EP 602:- WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

TOPIC 3:MULTIPLE ACCESS TECHNIQUES

AT THE END THIS TOPIC STUDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO:3.1 Understand the Multiple Access Techniques 3.1.1 Define: a) Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) b) Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) c) Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) d) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) 3.1.2 Describe structure of Multiple Access Techniques 3.1.3 State the advantages and disadvantages of Multiple Access Techniques

MULTIPLE ACCESS TECHNIQUES

a)

Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA)

Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) is common in the first generation of mobile communication systems so called analogue systems.

The analog communications technique that uses a common channel for communication among multiple users allocating unique time slots to different users.
The process of dividing bandwidth into multiple frequencies which can be shared out among base transceiver stations (BTS)within the network. A method allowing multiple carriers to share a single satellite transponder or range of frequencies. The transponder bandwidth is divided into sub-channels, each of which is allocated to a particular earth station (carrier). The earth stations transmit continuously and the transponder conveys several carriers simultaneously at different frequencies.

b) Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)

Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), it makes use of the same frequency spectrum but allows more users on the same band of frequencies by dividing the time into slots and shares the channel between users by assigning them different time slots. TDMA is a technology used in digital cellular telephone communication that divides each cellular channel into three time slots in order to increase the amount of data that can be carried. In TDMA, the available spectrum is divided in time into Time Slots. Each subscriber requiring resources is allocated a unit of time (time slot) during which they can transmit or receive data. The TDMA system is used in many second generation (2G) systems such as GSM and TDMA/D-AMPS.

c)

Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) CDMA is a digital technique for sharing the frequency spectrum. It is a spread spectrum technology that employs codes to separate users in the same frequency spectrum. In CDMA, all subscribers share the same frequency at the same time within a cell, so there is a need to distinguish between the different calls or sessions.

d)

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a technique for transmitting large amounts of digital data over a radio wave. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a multi-carrier transmission technique, which divides the available spectrum into many subcarriers, each one being modulated by a low data rate stream. The technology works by splitting the radio signal into multiple smaller sub-signals that are then transmitted simultaneously at different frequencies to the receiver. OFDM is a broadband multicarrier modulation method that offers superior performance and benefits over older, more traditional single-carrier modulation methods because it is a better fit with todays high-speed data requirements and operation in the UHF and microwave spectrum.

3.1.2 Describe structure of Multiple Access Technique

B) FREQUENCY

DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (FDMA)

The available spectrum in FDMA is divided into physical channels of equal bandwidth as Figure below:-

Frequency Division Multiple Access

30 KHz 30 KHz 30 KHz 30 KHz 30 KHz

Frequency

30 KHz 30 KHz 30 KHz

FDMA Frequency Division Multiple Access

One physical channel is allocated per subscriber. In pure FDMA systems, different speech/data/signaling (per subscriber) transmissions may be transmitted at the same time on different frequencies.

The physical channel allocated to the subscriber is used during the entire duration of the call and is unavailable for other subscribers during that time. The physical channel is released at the end of the call and is then available for the next subscriber.
In summary, in FDMA, narrow bandwidth is used for continuous transmission and reception, there is orthogonality in frequency within the cell, and no synchronization in time is needed.

B)

TIME DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (TDMA)

Time Division Multiple Access

One timeslot = 0.577 ms

One TDMA frame = 8 timeslots

200 KHz 200 KHz 200 KHz 200 KHz

Frequency

Time
Time Division Multiple Access

TDMA systems must carefully synchronize the transmission times of all the users to ensure that they are received in the correct time slot and do not cause interference. Since this cannot be perfectly controlled in a mobile environment, each time slot must have a guard-time, which reduces the probability that users will interfere, but decreases the spectral efficiency.

C)

CODE DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (CDMA)

Code Division Multiple Access

In CDMA each user is assigned a unique code sequence (spreading code), which it uses to encode its data signal.

The receiver, knowing the code sequence of the user, decodes the received signal and recovers the original data.
The bandwidth of the coded data signal is chosen to be much larger than the bandwidth of the original data signal, that is, the encoding process enlarges (spreads) the spectrum of the data signal. CDMA is based on spread-spectrum modulation. If multiple users transmit a spread-spectrum signal at the same time, the receiver will still be able to distinguish between users, provided that each user has a unique code that has a sufficiently low cross-correlation with the other codes.

D)

ORTHOGONAL FREQUENCY DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (OFDM)

OFDM can be viewed as either a modulation technique or a multiplex technique. 1. Modulation technique Viewed by the relation between input and output signals 2. Multiplex technique Viewed by the output signal which is the linear sum of the modulated signals
OFDM System
Input Signal
S/P

Output Signal

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D)

ORTHOGONAL FREQUENCY DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (OFDM)

Advantages of Multiple Access Techniques:Advantages of FDMA 1. Simplest 2. Best suited for analog links 3. Each station has its own frequency band, separated by guard bands 4. Receivers tune to the right frequency 5. Cost-effective technology for upgrading a current analog system to digital 6. Number of frequencies is limited reduce transmitter power; reuse frequencies in non-adjacent cells example: voice channel = 30 KHz 833 channels in 25 MHz band with hexagonal cells, partition into 118 channels each but with N cells in a city, can get 118N calls => win if N > 7

Disadvantages of FDMA
1. User FDMA has a predefined time slot. That means, users roaming from one cell to another are not allotted a time slot. 2. Multipath distortion A signal coming from a tower to a handset might come from any one of several directions. The signal have bounced off several different building before arriving which can cause interference.

