DEEP IN THE BOWELS OF LTE

NETWORK PERFORMANCE
A BENCHMARK STUDY OF LTE NETWORK PERFORMANCE FOR
THE FOUR LARGEST US MOBILE OPERATORS AND ALL OF THEIR
INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPLIERS IN TWO MAJOR MARKETS
Part of The Mother of All Network Benchmark Tests Series of Reports
SPECIAL PREVIEW EDITION
April 5, 2014, Vol. 10 No. 3 PREVIEW Redefining Research
This document contains a preview of a separately published 73-page report that provides detailed insight into how LTE networks
perform based on monitoring all mobile device trafc within four US operators networks in two markets. This report is a must read
for any organization that wants to understand the Hows and Whys of LTE performance. This study was done in collaboration with
Sanjole who provided us with access to its WaveJudge 4900A LTE Analyzer and IntelliJudge test platform. With this test equipment
we were able to capture all Physical Layer and lower layer protocol messages that took place over-the-air (OTA) between the eNBs
that we monitored and all mobile devices within the coverage area
This report is included as part of a subscription to Signals Ahead. Alternatively, it can be purchased separately for $2,150. We also
include two hours of analyst time as part of the purchase.
In addition to a sanitized Executive Summary, we include the complete Table of Contents, List of Figures (56) and Tables (5), a
summary of past reports, and a list of topics that are currently being considered for the coming year.
YOUR
ATTENTION
PLEASE
3 April 5, 2014| Signals Ahead, Vol. 10, Number 3 PREVIEW
1.0 Executive Summary
Much has been written as of late regarding the performance of todays
LTE networks, in particular the networks in the United States. Tere
is one view that suggests the networks are too fast, only to be coun-
tered by claims that they are too slow. And like Goldilocks, there are
many that believe they are just right. Unfortunately, from what we have
researched these views are typically not supported by hard evidence. Yes,
the measured throughput may be low [or high] but is it really the fault
of network loading when the measured speed is low, or are the high data
rates that are observed during contrived test scenarios actually achieved
during a typical data transaction over the LTE network? Further, it is
well recognized that video accounts for the over-whelming majority of
mobile data trafc. However, one cannot ignore all of the other mobile
data trafc that occurs, the amount of network resources that it requires,
and the subsequent impact on network performance.
Perhaps the only way to answer these questions, and other very pertinent questions, is to collect
and analyze network-level performance metrics that are based on actual user-generated trafc from
all active subscribers in the network. With this information in hand, it is possible to go deep into
the bowels of LTE network performance and determine exactly how and why the networks are
performing as they do today. Further, it is possible to identify performance traits and characteristics
that distinguish one operators network from another operators network, not to mention the perfor-
mance of one vendors eNB versus another vendors eNB.
For this study we collaborated with Sanjole, a test and measurement company, who provided us
with its WaveJudge 4900A LTE analyzer and IntelliJudge test platform. With these unique and
powerful solutions at our disposal we were able to capture all Physical Layer and lower layer protocol
exchanges that occurred over-the-air (OTA) between an eNB (one cell sector) and the active mobile
devices that were within its coverage area. As a result we were able to analyze the overall performance
of the LTE networks that we tested, including all connected mobile devices, and to then determine
with high precision what transpires when a mobile device connects to the network, as well as what
happens when literally hundreds of mobile device connections are occurring in a single minute.
Long time Signals Ahead readers will recall that we collaborated with Sanjole back in 2010 when
we did some network testing in TeliaSoneras LTE network in Sweden (SA 12/20/2010, Can you
Schedule me Now?). At the time, the only data trafc that we observed in the network was trafc
In this issue of Signals
Ahead, we go deep into
the bowels of LTE network
performance to determine
exactly how and why the
networks are performing
as they do today.
For this study we
collaborated with Sanjole
who provided us with its
WaveJudge 4900A LTE
analyzer and IntelliJudge
test platform.
4 April 5, 2014| Signals Ahead, Vol. 10, Number 3 PREVIEW
that we generated with our personal dongles. Needless to say, this time around things were a lot
more interesting. Signals Research Group takes full responsibility for the analysis and commentary
that appears in this report.
