SPECTRUM

European Commission publishes study by LS telcom on spectrum assignment in the EU with a view to future 5G services

Ofcom publishes report about in-vehicle measurements by LS telcom & Siroda

The European Commission has published a report entitled “Study on Spectrum Assignment in the European Union”.

Ofcom asked LS telcom to produce a report to better understand the impact of mobile signal attenuation inside vehicles.

The report, written by LS telcom together with PolicyTracker and VVA, examines the approaches used by EU member states for au-thorizing and assigning spectrum with a view to determining which methods might be most appropriate in the context of future 5G services and the development of industrial sectors, so- called vertical markets, in the European Union. “This study will inform regulators, operators and service providers of electronic commu-nications of the benefits from adopting alter-native approaches to spectrum authorization and assignment. These approaches could unlock access to different services using 5G technologies that may otherwise have

been delayed. More flexible use of these ap-proaches improves spectrum efficiency and ultimately improves access to connectivity for enterprises and consumers”, reports Saul Friedner, Associate Director, Spectrum Ser-vices at LS telcom. According to the study, the spectrum access requirements of the ‘vertical’ services, which have specific technical and performance characteristics, differ widely from the require-ments of mobile services, and are driving the way in which spectrum will be used, and the associated regime under which it should be authorized and assigned. The study found that assignment approaches should be har-

monized across Member States, especially for higher frequency bands (e.g. 26 GHz), and appropriately sized blocks considered, when authorizing spectrum for different services.“The findings of the study will provide addi-tional elements in the context of the ongoing negotiations with the European Parliament and the Council on the Commission Proposal for a ‘European Electronic Communications Code’ (EECC). The study will be further ex-ploited in the context of the implementation of the Commission 5G action plan”, as indicat-ed in the EU press release. n

Find the study here: https://www.lstelcom.com/en/company/news/media/

Together with Siroda, a specialist in RF signal measurements, LS telcom conducted a study, which included a unique in-car mobile signal measurement campaign. The report “In-car

Mobile Signal Attenuation Measurements” presents a comprehensive set of in-car mo-bile signal attenuation results as well as sta-tistical analysis of the measurement data.

The unique aspect of the study required careful consideration of undertaking mobile signal attenuation inside vehicles, which covered all mobile frequencies in use by the

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// 5G spectrum assignment

// In-vehicle measurements

News Magazine - Special Edition Mobile World Congress

IoT planning capabilities of CHIRplus_TCPage 2

Improvement of digital connectivity on railwaysPage 2

Validation of spectrum usage Page 3

All forecasts predict a significant growth of devices that will be connected to the inter-net. The variety of applications is endless, from weather sensors, parking sensors, auto-matic plant watering systems, to connected streetlamps, mousetraps, garbage bins, soap dispensers and many more. As most of these devices operate wirelessly, they demand for spectrum and connectivity. But not only the amount of sensors and devices will increase, there is also a growing number of standards and communication protocols such as LoRaTM, Sigfox, NB-IOT, etc.

The IoT planning tool CHIRplus_TC assists the user in coping with the increased complexity

brought by the variety of connected devices and IoT standards.

With CHIRplus_TC the user can perform de-dicated coverage analysis to assure that IoT devices will have sufficient connection and bandwidth for the respective application. The flexible data editor for the devices is able to accommodate basically all IoT devices and antennas. The software also comprises the relevant frequency plans for IoT communica-tions. CHIRplus_TC analyzes specific parame-ters such as the LoRaTM spreading factors, and displays them graphically for a clear overview of network and connection performance. For the verification and validation of coverage pre-

dictions, measurement data can be imported and compared with the simulations.

Use CHIRplus_TC for efficient IoT network planning, and to make sure you succeed your digitalization. n

The model takes into account the propagation particularities of the millimeter wave bands, which are increased wave path loss, grea-

ter atmospheric and rain absorption as well as poor diffraction and transmission abili-ties. Compared to the lower frequencies, the

small-scale fading is greater and penetration loss is high. n

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IoT with CHIRplus_TC

Special radio propagation model for 5G deployment

LS telcom examines options to improve digital connectivity on Britain’s railway

The Internet of Things (IoT) will have a major impact on our personal and professional life.

LS telcom is developing a special 5G propagation model for the millimeter wave bands, for improved accuracy of 5G network planning.

LS telcom has produced a report for Britain’s railway to support improved digital connectivity for customers.

mobile network operators including 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2600 MHz. The drive test was repeated for a range of popular vehicle types found in the UK and measured the mobile signals in urban, subur-

ban and rural areas along a 100 km route.

The empirical data will be used by Ofcom to help conduct mobile signal coverage predic-tions for UK’s roads and also better under-

stand the signal quality that can be received by consumers inside vehicles.

