Broadband wireless access network/internet and multimedia access system

Translation of description of equivalent WO 2006000556 A1

ACCESS SYSTEM MULTIMEDIA AND INTERNET - B-WAN A multimedia access system and Internet subscribers to a data transmission network.

All NET services and information and communications technologies for all has become the major challenge for communities. Operators must provide more quality services. Their offerings currently include multimedia, Internet and phone together, usually offers designated by the term "Triple Play." This offer is made possible by network technology in the famous "convergence" of multimedia communications and information technology. This offer is however not available in radio network. But in regions installation of fiber until homestay would be too costly and telephone lines can not afford the rates of a "triple play" quality of a regional or departmental network generally comprises a transport or backbone network, optical fiber (given the rates to provide some 100,000 households) and networks of ACCES to subscribers or group of subscribers. From the back, it must connect each subscriber or group of subscribers. Access service subscribers has long been the bottleneck of networks. For the envisaged performance in a moderately dense or scattered settlements, ADSL can not agree to term because of the son lengths that restrict the instantaneous flow. Whether to relocate shorter son with more switches, it seems preferable to fiber, but the cost is too high for an operator who seeks profitability in three years. Satellite solutions have the disadvantage of not providing sufficient capacity at all. It therefore appears that radio solutions are preferable provided they provide: sufficient flows to the subscriber, including for multimedia, and local capacity that is to say the total band for everyone to share their own Internet content. Such flow rates are obtained by radio at high frequencies in the Ku band and W corresponding to a few centimeters or a few millimeters of wavelengths. The idea is to combine and integrate these two bands enjoying the best of their abilities and characteristics and constraints In the following description, we define: o The flow rate, which relates to instant band whose subscriber needs, for example for high-definition television HDTV (individual) or for the virtual office (business). o The capacity for the number of customers that can be served with an acceptable quality of service (QoS).

A system of access to one or more subscribers to a network offering high speed broadband services characterized in that it comprises at least the following: o equipped base station transceivers operating at least in a frequency corresponding to multimedia services range (HDTV TV VoD ...) and rich media services (Internet and Image Synchronized) and in a frequency range G₂ corresponding to Internet services and voice o these frequency ranges are divided into GROUPS variable number of channels, these groups correspond to the services / television broadcast, video on demand, richmedia, INTERNET and voice descendants and INTERNET amounts and vocals. The number of channels of each group varies from 0 to N according to the service needs of the area covered. o Groups of these channels for example using standard waveforms best suited to classes of content they convey as the constraints of frequency ranges. o one or more relay stations having transceivers adapted to function in the same Gi beaches and G₂ ensuring continuity of access, or to increase the access area or to ensure total coverage by covering beams (or Anglo-Saxon "cross-beam") where a subscriber has at least one sensor comprising a receiver operating in the frequency range of a receiver and transmitter operating in the frequency range G 2. The antennas have various diagrams on the transmitters and receivers conformed to the field to be illuminated. La Gi frequency range corresponds to frequencies eg [40.5 to 43.5 GHz] and the beach G₂ the frequencies of the C, Ku or Ka wireless transmission of current systems. The receiver operating in the frequency range Gi interface ether with a lens antenna and the transceiver operating in the range G2 interface ether with a patch antenna.

The system of the invention has the following advantages: o Depending on the need of the subscriber, the system according to the invention, also referred to as B-WAN (Broadband Wireless Access Network) achieves access to the subscriber 'infrastructure. This architecture can be "multi point". It connects each subscriber or group of subscribers on a local network or LAN (short for Local Area Network), to a point of presence (PoP) of fiber backbone transmission network, o possibility of proposing the offer designated " triple play "in a wireless system operating in bi o Ku frequency and W o capacity of several gigabits, o The system architecture and its segments provides significant modularity to provide a large number of deployments: city, urban, mountain, village groups, o Integration of multiple services in the same equipment appears on the subscriber and the operator as a single network multifunction o modularity allows channel groups provide the best capacity of requested services and the best load multifunction network (known by the English abbreviation "load balancing"), o with the assignment of waveform groups and content, the best performance for each content, o relay bases, the quality and variety of directional antennas used at the subscriber or at the base station level and ensure their positioning at once: o good coverage topology to illuminate, o interference immunity and therefore a high density of subscribers, o a lower radiation power compared to any other terrestrial radio-electric system, such as terrestrial TV, WiFi or mobile radio (GSM), thus leading to a very ecological system, o point a few points on the same standards, a base can supply several other bases connecting customers, thus achieving coverage radio tens of Km² and a capacity close to 10 Gbps. We then use the "master database" a wave tube feeding highly directional antennas to other bases, o A simple and compact integration of the subscriber terminal and allowing wide distribution, easy installation and low cost. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reading the description given by way of non-limiting appended figures, of which: • Figure 1 a diagram of the principle of the access system according to the invention • Figure 2 is a diagram of a routing mechanism, • Figure 3 an example of distribution of data flows over the frequency ranges, their groups and channels • Figure 4 is an example of the architecture of a base station according to the invention • Figure 5 is an example transceiver equipping a subscriber • Figure 6 is an example of distribution services at a user, • Figure 7 an exemplary application of the system of FIG 1 with relay arranged to increase the coverage, • Figure 8 is an example of the system coverage • Figure 9 an example of using the system of Figure 1 adapted to perform a "cross-beam".

