February 19, 2015

Dispatches from the frontier of wireless research

SLEEPLESS IN SEOUL
Our initial thoughts on the LG U+ LTE-Advanced
300 Mbps network

www.signalsresearch.com
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
We just returned from Seoul, South Korea where we spent four days testing the LG U+
LTE-Advanced 300 Mbps network. We used the LG G Flex 2 (Model LG-F510L) smartphone with
the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 to conduct the study. Huawei Technologies is the Radio Access
Network (RAN) supplier in Seoul. We logged all network performance data with the Accuver
XCAL-Solo or the XCAL-Harmony drive test tools and we conducted the preliminary analysis with
the Accuver XCAP post processing software.

In late March or early April, Signals Ahead subscribers will receive a report that provides a
detailed analysis of the network performance and what it means for the future of LTE-Advanced.
As a teaser to that report, wed like to share some initial highlights.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

We transferred 1.02 TB data on the LTE-Advanced network, not including the many user experi-
ence tests that we conducted. This data usage equates to approximately 43.5 years of normal
usage (2 GB per month) for which our operator would charge us $160,432 in international data
roaming fees with its most attractive international data tariff plan.

We tested during normal hours and during the night when the traffic on the city streets was
somewhat tolerable. Results presented in this report stem from testing throughout Gangnam
(drive tests) as well as while riding the subway throughout the city.

The average Physical Layer downlink data rate was a mind boggling 158 Mbps and we achieved
a peak data rate of 296.5 Mbps with one second parsing of the data. The downlink speeds
exceeded 200 Mbps for 30.4% of the time.

The average Physical Layer uplink data rate was 44.4 Mbps (20 MHz channel) and we achieved
a top speed of 48.8 Mbps (one second averaging). The data rate was higher than 40 Mbps for
88.8% of the time.

In the Test Methodology section we discuss what we have in store for our forthcoming report.

2 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015

 COMING SOON!

LTE-ADVANCED FLEXES
ITS MUSCLES
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF THE LG U+
LTE-ADVANCED 300 MBPS NETWORK
PART OF THE MOTHER OF ALL NETWORK BENCHMARK TESTS SERIES OF REPORTS

LTE-ADVANCED FLEXES ITS MUSCLES CONTACT INFORMATION

Performance analysis of the LG U+ LTE-Advanced 300
Mbps network:
$1,195 pre-order/$1,495 post production
Included with an annual subscription to Signals Ahead
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3 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015
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At our request, LG U+ agreed to let us conduct a study of its recently launched LTE-Advanced This was an entirely self-
300 Mbps network. The network is comprised of three bands 2600 MHz (2x20 MHz), 2100 funded independent study.
MHz (2x10 MHz) and 850 MHz (2x10 MHz). LG U+ loaned us two smartphones with unlimited test
USIMs and they provided us with access to a high-bandwidth FTP server that we could use for
our tests. This was an entirely self-funded independent study that we intend to leverage for a
forthcoming Signals Ahead report that will be made available to our Signals Ahead subscribers.
The information presented in this report is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how we
plan to leverage the network performance data that we collected during our stay.

We conducted the tests over a four day period (late afternoon on February 11 through late morning
on February 15). The results presented in this report stem from single user device testing (downlink
and uplink) with multi-thread FTP transfers being used to generate the data traffic. These tests
took place while driving in the Gangnam district and while riding the subway throughout Seoul.
We also conducted tests with two smartphones running in parallel and multiple user experience
tests that focused primarily on video-related applications. Huawei Technologies is the infrastruc-
ture supplier in the Seoul market. We used two LG G Flex 2 (Model LG-F510L) smartphones with
the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 to conduct the study.

We logged all network performance data with the Accuver XCAL-Solo or XCAL-Harmony data We logged all network
collection tools, which provided us with the flexibility to test with the phone literally in the performance data with the
palm of our hand while also providing us with the same features and functionality of Accuvers Accuver XCAL-Solo or XCAL-
PC-based XCAL solution which we have historically used in the past. We also used the Accuver Harmony data collection
XCAP post processing software to conduct the preliminary analysis of the data and we will use tools.
the tool far more extensively over the next month as we analyze the results in more detail.

