WCDMA Overview

Outline

Introduction What is different from GSM Basic Concept of 3G (UTRAN) WCDMA Coverage & Capacity Core network Architecture and Evolution HSDPA Basics

Introduction
Mobile networks established in mid 80s
It is widely recognized that there are three different generations as far as Mobile communications is concerned.
The first generation, 1G Speech The Second generation, 2G Speech+ Data The Third Generation, 3G Speech+ High Data Speed

Evolution from 2G to 3G

Basic GSM and VAS are basically meant to produce mass services for mass people but due to requirements raised from end-users, more individual type of services is required.

3G introduces the new radio access method, WCDMA. WCDMA and its variants are global.

Evolution from 2G to 3G

GSM and WCDMA Comparison

GSM
BTS BSC MS
Orthogonal in time within a cell Time Slot Synchronization in time Frequency planning Fixed Cell Radius

WCDMA
NodeB RNC UE
Separate users through different codes

Continuous transmission and reception

Code planning No Frequency Planning Variable Cell Radius: Cell Breathing Radio Link: 1 UE <-> Many Node-Bs

Radio Link: 1 MS <-> 1 RBS

# of Frequencies limit capacity BSIC Planning Hard Handover

Power is Capacity
Scrambling Code Planning Hard/Soft/Softer Handover

GSM Radio Access Network

Core Network

A/Gb

BSC
BSC
Abis

BTS

BTS

BTS
6

Um

MS

WCDMA Radio Access Network

Core Network
Iu= Iu PS - Gb Iu CS - A

Iu

Core Network UTRAN

Iur

RNC

RNC
Iub
NodeB

NodeB

NodeB

Uu

UE

Development process for 3G

The third generation, 3G, is expected to complete the globalization process of the mobile communication. Again there are national and regional interests involved and difficulties can be foreseen.

What is WCDMA.....

Wide Band Code Division Multiple Access is a third generation mobile communication system. Its a wireless system where the telecommunication, datacom & media industry converge and is based on a Layered Architecture.

Convergence:
1. User Service convergence 2. Device convergence 3. Network convergence

From Single- to Multi-Service Networks

Yesterday
Single-Service networks
Services

Tomorrow
Multi-Service networks

Data/IP Networks

Servers

PSTN/ISDN

PLMN

IP Network

Access
Access
Access Transport & Switching Networks

Clients
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Layered Architecture
The architecture of telecommunication networks, whether wireless or wire line has changed and they are now split into several horizontal layers that are more or less independent of each other.
Applications Layer

MSC-S

HLR

Control Layer
SGSN
WCDMA Access M-MGW GSM/ EDGE Access

GMSC/Transit SG

Connectivity Layer

GGSN
PSTN ISDN M-MGW Internet Intranet

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Multiple Access
The cellular concept approaches the capacity limitation in terms of system coverage. Therefore, it does not alone help the per-cell capacity limitation as far as the simultaneous users are in question. From radio spectrum standpoint, it is extremely important how the radio resources are allocated to the simultaneous users. Numbers of multiple accesses have been developed to combat the problem of simultaneous radio access allocation to the access requesters. The main aspect of any multiple access scheme is the strategy how the available frequency band is allocated.
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Different Approaches

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WCDMA Band
From 3G point of view, it has been decided (in mid-1999 by OHG) that there will be three CDMA variants in use. Those are: DS-WCDMA-FDD: Direct Sequence- Wideband Code Division Multiple Access - Frequency Division Duplex Uplink: 1920 -1980 MHz Downlink: 2110 -2170 MHz Duplex Distance: 190 MHz DS-WCDMA-TDD: Direct Sequence- Wideband Code Division Multiple Access Time Division Duplex Lower Band: 1900 -1920 MHz It was chosen for private indoor services Upper Band: 2010 -2025 MHz MC-CDMA: Multi Carrier - Code Division Multiple Access

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WCDMA Bandwidth
In WCDMA, the data stream of the base station transmitter handles in downlink direction represents the traffic from the network to the terminal. This traffic uses several channels in the Uu interface. In the Uu interface the effective bandwidth for WCDMA is 3.84 MHz and with guard bands the required bandwidth is 5 MHz.

