2021 DAS DESIGN SPECIFICATION FOR DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEMS
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
DRAFT RELEASE FOR INDUSTRY CONSULTATION 2021 DAS DESIGN SPECIFICATION FOR DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEMS Implementation: Draft release for industry consultation Date: Friday 25 June 2021 Implementation Approval Name: Elie Abouhanna Position: Chair MCF IBC Steering Committee
Document details Version 0.1 Status Draft for industry consultation Owner’s title: Chair IBC MCF Steering Committee Author’s name: Elie Abouhanna Document Location Web Address: www.amta.org.au Directory: https://amta.org.au/in-building-coverage- information-for-property-owners- managers/ Sub Directory: Filename: MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Document No: Document change control Date Version Reason for Change Change Author 25.06.2021 0.1 Draft release for industry consultation Elie Abouhanna This publication has been prepared and written by AMTA and the MCF and is copyright. Other than for the purposes of and subject to the conditions prescribed under the Copyright Act, no part of it may in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, micro-copying, photocopying, recording or otherwise) be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior written permission from the document controller. Product or company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Note for MCF readers: The contents of this publication are subject to change without notice. All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication. Notwithstanding, AMTA and the MCF does not assume responsibility for any errors nor for any consequences arising from any errors in this publication. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 3 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
CONTENTS CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................. 4 TABLES ................................................................................................................................................... 7 FIGURES................................................................................................................................................. 7 DEFINITIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 8 1 PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................................ 10 1.0a PUBLICATION ........................................................................................................................ 10 1.0b GRANDFATHERING OF 2018 DAS SPECIFICATION DESIGNS......................................... 10 1.1 SCOPE...................................................................................................................................... 11 1.2 HEALTH SAFETY AND WELFARE (HS&W) CONSIDERATIONS .......................................... 11 1.3 LEAD CARRIER ENGAGEMENT ............................................................................................. 11 2 DAS DESIGN .................................................................................................................................. 13 2.1 DAS PLANNING ....................................................................................................................... 13 2.2 DESIGN PRINCIPLES .............................................................................................................. 13 2.3 GENERAL DAS DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................... 14 2.4 MIMO DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS ........................................................................................ 15 2.5 OPERATING FREQUENCY BANDS ........................................................................................ 16 2.6 OTHER FREQUENCY RANGES ............................................................................................. 16 2.7 REFERENCE TECHNOLOGIES .............................................................................................. 17 2.8 FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES & SPECTRUM ............................................................................. 17 3 DAS PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY ............................................................................................. 17 3.1 PASSIVE DAS .......................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 ACTIVE DAS ............................................................................................................................. 17 3.3 TARGET COVERAGE AREA ................................................................................................... 18 3.4 RF LEVELS REQUIRED........................................................................................................... 22 3.5 HANDOVER ZONE ................................................................................................................... 23 3.6 DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR VARIOUS DAS APPLICATIONS................................................. 24 3.7 TYPES OF IN BUILDING COVERAGE SOLUTIONS .............................................................. 24 3.8 PASSIVE DAS INTERCONNECT PORTS ............................................................................... 32 3.9 HYBRID & ACTIVE DAS INTERCONNECT PORTS ............................................................... 32 3.10 RADIO POWER SHARING .................................................................................................... 33 3.10a EME DESIGN CONSTRAINTS .............................................................................................. 33 3.10b EME DESIGN MARGIN FOR SHARING ................................................................................ 34 3.11 ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY (EMC) DESIGN CONSTRAINT .............................. 35 3.12 MAXIMUM SIGNAL RECEIVED BY USER EQUIPMENT (UE) ............................................... 35 3.13 MINIMUM ALLOWABLE PATH LOSS ...................................................................................... 35 MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 4 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
