Microwave Frequency Planning Guide

June 22, 2006
Security Level: INTERNAL
Microwave Network Planning and Design-Frequency Planning

Microwave Business Dept.
www.huawei.com
HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES Co., Ltd.
HUAWEI Confidential
Microwave Frequency Planning
Purpose of frequency planning:

Make reasonable use of the frequency resources so that the new microwave links and existing ones do not interfere with each other and the system availability of the microwave network can be ensured. In the process of planning for the microwave network, appropriate frequency bands and channels should be selected and interference avoidance should also be taken into account.
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Division of microwave frequency bands:
LF
MF
HF VHF UHF SHF EHF

Microwave
Infrared Visible light rays
10 Km 1 Km
100 m
10 m
1m
10 cm
1 cm
1 mm
f 30 KHz 300 KHz 3 MHz 30 MHz 300 MHz 3 GHz 30 GHz 300 GHz
Microwave frequency bands suggested by ITU-R for common use:

Frequency 4 GHz L6 GHz U6 GHz 7 GHz 8 GHz 11 GHz 13 GHz 15 GHz 18 GHz 23 GHz 26 GHz 38 GHz
Band
Range 3.6-4.2 5.9-6.4 6.4-7.1 7.1-7.7 7.7-8.5 10.7-11.7 12.7-13.2 14.5-15.3 17.7-19.7 21.1-23.6 24.5-26.5 37.0-39.5
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Principles of selecting proper frequency bands:
1. Select proper frequency bands according to the frequency resources (licenses) owned by the carriers and the stipulations of local radio management committees. 2. Select proper frequency bands according to the characteristics of the designed networks and routes. For example, high-frequency bands are generally used for mobile networks and MANs because quite a few channels available at high-frequency bands. 3. Select proper frequency bands according to their characteristics. Low-frequency bands (L6G/U6G/7G/8G/11G) are suitable for long-distance links and high-frequency bands (13G/15G/18G/23G/26G/38G) are suitable for short-distance links. Due to the limited number of channels existing at low-frequency bands, interference tends to arise in the long-distance transmission. High-frequency bands are suitable for high-speed data transmission and interference sustainable because there are many channels with broad bandwidth. High-frequency antennas feature high gains. Compared with low-frequency bands, highfrequency bands require small clearance. Towers with these antennas properly used can be lower than others.
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Illustration of the selection of microwave frequency bands:
LAN/PCS 1.5 2.5
2 8 34 Mbit/s
3.3
Long-distance backbone networks
11 GHz
34 140 155 Mbit/s
Area, local, and edge networks 2 8 34 140 155 Mbit/s 8 10 20 30 40 50
GHz
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Division of microwave frequency bands:
Frequency
4-7 GHz
Shift Frequencies (MHz) (T-R Spacing)

161, 154, 245
Use
Long-distance network backbones
8 GHz
126, 161, 154. 199, 266, 311
Long-distance network backbones
11-13 GHz 15 GHz 18 GHz 23 GHz 26 GHz 28 GHz 32 GHz 38 GHz
266 308, 420, 490, 315. 720, 728 340, 1092.5, 1008, 1010, 1560 600, 1050, 1232, 1008, 1200, 855, 1008 1008 812 700, 1260
Short and medium distance Short and medium distance Short and medium distance Short distance in urban areas Short distance in urban areas Short distance in urban areas Short distance in urban areas Short distance in urban areas
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Figure 1 for configuring microwave radio frequency channels:
Lower half band Upper half band
Channel number 1 F3 2 n 1' 2' n'
Fo Frequency F1 F2 Center frequency
Fo: center frequency
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Figure 2 for configuring microwave radio frequency channels:
Each channel consists of a pair of transmission and receiving frequencies.
Channel Tx Rx Tx Rx
High site The site which the receiving frequency higher than transmitting frequency is called a high site. The site which the receiving frequency is lower than the transmitting frequency is called a low site.
Channel 1 1' n n'

