Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Important!
For internal use within ITP members only Do not share or upload on internet Some of the materials in this presentation maybe under intellectual property of person or institution
R99
R4
R5
R6
R7
R8
-LTE -300Mbps DL/75Mbps UL -OFDM -All-IP network -Scalable BW -VOIP
R9
R10
- Bearer independent -HSDPA 14Mbps DL - IMS -HSUPA 5.76Mbps UL -HSPA+ -Higher order modulation - MIMO - ITU: 4G
LTE Goals
Improving Services: low latency: C-Plane <100ms, U-Plane: <5ms better QoS control higher data bit rate 300Mbps DL and 75Mbps UL mobility: optimized for low speed (15km/h) but connection maintained up to 350km/h IRAT mobility: real time delay < 300ms, non-real time delay < 500ms Improving Spectral Efficiency: lowering costs, making use of new spectrum and reformed spectrum opportunities scalable bandwith: 1.4, 3.5, 10, 15, 20 MHz All-IP: better integration with other open standard such as GSM, UMTS, CDMA, Wi-Fi Lower Deployment Cost: no RNC uses existing tower structure
S1MME Uu S1-U
S6a
Gx
eNodeB
X2 Uu
MME
S11
HSS
S1MME
UE
S1-U
S5 S8 SGI
S-GW eNodeB
P-GW
PDN
LTE uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) technology for downlink transmission, and Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SCFDMA) technology for uplink transmission. LTE supports both TDD (Time Division Duplex) and FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) modes of operation. The 3GPP standards call LTEs radio access network the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN). In order to reduce the latency experienced by packets, LTE reduces the UTRAN network to a single node type called an evolved NodeB (eNB). The eNB combines the functions of the Radio Network Controller (RNC) and the Node B, reducing the number of nodes in the network. EPC consists of the following network elements: The Mobility Management Entity (MME), which, as the name indicates, is primarily responsible for managing the UEs mobility-related context. The MME is also responsible for selection of the PDN Gateway, triggering and enabling authentication, and saving the subscriber profile downloaded from the HSS. The Serving Gateway is responsible for anchoring the user plane for intereNB handover and inter-3GPP mobility. The PDN Gateway is responsible for IP-address allocation to the UE. The PDN GW is also the policy enforcement point to enforce Quality of Service (QoS)-specific rules on traffic packets. The HSS is a user database that contains subscription-related information and performs authentication and authorization of the user.
LTE: eNodeB
Radio Bearer management this includes Radio Bearer setup & release procedures and also involves RRM functionalities for initial admission control and bearer allocation. This set of functions is controlled by the MME through the S1 interface during session setup, release and modification phases. Radio interface transmission and reception this includes radio channel modulation/demodulation as well as channel coding/decoding. Uplink and Downlink Dynamic RRM and data packet scheduling this is probably the most critical function which requires the eNodeB to cope with many different constraints (like radio-link quality, user priority and requested Quality of Service) so as to be able to multiplex different data flows over the radio interface and make use of available resources in the most efficient way. Mobility management this function relates to terminal mobility handling while the terminal is in an active state. This function implies radio measurement configuration and processing as well as the handover algorithms for mobility decision and target cell determination. Radio Mobility has to be distinguished from Mobility Management in Idle, which is a feature handled by the Packet Core. User data IP header compression and encryption this item is the key to radio interface data transmission. It answers to the requirements to maintain privacy over the radio interface and transmit IP packets in the most efficient way. Network signaling security because of the sensitivity of signaling messages exchanged between the eNodeB itself and the terminal, or between the MME and the terminal, all this set of information is protected against eavesdropping and alteration.
UE Categories
Rel 8, 9
Rel 10
The existing UE categories 1-5 for Release 8 and Release 9. In order to accommodate LTEAdvanced capabilities, three new UE categories 6-8 have been defined.
