Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

Author Issue Date xingzengwu193651 01 2012-08-27

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.

Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 2012. All rights reserved.

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Trademarks and Permissions

and other Huawei trademarks are trademarks of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All other trademarks and trade names mentioned in this document are the property of their respective holders.

Notice
The purchased products, services and features are stipulated by the contract made between Huawei and the customer. All or part of the products, services and features described in this document may not be within the purchase scope or the usage scope. Unless otherwise specified in the contract, all statements, information, and recommendations in this document are provided "AS IS" without warranties, guarantees or representations of any kind, either express or implied. The information in this document is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made in the preparation of this document to ensure accuracy of the contents, but all statements, information, and recommendations in this document do not constitute a warranty of any kind, express or implied.

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Address: Huawei Industrial Base Bantian, Longgang Shenzhen 518129 People's Republic of China Website: Email: http://www.huawei.com support@huawei.com

Issue V1.0 (2012-08-27)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

Contents
1 Abstract of the EasyRET Antenna Solution ............................................................................. 3 2 Introduction to Traditional RET Antenna Solutions ............................................................. 4 3 Problems Confronted by Traditional RET Antenna Solutions............................................ 7
3.1 Complex Installation ........................................................................................................................................ 7 3.2 Complex Commissioning ................................................................................................................................. 8 3.3 High Fault Rate and Poor Reliability Due to a Large Number of Connections................................................ 8

4 EasyRET Antenna Solution ......................................................................................................... 9

4.1 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 9 4.2 Advantages ..................................................................................................................................................... 10

5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 15 6 Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................................... 16

Issue V1.0 (2012-08-27)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

ii

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

Abstract of the EasyRET Antenna Solution

With the coming of the mobile broadband (MBB) Era, radio networks are optimized more and more frequently, and the antenna optimization cost is higher and higher. Currently, a traditional remote electrical tilt (RET) antenna is confronted with problems such as frequent mistakes in manual operations, high installation and maintenance cost, and poor reliability in long-term operation. The EasyRET antenna solution can effectively resolve these problems. This solution facilitates installation, maintenance, and usage of the RET antenna; therefore, the O&M efficiency is improved. The solution has the following features: Free of configuration Free of calibration Free of RCU installation Free of manual recording of bar codes High reliability Excellent performance

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

Introduction to Traditional RET Antenna Solutions

Based on the category of tilt angles, there are two types of electrical tilt antennas on base stations.

Mechanical electrical tilt (MET) antenna The tilt angle of this type of antenna can be adjusted using the following methods:

Manually adjusting the mechanical gauge to pull the internal phase shifter Installing an external remote control unit (RCU) connected to a portable control unit (PCU) and adjusting the tilt angle using the PCU

Figure 2-1 Shows the solution for manually adjusting the tilt angle of the MET antenna

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

Figure 2-2 Shows the solution for adjusting the tilt angle of the MET antenna using the PCU

RET antenna The network management system (NMS) is adopted to remotely adjust the tilt angle of a RET antenna. This method allows constant and dynamic adjustment of the tilt angle of an antenna beam. A site does not need to be powered off during the adjustment, which enables continuous service provisioning. A RET antenna is installed vertically. No clearance is required for a tilt angle of the RET antenna. The installation components are simple and reliable. The monitoring database stores the current and historical data of antenna beams at each site on the live network to facilitate remote monitoring and analysis. Currently, RET antennas are preferred, which improves the operator's operation and maintenance (O&M) efficiency. Figure 2-3 shows the solution for remotely adjusting the tilt angle of the MET/RET antenna with an external RCU

Figure 2-3 Solution for remotely adjusting the tilt angle of the MET/RET antenna with an external RCU

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

Problems Confronted by Traditional RET Antenna Solutions

3.1 Complex Installation

Installations of traditional RET antenna involves the following steps: Step 1 Assemble the mounting bracket, and install the jumper and RCU, and provide waterproof protection to the jumper on the tower. Step 2 Lift and install the antenna on the tower and set the mechanical tilt angle based on network planning requirements. Step 3 Record the RCU serial numbers for each cell. Step 4 Install the Antenna Interface Standards Group (AISG) cables. Step 5 Record the site number, sector number, and antenna electrical tilt port mapping each RCU. Step 6 After the installation, submit the records to network planning and optimization engineers to prepare for the subsequent remote commissioning.

The installation procedure includes operations on and under the tower, which increases the duration of base station deployment.

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

3.2 Complex Commissioning

Figure 3-1 Process for remote commissioning of a RET antenna

The commissioning is conducted manually. Test engineers must confirm the execution status and participate in the entire configuration process. The configuration of a single site takes more than 12 minutes.

