Mobile backhaul over Carrier Ethernet to simplify migration to Next Generation Network technology

Nokia Siemens Networks is the only vendor to display a comprehensive turn-key solution at upcoming Carrier Ethernet World Congress in Berlin

Nokia Siemens Networks will display a complete, live, working, Ethernet-based mobile backhaul solution at the upcoming Carrier Ethernet World Congress (CEWC) in Berlin. An industry first, the demo will showcase how synchronization occurs between base stations over a packet switched, backhaul network. The solution is critical as it paves the way for mobile backhaul providers and wireless carriers to move to Next Generation Networks (NGN) based on cost-efficient, packet based infrastructures.

Many operators are today confronted with the problem that most current technology does not allow them to make the most of their existing network resources. Bandwidth is often delivered in pre-selected parcels, regularly resulting in either the under or over-supply of capacity for user application, resulting in network and operational inefficiency.

Advanced ethernet technology, such as that demonstrated by Nokia Siemens Networks at CEWC, will allow operators to supply bandwidth in a way that more closely fits customer need. That will enable operators to monetize better existing assets, save resources and capital expenditure while allowing pricing models which are beneficial to both end user and carrier.

The demonstration will be publicly accessible on the European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC) stand at CEWC and will comprise products such as Flexi WCDMA BTS, a modular 3G base station with inbuilt Ethernet interfaces, Flexi Hybrid, a new Ethernet microwave radio, a Carrier Ethernet switch and Symmetricom’s TimeProvider 5000 master clock.

Based on the IEEE1588v2 standard, the TimeProvider 5000 master clock and the inbuilt slave clock of Flexi WCDMA BTS form the industry’s first open standard Timing over Packet solution to synchronize base stations over packet-based backhaul networks. While Packet Switched Networks (PSN) are the future and increasingly vital to sustaining profitability, synchronization with legacy based TDM networks has meant that operators have not fully embraced the new technology.

“Effective synchronization has actually proven to be a stumbling block for the rapid deployment of next generation networks because both voice and data need be efficiently handled on a single packet-optimized platform,” said Dirk Lindemeier, who is responsible for mobile backhaul solutions at Nokia Siemens Networks. “We aim to overcome the obstacles with the first-ever showcase of a packet-based synchronization over a multi-vendor Carrier Ethernet network. The solution we display is not merely an industry first; it marks the inflection point that will spur operators to go in for mass NGN rollouts.”