Meeting the Demands of LTE

LTE Test Webinar:

Meeting the Demands of LTE

A Test & Measurement World Editorial Webcast

Meeting the Demands of LTE

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Meeting the Demands of LTE

Welcome!
Todays Panelists are:
Chris Pearson, 4G Americas Ngwa Shusina, Aeroflex Janine Love, Moderator for T&MW

Meeting the Demands of LTE

Welcome! Briefly set the stage for us. What is the global status of mobile broadband including HSPA+, LTE, LTE-A? How close are we to actually achieving the anticipated performance?

Meeting the Demands of LTE

Mobile Broadband Deployment Status

HSPA

476 networks in 181 countries

HSPA+
LTE

233 networks in 113 countries

143 @21 Mbps - 7 @ 28 Mbps - 83@42 Mbps

100 networks in 49 countries 342 networks planned or in trial

LTE-Advanced

Launches planned for 2013

www.4gamericas.org

Meeting the Demands of LTE

What are operators major challenges ?

Meeting the Demands of LTE

Wireless Operators Challenge

US FCC NBP: Need 300 MHz by 2015 A total of 500 MHz by 2020

Network Congestion

Keeping up with Mobile Broadband Demand

Spectrum
Efficiency in Deploying New Technologies
ITU: Countries in the Americas will need an additional 557997 MHz by 2020

Economies of Scale and Scope

7

www.4gamericas.org

Meeting the Demands of LTE

What technical advancements are enabling progress in mobile broadband?

Meeting the Demands of LTE

LTE-Advanced

Technology Evolution LTE-Advanced Brings Multiple Improvements

Leverage wider bandwidth
Carrier aggregation across multiple carriers and multiple bands

Leverage more radio links, more antennas

Downlink MIMO up to 8x8, Enhanced Multi User MIMO Uplink MIMO up to 4x4

Leverage heterogeneous network topology

(HetNet)

Small cell deployments (femto, pico, micro) using advanced interference management

www.4gamericas.org

Meeting the Demands of LTE

Many designers are working with MIMO for the first time, what are some of the specific challenges they face?

Meeting the Demands of LTE

MIMO

Overview

Cell-ID A 2 transmit antennas

Allows multiple streams to be transmitted at the same time. Can be Downlink (DL) or Uplink (UL).
UE-IDy

en

nd

pe

en

td

Enables increased data rates i.e. 300Mbps in DL for Rel-8/9 UEs using 4x4 technology in the Downlink. MIMO was also introduced in the UL for Rel-10 UEs and can support up 4x4.

st re td at a de in

am

2 Receive antennas

2n d

in

de

st

pe

nd

at a

st re

am

When is MIMO used

Used to better manage network resources, e.g. MIMO in preference of more component carriers for Rel-10 UEs MIMO is enabled when the channel conditions are sufficiently good i.e. good SNR conditions

Meeting the Demands of LTE MIMO

challenges

The eNobeB has to select parameters that provide optimum conditions to enable peak data rates. The parameter selection is vendor specific and so the algorithms used can affect overall performance.
o How do the algorithms react to the channel status information from the UE. o Do the algorithms work well in low, medium and high mobility conditions.

What is the performance with different system bandwidths?

How do we overcome MIMO challenges

Having the right test equipment is key:
o Rich test features e.g. provision to override channel status parameters from the UE to adequately test the eNodeB algorithms. o Provision of realistic channel conditions to emulate the channel conditions seen between the eNodeB and UE.

Meeting the Demands of LTE

When testing an LTE product or network, how do you predict how a system will behave?

Meeting the Demands of LTE Challenges

of predicting network behavior

Network behavior can reasonably be predicted in lab conditions and if a small number of UEs are attached to the network. The unpredictability of network behavior rises in high load conditions; notably in the following scenarios:
o Millions of M2M devises attached to the network.

o Thousands of UEs attached to the network and running different applications e.g. VoIP, HTTP, FTP.
o UEs are influenced by different mobility conditions.

Unpredictability of network behaviour becomes more likely as number of UEs increase

10-100s of UEs

Single UE

1000s of UEs

Meeting the Demands of LTE

What can we do to manage unpredictability?

Meeting the Demands of LTE

Testing, testing, testing!!! Emulate test scenarios that can cause unpredictable behaviour e.g.
o High numbers of UEs trying to connect to the network at the same time.
o High numbers of handovers with same and different RATs

Simply emulating is not enough!

o Need to use Real world conditions e.g. use Real world traffic profiles that are configurable and can be applied differently per UE. o Emulate realistic channel/mobility conditions that will stress test the network performance

Does the testing provide key information to identify network issues?

o A rich set of low & high level KPIs are necessary to identify problems e.g. at the UE and cell level o KPIs should be presented is a way that can enable faster trouble-shooting. o A myriad of test features are necessary for good test coverage.

Meeting the Demands of LTE

What should be a design team's major concerns when testing/debugging a LTE/LTE-A system before field trials?

Meeting the Demands of LTE

Testing LTE/LTE-A ahead

of field trials

LTE/LTE-A consists of several layers of complexity

o Lower and higher layers respectively concerned with the modulation/demodulation and signalling between the UE and network.

Each layer needs to be tested individually

o Functional testing first in lab conditions to identify software and hardware bugs and also discrepancies with the 3GPP standard.

Testing all layers

o This enables testing as a system to ensure correct inter-operability between the layers. o Testing in the lab does not always highlight problems experienced in field trials!

Testing in realistic & Real world conditions.

o This is a very important step that eventually determines the behaviour and performance of the system in the field. o A major concern is having the right test equipment with adequate test features to reproduce Real World conditions and stress test the network, thereby emulating true conditions experienced in the field.

Meeting the Demands of LTE

LTE Test Webinar: Meeting the Demands of LTE

Questions ? Time for Todays Live Q&A

Meeting the Demands of LTE

About Aeroflex Aeroflex Incorporated is a leading global provider of high performance microelectronic components and test and measurement equipment used by companies in the space, avionics, defense, commercial wireless communications, medical and other markets.

About Aeroflex LTE and LTE-A Expertise Aeroflex LTE leadership started with the delivery of test systems in 2007 and now continues with a complete range of end-to-end test systems that cover R&D, performance, service, and manufacturing test applications for LTE TDD and FDD network equipment and terminals.

Meeting the Demands of LTE

Thank you!
Thanks to our speakers today:
Chris Pearson, 4G Americas. Ngwa Shusina, Aeroflex Janine Love, Moderator for T&MW

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