CHAPTER 4

Vision of Wireless Communications

Applications in the 21 st Century:
A View from Japan
MITSUTOSHI HATORI

4.1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the situation in Japan regarding future mobile communications
systems paying close attention to third-generation, fourth-generation, and other radio
communication systems distinctive to Japan. It will be useful to review first the history of
wireless communications and survey the current systems.
In 1979, the first cellular system began service in Japan. The start of this service began
a succession of such services-in Sweden in 1981 and in the United States in 1982. These
early systems, called the first-generation systems, adopted separate analog methods. Each
country had its own system such as the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) system,
the high-capacity system of Japan, the Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) in the
United States, the Total Access Communication System (TACS) in Great Britain, and the
Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system used in four Scandinavian countries.
The rapid development of LSI technology in the 1980s propelled the digitization of
mobile communications throughout the world. The attempts at improving quality,
expanding capacity, and economization, accompanied with digitization, have led to today's
explosive spread of mobile communications. The four digital cellular systems or the
second-generation systems, namely Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) in Japan standardized
by the Research and Development Center for Radio Systems (RCR currently known as
ARIB, the Association of Radio Industrial and Businesses), the Interim Standard 54 (IS54) and IS-95 standardized by Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in the
United States, and the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standardized by
the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) are recognized as world
standards by the Comite Consultatif International des Radiotelecommunications (CCIR

Wireless Communications in the 2 l" Century, Edited by Shafi, Ogose, and Hattori.
ISBN 0-471-155041-X 2002 by the IEEE.

57

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VISION OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS APPLICATIONS: A VIEW FROM JAPAN

currently known as the ITU-R, the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector).
New mobile communication systems appeared in the 1990s. In Japan, PHS came into
practical use in 1995. Along with the propagation of data communications over fixed
networks, the support of data communications in mobile communications has become an
important issue. Dedicated mobile data communication systems such as Teleterminal and
Mobitex were introduced and initially used. In Japan the Personal Digital Cellular-Packet
(PDC-P) system based on PDC was developed and introduced in 1997. Among various
pager systems that have been developed and introduced, FLEX-TD (aiming at increasing
the speed and improving the spectrum utilization efficiency) has been developed and
introduced as the second-generation pager system in Japan.
Diverse mobile communications systems have been introduced and operated worldwide, responding to the needs and the purpose of each user. Due to rapid internationalization, a more unified system has come into demand. The ITU initiated international
discussion over ways to proceed with IMT-2000 (formerly FPLMTS, Future Public Land
Mobile Telecommunication Systems), the standard for systems integrating cellular,
cordless telephone, pager, and mobile data communications in order to establish a
global and more unified system.
Mobile communications also include maritime and aeronautical mobile communications. This chapter does not deal with mobile satellite communications.
In this chapter, current major mobile communications systems are outlined. Next, the
general concept of the IMT-2000, the third-generation system, is presented. Then the
fourth-generation system, which is expected to come into practical use around the year
2010, is described. Finally, the situation in Japan regarding the development of wireless
local area network (LAN)/wireless access, wireless home link, and information and
telecommunication system (ITS) as future radio communication systems other than
cellular is presented.

4.2
4.2.1

CURRENT WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

Cellular Systems

Two digital cellular systems, PDC and IS-95, were introduced in Japan. PDC was
introduced in 1993, and IS-95 followed in 1998. At the end of July 1999, PDC attained
95% of the market.
PDC is a digital mobile communications system developed and standardized in Japan.
In 1991 on the initiative of ARIB, this air interface standard was established by ratification
of RCR-STD-27 [1]. The standard for the Mobile Application Part (MAP) Signaling
System, JJ-70.10, was drafted by the Telecommunication Technology Committee (TTC) in
1993. This standard is full-rate-3-channel and half-rate-6-channel time division multiple
access, and the frequency bands are 900 MHz and 1.5 GHz. By adopting the n/4 shift
quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation method, diversity technology, and low
bit-rate voice CODEC [1], the spectrum utilization efficiency was improved and microportable terminals were developed. The half-rate pitch synchronous innovation code
excited linear prediction (PSICELP) voice CODEC [1] in particular is the most efficient
in transmission at 5.6 kbps. After establishing the standard, a series of improvements were

4.2

CURRENT WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

59

made, and data communications at the maximum of 9.6 kbps and packet communications
at the maximum of 28.8 kbps have been in force since 1995 and 1997, respectively.
PDC-P is a packet communications system based on PDC that was introduced in March
1997. Multislot transmission is used to establish data communications at 28.8 kbps, which
is three times faster than the conventional circuit-switching data transmission at 9.6 kbps.
Adaptive forward error correction (FEC) control and the automatic repeat request (ARQ)
protocol were introduced, and the throughput was improved. These technologies made
possible services that integrate voice and packet communications, and they incorporate a
flexible air interface that does not rely on the user protocol.

