The document presents Ericsson's outlook on microwave technology and its role in mobile network backhaul. It discusses capacity requirements increasing to 1 Gbps by 2021 and 5 Gbps by 2025. Microwave is well-positioned to support 5G with 10 Gbps capacities and low latency. While fiber substitution is declining, microwave will still connect 65% of cell sites in 2021. E-band and multi-band microwave will be key to meeting the needs of 5G networks. The introduction of 5G will be an evolution using microwave to provide higher throughput and lower latency.
All components of the 5G platform is in place, we are making our system truly end-to-end with the new products we are introducing. With two new 5G Radios, AIR 6488 and AIR 5121 that, together with the AIR 6468, launched 2016, give us a complete portfolio of 5G radios for Massive MIMO with new mid-band and high-band versions.
http://www.ericsson.com/ourportfolio/telecom-operators/networks-software-15b
Ericsson Networks Software 15B (release B, 2015) is leading the way the ICT industry is transforming itself, offering increased performance and commercial simplicity for software delivery. Networks Software 15B delivers many new capabilities in the areas of radio access, cloud & virtualization, as well as in the network management & control domain, promising to boost networks for maximum performance.
We are now introducing the industry’s first 5G NR-capable radio, called Ericsson AIR 6468. It features 64 transmit and 64 receive antennas enabling it to support our 5G plug-ins for both Massive MIMO and Multi-User MIMO. The high-performance beamforming, required for Massive MIMO, is enabled through the use of a split Cloud RAN architecture, which brings the required intelligence and scalability to this new radio. And, the AIR 6268 is designed for compatibility with the 5G NR standard while also supporting 4G/LTE.
5G will give consumers higher smartphones speeds and fiber-like wireless connections to the home, and it will unlock exciting new IoT use case from immersive augmented reality to remote haptic-enabled surgery to connected cars and smarter cities. 5G will impact the entire mobile network and associated ecosystem, from devices to radio access to the mobile core and into the cloud. Ericsson 5G Plug-Ins are designed for the radio access network and leverage the technology innovations enabled by the award-winning Ericsson 5G Radio Test Bed and Ericsson 5G Radio Prototypes already deployed and in operator 5G field trials worldwide.
Learn more: http://www.ericsson.com/spotlight/networks/secure-app-coverage/5g-plug-ins
These slides explain the Protocol Framework for 5G mmWave Backhaul Network, as a part of a project presentation for the course Telecom Architecture at Northeastern University.
Ericsson’s proprietary Lean Carrier innovation is first to address intercell signaling interference, introducing lean design concepts to 4G LTE to improve data speed and app coverage for users while on the road to 5G.
All components of the 5G platform is in place, we are making our system truly end-to-end with the new products we are introducing. With two new 5G Radios, AIR 6488 and AIR 5121 that, together with the AIR 6468, launched 2016, give us a complete portfolio of 5G radios for Massive MIMO with new mid-band and high-band versions.
http://www.ericsson.com/ourportfolio/telecom-operators/networks-software-15b
Ericsson Networks Software 15B (release B, 2015) is leading the way the ICT industry is transforming itself, offering increased performance and commercial simplicity for software delivery. Networks Software 15B delivers many new capabilities in the areas of radio access, cloud & virtualization, as well as in the network management & control domain, promising to boost networks for maximum performance.
We are now introducing the industry’s first 5G NR-capable radio, called Ericsson AIR 6468. It features 64 transmit and 64 receive antennas enabling it to support our 5G plug-ins for both Massive MIMO and Multi-User MIMO. The high-performance beamforming, required for Massive MIMO, is enabled through the use of a split Cloud RAN architecture, which brings the required intelligence and scalability to this new radio. And, the AIR 6268 is designed for compatibility with the 5G NR standard while also supporting 4G/LTE.
5G will give consumers higher smartphones speeds and fiber-like wireless connections to the home, and it will unlock exciting new IoT use case from immersive augmented reality to remote haptic-enabled surgery to connected cars and smarter cities. 5G will impact the entire mobile network and associated ecosystem, from devices to radio access to the mobile core and into the cloud. Ericsson 5G Plug-Ins are designed for the radio access network and leverage the technology innovations enabled by the award-winning Ericsson 5G Radio Test Bed and Ericsson 5G Radio Prototypes already deployed and in operator 5G field trials worldwide.
Learn more: http://www.ericsson.com/spotlight/networks/secure-app-coverage/5g-plug-ins
These slides explain the Protocol Framework for 5G mmWave Backhaul Network, as a part of a project presentation for the course Telecom Architecture at Northeastern University.
Ericsson’s proprietary Lean Carrier innovation is first to address intercell signaling interference, introducing lean design concepts to 4G LTE to improve data speed and app coverage for users while on the road to 5G.
After our successful launch of '5G for Absolute Beginners' course (http://bit.ly/5Gbegins) in 2020, we decided to create an introductory training course on 6G Mobile Wireless Communications technology. The course is ready and the best way to navigate it is via the Free 6G Training page at: https://bit.ly/6Gintro - this will ensure that you have the latest version of each video and also the most recent version of the 6G technologies videos as and they are added.
In this part we will look at what we call the 6G Devices but they are effectively the devices that will exist in 2030. Some of them will be new form factors while others would be evolution of the existing form factors. These will include wearables, hearable and a lot of new innovation that are in initial phase of development. We will also spend some time on the futuristic XR headsets as they will definitely have a big role to plan in Beyond 5G and 6G timeframe.
This course is part of #Free6Gtraining initiative (https://www.free6gtraining.com/)
All our #3G4G5G slides and videos are available at:
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/3G4G5G
Slides: https://www.slideshare.net/3G4GLtd
6G and Beyond-5G Page: https://www.3g4g.co.uk/6G/
Free Training Videos: https://www.3g4g.co.uk/Training/
Free 6G Training Blog: https://www.free6gtraining.com/
Introducing our 5G Platform for the first movers in 5G, the first completely end-to-end solution that combines core and radio solutions in 5G to enable new opportunities and use cases
5G NR: Numerologies and Frame structure
Supported Transmission Numerologies
- A numerology is defined by sub-carrier spacing and Cyclic-Prefix overhead.
- In LTE there is only one subcarrier spacing which is 15kHz whereas in the case of 5G NR multiple subcarrier spacings are defined. Multiple subcarrier spacings can be derived by scaling a basic subcarrier spacing by an integer N.