3.14 RF PROPAGATION MODEL .................................................................................................... 36 3.15 MEASURED PERFORMANCE OF INSTALLED DAS ............................................................. 36 3.16 CABLE AND COMPONENT LABELLING ................................................................................ 37 3.17 APPROVED MATERIAL LIST .................................................................................................. 38 3.17a COMPONENT COMPLIANCE ................................................................................................ 38 3.18 DAS COMPONENT SPECIFICATIONS ................................................................................... 38 4 DELIVERABLES ............................................................................................................................ 45 4.1 DOCUMENTATION .................................................................................................................. 45 4.2 PRELIMINARY DAS DESIGN DOCUMENTATION FOR LEAD CARRIER REVIEW ............. 46 4.3 DETAILED DAS DESIGN DOCUMENTATION FOR LEAD CARRIER APPROVAL ............... 47 4.4 FOR CONSTRUCTION INSTALLATION DOCUMENTATION ................................................. 48 4.5 HANDOVER DOCUMENTATION ............................................................................................. 50 5 PASSIVE INTERMODULATION (PIM) .......................................................................................... 51 5.1 WHAT IS PASSIVE INTERMODULATION (PIM)? ................................................................... 51 5.2 WHAT ISSUES DOES IT CAUSE TO A DAS? ........................................................................ 52 5.3 HOW DO PIM PROBLEMS TYPICALLY ARISE? .................................................................... 53 5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS TO MINIMISE PIM.............................................................................. 54 5.5 WIDEBAND NOISE .................................................................................................................. 56 5.6 MINIMISING WIDEBAND NOISE ............................................................................................. 57 5.7 MEASURING WIDEBAND NOISE ........................................................................................... 57 6 INSTALLATION GUIDELINES ....................................................................................................... 58 6.1 CABLE HANDLING ................................................................................................................... 58 6.2 ANTENNA INSTALLATION ...................................................................................................... 62 6.3 SPLITTER MOUNTING ............................................................................................................ 64 6.4 JUMPER CABLES .................................................................................................................... 66 6.5 OPTICAL FIBRE INSTALLATION GUIDELINES ..................................................................... 66 6.6 OPTICAL FIBRE CABLE INSTALLATION ............................................................................... 69 6.7 GPS ANTENNAS ...................................................................................................................... 69 7 TEST RESULTS .............................................................................................................................. 70 7.1 INSTALLATION / TEST REPORT ............................................................................................ 70 7.2 TEST EQUIPMENT USED ....................................................................................................... 71 7.3 RF SWEEPS ............................................................................................................................. 71 7.4 INSERTION LOSS .................................................................................................................... 72 7.5 PASSIVE INTERMODULATION TESTING .............................................................................. 74 7.6 WALK TESTS ........................................................................................................................... 75 7.7 OPTIC FIBRE TESTING & COMMISSIONING ........................................................................ 77 8 CARRIER EQUIPMENT & ACCOMMODATION REQUIREMENTS ............................................... 79 8.1 CARRIER ROOM SPECIFICATIONS ...................................................................................... 79 MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 5 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
8.2 CARRIER EQUIPMENT RACK SPACE REQUIREMENTS ..................................................... 79 8.3 POWER..................................................................................................................................... 79 8.4 AIR CONDITIONING ................................................................................................................ 81 8.5 FIRE PROTECTION ................................................................................................................. 81 8.6 CABLE MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................... 81 8.7 REMOTE MULTI-NETWORK COMBINER (MNC) LOCATIONS ............................................. 82 8.8 TRANSMISSION ....................................................................................................................... 83 8.9 LIGHTING ................................................................................................................................. 84 8.10 ROOM FINISH ......................................................................................................................... 84 8.11 DAS SECURITY ...................................................................................................................... 85 Fixed Line (PTSN/NBN) .................................................................................................................... 86 VoWIFI (Voice over WiFi) ................................................................................................................. 86 Small Cells ........................................................................................................................................ 86 Carrier Approved Mobile Signal Repeaters ...................................................................................... 86 Smart Antennas ................................................................................................................................ 87 MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 6 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
