• Capacity Scalability: Ericsson may not have providedspecific capacity scalability figures for the RBS 6000 series,

• Small Cell: Ericsson so far has not joined the likes of NEC,NSN, and ZTE when it comes to offering a small, all-in-one

Product Assessment: Ericsson - RBS 6000 SeriesReport Date: February 09, 2012

Analyst: Gubbins, Ed

Service: Service Provider Infrastructure

Market: Mobile Access

Class: LTE eNodeB

Current Perspective:

Summary

Buying Criteria

Current Perspective

Ericsson’s LTE base stations – led by the RBS 6201, 6202 and 6601 – are threatening to the competition. Notablecharacteristics of the RBS 6000 family include strong capacity scalability and broad support of spectrum bands. However, the RBS 6000family still comes up short in terms of low-capacity and small cell solutions.

Each model in the portfolio uses a different base station architecture. The RBS 6201 is a full-sized frame-based solution. The RBS 6202 israck-mounted. The RBS 6601 uses a distributed architecture consisting of a base band unit (BBU) and remote radio unit (RRU). The RBS6201 and 6601 both support 12 20-MHz LTE carriers in a single frame. The RBS 6000 family, in addition to LTE, also supports GSM, WCDMAand CDMA2000. For outdoor deployments, the vendor markets the RBS 6101, RBS 6102, RBS 6601, RBS 6301 and RBS 6302. The vendor’santenna integrated radio (AIR) solution, introduced in early 2011, combines the antenna and radio into a single unit w ith the baseband unitlocated separately, promising greater efficiency and ease of installation.

The RBS 6000 family can scale capacity beyond a single frame, which supports six to 12 carriers, depending on the base station model. ButEricsson didn’t specify how many frames could be chained together (its older base stations could support nine-frame chains). The RBS 6000series also promises support for 10 different spectrum bands, allow ing it to meet most operators’ deployment requirements, and itpromises multi-standard support for nearly all of the major w ireless technologies. In addition, Ericsson’s proven success in the markettestifies in support of its vision and execution in LTE: at least 20 commercial contracts and eight live networks, including Verizon Wireless,AT&T and TeliaSonera. It may not be the longest list but includes some of the biggest names.

However, some areas of concern linger. Nearly a year after its demonstration of CDMA2000 support in the RBS 6000 series, the specifics ofthat support are still murky, an odd stance given that one of Ericsson’s most high-profile LTE w ins relates to a CDMA network (Verizon’s).Perhaps more importantly going forward, the vendor doesn’t market a purpose-built low-capacity base station, and its repurposed RBS6601 may represent overkill for true low-capacity requirements. Small cells from competitors – delivering all-in-one base station designs –are coming to market w ith very small footprints and low installation requirements. Ericsson has instead focused on AIR, its AntennaIntegrated Radio platform, as its answer to small-cell requirements. Though AIR might meet some of these needs, it isn’t a completesubstitute for a small cell (it was unveiled w ithout any data on its unit size, for example). Time and market demand w ill determine howmuch of a liability Ericsson’s incomplete position in small cells w ill become.

Target Markets

Global Carriers

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths Weaknesses

but it has indicated that its frames may be chainedtogether for scale, allow ing them to grow in accordancewith spectrum availability. Each model offers six or 12carriers per frame, though the vendor won’t disclose theirtotal capacity at maximum configuration. (As many as nineof the vendor’s older base stations could be chained.)Whatever RBS 6000 series’ ultimate level of scalability, itpromises to support mobile operators’ growth imperatives.

• WCDMA Carrier Capacity – High-Capacity Base Station:Ericsson’s RBS 6201 can support 48 sector carriers (SC) ofWCDMA capacity, a nearly best-in-class performance. Thisis important, as migration from WCDMA to LTE won’t beinstantaneous; it w ill rely on ongoing support of WCDMAfrom infrastructure vendors.

• Output Power: Ericsson claims its LTE base stations cansupport a maximum power output level of 80 W, on parw ith the top claims coming from its competitors. Thevendor has also promised support for 100 W, which wouldput it well ahead of the pack. Power output represents abase station’s ability to “push” RF signals out to users.High output power enhances coverage by extending cellreach or penetrating deeper into structures.

• Spectrum Support: Ericsson claims its RBS 6000 LTE basestations can support 10 different spectrum bands and canadd more depending on market demand. This w ide rangeof options should satisfy most operators’ needs. The morespectrum bands a base station can support, the greaterflexibility the base station has in terms of markets where itcan be deployed.