To better understand the principle implemented in the invention, the example in no way limited to a system for access to subscriber frequency ranges corresponding to the range corresponding to the range [40 , from 5 to 43.5 GHz] and G2 range or frequency range [10.7 to 11, 7 GHz]. Figure 1 schematically from the access point or PoP, access of a subscriber to the service transport network (the latter not being shown for clarity). The network can be shared by several operators operating in fixed bands. The principle is simple, a base 1 is upstream connected to an optical fiber 2 derived from the network operator at a point of access PoP 3 and communicates "downstream" with each subscriber 4 via transmitters and receivers that are respectively "down" multimedia and Internet content requested by a subscriber and receive requests for services by subscribers and content transmitted from the subscribers. 4 each subscriber or subscriber group 5 (in a building, for example) has a transmission-reception antenna broadband or ODU₁ "Feeding" its decoder box 6 or Anglo-Saxon "set top box" and PC 7 for individuals 8 or its local network LAN (Local Area Network) for professionals. A detailed example of an antenna may be fitted to a subscriber is given in Figure 5. When the base stations are far from the access point, it is possible to use a 10 or backhaul connection device with the particular function of redistributing different information. Schematically, the segments of B-WAN access system according to the invention comprise for example: • A connection (backhaul) 10: comprising an access point for infrastructure, transportation of various relay information that can equip the system the descendant links IP (Internet Protocol) • the access to the clusters, 11 including a base station equipped with a system according to the invention with, for example 0 to 3 relays and one or more relays or booster to meet the constraints coverage, a relay usage example is given in figures 7 and 9 • local networks subscribers, 4, 5. Figure 2 shows an example of implementation of routing mechanism by unidirectional link (UDLR) of Internet information. The PoP gateway, the IP streams to subscriber user installations to high speed are rerouted to an equipment trade 11 suitable and known to the skilled person that carries on the downlink high-speed 12 connected to a transmitter 14 operating in the frequency range Gi. Users simply subscribers are WiMaX accessed directly (uplink and downlink) via the link WiMaX 13 in conjunction with a receiver 15 transmitter operating in the frequency range G₂. It has for example 2 profiles of subscribers; the individual subscriber with a PC microcomputer equipped with a card Bis interface and Ethernet / USB modem to WiMaX plus a commercial router software; the subscriber group, for example a LAN to a company with a commercial edge router with the same interfaces (Ethernet, for example). Subscribers are equipped with a dual-band antenna 16, 4 channels adapted to receive the two frequency bands listed above. The system of the invention uses for example the following frequencies: • for multimedia, such as TV television, high definition television (HDTV), VoD or Media Professional Nothing on the DVB SM high-performance radio (adapted the STB widespread satellites) on 40.5 W 43.5 GHz band, for bidirectional • Internet (data and voice), the new standard very effective Wi maX radio operates on the range 10,7- 11.7 GHz planned for terrestrial radio data links. • The B-WAN system and has 8 GHz (using both polarizations) band (shared between operators) Reusable every 3 or 4 km. The features and capabilities of connecting devices or Backhaul are given in Figure 3. The table separates o descendants links corresponding to the frequency band 40,5 43,5 GHz and o bidirectional links using the band frequency 10,7- 11, 7 GHz. In this example, there are 5 groups each having multiple channels in varying numbers from 0 to N, each group being assigned to a service type. For example you can have a group of radio broadcast of a point to every other point or broadcast, a group of diffusion of one or more points to a set of other points or Multicast, Internet Group UDLR (UniDirectional Link Routing) for downlink, two groups Internet uplink, downlink. For each group is selected waveform most appropriate, e.g. DVB-S or M to form the 40-44 GHz range (multimedia) and 802.16 format for G2 range can be chosen between 2.5 28 GHz (Internet and voice over Internet) depending on local circumstances. The chosen architecture of the groups and their piping and standardized waveforms allow such unbundling. Thus, the system can accept to carry multiple service operators at a time. The system according to the invention offers the possibility of establishing a link between the frequency band and 40 GHz band of the range G₂For example, 11 GHz. For example, for a subscriber using intensive Internet services, it is possible to equip it with an edge router (either lightweight PC software either separate equipment for a group of PC LAN) The descent capacity for these subscribers will be three times higher than that offered by OEMs WiMaX systems. A subscriber is for example equipped with a unidirectional routing function device UDLR (Unidirectional Link Routing) to enable the routing of IP flows between the Internet 40 GHz band and the Internet 11 GHz band and so