Femtocell: A solution for Fixed Mobile Convergence

8th SEEITA – 7th SEE ICT Forum Meeting & 7th MASIT Open Days Conference14-15 October 2010, Ohrid www.seeita.org

Femtocell: A solution for Fixed Mobile Convergence

Prof. Venceslav KafedziskiFaculty of Electrical Engineering and

Information TechnologiesUniversity Ss Cyril and Methodius

Skopje, Republic of Macedonia


Overview

• Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC)

• Femtocell as a solution for FMC

• Benefits of Using Femtocells

• Femtocell Competitors

• Technical Challenges of Femtocells

• The Femtocell Network Infrastructure

• Open Issues and Hot Topics

• Future Types of Femtocells and Concluding Remarks


Fixed Mobile Convergence

• Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) – the integration of wirelineand wireless technologies and services to create a single telecommunications network foundation.

• FMC promises to obliterate some of the physical barriers that now prevent telecom service providers from reaching all of their potential customers with all types of services.

• With FMC, wireline service providers may no longer be restrained to landline networks, while wireless network operators will be able to use the most robust network resources available to meet growing demand from mobile subscribers.


Fixed Mobile Convergence

• Fixed Mobile Convergence refers to the idea that there is only one phone for home and mobility.

• The mobile handset replaces the wireline device without causing wireless network congestion.

• The handset uses the wireline broadband for in-home or in-building calls.

• FMC can be done in various ways, prominent techniques being WiFi dual-mode handsets and Femtocells, using ordinary cell phones.


Why Do We Need FMC?

• Voice, Data, Video Anywhere

• Single Device & Single Number

• Mobility – Indoor & Outdoor


Typical Femtocell Deployment


Femtocell Vendors


Femtocell

• Femtocells are very small, low cost base stations that overlay an existing cellular network to improve the capacity and coverage, particularly to indoor users.

• The femtocells can either be installed by end-users and companies, to improve their in-home and in-office coverage, or directly by the network operator, to improve capacity in airports, stadiums, and other areas of dense demand.


Femtocell

• Femtocell is meant to boost service quality and provide value added services within a home or a small business.

• Femtocell connects to the service provider’s network via broadband (such as DSL or cable).

• A Femtocell essentially routes mobile calls over the IP network.

• Current designs typically support 2 to 5 mobile phones in a residential setting.


Femtocell

• Femtocells have full-strength mobile technology but simpler deployment, with full operator management.

• Typically Femtocells pack high-speed 3G technology, such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) inside, which can have rates, similar to many home broadband offerings.

• Femtocells have prices comparable with Wi-Fi access points ($30~$200 for home usage).


Femtocell

• Femtocells are low-power wireless access points that operate in licensed spectrum to connect standard mobile devices to a mobile operator’s network using residential DSL or cable broadband connections. [Femtoforum]

• By 2011, 102 million users on 32 million access points worldwide. [ABI Research]

• Femtocell base station is also known as home base station, home access point, or home NodeB.


Benefits of Using Femtocells

• Increased Indoor Coverage

• Load sharing

• Better Voice Quality

• Better Data/Multimedia Experience

• Lower CAPEX

• Increased network capacity

• Lower OPEX

• Newer Revenue Opportunities

• Reduced Churn


Advantages for Wireless Operators

• Free wireless network and reduce network congestion

• New revenue opportunities for operators.

• Reduce cell towers capital expenditures.

• Create list of authorized Femtocell users to share the Femtocell base station with the designated user base.


Advantages for Customers

• Better coverage

• Make free calls by routing wireless traffic onto the internet.

• Home Zone pricing (discounted compared to regular wireless pricing)

• Works with all mobile handsets – no need for expensive dual-mode WiFi handsets.


Business Aspects of Femtocells

• Even though femtocells offer savings in site lease, backhaul and electricity costs for the operator, they incur strategic investments.

• Operators will need to aggressively price femtocells, to compete with ubiquitous Wi-Fi. North American operator Sprint charges a subsidized price of $49.99 per Airave femtocell.

• The features that femtocells have to provide are in many ways more sophisticated than what is in Wi-Fi access point.

• The emerging femto vendors are facing cost targets set by the mature high-volume Wi-Fi market and by the demands of the operators for minimal subsidy to reduce ROI time.


New Business Opportunities

For wireless operators:

• Femtocell is expected to be a fixed-mobile substitution (FMS) solution which can be utilized as a wireless DSL solution.

For wireline operators:

• Femtocell provides opportunity to enter the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO)-based wireless markets.


Three Types of FemtocellularNetwork Configurations


Integration of a MacrocellularNetwork with Femtocells


Competitors: UMA

• Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC)

– Example: Cellular access outdoor + WLAN access (VoIP) indoor.

– Requires a dual-mode mobile handset.

• Universal Mobile Access (UMA, formerly known as Unlicensed Mobile Access)

– Goal: Mobile services with unlicensed spectrum technologies (WiFi and Bluetooth).

– The commercial name of 3GPP’s Generic Access Network (GAN) standard.

– New phone with dual modes and two numbers.