MME is the entity in the network responsible for authenticating and allocating resources to the UE when it first connects to the network. To provide additional security to the UE, MME assigns each UE a temporary identity called the Globally Unique Temporary Identity (GUTI), which eliminates the need to send IMSI of the UE over radio channels. The GUTI may be periodically refreshed and changed to prevent unauthorized tracking of the UE. The MME tracks all UEs present in its service area. The MME will keep tracking the UEs location either on an eNB level in case the UE is connected, or at a Tracking Area (TA) level in case the UE is in idle mode. The MME is also responsible for setting up of resources for the UE. MME does this by retrieving the user profile from HSS and determine what Packet Data Network connections should be allocated to the UE at initial attach point. MME automatically sets up the default bearer, thereby giving UE the basic IP connectivity including CP signaling with the eNB and the S-GW. MME is also involved in setting up the dedicated bearers for the users. The MME also participates in control signaling for handover of an active mode UE between eNBs, S-GWs or MMEs. MME is involved in every eNB change, since there is no separate RNC to hide most of these events. In principle the MME may be connected to any other MME in the system. Connectivity to a number of HSSs will also need to be supported. The MME may serve a number of UEs at the same time.
The S-GW is involved mainly in the User Plane (UP) tunnel management, switching and other operations. It is not involved in the Control Plane (CP) operations. S-GW can only handle 12 its own resources and it allocates them based on requests from MME, P-GW or PCRF. An illustration describing S-GW logical interfaces and primary functions is shown in figure 2.4. S-GW can use either GTP tunnels or PMIP tunnels for data flow depending on the data bearer setup. S-GW acts as a local mobility anchor during handovers between eNBs. It can monitor data inside the tunnels for Lawful Interception and Charging purposes. All S-GW connections are one-to-many. One S-GW may be serving only a particular geographical area with a limited set of eNBs, and there may be a limited set of MMEs that control that area. Figure 2.4: S-GW main logical connections and functions [12] The S-GW should be able to connect to any P-GW in the whole network as the P-GW will not change during mobility, while the S-GW may be relocated. For connections related to one UE, the S-GW will always signal with only one MME and the UP points to one eNB at a 13 time. If one UE is allowed to connect to multiple PDNs through different P-GWs, then the S-GW needs to connect to those separately.
PDN-GW (also often abbreviated as P-GW) is the edge router between the EPS and external packet data networks. It acts as the highest level mobility anchor in the EPS and as the IP point of attachment for the UE. It performs traffic gating and filtering functions as required by the service in question. Typically, P-GW assigns an IP address to the UE which it uses for communication with external network. The P-GW performs the required Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) functionality. P-GW is the highest level mobility anchor in the system. When a UE moves from one S-GW to another, the bearers have to be switched in the P-GW. The P-GW will receive an indication to switch the flows from the new S-GW. Each P-GW may be connected to one or more PCRF, S-GW and external network. For a given UE that is associated with the P-GW, there is only one S-GW, but connections to many external networks and respectively to many PCRFs may need to be supported, if connectivity to multiple PDNs is supported through one P-GW.
PCRF is the network element that is responsible for Policy and Charging Control (PCC). It makes decisions on how to handle the services in terms of QoS, and provides information to the PCEF located in the P-GW, and if applicable also to the BBERF located in the S-GW, so that appropriate bearers and policing can be set up. The EPC bearers are then set up based on those. The connections between the PCRF and the other nodes are shown in Figure 2.6. Each PCRF may be associated with one or more AF, P-GW and S-GW. There is only one PCRF associated with each PDN connection that a single UE has.
Home Subscription Server (HSS) is the subscription data repository for all permanent user data. The HSS stores the master copy of the subscriber profile, which contains information about the services that are applicable to the user. It also records the location of the user in the level of visited network control node, such as MME. For supporting mobility between non-3GPP ANs, the HSS also stores the Identities of those P-GWs that are in use. The permanent key, which is used to calculate the authentication vectors that are sent to a visited network for user authentication and deriving subsequent keys for encryption and integrity protection, is stored in the Authentication Center (AuC), which is typically part of the HSS. In all signaling related to these functions, the HSS interacts with the MME and the HSS will need to be able to connect with every MME in the whole network.
LTE Interworking
Two interfaces in the LTE network are provided for interworking. The S3 is the reference point, based on the legacy Gn interface. It lies between the SGSN and the MME where it enables user and bearer information exchanges for inter-3GPP access system mobility. The S4 is the reference point, based on the older GTP-based Gn interface in UMTS, between the SGSN in the GPRS core network and the S-GW. The preferred way to interwork UMTS with LTE is though a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) upgraded to Release 8. This enhancement deploys the S3 and S4 interfaces that somewhat mimics the strict separation of user data flows from the control plane messages so evident in LTE. Though the protocol stacks are incompatible with each other, LTE supports interworking with the legacy 3GPP and non-3GPP accesses. The intention is to provide LTE service continuity that is transparent to the access technology. Access independence is one of the requirements of the NGN visions. The idea assumes a generic approach, which decouples the NGN core network and its procedures as much as possible from the access technologies.
