Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the book, which intends to offer guidelines and insight for long‐term evolution (LTE) backhaul planning and optimization tasks and is aimed at technical professionals working in the field of network planning and operations. With LTE backhaul, several functional areas like synchronization, quality of service (QoS) and security, to name a few, require major new analysis, when designing for a high‐performing and well‐protected network. The book focuses on the LTE‐specific design requirements and shows how to meet these requirements using Ethernet, internet Protocol (IP) and other packet protocols, with security of the backhaul taken into account in all phases of the design. Network management systems are traditionally separate for the backhaul and for the LTE radio network; however, several benefits can be exploited from the integration of these tools.