FACTSHEET

Cloud RAN Solution

Delivering flexible cloud technologies for Radio Access Networks
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The 5 generation (5G) mobile networks are expected to handle significantly higher data volume, connect an
exponentially higher number of devices, reduce latency, and increase reliability while decreasing CAPEX and OPEX in
a period of downward pressure on ARPUs.

To meet these demands,

KEY BENEFITS
• 11GHz of additional spectrum has already been made available by FCC; • Cloud RAN infrastructure
similar spectrum harmonization efforts are expected through ITU- provides network elasticity and
the agility to dynamically adapt
WRC. In the USA, the new spectrum spans unlicensed, licensed, and
to the changes in demand.
shared access in 57-71GHz, 28/37/39GHz and 3.5GHz frequency bands.

• The baseband processing

This newly available spectrum is more than 10 times that currently in centralization enables the
use below 6GHz. dynamic RAN adaptation
through SON, CoMP,
• Solving the technology challenges of mmWave- shared access centralized scheduling, and
interference control.
management and aggregation mechanisms are critical in the evolution

• Mavenir’s fronthaul is
path toward 5G.
optimized to be supported
• Network infrastructure investment protection figures prominently over ethernet interface instead
of traditional FFTx.
during the deployment of 4G, and increases during the transition to 5G;

this will be a key consideration for the pace of adoption. • The fronthaul is designed with
up to 16ms RTT delay
tolerance – expanding the
A flexible Radio Access Network (RAN) is the cornerstone of this evolution. It distance between the RRU and
needs to be adaptive, flexible, and responsive to evolving infrastructure needs. vBBU to ~200 miles – providing
The evolved RAN architecture must incorporate cloud-centric virtualization CSPs significantly expanded
techniques; it must flex and adapt based on usage and coverage, while providing choices in their network
planning.
expanded choices in the locations for the baseband processing and optimized

fronthaul. • Mavenir’s flexible fronthaul

split simultaneously supports
RRUs from multiple vendors –
While 5G (NR) standards are still in development, we believe it vital to create a alleviating typical vendor lock-
RAN architecture that can address the needs of 4G today while providing a in concerns of the CSPs.
future-proof on-ramp to 5G.

• Mavenir’s Cloud RAN solution

with SDR capability creates the
Mavenir’s innovative Cloud RAN solution (RRU and vBBU) is purposely designed ideal on-ramp to 5G with the
to address this challenge with today’s LTE network needs in mind (e.g. 3GPP near-term benefits of
Rel13 LAA & 5 CA). Inherent in the architecture are design & programming significant CAPEX and OPEX
reduction.
techniques that enable simple and inexpensive upgrades to 5G(NR) – providing

investment protection and deployment flexibility.

Evolution of the Radio Access Network as 5G approaches

Exponential growth in network traffic, new use cases and shared spectrum resources mandate the most efficient use
of allocated radio spectrum. Pressure on capital and operating expense spending has never been higher. With 80%
of traffic typically handled by 15% of cells, a new network architecture becomes paramount. To ensure data rates
as we move to a Gbit/per/sec (Gbps) society, RAN densification becomes extremely critical for the CSPs.

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Evaluation of current deployment scenarios versus full NFV disaggregated Cloud RAN confirms the opportunity for
significant capital and expense savings (Figure 1), which include:
• Lease constraints and energy savings drive Base Band Unit (BBU) pooling
• Increasing the percentage of sharing decreases relative costs
• 50% of network traffic is carried by 10% of cells.
• Busy hour carries 7% of the traffic and varies throughout day.
• RAN virtualization nets significant cost and resource benefits
• Software based network upgrades during co-existence and migration from 4G to 5G
• Additional benefits through S1 and X2 Consolidation (not represented in chart below)

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0
Local BBU BBU Stacking BBU Pooling Cloud RAN
BBU

Capex Opex (10 years)

Figure 1 C-RAN savings

Mavenir Cloud RAN

Mavenir’s Cloud RAN approach centralizes the baseband processing in a cloud native virtual Base Band Unit (vBBU),
with optimized fronthaul (FH) transmission between the RRU and the vBBU over ethernet. The solution provides
Carrier Aggregation (CA) to combine fragmented spectrum of LTE in Licensed and Unlicensed bands (0.7 – 6 GHz),
and supports the shared spectrum initiatives of CBRS to address increased capacity demands at hotspots and areas
with high smartphone data usage. The highly modular software platform brings the benefits of cloud based
virtualization that are deployable in today’s in 4G networks and paves the way for 5G (NR).