In the Test Methodology section of this Signals Flash we describe how we collected the data,
the types of tests that we conducted, and how we plan to analyze the data in our forthcoming
Signals Ahead report.

4 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015

 NOW AVAILABLE!

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and it also took out more than a few iconic smartphones in the process
QUANTIFYING THE VIDEO PLAYBACK CAPABILITIES OF SEVEN
SMARTPHONES IN A COMMERCIAL LTE NETWORK
Part of The Mother of All Network Benchmark Tests Series of Reports

VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR CONTACT INFORMATION

and it also took out more than a few
iconic smartphones in the process
Price: $1,450
Full report included with an annual subscription to
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signalsresearch.com and we will contact you for your billing
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Subscription information for our Signals Ahead research product,
which includes these reports, can be found on the last page of this
report. You can also visit our website at www.signalsresearch.com
or write us at

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5 | Signals Flash February
19, 2015
SLEEPLESS IN SEOUL
Truth be told, we did manage to get some sleep while we were in Seoul or at least we didnt travel
all the way to Seoul just to test the network. We dined on the local cuisine, did a bit of shopping,
slept a bit at rather weird hours, and hit the hotel gym every day while we were there.

This last trip marked our third drive test study of a mobile operators network in Seoul, and each
time we go the results keep getting better and better. In large part the performance gains stem
from the introduction of new LTE-Advanced features and the use of more spectrum. In our first
study, the network only supported 10 MHz + 10 MHz LTE downlink channels while in our second
study the network supported 10 MHz + 20 MHz LTE downlink channels. In this last adventure to
South Korea, the network that we tested supported three discrete radio channels at 2600 MHz
(2x20 MHz), 2100 MHz (2x10 MHz), and 850 MHz (2x10 MHz) for a combined 40 MHz (20 MHz + 10
MHz + 10 MHz) of downlink spectrum. At the moment the uplink channel is a single 20 MHz radio
channel at 2600 MHz but the logical channel bandwidth could increase in the not-too-distant
future with the introduction of uplink carrier aggregation.

Figure 1 provides an overview of the downlink throughput at the Physical Layer. The average The average Physical Layer
throughput based on downloading 612.6 GB of data during the single device testing was 158.0 downlink throughput was a
Mbps and the peak data rate [one second parsing of data] was 296.5 Mbps. The throughput also mind boggling 158 Mbps and
exceeded 200 Mbps for 30.4% of the time. We believe that most, if not all, of the throughput the peak data rate was 296.5
values below 25 Mbps stemmed from the brief interludes between each FTP download test. In Mbps.
the interest of time, we did not exclude the data points during these interludes so readers can
ignore this slice of the pie if they wish.

Figure 1. Primary Carrier + Secondary Carrier #1 + Secondary Carrier #2 = LTE-Advanced

Primary Carrier Physical Layer Primary Carrier Physical Layer Primary Carrier Physical Layer Primary Carrier Physical Layer
Throughput Average (Mbps) Throughput Average (Mbps) Throughput Average (Mbps) Throughput Average (Mbps)
Data Transfer = 325.3 GB Data Transfer = 148.7 GB Data Transfer = 138.0 GB Data Transfer = 612.6 GB

296.5

150.8 158.0

83.9 73.3 73.4

40.1 44.7

Average Peak Average Peak Average Peak Average Peak

0 Mbps <= 25 Mbps 2.0%

0 <= 0 Mbps 0 <= 10
25 Mbps <= 10 Mbps 250 Mbps
4.8% Mbps <= x 25 <=
125 Mbps <= x 7.8% 10 <= 20 75 Mbps
60 <= 75 Mbps 7.7% Mbps 13.5%
21.6% 25 <= 50 Mbps 10 <= 20 Mbps 16.7%
25.6% 60 <= 75 Mbps 9.6%
19.5% 14.6% 20 <= 30 200 <= 250
33.0%
Mbps Mbps
11.0% 16.9% 75 <= 125 Mbps
100 <= 125 Mbps 50 <= 60 Mbps 20 <= 30 Mbps 22.1%
16.0% 50 <= 75 Mbps 15.0% 30 <= 40 Mbps
21.1% 12.1% 175 <= 200 150 125
50 <= 60 11.7% Mbps <= 175 <= 150
40 <= 30 <= Mbps 40 <= 50
75 <= 100 Mbps 50 Mbps 40 Mbps 9.7% Mbps Mbps
15.1% Mbps
17.0% 11.1% 13.8% 11.9% 9.5% 9.7%

