Local Multipoint Distribution System (LMDS) : Web Proforum Tutorials The International Engineering Consortium 1/28

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Local Multipoint Distribution System
(LMDS)
Definition
Local multipoint distribution system (LMDS) is the broadband wireless
technology used to deliver voice, data, Internet, and video services in the 25-GHz
and higher spectrum (depending on licensing).
Overview
As a result of the propagation characteristics of signals in this frequency range,
LMDS systems use a cellular-like network architecture, though services provided
are fixed, not mobile. In the United States, 1.3 MHz of bandwidth (27.5 B 28.35
GHz, 29.1 B 29.25 GHz, 31.075 B 31.225 GHz, 31 B 31.075 GHz, and 31.225 B 31.3
GHz) has been allocated for LMDS to deliver broadband services in a point-to-
point or point-to-multipoint configuration to residential and commercial
customers. This tutorial details the underlying technology inherent in offering
voice, data, Internet, and video services over LMDS through integration with the
wireline environment.
Topics
1. LMDS Overview
2. Architectural Options
3. Wireless Links and Access Options
4. Modulation
5. System Capacity
6. Microwave Propagation Issues
7. Network Planning
8. Network Node Equipment
9. Radio Frequency Equipment
10. Network Interface Equipment (Customer Premises)
11. Network Management
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Self-Test
Correct Answers
Acronym Guide
1. LMDS Overview
LMDS is a broadband wireless point-to-multipoint communication system
operating above 20 GHz (depending on country of licensing) that can be used to
provide digital two-way voice, data, Internet, and video services (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. LMDS System
The acronym LMDS is derived from the following:
L (local)denotes that propagation characteristics of signals in this
frequency range limit the potential coverage area of a single cell site;
ongoing field trials conducted in metropolitan centers place the range
of an LMDS transmitter at up to 5 miles
M (multipoint)indicates that signals are transmitted in a point-to-
multipoint or broadcast method; the wireless return path, from
subscriber to the base station, is a point-to-point transmission
D (distribution)refers to the distribution of signals, which may
consist of simultaneous voice, data, Internet, and video traffic
S (service)implies the subscriber nature of the relationship between
the operator and the customer; the services offered through an LMDS
network are entirely dependent on the operator's choice of business
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Why LMDS?
Point-to-point fixed wireless networks have been commonly deployed to offer
high-speed dedicated links between high-density nodes in a network. More recent
advances in a point-to-multipoint technology offer service providers a method of
providing high-capacity local access that is less capital-intensive than a wireline
solution, faster to deploy than wireline, and able to offer a combination of
applications. Moreover, as a large part of a wireless network's cost is not incurred
until the customer premises equipment (CPE) is installed, the network service
operator can time capital expenditures to coincide with the signing of new
customers. LMDS provides an effective last-mile solution for the incumbent
service provider and can be used by competitive service providers to deliver
services directly to end users. Benefits can be summarized as follows:
lower entry and deployment costs
ease and speed of deployment (systems can be deployed rapidly with
minimal disruption to the community and the environment)
fast realization of revenue (as a result of rapid deployment)
demand-based buildout (scalable architecture employing open industry
standards ensuring services and coverage areas can be easily expanded
as customer demand warrants)
cost shift from fixed to variable components (with traditional wireline
systems, most of the capital investment is in the infrastructure, while
with LMDS a greater percentage of the investment is shifted to CPE,
which means an operator spends dollars only when a revenue-paying
customer signs on)
no stranded capital when customers churn
cost-effective network maintenance, management, and operating costs
Network Architecture
Various network architectures are possible within LMDS system design. The
majority of system operators will be using point-to-multipoint wireless access
designs, although point-to-point systems and TV distribution systems can be
provided within the LMDS system. It is expected that the LMDS services will be a
combination of voice, video, and data. Therefore, both asynchronous transfer
mode (ATM) and Internet protocol (IP) transport methodologies are practical
when viewed within the larger telecommunications infrastructure system of a
nation. The LMDS network architecture consists of primarily four parts: network
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operations center (NOC), fiber-based infrastructure, base station, and CPE. This
tutorial primarily discusses base-station, customer-premises, and NOC designs.
System Equipment Segments
The NOC contains the network management system (NMS) equipment that
manages large regions of the customer network. Multiple NOCs can be
interconnected. The fiber-based infrastructure typically consists of synchronous
optical network (SONET) optical carrier (OC)12, OC3, and DS3 links;
central-office (CO) equipment; ATM and IP switching systems; and
interconnections with the Internet and public switched telephone networks
(PSTNs).