4.2.2

PHS

PHS is a commercial digital cordless phone system developed in Japan, which began
service in July 1995. PHS is a personal communications technology that is supported by
digital cordless and intelligent network technologies. Its concept is to provide multimedia
bidirectional communications, such as voice and data transmissions, while ensuring
terminal mobility. PHS is considered a tool for computerizing personal daily life.
The network structure comprises base stations, which are connected to a switchboard
through the existing integrated services digital network (ISDN) and PHS terminals. The air
interface between the base stations and terminals, that is, the radio access transmission
link, is the technical standard RCR-STD-28 ratified by ARIB [2]. This standard allocates
23 MHz in the 1.9-GHz band for its radio frequency, of which 12 MHz (40 channels) are
for public use. Its access method is TDMA-TDD, and four slots each for transmission and
reception are multiplexed at the same frequency. The multiplexed bit rate is 384 kbps, and
the user rate for each slot is 32 kbps. Although the 32-kbps ADPCM full rate CODEC [3]
is used for voice transmissions, it is capable of adopting a half-rate CODEC in the future.
The modulation method is n/4 shift QPSK the same as in PDC.

4.2.3 Other Current Systems

Pager The pager is the easiest and the most compact one-way mobile message
communications system. The pager system has multiple base stations that cover an
extensive service area, and paging signals are transmitted from various base stations at
the same radio frequency. As a result, signals from multiple stations arrive at the receiving
point at the same time, which significantly improves reception reliability. Multicast
services can be easily established using the pager.
The transmission bit rate of the pager system has been improved coinciding with
advances in phase synchronization technology. The mainstream of the conventional system
was 1200 bps, however, the Europe Radio Message System (ERMES), FLEX, and FLEXTD established increased speeds of up to 6400 bps by employing high-accuracy time
synchronous technology using global positioning system (GPS).
FLEX-TD, which is standardized in Japan, is a sophisticated paging system that
integrates the signal bit rate and signaling method of FLEX with the technologies of
variable multiple transmission and time diversity reception developed by NTT DoCoMo.
With these technologies, in addition to the advantages of FLEX, reliability transmitting
long messages has been improved, as well as minimizing the number of additionally
required high-speed stations. Since FLEX-TD is compatible with FLEX, it is expected that
it will be used globally as the second-generation paging system.

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VISION OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS APPLICATIONS: A VIEW FROM JAPAN

MCA Multichannel access (MCA) is a communications system that uses frequencies

more efficiently than systems that occupy a certain frequency for each user. This is
accomplished by sharing multiple frequencies by many users. Its basic system comprises
an MCA controller station, which is shared between users and command and mobile
stations, which are operated by users. Users communicate through the MCA controller
station. This system employs a digital method that enables service provisioning using the
TDM-TDMA communications system and 16-QAM modulation.
Maritime Mobile Communication This service has the longest history among
mobile communications. This wireless telephone service was put into service in 1953
by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation. Initially, this manual system
using the ISO-MHz band was introduced in 1964, and then an automatic system was
introduced using the 250-MHz band in 1979. Furthermore, by downsizing and adopting
weight-saving technology cultivated through the development of mobile communications
and wireless circuit control technology, which excels in its efficient use of frequency, a new
maritime mobile communication system was developed in 1988. This maritime system
comprising approximately 130 base stations covers an area stretching 50 to 100 km
offshore nationwide, and attempts are being made to unify maritime mobile communications facilities with cellular systems as much as possible.
In March 1996, the N-STAR satellite was introduced to maritime communications. It
employs the 2.6/2.5 GHz bands to meet the demand for diversification, enhancement, and
service area expansion. By introducing this satellite service, problems with communications at sea, such as in the area of islands where conventional service was unavailable,
were solved as well as the expansion of the service area. Moreover, while assuming the
conventional maritime communication services, services exclusive to satellite communications such as multicasting service (broadcast) were started. This satellite service will
sequentially replace conventional service.
Aeronautical Mobile Communication This service was started on domestic flights
as an in-flight telephone service in March 1986. With six base stations throughout the
country, its service area covers an altitude of more than 5000 miles nationwide. In June
1993, public switched telephone service started in response to requests from users of
private airplanes. In aeronautical mobile communication systems, attempts are being made
to share facilities with cellular telephones as much as possible. This would realize practical
use of frequency taking into account traffic as well.

