2.14 Wireless WAN Design¶
Document Information¶
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document Title | Wireless WAN Design |
| Version | 1.0 |
| Author | Network Architecture Team |
| Organization | Abhavtech.com |
| Last Updated | December 2025 |
| Status | Production |
Table of Contents¶
- Wireless WAN Overview
- 5G Integration
- 4G LTE Design
- LEO Satellite Connectivity
- Cellular Bonding
- Wireless WAN Policies
- Performance Optimization
- Failover Design
- Carrier Management
1. Wireless WAN Overview¶
1.1 Wireless Strategy¶
Wireless WAN provides backup connectivity, primary connectivity for remote sites, and bandwidth augmentation for high-demand scenarios.
Use Cases: - Last-resort backup for all sites - Primary connectivity for temporary/remote sites - Bandwidth augmentation during peak periods - Business continuity during circuit outages - Mobile/temporary office connectivity
1.2 Wireless WAN Architecture¶
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| WIRELESS WAN ARCHITECTURE |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Abhavtech Sites Carrier Networks |
| +------------------+ +----------------------+ |
| | Data Centers | | Jio 5G SA/NSA | |
| | (Mumbai/Chennai) | | Airtel 5G NSA | |
| | | 5G | Vodafone 4G LTE | |
| | C8500 w/ 5G -|-------------->| BSNL 4G LTE | |
| | Module | +----------------------+ |
| +------------------+ | |
| v |
| +------------------+ +----------------------+ |
| | Hub Sites | | Carrier Core | |
| | (LON/FRA/NJ/DAL) | 5G/LTE | +------------------+ | |
| | |-------------->| | Internet Gateway | | |
| | C8300 w/ LTE -| | | NAT/CGNAT | | |
| +------------------+ | | QoS (Optional) | | |
| | +------------------+ | |
| +------------------+ +----------------------+ |
| | Branch Sites | | |
| | (BLR/DEL/NOI) | 4G LTE v |
| | | +----------------------+ |
| | C8200 w/ LTE -|-------------->| Internet | |
| +------------------+ | (SD-WAN Overlay) | |
| +----------------------+ |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
1.3 Wireless WAN Deployment Summary¶
| Site Type | Technology | Carrier | Bandwidth | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai DC | 5G SA | Jio | 1 Gbps | Backup |
| Chennai DR | 5G SA | Jio | 1 Gbps | Backup |
| Bangalore | 5G NSA | Airtel | 500 Mbps | Backup |
| Delhi | 4G LTE | Airtel/Jio | 100 Mbps | Backup |
| Noida | 4G LTE | Jio | 100 Mbps | Primary |
| London | 5G NSA | EE | 500 Mbps | Backup |
| Frankfurt | 4G LTE | Vodafone | 100 Mbps | Backup |
| New Jersey | 5G NSA | Verizon | 500 Mbps | Backup |
| Dallas | 4G LTE | AT&T | 100 Mbps | Backup |
2. 5G Integration¶
2.1 5G Technology Overview¶
5G Deployment Modes: - 5G SA (Standalone): Native 5G core, full capabilities - 5G NSA (Non-Standalone): 5G radio with 4G core
5G Capabilities:
| Parameter | 5G SA | 5G NSA | 4G LTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak Speed | 1-10 Gbps | 1-2 Gbps | 100-300 Mbps |
| Latency | 1-5 ms | 10-20 ms | 30-50 ms |
| Reliability | 99.999% | 99.99% | 99.9% |
| Connection Density | 1M/km² | 100K/km² | 10K/km² |
| Network Slicing | Yes | Limited | No |
2.2 5G Architecture for SD-WAN¶
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 5G SD-WAN INTEGRATION |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| WAN Edge 5G Network |
| +----------------------+ +------------------------+ |
| | Cisco C8500-12X4QC | | 5G RAN | |
| | | | +------------------+ | |
| | +------------------+ | | | gNodeB | | |
| | | 5G Module | | NR Air | | (mmWave/Sub-6) | | |
| | | (Pluggable) |<|---------->| +------------------+ | |
| | | | | Interface| | | |
| | | - SIM Slot 1 | | | v | |
| | | - SIM Slot 2 | | | +------------------+ | |
| | +------------------+ | | | 5G Core (SA) | | |
| | | | | | - AMF | | |
| | v | | | - SMF | | |
| | +------------------+ | | | - UPF | | |
| | | SD-WAN Control | | | +------------------+ | |
| | | - Color: 5g | | | | | |
| | | - TLOC | | | v | |
| | | - IPsec Tunnel | | | +------------------+ | |
| | +------------------+ | | | Data Network | | |
| +----------------------+ | | (Internet/MPLS) | | |
| | +------------------+ | |
| +------------------------+ |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
2.3 5G Module Configuration¶
Cisco 5G Pluggable Module (P-5GS6-GL):
! 5G Module Configuration
controller cellular 0/0/0
lte sim data-profile 1 attach-profile 1
lte modem link-recovery rssi onset-threshold -110
lte modem link-recovery rssi recover-threshold -100
lte modem link-recovery monitor-timer 60
lte modem link-recovery wait-timer 30
lte modem link-recovery debounce-count 3
profile id 1 apn abhavtech-enterprise authentication none
!
