Case Study: LTE Network Design Using Capesso™

Case Study
LTE network design using Capesso™
Copyright 2012 Symena Software & Consulting GmbH - All rights reserved. No part of this work, which is protected by copyright, may
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Contents
1 Executive Summary .................................................................................................... 3

2 LTE and OFDMA basics ............................................................................................... 4
2.1 Standardization and targets of LTE ...................................................................... 4
2.2 Radio access technology ..................................................................................... 4
3 Key LTE parameters and design considerations ............................................................ 5
3.1 Increased flexibility = increased complexity ......................................................... 6
4 Case study – LTE network design ................................................................................ 7
4.1 Objectives and source data ................................................................................. 7
4.2 What if LTE business case analysis with Capesso .................................................. 8
4.2.1 Number of sites needed .................................................................................. 8
4.2.2 Effect of LTE frequency band........................................................................... 9
4.2.3 Adaptive Modulation and Coding Scheme (AMC) ............................................. 10
4.2.4 MIMO........................................................................................................... 11
4.2.5 Channel bandwidth ....................................................................................... 12
4.2.6 Frequency domain scheduling gain ................................................................ 13
4.2.7 Channel overhead ......................................................................................... 13
4.2.8 Traffic growth............................................................................................... 13
4.2.9 Coverage requirements ................................................................................. 14
4.2.10 Inter-system interference .......................................................................... 14
4.3 Summary operator case .................................................................................... 14
5 Summary and conclusions ......................................................................................... 15
6 Glossary .................................................................................................................. 16
LTE network design using Capesso © Symena Software & Consulting GmbH, 2012 Page 2 of 17
1 Executive Summary
From the point of view of network design LTE is, perhaps, an order of magnitude more
complex than 3G. In particular this complexity applies at the business case consideration
stage. Some of the significant choices include:
 Carrier frequency with 15 different FDD bands ranging from 700MHz to 2.6GHz;
 Channel bandwidth from 1.4MHz to 20MHz;
 MIMO and various MIMO configurations;
 Varying adaptive modulation and codes schemes offered by different vendors;
 Channel overheads; and
 Deployment strategies.
Capesso LTE provides a fast and efficient solution for automatic LTE network design and
business case analysis. “What if” questions for various considerations can be answered
quickly and efficiently. This enables identification of the best model for LTE deployment.
Because Capesso is integrated with ASSET, data that is already in ASSET can be used as
the basis for the investigation. This is a major boost in efficiency compared to using an
independent tool.
A range of different LTE deployment scenarios are examined in this paper. These were
originally conducted for a Tier 1 operator using Capesso LTE and ASSET. Each case
isolates one important aspect of LTE while consistently treating all of the others. This is
critical due to the impact of network design (antenna locations, azimuth tilt etc.) on LTE
system performance. This level of consistency is not feasible with manual design
approaches.
Capesso allows detailed LTE analysis based on the existing 2G or 3G network data. Key
advantages include:
 Capesso LTE provides a full range of LTE key parameters, including MIMO,
frequency domain scheduling gain, adaptive modulation and coding and others;
 Capesso provides comprehensive business and efficiency analysis, prediction plots
and statistical results for the individual deployment cases;
 Capesso is tightly integrated with ASSET.
Capesso LTE is in use by Tier 1 operators and vendors for LTE business case analysis and
was released in March 2008.
The key benefits of Capesso LTE can be summarized:
 Capesso LTE enables the effective LTE business case analysis, design and planning
 Capesso LTE saves an enormous amount of time
 Capesso LTE enables fast and efficient “what if” analysis for LTE business cases.
 Capesso LTE reduces investment costs for LTE deployment through better
understanding and therefore better radio designs.
Capesso is the ideal tool to investigate the LTE options. A full understanding of the impact of
each choice can be developed quickly and efficiently. Then choices can be made for the best
LTE deployment strategy.
Capesso LTE = faster, better, cheaper LTE network design
2 LTE and OFDMA basics
2.1 Standardization and targets of LTE

LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a project within the Third Generation Partnership Project
(3GPP) to improve mobile phone standards to cope with future technology evolutions. Work
on LTE started in late 2004, where operators, manufacturers and research institutes proposed
the evolution of the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).
Today, LTE is the agreed “next generation” standard for both UMTS/W-CDMA and the
1
CDMA2000 family. The key characteristics of LTE are :
 Peak download rates of 326.4 Mbit/s for 4x4 antennas and 172.8 Mbit/s for 2x2
antennas and peak upload rates of 86.4 Mbit/s for every 20 MHz of spectrum
2
allocated .
 Five terminal classes have been defined from a voice-centric class up to a high-end
terminal that supports the peak data rates. All terminals will be able to process 20
MHz bandwidth.
 Support for at least 200 active users in every 5 MHz cell. That is >200 active data
clients.
 Sub-5ms latency for small IP packets.
 Increased spectrum flexibility, with spectrum slices as small as 1.4 MHz and as large
as 20 MHz supported.
 Optimal cell size of ~5 km with best performance, 30 km with reasonable
performance and up to 100 km supported with acceptable performance.
 Co-existence with legacy standards so that users can start a call (voice or data) in
using an LTE standard, and continue the call transparently using an earlier standard
such as UMTS, CDMA2000 or even GSM.
 Supports MBSFN (Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network). This feature can
deliver services such as Mobile TV using the LTE infrastructure.
 Support of advanced antenna and signal technologies such as MIMO (Multiple Input
Multiple Output) antenna systems.
 Support advanced capabilities to automatically optimize radio network configuration,
for example automatic neighbor allocation performed by the LTE network.
2.2 Radio access technology

OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) radio access technology is used in
the downlink, i.e. from the base station to the user. OFDMA provides the most flexible
technology compared to previous systems and hence is best suited for wireless broadband
systems. A schematic comparison is shown in Figure 1.
1
http://www.3gpp.org/Highlights/LTE/LTE.htm
2
http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/5989-7898EN.pdf
Figure 1: Evolution of radio access technologies from FDMA, TDMA, CDMA to OFDMA.
While OFDMA is used in the downlink, providing high resistance to multipath interference and
flexible support for a wide range of frequency bandwidths by changing the number of
subcarriers, the uplink uses single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA).
This technology has the advantage of low power consumption by decreasing the peak-to-
average power ratio (PAPR) of user equipment (UE) and reducing interference from other
3
users by maintaining orthogonality in the frequency domain .
3 Key LTE parameters and design considerations

The key advantage of LTE is the flexibility to address the different needs of users across the
globe in a single wireless radio access technology. But flexibility brings complexity in the
wide range of operating parameters such as:
 Carrier frequency: A wide range of spectrum options is defined for both frequency
division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) bands for LTE. The standard
considers 15 different FDD and 8 different TDD frequency bands for LTE operations,
ranging from 700MHz up to 2.6GHz bands.
 Flexible bandwidth options: LTE can operate with bandwidths as small 1.4MHz up
to as much as 20MHz. Based on the available bandwidth, key technologies such as
4
the frequency domain scheduling have different efficiencies .
 Adaptive modulation and coding: LTE supports QPSK, 16QAM and 64QAM
modulation formats in the downlink, as well as QPSK and 16QAM in the uplink.
Turbo coding is applied for both links. Hence, depending on the actual network
conditions, such as the signal energy per symbol to noise power spectrum density
(Es/No), different throughputs and peak data rates can be achieved maximizing total
throughput for the given radio conditions.
 Channel overhead: The channel overhead directly influences the efficiency of the
LTE system. This depends on the vendor specific implementation as well as the
available bandwidth for the LTE transmission.
 Advanced antenna technologies: LTE can use several advanced antenna
technologies. Besides standard LTE antennas there will be enhanced broadband
antennas with individual electrical tilts for 2G, 3G and LTE technologies combined in
a single physical antenna. Furthermore there will be advanced antenna systems for
LTE supporting remote azimuth and remote beamwidth capabilities.
3
E.Dahlmann et al, “3G Evolution: HSPA and LTE for Mobile Broadband”, Academic Press, 2008
4
In broadband transmission, the key to reducing the effect of frequency-selective fading, in which the received signal
level fluctuates in the frequency domain due to multipath interference, is to make effective use of it. LTE applies
frequency-domain packet scheduling using fluctuations in the propagation path within the frequency domain as a
data-channel transmission method. This is only possible in OFDM systems. The user equipment (UE) measures, for
each defined unit of frequency, the channel quality indicator (CQI) indicating the received signal quality on the
downlink channel and reports the measured CQI to evolved Node B (eNB), i.e. the base station. In return, the eNB
uses CQI information so obtained from multiple users as a basis for allocating radio resource blocks (RBs) to
selected users. The higher the available channel bandwidth, the more independent fading happens, which means
higher gains of the frequency domain scheduling.
 MIMO application: Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) multiplexing transmission
achieves high-speed transmission by using multiple transmit and receive antennas to
transmit and receive different signals on the same frequency at the same time.
Depending on actual channel conditions, different MIMO modes are applied. They
range from diversity to beam forming and then to spatial multiplexing. MIMO
transmission can significantly enhance the system performance of LTE.
 Traffic growth: All radio systems need to be built for a specific traffic demand. This
traffic demand will change and grow significantly, particularly with the greater use of
the mobile phone network for wireless broadband. On introduction LTE will be about
more than signal coverage. To accommodate the traffic the right level of the right
resources will be required in the right place.
 Complementary deployment and inter-system interference: In most cases
Symena predicts that LTE will be deployed as a complementary system to existing
2G and 3G networks. Hence, the complementary coverage and capacity aspects of
those systems need to be considered. Interference from the legacy 2G, 3G and other
systems onto LTE also need to be minimized.
 Radio parameter configurations: The correct configuration of the radio parameters
is essential for the effective deployment of LTE. Since both the adaptive modulation
and coding schemes (AMC) as well as the MIMO applications depend on the actual
signal to interference ratios, the radio configuration (tilt, azimuth, power, beamwidth,
etc.) heavily impacts overall system performance
3.1 Increased flexibility = increased complexity