Example how to calculate number of RB: Lets say 10 MHz BW = 10000kHz 1 RB = 12 subcarriers, 1 subcarrier = 15kHz so 1 RB = 180kHz 1MHz for guard band (500kHz each) (10000-1000)/180 = 50RB
QoS in LTE Networks Since LTE and UMTS employ different QoS mechanisms, we need to be able to map between LTE's QCI parameters for EPS bearers and the four QoS categories and associated parameters of Pre-Release 8 PDP Contexts. The 3GPP recommendations provide rules for mapping QoS definitions between the systems. The QoS parameter sets supported within the EPC concern themselves with how packets are handled as they enter, traverse and leave a network. Adding more bandwidth at the edge of a network may resolve some capacity or congestion problems, but it does not resolve jitter, nor can it fix traffic prioritization problems. QoS in an all-IP Environment QoS is the management of the data traffic in a network. Be it a LAN, WAN or wireless, packets are subjected to scrutiny and control. QoS is primarily a layer 3 Internet Protocol (IP) concept. It uses tools that have existed since the early days of IP plus some newer tools and protocols that are designed to aid in the provisioning of precisely defined and predictable data transfers in accordance with certain characteristics. LTE and QoS Each bearer (user data) path in LTE is assigned a set of QoS criteria. In the case a user may have services requiring different QoS criteria, additional bearer paths may be added. LTE identifies a set of QoS criteria with QoS Class Identities (QCIs). These are listed in Figure 2. The critical QoS parameter for any EPS bearer is its QCI, which represents the QoS features an EPS bearer should be able to offer for a Service Data Flow (SDF). Each SDF is associated with exactly one QCI. Network operators may pre-configure all QCI characteristics in an eNB, for example, based on their actual characteristics. The parameters they choose to define these determine the allocation of bearer resources in the E-UTRAN.
The term "EPS Radio Bearer Service" describes the overall connection between the UE and the Core Network edge node, PDN-GW. The EPS Bearer carries the end-to-end service and is associated with QoS (Quality of Service) attributes as decided by the operator. For user data, it maps down to a Radio Bearer from the UE to the eNB, and an S1 transport bearer between the eNB and the S-GW in the CN. Between the S-GW and the PDNGW, a S5/S8 bearer is used to convey the transport between these nodes. The E-RAB is carried by a Radio Bearer between the UE and the RBS, and a user plane S1 Bearer.
Control Plane
All services require a Signaling Connection to carry Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling between the UE and eNB and Non Access Stratum (NAS) signaling between the UE and MME. The NAS messages are carried between the UE and the eNB using the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol on a Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB). They are transmitted between the eNB and the MME using the S1 Application Protocol. The SRBs carrying RRC messages are carried by Logical Channels that are mapped onto a transport channel and scheduled together with the user data onto the physical resources (Radio Link) by the MAC layer,
eNodeB UE
Downlink (DL) transmission: uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) Uplink (UL) transmission: uses Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) Supports both TDD (Time Division Duplex) and FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) modes of operation.
Cyclic Prefix
The motivation for adding the cyclic extension is to avoid inter-symbol interference (ISI). When the transmitter adds a cyclic extension longer than the channel impulse response, the effect of the previous symbol can be avoided by removing the cyclic extension at the receiver. The cyclic prefix is added by copying part of the symbol at the end and attaching it to the beginning of the symbol, used to "signal" a break in the transmission or as guard interval and the OFDM symbol seems to be periodic. This guard interval is designed as such that it exceeds the delay spread in the environment caused by multipath effect. Therefore the aim is to preserve sub-carrier orthogonality by ensuring the time dispersion is shorter than the cyclic prefix length.
The basic type 1 (FDD) LTE frame has an overall length of 10 ms. This is then divided into a total of 20 individual slots. LTE Sub-frames then consist of two slots - in other words there are ten LTE sub-frames within a frame.
2.
3. 4.