5g-nr
nsa enable
sa enable
band n78 n77 n41
frequency-priority high
Interface Configuration:
! 5G WAN Interface
interface Cellular0/0/0
description 5G-JIO-PRIMARY
ip address negotiated
ip nat outside
dialer in-band
dialer idle-timeout 0
dialer-group 1
pulse-time 1
!
! SD-WAN specific
tunnel-interface
encapsulation ipsec weight 10
color 5g restrict
carrier jio
no allow-service all
allow-service dhcp
allow-service dns
allow-service icmp
allow-service sshd
allow-service netconf
2.4 5G Network Slicing¶
Network Slice Configuration (Future):
| Slice | Purpose | SLA | Sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| eMBB | Enhanced Mobile Broadband | High BW | All |
| URLLC | Ultra-Reliable Low Latency | <5ms, 99.999% | DC/Hub |
| mMTC | Massive IoT | Power efficient | IoT sites |
! 5G Network Slice Selection (Future)
controller cellular 0/0/0
5g-nr
network-slice
s-nssai sst 1 sd 000001
description enhanced-mobile-broadband
qos-profile qci-9
!
s-nssai sst 2 sd 000002
description ultra-reliable-low-latency
qos-profile qci-1
3. 4G LTE Design¶
3.1 LTE Deployment Architecture¶
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 4G LTE BACKUP DESIGN |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Branch Site (Bangalore) |
| +------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | | |
| | C8200-1N-4T | |
| | +--------------------------------------------+ | |
| | | | | |
| | | +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ | | |
| | | | Gi0/0/0 | | Gi0/0/1 | | Cell0 | | | |
| | | | MPLS | | DIA | | LTE | | | |
| | | | Primary | | Secondary| | Backup | | | |
| | | +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | +-------|-------------|-------------|-------+ | |
| | | | | | |
| +----------|-------------|-------------|-------------+ |
| v v v |
| +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ |
| | MPLS PE | | ISP GW | | LTE Tower| |
| | 100 Mbps | | 200 Mbps | | 100 Mbps | |
| +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
3.2 LTE Module Configuration¶
Cisco LTE Module (P-LTE-US/P-LTE-IN):
! LTE Module Configuration
controller cellular 0/0/0
lte sim data-profile 1 attach-profile 1
lte failovertimer 5
lte modem link-recovery rssi onset-threshold -100
lte modem link-recovery rssi recover-threshold -90
lte modem link-recovery monitor-timer 30
lte modem link-recovery wait-timer 10
lte modem link-recovery debounce-count 2
!
profile id 1 apn enterprise-apn authentication pap username abhavtech password Enterpr1se!
! LTE Interface
interface Cellular0/0/0
description LTE-AIRTEL-BACKUP
ip address negotiated
ip nat outside
dialer in-band
dialer idle-timeout 0
dialer-group 1
pulse-time 1
!