- The numerology used can be selected independently of the frequency band although it is assumed not to use a very low subcarrier spacing at very high carrier frequencies. Flexible network and UE channel bandwidth are supported.
- The numerology is based on exponentially scalable sub-carrier spacing deltaF = 2µ × 15 kHz with µ = {0,1,3,4} for PSS, SSS and PBCH and µ = {0,1,2,3} for other channels.
- Normal CP is supported for all sub-carrier spacings, Extended CP is supported forµ=2.
- 12 consecutive sub-carriers form a physical resource block (PRB). Up to 275 PRBs are supported on a carrier.
- A resource defined by one subcarrier and one symbol is called as a resource element (RE).
Introducing our 5G Platform for the first movers in 5G, the first completely end-to-end solution that combines core and radio solutions in 5G to enable new opportunities and use cases
Setting off the 5G Advanced evolution with 3GPP Release 18Qualcomm Research
In December 2021, 3GPP has reached a consensus on the scope of 5G NR Release 18. This is a significant milestone marking the beginning of 5G Advanced — the second wave of wireless innovations that will fulfill the 5G vision. Release 18 will build on the solid foundation set by Releases 15, 16, and 17, and it sets the longer-term evolution direction of 5G and beyond. This release will encompass a wide range of new and enhancement projects, ranging from improved MIMO and application of AI/ML-enabled air interface to extended reality optimizations and broader IoT support.
3GPP Release 17: Completing the first phase of 5G evolutionQualcomm Research
This presentation summarizes 5G NR Release 17 projects that was completed in March 2022. It further enhances 5G foundation and expands into new devices, use cases, verticals.
Ericsson License Assisted Access (LAA) January 2015Ericsson
• LAA Boosts LTE data speeds with unlicensed 5 GHz band
• 4% or less of 5 GHz band provides up to 150 Mbps boost
• Unlicensed spectrum to be shared fairly between Wi-Fi and LTE
• LTE LAA is on road to 5G
• Ericsson first to announce availability of commercial LAA in 2015
After our successful launch of '5G for Absolute Beginners' course (http://bit.ly/5Gbegins) in 2020, we decided to create an introductory training course on 6G Mobile Wireless Communications technology. The course is ready and the best way to navigate it is via the Free 6G Training page at: https://bit.ly/6Gintro - this will ensure that you have the latest version of each video and also the most recent version of the 6G technologies videos as and they are added.
In this part, we will try and look at the answer as to when is 6G coming. The rough answer is 2030 but there is a good consensus within the research community and the industry that 6G will happen somewhere between 2028 and 2032. This will depend on a lot of different factors, for example how quickly is everyone adopting the new technologies, what are the killer applications and use cases and what devices and gadgets are available.
This course is part of #Free6Gtraining initiative (https://www.free6gtraining.com/)
All our #3G4G5G slides and videos are available at:
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/3G4G5G
Slides: https://www.slideshare.net/3G4GLtd
6G and Beyond-5G Page: https://www.3g4g.co.uk/6G/
Free Training Videos: https://www.3g4g.co.uk/Training/
Free 6G Training Blog: https://www.free6gtraining.com/
How will we build the platform for 5G? How will NFV transform to 5G core and what is the status today? Here you can download the Key Note presentation form Ericsson CTO Erik Ekudden, from the SDN NFV World Congress 2017 in the Hague.
For more in depth explanations check out my Blog: http://techneconomyblog.com/2014/05/21/the-abc-of-network-sharingthe-fundamentals-part-i/
Given the renewed discussion of Network Sharing pros and cons I thought it made sense to wrap up several of my older presentations and update some of the information with latest knowledge.
The myth of network sharing is clear -> huge savings and benefits often blinding the decision makers for the other side of the coin.
I hope this presentation provided a fair picture of both sides of the Network Sharing Coin!
The presentation provides more than 10 years of my work and experience since the early days of 3G Network Sharing discussions in 2000 - 2001.
Microwave backhaul plays an important role in providing a good user experience and overall network performance. The backhaul capacity needed per base station differs substantially, depending on target data rates and population density.
Microwave backhaul technology is able to handle 100 percent of all radio access sites’ capacity needs. This is true for today as well as in 2020, when it will evolve to support multi-gigabit capacities in traditional frequency bands and beyond 10 gigabits in the millimeter wave.
Ericsson delivers extreme app coverage for operators and end users alike by delivering Gigabit LTE and Elastic RAN, and new radio and microwave products within the Ericsson Radio System to meet the ever-growing needs and opportunities of the Networked Society.
After our successful launch of '5G for Absolute Beginners' course (http://bit.ly/5Gbegins) in 2020, we decided to create an introductory training course on 6G Mobile Wireless Communications technology. The course is ready and the best way to navigate it is via the Free 6G Training page at: https://bit.ly/6Gintro - this will ensure that you have the latest version of each video and also the most recent version of the 6G technologies videos as and they are added.
In this part we will look at what we call the 6G Devices but they are effectively the devices that will exist in 2030. Some of them will be new form factors while others would be evolution of the existing form factors. These will include wearables, hearable and a lot of new innovation that are in initial phase of development. We will also spend some time on the futuristic XR headsets as they will definitely have a big role to plan in Beyond 5G and 6G timeframe.
This course is part of #Free6Gtraining initiative (https://www.free6gtraining.com/)
All our #3G4G5G slides and videos are available at:
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/3G4G5G
Slides: https://www.slideshare.net/3G4GLtd
6G and Beyond-5G Page: https://www.3g4g.co.uk/6G/
Free Training Videos: https://www.3g4g.co.uk/Training/
Free 6G Training Blog: https://www.free6gtraining.com/
Introducing our 5G Platform for the first movers in 5G, the first completely end-to-end solution that combines core and radio solutions in 5G to enable new opportunities and use cases
5G NR: Numerologies and Frame structure
Supported Transmission Numerologies
- A numerology is defined by sub-carrier spacing and Cyclic-Prefix overhead.
- In LTE there is only one subcarrier spacing which is 15kHz whereas in the case of 5G NR multiple subcarrier spacings are defined. Multiple subcarrier spacings can be derived by scaling a basic subcarrier spacing by an integer N.
- The numerology used can be selected independently of the frequency band although it is assumed not to use a very low subcarrier spacing at very high carrier frequencies. Flexible network and UE channel bandwidth are supported.
