Backhaul

Mobile operators turning to packet backhaul as mobile broadband traffic volumes explode

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:04:43 -0400

The transition from TDM to packet-based backhaul networks is now underway around the world, and the process is expected to accelerate with the deployment of LTE networks, says a report from Heavy Reading. "Carriers have been experimenting with different packet backhaul solutions for three or four years now," says Patrick Donegan, senior analyst with Heavy Reading. "With mobile broadband traffic volumes now increasing by a factor of ten year-over-year in many cases, there is an urgent need for real-world insight into just how much progress carriers--and by implication, their vendor suppliers - are making in executing on this transition." Article

3 Austria prepares for LTE launch in 2011

Paul Rasmussen — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:14:43 -0400

Having seen its rival T-Mobile conduct large-scale LTE trials, 3 Austria has gone one better by announcing that it will deploy the next-gen wireless technology throughout its network starting in 2011. This move makes 3 Austria one of the first European countries to confirm a nationwide roll-out of LTE.

The company said that it wanted to improve the mobile broadband service it already offers--HSPA+ at up to 21Mbps, soon to be upgraded to 42Mbps--by switching on LTE in around 18 months time. 3 Austria, which currently provides HSPA+ coverage to nearly 95 per cent of the population, said its LTE service would enable subscribers to use download speeds of more than 100Mbps.

The equipment supplier has been confirmed as Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), which has also been contracted to significantly upgrade 3 Austria's backhaul network.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile has asked the Austrian government to consider the distribution of 2.6GHz frequencies for LTE-based services so it can prepare to introduce the technology on a commercial basis. However, while the company said a service might become available by the end of 2010, no details were provided of anticipated performance or coverage.

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Trading Markets and Telegeography

Telecom Italia and Aria plan WiMAX deployment

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:35:28 -0400

Aria, an Italian WiMAX operator, is joining forces with Telecom Italia to deploy a WiMAX network covering the central and southern regions of Italy and the island of Sardinia. Aria will utilise Telecom Italia's 3.5GHz spectrum allocation for the service and the operator's transport network for backhaul. In return Telecom Italia will have access to Aria's nationwide wholesale services. The Italian operator acquired three regional 3.5GHz licences for 13.8 million euros but has to date not made any use of the spectrum. The deal with Aria will enable Telecom Italia to comply with its licence requirements for very little expenditure as Aria will pick up the deployment and maintenance costs of the new WiMAX network.

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T-Mobile and 3UK sign joint backhaul deal

Paul Rasmussen — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:04:58 -0400

In a deal valued at several hundred million pounds, T-Mobile UK and 3UK have agreed a five-year deal with BT to provide upgraded backhaul from 7,500 base stations on their consolidated 3G infrastructure. This new agreement scraps the existing five-year contracts that both operators had with BT.

The deal, which was signed by Mobile Broadband Network - the JV set up by T-Mobile and 3UK to manage and coordinate the network sharing agreement, will run on BT's next generation Ethernet service that is currently being deployed nationwide in the UK. The migration of the common backhaul network to Ethernet technology will follow BT's roll-out programme. In the shorter term, BT will continue to upgrade the legacy leased line connections.

Emin Gurdenli, technology director at T-Mobile UK, said: "This agreement with BT will make sure backhaul is not a constraint now or in the future at a time when T-Mobile is experiencing strong growth in mobile broadband and other mobile data services."

Backhaul, a somewhat ignored, but increasingly vital element, is coming under increasing stress as mobile operators push subscribers to use ever cheaper 3G data services.

For BT, this agreement now means they provide the backhaul requirements for four of the five mobile players in the UK market - an important growth area given that this leading fixed-line operator is being pressurised by new entrants.

For more on this story:
- go to Financial Times and Cellular News

Related articles:
France Telecom to upgrade broadband backhaul. FT story
T-Mobile boosts backhaul to handle HSDPA. T-Mobile story

Better indoor coverage - Top 5 Trends

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:12:46 -0400

Around 80 percent of our time is spent indoors with approximately 90 percent of our information exchanges being generated whilst in the home or office. However, the poorest cellular access is probably experienced within buildings. If high-speed data services are to provide the next revenue boost, then femtocells (or something similar) will have to be deployed. These units have the added benefits of offloading traffic from the cellular backhaul and delaying the need for more 3G base stations.

