LTE Coverage & Capacity

Dimensioning
Maria Thiessen
LTE System Management
 LTE dimensioning
– Introduction

! Why is RN dimensioning done?

! To demonstrate our expertise and reliability as a telecom provider to customers and
potential customers in RFI situations
! To calculate an estimate of the air interface performance of an LTE system in a tender
project
! reliable data to the pricing guys
! a basis for license dimensioning
! a starting point for TN dimensioning
! To give help to system design with an overall system performance perspective
! Who is doing it?
! Technical sales support (TSS, Stefan Lidbrink)
! Local market units
! Sometimes by subcontracted BUGS personnel
! When?
! RN dimensioning methods must be available 9 months before GA to give time to
customers to plan the business case for their launch
! Planning activites (parameter settings etc.) a few months later

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 LTE dimensioning
– Methods

! Using analytical method

! According to Coverage and Capacity Dimensioning Guideline,
1/100 56-HSC 105 50/1

! Using a tool like RNPT

! Input:
! Subscribers
! Traffic profile
! Area type
! Output
! Number of sites
! Site capacity in terms of throughput

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 LTE dimensioning
– Process overview
1. Identify quality requirements at - MIMOMimo
cell edge Quality
Define at
edge
- TxTx
diversity
diversity
- eNodeB power
RBS power
! Throughput requirements on cell cell edge
quality - UEUEpower
power
- UE
UE Rx
Rx diversity
diversity
edge and average
If input - Path loss at cell edge
requirements - Cell range
Coverage
1. Calculate coverage are not met - Site-to-site distance

! Pathloss
! Cell range - Uplink cell capacity
! Site-to-site distance Capacity
- Downlink cell capacity
- Downlink throughput
distribution

1. Calculate capacity Done

! Cell capacity

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 Linkbudget calculation

! Start with uplink coverage – often limiting link

– Bit rate requirement (per Resource Block)
– SINR requirement
– Receiver sensitivity, eNodeB
– Uplink noise rise (interference margin)
– UE power per Resource Block
– Uplink link budget ⇒ max allowed path loss Lpmax and cell range

! Calculate downlink coverage

– Lpmax from uplink coverage calculation
– Bit rate requirement (per Resource Block)
– Power per Resource Block
– Downlink noise rise at cell edge
– Downlink link budget ⇒ estimated SINR at cell edge
– Receiver sensitivity, UE ⇒ estimated SINR at cell edge
– SINR at cell edge ⇒ bit rate at cell edge

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 LTE dimensioning
– Coverage – Uplink link budget

L pmax = PRB − S eNodeB − B IUL − B LNF − L BL − LCPL − L BPL + G a − L J

! All calculations for dimensioning are made per Resource Block (RB)
SeNodeB
Lpmax
PRB

BIUL

Maximum cell size

! Lpmax maximum path loss due to propagation in the air [dB]
! PRB transmitter power from the terminal per resource block [dBm]
! SeNodeB eNodeB sensitivity per resource block [dBm]
! BIUL noise rise or the uplink interference margin [dB]
! BLNF log-normal fading margin [dB]
! LBL, LCPL, LBPL body loss, car penetration loss, building penetration loss [dB]
! Ga sum of RBS antenna gain and UE antenna gain [dBi]
! LJ jumper loss [dB]

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 LTE dimensioning
– Coverage – Uplink power

L pmax = PRB − S eNodeB − B IUL − B LNF − L BL − LCPL − L BPL + G a − L J

Example of max UE power per RB
! Transmitted power from the 23 dBm

terminal per Resource Block

(180 kHz)

! In LTE there is tradeoff 17 dBm

between number of Resource

Blocks and power per 4 RB with 17 dBm One RB with 23 dBm
Resource Block each

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 LTE dimensioning
– Coverage – SINR requirement, uplink

L pmax = PRB − S eNodeB − BIUL − BLNF − LBL − LCPL − LBPL + Ga − LJ

S eNodeB = N t + N f + 10 log( BW ) + γ

! Nt Thermal noise: -174 dBm/Hz

600
! Nf Noise factor in eNodeB [dB] E PA 5 Hz

!
500
BW Bandwidth per resource block: 180 kHz

Throughput/RB [kbps]
! γ SINR [dB] required for dimensioning 400

service 300

200

100

0
-5 0 5 10 15 20 25
SINR [dB]

UL SINR vs throughput per RB

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 LTE dimensioning
– Coverage – Uplink noise rise
L pmax = PRB − S eNodeB − BIUL − BLNF − LBL − LCPL − LBPL + Ga − LJ
G2
G’2
2
! Perfect orthogonality within one G3 G’5
cell G’4 G5

!
3 G4
Interference comes from users in G1
G’1 5

other cells 4
Signal
1
Interference
N thermal + I intercell 1
BIUL = =
N thermal 1 − γQUL F
Path loss factor from other cells to
serving cell