TABLES Table 1 - Bands designated for use by mobile network operators ........................................................ 16 Table 2 - Reference Technologies and 3GPP Standards ..................................................................... 17 Table 3 - DAS capacity solution types .................................................................................................. 18 Table 4 - DAS performance benchmarks for the various DAS types and Minimum segment/sector dimensioning ......................................................................................................................................... 21 Table 5 - Signal, Dominance and Quality Performance Levels for DAS ............................................... 22 Table 6 - Maximum Input Power ........................................................................................................... 32 Table 7 - Example power share calculation .......................................................................................... 33 Table 8 - Maximum Received Levels at MS/UE ................................................................................... 35 Table 9 - Minimum allowable path loss ................................................................................................. 36 Table 10 - Passive Component PIM Specification ................................................................................ 39 Table 11 - Permitted Coaxial Connector Types .................................................................................... 40 Table 12 - Installation/Test Report ........................................................................................................ 70 Table 13 - Example of Insertion Loss Report ........................................................................................ 73 Table 14 - Walk tests to be conducted for all technologies and frequency bands which will operate from DAS handover ............................................................................................................................... 76 Table 15 - Lighting Requirements ......................................................................................................... 84 Table 16 - Room Finish Summary Table .............................................................................................. 84 FIGURES Figure 1 - Example DAS architectures ................................................................................................. 15 Figure 2 - MNC Configuration Diagram ................................................................................................. 32 Figure 3 - Ideal G P S Antenna View of Sky .......................................................................................... 41 Figure 4 - Minimum GPS Antenna View of Sky .................................................................................... 42 Figure 5 - GPS Line of Site - Horizontal Plane...................................................................................... 42 Figure 6 - Passive Intermodulation (PIM) Products Produced by Two Signals .................................... 51 Figure 7 - Noise Floor Tolerances between Communications Generations ......................................... 52 Figure 8 - Poor PIM Performance on Base Station Receiver ............................................................... 53 Figure 9 - Initial and Improved Installation to Reduce Stress on RF Connections and Improve Testability .............................................................................................................................................. 56 Figure 10 - Typical Cable Installation on Tray....................................................................................... 59 Figure 11 - Distribution from backbone cable ....................................................................................... 59 Figure 12 - Branch (Floor) Cabling ........................................................................................................ 60 Figure 13 Floor Cable Mounting ............................................................................................................ 61 Figure 14 - Omnidirectional antenna Installation below false ceiling .................................................... 63 Figure 15 - Omnidirectional antenna mounted where no false ceiling exists ........................................ 63 Figure 16 - Mounting of panel antennas ............................................................................................... 64 Figure 17 - Example of splitter / coupler mounting bracket................................................................... 65 Figure 18 - Typical Installation .............................................................................................................. 65 Figure 19 - Optic Fibre Rack-mounted Splice Tray and Patch Panel ................................................... 67 Figure 20 - Optic Fibre Splice Tray and Patch Panel ............................................................................ 68 Figure 21 - Optic Fibre Splice Box ........................................................................................................ 68 Figure 22 - Example of a Return Loss Sweep ...................................................................................... 72 Figure 23 - Example of colour-coded snail trail result ........................................................................... 77 MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 7 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
DEFINITIONS Approved Design means the 3rd party design produced by an entity engaged by a Building Owner or Developer which has been reviewed and approved by a Lead Carrier to proceed to construction. ARPANSA RPS S-1 means the ARPANSA General Public power flux density (“Standard for Limiting Exposure to Radiofrequency Fields – 100 kHz to 300 GHz”, Radiation Protection Series S-1, Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency). Carrier(s) means Optus, Telstra and TPG Telecom/Vodafone and their related body corporates. Category 1 IBC means an In Building Coverage or DAS system where none of the antennas exceed the ARPANSA Radiation Protection Series S-1 General Public reference levels at 20cm from the antenna. Category 2 IBC means an In Building Coverage or DAS system where one or more of the antennas exceed the ARPANSA Radiation Protection Series – S1 General Public reference levels at 20cm from the antenna. Passive DAS means: A passive DAS is typically divided into two main components: a. The backbone feed system which forms the distribution to each floor or area; and b. The floor/area cabling. The backbone is generally composed of cables, splitters and couplers. The preferred network topology is for groups of floors/areas (up to 4) to be fed from a multi-way splitter, which in turn is fed from a trunk cable from the carrier base station (or from a higher level splitter where there are more than 4 floors/areas). The floor cabling can be a combination of any of radiating cable, coaxial cable, antennas and terminations. Active DAS mean a DAS which has an interface unit which converts an RF signal from the base station to either analogue (IF), digital or optical signals. This interface unit is typically co-located with the carrier base station equipment. From the interface point, typically optical fibre distribution or Ethernet cables are used to feed remote active heads which convert the optical signals back to RF signals and are then connected to individual antennas or to a small passive distribution system (Hybrid DAS). Active systems may be multi-band, and/or support multiple technologies. Hybrid DAS means a configuration which generally takes the form of an Active DAS, which then feeds into smaller passive DAS tributaries. Another configuration might be a multi-sector solution where a common base station feeds an Active DAS in one section of the building, but has another indoor coverage area served by a Passive DAS. Lead Carrier means a member of the Mobile Carriers Forum who is the owner and operator of a public mobile telecommunications network in Australia. The current Carriers providing such services are Optus, Telstra and TPG Telecom trading as Vodafone. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 8 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
