10

4G Network Planning
10.1

INTRODUCTION TO 4G MOBILE NETWORKS

With the third-generation network deployment yet to pick up speed, fourth-generation

technology is already in view. If the predictions of the mobile industry experts prove to be
true, fourth-generation network deployment may start at any time in the coming decade.
Trials have already being conducted by some mobile operators and vendors. But why is
this 4G technology needed when 3G networks seem to be sufficient to cater for subscriber
demands for high data rates and quality of service?
The answer is that present 3G capability is considered to be substantially less than predicted future requirements and applications. Also, future systems should be much cheaper
for consumers. Thus, the concepts can be summarized as:
Fourth-generation networks will provide subscribers with a higher bandwidth and a
mobile data rate of lOOMbps and more.
It is expected that third-generation networks will not be able to meet the needs of services
like video-conferencing, full motion video etc. in terms of QoS.
There will be greater mobility and lower costs.
It will be possible to integrate WLAN and WAN.
Moreover, fourth-generation networks will not be by-product only of the mobile industry!
The first research began around the early 1990s so as to develop technology that could
cater for very high data rates, with simultaneous guaranteed QoS. The technology may see
some peculiar features, such as cell phones operating in very high speed vehicles (e.g. trains
running at more than 200km/h). Present subscriber requirements include downloading
videos and music etc., but the future seems to be moving towards applications like online games that demand immense capacity, greater QoS and very low costs! In short, a
Fundamentals of Cellular Network Planning & Optimisation A.R. Mishra.
2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN: 0-470-86267-X

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Table 1 0.1 Comparison of 3G and 4G network technologies

Key features

3G networks

4G networks

Data rate
Frequency band
Bandwidth
Switching technique

384 kbps to 2 Mbps

1.8-2.4 GHz
5 MHz
Circuit- and packet-switched

Radio access technology

IP

WCDMA, CDMA-2000 etc.

IPv4.0, IPv5.0, IPv6.0

20- 100 Mbps

2-8 GHz
About 100 MHz
Completely digital with
packet voice
OFDMA, MC-CDMA etc.
IPv6.0

4G system must be capable of providing highly efficient and cost-effective solutions for
wireless network users.
Table 10.1 gives a comparison of few key features of 3G and 4G technologies.

10.2

KEY TECHNOLOGIES FOR FOURTH-GENERATION NETWORKS

Although there are a few technologies vying for the top stop for fourth-generation networks,
OFDM and MC-CDMA may turn out to be the key competitors for the physical interface,
and All-IP and WLAN for the upper layers. This section introduces OFDM (orthogonal
frequency-division multiplexing) for the air-interface and All-IP for the upper layer. Later
in the chapter, an overview of WLAN systems and network planning is given.
10.2.1 Orthogonal Frequency-division Multiplexing
OFDM is a frequency-division multiplexing technique that is used to transmit large amounts
of data on a radio signal. Basically, a 'big' radio signal is subdivided into smaller signals
and then transmitted to the receiver using different frequencies.
It is thought that OFDM will be able to fulfil the three most important requirements
of 4G mobile networks: higher coverage and capacity, with desired QoS at minimum
cost.
The biggest advantage of the OFDM technique is the mutual orthogonality of its carriers,
which provides a high spectral efficiency. This is possible because there is no guard band
and carriers can be packed very close together. Most of the alternative techniques require
guard bands. In OFDM, even without a guard band, there is no interference because the
carriers are orthogonal. The spectrum for OFDM lies between 200 MHz and about 3.5 GHz,
with a spectral efficiency of about 1 bit/s/Hz.
Coverage in CDMA systems is limited by the phenomenon of cell breathing (described
elsewhere in this book), as an increasing number of users decreases the area covered owing
to an increase in interference. In an OFDM system, the cell overlay technique is used (similar
to that in GSM), thereby reducing co-channel interference.
Network planning for an OFMD system is quite similar to that for GSM/GPRS. This is
because frequency re-use is reintroduced (unlike in WCDMA, where the frequency re-use
factor was 1, theoretically). For this reason, the power control feature in OFDM networks is

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NETWORKS

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Figure 10.1 Capacity increase using MIMO antenna systems

not as essential as in WDCMA networks. In WCDMA radio networks, power control and
spread spectrum are required for reducing interference. In OFDM radio networks, accurate
estimation of frequency offset is required.
Increasing the number of transmitting and receiving antennas can increase capacity. Multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) antenna systems can be used, as shown in
Figure 10.1.
Network planning for OFDM networks is simpler than for CDMA networks. OFDM
reduces the amount of crosstalk in signal transmissions. Thus, in a nutshell, we can see that
OFDM clearly has an edge over CDMA, making it the preferred air-interface technology
for future mobile networks.
10.2.2 All-IP Networks
Structure
The All-IP network has been tipped as the most probable technology to be synonymous
with fourth-generation networks. A simplified All-IP network is shown in Figure 10.2.
The most important difference between the All-IP network and existing 2G and 3G
networks is in the functionality of the RNC and BSC, which is now distributed to the BTS
and a set of servers and gateways. Various elements in this network are described below.

