This course presents the parameters and techniques necessary to plan an LTE network. The course begins with a quick recap of LTE system architecture and air interface, followed by a discussion of interference as applied to LTE, RF propagation models and antenna considerations. The course provides practice of Link budget calculations and associated formulations to analyze sensitivity impact across variables and to resolve specific case studies. It then provides an overview of parametrization to generate coverage predictions, using a commercial network planning prediction tool.
EXPECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Explain the LTE Air Interface Structure
- Explain the principles of OFDMA and SC-FDMA
- Formulate LTE link budgets for uplink and downlink considering channel bandwidth, TX, RX and transmission parameters
- Derive SNR requirements for a given cell edge throughput
- Estimate slow fade margin for a given cell edge probability
- Describe resource allocation in the uplink and downlink
- Describe the LTE frame format in the downlink and uplink
- Perform uplink and downlink coverage and capacity calculations for LTE.
- Apply traffic modeling for LTE
- Highlight the main factors that impact cell capacity
- Evaluate the cell capacity
- Estimate the number of sites based on coverage and capacity
- Engineers involved in mobile radio access network (E-UTRAN) operation, maintenance, planning and optimization.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Managers, Engineers, and Technicians involved in the planning, deployment and maintenance of mobile networks
COURSE DETAILS
LTE Air Interface
- Review the LTE & EPS system Architecture
- LTE frequency bands
- OFDMA vs. SC-FDMA
- OFDMA parameters
- Uplink and downlink frame formats
- Resource allocations
LTE Downlink Budget
- Uplink budget parameters
- Thermal noise
- SINR requirements
- Cell load
- Downlink interference margin
- Cell edge probability
- Slow fade margin estimates
LTE Uplink Budget
- Uplink budget parameters
- Path loss as a function of cell edge throughput
- SINR requirements
- Uplink interference margin
LTE Coverage Planning
- RF propagation models for LTE
- Empirical models – Okumura-Hata, Okumura-Hata (Ericsson variant), Huawei model, Cost-231, Walfish-Ikegami, Keenan-Motley models
- Path loss coefficient
- Clutter correction based on RACE project
- Estimating cell range and cell area
LTE Capacity Planning
- Traffic Modelling
- Erlang traffic concepts
- Cell capacity
- Factors affecting cell capacity
LTE Simulations using Atoll Planning Tool
- LTE Coverage Predictions