Data Sheet

Cisco Universal Small Cell 8338

The Cisco Universal Small Cell 8338 (USC 8338) is part of the Cisco Universal Small
Cell Solution, an end-to-end platform that integrates 3G, LTE and carrier-grade Wi-Fi
with self-organizing network (SON) and backhaul technologies for an efficient and
highly secure heterogeneous network (HetNet). The Cisco USC platform provides the
right solution for every indoor environment, from the home to enterprises of every size,
up to large high-density environments such as airports, shopping malls, and
campuses (Figure 1). The Cisco USC 8338 is designed to operate in conjunction with
the Cisco USC 8088 Controller, providing transparent, high-quality coverage in large
enterprises, across campuses, and in large indoor public spaces where mobile voice
and data are mission critical.
Figure 1.

Cisco Universal Small Cell Portfolio

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Product Overview
Small cell networks deployed in a business environment need to be integrated with the existing IT infrastructure.
Challenges include providing simple, transparent, and contiguous coverage over a large area, often including
several floors, as well as establishing simple and low-cost backhaul. The Cisco 8000 Series architecture offers
transparent and fully coordinated coverage for large indoor environments by using a single, high-density,
multitechnology Cisco USC 8088 Controller for management and autoconfiguration of the in-building system.
The Cisco USC 8338 uses enhanced network integration technologies along with soft handover, automatic
configuration, and coordinated SON to help ensure peak performance within the entire coverage area. It can be
installed easily on walls or ceilings, and its network connectivity and power are provided over existing Ethernet.
The Cisco USC 8338 is convection cooled with a built-in antenna (Figure 2), but it is also available with external
antennas.
Figure 2.

Cisco USC 8338

Cisco USC 8338 Features

The Cisco USC 8338 is a high-performance, 3G small cell designed for scalable in-building deployments. Each one
supports up to 32 simultaneous 3G voice and data channels, and it is capable of a peak downlink rate of 21 Mbps
and a peak uplink rate of 5 Mbps. Cisco MAC/PHY software implements receive-diversity for superior uplink
performance, along with soft handover between small cells. The Cisco USC 8338 can be deployed in a network of
up to 100 radio nodes, providing coverage and capacity for over 500,000 square feet of office space.
The Cisco USC 8338 includes integrated SON functionality to enhance coordination among cells inside its
environment, as well as 2G and 3G macrocells in multiple frequency bands. In addition, each access point
performs continuous self-optimization to help provide high-quality radio coverage and mobility.

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Figure 3.

Cisco Universal Small Cell 8000 Architecture Overview

All communication between Cisco USC 8000 Series small cells and the Cisco USC 8088 Controller occurs through
an IPSec tunnel to provide exceptional network security to the enterprise (Figure 3). Encryption keys and device
certificates are stored using on-chip Trusted Platform Module (TPM) functions, allowing a highly secure boot
process and certificate-based authentication. There is no management or console port on the Cisco USC 8000
Series platform, and physically, the unit can be locked to prevent theft or removal from the premises.
In summary, the Cisco USC 8338 offers the following features:

Custom MAC/PHY software that supports soft handover and receive diversity

Up to 32 active voice and data channels per cell

21 Mbps peak rate downlink, 5 Mbps peak rate uplink

Internal antennas with an option for external

Compatibility with Ethernet switching infrastructure

Power over Ethernet

Wall and ceiling mountable, plenum-rated

Ease of physical installation on-par with enterprise Wi-Fi access points

Certificate-based authentication with USC 8088 Controller

Cisco USC 8338 Benefits

The Cisco Universal Small Cell Solution is designed to address the challenge of mobile service coverage and to
expand network capacity. Cisco Universal Small Cell capabilities can be used to deploy consumer services that are
based on indoor location and to support new enterprise services, such as integration with enterprise voice systems
and access to local enterprise networks. The Cisco USC 8000 Series provides these additional benefits to the
solution:

Reduced network costs and operations: By using existing infrastructure, structured cabling, and built-in
automatic, coordinated SON, the Cisco USC 8338 integrates with the controller architecture, making
location selection, cabling, and deployment simple and cost effective.

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Scalability: Up to 200 Cisco USC 8338 small cells can be supported by a single controller to provide an
enhanced user experience in large buildings.

Superior indoor signal strength and capacity: The Cisco USC 8338 significantly increases signal
strength throughout a building or site, promoting excellent voice quality and call clarity, as well as consistent
connectivity with high-capacity call handling.

High data speeds for an enhanced multimedia experience: By providing a tailored local base station,
operators can support data throughput on mobile devices at speeds that outpace what is provided by the
macro network in the poor signal conditions typically found indoors.

Product Specifications
Table 1.