15

WCDMA at a glance

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WCDMA Frequency allocations

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Basic Concept
The principles of WCDMA technique are based on Spread Spectrum.

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Spread Spectrum
The main advantages of the spread spectrum are:
Its resistance to radio interference and jamming. It lowers the probability of intercept by an adversary. Its resistance to signal interference from multiple transmission signal branches. It providing multiple access facility with a reuse factor equal to one. It supporting means for measuring range, or the distance between two points. It yields the possibility of utilising diversity techniques, including multi-path diversity, as well as frequency and time diversity. It provides user access at any time without waiting for a free channel as far as the level of interference meets the system's tolerance.
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WCDMA Network
The WCDMA network is a multi-service network of networks, providing both traditional telecommunications services and new internet based services over the same network with support for high bit rates.

Network Architecture:
3GPP (Third Generation Project Partnership) Reference Model:
Based on 3GPP reference network model, the WCDMA network can be considered to consists of four major components: 1. 2. 3. 4.
User Equipment (UE) Access Network (AN) Core Network (CN) Network External to WCDMA
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3GPP Release 1999 Reference Architecture

User Equipment Radio Access Network
MSC/ VLR Um
SIM

Core Network
SCF

Co-operating Networks

G E BTS BSS IuCS RNS

Node B

ME
MS

Abis

BSC

A MSC/ VLR D F
EIR

GMSC C HLR Gr
AUC

SIM-ME i/f

Gs RNC Iur

Uu
USIM

SMS

Iub

Cu
or

Gb

Gf

Gd Gc

ISDN PSTN PSPDN CSPDN PDN: - Intranet - Extranet - Internet - X.25

ME

SIM

SIM-ME i/f

RNS
Node B

IuPS SGSN Gn SGSN

MS

Gn

GGSN Gp

Gi

Iub

RNC

UTRAN
Iur
21

Note: Not all interfaces are shown and named

WCDMA Channels
The WCDMA radio access allocates bandwidth for users and the allocated bandwidth and its controlling functions are handled with term Channel. WCDMA uses 3 Layers: 1. Logical Channels: Describe the types of information to be transmitted 2. Transport Channels: Describe how the Logical Channels are to be transferred. 3. Physical Channels: These are the transmission media providing the radio platform through which the information is actually transferred.

In GSM the Physical Channels and their structure is recognised by the BSC but in WCDMA the Physical Channels really exist in the Uu interface and the RNC is not necessarily aware their structure at all. Instead of Physical Channels the RNC sees Transport Channels.
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Channel Architecture

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UTRAN
The main task of UTRAN is to create and maintain Radio Access Bearers (RAB) for communication between UEs and Core Network.
With RAB the Core Network elements are given an illusion about a fixed communication path to the UEs thus releasing them from the need to take care of radio communication aspects.

UTRAN is located between two open interfaces being Uu and Iu.

From the bearer architecture point of view the main task of UTRAN is to provide Bearer service over these interfaces.

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What is Radio Access Bearer (RAB) ?

RAB
The Radio Access Bearer (RAB) is the entity responsible for transporting radio frames of an application over the access network in UMTS.

Controlled by the core network (CN) CN determines traffic class and QoS

Real-Time Applications
Streaming Class: Preserve time relation between entities
(packets) in a data stream Conversational Class: Preserve time relation between entities within a certain delay

Non-Real Time Applications

Background Class: Destination is not expecting data.
Preserve Payload Interactive Class: Request / Response Pattern with preserved payload
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RAB Examples

Conversational Speech

12.2 kbps Circuit switched

Conversational CS Data

64 kbps Circuit switched

Streaming

128/128 PS

Interactive

Variable rate Packet switched

Multi-RAB

Combination of Conversational Speech and Interactive 64/64

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RAB Attributes
RAB Service Attributes Traffic Class Maximum bit rate [kbps]

UE

RBS

RNC

CN

Delivery order
Maximum SDU size SDU format information SDU error ratio Residual bit error ratio Delivery of erroneous SDUs Guaranteed bit rate Traffic handling priority

Transfer delay

RAB

Allocation/retention priority Source statistics descriptor Relocation requirement RAB asymmetry indicator
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UTRAN Architecture

28

UTRAN & Interfaces

29

NODE B
The BS is located between the Uu and Iub interfaces. Its main tasks are to establish the physical implementation of the Uu interface and, towards the network, the implementation of the Iub interface by utilising the protocol stacks specified for these interfaces. Realization of the Uu interface means that the BS implements WCDMA radio access physical channels and transfers information from transport channels to the physical channels based on the arrangement determined by the RNC.