Low site
1'
n n'
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Principles of selecting proper bandwidth of microwave channels:
The bandwidth of a microwave channel is decided by the signal rate and radio modulation scheme. The most commonly used ways are the quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).
2 x E1 requires 3.5 MHz (QPSK) 4 x E1 requires 7 MHZ (QPSK) 8 x E1 requires 14 MHz (QPSK) 16 x E1 requires 28 MHz (QPSK) STM-1 requires 28 MHz (128QAM) The more advanced modulation is, the smaller the bandwidth is required. The 16E1 signal subject to QPSK requires the same bandwidth (28 MHz) as the STM-1 signal subject to 128 QAM does.
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Principles of selecting proper microwave channels:
1. Try not to select the special frequency resources (licensed) used by other carriers even if these frequency bands are not used in some areas (in case they may be used in the future).
2. If the planned microwave link features the same routing or parallel routing as another microwave link, it is recommended that the frequency band/channels different from those of the existing link are used. A different polarization mode should be configured even if the same channel is adopted as a result of the little interference and big margin proved by the calculation and analysis. 3. If the angle between two interleaving routes is comparatively small (for example, smaller than 30 degrees), a different channel should be selected. If the angle is quite large (for example, larger than 60 degrees), the same channel can be used provided a different polarization mode is configured. The same channel with the same polarization mode can be used only when the angle is larger than 90 degrees. This is a generally adopted principle for microwave frequency planning. For different equipment, antenna configuration, or capacity, analysis should be made on the link accordingly.
4. In the design, the microwave link should be as far from the scatter communication station and the satellite communications earth station as possible. When the antenna of the microwave station is directed to the satellite orbit with a tolerance of 2 degrees, the frequency band of the communication satellite cannot be used.
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Example for the microwave frequency planning:
2H
1H
1V 1H
1V
1H
In frequency planning, reusing of frequency resources should be taken into account, the internal and external interference should be avoided, and the link quality should be enhanced. Polarization should alternate every other hop for the decrease of overreach interference. The polarization configured alternate every hop is conducive to the decrease of front-back interference upon the antenna.
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Two-frequency system and quadruple-frequency system used in microwave frequency planning:
For the 1+1 system or 2+0 system of the frequency diversity, the use of the twofrequency system can save the frequency resources, while the use of the quadruplefrequency system can decrease the internal and external interference and enhance the link quality. Whether to select the two-frequency system or the quadruple-frequency system depends on the interference within the planned microwave network system and the mutual interference between the microwave links to be established and the links existing in the system. Case 1: When the link to be established interleaves with an existing one, the two-frequency system can be used for the former provided the same system is used for the existing link, and a different channel should be selected in this case.
Existing link Link to be established
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Case 2: When the link to be established interleaves with an existing one, the quadruplefrequency system can be used for the former provided the same system is used for the existing link. In this case, the neighboring links should have different channels. Case 3: When the link to be established has a branch, the quadruple-frequency system should also be used for this branch.
Existing link Link to be established
2,4
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Case 4: When the link to be established forms a loop-line with quite small angles, the quadruple-frequency system should be selected.
Case 5: When the routing deflection angles are too great, but the angles of La and Lb are quite small, for example, smaller than 15 degrees, comparatively great overreach interference may occur if the two-frequency system is selected for Site A and Site D. Therefore, the quadruple-frequency system should also be used in this case.
B A La 1,3 C 2,4
Lb
Case 6: The quadruple-frequency system should also be selected in such circumstances as the front-back ratio difference of the antenna is smaller than 60dB, the SWR(Standing Wave Ratio) of the antenna feeder is large, and the equipment has weak immunity to interference.
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Selection of proper frequency diversity channels:
When the microwave link is designed to adopt the frequency diversity protection, attention should be paid to the selection of channel spacing between the master channel and diversity channel. The formula to calculate the improvement in the frequency diversity is as follows:
I FD 80 f 10 CFM /10 / f 2 d
where
I FD
: frequency diversity improvement : frequency spacing between the master channel and diversity channel : Radio center frequency : flat fade margin : transmission section length
f
CFM
From the formula, we can find that the improvement in the frequency diversity is proportional to the channel spacing. Generally, the channel spacing should be at least 2 times of the radio frequency bandwidth. For a greater improvement in the diversity, the channel spacing should be as large as possible.
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Case Study for Microwave Frequency Planning