Source: Signals Research Group

6 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015

 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: SIGNALS AHEAD BACK ISSUES
1/12/15 Behind the VoLTE Curtain, Part 2 - Analyzing
VoLTE Client Performance in a Commercial Network
With the support of Spirent Communications and Accuver, we
conducted a study of four smartphones / VoLTE implementations
in a commercial network. We identified one smartphone that had
a longer battery life with VoLTE than with 3G CS voice; two smart-
phones came close, and another smartphone trailed by a mean-
ingful amount. OTT voice applications did great (MOS) when the
conditions were right but could perform very poorly as well, with
other negative side effects. There were measurable differences in
voice quality between 3G voice (NB-AMR) and HD-Voice (3G), but
VoLTE still came out on top.
10/14/14 Connect 4 - VoLTE Roaming The long pole(s) in
the tent for VoLTE roaming is complex and convoluted. Further,
there is nothing close to universal agreement between the leading
operators, 3GPP and the GSMA regarding how to address these
challenges. As we discuss in this report, VoLTE/VoLTE roaming
introduces a number of new nodes and interfaces within IMS.
Further, there is a fair amount of flexibility regarding how opera-
tors implement VoLTE/IMS and this flexibility leads to additional
interoperability issues between the VoLTE clients and each opera-
tors VoLTE/IMS configuration.
9/9/14 Testing the Galaxy S5 LTE-A Cat 6 Smartphone
in a Distant Place Far, Far Away We conducted a network
benchmark study of SK Telecoms LTE-A 225 Mbps network in
Seoul, South Korea in early August. For this study we leveraged
the Accuver XCAL-Solo and XCAL-Mobile to collect chipset
diagnostic information in order to analyze network performance.
We downloaded nearly 400 GB of data and observed a median
data rate of 98.9 Mbps, but the observed data rates get even
better after we adjust the throughput for the amount of network
resources required to achieve the observed speeds. The benefits
of carrier aggregation were apparent since the implied spectral
efficiency across both bands was higher than it was in each indi-
vidual carrier. To some extent the performance of the uplink was
even more impressive given that the measured throughput was
seemingly impervious to the underlying network conditions - the
network conditions were always too favorable to degrade the
performance. Although we confirmed that the benefits of a Cat
6 device does translate into higher data rates, the potential for
higher data speeds does not always equate to a better user expe-
rience. It was also encouraging to observe that streaming higher
video formats (e.g., HD versus SD) can have an insignificant impact
on the estimated battery life.
8/8/14 Behind the VoLTE Curtain, Part 1 - Quantifying
the Performance of a Commercial VoLTE Deployment
With the support of Spirent Communications, we conducted
a multi-day evaluation of AT&Ts commercial VoLTE service in
Minneapolis-St. Paul. We analyzed VoLTE, 3G CS voice and Skype
against several different criteria, including voice quality (MOS), call
set-up time and call reliability, network resource requirements,
7 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015
and impact on battery life. The results suggest that VoLTE offers a
distinct advantage over OTT voice applications w.r.t. the amount
of network resources required to support a voice call, thanks, in
part, to many of the inherent features of a QCI-1 application. The
QCI=1 feature also resulted in better voice quality, especially with
network loading. Likewise, VoLTE outperformed Skype, but not
3G CS voice, w.r.t. the impact on battery life. Continued improve-
ments in LTE network coverage will give VoLTE and even greater
advantage in the future. 7/8/14 By the Light of the Silvery Moon
- 4x2 Closed Loop MIMO Drive Test Study With the continued
support of Accuver, we leveraged its XCAL drive test solution and
its XCAP post-processing software to evaluate the performance
of Closed Loop MIMO (CL-MIMO) with a 4x2 antenna configura-
tion - 4 transmit/receive antennas at the cell site and 2 receive
antennas in the mobile device. We compared 4x2 CL-MIMO and
2x2 OL-MIMO, 4x2 CL-MIMO and 4x2 transmit diversity (by getting
T- Mobile to turn off MIMO in its network), and the benefits
of 4 receive antennas at the cell site. In addition to presenting an
analysis of overall DL/UL network performance we also quantify
the downlink and uplink performance gains associated with 4x2
over 2x2. These gains include higher data rates for a given RSRP/
downlink pathloss, more efficient use of network resources, and
an improved battery life.
7/8/14 By the Light of the Silvery Moon - 4x2 Closed
Loop MIMO Drive Test Study With the continued support
of Accuver, we leveraged its XCAL drive test solution and its
XCAP post-processing software to evaluate the performance of
Closed Loop MIMO (CL-MIMO) with a 4x2 antenna configura-
tion - 4 transmit/receive antennas at the cell site and 2 receive
antennas in the mobile device. We compared 4x2 CL-MIMO and
2x2 OL-MIMO, 4x2 CL-MIMO and 4x2 transmit diversity (by getting
T- Mobile to turn off MIMO in its network), and the benefits of
4 receive antennas at the cell site. In addition to presenting an
analysis of overall DL/UL network performance we also quantify
the downlink and uplink performance gains associated with 4x2
over 2x2. These gains include higher data rates for a given RSRP/
downlink pathloss, more efficient use of network resources, and
an improved battery life.
5/29/14 LTE and the Public Safety Paradigm Shift
Although forecasts vary dramatically, Public Safety LTE is a multi-
billion dollar market opportunity for infrastructure vendors,
chipset suppliers and device manufacturers. Unfortunately, it
is approaching 20 years in the making and it still seems as if not
very much has happened since the initiatives first began - in some
cases in the previous Century. In this report, we provide a history
lesson of where the Public Safety Communications sector has
been; we discuss where the industry is going on a global basis; we
identify the Public Safety Communications requirements and how
the industry standards bodies are [or are not] addressing these
needs; and we look to the future and discuss how we believe the
market will evolve, the vendors that are helping in the effort, and
the innumerable challenges that remain.
Figure 2 provides probability distribution curves for the total downlink Physical Layer throughput,
which is the aggregate throughput from the three radio channels. In addition to the aggregate
throughput across all tests (solid line) we are also including the results from four groupings
of tests Wednesday night, Thursday afternoon, Thursday night, and Subway). As one might
expect the results from Thursday afternoon were not as high as the nighttime tests, but the
impact is far less than one might anticipate. We offer three explanations the city of Seoul, and
Gangnam, in particular, never sleeps; there is a very high cell density or an abundance of network
capacity; and there are a limited number of smartphones in the network that currently support
2600 MHz band.