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Modulation Method
WCDMA uses Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) as its modulation method in downlink direction and the Offset Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (OQPSK) in uplink direction. The result is that the spectrum used for QPSK and OQPSK is the same but OQPSK has smoother signal. This allows the amplifiers to operate also on their non-linear operating area without problems.

The conventional QPSK could be used in both directions but then the UE would suffer power consumption problems and high prices.

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Receiver Technique
The WCDMA utilises multipath propagation. On the other hand, to gain better capacity in the radio network, the transmit powers of the UEs (and BSs) should be relatively small. This decreases interference in the radio interface and gives more space for other transmissions and it is very useful that both the UE and the BS are able to collect many weak level signals. This requires special type of receiver. One example of this kind of arrangement is called RAKE. The purpose of the RAKE receiver is to improve the received signal level by exploiting the multi-path propagation characteristics of the radio wave.
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Diversity Technique
In general, diversity techniques are efficient means to overcome the radio signal deterioration due to shadowing and fading. In addition to that utilizing diversity technique is a prerequisite for providing soft handover feature in the cellular systems. In WCDMA technology, typically polarisation diversity is utilized both for uplink and down transmission. The purpose of multipath diversity is to resolve individual multipath components and combine them to obtain a sum signal component with better quality.

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RNC (Radio Network Controller)

The RNC is switching and controlling element of the UTRAN. RNC is located between the Iub and Iu interface. It also has the third interface called Iur for inter-RNS connections. Referring to the Bearers, the RNC is a switching point between the Iu Bearer and Radio Bearer(s).

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RNC Function
The whole functionality of RNC can be classified into two parts: UTRAN Radio Resource Management UTRAN Control Functions

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Radio Resource Management

The RRM is a collection of algorithms used to guarantee the stability of the radio path and the QoS of radio connection by efficient sharing and managing of the radio resources.
The RRM algorithms to be shortly presented here are:
Handover Control Power Control Admission Control and Packet Scheduling Code Management

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Handovers

37

WCDMA Handover Scenarios

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Soft Handover
In WCDMA system, the majority of handovers are intra-frequency soft handovers

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Concept of Soft/Softer Handover

Softer handover -two cells within the same RBS in Active Set
Cell B

Cell C

Cell A

Soft/Softer handover -three cells in Active Set Soft handover -two cells from different RBS in Active Set

Single Link

The UE measured the CPICH Signal strenght (RSCP) and quality (Ec/No) to determine which cell to add in the active set Add and remove from active set is based on relative measurments

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Inter Radio Access Technology (IRAT) handover

Inter RAT Handover

Using the WCDMA Frequency

Using the GSM Frequency

WCDMA Coverage
Road

GSM Coverage

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Hand over from/to GSM

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POWER CONTROL
Power control is an essential feature of any CDMA based cellular system.
In WCDMA, power control is employed in both uplink and downlink.
Downlink power control is basically for minimising the interference to other cells and compensating for other cells' interference as well as achieving acceptable SIR. To manage the power control properly in WCDMA, the system uses different two defined power control: Open Loop Power Control Closed Loop Power Control (CLPC), including Inner and Outer Loop Power Control mechanisms

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Types of Power Control

Open Loop Power Control (OLPC): Basically used for uplink power adjusting, the
UE adjusts its transmission power based on estimate of the received signal level from the BS Common Pilot Channel (CPICH) when the UE is in idle mode and prior to Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission.

Closed-Loop Power Control (CLPC): Utilised for adjusting the transmission power
when the radio connection has already been established. Its main target is to compensate the effect of rapid changes in the radio signal strength and hence it should be fast enough to respond to those changes.

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Admission Control and Packet Scheduling

WCDMA Radio Access has several limiting factors, but the most difficult to control is the interference occurring in the radio path. When the WCDMA cellular network is planned, one of the basic criteria for planning is to define the acceptable interference level with which the network is expected to function correctly. The main task of Admission Control is to estimate whether a new call can have access to the system without sacrificing the bearer requirements of existing calls. Also responsible to handle packet connections with bursty traffic, having a very random arrival time, number of packet call per session, reading time, as well as number of packets within a call.