The base station is where the conversion from fibered infrastructure to wireless
infrastructure occurs. Base-station equipment includes the network interface for
fiber termination; modulation and demodulation functions; and microwave
transmission and reception equipment typically located atop a roof or a pole. Key
functionalities which may not be present in different designs include local
switching. If local switching is present, customers connected to the base station
can communicate with one another without entering the fiber infrastructure. This
function implies that billing, channel access management, registration, and
authentication occur locally within the base station.
The alternative base-station architecture simply provides connection to the fiber
infrastructure. This forces all traffic to terminate in ATM switches or CO
equipment somewhere in the fiber infrastructure. In this scenario, if two
customers connected to the same base station wish to communicate with each
other, they do so at a centralized location. Billing, authentication, registration,
and traffic-management functions are performed centrally.
The customer-premises configurations vary widely from vendor to vendor.
Primarily, all configurations will include outdoor-mounted microwave equipment
and indoor digital equipment providing modulation, demodulation, control, and
customer-premises interface functionality. The CPE may attach to the network
using time-division multiple access (TDMA), frequency-division multiple access
(FDMA), or code-division multiple access (CDMA) methodologies. The customer
premises interfaces will run the full range from digital signal, level zero (DS0),
plain old telephone service (POTS), 10BaseT, unstructured DS1, structured
DS1, frame relay, ATM25, serial ATM over T1, DS3, OC3, and OC1. The
customer premises locations will range from large enterprises (e.g., office
buildings, hospitals, campuses), in which the microwave equipment is shared
between many users, to mall locations and residences, in which single offices
requiring 10BaseT and/or two POTS lines will be connected. Obviously, different
customer-premises locations require different equipment configurations and
different price points.
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Standards
As LMDS wireless access systems evolve, standards will become increasingly
important. Standards activities currently underway include activities by the ATM
Forum, the Digital Audio Video Council (DAVIC), the European
Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), and the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU). The majority of these methods use ATM cells
as the primary transport mechanism.
2. Architectural Options
LMDS system operators offer different services and have different legacy systems,
financial partners, and business strategies. As a result, the system architecture
used will differ between all system operators. The most common architectural
type uses co-sited, base-station equipment. The indoor digital equipment
connects to the network infrastructure, and the outdoor microwave equipment
mounted on the rooftop is housed at the same location (see Figure 2). Typically,
the radio frequency (RF) planning for these networks uses multiple sector
microwave systems, in which transmit- and receive-sector antennas provide
service over a 90-, 45-, 30-, 22.5-, or 15-degree beamwidth. The idealized circular
coverage area around the cell site is divided into 4, 8, 12, 16, or 24 sectors.
Figure 2. Co-Sited Base Station
Alternative architectures include connecting the base-station indoor unit to
multiple remote microwave transmission and reception systems with analog fiber
interconnection between the indoor data unit (IDU) and outdoor data unit
(ODU). This approach consolidates the digital equipment, providing increased
redundancy, reduced servicing costs, and increased sharing of digital resources
over a larger area. The difficulties are typically the lack of analog fiber resources
and remote microwave transmission and reception equipment deployment issues.
By using remote microwave equipment, there may be a reduced sectorization
requirement at each remote location. This second alternative architecture is early
in the design process for most vendors and standards bodies (see Figure 3).
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Figure 3. Analog Fiber Architecture
3. Wireless Links and Access Options
Wireless system designs are built around three primary access methodologies:
TDMA, FDMA, and CDMA. These access methods apply to the connection from
the customer-premises site to the base station, referred to as the upstream
direction. Currently, most system operators and standards activities address the
TDMA and FDMA approaches.
In the downstream direction, from base station to customer premises, most
companies supply time division multiplexed (TDM) streams either to a specific
user site (point-to-point connectivity) or multiple user sites (a point-to-
multipoint system design). Figure 4 illustrates an FDMA scheme in which
multiple customer sites share the downstream connection. Separate frequency
allocations are used from each customer site to the base station.
Figure 4. FDMA Access
Figure 5 illustrates a TDMA scheme in which multiple customer sites share both
the downstream and upstream channel.
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Figure 5. TDMA Access
With FDMA and TDMA access links, whether downstream or upstream, there are
a number of factors that affect their efficiency and usage. For FDMA links, the
customer premises site is allocated bandwidth which is either constant over time
or which slowly varies over time. For TDMA links, the customer premises is
allocated bandwidth designed to respond to data bursts from the customer site.