DAS MoU means the memorandum of understanding which has been entered into by the Carriers which sets out the agreed technical and commercial principles for sharing of DAS infrastructure in Australia. Distributed Antennae System (DAS) means the distributed antennae system for mobile telecommunications coverage installed as per the Approved Design in the Building comprising a constellation of antennae and cabling interconnected with splitters, combiners, amplifiers and powered equipment which has been installed throughout the Building and can be a combination of Passive DAS, Active DAS or Hybrid DAS. Exemption Zone(s) means areas within a building environment which have been approved by the Lead Carrier to be exempt from achieving the Coverage and/or Capacity KPIs as defined in this specification. MCF means Mobile Carriers Forum. Mobile Carrier(s) means see definition for Carrier. Sharing Carrier or Collocating Carrier means a network operator connecting to a DAS and relying on the Lead Carrier to operate and maintain the DAS. Target Coverage Area means the coverage area of a building or property which the Lead carrier endorses as the zone which KPI thresholds must be met. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 9 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
1 PURPOSE Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) are used to provide enhanced mobile coverage and capacity management by using antennas strategically distributed within the proposed coverage area. The DAS consists of the cabling, splitting, distribution and radiating elements (antennas) required for such coverage solutions. These distributed antenna systems are used for various applications, however, are ideally suited to provide an indoor coverage and capacity solution in situations where the external mobile network may not provide reliable penetration to all areas within a building. When properly designed and installed, the installation of a DAS provides the ideal opportunity to ensure end-users receive an optimal quality experience. Conversely, a poorly designed or installed system will see end-users encounter unreliable user experiences such as dropped calls, clipped speech, slow data speed etc. This specification document outlines the design standards and performance quality criteria required to ensure end-users receive a carrier-grade service from the DAS. 1.0a PUBLICATION This version (published 2021) replaces and supersedes the 2014 and 2018 versions of the MCF DAS Design Specification. Previous versions are not to be used as a design guide. For the latest version refer to the AMTA website. https://amta.org.au/in-building-coverage-information-for-property-owners-managers/ 1.0b GRANDFATHERING OF 2018 DAS SPECIFICATION DESIGNS From the date of publishing of the 2021 Specification, designs completed using the 2018 MCF Specification will be subject to the following acceptance criteria: 1. Designs completed, submitted and approved to a contracted Lead Carrier by 1st January 2022 will be accepted to proceed to build. During this timeframe, the MCF recommendation for a 5G pathway is a DAS meeting the MIMO requirements and extended passband specifications outlined in this document. Submissions and/or approvals sought after 1st January 2022 must utilise this specification. All previous designs based on superseded specifications will not be accepted and must be redesigned to the 2021 MCF DAS Design Specification; 2. Major infrastructure construction projects which are in progress and planned for completion in calendar year 2021 or 2022 currently undertaking a design process may be eligible to be retained as a 2018 MCF DAS Design Specification design. This is subject to an existing contracted Lead Carrier endorsement of the design practices adopted. All other projects must be refreshed to the 2021 MCF DAS Design Specification. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 10 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
1.1 SCOPE This document details the design, performance and testing requirements for a DAS to which Mobile Carriers will agree to connect their radio communications equipment. Where the DAS is comprised of more than one sector, the standards outlined in this document shall apply to each sector. These standards will apply to Passive, Active and Hybrid DAS’s. This document provides carrier requirements from a design, engineering and operational perspective. The document does not contemplate tenure or other commercial arrangements. 1.2 HEALTH SAFETY AND WELFARE (HS&W) CONSIDERATIONS This document provides information required to ensure a DAS can be designed and installed to meet the relevant workplace safety standards. However, this document must be considered subordinate to any general or project specific HS&W requirements. In situations where there appears to be a conflict or contradiction between this document and any other workplace safety standards, the more conservative (i.e. the safer) solution should apply. The DAS design process must address EME levels in line with mandatory standards ARPANSA and other. It should be noted that a significant modification of the EME guidelines has occurred in this revision around the antenna classification compliance categories and EME design methodologies. 1.3 LEAD CARRIER ENGAGEMENT The building owner or developer must seek the engagement of a Lead Carrier either via the MCF or by direct approach to the Lead Carrier prior to issuing a tender for the design and/or construction of a DAS. Should commercial negotiations hold up the engagement of a Lead Carrier, then as a minimum a Carrier should review the design and endorse approach prior to progression. If no Carrier has agreed to be Lead Carrier or is willing to review the design, then DAS design still must proceed to the standards contained in this document. The Lead Carrier can enter into a NDA should confidentiality be a requirement. 1. Lead Carriers have the responsibility to approve a DAS design (Approved Design) and will be accountable for any DAS performance deficiency which may arise because of that Lead Carrier approval. (Note: the Lead Carrier will not be accountable for deficiencies in DAS performance that arise from changes in building design which have not been explicitly notified to the Lead Carrier and which impact performance of the DAS). 2. The DAS design may or may not be sourced from a Lead Carrier. 3. Lead Carriers may provide the opportunity for other Carriers to review the efficacy of the proposed design in relation to their networks at the time of the review and may take into consideration other Carrier’s reasonable requirements within the scope of these specifications. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 11 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