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Code Management
RNC manages both Channelisation and Scrambling Codes used in the Uu interface connections. In principle, the BS could manage them, but then the system may behave unstable when the RNC is otherwise controlling the radio resources. The Uu interface requires two kinds of codes for proper functionality: Every Cell uses 1 Scrambling Code, the UE is able to make separation between cells by recognising this code. Under every Scrambling Code the RNC has a set of Channelisation Codes.

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Control Functions
In order for the UTRAN to control and manage the radio bearers, which is essential to provide the Radio Access Bearer (RAB) service, it should perform other functions in addition to the RRM algorithms. These can be classified as:
System Information Broadcasting Random Access and Signalling Bearer Setup Radio Bearer Management UTRAN Security Functions UTRAN level mobility management Database Handling UE positioning

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WCDMA in nutshell

48

What is Coverage in WCDMA

Signal does not mean Coverage in WCDMA

Service Coverage Pilot Ec/No Pilot Signal - RSCP

Pilot Ec/No
Pilot RSCP
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Capacity Considerations
Effect of different user distribution

Code limited scenario

Low power usage High code usage Power limited scenario High power usage Low capacity

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CELL CAPACITY
In GSM the TRX capacity calculation is very straightforward procedure but because in WCDMA the radio interface is handled differently and the system capacity is limited by variable factors, the capacity of the WCDMA TRX is not very easy to be determined.
The capacity of a cell depends on the downlink Scrambling Code amount assigned for the cell (minimum is 1). Every downlink Scrambling Code then has a set of Channelisation Codes under it and every call/transaction requires one Channelisation Code to operate. In WCDMA technology, all the users share the common physical resource, being frequency band in 5 MHz slices. All users of the WCDMA TRX co-exist on the frequency band at the same moment of time and different transactions are for the people is the capacity of the WCDMA TRX.

Some assumptions:
All the subscribers under the TRX coverage area are equally distributed so that they have equal distances to the TRX antenna. The Power level they use is the same and thus the interference they cause is on the same level. Subscribers under the TRX use the same baseband bit rate, i.e. also the same Symbol Rates.

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CALCULATIONS
Under these circumstances:
A value called Processing Gain (Gp) - Its a relative indicator informing what is the relationship between the whole bandwidth available (BRF) and the Baseband bit rate (B Information).

G p = B RF/ B Information
or

G p = Chip rate/ Data rate

The system chip rate is constant; 3.84 Mcps (3840000 chips per second). Hence, as an example the Bearer having the bit rate 30 kb/s will have the Spreading Factor 128:
Assume that SNR = Eb/No is 3 dB, then

Users per TRX will be : 128/2 = 64

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Designing for Load

RAB Coverage Unloaded

Coverage shrinks with load due to cell breathing. Coverage and capacity evaluation should be performed early in the design. Capacity per sector is specified, then coverage is evaluated under corresponding load. Coverage and capacity can be traded off. Large coverage footprint, low capacity. Smaller coverage footprint, high capacity.

RAB Coverage High Load

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Transport Design

Design Criteria: Up to 6 Node-Bs grouped into one cluster of a Sub-hub Up to 4 Sub-Hub clusters grouped into 1 hub. STM-1 from Hub/Sub-Hub to RNC through media Interfaces: End node-B: E1 interface. Sub-Hub: E1 interface southbound and STM-1 interface northbound. Hub: STM-1 interface.

RNC

Node

Hub Hub

Node

Node

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3GPP (3

rd

Generation Partnership Project)

release outline

3GPP Releases

3GPP Release 1999 Release 4 Release 5

Future evolution with R6, R7..

55

3GPP Releases - Time Schedule

3GPP Release 6 3GPP Release 5 3GPP Release 4
3GPP Release 1999
Versions of 3GPP Release 1999 Versions of 3GPP Release 4

3GPP TSGs Plenary Meetings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23

Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1

1998

1999

2000

2001
56

2002

2003

Core Network - Architecture and Evolution

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How Does My Network Topology Look Today ?

