LTE Radio Interface

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LTE Radio Interface Protocol
Architecture

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LTE Radio Interface Protocol Structure
PDPC:
-Maps EPS Bearer 
ROHC (Robust
Header Compresion)
-In sequence Delivery
supervision for the
data transfer in HO,
UP and CP.
-Exchange of PDU
between RLC and IP
services.
-Ciphering and
Integrity protectin
-Packet Discard for
Out of time packets.

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LTE Radio Interface Protocol Structure
RLC:
-Segmentation of
PDUs
-Retransmission
algorithms execution
for Acknowledged
Mode (AM)
-Support for UM and
TM
-In sequence delivery
between MAC and
RLC

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 LTE HARQ
LTE HARQ is the similar as the WCDMA HARQ:

- Multiple “stop-and-wait” processes that allow the continous

transmission flow.
- Functionality and performance similar to the window based
selective repeat protocol (SACK) but only 1bit or single-bit
HARQ feedback is required.

The modeling of the protocol is executed as a number of parallel

HARQ processes, where each uses simple stop-and-wait (NHARQ)

Where, NHARQ> RTT/lenghtsubframe a continuous transmission is

achieved

- The Maximum UE processing time before a HARQ

feedback is send has been specified such that 8 HARQ
process are needed for continous transmission in FDD

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 LTE HARQ
- HARQ is synchronous for UL and asynchronous for DL
- The subframe for the retrans is know at the receiver (UL)
- For DL the Scheduler is on charge to choose when the retrans
occurs (dynamic scheduling).
- For both (UL and DL) single-bit HARQ feedback (ACK/NACK) is
sent
- HARQ is adapative in UL an DL. This mean that the Scheduler
can decide to use different resources for a retransmission
compared to previously retrans.

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 LTE HARQ
- IF retrans happens, the previoous received data is stores (even
if wrong received), and from this, the received data is soft
combined with the next received data in the soft buffer.

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 LTE HARQ
- MAC layer does not support in-order-delivery
to RLC. Than is up to RLC to restore the
original delivery sequence and thus RLC
provide in-order-delivery to higher layers.

- If MAC HARQ fails, it can be supported by

RLC ARQ for a time windows slightly higher
than MAC HARQ time.

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 LTE LOGICAL CHANNELS
- Logical channels are divided in CONTROL and TRAFFIC. Same as 3G.
This are the EUTRAN channels defined for EUTRAN signaling:

BCCH (Broadcast control channels): The BCCH is used to transmit system

information (SI) with NAS (Non Access Stratum) an AS (Access Statrum). It has the
Cell and network configuration parameters (as Cell ID, Cell Selection and
Reselection)
PCCH (Paging Control Channel): This channel is used to transmit the paging
messages from RRC. Hence it is a downlink point-to-multipoint channel a UE is
using when it is in LTE_IDLE mode.
CCCH (Common control channels): Is a Uplink channel where RRC still has no
connection and UE is looking for initial access signaling when (from RRC_IDLE and
want to enter into RRC_CONNECTED state). i.e. Cell reselection or accessing a
new cell.
DCCH (Dedicated Control Channel): Point to point communication is established
trough this channel for RRC signaling of information. This information exchange is
between the UE and the network (NAS signaling procedures) and the UE is in
RRC_CONNECTED state.

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 LTE LOGICAL CHANNELS

Traffic Channels:

DTCH (Dedicated Traffic channels): Point to point channel. For user information
transmit. This mean, User Radio Bearer carrying IP traffic. The eNB connects
DTCHs to the associated S1-U tunnel  SGW (in both, UL and DL)

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LTE LOGICAL CHANNELS

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 LTE TRANSPORT CHANNELS
• Transport channels are used as the basic transmission service offered by
layer 1 to MAC.
MAC will use transport channels to multiplex and demultiplex logical channels onto
and from them.

• In contrast to logical channel types, referring to the type of information

transmitted, transport channel types are used to indicate the transport
characteristics.

This means that certain transport channel type is associated with certain bit
rates (transport block sizes, number of blocks), a transmission time interval
(the time it takes to send one transport block set), delay, support for HARQ,
support for beam-forming, support for DRX/DTX, and so on.

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 LTE TRANSPORT CHANNELS DL
• BCH (Broadcast channels): Is a channel with a low fixed bit rate or fixed
transport format. Wich broadcast the BCCH info in the entire Cell
coverage area. Only QPSK is supported without HARQ. Neither Beam-
forming is posible.
• PCH (Paging Channel): Same as BCH, this chanel must be broadcasted in
the entire cell coverage. Carries the PCCH info. And compared to BCH, it
support QPSK and 16QAM modulations, DRX and even Beam-forming.
But no HARQ can be applied to this channel
• DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel): This is the mayor transport channel
cause transport DCCH , DTCH, Some part of BCCH. Support QPSK, 16QAM
and 64QAM, DRX and DTX (from or inside the UE), HARQ is fully supported
as Beam-forming. User plane information is transmit in this channel.