These two access methods will probably provide the majority of access links for
LMDS systems over the next few years. The choice between these access links is
directly related to the system operator business case, service strategy, and target
market.
Large customer premises may require a wireless DS3 or multiple unstructured
DS1 connections. A customer might purchase the use of this wireless connection
with the understanding that the bandwidth is available 24 hours a day. In this
case, FDMA access links make sense, because the user is paying for and receiving
dedicated bandwidth over the wireless access system as well as over the network
infrastructure. Typically, the FDMA links terminate in a dedicated FDMA
demodulator circuit within the base station.
The other extreme customer case could be customer premises sites that require a
single 10BaseT port for Internet access. These users have very low upstream data
requirements (acknowledgment packets and data requests are the primary traffic)
but may have fairly large downstream data requirements. In this case, TDMA
access makes sense, allowing multiple lowdata rate users to share a single
channel. In addition, the base station terminates the TDMA access link in a single
modem, allowing multiple customers to share the single modem at the base
station.
Most system operators will have a service mix and target market that lies between
these two cases. The choice of TDMA and/or FDMA access methods within the
system becomes an issue both for the system designer and the system operator.
As a final example, suppose a system operator wishes to serve a six-story office
building containing 20 employees per floor. This offers a total POTS line count of
120. Each office currently uses various mixtures of frame relay, DS1, fax lines,
and modem lines. Some offices wish to connect their in-office Ethernet local-area
network (LAN) to the wide-area network (WAN) using routers. The system
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operator knows that only a percentage of the offices will switch to a wireless
service provider.
How does a system operator decide when to use TDMA and when to use FDMA?
First, it is necessary to estimate the peak and average expected traffic data rate
from all of the potential or estimated offices. Second, it is important to determine
which traffic may be multiplexed and traffic-shaped to smooth out the traffic
burstiness. If the resulting burstiness is smooth enough, the upstream traffic
requirements can be handled effectively using FDMA techniques. Alternately, if
burstiness persists within the traffic stream, TDMA may be a better choice.
There are additional system issues relating to the choice of TDMA and FDMA
such as the efficiency of the wireless medium access control (MAC), customer-
premises multiplexer efficiency, channel structure efficiency, amount of forward
error correction (FEC) used on the channel, maximum data rate during peak
hours, sharing of the base-station equipment during commercial off-peak hours,
blocking levels allocated to the wireless access links, asymmetrical and
symmetrical traffic mixtures, and link distance which can be sustained for the
various access methods. These issues are discussed in Table 1.
Table 1. TDMA and FDMA System Issues
Issue TDMA FDMA
user burstiness
efficiency
TDMA allows for bursty
response and does not request
slots unless necessary.
FDMA link is always on,
regardless of whether or
not the user sends data.
wireless MAC MAC efficiency ranges from
6590 percent or higher
depending on the burstiness
characteristics of the users and
the MAC design.
Efficiency is estimated at
100 percent, no MAC.
customer-premises
mix
Both the FDMA and TDMA
systems allow higher-priority
user traffic to be sent first.
Both systems multiplex
various streams through
the same wireless pipe.
channel efficiency Efficiency is estimated at 88
percent, based on preamble
and ranging.
Efficiency is 100 percent.
FEC percent 75 to 85 percent 91 percent
maximum data rate TDMA allows bursting to the
maximum rate of the channel,
based on fairness algorithms
for the wireless MAC and the
customer-premises
multiplexer.
FDMA provides a constant
pipe, with bursting
occurring based on
fairness algorithms within
the customer-premises
multiplexer.
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4. Modulation
Modulation methods for broadband wireless LMDS systems are generally
separated into phase shift keying (PSK) and amplitude modulation (AM)
approaches. The modulation options for TDMA and FDMA access methods are
almost the same.
The TDMA link modulation methods typically do not include the 64quadrature
amplitude modulation (QAM), although this might become available in the
future. The FDMA access modulation methods are listed in Table 2 and are rated
on an estimated scale as to the amount of bandwidth they require for a 2Mbps
constant bit rate (CBR) connection (without accounting for overhead due to ATM
and FEC). Values are approximate, as there are issues involving channel filter
mask roll-off factors, which can be important when providing the relationship
between microwave bandwidth and data rates.