4.3

THIRD-GENERATION SYSTEMS

As mentioned previously, up to now various wireless communications systems have been

developed and utilized together depending on the needs and purpose of each user. The
international mobile telecommunications 2000 (IMT-2000) is one solution that integrates
these various systems. A high degree of commonality of design worldwide, and the ability
to provide new services and capabilities, such as multimedia services, are also main targets
of the IMT-2000. Supporting high-speed data services, improving service quality, and
efficiently using radio resources are paramount subjects for wireless systems. The IMT2000 aims to utilize frequencies more efficiently, establish higher quality services than
current systems, and support multirate services up to 2 Mbps. In Japan, ARIB proposed

4.3 THIRD-GENERATION SYSTEMS

61

wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) to the ITU-R as a candidate radio
transmission technology for the IMT-2000 in June 1998 [4].
Prior to this selection, ARIB investigated a number of candidates for wireless
transmission technology for the third-generation mobile communication system that
could satisfy the requirements and objectives of the IMT-2000 system and its services.
After 2 years of intensive study with hardware demonstrations and field trials, W-CDMA
was selected in January 1997 as the most suitable and the most verified wireless
transmission technology for the third-generation mobile communication system. After
selecting this concept, ARIB started refinement activities for the W-CDMA system
proposal to make a better technical solution and, at the same time, to seek the possibility
to coordinate with proposals from other regions.
Ten terrestrial radio transmission technologies (RTTs) including cdma2000 (TIA),
UTRA (ETSI), and W-CDMA (ARIB) were submitted to the ITU-R. The 3G Partnership
Project (3GPP) and 3GPP2 initiated coordination efforts aimed at a global IMT-2000
system based on the best technologies. 3GPP promoted W-CDMA and UTRA, while
3GPP2 promoted cdma2000, IXEV: IXEVDV: etc. Individual Japanese members took part
in both projects and contributed to establishing a global standard. The Telecommunications Technology Council in Japan reported that direct spread CDMA (DS-CDMA), which
corresponds to W-CDMA, and MC-CDMA (multicarrier CDMA), which corresponds to
cdma2000, were as adequate as wireless transmission technologies of the third-generation
mobile communication system.
Today, the W-CDMA network is operated by NTTDoCoMo in Japan. J-Phone expects
to launch W-CDMA in the near future.
This section describes the key features and main radio transmission technologies of
W-CDMA proposed by ARIB. It will clarify the ability and the limit of applications on the
W-CDMA air interface.

4.3.1

System Design Concept

The following are the main features to be supported by the third-generation mobile
communication system defined by ARIB [4]:
High degree of design commonality worldwide
Compatibility of services among different third-generation mobile communication
systems and with fixed networks
High service quality
High-speed data services
Worldwide use of small pocket terminals
The radio transmission technology of the third-generation mobile communication
system should support multimedia and personal communications as well as intelligent
functions. The system should meet advanced multirate services up to 2 Mbps and a quality
comparable to that of fixed communications networks. At the same time, the system should
aim to achieve a simple cell structure, easy channel management, high subscriber capacity,
and low transmit power.
In W-CDMA, both a frequency division duplex (FDD) mode and a time division duplex
(TDD) mode are utilized for the duplexing scheme. The combination of FDD and TDD

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VISION OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS APPLICATIONS: A VIEW FROM JAPAN

makes it possible to use the allocated frequency efficiently according to the frequency
conditions of each region, thus increases flexibility. Most of the key parameters including
the chip rate, frame length, and modulation/demodulation schemes are made common to
both modes. Only a certain part of layer 1 of the radio interface, for example, transmitter
power control and diversity schemes, needs to be operated differently for each of these two
modes.
Another point of difference is the synchronization requirement between base stations.
The FDD mode can be operated both in synchronous and asynchronous modes, although
the TDD mode requires synchronous operation based on the level of accuracy of the guard
time.

4.3.2

W-CDMA Key Features

Generally, CDMA has the following features.

Highly Efficient Spectrum Utilization Spectrum utilization efficiency is easily

improved in CDMA by employing transmitter power control [5] and voice operated
transmission (VOX) technology, where signals are transmitted only when there is speech.
The effect of these technologies is equivalent to sophisticated technologies such as
dynamic channel assignment in other radio access schemes. This means that a system
with a high level of spectrum efficiency can be established easily in CDMA.
Release from Frequency Management A frequency assignment plan is no longer
necessary since CDMA allows the use of the same frequency in adjacent cells. With
FDMA and TDMA systems, however, frequency assignment is a necessity. In an actual
environment where base stations are deployed, it is quite difficult to assign frequencies
while giving consideration to irregular propagation patterns and the impact of geographic
topology. In addition, while imperfect frequency assignment design could lead to lowering
of the spectrum utilization efficiency, CDMA can eliminate such concerns.
Low Mobile Station Transmit Power CDMA can improve the reception performance by utilizing technologies such as RAKE receiving [6]. The required transmit power
at the mobile station can, thus, be reduced in CDMA systems compared to TDMA
systems. Since intermittent transmission is employed in TDMA, the peak transmit power
will increase in proportion to the number of timeslots. And, the same level of peak power
for mobile terminals is required for even voice service. On the other hand, the peak power
for CDMA can be kept low since continuous transmission is adopted. This is also
advantageous in terms of keeping the impact in an electromagnetic environment to a
minimum.
Use of Independent Resources for the Uplink/ Downlink In CDMA, an
asymmetrical uplink/downlink structure can be easily supported. In other access methods
such as TDMA, it is difficult to assign separately the number of timeslots to the uplink and
downlink for one user. It is also difficult to realize this with FDMA because the
uplink/downlink carrier bandwidth must be changed. On the contrary, the uplink and
downlink rates can be established independently in CDMA systems by using independent
spreading factors for the uplink and downlink for each user. Consequently, radio resources
can be used efficiently also in asymmetric traffic communications such as Internet access.

