Nokia Siemens Networks unveiled its new “Liquid Radio” mobile network architecture for dynamically directing mobile broadband capacity to where it is needed most. Baseband pooling is at the heart of the approach.
Liquid Radio promises a more economic use of network resources through sharing and redistributing capacity based on user demand. Nokia Siemens Networks said its baseband pooling approach centralizes the resources needed to undertake processing functions common to every base station in a given area. Baseband pooling helps to achieve a more cost efficient sharing of resources over a large geographical area.
Liquid Radio architecture comprises three key elements:
- Baseband pooling achieved via Nokia Siemens Networks‘ recently launched Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station enables centralized pools of over 10 Gbps baseband capacity to manage up to 100 cells dynamically via smart scheduling algorithms.
- A new Flexi Multiradio Antenna System that provides true active antennas and complements the company’s Flexi Multiradio Base Station family. The Flexi Multiradio Antenna System is based on several distributed radio frequency components integrated in the antenna housing to genuinely cooperate as a single entity to enable advanced features like beamforming. Beamforming provides additional capacity exactly where it is needed, allowing up to 65% capacity gain. Commercial availability is expected at the end of 2011.
- Unified heterogeneous networks enable various network layers to be used as a logically unified network with automated management, seamless interworking and uncompromised quality of experience to the user. As modern mobile networks continue to carry most of the traffic for mobile broadband in the future, they are getting more complex with several bands and mobile technologies (like LTE, HSPA+, Long Term HSPA Evolution) and the use of smaller cells like micro, pico and femtocells. Also, alternative technologies like 802.1x WiFi are increasingly being used for mobile broadband capacity enhancement as well as the more traditional in-building coverage.
“Liquids are unconstrained, streaming to fill any gap or space,” said Thorsten Robrecht, head of Network Systems product management, Nokia Siemens Networks. “In the same way, our Liquid Radio architecture removes the constraints of traditional mobile broadband networks to address the ‘ebb and flow’ of traffic created by users’ movements across the network.”
“We foresee demand for network capacity increasing to up to 1 GB per user per day[1] ,” said Robrecht. “Not only will this require substantial network investments, but also a unique combination of base station sites for wide area coverage complemented by Wifi and small, compact micro, pico and femto cells. Nokia Siemens Networks Liquid Radio ensures that existing network investments are fully leveraged and that future investments deliver the return necessary to support today’s pressing challenge of maintaining and transitioning GSM, evolving 3G and introducing LTE and LTE-Advanced.”http://www.nsn.com
- In February 2011, Nokia Siemens Networks unveiled its “Single RAN Advanced” architecture for supporting the full range of air interface technologies from GSM up through LTE-Advanced using software defined radios.
Key components of Single RAN Advanced include a new highly powerful, compact and scalable Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station. This base station will be 10 Gbps capable for high capacity cell sites. Single RAN Advanced also includes the Flexi Lite Base Station for micro and pico deployments, which are ideal for providing hotspot coverage in high traffic areas, and a Multicontroller platform for GSM and 3G.
Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Base Station will also have the capability to reallocate radio frequencies for maximum efficiency. The 4.2 MHz technology can rapidly refarm HSPA to lower frequencies with less spectrum required. It also offers spectral efficiency features like Orthogonal Sub Channel in GSM.
Flexi BTS will also come with integrated IP transport interfaces. Flexi BTS will also feature a modular design and the ability to deployed outdoors, eliminating the need for shelter or huts with air conditioning.
Nokia Siemens Networks’ Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station will be available for commercial deployment during 2011, while the Flexi Lite Base Station will become available for commercial use during the first half of 2012. The Multicontroller platform is already being used in customer trials.