Nokia Single Ran Advanced Evolution White Paper

Nokia White paperJune 2014 Single RAN Advanced Evolution: The future just got simpler CONTENTS Executive summary 3 Power through efficiency 4 An evolving technology 5 The evolution of Single RAN 7 How Single RAN helps to meet the capacity challenge 8 Modular design 9 Re-farming 10 RF sharing 11 Baseband (system module) sharing 12 Baseband pooling 13 Transport sharing in backhaul 14 Network sharing 15 Single RAN base station architecture evolution 16 Multicontroller 17 Single RAN Operations and Management 19 Energy efficiency 21 Nokia Single RAN Advanced 23 Nokia Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station 23 Nokia Flexi Compact Base Station 23 Nokia Single RAN Transport solution 24 Nokia Multicontroller platform 25 Nokia Liquid Radio Software Suites 25 True control over complex networks 26 Abbreviations 27 Page 2 Executive summary The concept and the commercial reality of the Single Radio Access Network (Single RAN) have been around for a few years. performance and cost effectiveness. Modularity is a key enabler. In its most developed form. allowing capacity to be scaled up in line with demand. and new and existing spectrum to be used more efficiently. operational efficiency can be improved through network sharing. Single RAN will comprise one radio installation with common transport and operational and management system with integrated unified security across radio access technologies (RATs). In addition. This paper aims to demonstrate the benefits of today’s Nokia Single RAN Advanced solution and to reveal some of the expected developments and their benefits. Single RAN is already helping many operators to achieve substantial benefits but the coming years will see the technology evolving substantially. it enables the coordination and operation of different RATs in a unified way. When it comes to Single RAN. as well as being able to use existing RATs to bring the best performance by coordinating their advantages. energy efficiency of the radio network will be raised. Page 3 . The pace of change in mobile radio access networks has been accelerating since the first GSM radio networks in 1991 and the first Single RAN implementations in 2008. The idea behind Single RAN is simple – operating different radio technologies on a single multi-purpose hardware platform. the best is yet to come. Yet such is the potential of the technology to simplify the ever-growing intricacy of the macro radio access layer that it is being developed rapidly and will bring many new benefits for mobile broadband operators. and software can be used to define the functions of the hardware for ultimate flexibility. In addition. Single RAN is not standardized by an industry body. grow their business and balance their investments more easily and in better ways. in re-farming. including: • Efficient use of spectrum and re-farming • Efficient shared use of hardware • Smooth evolution of GSM. sharing. potentially pushing up costs and complicating investment decisions Page 4 . Operators typically expect Single RAN to deliver a variety of benefits. with others being proprietary. LTE 2600 LTE 2300 HSPA 2100 WCDMA 2100 GSM 1800 GSM 900 1Gbps@day New equipment and networks increasing complexity and costs LTE 1800 GSM 1800 HSPA 900 GSM 900 Uncertainty in Radio Access Technology capacity lifecycles LTE 800 Fig. HSPA and LTE • Simplified network architecture • Reduced energy consumption • Converged planning. enabling operators to simplify their networks.Power through efficiency Despite its widespread adoption. fully IP-based transport • Automated 3GPP compliant security • Lower costs and growth in top line All of these benefits are possible. some based on 3GPP standards. and equipment vendors offer different features under the Single RAN banner. on many frequency bands. operations and management • Simplified. modernization and evolution. Single RAN defies a common definition. 1: Example of the rising complexity of multiple radio access technologies. reduce costs. Single RAN cuts through the complexity by running different technologies on one hardware platform. 2: Single RAN is changing network business by introducing much-simplified base station site structures with common transport and operational support Page 5 . the technology is clearly still far from maturity and will evolve further to deliver substantial new benefits for operators. That’s becoming increasingly important as operators deploy LTE to meet the accelerating mobile broadband boom. to single installations with a common transport and operational and management system. along with a raft of new frequency bands. Not only is a new radio technology involved. Old way of working Vendor A GSM BTS TDM O&M A Single RAN Vendor B Vendor C WCDMA BTS ATM O&M B Region 1 LTE BTS IP O&M C Base Station Base Station GSM WCDMA O&M A Region 1 Vendor A LTE GSM IP WCDMA LTE O&M B Region 2 Vendor B Fig.An evolving technology Although Single RAN has its roots in 2008 and is today simplifying many radio access networks. It is arguable that LTE was the main trigger for Single RAN as the industry recognized the sheer complexity of adding another