serve various types of customers (light or heavy) with service several levels (SLA: service quality accreditation tiered by its very large descending capacity, its original line and type techniques unidirectional link or UDLR IP (Internet protocol) together, the system according to the invention can adapt to the change in traffic (eg symmetry traffic) and optimize the capacity offered (or Anglo-Saxon load balancing). The performance associated with such a system are eg 45 Mbps shared Internet links to areas down with an instantaneous flow rate of 10 MBps; 30 MBps shared with return channel, with 4 MBps for a single subscriber. Within the scope of the invention, one can consider expanding the use of the method for frequency bands to beaches [25-60 GHz] to Gi range (millimeter wave) and [2.45 to 28 GHz] for the beach G2 centimeter waves. 4 shows a detailed example of a base station according to the invention. It includes, for example, a 20 or Indoor block Cabinet example comprising 3 inputs, 21, 22 and 33 for satellite reception, respectively, the type of beams HFC (fiber) or microwave, Internet connections (net IP). The data received on the different connection paths are transmitted to a device 24 media relay and then to a means 25 adapted to perform the increasing frequency. The information is then transmitted to several receivers transceivers suitable 26i of the base station. The latter will transmit or receive the data to the antennas 27 of the individual subscribers or a group of subscribers 28. An individual subscriber is equipped for example with a modem and a microcomputer and a decoder for the television receiver . In the case of a group of subscribers, we have a local network such as Ethernet or WiFi CLP on which several microcomputers are connected. 5 shows schematically an exemplary architecture of a transmitter / receiver integrated to a subscriber. The left side of the figure shows an integrated circuit on SiGe and the right part the resulting integrated antenna. The entire receiver operating in the frequency range G1 40.55 - 42.5 GHz; and the transceiver operating in the range of G2 frequency (which can be in the C band₁ Ku or Ka) includes eg 4 parts: ^at Two passive radiators consist, for example: • a lens antenna 30 for example polyurethane in Gi frequency range reception with the characteristic of having very good side lobes, and • a printed antenna "patch" 31 G in the frequency range₂ in transceiver preceded by an isolation device (not shown). The simplified reception function of this receptor allows including the integration of all on the same circuit or chip SiGe. > A receiver 32 adapted to operate in the frequency range G₂ eg comprising a low noise amplifier GaAs LNA₁ a mixer operating on the second harmonic of a simple oscillator such a DRO oscillator. The output of the mixture is amplified and filtered to come out in the top of the cable BIS band (2.1.Ghz to ΘOOmhz), "on the same system as a receiver 33 Ku-band equivalent to the commercial satellite and LNB transmitter consists of a 100mw amplifier approximately, optionally preceded by a preamplifier (not shown) of a mixer activated by an oscillator stabilized by a phase loop, transmitter and receiver operating in TDD "a sub matching circuit 34 filter mixture and allowing respectively isolate and group signals in accordance with the standards of the domestic cable runs. The unit is housed in a sealed box to runoff, the front two receiving antennas and the rear face the input domestic output cable to the modem and set-top boxes of the subscriber. The antennas have patterns suitable for bases to cover the ground and directional patterns with low sidelobes for subscribers ensure immunity to interference in high density and radio protection. The antenna structure characteristic patch used to hedge sectors in specific angles. 6 shows an example of distribution of services at a user offered by the system. Figure 7 provides an example of using the B-WAN system of the invention using several microwave relay or boosters. These relays consist of transceivers use the elements of the base station and subscriber terminal to retransmit the data, information or services in hidden areas or beyond the reach of the main base. The power of these relays can be done by solar panels when the power limit at a range of Km. The figure shows an example of a pilot basis sweeping 1-4 sectors with emission beams receiving angle 90 °, 60 ° or 30 °. BS refers to a secondary or relay base, it is such a simple direct broadband amplifier. A relay base covers of varied angle sectors. Such architecture allows in particular to extend the coverage of the B-WAN system. The bases and relays use suitable antennas to cover areas of 30 ° to 360 ° and can implement 1-6 sectors for example. Figure 8 shows a mountain in coverage for example to pick three towns both distant 4 or 5 Km from each other. 9 shows another example of using the system according to the invention comprising several relay arranged to sweep all or substantially all of a given geographical area. This arrangement leads to a cross beam or Anglo-Saxon "cross beam". The relay bases are arranged in relation to the main station so that any point within a given geographical area can see at least a base. The addition of very low power 20mw type or booster relay helps fill the "holes" potential (weak areas not covered dimensions).