Figure 2. LTE-Advanced Physical Layer Downlink Throughput probability distribution curves

Probability (%)
100%

80%

60% Subway

40%
Composite
Wednesday Night
20% Thursday Night

Thursday Afternoon
0%
0 25 75 125 150 175 200 250 MAX
LTE-Advanced Physical Layer Throughput (Mbps)
Probability (%) Source: Signals Research Group

100%

80%
We combined the results from two subway rides (Average = 213.9 Mbps; 1.2 hours of testing; 113 It would take less time to fly
60%
GB). Network performance in the subway with standing room only and crowded stations was to South Korea to download
almost impossible to believe and we thought we had seen it all. To put things into perspective
Composite Subway
25 movies from iTunes via the
40%
it would take less time to fly to South Korea to download 25 movies from iTunes via the LG U+ LG U+ network than it would
Thursday Night
network
20% than it would take to download 25 movies from iTunes while sitting at our desk at SRG take to download 25 movies
HQ and using a fixed connection augmented by Wi-Fi. Thursday Afternoon from iTunes while sitting at
0% Wednesday Night
our desk at SRG HQ.
0 25 50 75 100 125 MAX
Key Assumptions Primary Carrier Physical Layer Throughput (Mbps)

14 hours from SRG HQ to Incheon airport (train stop at airport)