Table 2. FDMA Access Modulation Methods
Name Modulation Method MHz for 2
Mbps CBR
Connection
BPSK binary phase shift keying 2.8 MHz
DQPSK differential QPSK 1.4 MHz
QPSK quaternary phase shift keying 1.4 MHz
8PSK octal phase shift keying 0.8 MHz
4QAM quadrature amplitude modulation, 4
states
1.4 MHz
states
0.6 MHz
states
0.4 MHz
5. System Capacity
The system capacity for LMDS systems can be measured in terms of data rate and
maximum number of customer premises sites.
Data-Rate CapacityFDMA Access
For data-rate calculations, LMDS system capacity is equal to the number of cell
sites within the system multiplied by the capacity per cell site. The cell site
capacity is equal to the number of sectors within the cell site times the sector
capacity. To provide basic examples, assume the values in Table 3 for spectral
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efficiency. Spectral efficiency is measured in bits per second per Hertz (b/s/Hz)
and is a basic figure of merit for different modulation schemes.
Table 3. Spectral Efficiencies
Modulation Spectral Efficiency
4QAM 1.5 b/s/Hz
16QAM 3.5 b/s/Hz
64QAM 5 b/s/Hz
Using these spectral efficiencies, and assuming 1,000 MHz of useable spectrum
with a frequency reuse of 2, the LMDS system provides 500 MHz of useable
spectrum per sector. Assuming symmetrical upstream and downstream links,
there is 250 MHz in each direction per sector. The sector capacities are shown in
the following examples:
Example 1
If each customer-premises site uses 5-MHz FDMA links at QAM4 modulation,
this provides 5 x 1.5 = 7.5 Mbps per customer site. There are (250/5) = 50 of these
links, providing a total of 375 Mbps upstream. The downstream links also use 4
QAM modulation, providing 375 Mbps.
Example 2
If each customer-premises site uses 5-MHz FDMA links at 16QAM modulation,
this provides 5 x 3.5 = 17.5 Mbps. There are 50 of these links, providing a total of
875 Mbps. The downstream links also use 16QAM modulation, providing 875
Mbps.
Example 3
If each customer-premises site uses 5-MHz FDMA links at 64QAM modulation,
this provides 250 x 5 = 1250 Mbps upstream. The downstream links also use 64
QAM modulation, providing 1250 Mbps.
It is possible to have more capacity per sector than can be used within the
coverage areas. For this reason, LMDS systems will probably be range-limited
rather than capacity-limited. One option to increase range is to move to lower-
modulation constellations. The values provided are examples only and may not
reflect the full scope of equipment capability.
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Maximum Number of Customer-Premises
SitesFDMA Access
In the previous calculations it was assumed that the FDMA channel bandwidth
was 5 MHz. Using this assumption to calculate the total number of users, there
are 250 MHz/5 MHz = 50 customer sites per sector. The number of sectors
dictates the number of total customer sites per cell site. The customer site may be
a large office building with many offices, all connected to the base station through
the same 5-MHz channel.
Data-Rate CapacityTDMA Access
TDMA systems have a reduced data-rate capacity compared to FDMA systems in
the range of 80 percent. Also, TDMA systems do not use 64QAM modulation; as
a result, the very dense data rates achievable in FDMA systems are not available.
However, 64QAM modulation is useful only on shorter links as a result of the
increased signal levels required for its operation. Therefore, 64QAM FDMA
access is only useful when the dense data-rate customers are close to the base
station site.
Maximum Number of Customer-Premises
SitesTDMA Access
TDMA systems are the best choice when many low-data rate users must be
serviced. For example, it is assumed that a 250-MHz upstream bandwidth is
available within the LMDS system (same as before) and that 5-MHz TDMA
channels are used. Each 5-MHz TDMA channel can provide approximately 80
DS0 connections simultaneously. The total number of simultaneous DS0 users
on the TDMA system per sector are 80 DS0s per channel x (250/5) = 4,000.
The total number of simultaneous DS0 users over the cell depends on the
number of sectors. If typical values of concentration over the entire sector and
cell are assumed to be in the range of 5:1, this TDMA system allows for a total of
20,000 DS0 connections per sector within the blocking level probabilities
consistent with telecommunications system design. We have assumed a 5:1
concentration level to reflect some Internet usage (telephone modems) over these
DS0 connections. There may also be some fax lines.
As in the case of the earlier FDMA example for data rate, 20,000 DS0 lines per
sector is excessive with respect to the coverage area of these LMDS systems. If 10
sectors were used, this would imply that 200,000 DS0 lines could be supported.
The typical coverage distances for LMDS systems are in the range of 3 km to 5 km
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for 99.99 percent service in the various rain regions, so 200,000 lines is too
many.