• Multi-Standard Support: Ericsson promises support forCDMA2000, GSM, WCDMA/HSPA, LTE and TD-LTE on its RBS6000 platform – leaving few mobile standards thatEricsson can’t support. Mobile operators expect multi-standard network solutions from their infrastructurevendors, to help those operators migrate from onetechnology to the next efficiently and gradually.

• Market Momentum: Though Ericsson has stoppedupdating its tally of LTE customer w ins and trials, itreported 20 network deployment w ins in mid-2011, w itheight of those w ins already then commercial, and morethan 50 trials. The vendor has been a RAN supplier onsome of the more high-profile deployments to date –TeliaSonera, the first commercial LTE network, along w ithVerizon Wireless and AT&T, two of the largest deploymentsthus far. In all, the vendor’s early LTE success speaks wellof its LTE RAN solutions and gives it credibility w ith mobileoperators.

base station. Instead the vendor has positioned its AIR asa small-cell alternative. While AIR might address some ofthe same requirements that small cells do, AIR doesn’tmatch small cells in terms of footprint, being an all-in-onesolution, or overall ease of installation. Add to thisEricsson’s tepid public comments on the subject, andoperators interested in small cells may see Ericsson as lesscommitted to the concept than its rivals.

• Radio Receive Sensitivity: Ericsson makes a validargument for not providing receive sensitivity data for itsRBS 6000 platform: vendor-to-vendor comparisons aredifficult to make and can be misleading. Still, a lack oftransparency can be used against the vendor bycompetitors, who w ill claim Ericsson is hiding a weakness.Though RF power output is important for getting RF signalsout to users, strong receive sensitivity allows a BTS to“hear” signals from low-power devices (e.g., handsets).

• CDMA Support: While Ericsson says it now has a multi-standard solution for CDMA and LTE using its RBS6000base station family, how that support is achieved remainsunclear a year after it demonstrated such support at CTIA.The vendor did not specify if CDMA and LTE weresupported in the same baseband unit, separate base bandunits, or in some other manner. W ith other w irelessinfrastructure vendors claiming to support CDMA and LTEon a single BBU, Ericsson’s unclear messaging in this areacould hurt it.

• Mass – High-Capacity Base Station: Ericsson’s RBS 6201weighs just under 215 kg, making it one of the heaviercabinet style base stations. Heavier base stations canincrease operator expense due to the need for more laboror equipment to install and work on them.

• Communication Breakdown: Ericsson has not updatedthe performance data on its LTE products since mid-2011,and it has failed to provide clarity on some earlierpromises, such as its support for CDMA2000 and 4x4 MIMOsupport. Add to this a lack of transparency on othermatters, such as the maximum capacity of its eNodeBs,and the vendor can sow doubt and confusion in the mindsof operators, making it harder for customers to properlyevaluate Ericsson’s products.

• Short Customer Reference List: Although Ericsson boastssome of the most enviable w ins in the LTE market,including AT&T and Verizon Wireless, it has ceasedreporting the number of LTE contracts it has, unlike othervendors. As a result, there’s no clear picture of how variedor geographically dispersed the vendor’s w ins are or howwell it’s keeping pace w ith rivals’ penetration of the globalmarket. Again, greater transparency would help operatorsjudge its strengths relative to rivals.

• Alcatel-Lucent w ill criticize Ericsson’s lack of transparencyon a number of fronts, from its support for CDMA or 4x4MIMO to the capacity limits of its base stations. The lack ofinformation, ALU w ill say, makes it harder for operators tojudge Ericsson’s true performance and could represent anattempt to hide shortcomings.

• Ericsson w ill respond that its customers are well-acquainted w ith its products’ performance and w ill point toits role in supplying some of the world’s biggest LTEdeployments (such as AT&T’s and Verizon’s) as proof thatits products have passed the ultimate test of large-scalelive commercial networks.

• Nokia Siemens Networks w ill question the radio receivesensitivity performance of Ericsson’s base stations, as thelatter does not provide this data. NSN w ill suggest thatEricsson’s eNodeBs can’t match rival solutions when itcomes to “hearing” end-user devices, which could impactcustomer satisfaction.

• Ericsson’s defense w ill be that there is no agreed uponmethodology for determining radio receive sensitivity,making true apples-to-apples vendor comparisons difficult.W ith that being the case, Ericsson doesn’t want to misleadmobile operators about its receive sensitivity performanceso it doesn’t make those measures public. Meanwhile, thevendor w ill point to its many high-profile customerdeployments as proof that operators have not discoveredany significant hidden weaknesses.