! SD-WAN Configuration
tunnel-interface
encapsulation ipsec weight 100
color lte restrict
carrier airtel
no allow-service all
allow-service dhcp
allow-service dns
allow-service icmp
3.3 LTE Performance Optimization¶
Antenna Placement Guidelines:
| Factor | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Mounting Height | 3-5 meters above ground |
| Orientation | Point toward nearest tower |
| Obstruction | Clear line of sight preferred |
| Cable Length | <10 meters (low-loss cable) |
| External Antenna | Required for RSRP < -90 dBm |
Signal Quality Thresholds:
| Metric | Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSRP | > -80 dBm | -80 to -90 | -90 to -100 | < -100 |
| RSRQ | > -10 dB | -10 to -15 | -15 to -20 | < -20 |
| SINR | > 20 dB | 13-20 | 0-13 | < 0 |
4. LEO Satellite Connectivity¶
4.1 LEO Satellite Overview¶
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite provides connectivity for remote sites, disaster recovery, and locations without terrestrial options.
LEO Providers: - Starlink (SpaceX) - Primary evaluation - OneWeb - Secondary option - Amazon Kuiper - Future consideration
4.2 LEO Satellite Architecture¶
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| LEO SATELLITE INTEGRATION |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Remote/DR Site LEO Constellation |
| +----------------------+ +------------------------+ |
| | Cisco WAN Edge | | LEO Satellites | |
| | | | +----+ +----+ +----+| |
| | +------------------+ | | |SAT1| |SAT2| |SAT3|| |
| | | Satellite | | Ku/Ka | +----+ +----+ +----+| |
| | | Terminal |<|--------->| Mesh Links | |
| | | (Starlink) | | Band | | | |
| | +------------------+ | +------------|------------+ |
| | | | v |
| | v | +------------------------+ |
| | +------------------+ | | Ground Station | |
| | | Ethernet | | | (Gateway) | |
| | | Connection | | | | |
| | | to WAN Edge | | | +------------------+ | |
| | +------------------+ | | | Internet POP | | |
| +----------------------+ | +------------------+ | |
| +------------------------+ |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
4.3 LEO Satellite Characteristics¶
| Parameter | Starlink | OneWeb | GEO (Legacy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 550 km | 1,200 km | 35,786 km |
| Latency | 20-40 ms | 32-50 ms | 600+ ms |
| Bandwidth | 50-200 Mbps | 50-150 Mbps | 10-50 Mbps |
| Coverage | Global (phased) | Global (phased) | Equatorial focus |
| Weather Impact | Moderate | Moderate | High |
| Cost/Month | $XXX-X,XXX | $XXX-X,XXX | $X,XXX-XX,XXX |
4.4 Starlink Integration Configuration¶
! Starlink Terminal Integration
! Terminal connects via Ethernet to WAN Edge
interface GigabitEthernet0/0/2
description STARLINK-TERMINAL
ip address dhcp
ip nat outside
!
! SD-WAN Configuration
tunnel-interface
encapsulation ipsec weight 50
color public-internet restrict
carrier starlink
max-control-connections 1
no allow-service all
allow-service dhcp
allow-service dns
allow-service icmp
!
! Adjust for satellite characteristics
hello-interval 1000
hello-tolerance 12
! NAT for Starlink CGNAT
ip nat inside source list NAT-ACL interface GigabitEthernet0/0/2 overload
! BFD tuning for satellite latency
bfd-template satellite-link
interval min-tx 500 min-rx 500 multiplier 5
4.5 Satellite Use Cases¶
| Use Case | Primary | Backup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote Construction Site | ✅ | - | Temporary deployment |
| DR Failover | - | ✅ | When all terrestrial fails |
| Maritime/Mobile | ✅ | - | Ships, vehicles |
| Rural Branch | ✅ | LTE | Limited terrestrial options |
| Event Coverage | ✅ | - | Temporary high-bandwidth |
5. Cellular Bonding¶
5.1 Cellular Bonding Overview¶
Cellular bonding combines multiple cellular connections to increase bandwidth and reliability.
