RAD Data Communications : Saving Costs on 3G/UMTS Deployment

The last three years have been a roller coaster ride for 3G mobile communications, from the boom of optimism that led to fantastic auction prices paid out for 3G licenses to the bust of recession, mountains of debt and lack of investment capital for 3G infrastructure. The industry is finally moving forward with 3G, characterized by the gradual rollout of 3G services, the growth of 3G applications and the increased availability of 3G handsets.The business case for 3G still has to be made, however. Investments in 3G infrastructure will have to be undertaken in such a way as to minimize additional debt. 3G services, moreover, have to be rolled out without cannibalizing highly profitable SMS and voice applications.

Incremental Deployment of 3GAbout a year ago, license owners in the Far East, specifically in Japan and South Korea (where operators received licenses for free), started to offer 3G services &8211; with a lukewarm reception on the part of customers. The stimuli to 3G&8217;s recent popularity in Japan are cheaper phones, lower rates and more mature services such as multimedia messaging, music downloads, Internet surfing and gaming. Several European countries are now beginning to deploy 3G networks as well. Nevertheless, 3G operators continue to be in a cost-containment mode.

Cutting Costs through Traffic AggregationCellular backhaul &8211; transporting traffic within the operator&8217;s network &8211; is one place where cellular operators can cut costs. Operators can reduce line costs by aggregating traffic from several sites onto the same link, thus enabling the operator to lease fewer lines to deliver the traffic. Furthermore, implementing the same transport link for the co-located 2G base station (BTS) TDM traffic and 3G Node B ATM traffic also reduces costs.

RAD&8217;s new ACE-3X00 line of products is aimed specifically at reducing cellular transport costs through traffic aggregation. Inverse multiplexing over ATM (IMA) capabilities enable the ACE-3X00 products to collect traffic from several 3G sites and aggregate multiple circuits over n x E1/T1 IMA links or thicker STM-1/OC-3 pipes to the ATM access network. They also can deliver CES services over AAL1 to connect GSM equipment over ATM, allowing service providers to minimize costs by installing Node Bs alongside 2G base stations and use the same device for flexible aggregation and cost-effective transport towards the core cellular network (BSC/RNC). The devices offer the lowest price per port and smallest size compared to existing solutions on the market. Adding to these advantages, ACE-3X00 products provide a future-proof migration path by providing Ethernet uplinks to be used over next generation Ethernet/IP/MPLS transport networks. This protects investment in equipment when the 3G network migrates to future costeffective IP-based backhaul or when new revisions of the UMTS standards (i.e., 3GPP rev. 6) will be implemented.