Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA

Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA

Distributed Architecture Brings Cellular Service to Hungry Customers This presentation will explore various solutions that Los Alamos National Laboratory has adopted for providing augmented cellular service in challenging environments. Nirmalan Martell joh@lanl.gov 505-667-5635 Bruce Peterson bdp@lanl.gov 505-664-0070 May, 2018 Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA

LANL s Geographic Challenges (LANL) is a multi-program scientific laboratory of the NNSA, a semi-autonomous entity within the DOE. It has over 30 major sites, some in isolated areas, spread over the 43 square mile LANL campus. The Laboratory has approximately 12,000 employees with ~7,000 phones/mobility devices. The Laboratory is located in a mountainous area on a series of finger-shaped plateaus separated by deep canyons. The Laboratory is surrounded by National Monument, National Forest, and Pueblo Lands. Placement of cell towers is extremely restricted. 6/13/2018 3

Growth of Demand for Cellular Service at LANL Section Tab Managed Blackberry devices introduced in 2009 Managed Apple devices introduced in 2014 Presently over 6000 managed devices in use Coverage challenges exist on campus from geography and building structures 6/13/2018 4

As demand for Cellular Services grew, LANL used several strategies to meet local and institutional demand Drivers to Improve Coverage Proliferation of mobile devices Increasingly mobile workforce Safety and security 911 emergency Worker productivity Institutional demands Service Strategies Partnering with a service provider, native cellular signal macrocell locations Building amplifiers Network extenders Distributed Antenna System 6/13/2018 5

Early Coverage Improvement Adoption In 2016, LANL subcontracted the installation of two multi story buildings with a amplifier system. As roof top antennas were required, they were pointed to a nearby macro tower. The coverage provided inside the buildings was good, but the amplifiers proved unreliable and failed after about one year. Lessons learned: The purchase process was cumbersome Long repair lead times No monitoring function 6/13/2018 6

What Are We Talking About Here? Cellular Terms & Definitions Macrocell - a cell in a mobile phone network that provides radio coverage served by a high power cell site (tower, antenna or mast). Small Cells - a low-powered cellular radio access nodes that operate in licensed and unlicensed spectrum that have a range of 10 meters to a few kilometers. Small cells may encompass microcells, picocells and femtocells. Femtocell - a small, low-power cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business that connects to the service provider s network via broadband. The terms Femtocell and Network Extender are used interchangeably. 6/13/2018 7

Design Options for Providing Better Cellular Service Service Provider Partnership Working with a service provider to add cell towers to an area with poor coverage can be lengthy and saddled by local regulations. Cell coverage engineering has to be performed using software and site visits Federal facilities with Restricted Areas complicate the placement of transmission facilities such as amplifiers or boosters. TEMPEST restrictions Liability Maintenance LANL s experience---three years for the placement of supplemental antennas after the deficiency of coverage had been identified and acknowledged by the vendor. 6/13/2018 8

Design Options for Providing Better Cellular Service LANL s DAS design in 2016 was limited to fiber connections running from one central location The focus was primarily on increasing outdoor coverage with antennas on buildings 6/13/2018 9

What Are We Talking About Here? A cell phone repeater (also known as a cell phone signal booster) is a system which takes a cell phone signal from one area where the signal is good, and repeats (or amplifies) it to an area where the signal is not good or nonexistent. A cell phone repeater has three main parts:. Outside antenna that receives the initial signal, Amplifier that boosts the signal, and an Inside antenna that broadcasts the boosted signal to the inside area that needs it 6/13/2018 10

Design Options for Providing Better Cellular Service Femtocells/network extenders are used to provide cellular service in locations where there is no or very little tower service available. They utilize a broadband link to extend service from the Internet. Network Extenders Offer a Good Solution for Smaller Buildings T-Mobile Amps Un-carrier 7.0 Verizon Network Extender, SCS 3G AT&T's 3G MicroCell Household cellular extenders can provide five-bar coverage across an area of up to 2,500 feet regardless of how close you are to a cell tower. 6/13/2018 11

Design Options for Providing Better Cellular Service 6/13/2018 12

Technical and Regulatory Considerations Design and Construction Do you use contracted services or internal resources? Consider the scope of deployment. For a small number of buildings, contracted services is probably more economical. TEMPEST distance restrictions will exist in Restricted Areas for the placement of transmitters. The local Authorizing Official (AO) usually determines the minimal acceptable distance between transmitters and classified computing The placement of antennas may be restricted for historical buildings 6/13/2018 13

Technical and Regulatory Considerations Typical Heatmap Diagram Generated by Software Design software and training for generating coverage heat maps and estimates are generally required for larger installations. Design for the placement of cabling and antenna infrastructure may also be required. 6/13/2018 14

Enterprise Network Extender LANL uses a Samsung network extender offered by Verizon for business environments 4G LTE service Coverage varies from 200 to 70 feet depending on the type of building Cost is ~$3,000 Requires between 20-50 Mbps downlink and 10-20 Mbps uplink connection to the Internet Requires a GPS satellite connection for configuration and E911 location purposes Extender with extension cables Typical hallway antenna with cover 6/13/2018 15

What Are We Talking About Here? DAS Terms & Definitions DAS stands for Distributed Antenna System, which is a system that allows for the use of cell phones and other wireless devices in areas that do not have direct access to a cell tower. DAS works by receiving power from a radio frequency (RF) source, and distributing it over a system of cables and antennas so that the signal reaches throughout a building or space. There are different flavors of DAS---active, passive, and hybrid. A Hybrid DAS architecture was selected as the best solution for LANL. 6/13/2018 16

Distributed Repeaters on Single Mode Fiber Can Extend Service to 72 Locations at LANL from One Single Feed 6/13/2018 17

LANL s Distributed Antenna System Geographical distribution of repeaters, expanding capacity to 64 building locations, adding monitoring and management Building amplifier Master signal combiner/splitter Head End 6/13/2018 18

A flexible approach is necessary for supplying cell service in diverse geographic and structural environments There are a variety of approaches and solutions available. Subcontracted installation services are cost effective for a limited scope Distributed systems should be designed for expansion The mortgage on maintaining a system should be taken into consideration Good cellular coverage boosts productivity, enhances public safety, and helps keep millennials incredibly happy 6/13/2018 19