The increased flexibility offered by LTE means significantly increased complexity in planning
for LTE deployments. To put it another way: the range of business cases to investigate has
exploded.
Capesso is the ideal tool to investigate the LTE options. A full understanding of the impact of
each choice can be developed quickly and efficiently. Then choices can be made for the best
LTE deployment strategy.
Because Capesso is integrated with ASSET data that is already in ASSET can be used as the
basis for the investigation. This is a major boost in efficiency compared to using an
independent tool.
This is schematically shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Capesso LTE to investigate the various LTE deployment and business case options. The
source data is directly extracted from the existing 2G or 3G networks, which is available in ASSET.
Capesso can automatically answer a wide range of “What if” LTE deployment questions.
4 Case study – LTE network design
4.1 Objectives and source data

The local objective of this case study is to find a design for an LTE overlay. The design must
satisfy strict coverage and performance requirements including maximum throughput, peak
data rates and service quality levels. Naturally the total cost of ownership (TCO) is to be
minimized.
The general objective is to investigate different spectrum options to guide spectrum bidding
for LTE. Three different frequency bands available for LTE
a) Below 1GHz;
b) >1GHz but < 2GHz; and
c) Above 2GHz.
Figure 3: Target cluster for the LTE business case analysis using Capesso.
The source data for this case study is a cluster of an existing 2G/3G radio network of a Tier 1
operator. It is not possible to provide more details. The area of interest is shown in Figure 3.
Within this target area, 72 existing 2G/3G sites are candidates for the LTE deployment.
Furthermore, the area of interest has a wide range of clutters, traffic and conditions.
4.2 What if LTE business case analysis with Capesso
4.2.1 Number of sites needed
A key question is the number of sites to achieve a specific LTE performance level (land
coverage, population coverage, peak data rate and service grade, system capacity, etc.).
This was investigated using existing sites as candidates.
Situation: As shown in Figure 3, 72 sites are available for LTE deployment. A traffic
density map as shown in the upper left side in Figure 4 is available.
Challenge: Plan the most effective LTE deployment to maximize captured traffic at
minimum deployment cost and thereby maximize early LTE revenue.
Solution: Capesso was used to identify the best sites to capture the offered traffic.
Capesso also provides an integrated efficiency analysis to investigate the value
of each LTE site. This is shown in Figure 4.
Using the efficiency analysis those sites generating the best value can be
deployed first. These are identified on the left of the curve. While the sites on
the right provide some value, they are significantly less effective in terms of
return on investment.
Therefore, Capesso directly helps the user to make a solid decision on the most
effective cost-performance trade-off for this LTE business case.
Value: Capesso can be used to determine the most effective candidate sites based on
serving offered traffic using existing sites as candidates. This can be used to
quickly dimension an LTE overlay based on existing networks.
Figure 4: Capesso LTE used for automatic site selection and parameter optimization to determine most
cost effective sites based on serving offered traffic.
4.2.2 Effect of LTE frequency band
In most markets there are multiple options for the LTE frequency band. These options are
complicated by such factors as by the need to continue service to 2G and 3G customers, and
the presence of other technologies in nearby bands, such as TV.
Accurate analysis of frequency deployment scenarios means that an operator can bid on
spectrum with confidence in what can be done with that spectrum and how much that
deployment will cost.
Situation: Three different frequency bands were examined in this scenario:
a) below 1GHz;
b) above 1GHz but below 2GHz; and
c) above 2GHz.
Challenge: Analyze the impact of frequency on the performance of LTE.
Solution: Capesso was used to investigate the impact of frequency on the coverage for
LTE. The propagation predictions were performed for the respective bands in
ASSET using appropriately tuned models. To make a fair comparison, the
same number of sites was assumed deployed in all three cases.
While more than 72% of the target area is covered with 10 sites in the
frequency band below 1GHz, only 32% of the area is covered at the same
level with the same number of sites for the band above 2GHz. This confirms
the expected coverage impact of the considered spectrum options for LTE. The
results are shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5: Comparison of the coverage probability in the investigated area of interest. The actual values
for f cannot be disclosed.
Alternatively, Capesso can directly be used to compute the number of sites