3.3 High Fault Rate and Poor Reliability Due to a Large Number of Connections
In a traditional RET antenna solution, multiple connection points exist on the RCUs, smart Bias-Tee (SBT), AISG cables, and antennas. These connection points are vulnerable to faults. Statistics of a European operator shows that, inappropriate connections and water ingress problems occur at 54% surveyed sites and RET connection problems (incorrect installation or configuration) occur at 27% surveyed sites. External RCUs must be connected to electrical ports and mechanical ports during installation. More frequency bands require more complex installation. Network operation records indicate that most problems related to the electrical tilt are caused by a large number of connections of external RCUs. The following problems occur frequently:

Improper cable contact caused by incorrect connection Short circuit resulted from water ingress caused by incorrect cable connection Damage of mechanical ports caused by collision during connection Operation failures of mechanical ports due to incorrect installation

If a traditional RET antenna is cascaded, RCU bar codes must be manually and locally recorded. There is a high probability that incorrect mapping relationship is recorded. As a result, the tilt angle is incorrectly adjusted, which affects network key performance indicators (KPIs) and increases maintenance cost. In addition, the RCU of a traditional RET antenna is exposed for a long time and affected severely by the environment and climate. Consequently, the antenna has a low reliability.

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

4
4.1 Overview

EasyRET Antenna Solution

The EasyRET antenna solution effectively resolves problems confronted by traditional RET antenna solutions. With comparison to the existing RET solution, the EasyRET solution has the following characteristics: The antenna integrates with electrical tilt devices such as the RCU and SBT. The One Box provides all components of an electrical tilt antenna, reducing the connector quantity and site installation requirements to the minimum. An electrical tilt device can be identified remotely, requires no configuration or calibration on site, and provides accurate phase control. Meanwhile, an electrical tilt device allows a piece of AISG main equipment to manage multiple electrical tilt units or allows two pieces of AISG main equipment to manage one or multiple electrical tilt units respectively.

Figure 4-1 shows the EasyRET solution for remotely adjusting the tilt angle of an electrical tilt antenna. Figure 4-1 EasyRET solution for remotely adjusting the tilt angle of an electrical tilt antenna

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

4.2 Advantages
The EasyRET antenna solution has the following advantages:

The EasyRET antenna solution reduces jumpers and mechanical connections, improves the installation efficiency, and reduces the error probability. Figure 4-2 shows the schematic drawing of the traditional antenna solution with an external RCU. Figure 4-3 shows the schematic drawing of the EasyRET antenna solution.

Figure 4-2 Schematic drawing of the traditional antenna solution with an external RCU

Figure 4-3 Schematic drawing of the EasyRET antenna solution

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

10

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

Component s AISG cable STMA RCU connector AISG connector

Number of Components in the Traditional RET Antenna Solution 4 1 4 8

Number of Components in the EasyRET Antenna Solution 1 1 0 2

The EasyRET antenna solution reduces the number of components from 17 in a RET solution to 4, which facilitates component installation and greatly reduces the number of connections. A multi-frequency antenna connects to only one ASIG cable with no mechanical interface exposed. This reduces problems caused by interfaces. Meanwhile, water ingress problems are greatly reduced owing to the protection provided by the radome. Onsite operations are reduced and problems or risks caused by mistakes are also reduced. Figure 4-4 shows the comparison of a traditional RET antenna and an EasyRET antenna. Figure 4-4 Comparison of a traditional RET antenna and an EasyRET antenna

The electrical tilt device can be identified remotely without configuration or calibration, which improves site deployment efficiency. Before an EasyRET antenna solution is delivered, the electrical tilt components and the antenna are strictly matched. Meanwhile, related configuration data is loaded and calibrated. This omits the data configuration and calibration during the installation of a RET antenna and improves the RET configuration efficiency significantly. The EasyRET antenna solution adopts the creative Color Coding technology. The RCU can be identified automatically and remotely and different ports are marked by various colors and shapes. The EasyRET antenna solution resolves problems caused by multiple cascaded RCUs in a RET solution, including incorrect configuration, heavy workload generated from manual bar code recording, and incorrect feeder connections. The Color Coding technology is defined by the ASIG. Antenna radio frequency (RF) ports of various frequency bands and types are differentiated by color and shape to

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

11

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

ensure correct connections of antennas and feeders. Figure 4-5 shows the schematic drawing of three antenna port types identified using the Color Coding technology. Figure 4-5 Schematic drawing of three antenna port types identified using the Color Coding technology

After an EasyRET antenna is powered on, the antenna automatically reports the RCU bar code to the network management center (MNC). The MNC saves the RCU bar code and matches the EasyRET antenna with the port and frequency band automatically. If a frequency band needs to be adjusted, an RCU bar code can be queried from the NMS directly, which reduces manual recording of RCU bar codes and prevents adjustment errors caused by incorrect RCU bar codes.

The EasyRET antenna improves reliability.