Ok, it is done through estimation. Is there a way to calculate it more accurately? If this is what you look for, you need to check the 3GPP specs 36.213, table 7.1.7.1-1 and table 7.1.7.2.1-1. Table 7.1.7.1-1 shows the mapping between MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme) index and TBS (Transport Block Size) index. Let's pick the highest MCS index 28 (64 QAM with the least coding), which is mapping to TBS index of 26. Table 7.1.7.2.1-1 shows the transport block size. It indicates the number of bits that can be transmitted in a subframe/TTI (Transmit Time Interval). For example, with 100 RBs and TBS index of 26, the TBS is 75376. Assume 4x4 MIMO, the peak data rate will be 75376 x 4 = 301.5 Mbps.
LTE Physical Channels differ somewhat from their UMTS counterparts, since the majority of LTE Physical Channels are shared resources, carrying information for multiple users. Consequently, Physical Channels generally answer the question, WHERE is the information to be found?. LTE Physical Channels include: Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH) Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH) Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)
MIMO/Spatial Multiplexing
SU-MIMO (Single User MIMO) MU-MIMO (Multi User MIMO)
Beam Forming
SDMA (Spatial Division Multiple Access) Special Case of SUMIMO
Multiple path between transmitter and receiver created by using multiple receive antennas
Multiple path between transmitter and receiver created by using multiple transmit antennas
Single User MIMO (SU-MIMO) SU-MIMO (also known as Spatial Multiplexing) sends different sets of data over the transmit antennas, using the same subcarriers. The UE receives both streams at the same time, and performs channel estimation to separate the streams, using the unique reference signals sent from each antenna to determine how the transmitted signals have been affected by the RF environment. Although this technique is very complex and requires a good downlink SINR (Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio), it allows the UE to potentially receive twice as much data (in 2x2 MIMO) or four times as much data (in 4x4 MIMO) as it would get with a single transmit antenna. The primary benefit of SU-MIMO is increased throughput; it has little effect on coverage or capacity.
Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) MU-MIMO is a form of Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA), which uses beamforming techniques to focus the energy of the transmitted signal at the receiver. Beamforming adjusts the relative phases of the transmitted signals so that they arrive at the receiver in phase, resulting in a stronger signal; the beams may be dynamic (able to respond to the location and movement of the UEs) or fixed (also known as switched beams, similar to very narrow directional antennas). Each UE communicates with the eNodeB over a single beam; this approach allows the same subcarriers to be used simultaneously by multiple UEs with little or no interference, due to the physical separation between the users. The primary benefit of MU-MIMO is increased capacity.
Antenna Multibeam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzfUqhbohWc AT&T's multi-beam wireless technology delivers five times more data capacity, and can be used at large sporting events and concerts. This innovative wireless technology provides users with more reliable, faster mobile coverage.
Japan
US
Europe
US US
PSS signal 3 different sequences called Physical-Layer Identities (0-2) SSS signal 168 different sequences called Physical-Layer Cell-Identity groups (0167) 168 Physical-Layer Cell-Identity groups with 3 Physical-Layer Identities per group 168 x 3 = 504 Physical-Layer Cell Identities
LTE Measurement
RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power RSRQ: Reference Signal Received Quality
3GPP TS 36.214
In cellular networks, when a mobile moves from cell to cell and performs cell selection/reselection and handover, it has to measure the signal strength/quality of the neighbor cells. In LTE network, a UE measures two parameters on reference signal: RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) and RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality). RSRP is a RSSI type of measurement. It measures the average received power over the resource elements that carry cellspecific reference signals within certain frequency bandwidth. RSRP is applicable in both RRC_idle and RRC_connected modes, while RSRQ is only applicable in RRC_connected mode. In the procedure of cell selection and cell reselection in idle mode, RSRP is used. RSRQ is a C/I type of measurement and it indicates the quality of the received reference signal. It is defined as (N*RSRP)/(EUTRA Carrier RSSI), where N makes sure the nominator and denominator are measured over the same frequency bandwidth; The carrier RSSI (Receive Strength Signal Indicator) measures the average total received power observed only in OFDM symbols containing reference symbols for antenna port 0 (i.e., OFDM symbol 0 & 4 in a slot) in the measurement bandwidth over N resource blocks. The total received power of the carrier RSSI includes the power from co-channel serving & nonserving cells, adjacent channel interference, thermal noise, etc. The RSRQ measurement provides additional information when RSRP is not sufficient to make a reliable handover or cell reselection decision. In the procedure of handover, the LTE specification provides the flexibility of using RSRP, RSRQ, or both.