Based on these numbers, it is important to look at the combined effect of TDMA
and FDMA access methods in order to address all data rate and customer site
requirements.
6. Microwave Propagation Issues
An area of continuing research for LMDS systems relates to microwave
propagation behavior. The LMDS systems at 28 GHz are most susceptible to rain
effects causing a reduction in the signal level. The Comite Consultatif
International des Radiocommunications (CCIR) has rainfall attenuation
estimation procedures; however, there is limited data and experience in small cell
point-to-multipoint systems. Rainfall causes depolarization of the signals, leading
to decreased signal level and decreased interference isolation between adjacent
sectors and adjacent cell sites. Additional propagation issues relating to foliage
also need further study.
The primary propagation issue in lower-frequency bands is multipath fading. At
the LMDS frequencies, multipath fading should not be an important effect. First,
LMDS frequencies are much more line-of-sight (LOS)dependent, which means
that shadowing and diffraction do not occur as often at lower frequencies.
Second, cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems typically
have customer-premises locations within six feet of the ground, whereas LMDS
systems have customer antennas located high on rooftops. The height of the
customer-premises antenna plays a large role in reducing multipath effects.
Third, the LMDS antennas are highly directional (pointing to a single cell site),
whereas the cellular and PCS antennas have either omnidirectional or loosely
sectorized characteristics. Using directional antennas reduces multipath effects.
Fourth, in cellular and PCS systems the customer antenna may be moving,
whereas LMDS antennas are fixed on a rooftop. Once an antenna becomes fixed,
installers can choose better case locations on the rooftop, leading to improved
performance.
Considering these factors, the cell coverage distance will vary depending on the
rainfall statistics in the particular area. Foliage height in relation to commercial
and residential building heights also needs to be examined to determine the
percentage of building rooftops that can be illuminated from any particular base-
station antenna sector.
It is interesting to consider the approximate cell sizes that are possible within the
LMDS systems. Over time these cell sizes will increase based on the microwave-
power amplifier technology advances. Cell sizes are strongly affected by the
propagation environment. Items such as foliage, rainfall rates, height of the
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transmit (cell site) antenna, and height of the customer-premises antenna are
primary factors that must be considered. When detailed cell-site coverage area
planning is done, it is necessary to account for the local obstructions and terrain
and topology details that may affect the distance that the cell site can support.
The following maxims hold true:
As the required availability of the link increases, the distance decreases.
For example, if a system operator is providing a service that requires 99.9
percent availability, the link distance may be up to 14 km. Customers at the
distance 8.5 miles (14 kms) from the cell site will not receive service for
eight hours a year, and customers closer to the cell site will have
availability, which is better. However, if the system operator chooses to
provide services that require 99.99 percent availability, the cell coverage
distance may be reduced to 3 miles (5 km). If the system operator provides
services that require 99.999 percent availability, the cell coverage distance
is reduced to 1.5 miles (2.5 km). These numbers are approximate and
depend on details specific to each vendor's system design.
The modulation choice affects the distance as well. For example, QPSK and
4QAM distances may be 6 miles (10 km), whereas 16QAM coverage
distance could be 3 miles (5 km) and 64QAM distances could be 1.5 miles
(2.5 km).
The coverage distance also depends on the rain region. For example,
LMDS systems in Miami and New Orleans might support a distance of 2
miles (3 km) at 99.99 percent. The same LMDS system design in Denver
might support a distance of 3 miles (5 km) or more. This implies that the
economics of providing telecommunications services using LMDS
technology will vary depending on the area being served.
7. Network Planning
Cell Design
When planning the cell sites for an LMDS network, it is important to take the
following attributes into consideration:
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subscriber penetrationDistribution system performance is measured by
subscriber penetrationthe percentage of subscribers having sufficient signal
level to achieve excellent service quality.
quality of service (QoS)QoS can be affected by several factors, including
transmission path obstruction, cell overlap (15 percent is normal), and system
redundancy.
link budgetLink budget is used to estimate the maximum distance that a
subscriber can be located from a cell site while still achieving acceptable service
reliability. The budget accounts for all system gains and losses through various
types of equipment. The link budget analyzes several network parameters,
including carrier-to-noise ratios (CNRs); carrier-to-composite triple beat ratios;
and self-repeat site interference (C/I) and link fade margins. In some cases, the
microwave equipment is channelized to support a single carrier. Other systems
offer broadband multichannel capability in which multiple carriers can be
supported through a single transmitter.
cell-size selectionThe maximum cell size for the service area is related to the
desired reliability level obtained from the link budget. Cell size can vary within a
coverage area due to the type of antenna, its height, and signal loss. These effects
are generally related to the coverage area service type such as urban, suburban, or
low-density coverage. Cell-size selection affects the total capital cost for the
required coverage area.
capital-cost modelThe capital-cost model is used to estimate the network
capital requirements. The required model encompasses design considerations
such as link budget, cell size, cell overlap, number of cells, traffic capacity,
number of sectors, capital cost per cell, and total capital cost.