GSM Network frequency planning in Mauritius:
Case study purpose: to be familiar with the preceding rules for microwave frequency planning and apply them to practice. Project area: Mauritius in the Eastern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere Requirement of the longitude and latitude of the site: Frequency resource: assigned by the user, 7G/28M: 2 chs; 8G/7M: 4 chs Contents of planning: Channel planning High and low sites configuration Configuration of the polarization mode for the channel
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Complete the routing and capacity planning by referring to the
right map:
Legend:
STM-1
8E1
4E1
New relay stations

Service hub
BTS
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Channel selection 1:
Proper channels of different bandwidths should be selected according to the capacity of the microwave link and frequency resource the user owns. Frequency resource owned by the user: 7G: 7.4-7.7; number of channels: 2; channel spacing: 28 MHz
Channel No. 1h 3h
Frequency 7610 7666
Channel No. 1l 3l
Frequency 7442 7498
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Proper channels of different bandwidths should be selected according to the capacity
of the microwave link and frequency resource the user owns.

Frequency resource owned by the user: 8G: 7.9-8.4; number of channels: 2; channel spacing: 14 MHz
Channel No. 1h 2h
Frequency Channel No. 8178 8192 1l 2l
Frequency 7912 7926
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Proper channels of different bandwidths should be selected according to the capacity
of the microwave link and frequency resource the user owns.

Frequency resource owned by the user: 8G: 7.9-8.4; number of channels: 4; channel spacing: 7 MHz
Channel No. Frequency Channel No. Frequency 1h 2h 3h 4h 8178 8185 8192 8199 1l 2l 3l 4l 7912 7919 7926 7933
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Proper channels of different bandwidths should be selected according to the capacity of the microwave link and frequency resource the user owns. The following channels are selected according to the capacity of the link:
For STM-1, select f1 and f3 channels (7425-7725) with 28 MHz bandwidth. For 8E1 PDH, select f1 and f2 channels (7900-8400) with 14 MHz bandwidth. For 4E1 PDH, select f1, f2, f3, and f4 channels (7900-8400) with 7MHz bandwidth.
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Frequency planning in Pathloss:
Implement the frequency planning in Pathloss by using the preceding rules flexibly. Points to be noted in frequency planning: 1. All microwave sites must clearly mark the CALL SIGN, which cannot be the same and will be used in the later interference calculation. 2. Two-frequency system. To prevent the co-channel interference, a site should use different channels for multi-directions. 3. Deploy the sites in such a way as high sites and low ones alternate. Check the interference calculation report to see whether this principle is observed. 4. Configure the sites with two polarization modes as required.
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Example for frequency planning in Pathloss:
1. Access the PL4.0 program.

2. Log in to the network module. 3. Open the completed routing file. 4. Take the link between Site 5 and Site 21 for instance. Set the CH parameters after setting the parameters for Radio and Antennas. 5. Click CH. The TX Channels dialog box is displayed, as shown in the next page.
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Click CH. The TX Channels dialog box is displayed, as shown in the figure
on the right side :
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Click Lookup. In the File dialog box that is displayed, click Open and select the corresponding
frequency planning
file from Freqplan, as shown in the figure on the right
side.
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Open the target frequency planning file, as shown in the figure on the
right side :
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SDH adopts the hot backup system. Select f1 channel with 7 GHz bandwidth as required, and then select the proper frequency for use, site 1 as the high site, and the vertical
polarization mode
before returning to the previous page and finally click OK, as shown in the figure on
the right side :

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According to the two-frequency system, the frequency planning
for the SDH

backbone ring is completed, as shown in the figure
on the right side:
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Site 21/1
According to the two-frequency system, the frequency planning for the SDH backbone ring is completed, as shown in the figure on the right side. Note that a site (Site 5) in the ring has both high and low stations due to the odd number of the BTSs. In frequency planning processes, this
ADD1 Site 25/1 Site 5/2 Site 35/1
Site 44/1
should be avoided.
ADD2
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Site Name 1
Statistics about the frequency planning for the SDH backbone ring:
Site Name 2 Site 21 (low) Site 35 (high) Site 44 (low) Site 25 (high) ADD 2 (low) ADD 1 (high) Site 5 (low)
Frequency/Polarization Mode 1/V 3/V 1/H 3/H 1/V 3/V 3/H