Find the study here: https://www.lstelcom.com/en/company/news/media/ n

The research project was commissioned by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) on behalf of the Future Communications and Positioning Systems Advisory Group.

The research report proposes a 3 to 5-year technology roadmap, and identifies com-mercial deployment models for improving high-speed mobile internet connectivity for passengers, as well as passenger and freight train operations. According to the study, wire-less technology solutions including a mobile variant of Wi-Fi, 4G, and potentially 5G, are available within the suggested timeframe. Successful deployment of internet connec-tivity depends on which business model is adopted to ensure that train operating compa-nies can meet the Department for Transport’s connectivity requirements. The Future Connected Rail Stakeholder Forum (FCRSF) and the Future Connected Train and

Customer Communications Steering Group (FCTCCSG) asked for the study to improve cross-industry involvement on the implemen-tation of digital connectivity across the entire rail network. FCRSF and FCTCCSG are col-laborations between the Rail Delivery Group, which brings together train companies and Network Rail to improve the railway; techUK, on behalf of the digital industries; and Net-work Rail, the company managing Britain’s rail infrastructure. RSSB is also a member of FCTCCSG.

Nick Wilson, Rail Delivery Group, on behalf of the Future Connected Train and Customer Communications Steering Group, said that “This work has helped us to identify the range of technical and commercial options availab-le. It will inform the rail and digital industries on improving digital connectivity (mobile and broadband) across all of Britain’s rail network

for the benefit of rail customers and the train operating companies, freight operating com-panies and rolling stock companies. In ad-dition, the study will inform government of associated investment opportunities and the shaping of policies to maximize them. The study should generate the further essential collaboration between all relevant stakehol-ders, to enable the connectivity that Britain needs in the years to come.”

The publication of the report coincides with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, and the Department for Transport’s launch of a call for evidence on ‘Commerci-al options for delivering mobile connectivity on trains’. The findings from the report could help to provide some information to this call for evidence. n

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// Planning of IoT networks

// 5G radio propagation model

// Digital connectivity on railways

Validation of real spectrum usage with LS telcom’s SpectrumMapTM

LS telcom expands cooperation on LoRaTM software tools with Digita

Repeat order from Sigfox for regulatory study in four countries

Customers now have the possibility to validate real world radio coverage for an area of interest with the new solution SpectrumMapTM.

Digita, a pioneer in wireless and digital solutions, and LS telcom have agreed to expand their cooperation on network planning tools.

Sigfox has commissioned LS telcom to conduct a study on regulations for the use of license exempt spectrum in four countries.

As a cloud-based big data system Spectrum-MapTM gathers real spectrum usage data from a monitoring network and presents the data on a map in a fast and user-friendly way. The system collects and stores spectrum data from multiple monitoring sources, such as fixed sites, temporary sites, mobile, handheld and portable devices. The equipment can be from different providers and manufacturers.

The easy to use interface allows even staff, not qualified as engineers such as policy ma-kers, band planners, licensing teams, as well as skilled engineering teams, and enforce-ment to use a range of analytical tools via web apps. Measured and calculated spectrum coverage data can be visualized in many ways such as by band, channel or service type. Key applications, which are available as web apps, include:

Field strength of single frequencies to bands, all user selectableCoverage analysis of user selectable bandsBand occupancySpectrum useElectromagnetic radiation hazard analysisDynamic band analysis where the display steps through user selectable frequency steps

In contrast to conventional control units of monitoring systems, SpectrumMapTM focuses on presenting the data in a geographical area rather than needing to identify monitoring sites and individually calculate coverage of each site. Manfred Lebherz, CEO of LS telcom explained: “with SpectrumMapTM regulators can now for the first time base their licensing scheme on real world measured spectrum usage not just prediction. This is especially useful in urban areas, where spectrum is very densely used. We are sure that SpectrumMapTM will be in-dispensable for regulators with the introducti-on of 5G services, the Internet of Things (IoT) applications and connected objects.” n

Digita already employs LS telcom’s software planning tool suite CHIRplus for the planning of their radio and TV networks and microwave links, and the cooperation now expands to the planning of Internet of Things (IoT) net-works. Digita has adopted the CHIRplus_TC application, which provides full functionality and is optimized for the planning of LoRaTM networks and other narrow-band standards typically applied to the roll-out of IoT, smart cities and smart grid applications. LoRaTM is next-generation’s radio technology that has been especially designed to meet the needs of IoT.