- The numerology is based on exponentially scalable sub-carrier spacing deltaF = 2µ × 15 kHz with µ = {0,1,3,4} for PSS, SSS and PBCH and µ = {0,1,2,3} for other channels.
- Normal CP is supported for all sub-carrier spacings, Extended CP is supported forµ=2.
- 12 consecutive sub-carriers form a physical resource block (PRB). Up to 275 PRBs are supported on a carrier.
- A resource defined by one subcarrier and one symbol is called as a resource element (RE).
Introducing our 5G Platform for the first movers in 5G, the first completely end-to-end solution that combines core and radio solutions in 5G to enable new opportunities and use cases
Setting off the 5G Advanced evolution with 3GPP Release 18Qualcomm Research
In December 2021, 3GPP has reached a consensus on the scope of 5G NR Release 18. This is a significant milestone marking the beginning of 5G Advanced — the second wave of wireless innovations that will fulfill the 5G vision. Release 18 will build on the solid foundation set by Releases 15, 16, and 17, and it sets the longer-term evolution direction of 5G and beyond. This release will encompass a wide range of new and enhancement projects, ranging from improved MIMO and application of AI/ML-enabled air interface to extended reality optimizations and broader IoT support.
3GPP Release 17: Completing the first phase of 5G evolutionQualcomm Research
This presentation summarizes 5G NR Release 17 projects that was completed in March 2022. It further enhances 5G foundation and expands into new devices, use cases, verticals.
Ericsson License Assisted Access (LAA) January 2015Ericsson
• LAA Boosts LTE data speeds with unlicensed 5 GHz band
• 4% or less of 5 GHz band provides up to 150 Mbps boost
• Unlicensed spectrum to be shared fairly between Wi-Fi and LTE
• LTE LAA is on road to 5G
• Ericsson first to announce availability of commercial LAA in 2015
After our successful launch of '5G for Absolute Beginners' course (http://bit.ly/5Gbegins) in 2020, we decided to create an introductory training course on 6G Mobile Wireless Communications technology. The course is ready and the best way to navigate it is via the Free 6G Training page at: https://bit.ly/6Gintro - this will ensure that you have the latest version of each video and also the most recent version of the 6G technologies videos as and they are added.
In this part, we will try and look at the answer as to when is 6G coming. The rough answer is 2030 but there is a good consensus within the research community and the industry that 6G will happen somewhere between 2028 and 2032. This will depend on a lot of different factors, for example how quickly is everyone adopting the new technologies, what are the killer applications and use cases and what devices and gadgets are available.
This course is part of #Free6Gtraining initiative (https://www.free6gtraining.com/)
All our #3G4G5G slides and videos are available at:
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/3G4G5G
Slides: https://www.slideshare.net/3G4GLtd
6G and Beyond-5G Page: https://www.3g4g.co.uk/6G/
Free Training Videos: https://www.3g4g.co.uk/Training/
Free 6G Training Blog: https://www.free6gtraining.com/
How will we build the platform for 5G? How will NFV transform to 5G core and what is the status today? Here you can download the Key Note presentation form Ericsson CTO Erik Ekudden, from the SDN NFV World Congress 2017 in the Hague.
For more in depth explanations check out my Blog: http://techneconomyblog.com/2014/05/21/the-abc-of-network-sharingthe-fundamentals-part-i/
Given the renewed discussion of Network Sharing pros and cons I thought it made sense to wrap up several of my older presentations and update some of the information with latest knowledge.
The myth of network sharing is clear -> huge savings and benefits often blinding the decision makers for the other side of the coin.
I hope this presentation provided a fair picture of both sides of the Network Sharing Coin!
The presentation provides more than 10 years of my work and experience since the early days of 3G Network Sharing discussions in 2000 - 2001.
Microwave backhaul plays an important role in providing a good user experience and overall network performance. The backhaul capacity needed per base station differs substantially, depending on target data rates and population density.
Microwave backhaul technology is able to handle 100 percent of all radio access sites’ capacity needs. This is true for today as well as in 2020, when it will evolve to support multi-gigabit capacities in traditional frequency bands and beyond 10 gigabits in the millimeter wave.
Ericsson delivers extreme app coverage for operators and end users alike by delivering Gigabit LTE and Elastic RAN, and new radio and microwave products within the Ericsson Radio System to meet the ever-growing needs and opportunities of the Networked Society.
With these new technical innovations and services we can help operators provide mobile broadband to the 50% of the world's population who are currently without internet connection, in a sustainable and cost efficient way.
Ericsson is launching new software for Massive IoT on existing LTE network and this new software addresses the massive number of IoT devices and diversity of their connectivity requirements. The software includes key features enabling cellular networks to support applications such as Smart Cities, Smart Metering, Smart Agriculture.
Ericsson Cloud SDN and Netronome Agilio CX - Taking NFV to the next level of ...Ericsson
The demonstration shows how an open approach using the OpenDaylight Controller and Open vSwitch with Ericsson Cloud SDN and Netronome Agilio-CX can seamlessly deliver high performance and server efficiency while maintaining flexibility. High performance packet throughput is achieved by accelerating the Open vSwitch data plane, freeing up to 90% of the server CPU cores from running OVS and become available to run more NFV applications.
In 2015, there were 3.6 billion mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide, corresponding to a penetration rate of less than 50% of world population. We expect mobile broadband subscriptions to more than double from now to 2021, adding 4.1 billion new connections worldwide, which of course represent a great potential for mobile operators.
Ericsson Cloud SDN & Netronome Agilio CX Taking NFV to The Next Level of Perf...Netronome
Ericsson and Netronome SDxCentral DemoFriday webinar featuring Nick Tausanovtich, VP of Solutions Architecture and Silicon Product Management at Netronome, and Patrick Jestin, SDN Strategic Product Manager at Ericsson, from June 3, 2016.
Saul Friedner, LS Telecom - 5G Infrastructure Requirements overview for UK S...techUK
Saul Friedner, LS Telecom - 5G Infrastructure Requirements overview for UK SPF Feb 17
Presented at the Cluster 1/4 UK Spectrum Policy Forum meeting More information is available http://www.techuk.org/about/uk-spectrum-policy-forum
Accelerated Network Build - Ericsson is introducing a new revolutionary way to build the networks of the future for our customers. This new method will enable our customers to reduce their working capital employed in building networks by over 50%.
