8/15/2019 Pages de Mobile Infrastructure Sharing

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3.2 Mast sharing

Mast, or tower, sharing is a step up from operatorssimply co-locating their sites and involves sharingthe same mast, antenna frame or rooftop.

Figure 3: Mast sharing

Figure 3 shows a single fenced-off compoundwithin which operators will install their ownaccess infrastructure, ranging from antennas to

 base transceiver station (BTS) cabinets. However,each operator will install their own antennas ontoa shared physical mast or other structure. The mastmay need to be strengthened or made taller tosupport several sets of antenna. As for site sharing,operators may share support equipment. Operatorcoverage remains completely separate.

There are alternative options available to operatorswhen considering mast sharing. For example,third party structures such as chimneys and steelpower pylons perform comparably to operatormasts in terms of providing the required height andload-bearing capacity. In built-up areas, rooftopsmay be shared by several operators. Third partyinfrastructure providers, such as Arqiva and CrownCastle, may also enter the market specically toprovide shared antenna sites to telecoms operatorsand broadcasters.

3.3 RAN sharing

RAN sharing is the most comprehensive form ofaccess network sharing. It involves the sharingof all access network equipment, including theantenna, mast and backhaul equipment. Each ofthe RAN access networks is incorporated into a

single network, which is then split into separatenetworks at the point of connection to the core.MNOs continue to keep separate logical networksand spectrum and the degree of operational co-ordination is less than for other types of activesharing.

Figure 4: RAN sharing

 

The above gure illustrates how RAN sharingmight work between two partner networks. Inthis scenario both operators share all the access

network elements to the point of connection withthe core network. At this interconnect point eachoperator then splits out the trafc from its respectivecustomers on its own core network ring forprocessing by its own core network elements andinfrastructure. The exact implementation may vary between different operators depending on the localimplementation.

Included in the access network are:

• Radio equipment.

• Masts.

• Site compounds.• Backhaul equipment.

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Mast Sharing

Shared Compound

Antenna A

EquipmentCabinet A

Antenna B

EquipmentCabinet B

Full RAN Sharing

Shared Compound

Antenna A/B

SharedBTS/Node B

SharedBSC/RNC

Core Network A

Core Network B