of Technical Sales AirNet Communications Corporation
100 Rialto Place, 3/F. Melbourne, Florida, U.S.A. 32901 +1 (321) 676 6703 bwong@aircom.com www.aircom.com

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Software-Defined Radio Base Stations for GPRS/EDGE/3G

Concepts of Wideband Software Defined Radio (SDR) BTS Advantages of SDR Base Station for GPRS, EDGE and 3G Adaptive Antenna Requirements for SDR Future Developments

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Considerations in Migration to GPRS, EDGE and 3G Networks

Handset availability
Voice/Data Handsets Form factor, weight, battery, Cost

Standards
WAP, JAVA, Mobile IP, UP, HDML, Bluetooth, etc. GPRS, EDGE, EGPRS, WCDMA, CDMA2000, CD/TDMA, etc.

ISP Partnerships
AOL, AT&T, Microsoft, Going alone

Costs
Re-inventing the network for data

Quality of Service
Maintaining voice quality of service

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Concepts of Software Defined Radio BTS

Convert analog signal to wideband digital as close to the antenna as possible Information is extracted from the signal with software processing A computer-like multiprocessor architecture Special-purpose and general purpose processors are dynamically assembled and loaded with waveform software to configure a channel

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

SDR Base Station: Goals

Reconfigurable Through Software Downloads Scalable Platform Can Be Reconfigured For Multiple Air Interfaces & Advanced Technology
AMPS -- CDMAOne -- CDMA-2000 AMPS -- D-AMPS -- EDGE GSM -- EDGE -- W-CDMA Adaptive (smart) antennas

Open System/subsystem Interface

Modular, open hardware

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Critical Issues & Technologies

2G - 2.5G - 3G Infrastructure Transition

Multiplicity of air interface standards Reconfigurability, standards, verification, security

Scalability
Macrocell, microcell, picocell 10s - 100s simultaneous call processing Higher bandwidth for wireless multimedia

Incorporation of Advanced Technology

Adaptive antennas, advanced codecs & equalizers

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Who Benefits & How?

The Network Operator

Commonality: single platform - multiple air interfaces Upgradability: software change - no forklift upgrades Flexibility and spectrum efficiency: transition to 2.5G and 3G when and where needed

The User
Improved services: higher bandwidth wireless internet services Download new features (Internet model for wireless)

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

How Will Software Defined Radio BTS Affect the Digital Wireless Market?

Ease the impact of multiple global standards

Software change = new air interface, codec, equalizer...

Accelerate deployment of new wireless technologies including 3G, adaptive antennas

High-bandwidth wireless multimedia/Internet Smaller handsets with increased battery life

Change the dominant design

This world moves from hardware to software model

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Industry Trends
Computer Industry
Special Purpose Computin g Large Commercial Applications Distributed Systems Open Systems

Telecommunications Industry
Special Purpose Switching Large Switching Applications Distributed Services Open Systems IP Based

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AirNet Communications Corporation

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GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

DSP Applications in SDR

Computing technology can be applied to the radio at the baseband end, where DSP techniques could be applied to the relatively slowly-varying baseband signals. Baseband information could be subjected to various useful algorithms (addition of error correction bits for digital streams, digitization of voice/video, and subsequent data compression). The digitized data was then fed back into analog circuitry to modulate the actual transmission waveform. Clock rates of DSP circuitry have increased greatly, DSP techniques are becoming applicable to the RF section of the radio. This development has spawned the advent of broadband radio, where a very wide RF bandwidth can be received by a radio, and then DSP techniques can be applied to isolate separate signals within that bandwidth. A single radio can receive and process many separate RF signals that previously would have required a multiplicity of radios. This ability will be crucial in the near future as data and voice converge and the ability to support multiple protocols becomes an essential characteristic for a costeffective base station implementation.

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Narrowband - Obsolete for High Capacity Voice

Analog Domain
Duplexer
Narrowband Amplifier

Standard Specific hardware and software Limited programmability Lots of Components Lossy cavity combiners, cables, etc. Weak coverage and capacity solution Obsolete architecture - why continue ?

