Transmission Planning Guidelines V3.2

Engineering Documentation Transmission Group

Access Network Transmission Planning Guidelines

Author(s): Surjeet Singh, Vikas Khera, Bob Forster Owner: Bob Forster

Confidence: Company Confidential

Date: 2nd October 2004

Status: Issued Version: 3.2

Title: Access Network Transmission Planning Guidelines

Summary: This document outlines the Access Transmission Network design guidelines for both the NEC and Nokia regions of the 3 UK network.

Document no. H3g/015c/H3g-In/AC-internal

Document Version History

Version Date Author Reason for Change

D-1 9th Sep 01 V Khera Updated drawings from Nokia

1.0 30th Oct 01 V Khera First Release

2.0 31th Jan 02 V Khera Divided into three parts ( General,Nokia,NEC)

2.2 31st May 02 V Khera Short links and RL lengths, IR, Construction, Connect,

2.3 15th Oct 02 V Khera Details of IR, Mobicells, Street works,Circuit breaker allocation

3.0 7th Oct 03 Surjeet Singh Addition of NEP user documents and guidelines related to transmission repeater site; Deletion of IR and other information which was not found to be of much relevance in contemporary network design

3.1 1st October 2004

Bob Forster Document heavily revised. General, Nokia & NEC guidelines now covered by this single document.

Reduction of physical Iub capacity on MW path

Reduction of actual Iub capacity circuited (to maximise usage of THS backaul)

Guidelines for Iub capacity upgrades / downgrades

Increase in maximum number of Node Bs per THS to 40

Increase in maximum number of sites in a chain to 5 for Motorway or Rural Road Coverage Sites

Use of LL Streetworks sites to support onward microwave

Introduction of 58Ghz Microwave

3.2 2nd October 2004

Bob Forster Hyperlinks repaired & minor amendments.


Version 3.2 Page 1 of 78

Draft DL

Name Organisation/Department

Rob Crutchley Network Rollout Director

Graham Baxter Design & Implementation Director

Mark Dismorr National Transmission Manager

John Goodman National Backbone Transmission Manager

Chris Randall National Leased Bandwidth Manager

Trevor Moore Regional Transmission Manager

Mick Leonard Regional Transmission Manager

Jimmy Blair Regional Transmission Manager

Emma Young, Michael Gillett, Stephen McFeeley

Heads of Region

DL NDM Network Deployment Managers

TPEs Transmission Planning Engineers

Alok Tripathi Radio Design

Anil Darji Radio Design

Carl Moorhouse Operations

Sergio Casali, Jorge Angelis Lobo Davila Operations



Contents

1 Objective and Scope ........................................................................................................................... 6 2 Site Planning Process......................................................................................................................... 6

2.1 Planning....................................................................................................................................... 6 2.1.1 Nominal Plan and Initial Site Survey............................................................................................................................6 2.1.2 Candidate Selection.....................................................................................................................................................6

2.2 Surveying..................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 LOS Survey Tasking ....................................................................................................................................................7 2.2.2 Technical Review (TR)...............................................................................................................................................10 2.2.3 Site Design Approval .................................................................................................................................................11

2.3 Engineering ............................................................................................................................... 11 2.3.1 Link Creation..............................................................................................................................................................11 2.3.2 Link Ordering – Microwave Licence Application / Leased Bandwidth Quote.............................................................12 2.3.3 NetOne Task Skipping ...............................................................................................................................................13 2.3.4 Task Skip Function ....................................................................................................................................................14 2.3.5 Transmission Call Offs / Purchase Orders for Transmission Equipment and I&C Services......................................15 2.3.6 Transmission Call Off Process...................................................................................................................................15 2.3.7 Microwave Call Off Pack............................................................................................................................................15 2.3.8 Leased Bandwidth Call Off Pack ...............................................................................................................................16 2.3.9 Node B co-located at THS - Vendor Circuit Information ............................................................................................17 2.3.10 Node B Call Off form ............................................................................................................................................17 2.3.11 Raising Purchase Order on OIP...........................................................................................................................17 2.3.12 Nokia Metrohopper 58Ghz Call Off Procedure.....................................................................................................18 2.3.13 Transmission Rack Call Off ..................................................................................................................................21 2.3.14 Transmission Repeater Cabinet Call Off ..............................................................................................................22

2.4 Link Upgrade Procedure............................................................................................................ 22 2.4.1 Link Decommissioning ...............................................................................................................................................22

2.5 Integration, Testing & Acceptance ............................................................................................ 23 2.5.1 Site Integration / Link Transproving ...........................................................................................................................23 2.5.2 Node B / Link Acceptance..........................................................................................................................................23

3 Site Types, Definitions and Configurations.................................................................................... 24 3.1 Transmission High Site.............................................................................................................. 24

3.1.1 Detailed Description of THS.......................................................................................................................................24 3.1.2 THS SELECTION ......................................................................................................................................................27

3.2 Terminal Site ............................................................................................................................. 27 3.3 Intermediate Site ....................................................................................................................... 28



3.4 Nodal Site .................................................................................................................................. 28 3.5 Fibre Nodal Site......................................................................................................................... 29 3.6 Transmission Collection Point – TCPB ..................................................................................... 29 3.7 Ring Nodal Site.......................................................................................................................... 30

3.7.1 Capacity Considerations ............................................................................................................................................30 3.8 Fibre Intermediate Site .............................................................................................................. 30 3.9 Fibre Terminal Site .................................................................................................................... 30 3.10 Pylons........................................................................................................................................ 31 3.11 Mobicell Sites ............................................................................................................................ 31 3.12 Street works Sites...................................................................................................................... 31 3.13 Transmission Repeater Site / Transmission Collection Point (TCP)......................................... 32

3.13.1 Rules for deployment of Transmission Repeater Cabinets ..................................................................................32 4 Access Transmission Network Design Guidelines........................................................................ 35

4.1 Topology.................................................................................................................................... 35 4.1.1 Changes in Transmission Capacity Guidelines .........................................................................................................35 4.1.2 Physical Iub E1 Capacity Requirements on Microwave Links ...................................................................................36 4.1.3 Actual Iub E1 Capacity Requirements .......................................................................................................................37 4.1.4 Nokia Medium Term Actual Capacity Requirements .................................................................................................37 4.1.5 NEC Medium Term Actual Capacity Requirements...................................................................................................37 4.1.6 NEC Platform 1 Actual Capacity Requirement (NB530/NB531) ................................................................................38 4.1.7 NEC Platform 2 Actual Capacity Requirement (NB440/441 Macro Node B).............................................................38 4.1.8 Iub Capacity Upgrade / Reduction Guideline............................................................................................................38 4.1.9 Nokia Iub Capacity Upgrades / Downgrades .............................................................................................................39 4.1.10 NEC Iub Capacity Upgrades / Reductions ...........................................................................................................39 4.1.11 THS Capacity Planning Guideline ........................................................................................................................39 4.1.12 General Topology Planning Rules........................................................................................................................41

4.2 Microwave Link Planning........................................................................................................... 43 4.2.1 Preliminary Check......................................................................................................................................................43 4.2.2 RA Licence Application ..............................................................................................................................................43 4.2.3 Minimum Path Length Criteria (Restriction by RA) ....................................................................................................43 4.2.4 Performance Objectives & other Link Parameters.....................................................................................................43 4.2.5 Interference Analysis .................................................................................................................................................44

4.3 Leased Bandwidth Planning...................................................................................................... 44 4.3.1 Limiting Factors..........................................................................................................................................................44 4.3.2 Capacity & Equipment Details ...................................................................................................................................44 4.3.3 Ordering Leased Bandwidth ......................................................................................................................................45

4.4 Concessions .............................................................................................................................. 45



5 NEC Specific Transmission Planning Guidelines.......................................................................... 46 6 Nokia Specific Transmission Planning Guidelines........................................................................ 47

6.1 FIU 19........................................................................................................................................ 48 6.2 IFUE........................................................................................................................................... 50 6.3 AXC/SAXC Unit ......................................................................................................................... 51 6.4 BT NTE Equipment.................................................................................................................... 52 6.5 Guidelines for Nokia Metrohopper 58Ghz................................................................................. 53 6.6 Additional guidelines for Nokia Metrohopper in NEC Region.................................................... 55 6.7 Nokia Microwave Link Ordering Guidelines – OIP Ordering..................................................... 56

7 Q1 Management of Nokia Microwave Radios................................................................................. 56 7.1.1 Nokia Site designs .....................................................................................................................................................56 7.1.2 Nokia Rack Face layouts ...........................................................................................................................................56 7.1.3 THS Circuit Breaker allocation...................................................................................................................................56

8 Design Construction and Installation Guide .................................................................................. 57 9 ANNEXES ........................................................................................................................................... 58 10 Annexure-1......................................................................................................................................... 58 11 Annexure-2......................................................................................................................................... 59 12 Annexure-3......................................................................................................................................... 60 13 Annexure-4......................................................................................................................................... 60 14 Software Tools & Packages.............................................................................................................. 61

14.1 NetOne ...................................................................................................................................... 61 14.2 Connect ..................................................................................................................................... 61 14.3 Cramer....................................................................................................................................... 62 14.4 Network Equipment Provisioning (NEP).................................................................................... 62

15 Vendor Specific Detailed Guidelines............................................................................................... 62 16 Synchronisation Design ................................................................................................................... 62 17 Design Construction and Installation Guide .................................................................................. 62 18 Alarm Management ........................................................................................................................... 62 19 Annexure 1: British Telecom Std. Delivery times (Working Days).............................................. 63 20 Annexure 2: Rain Rate Calculator .................................................................................................. 64 21 Annexure 3: Radio Theory............................................................................................................... 65 22 GLOSSARY OF TERMS..................................................................................................................... 75



1 Objective and Scope This document defines the access transmission planning strategies. The document is intended for use by Transmission Planning Engineers and other rollout functions. It serves as a general guideline on provision of transmission to Node B sites. This document outlines details of various tools, team activities, design specifications and quality targets.

The Transmission Strategy has been heavily revised to facilitate a higher proportion of Node B sites to be supported by Microwave. All Transmission Planning Engineers are required to review the guidance and rules set out in this document.

2 Site Planning Process Listed below is the development process that a site has to go through before it will be built and integrated. The process contains four clearly defined stages:

i) Planning

ii) Survey

iii) Engineering

iv) Testing / Acceptance

These four stages overlay the development process that is explained and expanded on in detail below. Each stage of site development has an individual transmission requirement to be considered. Integration / Initial Acceptance can be considered as the culmination of the planning stages.

2.1 Planning

2.1.1 Nominal Plan and Initial Site Survey Nominals are defined by the Radio Planning Department in Enterprise, and relevant search areas for candidates are issued to the Acquisition Department. The Acquisition department informs the external agency regarding the requirement of a site in the specified search area. The external agency & Acquisition controller will arrange a drive by visit / survey to assess the potential candidate locations within the search area. During this joint visit (Acquisition & Planning Engineer), an Initial Site Survey Report will be prepared and made available to Radio and Transmission Planning Engineers. The report will include photographs and general information related to site.

2.1.2 Candidate Selection The Transmission Planning Engineer (TPE) is required to evaluate each candidate in the initial site survey report and assess its suitability for transmission solution. The site transmission status in Enterprise should be updated based on this evaluation - flag settings to be updated by TPE. This activity is conducted in conjunction with the Radio Planning Engineers (RPEs) assessment. TPEs will own Transmission High Sites (THS) and RPEs will own all other sites. It may be the case that the Radio Planning Engineer (RPE) rejects the site purely on the basis of coverage whereas the site may be useful to Transmission. Co-Located Sites are to have the flag ‘Site Type’ changed to reflect the type of site i.e. ‘THS/Node B’.

The situation may arise where the RPE and the TPE select different candidates within a nominal as the



PRIME. In this instance, the TPE should present a case to select the site with a Microwave Radio solution over a Leased Bandwidth site. The Network Deployment Manager will have the deciding vote, however if he is unable to, it will be the Regional Rollout Managers responsibility.

2.2 Surveying

2.2.1 LOS Survey Tasking This is not to be confused with the ‘Initial Site Survey’ submitted by the Acquisition Department. Once a site has been identified as the ‘PRIME Candidate’ and in some cases ‘BACKUP’, the TPE must start planning the potential transmission solutions for the site.