Virtualized Baseband Unit (vBBU)

Coupled with the RRU for Radio Access, the solution is exclusively based on network virtualization (NFV/SDN) for the
centralized baseband processing in the cloud (vBBU). Network-wide centralization, coordination and scalability are
TM
just some of the benefits. The vBBU is fully integrated with Mavenir’s CloudRange NFV management and
organization (MANO) framework operating on standard open hardware platforms (COTS). It empowers CSPs with
highly efficient orchestration and control of VNF assets and helps deliver cost savings by including NFV infrastructure
elements for traffic aggregation, load balancing and end-to-end service assurance with analytics, monitoring and

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orchestration. The vBBU also incorporates Self-Organizing Network (SON) capabilities for improved RAN
performance, capacity, adaptive interference management and efficient network load management functions. In
addition, the vBBU supports live migration and dynamic management of RAN infrastructure – alleviating the
challenges of a live network.

Mavenir Fronthaul Split Technology: Innovation at the Edge
Mavenir’s flexible FH split is designed to overcome the inherent limitations of CPRI in terms of latency
adaptation/tolerance, overhead compression, and optimization – while addressing the technical challenges of non-
ideal FH. The FH solution is Ethernet based and supports transport via wireless or wired elements - actively handling
delays up to 16ms round-trip-time (RTT). The FH supports multiple split options at the MAC/PHY interface as well as
at the upper PHY. The nFAPI interface is supported to allow connection from other RRU vendors to Mavenir vBBU.
In addition, configurable asymmetric splits on the FH are enabling unique adaption to U/DL traffic. These capabilities
provide the flexibility and reduce FH requirements by 10x in comparison with CPRI. QoS sensitive splits are supported
through the separation of control and data planes with the ability to support Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC)
for applications that require low latency local HARQ decisions. The RRUs designed with SDR capabilities can be
upgraded to the 5G (NR) capabilities with simple software upgrade enabling CSPs to future-proof their networks for
5G.

Deployment Scenarios
There is no need to wait for 5G to realize substantive capital and operating expense reductions along with Gbps
speed and enhanced QoS compared to the current 4G LTE environment. Mavenir products are designed for today’s
networks, deployment scenarios, and use-cases, with a clear and simple evolution path to 5G.

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Network Densification:
Wireless service providers can deliver the extra capacity boost and coverage in the areas of high-traffic / usage, for
enhanced user experience and increased ARPU. Mavenir Cloud-RAN solutions feature a flexible radio infrastructure
that adapts to usage patterns for improved coverage and enhanced user experiences.

Enterprise Customers:
Cloud RAN solutions are neutral host-ready and support multi-operator/multi-frequency use-cases. The solution
enables seamless wireless connectivity in small, medium, and large business buildings, campuses, shopping malls,
sport arenas, industrial complexes, and major retail locations. Cloud RAN enterprise RRUs can be clustered using
industry standard 10GbE interfaces to provide discrete and wide area coverage operating on LTE licensed /unlicensed
bands, and feature a Wi-Fi option, all combined to provide a high value, high performance enterprise user
experience.

Installation, Maintenance and Environmental:

Mavenir RRUs are compact, light, and unobtrusive. Each version can be mounted on utility poles, building facades,
walls, ceilings or on street furniture. They can be powered by AC, and feature craft access through secure remote
connectivity for installation and troubleshooting. Mavenir RRUs can be integrated and configured by zero touch and
auto script downloading from the EMS, this translates into faster and cost-optimized rollout of clusters. The RRUs
can be managed remotely through the Cloud EMS. Energy efficiency is another big bonus - Mavenir RRU design
dramatically reduces power consumption by turning off unused carriers on CA, MIMO or Tx power – as necessary.

Summary
Conventional RAN platforms have been based on proprietary hardware and rely on long life-cycles in development,
deployment, and operation. With each generation of radio interface change, these radios are typically replaced with
the newer versions at a significant investment and inconvenience to the CSPs. Furthermore, radio infrastructures
based on this approach are designed based on the peak capacity without any granular power and interference
management capabilities. This creates the vendor lock-in and the inability to keep pace with technology and
demographic transitions.

Cloud RAN enables the separation of some or all baseband functions from the remote radio unit that run as VNFs
(Virtualized Network Functions) on commodity hardware – enabling centralized processing in a fully virtualized
environment. Baseband processing centralization enables advanced capabilities such as CoMP, centralized
scheduling, and interference management without the need to exchange information among many access nodes. In
addition, the economics of the simplification of the RRUs in terms of equipment cost, complexity and ease of
deployment is significantly high. The RRUs designed with SDR capabilities can be upgraded to the 5G (NR) capabilities
with simple software upgrade enabling CSPs to future-proof their networks for 5G.

Mavenir’s comprehensive portfolio of fully virtualized VNFs extend the cloud scale to the edge of the network. In
addition to the near-term benefits of lower CAPEX and OPEX, Cloud-RAN brings increased business agility with
network elasticity, flexibility and dynamic RAN optimization. Mavenir’s vBBU designed to support multiple fronthaul
splits simultaneously – making the Cloud-RAN solution an ideal choice for vendor agnostic and future-proof strategy
for the CSPs.

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