radio technology to existing GSM and HSPA layers. but IP-based transport needed for LTE must be added to existing ATM and TDM transport links. Single RAN is focused on simplifying the macro network resulting in lower cost network evolution. to move from separate installations for each radio technology with its own transport and operational needs. Of the 450 operators in about 150 countries using radio network equipment from Nokia. Single RAN has overcome many obstacles to create much-simplified hardware. Radio access network projects are huge and in much the same way that Single RAN has taken several years since 2008 to reach its current state of development and implementation by hundreds of operators. Operator networks must be secured against misuse and other threats. close 300 use the company’s Single RAN solution. Today. This means all three technologies need to be developed in parallel with strong backwards compatibility to maximize the benefits of Single RAN. In addition. developed independently and standardized separately. There are several sources of security risk. which also leads to higher and more complex security risks. LTE creates vulnerabilities not previously seen in GSM and HSPA networks. physically accessible to unauthorized tampering. means that customer data needs to be protected against eavesdropping. but is actually technically complex to achieve because GSM. Another issue is the involvement of diverse players like application developers and value added service providers. Features available in one technology may not be available or applicable for the others. Coordination of RATs will bring performance enhancements to the end user and cost savings for the operator. HSPA and LTE are distinct technologies. The use of IP transport networks for the backhaul. As a fully IP technology. This will not happen overnight. In addition. In the future we will see that simplification being applied to the software to bring greater flexibility to network operations. operators expect that the Single RAN products available since 2008 can be re-used with the latest equipment. as networks evolve to all-IP open environments and become vulnerable to the kind of attacks familiar from the IT world. for example for Re-farming and RF-sharing. which are inherently more open than traditional transport networks. between the base station and packet core. Page 6 . modern technology and miniaturization enables smaller base stations to be installed in public places. Security threats are growing as operators move to all-IP networks. Nokia Single RAN Advanced solution is adopted worldwide The trend towards Single RAN by operators is global.This sounds straightforward. we can expect its further evolution to take place step-by-step over the coming years. such as denial of service attacks. which require dedicated measures to protect both the infrastructure and end users. In addition. mobile networks will need to be prepared for profitably delivering one gigabyte (1GB) of personalized data per user per day in many markets. operators face rising customer expectations that mobile broadband will become more personalized. Nokia expects that by 2020.The evolution of Single RAN Single RAN is all about sharing multi-purpose hardware. and common Operations and Management. scalability and resiliency for mobile broadband operators. transport. Technology Vision 2020 comprises six technology pillars: • Enabling 1000 times more capacity to meet accelerating data demand • Reducing latency to milliseconds to prepare for the applications of the future • Teaching networks to be self-aware and simplify network management by extreme automation • Personalizing network experience to enable the business models of the future • Reinventing telco for the cloud to create on-demand networks that are agile and scalable • Flattening total energy consumption Single RAN technologies will continue to evolve to help operators meet these market demands. The evolution of more advanced Single RAN capabilities will develop these sharing capabilities to simplify network management and bring greater flexibility. common network management incorporating self-organizing functions. yet remain affordable. integrated and unified security across base station technologies. Technology Vision 2020 The Nokia Technology Vision 2020 focuses on enabling mobile broadband networks to profitably deliver 1 gigabyte of personalized data per user per day by 2020. and network performance optimization and configuration. and improved resource sharing and pooling and higher resiliency. with functionality determined by shared software. That’s a 60-fold increase in total data consumption compared to today. Page 7 . Key developments are likely to include advanced re-farming for more efficient use of shared spectrum. 