4.3

THIRD-GENERATION SYSTEMS

63

Furthermore, the wideband nature of W-CDMA can offer improved efficiency for the
following points, as well.
Wide Variety of Data Rates The use of a wider band carrier makes it possible to
provide higher transmission rates. It also allows efficient provisioning of services, even in a
situation where low rate services and high rate services coexist. This enables not only
speech/fax services, but also high-resolution video services to be supported in the same
band. Access to the Internet can be established at the same rate as from a fixed network.
Improvement of Multipath Resolution RAKE diversity receiving technology
improves the reception performance by combining the individual paths after they were
received separately among multiple paths. The use of a wider band carrier can improve the
capability to separate these multiple paths, which consequently reduces the required
transmit power. This makes it possible to lower the transmit power of mobile stations, and
at the same time decreases the interference power, which, in tum, leads to further
improvement in the spectrum utilization efficiency.
Statistical Multiplexing Effect The use of a wider band carrier increases the number
of channels accommodated in one carrier. Further improvement in the use of frequency can
thus be expected, thanks to the statistical multiplexing effect. In particular, when relatively
fast data communication is performed, the efficiency drops in a narrowband CDMA
system because the number of channels accommodated in one carrier is limited. On the
other hand, the statistical multiplexing effect derived from a use of a wider band carrier can
greatly enhance the efficiency.
Reduction of Intermittent Reception Ratio The adoption of a wider band carrier
can enhance the transmission rate of the control channels. When a mobile station is in a
standby mode, it receives only a part of the control channel to save battery consumption,
which results in a reduction of the intermittent reception ratio. This contributes to
achieving longer standby time of the mobile station.

4.3.3

Wireless Transmission Technologies [6-8]

The following describes the key features ofW-CDMA technology that outline the physical
layer of the wireless interface.
To provide operation flexibility, besides the 5-MHz bandwidth (3.84 Mcps), expandability to 10MHz (7.86 Mcps) and 20 MHz (15.36 Mcps) is also established. Figure
4.1 provides a rough image of the interrelation between the chip rate and data rate.
Carrier raster enables carrier spacing to be flexible and detailed and improves
spectrum utilization efficiency.
Both FDD and TDD modes are applied as W-CDMA duplexing schemes. The
combination ofFDD and TDD enables highly efficient use of the spectrum depending
on the conditions in each region, and at the same time offers a high degree of
flexibility. Most of the key parameters including the chip rate, the frame length, and
the modulation/demodulation schemes are common to both modes.

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VISION OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS APPLI CATIONS: A VIEW FROM JAPAN

32

64
Vl
""'
0-

oD

128

E
~ 384

I S.36M

FIGURE 4.1 Interrelationship between data rate and chip rate.

Intercell asynchronous operation, which does not require precise synchronization

between base stations, was adopted for W-CDMA to ensure the freedom to deploy
base stations indoors and outdoors. However, W-CDMA can also adopt intercell
synchronous operation to provide operation flexibility.
As a solution to implement multirate transmission , a variable spreading factor is used
for the uplink, and an orthogonal variable spreading factor is used for the downlink,
while the hardware implementation is simplified. It is possible to use multicode
transmission for high-speed transmission, for example.
Convolutional codes are employed for channel coding . Turbo codes, which offer
better error correction performance, are applied to high-speed data transmission .
Spreading codes have a two-layered structure comprising channelization codes and
scrambling codes [9]. In the downlink, scrambling codes are assigned specifically to
each cell (see Fig. 4.2), while they are assigned specifically to each user in the uplink.
Since there is a plethora of channelization codes, the codes can be assigned to each
cell without any constraints. Channelization codes are orthogonal , and all codes are
used commonly for all cells, minimizing the interference between users within the
cell.
Coherent detection using pilot symbols is used as a detection method [10]. The pilot
symbols on the downlink are common (CDM: code division multiplex ) and dedicated
(TDM: time division multiplex). Utilizing a common pilot symbol establishes the
accuracy of channel estimation because the pilot power can be increased. On the other
hand, TDM minimizes the control delay of the transmitter power control. The pilot
symbols on the uplink are I-Q multiplexed together with data, after they are spread
with different spreading codes than those for the data. This enables continuou s

4.3 THIRD-GENERATION SYSTEMS

,/

---------------------~

65

-- --.-------------.--------------~;7"-

/~/

,///~/'

