Wireless Backhaul for LTE - Requirements, Challenges and Options

[ptt3i]

Next generation broadband wireless technologies such as 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) and WiMax offer significantly higher data rates and require suitably higher capacity backhaul networks. While some service providers have started rolling out WiMax, 3GPP LTE is expected to be standardized during 2009, and many service providers are planning to offer LTE services by 2010-2012. Apart from significantly higher speeds, LTE Base stations (eNBs) require logical full mesh connectivity due to the flat all-IP architecture. This paper explores the wireless backhaul network infrastructure options for addressing the LTE bandwidth and connectivity challenges. The paper details the backhaul requirements for 3GPP LTE as specified in the LTE specifications. The paper analyses different architectures for the backhaul access and aggregation networks. The paper proposes a logical topology model for the aggregation network, examines its realization via carrier Ethernet transport and IP/MPLS, and identifies technology gaps in realizing the logical topology model. The paper concludes that while MPLS satisfies the requirements better today, given the time available for LTE evolution, native carrier Ethernet transport could emerge as a strong candidate for future deployments.

Link: http://www.multiupload.com/9I8W5MUHPR

BRs,
ptt3i.

[ankarb]

Do you know microwave vendors having or planning to have MPLS functionality inside their products?

From what I know current microwave equipment are L2 devices having only Ethernet functionality.

[byja]

And what exactly do you mean by "MPLS functionality"? There are a lot of things that can fall into this category. Same like with LTE and backhaul, every vendor claimed LTE-ready backhaul, even with really crappy features, particularly when it comes to PD and PDV.

[ankarb]

And what exactly do you mean by "MPLS functionality"? There are a lot of things that can fall into this category. Same like with LTE and backhaul, every vendor claimed LTE-ready backhaul, even with really crappy features, particularly when it comes to PD and PDV.

I mean that the equipment has IP and MPLS control functionality and also the forwarding is done using MPLS labels and not based on VLAN and MAC addresses. In other words the equipment has functionality of a PE (or P) router.

At your post you mention about PD and PDV. Do you know what is the maximum PD and PDV acceptable for LTE? I know the PDV (no PD) is crucial for the correct operation of IEEE1588 PTP (to be able to recover correctly the clock) so I am interested to know what is the max. PDV acceptable for that.

Thanks

[harrypotter]

MW is a L2 device. No routing capability.

[ankarb]

MW is a L2 device. No routing capability.

I think that Huawei MW has a version of Software that support L3 functionality (P or PE router). Does anyone have relative information about MPLS functionality at Huawei's microwave equipment?