ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)

ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)






TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
Radio access network equipment specification;
Mobile Communication On Board Aircraft (MCOBA) systems;
Operational requirements and methodology
for showing conformance

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
2 ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)



Reference
RTS/MSG-TFES-1127
Keywords
GSM, LTE, MCOBA, radio, UMTS

ETSI
650 Route des Lucioles
F-06921 Sophia Antipolis Cedex - FRANCE

Tel.: +33 4 92 94 42 00  Fax: +33 4 93 65 47 16

Siret N° 348 623 562 00017 - NAF 742 C
Association à but non lucratif enregistrée à la
Sous-Préfecture de Grasse (06) N° 7803/88

Important notice
The present document can be downloaded from:
http://www.etsi.org/standards-search
The present document may be made available in electronic versions and/or in print. The content of any electronic and/or
print versions of the present document shall not be modified without the prior written authorization of ETSI. In case of any
existing or perceived difference in contents between such versions and/or in print, the only prevailing document is the
print of the Portable Document Format (PDF) version kept on a specific network drive within ETSI Secretariat.
Users of the present document should be aware that the document may be subject to revision or change of status.
Information on the current status of this and other ETSI documents is available at
https://portal.etsi.org/TB/ETSIDeliverableStatus.aspx
If you find errors in the present document, please send your comment to one of the following services:
https://portal.etsi.org/People/CommiteeSupportStaff.aspx
Copyright Notification
No part may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
and microfilm except as authorized by written permission of ETSI.
The content of the PDF version shall not be modified without the written authorization of ETSI.
The copyright and the foregoing restriction extend to reproduction in all media.

© ETSI 2017.
All rights reserved.

TM TM TM
DECT , PLUGTESTS , UMTS and the ETSI logo are trademarks of ETSI registered for the benefit of its Members.
TM
3GPP and LTE™ are trademarks of ETSI registered for the benefit of its Members and
of the 3GPP Organizational Partners.
oneM2M logo is protected for the benefit of its Members.
GSM® and the GSM logo are trademarks registered and owned by the GSM Association.
ETSI

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
3 ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights . 4
Foreword . 4
Modal verbs terminology . 4
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 References . 5
2.1 Normative references . 5
2.2 Informative references . 5
3 Definitions, symbols and abbreviations . 6
3.1 Definitions . 6
3.2 Symbols . 6
3.3 Abbreviations . 6
4 Operational requirements . 7
4.1 Considerations for installation of Mobile Communication On Board Aircraft systems . 7
4.2 Maximum E.I.R.P. of the aircraft due to the Mobile Communication On Board Aircraft system . 8
4.3 Derivation of the minimum power level of the NCU at the antenna input (Criterion A) . 8
4.4 Derivation of the permitted maximum power level of the MCOBA system at the antenna input
(Criterion B) . 10
4.5 Derivation of the effective power level due to the UE onboard aircraft (Criterion C) . 10
5 Description of test methodology to derive key parameters . 10
5.1 Cabin coupling loss . 10
5.1.1 General description of test set up . 10
5.1.2 Definition . 11
5.1.3 Test purpose . 11
5.1.4 Test procedure . 11
5.2 Consideration for RF attenuation measurement on aircraft . 13
5.3 Aircraft attenuation in combination with the aircraft antenna system . 14
5.3.1 Test purpose . 14
5.3.2 Methods of measurement . 14
5.3.3 Calculation of combined effective aircraft attenuation and antenna system . 15
5.4 Attenuation of aircraft at window . 16
5.4.1 Test purpose . 16
5.4.2 Methods of measurement . 16
5.4.3 Calculation of aircraft attenuation at the window . 18
Annex A (informative): System Description . 20
A.1 High level System Description . 20
A.2 OBTS . 21
A.3 RF Screening . 21
A.4 Antenna system . 21
A.5 Antenna system installation . 21
Annex B (informative): Bibliography . 22
History . 23