Random Access Procedure: 1) Contention Based Random Access 2) Non-Contention Based Random Access
CQI Mapping
CQI reports can be Wideband or per sub-band Semi static, Higher Layer Configured or UE selected single or multiple sub-bands CQI only, or CQI plus Pre-coding Matrix Indicator (PMI) / Rank Indicator (RI) Transmitted on PUCCH for sub-frames with no PUSCH allocation or PUSCH with or without scheduling grant or if no ULSCH Depends on spatial multiplexing Reports can be periodic or aperiodic (when signaled by DCI format 0 with CQI request field set to 1)
3GPP TS 36.213
UE States in LTE
In the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE is registered with the network and has an RRC connection with the eNB. In RRC_CONNECTED state, the network knows the cell to which the UE belongs and can transmit/ receive data from the UE. The RRC_IDLE state is a power-conservation state for the UE, where typically the UE is not transmitting or receiving packets. In RRC_IDLE state, no context about the UE is stored in the eNB. In this state, the location of the UE is only known at the MME and only at the granularity of a tracking area (TA) that consists of multiple eNBs. The MME knows the TA in which the UE last registered and paging is necessary to locate the UE to a cell.
Handover: UE moves between eNodeB and on dedicated mode There are two types in Intra LTE Handover 1. X2 based handover Using interface between the source and target eNodeB 2. S1 based handover When x2 based handover can not be used
Validation
Feedb ack
plug and play functionality where network elements are configured (identity allocation, software upgrade, communication link establishment, etc) automatically.
Self Optimization
more or less continuous adaptation of parameters to meet specified requirements, typically specified at a high level.
Self Healing
algorithms to handle disruptive events and to minimize negative consequences on services.
SON Architecture
Centralized SON In Centralized SON, optimization algorithms are stored and executed from the OAM System. In such solutions SON functionality resides in a small number of locations, at a high level in the architecture. Figure on the right shows an example of Centralized SON. In Centralized SON, all SON functions are located in OAM systems, so it is easy to deploy them. But since different vendors have their own OAM systems, there is low support for optimization cases among different vendors. And it also does not support those simple and quick optimization cases. To implement Centralized SON, existing Itf-N interface needs to be extended.
Distributed SON In Distributed SON, optimization algorithms are executed in eNB. In such solutions SON functionality resides in many locations at a relatively low level in the architecture. Figure on the right shows an example of Distributed SON. In Distributed SON, all SON functions are located in 56 eNB, so it causes a lot of deployment work. And it is also difficult to support complex optimization schemes, which require the coordination of lots of eNBs. But in Distributed SON it is easy to support those cases, which only concern one or two eNBs and require quick optimization responses. For Distributed SON, X2 interface needs to be extended. Hybrid SON In Hybrid SON, part of the optimization algorithms are executed in the OAM system, while others are executed in eNB. Figure on the right shows an example of Hybrid SON. In Hybrid SON, simple and quick optimization schemes are implemented in eNB and complex optimization schemes are implemented in OAM. So it is very flexible to support different kinds of optimization cases. And it also supports the optimization between different vendors through X2 interface. But on the other hand, it costs lots of deployment effort and interface extension work.
3GPP TS32.501
Self-configuration mechanism is desirable during the preoperational phases of network elements such as network planning and deployment, which will help reduce the CAPEX. Some Self-Configuration use cases are defined in the following table.
Self-optimization mechanism is desirable during the operational stage so that network operators get benefits of the dynamic optimization, e.g., mobility load balancing to make network more robust against environmental changes as well as the minimization of manual optimization steps to reduce operational costs.