TPE will perform the following activities:

• Conduct a desktop study to find out the possible connectivity plans, perform Path Profile Analysis using CONNECT and examine closely the information provided in the initial site survey report.

Figure 1 - 2D view and Path Profile in Connect (for details refer Connect Section)

• TPE to order the Line of Sight survey, to be carried out by the appointed subcontractor. (At the time of issue, Universal are the current LOS supplier).

• LOS survey tasking and tracking will be done using the LOS Database in NetOne. Photographic reports will be made available to the Transmission Planning Engineer after LOS survey.



Figure 2 LOS Survey Option in NetOne (for detailed description refer NetOne Section)

• Create the relevant LOS Survey task to physically confirm that Line of Sight exists and to request the panoramic photos at the minimum and expected heights. Use the TPE comments field for any special instructions for the LOS team.



Figure 3 Planner’s Comments in LOS Tool (for detailed description refer to NetOne Section)

• Site 1 of the task needs to be the site you are actually trying to connect to the network. This is particularly important to ensure that the task is associated to the correct site.

• The TPE is responsible for inputting the result based on the report into the NetOne database.

Figure 4 Entering LOS Survey Results (for detailed description refer to NetOne Section)

A desktop study and LOS survey should be completed before the Technical Review (TR). This will allow



the TPE to provide accurate design requirements at the time of TR. If the LOS survey has not been performed prior to TR meeting then TPE should arrange to get it done as soon as possible after TR.

2.2.2 Technical Review (TR) TR is a meeting at the site location to decide the site design. Participants will include TPE, RPE, Acquisition Agent, Construction Controller, an Architect, the site owner and possibly a representative from the local planning authority.

• The TPE should be able to use the LOS Survey results to specify the transmission requirements on site. TPE will take panoramic photos of surrounding area to identify potential LOS options if LOS survey has not been conducted prior to TR.

• Number of available masts, their locations, transmission equipment requirements, dish sizes, dish numbers, dish positions, accessibility and safety need to be assessed. These requirements are expressed to the architect who will in due course submit the design drawings for approval. It is advisable that any possible future expansion for the site be considered. i.e. Could the site mature into a Transmission Collection Point/Nodal site?

• TR is strategically very important stage, as:

o Design Drawings will be used for planning permission and construction. It can be very difficult to retrospectively include details once planning permission has been applied for, and radical changes to the requirements often mean that the site has to be revisited. It is therefore important that all transmission requirements are captured in the site design at this early stage

o Conversely applying for too many dishes may increase the chances of failing to obtain planning permission and drive up the cost of the site, due to construction costs and rental space etc.

• A sketch will be produced at TR and all participants will sign. Accurate assessment of the site potential at this stage is important and will minimise potential problems in the future.

• V1 Form: This form need to be completed by TPE prior to TR to outline the approximate transmission requirements.

• V2 Form: This form need to be completed immediately after TR, which specifies the actual transmission requirements as agreed with site designer.

Link to V1 & V2 Forms

TPEs must be actively involved at this stage and should be planning to design the site to support microwave wherever possible.



2.2.3 Site Design Approval The TPE will in due course receive the site design drawings for approval. The drawings need to be closely examined to verify that the detailed design matches the requirements agreed upon at the TR. Any drawings that do not reflect the design agreed at the TR stage should be red line amended or REJECTED and returned to the architect for correction. They will then need to be approved after corrections. This process can take some time with approved detailed design drawings arriving several weeks after the TR has been completed.

2.3 Engineering

2.3.1 Link Creation Depending on LOS Survey results and site design/planning restrictions the link will be either Digital Microwave Radio or Leased Bandwidth. The individual rollout processes for both are defined in their respective sections.

All types of links (microwave and leased line) will be created and engineered in the CONNECT planning tool to reflect the overall access network connectivity plans.

• TPE will adjust the parameters of a link in Connect and apply for an OFCOM Fixed Link Licence for all microwave links. TPE will submit the licence application via the batch process, which is managed by the National Access Transmission Team.

• National Access Transmission Team will process the applications and submit them in electronic batches to Ofcom in the acceptable format for licence approval.

o Approximate turn around time is two weeks for 38 & 26GHz frequency bands and 8 weeks for 13GHz and 23GHz bands.

o 58GHz band is exempt from licencing and hence need not to be applied to Ofcom.

• Connect link budget calculations are valid only for frequencies up to 40GHz and hence the 58Ghz Link Budget Calculator must be used to evaluate the path budget at this frequency.



2.3.2 Link Ordering – Microwave Licence Application / Leased Bandwidth Quote Once the Site Acquired milestone - Task 282 is reached, the TPE should:

Apply for Ofcom licence

or

Request the leased bandwidth engineer to get quotes from the OLO.

However, the TPE should closely interact with the acquisition department to monitor the progress of the site. In exceptional circumstances, if the site is urgent and the NDM & Acquisition Controller are confident that the site will be successfully acquired; the microwave licence application or leased bandwidth process may be initiated prior to completion of Task 282 Site Aquired.

• TPE will complete Task 286 if a microwave licence request is submitted.

• TPE will complete Task 281 to inform leased bandwidth engineer to further process the leased bandwidth request.

As third parties are involved in both microwave frequency licensing and leased bandwidth ordering/delivery, both processes are potentially long winded and can subject the site integration date to serious delay. Microwave licence applications or leased bandwidth ordering should therefore be made well in advance of the target integration date taking into account the lead-times involved.

• NetOne will reflect the various activities and milestones being achieved.

o Task 285 should be completed once the leased bandwidth quote is accepted and the site is acquired (Task 282)

o Task 288 should be completed once a link frequency is assigned by Ofcom. Refer to the latest Hutchlinks spreadsheet on the shared drive to check the status of the licence application. The National Access Transmission team is responsible for updating the spreadsheet on the shared drive.

o Once the relevant milestone (Task 292) is achieved the decision to build the site will be taken NDMs / Heads of Region and forecast dates for integration will be posted.

o Task 292 achieved in leased line case - when the task Leased Bandwidth Ordered (Task 285) and Site Acquired with Planning (Task 282) are complete.

OR

o Task 292 achieved in microwave case - when microwave licences are assigned for the complete connectivity i.e. for the whole chain of links connecting the site back to THS (Task 288) and Site Acquired with Planning (Task 282) are complete for all sites in the chain.



2.3.3 NetOne Task Skipping Depending on the transmission solution to be progressed, NetOne tasks not relevant to the chosen transmission solution must be skipped.

• If the site is connected via a microwave link then Task 281 should be skipped.

• If the site is connected via leased line then Task 286 should be skipped

Figure 5 Task skipping



2.3.4 Task Skip Function If there is a one to one relationship between the skipped task and the next task in the process chain, the next task will auto-cancel. This process will continue until a task has more than one predecessor.

o For example: If Task 286 (RA License Submitted) is skipped, then Task 288 (RA Provisional License received) will automatically cancel, as would Task 289, Task 293 and Task 303.

• Automatic cancelling will stop where the task, which should auto-cancel, has had a completed date filled in manually.

o For example: If Task 286 (RA License Submitted) is skipped, but Task 289 has a completed date against it, then Task 288 (RA Provisional License received) will automatically cancel, but Task 289 and Task 293 will not automatically cancel.

o In this scenario it is necessary to first remove any completed dates, on the tasks which should auto-cancel and save this change.

• If any of the successor tasks has an EXE status, it will not cancel.

Note: Task skipping relates to an action that a user has completed, where as cancelled relates to a system action. In terms of effect on planned dates, the two actions are identical. Therefore, if a task which should auto-cancel does not, the owner of that task can set the task to skipped to achieve the same end.



2.3.5 Transmission Call Offs / Purchase Orders for Transmission Equipment and I&C Services TPEs are responsible for calling off link equipment and as such must take responsibility for generating the call off correctly. This is of great importance as significant costs can be incurred if links are installed with the wrong sub-band ODUs, etc. Going forward, TPEs will be required to raise Purchase Orders for Transmission Equipment and I&C services using OIP. It is vitally important that TPEs check both the call off and Purchase Order to ensure what is being ordered is exactly what is required for the link. There will be no opportunity to correct any mistakes on Purchase Orders once issued to the vendor.

For Nokia, TPEs must raise POs for TX Equipment & Services from 1st September 2004.

For NEC, TPEs will at some stage be required to raise POs. The process is under discussion and the process will be announced at a later date.

2.3.6 Transmission Call Off Process

• For microwave links, once the licence is assigned by Ofcom, the TPE should generate the microwave call off using NEP. The Call off can be generated only after the circuiting has been completed in Cramer. Microwave links into fibre nodal sites must not be called off without including completed leased line backhaul circuiting information from Cramer (circuiting presentation details supplied by OLO provider). Without this information, NEC/Nokia will not connect the radio to the LL backhaul.

• For Nokia 58Ghz Metrohopper links, the call off process is different, as Connect does not perform path budget calculations beyond 40GHz. Refer to special Metrohopper call off process.

• For leased line links, the LL Call off is generated in NEP. Circuiting information should be entered into Cramer as soon as it is received from LL provider.

• Please read the documents in folder NEP Quick Reference Guide for guidance on using NEP. Alternative, once logged onto NEP, the user guide is available under Help menu.

2.3.7 Microwave Call Off Pack The Call Off Pack should include the following documents:

i) NEP Microwave Call Off Form



ii) Rack face layout Site A

iii) Rack face layout Site B

iv) GA drawing Site A

v) GA drawing Site B

vi) LOS photographs from both the sites should be included wherever available

vii) Vendor circuit report generated from Cramer

viii) Alarm krone panel connection details for NEC THSs

ix) Q1 addressing details for Nokia links

The following points need to be considered while completing the microwave call off form:

• Dish no. (Refer Site Drawing): Dish no. as shown on the GA drawing for that particular link.

• Case No : The correct case number for the transmission solution should be used. In some case such as Nodal sites where it is not possible to specify the exact case no., it is suggested to specify both the case nos. i.e. 3 / 4. [The case no is required by the vendor]

• Version No. : This relates to the version of the link to be Called Off. When the link is Called Off for the first time, it will have default Version No.1 and any changes to the Called Off link before installation should be issued with incremental Version No. It is extremely important to control call off versions to minimise possibility of links being installed on incorrect frequencies etc.

• Naming Convention: All the above documents should be zipped before sending to the vendor. Naming convention for this folder is:

MWCO_End A Nominal ID_End B Nominal ID_Link ID_VersionNo.zip

Contents of the pack should be cross-checked by a Senior planner in the room before requesting approval from Regional Transmission Manager.

Sample Microwave Call Off

2.3.8 Leased Bandwidth Call Off Pack The Call Off pack for Node Bs requiring leased bandwidth connectivity should include:

i) Rack face layout of Site B

ii) GA drawing of Site B

Naming Convention: All above documents should be zipped before sending to the vendor. Naming convention for this folder is LLCO_End B Nominal ID_Link ID_VersionNo.zip

Sample Leased Line Call Off



2.3.9 Node B co-located at THS - Vendor Circuit Information The transmission call off pack for Node B at co-located THS should contain:

i) Vendor circuit report generated from Cramer for co-located Node B

Naming Convention: The above documents should be zipped before sending to the vendor. Naming convention for this folder is THSCO_End B Nominal ID_Link ID_VersionNo.zip

2.3.10 Node B Call Off form Transmission Planners are required to provide the following information in the Node B call off form:

• Mode of transmission (i.e. LL / MW) for connecting the Node B back to the RNC.

• Requirement for site support cabinet or 19” transmission rack for indoor Node B’s (NEC case).

2.3.11 Raising Purchase Order on OIP Once the Call Off is ready for issue, the TPE should raise a Purchase Order for the Link Equipment and I&C Services. A separate guideline will be issued to outline the OIP ordering process.