000-fold increase in data traffic by providing a clear path for adding macro capacity step-by-step. baseband modules. Much of the new LTE network will be focused initially on providing coverage and will comprise sites with three symmetric sectors for simplicity. or radiating elements. Page 8 . This enables beam forming in which the phase and amplitude of the signals from each radiating element inside the antenna are controlled electronically to boost site efficiency and performance. beyond 2015. With Single RAN products. One of the benefits of Single RAN is that legacy base station equipment can be re-used. Further capacity gains can then be achieved by implementing advanced software features from the Nokia Liquid Radio GSM. Typically. Creating two independent dynamic beams can deliver up to 65% more capacity. Operators can also split cells vertically by deploying active antennas which integrate several power amplifiers and transceivers with the antenna’s dipoles. which enables operators to avoid adding LTE RF modules. The steady evolution of Single RAN capabilities will continue this simplification and ensure that all hardware deployed will remain usable in the future to protect operator investments. Traditionally adding capacity to all RF technologies is achieved by adding radio technology specific RF modules. or are already rolling out. LTE base stations as well. Capacity-focused sites typically use three asymmetric sectors with some sectors providing greater capacity than others. HSPA and LTE Software Suites. the aim of Single RAN is to simplify the growing complexity of macro radio networks.How Single RAN helps to meet the capacity challenge Single RAN will have a key role in helping operators to meet the expected 1. operators will have legacy GSM and HSPA base stations and are planning to roll out. the capacity additions can also be implemented by common and shared modules. together with better coverage and higher data rates. controller modules and transport capacity as required. This path to greater capacity using the Single RAN concept enables operators to maximize their macro radio network investments and only when this has been achieved is there likely to be widespread deployment of small cell sites. for example an existing GSM RF module can be re-used in re-farming by GSM-LTE RF sharing. The next stage in adding capacity is to split cells horizontally into additional sectors. for example moving to a six-sector site which can boost capacity by up to 80% and coverage by up to 40% compared to existing three-sector sites. Ultimately. 000-fold increase in data traffic is valid for LTE. there is no need for huge baseband capacity. this is likely to change quickly and many LTE sites will need to evolve to larger capacities. as LTE is initially rolled out to provide basic coverage. which will experience only modest growth or in some markets no growth at all. Page 9 . it does not apply to GSM. However.Modular design One of the prerequisites for Single RAN is modularity. Modularity is increasingly needed because the RF technologies are developed independently by standardization (3GPP). A good example is that while the expected 1. because market needs differ and because technology requirements develop differently. Modularity enables affordable capacity expansions. Also. which enables operators to start with small configurations and scale up as markets grow. operators can perform re-farming in the macro layer. In the future more efficient software will squeeze GSM traffic into less bandwidth – our target is as little as 1 MHz ultimately with similar capacity and network quality. operators can expect better network quality to help reduce churn. 3: How the frequency band affects base station site coverage area Re-farming in a narrow GSM frequency band can be painful because the traditional way to introduce higher capacity after hitting the spectrum limit is to split the GSM base station sites by building a micro layer. Today. Similar and even greater benefits can also be expected with LTE re-farming.9 2100 60% 3.0 2 4 6 km2 8 10 12 Fig. In addition.2 EU800 0.Re-farming Re-farming some existing GSM frequencies with LTE and HSPA offers great savings and expanded business opportunities for operators.0 900 U850/U900 increases cell area by ~3 times with 50-70% fewer sites compared to U2100 9. which is much faster to do. Page 10 . In particular. and the actual network rollout is much simpler with Single RAN. implementing an additional HSPA RF module into the 900 MHz band instead of the 2100 MHz band may reduce the number of required base station sites by 70%. The Nokia solution also uses less GSM spectrum than other solutions and maintains high GSM network quality. This typically means a huge number of additional base station sites with lengthy roll-out and lower GSM network quality.8 MHz bandwidth. Typical coverage area of 3-sector site in suburban area 2600 TDD 2600 FDD 1.0 LTE1800 increases cell area by 2-3 times with 50-70% fewer sites compared to LTE2600 10. as well as higher data ARPU from HSPA subscribers than from GSM subscribers.2 1800 4. freeing up 35% of spectrum capacity for re-farming to HSPA and LTE for mobile broadband. This translates into a reduction in HSPA base station Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditure (OPEX).3 1. With Nokia Liquid Radio GSM Software Suite. Nokia Liquid Radio Software Suites enable GSM services to run the equivalent of 4+4+4 GSM RF module capacity in 3. the existing base station RF can now be used simultaneously for both GSM and