Retainability
Availability
Accessibility
Vendor Specific
System Utilization
Integrity
Mobility
3GPP TS 32.450: Key Performance Indicator for E-UTRAN Definitions 3GPP TS 32.451: Key Performance Indicator for E-UTRAN Requirements
KPI: Retainability
The probability that a service, once obtained, continues to be provided under given conditions for a given time duration. Number of ERABs with data in a buffer that was abnormally released, normalized with number of success. = 1-(ERAB drops / ERAB Success) Drop call reasons: drop due to cell downtime (eNodeB) drop due to handover execution failures (eNodeB) drop due to handover preparation (eNodeB) drop due to radio connection with the UE lost (eNodeB) drop due to S1 interface down (transport) drop due to initiated by MME (MME)
KPI: Accessibility
Probability for an end-user to be provided with an E-RAB at request. Probability success rate for E-RABs establishment. Successful attempts compared with total number of attempts for the different parts of the E-RAB establishment. = RRC Success Rate x S1 Success Rate x ERAB Success Rate Where, RRC Success Rate = RRC success / RRC attempts S1 Success Rate = S1 success / S1 attempts ERAB Success Rate = (ERAB init success + ERAB add success) / (ERAB init atts + ERAN add atts)
KPI: Mobility
The capability of the system to allow movement within the LTE RAN.
Intra HO Success Rate = Intra HO Prep Success Rate x Intra HO Exec Success Rate
Where, Intra HO Prep Success Rate = Intra HO Success / Intra HO Prep Attempts Intra HO Exec Success Rate = Intra HO Success / Intra HO Exec Attempts Inter HO Success Rate = Inter HO Prep Success Rate x Inter HO Exec Success Rate Where, Inter HO Prep Success Rate = Inter HO Success / Inter HO Prep Attempts Inter HO Exec Success Rate = Inter HO Success / Inter HO Exec Attempts
HO Rejections:
Incoming Handover Preparation Failure messages sent by the target eNB due to lack of license for handover. Handover Preparation Failure messages sent by the target eNB due to license for connected users being exceeded. Non-admitted E-RABs at an incoming handover preparation procedure, due to lack of license for RLC UM. Non-admitted E-RABs at an incoming handover preparation procedure, due to license for Multiple ERAB being exceeded.
KPI: Integrity
Service Integrity represents the quality experienced by the end user during the call or session. Common integrity measurements are data throughput and Round Trip Time (RTT). Integrity performance can be divided into three parts: 1)Latency 2)Throughput 3)Packet Loss can be broken down further into:
the rate of congestion related packet losses (e.g. the packets that get dropped due to active queue management functionality); the rate of non-congestion related packet losses (those are packets that get lost in transmission, e.g., discarded by some link layer receiver due to CRC failure).
DL Throughput UL Throughput DL Latency DL Packet Error Lost UL Packet Error Lost
KPI: Availability
The length of time in seconds that a cell is available for service is defined as cell availability. Cell availability for a cluster of L number of cells during N reporting periods can be calculated using the following formula. The counters are on cell level.
(N x L) (Cell Downtime Manual + Cell Downtime Auto) Cell Availability (%) = (N x L) N =Number of Cells L = Reporting Periods
LTE Advanced
Motivations:
The driving force to further develop LTE towards LTEAdvanced, LTE R-10 is to provide higher bitrates in a cost efficient way, and at the same time completely fulfill the requirements set by ITU for IMT Advanced, also referred to as 4G.
The main new functionalities introduced in LTE-Advanced are Carrier Aggregation (CA), enhanced use of multi-antenna techniques and support for Relay Nodes (RN).
Carrier Aggregation
The most straightforward way to increase capacity is to add more bandwidth. Since it is important to keep backward compatibility with R8 and R9 mobiles the increase in bandwidth in LTE-Advanced is provided through aggregation of R8/R9 carriers. Carrier aggregation can be used for both FDD and TDD. Each aggregated carrier is referred to as a component carrier. The component carrier can have a bandwidth of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15 or 20 MHz and a maximum of five component carriers can be aggregated. Hence the maximum bandwidth is 100 MHz. The number of aggregated carriers can be different in DL and UL, however the number of UL component carriers is never larger than the number of DL component carriers. The individual component carriers can also be of different bandwidths.
The major change in LTE-Advanced is the introduction of higher order MIMO; 8x8 in the DL and 4x4 in the UL. MIMO shall be used when S/N (Signal to Noise ratio) is high, i.e. high quality radio channel. For situations with low S/N it is better to use other types of multi-antenna techniques to improve S/N, e.g. TX-diversity. To be able to adjust the type of multi-antenna technique to use according to e.g. radio environment a number of different Transmission Modes (TM) has been defined. The UE will through RRC signalling be informed about the TM to use. In the DL there are nine different TMs, where TM1-7 were introduced in Release 8, TM8 was introduced in Release 9 and TM9 was introduced in Release 10. In the UL there are TM1 and TM2, where TM1 is the default, and it was introduced in Release 8 and TM2 is introduced in Release 10. The different TMs differ in - Number of layers (streams, or rank) - Antenna ports used - Type of reference signal, Cell Specific Reference (CRS) or Demodulation Reference Signal (introduced in Release 10) - precoding type Through the introduction of TM9 8x8 MIMO is supported DL, and through the introduction of TM2 UL use of 4x4 MIMO UL is enabled.