required to achieve the same coverage probability by using the various LTE
spectrum options. In this example, to achieve the same coverage probability
as in the lowest frequency band (f<1GHz) with ten sites, 19 and 28 of the
available candidate sites are needed for the respective higher frequency
spectrum options, i.e. 1GHz<f<2GHz and f>2GHz!
Value: Capesso can be used to find the best trade-off between frequency band and
cost. While it’s well know that lower frequency means fewer base stations for
ubiquitous coverage Capesso can be used to quickly determine the cost of the
tradeoff and therefore the value to be ascribed to bandwidth based on
frequency.
4.2.3 Adaptive Modulation and Coding Scheme (AMC)
Adaptive modulation and coding schemes deliver many of the benefits of LTE by adapting the
maximum data rates used to the actual propagation channel and interference conditions.
However this is considerably more difficult to model than radio technologies that use a single
or only a couple of AMCs.
Situation: This analysis is now being done with a
fixed frequency band. Adaptive
modulation and coding schemes vary
with vendor implementations. Results
from trials such as from NTT DoCoMo
shown in Figure 6 show also some
deviation between simulation and
measured performance. Hence, it is of
high interest to investigate the impact of
the AMC mapping variations onto the
system performance. Details of the AMC
mapping values cannot be disclosed for
confidentiality reasons. Capesso can
accommodate a wide range of AMC
mappings in the same format as they are
described by the vendors. Figure 6: Automatic Modulation and Coding
Challenge: Analyze the impact of the different AMC values from trials of NTT DoCoMo, comparing
values on system (downlink) throughputs simulated and measured mapping curves.
and thereby maximize throughputs in the
5
LTE network .
Solution: Capesso was used to investigate the impact of various AMC mapping functions.
Based on the different mapping curves Capesso optimized the radio network
configuration to achieve maximum system performance each curve. Result
5
Typically vendors charge separately for enabling the different modulation formats in the base station equipment.
plots for the peak downlink throughput, for the same number of sites, as a
function of the different AMC mapping functions are shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7: Distribution of the peak (downlink) LTE through-put as a function of the different AMCs.
Note: since the peak data rates depend heavily on the interference situation,
the network configuration (tilts and azimuth, etc.) is critical in this analysis.
Capesso jointly considers and optimizes these settings for the different AMC
mappings to ensure the best possible business case comparison.
Value: The value generated by Capesso is to identify the best network configuration
and hence the minimum number of sites needed as a function of the particular
adaptive modulation and coding scheme and mapping values.
4.2.4 MIMO
Multiple Input/Multiple output (MIMO) can significantly enhance the system capacity of LTE.
MIMO systems come with several options, such as 1x2, 2x2, 4x2 or 4x4, which can have
massive cost effects on the associated antenna systems. Hence, it is important to
understand what the potential benefits against those costs in an operating network.
Situation: MIMO antenna systems are standardized for LTE networks. The performance
of the MIMO system depends on the actual channel characteristic, which is
described by the channel quality indicators (CQI). Based on the CQI, the
eNodeB selects the MIMO mode used. The rules for this selection are vendor
specific.
Challenge: Cut through the vendor marketing hype and realistically compare the
performance of 2x2 versus 4x2 or 4x4 MIMO so that the right MIMO choice is
made.
Figure 8: Comparison of the peak downlink throughput with No MIMO and 2x2 MIMO. The same
colour codes are used. The statistics show that the peak data rate can be boosted dramatically in some
areas. However a significant proportion of the target area does not see major data rate improvements.
Solution: Capesso was used to investigate the impact of MIMO on LTE system
performance and capacity using information about a) the actual antenna
systems and b) the MIMO modes including the switching points. In each case
the radio configuration was optimized by Capesso to achieve best performance
so that the MIMO effect could be isolated. Sample results for the peak data rate
distribution depending on MIMO (2x2 with X-Pol antennas) and no-MIMO
(standard broadband antennas) are shown in Figure 8.
Value: Symena has a deep understanding and long history in the analysis of MIMO
and other advanced antenna techniques. Capesso can be used to isolate the
effects of MIMO on the system so that the right techniques can be used in the
right places while vendor hype is eliminated.
4.2.5 Channel bandwidth
LTE is the first radio standard that allows flexibility in channel bandwidth with deployments in
the range from 1.4MHz to 20MHz. This significantly increases the range of deployment
options. Since the maximum system throughput is a direct function of the channel bandwidth
it is important to understand the effects on the maximum system capacity and peak data
rates.
Situation: Understanding the effects of the different channel bandwidth options is essential
to understanding LTE business cases. For example the impact of new
spectrum can be compared to squeezing LTE into shared spectrum with GSM
can be examined.
Challenge: Analyze the impact of the available LTE channel bandwidths and optimize the
network configuration to ensure best performance for each.
Solution: Capesso was used to investigate and optimize the impact of channel bandwidth
on the coverage performance. Results for the distribution of the peak downlink
data rate as a function of the available channel bandwidth are shown in Figure
9. The obvious result is that with a significantly higher channel bandwidth, the
system throughput is boosted massively. However, it is much more interesting
to use the same analysis for investigating the LTE business case perspectives
such as where it would make sense to deploy which modulation formats?
Figure 9: Comparison of the peak downlink data rate as a function of the available channel bandwidth
for LTE. Having only a small proportion of the channel bandwidth (right hand side), the peak data rates
are reduced significantly, as expected.
Note: Depending on the different channel bandwidth, the interference