Product Specification

Item

Specification

Performance

Up to 32 simultaneous voice and data channels

Peak rates: 21 Mbps downlink (DL) and 5 Mbps uplink (UL)

Radio and antenna

Maximum transmit power: 250 mW (24 dBm)

Receive diversity
Two internal antennas
Antenna gain: 2 dBi (nominal)
Option for external antennas (TNC connectors)

RF management

UMTS network monitor (inter and intra-frequency neighbor cell detection)

GSM network monitor
Auto detection of primary scrambling codes

Mobility management

Inter small-cell soft handover

Handover from small-cell cluster to macrocell (inter-RAT, inter-frequency)

Frequency bands

UMTS Band I (UL: 1920 - 1980 MHz and DL: 2110-2170 MHz) with UMTS 2100 MHz and GSM 900,
1800 MHz
UMTS Band II/V (UL: 1850 - 1910 MHz and DL: 1930 - 1900 MHz) with GSM 850/1900MHz monitor

Timing and synchronization

IEEE 1588 based Precision Time Protocol

Real-time synchronization to Services Node

Supported RABs

CS: 12.2 Kbps Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR), half-rate AMR

R99 PS: 64 Kbps, 384 Kbps
High Speed Packet Access (HSPA): Rel 6, all categories
Multi-RAB: 1 X CS, up to 3 X PS

Security

Highly secure boot and key storage using TPM

IPsec tunneling to services node
X.509 certificate-based authentication

Network management

Auto provisioning
Centrally configured and managed through services node
TR-196 based data model

Enterprise installation

Mounting hardware included

Padlock option
Ceiling or wall mount
Plenum-rated
Power-over-Ethernet: 802.3af
Power consumption: 12W (maximum)

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Item

Specification

Physical and Environment

Dimensions: 238 x 190 x 49 mm (9.4 x 7.5 x 1.9 in)

Weight: 0.91 Kg (2 lb)
1 x 100 Mb/s Ethernet interface (RJ45)
Operating temperature:
0 to 50C (32 to 122 F) (vertically mounted)
0 to 40C (32 to 104 F) (horizontally mounted)
Storage temperature: 0 to 85C
Operating humidity: 0 to 90% noncondensing
Storage humidity: 0 to 90% non-condensing
Ingress protection rating: IP3

Regulatory Compliance

Safety: EN 60950, CB certification (IEC 60950)

EMI Directive 1999/5/EC on R&TTE:
EN 50385
EN 301 489-1 and 301 489-23
EN 301 908-1 and 301 908-3
FCC Part 15, Class A
FCC Part 24 (UMTS Band II)
FCC Part 27 (UMTS Band IV)
Industry Canada: RSS-133, RSS-139, ICES-003 (Class A)
Materials: Directive 2002/95/EC on RoHS
General: CE and NRTL marking

Ordering Information
The Cisco USC 8338 is available for sale to service providers that have Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
(WCDMA), HSPA, and Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) technology and spectrum assets in the 3G
Bands 1 (2100 MHz) or 2/5 (1900 or 850 MHz). For detailed ordering information see Table 2 and Table 3.
Table 2.

Hardware Ordering Guide

Hardware
Product Name

Description

Order Code

Universal Small Cell 8338, Band 1

UMTS FDD small cell hardware. Supports 32

3G/HSPA channels, 250 mw peak transmit, receive
diversity. Band Class 1

USC8338-T1-K9

Universal Small Cell 8338, Band 2/5

UMTS FDD small cell hardware. Supports 32

3G/HSPA channels, 250 mw peak transmit, receive
diversity. Band Class 2/5

USC8338-T2-K9

Universal Small Cell 8088 Controller

Controller hardware capable of supporting 100

single-band (UMTS-only or LTE-only) small cells, or
50 dual-band (UMTS + LTE or dual-LTE) small cells

USC8088-LC-K9

Universal Small Cell 8088 Controller

(High Capacity)

Controller Hardware capable of supporting 200

single-band (UMTS-only or LTE-only) small cells, or
100 dual-band (UMTS + LTE or dual-LTE) small
cells

USC8088-HC-K9

Product Name

Description

Order Code

Small Cell Activation Software

Controller capacity expansion software license for

each small cell

USC8338-ASW-K9

Controller Software License

Controller capacity expansion software license for

each small cell

USC8088-CSW-K9

Table 3.

Software Ordering Guide

Software

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Product Name

Description

Order Code

Enterprise Management System

License

Controller Hardware capable of supporting 200

single-band (UMTS-only or LTE-only) small cells, or
100 dual-band (UMTS + LTE or dual-LTE) small cells

USC8050-MSW-K9

Controller Activation Software

Activation software for controller

USC8088-LC-ASW-K9

High Capacity Controller Activation

Software

Activation software for high capacity controller

USC8088-HC-ASW-K9

Warranty
The Cisco USC 8338 includes one-year limited hardware warranty with a 30-day return for repair. More detailed
warranty information is available on Cisco.com at the Product Warranties page.

Cisco Small Cell Services

The Cisco Universal Small Cell Solution can be delivered by Cisco Services, an organization with exceptional
experience and expertise implementing large commercial small cell deployments and providing world-class
systems service integration. With specialized tools, knowledge, methodologies, best practices, and a collaborative
delivery model that combines Cisco expertise with our partners' and customers' capabilities, Cisco Services
promotes superior results. We help service providers mitigate risk, accelerate time to market for new revenuegenerating services, lower total cost of ownership, optimize the value of investments, and improve the customer
experience through service assurance.
The Cisco Services team delivers comprehensive support, encompassing the service provider's entire network
lifecycle. Through a lifecycle approach to services, Cisco has developed consistent and proven methodologies to
help service providers successfully design and deliver new service offerings. These services are customized to
operator needs and are delivered through an extensive global support infrastructure, which includes the awardwinning Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC), Cisco Services resources, Centers of Excellence, small cell
interoperability testing (IOT) and system verification (SVT) labs, and ecosystem partners.

For More Information

For more information about the Cisco USC 8338, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/smallcell or contact your local
account representative.

Printed in USA

2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.

C78-733940-00

02/15

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