SINR target for UL

open loop power System load
control - Average number of occupied resource blocks
in system relative maximum resource available

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 Input data for link budget
– Example UL

! UL cell edge bit rate 500 kbps @ 95% area coverage

probability
! UL cell throughput 3 Mbps
! DL cell edge bit rate 8 Mbps @ 95% area coverage
probability
! DL cell throughput 14 Mbps
! eNodeB Ptx = 40 W (2X20 W), 2x2 MIMO, RRU
! 20 MHz Bandwidth
! Frequency band 2600 MHz
! UE power 23 dBm

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 LTE dimensioning
– Coverage – uplink example
UL LTE
UE Output power 23 dBm
Number of RB 5
UE Output power/RB 16 dBm 23 dBm divided by 5 RBs 600
EPA 5 Hz
Thermal noise -119.2 dBm
500
Noise factor eNB 2.2 dB
Bit rate per RB = 100 kbps

Throughput/RB [kbps]
User bit rate 500 kbps
400
SINR 0.08 dB
eNB Sensitivity -119.1 dB 300
Antenna gain 18.5 dBi
Feeder loss 0 dB 200

Jumper loss 0 dB
TMA insertion loss 0 dB 100

Body loss 3 dB
0
Penetration loss 18 dB -5 0 5 10 15 20 25
Fading margin 4.9 dB SINR [dB]
Max path loss unloaded 127.7 dB
System Load UL 32% 32% system load ⇒ requested cell average throughput of 3 Mbps
Interference margin 1.12 dB
Max path loss 126.6 dB
Range 504 m

L pmax = PRB − S eNodeB − BIUL − BLNF − LBL − LCPL − LBPL + Ga − LJ

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 LTE dimensioning
– Coverage – Downlink link budget
L pmax = PTX , ref − S UE − B IDL − B LNF − L BL − LCPL − L BPL + G a − L J

! All calculations for dimensioning are made per Resource Block (RB)
PTX,ref
Lpmax
SUE

BIDL

Maximum cell size

! Lpmax maximum path loss due to propagation in the air [dB]
! PTX,ref transmitter power at the system reference point per RB [dBm]
! SUE UE sensitivity [dBm]
! BIDL noise rise at the cell edge or the downlink interference margin [dB]
! BLNF log-normal fading margin [dB]
! LBL, LCPL, LBPL body loss, car penetration loss, building penetration loss [dB]
! Ga sum of RBS antenna gain and UE antenna gain [dBi]
! LJ jumper loss [dB]

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 LTE dimensioning
– Coverage – DL Power

L pmax = PTX , ref − S UE − B IDL − B LNF − L BL − LCPL − L BPL + G a − L J

Power per RB 20 W total power
available
! In DL the total power is shared
between all resource blocks 35 dBm

! More bandwidth means less

power per Resource Block 29 dBm

5 MHz – 25 RB
! To maintain coverage at higher
bandwidth requires higher total
power 5 MHz – 25 RB
1.4 MHz – 6 RB

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 LTE dimensioning
– Coverage – DL noise rise at cell edge: interference margin

L pmax = PTX , ref − S UE − B IDL − B LNF − L BL − LCPL − L BPL + G a − L J

System load 3
Signal
Power per Interference
resource block
Other/own cell
interference factor at
cell edge
Ptx , RB QDL Fc
BIDL = 1+
N RB Lsa,max

UE noise floor Maximum signal

N RB = N t + N f + 10 log( BW ) attenuation to cell
edge

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 LTE dimensioning
– Coverage – downlink SINR requirements

L pmax = PTX , ref − S UE − B IDL − B LNF − L BL − LCPL − L BPL + G a − L J

S UE = N t + N f + 10 log( BW ) + γ
! Nt Thermal noise: -174 dBm/Hz
! Nf Noise factor [dB]
1200
! BW Bandwidth per resource block: 180 kHz 1100 EPA 5 Hz

! γ SINR available on cell border [dB] 1000

900

Throughput/RB [kbps]
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
-5 0 5 10 15 20 25
SINR [dB]

DL SINR vs throughput per RB

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 Input data for link budget
– Example DL

! UL cell edge bit rate 500 kbps @ 95% area coverage

probability
! UL cell throughput 3 Mbps
! DL cell edge bit rate 8 Mbps @ 95% area coverage
probability
! DL cell throughput 14 Mbps
! eNodeB Ptx = 40 W (2X20 W), 2x2 MIMO, RRU
! 20 MHz Bandwidth
! Frequency band 2600 MHz

