CBRS can serve a wide variety of enterprises and use-cases. Mobile network operators and wireless internet providers are using the band to bolster capacity and coverage of their existing networks while enterprises like utilities, campuses, and industrial operations may use it to create their own private LTE or 5G networks for a wide variety of mobile and fixed applications. This mid-band spectrum offers a lot of unique opportunities, but also comes with some unique planning challenges. EDX SignalPro with the LTE or 5G module has all the tools you need to successfully plan for these challenges.
Uplink challenges
The allowable UE (mobile) transmit power for CBRS is much lower than it is for the eNodeB (base), especially if using outdoor eNodeB’s. This imbalance in the link budget makes it important to run performance predictions for both the downlink and uplink cases and also to plan cell spacing based on the maximum allowable pathloss for the uplink case. SignalPro includes all the relevant study types to run comprehensive coverage and performance predictions for both the downlink and uplink side.
The screenshots below compare the downlink and uplink data rate predictions for a hypothetical outdoor college campus network; notice that the acceptable throughput area for the downlink is much larger than it is for the uplink. If the site selection were to be done based on just a simple downlink coverage assessment there would be large areas without any uplink connectivity.
CBRS uplink throughput in mbps
By taking into account the imbalanced link budget at the site selection stage of the project you can ensure reliable performance all the way out to the cell edge.
Different use-cases call for different frame configurations
Depending on the use-case, different operators will often have different requirements in terms of downlink and uplink data rate and frame configuration. For example, MNO’s that are adding capacity to another band may want to maximize downlink throughput while a utility using just the CBRS band for machine to machine connections may need a balanced or uplink-heavy frame configuration. Frame configurations and other RAN node and MIMO settings are completely user-configurable in EDX SignalPro, so you can compare different configurations and accurately model all the details of your LTE or 5G equipment.
To set up custom frame, simply open the RAN Node spreadsheet and modify the slot configuration.
Propagation model and map data options can vary by project
A remote industrial campus may have very different foliage and building obstructions as well as different UE scenarios than, for example, an urban WISP. Accurately modeling coverage and performance for a given network requires choosing the right mapping data for the project and also selecting the right propagation model to leverage that data.
EDX offers affordable, high-resolution data on a subscription basis as with our Cirrus subscription offering. If that data isn’t right for your project area or use-case we have global custom data offerings tailored to your project needs and area. If a project calls for rapidly changing mapping data, perhaps a mining operation or rapidly-growing community, EDX also includes conversion tools to import and utilize data from other GIS platforms.
For propagation mode options, SignalPro includes a variety of industry-standard propagation models for both outdoor and indoor studies. All models can also be tuned and validated with field measurement data. This means that whether your CBRS deployment is an office building campus or a rural WISP covering a huge outdoor area we’ve got the right propagation model options to suit the project.
In short, EDX SignalPro and the 5G and LTE modules have all the tools to enable accurate, case-specific planning for any type of CBRS deployment.
