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CoMP (1): CoMP Types CS, CB, JT and DPS

August 12, 2014 | By Dr. Michelle M. Do and Dr. Harrison J. Son (tech@netmanias.com)

Today, we will learn about CoMP, an inter-cell cooperation technology in LTE-A, since we learned
about ICIC and eICIC in the previous posts. At an early stage of LTE/LTE-A, offering high speed is the most
important marketing point for operators. However, as LTE subscribers and traffic grow, satisfying users with
high Quality of Experience (QoE), for example, by improving user throughputs at cell edge areas where data
transmission speed drops drastically becomes far more important than just supporting the highest speed.
Increased radio network capacity can be achieved by improving spectral efficiency. Spectral efficiency
(bit/sec/Hz) is the transmission rate measured in bps per Hz. The higher spectral efficiency, the more data can
be transmitted with the same amount of bandwidth. By default, LTE networks provide broadband radio links
by obtaining higher spectral efficiency through using at least 2x2 MIMO antennas. At cell centers, installing
more antennas at a base station improves spectral efficiency, leading to higher UE throughputs. At cell edge
areas, however, only insignificant throughput improvement can be expected. So, we should find another way
to gain the same effect.

Definition of CoMP
Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) is a new inter-cell cooperation technology specifically aiming to enhance
throughputs of UEs at cell edge. CoMP mitigates inter-cell interference and increases throughputs of a UE at
cell edge by allowing not only the UE's serving cell, but also other cell(s) to communicate with the UE, through
cooperation with one another.
Traditionally, a UE accesses only one cell (serving cell) for communication. But, a CoMP-enabled UE can
communicate with more than one cell located in different points, and this group of cells works as a virtual
MIMO system. Cells that are in charge of directly or indirectly transmitting data to UE are called "CoMP
*

cooperating cells" ("CoMP cooperating set" in 3GPP terms ), and specifically those actually responsible for
*

transmitting data to UE are called "CoMP transmission cell(s)" ("CoMP transmission points" in 3GPP terms ).
In summary, CoMP is an inter-cell cooperation technology that enables more than one transmission cell to
communicate with a UE to achieve better throughputs at cell edge areas by reducing inter-cell interference.
CoMP cooperating cells share channel information of a UE, and based on the information, transmission cell(s)
are decided.

Why CoMP? Problems with ICIC and eICIC

As discussed in the previous posts, ICIC (defined in Release 8) reduces inter-cell interference by allocating
different frequency resources (RBs or sub-carriers) to UEs at cell edge. On the other hand, eICIC (defined in
Release 10) does the same task in time domain, by allocating different time resources (subframes) through
cooperation between a macro cell and small cells in a HetNet.
ICIC and eICIC, both aiming to reduce inter-cell interference, can help UEs at cell edge to communicate, but
neither can actually improve their throughputs. That's because they restrict radio resource usage in frequency
domain (ICIC) and time domain (eICIC) to mitigate interference. And interference information between
neighbor cells is shared on a relatively long term basis. As a result, fast-changing channel conditions of UE (e.g.
when UE is traveling fast, or entering a shadowing area) are not reflected in inter-cell cooperation promptly in
time, inevitably impeding dynamic allocation of resources.
1

Netmanias Tech-Blog: CoMP (1): CoMP Types CS, CB, JT and DPS

CoMP, recognized as the most advanced inter-cell cooperation technology so far, was first standardized in
Release 11, and further standardization is still taking place in Release 12. It uses radio resources not just in
frequency/time domain, but also in spatial domain, to enhance spectral efficiency. That is, it performs
beamforming using a smart antenna, or works as a virtual MIMO system. With CoMP, cooperating cells can
share UE's channel information every time scheduling is performed, and hence UE's instantaneous channel
conditions can be reflected in time. This sharing makes joint scheduling possible. CoMP can be used either in a
homogeneous or heterogeneous network (HetNet), and features various types of inter-cell cooperation: CS,
CB JT, and DPS (see CoMP Types below).