Billions of connected devices and things. Billions of people. 5G will provide connectivity for all of these things and people as well as businesses and industry, bringing benefit to society. Operating machinery in hazardous environments from a remote control will be enabled through near-zero latency communication links that enable real-time video. Billions of video-enabled devices will be able to share bandwidth-hungry content. These are just a few applications that illustrate what 5G will be designed for.
Ericsson Technology Review: Versatile Video Coding explained – the future of ...Ericsson
Continuous innovation in 5G networks is creating new opportunities for video-enabled services for both consumers and industries, particularly in areas such as the Internet of Things and the automotive sector. These new services are expected to rely on continued video evolution toward 8K resolutions and beyond, and on new strict requirements such as low end-to-end latency for video delivery.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explores recent developments in video compression technology and introduces Versatile Video Coding (VVC) – a significant improvement on existing video codecs that we think deserves to be widely deployed in the market. VVC has the potential both to enhance the user experience for existing video services and offer an appropriate performance level for new media services over 5G networks.
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL REALITIES
The key role that connectivity plays in our personal and professional lives has never been more obvious than it is today. Thankfully, despite the sudden, dramatic changes in our behavior earlier this year, networks all around the world have proven to be highly resilient. At Ericsson, we’re committed to ensuring that the network platform continues to improve its ability to meet the full range of societal needs as well as supporting enterprises to stay competitive in the long term. We know that greater agility and speed will be essential.
This issue of our magazine includes several articles that explain Ericsson’s approach to future network development, including my annual technology trends article. The seven trends on this year’s list serve as a critical cornerstone in the development of a common Ericsson vision of what future networks will provide, and what sort of technology evolution will be required to get there.
ERIK EKUDDEN
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Group Function Technology
Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...Ericsson
Today millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum is valued mainly because it can be used to achieve high speeds and capacities when combined with spectrum assets below 6GHz. But it can provide other benefits as well. For example, mmWave spectrum makes it possible to use a promising new wireless backhaul solution for 5G New Radio – integrated access and backhaul (IAB) – to densify networks with multi-band radio sites at street level.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the IAB concept at a high level, presenting its architecture and key characteristics, as well as examining its advantages and disadvantages compared with other backhaul technologies. It concludes with a presentation of the promising results of several simulations that tested IAB as a backhaul option for street sites in both urban and suburban areas.
Ericsson Technology Review: Critical IoT connectivity: Ideal for time-critica...Ericsson
Critical Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity is an emerging concept in IoT development that enables more efficient and innovative services across a wide range of industries by reliably meeting time-critical communication needs. Mobile network operators (MNOs) are in the perfect position to enable these types of time-critical services due to their ability to leverage advanced 5G networks in a systematic and cost-effective way.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the benefits of Critical IoT connectivity in areas such as industrial control, mobility automation, remote control and real-time media. It also provides an overview of key network technologies and architectures. It concludes with several case studies based on two deployment scenarios – wide area and local area – that illustrate how well suited 5G spectrum assets are for Critical IoT use cases.
5G New Radio has already evolved in important ways since the 3GPP standardized Release 15 in late 2018. The significant enhancements in Releases 16 and 17 are certain to play a critical role in expanding both the availability and the applicability of 5G NR in both industry and public services in the near future.
This Ericsson Technology Review article summarizes the most notable new developments in releases 16 and 17, grouped into two categories: enhancements to existing features and features that address new verticals and deployment scenarios. This analysis and our insights about the future beyond Release 17 is an important component of our work to help mobile network operators and other stakeholders better understand and plan for the many new 5G NR opportunities that are on the horizon.
Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...Ericsson
The growing interest in cloud computing scenarios that incorporate both distributed computing capabilities and heterogeneous hardware presents a significant opportunity for network operators. With a vast distributed system (the telco network) already in place, the telecom industry has a significant advantage in the transition toward distributed cloud computing.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the future of cloud computing from the perspective of network operators, examining how they can best manage the complexity of future cloud deployments and overcome the technical challenges. Redefining cloud to expose and optimize the use of heterogeneous resources is not straightforward, but we are confident that our use cases and proof points validate our approach and will gain traction both in the telecommunications community and beyond.
Ericsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applicationsEricsson
Commonly referred to as SIM cards, the universal integrated circuit cards (UICCs) used in all cellular devices today are in fact complex and powerful minicomputers capable of much more than most Internet of Things (IoT) applications require. Until a simpler and less costly alternative becomes available, action must be taken to ensure that the relatively high price of UICC modules does not hamper IoT growth.
This Ericsson Technology Review article presents two mid-term approaches. The first is to make use of techniques that reduce the complexity of using UICCs in IoT applications, while the second is to use the UICCs’ excess capacity for additional value generation. Those who wish to exploit the potential of the UICCs to better support IoT applications have the opportunity to use them as cryptographic storage, to run higher-layer protocol stacks and/or as supervisory entities, for example.
Mobile data traffic volumes are expected to increase by a factor of four by 2025, and 45 percent of that traffic will be carried by 5G networks. To deliver on customer expectations in this rapidly changing environment, communication service providers must overcome challenges in three key areas: building sufficient capacity, resolving operational inefficiencies through automation and artificial intelligence, and improving service differentiation. This issue of ETR magazine provides insights about how to tackle all three.
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economyEricsson
The 5G network evolution has opened up an abundance of new business opportunities for communication service providers (CSPs) in verticals such as industrial automation, security, health care and automotive. In order to successfully capitalize on them, CSPs must have business support systems (BSS) that are evolved to manage complex value chains and support new business models. Optimized information models and a high degree of automation are required to handle huge numbers of devices through open interfaces.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains how 5G-evolved BSS can help CSPs transform themselves from traditional network developers to service enablers for 5G and the Internet of Things, and ultimately to service creators with the ability to collaborate beyond telecoms and establish lucrative digital value systems.
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G systemEricsson
For many operators, the introduction of the 5G System (5GS) to provide wide-area services in existing Evolved Packet System (EPS) deployments is a necessary step toward creating a full-service, future-proof 5GS in the longer term. The creation of a combined 4G-5G network requires careful planning and a holistic strategy, as the introduction of 5GS has significant impacts across all network domains, including the RAN, packet core, user data and policies, and services, as well as affecting devices and backend systems.
