Description
Expected Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EEIRP) is a fundamental parameter in radio frequency (RF) engineering and network planning, standardized in 3GPP Release 19 for New Radio (NR). It represents the theoretical radiated power of a transmitter system, accounting for the output power of the radio unit, losses in cables and connectors, and the directional gain of the antenna. Specifically, EEIRP is the product of the power supplied to the antenna and the antenna gain relative to an isotropic radiator (dBi) in the direction of maximum radiation, minus any feeder losses. It provides a standardized way to quantify the effective radiated power in the main beam direction, enabling apples-to-apples comparisons between different base station configurations.
From an architectural perspective, EEIRP is a key input for the RF planning tools used by network operators. It is calculated during the network design phase for each cell site and antenna sector. The calculation incorporates the base station's maximum output power (as defined in specs like TS 38.104 for base station radio transmission), the documented insertion loss of the coaxial cables and jumpers connecting the radio to the antenna, and the antenna's peak gain obtained from its radiation pattern data sheet. The formula is typically: EEIRP (dBm) = Transmitter Output Power (dBm) - Feeder Loss (dB) + Antenna Gain (dBi).
How EEIRP works in practice involves several layers. First, it defines the coverage footprint of a cell. A higher EEIRP generally translates to a larger coverage area for a given frequency and environment. Second, and critically, it is used to ensure regulatory compliance. National regulators set maximum permitted EEIRP levels for different frequency bands to control interference and limit public exposure to RF fields. Network operators must demonstrate that their deployed equipment does not exceed these limits, making accurate EEIRP calculation and documentation essential. Third, within 3GPP, EEIRP is used as a reference for defining base station classes (e.g., wide area, medium range, local area) and for specifying requirements in conformance testing standards like TS 38.141.
Its role extends to performance optimization and interference management. By modeling the EEIRP of neighboring cells, operators can predict potential interference scenarios and adjust parameters like antenna tilt or power to optimize the network's signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). In massive MIMO systems with beamforming, the concept is applied per beam, where the Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) of each formed beam is dynamically controlled, and the EEIRP represents the expected maximum value under defined conditions. This is crucial for ensuring that the aggregate power from multiple beams stays within regulatory constraints while maximizing spatial efficiency.
Purpose & Motivation
EEIRP was formally defined and emphasized in 3GPP Release 19 to provide a clear, standardized metric for radiated power that is essential for the increasingly complex RF environments of 5G-Advanced and future 6G systems. Prior approaches often relied on simpler metrics like conducted power (power at the antenna port) or used the term EIRP without a standardized 'expected' calculation methodology, leading to potential inconsistencies in network planning, equipment specification, and regulatory reporting across different vendors and operators.
The primary problem EEIRP solves is the need for a reliable and reproducible reference for the maximum radiated power of a base station. This is critical for several reasons. Firstly, it ensures compliance with strict international (ITU) and national regulatory limits on RF emissions, which are always defined in terms of effective radiated power to protect against harmful interference and manage public health concerns. Secondly, it provides a common ground for network capacity and coverage planning. Accurate EEIRP values allow planners to correctly simulate radio wave propagation, predict cell boundaries, and dimension networks to meet quality of service targets, especially with the use of new spectrum in FR2 (mmWave) bands where coverage is highly directional.
The motivation for its standardization stems from the deployment of advanced antenna systems (AAS) and beamforming. In these systems, the radiated power is not a single static value but varies dynamically with beamforming weights. EEIRP provides a conservative, static 'expected maximum' value that regulators and network planners can use for worst-case analysis. It addresses the limitations of previous, less precise methods by mandating a specific calculation that includes all relevant system losses and gains, thereby reducing ambiguity, improving interoperability between network planning software tools, and ensuring that base station products from different manufacturers are evaluated on a consistent power basis for both performance and compliance.
Classification
Detected Changes Across Releases
from 3GPP Change RequestsSpecific changes extracted from the „Change history“ tables of 3GPP specifications (17 CRs across 5 releases). Complements the general historical overview above with the evidence-based evolution of this function.
In Release 15, the EEIRP (Expected Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power) function was formally introduced into the NR specifications, with its definition added to the terminology section of TS 38.104. This addition, driven by the need for clear Over-The-Air (OTA) testing requirements for BS types 1-O and 2-O, provided the foundational metric for specifying radiated power levels at the Radiated Interface Boundary (RIB). The introduction standardized how beamformed radiated power is quantified and tested, particularly for new FR2 (mmWave) deployments.
