Timing is everything:

Navigating Small Cell Timing & Sync

David Chambers
ThinkSmallCell.com

2013

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

About ThinkSmallCell
Founded Sept 2007
as ThinkFemtocell
Independent news,
analysis, insight into
Small Cells
Based on a belief
that small cell
architecture is the
only credible solution
for high data traffic

David Chambers,
B.Sc. (Hons), MIET,
C.Eng, Dip. M.,
MCIM, Chartered
Marketer
Career includes

Telecom software engineer

Telecom product manager
Standards (ETSI, 3GPP)
Chartered Engineer
Chartered Marketer

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ThinkSmallCell.com
2013
Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

Question #1
How far does a radio wave travel in 1
nanosecond?
A mile
A yard

A foot
2013

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

Answer #1
How far does a radio wave travel in 1
nanosecond?
Given:
Speed of light = 300,000,000
metres/second
1,000,000,000 nanoseconds in 1 second

Answer: 0.3 metres

(approx 1 foot)
2013

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

Why Timing and Sync?

End User
Experience
- Seamless
Handovers
- Fewer
Dropped calls
- Avoid data
stream
glitches

2013

Spectral
Efficiency
- Squeezing the
most out of
available
spectrum
- Avoiding the
need for extra
cellsites

Cell Edge
Performance
- Improving
service at
borders
between
neighbouring
cells

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

The Three levels of Sync

None

Frequency

Frequency & Phase

Wi-Fi

3G UMTS

3G CDMA

Bluetooth

3G TD-SCDMA
4G FDD LTE

TD-LTE
LTE-Advanced

At the same time,

backhaul transmission
is migrating from T1/E1
Ethernet Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec
to
2013

Three Competing Forces

Maximise Spectral
Efficiency

Maximise Spatial
Efficiency

- LTE-Advanced
- CoMP
- eMBMS
- eICIC

- Add more small cells

Derive sync via

backhaul

Derive sync
independently

- Sync Ethernet
- PTP (IEEE 1588 v2)
- NTP

- GNSS
- Neighbour Cellsite Sniffing

FDD

TDD

- Doesnt (always)
require Phase Sync

- Requires Phase Sync

2013

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

Wide Range of Timing

Tolerances
Residenti
al
Small
50ppb
Cell

50ppb

50ppb/1.
5s

50ppb/0.
5s

TDLTE

250ppb

50ppb

50ppb/1.
5s

50ppb/
1.5 to
5s

LTE

50ppb

50ppb

50ppb

50ppb

3G

250ppb

100ppb

50ppb

50ppb

LTE-A

2013

Enterprise
Small Cell

Urban
Small Cell

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

Cloud RAN

Synchronisation Technology Options

GNSS

NTP

1588v2
(PTP)

SyncE

Sniffing

Transport

Physical

Layer 3

Layer 2 &
3

Physical

Physical

Use cases

North
American
femtocells
; Any
3G/LTE
small cell

3G UMTS
Enterprise Urban
Femtocell and Urban small cells
s&
small cells
Enterprise

Residentia
l and
standalon
e
Enterprise

Limitation
s

Possible
Packet
Packet
Must be
poor
delay
delay
end-toindoor
variations variation
end SyncE
signal
in wireline in
throughou
receptionSmall
broadban
backhaul
Cell Americas,
Dallas,t Dec
d

Reception
from
nearby
cell
towers

Frequency
Phase

2013

GNSS Developments
Its no longer just GPS
GLONASS (Russian)
Compass (Chinese)
Galileo (European)

Multi-standard receivers now more

common
Soon up to 300 different satellites

Increased receiver performance

Demonstrated down to -175dBm
More likely to work indoors than before
2013

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

Some poor GPS installations

2013

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

Precise Time Protocol (PTP)

1588v2
PTP (IEEE1588v) provides high
clock accuracy in a packet
network
The grandmaster clock
generates timestamps and
responds to requests
Only boundary clocks need to
be aware of the nature of
packets
Exchange of timestamp packets
ensures all nodes retain
frequency and phase accuracy
Only nodes that need time
information need to be
upgraded

2013

Grandmaster
Clock
12
1

2
3
4

Pack
Pack
et
et

Pack
Pack
et
et

Pack
Pack
et
et

Pack
Pack
et
et

12
1

2
3
4

RAN Base
station

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

12

Packet Delay Variation

Phase timing requires low PDV not
latency
Variation in end-to-end delay
Asymmetry of delay variation
uplink/downlink

Consequences
Sync acquisition time, recovery time

Specifications
Previously end-to-end
Recently changed
to per
hop
2013
Small Cell Americas,
Dallas,
Dec

Synchronous Ethernet
(SyncE)
All ports in the link must be
SyncE enabled

RAN NC

SyncE

SyncE is a good
compromise between TDM
and Ethernet

SyncE

It provides frequency
synchronisation at the
physical layer
Managing SyncE can
significantly increase
network TCO
2013

SyncE

SyncE

RAN Base
station

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

14

Question #2
Do signals travel faster/slower/same
down optical fibre than via microwave
link?

2013

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

Answer #2
Do signals travel faster/slower/same
down optical fibre than via microwave
link?
Given:
Light waves are reflected off
the sides of optical fibre, so travel
further than direct radio
transmissions

Answer: Slower

2013

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

Wide Range of Timing

Tolerances
LTE-A

TDLTE

Residential
Small Cell

Enterprise
Small Cell

Urban
Small Cell

50ppb

50ppb

50ppb/1.
5s

250ppb

Frequency
Sync
50ppband
50ppb/1.
GNSS
PTP (IEEE 1588v2)5s

NTP
LTE
3G

50ppb
Optionall
y GNSS
250ppb

2013

Cloud RAN

50ppb/0.
Frequenc
5s
y+
Phase
50ppb/
Dark
1.5 to
Fibre
5s

50ppb

50ppb

50ppb

100ppb

50ppb

50ppb

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

Question #3
What is the PHASE holdover time of an
oscillator with FREQUENCY holdover of
1 month?
1 Week

2013

1 Day

12
Hours

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec

1 Hour

Commercial Oscillator Specifications

Time to Reach Phase Error
Limit
Oscillator Type

Freq.
vs

Temp.

(20C. variation error limit at

10C/hour)

Aging
1 s

3 s

7 s

24
Hours
Holdove
r
(Calm Air)

OCXO

0.1
ppb

0.05
ppb/day

12
hours

48
hours

144
hours

<1
s

OCXO

0.5
ppb

0.1
ppb/day

3
hours

12
hours

36
hours

3
s

OCXO

5
ppb

1
ppb/day

30
minutes

2
hours

4
hours

50
s

OCXO

5
ppb

1
ppb/day

30
minutes

2
hours

4
hours

50
s

OCXO

10
ppb

2
ppb/day

20
minutes

35
minutes

55
minutes

100
s

TCXO

10
ppb

40
ppb/day

5
minutes

10
minutes

15
minutes

1000
s

(ROX-T1/T2)
(ROX-T3)
(ROX-T5/S4)
(Mercury)

(RPT, RTX)

2013

Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec Source:

Conclusion
In-building:
Residential
3G/SoHoCloud
NTPRAN
Urban
EnterpriseSmall
NTP
Cellor PTP/SyncE

2013

Urban:
Combination of
GNSS/SyncE/1588
Backhaul SyncE/1588 capable
Phase Sync:
Demands better oscillator
holdover
Cloud RAN needs dark fibre to
Small Cell Americas, Dallas, Dec