Scrambling code layer

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---

//~/ '
-~

/ Full code set / cell

FIGURE 4.2 Two-layer spreading code allocation.

transmission when variable-rate transmission is carried out, and can minimize the
peak factor of the transmit waveform. This solution is effective in reducing the impact
on an electromagnetic environment and in alleviating the requirements on the mobile
station transmit amplifier. However, in the TDD mode, the uplink pilots are time
multiplexed similarly to the downlink. This is because there are no advantages to I-Q
multiplex pilot symbols in a discontinuous TDD mode.
A transmission scheme based on dedicated pilot symbols is adopted as the transmission method of pilot symbols. This scheme is beneficial for fast closed-loop
transmitter power control on the downlink. It is also possible to apply a common
pilot scheme, where the pilot symbols of common control channels are used by each
traffic channel. This makes it possible to further improve the performance . The
dedicated pilot scheme is an extremely effective solution in terms of securing
expandability to adopt adaptive antennas [II], interference canceller [12], and
other technologies in the future.
Packet data transmission is performed to support asymmetric uplink /downlink
transmission and a wide range of data transmissions from low to high data rates.
For this packet transmission, adaptive channels depending on the traffic characteristics are used. For example, when the traffic is light, common physical channels are
used. On the other hand, dedicated physical channels are used when the traffic is
heavy.

Regarding multimedia services, the important factors are quality and quantity of
contents and the way of providing these services. We have Internet access services through
current cellular systems such as i-mode service in Japan. Current i-mode services are
provided through the PDC-P network; therefore, the information is mainly presented as
text. On the other hand, since 2001, the IMT-2000 was launched and transmission speeds
gained a significant boost. Around that time, it will be possible for i-mode users to
experience multimedia-rich contents through their terminals. By rich contents we mean

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VISION OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS APPLICATIONS : A VIEW FROM JAPAN

i-mode
Cellular Phone
Terminal

IP
: Information Provider
HTTP : HyperTe xt Transfer Protoco l
POC : Personal Cellular Telecommunications System
POC-P : POC Packet System
TCprIP : Transmission Control ProtocolfIntemet Protocol

FIGURE 4.3

System configuration of i-mode service.

moving color images or high-quality music. Figure 4.3 shows the system configuration of
i-mode services . Current i-mode contents will become more attractive when the technology supporting rich contents becomes available (Fig. 4.4).

4.4

FOURTH-GENERATION SYSTEMS

First-generation (I G) and second-generation (2G) cellular systems have been used mainly
for voice applications and supporting switched-circuit-type services. The transition in

IMT-2000

Rich
(Video, Hi -Fi, etc)

Jaya

i-mod e
Launch

1
Feb . 1999

Intranet

Intranet
Packages

Web Access

Portal Link
Fall1 999

Fall 2000

FIGURE 4.4

Spring 2001

Evolution of i-mode service.

4.4

FOURTH-GENERATION SYSTEMS

67

information types from voice (telephone) to data and multimedia will accelerate in the 2151
Century, thus the third-generation (3G) systems have been designed to cover both
telephone-type and data/multimedia-type communications. In 2010, this trend will be
even more remarkable. The fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication system should
accommodate increased data/multimedia traffic in the 201Os.
Mobile access to both the Internet and intranets will become increasingly popular and
essential. Data size is increasing year by year and higher speed mobile communication
systems will be required to increase user satisfaction . Mobile communication devices will
be not only handheld phones or personal digital assistants (PDAS) carried by people but
also installed in all kinds of goods such as luggage, wallets, or leashes for pets. After
several years when penetration into the mobile phone user market becomes saturated, the
number of mobile devices will still increase and reach a level several times that of the
number users in the 201Os. Various new applications will explore mobile communications
markets that are not apparent at present. See Figure 4.5.

4.4.1

Requirements

The 4G system should achieve the following:

High-Speed Transmission The 3G system covers up to 2 Mbps for indoor environments and 144 kbps for vehicular environments . The 5-GHz band wireless LAN and
wireless broadband access systems being developed in Japan (MMAC), Europe (Hiperlan2), and United States (IEEE 802.11) have an approximate 20-Mbps transmission speed.
The target speed of 4G will be 10 to 20 Mbps for quasi-static environments and at least
2 Mbps for moving vehicles.

Vehicular

Pedestrian

Stationary

0.1

1
Data Rate (Mbps)

FIGURE 4.5 Position of 4G system.