2.3.12 Nokia Metrohopper 58Ghz Call Off Procedure For Nokia 58Ghz Metrohopper links, Connect does not perform path budget calculations beyond 40GHz, and NEP does not currently support this equipment type. Therefore the following procedure must be followed for calling off Nokia links:

i) Create the link in Connect to generate the unique Link ID which will be used in other databases e.g. Cramer and NEP etc.

ii) Info Tab Set Link Type = 58G 4X2 under General>Info tab in link database.



iii) Linkend Settings Tab Set Radio Equipment & Antenna Type to ‘Unknown’

iv) Status Tab Set the following status flags to make it a live link. These settings will comply with the integration forecasting reports and also allow the link to be imported into NEP.

T_P_Status = 'Link_Engineered'

Link_Type = 'Microwave'

RA_App_Status = 'Approved' (although no licence needed but NEP interface allows import of only approved links)

Freq_Band = '58GHz'

v) Generate 58GHz call-off using Bobs report.

The call off to be sent to Nokia is generated by using the following BOBs report:

Tx MW Eq Call Off Nokia specific 58GHz v1.0.rep

vi) Generate Dummy NEP Call Off

As the current release of NEP does not support 58Ghz, a dummy call-off must be generated in NEP, but is not issued to the vendor. This dummy call off is required in order to change the status of the link to Issued in NEP and subsequently to In Service. To bypass the NEP MW licence call off validation, the TPE should contact National Access Transmission Team who will perform workaround tasks. This is an interim procedure until 58Ghz link call offs are supported in NEP.

v) Complete the attached link budget spreadsheet and attach a copy to the call off pack. This will be used as the acceptance criteria for RSL, etc.



58GHz Link Budget Calculator

These documents can be found on shared drive and intranet knowledge share.

vii) Cancelling a previously installed metrohopper link

If a metrohopper link has been installed and later de-installed (ie. used on Mobicell, or temp site), its flag status in connect must be set to cancelled. This must be done rather than deleting the link.

Status Tab:

RA_App_Status = ‘Cancelled’



2.3.13 Transmission Rack Call Off Nokia Region

For indoor Node B sites in the Nokia region, transmission racks can be called off directly from an external supplier. Two variants of racks are available for call off – 12U wall/floor mountable version and 42U free standing version. The TX rack inc. MCB breaker panel is supplied, installed & commissioned on site by Greenwoods.

The call off form below should be used to order the racks from Greenwoods and the Business Objects report can be retrieved from Business Objects corporate documents:

Tx Greenwood Rack Call Off V1.1.rep

(Once current PO cover is used, TPEs will need to raise POs for TX racks on per site basis. National Team to advise).

NEC Region

NEC will provide a 42u open transmission rack for internal room Node B sites. TPEs must specify the requirement for the TX rack on the Node B call off form.

Note: Once the current NEC stock is used, an alternative TX rack will be sourced for NEC internal rooms.

12u wall/floor mountable Transmission Rack inc. MCB breaker panel

12u TX Rack for Nokia Internal Rooms



2.3.14 Transmission Repeater Cabinet Call Off Repeater Cabinets are to be called off directly from Greenwoods Ltd using the form below. TX Repeater Cabinet Call Off V1.01.rep

2.4 Link Upgrade Procedure

The following general rules apply to link upgrades:

For MW link capacity upgrades, the following rules shall apply:

Wherever possible, the same frequency and sub-band should be used for the upgraded link. •

•

•

Wherever possible the same ODUs should be used in the upgrade, eg. For upgrade of 1+0 system to 1+1 system, 2 new ODUs, combiners & IDU parts required, . which will minimises requirement for new equipment, keeps purchased & upgrade I&C costs. Ie. 4 to 8 E1 upgrade involves indoor work only if sub-band remains the same.

Links should always be upgraded wherever possible, rather than ordering a complete new link, and de-installing the old one. This is driven by cost, as equipment & I&C costs for the new link, plus de-installation cost of old link is considerably more expensive than I&C for a straightforward upgrade.

Full detailed upgrade procedure is to be defined in a separate document.

2.4.1 Link Decommissioning From time to time, it may be necessary to decommission a Node B site, or microwave link, due to Landlord issues, or if LOS is blocked by new construction etc. In these situations, the microwave link should be de-installed by the vendor and returned to storage. Pricing for such work has been agreed with NEC and Nokia is listed on OIP under catalogue items for Transmission I&C services. Note: NEC Transmission Items are to be loaded onto OIP in the near future.



2.5 Integration, Testing & Acceptance

2.5.1 Site Integration / Link Transproving The Vendor is responsible for installing & commissioning the microwave link and transproving the circuits back to the THS/Fibre Nodal before Node B integration.

2.5.2 Node B / Link Acceptance • The link should be installed as per the parameters specified in the Microwave Link Call Off Pack.

• TPEs will receive Initial Acceptance Packs (IA Packs) from the Vendor and are required to approve/reject the link installation based on the information in the IA Pack. Rejected IA Packs should be cross checked with a senior TPE and passed back to the Regional Transmission Manager. Rejected IA packs will be sent back to the Vendor through the I&C controllers.

• TPEs should use the following Acceptance Criteria & Checklist in evaluating IA Packs:

o Use the NEC Acceptance Criteria and Checklist while evaluating NEC links

o Use the Nokia Acceptance Criteria and Checklist while evaluating NEC links (TBC)



3 Site Types, Definitions and Configurations There are more than ten possible transmission site types. These are loosely defined below. It is preferable that a site is assessed and categorised as to its potential definition early on in the process. i.e. A site may start life as a Terminal Site but the TPE should consider the site potential for expansion i.e. upgrade to a Nodal Site as the network develops. Thereby whilst the site is in the design stage the planner should request/provision the necessary equipment space and dish space that could eventually be required.

3.1 Transmission High Site

A Tower or Roof top that has space for 30 or more dishes, good visibility of the surrounding geographical area, fibre access for STM-1 backhaul circuits. The THS site is used as a large transmission collection point. Where a Node B is to be co-located at the THS, then the site is classed as being Co-Located and the Nominal/Works Order Node Type should be THSB.

Previously, the maximum number of Node Bs which could be supported by a THS was 30. This limit has been reviewed and the maximum number of Node Bs per THS has bee increased to 40. TPEs should refer to Topology section for more details.

3.1.1 Detailed Description of THS

Capacity

Maximum number of Node B’s to be connected to the THS is 40. Transmission capacity for MW at NEC THS sites is currently 62 (1E1 used for management) and Nokia is currently 64 E1s. Backhaul capacity at Nokia THS sites can be upgraded to 78E1s (ATM) – making full utilisation of the unchannelised STM-1 link. Similar longer term plans for increasing backhaul capacity at NEC THS are under development. THS Transmission Racks

There are three Tx racks at a Nokia High site and four at an NEC high site. Rack 1 is 19” and rack 2, 3 and 4 are ETSI. All MW indoor units will be installed in Rack 1 with additional space for microwave into Rack 4 (only in NEC case).

Power Supply & Circuit Breakers

DC Power is supplied by an Eltek Aeon Gold DC Power Supply with 4 strings of battery backup.

The circuit breaker panels in Rack 1 and 2 are fed from single 63Amp circuit breakers in the DC PSU. Racks 3 & 4 have dual-fed MCB panels, each panel is supplied by two 63Amp circuit breakers on the main PSU.

The single-fed MCB panel has 20 Circuit breakers and the dual fed MCB panel has 16 breakers. The numbering of breakers is always from left to right.

In order to have some resilience for the indoor units in Rack 1 and 2, the power supply feeds to the IDUs



within Rack 1 will be fed from Rack 1 & 2 sequentially. Circuit breaker allocation with RFL can be found at following location:

THS Circuit Breaker Allocations

Digital Distribution Frames

NEC region THS sites have three DDF panels installed in Rack 2. The 63*E1 backhaul circuits are presented from the Nortel TN1-X SDH Mux as 120Ohm balanced G.703 on the lower DDF (DDF 1). MW ID tributary cables from rack 1 are terminated on DDF panels 2 & 3. The microwave tribs are cross-connected to the backhaul positions with UTP cable. Note: Nokia THS do not use DDF frames, all circuits are terminated directly on the SAXC.

Figure 6 - DDF Frames in Rack 2.



Figure 7 - Transmission High Site Typical NetworkTopology (THS)

Figure 8 - THS Cabin Floor Layout



3.1.2 THS SELECTION THSs will fall into two categories; MSA and Non-MSA. MSA sites are a portfolio of sites presented to us for consideration, based on the criteria we gave the 3rd party. i.e. there is access to fibre and there is space enough for 30 dishes at height etc. Non-MSA sites are sites which the TPE has decided & can be used as THSs based on location, structure size and usefulness to the Transmission Network, but the site owner has no ‘Portfolio’ agreement with Hutchison for leasing their sites.

For launch the THS sites were selected to fall within, or are close to, the 60% launch area. These sites are then to be surveyed at height to assess likelihood of connectivity to the surrounding Node B sites (Each THS can support up to 40 Node Bs). Once the survey has been assessed and the site selected, the TPE will present his choices of THS to the Head of Region/Transmission Managers. Both parties will agree on which THSs will be used and further details, such as fibre costing, structure reinforcement and actual site design, will be addressed at the TR stage. As some sites will fail, due to access to fibre or structure, it would be wise to consider back-up options. MSA Sites

MSA sites have been offered to us by the 3rd party so the likelihood of failing acquisition is small. Potential THS candidates should be passed directly to the Survey team Coordinator to schedule the relevant survey. NON-MSA Sites

Non-MSA sites are to be offered to the Regional Rollout Coordinator to be given a Hutchison ID. The Planner will then give the site details to the Survey team Coordinator to schedule the relevant survey.

In both cases the potential THS details must be given directly to the Survey team Coordinator to organise the relevant survey. Once surveys have been completed the surveyor will download them onto the LAN into the relevant regional folder for the TPE to access.

3.2 Terminal Site

A terminal site is a Node B at the end of the transmission chain. It may be connected directly to THS/POP or intermediate/nodal site towards the RNC. Terminal Node Bs to be connected by MW should be planned with backhaul capacity as required by the site type definition, if the site is LL only 1xE1 connectivity should be ordered initially. Refer to section 4 for Iub capacity details.



Figure 9 Terminal Site

3.3 Intermediate Site

Any Node B site which supports the network connection of a Terminal Site with a maximum capacity of 8 x E1 link.

Figure 10 Intermediate Site

3.4 Nodal Site

Any Node B site which can be used to ‘collect’ links locally up to the capacity of 16 x E1 link. Capacities on Radio Nodal Sites can now be planned in the same manner as Fibre Nodal Sites. Refer to section 4 for detailed information on Iub capacity dimensioning. Note: TPEs must be aware of space restrictions for MW equipment in the Node B / dish position limitations and plan accordingly.



Figure 11 Nodal Site – TCPB Transmission Collection Point

3.5 Fibre Nodal Site

Any Node B site which can be used to ‘collect’ links locally and is connected by leased line back to the POP/RNC. Fibre Nodal sites will have a maximum of 16E1 LL capacity.

Note: TPEs must be aware of space restrictions for MW equipment in the Node B / dish position limitations and plan accordingly.

Figure 12 Fibre Nodal Site

3.6 Transmission Collection Point – TCPB

Any Node B supporting backhaul transmission for 4 Node Bs (including itself) is classed as a Transmission Collection Point, TCPB. This applies to both MW and LL transmission.



3.7 Ring Nodal Site

Any Node B site which can be used to ‘collect’ links locally up to the capacity of Node B transport unit and is also a Node on an SDH Ring.

3.7.1 Capacity Considerations All Node Bs, which are connected by MW through a Fibre Nodal site, should be planned with 1xE1 leased line backhaul connectivity. (e.g. a FN site supporting 7 Node Bs, the leased line capacity over back haul should be 7xE1). The leased line backhaul will be increased in line with traffic growth. Note: Previously the microwave path to the Fibre Nodal site was dimensioned to support 4xE1s for each Node B. This has been reviewed and detailed guidance on Iub capacity requirements are given in section 4.

3.8 Fibre Intermediate Site

Any Node B site which can be used to ‘collect’ link locally from the Terminal Site and is connected by fibre back to the THS / RNC.

Figure 13 Fibre Intermediate Site

3.9 Fibre Terminal Site

Any Node B site which is connected back to the THS / RNC directly by copper or fibre.