Channel Information Used in CoMP

Channels are transmission routes for data, i.e. between Tx antenna and Rx antenna across air. If base stations
know UE's channel information beforehand, they can transmit precoded data so that UE can get better
reception. For this purpose, UEs measure their channels, and report the resulting Channel State Information
(CSI) to their base stations.
Base stations give their UEs an instruction on how and which cell's CSI are to be measured by sending a CSI-RS
(CSI Reference Signal) configuration message. Upon this instruction, UEs measure CSI and report to their
serving cells. In general, CSI information includes Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), Precoding Matrix Indicator
(PMI), and Rank Indicator (RI).
CQI: An indicator of channel quality. Displayed as a highest modulation and coding rate (MCR) value that
satisfies the condition of 'channel block error rate (BLER) < 0.1'. It is set as a value ranging 0 ~ 15 (4 bits).
The better channel quality, the higher MCR is used. Subband CQIs indicate the quality for specific
frequency ranges (subrange) while wideband CQIs indicate that for the entire channel bandwidth.
PMI: Base stations deliver more than one data stream (layer) through Tx antenna. Precoding matrix
shows how individual data streams (layers) are mapped to antennas. To calculate precoding matrix, UEs
obtain channel information by measuring the channel quality of each DL antenna. Because providing
feedback on all channel information results in significantly increased overheads, generally a code book is
pre-configured at base stations and UEs. Using this code book, UEs send the index of a corresponding
precoding matrix only. Base stations, by referring the reported precoding matrix, calculate its own
precoding matrix, and use the optimal value from it.
RI: Indicates the number of data stream(s) being delivered in DL. For instance, with 2 X 2 MIMO, this
value is 1 in case of transmit diversity MIMO where two antennas at a base station are sending the same
data stream, and it is 2 in case of spatial multiplexing MIMO where the antennas are sending different
data streams.

CoMP Types (CoMP Categories in 3GPP Terms*)

Specific CoMP types can be categorized in many ways depending on the criteria used for categorization
whether backhaul is ideal or non-ideal, whether CoMP between eNBs is supported or not, whether MIMO
antennas support one user or multiple users, whether it is to be applied to DL or UL, etc.
This post will discuss DL CoMP. CoMP is designed to reduce inter-cell interference and enhance throughputs of
cell-edge UEs. When cell(s) send data to UEs, they can use one of the following CoMP types depending on the
extent of coordination among cells and traffic load. Although different types of CoMP can be used together,
we will explain the specific types one by one below for easier understanding.

Netmanias Tech-Blog: CoMP (1): CoMP Types CS, CB, JT and DPS

Coordinated Scheduling/Coordinated Beamforming (CS/CB)

As an effort to minimize interference among cell-edge UEs, CS and CB CoMP select one of the cooperating
cells as a transmission cell, and use it in communicating with UE.

1. Coordinated Scheduling (CS)

The basic idea of CS CoMP is pretty similar to ICIC in that it reduces inter-cell interference by allocating
different frequency resources (RBs or sub-carriers) to cell-edge UEs. But from technical perspective, CS CoMP
is a more advanced technology that requires a much shorter operation period, more complicated signal
processing and more elaborate algorithm, compared to ICIC. In ICIC, cooperating cells share interference
information of each cell, but in CS CoMP they can share channel information of each user.
First, cooperation periods in CS CoMP are a lot shorter than in ICIC. In ICIC, each cooperation period is

tens ~ hundreds of msecs long. So, once ICIC coordination results are updated, schedulings are based
on the result for a long time. On the other hand, in CS CoMP, with a cooperation period as short as 1
msec, new CS coordination results are applied every time scheduling is performed. So, resources can
be dynamically allocated even with instantaneous changes of UE's channel condition.
Second, in CS CoMP, cooperating cells share greater amount of more elaborate information,

compared to those in ICIC. In ICIC, pretty simple information like interference level by radio block is
shared (see ICIC) while user-detailed channel information (CQI, PMI, RI, SINR, etc.) between UEs and
their cooperating cells is shared in CS CoMP.

High power High power Low power

Low power

Low power

f3
f1

f2

Sig
nal

A2

No interference in
central region

A1

l
na
g
i
S

f3

f1

B3

B2

B1

Cell A and Cell B cooperate

with each other to allocate
different frequency resources
(f3, f2) to A1 and B1 at cell
edge, avoiding interference.
A1 and B1 receive data, only
from their respective serving
cells, Cell A and Cell B.

F = {f1, f2, , fN}

fi : RBs or sub-carriers
Cell A

Cell B

Allocating different frequency resources

to A1 and B1

RB: Resource Block

Figure 1. Coordinated Scheduling (CS)

In Figure 1, A1 and B1 at cell edge, each with a different frequency resource allocated (f3 and f2), can avoid
interference, and hence have improved throughputs. Both UEs do receive signals from the other UE. These
signals do not cause interference with the other's, but may cause degraded reception of their own signals.