Relay Nodes
In LTE advanced, the possibility for efficient heterogeneous network planning i.e. a mix of large and small cells - is increased by introduction of Relay Nodes (RNs). The Relay Nodes are low power base stations that will provide enhanced coverage and capacity at cell edges and it can also be used to connect to remote areas without fiber connection. The Relay Node is connected to the Donor eNB (DeNB) via a radio interface, Un, which is a modification of the E-UTRAN air interface Uu. Hence in the Donor cell the radio resources are shared between UEs served directly by the DeNB and the Relay Nodes. When the Uu and Un use different frequencies the Relay Node is referred to as a Type 1a RN, for Type 1 RN Uu and Un utilize the same frequencies. In the latter case there is a high risk for self interference in the Relay Node, when receiving on Uu and transmitting on Un at the same time (or vice versa). This can be avoided through time sharing between Uu and Un, or having different locations of the transmitter and receiver. The RN will to a large extent support the same functionalities as the eNB however the DeNB will be responsible for MME selection.
This figure shows the timeline for the development of IMT-Advanced and LTE-Advanced. At the top of the figure is the timeline of the ITU-R, which is developing the fourth generation requirements, which are described in more detail in the next section. In March 2008, the ITU-R issued an invitation for proposals for a new radio interface technology (RIT), with a cutoff date of October 2009 for submission of candidate RIT proposals. The cutoff date for submitting the technology evaluation report to the ITU was June 2010. In October 2010 the ITU Working Party 5D (WP 5D) decided that the first two RITs to meet the IMT-Advanced requirements were 3GPPs LTE-Advanced and IEEEs WirelessMAN-Advanced, which is also known as 802.16m [4]. WP 5D is scheduled to complete development of radio interface specification recommendations by February 2011. The bottom figure shows the work by 3GPP on LTE-Advanced, which is occurring in parallel with the development of the ITU requirements. With the completion of the documents listed at the bottom of the figure, 3GPP formally submitted LTEAdvanced to the ITU as an IMT-Advanced candidate technology.
The idea is to have a macro wireless network cooperating with intelligent pico cells deployed by operators to work together within the macro network and significantly improve coverage and augment overall network capacity. Small cells can also be leveraged to improve coverage and deliver capacity inside buildings. Indoor coverage has long been the bane of mobile operators. Some mobile operators are already leveraging this concept, augmenting their cellular service offering with WiFi access to their subscriber base in order to address the in-building coverage and capacity challenges facing todays cellular solutions.
Metrocell
Enable mobile service providers (MS Ps) to deliver cost effective capacity to urban hotspots, as well as affordable coverage to rural locations. Low-power Small form factor devices, metro cells can be deployed almost anywhere, both indoors and outdoor Boost in coverage or capacity Owned and managed by MSPs which simplifies network planning, maintenance and optimization Configuration and optimization is automated using self-organizing network algorithms Advanced interference management features minimize any impact on macro network performance
A recent study conducted by Bell Labs in North America showed that adding capacity with LTE metro cells in planned shared carrier deployment can provide a 31 percent cost savings over macro-only deployments The study also showed that urban hotspots deploying only a single metro cell per macro site in a planned shared carrier deployment could improve the network throughput for a median user by over 190 percent. Deploying 10 metro cells per macro could boost the median users throughput by over900 percent
Hotspot 2.0
Hotspot 2.0 Task Group:
Network discovery and selection: Mobile devices will discover and automatically select and connect to Wi-Fi networks based upon user preferences and network optimization. Streamlined network access: Mobile devices will be automatically granted access to the network based upon credentials such as SIM cards, which are widely used in cellular devices today. No user intervention will be required. Security: Over-the-air transmissions will be encrypted using the latest-generation security technology (Wi-Fi Certified WPA2-Enterprise).
Appendix
Channel Mapping