LTE.RF sharing RF sharing is enabled by Single RAN base station hardware. but this has not materialized in commercial networks yet. possibly because the GSM frequency band is typically too narrow or fragmented for triple sharing. When the same spectrum is shared. This opens the door for re-farming because with a simple software upgrade. Current products also support triple sharing. depending on the frequency band. Two dedicated RF RF sharing LTE RF GSM RF WCDMA RF GSM RF Transport Backhaul sharing One shared RF LTE-GSM RF LTE WCDMA ATM GSM TDM WCDMA-GSM RF LTE WCDMA LTE RF WCDMA RF Fig. RF power and front haul transport can shared by different RF technologies and we can expect these capabilities to develop further in future product generations. or GSM and HSPA. 4: RF sharing examples Page 11 Three backhaul transport networks IP/Ethernet LTE-WCDMA RF GSM IP/Ethernet One shared backhaul . HSPA and LTE RF sharing is commercially available today. in practice changing from Single Carrier Power Amplifiers (SCPA) in GSM to Multi Carrier Power Amplifiers (MCPA) as used in LTE and HSPA networks. 7: Baseband miniaturization in steps Page 12 . design enables the same baseband hardware to be used for multiple RF technologies. plugging in one or two systemGSM sub-modules allows capacity to be scaled up two or three times without the need for a new system module.GSM SM Today.GSM GSM SM Fig.Baseband (system module) sharing The multipurpose Baseband. 6: Modular System ModuleTwo capacity upgrades LTE SM Evo Evo LTE.WCDMA all vendors’ baseband products support one RF technology at a time. Capacity upgrades by submodules Modular SM Six system modules less LTE SM 3xLTE FBBA 3xHSPA Triple RFGSM Baseband Sharing SM 3xGSM WCDMA SM One system module less adds also fronthaul capacity system modules less Fig. For example. GSM but SM baseband miniaturization will enable baseband module sharing to further reduce the number of modules and simplifying networks even more.WCDMA. Multipurpose System Module are Multiple Software Common System Module WCDMA SW GSM SW Software defined GSM or HSPA or LTE LTE SW Fig. adding capacity sub-modules and by WCDMA 1xLTE more chaining additional modules.WCDMA. with one software platform at a time. or System Module. Baseband processing upgrades capacity can be expanded SM/RF by remote software upgrades. Triple RF Baseband Sharing Baseband for triple RF Two system modules less LTE SM WCDMA SM Evo LTE. 5: Multipurpose Baseband Modular capacity upgrades TheModular modularRFBaseband design enables an operator to start with small Simple capacity configurations (coverage) and scale up asRFmarkets grow (capacity upgrades LTEin steps). which will simplify installation and maintenance operations. However. Nokia Liquid Applications is a first example of generalized computing capabilities added to a commercial baseband solution. Orchestration of these resources will be further simplified using well known tools like virtualization. cloud technologies will make Single RAN more flexible and more efficient. integrating all future RATs. Baseband pooling Traditional BTS site RF OBSAI/CPRI SM BTS dedicated baseband BTS site RF RF Shared Baseband pool OBSAI/CPRI SM Fig. sectors. a dominating driver for Centralized RAN is expected to be optimized radio network performance and the related OPEX savings for baseband equipment. This applies to the control components of the network as well as the baseband. new opportunities for pooling resources will arise by using the distributed baseband architecture in place today. allowing innovations to lead to more optimized architectures. including the Single RAN component. for example for multiple base stations in a local datacenter. antennas and even small cells as remote radio heads. low latency fiber optics required between the centralized baseband and RF transceivers. can increase baseband resource efficiency further than is currently possible at macro sites. spectra. Hence.Baseband pooling Increasingly. As the pool of resources deployed from macro sites becomes very high. The baseband will become increasingly flexible to enable processing resources to be dynamically allocated and shared to improve the end-user experience and network performance. 8: Conventional distributed baseband architecture versus centralized baseband pool Page 13 . These will embrace a mix of hardware technologies to deliver uncompromised performance while enabling the required flexibility. additional savings are typically minor because of the necessary high capacity. Centralized baseband processing (pool). compared to 10 Gbps in backhaul. thus eliminating the need for TDM transport links for GSM and ATM transport links for HSPA. This could be front haul solutions based on Ethernet and optical transport networks to achieve rates as high as 10/40 Gbps. One caveat here though is that the use of front haul interfaces like OBSAI and CPRI place capacity restrictions on the baseband pool and we see a need to develop more flexible and higher capacity. Transport Backhaul sharing LTE Three backhaul transport networks IP/Ethernet WCDMA ATM GSM TDM LTE WCDMA GSM IP/Ethernet One shared backhaul Fig. HSPA and LTE. 10: Transport sharing in backhaul Page 14 OBSAI/CPRI Shared Baseband pool OBSAI/CPRI SM . 