Netmanias Tech-Blog: CoMP (1): CoMP Types CS, CB, JT and DPS

2. Coordinated Beamforming (CB)

CB CoMP allocates different spatial resources (beam patterns) to UEs at cell edge by using smart antenna
technology. Without CS, A1 and B1 may end up being allocated the same frequency resource (f3 in Figure 2).
CB CoMP allows Cell A and Cell B to cooperate with each other, and allocate different spatial resources (beam
pattern 1, beam pattern 2) to A1 and B1 at cell edge. These two cells can prevent interference by allocating
main beam to their own UE, and null beam to the other neighbor UE.
High power High power Low power

Low power

Low power

nulling

FF

f3

f3

Sig
nal

f1

A1

A2

No interference
beam
in central region pattern 1

B1

ignal
S

f2

f1

B3

B2

Cell A and Cell B cooperate

with each other to allocate
different beam patterns
(beam pattern 1, beam
pattern 2) to A1 and B1 at
cell edge, avoiding
interference.
A1 and B1 receive data, only
from their respective serving
cells, Cell A and Cell B.

beam
pattern 2

Cell A

F = {f1, f2, , fN}

fi : RBs or sub-carriers

Cell B

Allocating different beam patterns to

A1 and B1

RB: Resource Block

Figure 2. Coordinated Beamforming (CB)

Generally, CB is more often used with CS, than alone. Figure 3 shows a case where CS and CB are used
together. Cell A and Cell B cooperate with each other to allocate different frequency resources (f3, f2) and
different spatial resources (beam pattern 1, beam pattern 2) to A1 and B1, respectively. This cooperation is
pretty effective because, CS alone can easily take care of interference issues, and besides CB can even ensure
better reception quality. If used with CB, CS can achieve better cell-edge throughputs because CB helps A1 and
B1 to avoid signals sent to the other, and better receive those destined for themselves.
High power High power Low power

Low power

Low power

nulling

f3
f1
A2

sign

al
A1

No interference
beam
in central region pattern 1

Cell A

f2

B1

ignal
s

f3

f1

B3

B2

beam
pattern 2

Cell A and Cell B cooperate

with each other to allocate
different frequency resources
(f3, f2) AND different beam
patterns (beam pattern 1,
beam pattern 2) to A1 and
B1 at cell edge, resulting in
less interference and better
reception.
A1 and B1 receive data, only
from their respective serving
cells, Cell A and Cell B.

Cell B

Allocating different frequency resources

and beam patterns to A1 and B1

F = {f1, f2, , fN}

fi : RBs or sub-carriers
RB: Resource Block

Figure 3. CS/CB

Netmanias Tech-Blog: CoMP (1): CoMP Types CS, CB, JT and DPS

Joint Processing (JP): Joint Transmission/Dynamic Point Selection (JT/DPS)

In JT/DPS CoMP, multiple cells are selected among cooperating cells as transmission cells for better reception
of UEs at cell edge.

3. Joint Transmission (JT)

With JT, multiple cells can transmit the same data concurrently by using the same radio resources (frequency
and time). Because the same data is sent, the speed would not double, but reception performance would be
improved. In the figure below, A1 at Cell A edge receives data from its serving cell (Cell A), and the same data
from Cell B as well, and this leads to enhanced reception quality at A1. What is happening is, the signal(s)
received from other cell(s) do not cause interference, but instead they actually make the signal destined
for A1 stronger. Thanks to the improvement of reception performance, throughputs at cell edge can be
significantly enhanced. In order for this JT CoMP to work effectively, tight synchronization between JT cells is
required.
Between JT cells, transmission latency (or X2 latency if in different base stations) should be sufficiently low (i.e.
ideal backhaul is required). When sending user data, different data routes can be chosen for JT cells
depending on whether transmission cells are located in a base station or not, and whether CoMP coordination
is performed in a centralized architecture or distributed architecture. Even when data is delivered from
multiple cells/base stations, HARQ is performed at the serving cell/base station only.
Intra-eNB (transmission cells in the same base station): Data is sent from DU to RU1 and RU2
Inter-eNB (transmission cells in different base stations)

In a distributed architecture: IP data is sent from DU1 to DU2. Data signal is sent from DU1
and DU2 to RU1 and RU2, respectively

In a centralized architecture: IP data is sent from DU1 to centralized CoMP Coordinator. Data
signal is sent from CoMP Coordinator to DU1 and DU2

Netmanias Tech-Blog: CoMP (1): CoMP Types CS, CB, JT and DPS

subframe #n

RU1

f3

Cell A and Cell B cooperate

with each other to allocate
the same frequency
resource (f3) AND the same
time resource (subframe #n)
to A1, and share the same
data, leading to better
reception.