Frequency Reuse Optimization
The following techniques are used to optimize the frequency reuse of LMDS
networks:
minimization of multipathing and cross-polarization by using highly
directional antennas and by positioning them as high as possible
maximization of the directivity of the cell antennas by sectoring the
distribution system; the cell-site microwave equipment is generally
configured with multiple sectors, antennas, transmitters, and receivers.
A typical configuration is a four-sector cell site using 90-degree
beamwidth antennas to provide services to the subscriber environment.
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Each of these sectorized antennas (transmitters and receivers) can
support the full bandwidth of the allocated spectrum.
maximization of the isolation between the adjacent sectors through
polarization; horizontal (H) and vertical (V) polarization can be
employed throughout the system in an alternate pattern between the
sectors, as shown in Figure 6. The H and V polarization is also reused
throughout the system.
Figure 6. Horizontal and Vertical Polarization Reuse
8. Network-Node Equipment
The network-node equipment (NNE) provides the basic network gateway for
connecting wireline network traffic to the LMDS bandwidth (see Figure 7). The
NNE is equivalent to the base-station digital equipment. The network-node
products provide processing, multiplexing, demultiplexing, compression, error
detection, encoding, decoding, routing, modulation, and demodulation. The NNE
may also provide ATM switching.
Figure 7. Network Node Architecture
The following functions may be performed at the network node:
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Digital Signal Compression
The conversion of analog television signals to highly compressed digital signals
for distribution by the microwave system.
Wireline/Wireless Protocol Interfaces
Depending on an operator's service offerings, NNE may be configured to extend
video, IP, and voice services over LMDS bandwidth. (ATM is emerging as a likely
standard for the delivery of voice, data, Internet, and video services over LMDS.)
Modulation and Demodulation
Signals from the voice, video, and data multiplexing system are modulated before
wireless transmission occurs. Similarly, traffic from the microwave receiver is
demodulated before wireline transmission.
Modulation
A digital modulator accepts a digital stream and provides a 4QAM, 16QAM, or
64QAM intermediate frequency (IF) signal for delivery over the LMDS
bandwidth. The modulator performs all the functions required to modulate
digital video, voice, and data to a standard IF for input to the wireless
transmitters.
Demodulation
A QAM demodulator contains two separately addressable demodulator channels,
each capable of accepting 4QAM, 16QAM, 64QAM signals at symbol rates
between 1 Mbps and 10 Mbps. TDMA systems may use differential QPSK
modulation.
9. Radio Frequency Equipment
Network Node
LMDS network node RF equipment includes transmitters and receivers as well as
transceivers and the antennas they feed. If there is one carrier per transmitter,
the system is said to be channelized. If there are multiple carriers per transmitter,
the system is said to be broadband.
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Transmitters
Individually modulated signals are combined and applied to the broadband
transmitter. Within the transmitter, the very-high-frequency (VHF) signals are
converted up to the desired carrier frequency, amplified, and applied to the
antenna for transmission. Separate transmitters, receivers, and antennas can be
used in each direction to minimize the near-end crosstalk effects between
transmit and receive signals.
Receivers
A separate broadband receiver receives the entire band at carrier frequency and
converts the signals to the VHF band. The VHF signals are then applied to coaxial
or fiber cable for distribution to the NNE.
Transceivers
Combined transmitter and receiver functions can be provided in a single
broadband transceiver.
Antenna Systems
Antennas are chosen based on the desired coverage of potential subscribers,
taking into consideration the terrain, interfering objects, antenna azimuth
pattern, antenna elevation pattern, and antenna gain.
Customer-Premises Site
Transceiver
For two-way data network applications, a transceiver is used to provide a return
path for LMDS services. The antenna may be an integral part of the transceiver.
The transceiver may be broadband or channelized.
Customer Antenna Systems
Typical technology choices available include microstrip design, parabolic and
grid-parabolic reflectors, and horn designs. The selection is an engineering
decision based on the customer's location. As well, vendors will have various
levels of integration with specific antenna technologies.