Point and Counterpoint

Point Counterpoint

Point Counterpoint

• Kyocera, NEC and ZTE w ill all say Ericsson’s lack of asmall-cell solution shows the vendor has not developed astrategy for this area of grow ing importance. Small cellsare designed to add coverage and capacity make basestation deployments easier, and to bring the networkcloser to the end-user to improve capacity performance.

• Ericsson’s response w ill be that a current lack of a smallcell doesn’t mean it has no strategy in this area. Thecompany w ill point out that its AIR solution addressessome of the issues small cells are designed to handle. W ithits antenna and radio in one unit, AIR w ill makedeployments easier than a traditional base station andreduce some of the capacity loss found when these twobase station elements are dispersed, Ericsson w ill argue.

Buying/Selecting Criteria

Base Station Capacity

• LTE Carriers – High-Capacity Base Station: Ericsson’s RBS 6201 and RBS 6601 both support a maximum of 12 carriers at 20 MHz in asingle frame, w ith the RBS 6202 promising half that capacity. While other vendors can promise more single-frame capacity, Ericsson’s RBS6000 family should meet most operator requirements. The vendor says it can deliver higher capacity by combining and synchronizingmultiple cabinets, which suggests scalability to 24 carriers, at a minimum, on either the 6201 or 6601. High-capacity can have a positiveimpact on CapEx and OpEx, as it can help lower the number of base stations an operator needs to deploy in order to service its end users.

• LTE Carriers – Low-Capacity Base Station: Ericsson also markets its RBS 6601 as a low-capacity solution. W ith the ability to scale to 12carriers at 20 MHz, the 6601 risks being overkill for some low-capacity deployments. It is essentially a repurposed high-capacity solution, incontrast to NSN and ZTE’s purpose-built low-capacity base stations. Low-capacity base stations give service providers an option to extendcapacity into hard-to-reach areas cost effectively: inside buildings, along highways, valleys or in areas w ith low population or usage.

• GSM TRX: Ericsson’s RBS 6201 scales up to 48 GSM TRXs. The RBS 6202 and RBS 6601 have half the capacity of the RBS 6201; topping outat 24 TRXs. Ericsson’s GSM capacity is the lowest reported by all major competitors. However, as the vendor does not provide scalabilitydetails beyond that of a single frame, total GSM capacity could be under reported. An ability to support a large number of users w ith asingle base station, thanks to strong capacity support, helps operators control CapEx.

• WCDMA Carriers: Ericsson’s three LTE base stations deliver WCDMA carrier capacities in line w ith their GSM capacities, though the vendorenjoys a more competitive position here than it does in GSM capacity. The 6201 scales to 48 sector carriers (SC), bested only by NSN’s FlexiMultiradio 10. The 6202 and 6601 can support 24 SC each, matching Alcatel-Lucent and ZTE. A lack of scalability detail, beyond what isdelivered in a single frame, could mean actual capacity is higher than stated. As the end-user migration from one radio technologygeneration to the next isn’t uniform, it is important for infrastructure vendors to provide operators w ith networking solutions that haveadequate capacity to support all types of users.

• Capacity Scalability: Ericsson does not disclose the carrier scalability of its LTE base stations beyond their single-frame configurations. Itsrivals, which do provide this data, report in nearly all cases that their eNodeBs don’t scale higher than their single-frame configurations.Ericsson, whose single-frame capacities put its eNodeBs in the middle of the pack among competing offers, notes only that total capacitycan be increased depending on spectrum availability. Scalability benefits operators as it allows them to plan for growth in their user basewithout having to invest in a completely new set of base stations.

RF Performance

• Output Power: The power output level of Ericsson’s base stations, at 80 W, puts them at the top of their class, though tied w ith severalother vendors. Future plans to make output levels to 100 W would push the vendor’s base stations beyond what any of its currentcompetitors promise. Power output represents a base station’s ability to “push” RF signals out to users. High output power enhancescoverage by extending cell reach or penetrating deeper into structures.

• Radio Receive Sensitivity: Unlike all its major rivals, Ericsson does not provide receive sensitivity data for its LTE base stations; thecompany says such measurements include too many variables to allow meaningful product comparisons. Though RF power output isimportant for getting RF signals out to users, strong receive sensitivity allows a BTS to “hear” signals from low-power devices (e.g.,handsets).