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

12

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

The EasyRET antenna resolves reliability problems of a RET antenna. Table 4-1 lists the comparison between an EasyRET antenna solution and a RET antenna solution from aspects such as waterproof performance, lightning protection capability, and corrosion resistance capability. Table 4-1 Comparison of an EasyRET antenna solution and a RET antenna solution Traditional RET Antenna Solution Waterproof performance Waterproof protection is provided to multiple RCUs separately. There are many AISG interfaces. Lightning protection capability Cables connected to the RCU are long and the cable quantity is large. Lightning may cause failures. The aluminum alloy enclosure and coating are easily corroded in salt fog environments. The external interfaces are vulnerable to oxidation and corrosion. Self-lock function The electric engine may shift due to external factors, which leads to an incorrect tilt angle. As a result, the tilt angle is adjusted repeatedly and the workload increases. The RCU is manually installed. Multiple AISG cables are manually connected. The RCU bar code and the mapping section number are manually recorded. Configuration data is manually loaded and the antenna is manually calibrated. EasyRET Antenna Solution Multiple RCUs share the waterproof protection inside the same radome. Only one or two external AISG interfaces are configured. Most cables are short and routed inside the radome. The cables are shielded. Failure risks caused by lightning are low. The glass reinforced radome reduces corrosion risks. Few external interfaces are configured. Therefore, the corrosion risks are low.

Corrosion resistance capability

In the non-working state, the self-lock torque of the electric engine and gearbox ensures that the antenna tilt angle does not change due to vibration. The RCU installation is not required. Only one or two AISG cables are connected. Manual recording of the RCU bar code is not required. Configuration and calibration are not required.

Failure caused by manual operations (configuration and calibration)

The EasyRET antenna adopts high reliability design and assurance measures to ensure the product quality and long-term reliability, including: 1. Reliability is ensured using electric engines that have been deployed in batches on the network, with passing environment tests and EMS tests:

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

13

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

MTBF 88,0000 hours (100 years) Operating temperature: 40 C to +75 C Operating humidity: 15% to 98% no condensation Storage temperature: 55 C to +85 C Storage humidity: 15% to 98% no condensation Ingress protection: IP56 according to IEC 60529 Salt-Fog durability: 168 hours

2.

Driving components that have been deployed in batches on the network are adopted to ensure high reliability during material selection and manufacturing. For example,

The driving screw thread pair that is verified in long-term operation is adopted. Aluminum alloy components are adopted. Standard fixtures are made of austenitic stainless steel. Plastic components are produced using long-term verified materials. The flame spread rating of a plastic enclosure or plastic components of the equipment must reach V-1 or above. The solution with the electric engine, gearbox, and driving screw thread pair is adopted to provide the self-lock function. In the non-working state, the self-lock torque of the electric engine and gearbox ensures that the antenna tilt angle does not change due to vibration. The redundancy design is adopted. Material design and selection must be based on application scenarios, material hardness (with margin), and reliability. The interface is widened for protection. The AISG standard interface is used as the external interface. The product adopts the environment adaptability design.

3.

Highly reliable components are used to provide end-to-end reliability design. Reliability tests and verification tests are conducted to ensure highly reliable components of the control panel. For example,

Shielding design: The AISG connector connects to the control panel, which connects to the electric engine. The AISG shielding cable is grounded at both ends. The control panel and electric engine are shielded by the enclosure. Waterproof/lightning protection/corrosion resistance design of a board: The line board is painted with conformal coating. Cable design: An external cable adopts AISG cable components that meet the EMC, waterproof/lightning protection/corrosion resistance, safety, and environment requirements. Lightning protection and grounding design: An AISG connector (male or female) is fixed under the antenna reflector. A shielding cable is grounded at both ends and is used to connect an AISG connector to a board and a board to an electric engine. The board enclosure and electric engine driving enclosure connect to the antenna reflector that is grounded. The lightning protection circuit of the power interface and signal interface is grounded. The product adopts the environment adaptability design.

4.

High-specification PIM design is adopted. The connection part of metal components must be isolated to prevent direct contact.

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

14

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

Conclusion

The EasyRET antenna solution resolves problems confronted by traditional RET antenna solutions such as complex installation, long duration, high cost, frequent problems occurrence, and poor reliability. The EasyRET solution improves the installation accuracy, the construction efficiency, and the reliability of the antenna system. The EasyRET solution can effectively avoid high maintenance costs due to secondary site deployment and help operators reduce the network optimization investment and maintenance cost.

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

15

Technical White Paper for the EasyRET Antenna Solution

6
A AISG M MET MBB

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Antenna Interface Standard Group

Mechanical electrical tilt Mobile broadband

P PCU Portable control unit

R RET Remote electrical tilt

S SBT STMA Smart Bias-Tee Smart tower mounted amplifier

Issue V1.0 (2012-11-02)

Huawei Proprietary and Confidential Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

16