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10. Network Interface Equipment
(Customer Premises)
At the customer-premises site, a network interface unit (NIU) provides the
gateway between the RF component and in-building appliances. NIUs are
manageable by the network management system provided in the network-control
center (see Figure 8). These NIUs are available in scalable and nonscalable forms
depending on customer requirements.
Figure 8. NIU Network Implementation
Fully Scalable/Configurable NIU
A scalable NIU is flexible, fully configurable, and chassis-based. It is located at
the subscriber site and supports two-way digital wireless voice, data, and video
communications for commercial and business uses. The NIU can be configured
with 10BaseT, analog voice, structured and unstructured T1/E1, T3/E3, OC1,
OC3/STS3 fiber communications, ATM 25.6, and video communications in a
single chassis.
As part of the wireless broadband network, the NIU communicates with the base-
station equipment through a two-way transceiver forming a part of the point-to-
multipoint network solution. This solution allows network operators to deploy
their services instantly without the need for building the subscriber wireline
infrastructure, thereby, capturing the rapidly growing telecommunications
market just in time.
The NIU's basic building blocks consist of the following components:
a radio-modem module supporting 4, 16, and 64QAM and featuring
either FDMA or TDMA access mode
a data-processor module (DPM) supporting various services such as
T1/E1, 10BaseT, and ATM 25.6 services through an ATM SARing
processor
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a chassis-interface module (controller providing processing resources)
aA power supply
Modular design of the NIU allows network operators to meet each subscriber's
requirements efficiently. The network operator can configure multiple radio
modems to support the total bandwidth required by the configured services. The
NIU should work in conjunction with the broadband microwave system to
maximize the use of available RFspectrum resources. The radio-modem and
DPM ratios can be optimized with mix and match options from one-to-one
mapping to multiplexing the data streams from several DPMs.
Nonscalable NIU
A nonscalable NIU is a stand-alone, cost-effective piece of CPE that provides a
fixed combination of interfaces. The combination is designed to meet the
requirements of small- to medium-sized business market segments. Services may
include structured and unstructured T1/E1; T3/E3; 10BaseT; video; POTS; frame
relay; ATM 25.6; and integrated services digital network (ISDN) basic-rate
interface (BRI), primary-rate interface (PRI). Using this interface unit,
subscribers can deploy various one-way or two-way voice, video, Internet and/or
computer multimedia applications in a chassis using a single carrier frequency
spectrum.
This nonscalable NIU communicates with the base station through a two-way
transceiver consisting of the following components:
a variable-bandwidth radio modem (supporting 4, 16, and 64QAM,
TDMA or FDMA depending on the type of services provided by the
NIU)
an ATM segmentation-and-reassembly (SAR) processing unit (types of
ATM SARing depend on the types of services provided by the NIU)
a subscriber equipment interface
The service mix and the interfaces provided by the NIU are not user-configurable
and therefore reduce product cost to the market. This type of nonscalable NIU
allows network operators to offer services cost effectively into small office home
office (SOHO) environments. Various vendors will have different NIU products
and strategies.
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11. Network Management
LMDS network management is designed to meet a network operator's business
objectives by providing highly reliable network management services. Network
management requires the following:
Fault Management
This is necessary to identify, localize, and correct errors or faults in the network.
Each device within a wireless network should be monitored for troubleshooting
or performance. All LMDS devices collect and report statistics pertaining to
traffic throughput, boundary condition violations, and management activities.
Configuration Management
This is necessary in order to provision, inventory, initialize, and back-up network
resources. The LMDS equipment should be auto-discovered when new
equipment is added to a node. This minimizes the amount of provisioning needed
to install or upgrade equipment.
Accounting Management
This is necessary to collect and process billing information. Each manageable
node in the wireless portion of the network should maintain a collection of
statistics that can be accessed by a third-party billing system as input. Users
should be identified on a per-network user basis.
Performance Management
This is necessary to collect, filter, and analyze network resource statistics. There
are a number of parameters that should be monitored and configured on each
network node, from T1 traffic throughput to output power level. The
management station should monitor these parameters and adjust them to
increase performance.
Security Management
All information transmitted through the wireless environment must be encrypted
between each node in the network. The security-management function should
automatically generate and coordinate the keys used to encrypt and decrypt, as
well as to authenticate users.
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The management application at the base station should not be a stand-alone
management application. It must provide a mechanism to populate the cell-based
information in the node's management information base. For the next few years,
dedicated platforms may be required to provide end-to-end management of the
complete LMDS system.
