White Paper

Considerations for deploying mobile WiMAX at various frequencies

Introduction This technology aims to provide low-cost, high speeds. This requires enhancement to
The explosive growth of the Internet over high-performance broadband wireless access both the radio and network infrastructure.
the last decade has led to an increasing to residential and small business applica- Mobile WiMAX technology is optimized
demand for high-speed, ubiquitous Internet tions. Standardization was also completed to deliver high, bursty data rates to mobile
access. Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) is recently for IEEE 802.16-2005 (802.16e, subscribers, and the advanced Medium
increasingly gaining popularity as an alterna- generally known as Mobile WiMAX), Access Control (MAC) architecture can
tive “last mile” technology in this domain. which will provide mobility to end users simultaneously support real-time multimedia
Following the successful global deployment in a MAN environment. and isochronous applications such as Voice
of the IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area over IP (VoIP). Mobile WiMAX technology
As technology evolves to address portable
Network standard known as “WiFi”, deploy- and mobile applications, the required fea- is uniquely positioned to extend broad-
ment of the IEEE 802.16-2004 standard band wireless beyond the limits of existing
tures and performance of the system will
(802.16d, generally known as Fixed technologies. In this white paper, key
increase. Evolution toward the phase called
WiMAX) Wireless Metropolitan Access considerations associated with deploying
“full mobility” provides incremental support
Network (MAN) is now underway. and operating mobile networks in different
for low latency, low packet loss and real-time
radio frequency bands are discussed.
handoff of subscriber terminals operating at

Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Spectral considerations 2
Mobile WiMAX system considerations 2
Designing a mobile WiMAX network: 2
> Developing the link budget 3
- System related components 3
- Non-system related components 3
> Step 1. Consider the impact of frequency 3
band on range — link budget and path loss
> Step 2. Consider the impact of frequency 4
band on range — link budget and
shadowing margin
> Step 3. Consider the impact of physical 4
environment on coverage and link budget
> A simplified check list for deployments of 4
mobile WiMAX at higher frequency bands
A case study: spectral considerations at 3.5 GHz 5
Conclusion 5
References 6
Glossary 6
Spectral considerations Figure 1. Frequencies available for WiMAX deployments
The 802.16-2005 standard supports the
frequency range of 2 to 6 GHz, although Russia
Canada 2.3/2.5/3.5 GHz
other frequency bands can also be accommo- 5 GHz
2.3/2.5 GHz
dated. Figure 1 shows the various frequency 3.5/5 GHz Europe
bands available around the world. It is anti- USA
3.5 GHz
5 GHz
1.5/2.3 GHz
cipated that additional frequency bands on Asia Pacific
2.5/5 GHz
a regional basis will also be auctioned. 2.3/3.3/3.5 GHz
5 GHz
WiMAX operates in a mixture of licensed
ME & A
and unlicensed bands. The unlicensed bands 3.5 GHz
are typically the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz C & SA 5 GHz
2.5/3.5 GHz
bands. Licensed spectrum provides operators 5 GHz
control over the usage of the band, allowing
them to build a high-quality network. The Spectrally agile systems may be required as new spectrum becomes
unlicensed band, on the other hand, allows available in regions around the world (e.g. 700 MHz, 1700 MHz)
independents to provide backhaul services
for hotspots. For the purposes of this white Table 1. Comparison of 2.5 and 3.5 GHz bands
paper, 3.5 GHz and higher are defined as 2.5 GHz 3.5 GHz
higher frequency bands. Total spectrum 195 MHz Around 200 MHz
Currently, significant activity is underway Spectrum/license 16.5 paired with 6 MHz 2x5 MHz to 2x 56 MHz
in the 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands and License aggregation Yes Some countries
Table 1 shows a comparison of the two. TDD/FDD TDD/FDD Some are FDD only

Mobile WiMAX system Allocation U.S., Canada, some in Latin America, Worldwide except U.S.
Australia, expected in Asia
considerations
Services Fixed, mobile Fixed; some may allow mobile
The 802.16-2005 standard will introduce
the OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency
Division Multiplex Access) method and As a result, the longer symbol duration The system supports adaptive modulation
MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) and flat fading make OFDM robust under in the downlink and uplink. Modulations
antenna technology. One of the major multi-path fading with no inter-symbol ranging from BPSK 1/2 to 64QAM 3/4
advantages of OFDM is its extreme robust- interference. Combining advanced MIMO may be employed. Adaptive modulation
ness in multi-path environments. The basic antenna technology for data transmission techniques, such as monitoring link quality
operating principle for OFDM is as follows: with OFDM enables a number of key opera- between the transmitter and receiver and
• A transmit channel is divided into a large tional benefits that can translate into signifi- selecting the highest usable data rate, are
number of parallel sub-channels (N>>1). cant cost savings and advantages, namely: used throughout the product range.

