Technology Primer

The inner workings of mobile networks can appear daunting to those with no previous experience of them, due to being comprised of many different network elements, a large number of parameters that can be configured and seemingly never-ending acronyms. Further to which there are additional considerations which must be taken into account when instead of utilising off-the-shelf equipment, custom hardware is assembled based on a software-defined radio solution.

However, with a basic understanding of the major subsystems and configuration parameters, a sophisticated mobile network can be deployed with ease thanks to open source software, automation tools and templating.

With the above in mind this guide aims to provide a simple introduction to LTE (4G) networks and some of the key considerations when assembling SDR base stations.

Those already familiar with mobile network technologies can probably skip this section, although feedback is welcome and suggestions for updates can be made via pull request.