distribution will be different in LTE. Hence, Capesso automatically also
optimizes the network configuration for each of the considered cases. This
makes sure that the maximum performance for each investigated case can be
achieved.
Value: Capesso can be used to analyze the true value of variable bandwidth
strategies by isolating the effect of the bandwidth from the other variables of
LTE.
4.2.6 Frequency domain scheduling gain
The key effect of the frequency domain scheduling in LTE is that the packets are assigned to
the user that has instantaneously the best fading characteristics (see also Figure 10). This
results in significantly better, instantaneous signal quality. That delivers higher spectrum
efficiency for LTE. Frequency domain scheduling is a unique capability of LTE delivered by
6
OFDMA technology.
The actual gain of the frequency domain scheduling depends on the fading characteristics,
i.e. coherence bandwidth of the propagation channel
and the actual channel bandwidth of LTE. For
example, no gain can be achieved by frequency
domain scheduling if the propagation channel is flat
7
fading within the channel bandwidth.
According to analysis conducted by the leading
vendors involved in the LTE standardization,
frequency domain scheduling can increase the
spectrum efficiency by up to 40% compared to
previous technologies.
Therefore, the utilization of the resources and hence
the impact of the frequency domain scheduling has to
be considered depending on the associated channel
bandwidth. Higher spectrum efficiency will lead to a
significantly reduced number of sites needed to
achieve the same system capacity.
Capesso LTE fully supports such techniques and Figure 10: Frequency domain scheduling gains
are a key advantage in LTE. Capesso
therefore enables the consideration and optimization
considers these channel dependent
of this critical technology for the LTE business case characteristics to plan for best LTE network
decisions. deployment.
4.2.7 Channel overhead
The number of resource elements (RE) within an LTE system is defined by the channel
bandwidth. The number of overhead channels however does not increase linearly with the
channel bandwidth as they are only required for each band. Hence, the channel overhead
can significantly influence the spectral efficiency particularly in the case that a small channel
bandwidth is used.
Capesso LTE fully supports the consideration and optimization of the LTE business cases
depending on the proportional channel overhead.
4.2.8 Traffic growth
Traffic is not static in any dimension. It varies intra-day, between days, with special events
and with the introduction of new offers. All of the indications are that traffic will continue to
grow with the introduction of LTE. Hence, operators must investigate the impact of the traffic
increases on system performance.
6
TDMA type networks are typically narrowband systems. Hence, diversity is used as a main method to combat
fading. TDMA users are either fading or not. In CDMA type technologies the fading is “averaged” by spreading the
signal over the entire channel bandwidth. Hence, in both TDMA and CDMA cases scheduling in the frequency
domain is not possible, only in OFDMA.
7
For example, macro cellular line of sight situation are typically flat fading, as there are no strong multipath
components.
In the above scenario, Capesso was used to optimize for a range of traffic scenarios. This
knowledge was then used to minimize the TCO for the LTE network by deploying additional
resources in some areas sooner rather than later.
Figure 11 shows examples for traffic growth for the different business cases for the LTE
deployment.
Figure 11: Expected traffic growth for the investigated LTE business cases.
4.2.9 Coverage requirements
For the LTE business case investigations described in this paper the operator considered
various coverage requirements for the initial LTE rollout. This is to consider multiple options
with focus on indoor users, deep indoor users, outdoor users, vehicular users, etc.
4.2.10 Inter-system interference
Part of this LTE business case investigation was the potential LTE deployment in the
frequency bands used by the existing legacy 2G/3G network. Besides complementary
coverage and capacity requirements, the effect of the interference between the legacy system
and LTE was computed and optimized by Capesso to ensure best performance.
Capesso LTE fully supports the consideration and optimization of the LTE networks and
legacy 2G/3G systems.
4.3 Summary operator case