Bonding Modes: - Active-Active: Load balance across connections - Active-Standby: Primary with failover - Aggregation: Combine bandwidth (requires bonding device)
5.2 Dual-SIM Configuration¶
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DUAL-SIM CELLULAR DESIGN |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| WAN Edge with Dual LTE |
| +------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | | |
| | +------------------+ +------------------+ | |
| | | Cellular0/0/0 | | Cellular0/1/0 | | |
| | | SIM 1: Jio | | SIM 2: Airtel | | |
| | | 100 Mbps | | 100 Mbps | | |
| | | Primary Carrier | | Backup Carrier | | |
| | +------------------+ +------------------+ | |
| | | | | |
| | v v | |
| | +----------------------------------------------+ | |
| | | SD-WAN Controller | | |
| | | - Load Balance (50/50) | | |
| | | - Failover on signal loss | | |
| | | - Application steering | | |
| | +----------------------------------------------+ | |
| | | |
| +------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
5.3 Dual-SIM Configuration¶
! Dual-SIM LTE Configuration
controller cellular 0/0/0
lte sim max-retry 3
lte sim primary slot 0
!
lte failovertimer 5
profile id 1 apn jio-enterprise
!
controller cellular 0/1/0
lte sim max-retry 3
lte sim primary slot 1
!
lte failovertimer 5
profile id 2 apn airtel-enterprise
! Interface Configuration
interface Cellular0/0/0
description LTE-JIO-PRIMARY
tunnel-interface
encapsulation ipsec weight 50
color lte
carrier jio
interface Cellular0/1/0
description LTE-AIRTEL-SECONDARY
tunnel-interface
encapsulation ipsec weight 50
color lte
carrier airtel
6. Wireless WAN Policies¶
6.1 Traffic Steering Policy¶
Wireless-Specific AAR Policy:
! SLA Class for Cellular
policy
sla-class cellular-sla
latency 150
loss 2
jitter 50
!
sla-class cellular-voice
latency 100
loss 1
jitter 30
! App-Route Policy for Cellular
policy
app-route-policy _cellular-steering
vpn-list VPN-ALL
sequence 10
match
app-list voice-apps
action
sla-class cellular-voice strict
!
backup-sla-class cellular-sla
!
sequence 20
match
app-list business-critical
action
sla-class cellular-sla
!
sequence 30
match
app-list bulk-data
action
count cellular-bulk-counter
! Avoid cellular for bulk transfers
sla-class prefer-wired
6.2 Cellular Cost Optimization¶
Data Usage Control:
! Data Cap Monitoring
policy
data-policy _cellular-data-cap
vpn-list VPN-ALL
sequence 10
match
source-data-prefix-list internal-users
action
count cellular-usage
set
local-tloc-list
color lte
encap ipsec
restrict
!
! Rate limit per user on cellular
policer data-cap
rate 10000
burst 15000
exceed drop
! Cellular Usage Monitoring
sdwan
omp
advertise cellular-stats
!
analytics
monitor-cellular-usage
alert-threshold 80 percent
cap-threshold 100 GB
7. Performance Optimization¶
7.1 TCP Optimization for Wireless¶
! TCP Optimization for High-Latency Links
parameter-map type inspect tcp-wireless
tcp syn-flood rate per-destination 500
tcp syn-flood rate per-destination action-type drop
tcp window-scale-enforcement loose
tcp idle-time 3600
tcp finwait-time 10
tcp synwait-time 30
tcp reassembly memory limit 1024
tcp reassembly timeout 10
! Apply to cellular interface
interface Cellular0/0/0
service-policy type inspect tcp-wireless
7.2 MTU and Fragmentation¶
| Transport | Recommended MTU | Tunnel Overhead | Effective Payload |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4G LTE | 1400 | 58 (IPsec) | 1342 |
| 5G | 1420 | 58 (IPsec) | 1362 |
| Starlink | 1380 | 58 (IPsec) | 1322 |
7.3 Signal Monitoring¶
! Cellular Signal Monitoring Script
event manager applet CELLULAR-MONITOR
event timer watchdog time 300
action 100 cli command "show cellular 0/0/0 radio"
action 200 regexp "RSRP.*(-[0-9]+)" "$_cli_result" match rsrp
action 300 if $rsrp lt -100
action 310 syslog priority warnings msg "Cellular signal weak: RSRP=$rsrp"
action 320 cli command "test cellular 0/0/0 modem-power-cycle"
action 330 end
8. Failover Design¶
8.1 Failover Hierarchy¶
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| WIRELESS FAILOVER DESIGN |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Priority 1: MPLS (Weight 1) |
| | |
| | Failover trigger: Loss >1%, Latency >100ms |
| v |
| Priority 2: DIA (Weight 1) |
| | |
| | Failover trigger: Link down or SLA violation |
| v |
| Priority 3: 5G (Weight 10) |
| | |
| | Failover trigger: Signal loss (RSRP < -110) |
| v |
| Priority 4: 4G LTE (Weight 20) |
| | |
| | Failover trigger: Complete outage |
| v |
| Priority 5: Satellite (Weight 50) |
| | |
| | Last resort - all other transports failed |
| v |
| [Site Isolated - Manual Intervention Required] |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
8.2 Failover Configuration¶
! Transport Preference Configuration
sdwan
system
site-id 100
system-ip 10.100.1.1
!
