Hattab 2018
Hattab 2018
Abstract—The explosive growth of mobile traffic has elevated adjacent 3.55-3.7 GHz band (3.5GHz band) which has
the need to explore additional spectrum for fifth-generation (5G) been recently allocated for wireless broadband applica-
networks in low bands (e.g., below 3GHz), mid bands (e.g., 3- tions by the FCC [6]. In addition, unlike the incumbents
6GHz), and high bands (mainly above 24GHz). To this end,
it is imperative to study the interference of 5G systems into in the 3.5GHz band, which are primarily for Federal
incumbent systems occupying these bands. In this paper, we study Government uses, there is greater opportunity in the 3.7-
the coexistence of 5G Massive MIMO systems with incumbents 4.2 GHz band to minimize encumbrances, thus creating
in the mid-band spectrum between 3.7GHz to 4.2GHz, which are a cleaner interference environment for 5G terrestrial
primarily fixed receive-only satellite earth stations (FESs) that are deployments.
endowed with highly directive antennas. In particular, we analyze
• Large contiguous spectrum: As stated earlier, the 3.7-
the aggregate interference experienced at FESs from the uplink
and downlink transmissions of the 5G system. We then identify 4.2GHz is adjacent to the 3.5 band, and thus combining
and present several interference mitigation techniques, including the two helps provide 650MHz of contiguous spectrum.
protection regions, power control, and frequency partitioning, • Global harmonization: The 3.7-4.2GHz is also being
to ensure harmonious coexistence. Finally, we present a case considered for future 5G deployment in other countries
study of 5G deployment in a dense area, where we use an actual
database of FESs for accurate analysis. Simulation results reveal and regions, and it has the potential to become a glob-
that the favorable propagation environment sub-6GHz limits ally harmonized range. Clearly, spectrum harmonization
the opportunity of co-channel deployment, making frequency enables economies of scale, expands global roaming, and
partitioning more desired for a practical coexistence. reduces equipment design complexity.
Index Terms—5G, coexistence, interference analysis, massive
Due to the high potentials the 3.7-4.2GHz band can bring to
MIMO, spectrum sharing, satellite earth stations.
cellular networks, in this paper we study the deployment of
I. I NTRODUCTION 5G in the mid-band spectrum, and its coexistence with current
legacy systems that operate in the band.
It is universally accepted that the deployment of fifth- Existing work pertaining shared spectrum access between
generation cellular networks requires expanding spectrum ac- 5G systems and incumbent systems has been attracting signif-
cess beyond the traditional licensed spectrum bands allocated icant attention. For instance, 5G deployment over millimeter
for mobile cellular networks. Hence, it is critical to identify frequencies has spurred several studies such as the coexistence
current underutilized channels in the low-, mid- and high- of 5G systems with earth stations transmitting to satellite
bands spectrum to provide coverage, gigabit connectivity, stations at 28GHz [7], with fixed service at 39GHz [8], and
and accommodate the explosive growth of mobile traffic [1]. with point-to-point fixed service for wireless backhaul at 70
While spectrum access at millimeter frequencies has attracted and 80GHz [9], [10]. For coexistence sub-6 GHz, the FCC has
significant attention [2]–[4], e.g., the Federal Communications developed a sharing framework at 3.55-3.7GHz with radar,
Commission (FCC) has opened 3.85GHz of licensed spectrum fixed satellite service earth stations (FESs), etc [6]. Other
for cellular services at 28GHz and 39GHz [4], 5G access works, e.g., [11], [12], have studied the interference from
sub-6GHz remains a key piece of next-generation networks. incumbent radar systems into cellular networks at 3.5 GHz.
Indeed, the FCC has recently opened an inquiry into potential In this paper, we focus on 5G deployment over the C-band,
wireless broadband access in the mid-band spectrum sub-6 i.e., 3-7-4.2 GHz, where the incumbent systems are primarily
GHz, and specifically at 3.7-4.2 GHz [5]. We also note that FESs that operate in a receive-only mode, i.e., downlink from
other countries and regions, e.g., China, Europe, Japan, Korea, the satellite to the FES.
etc., have shown interest for 5G deployments in the mid-band We have thoroughly analyzed the FESs that have been
spectrum. registered in the FCC’s International Bureau Filing System
The mid-band spectrum uniquely suits the deployment of (IBFS) database. Our analysis has reveled that both the number
cellular networks for the following reasons: of existing FESs and the number of grants obtained to install
• Favorable propagation characteristics: The 3.7-4.2 new ones have been constantly declining over time. Indeed,
GHz band has similar propagation characteristics as the analyzing the incumbents’ database [13], Fig. 1a shows that,
1500
are randomly distributed in space, with 20% of them being
1000
deployed outdoors and the rest are indoors [14]. We assume
a fixed antenna height of 1.5m for outdoor users. For a user
500
located indoors, we assume it is uniformly distributed across
0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995
Year
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 the floors of the building, where each floor is assumed to have
a height of 3m. All UEs are assumed to operate in an omni-
(b)
directional mode.