Figure 14 Fibre Terminal Site

3.10 Pylons

Pylons can only be used for connecting Terminal sites back to the RNC/THS. They cannot be used for any other site configuration such as Intermediate or Nodal because of the difficulty of accessing and maintaining MW link equipment on Pylon sites.

3.11 Mobicell Sites

Mobicells will be primarily used to speed up the roll-out by deploying temporary sites depending on business requirements and to cover special events (Concerts and festivals, Formula One, Horse racing, company demonstrations, Corporate customers, Disaster recovery etc,)

Total 100 Mobicells have been sourced and will be distributed on 50:50 basis between Nokia and NEC regions.

3.12 Street works Sites

Street-works sites are of slimline monopole construction. Depending on pole type, a street-works site can support a single 0.2m or 0.3m Antenna/ODU. Note: Ultra slimline poles cannot support MW dishes. If the proposed site is suitable for MW option, TPE should specify at TR the requirement for a slimline monopole capable of supporting microwave.

TPEs must consult Operations when planning MW links on street-works sites and a concession must be granted in all cases before proceeding with a MW link. Ease of access for cherry pickers must be evaluated.

• Microwave Radio is now the preferred option for backhaul transmission from Street-works sites wherever possible. Note: Microwave can only be used where cherry picker access is possible without road closure.

• Where road closures are required for cherry picker access, the TPE should progress with the leased bandwidth option.



As slimline monopole sites can only support a single MW antenna (0.2m or 0.3m), they can not be used as microwave intermediate sites. However, if the street-works backhaul is Leased Bandwidth, the site can be used to support other sites via a single microwave link.

If a road closure is not required to access the ODU/Antenna, the street-works site may support a microwave link with up to 16E1 capacity, supporting a maximum of 4 other sites. Again, Operations should be consulted and concession raised.

The use of ground-mounted ODUs at street-works sites will be reviewed in future, but this is not currently an option due to practical limitations of such installations.

3.13 Transmission Repeater Site / Transmission Collection Point (TCP)

Transmission Repeater Sites are required purely for transmission purposes and do not have coverage requirements initially, ie. Node B not required. They are intended to be used to provide cost effective transmission Node B sites which do not have LOS to other sites and may have high LL ancillaries/rentals. However, the generic site layout design has been planned to allow for the future addition of a Node B should it ever be required.

TCP sites can be connected back to the THS using up to 16E1 microwave radio or directly to RNC/PoP using LL connectivity. Note: For longer term planning, National Transmission plans to introduce Pasolink MX 32/40 E1 PDH microwave in 2005.

The TX Repeater Site consists of a standalone outdoor cabinet with integrated DC power supply, battery back-up and heat management system. Each cabinet has 20U space for transmission equipment (MW Radios / LL NTE, DDF, Alarm Monitoring Equipment.)

3.13.1 Rules for deployment of Transmission Repeater Cabinets

• Transmission Repeater Cabinets can be planned for use as Transmission Repeaters (MW in, MW out) or standalone Transmission Collection Points (MW in – LL out). Note: They should not be used as an option for additional transmission space at existing Node B sites.

• Transmission & Environmental Alarm Management – An alarm monitoring solution has been designed which is suitable for use in the NEC area. The system will report dry alarms for all cabinet environmental sensors (mains fail, psu fail, HMU fail, high temp, door open etc) and microwave link major/minor alarms.

Note: Until a suitable system has been specified for the Nokia region, only one Nokia Node B can be supported by the TX repeater cabinet. This is subject to concession from Operations.

• The Transmission Repeater site must be justified as a cost effective transmission solution before approval to build is granted. If the site is deemed suitable for the connectivity of target sites then a financial justification should be done. The following cost justification tool should be used to evaluate viability of such sites prior to signoff: Transmission Repeater Site Financial Justification Tool

• The maximum number of sites to be supported by a repeater cabinet is currently under review. The cabinet can support up to 9 x 1+0 IDUs (18RU Transmission Space), but for initial deployments the



limit is 6 Microwave Indoor Units. For medium term planning purposes, TPEs should assume that up to 8 Node Bs can be served by a TX Repeater/TCP sites. These limitations will be reviewed in future. Note: In the Nokia region, until a suitable alarm solution has been specified for, the limit is a single Node B.

• The following steps must be followed in designing a transmission repeater site:

i) Conduct an initial site survey to assess the suitability as a Transmission Repeater Site.

ii) Perform a preliminary LOS check to the sites to be served by the repeater site.

iii) Confirm availability of required dish positions.

iv) TR, LOS surveys and Ofcom licences / Leased Bandwidth Quote need to be arranged once approval is granted. Efforts should be made to get all the link licences assigned by Ofcom before committing to commence work on the site.

v) Call Offs - Transmission repeater cabinets will be supplied by Greenwoods Ltd. A Bobs report for TX Repeater cabinets can be found on corporate docs. Note: A small number of repeater cabinets have been ordered which can be called off from existing PO cover. TPEs should check with National Access Team before calling off a cabinet as to whether PO cover is in place. Going forward, TX Repeater Cabinets will be loaded on OIP as a catalogue item. National Access Team to advise.

Figure 15 Transmission Repeater Sites



ELTEK PSU

B

A

Laptop Shelf

125Ah Battery

Power connector panel

Molex connector to open ended coil of cable,1 per 2U. Vendor to terminate own power

connector to open ended power cable

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 9

2U of space above PSU for Perspex cover & DC Distribution Wiring.

Alarms 1-10 Alarms 11-20 Alarms 21-30 Alarms 31-40

AC 240v AC Distribution

16A

16A

16A dualfeeds

reserved forfuture use.eg SAXC.

18RU TRANSMISSION EQUIPMENT SPACE

11

12

CISCO 2610 Router AIC NM MODULE WANModule

AIC-64 PANEL

125Ah Battery 125Ah Battery 125Ah Battery

1u

2u

3u

4u

5u

6u

7u

8u

9u

12u

10u

11u

13u

14u

15u

16u

17u

18u

19u

20u

4A

4A

4A

4A

4A

4A

4A

4A

4A

4A

10

9

8

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Pasolink 1

Pasolink 2

Pasolink 3

Pasolink 4

Pasolink 5

Pasolink 6

Pasolink 7

Pasolink 8

Pasolink 9

Figure 16 – General Layout of TX Repeater / TCP Cabinet



4 Access Transmission Network Design Guidelines The Access transmission network provides Iub backhaul transmission from the Node B towards the RNC. Backhaul connectivity will be via other Node B sites, THS sites or direct leased bandwidth connection to RNC or POP. For every Node B there should exist viable connectivity plans to connect it back to a backbone PoP or to a RNC site.

TPE will be responsible for the following areas of network design:

• Initial end-end transmission network design for all Node Bs in accordance with defined topologies

• Planning transmission capacity to meet the capacity requirements of Node B traffic

• Planning transmission capacity upgrades (and downgrades) on Node Bs

• Assessing viability & cost effectiveness of the various connectivity options i.e. - microwave or leased line.

• Full microwave link planning, including frequency band selection, link budget calculations to meet the quality and reliability standards, equipment selection.

• Calling-off microwave links from the vendor and ordering leased bandwidth

• Acceptance of transmission links from the vendor and handover to Operations

4.1 Topology

The Iub strategy has been reviewed and updated based on traffic statistics and experience gained from 18 months of network operation. Node B Iub bandwidth requirements have been reviewed and relaxed, allowing more Node Bs to be served by a single 4 / 8 / 16 E1 link and nodal/THS sites. This is a major change in strategy which will have a significant impact on the options for providing microwave transmission to Node B sites.

Tree/Branch, Chain and Ring topologies are proposed. Due to the nature of coverage rollout, most nominals will be served with star/chain topology.

At the time of writing, SDH access rings have not been implemented in the Access Transmission Network. The strategy for deployment of SDH access rings from THS/POP sites is under review and will be updated in forthcoming updates to this document.

4.1.1 Changes in Transmission Capacity Guidelines The Transmission Planning Guidelines previously required 4 E1s to be physically provided on the microwave access network to each Node B. This has been reviewed, and based on traffic statistics, forecast growth and operational experience, the physical transmission bandwidth for each Node B has been reduced. This will serve to reduce Operating Expenditure by enabling a higher proportion of Node B sites to be served by the microwave access network.



Two values for Iub capacity requirements must be considered when planning transmission backhaul:

Physical transmission capacity reserved on the microwave transmission path from Node B to THS/FN. (ie. E1s provided/reserved on the physical microwave path up to the THS/FN)

•

• Actual transmission capacity required and provided on the backhaul path (ie. capacity provided on THS or FN backhaul)

The new recommendations are based on Node B type. It should be noted that some Node Bs may fall below or exceed expected traffic growth, and these sites will handled as exceptions on a case by case basis. Ie. Some Rural sites may require more E1s than sub-urban sites, etc.

4.1.2 Physical Iub E1 Capacity Requirements on Microwave Links

The following values should be used in dimensioning transmission on the physical microwave network. Note: The values for physical capacity dimensioning apply to both NEC and Nokia.

Urban/D U

Type 1/ 9/ 10

Suburban

Type 2

Rural

Type 3

Motorway

Type 4

Omni

Type 5

High capacity

Single / Bi sector

Type 6/ 7/ 8

Number of E1s previously provided

4 4 4 4 4 4

Number of E1s recommended

3 3 2 2 1 2

Table 1 - Maximum E1s per Node B type for Nokia and NEC

The capacities outlined above allow for traffic growth in the medium term and these values must be used in dimensioning physical transmission capacity on the microwave path up to the THS/FN.

Note: The capacities have been set at the above values to avoid the many upgrades which could be required if the MW link capacity were fully optimised. I.e. TPEs must not load a 4 E1 link with 4 Rural Node Bs.

The reduction from 4 physical E1s to the above values means that multiple Node Bs can now be supported by low capacity microwave links. The maximum number of Node Bs which can be supported by each link type is limited as set out in the table below. This guideline is designed to limit the impact on coverage by any unplanned outages on a single microwave link.



MW Link Capacity

Max Node Bs per Link

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3

4E1 2 1 x Dense Urban (3E1) 1 x Suburban (3E1)

1 x Omni (1E1)

2 x Rural (2x 2E1)

8E1 4 1 x Dense Urban (3E1) 1 x Suburban (3E1) 1x Rural (2E1)

1 x Suburban (3E1) 2x Rural (2x 2E1)

4x Rural (4x 2E1)

16E1 8 5x Dense Urban (5x 3E1) 3x Suburban (3x 3E1) 3x Rural (3x 2E1)

4 x Rural (4 x 2E1) 3 x M-way (3x 2E1) 1x Omni (1x E1)

Table 2 – Maximum number of Node Bs per MW Link & example cases.

4.1.3 Actual Iub E1 Capacity Requirements The actual E1 capacities to be provided on the backhaul is lower than the physical requirement. These values have been defined to realise maximum value from the THS/FN STM-1/nxE1 LL backhaul capacity in the medium term, and will allow more Node Bs to be supported by a THS sites. Different values apply for Nokia & NEC.

Iub capacities will be monitored by National Transmission Team and upgrades will be planned when traffic reaches defined trigger levels.

4.1.4 Nokia Medium Term Actual Capacity Requirements At the present time, the Iub utilisation across the Nokia RAN is relatively low. All Nokia Node B types can be circuited on a single 1x E1. (This has been the case for LL sites for some time).

Urban/D U

Type 1/ 9/ 10

Suburban

Type 2

Rural

Type 3

Motorway

Type 4

Omni

Type 5

High capacity Single / Bi sector Type 6/ 7/ 8

Number of E1s previously provided

3 2 1 1 1 2

New Guideline No of E1s

1 1 1 1 1 1

Table 3 – Nokia Actual Iub medium term capacity requirements

4.1.5 NEC Medium Term Actual Capacity Requirements NEC Iub requirements in the medium term are forecast to remain below the physical E1 requirement which must be planned on the MW backhaul. The following tables show the E1 requirements for Platform 1 and Platform 2 Node Bs.



