LTE Explained

The Main Features

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Contents

LTE Features and Performance

LTE Architecture
LTE Radio Interface
MIMO
LTE Services and Voice
Security
Evolution Options for LTE
Spectrum for LTE
Interference
Conformance
Deployment Benefits of LTE

LTE Technology
So what is Long Term Evolution?

All material is Copyright Informa Telecoms & Media

Long Term Evolution LTE

LTE: - a new cellular radio standard

allowing faster, more efficient transfer
of data, enabling the next generation
of mobile data services

All new All IP, Mobile Wireless Broadband Network

LTE is part of 3GPP evolution
Can we call LTE 4G? Do people care?

Mobile Technology Evolution

LTE has evolved from early GSM technology

Development was started by the European Telecom Standards Institute (ETSI)
Development is now managed by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)
LTE is part of Release 8 of the Specifications

GSM Phase 2+
GSM Phase 1 New Voice Codec
Basic Voice
Further Optimizations
1991
1995

1993
GSM Phase 2
Txt Messages
Basic Data

GSM Phase 2+
R97/98
More GPRS
EDGE
1997

R4
Core Network
Soft switch
2000

1996
1999
GSM Phase 2+
R99
Release 96
UMTS Radio Network
GPRS

2002
R5
HSDPA
IMS

R6
HSUPA
ALL IP
2004

R8

LTE
2008

2006
R7
HSPA+

2010
R9
LTE Enhancements

LTE Performance

Data Rates & Bandwidth

3 4 times more capacity than HSxPA Release 6

100 300Mbps

3 4 times less delay than HSxPA Release 6

100mS Connection Setup
5 20mS roundtrip delay

Much more responsive web browsing

Better voice over IP performance

Other LTE Benefits

Less time spent downloading content, LTE is a lot faster

Greater number of mobiles connected to the network, Higher Capacity

Delay (Latency)

R10
LTE Advanced?
2012

Advanced Antenna technologies increase capacity

Advanced Antenna technologies increase cell size
All IP (packet data) network for faster, more efficient services
LTE can Interwork with existing GSM/UMTS networks
LTE supports multimedia broadcasting

LTE Data Performance, Downloading

Typical 3 5 minute YouTube clip
5 Megabytes of information

GPRS @ 40Kbps 125s

EDGE GPRS @100Kbps 50s
UMTS @ 384Kbps 13s
HSPA @1Mbps 5s average user data rate
LTE @ 5Mbps 1s average user data rate

LTE Architecture (high level)

New Access Network
Base Station - Evolved Node B
X2 interface for improved Handover and Interference Management
Backhaul Connections are Critical, Capacity

Downlink Radio Interface

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)
Improved Performance in Urban Areas
Multiple In Multiple Out (MIMO)

Uplink Radio Interface

Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA)
Good Urban Area Performance
Designed for Good Battery Life

eNB

X2
eUTRAN

eNB Evolved Node B; MME Mobility Management Entity;

SGW Serving Gateway P-GW Packet Data Gateway;
8

UE User Equipment

eNB

UE

LTE Architecture (high level)

MME and SGW

New Core Network

Evolved Packet Core
All IP for efficiency
New Network Elements
Designed to be Flexible and
Scalable
Self Organising Network (SON)

PGW

Mobility Management Entity

Overall control of the UE
and Data Sessions
Handle Handovers and
Location Management
Serving Gateway
Handles User Data
Controlled by the MME

SGW

S5

PGW
Packet Gateway
Provides connection to
external networks
Internet, IMS, WAP, MMS
Manages the IP session for
the User Equipment

S1-U
eNB

S11
EPC
All IP
All New

MME

X2

eNB

UE

eNB

UE

eUTRAN

S1-MME

eNB Evolved Node B;MME Mobility Management Entity; SGW Serving Gateway
P-GW Packet Data Gateway UE User Equipment

LTE Architecture (high level)

Interworking
Defined interfaces for interworking
UMTS/GPRS interworking
WiFi/WiMAX Interworking
Interworking with Trusted/non-Trusted

WLAN
S2

PGW

UMTS
S3,S4,S12

S5

SGW

S1-U
eNB

S11
EPC
All IP
All New

10

MME

X2
eUTRAN

S1-MME

eNB Evolved Node B;MME Mobility Management Entity; SGW Serving Gateway
P-GW Packet Data Gateway UE User Equipment

LTE Architecture (high level)

Connection to External Networks
IMS, MMS, WAP, Media Centers

IMS
WLAN

SGi

UMTS

S2

PGW

S3,S4,S12

S5

SGW

S1-U
eNB

S11

MME

EPC
All IP
All New

11

X2

eNB

eUTRAN

S1-MME

eNB Evolved Node B; MME Mobility Management Entity; SGW Serving Gateway
P-GW Packet Data Gateway; UE User Equipment