Probability (%)
100%
Average HD movie size = 4 GB

80%
15 Mbps average data rate achieved at SRG HQ (Comcast + Wi-Fi)
Subway
60%
214 Mbps average data rate at Incheon airport train stop
Composite Thursday Night
iTunes
40%
portal is not a bottleneck for the throughput (probably not a realistic assumption)

20% Wednesday Night

Thursday Afternoon
0%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 MAX
Secondary Carrier #1 Physical Layer Throughput (Mbps)

Probability (%)
100%
8 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015
80%
60% Subway

40%
Composite
Wednesday Night
20% Thursday Night
Figure 3 provides probability distribution curves for the three individual carriers that comprise
the LTE-Advanced Physical Layer downlink throughput. Thursday Afternoon
0%
0 25 75 125 150 175 200 250 MAX
Figure 3. Physical Layer Downlink Throughput (primary + secondary
LTE-Advanced #1 +Layer
Physical secondary #2) (Mbps)
Throughput probability distribution curves
Probability (%)
100%

80%

60%

Composite Subway
40%
Thursday Night
20%
Thursday Afternoon
0% Wednesday Night
0 25 50 75 100 125 MAX
Primary Carrier Physical Layer Throughput (Mbps)

Probability (%)
100%

80%

Subway
60%
Composite Thursday Night
40%

20% Wednesday Night

Thursday Afternoon
0%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 MAX
Secondary Carrier #1 Physical Layer Throughput (Mbps)

Probability (%)
100%

80%

60% Composite Subway

Thursday Night
40% Wednesday Night
Thursday Afternoon
20%

0%
0 25 75 125 150 175 200 250 MAX
Secondary Carrier #2 Physical Layer Throughput (Mbps)
Source: Signals Research Group

9 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015

In the past weve tested the uplink performance in Seoul and we always found it to be a bit boring The average Physical Layer
since the throughput hardly ever varied from a tight range of 22 Mbps to 25 Mbps. We figured uplink data rate was 44.4
this time around the results might be more interesting since we were using a 20 MHz channel Mbps and the peak data rate
that was located at 2600 MHz. We were wrong. As shown in Figure 4, the average uplink data rate was 48.8 Mbps.
was 44.4 Mbps and the peak data rate was 48.8 Mbps. The uplink throughput exceeded 40 Mbps
for 88.8% of the time. This testing (50 minutes; 16.3 GB) took place on late Sunday morning in
advance of heading to the airport. Consistent with earlier tests, the densely deployed network,
combined with a DL:UL traffic ratio that strongly favors the downlink, were big influencers on
the results. Additionally, we surmise that a large number of smartphones in the network do not
currently support 2600 MHz.

Figure 4. LTE-Advanced Physical Layer Uplink Throughput probability distribution curves and pie charts

Average Uplink Physical Layer Data Rate = 44.4 Mbps

Total Data Transfer = 16.3 GB

Probability (%)
100%
20 <= 30 Mbps 1.4%
10 <= 20 Mbps 4.3%
80% x < 10 Mbps 0.2% 30 <= 40 Mbps 5.3%

60%

40 <= 45 Mbps
40% 15.2%
45 Mbps <=
73.6%
20%

0%
0 10 20 30 40 45 MAX
Uplink Physical Layer Throughput (Mbps)

Source: Signals Research Group

10 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015

TEST METHODOLOGY
We arrived in Seoul on Tuesday afternoon and picked up the pre-configured LG G Flex 2 smart- We used XCAL-Solo and
phones from the Innowireless [Accuver] facilities on Wednesday morning. We primarily used XCAL-Harmony to collect
XCAL-Solo to collect network performance data although we used XCAL-Harmony on occa- performance data in the LG
sion. We previously used XCAL-Solo when we conducted our last drive test in Seoul. XCAL-Solo U+ network.
attaches to the smartphone via a separate box that is about the size of a breath freshener mint
box. With this external interface it is possible to test with a much larger mix of smartphones
since there isnt any need for any additional customization of the smartphone and/or the XCAL
software. This feature also gives the solution a very quick time to market advantage versus solu-
tions that must run entirely on the smartphone. This feature is evident in this report since the
test tool already supports the new smartphones in South Korea.