9: Evolving front haul transport sharing will further simplify networks Transport sharing in backhaul Transport backhaul sharing aims to simplify the network by moving to one shared IP/Ethernet transport that can support GSM. Baseband pooling Traditional BTS site Transport Fronthaul Sharing Three fronthaul fibres LTE RF OBSAI/CPRI RF WCDMA RF OBSAI/CPRI SM GSM RF OBSAI/CPRI BTS dedicated baseband BTS site LTE RF WCDMA RF GSM RF New fronthaul One shared fibre RF RF Fig.Further simplification of the network will be achieved by moving from separate front haul links for each radio technology to a single shared front haul cable combined with shared RF modules. where coverage is the primary design criterion for radio network deployment. since only one set of new sites needs to be acquired and built. In remote and rural areas. 11: Network sharing example: MOCN Page 15 . MOCN is the most suitable RAN sharing method when there is insufficient spectrum. Network roll-out and time-to-market also speed up. including Multi Operator RAN (MORAN) and Multi Operator Core Networks (MOCN) functionality. Spectrum re-farming may significantly reduce the set of frequencies allocated to GSM. Nokia provides network sharing solutions for all 3GPP-defined radio technologies (GSM. As a result. significant CAPEX savings are easily achievable by sharing the RAN between two or more operators.Network sharing The sharing of the RAN between two or more operators has been shown to be an effective way to increase operational efficiency and reduce the cost of delivering mobile broadband by up to 50%. HSPA and LTE) in any combination. The Key difference between MORAN and MOCN is the frequency band which is dedicated for MORAN and shared in the case of MOCN. Operator A PLMN ‘124’ SIB1: PLMN ‘124’ SIB1:’ PLMN ‘344’ MME SAE-GW Base Station Operator B PLMN ‘344’ MME SAE-GW Fig. aligned capabilities for all RF technologies at the base station site. product architecture. for example. O&M configuration management and testing as an essential part of Single RAN evolution. software management. The evolution of the Single RAN base station is likely to see substantial software development to bring new.Single RAN base station architecture evolution A key advantage of Single RAN is its use of software to define the functions of the multi-purpose hardware. 12: Single RAN base station architecture evolution steps Page 16 Target BM TRS RF ASW •  Single RAN SW release •  Single RAN SW package •  Single RAN SW download •  Dynamic inter RAT capacity pooling . Today Example of an intermediate step TRS BM ASW ASW BM ASW RF Evo TRS TRS BM ASW •  Independent RAT SW releases •  Independent RAT SW packages •  Independent RAT SW downloads RF Evo BM ASW •  Single RAN SW release •  Single RAN SW package •  Independent RAT SW downloads Legend TRS = Transport functionality BM = BTS management functionality ASW = RAT application SW Fig. This requires changes in. thereby providing a very straightforward technology migration path and maximizing return on investment. 13: Multicontroller scales according to location-specific capacity needs As traffic demand grows. as subscriber usage patterns change over time. Similarly.Multicontroller Also coming under the umbrella of Single RAN is the radio network controller function required by GSM and HSPA radio technologies. the Multicontroller hardware can be readily reconfigured from GSM to HSPA. multicontroller capacity can be easily scaled up and with investments in-line with business needs. BTS site RNC site Scalable capacity Core network site Scalable capacity Scalable capacity CS Core PS Core Fig. 14: Multicontroller hardware can be re-purposed for mcRNC functionality Page 17 RNC mode modules BSC mode modules . RNC mode modules BSC mode modules 3G capacity requirements GSM capacity requirements Fig. A multicontroller uses common modular hardware with software-based configurations to meet varying traffic profiles. or controller. Ultimately this means that Multicontrollers will be easier to site and cheaper to run than their forebears. not only would this additional network element increase LTE network complexity. typical configurations can handle traditional RNC site capacity with only 70% of capacity being used and in less than 10% of the volume. reducing any potential benefits of a centralized LTE scheduler. but this requires further investigation. 