10

100

68

VISION OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS APPLICATIONS: A VIEW FROM JAPAN

Higher Capacity The 3G system capacity will not be sufficient to handle the
explosively growing data/multimedia traffic in the 201Os. Spectrum efficiency for 4G
systems should be 5 to 10 times higher than that of the 3G system. To accommodate the
enormous amount of traffic in dense urban areas, a spatial frequency reuse strategy is the
key. At this point, seamless geographical coverage with a microcellular structure is better
than a "hot-spot" coverage strategy because the former can avoid concentrating geographical traffic. Thus, constructing microcellular networks at a reasonable cost is an
important issue.
Good Area Coverage with Variable-Speed Transmission As transnussion
speeds increase, the required receive signal level will increase. In the existing cellular
systems, the transmission speed is relatively low (up to 64 kbps), thus they can provide
good coverage with medium-size cells. Since the target speed of the 4G system is more
than 100 times higher than the existing systems, the cell radius will be decreased and inbuilding coverage will be severely degraded. Wide-range variable-speed transmission is
necessary to extend coverage to indoor areas where there are neither 4G base stations nor
other wireless networks connected to the 4G system.
Wireless QoS Resource Control For Internet services, the best effort service is very
attractive because it has the potential to lower service cost. However, wireless systems use
limited radio resources (frequency bandwidth and transmitting power) and suffer from
congestion. Therefore, wireless quality of service (QoS) resource control is necessary to
maintain the service quality and to support various applications and service classes.
Seamless Service with 3G, Wireless LAN (W-LAN), and Fixed Networks By
constructing networks based on IP (Internet protocol) technology, seamless connection
between 4G, 3G, wireless LANs (W-LANs), and fixed networks will be possible. As a
result, users will be able to choose the network that is best suited to their situations (place,
time, cost, etc.).
Reduced Network Cost The bit cost in the 201Os should be decreased, perhaps to the
level of one tenth that at the beginning of the 2000s.

4.4.2 Techniques to Establish High-Speed and High-Capacity

Communications
High-speed mobile transmission suffers from frequency selective fading. Robust modulation/demodulation schemes should be studied to find a way to withstand frequency
selective fading. Multiple carrier modulation and single carrier modulation with adaptive
equalizers are candidates.
The other key demand for high speed is an extremely low required Eb/No value. Since
the noise bandwidth at the receiver is wide in a high-speed system, low Eb/No values are
required to achieve reasonable area coverage. High-speed transmitter power control to
mitigate Rayleigh fading and a pilot-added fast-tracking coherent demodulator are
effective ways to achieve this goal. Frequency domain antifading measures such as
RAKE combining spread spectrum receivers or frequency hoping techniques are also
necessary.

4.5

OTHER FUTURE SYSTEMS

69

Interference canceling with an adaptive array antenna and an interference canceling

equalizer (ICE) is a promising candidate to increase capacity. One problem in making this
candidate feasible is in implementing a fading channel estimation circuit. Since the
channel estimation requires many calculations, the estimation algorithm and processor
configuration are very important. A systolic array RLS processor is a candidate to achieve
this function.

4.4.3

Techniques to Handle Multimedia Traffic

Intelligent wireless resource management is a key technique in handling multimedia

traffic. For high-speed mobile communications, not only the spectrum resource but also the
transmission power available in the base station and mobile station restricts the user's
transmission speed. A wireless resource manager should check the available resources, the
quality of the forward and reverse links, the application type, and user class in the QoS
services and then assign the appropriate forward and reverse link speeds and transmitting
power to the user.
The IP-technology-based network structure can handle IP packet traffic efficiently and
at a low cost. It can also easily provide the broadcast and multicast functions essential for
push-type information services. The key issue is a routing/hand-over scheme and an
authentication strategy that does not affect mobility or throughput.

4.5
4.5.1

OTHER FUTURE SYSTEMS

Wireless LAN/Wireless Access

Multimedia mobile access communication (MMAC) systems aim to provide broadband

wireless access for mobile/nomadic multimedia services. In 1995, the Japanese Ministry
of Post and Telecommunications (MPT) formed the MMAC study committee to conduct a
study on the next generation of broadband mobile communication systems. The committee
presented its report in May 1996. It suggested that MMAC should enable seamless
wireless access to broadband backbone networks, for example, ATM networks, and it
should be deployed early in the 2000s. The MMAC report identified two system concepts,
the first of which is mobility oriented "high-speed wireless access" for broadband
mobile/ubiquitous multimedia services up to 30 Mbps using 3 to 60 GHz for both
indoor and outdoor applications in both private and public environments. Since it will
provide more than 20 Mbps, 10 times higher than IMT-2000, its mobility is limited to
pedestrian speeds. This limitation is mainly due to its relatively small cell radius and the
relatively high frequency to be used. The other MMAC system is a quality oriented "ultrahigh-speed wireless LAN" up to 156 Mbps using 30 to 300 GHz, for corporate LAN use.
Following the recommendations in the MMAC report, the MMAC Promotion Council
was established in December 1996 to promote the development of MMAC systems in
cooperation with ARIB [13]. MMAC-PC comprises a technical committee and a promotion committee. The MMAC technical committee comprises the High-Speed Wireless
Access Subcommittee, Ultra-High-Speed Wireless LAN Subcommittee, and two ad hoc
committees, that is, the 5-GHz Band Mobile Access Ad-hoc Committee and the Wireless
Home Link Ad-hoc Committee, which were established in December 1998. The 5-GHz
Band Mobile Access Ad-hoc Committee has two working groups: the first is the ATM-WG