Digital Domain
Per carrier TRx
Small DSP

Cavity Combiners

Narrowband Amplifier Narrowband Amplifier Narrowband Amplifier Narrowband Amplifier

Per carrier TRx Per carrier TRx Per carrier TRx Per carrier TRx

Network Interface

RF Splitter

Small DSP

To BSC

Small DSP

Small DSP

Small DSP

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Narrowband - Even Worse for Data & 3G

Analog Domain
Duplexer
Narrowband Amplifier

Overlay/retrofit for every BTS Impossible to predict QoS for data and voice Narrowband BTS platform too weak to support both voice & data Constant retuning, re-configuration Impossible to migrate to 3G 10 MHz Wideband
Voice DSP

Voice TRx

Cavity Combiners

Narrowband Amplifier Narrowband Amplifier Narrowband Amplifier Narrowband Amplifier

Voice TRx Voice TRx GPRS TRx EDGE TRx

Network Interface

RF Splitter

Voice DSP

To BSC

Voice DSP

GPRS DSP

EDGE DSP

Digital Domain
GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

AirNet Communications Corporation

Bennet Wong

Wideband Software Defined Radio BTS - Optimal for High Capacity Voice

Analog Domain

Superior coverage and capacity solution Software upgradable to new standards Frequency agility Optimal for Smart antenna Smallest foot-print, higher reliability Available Technology

Duplexer
Digital Combining & Channelizing (No loss) Wideband Linear Power Amplifier

Wideband TRx

Powerful DSP

Network Interface

To BSC

Digital Domain
AirNet Communications Corporation GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Wideband Software Defined Radio BTS - Best Architecture for Data & 3G

Analog Domain

Software Upgrade to GPRS, EDGE and WCDMA/3G Superior performance needed for data - filter, DSP, power budget Superior managabilility - IP and computer platform based Faster data feature rollout due to programmability 2G, 2.5G and 3G support on same platform

Duplexer
Digital Combining & Channelizing (No loss) Wideband Linear Power Amplifier

Wideband TRx

Powerful DSP

Network Interface

To BSC

Digital Domain
AirNet Communications Corporation GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

SDR BTS is More Flexible

Narrowband Technology
Expensive Overlays for Existing and New Services
Legacy GSM subscribers? High-speed EDGE data? Ultra high-speed 3G data?

Wideband SDR BTS Technology

One Base Station Supports All Protocols
Legacy GSM subscribers? High-speed EDGE data? Ultra high-speed 3G data? GSM Subscribers 3G Subscribers

GSM Base Station EDGE Base Station

3G Base Station EDGE Subscribers

Multiple Overlaid Base Stations

AirNet Communications Corporation

AirNet AdaptaCell
GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Mobile Data Roadmap

3.5G/4G

WCDMA 2 Mbps

Capacity and Capability

GPRS 170 Kbps HSCSD 57.6 Kbps CSD 14.4 Kbps

EDGE 470 Kbps

Software Defined Radio BTS Makes the Upgrade Painless

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Wireless Data Standards

WCDMA based on 3GPP GPRS based on 3GPP

Moved from ETSI & T1

EDGE based on 3GPP

Moved from ETSI & T1

Standards Evolution and Modifications -A Fact of Life:

As standards evolve, a flexible software defined architecture allows for easy modification or change This capability mitigates the impact of such changes

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

GPRS Coding Schemes

Coding Max no of Info bits 181 268 312 428 Final RLC Max data rate Block per TS (kbps) 456 456 456 456 9.05 13.4 15.6 21.4 Target C/I (dB) ~6 ~9 ~12 ~17 CS-1 CS-2 CS-3 CS-4
25 20 15 10 5 0 CS-1 CS-2 Max data rate CS-3 CS-4 Target C/I (dB)

per TS (kbps)