Figure 10.2 Example of an All-IP network

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IP-BTS: The functionality of the IP base station in this network is more than the functionality of base stations seen in earlier chapters. This base station performs also as a
mini-RNC/BSC, generally capable of performing layer 1, 2 and 3 functions. There are
two types: serving BTS and drift BTS (equivalent to serving RNC and drift RNC in a
WCDMA radio network).
(IP) servers: The IP base station is not capable of performing all the RNC/BSC functions,
which are of network level. These servers handle the signalling between the network
elements. They are capable also of auto-tuning the parameters of the radio network,
leading to better utilization of radio resources. As there are multiple technologies to be
handled, a common server improves the performance and efficiency of the network in
comparison with separate servers for each of the radio interfaces.
Gateways (GW): These are responsible for the interaction of the IP-RAN and IP-Core
networks. They are usually of two types, CS-GW and PS-GW, based on the type of call
(circuit-switched or packet-switched) it is capable of handling.
Network Planning for the All-IP Network
Network planning covers the access (transmission) network and the packet core network.
Figure 10.3 shows a small box with the core network as a subset of the packet core network,
indicating that voice traffic will still be a part of mobile communications, but it will travel
on the packet core network (as opposed to the circuit core in 2G and 3G networks).

Figure 10.3 Network planning for an All-IP network

Process and Protocol Overview

The transmission network planning process is similar to that discussed in Chapter 8. The
process thus starts with dimensioning and pre-planning, followed by detailed planning and
implementation. The main steps in pre-planning will be:
dimensioning the number of network elements such as IP base stations, servers, PS- (and
CS-) core network elements etc.
dimensioning the capacities of 'open' interfaces
tackling inter-operability issues between the GSM/UMTS/WLAN networks.
Transmission and core network planning are more dependent on each other compared
with 3G network planning. As the data traffic will be higher in quantity and quality, delay
study will constitute an important part of the planning process.

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Figure 10.4 Protocol structure in an All-IP network

The major change in the transmission network is the use of All-IP for the flow of traffic.
Third-generation transmission networks use an ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) layer for
the flow of traffic, while an All-IP network will not have an ATM layer (see Figure 10.4).
The major impact of this on transmission network dimensioning is reduced overheads.
Overheads in the data link layer will depend on the media. The IP (version 6) layer takes
over from ATM layer in these networks.
10.2.3 Wireless Local-area Networks
Performance
A wireless local-area network (WLAN) is a flexible data communication system, being
an alternate to existing wired LANs. This technology removes the hassel of taking wires
and cables to and from equipment in an office environment. The Institute of Electrical &
Electronic Engineers developed the standards for WLAN, specified in IEEE 802.11. The
initial standards specified an operating frequency band of 2.4 GHz and a theoretical data
rate of up to 11 Mbps. Subsequent issues of the standards have increased the capacity of the
WLAN to 54 Mbps, in the same frequency band.
What is the expected role of WLANs in fourth-generation networks? It is expected that
WLANs will complement the existing 3G and All-IP 4G networks in high-density area
networks by providing similar services at an even higher bandwidth (compared with mature
3G and 4G radio networks). The technology is considered to be best suited to low-usage
mobile users who want high data rates in an indoor setting. This also means that the mobile
equipment should have the flexibility to choose the access technology at any given time,
depending on the environment.
Network Planning for a WLAN
Network planning is expected to focus mainly on indoor coverage. The principal aspects of
the pre-planning phase are:
the area for which the network is planned
subscriber database information

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coverage and capacity requirements

the number of channels that can be used (e.g. 13 in Europe and 11 in the USA)
the number of channels that can be used simultaneously without interference
propagation conditions (e.g. multipath in an indoor environment)
equipment data (e.g. antenna gains and transmitted power)
the air-interface radio link budget.
Based on these factors, coverage, capacity and quality can be calculated.
A WLAN network should provide coverage for 100% of the area for which it is being
planned. Most of the issues that we have seen in earlier chapters on radio network planning such as coverage threshold, signal quality, C/I etc. - will be involved in planning coverage,
but with more stringent requirements. Methods to improve coverage include increasing the
power levels, incorporating diversity schemes etc.
Frequency planning is another area of challenge in WLAN networks. As the number
of channels available is less than the capacity likely to be demanded, frequency planning
becomes a crucial task. As frequency re-use becomes lower, the quality (and hence throughput) becomes lower. One rule of thumb could be to plan these networks with a frequency
re-use of more than unity.

10.3

CHALLENGES IN 4G WIRELESS NETWORKS

Two main challenges need to be addressed before fourth-generation networks become a

reality. The first concerns accessibility to different types of cellular network. The second
concerns how to maintain the desired end-to-end QoS for traffic that has varying requirements of bandwidth, bit rates, channel characteristics etc., and especially the handover
delays, which are a cause of worry. During the handover process, mobile subscribers are
expected to face a drop in the QoS level.
Fourth-generation networks are still 'unclear' from the perspective of defining the network planning processes. This is partly because the evolution of these 4G networks is not
driven only by the mobiles industry. Moreover, standards-defining bodies like the IEEE
are still in the process of producing standard recommendations. A major challenge is the
planning of handovers not only between different generations of networks but also between
different technologies of the same generation (All-IP to WLAN etc.), while maintaining
the QoS standards.