Self-Test
1. LMDS is an acronym for which of the following?
a. linked multipoint digital service
b. local multipoint distribution service
c. low-speed multiple data streams
d. local multimedia distribution service
2. In which of the following bands does LMDS in the United States not operate?
a. 27.528.35 GHz
b. 29.129.25 GHz
c. 31.07531.225 GHz
d. 40.542.5 GHz
3. Which of the following is used to estimate the distance that a subscriber can
be located from a cell while still achieving acceptable service reliability?
a. cell-size selection
b. link budget
c. capital-cost model
d. cell design
4. Network-node products provide which of the following?
a. multiplexing and demultiplexing
b. encoding and decoding
c. modulation and demodulation
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d. all of the above
5. The radio-modem module of the NIU supports which of the following?
a. 4, 16, and 64QAM
b. FDMA
c. TDMA
d. all of the above
6. When calculating the data rates for LMDS, capacity is the number of cell sites
within the system multiplied by which of the following?
a. the capacity per cell site
b. the number of cells
c. the number of sectors in the cell site
d. the sector capacity
7. Which of the following is not included in LMDS network management?
a. fault management
b. configuration management
c. accounting management
d. tower management
8. LMDS optimizes frequency reuse by doing which of the following?
a. minimizing multipathing
b. cross polarization
c. sectoring the distribution system
d. all of the above
9. The choice of antennas used within an LMDS network is based on which of
the following?
a. desired subscriber coverage
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b. terrain and interfering objects
c. antenna azimuth pattern, elevation patter, and gain
d. all of the above
Correct Answers
1. LMDS is an acronym for which of the following?
a. linked multipoint digital service
b. local multipoint distribution service
c. low-speed multiple data streams
d. local multimedia distribution service
2. In which of the following bands does LMDS in the United States not operate?
a. 27.528.35 GHz
b. 29.129.25 GHz
c. 31.07531.225 GHz
d. 40.542.5 GHz
3. Which of the following is used to estimate the distance that a subscriber can
be located from a cell while still achieving acceptable service reliability?
a. cell-size selection
b. link budget
c. capital-cost model
d. cell design
4. Network-node products provide which of the following?
a. multiplexing and demultiplexing
b. encoding and decoding
c. modulation and demodulation
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d. all of the above
5. The radio-modem module of the NIU supports which of the following?
a. 4, 16, and 64QAM
b. FDMA
c. TDMA
d. all of the above
6. When calculating the data rates for LMDS, capacity is the number of cell sites
within the system multiplied by which of the following?
a. the capacity per cell site
b. the number of cells
c. the number of sectors in the cell site
d. the sector capacity
7. Which of the following is not included in LMDS network management?
a. fault management
b. configuration management
c. accounting management
d. tower management
8. LMDS optimizes frequency reuse by doing which of the following?
a. minimizing multipathing
b. cross polarization
c. sectoring the distribution system
d. all of the above
9. The choice of antennas used within an LMDS network is based on which of
the following?
a. desired subscriber coverage
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b. terrain and interfering objects
c. antenna azimuth pattern, elevation patter, and gain
d. all of the above
Acronyms
AM
amplitude modulation
ATM
asynchronous transfer mode
BRI
basic-rate interface
CBR
constant bit rate
CCIR
Comite Consultatif International des Radiocommunications
CDMA
code-division multiple access
C/I
cite interference
CNR
carrier-to-noise ratio
CO
central office
CPE
customer-premises equipment
DAVIC
Digital Audio Video Council
DPM
data-processor module
DS 0
digital signal, level 0
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ETSI
European Telecommunications Standards Institute
FDMA
frequency-division multiple access
FEC
forward error correction
IDU
indoor data unit
ISDN
integrated services digital network
IF
intermediate frequency
IP
Internet protocol
ISP
Internet service provider
ITU
International Telecommunications Union
LAN
local-area network
LMDS
local multipoint distribution service
LOS
line of sight
MAC
medium-access control
NIU
network interface unit
NMS
network management system
NNE
network node equipment
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NOC
network operations center
OC
optical carrier
ODU
outdoor data unit
PCS
personal communications service
POTS
plain old telephone service
PRI
primary-rate interface
PSK
phase shift keying
PSTN
public switched telephone network
QAM
quadrature amplitude modulation
QoS
quality of service
QPSK
quadrature phase shift keying
RF
radio frequency
SAR
segmentation and reassembly
SOHO
small office home office
SONET
synchronous optical network
TDM
time-division multiplexed
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TDMA
time-division multiple access
VHF
very-high frequency
WAN
wide-area network

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