Overview of Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS)

Ways to Improve In-building Coverage

When should each solutions be used?

There is not one single solution that is best for all purposes. In fact, operators need a range of solutions.
Traffic

Pico BTS

Pico BTS + active Macro BTS + passive

Macro BTS + active

Pico Repeater

Micro Repeater + Passive Pico Repeater + active

Building size and complexity

Why use DAS Systems ?

To increase coverage

To increase coverage and capacity

To increase coverage, capacity, and functionality

DAS deployment motivation

Mobile usage
Indoor is the environment where most of the mobile traffic is created Studies estimate that 70-80% of traffic will be created in this environment
Using this value and the actual Optimus traffic reality, we can predict that only 2% of the indoor traffic will be performed in the present dedicated projects; the remaining 98% will be carried by the macro layer High revenue data services are more suited to be used in the indoor environment

DAS deployment motivation

User perspective Users demands in terms of QoS are higher and tolerance to problems is smaller in the indoor environment: Users will demand good QoS for voice and data services more so when UMTS is implemented later Users will be specially demanding in what concerns high bit rate data services due to their cost In the indoor environment the user has an alternative service the fixed and the comparison is naturally made against this service Operator needs to guarantee a much better performance of the network in the indoor environment than in the outdoor

DAS deployment motivation

Indoor coverage from the macro layer
In free space, GSM 1800 signal has higher attenuation than GSM 900, due to the higher frequencies it uses The dependence of building attenuation is not clear; it depends on several factors apart from the frequency and the distance:
Materials and how they are arranged Orientation relative to the outdoor site 50 Building environment 45 40 Floor geometry 35 30 Floor level 25 20 Room dimensions 15
Attenuation (dB)
10 5 0

900MHz 1800MHz 2300MHz

Windows size

Study 1

Study 2

Study 3A

Study 3B

DAS deployment motivation

Indoor coverage from the macro layer
The coverage varies along the height of the buildings due to:
The shadow effect from other buildings in the lower floors The direction of the main lobe of the antenna Typically the sites are more down tilted so a lower coverage is expected in the upper floors
Attenuation with respect to outdoor coverage
20 Attenuation (dB) 15 10 5 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Floor

DAS deployment motivation

Indoor signal penetration
The propagation loss inside a building depends on several factors:
Frequency Distance Floor dimensions & geometry Materials & their arrangement Number of floors between emitter Leakage to the outside and back and receiver A study performed for the 900, 1800 and 2300 MHz frequencies under a specific set of conditions reached the following variation of path loss as a function of distance:
80 70
Pathloss (dB)

60 50 40 30 20 10 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 d (m) 900MHz PathLoss (dB) 1800MHz PathLoss (dB) 2300MHz PathLoss (dB)

DAS deployment motivation

Marketing and Sales perspectives
To know the clients is a marketing competitive advantage
Indoor dedicated projects allow to know the clients - which services they use, when they use them and in what amount - and to be proactive in the delivery of new services with interest to both the client and the operator

With a dedicated project operators can follow the clients on the services by carefully looking at the QoS indicators, and be proactive in the resolution of problems Adding all this together the operator can provide a service of excellence to the clients
creating a partner relationship where the clients feel comfortable and satisfied increase in ARPU Retention and reduction in the churn and captivating new costumers

Motivations for Dedicated Coverage Coverage

Capacity Indoor Location Based Services Reduced cell loading on macro network Increased peak and mean user data rates Location-specific tariffs Minimise delay spread Overcome mobility limitations Reduce RF exposure Increase battery life

Motivations
Users
Coverage Access to network Ease of Use Mobility Cost Health & Safety, data security Compelling services

Operators
Access to users Low initial and ongoing costs Differentiated services Customer retention Corporate social responsibility (Health & Safety, Security)

Tenants
Continuity of business Quiet Enjoyment High, appropriate, footfall Corporate Social Responsibility

Landlords
Continuity of business (own and tenants) High, appropriate footfall Preserve and enhance property value Corporate Social Responsibility

In-building System Example

General Architecture

Why Deploy Wireless DAS

Macro cellular coverage does not generally provide good and reliable in-building coverage without a coverage enhancement Provide employees mobility so they can work anywhere within the facility Improves a Companys Customer Satisfaction
Calls not Missed Better Call Quality Calls Not Dropped Data is available on demand

Increases Revenue
Faster Response Times Reduced Lost Sales Improved Employee Productivity/Efficiency

Reduced Facilities Cost

Wiring to difficult places is reduced since the endpoints/devices are wireless.