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 LTE dimensioning
– Coverage – DL example
L pmax = PTX , ref − S UE − B IDL − B LNF − L BL − LCPL − L BPL + G a − L J
DL LTE
Output Power 40 W
Number of RB 100 20 MHz BW ⇒ 100 RB 1200
Power per RB 0.4 W Power per RB = 40/100 = 0.4 W 1100 EPA 5 Hz
Thermal noise -114.4 dBm 1000

Noise factor UE 7 dB 900

Throughput/RB [kbps]
800
User bit rate 14 Mbps
SINR = -1.39 dB ⇒ 87.8 kbps/RB
700
SINR -1.39 dB
600
UE Sensitivity -115.8 dBm 100 RB ⇒ 8.78 Mbps > 8 Mbps
500
Antenna gain 18.5 dBi 400

Feeder loss 0 dB 300

200
Jumper loss 0 dB
100
ASC insertion loss 0 dB 0
Body loss 0 dB -5 0 5 10 15 20 25

Penetration loss 18 dB SINR [dB]

Fading margin 4.9 dB

System load DL 50%
Interference margin 7.8 dB
Max Path loss 126.6 dB
Range 504 m

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 LTE dimensioning
– Capacity

Less loading in surrounding cells

Equally loaded cells ⇒ Higher capacity in middle cell

Maximum cell capacity and user throughput can be

significantly higher in an unevenly loaded network
⇒ All networks are unevenly loaded

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 Uplink capacity

! Power control ensures equal SINR for every γ UL , ave = const .

connection
! SINR gives average bitrate per RB
Tuser ,UL = TRB ,UL (n RB − n PUCCH )
! Cell throughput by considering uplink loading and
PUCCH overhead Tcell ,UL = QUL Tuser ,UL

600
EPA 5 Hz
500
Throughput/RB [kbps]

400

300

200

100

0
-5 0 5 10 15 20 25
SINR [dB]

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 Downlink capacity
Ptx , RB
γ DL , ave ~
B DL − noiserise N RB L sa,max
! Average interference depends on
Ptx , RB Q DL F
– Cell range (Lsa,max) B DL − noiserise = 1 +
– Bandwidth (power per RB) N RB Lsa,max
– Average load (can be expressed as average
noiserise) Tuser , DL = k cch TRB , DL n RB
! Average SINR gives average throughput per RB
! Maximum user throughput (average) by considering Tcell , DL = Q DL Tuser , DL
entire deployed bandwidth
! Total throughput by considering downlink loading and
control channel overhead 1200
1100 EPA 5 Hz
1000
900

Throughput/RB [kbps]
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
-5 0 5 10 15 20 25
SINR [dB]

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 Relation between SINR and bit rate

! Based on a Gaussian expression

[ ]
⎧⎪T = max 0, a3 + (a0 − a3 )e −ln 2[(γ − a1 )/ a2 ] ; γ < a1
⎨
2

⎪⎩T = a0 ; γ ≥ a1

T
a1
T bit rate per RB [kbps]
γ SINR [dB]
a0
a2

|a3 | γ

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 Coefficients fitted to simulated data
! DOWNLINK
– Max modulation: 64QAM
– Number of PDCCH symbols: 1

LTE DL Throughput Models

1600
EPA5/SIMO
1400 EVA70/SIMO
ETU300/SIMO
1200 EPA5/TxDiv
Throughput/RB [kbps]

EVA70/TxDiv
1000 ETU300/TxDiv
EPA5/MIMO
800
EVA70/MIMO
ETU300/MIMO
600

400

200

0
-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
SINR [dB]

Coefficients a0 – a3 available in Coverage and Capacity Dimensioning Guideline

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 Coefficients fitted to simulated data
! UPLINK
– Max modulation: 16QAM
– Antenna arrangement: SIMO 1x2

LT E UL T hroughput Models

600
EPA5/SIMO
500 EVA70/SIMO
ETU300/SIMO
Throughput/RB [kbps]

400

300

200

100

0
-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
SINR [dB]

Coefficients a0 – a3 available in Coverage and Capacity Dimensioning Guideline

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 Planned updates for L10B/L11A

! Elaborated method for TDD

! Quad antenna, MIMO Uplink
! Interference Rejection Combining
! Frequency Selective Scheduler
! VoIP, including TTI bundling
! Uplink power control, including α < 1
! Max Cell Range
! QoS aware scheduler, Active Queue Management, end user
bitrate shaping
! 3 MHz bandwidth

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 Other dimensioning guidelines
! License dimensioning
– Baseband throughput
! Dimensioning calculations require to bitrate handle distributions
– Active users
! Dimensioning calculations require statistcal multiplexing methods
– Power
! Control channel dimensioning
– Spectral overhead
– Power overhead
! Coexistence planning
– LTE with all other systems
! Tracking Area dimensioning
! Radio Wave Propagation Guideline
– Propagation algorithms for coverage calculations

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