3GPP standardization for LTE radio access eliminates the need for a controller network element. Page 18 . For example.Using the latest multifunctional hardware leads to designs that are far more space efficient than traditional controllers. In addition. could improve cell edge performance. Current Nokia Flexi Multiradio Base Stations are already ready to implement such central coordination functionality and to integrate small cells both as remote radio heads and via X2 connectivity for optimal HetNet performance. The current understanding is that centralized LTE scheduling and a new controller network element could be beneficial in the small cells layer. the geographical deployment of the BSC/RNC might differ from the LTE centralized scheduler considerably. There is some industry discussion that implementing a centralized LTE scheduler. However. but the same gains in cell edge performance can be achieved today more cost effectively by smart scheduling software within and between LTE base stations. The award-winning Nokia Flexi Zone architecture is one additional example where a cluster of small cells can be software upgraded and enhanced with servercapable controller functionality as capacity needs increase. but not in the macro base station layer. because the controller functions are split between the LTE base station and LTE core network. Unlike GSM and HSPA. together with an alignment of the feature sets for each radio technology. operated and managed separately for different RF technologies. backhaul. self-optimization and self-healing capabilities. A common O&M solution allows evolution to a single operations approach.Single RAN Operations and Management Currently. Single RAN is configured. Single RAN BTS Site Management Evo Traditional LTE WCDMA GSM BTS’s Single RAN BTS Fig. also simplifies operations for network-wide functionalities. This will evolve to a integrated Operations and Management (O&M) solution that aligns the management of all the components of a Single RAN implementation for the highest overall performance by providing a single entity for visualization and operations. by introducing self-configuration. One O&M solution also ensures a seamless view across different technologies to manage one high quality network without unnecessary boundaries This. Furthermore. 15: Evolving from traditional base station management to Single RAN base station management Page 19 . controllers and security components. reducing the need for radio access specific processes and different tools. a Single RAN network can become self-aware and intelligent with less manual intervention needed. such as load balancing and gives operators full flexibility to manage traffic as required. With Automated Neighbor Relations (ANR). Analysis and Configuration Also. The vast number of base stations and cells in a typical multi-technology network lead to a high level of work. 16: iSON for Single RAN benefits Page 20 . need attention. when a new base station is introduced. Automation Workforce GSM GSM+WCDMA GSM+WCDMA+LTE Fig. iSON even delivers energy savings by automatically making parts of the network inactive during a quiet period. The configuration time of a new base station is reduced from hours to just a few minutes. the base station recognizes and organizes itself with the best-quality neighbor cells.As Single RAN combines different radio technologies and different frequency bands. By contrast. iSON selfconfiguration helps operators to roll out networks much faster. This is where Self Organizing Networks (SON) bring great benefits. regardless of the technology. iSON Selfoptimization maintains the highest network quality despite changing conditions of traffic load. inter-radio performance. network expansion and user behavior. iSON’s fault resolution process greatly helps to improve network performance at the small and large scales. such as load balancing and hand-over quality. For example. iSON also supports the automated secure provisioning of base stations: a certificate authority using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) ensures only operator-authorized base stations can access the network. Nokia Intelligent SON (iSON) ensures that the highest possible network quality is achieved with minimum effort by operating personnel. This ensures high quality end-user service. Over the last two years the largest network operators have reported a growth of 15-35% in their network energy use. this can be up to 50% with a high number of off-grid sites. a Single RAN base station consumes up to 60% less energy compared to traditional single technology base stations.55W per served cell. 6000 5000 4000 60% LTE 1+1+1@40+40W 3G 1+1+1@40W GSM 4+4+4@15W 3000 2000 1000 0 UltraSite+FMR 10BTS FMR 10BTS Fig. With Single RAN capable base stations. makes networks much more energy efficient than with traditional controllers. For example.Energy efficiency In mature markets. Operators adding overlay LTE base station sites have seen that base station site energy consumption is increased typically by 20%. Field implementations prove that removing air conditioning systems cuts an additional 30% off a base station site’s energy consumption. Page 21 . the rise in energy consumption caused by the LTE rollout can be reduced by modernizing the old GSM and HSPA base station components. In developing markets. Generally. Starting at the base station site. Another 20% is dissipated in power systems. Before discussing the opportunities for improvement it is important to first identify the main factors influencing energy consumption in radio access sites. leaving around 50% of the site’s energy consumption to run the base station itself. up to 30% of the energy entering a site will often be consumed by site level facilities such as cooling. 