4.1.6 NEC Platform 1 Actual Capacity Requirement (NB530/NB531)

Type Name T.1 T.2 T.3 T.4 T.5 T.6 T.7 T.8

Area DU/Urban Suburban Rural Motorway Other Other Other Other

Configuration 2+2+2 1+1+1 1+1+1 1+1+0 1+0+0 1+1+0 2+0+0 2+2+0

No. of E1 per Node B 3 2 1 1 1 2 2 2

Table 4: Traffic Capacity based on 1st PF Node B

4.1.7 NEC Platform 2 Actual Capacity Requirement (NB440/441 Macro Node B)

The table below shows number of E1s needed from traffic estimation for downlink. Traffic generated is based on 2nd PF Node Bs.

Type Name T.1 T.2 T.3 T.4 T.5 T.6 T.7 T.8 T.9 T.10

Area DU/Urban Suburban Rural Motorway Other Other Other Other In building

In building

Node B type Macro Macro Macro Macro Macro Macro Macro Macro Micro Micro

Configuration 2+2+2 1+1+1 1+1+1 1+1+0 1+0+0 1+1+0 2+0+0 2+2+0 1+0+0 1+0+0

No. of E1s per Node B 3 2 1 1 1 2 2 3 1 1

Table 5: Traffic Capacity based on 2nd PF Node B

4.1.8 Iub Capacity Upgrade / Reduction Guideline

TPEs may plan capacity downgrades to release physical E1s where required in order to bring new Node Bs onto existing microwave paths. Capacity downgrades should only be planned to release capacity for new sites as and when required. It is perfectly fine to leave sites circuited on 3E1s up to a THS if there is sufficient capacity up to or at the THS. Unnecessary capacity reductions should be avoided as these carry an operational overhead and cost, and impact on network availability. Any capacity downgrades must be done in accordance with the guidelines set out in the next section.



4.1.9 Nokia Iub Capacity Upgrades / Downgrades Nokia Iub upgrades will be identified by Radio Design and notified to network rollout via National Circuiting Team.

Nokia Iub downgrades are straightforward as the majority of Node Bs could be reduced to a single E1. However, some Node Bs have already been identified for upgrade and a number have already been carried out. When planning any downgrades, TPEs should first check with National Circuiting Team that the Node B in question has not already been upgraded. We must avoid downgrading sites which have already been upgraded for capacity reasons.

4.1.10 NEC Iub Capacity Upgrades / Reductions

NEC Iub utilisation is monitored by Radio Design / National Transmission Team on a weekly basis. Not all Node B traffic behaviour / IuB loading will fall into the generic site types, so Node Bs will need to be monitored and upgraded as required based on defined trigger points.

Based on the new capacity requirements per node B type defined above, many Node Bs will exist in the network (via THS backhaul) with more E1s circuited than defined above. TPEs can plan capacity downgrades on sites where the THS backhaul is at or approaching full utilisation, in order to release capacity for new sites firing into the THS, or to release capacity up the microwave chain.

Current Iub Capacity

< 30% Utilisation

< 60% Utilisation

> 60% Utilisation

> 90% Utilisation

3E1 ↓ 1E1 ↓ 2E1 ↔ 3E1 ↔ 3E1

2E1 ↓ 1E1 ↔ 2E1 ↑ 3E1 ↑ 3E1

1E1 ↔ 1E1 ↔ 1E1 ↑ 2E1 ↑ 2E1

Table 6 – NEC Capacity Upgrade / Downgrade Rule

E.g.: ↓ 1E1 – Reduce to 1E1, ↔ 2E1 - Leave at 2E1, ↑ 3E1 – Upgrade to 3E1

Note: The % utilisations above relate to the % utilisation on all the E1s to the site.

The process for downgrading Iub capacities will be formalised in the near future. Until the procedure is defined, contact National Circuiting Team for guidance.

4.1.11 THS Capacity Planning Guideline

THS Sites have previously been planned with a maximum planning limitation of 30 Node B sites per THS.

The review of Node B Iub capacities allows for an increase in THS utilisation, hence the new maximum permissible number of Node Bs per THS is 40.



When planning capacity on THS sites, TPEs must evaluate and balance the following limitations:

Limit NEC NOKIA

Backhaul Capacity (Current) 62 64

Dish Positions Variable Variable

Rack Space Rack 1, Rack 2 Rack 1



4.1.12 General Topology Planning Rules

• The preferred option for Iub backhaul transmission is via Microwave Radio.

• For any given link, Site A is always logically near to RNC and Site B is the far end.

• For Dense Urban, Urban, & Suburban sites, a maximum of 4 Node Bs can be connected in a Chain (ie. 3 onward microwave hops from the Nodal Site).

• For Motorway sites and Rural Road Coverage Sites, 5 Sites can be connected in a chain. (ie. 4 onward microwave hops from the Nodal Site)

• Any Microwave Link supporting more than 4 Node Bs must be 1+1 Hot Standby Protected. (ie. it will be a 16E1 link)

• 4E1 or 8E1 links connecting two Node Bs must be planned with unprotected configuration.

• 4E1 links can support a maximum of 2 Node Bs



Figure 17 Star - Chain Configuration



Figure 18 Ring Configuration-1

Figure 19 Ring Configuration-2



4.2 Microwave Link Planning

4.2.1 Preliminary Check This exercise will be carried out by the TPE and will be checked by the RA once they receive an application for the fixed link. There is a requirement to check the feasibility of the link and required power levels and equipment availability before applying for the licence using LOS survey result and Connect planning tool. Initially, all links should first be planned for vertical polarisation.

4.2.2 RA Licence Application All Licence requests will be initiated by the TPE and handled by the Regional Transmission Managers. RA applications will be submitted electronically using Batch process. Guidelines for using the batch process are available at

Batch Process Setup.doc

Batch process application is available at

RA Application (Batch) 4.7.rep

After getting the licence from RA, polarisation should be changed to match the licence. Cross verification of the assignments received from the RA is essential.

4.2.3 Minimum Path Length Criteria (Restriction by RA) RA has specified the minimum hop length required by each frequency band as shown in figure 6.

Freq Band 13GHz 23GHz 26GHz 38GHz

Bit Rate 2 to 34Mbps 2 to 34Mbps 2 to 34Mbps 2 to 34Mbps

Hop Length 9.5 Km 4 Km 3 Km 1 Km

Figure 21 - Minimum hop length restriction

4.2.4 Performance Objectives & other Link Parameters The maximum link length achievable in each band is dependant on the required availability and performance targets. Link design must meet the following criteria;

Protected Microwave links (All links of 16x2 Mbits/s will be protected 1+1 HSB) shall be planned to achieve annual reliability figure of 99.995%. Non-protected Microwave hop will be planned to achieve annual reliability figure of 99.99%. All STM1 links will be planned to achieve annual reliability figure of 99.995%.

Rain Rate table ( Annexure 4: Rain Rate Calculator) should be referred for getting the rain rates and pL value equal to 10 should be used for calculating unavailability in CONNECT. The planned Fade Margin must exceed the calculated rain attenuation figure.



In order to achieve the EIRP suggested by RA for link lengths less than 1 KM, use waveguide of suitable length.

Where the EIRP given by the RA in the provisional assignment cannot be met using the existing equipment, due to a lack of variable attenuation in the equipment, it is permissible to request an uplift to the EIRP by way of a licence amendment. The RA can give uplifts of up to 6 dB each side. When the TPE already knows during initial application that the EIRP cannot be met, he/she may request the uplift in the initial licence application. This can be specified in the comments field.

RA will allow up to 10 dB of additional losses. This includes obstruction loss and equipment loss. Obstruction loss (Undetectable material) should not be more than 5 dB.

4.2.5 Interference Analysis This activity can be carried out after getting the frequency assignment from the RA in order to maintain our own database for future reference. C/I tables have been populated in Connect planning tool.

4.3 Leased Bandwidth Planning

The present break-up between microwave and LL is 60:40 (approximately) so slightly higher number of microwave links are being used as compared to LL. This proportion may vary with time and regions.

4.3.1 Limiting Factors Following factors need to be considered while planning a leased line link:

Maximum number of Node B’s connecting to a fibre nodal site is 7

Maximum capacity of LL from one Node B site (Fibre Nodal) back to RNC/POP is 16E1.

4.3.2 Capacity & Equipment Details BT will be supplying four variants of equipment from two manufacturers depending on the telephone exchange in the area and the capacity ordered.

Fujitsu desktop version (1.5U with 19” brackets) - 4E1 Capacity

Alcatel desktop version (1U with 19” bracket) - 4E1 capacity

Access SDH (1U, 19” compatible) - 4E1 Capacity

For 16E1 connectivity, equipment size is 3U.

For up to 4E1 capacity, BT can supply any of the first 3 equipments. For up to 8E1 capacity, BT can supply 2x 4E1 equipment from first 3 equipments.

There is a limitation with Nokia configuration [Case 12 (1-1-1)] intended to be connected through a leased line where Fujitsu Exchanges exist. In this scenario leased line only of capacity 4E1 can be ordered and not of 8E1 capacity. So confirmation of the type of Exchange available in the region before planning the LL connectivity is vital.

For more than 8E1 capacity BT will install 16E1 equipment.

1U high Splicer tray is required at all the sites with LL connectivity.



4.3.3 Ordering Leased Bandwidth The Transmission Planner should place a request for Leased Bandwidth to the Leased Bandwidth Co-ordinator who will progress it as per the Leased Bandwidth Process below. NetOne task 131 need to be completed at this stage. The decision to order Leased Bandwidth needs to be made in good time to allow the third party to deliver without delaying the site integration.

When requesting a service the planner should supply a date for when the service is required. Typically in the case of a Node B location this would be the day following delivery of the cabinet/container.

Attention should be given to Annex BT standard delivery timescales.

4.4 Concessions

The above-mentioned topologies and design criteria are based upon the present knowledge of the equipment and 3’s current quality strategy. Any variations from the above stated cases can be considered by discussing them with Regional Transmission Manager and National Transmission Manager.

Concession form is available on the G drive.

All the concessions agreed and approved should be kept on the G:\Network_Rollout\Transmission\Concessions\Approved Concession Register. Other transmission planners in different regions can use this for reference.



5 NEC Specific Transmission Planning Guidelines

Under review to be updated at next issue.

INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK



6 Nokia Specific Transmission Planning Guidelines Nokia Flexihopper and Metrohopper PDH microwave link equipment is to be used for point to point microwave transmission in the Nokia region. Flexihopper is available for use in the 13GHz, 23GHz, 26GHz and 38Ghz bands. Metrohopper 58Ghz is now approved for use on short microwave hops up to a maximum distance of 650m.

Figure 22 – Nokia Flexihopper ODU Figure 23 – Nokia Flexihopper ODU & 0.3m integrated antenna

i) Remote mount of dish and ODU is possible in all the Flexihopper frequency bands (13, 23, 26 & 38GHz) and with all dish sizes (0.2m, 0.3m, 0.6m, 1.2m). If remote mounted antennas are required, this needs to be clearly specified in the Transmission Call Off.

ii) Direct mounted antennas should be specified as the preferred antenna type wherever possible. The direct mounted antennas are cheaper than the remote mount type, they have less visual impact and are considered to have a slightly lower maintenance overhead. However, ODUs need to be relatively accessible for maintenance purposes, so TPEs should use professional judgement in specifying the antenna mounting type.

iii) 1m of fixed length flexible waveguide is supplied with the Nokia remote mount antennas, which should be a sufficient for most installation scenarios. If required, an extra 1m length of flexible waveguide can be fitted, giving a maximum total of 2m of waveguide in any case. Relevant losses are in the CONNECT database, and TPEs must select the waveguide type and length.

iv) 50m of RG223 Flexbus IF cable is supplied with the standard Nokia ODU package. If the Flexbus cable run is longer than 50m, TPE must specify the additional requirements on the



MW Call Off & Purchase Order. Additional options are:

RG223 coax up to 140m (for distances greater than 50m up to 140m) •

• RG214 coax cable up to 300m (for distances greater than 140m up to 300m)

v) Node B and Site support/Extension cabinets will ideally be located next to each other, but can be situated up to a maximum distance of 5m apart if required. This should be specified in the Transmission Call OFF, as site-specific feeder lengths are required.

vi) At the THS or FN site, two microwave links can be connected to one FIU 19. If the link is 16E1 capacity an Extension Unit is also required.

vii) Nokia Node B sites with Site Support Extension cabinet, the first 3RU from the top should always be reserved for the LL NTE.

viii) For the protected links, in the Tx Call Off form, Tx power for the standby path must be entered. It should be the sum of Tx power (main path) and the difference in the Coupler losses. The table below gives details of the coupler losses:

HSB Coupler Loss

Frequency Main Channel S/B Channel Difference

13 GHz 1.5 dB 6.2 dB 4.7

23 GHz 2.0 dB 6.5 dB 4.5

26 GHz 2.2 dB 6.5 dB 4.3

38 GHz 2.4 dB 6.5 dB 4.1

The reason for doing this is:

Protection switching on Nokia Flexihopper is non-revertive, therefore the link will remain on the standby path after main path failure, even after the main path is restored. Therefore the link should be designed to operate within specification on the standby path.