Provide Reliable communications for security & public safety

Benefits of In-Building Systems

Subscribers can originate/receive voice or data while in moving within commercial and public buildings Extension of cellular network coverage to corporate, campus, high-rise, and public sites is required for seamless coverage and subscriber satisfaction Provide seamless coverage and roaming to building and campuses Reliable communications for public safety (e.g. police, fire, EMS, etc.) are required. Can support multiple access technologies Can deliver many applications to mobile users Constant access to corporate applications, servers, and the Internet Can improve operational efficiency of employees and the business Unobtrusive

DAS Types
Passive distribution systems Active distribution systems

Passive DAS RF Coverage Solutions

Passive DAS Solutions

What is it?
RF Source-Base station/repeater/mini repeater used to drive system

Components:
Coaxial cable RF splitters Antennas Leaky Cables

Passive DAS
Discrete Antennas Each Cable Run Ends in One Antenna Creates Hot Spots Troublesome Near Windows Phones Operate in Far Field Advantage: Directivity and Deployment

Passive DAS- RF Sources

Repeater:
10 W / 20 W output Max 50-100 db gain Isolation issues Donor and coverage antenna placement Low cost No backhaul Easy to install

Base station:
Macro BTS 10 W Micro BTS 1W Pico BTS mws High cost Requires backhaul Dedicated room

Passive DAS- Power Dividers

Power divider
Resistive components Balanced or unbalanced types available Factors to consider:
Splitting loss Insertion loss
-3.5 dBm

Out

0 dBm In -3.5 dBm Out

Passive DAS- Antennas

Observe building layout Locations for RF source first Antenna placements Ideal vs. reality Aesthetic issues Suspended ceiling a plus Columns and pillars

Omni-directional Antenna
Open areas Equal distance between boundaries

FLOOR PLAN

Directional Antenna
Areas with leakage constraints Long and narrow halls

Floor Plan

Passive DAS- Leaky Coax

Cable Run Is the Antenna No Hot Spots Phones Operate in Near Field Building Structure Spoils Far Field Pattern Simpler but Costly Installation Installs Out of Sight

Passive DAS
Types:
Parallel
Series

Passive DAS- Parallel

0m 80m 160m 240m 320m

20 dBm input

ERP = 11.5 dBm

3 dBm (-5 dB)

-5.5 dBm

-11.5 dBm

(-5 dB)

(-5 dB)

(-5 dB) 2-way Splitter

Passive DAS- Series

0m 20 dBm input (-5 dB)

80m

160m

240m

320m

ERP =0 dBm (-5 dB) -0.4 dB

0 dBm (-5 dB) -0.5 dB 10 dB

-1 dBm

(-5 dB) -2 dBm

15 dB Coupler

-1.4 dB 6 dB

Antenna Arrangement for Multiple Floors

Distributed Systems: Multiple Antenna

Multiple antennas provide more homogeneous coverage than single antenna Less interference from in-building to or from the outer world Easier to make in-building cells the best service everywhere in the building Effective use of allocated spectrum

Passive Distribution Key Design Issues

When using a repeater isolation between donor & coverage antennas has to be checked
Need minimum repeater gain + 15 dB Noise back to the BTS needs to be checked Noise Calculation back at BTS

Link budget analysis

Power per channel available from repeater Splitter/coupler losses Cable insertion losses Antenna gain

Passive Distribution Key Design Issues

Noise floor increases due to loss Signal loss through distribution network Additional loss due to splitters or taps Using radiating cable vs. run- and- drop Designing multi-antenna star topology Single- or multi-band distribution Overall cost vs. performance

Limits of Active DAS in Multiband Applications

Length

50 0 5 10 15 20 900MHz 25
Attenuation [dB]

100

200

400

[m]

1800MHz 2400MHz

30 35 40 45 50

In excess of 150-200 meters the cable loss is too high, therefore it becomes less convenient for passive distribution
Due to cable slope, Multiband Multiservice distribution requires higher power at higher frequencies

Active DAS: The Concept

An RF to optical hub Single-mode fiber transport An optical to RF remote Coaxial distribution to multiple radiating points

Why fiber and coax?

Minimize Cost Maximize installation ease Maximize flexibility

When can passive systems expect to be problematic?

High and wide buildings can generate high losses in a passive system Historical buildings can be sensitive to extensive drilling and pulling of thick cables Campus applications like universities, amusement parks, sports arenas have buildings that are separated For buildings with restricted access like hospitals, hotels, tunnels, airports When upgrading low frequency systems (like GSM900) to UMTS
UMTS is uplink limited and very sensitive to high losses in a large passive network
For very tall, wide or complex buildings

Historical buildings where drilling is not allowed

Campus applications

Active DAS: Fiber and Coax

Utilize fiber optic distribution from the base station to the remote unit
Low loss for long distances Frequency independent

Utilize coaxial cable to transport the signals from the remote unit to several (2-4) radiating points
No power required Low loss for short distances