17: How LTE upgrades and modernization of base station sites affect energy consumption Similarly the modernization of existing RNC and BSC network elements with a Multicontroller platform consuming as little as 0. 10%-15% of network OPEX is used on energy. unlike most legacy base station sites. modern base stations do not need air conditioning. refarming is an effective way to reduce energy consumption. Such solutions may contribute considerable additional energy savings. Re-farming can raise network data throughput and capacity in GSM spectrum by ten times. Adaptive beam forming raises energy efficiency even further. for example upgrading to six sectors. Page 22 .High order sectorization. for example for providing energy-efficient coverage in rural areas. Should the existing GSM RF module in the 900 MHz band support GSM/HSPA RF sharing. This makes network sharing especially effective in areas with low traffic density. Future technologies. This is doubling capacity per Watt consumed and creates the foundation for baseband pools that can be shared efficiently by different RATs • Load-based improvements in RF power amplifier efficiency by optimizing operations according to energy consumption • Network traffic based shutdown of excessive capacity or a second radio access technology overlay will save energy during low traffic periods • Energy savings can be achieved in dedicated LTE bands by disabling the RF power amplifier for very short periods when no OFDM symbols are being transmitted. Active Antenna Systems (AAS) support vertical sectorization (also called 3D beam forming) and avoid the typical 3 dB feeder losses of conventional sites. As data traffic grows and extra RF module capacity is needed. such as Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO) and Massive MIMO. Adding a new HSPA RF module in the 900 MHz frequency band instead of at 2100 MHz can result in up to 70% fewer base station sites. Deployment studies of live networks show that savings due to network sharing can be 10-20% of the access network energy consumption. There are several other opportunities to further improve base station site energy efficiency: • The processing capacity of baseband processors is doubling every 18 months. creating up to 70% lower energy consumption. However. Nokia’s target is to flatten total mobile network energy consumption despite the anticipated traffic growth. then an additional 20% energy savings are possible. it is important to note that these network sharing gains are highest when there is low average network utilization. can provide up to 80% more capacity for the same total RF power because of higher gain dual beam antennas with more focused beams. will deploy arrays of hundreds of small antennas for very fine granular beam steering to sharply focus the radio energy into small areas to avoid wasting energy on spaces where coverage is not needed. high-capacity base station on the market and a superb solution for Single RAN. with re-farming and RF sharing being the most popular applications.Nokia Single RAN Advanced Nokia began deliveries of the world’s first commercial Single RAN product. WCDMA/HSPA+. HSPA and LTE. Integrated System Module and RF Module Integrated transport interfaces for E1 and Ethernet Output power up to 3 x 60W MCPA Expandable with Flexi modules for LTE/WCDMA Powered by Liquid Radio Software Suites Fig. three-sector macro base station with integrated baseband and transport functions. 18: Nokia Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station Nokia Flexi Compact Base Station The industry’s first single module. with pole. The Nokia Single RAN Advanced portfolio comprises the following six components: Nokia Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station This is the smallest software-defined. for Elisa Finland. Currently. multi-technology. the Flexi Multiradio Base Station. Software-de ned for GSM. Today. 19: Nokia Flexi Compact Base Station Page 23 . without the need for a separate cabinet. Nokia has achieved close 100 LTE/HSPA re-farming network references. in 2008 which was deployed in the same year in the world’s first commercial HSPA re-farmed network. tower top and side wall mounting. LTE/LTE-A Industry leading 10 Gbps BTS platform capacity LTE-A capable 4 Gbps world record data speed Pay-as-you grow with capacity sub-modules Powered by Liquid Radio Software Suites Fig. while only one system module type is needed for GSM. close 300 mobile operators around the world use the Nokia Single RAN Advanced solution.in rural. urban and hotspot locations. Flexi Multiradio RF modules delivered since 2008 support RF sharing application software. Its low cost single module design fits everywhere . The deployment of LTE requires a new high capacity IP/Ethernet transport network which increases complexity and costs. each RF technology has had its own transport network. TDM for GSM and ATM or IP/Ethernet for HSPA. and sharing IP/Ethernet transport network is a very natural step.Nokia Single RAN Transport solution Traditionally. 21: Overview of Nokia IPSec end-to-end solution Page 24 SAE-GW Security Gateway (SGW) CSPnet Internet . high capacity and secure IP/ Ethernet backhaul solution for GSM. Typically operators will consider modernizing their GSM and HSPA base stations when they roll out LTE to reduce costs and complexity. 