LTE Radio Interface Overview

Key Features

Flexible Bandwidth Options

High Order Modulation and Coding

Multi-Carrier Transmission
Good Multipath Performance
Suited to Advanced Antenna Techniques

Still good Multipath Performance

Decoding complexity in the eNB
More power efficient than OFDMA

Advanced Antenna Support

12

eNB

Efficient SC-FDMA in the Uplink

QPSK, 16 QAM and 64 QAM

Adaptive modulation and coding

Robust OFDMA in the Downlink

1.4 20 MHz

MIMO, 2x2, 4x4

Beamforming

UE

UE

LTE Radio Interface Overview

OFDMA and SC-FDMA

Frequency

Frequency

12 Sub-Carriers/RB
Good Multipath Performance
Simplified UE Receiver
Scalable OFDMA
Supports MIMO

Time

eNB
Frequency

Single Carrier /RB

Simplified UE Design
Lower power Consumption
No MIMO

Frequency

UE

Time

13

LTE Radio Interface Overview

MIMO

eNB

UE

Downlink only
2 or 4 Transmit antennas at
the base station
2 or 4 Receive antennas at
the UE
14

Spatial Multiplexing increases

data rate
Up to 4x increase in Capacity*
Requires an Urban
Environment
Wont work every where

Services for LTE

LTE Services
3rd Party Content
Operator Managed Content
Video, Social Networking, WWW

LTE Network
Is a transport/delivery network
Can manage content QoS
High capacity means many customers

Content Management
IMS
Service Delivery Platform
LTE compatible with existing solutions
15

Voice and LTE

IMS Network

IMS

Call Session Control Function (CSCF)

Register VoIP Users
Processes VoIP Call
Manages VoIP Services

Signalling (SIP)

EPC
Media (RTP)

16

IMS VoIP
App

LTE Network

Establishes Initial Bearer

Must maintain an always on connection
Transfers SIP Signalling to IMS
Routes the VoIP Media

Spectrum for LTE

LTE uses Wideband Channels - 5 MHz, 10 MHz

Large spectral allocations are required
Options are 1.4 MHz, 3MHz, 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, 20MHz

Can use any IMT designated Spectrum

Spectrum re-farming?
Replace your existing 2G/3G with LTE?
Not an option for many operators

No harmonised spectrum
UE hardware Issues - Mobile equipment becomes difficult (expensive!) to
build when so many bands are used
Roaming issues

Some Countries have not yet assigned any spectrum

This may delay the launch of LTE in some markets

17

Possible LTE Frequency Bands

880-960
MHz
GSM
Foreseeable
Future

450 470
MHz
Limited
Availability

DECT

TV
TV

UMTS
GSM

GSM

300

2500-2690
MHz
Most Likely
Deployments

2110-2200
MHz
Remains UMTS
HSPA

500

900

1500

1800

WiMAX
WiFi

2500

3000

MHz

MHz

790 - 862
MHz
Available
2 -3 Years

18

4000

1710-2025
2300 2400
MHz
MHz
Good Potential
Limited
Equipment ?
Availability

3400 3600
MHz
Not Suitable for
LTE

These bands identified in addition to the existing GSM and UMTS bands
Local/Regional Regulation will manage the migration of technologies
These are IMT bands therefore LTE could be deployed

Deployment Benefits of LTE

Cost Saving and Capacity Improvements

Cost per Megabit

3% of the cost of EDGE, 20% of the cost of 3G (STC)

Cost savings from lower OPEX, Self Configuring Network, Reuse of Assets
Urban Area payback 4-5 years for existing cellular operators
Urban Area payback 6-7 years for green-field operators

Cost reduction more important than performance increases, initially

(Adrian Scrase, 3GPP)

LTE Self Organising Network

50% less CAPEX, 30% less OPEX (Huawei ME)

HSPA/HSPA+ may have some short term benefits

HSPA+ with MIMO will require considerable CAPEX (Du)

Race for LTE less urgent

WiMAX market position is clearer

19

What are the alternatives to LTE?

HSPA/HSPA+

Might be closer for some than LTE

Use existing Spectrum
More natural roadmap in the short term
Solid Evolution Path (R6, R7, R8.)
Good Performance (20-40 Mbps +)

WiMAX

20

Perhaps more fixed than mobile

Good performance
Its here! increasing number of user devices
But mobile broadband operators changing to LTE
May not be the most natural roadmap for cellular
operators
Remember 802.16m is a 4G candidate

Factors Affecting the Cost of LTE

Positive

Fewer system Components

Smaller Base Station Components

No RNC
Flatter Network Architecture

Less power required

Remote Radio Head utilisation

More Spectrally Efficient

Use of advanced antenna techniques

High order modulation

Negative

Cost of License

Increased Backhaul Capacity Requirement

21

Use of Ethernet over Fibre Technology in the Backhaul

E1/T1 is expensive
Backhaul still a major issue