Active Distribution Architecture

splitter Remote splitter Remote splitter Remote

Single mode fiber vertical runs

one run for each remote unit

1/2 coax

Coax horizontal runs cause signal loss Splitter enables each remote unit to serve multiple antennas Each remote requires a power supply Easy to sectorize building

single mode fiber pair MOU BTS

DAS Services -Wired & Wireless

Wired
E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION POINT OF INTERFACE NETWORK E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION

Wireless

TX TX

BTS BTS BTS RX

RX RX

TX

Centralised Equipment

ACTIVE Distribution

PASSIVE Distribution

Coverage Area

Active DAS:
A Multi-technology Environment
1
2
E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION POINT OF INTERFACE NETWORK E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION

5
O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION

TX TX

BTS BTS BTS RX

RX RX

TX

Centralised Equipment

ACTIVE Distribution

PASSIVE Distribution

Coverage Area

1) Network interface: High Power RF, Low power RF, Air interface,. 2) Low power passive RF:Cross-band and hybrid couplers, signal conditioning and monitoring. 3) Signal Conversion (electrical to optical) 4) Cabling, interconnection, remote supply distribution 5) Signal conversion (optical to electrical), RF processing, RF Amplification 6) Passive wideband RF 7) RF Radiating 8) Monitoring, control, SW & digital communication

Active Systems: Advantages

Efficient use of fiber and cable by multiplexing various frequencies onto the backbones. Built to allow several operators in the same or different frequency band to share the system. The RF part provides independent control and level mechanism to optimize and maintain systems for each single operator. Expandable to allow more operators to join the system at a later stage.

Active Systems: Upgradeability

Capacity is not limited by initial hardware deployment. No physical limitation for the remote antenna location. BTS capacity can be added in central equipment rooms. Wideband or band selective RF front ends have virtually no limitation on multi channel operation.

Active Distribution Design Issues

Accurate provisioning: power per RF user Existing vs. installed distribution wiring Single- mode fiber vs. multi- mode fiber Upgradeable architecture Overall cost vs. performance

Distributed Systems: Different Media

Fiber optic:
Interference Immunity Loss-independence of transmission frequencies Small diameter of fiber bundle Small bending radius of fiber bundle Well suited for long distances High Bandwidth

Coaxial cable:
Susceptible to Interference Higher loss at higher transmission frequency Large diameter if low loss is required Large bending radius if low loss is required Thin coaxial cable is easy to install Well suited for short distances (< 50 m)

Cost
16 14 12 10 8

Comparison Coax and FDAS: Cost

Coax1/2" Single Band twin fibre Dual band twin fibre TriBand twin fibre

Thousands

Can we compare the cost of an installed segment of coax with an installed segment of fibre ?
coax

fiber
6 4 2 0 50 100 200 400 800

Length (m)

Fiber Active Solution cost includes: installed fiber, optical transducers and typical output power of 50mW per band
Cable cost doesnt include any active cable booster

The additional cost of Electro/Optic transducers is compensated as long as fiber run is >100mt.

Distributed Systems: Optical vs. BTS

Optical distribution: Infrastructure is shared among operators Remote units and radiating points are shared among operators Less impact on building No need to enter each remote unit for restructuring and capacity enhancement Lower cost in case of high rise buildings Easy upgradeability Micro base station: Infrastructure cannot be shared among operators Micro base station cannot be shared among operators Higher impact on building Units have to be added or moved if capacity enhancement is needed Cost increase is substantial for High rise buildings

Active DAS:
An Answer for any Requirements
+FLEXIBILITY +SCALABILITY +BANDWIDTH +SPECTRAL EFFICIENCY

TX TX

BTS BTS BTS RX

RX RX

TX

E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION POINT OF INTERFACE NETWORK E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION E/O CONVERSION

O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION O/E CONVERSION

Centralised Equipment

ACTIVE Distribution

PASSIVE Distribution

Coverage Area

Active DAS:
An Answer for any Requirements
+flexibility

Modular architecture Different Output power and config. options Suitable for different technologies Independent on optical loss Easily expandable Upgrades will not affect main investments

+Scalability

+Bandwidth

Suitable for present and future services Ready for band extension High dynamics Suitable for complex modulation schemes Negligible EVM degradation

+Spectral efficiency

Active DAS-Technology of Choice

ONE SYSTEM for ALL SERVICES

OPEN INFRASTRUCTURE

CENTRALIZED EQUIPMENT
LOW POWER CONSUMPTION STRONG AND UNIFORM COVERAGE MODULAR CONFIGURATION

EASE OF MAINTENANCE
INCREASED MTBF OPTIMUM NETWORK PERFORMANCE SCALABLE INVESTMENT

REDUNDANT POWER SUPPLY

WIDE RANGE OF OPTIONS INTEGRATED MONITORING FUNCTIONS

MAXIMUM RELIABILITY
APPLICATION-ORIENTED DESIGN HIGHEST LEVEL OF SYSTEM MANAG.

Any Questions

Thanks