omp
graceful-restart
advertise bgp
advertise connected
advertise static
! TLOC Weight Configuration (Lower = Preferred)
interface GigabitEthernet0/0/0
tunnel-interface
encapsulation ipsec weight 1
color mpls
interface GigabitEthernet0/0/1
tunnel-interface
encapsulation ipsec weight 1
color biz-internet
interface Cellular0/0/0
tunnel-interface
encapsulation ipsec weight 10
color 5g last-resort-circuit
interface Cellular0/1/0
tunnel-interface
encapsulation ipsec weight 20
color lte last-resort-circuit
interface GigabitEthernet0/0/2
tunnel-interface
encapsulation ipsec weight 50
color public-internet
carrier starlink
last-resort-circuit
8.3 Failover Timing¶
| Failover Scenario | Detection Time | Switchover Time | Total RTO |
|---|---|---|---|
| MPLS → DIA | 3 seconds (BFD) | <1 second | <5 seconds |
| DIA → 5G | 3 seconds (BFD) | 2-3 seconds | <7 seconds |
| 5G → LTE | 5 seconds (Signal) | 3-5 seconds | <10 seconds |
| LTE → Satellite | 10 seconds | 5-10 seconds | <20 seconds |
9. Carrier Management¶
9.1 Carrier SLA Monitoring¶
| Carrier | Region | Technology | Committed SLA | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jio | India | 5G SA | 99.9% / 50ms | 10% credit |
| Airtel | India | 5G NSA/LTE | 99.5% / 75ms | 5% credit |
| EE | UK | 5G NSA | 99.5% / 50ms | 5% credit |
| Verizon | US | 5G UW | 99.9% / 30ms | 10% credit |
| Starlink | Global | LEO | 99% / 50ms | Best effort |
9.2 Carrier Contact Matrix¶
| Carrier | Support Line | Escalation | Account Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jio | 1800-xxx-xxxx | enterprise@jio.com | Assigned |
| Airtel | 1800-xxx-xxxx | business@airtel.com | Assigned |
| EE | +44-xxx-xxxx | enterprise@ee.co.uk | Assigned |
| Verizon | 1-800-xxx-xxxx | enterprise@verizon.com | Assigned |
9.3 SIM Management¶
! SIM Inventory Tracking
+------+-------------+----------------+----------+------------+
| Site | SIM ICCID | Carrier | Plan | Data Cap |
+------+-------------+----------------+----------+------------+
| MUM | 89xxx...001 | Jio 5G | Unlimited| N/A |
| MUM | 89xxx...002 | Airtel 5G | 500 GB | 500 GB |
| CHN | 89xxx...003 | Jio 5G | Unlimited| N/A |
| BLR | 89xxx...004 | Airtel LTE | 100 GB | 100 GB |
| DEL | 89xxx...005 | Jio LTE | 100 GB | 100 GB |
+------+-------------+----------------+----------+------------+
Summary¶
Wireless WAN provides critical backup and primary connectivity options for Abhavtech's SD-WAN deployment.
Key Design Elements: - 5G SA/NSA at DC and hub sites (1 Gbps backup) - 4G LTE at all sites (100-500 Mbps backup) - LEO satellite evaluation for DR scenarios - Dual-SIM for carrier redundancy - Cost-aware traffic steering - Sub-10-second failover for most scenarios
Carrier Strategy: - Jio: Primary 5G provider (India) - Airtel: Secondary LTE/5G (India) - Regional carriers for EMEA/Americas - Starlink for remote/DR scenarios
Next Section: 2.15 Catalyst Center for SD-WAN
Document Version: 1.0 Last Updated: December 2025 Classification: Internal Use