• The data stream from the source is split • Powerful spectral efficiency and through-
Designing a mobile WiMAX
into each sub-channel. put gains
network: a step-by-step
• Consequently, the data rate of each sub- • More efficient utilization of power — for perspective
channel becomes 1/N of the main string the same power output per sector, MIMO
One of the most important technical and
and the symbol duration becomes N provides greater capacity with the same
business issues of any wireless technology is
times longer. coverage as single output systems
efficiently (cost and performance) providing
• Also, each sub-channel is transmitted via • Decreased required footprint through the coverage and capacity, while avoiding the
a very narrow bandwidth so the signal fading design of a compact BTS with higher build-out of a large number of new cell sites.
is basically flat within the sub-channel. reliability and throughput

2
Given that the 802.16-2005 standard > Physical environment: Building pene- Step 1. Consider the impact of
operates in the higher frequency bands, tration loss does not seem to vary frequency band on range —
the impact to coverage and range at various significantly in the 1.9/2.5/3/3.5 GHz link budget and path loss
frequency bands should be considered. frequency bands. Higher frequency Evaluation of each of these non-system
bands have shorter wavelengths, which components in greater detail demonstrates
Developing the link budget
can enter buildings through small open- the importance of considering path loss,
The first step in designing a wireless system ings, but suffer significant losses along shadow margin and physical environment
is to develop a link budget. Link budget is metal and concrete surfaces. In contrast, when developing a link budget to design for
the loss and gain sum of signal strength as it these shorter wavelengths suffer lower optimal range and coverage. Higher path
travels through different components in the losses through glass. losses can substantially increase the site count
path between a transmitter and receiver. As
> Cable loss: Cable loss increases monoto- in higher frequency bands. Figure 2 shows a
with any transmission system, the received
nically with frequency. In higher fre- comparison of coverage versus path loss at
power must be sufficiently greater than the
quency bands, this could severely disad- different frequency bands. This example
noise power to allow adequate reception of
vantage coverage in places where tall assumes a link budget of 142 dB, which
the signal. Therefore, the transmitted power
towers are used (rural). There are prod- provides a cell radius of 3 km in the 1900
must be sufficient to allow for losses in
ucts that place the entire transceivers on MHz band.
the transmission medium and still provide
tower top, eliminating the cable losses.
sufficient power to the receiver. The link In this example, to obtain the same cell
budget determines the maximum cell radius > Shadow margin: Terrain and man-made radius in the 2.5 GHz band, an additional
of each base station for a given level of objects can cause significant variation in link budget of 4 dB is needed. In a coverage-
reliability and is comprised of two types signal power; hence, additional margin limited design, this corresponds to a 21 to
of components: can be added to the path loss to achieve 24 percent reduction in cell radius and a
a desired coverage reliability. The shadow 62 to 75 percent increase in the cell count
• System related components are power
fade margin increases with increasing across different environments (urban, subur-
level, receiver sensitivity and modulation
frequency. ban and rural). For the 3.5 GHz band, you
efficiency — none of which are expected
As such, these components are important would need an additional link budget of 9
to vary significantly across the different
factors when evaluating the complexity and dB. In a coverage-limited design, this corre-
frequency bands.
speed in deploying at higher frequency bands, sponds to a 42 to 46 percent decrease in cell
• Non-system related components are radius and a 200 to 250 percent increase
especially in unlicensed bands such as 5.8 GHz
expected to vary at the different frequencies in cell count. This example illustrates the
(licensed in some countries such as Russia)
and include the following: impact that path loss can have, especially
where other factors like interference from
> Path loss: An RF signal experiences other surrounding networks will also impact when deploying in higher frequency bands.
propagation loss, also known as path network performance and quality of service.
loss, and the degree of loss is frequency
dependent. The lower the frequency, Figure 2. Cell radius vs. path loss

the smaller the path loss and the further 16

distance a signal can propagate. Also, 700 MHz

14
different frequency bands may have 1.5 GHz
1.9 GHz
different propagation characteristics. 12 2.5 GHz
Extremely high frequencies (>10 GHz) 3.5 GHz
cannot go around obstacles and require 10 5.8 GHz
Cell radius, km