In order to include the four major infrastructure vendors who have deployments in the United
States, we selected the San Francisco and Phoenix markets. Ericsson dominates San Francisco
with Samsung providing infrastructure to Sprint, while in Phoenix, Nokia Solutions and Networks
(NSN) provides infrastructure to T-Mobile and Alcatel Lucent (ALU) has the other three opera-
tors. As discussed in our Test Methodology chapter, each data collection period generally lasted
between 5 and 15 minutes and included one or two networks at a time. Each location was randomly
selected but we did need to ensure that the signal quality of the transmitted messages from the
eNB was adequate in order to detect and decode the scheduling messages. Te testing took place in
late January with three days spent testing in San Francisco and a full day spent testing in Phoenix,
including the ASU campus in Tempe. All testing took place between 0900 hours and 1930 hours.
Te following fgure is from the full report. It shows the median and maximum number of simul-
taneous connected devices that we observed on the networks that we monitored. By itself, the
information doesnt provide specifc insight into how the networks performed [we save that for the
full report], but it does provide anecdotal information that supports some of the key observations
that we made from our study.
Key questions that we answer in this report include the following:
What are the real user downlink / uplink data rates on todays LTE networks, based on actual
user generated trafc and what, if any, impact does network loading have on the typical user
experience?
How loaded are todays LTE networks and how does loading vary across networks, not to mention
geographically within a single operators network?
How frequently is MIMO used and what is the typical distribution of mobile devices that use
transmit diversity versus MIMO? How and why are these metrics noticeably diferent between
networks?
Our testing included
the four major US
mobile operators and
all of their primary
infrastructure suppliers.
VZW (ERICY) -
San Francisco
VZW (ALU) -
Phoenix
T-Mobile (NSN) -
Phoenix
T-Mobile (ERICY) -
San Francisco
Sprint 5 MHz
(Samsung) -
San Francisco
Sprint 5 MHz
(ALU) - Phoenix
AT&T (ERICY) -
San Francisco
AT&T (ALU) -
Phoenix
9
50
5
28
14
35
7
40
2
19
5
22
9
45
9
59
Median Number of Simultaneous Connections
Maximum Number of Simultaneous Connections
Figure 1. Median and Maximum Number of Mobile Device [RNTI] Connections - by operator and vendor/market
Source: Signals Research Group
5 April 5, 2014| Signals Ahead, Vol. 10, Number 3 PREVIEW
What impact does an operators network design criteria and in-building mobile devices accessing
the outdoor macro network have on network performance?
What is the actual downlink / uplink spectral efciency of LTE and why do factors such as user /
application behavior, device performance, network design, and the distribution of mobile devices
throughout the cell result in the spectral efciency being markedly diferent from widely-held
views?
What are some of the individual vendor performance traits that exist and how do they impact
network performance?
Much has been written and said about the impact of mobile video consumption on overall data
trafc growth. We believe that equal consideration should be given to all of the other data trafc
that exists in the network. It may account for a modest percentage of total data trafc, but it is
consuming a disproportionate amount of network resources. When network resources are used
inefciently to support modest amounts of data trafc (soon to include VoLTE) then there are far
fewer resources available to support the bandwidth intensive applications, such as video.
Te point of this study is not to disparage LTE; in fact, we are ardent and fairly knowledgeable
fans, given all of our experiences with testing the technology and our work in researching its future
potential. However, it is useful to have a sanity check and recognize that LTE isnt a panacea and
how it performs in a commercial network is infuenced by circumstances that are generally beyond
an operators control. Tat being said, operators need to do all that they can do to maximize the
performance of their networks, including the use of small cells or DAS for in-building coverage,
SON algorithms, and detailed network monitoring to ensure their networks are running at their full
potential. Given our results, it also wouldnt hurt to have a lot more spectrum on reserve.
Operators should
include the use of small
cells, SON algorithms,
and detailed network
monitoring, to ensure
their networks are running
at their full potential.