Transport Capacity Estimations for Over-Provisioned UTRAN IP-Based Networks

Within the context of beyond 3G (B3G) networks, the usage of IP-based transport to support specific radio access networks (RANs) deployments is becoming a feasible solution as an alternative to ATM or TDM networks. In this paper we address the impact, in terms of the required transport bandwidth, of using dedicated and high speed air interface channels on an IP-based UTRAN. In particular, we estimate the transport capacity requirements, for different mean traffic loads, over the Iub interface so that delay bounds imposed to the transport network layer (TNL) are satisfied. We claim that the provided results can be an useful estimation of an over-provisioning solution for the transport capacity required in an IP-based UTRAN.