4. If other Carriers do not respond within 10 working days of an invitation from the nominated Lead Carrier, the assumption will be made that such Carriers have no interest in the design proposal. The design however must still meet the minimum MCF standards to allow all operators to connect. 5. If the design is deemed non-compliant with these guidelines by the Lead Carrier, the Lead Carrier will identify the deficiencies which must be addressed and inform the DAS designer or building developer or building owner. If the design deficiencies are not rectified, the Lead Carrier reserves the right to opt out of being Lead Carrier. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 12 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
2 DAS DESIGN 2.1 DAS PLANNING Before beginning the detailed design of a DAS, the designer must follow these steps. 1. The design must evaluate the coverage levels (in consultation with the Lead Carrier) provided by the surrounding cells, considering any proposed network changes that are likely to cause an impact. Refer “Exemption Zones” later in document. 2. Obtain a list of any additional requirements and DAS objectives above and beyond what the DAS specification recommends from the building owner that the design must target to provide appropriate solutions for the requirement in the list. This list must be included in the design document. 3. The design must consider any technical, structural or architectural constraints. 4. The design must comply with any applicable regulatory conditions and standards (building codes, electrical safety etc.). 5. Future proofing of the DAS for all Carriers and all technologies, where possible and where necessary. 2.2 DESIGN PRINCIPLES The DAS must be designed with the following key principles in mind: 1. Provide enhanced coverage, and a consistent user experience within the Target Coverage Area. 2. Provide dominant coverage within the Target Coverage Area to avoid unnecessary hand-off and/or interference to/from the rest of the network. 3. Provide enough capacity for the size of the building and expected occupancy, with reasonable allowance for network traffic growth. DAS shall be designed so that it can be easily expanded and upgraded for capacity reasons by way of sectorisation or similar, without compromising the DAS performance. 4. Be sensitive to the building functions, structure properties and environments to reduce risk of DAS performance issues such as Passive Inter-modulation (PIM) and external interferers. 5. Be engineered to allow interference-free operation (including all necessary filtering requirements) between the Sharing Carriers. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 13 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
6. Provide for inter-operability with each of the Sharing Carrier’s macro networks. Each Carrier should be able to operate their network without adverse impact from the other Sharing Carriers. Design must meet all the requirements from this MCF DAS Design Specification to ensure the DAS is built with a Safety in Design approach and meet all regulatory requirements to safely allow the operation of the DAS by the Sharing Carriers. 7. Must be able to operate in accordance with each Mobile Carriers ACMA licence conditions. 8. The DAS type selection should consider the complexity, components, cost and the final performance KPI. 9. Designers need to be mindful of the population distributions between floors and service areas, such as car parks, lobbies, etc. within a building when calculating the number of sectors required for capacity in particular areas of a building. 10. As indicated in other locations in this document, the DAS should be able to be sectorised and doubled in the number of sectors without significant redesign impacts other than to the first common element of the system. 11. The architecture of the DAS design must comply with the application as detailed in Section 3.3 and endorsed by the Lead Carrier as an approved product which has been solution on-boarded and compliant with Australian Federal Government advice around safety and security of network operations. 2.3 GENERAL DAS DESCRIPTION Distributed Antenna System (DAS) are a shareable architecture which may be described as either: 1. Passive – where the base station signal is distributed to the antennas via a passive network of coaxial cables, splitters and couplers. 2. Active – where the base station signal is connected to a central hub or interface unit, which then feeds a network of either optical fibre cables or dedicated structured cabling. Each of these cables in turn connects to a range of active antenna units for coverage distribution. 3. Hybrid – being a combination of Passive and Active Elements. the base station RF signal source is connected to central hub or interface unit which then feeds a network of either optical fibre cables or dedicated structured cabling. These cables in turn connect to a Radio that converts the digital signal into an analogue RF signal which is distributed through a Passive DAS segment. 4. Digital – where a digital signal is used to communicate directly with the DAS master unit through the remote units without any conversion to an analogue RF interface. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 14 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
Figure 1 - Example DAS architectures 2.4 MIMO DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems utilise multiple radio paths between Mobile Carrier’s radio base stations and customer mobiles to enhance performance and capacity. The MCF DAS Design Specification is targeted to address the requirements of next generation 5G infrastructure. All DAS must be designed with a 2x2 MIMO architecture as a baseline. The Lead Carrier will determine the order of MIMO requirements when they assess the required performance attributes for a DAS. The Lead Carrier can present a business case for the DAS to the developer to support the technical requirements for MIMO. The end decision will be in consultation with the customer and the Lead Carrier. Typical candidates for a higher order MIMO DAS configuration are locations which cater for large numbers of people congregating in relatively small and uncluttered areas such as stadiums, entertainment/exhibition/convention centres, auditoriums, function centres, transport/railway stations and tunnels, underground platforms and airports. Single Input Single Output systems (SISO) use one radio path. SISO architecture designs will only be considered in exceptional circumstances in specific Target Coverage Area Exemption Zones with approval from the Lead Carrier. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 15 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