ETSI

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
4 ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)
Intellectual Property Rights
Essential patents
IPRs essential or potentially essential to the present document may have been declared to ETSI. The information
pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found
in ETSI SR 000 314: "Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); Essential, or potentially Essential, IPRs notified to ETSI in
respect of ETSI standards", which is available from the ETSI Secretariat. Latest updates are available on the ETSI Web
server (https://ipr.etsi.org/).
Pursuant to the ETSI IPR Policy, no investigation, including IPR searches, has been carried out by ETSI. No guarantee
can be given as to the existence of other IPRs not referenced in ETSI SR 000 314 (or the updates on the ETSI Web
server) which are, or may be, or may become, essential to the present document.
Trademarks
The present document may include trademarks and/or tradenames which are asserted and/or registered by their owners.
ETSI claims no ownership of these except for any which are indicated as being the property of ETSI, and conveys no
right to use or reproduce any trademark and/or tradename. Mention of those trademarks in the present document does
not constitute an endorsement by ETSI of products, services or organizations associated with those trademarks.
Foreword
This Technical Specification (TS) has been produced by ETSI Technical Committee Mobile Standards Group (MSG).
Modal verbs terminology
In the present document "shall", "shall not", "should", "should not", "may", "need not", "will", "will not", "can" and
"cannot" are to be interpreted as described in clause 3.2 of the ETSI Drafting Rules (Verbal forms for the expression of
provisions).
"must" and "must not" are NOT allowed in ETSI deliverables except when used in direct citation.
Introduction
The present document defines operational requirements and the methodology for showing conformance to the
operational requirements for a Mobile Communication Onboard Aircraft system (MCOBA) whose essential
requirements are defined in the ETSI EN 302 480 [i.4] to demonstrate conformity to Article 3.2 of the Radio Equipment
Directive [i.1].
The present document provides a methodology in order to derive power values at the antenna output port of the system
which can be used to demonstrate conformance to any E.I.R.P. limits defined outside the aircraft. Given the dependence
of the E.I.R.P. levels outside the aircraft on the specific system implementation, the present document also identifies
testing procedures to determine the value of the key relevant RF parameters of the aircraft.

ETSI

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
5 ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)
1 Scope
The present document specifies operational requirements and the methodology for showing conformance to the
operational requirements for a Mobile Communication Onboard Aircraft system, which allows communication in the
GSM and LTE (FDD) 1 800 MHz frequency band and the UMTS 2 100 MHz frequency band to ensure, that mobile
terminals will not connect to ground based mobile networks.
The present document further specifies measurement methodologies allowing the definition of the key RF parameters of
the aircraft, which are:
• the aircraft attenuation as observed at the windows;
• the aircraft attenuation in combination of the antenna system as observed at the antenna system feeding point;
• the effective cabin coupling loss within the aircraft cabin.
The present document also provides a way to translate the power level generated by the Mobile Communication
Onboard Aircraft system at the antenna system output port to an E.I.R.P. defined outside the aircraft.
2 References
2.1 Normative references
References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or
non-specific. For specific references, only the cited version applies. For non-specific references, the latest version of the
referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
Referenced documents which are not found to be publicly available in the expected location might be found at
https://docbox.etsi.org/Reference.
NOTE: While any hyperlinks included in this clause were valid at the time of publication, ETSI cannot guarantee
their long term validity.
The following referenced documents are necessary for the application of the present document.
Not applicable.
2.2 Informative references
References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or
non-specific. For specific references, only the cited version applies. For non-specific references, the latest version of the
referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
NOTE: While any hyperlinks included in this clause were valid at the time of publication, ETSI cannot guarantee
their long term validity.
The following referenced documents are not necessary for the application of the present document but they assist the
user with regard to a particular subject area.
[i.1] Directive 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on the
harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of
radio equipment and repealing Directive 1999/5/EC(Radio Equipment Directive).
[i.2] Commission Implementing Decision 2016/2317/EU of 12 November 2013 amending Decision
2008/294/EC and Implementing Decision 2013/654/EU, in order to simplify the operation of
mobile communications on board aircraft (MCA services) in the Union.
[i.3] ECC Report 93: "Compatibility between GSM equipment on board aircraft and terrestrial
networks".
ETSI

