motorola’s utran sharing feature

7/30/2019 Motorolas UTRAN Sharing Feature

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Motorolas UTRAN Sharing Feature

WHITE papEr


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WHITE PAPER: Motorolas UTRAN Sharing Feature

IntoductionA key enabler for mobile broadbandis the wide availability of HSxPAnetworks, which offer clear benefits interms of both subscriber experienceand reduced cost per bit of datadelivered [compared to R99 UMTS].HSxPA is recognized as the mostnatural and almost risk-free upgradepath for UMTS networks in termsof the benefits it brings over its

R99 UMTS predecessor. However,the challenges of network roll-out,ongoing cost of service, acquiring andthen retaining subscribers can leadservice providers to taking alternativeapproaches to their next generationbusiness models.

The initial rollouts of UMTS were challenging and

costly, not least because the technology was

new and of course there was no direct subscriber

revenue to offset any of the costs. A few years on,

however, and the widespread availability of HSDPAnetworks and mobile devices coupled with the

improvements this capability brings to the subscriber

experience has led to UMTS/HSDPA subscriber

numbers increasing at a rate in excess of five million

per month [GSA.com, March 2007].

Motorolas UTRAN

Sharing Feature

However, worldwide many networks are yet to bedeployed, in particular those in emerging markets.

Similarly most networks are built out based on

teledensity (providing coverage for larger populations

per square kilometer such as towns and cities) and

now service providers are, for licensing reasons,

required to provide coverage for rural environments.

In both cases, the return on investment is likely to be

a challenge.

Where this is the case, sound business practices

prevail, meaning that any investment is scrutinized

and carefully managed. However, where UMTS/

HSxPA coverage is rolled-out as a requirement

of the license conditions the service provider hasfew options.

Motorola is renowned for its innovative UMTS/

HSxPA solutions aimed at enabling service providers

to relatively easily and cost-effectively expand their

networks, not only in monetary terms but also in the

ease of siting and site re-use. This is best illustrated

by Motorolas Zero Foot Print solution, which is a

very compact macro solution that allows easy and

rapid siting of UMTS/HSxPA capability in GSM or

other existing sites.

Motorola has various solutions that will minimize and

help manage investment in these situations. This

paper outlines one of those solutions, Motorolas

UTRAN Sharing feature, which is available now.


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A High Profile Example

The Tke-awy

The important take-away from such agreements

is that the network sharing has, to date at least,

only occurred in sparsely populated regions where

teledensity is very low and the business case for

UMTS/HSxPA deployment is weak. The reason for

providing coverage in rural areas is to meet license

conditions not for profitability. It is worth noting

that, without license conditions specifying that

networks must provision for population coverage,many semi-rural and rural areas would not have

any UMTS/HSxPA coverage at all. The benefit

that network sharing brings is that the burden of

providing coverage to such areas can effectively

be shared.

Vodfone nd Onge to she UMTS

netwoks in the UK

Thursday 8 February 2007 Vodafone Group and

Orange announced a plan to combine their UMTS

mobile networks in the UK in a bid to cut costs and

increase coverage, the first deal of its kind by UK

service providers.

Understandably the companies expect to reduce

capital and operating expenditure, in particular arisingfrom the reduced number of sites. From a different

viewpoint, sharing networks also means fewer

mobile phone masts, easing site acquisition issues,

benefiting the environment and overcoming some of

the planning constraints associated with new sites.

Additionally, Vodafone said the deal would improve

mobile coverage for some 30 million customers,

especially in rural areas, and lead to the faster roll-out

of high-speed services and products.

This is nothing new. In November 2006, the two

companies entered into a similar network-sharing

arrangement in rural Spain, covering the sharingof some 1000 UMTS sites by 2007, in towns with

populations of less than 25,000; the number of

shared sites is set to rise to 5,000 over the next

three years.


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3. Common shared networks here service

providers build and operate a common UMTS/

HSxPA network comprising of the UTRAN, SGSN,

VLR and MSC. However the GGSN, HLR, Gateway

MSC, Billing systems and subscriber databases,

etc., must all be kept separate. The main

advantage of this arrangement is that the service

providers can share a single frequency/license

where capacity demands are low thereby enabling

cost effective delivery of UMTS/HSxPA services

4. Geographically split networks in this scenario

each service provider builds and operates its own

network in different geographical areas; coverage

is provided and the continuity of service achieved

by roaming agreements between the various

service providers. 3GPP Standards allows for up to

five service providers to operate in this manner.

5. Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) provide a mobile service but do not have any

spectrum of their own. An MVNO uses the

network infrastructure (to varying degrees)

of a service provider that has spectrum and

infrastructure.

