Course Outlines

Introduction to mobile communication

CDMA principles
Transmission problems
CDMA network architecture
CDMA network interfaces
CDMA air interface
CDMA key technologies

CDMA key technologies

Power control
Handoff

Why Power Control?

All CDMA users occupy the same

frequency at the same time! Frequency
and time are not used as discriminators.

CDMA operates by using CODES to

discriminate between users.

CDMA interference comes mainly from

nearby users

Each user is a small voice in a roaring

crowd -- but with a uniquely recoverable
code.

Transmit power on all users must be

tightly controlled so their signals reach
the base station at the same signal level
and at the absolute minimum power level
necessary to ensure acceptable service
quality

Figure of Merit: Eb/No

(energy per chip [bit] /
interference [noise] spectral density)

CDMA: Eb/No ~6to7 dB

Reverse Open Loop

Reverse Open Loop

Power Control

Mobile

BTS

The mobile station makes a coarse initial estimation of the required transmit power,
based upon the total received power.

Problems with Reverse Open Loop Power Control:

Assumes same exact path loss in both directions; therefore, cannot

account for asymmetrical path loss
Estimates are based on total power received; therefore the power
received from other cell sites by mobile station introduces inaccuracies

Reverse Closed Loop Power Control

Mobile

BTS
Reverse Closed Loop
Power Control

or

Signal Strength
Measurement

Setpoint

Compensates for asymmetries between the forward and reverse paths

Consists of power up (0) & power down (1) commands sent to the mobile stations, based
upon their signal strength measured at the Base Station and compared to a specified
threshold

Each command requests a 1dB increase or decrease of the mobile station transmit power

Transmitted 800 times per second, always at full power

Allows to compensate for the effects of fast fading

Reverse Outer Loop Power Control

Mobile

BTS
Reverse Closed Loop
Power Control

BSC
or
Signal Strength
Measurement

Setpoint

Reverse Outer
Loop Power
Control

Most gradual form of reverse link power control

FER

Set point is varied according to the FER on the Reverse Traffic Channel
(determined at the Base Station Controller)
Sampled at a rate of 50 frames per second (20 ms / frame)
Set point adjusted every 1-2 seconds

Forward Traffic Channel Power Control

Mobile

BTS

BSC
Adjust Fwd.
power

FER
Forward Link Power Control

The base station slowly decreases power to each mobile station.

As the FER (determined at the mobile station) increases, the mobile station
requests a Forward Traffic Channel power increase.

Summary of All Power Control Mechanisms

Reverse Open Loop

Power Control

Mobile

BTS
Reverse Closed Loop
Power Control

FER

BSC
or

Signal Strength
Measurement

Setpoint

Adjust Fwd.
power
Reverse Outer
Loop Power
Control

FER

Forward Link Power Control

All types of power control work together to minimizes power consumption at the
mobile stations, and increases the overall capacity of the system transmit power.

Handoffs

Handoff is the process by which a mobile station maintains communications

with the Mobile Telephone Switching center(MSC), when traveling from
the coverage area of one base station to that of another.

Handoffs keep the call established during the following conditions:

Subscriber crosses the boundaries of a cell

Subscriber experiences noise or other interference above a
specified threshold
A base station component experiences an out-of-service
condition during a call

CDMA Handoffs
CDMA
Cell Site
B

Cell Site
A

CDMA Handoffs

Cell Site
B

Make-before-break
Directed by the mobile not the base station
Undetectable by user
Improves call quality

Handoffs consist of the following phases:

Initiation (trigger), Target Selection, and Completion (execution)

Cell Site
A

CDMA Handoffs (cont.)

While in the
Idle State

Idle Handoff

Soft Handoff
Softer Handoff
During
a Call

Inter-System Soft Handoff

CDMA-to-CDMA Handoff
CDMA-to-Analog Handoff

Soft Handoff
PSTN

Cell Site
A

MTX

Cell Site
B

B
S
C

Soft Handoff: the mobile station starts communications with a target

base station without interrupting communications with the current
serving base station.
Can involve up to three cells simultaneously and use all signals

Mobile station combines the frames from each cell

Softer Handoff

Handoff is between sectors of the same cell

Communications are maintained across both sectors until the mobile
station transition has completed
May happen frequently
MSC is aware but does not participate
All activities are managed by the cell site
Signals received at both sectors can be combined for improved quality

alpha
beta
gamma

Inter-System Soft Handoffs

T1 or E1 Links
TIA/EIA-41D

MSC

MSC

BSC

BSC
T1 or E1 Links

CIS
AA
f1
f1
BB
f1
f1
CC
f1
f1

CDMA Soft Handoff

DD
f1
f1
EE
f1
f1
FF
f1
f1

CIS

UU
f1
f1
VV
f1
f1
W
W
f1
f1

ISSHO

XX
f1
f1
YY
f1
f1
ZZ
f1
f1

CDMA Hard Handoff

Mobile Station starts communications with a new cell controlled by a

different BSC while still communicating with the cell controlled by the
source BSC
Soft Handoffs over Hard Handoffs
Fewer border cell

Hard Handoff
PSTN
PSTN
MSC

MSC

BSC

BSC

A
(1)

B
(2)

MSC
T1 or E1 Links
TIA/EIA-41D

BSC

Between cells operating on different frequencies

Between cells that could be on the same frequency, but which are subordinated to different
MSC

Pilot Sets
Pilot Sets
1. Active
2. Candidate
3. Neighbor
4. Remaining

Pilot sets:
Active Set: Pilots associated with the forward traffic channels
assigned to the mobile station (max 6 pilots)
Candidate Set: Pilots not currently in the Active Set, but received by
the mobile with sufficient strength to indicate that the corresponding
Traffic Channels can be successfully demodulated (max 5 pilots)
Neighbor Set: Pilots not currently on the Active or Candidate Sets,
that are likely handoff candidates (at least 20 pilots)
Remaining Set: All other possible pilots in the current system on the
current CDMA frequency assignment

All pilots in a set have the same frequency assignment

These sets can be updated during handoff by the base station

PilotSetInitialization
(While in the Idle or in an Active Call)

Active

Pilot whose Paging Channel

is being monitored or
associated with the assigned
Forward Traffic Channel

Candidate

Empty

Neighbor

Pilots specified in the most

recently received Extended
Neighbor List Message

Remaining

Any other possible pilot

in the system

(AGE set at NGHBR_MAX_AGE)

PilotSetMaintenance
(While in an Active Call)

Active

Pilots listed the most

recently received Extended
Handoff Direction Msg

Candidate

Pilots whose strength

exceeds T_ADD

Neighbor

Remaining

Pilots specified in the most

recently received Neighbor
List Update Message
(or whose AGE is still less
than NGHBR_MAX_AGE)

Any other possible pilot

in the system

Pilot Strength Measurement Message (PSMM)

A
B
Timing
C
Pilot Channel

nnels
a
h
C
Traffic
PSMM

The Pilot Strength Measurement Message is used by the mobile station to

direct the base station in the handoff process.
Mobile station reports the strength of the pilots associated with forward
traffic channels currently being demodulated (and whether it would like to
continue to receive traffic from them), as well as pilots from the neighbor and
remaining list which are being received with sufficient strength so that
traffic could be demodulated from them successfully.

Thanks!