This Ericsson Technology Review article provides an overview of all the aspects that operators need to consider when putting together a robust EPS-to-5GS migration strategy and provides guidance about how they can adapt the transition to address their particular needs per domain.
Ericsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystemEricsson
The surge in data volume that will come from the massive number of devices enabled by 5G has made edge computing more important than ever before. Beyond its abilities to reduce network traffic and improve user experience, edge computing will also play a critical role in enabling use cases for ultra-reliable low-latency communication in industrial manufacturing and a variety of other sectors.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the topic of how to deliver distributed edge computing solutions that can host different kinds of platforms and applications and provide a high level of flexibility for application developers. Rather than building a new application ecosystem and platform, we strongly recommend reusing industrialized and proven capabilities, utilizing the momentum created with Cloud Native Computing Foundation, and ensuring backward compatibility.
The rise of the innovation platform
Society and industry are transforming at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, the network platform is emerging as an innovation platform with the potential to offer all the connectivity, processing, storage and security needed by current and future applications. In my 2019 trends article, featured in this issue of Ericsson Technology Review, I share my view of the future network platform in relation to six key technology trends.
This issue of the magazine also addresses critical topics such as trust enablement, the extension of computing resources all the way to the edge of the mobile network, the growing impact of the cloud in the telco domain, overcoming latency and battery consumption challenges, and the need for end-to-end connectivity. I hope it provides you with valuable insights about how to overcome the challenges ahead and take full advantage of new opportunities.
Ericsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of ThingsEricsson
The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a fundamental cornerstone in the digitalization of both industry and society as a whole. It represents a huge opportunity not only in economic terms, but also from a global challenges perspective – making it easier for governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to address pressing food, energy, water and climate related issues.
5G and the IoT are closely intertwined. One of the biggest innovations within 5G is support for the IoT in all its forms, both by addressing mission criticality as well as making it possible to connect low-cost, long-battery-life sensors.
With this in mind, we decided to create a special issue of Ericsson Technology Review solely focused on IoT opportunities and challenges. I hope it provides you with valuable insights about the IoT-related opportunities available to your organization, along with ideas about how we can overcome the challenges ahead.
Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...Ericsson
A variety of automotive and transport services that require cellular connectivity are already in commercial operation today, and many more are yet to come. Among other things, these services will improve road safety and traffic efficiency, saving lives and helping to reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change. At Ericsson, we believe that the best way to address the growing connectivity needs of this industry sector is through a common network solution, as opposed to taking a single-segment silo approach.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explains how the ongoing rollout of 5G provides a cost-efficient and feature-rich foundation for a horizontal multiservice network that can meet the connectivity needs of the automotive and transport ecosystem. It also outlines the key challenges and presents potential solutions.
This presentation explains the importance of SD-WAN technology as part of the Enterprise digital transformation strategy. It goes over the first wave of SD-WAN in a single vendor deployment, with Do-it-yourself (DIY) as the preferred model. Then continues with the importance of orchestration in the second wave of SD-WAN deployments in a multi-vendor ecosystem, turning to SD-WAN Managed Services as the preferred model. It ends up with some examples of use cases and the Verizon customer case. More information on Ericsson Dynamic orchestration - http://m.eric.sn/6rsZ30psKLu
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...Ericsson
Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is becoming the standard Ethernet-based technology for converged networks of Industry 4.0. Understanding the importance and relevance of TSN features, as well as the capabilities that allow 5G to achieve wireless deterministic and time-sensitive communication, is essential to industrial automation in the future.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explains how TSN is an enabler of Industry 4.0, and that together with 5G URLLC capabilities, the two key technologies can be combined and integrated to provide deterministic connectivity end to end. It also discusses TSN standards and the value of the TSN toolbox for next generation industrial automation networks.
Ericsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive stateEricsson
Low latency communication and minimal battery consumption are key requirements of many 5G and IoT use cases, including smart transport and critical control of remote devices. Thanks to Ericsson’s 4G/5G research activities and lessons learned from legacy networks, we have identified solutions that address both of these requirements by reducing the amount of signaling required during state transitions, and shared our discoveries with the 3GPP.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the why and how behind the new Radio Resource Control (RRC) state model in the standalone version of the 5G New Radio standard, which features a new, Ericsson-developed state called inactive. On top of overcoming latency and battery consumption challenges, the new state also increases overall system capacity by decreasing the processing effort in the network.
Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...Ericsson
Cloud-native application design is set to become standard practice in the telecom industry in the near future due to the major efficiency gains it can provide, particularly in terms of speeding up software upgrades and releases. At Ericsson, we have been actively exploring the potential of cloud-native computing in the telecom industry since we joined the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) a few years ago.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the opportunities that CNCF technology has enabled, as well as unveiling key aspects of our application development framework, which is designed to help navigate the transition to a cloud-native approach. It also discusses the challenges that the large-scale reuse of open-source technology can raise, along with key strategies for how to mitigate them.
Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G w...Ericsson
To meet the requirements of use cases in areas such as the Internet of Things, AR/VR, Industry 4.0 and the automotive sector, operators need to be able to provide computing resources across the whole telco domain – all the way to the edge of the mobile network. Service exposure and APIs will play a key role in creating solutions that are both effective and cost efficient.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explores recent advances in the service exposure area that have resulted from the move toward 5G and the adoption of cloud-native principles, as well as the combination of Service-based Architecture, microservices and container technologies. It includes examples that illustrate how service exposure can be deployed in a multitude of locations, each with a different set of requirements that drive modularity and configurability needs.
The demand for mobile broadband backhaul capacity will continue to grow. In 2021, high capacity radio sites will typically require backhaul in the 1 Gbps range, and towards 2025 in the 5 Gbps range. Microwave backhaul technology is now able to support 10 Gbps, and is very well prepared to support the evolution of LTE and introduction of 5G networks
Differing capacity needs
The typical radio site backhaul capacity needed for two different deployment scenarios towards 2025 can be seen in the table. The upper table represents an operator that today is in the mobile broadband introduction phase, while the lower table shows an operator in the advanced mobile broadband phase. Most operators are somewhere in between these two examples. In 2021, high capacity radio sites are expected to require backhaul in the 1 Gbps range, whereas low capacity is in the 100 Mbps range. The most extreme capacity sites are expected to target backhaul with fiber-like capacity. With the introduction of 5G the capacity evolves further, but will depend on radio access spectrum availability and local needs. Towards 2025, high capacity radio sites are expected to require backhaul in the 5 Gbps range, with extreme capacity sites in the 10 Gbps range. However, the majority of radio sites will require less than 1 Gbps towards 2025.