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2. 3. 4. 5.

Advantages of TDMA TDMA can easily adapt to transmission of data as well as voice communication. TDMA provides users with an extended battery life, since it transmits only portion of the time during conversations. Users can be given different amounts of bandwidth Mobiles can use idle times to determine best base station Can switch off power when not transmitting

1.

2.

3. 4.

Disadvantages of TDMA Users has a predefined time slot. When moving from one cell site to other, if all the time slots in this cell are full the user might be disconnected. TDMA is subjected to multipath distortion. To overcome this distortion, a time limit can be used on the system. Once the time limit is expired, the signal is ignored. Synchronization overhead Greater problems with multipath interference on wireless links

Advantages of CDMA 1. Users separated both by time and frequency 2. Send at a different frequency at each time slot (frequency hopping) or, convert a single bit to a code (direct sequence) 3. Receiver can decipher bit by inverse process. Disadvantages of CDMA 1. Immune from narrowband noise 2. No need for all stations to synchronize 3. No hard limit on capacity of a cell 4. All cells can use all frequencies 5. Implementation complexity 6. Need for power control to avoid capture 7. Need for a large contiguous frequency band (for direct sequence)

Advantages of OFDMA 1. Multi-user Diversity broadband signals experience frequency selective fading OFDMA allows different users to transmit over different portions of the broadband spectrum (traffic channel) Different users perceive different channel qualities, a deep faded channel for one user may still be favorable to others

Multi-user Diversity

2. Efficient use of Spectrum

3. Very easy and efficient in dealing with multi-path 4. Robust again narrow-band interference 5. Bit Error Rate performance is better only in Fading environment

Disadvantages of OFDM 1. Synchronization Tight Synchronization between users are required for FFT in receiver Pilot signals are used for synchronizations 2. Co-channel interference Dealing with this is more complex in OFDM than in CDMA Dynamic channel allocation with advanced coordination among adjacent base stations. 3. Sensitive to frequency offset and phase noise 4. Peak-to-average problem reduces the power efficiency of RF amplifier at the transmitter

AT THE END THIS TOPIC STUDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO:3.2 Difference between Multiple Access Techniques. 3.2.1 Compare between TDMA,FDMA,CDMA and OFDMA 3.2.3 Relate between TDMA,FDMA,CDMA and OFDMA with respect to wireless communication standard.

3.2.1 Compare between TDMA,FDMA,CDMA and OFDMA TDMA

Time division multiple access (TDMA) is a channel access method for shared medium (usually radio) networks. It allows several users to share the same frequency channel by dividing the signal into different timeslots. The users transmit in rapid succession, one after the other, each using his own timeslot. This allows multiple stations to share the same transmission medium (e.g. radio frequency channel) while using only the part of its bandwidth they require. TDMA is used in the digital 2G cellular systems such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), IS-136, Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) and iDEN, and in the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard for portable phones. It is also used extensively in satellite systems, and combat-net radio systems. TDMA is a type of Time-division multiplexing, with the special point that instead of having one transmitter connected to one receiver, there are multiple transmitters. In the case of the uplink from a mobile phone to a base station this becomes particularly difficult because the mobile phone can move around and vary the timing advance required to make its transmission match the gap in transmission from its peers

FDMA

Frequency Division Multiple Access or FDMA is an access technology that is used by radio systems to share the radio spectrum. The terminology multiple access implies the sharing of the resource amongst users, and the frequency division describes how the sharing is done: by allocating users with different carrier frequencies of the radio spectrum. This technique relies upon sharing of the available radio spectrum by the communications signals that must pass through that spectrum. The terminology multiple access indicates how the radio spectrum resource is intended to be used: by enabling more than one communications signal to pass within a particular band; and the frequency division indicates how the sharing is accomplished: by allocating individual frequencies for each communications signal within the band. In an FDMA scheme, the given Radio Frequency (RF) bandwidth is divided into adjacent frequency segments. Each segment is provided with bandwidth to enable an associated communications signal to pass through a transmission environment with an acceptable level of interference from communications signals in adjacent frequency segments

CDMA

Code division multiple access (CDMA) is a form of multiplexing and a method of multiple access that divides up a radio channel not by time (as in time division multiple access), nor by frequency (as in frequency-division multiple access), but instead by using different pseudo-random code sequences for each user. CDMA is a form of "spread-spectrum" signaling, since the modulated coded signal has a much higher bandwidth than the data being communicated.

CDMA has been used in many communications and navigation systems, including the Global Positioning System and in the OmniTRACS satellite system for transportation logistics

OFDM Most broadband systems are subject to multipath transmission. Conventional solution to multipath is an equalizer in the receiver high data rates equalizers too complicated Simple way of dealing with multipath relatively simple DSP algorithms

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)