2.5 OPERATING FREQUENCY BANDS In Australia, the following bands are currently designated for use by the Mobile Carriers under both Spectrum and Apparatus Licences (PTS) which are administered by the ACMA. They must be provided in all MCF DAS as a minimum unless agreed by all Sharing Carriers and endorsed by the Lead Carrier. Band Frequency (MHz) 700 MHz DL: 758 –803 UL: 703 –748 850 MHz DL: 870 – 890 UL: 825 – 845 900 MHz DL: 935 – 960 UL: 890 – 915 1.8 GHz DL: 1805 – 1880 (1800 MHz) UL: 1710 – 1785 2.1 GHz DL: 2110 – 2170 (2100 MHz) UL: 1920 – 1980 2.3 GHz 2300 – 2400 (2300 MHz) (TDD) 2.6 GHz DL: 2620 – 2690 (2600 MHz) UL: 2500 – 2570 3.5 GHz 3300 – 3800 (TDD) (3500 MHz) Table 1 - Bands designated for use by mobile network operators The band support in the DAS should be technology agnostic. For maximum flexibility, the passive components of the DAS must be selected to allow operation on all available bands. Active systems must have the flexibility to operate on all the bands and be commercially available at the time of deployment. Exceptions to this requirement must be agreed by the Sharing Carriers and approved by the Lead Carrier. 2.6 OTHER FREQUENCY RANGES Where provision is required for cellular bands not listed in Table 1, components that cover the required frequency range, technology and use-case should be specified. Non-cellular services such as public safety, land-mobile, paging and Wi-Fi must be deployed on separate infrastructure unless specifically agreed by the Lead Carrier. If agreed by the Lead Carrier, the non-mobile services must be properly integrated and incorporated from the initial design phase, rather than being subsequently added to the DAS. Retrofit solutions for non-mobile services are not permitted as they may compromise overall DAS performance. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 16 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
2.7 REFERENCE TECHNOLOGIES DAS shall be designed to operate with base station and repeater equipment that is compliant with the corresponding ACMA licence conditions, as well as the relevant 3GPP standards. Reference 3GPP Series Technology WCDMA TS 25 series LTE TS 36 series NR TS 38 series Table 2 - Reference Technologies and 3GPP Standards 2.8 FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES & SPECTRUM This release of this specification does not encapsulate DAS solutions using spectrum bands not covered in Section 2.5 Operating Frequency Bands (e.g mmWave). Where mmWave solutions are required this will require independent consultation with the Carriers and likely independent antenna infrastructure for each Carrier. 3 DAS PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY 3.1 PASSIVE DAS All components and elements of a passive DAS must be designed to simultaneously distribute the range of frequencies and technologies identified in Section 2.5 and Table 1. It should be noted that passive components that have extended frequency operation from 700 - 3800 MHz bands must be used in the design. 3.2 ACTIVE DAS Active DAS equipment must be operationally supported by the Lead Carrier, refer to Section 3.17. Carrier approved component lists are available on the AMTA website. https://amta.org.au/in-building-coverage-information-for-property-owners-managers/ It should not be assumed that all products offered by vendors are acceptable for connection by the Carriers. Acceptability to the Lead Carrier needs to be confirmed before finalisation of For Construction packages or procurement decisions are made. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 17 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
Active DAS Equipment must be designed and deployed for all technologies as outlined in section 2.5 and the Approved Design. The design shall assume that all channels in every frequency band are in operation simultaneously at each output port of the Active remote head, noting that EME compliance must be achieved under these operational conditions. 3.3 TARGET COVERAGE AREA The Target Coverage Area shall be agreed with the Lead Carrier prior to commencement of the DAS design and shall be documented and marked on copies of the site plan and floor plans. This is undertaken in consultation with the Lead Carrier prior to design and incorporating the owner/developer’s coverage requirements. In any situation where a reduction in the Target Coverage Area has not been agreed upfront and in writing, the Lead Carrier will enforce that the Target Coverage Area encompasses the entire building in accordance with the performance levels detailed in Section 3.4 below before accepting handover of the DAS. MIMO can make a significant difference to the capacity and performance of a DAS. The general principles for the use of MIMO Target Coverage Areas are as follows: Capacity Type Solution Type 2x2 MIMO on 700-900MHz High 4x4 MIMO on 1800-2600MHz 4x4 MIMO on 3300-3800MHz 2x2 MIMO on 700-900MHz Hotspot 2x2 MIMO on 1800-2600MHz 4x4 MIMO on 3300-3800MHz 2x2 MIMO on 700-900MHz Standard 2x2 MIMO on 1800-2600MHz 2x2 MIMO on 3300-3800MHz Table 3 - DAS capacity solution types The number of DAS segments necessary to cover the target area must be agreed by all Carriers and shall generally be in accordance with the following table. These segments must be capable of being fed by a single sector or by multiple sectors as required by each Carrier. Table 4 specifies the DAS performance benchmarks for the various DAS types and Minimum segment/sector dimensioning. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 18 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
Building Type Area Capacity Type MBB Devices m^2 per Sector per Sector Car Parks Standard 6000 400,000 Residential/ Lobby Standard 4000 66,667 Serviced Apartments Lifts and Lift Lobbies Standard 6000 100,000 Common Areas/ Standard 2000 33,333 Conference Rooms Rooms Standard 4000 400,000 Car Parks Standard 6000 400,000 Hotels Lobby Standard 4000 66,667 Lifts and Lift Lobbies Standard 6000 100,000 Common Areas/ Standard/Hotspot 4000 66,667 Conference Rooms Rooms Standard 4000 66,667 Car Parks Standard 6000 400,000 Commercial Office Office Floors Standard 2000 33,333 Buildings Lifts and Lift Lobbies Standard 6000 100,000 Common Areas Hotspot 2000 33,333 Car Parks Standard 6000 400,000 Shopping Centres Lifts and Lift Lobbies Standard 6000 100,000 Main Thorough fares Standard 2000 33,333 MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 19 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