As capacity needs have grown, the use of backhaul spectrum has shifted towards higher frequencies where larger channel bandwidths are more easily found. The attractiveness of the 70/80 GHz band is rapidly increasing. It offers very wide bandwidth, at a generally low spectrum fee, enabling capacities in the order of 10 Gbps or more over distances of a few kilometers.
Multiband solutions, which enable enhanced data rates by combining resources in multiple frequency bands, already constitute an essential part of modern radio access systems and in the coming years will also be increasingly used in backhaul. They enable an efficient use of diverse backhaul spectrum bands, meeting the performance and availability requirements for evolved LTE and future 5G services over wide geographical areas (Figure 2).
The performance of microwave backhaul has evolved continuously with new and enhanced technologies and features that make even better use of available spectrum. Microwave backhaul technology will continue to evolve and be able to handle 100 percent of all radio access sites’ capacity needs, today and towards 2025.
Microwave continues to be a key enabler for mobile broadband deployments in developing areas. Many large 3G/HSPA and LTE deployments will be in regions where microwave is the obvious choice. Another key factor is the use of wider channels and new spectrum, which in several countries comes with a lower cost, thereby building a business case for microwave
There is a long term global trend of microwave spectrum usage moving up in frequency. So far, the reason for this has been to access wider channels. However, new factors are now coming into play that will accelerate this shift up in frequency and in particular, the usage of E-band. The shift might facilitate the future introduction of 5G in bands between 24 and 43 GHz.
Fixed microwave links use spectrum in different frequency ranges to support communication in a variety of locations, from sparsely populated rural areas to ultra-dense urban environments. Lower frequency bands are needed for longer distances, while higher frequencies are suitable for shorter distances. The installed base of microwave hops per region and frequency band can be seen in the figure. The size of the circles shows the installed base and their color shows the 10-year trend for new deployment share. Globally about four million hops are in operation today. On a regional level there are large variations, but some global trends are still visible. Several popular bands (e.g. 15, 23 and 38 GHz) have reached saturation point. These bands still have high volumes of new deployments, but their relative shares are not growing. Some bands have even started to shrink (e.g. 7 GHz). Growth today is instead seen in the underutilized higher bands, where wider channels are available.
Even though the main growth is in the higher bands, some of the lower bands are also growing in popularity (e.g. 6 and 11 GHz) due to local regulations, underutilization and good propagation properties in high rain rate regions.
However, the band with the highest growth is E-band (70/80 GHz). After just a few years, there is now a substantial installed base with a solid footprint, and the band’s growth is accelerating.
The momentum of E-band
Operators can also now start to use the E-band spectrum to drastically lower their spectrum fees. This can be achieved by using channel widths in the same range as in traditional bands (62.5–125 MHz), and will accelerate the usage of E-band even further.
One illustrative example from the market is what has happened in Poland. Here, the spectrum fee in E-band is 4 to 10 times lower than for the traditional bands. This has had a dramatic effect on which frequencies are used. Existing links in traditional bands are being replaced by E-band links, and over just 3 years, the E-band share of all installed microwave links has gone from 0 percent to 9 percent (Figure 7). The same pattern has also been seen in other Eastern European countries and other markets, where the E-band spectrum fees are very low.
When looking at the E-band spectrum fee in several countries, most regulators have adopted a low fee approach (Figure 8). This will boost the usage of E-band with efficient spectrum use. However, countries with a no-fee approach might risk an efficient use of spectrum in the long term, while countries that have a very high fee will limit the usage of E-band, making the build out of mobile broadband more difficult
5G radio access technology – New Radio (NR) – will take on a much larger role than it has in previous generations and will be a key enabler of the Networked Society. It will adapt and scale to provide wireless connectivity for a wide range of applications, use cases and deployment types. In general, lower bands are crucial for the provisioning of deep indoor coverage and extended outdoor coverage, while the higher bands are crucial for extreme bandwidths. A single frequency band cannot provide a solution for all the 5G use cases, given the diversity of future applications and their different requirements for wider bandwidth, shorter latency and extended coverage. LTE is evolving to support some of the new use cases in frequency bands below 6 GHz. This will be further enhanced and refined in these bands by 5G NR; a scalable technology that will support all frequency band types – from low bands below 1 GHz and mid bands from 1 GHz to 6 GHz, to high bands up to 86 GHz.
Following regulatory decisions made at WRC-15, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is commissioning international spectrum studies within its Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R). The studies concern 5G mobile broadband systems of specific frequency bands in the 24.25–86 GHz
range (Figure 9), and will pave the way for decisions in the fall of 2019. Such new spectrum decisions at the ITU WRC-19 will allow for standardized and commercial 5G deployments beyond 2020. Intensive work by ITU-R and 3GPP is also ongoing to finalize specifications and standards for the deployment of 5G networks before 2020. These efforts need to take into account the many different requirements of future 5G users, and the challenges that they present.
The current process for WRC-19 focuses on spectrum for commercial 5G deployment beyond 2020. However, some countries are targeting initial deployments well before 2020, and are already identifying pioneering frequency bands. Some are considering early introduction of 5G in low and mid bands, such as 600 MHz, 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz. Others are targeting early deployments of very high capacity services in the new millimeter wave bands, with a particular focus on the 28 GHz band – although this band is not on the ITU-R list for WRC-19.
The US, Japan, China and South Korea are expected to be the first countries where 5G subscriptions will be available. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently adopted new rules to facilitate the development of 5G spectrum in the US, with the first decision on the flexible fixed and mobile use of the 28 GHz band and the 37/39 GHz band (Figure 9). The more flexible use of spectrum may create opportunities for sharing among different kinds of users (fixed/mobile; federal/non-federal; terrestrial/satellite; and carrier networks/private networks). The unlicensed 60 GHz band has also doubled in size to cover all of 57–71 GHz. The FCC is further investigating additional bands out of those being studied for WRC-19, such as the 24, 32, 42, 47, 50 and 70/80 GHz bands (Figure 9).
It should be noted that such diverse frequencies have very different characteristics, since propagation becomes increasingly limited as frequency increases. The very highest frequencies (beyond 42 GHz) are therefore considered to be mainly suitable for indoor hot spot scenarios.