- CR to TS 38.104 on Combined updates from RAN4 #90 This document combines the proposed changes in the following Draft CRs from RAN4 #90: - R4-1900284, "Draft CR on NR PUCCH format2 performance requirements for TS 38.104" - R4-1900763, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Update of performance requirement numbers for DFT-s-OFDM based PUSCH" - R4-1900876, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: On RX spurious emissions requirement" - R4-1900968, "Draft CR for 38.104: Performance requirements for NR PUCCH format 1" - R4-1901329, "Draft CR to 38.104: Annex C.6 correction" - R4-1901330, "Draft CR to 38.104: Abbreviations addition" - R4-1901387, "Draft CR to TS 38.104 BS demodulation PUCCH format 0 requirements" - R4-1901474, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Corrections on transmitter co-existence and co-location requirements" - R4-1901483, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Corrections on general intermodulation requirement" - R4-1902239, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Addition of missing EIRP/EIS definitions in terminology in clause 3.1" - R4-1902241, "Draft CR to 38.104; clarification of BS power limits" - R4-1902245, "Draft CR to 38.104: Correction to FR2 OTA Interfering signal mean power units" - R4-1902246, "Draft CR to 38.104; Correction to definition of OTA reference sensitivity" - R4-1902260, "draft CR to TS 38.104 - update emissions scaling" - R4-1902338, "Draft CR: Update on FR1 range extension for TS38.104" - R4-1902389, "draftCR for 38.104 on PUSCH requirements with CP-OFDM and FR1" - R4-1902394, "Draft CR to TS 38.104 – PUSCH requirements with CP-OFDM for FR2" - R4-1902396, "CR: Updates to PUCCH formats 3 and 4 performance requirements in TS 38.104" - R4-1902444, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Editorial CR for BS demodulation requirements" - R4-1902561, "Draft CR for updating PRACH performance requirements in TS38.104" - R4-1902571, "Corrections to 38.104 Delay profile calculation" - R4-1902642, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Correction on multi-band operation related requirements" TS 38.104CR0019
- CR to TS 38.104 Combined updates from RAN4 #90bis and RAN4#91 From RAN4 #90bis: - R4-1903105, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Corrections on terminologies and editorial errors" - R4-1903319, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: removal of unused definition: "minimum EIRP level under extreme condition"" - R4-1903320, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: OSDD information correction" - R4-1903457, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Removal of FFS for FR2 TDD OFF power level requirement in clause 9.5" - R4-1903499, "Draft CR to 38.104: Correction to unwanted emissions mask for bands n7 and n38" - R4-1903836, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Correction on description on multi-band operation in section 4.8" - R4-1904024, "Draft CR to TS 38.104 Applicability rules for BS demodulation" - R4-1904234, "draftCR: Correlation matrix for 8Rx in TS 38.104" - R4-1904723, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Update of performance requirements for DFT-s-OFDM based PUSCH" - R4-1904726, "draftCR for 38.104 on PUSCH requirements with CP-OFDM and FR1" - R4-1904729, "Draft CR on PRACH performance requirements in TS38.104" - R4-1904734, "Draft CR on TS 38.104 Performance requirement for PUCCH format 1" - R4-1904735, "Draft CR on NR PUCCH format2 performance requirements for TS 38.104" - R4-1904739, "Draft CR to TS 38.104 BS demodulation PUCCH format 0 requirements" - R4-1904745, "draftCR: Updates to PUCCH formats 3 and 4 performance requirements in TS 38.104" - R4-1904799, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: FRC update for PUSCH FR1 mapping type B and FR2 DMRS 1+1" - R4-1904816, "Draft CR : Clarification on step 5 and step 6 for delay profiles calculation (38.104)" - R4-1904842, "Draft CR to TS 38.104 BS demodulation CP-OFDM PUSCH FR2 requirements" - R4-1905126, "draft CR to 38.104 for TAE requirements" - R4-1905139, "draft CR to TS 38.104 on EVM measurement (Annex B and C)" - R4-1905140, "Draft CR: editorial correction on FR1 spurious emission requirement in TS38.104" - R4-1905143, "Draft CR for TS 38.104: Addition of NOTE for transmitter intermodulation requirements in certain regions" - R4-1905144, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: FRC reference corrections for the Rx requirements" - R4-1905145, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Clarification on application of interfering signal offsets for ACS, blocking and intermodulation requirements" - R4-1905148, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Corrections on out-of-band blocking requirement" From RAN4 #91: - R4-1906002, "Draft CR to 38.104: Subclause 6.7 and 9.8 transmitter intermodulation – correction of interfering signal type" - R4-1906096, "Draft CR to 38.104: Correction of frequency range for OTA spurious emissions" - R4-1906311, "Draft CR to 38.104: Correction on FRC (Annex A)" - R4-1906346, "Removal