RU2

f3
nal
Sig

Sig
nal
A1

Sig
na
l
HA
RQ

l
na
g
i
S

A1 receives the same data

from Cell A and Cell B
concurrently.

DU
S1

Cell A

Data

Cell B

S-GW

subframes

Sending same data concurently to A1 by allocating

the same frequency and time resources

Data from Cell A

(a) Intra-eNB JT

Data from Cell B

subframe #n

F
RU1

f3

F
RU2

f3
nal
Sig

Sig
nal
A1

Data

DU1

Cell B

Signal

Signal

CoMP
Coordinator

HARQ

Cell A

DU2

X2

F = {f1, f2, , fN}

fi : RBs or sub-carriers
RB: Resource Block
RU: Radio Unit
DU: Digital Unit
: Data (IP)

CoMP
Coordinator

: Data (radio signal)

S1

S1
Data

S-GW

(b) Inter-eNB JT: Distributed coordination

subframe #n

F
RU1

f3

F
RU2

f3
nal
Sig

Sig
nal
A1

DU1

Cell B

Signal

Signal

HARQ

Cell A

Sign
al
Dat
a

nal
Sig

DU2

S1

S1
Data

CoMP
Coordinator
S-GW

(c) Inter-eNB JT: Centralized coordination

Figure 4. Joint Transmission (JT)

Netmanias Tech-Blog: CoMP (1): CoMP Types CS, CB, JT and DPS

4. Dynamic Point Selection (DPS)

At preparation phase, DPS works the same way as JT in that multiple cells share the same data. At data
transmission phase, however, it works differently. First, the channel quality of UEs is checked in each
subframe, and data is sent by the one cell that has the minimum path loss. Other cells that are not selected
are muted. Because data is sent from cells with better channel quality, reception quality at UEs can be
improved most effectively.
Figure 5 shows how DPS CoMP operates in case transmission cells belong to the same base station. Unlike
with JT, tight synchronization is not required, HARQ is performed at the cell that is actually sending data.

RU1

subframe #0

f3

f3

Cell A and Cell B cooperate

with each other to allocate
the same frequency resource
(f3) to A1, share the same
data, and dynamically
transmit data in each
subframe, leading to better
reception.

RU2

Sig
nal
A1

Sig
na
l
HA
RQ

muting

A1 receives data from Cell A

or Cell B, whichever has
better channel quality.

DU
S1

Cell A

Data

Cell B

S-GW

subframes
0

RU1

subframe #1

f3

f3

Data from Cell A

RU2

Data from Cell B

nal
Sig

F = {f1, f2, , fN}

fi : RBs or sub-carriers

A1

muting

l
na
Sig
RQ
HA

DU
S1

Cell A

Data

RB: Resource Block

RU: Radio Unit
DU: Digital Unit
Cell B

S-GW

: Data (IP)
: Data (radio signal)

Sending data dynamically to A1 by allocating the

same frequency resources

Figure 5. Dynamic Point Selection (DPS)

So far, we have learned about different CoMP types and their characteristics, and about how they are
different from one another, which can be summarized as follows:

Netmanias Tech-Blog: CoMP (1): CoMP Types CS, CB, JT and DPS

CoMP (DL)
CS

CB

JT

DPS

Resource domain

Frequency

Frequency, Spatial

Frequency, Spatial

Frequency, Time, Spatial

# of transmission poins

Single

Single

Multiple

Multiple

Shared information between

neighbor cells

CSI, Scheduling

CSI, Scheduling,
Beamforming

CSI, Scheduling, Data

CSI, Scheduling, Data

Interference avoidance

Receiver performance
improvement

Duplicated data reception

from neighbor cells

Time synchonization

Ideal backhaul

Ideal backhaul

Backhaul type
(based on X2 latency
tolerance)

Ideal backhaul,
Ideal backhaul,
Non-ideal backhaul Non-ideal backhaul

In the next post, we will look into how and where CoMP is actually employed, and also how it has evolved so
far, using CoMP scenarios defined in 3GPP.

Footnotes
* 3GPP TR 36.819, 3GPP; TSG RAN; Coordinated multi-point operation for LTE physical layer aspects

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