If Site Support or Site Support Extension Cabinets are required for transmission purposes, they should be specified on the Node B call off. The items must be ordered by the Radio Planner on OIP. The detailed process for calling off and ordering these cabinets is under review and will be confirmed in future notices.

6.1 FIU 19 The Nokia FIU 19 indoor unit allows connection of up to 4 outdoor units.



Figure 24. Nokia FIU-19 chassis

Figure 25 - 4 E1 PIU (Plug In Unit) igure 26 - Flexbus PlU (Plug In Unit)

One FIU can handle up to 3 cards – 4E1 Plugin Units or Flexbus Plugin Units.

m left to right as 1 and 2.

.

F

•

• 4E1 Plugin Unit occupies position 1, 2 or 3 starting from 1.

• Flexbus Plugin unit always occupies position 3 in FIU 19.

• Numbering of ports in 4E1 Plugin Unit is from left to right.

• The two Flexbus ports available on FIU 19 are numbered fro

• Ports available on Flexbus Plug In unit are numbered as 3 and 4 again from left to right

Figure 27 – FIU 19 Figure 28 – FIU 19 Extension Unit (16 E1)



6.2 IFUE UE interface card can be installed in Nokia WCDMA base stations or in Stand-alone AXCs (S-or a maximum of 16 x E1 add/drop capacity.

Figure 29 – IFUE Interface Unit

The IFAXC) f



6.3 AXC/SAXC Unit


Figure 30 – Node B AXC Figure 31 – SAXC (AXC)

AXC 1/ SAXC – AXC 1 and AXC 2

1

8

A

X

U

IFU A Card

1 2 3 4

IFU C Card

5 6

2

3

1

1

8

A

X

U

IFU A

1 2 3 4

IFU C

5 6

AXC

Two type of AXC’s are available – Indoor and Outdoor. Indoor AXC has 5 slots for IFU cards and outdoor AXC has 3 slots.

• Nokia Optima Compact Node B has an AXC with 3 slots for transmission cards.

• Nokia Supreme Indoor Node B has a full size AXC with 5 slots for transmission cards.

• Loading of the AXC unit should be from left to right.

• For Ran 1.0, the first IFU A card comes in Slot 2 of the AXC.

• For Ran 1.5, first IFU A card (which comes as a default with the Node B) is installed in slot 2 and first IFU E card should be in slot 3.

• Numbering of the ports on the IFU A card is from top to bottom.

• SAXC is always required at THS. One SAXC contains two AXC’s – AXC 1 and AXC 2.

• In SAXC/AXC, IFU C Card always comes in slot 2. IFU A card occupies position 3,4,5 and 6

• In order to connect two AXC’s, at a high site, Port 1 of the IFU C card on first AXC1 is to be connected to Port 1 of IFU C card on the AXC2.

• We can get the STM 1 output from Port 3 of the IFU C card on the AXC2.


6.4 BT NTE Equipment

BT will be supplying three variants of equipments from two manufacturers.

Fujitsu desktop version (1.5U with 19” brackets)

Alcatel desktop version (1U with 19” bracket)

Access SDH (1U, 19” compatible)

Depending on the telephone exchange in the area, BT would be supplying one of the above versions of the LL equipment.

The only limiting factor as per our configuration is Nokia’s Case 12 (1-1-1). If Fujitsu Exchange is available in an area where a Node B requires LL connectivity, we can only order 4E1 capacity and not 8E1.

It would be better if a TP confirms the type of Exchange available in the region before planning the LL connectivity.



6.5 Guidelines for Nokia Metrohopper 58Ghz

Figure 30 – Typical Installation of Metrohopper ODU

Nokia Metrohopper is to be used in accordance with the following planning rules:

• 58Ghz is exempt from Ofcom Licensing; there is no requirement to apply for a licence or notify Ofcom when planning a Metrohopper link.

• Maximum Hop Length permissible for Nokia Metrohopper 58Ghz is 650m.

Note: This is a limitation of microwave transmission at 58Ghz. For planned hop lengths approaching the 650m limit, site co-ordinates and hop length must be verified, as link availability falls sharply beyond this distance due to increase in path losses (atmospheric absorption). Any links above the 650m limit must be referred to National Access TX team for guidance.

• There is no minimum path length for Metrohopper, so the equipment can be safely used for extremely short hops if required. In this scenario, the antennas are aligned slightly off-pan to achieve an RSL within desired limits.

• Maximum capacity is 4E1, therefore Metrohopper is to be used for terminal sites only.

• 58GHz path budget calculations are not supported in connect (58Ghz not included in ITU-R P.530-x), therefore TPEs must use the 58GHz Link Budget Calculator (based on ITU-R P.676-x) to evaluate the suitability of Metrohopper for the planned link.

• Metrohopper is preset to the maximum transmit power level of 5dB. There is no facility to attenuate output power on commissioning, therefore TX power must be specified on the call off as 5dB.

• The transmit tolerance is +/- 3dB, therefore expected RSL is also subject to +/- 3dBm.



• Metrohopper has an automatic frequency selection feature. No specific channel needs to be specified on the call-off, as the radio will select the best frequency at time of commissioning.

• Channel spacing is selectable at 50Mhz or 100Mhz for Metrohopper. 100Mhz spacing should be specified on the call off as this gives a slightly improved fade margin.

• Metrohopper uses Time Division Duplex and operates on the same transmit frequency at the A end and B end. Therefore there is no requirement to consider TX High/Low or High/Low clashes when planning Metrohopper. (Each end alternates between transmitting and receiving bursts of data, with the master unit defining the exact rate of the bursts. The slave unit adapts to the burst rate defined by the master.)

• Direct mount 0.2m integrated antenna option only – there is no remote mount option for Metrohopper

• Metrohopper is fully compatible with both FIU-19 and IFUE Indoor units.

• Flexbus IF cable specification is the same as for Flexihopper –

50m of RG223 Flexbus IF cable is supplied with the standard Nokia ODU package. If the Flexbus cable run is longer than 50m, TPE must specify the additional requirements on the MW Call Off & Purchase Order. Additional options are:

RG223 coax up to 140m (for distances greater than 50m up to 140m)

RG214 coax cable up to 300m (for distances greater than 140m up to 300m)

• Fresnel Zone Clearance –The Fresnel Zone at 58GHz is relatively narrow, see specified radius for various hop lengths below. TPEs should be aware of the First Fresnel zone radius and assess any potential obstacles in the LOS.

• Avoid planning Metrohopper at locations where excessive ice and snow build-up on the ODU & antenna is likely, as this will adversely affect link availability.

• Metrohopper ODUs & Integrated Antenna must not be painted. Painting the ODUs or antennas will adversely affect link performance and will invalidate the equipment warranty.

• The call off process for Metrohopper is different to Flexihopper due to it not being supported under Connect. Refer to Metrohopper Call-off process for details.

• When planning more than one Metrohopper at the same site where the ODUs are to be mounted in close proximity to each other, outdoor units must be located and oriented so as not to be facing each other, see Figure xx. The beams of two Metrohoppers in close proximity should not cross.



Figure 31. Avoid crossing beams of ODUs in close proximity.

Figure 32. Correct mounting orientation of ODUs in close proximity.

Figure 33 – Atmospheric Attenuation at 58Ghz

6.6 Additional guidelines for Nokia Metrohopper in NEC Region • Metrohopper can be used in both Nokia & NEC regions. However, the first choice for short hops

in the NEC region is Pasolink 38GHz with 20dB attenuator. Nokia Metrohopper should only be selected for use in the NEC region where a 38Ghz licence is not granted by Ofcom (ie. no channels available, or high/low clash).

• FIU-19 indoor units must be used where Metrohopper is installed into NEC sites. IFUE indoor units can only be used in the Nokia Node B.

• Nokia Metrohopper may be installed in NEC Platform 2 Node Bs, but can only be installed into the NEC Platform 1 Node B, provided that the other end of the link is at a Platform 2 or a THS. This is due to limitations in managing/monitoring the link. The FIU-19 is managed via Q1, which requires a Nokia DCNA & Ethernet Hub card to be fitted to the Node B. NEC Platform 1 does not support the Ethernet Hub.



6.7 Nokia Microwave Link Ordering Guidelines – OIP Ordering All Nokia Node B & Microwave Link Call-Offs must now be accompanied with a Purchase Order. All Nokia transmission items have been added to Oracle Intranet Procurement system as Catalogue Items. It is the responsibility of the TPE to ensure that a Purchase Order is raised to cover all items required on the microwave call-off. Note: Procedure & guidelines for ordering Nokia Links to be specified in separate document.

7 Q1 Management of Nokia Microwave Radios

The Q1 Agent collects the fault and performance data and forwards the information to higher-level NetAct applications such as Monitor and Reporter.

INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK – Q1 Guidelines to be Issued in next update.

7.1.1 Nokia Site designs

Nokia Configurations

7.1.2 Nokia Rack Face layouts

Nokia Rack Face Layouts

Nokia Optima RFL IBBU 1

Nokia Optima RFL RF Ext

RFL Nokia THS V4

7.1.3 THS Circuit Breaker allocation

THS Circuit Breaker Allocations



8 Design Construction and Installation Guide

Design Construction and Installation Guide



9 ANNEXES

10 Annexure-1

Radio Equipment Details

Equipment Description Abbreviation

Nokia Radios

Flexihopper 13GHz, 1+0, 2E1 13G, 2X2, FH



Flexihopper 13GHz, HSB, 16E1 13G, 16X2, FH




Ultrahopper 23GHz, 1+0, STM1 23G, STM1, UH





Ultrahopper 26GHz, 1+0, STM1 26G, STM1, UH







11 Annexure-2

Details of Frequency Bands

Band Details Abbreviation

13GHz Band

Freq = 13GHz, Capacity = 4E1, Duplex Separation = 266MHz 13/4E1/266



Freq = 13GHz, Capacity = STM1, Duplex Separation = 266MHz 13/STM1/266

23GHz Band





26GHz Band





38GHz Band







12 Annexure-3 Couple Loss Specifications

Nokia Freq (GHz) Main (dB) Space (dB)

13 1.5 6.2

23 2 6.5

26 2.2 6.5

38 2.4 6.5

13 Annexure-4

Antenna Details

Andrew Dishes

Freq - 13GHz, Dia - 0.6m 13GHz/0.6m

Freq - 13GHz, Dia – 1.2m 13GHz/1.2m

Freq – 23GHz, Dia – 0.3m 23GHz/0.3m











Precision Dishes

Freq – 26GHz, Dia – 0.3m 26GHz/0.3p



Freq - 13GHz, Dia - 0.6m 13GHz/0.6p

Freq - 13GHz, Dia – 1.2m 13GHz/1.2p






14 Software Tools & Packages In this section various software tools and packages will be described which are being used to facilitate transmission planning activities.

14.1 NetOne

NetOne is the main site database and rollout tracking tool. This will track the site progression and hold details. Transmission Task List will be covered in this section.

NetOne User Doc for TPEs.doc

14.2 Connect

Connect is one of the tools in Enterprise suite (Aircom’s tool) which will be used by 3 for microwave link planning. Since there is no separate tool for link progress tracking so Connect will be used for link progress tracking also using various phase flags. In addition, leased line and Infrared links also need to be created in Connect with Link End A towards RNC. Connect generated six digit link IDs will be used as reference and unique identifier for a link. All other databases will refer to this ID while defining inter-



database links. For detailed information about the Connect use, follow the link given below: Connect User Guide 1.3.doc

14.3 Cramer

Cramer will be used to plan the circuiting for 3’s transmission network. This tool will be the main database for circuiting information.

