Connecting the urban metropolis with

self-organising MP2MP wireless backhaul

Eric Wilson, Head of Business Development

Cambridge Wireless Small Cell SIG

24 September 2015

2

Metnet solution overview

• Fully self-organising

• Multipoint-to-multipoint

• No frequency planning

• No antenna alignment

• Simple installation

• Small form factor

• High capacity, low latency

• Very low CAPEX and OPEX

3

The world’s first self-organising

small cell microwave backhaul

• Up to 16 links per node

• Hybrid deployment

– Mesh

– Point-to-multipoint

– Point-to-point

• Fully self-organising

– Self-healing

– Interference aware

4

Self-organising small cell backhaul

2 fibre sites, 22 Metnet nodes99 possible links

20 active traffic links with S-TDMA

China South Africa UKUSA

Growing deployment experience

• Frequencies: 26 and 28GHz

• Latency: Min 40μs, average 150μs

• Capacity (112MHz channel)

– Single node: 480 Mbps

– Dual node: 960 Mbps

– Single node >1 Gbps (GA 2016)

• Synchronisation

– GPS-derived, SyncE, 1588v2 (TC, BC)

– Can pass sync timing to local device

Node features and performance

7

Urban outdoor small cell backhaul

Macro cell Metnet HG node

Fibre PoPMetnet node

Small cell

8

Smart cities

Macro cell Metnet HG node

Fibre PoPMetnet node

Small cell

Traffic

sensor

Surveillance

camera

Public WiFi

access point

9

Internet

Enterprise/indoor small cell backhaul

Indoor

small cells

WiFi

access point

Metnet node

on rooftop

Ethernet

switch

Wireless

devices

Wired

devices

10

AND NOW……urban outdoor C-RAN fronthaul!

Macro cell Metnet HG node

Fibre PoPMetnet node

C-RAN RRH

C-RAN

baseband pool

11

Evolution to HetNets

• Multi-layered mix of radio access technologies

• Different frequency bands

• Licensed/unlicensed spectrum

• Complex challenge of managing integration

• May be best supported through split RAN architecture with

centralised and distributed elements

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PHYMAC

RF

RRH

PNF

Services

VNF

S1/X2

SON

OAM

APPS

RRC

PDCPRLC

Upper

MACLower

MAC

Upper

PHY

Lower

PHY

PNF

PNF

PNF

PNF

PNF

Conventional distributed eNB

PDCP/RLC based VNF

RLC/MAC based decomposition

Split MAC based decomposition

MAC/PHY based decomposition

Split PHY based decomposition

Baseline macro: CPRI decomposition

Source: Small Cell Forum

Possible LTE base station decompositions Metnet supports Small Cell Forum’s MAC/PHY split

Metnet meets

requirements

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Fronthaul transport options

Use case One-way latency DL bandwidth UL bandwidth

PDCP-RLC Non-ideal – 30ms 151Mbps 48Mbps

RLC-MAC Sub-ideal – 6ms 151Mbps 48Mbps

Split MAC Sub ideal – 6ms 151Mbps 49Mbps

MAC-PHY Ideal – 250μs; Near ideal – 2ms 152Mbps 49Mbps

PHY Split I Ideal – 250μs; Near ideal – 2ms 173Mbps 452Mbps

PHY Split II Ideal – 250μs; Near ideal – 2ms 933Mbps 903Mbps

PHY Split III Ideal – 250μs; Near ideal – 2ms 1075Mbps 922Mbps

PHY Split IIIb Ideal – 250μs; Near ideal – 2ms 1966Mbps 1966Mbps

PHY Split IV Ideal – 250μs 2457.6Mbps 2457.6Mbps

Source: Small Cell Forum

Metnet meets

requirements

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Metnet fronthaul trial

• C-RAN vendor tested Metnet as

fronthaul to provide LTE service

• 4 Metnet nodes tested with 2 RRHs

• Rooftop and street-level installations

• Approx 50 metres apart in LOS

conditions

• Topologies tested: PTP, PTMP, relay

RRH locations

Alternative LOS routes

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Metnet fronthaul trial results

• No impact to performance for capacity, packet delay, latency and jitter

• Meets C-RAN vendor’s KPIs for fronthaul transmission

• Further testing planned

Vendor’s fronthaul requirements CCS Metnet

Latency 10’s of milliseconds Passed

Bandwidth 110Mbps Exceeded

BER <10-6 Passed

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Does C-RAN mean the end for small cells?

• Defer architecture question to RAN experts

• From transmission perspective:

– Similar challenges for fronthaul as backhaul

– How to connect remote equipment to the core?

– Transmission must be high capacity, low cost, resilient, plug & play,

adaptable, easy to scale…

– Flexible, self-organising and self-healing is most effective

• Pragmatic C-RAN architecture split (per SCF recommendation)

makes microwave-based links feasible

• Recommend adoption of SCF proposal for more flexible options to

connect RRH to core network

The world’s first self-organising

small cell microwave backhaul

www.ccsl.com