Synchronization is the “invisible” foundation to any nation’s communications fabric from cell phones, to Internet, to power grids, to networking. With higher-accuracy synchronization, the wireless networks can deliver better performance, higher data throughput, more efficient spectrum use, higher subscriber loads, and faster transaction processing.
Precise, synchronized timing is critical to delivering a quality mobile user experience. With a move to all-IP networks, synchronization solutions available today (outdated T1 or E1, GPS which is only available outdoors, or costly IEEE1588) are not designed to meet stringent LTE-A requirements for time and frequency synchronization accuracy. As a primary source of network synchronization outdoors, GPS solution presents logistical and operational challenges for HetNets. GPS signal can be unreliable due to environmental conditions (urban, tall buildings, nLOS, GPS-denied environments). IEEE1588 not only is costly to implement, but is also extremely sensitive to the delay variation, carries high level of cumulative error, and is not suitable for future higher data rate channels requirements
Backhaul phase synchronization is required to support LTE Broadcast and for LTE network capacity features, such as CoMP and eICIC, that have much more stringent synchronization requirements. In order to achieve these required synchronization levels, mobile operators need to think in terms of eliminating tens of nanoseconds from the delay budget. This is not an easy task since current available options cannot meet this requirement.
The Parallel Wireless High-Precision Carrier Synchronization Technology (HPCST) is the only synchronization technology that can support outdoor and indoor deployments and provide sync across time and frequency, both for backhaul and access. Easy to install and maintain, HPCST delivers more accurate synchronization (50+ times less time and frequency error) in virtualized HetNets and helps mobile operators with better spectrum utilization. This improves the overall quality of subscriber experience indoors and outdoors and paves the way to faster and denser 5G networks.
The technology, transmitted as a wireless signal, reduces time delay or frequency inaccuracy delivering three orders of magnitude improvement compared to LTE-A requirements of 500 ns (nanoseconds) for time and two orders of magnitude better frequency sync than LTE-A requirements of 16/50 ppb (part per billion). Because of the precise sync between any number of nodes, HPCST provides higher end-user data throughput (from traditional max QAM 64 to reliable QAM 256).
HPCST precise sync capabilities also enable distributed baseband System on Chips (SoCs) to function as if they were coming from a single common central baseband system, and as a result, this eliminates the need to pool baseband resources in a data center or deploy expensive fronthaul. With real-time self-organizing capabilities, this solution is ideal for outdoor or indoor HetNets as nodes can be wirelessly phase locked and added without complex network planning for instantaneous improvement in resource utilization.
HPCST leverages HetNet Gateway from Parallel Wireless for inter-cell interference mitigation and dynamic scheduling capabilities. This leads to a corresponding improvement to the data speeds with the highest performance gains that occur in the areas with the most cell overlap.
To learn more about how the synchronization technology enables multi-technology, multi-vendor virtualized HetNets to be deployed as easily and cost-effectively as Wi-Fi, please visit www.parallelwireless.com
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