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

EDGE Modulation & Coding Schemes

EDGE 8-PSK efficiency is dependent on environment and speed. Link quality control through link adaptation of data rates and coding gain.
Scheme MCS-9 MCS-8 MCS-7 MCS-6 MCS-5 MCS-4 MCS-3 MCS-2 MCS-1 Modulation 8-PSK 8-PSK 8-PSK 8-PSK 8-PSK GMSK GMSK GMSK GMSK Modulation Rate 59.2 kbps 54.4 kbps 44.8 kbps 29.6 kbps 27.2 kbps 17.6 kbps 14.8 kbps 11.2 kbps 8.80 kbps Code Rate 1.00 0.92 0.76 0.49 0.37 1.00 0.80 0.66 0.53 Header Code Rate 0.35 0.35 0.35 1/3 1/3 0.51 0.51 0.51 0.51

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Adaptive Antennas

Operators Will Need More Capacity to Support New Customer Usage Patterns
Higher minutes of use per customer - wireline substitution High-speed data

GPRS and EDGE potentially require higher C/I than voice

Some Urban Areas Are Already Running Out of Capacity

No new frequencies available Must get more capacity from existing frequencies

Adaptive Antennas Dramatically Improve Capacity

Narrow antenna beam follows the subscriber Dramatically reduces co-channel interference Increases system capacity by up to 400% N=4 reuse pattern

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Adaptive Antennas

Broadband, Software-Defined Basestation Enables Adaptive Antenna Solutions

Smaller size Strong processing power

Integration of AA software in BSS

Example: An Adaptive Antenna Basestation Supporting 12 GSM Carriers with 8 Antenna Elements
Traditional narrowband: 208 RF components AirNet broadband: 24 RF components

AirNet Adaptive Antenna Solution

Lowest cost Smallest size Highest reliability

8-Element Array with 12 Carriers

Narrowband 8 x 12 = 96 8 x 12 = 96 8 8 0 208 Broadband 8 8 0 0 8 24

Radios HPAs Combiners Splitters Digital Channelizer/Combiner Total Components

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

AirNet GSM Technical Advantage

Wideband Software Defined Radio - AdaptaCell BTS

Open computing and switching platforms

Utilize up to date DSP and AD/DA technologies No loss in link budget with capacity growth Commercial Wideband Linear Power Amplifier system for 2.5 years Basis for WCDMA (3G)

Fully Digital Filtering/Modulation and Combining

Wideband Based (10 MHz) RF Stream

Smooth Evolution Path to EDGE and WCDMA

Retain existing hardware or software

Backhaul Free AirSite BaseStation

For suburban, rural and highway coverage Unique patented point-to-multi-point GSM radio

GSM Association 1998 Best Technical Innovation Award

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

3G Network Architecture

Future Wireless Infrastructure

High Speed Data Overlays Packet-Switched Voice and Data Circuit Switched Voice Distributed Architecture Open Interfaces

Software Defined Radio Protocols

WCDMA, EDGE, GPRS TDD, Other advanced air interfaces SDR, MCPA, Digital Filters are key enablers Dont install throw-away hardware and platform !
GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

AirNet Communications Corporation

Bennet Wong

The AirNet Approach

GSM Phase 2+ System

N x 10MHz Based Wideband system software adapted modified for GSM Backhaul-Free AirSite for fast payback on rural sites AdaptaCell Wideband BTS for high capacity urban

Risk-free Evolution to GPRS, EDGE and WCDMA

Minimize investments Wideband Software Defined Radio allows support of all desired protocols based on market needs and terminal availability Only reasonable way to migrate to 3G, no hardware/software throw-away

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award

Bennet Wong

Future Developments on SDR

SDR Is Maturing fast as a Main-Stream BTS technology Enjoying strong technology curves on DSP, digital filters, wideband amplifiers Excellent vehicle for Adaptive Antenna, intelligent RF reuse schemes, dynamic channel allocation Path to 3G and Full Frequency Agility Path to multiple standard air interface

AirNet Communications Corporation

GSM Association Best Technical Innovation Award