Super LTE-A
LTE performance improvements
In a few years, most of the networks will be LTE MIMO 4/8 due to higher data rates, spectrum efficiency, and availability of handsets. With site-to-site distances originally designed for GSM and CDMA voice services, standard antennas will be unable to provide the heavily promoted high data rates to customers in the outer 80% of a cell. Data rates with standard antennas are limited to a few Mbit/s (BPSK/QPSK), far lower than the claimed speeds of hundreds of Mbit/s.
Super Antenna Systems provide average data rates 2–3 times higher for the same coverage area as standard antennas. Existing sites can be upgraded with 6 lobes, antenna gain can be increased by 15 dB, with 6 times higher transfer rates enabled by switching from QPSK 3/4 to 64 QAM 4/5 (see Doc 110). Keeping the same coverage area, capacity can be increased up to 9 times. Alternatively, if data rates are unchanged then coverage area can be increased 7.2 times with capacity gain of three times due to six lobes.
Revenue per TRX can increase 2–3 times and revenue per site can increase 6–9 times. With 27.7 dB in total link budget improvements due to GA, hA, PANT, and NFSYS, we get same data rates in a 16 times larger area with 12, 18, or 24 lobes and 3–8 times more site capacity.
Nationwide 100% POP coverage is 8.7 times more affordable
With RI's Super Antenna Systems, roll-out and operation costs of LTE-A networks are 8.7 times lower than with standard sites and antennas, making a business case of 100% POP coverage a reality. European countries (Germany, France, UK, Italy, etc.) where LTE networks are built only in cities, can benefit from RI's technology by upgrading their networks to reach and serve every citizen, farmer, or tourist who happens to be in suburban, countryside or rural areas.
Comparing four business cases for LTE-A (see a table below), we see that 4 operators using 5 frequency bands can operate a single shared network based on the SAS™ technology (shared: towers, antennas, transmission), reaching the lowest annual OPEX of 18.68 USD/POP. If same operators build their own SAS-enabled networks, the annual cost is 26.20 USD/POP. A shared network with standard antennas costs 162.10 USD/POP per year (8.7 times more), while each operator-owned network with standard antennas would cost even more, 234.51 USD/POP.
| Radio access network; usage | Site quantity | TRX total quantity | PANT, W | PAVG, W | PTOT, MW | Cost of PTOT, $/Y | OPEX total, $/Y | OPEX per POP, $/Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAS™; shared | 3 279 | 2 537 425 | 80 | 40 | 102 | $179M | $1 532M | $18.68 |
| SAS™; owned | 13 116 | 〃 | 〃 | 〃 | 105 | $184M | $2 149M | $26.20 |
| Std. ant.; shared | 57 248 | 27 479 670 | 26 | 20 | 564 | $988M | $13 293M | $162.10 |
| Std. ant.; owned | 228 992 | 〃 | 〃 | 〃 | 607 | $1 063M | $19 230M | $234.51 |
Average power consumption estimates in the above table are given for site common equipment, power supply, batteries, and MW links — with power control and sleep mode enabled. The cost of energy is assumed to be 0.20 USD/kWh in the future, making the shared SAS network to use 5.5 times less electricity. Overall, the four operators, by deploying Super Antenna Systems, can jointly save annually from 11.8 to 17.7 billion USD. For more details, please see Doc 337.