“LS telcom is a strong software supplier with whom we have had long-standing and satis-fying cooperation. It is excellent for us that their services have expanded to include the planning of IoT networks”, says Ari Kuukka, Director of IoT Services at Digita. “We have tested several IoT planning tools and chose to adopt the LoRaTM software supplied by LS telcom. We were also able to influence the de-velopment of the software’s features to cover

our specific needs in the planning work”, says Mikko Meriläinen, network planner at Digita. Manfred Lebherz, CEO and Member of the Board of LS telcom, commented, “We are very pleased that the Finnish company Digita, on the forefront of technologies and standards, has selected our LoRaTM planning software.

This proves that we are on the right track with our IoT planning functionality development programe, and we highly appreciate the close partnership with Digita, who provide valuable contributions to form our functional roadmap to fully match with our customers’ day-to-day needs.” n

The objective of the study was to better un-derstand difficulties and opportunities for the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) net-works based on Sigfox technology. The study was accompanied by local support services.The study of the regulatory framework in the

different countries enabled Sigfox to refine its launch of service strategy in these countries. On the other hand, LS telcom facilitated com-munication between Sigfox and the regulators thanks to the quality of their customer base, which extends over more than 100 countries.

Since 2015, LS telcom has conducted numer-ous studies and measurements for Sigfox, the world’s leading provider of Internet of Things connectivity, in several countries in Africa and the Middle East. n

// SpectrumMapTM

// Network planning tools

// Deployment of IoT networks

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CHIRplus_TC: map example (doesn’t correspond to the real Digita network)

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For further information, please visit www.LStelcom.com or contact us:

Our worldwide subsidiaries:Colibrex GmbH, Victoria Boulevard B109, 77836 Rheinmünster, Germany | LS telcom UK Limited, Riverside House – Mezzanine Floor, 2a Southwark BridgeRoad, London SE1 9HA, United Kingdom | LS telcom Inc., 5021 Howerton Way, Suite E Bowie, Maryland 20715, USA | LS of South Africa Radio Communications (Pty) Ltd., 131 Gelding Ave, Ruimsig, Roodepoort, 1724 Johannesburg, South Africa | LS telcom SAS, 47, boulevard de Sébastopol75001 Paris, France | LS telcom Limited, 1145 Hunt Club Road, Suite 100 Ottawa, ON, K1V 0Y3, Canada | RadioSoft Inc., 194 Professional Park Clarkesville, Georgia 30523, USA | LST Middle East FZ-LLC, Office 2118 (21st Floor), Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

LS telcom AG +49 7227 9535 600Im Gewerbegebiet 31-33 +49 7227 9535 60577839 Lichtenau Info@LStelcom.comGermany www.LStelcom.com

© 2018 for all photos and texts: LS telcom Group, istockphoto Editor: Christiane Labitzke Layout: Wolfgang Braun

4 | Spectrum 1.2018 | LS telcom

// Meet us at...

n Mobile World Congress Barcelona/Spain 26th February - 01st March 2018 n IWCE Orlando/USA 05th - 09th March 2018

n Critical Communications World Berlin/Germany 15th - 17th March 2018n ITU Telecom World Durban/South Africa 10th - 13th September 2018

Training course about 5G readiness and network deployment27th - 28th March 2018 - Riverside House, London

A 2-day course to inform and enhance the knowledge of those that will be deploying the technology but also need to understand the challenges and implications of such a network deployment.

By attending the course you will understand the status of 5G and the road-map, identify the key challenges in deploying 5G infrastructure and accessing new and existing spectrum bands, demonstrate the benefits and features the technology will bring to various different users, examine the likely costs of a typical 5G deployment, discover how to achieve posi-tive benefits from 5G technology deployment n

// 5G training

LS telcom provides TV white space database to deliver internet support for hurricane victims in Puerto Rico In summer 2017, hurricane Maria left the island of Puerto Rico de-vastated with minimal surviving infrastructure.

Now as the relief efforts continue, TV white space is providing valuable internet access for local people and those involved in the relief effort.

LS telcom provided its white space database with the deployed end-user devices from Adaptrum. Adaptrum contracted LS telcom to populate the TV white space database with their deployed devices as well as support the integration of their automated access to the LS telcom TV white space database. Beyond the immediate benefits for the people of Puerto Rico, this integration will support the renewed effort in the United States to lever-age TV white space for rural internet access and services. LS telcom is one of the official white space database providers of the FCC. n

// TV white space

Spectrum Summit 2018, 4th July Join us on 4th July 2018 for the 23rd Annual Spectrum Conference in Lichtenau/Baden, Germany, in the midst of the beautiful Black Forest Region.

Last year 200 delegates from 33 countries worldwide attended Europe’s largest Annual Spectrum Summit. Representatives and thought leaders from regulatory authorities, network operators, industry stakeholders and research institutions came together to present and discuss the latest developments, news and controver-sies in radio communications and spectrum management. n

Reserve your place now! More information: www.spectrum-summit.com

// Spectrum Summit