GAN (Generic Access Network) /UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access)


Dual-mode Phone vs Femtocell Phone


Comparison of Femtocell and WiFi

Femtocell WiFi

Data Rates 7.2-14.4 Mbps 11 and 54 Mbps

Op. Frequency 1.9-2.6 GHz 2.4 and 5 GHz

Power 10, 100 mW 100, 200 mW

Range 20-30m 100-200m

Services Primarily voice, and data

Primarily data, and voice


Technical Challenges of Femtocells

• Spectrum: licensed spectrum, frequency planning

• RF Coverage Optimization

• RF Interference: femto-macro interference and femto-femto interference

• Automatic System Selection

• Handoffs

• Security & Scalability

• Femto Management


Challenges of Femtocells

• Interference – with macro network, and with other Femtocells

• Licensed spectrum – license requirements compliance

• Network integration – connection millions of Femtocells back to core network

• Price – currently around $200, needs to be around or below $100

• Access control and privacy

• Emergency call / 911 and Lawful Intercept regulatory requirements

• Handoff between macro network and the correct Femtocell

• Remote management of Femtocells


Network Infrastructure (1)

• Iu‐b over IP: Existing Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) connect to Femtocell through standard Iu‐CS(circuit‐switched) and Iu‐PS(packet‐switch) interfaces present in macrocell network.



• IP multimedia subsystem(IMS)/Session Initiation Protocol(SIP): Providing a core network residing between the Femtocell and operator



• Radio Access Network (RAN)‐gateway‐based Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA): Between the RAN gateway and the Femtocell, UMA protocol makes use of secure IP tunneling for Femtocell signals over the Internet


3GPP GAN vs VCC

• GAN (generic access network) is a simple protocol for GSM networks only– Uses GSM call setup

– Gives GSM users access to high speed data via Wi-Fi hotspots

– Call continuity across Wi-Fi and GSM domains

– Does not offer benefits of IMS

• VCC (voice call continuity) is an IMS protocol for seamless call handoff between any 3GPP networks– SIP (session initiation protocol) based connection management

– GSM, UMTS, W-CDMA, Wi-Fi, etc.

– VCC solutions exist for both LTE and WiMAX


Rollouts by US Mobile Operators

• Verizon launched Wireless Network Extender femtocell in January 2009, with recent hardware updates.

• Sprint has started giving away femtocells for free to some subscribers with weak 3G coverage inside their homes.

• AT&T in June 2010 completed the nationwide rollout of femtocells, which they call 3G MicroCells, aimed at consumers and small businesses and is looking to address its enterprise customers.


WiMAX Femtocell Standard

• The first WiMAX femtocell standard was published in June 2010, opening the door for wireless equipment manufacturers to start making products that enhance WiMAX coverage on a smaller scale.

• The standard includes a so-called "Self Organizing Network" capability, which automatically configures large numbers of femtocells. Later versions of the standard will include automatic interference management between the towers and femtocells.

• Additionally, the standard includes three profiles to cover different usage cases such as residential deployments, enterprise deployments, or outdoor networks.


LTE Femtocells

• LTE femtocells will be used from day one by some carriers - to offload data from the macrocell or to provide indoor coverage at high frequencies like 2.6GHz.

• They could also add capacity to deployments in low frequencies like 700MHz and even be used as a starting point for greenfield providers, which could then add macro networks later.

• To ensure support and as a sign of the criticality of femtocellsin LTE, early on the 3GPP identified a work item in the LTE Release 8 to support LTE femtocells, known as Home eNodeB(HeNB). Work intensified in Release 9 and Release 10.


Regulatory Issues

• Femtocells use licensed frequencies that radiate at a very low power in a controlled, residential environment. It is likely they will not require a license from the local authority.

• An additional regulatory issue will arise from the relationship between the femtocell operator and the broadband services operator.

• There are two possible scenarios. One is that the broadband operator is unaware of the existence of a femtocell operator. Conversely, the broadband operator and femtocell operator may have made some sort of agreement (or they are the same operator). In the latter case, there might arise regulatory concerns due to possible unfair competition .


Open Issues and Hot Topics

• Seamless hand-in (handover from macro to femtocell)

• Local (IP|Internet) Access (LIPA)

• IMS-based Femtocells

• Femtozone Services new types of home services


Future Types of Femtocells

• Femtocells based on LTE-Advanced

• Networks of Femtocells for Enterprises and public places (e.g. airport, mall, …)

• Outdoor Femtocells (e.g. stadium, city center, …)

• Mesh-based Femtocell Networks (wireless backhaul)

• Mobile Femtocells (e.g. on bus or trains)


Concluding Remarks

• Femtocells will find their way in future mobile broadband systems, such as LTE and WiMAX.

• UMA can be used, but SIP/VCC is the industry agreed direction– Not just for voice but multi-media hand-offs; VCC clients are as

important if not more important than the network infrastructure

• Femtocells, despite early challenges, will have major implications– Need to establish how to position and benefit from it

• Fixed Mobile Convergence will be one of the major telecom trends for the next 5-10 years– Expect to see huge growth in FMC subscribers and revenues

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Femtocell: A solution for Fixed Mobile Convergence

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