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Site 5 (high) Site 21 (low) Site 35 (high) Site 44 (low) Site 25 (high) ADD 2 (low) ADD 1 (high)
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Take Site 21 for instance. In Pathloss, implement the frequency planning for the link of 8E1. Select the 1+1 hot backup mode, f1 channel in 8 GHz bandwidth, and vertical polarization, as shown in the figure on the right side:
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Take Site 21 for instance. The result of the frequency planning for the link
of 8E1 is shown in
the figure on the right side:
8E1 frequency configuration
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Take Site 21 for instance. The result of the frequency planning for the link
of 4E1 is shown in
the figure on the right side:
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The 2-hop SDH link, 1-hop 8E1 link, and 3-hop 4E1 link converge at Site 21. As 4E1 has quite a few links, try to select different channels in the direction of 8E1 links to reduce the interference. In this case, f1, f3, and f4 channels with 8 GHz bandwidth are selected and a different polarization mode is adopted. The statistics about the frequency planning for Site 21 are listed in the table on the right side: Site Names 1 Site 21 (low) Site 21 (low) Site 21 (low) Site Names 2 Site 8 (high) Site 38 (high) Site 39 (high) 4E1 1H 7912 8178 4E1 3V 7926 8192 4E1 Equipment Planned Frequency 4H 7933 8199 T R
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Site 39 Site 38
The result of the frequency planning for Site 21 is shown in
Site 21
the figure on the

right side:
Site 35 Site 8
Site 5
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H ---f4 V---L
Site9/2
Site39/1
H ---f1 V---L
Site38/1
Site41/1 Site21/1
H --f3 V--L
-f 3 L--
Site8/2
H ---
F1 V
---L
--L H4 --f H - --L H - V-f1f3 --- V--H L
L--
--H H-
-F
3V
---
Site22/1 Site35/1
The reference result of the frequency planning is shown in figure on
L
HSite7/2
--f1
Site6/2
Site23/1
V--L
L-
3 --f
-V-
Site58/1 Site1/2 Site26/1
L--f1
Site5/2
--V H 3 -f--H L f1 -
---
Site4/2 Site47/1
4H
L-
V---
--f
L--
-f
--3V
--L 1 HH ---F
Site44/1
L-H
L---f 1 V---H
Site25/1
Site27/1
Site10/2
Note:
H---F1 V---L H/L indicates the high/low site. F1 indicates the SDH frequency; f1 indicates the PDH frequency; V indicates the polarization mode.
-F 1 H ---f4 V-V -H ---L
-L---f 4 V
Site14/2
-H
Site60/1
Site13/2
VH ---f1 --L V---L

Site15/2 Site34/1
--f3
L--
Site17/2
-f 1
H-
the right side.
--H
L---f
2 V-
--H
L--f2 H
Site61/1 Site49/1 Site16/1 Site43/1
Site2/2
Site48/1
H-
--f3
Site28/1
Site11/2 Site12/2
V--L
Site30/1
L--
V---H
Site37/1 Site20/1 Site18/1
Site29/1
L--f -H 3 V--H
H-
--F 3V ---L
---H
Site32/1
1 V--
ADD2
---H L---f 4 H
L---f 1 V---H
Site56/1
L---f
L---f 2 V
---H
L---f 4
Site55/1
V---H
Site54/1
Site31/1
Site52/1
H-
--f3
V--
-L
Site53/1
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H ---L H ---f1 V
Site33/1
L--f3 V
Site19/1
--f3
H--L
ADD1
---f2
L---f 3
L H---
---H
H ---f3 V---L
L H-----F3
-f 1
Site51/1
V--
H---f1 V---L
L--F3 H --H
V--L H --f2
-H L---f 3 V--
L---f 3 V---H
L--f --2V H
H---f4 V---L
H---f4 V---L
L---f -H 2 V--
L---f 1 V--H

Complete all frequency planning for the microwave network according to the relevant principles and output the design result. The frequency configuration in the software will be used for the future interference analysis.
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Thank you
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June 22, 2006

Security Level: INTERNAL

Microwave Network Planning and Design-Frequency Planning

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES Co., Ltd.