• Spectrum Support: Ericsson’s three base stations support the follow ing spectrum bands: 700, 800, 850, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2300and 2600 MHz, and AWS. Only NSN supports more bands. Ericsson says it can add support for other bands based on market need, but w ithsupport for 10 bands, Ericsson should meet the needs of most mobile operators now. Operators are generally limited to select spectrumbands that they acquire the rights to from their national government. The more spectrum bands a base station supports, the moredeployment scenarios it can support.

• Antenna Configuration: Like all of its fellow infrastructure vendors, Ericsson reports its base stations currently support 2X2 MIMO andpromised support for 4x4 MIMO by late 2011, which would put the vendor on par w ith its competitors. However, Ericsson hasn’t updatedthe status of those plans, which is cause for concern, even if 2X2 meets most current operator requirements. Multiple Input/Multiple Output(MIMO) antenna support is a critical feature of LTE, allow ing for better coverage and/or better capacity.

Site Deployment Flexibility

• Space Efficiency – High-Capacity Base Station: Ericsson’s RBS 6201 delivers 12 LTE carriers in a 0.24 m2 footprint, which equates to 50carriers per square meter. Its RBS 6202 promises 33 carriers per square meter. Both represent middle-of-the-pack space efficiency relativeto competing solutions. (The 6601, when wall-mounted, has no floor-space footprint.) Since base station real estate is at a premium, LTE

Point Counterpoint

Model Name RBS 6201; RBS 6202, RBS 6601Components Full sized, frame based; rack based; distributed main and

remote unitsOutdoorAdjuncts

RBS 6101; RBS 6102; RBS 6601; RBS 6301; RBS 6302

Dimensions 1435x600x400mm; 489 x 483 x 370 mm; 19" rack, 1.5 HUFootprint 0.24m2; 0.18m2; zero footprint; Data not providedMass <215kg; ~65-70kg; main unit 10.5kg, remote radio 20kgMulti-chassis All: YesMax LTECarriers perFrame

12 @ 20MHz; 6 @ 20MHz; 12 @ 20MHz

Max LTECarriers

All: Data not provided

SpectrumSupport

All: 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 850MHz, 1700MHz, 1800MHz,1900MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz, 2600MHz, AWS and otherbands as needed

ReceiveSensitivity

Data not provided

Output PowerOptions

All: 80W @ 20MHz (100W planned)

AntennaConfigurations

All: 2x2

base stations that can support a high number of sector-carriers in a small space provide OpEx savings.

• Outdoor Adjuncts: Ericsson has five outdoor base station solutions: the RBS 6101, RBS 6102, RBS 6601, RBS 6302 and RBS 6301. Theselast two base stations were announced at the 2011 Mobile World Congress and were planned for commercial availability before the end oflast year. While most deployments favor indoor base station placement, the availability of an outdoors adjunct allows the vendor toaddress a greater range of deployment scenarios. The availability of outdoor adjuncts is fairly common across infrastructure vendors.

• Mass – High-Capacity Base Station: Ericsson’s RBS 6201 weighs just under 215 kg. Only ZTE’s and Huawei’s base stations weigh more.Ericsson’s other two base stations are substantially lighter; the 6202 weighs 65-70 kg per unit, and the 6601 reports 10.5 kg for the mainunit and 20 kg for the remote radio head. These weights compare well w ith base station offerings from other vendors. Lower mass basestations benefit from greater ease of installation. Higher mass base stations can increase operator expense due to the need for more laboror equipment to install and work on them.

• Remote Radio Support: Ericsson reports its RBS 6201, 6202 and 6601 all support remote radio heads, putting the vendor on even footingwith its rivals, which all offer distributed base stations as well. The RBS 6601 can support up to 12 RRUs per BBU. Distributed base stationsolutions allows for network coverage/capacity in areas that cannot support a full base station deployment. It is good for hard to reachareas.

• Transport Options: All of Ericsson’s base stations support E1, T1, J1 and STM1 for circuit transport w ith GSM and WCDMA traffic. Packettransport for the base stations is 100bT, GigE and ATM. Packet capacity can be shared between GSM, CDMA, WCDMA and LTE. Ericsson isthe only vendor to promise sharing of packet capacity among the different traffic types at the base station, which can provide OpExsavings. Also of note, the RBS 6000 base station family can handle transport operations and maintenance functions directly on the BBUcard. A w ide range of transmission and backhaul options enables mobile operators to leverage multiple transport network architecturesand assets, ensuring the backhaul w ill support new data services, aggregate traffic onto higher capacity links for cost savings, etc.