14.4 Network Equipment Provisioning (NEP)

NEP will be used to generate the call-offs and hold all the current and historical configuration of a link. For detailed information on NEP tool, follow the link given below:

NEP User Guidelines

15 Vendor Specific Detailed Guidelines ATM Access Architecture.doc

16 Synchronisation Design Synchronisation Integration and Design.doc

17 Design Construction and Installation Guide Following document describes the detailed structural, power, construction and concealment requirements from transmission perspective. Design Construction and Installation Guide v1.3.doc

18 Alarm Management

NEC THS Alarm Management

Q1 Implementation Guideline



19 Annexure 1: British Telecom Std. Delivery times (Working Days)

Analogue private circuits 20 Days

Kilostream private circuits 10 Days

Kilostream Plus 30 Days

Megastream 30 Days

Additional Megastream at same site where cable exists 20 Days

Multipoint circuits *60 Days

Direct exchange lines 5 Days

ISDN 30 20 Days

ISDN 2 6 Days

Linkline 10 Days

Exchange line 6 Days

Misc shifts, telephones etc 6 Days

FrameStream 64k 17 Days

FrameStream 128k - 2048k 37 Days

FrameStream PVC 10 Days

CellStream 2M Standard 35 Days

CellStream 34M / 155M Metro 40 Days

CellStream 34M / 155M Secure 60 Days

CellStream 34M / 155M Secure + 60 Days

CellStream PVC 8 Hours

SMDS 0.2, 0.5, 2M 35 Days

SMDS 4M + 65 Days

* There is no standard lead-time for Multipoint circuits but national average provision is 60 days.

The standard lead-time starts at the Order Validation Date (OVD). The OVD is the date when all the relevant information is available for BT to process the order.



20 Annexure 2: Rain Rate Calculator

Previously Ofcom calculated rain fade using the highest frequency in the band and not the actual transmit frequencies.

They now use the actual transmit frequencies and thus now have 2 sets of rain coefficients, one set for each end of the link.

So now there will be slightly different fades on each direction rather than one fade for the whole link.

Rain Rate Calculator.xls



21 Annexure 3: Radio Theory Geometrical Line of Sight

In the frequency band in which the microwave radio terminals operate (7 - 38GHz) a free line of sight between the antennas is required. Obstacles protruding into and above the line of sight will cause considerable attenuation and may make the hop unusable. These obstacles may be topographical (hilltops etc.), vegetation (forest trees etc), buildings, chimneys and other man made structures.

Radio Optical Sight

The Earth atmosphere influences the propagation of radio waves in different ways. The radio waves travel with different velocities in different parts of the atmosphere, due to the variations in the electrical characteristics which cause refraction. Due to the atmospheric refraction the radio waves are usually bent slightly downwards, which allows a somewhat longer path length than the straight line. With the bending effect in mind it is customary to speak about a radio optical line of sight, rather than a geometrical line of sight. Under normal condition the radio optical line of sight reaches further than the geometrical line of sight. The distance difference between the radio horizon and the geometrical horizon can be calculated for different k values using the sight formula:

deff = d√k

Assuming k = 4/3 yields deff √1.15 * d

deff = the distance to the radio horizon (km)

d = the distance to the geometrical horizon (km)

k = The effective Earth radius factor

The standard atmosphere and other atmospheric conditions affecting the refraction factor and which occurs at a given site is described by the Earth radius factor k. The k value depending on the climatic conditions is 4/3 when applied to a standard atmosphere.

Fresnel Clearance

Even if free line of sight is available on the entire path, close-by obstacles may have an attenuating effect if they are located close enough to the path. It is customary to define a Fresnel zone around the centre line of the path. The first Fresnel zone is defined as a zone shaped as an ellipsoidal shell with its focal points at the antennas on both ends of the path. In the first Fresnel zone the phase difference between a beam



taking the direct path and a beam reflected from an obstacle is a half wave length. The Fresnel zone decreases with increasing frequency. Provided that there is no obstacle within the first Fresnel zone the obstacle attenuation can be ignored, and the clearance requirement is satisfied.

Figure 6 Fresnel Zone

The table below shows some examples of the Fresnel zone radii as related to hop length and microwave radio frequency bands. The table gives the centre radii, which serves as an indication of the required clearances.

Microwave Radio Frequency Path Distance

7Ghz 15GHz 23GHz 26GHz 38GHz

5 Km 7.1 5.0 4.0 3.8 3.1

15 Km 12.3 8.7 7.0 6.6 5.4

Figure 7 Radii (m) of the first Fresnel zone (mid-path)

Path Profiles

The purpose of the path profile is to provide information concerning free line of sight between the selected station sites, and to decide whether there is sufficient clearance to avoid obstacle attenuation. The path profile will also be used when determining the fading of the received signal. The path profile is essentially a plot of the elevation of the Earth as a function of the distance along the path between the transmitting and receiving sites. The data is derived by locating the two terminals on an elevation contour map, drawing a straight line between the two points, and reading the elevation contours at suitable distance intervals.

The topographical information used to design a path profile can also be derived from topographical map



databases, which include an altitude database and a land use database. The path planner can determine whether there is sufficient clearance and a free line of sight on the projected path. The path profile must also contain information about forests, buildings and other man made structures along the path.

Link Budget

A link budget must be prepared in order to calculate the received signal level during non-fading time. The

radio link terminal can be calculated according to the following formula.

ceived power (dBm)

m)

) (between isotropic antennas)

)

The receiver input signal varies with time due to fading. The input signal calculated with the link budget

ation (mainly rain), multipath

described in order to enable calculation of the rain induced fading. The

intensity can be found in ITU-R Rep. 563-4 (CCIR)

link budget sums all attenuations and amplifications of the signal between the transmitter output and the receiver input terminals.

The received power in the

Pin = Pout - AF + G - FSL - Ao - AG – AL

Where,

Pin = Re

Pout = Transmitted power (dB

AF = Antenna feeder losses (dB)

G = Antenna gains (dBi)

FSL = Free space loss (dB

Ao = Obstacle loss (dB)

AG = Gas attenuation (dB

AL = Additional loss (dB). Fading

is valid for non-fading time only. The hop must be dimensioned to provide a sufficient margin to the receiver threshold, the fading margin. The fading margin must be sufficiently large to allow the non-exceeding probability to be sufficiently small to meet the operational requirements for the connection. The fading margin requirement is indirectly decided by the adopted dimensioning standard. Usually the fading margin needs to be up to 40dB. The climate, the topographical situation and the hop length are decisive factors for the fading sensitivity of a given microwave radio path.

The fading types normally taken into consideration are caused by precipitpropagation and refraction.

The rain intensity must becalculating algorithm requires a value for the rain intensity which is exceeded during more than 0.01% of the time (annual mean value).

Actual values for the 0.01% value of the rain ”Radiometeorological Data) in volume V, 1990, ”Propagation In Non-Ionized Media”. The calculated probability for the occurrence of the various fading types on a given microwave radio hop path must subsequently be translated into the quality and unavailability factors defined in the dimensioning standard. The factors usually adopted are standardized by ITU.



Reflection

of the radio beam from large, plane surfaces, for example lakes, may cause a degradation of

eflection prone paths often pass over water, where there is often a great risk for the occurrence of severe

iversity

an be used if a projected path is severely influenced by fading due to multipath propagation.

nnas. The two receiver antennas

requencies. The

ain Attenuation

nt attenuation may be evaluated by introducing a reduction factor, which takes into

vailability and Quality Targets

of the connections in a network often stems from an operational user

Reflectionsthe availability and quality of the connection. The reflected wave does not follow the same path as the direct wave which, in conjunction with a phase change at the point of reflection, may cause the received waves to have different phase angles at the receiver input. Should the phase difference be as much as 180° the result will be an attenuation and possibly even a cancellation of the resulting signal. A microwave radio link hop over areas where a reflection may be expected should be configured with the antenna heights adjusted to eliminate the reflection or space diversity. The distance between the antennas in a diversity arrangement should be adjusted to the path geometry in order to ensure that at least one of the receivers will always have a good quality input signal.

Ratmospheric conditions. This strongly suggests that this hop type should always be designed with space diversity, regardless of whether the reflection has been planned to be attenuated by an obstacle or not.

D

Diversity cThe most frequently used diversities are space and frequency diversity.

Space diversity employs one transmitter antenna and two receiver anteenable reception of signals via different propagation paths. This requires double antennas on each side of the hop, a unit for the selection of the best signal and partly or fully duplicated receivers.

In frequency diversity the same signal is transmitted simultaneously on two different fdifferent frequencies cause the two signals to fade with little correlation to each other. Only one antenna is required on either side of the hop, but a unit selecting the best signal and duplicate transmitters and receivers are required.

R

The rain dependeconsideration the extent of the rain clouds in the radio path, and then determining the effective path length by multiplying the actual path length by the reduction factor. It should be pointed out that the rain rate is a parameter which is very dependent on the geographical location of the path. It must be obtained from cumulative distribution of long term measurements. Furthermore, it must be obtained for very short integration times, preferably nearly instantaneous. For the purpose of network planning the Earth is divided into 16 different rain zones for which instantaneous rain rate values can be obtained. In spite of the random characteristics of the rain events, its attenuation is not included as a contribution in the link budget. However, its value is of crucial importance in the calculation of the rain fading.

A

The basis for the dimensioningrequirement which describes the required availability of a connection and the quality required during the



available time. A dimensioning standard developed by ITU is often used in order to obtain an internationally accepted availability and quality for parts of or the entire network to be planned. Radio wave propagation, hardware failures, resetting times after repairs and frequency dependent interference problems are among the factors to be considered when dimensioning a network which is supposed to meet the standard requirements recommended by ITU.

The ITU target standards are based on two recommendations:

ith a bit rate of 64kBit/s.

U-T Recommendation G.826, used for digital connections with bit rates of or higher than 2,048kBit/s

he recommendations define the measurement terms for availability and quality and a target standard for

he ITU-T Recommendation G.826 defines the following availability terms:

tive seconds with non SES

ement of ten consecutive seconds with SES

d.

he ITU-T Recommendation G.826 defines the following quality terms:

s are incorrect.

ore blocks are

erely Errored Second, which is defined as a one second period during which 30% or more of

secutive bits in a digital connection where each bit only belongs to a

S are only calculated during AT.

U-T Recommendation G.821 states DM, Degraded

ITU-T Recommendation G.821, used for digital connections w

IT(European standard) or 1,544kBit/s (USA Standard).

Tthe dimensioning of connections according to these dimensions. The dimensioning standard sets forward demands on the availability and quality of the connection from one subscriber to another, that is an end to end demand. It is also subdivided into the international, national and local parts of a network. The ITU-T Recommendation G.826 is the standard relevant to the access network.

T

•AT - Available Time, which starts with the commencement of ten consecuevents. These ten seconds are considered as available time.

•UAT - Unavailable Time, which starts with the commencevents. These ten seconds are considered as unavailable time.

•Available Time + Unavailable Time = Total Time (TT) studie

T

•EB - Errored Block, which is defined as a block in which one or more bit

•ES - Errored Second, which is defined as a one second period during which one or mdistorted.

•SES - Sevthe transmitted blocks are distorted.

•A block is defined as a group of consingle block. Table B.2/G826 recommends that, for example, the bit rate 2,048kBit/s should contain 2,048 bits per block.

•EB, ES, and SE

•DM is not defined within G.826. However, ITMinute, which is defined by subtracting SES from AT and then grouping the remaining seconds in groups of 60 (one minute intervals). Each group containing a Bit Error Rate worse than 1*10-6 is considered to



be a Degraded Minute.