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 LTE TRANSPORT CHANNELS UL
• RACH (Random Access channels): This channel is used for initial access
request by the UE to the Network. Allow the timing synchronization (even
when the RACH procedure is an asynchronous process). The channel
transport the needed information to obtain the scheduling grants.
• UL-SCH (Uplink Shared Channel): In the Uplink, is the only transport
channel to carry logical channel data (CCCH, DTCH and DCCH). Support
HARQ, QPSK, 16QAM modulations. Beam-forming may be used.

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LTE TRANSPORT CHANNELS DL & UL

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 LTE PHYSICAL CHANNELS
The physical Channels provides the means to the MAC layer in form of
transport channels to be mapped into the physical available resource (PRBs or
REs)

Next to the physical channels that carry transport channels, there are also
physical channels that are used to carry physical layer control data and
physical signal that are manly used for synchronization and measure
purposes.
Thus, the physical layer defines physical channels and physical signals.
• A physical channel correspond to a set of physicals resources used for
transmission of data and/or control information from the MAC layer
• A physical signal correspond to a set of physical resources used to support
physical layer functionality ( synchronization, quality and strenght levels)
but does not carry any user information from the MAC layer.

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 LTE PHYSICAL CHANNELS
DL Physical Channel

Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH): The PBCH is the physical channel used to carry BCH (BCCH).
System information (MIB, SIB) can be found on this channel Has a fixed mapping onto the Resource
block or Resource elements.
Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH) : Is a pure control channel that indicates how
many symbols are used to encode the PDCCH. Is the first decoded channel in order to read the PDCCH
format and follow any other procedure. Then the PDCCH is decoded to find out which resource blocks
of the PDSCH are intended for the UE.
Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH ): This channel is a pure physical
control channel. Scheduling signals travels on this channel to notify the UEs about the incoming
downlink data or uplink access grant response to data waiting to be sent and holding for resource block
assignments in the PDSCH or PUSCH.
The PDCCH will be sent in each sub-frame shortly before PDSCH starts.
Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH): used to transmit ACK/NAK in response to reception of
UL-SCH transmissions. Typically, there are multiple PHICH per sub-frame in a cell.
Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH): The PDSCH can carry DL-SCH or PCH. Thus this channel
type will allocate most of the capacity in a cell.

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 LTE PHYSICAL CHANNELS
DL Physical Signals
Reference Signals(RS): Reference signals allow coherent decoding and permanently
repeated channel estimation. Therefore in each slot (and each resource block) some OFDM
symbols are reserved for reference signals and cannot be used for data transmission. The
reference signals itself are created from an orthogonal and a pseudo-noise sequence. This
allows efficient channel and phase detection at the receiver side

Primary and Secondary Synchronization signals (P-SS and S-SS) :There are two DL
synchronization signals – a primary and a secondary one. Both consist of predefined code
sequence to be used for cell detection and initial time and frequency synchronization. Both
synchronization sequences are transmitted within slot 0 and slot 10 of each radio frame
(frame type 1). The synchronization signals always use 2 subcarrier centered around the DC
subcarrier. For the primary synchronization signal there will be three distinct code
sequences defined, which one is applicable for a cell is determined by the cell identity. This
can be used as some form of cell color code to distinguish direct neighbors.

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 LTE PHYSICAL CHANNELS
UL Physical Channels

Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH): This is the major UL channel. The transport blocks of UL-SCH
on which all radio bearers uplink occur are transported here. The PUSCH supports DTX, HARQ and at
least QPSK and 16QAM. 64QAM will be available in future software releases.

Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH): This is a pure physical layer control channel. Carries the UL
capacity requests and HARQ ACK/NACK indications by the UE as well as CQI (Carrier quality Indication)
feedback information to optimize MIMO.

Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH): The PRACH carries the RACH.
Currently this means, that the PRACH simply transmits preamble sequences that
act as initial access request for UL and DL resources when the UE is RRC_IDLE

UL Physical Signals
Sounding Reference Signal (SRS): The sounding reference signal is a very long reference sequence that
is transmitted by the UE only on explicit request by the network. It is used for a very detailed channel
estimation especially when MIMO is in use. This information is required for efficient decoding, but also
for efficient Uplink quality aware scheduling.
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 TIME DOMAIN STRUCTURE
FRAME STRUCTURE

3GPP TS 36.211 4.1 Shows for FDD (frame structure Type 1) and Tf =307200 x Tx = 10ms. Where Tf is
the time duration of a frame that is equal to 10ms, Ts=period of a basic time unit for Fourier transform
[Ts=1/(15000 x 2048) secs] and this

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