eSON Suite™ Release 1.0

AirHop’s eSON technology has been developed to meet the growing need for mobile broadband capacity. Self-organized networking (SON) technology is increasingly being used to automate the initial planning, installation and the initial configuration of basestations, but as heterogeneous networks become more widely deployed, current SON solutions are not enough. AirHop’s eSON technology extends beyond the initial set-up phase to provide ongoing RAN intelligence. The algorithms for advanced SON are specifically designed to address the problems arising from the mass deployment of small cells by enterprises and carriers. The new heterogeneous networks require real-time interference management and optimized spectrum reuse in order to deliver a quality user experience.

eSON Suite Release 1.0 has the ability to address the critical problems of small cell networks: interference management, spectrum reuse and no-touch or low-touch deployment. This software suite provides dynamic, real-time optimization and reuse of network capacity and interference management across multi-layer cells. It is designed to self-operate after initial setup and provide ongoing intelligent maintenance of the network through provisioning and long-term optimization for both 3G and 4G/LTE networks.

The AirHop eSON Suite Release 1.0 is the first commercially available self-organizing network (SON) solution to be deployed for 3G networks and demonstrated on an LTE metrocell platform. This solution is flexible and scalable and can be deployed in a number of network configurations, including distributed architectures (evolved NodeB [eNB] only) in autonomous mode or in coordinated mode via the X2 interface, and also in hybrid architectures (eNB + SON server)

The AirHop eSON Suite integrates with the eNB protocol stack via a customer friendly API and is agnostic to the eNB silicon/PHY and protocol stacks vendors.

Key Features

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  • Self-configuration (3rd Generation Partnership Project [3GPP] standard)

AirHop eSON Suite TR-069-based self-configuration is ported from an HSPA+ femtocell to support the 3GPP network resource model (NRM) and Broadband Forum data models TR-106, TR-157 and TR-196.

For Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) -based self-configuration, it is ported from the TR-069-based solution to support the 3GPP SNMP solution set: TR32.501, TR32.502 and TR32.503.

  • Automatic neighbor relation (ANR), (3GPP Standard)

AirHop’s implementation of ANR is based on TS 36.300. The eNB maintains a set of neighbor relation tables (NRTs), one for each cell controlled by the eNB. Each entry of the NRT represents a uni-directional relationship with a neighboring cell. X2 relationships with neighboring eNBs are maintained at the eNB level, whereas NRs are maintained at the cell level.

The eSON server can update an eNB’s NRT. Entries can be added or removed. Additionally, attributes of each entry can be modified. For example, the “isHOAllowed” attribute for a specific NR can be modified. The eSON server will use the “Set” capabilities of the particular management protocol it employs to add/remove/modify NRT entries.

Changes to the NRT can also result from the autonomous additions or removals (those determined by ANR algorithms running in the eNB). Autonomous updates are reported to the eSON server using the notification scheme for the particular management protocol being used (i.e. auto inform in the case of TR-069, or traps in the case of SNMP).

Essentially, there are two techniques for automatically detecting neighboring cells. One is to use a sniffer (co-located UE downlink receive hardware that can be commanded to scan for neighboring eNB signals). The other technique is to ask the UEs being served by the eNB to make measurements of neighboring eNBs and report the results.

  • Physical cell identity (PCI) and conflict detection/resolution, (3GPP Standard)

PCI is used to identify an eNB at the physical layer. There are a total of 504 unique PCIs defined in the LTE system and they are organized into 168 unique groups with three unique identities contained in each group. PCI assignment has a direct impact on signaling channels’ resource mapping and hand-over performance, especially in heterogeneous networks where many unplanned small cells are deployed with a low touch requirement. Proper PCI selection and assignment is achieved by quickly detecting and resolving PCI confusion and collision.

  • Multi cell interference management (MCIM)

MCIM is one of eSON’s key features, which extends the current 3GPP SON approach well beyond the installation phase and into the ongoing network operation phase in order to account for the dynamic nature of heterogeneous networks. It is architected and designed for real-time operation and optimization. MCIM supports distributed and hybrid network architecture. In addition, it operates in autonomous and coordinated mode. The initial deployment can start with autonomous operation and migrate to coordinated operation as the heterogeneous network evolves and grows.

MCIM Downlink Use Cases

  • Small cell to macrocell
    • Pre-operation initial multi cell interference management
      • Cell ID and PSC conflict resolution
      • Radio resource configuration based on live radio environment measurement to minimize downlink interference to macrocell UEs
    • Operational dynamic real-time multi cell interference management
      • Dynamically optimizing downlink transmit power to minimize downlink interference to macrocell UEs
      • Fractional frequency re-use to optimize small cell QoS/QoE with higher priority given to minimize downlink interference to macrocell UEs
      • Fractional time re-use to optimize small cell QoS/QoE with higher priority given to minimize downlink interference to macrocell UE’s
  • Small cell to small cell
    • Pre-operation initial multi cell interference management
      • Cell ID and PSC conflict resolution
      • Radio resource configuration based on live radio environment measurement
    • Operational dynamic real-time multi cell interference management
      • Dynamically managing downlink transmit power to optimize small cell throughput while minimizing downlink interference to neighbor small cell UEs based on QoS/QoE
      • Fractional frequency re-use to optimize small cell throughput while minimizing downlink interference to neighbor small cell UEs based on QoS/QoE
      • Fractional time re-use to optimize small cell throughput while minimizing downlink interference to neighbor small cell UEs based on QoS/QoE

MCIM Uplink Use Cases

In addition to built-in interference cancellation for uplink multi cell interference management, MCIM produces uplink radio resource constraints based on uplink radio environment measurements and collaborates with the uplink scheduler to minimized uplink interference to neighboring small cells.