LTE business case investigations were performed by a Tier 1 operator using Capesso LTE
and ASSET. A number of cases investigated by the operator were presented in this paper.
It can be seen that the very high flexibility of LTE deployment significantly increases the
complexity for the business case investigations. This makes it extremely time consuming and
difficult to manually investigate the different options particularly when system performance
depends so strongly on network design.
By the use of advanced mathematical techniques Capesso LTE can radically reduce the time
it takes to analyze the large number of options and business cases for LTE, as indicated in
Figure 12.
Figure 12: Capesso to compute individual options and wide range of business cases for LTE
deployments.
5 Summary and conclusions

Capesso LTE provides a fast and efficient solution for LTE network design and business case
analysis. “What if” questions for the wide range of considerations can be answered very
quickly. This enables operators and vendors to identify the best business model for the
deployment of LTE.
LTE introduces many technologies that have a direct impact on the scale and complexity of
the radio network planning problem.
Symena has modelled those new technologies in Capesso LTE so that they can be explored
using existing network planning data in a familiar ASSET environment.
This paper worked through a number of use cases for Capesso LTE including:
 Finding the number of sites required to support a particular LTE overlay deployment
using existing sites as candidates;
 Investigating the impact on performance of the frequency band and frequency
bandwidth available;
 Examining the impact of vendor specific adaptive modulation and coding (AMC)
schemes;
 Appropriate modelling of the impact and benefits of different MIMO approaches; and
 Exploring the effect of the frequency domain scheduling gain.
With each major choice offered by the standard comes a new batch of business cases. For
example to examine three potential channel bandwidths and three potential bands requires
nine business cases. Add one MIMO option (no MIMO or 2x2) and there are now 18 cases!
Manuel planning for multiple business cases is difficult and time consuming. There are
th th
virtually no economies of scale. The 18 plan will take as long as the 5 . Most manual
planning processes result in a single plan.
With Capesso each plan for each business case can be produced simply by varying the
appropriate parameter and rerunning the software. The computer does the heavy lifting.
By using Capesso each plan is better and more consistent than manual plans. Capesso has
been shown to generate plans that deliver more with fewer resources than any manual plan.
For example, when Capesso was used on a well optimized but manually designed network,
Capesso delivered an increase in capacity of about 20%. The result was verified by
measurement. There is every indication that the gain will be similar or better for LTE. There
is consistency because the plans are generated mathematically rather than by rule-of-thumb.
Capesso lets you isolate all of the major choices for LTE planning so that the impact of each
parameter can be understood quickly and comprehensively. In essence Capesso LTE takes
a very difficult planning problem and makes it simple.
Capesso LTE has been in use by Tier 1 operators and vendors for LTE business case
analysis since March 2008.
Capesso LTE = faster, better, cheaper LTE network design and deployment
6 Glossary
rd
3GPP 3 Generation Partnership Project
AMC Adaptive Modulation and Coding
CDMA2000 CDMA2000 is a hybrid 2.5G / 3G technology of mobile
telecommunications standards that use CDMA
CQI Channel Quality Indicator
eNodeB Enhanced Node B; name of the base station in LTE
Es/No Energy per symbol to noise power spectrum density
FDD Frequency Division Duplex
FDMA Frequency Division Multiple Access
GSM Global System for Mobile communications
IP Internet Protocol
LTE Long Term Evolution
MBSFN Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network
MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output
OFDMA Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access
PAPR Peak to Average Power Ratio
QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (modulation format)
QPSK Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (modulation format)
RB Resource Block
SC-FDMA Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access
TCO Total Cost of Ownership
TDD Time Division Duplex
TDMA Time Division Multiple Access
UE User Equipment
rd
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications Standard; 3 Generation Mobile
Communications Standard
UTRAN Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network
WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
About Symena
Symena is the leading supplier of Automatic Cell Planning (ACP). Capesso is the proven,
fully-featured, tightly integrated ACP tool. Capesso delivers measurably better results faster.
This is proven in extensive, daily operational use by Tier 1 operators and OEMs. Capesso is
routinely recognised as the smart solution for ACP.
Capesso is widely used for planning LTE networks. Symena’s ACP tools are available for all
major radio standards including GSM, CDMA, UMTS/HSPA, WiMAX, DVB-H and MediaFLO,
and LTE.
Symena. Smart Up Your Network!
About AIRCOM
AIRCOM is an independent leading provider of network planning, management and

optimisation tools, and services. I-VIEW, our open, standards-based framework, allows
mobile network operators to rapidly, efficiently and seamlessly plan, manage, configure and
optimise their networks. AIRCOM’s I-VIEW products enable operators to regain visibility and
control of their entire network, enabling radical shifts in business dynamics to become more
efficient, more agile and more profitable.
The market leader in the provision and deployment of network engineering tools, AIRCOM
products are in use across 135+ countries by over half the world’s mobile operators. Every
day, the 20 top global operators depend upon AIRCOM’s tools and consultants to improve
network coverage and quality for more than 1.1 billion subscribers worldwide. Established for
15 years, we have built our reputation on creating and releasing additional value from within
cellular networks.
SYMENA Software & Consulting GmbH

Wiedner Hauptstrasse 24/15
1040 Vienna AUSTRIA
Europe: +43 1 5855 1010

Americas: +1 972 535 8582
office@symena.com
www.symena.com
AIRCOM International Ltd.

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Randalls Way
Leatherhead,
KT22 7TW, UK
Head Office: +44 1932 442 000

sales@aircominternational.com
www.aircominternational.com

Case Study: LTE Network Design Using Capesso™

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Case Study: LTE Network Design Using Capesso™

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Case Study

LTE network design using Capesso™

1 Executive Summary .................................................................................................... 3

2.1 Standardization and targets of LTE

2.2 Radio access technology

3 Key LTE parameters and design considerations

3.1 Increased flexibility = increased complexity

4 Case study – LTE network design

4.1 Objectives and source data

4.2 What if LTE business case analysis with Capesso

4.2.1 Number of sites needed

4.2.2 Effect of LTE frequency band

Alternatively, Capesso can directly be used to compute the number of sites

4.2.3 Adaptive Modulation and Coding Scheme (AMC)

4.2.5 Channel bandwidth

Note: Depending on the different channel bandwidth, the interference

4.2.6 Frequency domain scheduling gain

4.2.7 Channel overhead

4.2.8 Traffic growth

4.2.9 Coverage requirements

4.2.10 Inter-system interference

4.3 Summary operator case

5 Summary and conclusions

Symena. Smart Up Your Network!

AIRCOM is an independent leading provider of network planning, management and

SYMENA Software & Consulting GmbH

Europe: +43 1 5855 1010

AIRCOM International Ltd.

Head Office: +44 1932 442 000

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