Netwok Shing:

The Bsics nd the Benefits

Currently most service providers support both GSM

within the 900/1800MHz spectrum and UMTS/

HSxPA within the 2100MHz spectrum. This maychange in the future as interest is increasing in the

potential re-use of the dominant 900MHz GSM band

for UMTS/HSxPA with a view to improving coverage

and building penetration capabilities.

In the meantime, telecom equipment vendors are

cognisant of the need to streamline and combine

their product portfolios by offering hardware (Core

Network, HLR etc.) and software platforms (O&M/

NMC) to support both the GSM and UMTS/HSxPA

under a common platform. The combined platforms

offer increased cost savings by reducing logistics,

inventory management, support, maintenance and

training, etc.

Most synergies deliver benefits. Developing this

from the use of common platforms across

technologies into common platforms between

service providers is the next step in the enabling

widespread and cost effective coverage.

From the service providers perspective, the basic

goals and reasons for network sharing are to:

1. Fulfill regulatory / licensing requirements

for coverage

2. Reduce network CAPEX for lower traffic

environments (lower carrier costs)

3. Reduce transmission costs and OPEX.

3GPP Standards and individual country regulatory

conditions commonly allow for network sharing of

the RAN access technology but physical separation

at the HLR and Core/Switch. In reality, the service

provider has a number of ways by which to realize

network sharing. These are:

1. UTRAN Sharing the subject of this whitepaper.

The 3GPP Standards Release 6 UTRAN Sharing

feature phase 1, maximizes radio capacity and

enables multiple service providers to effectivelyshare the UTRAN (Node B and RNC components)

with the RNC(s) routing calls to up to four different

service providers Core Networks

2. Site sharing service providers typically share

the site, mast and ancillaries but each service

provider deploys their own Node-B equipment.

Benefits here are cost savings due to reduced site

acquisition and build-out costs, and the fact that

the individual service providers retain control over

their respective Node Bs

... enabling widespread and

cost-effective coverage


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Motorolas Horizon 3G-n macro platforms support

up to 12 carriers (4C3S). This capability allows the

hardware to readily support up to two service

providers utilizing their two frequencies over three

sectors; alternatively it could support up to four

service providers operating on a single frequency.

Each service provider is independently able to deploy

different features by setting parameters at a cell leve

to the extent that different performance algorithms

and services may be operated by the service

provider by setting the appropriate cell parameters.

The solution also comprises a shared Master OSS,

which manages common O&M functions such as

software upgrades and system configuration etc.

Furthermore, it provides a standard northbound

interface to each service providers NMS system

and independent access to cell-level performance

management and fault management details, thusallowing maximum flexibility.

A second phase of UTRAN sharing is introduced in

USR7 when additional functionality is enabled. Here

the UTRAN sharing functions are physical shared

but logically split into two UTRAN for two different

service providers. The feature allows carriers to

be dedicated to the different service providers,

each having their own PLMN, fault management,

performance management and configuration

management capabilities, and moreover retains the

ability to deploy features unique to each network.

Motools UMTS/HSxpa UTraN

Shing Fetue

Motorolas UTRAN sharing feature, UTRAN sharing

connected-mode, has been available since the

release of Motorolas industry leading UMTS/HSxPAportfolio and software release USR4.

Fulfilling the 3GPP R5 requirements, this feature

enables UTRAN sharing between different service

providers for users in connected-mode (users in

idle-mode are managed by the core network and

sharing agreements for roaming). In connected-

mode, mobility is handled by the UTRAN as it

does not have the necessary information, such as

roaming agreements, to provide a consistent access

restriction handling.

Motorolas USR6 sees the launch of active UTRAN

sharing. Active sharing, as opposed to passivesharing, involves sharing Node B and RNC base-band

and processing capabilities thereby reducing CAPEX.

This feature allows for all UTRAN elements to be

physically shared. By soft-splitting a physical

UTRAN into a different logical UTRAN, multiple

service providers are able to cover the same area

with their own frequency with a single physical

UTRAN. Each service provider deploys its own

frequency including its own Mobile Network Code

(MNC) and each service provider has individually

assigned cells. The RNC routes the mobile according

to the cell or MNC and MCC derived from the IMSI

and the Network Resource Identifier (NRI) derivedform TMSI/P-TMSI, when Iu-Flex is used.

Figue 1 - UTraN Shing

solution chitectue

Operator A

CN

Operator B

CNOperator A

OSS

Operator A

OSS

Shared Master

OSS

ltf-N lu interface

RNC

lub interface

Macro

Node B RRU

Shared RAN


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The Cost of Site acquisition nd Build

Table 1, below, shows typical generic costs

associated with UMTS/HSxPA cell site acquisition

and build; it does not include any Fixed Network

Equipment (FNE), Ancillary Network Equipment(ANE) or Services related costs, on-going or

otherwise. The total nominal cost of acquiring

and building a Greenfield outdoor site is in excess

of $93,000 whereas a Brownfield indoor site, by

comparison is likely to be around $31,000.