Line-Of-Sight (LOS) conditions. At low

frequencies, RF waves can go around 8

small obstacles.
6

Path loss, dB
3
Step 2. Consider the impact of Figure 3. Cell radius in different topologies
frequency band on range — link
budget and shadowing margin 8.0 Configuration 1
DL: 2x2
Given the impact of terrain and man-made 7.0 UL: 1x2
objects on signal power, additional margin Configuration 2
is needed to achieve a given reliability of 6.0 DL: 2x2
UL: 2x2
service. Without this additional margin,
5.0

Cell radius, km
Configuration 3
shadowing can cause outages in large areas DL: 4x2
of the cell. The higher the reliability 4.0 UL: 1x4

required, the higher the shadowing margin Configuration 4

3.0 DL: 4x2
and the cell count. Most wireless systems UL: 2x4
are designed for 95 percent reliability, which 2.0
requires a budget of 7 dB shadow margin.
To avoid the 5 percent outages, solutions 1.0

such as indoor distributed antenna or

0.0
deployment of antennas at the terminals
A: Hilly terrain with B: Some hills with C: Mostly flat
can provide coverage for the shadowed areas. terrain with light
moderate-to-heavy medium tree density
tree densities tree densities
Step 3. Consider the impact
of physical environment on
coverage and link budget
Table 2. Factors affecting coverage and range in mobile WiMAX deployments
The physical surroundings of a cell site play
a major role in determining the cell radius. Factor Variation with frequency Impact at higher frequencies

Factors such as flatness of terrain and density Power level No None

of trees and foliage have significant impact Receiver sensitivity No None
on RF propagation. Figure 3 depicts the Modulation efficiency No None
coverage range at 2.5 GHz for three Shadow margin Yes Related to path loss and shadowing variance,
different topologies. both increasing as frequency increases.

The cell radius ranges from 3 km in a harsh Path loss Yes The lower the frequency, the smaller the path
propagation environment such as scenario A loss and the greater distance a signal can
propagate. Higher frequencies are expected
to 5.2 km in scenario C (good propagation
to experience greater path loss and therefore
environment). This means that the cell count a reduction in signal range.
is nearly cut by one third if the WiMAX
Physical environment Yes Higher frequency bands tend to experience
service is deployed in scenario C compared higher losses in metal and concrete surfaces
to scenario A. but lower losses through glass.

Figure 3 also shows the impact of MIMO Cable loss Yes Cable loss increases as frequency increases
on cell radius, increasing cell radius depend- and therefore, where tall towers are deployed,
transceivers on the tower top should be used
ing on the MIMO configuration in the
to reduce cable losses.
different topologies, demonstrating the
advantage of deploying MIMO/OFDM
802.16e-based systems.
A simplified check list for A number of these factors will vary and
deployments of mobile WiMAX potentially increase the complexity and cost
at higher frequency bands of deployment at higher frequency bands
As previously discussed, there are several and, as a result, must be considered when
factors to consider when deploying Mobile designing the link budget for optimal
WiMAX, which are summarized in Table 2. coverage and range.

4
 Figure 4. 802.16-2004 trial results

A case study: spectral

considerations at 3.5 GHz Hanna
0.6
Nortel is partnering with the Alberta Special Test locations
by mod rate
Areas Board (SAB) and Netago Wireless to 16QAM 1/2
build Canada’s first commercial WiMAX 16QAM 3/4