Major Tenancies Standard 2000 33,333 Food Court Hotspot 2000 33,333 Operators stores Hotspot 2000 33,333 /Management Centres Car Parks Standard 6000 400,000 Hospitals Emergency Standard 4000 66,667 Theatres Standard 4000 66,667 Wards Standard 2000 33,333 Lifts and Lift Lobbies Standard 6000 100,000 Car Parks Standard 6000 400,000 Convention Centres Main Halls High 2000 33,333 Conference Facilities Standard 2000 33,333 Theatres Standard 2000 33,333 Foyers Hotspot 2000 33,333 Lifts and Lift Lobbies Standard 6000 100,000 Seating Bowl High 2000 2,000 Stadiums On-field High 2000 2,000 Lifts and Lift Lobbies Standard 6000 100,000 Corporate Boxes Hotspot 2000 10,000 Concourse Standard 2000 33,333 MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 20 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
Back of House Standard 2000 33,333 Media Standard 2000 33,333 Common Areas inc. Standard 2000 33,333 arrivals/ departures/ baggage Major Airports Lounges Hotspot 2000 33,333 Gate Seating Hotspot 2000 33,333 Airside Standard 20000 1,333,333 Dedicated sector required. Consult Lead Carrier. Stationary Plane Standard 10000 666,667 Dedicated sector required. Consult Lead Carrier. Concourse Standard 2000 33,333 Public Transport Platforms Hotspot 2000 33,333 Tunnels (inside the train) Standard 20000 4,444,444 Non-public areas Standard 20000 1,333,333 Tunnel Proper Standard 20000 40,000,000 Motorway Tunnels Maintenance Corridors/ Standard 20000 1,333,333 Emergency Exits Table 4 - DAS performance benchmarks for the various DAS types and Minimum segment/sector dimensioning MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 21 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
3.4 RF LEVELS REQUIRED The DAS must provide dominant coverage within the Target Coverage Area to avoid unnecessary hand- over and/or interference to/from the external mobile network and must also deliver high quality signal within the Target Coverage Area. The external mobile network is defined as any mobile network signal received/measured/identified within the Target Coverage Area which is not part of the DAS itself. This is undertaken in consultation with the Lead Carrier. Table 5 specifies the required signal, quality and dominance levels for various technologies. These values need to be reliably achieved and available to >95% of the Target Coverage Area. RF levels for the DAS design will vary according to the location within the building. For example, the influence of the external macro network is likely to be greatest in proximity to the perimeter walls and windows. The DAS design will need to particularly ensure performance from the DAS meets required criteria in these locations. In situations where the end-state external mobile network signal levels cannot be reliably measured (e.g. a building not yet constructed or external façade has not been installed), the onus is on the DAS designer to measure the signals on the street for all Carriers and estimate building attenuation based on materials used in the building construction, the Lead Carrier may provide guidance and input into the process. Signal measurements should be collected for all Carriers on all bands. 700 - 2600 MHz 3300 - 3800 MHz 3G 4G / 5G 5G WCDMA LTE / NR NR Reference Power (dBm) ≥ -85 ≥ -95 ≥ -100 (RSCP, RSRP, SS-RSRP) Quality (dB) ≥ -7 ≥ 15 ≥ 15 (Ec/Io, SINR, SS-SINR @ Unloaded) Dominance (dB) ≥9 ≥10 ≥10 Greater than macro network Table 5 - Signal, Dominance and Quality Performance Levels for DAS Table 4 Notes: 1. KPI for 95% of Target Coverage Area. 2. 5G NR Reference Power based on 30KHz sub-carrier spacing. 3. 5G NR 3300-3800 MHz bandwidth 100MHz per operator. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 22 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
4. Equal power spectral density (W/MHz)/Equal Coverage per operator across all bands, refer Section 3.10 Radio Power Sharing Coverage at a distance 6m outside the building at 0.85m above ground level from the IBC must be low enough to ensure dominance by each Carrier’s macro network and must exceed the macro network by 10dB. The dominance of external macros is extremely important to DAS performance. A Lead Carrier must be consulted in the determination of Exemption Zones, otherwise the coverage levels must exceed the minimum levels in Table 5 RF Signal, Dominance and Quality Performance Levels for DAS, by at least 10dB. As per Section 7.1 any Target Coverage Area Exemption Zones need to be clearly shown with reasoning on all relevant floor plans. 3.4.1 BUILDING CORE AND LIFT WELL COVERAGE Where there are lifts within the Target Coverage Area, it is recommended that antennas be placed in the lift foyer adjacent to the lift core (minimum one antenna per every three adjacent lifts). Placement of the antennas should be done in consultation with the Lead Carrier. RF power levels to each antenna must be the maximum allowable based on EME constraints and must be sufficient to provide “best effort” 3G, 4G and 5G coverage into lifts, and must factor the combined RF loss from the lift walls and lift shaft walls. High speed lifts should incorporate dedicated in lift solutions to provide coverage and seamless network performance and handover. The solution to be implemented should be in consultation with the Lead Carrier. In order to avoid triggering undue hand-offs, sector design for the DAS must consider the impact of lifts rapidly travelling through different sectors and the abrupt closure of lift doors. 3.5 HANDOVER ZONE RF levels shall be designed to facilitate both-way handovers with the external mobile network at locations agreed on the Target Coverage Area. The DAS design requires well-defined handover zones, preferably in areas of low-traffic inside the building. The aim is to minimise handover zones in large, open areas and DAS KPI Exemption Zones areas where it can be difficult to control the handover boundary. Designers should make use of natural isolation areas that are part of the building design. Where floor separation can’t be used as a handover boundary (e.g. large atriums), the handover zones are to be shown in the DAS design sectorisation plan. As described in Section 2.2, the DAS must be designed so that it can be easily expanded in the future by way of sectorisation, without compromising the DAS performance. Handover borders for future sectorisation needs to be taken in to account with the DAS design. The design should ensure that RF levels specified in Section 3.4 at 0.85m above ground level outside the building are met. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 23 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