O2 signs with BT as backhaul becomes stretched

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

Proof that operator backhaul is under pressure has come from O2 following its decision to bring in BT to provide and manage the high-speed connectivity between the majority of O2's base stations and the core U.K. national network through its fast Ethernet service.

O2 said that the 5-year deal would allow the company to manage the predicted increases in network traffic that is caused by new handsets that use a lot of bandwidth. It will also reduce the need for O2 to upgrade its network. Nigel Purdy, O2's head of networks engineering said: "By working with BT Wholesale, we have a solution that takes care of our growing access and bandwidth needs while enabling us to realise greater cost efficiencies. It will also significantly reduce our access transmission whole life cycle costs."

Evidence that backhaul requirements are changing also comes from a new study from Infonetics Research. The company claims that mobile operators and backhaul transport providers spent US$3.7 billion worldwide on mobile backhaul equipment in 2007, and are expected to increase their spending in the high double-digit per cents from 2009 to at least 2011.

The report claims there are three factors forcing a migration to packet backhaul:

Rapidly increasing numbers of mobile subscribers, reaching 4.4 billion worldwide in 2011
An explosion in mobile data and video use, particularly on iPhones and their clones
Heavy competition, forcing operators to upgrade their network capacity to improve and add new subscriber services; these upgrades will include IP/Ethernet BTS/NodeBs, WiMAX, and LTE

For more on this story:
-read Cellular News and ISP review

Related stories:
Carriers: Don't neglect backhaul assets. Backhaul viewpoint
Cellular backhaul CAPEX $23B by 2012. Capex story

T-Mobile boosts backhaul to handle HSDPA

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:59:55 -0500

T-Mobile is deploying gateways from RAD Data Communications in preparation for new HSDPA data services. Following a pilot phase in Germany the implementation of RAD's ACE-3000 gateways is now fully underway. The new gateways give T-Mobile the added option of connecting HSDPA-enabled Node Bs (3G base stations) via low-cost ADSL2+ lines provided by its sister company T-Com. Equipment from RAD will be deployed in other T-Mobile networks at a later date. 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) has identified ATM as the backhaul technology for 3G and HSDPA. Ethernet-enabled mobile equipment is only gradually being introduced as a platform for packet-switched transport infrastructures. To enable ATM services (E1 UNI or STM-1 UNI) to be emulated over packet-switched services (Ethernet/MPLS/IP), gateways in the ACE-3000 series employs ATM PWE3 (pseudowire emulation edge-to-edge). The RAD gateways use pseudowire technology between Node Bs (i.e. HSDPA base stations) and RNCs (Radio Network Controllers) to emulate ATM tunnels through Ethernet networks. By doing so, they enable backhaul resources to be allocated at low cost--and facilitate delivery of the latest 3G services.

For more on this story:
- go to Cellular News and Unstrung

Network capacity is the issue, not the iPhone

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:59:59 -0500

While it might be fun to watch the multiplying twists and turns of operators attempting to launch the iPhone within Europe, there is a serious side to this overcooked PR circus. What happens to the cellular infrastructure if the iPhone (and its imitators that are bound to follow) does provoke a mass-market uptake of the mobile Internet?

While the base stations, backhaul and core networks have been adequately dimensioned for voice and SMS traffic, there is very little understanding how these might perform if data traffic should grow considerably. Some analysts are predicting a 100-fold increase if data services do grab the consumers' attention.

The hope is that the continued deployment of HSPA, and LTE in the longer-term, will add sufficient network capacity to provide an experience that mobile broadband users find acceptable. But the quality of service (QoS) parameters for this level of data traffic are still undefined, and made more difficult by the complexity of the network value chain. Identifying where the bottlenecks might be--base station, backhaul of the interface to a content provider, will present a severe challenge to the network operators.

The issues faced today with the introduction of the iPhone will be trivial in comparison with events if it sparks a real change in user behaviour. -Paul

SPOTLIGHT: Report: Backhaul traffic will grow 32 percent

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:59:00 -0500

3G Traffic Will Drive Wireless Backhaul Equipment to US$37 Billion in 2012
A new five-year forecast by UK-based Ovum states that traffic on mobile backhaul networks will grow by 32 percent per year, driven by the adoption of mobile broadband services around the globe. To serve this level of increase, Ovum claims that mobile operators will spend US$37 billion globally on wireless backhaul in 2012, nearly 12 percent of total operating expense. Article