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VISION OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS APPLICATIONS: A VIEW FROM JAPAN

working with the High Speed Wireless Access Subcommittee and the other is the EthemetWG. The Wireless Home Link Ad-hoc Committee is developing specifications for IEEE
Standard 1394, which is based on wireless LANs. The targets of the above-mentioned
MMAC systems are summarized in Table 4.1. Those MMAC family systems will enable
wireless access in various environments, that is, home (indoor), office (indoor), premises,
and public spaces (outdoors and indoors).
The MMAC-PC has a close liaison relationship with other standardization bodies. The
MMAC High-Speed Wireless Access Subcommittee and ATM-WG has a liaison relationship with ETSI-BRAN and ATM Forum WATM-WG, and MMAC Ethemet-WG has a
similar relationship with IEEE 802.11, to coordinate the specifications. Most notably, these
three groups (MMAC, ETSI-BRAN, and IEEE 802.11) have selected coded OFDM as the
modulation scheme for wireless access systems using the 5-GHz band because of its
robustness against frequency selective fading, large coding gain, large diversity gain, and
scalability in its transmission speed. Coded OFDM for these systems has the same basic
parameters, that is, 48 subcarriers plus 4 pilots based on 64-point FFT/IFFT, 20-MHz
channel separation, 41ls per OFDM symbol, and R == ~, K == 7 convolutional coding with
interleaving within the OFDM symbol. This means that the OFDM modem LSI can be
applied to wireless access devices according to the above-mentioned standards although
TABLE 4.1 Target of MMAC Systems

High-Speed
Wireless Access
Public: outdoor,
indoor
Private: indoor,
premises
Network and Public: ATM, I~
interface
etc.
Private: ATM, I~
Ethernet, etc.
Information 30 Mbps
rate
Notebook-type
Terminal
PCs, etc.
equipment
Service area

Mobility

Radio
frequency
Bandwidth

Ultra-High-Speed
Wireless LAN
Private: indoor

Bit error rate Around 10- 6

Wireless Home
Link

Private: ATM

Public: outdoor,
Private: indoor
indoor
Private: indoor,
premises
Public: ATM, I~ etc. IEEE 1394, etc.

156 Mbps

Private: ATM, I~
Ethernet, etc.
20 to 25 Mbps

30 to 100 Mbps

Notebook-type PCs,
handy terminals,
etc.
Stationary or
pedestrian (with
handover)
5GHz

PCs and audio

visual equipment
etc.
Stationary or
pedestrian (with
handover)
5/25/40/60 GHz

Greater than
100 MHz
Around 10- 6

Greater than
100 MHz
Equivalent to wired
networks (around
10- 8 to 10- 10)

Desktop PCs
and WSs,
etc.
Stationary
Stationary or
(with
pedestrian
(with handover)
handover)
60GHz
25/40/60GHz
500 to 1000 MHz

5-GHZ Mobile
Access (Wireless
ATM & Wireless
LAN)

1 to 2 GHz
Equivalent to
wired neworks
(around 10- 8 to
10- 10)

4.5

OTHER FUTURE SYSTEMS

71

there are small differences among them, for example, preamble patterns. This will be
helpful in reducing the wireless terminal cost. Draft MMAC specifications will be released
in early 2000s.

4.5.2 Wireless Home Link

There are currently many electric devices in the house and will continue to be so in the
future. One group of these devices is household appliances such as air-conditioners,
refrigerators, microwave ovens, and lights. Another is multimedia devices such as desktop
PCs, printers, TVs, set-top boxes, audio sets, and digital video cameras.
In the MMAC-PC, an air interface protocol is being developed for the wireless home
link that connects these electric devices to one another and with telecommunication
networks and cable TV networks. The assumed frequency bands are the 5-GHz and
millimeter-wave, and they are compatible with IEEE 1394. The 5-GHz band link has the
advantage that it can be used throughout the household. However, its transmission speed is
limited to around 30 Mbps, which is suitable to transmit digital video camera signals, but
lower than the original IEEE 1394 speeds (100 Mbps and above) and requires a bridge
device to adapt the speed. The other millimeter-wave link supports the full 100-Mbps
transmission speed [13].