Clearly sharing sites and costs associated with them

makes business sense especially where ROI is likely

to be challenging; the UTRAN sharing feature assists

in this goal.

Site acquisitionGeenfield Bownfield

Indoor Sites Outdoor Sites Indoor Sites Outdoor Sites

Typical HSxPA Site Acquisition Costs $19,800 $20,250 $8,850 $9,600

Site ConstuctionGeenfield Bownfield


Typical HSxPA Site Construction Costs $8,530 $25,414 $7,923 $6,829

FNE InstlltionGeenfield Bownfield


Typical HSxPA FNE installation OPEX $5,625 $7,725 $4,350 $6,456

Typical HSxPA FNE installation CAPEX $12,222 $40,029 $9,782 $22,589

annul recuing OpEXGeenfield Bownfield


Typical HSxPA Annual Recurring OPEX (Urban) $4,560 $5.700 $2,440 $3,730

Typical HSxPA Annual Recurring OPEX (Suburban) $3,360 $4,200 $1,690 $2,605

Typical HSxPA Annual Recurring OPEX (Rural) $2,000 $2,500 $840 $1,330


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Summy

The dominant reason for service providers sharingdominant reason for service providers sharingsharinging

networks is the cost-effective fulfillment of licenses is the cost-effective fulfillment of licenseis the cost-effective fulfillment of licensecost-effective fulfillment of license

coverage conditions. When effectively implemented,

network sharing can save up to 40% of CAPEX andOPEX, in particular when networks are extended

into less populated areas and where return on

investment is likely to be challenging. Network

sharing is also applicable during the initial roll-out or

coverage phase, although in most instances to date,

service providers have generally opted to build out

independent operations during this phase.

That said, new entrants into UMTS/HSxPA

operations, particularly those in emerging markets,

may find it advantageous and beneficial to consider

network sharing as an option at the outset of their

business activities.

There are a number of ways by which service

providers can share a network from a physical

viewpoint, based on regulatory requirements and

their own business model. Service providers are

able to share UTRAN hardware while retaining

"ownership" over individual logical areas such as the

Core and HLR etc. and operating frequencies. This

allows for each service provider to retain a degree of

autonomy from the other and allows for the upgrade

of sites as each sees fit, based on capacity demands

relating only to their specific frequency allocation(s).

The combination of meaningful cost savings, faster

network roll-out and coverage enhancements,

will not only help service providers met license

conditions but is likely to lead to the increased

adoption of UMTS/HSxPA services and ultimately

the success of the service providers involved.success of the service providers involved.of the service providers involved..

Motorola is renowned for delivering the very latest

technologies in the most cost effective manner. To

these ends, Motorolas UTRAN sharing functionality

is available now. It is capable of supporting for up to

four service providers and accomplished via softwar

upgrade without the need for hardware modification

Want to find out more? For furtherinformation on this and all MotorolasUMTS/HSxPA solutions, please callyour local Motorola representative

who will be delighted to assist.


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www.motorola.com

The information presented herein is to the best of our knowledge true and accurate. No warranty or guarantee expressed or implied is made regarding the capacity, performance

or suitability of any product. MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other product or service names are the property of

their registered owners. Motorola, Inc. 2007 0507networksgms

Tems nd aconyms

3GPP: 3G (Third Generation)

Partnership Project

ANE: Ancillary Network

Equipment

CAPEX: CAPital EXpenditure

FNE: Fixed Network Equipment

GGSN: GPRS Gateway Support

Node

GPRS: General Packet Radio

Service

GSM: Global System for Mobile

Communications

HLR: Home Location Register

HSUPA: High Speed Uplink

Packet Access

HSDPA: High Speed Downlink

Packet Access

HSxPA: High Speed Uplink/

Downlink Packet Access

IMSI: International Mobile

Subscriber Identity

MNC: Mobile Network Code

NMS: Network Management

Solution

NRI: Network Resource

Identifier

OPEX: OPerational EXpenditure

OSS: Operations Support

Systems

PLMN: Public Land Mobile

Network

R99: 3GPP Standards Release99

RNC: Radio Network Controller

ROI: Return on Investment

SGSN: Serving GPRS Support

Node

TMSI: Temporary Mobile

Subscriber Identity

UMTS: Universal Mobile

Telecommunications System

UTRAN: Universal Terrestrial

Radio Access Network

VLR: Visitor Location Register
http://www.motorola.com/serviceshttp://www.motorola.com/services

motorola’s utran sharing feature

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