20: Nokia Single Transport Solution Core network Secure IPSec tunnel SGW Base Station Cert Certificate Authority Fig. HSPA and LTE technologies. Common and secure backhaul transport QoS aware Ethernet switching or IP routing Transport termination sharing Pay-as-you grow with transport sub-modules Fully integrated to Flexi Base Stations and Multicontroller Fig. Nokia Single RAN transport solution consists of fully Flexi Base Station and Multicontroller integrated shared. With our solution there is no need for separate cabinets or many O&M solutions for backhaul transport supervision. further optimize their radio equipment use.Nokia Multicontroller platform The industry’s first modular and compact Multicontroller platform is a field-proven radio network controller for GSM and HSPA. the roll out of mobile broadband services is easier and more cost-efficient. HSPA and GSM encompass a variety of innovative applications. 23: Nokia Liquid Radio GSM Software Suite helps to squeeze GSM into less spectrum Page 25 . For subscribers. Liquid Radio GSM Software Suite GSM spectrum Squeeze GSM traffic GSM LTE/WCDMA GSM Fig. The Multicontroller can be configured easily and when necessary reconfigured to meet the demands of virtually any traffic mix. with re-farming. The software suites allow operators to make their network more fluid. a competitive advantage. enabling easier and more cost-effective LTE and HSPA re-farming. Through simple software upgrades. Moreover. the software suites effectively increase the network capacity and help operators to balance the use of spectrum and networks more efficiently and thus optimize their expenditure. designed to deliver flexibility and with it. Compact form factor Multipurpose technology platform for GSM and WCDMA High scalability & Flexible allocation of processing power Very high reliability and resilience Powered by Liquid Radio Software Suites Fig. improve network efficiency and get more out of their spectrum. The Suite also helps operators to re-farm more quickly and with less spectrum than ever before. The Nokia Liquid Radio GSM Software Suite helps operators to compress existing GSM network traffic into less spectrum. this leads to a superior mobile broadband experience. potentially helping to increase revenues by enabling faster re-farming. 22: Nokia Multicontroller platform Nokia Liquid Radio Software Suites Nokia Liquid Radio Software Suites for LTE. 24: The Nokia single RAN Advanced portfolio overview True control over complex networks Today. network sharing and spectrum sharing. cheaper. Single RAN supports multiple sharing options like RF sharing. higher capacity. Page 26 GSM . transport sharing.Flexi Multiradio 10 BTS Products Multicontroller LTE-A HSPA+ GSM Single RAN Transport GSM WCDMA Common IP/Ethernet Backhaul for GSM. In the future. end-to-end security is embedded into the evolving Single RAN Advanced solution. WCDMA. We can expect Single RAN networks to become even easier to install and maintain. secure and simpler to operate and to enable smooth evolution to new technologies like HSPA+ and LTE-A which provide further opportunities for operator growth and true business control. Single RAN networks will be even simpler as hardware and software developments progress to enable completely new ways to share hardware dynamically and in the cloud. LTE Flexi Compact BTS GSM LTE * WCDMA * Refarming Solutions RF sharing Software One purpose LTE SW & HW GSM SW & HW Liquid Radio GSM Software Suite GSM spectrum Shared Squeeze GSM traffic LTE & GSM SW GSM LTE/WCDMA * See availability from LTE/WCDMA roadmaps Fig. such as baseband pooling. In addition. Multiple-Output Multi Operator Core Networks Multi Operator RAN Operations and Management Open Base Station Architecture Initiative Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Operational Expenditure Public Key Infrastructure Quality of Service Radio Access Network Radio Access Technology Radio Frequency Radio Network Controller Single Carrier Power Amplifier Self Organizing Networks Time Division Multiplexing Wideband Code Division Multiple Access .Abbreviations 3GPP AAS ANR ARPU ATM BSC BTS CAPEX CPRI FD-MIMO GSM HSPA IP IPsec iSON LTE LTE-A MCPA MIMO MOCN MORAN O&M OBSAI OFDM OPEX PKI QoS RAN RAT RF RNC SCPA SON TDM HSPA Page 27 Third Generation Partnership Project Active Antenna System Automated Neighbor Relations Average Revenue per User Asynchronous Transfer Mode Base Station Controller Base Transceiver Station Capital Expenditure Common Public Radio Interface Full Dimensional MIMO Global System for Mobile Communications High Speed Internet Protocol Internet Protocol Security Nokia Intelligent SON Long Term Evolution LTE Advanced Multi Carrier Power Amplifier Mulitple-Input. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks or trade names of their respective owners.Nokia is a registered trademark of Nokia Corporation. Box 1 FI-02022 Finland Visiting address: Karaportti 3. ESPOO. Finland Switchboard +358 71 400 4000 Product code C401-01007-WP-201406-1-EN © Nokia Solutions and Networks 2014 .O. Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy P.