Technology Evolution and Market Position

• GSM/WCDMA Support – High-Capacity Base Station: Ericsson’s three high-capacity base stations support both GSM and WCDMAcommunications, as do those from all major competitors. Operators transitioning to LTE want support of their existing 2G and 3Goperations. Infrastructure vendors are also eyeing multi-standard solutions as a way of selling a network refresh at the time of LTEdeployment.

• GSM/WCDMA Support – Low-Capacity Base Station: Ericsson’s RBS 6601 low-capacity LTE base station supports both GSM and WCDMAnetwork traffic. This allows Ericsson to take advantage of benefits coming from multi-standard support across its entire LTE base stationportfolio. It is not, however, a distinguishing characteristic; all of Ericsson’s major rivals offer something similar.

• CDMA2000 Support: Ericsson says it can provide a multi-standard CDMA/LTE solution but isn’t specific in how that support is achieved,even a year after such support was demonstrated at an industry event. Both technologies may or may not be supported in the same BBU.Both Huawei and ZTE say they can support CDMA and LTE concurrently in one BBU, which can help an operator save on CapEx. While notas common as GSM and WCDMA, CDMA2000 support offers similar benefits.

• Market Momentum: Ericsson has demonstrated strong momentum in the LTE market, claiming contract w ins w ith some of the world’s topoperators, including AT&T, Verizon Wireless, China Mobile, TeliaSonera, Vodafone (Germany) and NTT DoCoMo. However, it’s difficult tocompare the vendors momentum with that of rivals because unlike most of them, Ericsson has ceased reporting the number of its LTEcontracts and trials. Still, as one of the world’s most successful GSM and WCDMA vendors, the company has a very deep set of operatorrelationships it can leverage for LTE moving forward.

Metrics

High-Capacity BTS - Indoor

Remote RadioSupport

All: Yes

Circuit Transport All: E1/T1/J1, STM-1 applicable for GSM/WCDMA, for LTEIP/TDM using Multi Link PPP

PacketTransport

All: 100bT, GigE, ATM, and ATM IMA group supported inWCDMA. 2G/3G/CDMA/LTE IP co-transport sharing

GSM Support 48 TRX; 24 TRX; 24 TRXWCDMA Support 48 SC; 24 SC; 24 SCCDMA2000Support

All: Yes

TD-LTE Support All: YesCommercialAvailability

All: Yes

SimultaneousMulti-StandardSupport

All: Simultaneous support - yes, dynamic support - no

Other Models RBS 2000 and RBS 3000 Macro family support LTE

Model Name RBS 6601Components Distributed main and remote unitsOutdoorAdjuncts

RBS 6601

Dimensions Fits into 19" rack, 1.5 HUFootprint Data not provided (Zero footprint when mounted)Mass Main unit 10.5 kg; remote radio 20 kg - up to 12 radio units

per mainMulti-chassis YesMax LTECarriers perFrame

12 @ 20MHz

Max LTECarriers

All: Data not provided

SpectrumSupport

700MHz, 800MHz, 850MHz, 1700MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz,2100MHz, 2600 MHz, AWS

ReceiveSensitivity

Data not provided

Output PowerOptions

All: 80W @ 20MHz (100W planned)

AntennaConfigurations

All: 2x2

Remote RadioSupport

Yes, RRUS 01 and RRUS 11, both can scale to 12 per main unitw ith 40W or 80W options

Circuit Transport E1/T1/J1, STM-1 applicable for GSM/WCDMA, for LTE IP/TDMusing Multi Link PPP

PacketTransport

100bT, GigE, ATM, and ATM IMA group supported in WCDMA.2G/3G/CDMA/LTE IP co-transport sharing

GSM Support 24 TRXWCDMA Support 24 SCCDMA2000Support

Yes

TD-LTE Support YesCommercialAvailability

Yes

SimultaneousMulti-StandardSupport

All: Simultaneous support - yes, dynamic support - no

Other Models RBS 2000 and RBS 3000 Macro family supports LTE

Major CustomerWins

More than 20 deployment w ins, including AT&T, China Mobile,NTT DoCoMo, Verizon, Telia Sonera, Vodafone (Germany); 8commercial networks

Miscellaneous

Low-Capacity BTS - Indoor and Outdoor

Other

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