Today, many of the bands studied for 5G use are allocated to the fixed microwave service . Although the dominant use of fixed microwave is for mobile backhaul, it is also extensively used by other industries and societies. Individual spectrum licenses per installation is most common, which provides the ultimate sharing of spectrum for all users of fixed microwave.
Fixed microwave deployments in the 38 GHz band are extensive, especially in the European region. And to some extent, this is also the case for the 26, 28 and 32 GHz bands . However, as communication networks are upgraded for even higher capacities, a shift is expected from the use of the fixed microwave bands in the 24.25–43.5 GHz range to the use of the 70/80 GHz band, which offers very high bandwidth. Multiband solutions for microwave will further accelerate the use of 70/80 GHz, as will low spectrum license fees. If the growth curve continues, E-band will account for 20 percent of new deployments by 2020. This shift in frequency use might facilitate the future introduction of 5G in bands between 24 and 43 GHz.
Some use cases, such as small cell backhauling in ultra-dense scenarios, might be addressed in the future 5G spectrum. Spectrum licenses for geographical areas are of advantage for rapid deployments of small cell backhaul. In areas with unused 5G access spectrum resources, it provides an opportunity for self-backhaul as well as for stand-alone backhaul. In the future, a more efficient use of spectrum and a higher degree of sharing between different types of radio services is expected. An example would be indoor hot spots sharing spectrum with outdoor fixed microwave use, which is already regulated in the 60 GHz band in Europe.
The evolution of LTE and 5G NR will support the ever increasing connectivity and performance needs. The high scalability and flexibility of 5G NR will not only support enhanced and diverse services in the future, but will also facilitate the evolution of the network; an evolution that also puts new demands on backhaul
5G NR will be a very scalable technology capable of providing 10 Gbps peak rates in some scenarios, but a consistent user experience will be of higher priority than theoretical peak data rates. LTE and 5G NR will also be used as a fast and efficient alternative to wireline technologies, to provide fixed wireless access for residential customers and enterprises. This is complemented with microwave transport solutions, not only as backhaul, but also as virtual fiber solutions to provide multi-gigabit connections to multi-tenants and enterprises.
The traffic from most IoT applications will be relatively small and easily absorbed in existing network infrastructure. Any network extensions can be facilitated using microwave backhaul for rapid deployments.
In addition, new types of IoT use cases are envisioned for LTE and 5G, such as traffic safety and control of critical infrastructure and industry processes. These critical machine type communication (MTC) applications set stringent requirements for performance characteristics, like high reliability and low latency. Here, the number of devices is are typically much smaller, but the business value is significantly higher. Although the dominant use of microwave transport is for mobile backhaul, it is also extensively used by many other industries and societies and is well proven in, for example, critical communication networks.
The expectations for 5G networks are high – providing support for a massive range of services – including those yet to be innovated and developed. However, the maximum levels of performance will not all apply at the same time for every application or service. Instead, 5G systems will be built to meet a range of performance targets, so that different services with widely varying demands can be deployed on a single infrastructure. Getting networks to provide such different types of connectivity, however, requires flexibility in architecture.
One of the key advantages of 4G LTE has proven to be its flat architecture. This enables quick rollout, ease of deployment and standard IP-based connectivity. Thanks to collaboration between radio sites over the IP-based X2 interface, LTE handovers remain seamless from a user perspective. In addition to basic mobility and traffic management functionality, X2 coordination is evolving to support carrier aggregation and coordinated multipoint reception (CoMP) across sites and layers. The coordination gains degrade with increasing latency; therefore an X2 latency of less than 5 milliseconds is recommended. This is already achievable today in most networks.
With the evolution of 4G and the introduction of 5G, RAN architecture is undergoing a transformation to increase deployment flexibility and network dynamicity. This enables networks to meet increasing performance requirements, while at the same time keeping a lid on TCO. Deployment flexibility enables an operator to deploy and configure the RAN with maximum spectrum efficiency and service performance regardless of the site topology, transport network characteristics, and spectrum scenario. This is achieved through a correct split of the RAN architecture into logical nodes, combined with the future-proof freedom to deploy each node type in the sites that are most appropriate given the physical topology and service requirements.
The core functions are virtualized so you can scale capacity and introduce new services much faster and more cost-effectively at any location in the network, from small-scale local to large-scale data center deployments. Some of the non real-time RAN functions that were previously hosted on the baseband units, are also becoming virtualized (Figure 12) – for example, the multipath-handling function that is the anchor point for dual connectivity in 5G. By having this function higher up in the network, tromboning of traffic is avoided. The IP-based interface between the virtualized RAN and the real-time radio processing functions has a characteristic similar to backhaul. It scales with user data and has a recommended latency of less than 5 milliseconds. The new fronthaul for 5G, eCPRI, is being standardized and will use ethernet over dedicated fiber connections. It will encompass increased bandwidth efficiency, increased capacities and lower latencies in order to meet the needs for 5G. The latency requirements are more stringent than today – less than 25 microseconds for eCPRI (dependent on 5G TTI) as compared to less than 150 microseconds today for CPRI.
Low latency services
Since the introduction of LTE, the main focus has been to enhance throughput, while improvements in latency have lagged behind. However, lower latency is now driven by the ambition to support many new applications. Some envisioned 5G use cases, such as traffic safety and control of critical infrastructure and industry processes, may require much lower latency compared with what is possible today. Latencies of the order of 30 milliseconds would achieve the illusion of instant response, while for the most extreme use cases, such as for the operation of fast-moving machine parts or scenarios that require accurate real-time control, latency should not exceed a couple of milliseconds.
Networks will incrementally evolve to higher throughput and lower latency, and efforts are ongoing to significantly reduce LTE latencies. Smart applications that adapt to the performance that the networks actually provide are also common. 5G NR is being developed with these requirements in mind and will be very flexible and scalable. The flexibility of the 5G architecture is also essential to shortening the distance and the associated latency between the low latency service end points (Figure 13); for example, to enable factory machines or vehicles to communicate directly with each other, device to device, and to locate virtualized RAN and core functions to deploy user services on local cloud platforms closer to the antenna sites. As always there will be a tradeoff between investments and value of low latency, which is why some of the most challenging use cases might be more locally deployed.
