Ericsson Baseband 5216 — Multi-standard Baseband for RBS 6000 (CPRI)

1) Product overview

The Baseband 5216 is a digital baseband unit for Ericsson RBS 6000 macro sites. It performs switching, IP traffic management, timing, uplink/downlink baseband processing, and radio interconnect to Ericsson radios/RRUs. Software support starts from L15B (LTE), W16A (WCDMA) and G16B (GSM). 

2) Capacity indicators (per Ericsson technical data)

• Connected users: 8,000. 

• LTE antenna bandwidth (planning figure): 960 MHz (depends on radio configuration). 

• VoIP users (reference): up to 2,000 FDD or 1,000 TDD.

• Throughput (reference): 1,200 Mbps DL / 600 Mbps UL (depends on radio/software). 

• WCDMA channel elements: 1152 DL / 768 UL / 1920 EUL. 

• GSM capacity: 48 TRX. 

• Supported CPRI line rates: 2.5 / 4.9 / 9.8 / 10.1 Gbps (SW-dependent). 

Ericsson notes that exact capacities depend on software package, licenses, and radio configuration; use site-specific RBS configuration tables when engineering.

3) Interfaces (front/back panel)

• Power: –48 V DC (ET20 A). 

• SYNC (RJ-45): external or network-derived synchronization (e.g., GPS or over transport). 

• EC (RJ-45): Enclosure Control Bus (ECB).

• LMT (RJ-45): Local Maintenance Terminal; LMT-A/B via splitter; supports sync test. 

• TN A (RJ-45): 100 Mb/1 GbE transmission (electrical). 

• TN B / TN C (SFP+): 1/10 GbE transmission (electrical/optical). Multiple TN ports and 10 Gb require activation codes; SFP+ needed for >2.5 Gbps.

• IDL-A / IDL-B (Xcede): inter-baseband IDLe links; the same connector family also supports CPRI. 

• Radio A–F (SFP+, 6 ports): internal electrical interface to cabinet radios or optical CPRI to remote RRUs. 

4) Mechanical & environmental (from Ericsson table)

• Dimensions / weight (table entry): H 350 mm × W 31 mm × D 280 mm; < 4 kg (cabinet board form factor; verify in your RBS cabinet BOM).

• Power consumption: see RBS 6000 Power Consumption Guideline (varies with load). 

5) System role & deployment

• Platform: RBS 6000; integrates with Ericsson Radio portfolio via CPRI. 

• Technologies: supports LTE/WCDMA/GSM concurrently subject to software and licenses.

• Use cases: macro cell capacity & coverage upgrades; multi-band/multi-sector sites with several RRUs via the six CPRI ports. 

6) Identification & ordering (field evidence)

• Model: Baseband 5216.

• Common part number(s): KDU 137 925/31 (market/revision dependent; confirm on nameplate). 

7) Acceptance checklist (recommended)

1. Nameplate & revision – confirm PN, HW rev, and software baseline match your design. 

2. Optical/Ethernet – loopback/BERT tests on TN B/C and Radio A–F with proper SFP/SFP+ for required CPRI rates. 

3. Synchronization – validate SYNC input and timing status (GPS or transport).

4. Inter-BB links – if pooling/chaining is used, verify IDL-A/B operation. 

5. Licenses – check LTE/WCDMA/GSM feature keys for the required cells, carriers, and throughput. 

Sources (open & verifiable)

• Ericsson – Baseband Description: Baseband 5216 / 5212 (UEN 78/1551-LZA 701 6001/1, 2016-04-04) — software baselines; capacity table (8,000 users, 960 MHz, 1.2 Gbps/0.6 Gbps, WCDMA CEs, GSM TRX, CPRI rates); full interface list and footnotes. 

• Tempest / marketplace listings — confirm KDU 137 925/31 as a Baseband 5216 PN (use nameplate to verify exact revision).