network at 3.5 GHz in Canada, and recently 30

27.3 64QAM 2/3
64QAM 3/4
completed a live-air trial. 25.6 18.6
33.5 19.2 BPSK 1/2
33.7 30.9
The main goal of the trial was to determine 0
0 0
No Service
33.3 10.5 QPSK 1/2
the performance, configuration and opera- 29.5
QPSK 1/2 /
5km Nibar 15.4
tion of the technology. Tests were performed 16QAM 1/2
QPSK 3/4
to determine data rates, signal-to-noise ratio,
modulation rate, received signal strength 10km
indicator, transmit power and range. This
trial used an FFT size of 256.
15km
Two types of CPE were used: an outdoor
unit with 15 dBi antenna gain and maxi-
mum transmit power of 23 dBm and an
20km
indoor unit with a 6-7 dBi antenna gain
with a maximum transmit power of 24 dBm.
Data throughput performance using UDP, Homestead
TCP and FTP protocols were tested in the
down and up links. The trial measured
9 Mbps data throughput using UDP and
5 Mbps using FTP/TCP. The maximum knowledge becomes even more important with newly acquired spectrum. Nortel is
coverage range observed was about 20 km when deploying mobile WiMAX networks. a key contributor to the 802.16-2005
using BPSK 1/2 burst profile in line-of-sight standard and its implementation of
Proven experience in MIMO and OFDM
propagation path. Figure 4 depicts the range OFDM/MIMO was selected by the
is essential to deliver the cost savings and
and data rate performance. industry as the basis for mobile WiMAX.
efficiencies network operators expect. In
This network will launch in the summer of addition, understanding how to leverage the
Conclusion
2006 and will deliver services to 80 percent existing 3G cellular structure to an operator’s
Mobile WiMAX technology is designed to
of SAB residents. It will enable affordable advantage and to reduce the foot required
provide high-quality, mobile broadband
broadband services to underserved, rural is paramount.
multimedia services; however, it presents
communities in Southeastern Alberta, Nortel is delivering a complete portfolio challenges that operators need to consider
including residents and businesses across of WiMAX solutions, including products, before deploying their networks. In particular,
more than 8,000 square miles (21,000 services and devices, to serve any global at higher frequency bands such as 3.5 GHz,
square kilometers). This solution also extends market and customer scenario. Nortel’s RF signals can experience propagation and
the reach of the Alberta SuperNet, a govern- WiMAX products will be designed to allow building penetration losses combined with
ment initiative, reaching roughly 4,200 wireless and wireline carriers, cable providers, physical environment considerations which
government, health, library and educational media companies and other ISPs to deliver may impact coverage and range reach. By
facilities in 429 communities across Alberta. broadband connectivity to consumer and leveraging advanced technology innovations
This case study highlights that WiMAX enterprise users by leveraging existing like MIMO/OFDM, a number of these
networks can be successfully deployed at networks and ‘last mile’ wireless links. challenges can be addressed to deliver a
3.5 GHz but require sophisticated expertise They will also complement and extend the more spectral efficient, robust, and higher
in RF engineering and networks. This reach of existing 3G cellular networks and performance mobile WiMAX network.
accommodate greenfield service providers

5
References Glossary
1. “WiMAX End-to-End Network Link budget: A power budget to determine
16 QAM: 16 array Quadrature Amplitude
system architecture: NWG network RF power level and maximum range
Modulation
specification”
MIMO: Multiple Input, Multiple Output
WiMAX Forum, April 20, 2005 64QAM: 64 array Quadrature Amplitude
(Multiple transmitter/receiver)
Modulation
2. “802.16: Air interface for fixed Multipath environment: An RF signal
Adaptive Modulation: Modulation is the
broadband wireless access systems” will travel from a transmitter around
process by which the base band signal
IEEE standard 802.16-2004, obstructions such as man-made objects
(speech, image, data, etc.) gets impressed
October 10, 2004 over a carrier signal. If the RF signal quality
or trees and foliage to a receiver, which
combines the signal.
3. “Multiple Antenna Technology in is high, the modulation is done at a higher
level providing faster data rates. NLOS: Non Line of Sight
WiMAX systems”
Conversely if the RF signal quality is poor,
Atul Salvekar, Sumeet Sandhu, Qinghua OFDMA: Orthogonal Frequency
the modulation is done at a lower level.
Li, Minh-ANh Vuong, Xiaoshu Division Multiplexing Access
Intel Technical Journal, Volume 8, BPSK: Binary Phase Shift Keying
QPSK: Quadrature Phase Shift Keying
Issue 3, 2004 dB: Decibel
RF: Radio Frequency
4. “OFDM Wireless LAN: A theoretical Downlink (DL): Base station transmit and
Shadow margin: Additional loss added
and practical consideration” mobile receive path
to path loss to account for shadowing
Heiskala, J. Terry, SAM 2002 Fading: Fading occurs when a signal travels by terrain and building
in multipath environments (see below), and
5. “Scalable OFDMA physical layer in TDD: Time Division Duplexing
is either cancelled out by another or experi-
IEEE.802.16 in Wireless MAN” ences a drop in strength. Uplink (UL): Mobile transmit and
Hessam Yaghoubi base station receive path
FDD: Frequency Division Duplexing
Intel Technical Journal, Volume 8,
WiFi: Wireless Fidelity
Issue 3, 2004 FFT: Fast Fourier Transfer
WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability for
Microwave Access

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