of n65 in Rel-15 38.104" - R4-1906915, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Clarification on application of interfering signal offsets for OTA ACS, blocking and intermodulation requirements" - R4-1906918, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Clarification on type of interfering signal for ACS, in-band blocking and ICS requirements" - R4-1907110, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: correction of the fundamental frequency limit of 2.55GHz for the spurious emissions" - R4-1907246, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Update of performance requirements for DFT-s-OFDM based PUSCH" - R4-1907249, "Draft CR to TS 38.104: Correction on the terminology in PUSCH FRC tables" - R4-1907252, "Draft CR to TS38.104: Updates of PRACH performance requirements" - R4-1907255, "Draft CR on NR PUCCH format2 performance requirements for TS 38.104" - R4-1907258, "Draft CR on NR UCI on PUSCH performance requirements for TS 38.104" - R4-1907261, "draftCR: Updates to PUCCH formats 3 and 4 performance requirements in TS 38.104" - R4-1907266, "Draft CR on TS 38.104 Performance requirement for PUCCH format 1" - R4-1907267, "Draft CR on TS 38.104 Performance requirement for multi-slot PUCCH format 1" - R4-1907272, "Draft CR to TS 38.104 BS demodulation PUCCH format 0 requirements" - R4-1907275, "Draft CR to TS 38.104 BS demodulation CP-OFDM PUSCH FR2 requirements" - R4-1907277, "draftCR for 38.104 on PUSCH requirements with CP-OFDM and FR1" - R4-1907629, "Draft CR to 38.104: Term “reference signal” replacing by term “ideal signal” in EVM context" - R4-1907634, "Draft CR to 38.104: corrections to the EVM annex" - R4-1907659, "Draft CR to TS 38.104 on Spurious emission Category B in FR2" - R4-1907661, "Draft CR to 38.104 Definition of contiguous transmission bandwidth" - R4-1907662, "Draft CR to 38.104: BS TAE requirements" - R4-1907664, "Draft CR to 38.104: Clarification of interferer RB frequency for narrowband blocking" - R4-1907672, "Draft CR for TS 38.104: Correction on EVM" - R4-1907689, "Correction to CA carrier spacing" TS 38.104CR0029
In Release 16, the EEIRP-related enhancements included the introduction of specific Radiated Performance requirements for multi-slot PUCCH transmissions, as detailed in a new clause 11.3.1 within TS 38.104. Furthermore, corrections were made to the symbols and definitions used for rated carrier output power to ensure clarity and consistency in the specification. These updates helped refine the radiated (OTA) testing framework for Base Station types like 1-O and 2-O, where requirements are defined at the Radiated Interface Boundary (RIB).
In Release 17, the EEIRP-related updates introduced new radiated performance requirements for PUSCH repetition type A and PUSCH mapping type B. These requirements were specifically defined for Over-the-Air (OTA) conformance testing of base stations, as detailed in the radiated performance specifications. This work involved corrections and refinements to ensure accurate testing of these physical channel procedures in a radiated context.
In Release 18, the EEIRP function was refined through corrections to radiated performance requirements and the introduction of new power dynamic range specifications, including Total Power Dynamic Range (TPDR). The updates specifically addressed the application of these requirements for different Base Station types, such as Type 1-H and Type 1-O, at their Radiated Interface Boundary (RIB). Furthermore, the changes included the addition of NB-IoT resource block power dynamic range for operation in a 3MHz bandwidth.
In Release 19, the EEIRP function was expanded with the introduction of core requirements and conformance testing specifically for the Upper 6GHz (U6GHz) frequency range. Furthermore, improvements and clarifications were made to the Expected EIRP requirements for operating band n104, and corrections were applied to test beam directions for EEIRP in the upper 6GHz.
- CR to TS 38.104 for introduction of U6GHz EEIRP core requirement TS 38.104CR0694
- CR to TS 38.141-2 for introduction of U6GHz EEIRP conformance testing requirement TS 38.141CR0631
- CR to TS 38.104: improvements related to Expected EIRP for band n104 TS 38.104CR0753
- CR to TS 38.141-2: improvements related to Expected EIRP for band n104 TS 38.141CR0649
- CR to TS 38.141-2: improvements related to Expected EIRP for band n104 TS 38.141CR0678
- CR to TS 38.141-2 on clarification of LP-WUS power boosting TS 38.141CR0674
+ 2 more changes
Explore further
Broader topics and technologies where EEIRP plays a role.
Defining Specifications
3GPP specifications that define or reference EEIRP, with the latest known release. Sourced from the 3GPP document catalog — see methodology.
| Specification | Title | Release |
|---|---|---|
| TS 38.104 vj20 | NR Base Station RF Requirements | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.115 vj20 | NR Repeater RF Conformance Testing Part 1 | Rel-19 |
| TS 38.141 vj20 | NR Base Station RF Conformance Testing Part 1 | Rel-19 |
| TR 38.908 vj10 | NR Band n104 FSS UL Protection | Rel-19 |