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
6 ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)
[i.4] ETSI EN 302 480 (V2.2.0): "Mobile Communication On Board Aircraft (MCOBA) systems;
Harmonised Standard for access to radio spectrum".
[i.5] CEPT Report 63: "Report from CEPT to the European Commission in response to the Mandate
"To undertake technical studies regarding the possibility of making the usage of the network
control unit (NCU) optional onboard MCA enabled aircraft".
3 Definitions, symbols and abbreviations
3.1 Definitions
For the purposes of the present document, the following terms and definitions apply:
aircraft type: common platform of aircraft which possess the same RF characteristics
antenna system type: specific antenna characteristics which are uniquely defined by a set of RF parameters
installation type: precise manner of installation of the dedicated antenna system
Mobile Communication On Board Aircraft system (MCOBA): system comprising the functions provided by the
NCU and the OBTS
Network Control Unit (NCU): component of the Mobile Communication On Board Aircraft system preventing direct
connection of the onboard mobile terminals with mobile networks on the ground by raising the noise floor in the cabin
Onboard Base Transceiver Station (OBTS): component of the Mobile Communication On Board Aircraft system
responsible for radio transmission and reception to or from the onboard mobile terminals
3.2 Symbols
For the purposes of the present document, the following symbols apply:
λ wavelength
dB decibel
dBm power in decibel relative to 1 mW
3.3 Abbreviations
For the purposes of the present document, the following abbreviations apply:
ACU Antenna Coupling Units
BTS Base Transceiver station
CCL Cabin Coupling Loss
CDF Cumulative Distribution Function
CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
CW Continuous Wave
E.I.R.P. Effective Isotropic Radiated Power
ECC Electronic Communications Committee
FDD Frequency Division Duplexing
FSL Free Space Loss
GSM Global System for Mobile communications
LTE Long Term Evolution
MCOBA Mobile Communication On Board Aircraft
NCU Network Control Unit
OBTS On board aircraft Base Transceiver System
PG Processing Gain
RF Radio Frequency
RMS Root Mean Square
UE User Equipment
ETSI

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
7 ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
WCDMA Wide Code Division Multiple Access
4 Operational requirements
4.1 Considerations for installation of Mobile Communication On
Board Aircraft systems
The requirements for operation of a MCOBA system in order to comply with defined limits, are highly dependent on
many factors, including the aircraft size and type, its RF isolation characteristics, propagation characteristics within the
cabin and the installation of the MCOBA system.
Considerations to show compliancy will depend on different elements of technical system design and choice of
installation for achieving compliance with the limits, such as:
• Variation of the output power of NCU/ OBTS outside the aircraft depending on the fuselage attenuation.
• Choosing for the NCU/OBTS an appropriate antenna type, number and their placement so as to achieve the
most efficient coverage along the cabin while limiting radiation outside the aircraft.
• Valuating the propagation characteristics inside the cabin, e.g. variation of signal strength due to the layout of
the cabin, and factoring this into the evaluation of emissions radiated outside the aircraft.
Results of measurement campaigns have indicated that the effective attenuation of signals by an aircraft is dependent on
the aircraft type. Furthermore the signal leakage of the OBTS will be subject to the RF variations of different antenna
systems and their various installations. Hence system compliancy tests carried out on aircraft can only be used as
validation for the same combination of the system type and the aircraft type, i.e. validation of antenna system "A" with
aircraft type "X" cannot be used on an aircraft type "Z" or using antenna system "B".
To show conformance with the requirements the methodology described in the following clauses is defined.
Conformance shall be shown with respect to the following three criteria:
a) Minimum power at NCU antenna connector shall be sufficient to inhibit connection to all relevant terrestrial
networks at the height above ground the system is to be operated. The methodology is described in clause 4.3.
b) The far field E.I.R.P. outside the aircraft from the OBTS/NCU shall be low enough to ensure non-interference
with terrestrial UEs. The methodology is described in clause 4.4.
c) The E.I.R.P. outside the aircraft from the UEs shall be low enough to ensure non-interference with terrestrial
base stations. The methodology is described in clause 4.5.
The criteria will be referred to as A, B and C in the remainder of the present document. The system can only be
operated at height above ground for which compliance with all the criteria A, B and C can be shown.
The calculations shown in clauses 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5 contain a number of input parameters which shall be measured or
estimated. The test methodologies to derive these parameters are described in clause 5.
Table 4.1-1: Operational requirements and methodology for showing conformance
Maximum permitted E.I.R.P. Maximum permitted E.I.R.P.
Operational requirements
Minimum NCU power
from NCU/OBTS from onboard UE
Aircraft Window Attenuation
Aircraft Attenuation with
Test methodology Aircraft Window Attenuation and
onboard antenna system
Cabin Coupling Loss