XCAL-Harmony is used to test with multiple smartphones at the same time. XCAL-Harmony
operates on a tablet device and it controls each individual smartphone with XCAL-Solo via a
Bluetooth connection. In addition to controlling all of the tests on each phone with a single
GUI, XCAL-Harmony provides real-time diagnostic information on how each smartphone is
performing, thus making it logistically easy to test with multiple smartphones at the same time
the log files are also synched in time. Although we didnt use it for this purpose, XCAL-Harmony
would be ideal for in-building testing since the smartphones could be stored in a backpack while
the tester would just have to hold the tablet.

Figure 5 provides a screen shot of the XCAL-Solo GUI running on a smartphone during a test. We
took this screen shot while riding on a subway with standing room only.

Figure 5. XCAL-Solo Screen Shot

Source: Signals Research Group

11 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015

The testing took place primarily in Gangnam although we also did some testing in another area
of Seoul. We tested two smartphones running in parallel in this region although we also tested
with two smartphones running in parallel in Gangnam. The results shown in this Signals Flash
stem from testing with a single smartphone at any one time. We periodically switched between
the two smartphones to ensure that the smartphone under test did not encounter any problems
due to prolonged heavy usage.

Our testing took place during the morning (uplink tests), afternoon and late night hours. We
preferred testing during the late night since the traffic in the Gangnam area can be horrendous
during the daytime. Even at night the streets remained full of cars primarily taxi cabs. Figure 6
shows the drive routes that we used for our tests as well as the two regions of Seoul where the
testing took place.

Figure 6. Drive Routes

Detail of Route 2

Route 1

Route 2

Source: Signals Research Group

Our testing included the following applications:

FTP downlink multi-thread FTP sessions to a high bandwidth server with each test generally
lasting at least 30-45 minutes

FTP uplink multi-thread FTP sessions to a high bandwidth server with each test generally
lasting at least 30-45 minutes

FTP downlink two devices running in parallel

Video-related testing while stationary and while driving around Gangnam

YouTube (HD video)

UHD video streamed from a website

U+ TV (HD format)

Video Telephony

12 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015

For our forthcoming report we plan to include the following analysis:

Determine when and how 10 MHz + 10 MHz + 20 MHz carrier aggregation is used as well as what
incremental benefit it offers over a single 10 MHz or 20 MHz carrier for the various applications
that we tested

Calculate RB adjusted throughput to take into consideration network loading

Determine how typical video-intensive applications utilize carrier aggregation

Determine the incremental performance benefits of a Cat 6 device over a Cat 4 device and
under what conditions the benefits are realized

Analyze network performance (primary + two secondary carriers) as a function of numerous

underlying KPIs, including:

RSRP

SINR/CQI

PUSCH transmit power

Power Headroom

Edge of cell versus center of cell

Cell handovers

MIMO utilization

Finally, we will discuss the implications of LTE-Advanced with 3 carriers and what it means for
operators around the world and the industry at large.

13 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015

ON THE HORIZON: POTENTIAL SIGNALS AHEAD/SIGNALS FLASH! TOPICS

We have identified a list of pending research topics that we are currently considering or presently working on completing.
The topics at the top of the list are definitive with many of them already in the works. The topics toward the bottom of
the page are a bit more speculative. Obviously, this list is subject to change based on various factors and market trends. As
always, we welcome suggestions from our readers.

Chips and Salsa LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation chipset benchmark study

The Core Network evolution

LTE Broadcast versus LTE unicast video benchmark study

VoLTE Part Three field testing to include video, 3G HD voice and higher WB-AMR codec rates

Network impacts (to include signaling) of using various smartphone OS platforms and/or applications (video, VoLTE,
social networking, etc.)

Mobile Computing platforms and the impact of data caching at the cell edge

Cloud RAN

OTA smartphone performance benchmark study

Chips and Salsa LTE TDD chipset benchmark study

3-carrier Carrier Aggregation network benchmark study

Quantifying the benefits of 8T8R in a commercial LTE TDD network

MU-MIMO

Mobile World Congress Key Takeaways Signals Flash!

14 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015

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15 | Signals Flash February 19, 2015