The speeds at which signals can travel through the air and at which light can travel along a fiber are governed by fundamental laws of physics. The speed of light in fiber is roughly two-thirds the speed of signals in air. The lengths of deployed fiber are typically 1.5–2 times longer than the shortest distance through air. Thus, free space has 34–67 percent lower latency than fiber. This is the reason that microwave transport is extensively used in the most extreme low latency networks that exist today – high frequency stock trading networks.
There are many other contributions to latency in networks beside propagation, such as protocol incurred latencies (TCP), transmission delay, processing delay and queuing delay. To guarantee low latency, transport networks need to provide mechanisms that can apply priorities and enable optimal routing of latency-critical traffic. In practice, such mechanisms might select direct paths to minimize propagation delay or bypass certain nodes to avoid the delay incurred at intermediate hops – allowing overall latency to approach the theoretical limit.
The dynamic capacity of microwave links, usage of unlicensed spectrum and an increased focus on energy efficiency are microwave-specific examples of how software-defined networking (SDN) functions can increase overall network performance.
In the first category the functions are static and the corresponding microwave parameters – such as maximum output power, available modulation schemes and mapping between service and transport layer functions – are typically configured manually as part of the initial setup. This static category belongs to the domain of traditional network management, including FCAPS functions (Fault, Configuration, Administration, Performance, Security) and static service provisioning
SDN functions are applicable to the second, dynamic category, where decisions to re-configure a specific node in the transport network are automated and taken based on network-wide information. The time scale of the variation is down to the order of seconds and examples of such node configurations are QoS settings and forwarding information typically applied in use cases one and two, re-configuration of the frequency in use case three and activation of a link in use case four. In cases where the node itself can make a decision equally well, the preference should be to do so.
Communication between the node and the NMS/SDN entity needs to be kept to a minimum to reduce the signaling load and network complexity. SDN should be applied only when there is a clear value of centralized control in the network. In many cases there will be a mixed setup where decisions are taken locally by the node, but being based on policies defined by the network-wide SDN functions.
The third category is an ultra-dynamic domain where parameters vary on a sub-second time scale; examples of related functions are adaptive modulation, radio link protection and Automatic Transmitted Power Control (ATPC) in microwave nodes. These functions need to be controlled by the node itself because of the rapid time scale, as configuring them via SDN is not viable because of the latency in the network. An important role of SDN functions in this category is to create policies towards the nodes. An example of such a policy is min/max output power for ATPC.
As part of SDN introduction, unified management becomes an important cornerstone, being a pre-requisite for handling equipment from multiple vendors in an efficient manner. Hence, open and standardized node interfaces are closely associated with the concept of SDN. For packet functionality, such standards are already in place, both for Ethernet (Layer 2) and IP/MPLS (Layer 3), but standards do not currently exist for microwave radio link functionality.
Ericsson has, together with other vendors, submitted a draft to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), proposing a YANG model for managing microwave networks. The model follows the same structure as existing standards in the packet domain. As a microwave node also contains packet functionality, which is expected to be managed using those models, there are obvious advantages if radio-link interfaces can be modeled and managed using the same approach. This is illustrated in the figure which shows how different NMS/SDN functions, and the corresponding protocols, are applied towards a microwave node.
In summary, SDN is a promising concept that will allow for increased network efficiency. Based on network-wide information, the available resources can be utilized in a more powerful manner and with a higher degree of automation. Microwave networks in particular can benefit from the SDN concept because of the variable capacity of a microwave link, as well as the complex interference situation that may arise with usage of unlicensed spectrum. However, SDN for microwave is still in its early phases and a considerable amount of work is required to define how microwave networks will operate within the overall area of transport SDN.
Energy performance regulations and policies are emerging globally and there is an increasing interest in green products and operations. By reducing power consumption in mobile broadband networks, environmental benefits as well as cost savings can be achieved.
Microwave equipment has traditionally been optimized for meeting peak capacity and to provide five nines availability. To improve overall energy performance, additional effort needs to be made. By using capable hardware, introducing energy efficient software features and enabling integrated site solutions, additional improvements in energy performance will be achieved.
Capable hardware
Microwave radios are one of the major power consumers in microwave systems, with its power amplifier using the most energy. The introduction of gallium nitride (GaN) technology, opens up opportunities to significantly reduce consumption in the power amplifier. GaN technology enables transistors with power densities that are as much as five times higher than conventional gallium arsenide (GaAs) devices. GaN technology increases the power amplifier energy efficiency by up to 50 percent, thus enabling radio unit power consumption to be reduced by 25 percent.
Microwave systems have an important role to play in improving the overall energy performance in mobile networks now and in the future. Energy cost is one of the top aspects to address, representing 12 percent of the microwave backhaul opex. It’s also important to enable the use of alternative power solutions and back-up systems for remote sites. By changing focus from energy performance on individual equipment
Site solutions
Another opportunity to reduce power consumption is by focusing on the complete site. The key opportunity is then to use equipment that can be integrated in a single cabinet design. This solution saves power by sharing cooling, power supply, batteries, cabling and accessories, among others. When using a common cabinet cooling control, all units in the cabinet can request more or less cooling, resulting in the cabinet fan speed and and at the same time noise levels will be significantly reduced. One use case example shows that power consumption can be reduced from 70 W to 15
Software features
Conventional microwave systems have static power consumption. This results in high power usage independent of how much output power is used. With dynamic power consumption features, the radio unit can effectively adjust the power requirements according to the used output power in the radio. By comparing static power consumption with dynamic power variation (Figure 16), it can be seen how the power consumption follows the output power. The needed output power varies over time and full output power will only be needed under the worst raining conditions, which occur around 1 percent of the year, represented by the two peaks in output power in the figure.
Dynamic traffic aware power consumption combines dynamic power consumption with automatic adjustment of modulation to the throughput needed. When stepping down in modulation, the required received signal strength will be reduced, enabling further reduction of the output power. Comparing dynamic power consumption with dynamic traffic aware power consumption, major savings in three out of four link conditions can be seen.
By introducing these types of software features in microwave systems, major yearly savings can be achieved when looking at the total microwave network. With dynamic power consumption, 15 percent energy savings can be achieved. With dynamic traffic aware power consumption, the savings can be improved up to 35 percent .
Microwave is the true enabler for rural broadband in emerging markets. It is popular because it is reliable and provides fast and low-cost deployment, compared with wired solutions. Microwave is used to carry both fixed and mobile traffic, and with the higher capacities provided by the new E-band, this is expected to continue. Today, there are five trends in rural backhaul.