ETSI

---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
8 ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)
4.2 Maximum E.I.R.P. of the aircraft due to the Mobile
Communication On Board Aircraft system
It is expected that spectrum regulatory limits imposed on the MCOBA system when installed in the aircraft will be
specified as an E.I.R.P. value defined outside the aircraft. The benefits for a regulatory body using this approach are that
the limits are independent of the aircraft type and technical characteristics, such as size, fuselage construction and its RF
shielding features and they are technology neutral.
Such limits can be found in the Annex of ECC Commission implementing Decision 2016/2317/EU [i.2] which provides
the maximum permitted E.I.R.P. emitted by the NCU/OBTS and UE. These levels are defined outside the aircraft, and
are listed in tables 4.2-1 and 4.2-2 respectively.
Table 4.2-1: Maximum permitted E.I.R.P. outside the aircraft produced by NCU/ OBTS
Maximum E.I.R.P. produced by the NCU/OBTS outside the aircraft in dBm/channel
Height above 460 to 470 MHz 791 to 925 to 1 805 to 2 110 to 2 570 to

ground (see note) 821 MHz 960 MHz 1 880 MHz 2 170 MHz 2 690 MHz
(m)
(see note) (see note) (see note)
dBm/1,25 MHz dBm/10 MHz dBm/3,84 MHz dBm/200 kHz dBm/3,84 MHz dBm/4,75 MHz
3 000 -17,0 -0,87 -6,2 -13,0 1,0 1,9
4 000 -14,5 1,63 -3,7 -10,5 3,5 4,4
5 000 -12,6 3,57 -1,7 -8,5 5,4 6,3
6 000 -11,0 5,15 -0,1 -6,9 7,0 7,9
7 000 -9,6 6,49 1,2 -5,6 8,3 9,3
8 000 -8,5 7,65 2,3 -4,4 9,5 10,4
NOTE: This operating band is not mandatory to be implemented in a NCU.

Table 4.2-2: Maximum permitted E.I.R.P. outside the aircraft produced by the onboard terminal
Maximum E.I.R.P., defined Maximum E.I.R.P., defined Maximum E.I.R.P., defined
outside the aircraft, outside the aircraft, outside the aircraft,
Height above ground
resulting from the GSM resulting from the LTE resulting from the UMTS
(m)
mobile terminal in mobile terminal in mobile terminal in
dBm/200 kHz dBm/5 MHz dBm/3,84 MHz
GSM 1 800 MHz LTE 1 800 MHz UMTS 2 100 MHz
3 000 -3,3 1,7 3,1
4 000 -1,1 3,9 5,6
5 000 0,5 5 7
6 000 1,8 5 7
7 000 2,9 5 7
8 000 3,8 5 7

4.3 Derivation of the minimum power level of the NCU at the
antenna input (Criterion A)
The minimum power level required will depend on the following parameters:
1) Maximum power level of mobile network from the ground received inside the aircraft cabin P is
max-inside_aircraft
defined as follows:
P = P − A

max_ inside _ aircraft max_ outside _ aircraft aircrafWindowfMHz
Where:
P being the theoretical highest signal strength power values outside the aircraft (and
max-outside_aircraft
defined in table 4.2-1.
A being the effective attenuation to the ground based signals due to the aircraft at the
aircraft windowf MHz
window. The measurement of this parameter is defined in clause 5.4.
ETSI

---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
9 ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)
Table 4.3-1: Theoretical maximum power received outside aircraft
from mobile networks on the ground
Received power per system bandwidth (dBm/bandwidth)
Technology LTE LTE GSM UMTS GSM UMTS
Band 450 MHz 800 MHz 900 MHz 1 800 MHz 2 100 MHz
Height (m)
3 000 -61,4 -66,1 -67,5 -80,5 -75,4 -89,8
5 000 -65,9 -70,6 -71,9 -84,9 -79,9 -94,2
8 000 -70,0 -74,7 -76,0 -89,0 -84,0 -98,3
10 000 -72,0 -76,5 -78,0 -91,0 -85,9 -100,3
NOTE: The values have been derived from tables contained in annex 3 from the CEPT
Report 63 [i.5].

2) The consideration of additional screening power (ASP ) which is the combination of the screening
technology
margin necessary for controlling additional processing gain (PG) inherent to some cellular technologies and
the C/I or Eb/N0 (signal to noise ratio or energy per bit to power spectral density ratio) value according to the
cellular technology in to provide effective screening of the pilot broadcast signals:
For GSM:
C
⎛ ⎞
ASP = −
⎜ ⎟
techno log y
I
⎝ ⎠

For WCDMA/CDMA2000:
Eb
ASP = PG −
technolog y
N0

Note that the pilot channel for CDMA systems is a fraction of the total channel power.
Table 4.3-2: Processing gain, C/I and Eb/N0
Mobile Processing Delta between Pilot Channel C/I or Eb/N0
Technology gain (dB) and total power (dB)
(see note) (see note)
GSM N/A N/A 4
WCDMA 21 -10 4,3
CDMA 2000 20 -8 2,3
NOTE: Parameters taken from the ECC Compatibility Report 93 [i.3].