Handovers to/from external fast-moving mobiles need to be avoided except for DAS applications being installed specifically for transport infrastructure (tunnels, railway stations etc.). In those specific installations, coverage must be extended to ensure seamless handover to the macro network. Satisfactory mitigation of signal leakage from the DAS out to the external mobile network must be demonstrated and approved by the Lead Carrier during DAS design in circumstances where buildings or DAS infrastructure are situated in close proximity to freeway overpasses, train lines or similar situations where inadvertent handover to external mobile network users passing the DAS at speed has the potential to impact performance. 3.6 DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR VARIOUS DAS APPLICATIONS The design solution which will be most appropriate for a specific DAS varies depending on the application. Specifically, a DAS for a mine or railway tunnel will not apply the same design approach as may be required for a stadium. Likewise, a residential apartment building DAS must address requirements differently to a commercial office environment. To the extent it is possible to apply, the approaches to various DAS solutions discussed within this section must form the basis of a DAS design for the topics covered in this section. 3.7 TYPES OF IN BUILDING COVERAGE SOLUTIONS 3.7.1 INTRODUCTION In situations where external mobile networks cannot supply reliable indoor coverage and it is necessary to provide RF coverage augmentation, the nature of the building and a variety of circumstances will determine the most appropriate coverage solution. The particular DAS design considerations and objectives which will be considered by the Lead Carrier as part of assessing the most appropriate coverage solution for a given application type are outlined below. The reduction in use of fixed line (PSTN) communication services for residential and business use means communication solutions for people’s everyday needs must be carefully considered by developers and builders. In areas where external carrier macro network coverage will not be reliable for indoor residential apartments or business use, the possible solutions include: fixed lines (PSTN/NBN), VoWiFi, Small Cells, Carrier-approved Smart Antennas or DAS solutions. A DAS is designed to provide equivalent performance between all Carriers throughout the system. The Lead Carrier is responsible for overseeing design of the DAS. After the Lead Carrier agrees to accept the DAS, the Lead Carrier is the party which becomes accountable to resolve any performance issues or deficiencies which are identified in the system. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 24 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
3.7.2 RESIDENTIAL APARTMENTS Wherever possible the DAS should be designed with antennas and infrastructure being placed outside the apartments (i.e. in common areas) to provide service to the Target Coverage Areas within the apartments. Where the placement of antennas in building common areas will not provide sufficient performance to the Target Coverage Areas, it is important for all stakeholders to acknowledge that difficulty for the Lead Carrier to gain access to private residential apartments when required will inevitably lead to delays in rectifying faults on DAS in residential buildings. Consequently, the DAS must be configured so each apartment has a unique feed which can be physically isolated from the remainder of the DAS from outside the apartments – i.e. accessible from common areas of the building. It is not permitted for any branch of the DAS to service multiple apartments without the ability to inspect and isolate each individual apartment being serviced by that branch from common areas. Reason: Supports DAS fault-finding without needing to access private residences and helps mitigate PIM contamination affecting other parts of the DAS. All residential layouts are unique and the extent of Targeted Coverage Areas within apartments will depend on size, apartment layout, and even building exclusivity. For the best possible user experience, the generic approach to providing contiguous coverage within apartments should be prioritized as follows; i) Communal living areas; ii) Offices; iii) Entries/hallways; iv) Kitchens; v) Bedrooms; vi) Bathrooms/laundries With respect to antenna positioning, residential apartments typically have very confined false ceiling space due to the number of services being run inside ceiling cavities, such as plumbing, air- conditioning and electrical. The confinement and density of these services is regularly identified as a significant cause of PIM. The currently available PIM-compliant DAS antennas mean that aesthetics may be an issue for some developers or architects. On this issue, designers are specifically directed to Section 6.2. While proposals may be considered by the Lead Carrier, it should be noted that attempts to fully conceal antennas inside the ceiling space, or with the use of “low-profile” antennas which do not have a robust backplane to limit RF energy resonating within the false ceiling space are unlikely to operate without PIM problems in this environment. Where concealed antenna solutions fail PIM, the Lead Carrier will not agree to commission the DAS. In such circumstances, stakeholders will need to consider whether compromised visual aesthetics, or poor mobile network coverage for residents are priority for the project. MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 25 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
Performance Required: Design RF coverage contours to achieve the performance levels contemplated in Section 3.4 to the following areas unless agreed otherwise: • Inside Apartments • Building Core/Resident-accessible Common Areas, Storage etc. • Inside Lift Cars • Basement Carparks • Plant Rooms • Fire Stairs (best efforts) 3.7.3 SERVICED APARTMENTS Depending on the size and configuration, the design principles will be similar to Residential or Hotels. Serviced apartments are often individually owned through strata subdivisions – or readily capable of being changed to this configuration in the future – therefore DAS cabling to serviced apartments must be individually isolatable in the manner described in Section 3.7.2. Performance Required: Design RF coverage contours to achieve the performance levels contemplated in Section 3.4 to the following areas unless agreed otherwise: • Inside Apartments • Building Core/Occupant-Accessible Common Areas, Storage etc. • Inside Lift Cars • Basement Carparks • Plant Rooms • Fire Stairs (best efforts) 3.7.4 HOTELS Where it is more cost-effective, branch cabling for antennas can be run through partition walls between hotel suites rather than through common areas as required for residential designs. However, experience suggests that typically corridor mounted cabling and antennas will provide sufficient coverage to most hotel rooms. Performance Required: MCF DAS Design Specification 2021 Page 26 of 87 Draft release for industry consultation
You can also read