ITU-R has applied the radio perceptive to the ITU-T Recommendation G.821, and has subdivided the

he dimensioning standards for these network parts can be found in the following recommendations:

and

um Grade: ITU-R Recommendation 696, which is based on Rep. 1052.

he SES, ES and DM values represent percentages of available time. The sections are sub-divided into

ercentage of Available Time (%)

ss 2 Class 3 Class 4

m

006 0.0075 0.002 0.005

.2 0.5

e: Q ality t gets fo Grade sections

he UAT assignment for class 1 - 4 sections in a Medium Grade network is as follows:

he percentages assigned to UAT consider parts of the total time. You should note that UAT also

international part (High Grade), the national part (Medium Grade) and the local part (Local Grade) into smaller parts suitable for the dimensioning of microwave radio transport network hops.

T

High Grade: ITU-R Recommendations 556, 557, 594, 634 and 695, which are based on Rep. 445 930.

Medi

Local Grade: ITU-R Recommendation 697, which is based on Rep. 1053.

Tfour different classes, 1 - 4, which reflect the function of the section in the network. A section is the smallest network part defined by ITU-R. It encompasses only a part of the network which does not contain any multiplexing equipment or a PABX switchboard.

P

Quality Parameter Class 1 Cla

280km 280km 50k 50km

SES 0.

DM 0.045 0.2 0

ES 0.036 0.16 0.16 0.4

Tabl u ar r Medium

T

Class 1: 0.033%

Class 2: 0.05%

Class 3: 0.05%

Class 4: 0.1%

Tencompasses disrupted service due to severe radio wave propagation conditions and MTTR, that is resetting times following hardware failures.



Fading Margin versus Error Performance and Availability

he fading margin must be sufficiently high to

me aspects of the fading to availability and quality terms the

the rain is the dimensioning factor for

n dealing with the rapid fading.

ility terms can be

AT Rain, refraction and hardware failures.

n.

ADIO WAVE PROPAGATION

gth and Frequency

gnetic waves are related according to the following

= c/f

= 3*108 m/sec (The Speed of Light).

the frequency (f) is expressed in MHz, the wavelength will be expressed in meters according to the

During the dimensioning of a microwave radio link hop tallow for the meeting of the availability and quality targets. This means that the time allotments for SES, ES, DM and UAT must not be exceeded.

When transforming the fading and the tidesigner must treat slow fading, which may have a time scope of minutes or even hours, and rapid fading, which has a time scope of seconds or parts of seconds, separately.

The slow fading covers fading due to rain and refraction, where microwave radio applications. Hardware failures and the resetting times required following repairs, are also considered as a slow fading. Hardware failures are generally not considered as fading, although they influence the availability of the individual hop.

Multipath propagation problems are accounted for whe

The fading mechanisms and the hardware failures versus the quality and unavailabgrouped as follows:

U

DM Rain, refraction and multipath propagatio

ES Rain, refraction and multipath propagation.

SES Multipath propagation.

R

Relationship between Wavelen

The wavelength and the frequency of electromaformula:

λ

c

f = Frequency.

λ = Wavelength.

Iffollowing formula:

λ = 300/f



PROPOGATION CHARACTERISTICS

s generally affected by several factors, irrespective of the radio

requency Effects

tance of the factors influencing the propagation of radio waves mainly depends on the

errain Effects

ves propagate near the surface of the Earth, their characteristics are dominated by the

ropospheric Effects

nts of the atmosphere influence the propagation of radio waves both by absorbing

ultipath Effects

ath effects” applies to those cases in which the effective received signal is made up of

ropagation Mechanisms

raphy and the meteorological conditions, radio waves can be propagated in

The propagation of radio waves icommunication service or the specified purpose of telecommunication. These factors are described below.

F

The relative imporfrequency band. At microwave frequencies the importance of the terrain features and the meteorological characteristics of the troposphere are predominant. However, above about 6GHz the effects of gas absorption and precipitation must also be taken into account. At frequencies close to 10GHz the effects of precipitation begin to dominate. Gas absorption starts influencing at about 22GHz, where the water vapour shows a characteristic peak.

T

When radio waelectrical characteristics of the Earth and by the topography of the terrain, including the vegetation and man-made structures.

T

The gaseous constitueenergy and by variations in the refractive index. Variations in the refractive index of the atmosphere cause radio waves to reflect, to refract and to scatter. The magnitude of these effects depends on the frequency.

M

The term ”multipseveral components arriving at the receiving antenna over different paths. The components may have different phases and different amplitudes, and their mutual relationship may also vary continuously with time. Multipath effects result from reflections from buildings, from the surface of the Earth or from horizontal interfaces between different layers in the atmosphere. Multipath effects caused by reflections are responsible for the fast fading observed on microwave radio links. They can seriously degrade the quality of a service.

P

Depending on the topogdifferent ways, normally, but not always, causing attenuation. One of the main tasks of radio engineering is to evaluate the attenuation of the radio signals transmitted between transmitters and receivers. In order to evaluate the attenuation of the transmitted signals between transmitters and receivers, it is helpful to categorize the propagation mechanisms as follows:



Free Space Propagation

d Scattering

asic Free Space Transmission Loss

propagation of an electromagnetic wave in a homogenous, ideal

a transmitter and a receiver.

ion.

IRP Effective Isotropic Radiated Power designates the power transmitted from an isotropic antenna in

iated Power designates the power transmitted from a half-wave antenna.

efraction

through the atmosphere is possible because radio waves travel with different velocities in

Refraction

Diffraction

Reflection an

Absorption

B

Free space propagation refers to thedielectric medium which may be considered to be infinite in all directions.

Free space transmission loss is known as the least possible loss betweenBasically, the calculation of the free space transmission loss refers to isotropic point sources at both ends. If these isotropic point sources are replaced by half-wave dipoles or other antennas having a certain gain, the calculations will have to be adjusted for the introduced gains.

Some terms used to designate the radiated power reflect this situat

Ea specified direction.

ERP Effective Rad

R

Refraction different parts of a medium with varying electrical characteristics. Radio waves travel slower in the atmosphere where the dielectric constant is greater than the dielectric constant of free space. The dielectric constant depends on the pressure, the temperature and the water vapour content (humidity) of the atmosphere. Normally the values of these meteorological parameters decrease with the altitude. Since electromagnetic waves travel faster in a medium with a lower dielectric constant than in media with higher dielectric constants, the upper part of a wave front tends to travel faster than the lower part, thus causing a downwards deflection of the beam. In a horizontally homogenous atmosphere the vertical change of the meteorological parameters (and thus the dielectric constant) is gradual. This causes a continuous deflection of the beam, and the beam is gradually deflected away from thinner to thicker air layers, following the curvature of the Earth. Consequently there is a relationship between the radius of the curvature of the radio beam and the true radius of the Earth. The radius of the radio beam curvature is usually called the effective of the equivalent Earth radius. The deflection of a radio beam is related to the refractive index of the atmosphere or by its refractivity (N). Refractivity depends on the pressure, the temperature and the water vapour content (humidity) of the atmosphere. Its variation with respect to the height (h) in the atmosphere is called the refractive gradient (dN/dh) and is related to the Earth radius. In practice, the measured median of the mean gradient in the first kilometer above ground in most temperate regions is approximately -40N units per kilometer. This gives an Earth radius factor of approximately 4/3 = 1.33 and an effective Earth radius of approximately 8,500km. A negative refractivity gradient indicates decreasing refractivity (and refractive index) with the height in the atmosphere. The combined effects of



refraction and diffraction will cause obstacle loss. This contribution appears in the link budget as Ao.

Diffraction

may occur and increase the transmission loss when the size of an obstacle between a transmitter and a receiver is large compared to the wavelength of the transmitted radio wave. The

eflection and Scattering

ves incide on a surface they may be reflected. The reflected waves depend on the frequency, the angle of incidence and the electrical properties of the surface. Under some assumptions

bsorption

ies above 10GHz the propagation of radio waves through the atmosphere of the Earth is strongly affected by the resonant absorption of electromagnetic energy by molecular water vapour and

ain Attenuation

ecipitation, and especially rain, on radio waves may be of considerable importance depending on the frequency band and on the intensity of the precipitation. Scattering and absorption of

Diffraction

diffraction effects are faster and more accentuated with increased obstruction for frequencies above 1,000MHz. This can make a path unusable for normal radio communication purposes. The transmission loss due to an obstruction depends on the diffraction properties of the obstacle and on the area of the obstructed beam as compared to the total area of the wave front. Thus, it is necessary to provide sufficient path clearance so that an appreciable transmission loss can be avoided.

R

When electromagnetic wa

energy is neither transmitted or absorbed by the surface, and the waves are simply reflected in a new direction. This is, of course, an ideal reflection called specular reflection, in accordance with the reflection of light waves as encountered in mirrors. Specular reflection is therefore an approximation which can be used in many applications related to radio communication. Specular reflection is, as mentioned above, an ideal case encountered in some applications. In practice, however, surface reflection is somewhat more complicated.

A

At frequenc

oxygen. The absorption attenuation of oxygen shows a rather strong peak between 50GHz and 70GHz with a maximum at approximately 60GHz. The amount of water vapour in the atmosphere, however, strongly varies from place to place according to the local meteorological conditions. Temperature and humidity is thus two important variables when determining the attenuation caused by water vapour. The absorption attenuation of water vapour shows a characteristic peak at about 23GHz. This peak value subsequently drops to a minimum (not zero) at approximately 29 - 31GHz and then rises again.

R

The effect of pr

the radio wave by raindrops causes attenuation. Although all frequencies are subject to these effects, rain attenuation is of practical importance only for frequencies above 10GHz. The specific attenuation can be obtained from special charts illustrating the interdependency of the specific attenuation in dB/km and the frequency in GHz. For high rain rates (30mm/h) and high frequencies (20GHz) horizontal polarization can give a specific attenuation as much as 0.5dB/km higher than for vertical polarization.



Fading

influences may cause loss of the signal when the two terminals of a radio path are within line-of-

ath effects depends on the frequency,

22 GLOSSARY OF TERMS

A Acquisition Agent

Union

rame

Several sight. If the line-of-sight of the system is close to the ground with large size obstacles or hills obstacle losses may become important even though the line-of-sight is not obscured. If there are any changes in the Earth radius factor due to refraction, the path may be subject to diffraction/refraction fading. Generally, radio waves travelling in the atmosphere undergo variations due to changes in meteorological and ground surface conditions. The received signal is normally not constant but ”fades” around a nominal value, and the field strength with time is commonly called fading. When the line-of-sight is well above the surface of the Earth, thus avoiding diffraction losses, fading may occur due to interference between the direct line-of- sight field component and the components reflected from the ground, from atmospheric layers and from buildings. Multipath effects may give rise to short term fading. Furthermore, at frequencies above 10GHz the attenuation due to absorption by atmospheric gases and by rain may be even more important. Rain fading effects may give rise to longer term signal attenuation.

The relative importance of fading due to rain and that due to multipthe climate and on the path length. However, in general it can be said that multipath fading is the main influential factor causing attenuation below 10GHz, whereas heavy rain is the main influential factor above 10GHz. Because multipath propagation in most climates normally occurs when there is no heavy rainfall, it is usually reasonable to add the time percentages for which the two causes produce fading of a certain level.

A

BT British Telecom

CDD Customer Delivery Date

CRD Customer Required Date

DDF Digital Distribution Frame

GPS Global Positioning System

HSB Hot Standby (Protection)

IDU Indoor Unit

ITU International Telecommunications

LL Leased Line

LOS Line of Sight

ODF Optical Distribution F

ODU Outdoor Unit

OVD Order Validation Date

RA Radiocommunications Agency



RF Radio Frequency

RFU Radio Frequency Unit

RPE Radio Planning Engineer

SDH Synchronous Digital Hierarchy

TCP Transmission Collection Point

THS Transmission High Site

TPE Transmission Planning Engineer

TR Technical Review



END OF DOCUMENT



Filename: Transmission Planning Guidelines V3.2.doc Directory: C:\Bob\TX\TX Guidelines Template: C:\Documents and

Settings\rforster.HUTCHISON3G\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dot Title: Access Network Transmission Planning Guideines Subject: Author: RForster Keywords: Comments: Creation Date: 04/10/2004 08:56 Change Number: 21 Last Saved On: 04/10/2004 16:27 Last Saved By: RForster Total Editing Time: 256 Minutes Last Printed On: 04/10/2004 16:27 As of Last Complete Printing Number of Pages: 78 Number of Words: 16,909 (approx.) Number of Characters: 96,385 (approx.)