3) The required NCU input power at the antenna port in order to provide the necessary power level at the aircraft
window: i.e. the effective coupling loss within the cabin:
- The measurement of the Cabin coupling loss (CCL) is defined in clause 5.1.
Translation equation for minimum power required equates to:
P f P + ASP + CCL
req max_ inside _ aircraft technolog y

Where:
• P : power required to screen (dBm/ bandwidth).
req
• P : Maximum power received from the ground based network inside the aircraft (dBm/bandwidth)
max_inside_aircraft
the value may be calculated from theoretical principles or directly measured.
• ASP : additional screening power (dB).
technology
• CCL: cabin coupling loss (dB).
ETSI

---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------
10 ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)
4.4 Derivation of the permitted maximum power level of the
MCOBA system at the antenna input (Criterion B)
The maximum permitted power level will depend on the attenuation due to the aircraft fuselage in combination of the
dedicated antenna.
Translation equation for MCOBA system power equates to:
e.i.r.p ≥ P − Att
outside in aircraftcab inf MHz+antenna
Where:
• E.I.R.P. : E.I.R.P. defined outside the aircraft (dBm/bandwidth) and values contained in clause 4.2.
outside
• P : MCOBA system power level at the dedicated antenna output port (dBm/bandwidth).
in
• Att : effective attenuation (dB) to MCOBA system due to the aircraft and the dedicated
aircraftcabinfMHz antenna
antenna function of the frequency. The measurement of this parameter is defined in clause 5.3.
4.5 Derivation of the effective power level due to the UE
onboard aircraft (Criterion C)
The effective power level outside the aircraft due to the onboard UE will depend on the effective aircraft attenuation at
the window.
Translation equation for equivalent power outside the aircraft:
e.i.r.p. = e.i.r.p. − A
out mob aircraftWindow_ f _ MHz
Where:
• E.I.R.P. : E.I.R.P. defined outside the aircraft (dBm/200 kHz)
out
• E.I.R.P. : onboard mobile E.I.R.P. (0 dBm/200 kHz)
mob
• A : aircraft attenuation (dB) at the window at the desired frequency band
AircraftWindow_f_MHz
5 Description of test methodology to derive key
parameters
5.1 Cabin coupling loss
5.1.1 General description of test set up
Location of the aircraft:
The aircraft should be located in a clear outdoor environment in order to keep the probability of possible corruption of
measurement results due to signal reflections at obstacles outside the aircraft as low as possible.
ETSI

---------------------- Page: 10 ----------------------
11 ETSI TS 102 576 V2.2.1 (2017-10)
Measurement locations inside the aircraft:
In principle it is not possible to specify generally accepted measurement locations within the aircraft because of the
large variability in the aircraft cabin layout of different aircrafts. Therefore, the following rules shall provide guidance
for specifying measurement locations for radio coverage testing:
• Coverage shall be tested at least in the forward, mid and aft fuselage section of the aircraft cabin to capture the
longitudinal loss of the antenna system.
• Measurement locations should be chosen at the windows, on the aisle(s) and along the longitudinal axis of the
aircraft.
Figure 5.1-1 gives an example for the measurement locations in a narrow body aircraft.
x x x
x
x x x x x
x
x
x x

Figure 5.1-1: Example of principle aircraft layout for narrow body aircraft type
in standard cabin configuration with example measurement locations
Identification of test frequencies
The frequencies used to conduct the tests are subject to local regulatory authorization. Identification of the frequencies
to be used will depend on the national regulatory Administration in the country where the tests are to take place, and
hence, the selected frequencies may be outside the operating frequency bands of the NCU.
Prerequisites
The following prerequisites shall be fulfilled prior to the start of the measurements within the aircraft cabin:
• Antenna system installed as in its final routing.
• Standard monuments installed (e.g. galley, lavatories, overhead bins).
• Cabin doors locked.
5.1.2 Definition
The cabin coupling loss is defined as the loss that the transmitted signal experiences on its way from the test signal
generator's output connector to a receive location within the aircraft cabin.
5.1.3 Test purpose
This test is to determine the cabin coupling loss parameter (CCL) in selected locations within the aircraft cabin. The
CCL is needed to determine the required NCU output power level.
5.1.4 Test procedure
Equipment required:
• measurement receiver
• reference antenna(s)
NOTE 1: Given the multipath propagation environment within the aircraft cabin, it is recommended to use antennas
with omni-directional characteristics at least in one of the polarization planes (e.g. dipole antennas) in
order to adequately c
...