Fig. 1: The utilization of the 3.7-4.2GHz spectrum is decreas- During cell selection and association, the UE measures the
ing: (a) The number of FESs for a given expiry year; (b) The received power of reference signals sent over different beams
number of new grants per year. from gNBs in vicinity of the UE. Then, the UE connects
to the beam with the highest received power. We further
assume a static time-division duplexing (TDD) as means of
for a given expiry date, the number of FESs in the United resource allocation. Hence, all gNB-UE links point in the same
States has been constantly decreasing, reaching few thousands direction at a given time, i.e., either all are UL or all are DL.
in 2017. Similarly, Fig. 1b highlights that the number of new For the incumbents in the mid-spectrum band at 3.7-
grants for earth stations is also decreasing. Such decrease is 4.2GHz, we only focus on FESs as the density of other
believed to be due licensees using alternative transmission incumbents is very low, e.g., there are approximately 100
options such as utilizing the higher frequency bands, e.g., point-to-point wireless backhaul nodes in the United states
Ku-band, or trending away from wireless altogether onto whereas the number of FESs is roughly 4,800 [5]. We use the
fiber technologies. For instance, licensees find that the Ku- actual database of these FESs to get their location, antenna
band provides more bandwidth to support high-resolution height, and antenna gain. The antenna dish can have different
content distribution, and the dishes are cheaper due to their tilt angles, depending on the location of the satellite at a given
smaller antenna size. This motivates the utilization of the mid- time. However, per FCC regulations [15], the FES must adhere
spectrum for current and next-generation cellular networks. to a certain elevation range. Thus, the data entry of each FES
Our contributions in this work are twofold. First, we present specifies the elevation angle to the eastern most and western
a framework for interference analysis, and particularly the most geostationary satellite orbital arc limits. In this paper, we
aggregate interference from 5G systems into FESs, where the pick the minimum of these limits as the worst case scenario.
former operates in both the uplink (UL) and the downlink
(DL). The aggregate interference is simulated using realistic III. I NTERFERENCE A NALYSIS F RAMEWORK
scenarios, where the FESs’ deployment and parameters are We study the aggregate interference of the 5G system into
extracted from the IBFS database [13], and building databases FESs when the former is either in the UL mode or the DL
are used for accurate link-budget analysis. Second, we study mode. Since gNBs use massive MIMO systems and FESs use
several passive and practical interference mitigation tech- antenna dishes with high directivity and antenna gain, it is
niques, including protection regions in the spatial and angular critical to consider the attenuation due to the misalignment
domains, uplink power control, and frequency partitioning. A of their respective antenna directions. To this end, the aggre-
case study is presented, where the 5G system is deployed in gate interference mainly depends on: (i) the propagation loss
a dense urban area. Simulation results show that the favorable between the interferer and the victim FES receiver, (ii) the
propagation environment sub-6GHz can be detrimental from effective radiated power from the interferer towards the FES,
a coexistence perspective, and thus frequency partitioning, and (iii) the attenuation in azimuth and elevation due to the
or clearing, is recommended to ensure that FESs are well antenna pattern of the FES antenna dish.
protected from any harmful interference.
The rest of the paper is organized as follows. The system A. Path Loss between the interferer and the FES
model is presented in Section II, while the interference anal- We consider a modified 3GPP path loss model, emulating
ysis is given in Section III. The mitigation techniques are a street canyon, i.e., we use a modified version of the 3GPP
discussed in IV and the simulation results are presented in 3D-UMi channel model [16]. Mathematically, let xi be the
Section V. Finally, the conclusions are drawn in Section VI. (x, y)-coordinates of the interferer, which can be a gNB or a
UE, and hi be its antenna height. Similarly, let xf and hf be
Side view Top view
the coordinates and height of the FES, respectively. Then, the
path loss between the interferer and the FES is expressed as
FES
LOS
PLi→f = 1(β=0) PLLOS (xi , xf , hi , hf ) BLDG Interferer
(a)
Interferer
ܝ
୭
ߠ՜୧ FES ୭
߶ୱ୲୰ ߶՜୧
ܝ՜୧
interference
݄ axis
݄୧
Interferer
||ܠ୧ െ ܠ || Fig. 5: Beams that are aligned in the direction of FESs are
Azimuth Elevation switched off.
(b)
Fig. 3: Off-axis azimuth and elevation angles: (a) From inter- IV. PASSIVE I NTERFERENCE M ITIGATION
ferer to FES; (b) From FES to interferer.
In this paper, we focus on passive interference mitigation
techniques as they do not require coordination with incumbent
50
40
systems. Specifically, we study: (i) angular domain exclusion
ITU-R S.465-6
zones, (ii) uplink power control, and (iii) frequency partition-
Antenna Gain (dBi
30 FCC regulations
20
ing via guard bands.
10
y-coord
power. 4.637
C. Guard bands UE
4.6365
separated by guard bands. While spectrum sharing and co- 4.474 4.476 4.478 4.48 4.482
x-coord
4.484 4.486 4.488
105
0.8
is used, i.e., the 5G and incumbent systems use different
0.7 spectrum blocks, particularly because FESs do not occupy the
0.6 entire band. It is shown that guard bands ensure harmonious
CDF
0.5
coexistence in the UL and the DL.
0.4 ISD=200m
ISD=400m
0.3 ISD=600m R EFERENCES
0.2
0.1
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