GSM RAN

GSM - Network Baseline

HLR/ AUC

GSM RAN

BSC

BSC

MSC

TDM Backbone

MSC

BSC

BSC

GPRS - Network Baseline

IP Backbone
SGSN
SGSN GGSN GGSN

Internet
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How Would this look with WCDMA

GSM RAN

WCDMA Introduction
HLR/ AUC

GSM RAN

BSC

BSC

MSC

MSC MSC-S MSC-S

BSC

BSC

TDM/IP/ATM
RNC
MGw MGw

RNC

SGSN

SGSN GGSN GGSN

RNC

Internet
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RNC

WCDMA RAN

WCDMA RAN

Soft switch Concept Separate complex control & execution functions from service payload transport. Centralization & pooling of network control functions. Payload uses shortest path & most efficient coding. WCDMA
Access

Layered Architecture network

End-user applications

MSC-S

HLR

GMSC/Transit

SG

Control
SGSN GGSN

Connectivity
M-MGW

PSTN ISDN

Free choice of Transport technologies.

M-MGW GSM/ EDGE Access

Internet Intranet

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What is Mobile Softswitch?

Classic MSC Solution Classic MSC
MSC

Mobile Softswitch Solution MSC Server

MSC-S

(Control)

(control and switching)

Mobile Media Gateway

MGW

(Switching)

Classic circuit-switched network

Layered Architecture network

MSC-S

Control Layer Connectivity Layer

MSC MGW MSC MSC

TDM

MGW

IP/ATM

MGW

MSC

MSC

MGW

MGW

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Distributed switching, Local Switching

Classical MSC approach:
Main Site PSTN MSC
MS1

MSS approach:
Main Site PSTN MSC-S
MS1

BSC BSC

BSC BSC M-MGw

MS2

MS2

TDM

TDM IP

Remote Site BSC

MS11

Remote Site BSC

MS11

M-MGw BSC

BSC
MS12

MS12

PSTN 62

PSTN

MSC Server

Application Servers

Service enablers

Application Servers

Services/applications
MSC Server HLR/AuC/FNR GMSC/Transit Server SGW PSTN/ ISDN Internet Intranets Control User data

Main MSC Server functions

Service control MGW WCDMA EDGE GSM Mobility management Connectivity SGSN Charging control and CDR generation Can control more than one MGW
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Control

MGW GGSN

Media Gateway

Application Servers

Service enablers Speech & media processing

Main Media Gateway functions

Application Servers

Services/applications Setup/release of user data bearers

MSC Server Interfacing between different transport standards HLR/AuC/FNR GMSC/Transit Server Boundary between different networks SGW

Control

Can be controlled by several MSC Servers MGW MGW WCDMA EDGE GSM
64

PSTN/ ISDN Internet Intranets Control User data

Connectivity
SGSN GGSN

M-MGw Interfaces
Positioning the M-MGw in the Network

RANAP, 3GPP 24.008 BSSAP

BICC

MSC/TSC Server

ISUP

O&M

GCP (Mc)
HTTP, FTP, S-FTP, IIOP, SSH,TELNET IP ATM, IP

(GPS) Synch

MGW
RNC ATM
Q.AAL2 (IuUP, AAL2)

IP

(NbUP, RTP)

ATM

(NbUP, I.trunk, AAL2)

M-MGw

M-MGw
(A)

Q.AAL2

BSC

TDM

TDM

PSTN other networks

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What is High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)

SPEED
CAPACITY
REDUCED DELAY

Higher bit rates: up to 14 Mbps

2 3 times improved system throughput

Reduced round trip time

STANDARDIZED

Integral part of WCDMA (3GPP Release 5)

Smooth Upgrade

Short time to market with existing sites

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HSDPA Basic Principles

Dynamic Power Allocation

Efficient power & spectrum utilisation

Shared Channel Transmission

Dynamically shared in time & code domain

Fast Hybrid ARQ with Soft Combining

Reduced round trip delay

Higher-order Modulation
16QAM in complement to QPSK for higher peak bit rates

Fast Link Adaptation

Data rate adapted to radio conditions on 2 ms time basis
2 ms

Fast Radio Channel Dependent Scheduling Short TTI (2 ms)

Reduced round trip delay 67 Scheduling of users on 2 ms time basis

Lets be ready.