4.5.3 ITS
ITS, the information and telecommunication system, in Japan is outlined as follows
[14,15]:
1. First Phase "Dawn of ITS" (to be established around the early 2000s): Highperformance ITS systems are achieved by improving and adding applications to the
various stand-alone systems that are already in use today or soon to be introduced,
such as car navigation systems and electronic road toll systems.
2. Second Phase "Advancement of ITS" (to be established around 2005): ITS
becomes more advanced thanks to improved network facilities and multiple
communication methods, varying from simple voice and data to multimedia
communications including real-time video transmission. Terminal equipment will
feature high-performance functionality, multifunctionality, and an interface that is
user friendly and safe to use while driving.
3. Third Phase "Completion of ITS" (to be established around 2010): ITS becomes
sufficiently advanced and automated and integrated functions become available such
that fully automated driving becomes a reality. Fully automated driving makes
vehicles safer and more pleasant to ride in.
Among the wide range of ITS applications, some of the most interesting areas from the
end users' perspective are as follows
Road and traffic information provisioning and car multimedia
Dedicated short range communication (DSRC) including electronic toll collection
(ETC)

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VISION OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS APPLICATIONS: A VIEW FROM JAPAN

Provisioning of public transport information and efficient commercial vehicle operation

Advanced driving-assist systems and automated driving
Many key technologies are required to develop and complete ITS. The following are the
major technologies:
Wireless agents and highly reliable distributed control technologies that can handle
incomplete or ambiguous user input
Optical and radio conversion devices that achieve high-speed and broadband
applications in the millimeter wave band
Road-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-vehicle communications that provide continuous
communication between vehicle and the road for automatic driving
Multicast routing that uses various advanced telecommunications and broadcasting
systems
Advanced human-machine interfaces that enable automatic driving
Multimode terminal equipment that achieves flexible changes In communication
methods with software technologies

4.6

SUMMARY

Today, we have various mobile communications systems such as cellular systems, cordless
systems, paging systems, MeA, maritime and aeronautical mobile communications
systems, mobile satellite communications systems, to name a few. IMT-2000 is one
solution that can integrate these systems. It achieves a worldwide design and will provide
new services particularly in the field of multimedia with high-speed data services. ARIB
has selected W-CDMA as the most suitable and the most verified radio transmission
technology for IMT-2000. Higher speed transmission, higher capacity, and good area
coverage with variable-speed transmission will be pursued in 4G systems. Other than
cellular, MMAC, wireless home link, and ITS are future radio communication systems that
are currently being studied in Japan.

REFERENCES
1. RCR STD-27, "Personal Digital Cellular Telecommunication System RCR Standard," Feb. 1999.
2. RCR STD-28, "Personal Handy Phone System RCR Standard," Feb. 1999.
3. ITU-T Recommendation G.726, "40, 32, 24, 16 kbps Adaptive Differential Pulse Code
Modulation (ADPCM)," Dec. 1990.
4. ARIB IMT-2000 Study Committee, "Japan's Revised Proposal for Candidate Radio Transmission
Technology on IMT-2000: W-CDMA," Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB),
Sept. 1999.
5. T. Dohi et aI., "Performance of SIR Based Power Control in the Presence of Non-Uniform Traffic
Distribution," IEEE ICUPC'95, pp. 334-338, 1995.
6. S. Onoe et al., "Wideband-CDMA Radio Control Techniques for Third Generation Mobile
Communication Systems," IEEE VTC'97, pp. 835-844, 1997.

REFERENCES

73

7. F. Adachi et al., "Coherent Multi-rate Wideband DS-CDMA for Next Generation Mobile Radio
Access: Link Design and Performance," APCC'97, pp. 1479-1483, 1997.
8. M. Sawahashi, et al., "Wideband CDMA Mobile Radio Access for IMT-2000," 2nd CIC, pp.
571-576.
9. K. Higuchi et al., "Fast Cell Search Algorithm in DS-CDMA Mobile Radio Using Long
Spreading Codes," IEEE VTC'97, pp. 1430-1434, May 1997.
10. H. Andoh et al., "Channel Estimation Using Time Multiplexed Pilot Symbols for Coherent Rake
Combining for DS-CDMA Mobile Radio," IEEE PIMRC'97, pp. 954-958, 1997.
11. S. Tanaka et al., "Pilot Symbol Assisted Decision Directed Coherent Adaptive Antenna Array
Diversity for DS-CDMA Mobile Radio Reverse Link," IEICE Trans. Fundamentals, Vol. E80-A,
pp. 2445-2454, Dec. 1997.
12. M. Sawahashi et al., "Pilot Symbol Assisted Coherent Multistage Interference Canceller Using
Recursive Channel Estimation for DS-CDMA Mobile Radio," IEICE Trans. Commun., Vol. E79B, pp. 1262-1270, Sept. 1996.
13. Multimedia Mobile Access Communication Systems Home Page, httpsf fwww.arib.onjp]
mmac / e/ index. htm.
14. ITS Telecommunications Business, "Report of Telecommunications Technology Council in
Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications," Great Cruise Co. Ltd., April 1999.
15. ITS Handbook in Japan, Handbook Supervised by Ministry of Construction, HIDO (Highway
Industry Development Organization), Oct. 1998.