WCDMA for UMTS

by Dr. Hatem MOKHTARI

Cirta Consulting LLC
 Contents
• History of the WCDMA Standard
• Spectrum Allocation
• Bearer Services
• CDMA Principles
• WCDMA
• Radio Access Network Architecture
• Physical Layer
• Radio Interface Protocols
• Packet Transmission
• TDD Mode
• Network Planning
 CDMA Principles
• CDMA System Overview
• Direct Sequence CDMA
 CDMA Principles
• In FDMA and TDMA systems, traffic channels
cannot share the same radio channel at the same
time

• In Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)

systems, traffic channels share the same radio
channel and are distinguished by a Code:
 CDMA Principles
• Frequency hopping (FH) CDMA where traffic channels
hop across the same group of narrow-band channels
with a different hop sequence
The Code determines the hop sequence:
FH sequence
F1:F2:F3:F4:F5:F6:F7:F8:F1:F2:F3:F4:F5:F6:F7:F8:F1:F2:F3:F4:F5:F6:F7:F8:F1:F2:F3:F4:F5:F6:F7:F8:F1:F2:F3:F4:F5:F6

time

• Direct Sequence (DS) CDMA where traffic channels

are spread across the same wide-band radio channel
using a pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS). The
Code determines the PRBS
 CDMA Principles
DS CDMA System Overview
A A
r Modulation

Baseband signal f Transmitted signal f

PRBS/PN

Transmission

PRBS/PN

A A

Demodulation
Signal recovery f Received signal f
 WCDMA
• Main Parameters in WCDMA
• Spreading and Despreading
• Rake Reception
• Power Control
• Handovers
 WCDMA
Main Parameters in WCDMA
• WCDMA is a wideband Direct-Sequence Code
Division Multiple Access system (DS-CDMA).
• The chip rate of 3.84 Mchips/s gives a carrier
bandwidth of approximately 5MHz
• WCDMA supports highly variable user data rates.
The concept of bandwidth on demand.
• WCDMA supports 2 basic modes of operation:
• FDD where separate 5 MHz carrier frequencies
are used for uplink and downlink
• TDD where only one 5 MHz carrier is time
shared between uplink and downlink
 WCDMA
Main Parameters in WCDMA
• WCDMA supports the operation of asynchronous base
stations.
• WCDMA employs coherent detection on the uplink and
downlink based on the use of pilot symbols or common
pilot.
• The WCDMA air interface has been designed to allow
advanced CDMA receiver concepts, e.g. multiuser
detection and smart adaptive antennas.
• WCDMA is designed to work in conjunction with GSM.
 WCDMA
Spreading and Despreading
Symbol
1
Data -1
Chip Spreading
1
Spreading Code -1
1
Spread Signal =
Data x Code -1

Despreading
1
Spreading Code -1
1
Data = Spread
-1
Signal x Code
Spreading and Despreading in DS-CDMA
 WCDMA
Spreading and Despreading
Wanted Signal
1
Desired Spread Signal
-1
1
Spreading Code
-1
1
Data after Despreading
-1
8
Data after Integration -8
Interfering Signal
1
Interfering Spread Signal
-1
1
Interfering Sig. After
Despreading -1
8
Interfering Sig. After
Integration -8

The CDMA Correlation Receiver

 WCDMA
Spreading and Despreading
Example of Processing Gain

If the data rate of a speech service is 12.2 Kb/s

Processing Gain = 10 x log (3.84x106/12.2x103) = 25 dB

After despreading Eb/No should be >= 5 dB for speech

Desired C/I of the spread signal = 5 - processing Gain = -
20 dB
In this case the wanted signal power can be 20 dB below
the
level of the interference or system noise.
 Physical Layer
• Channels
• Interface Between Higher Layers and Physical
Layer
• Transport Channels
• Uplink Physical Channels
• Downlink Physical Channels
• Transport Channel to Physical Channel
Mapping
• Dedicated Physical Channels
 Physical Layer
Channels
•RF Channel
•Physical Channel
•Transport Channel (New in UMTS)
•Logical Channel
 Physical Layer
Interface Between Higher Layers and Physical Layers
Transport Ch 1 Transport Ch 2

Transport Transport Transport Block & Transport Block &

Block Block Error Indication Error Indication
Transport Transport Transport Block & Transport Block &
TFI Block TFI Block TFI Error Indication TFI Error Indication
Higher Layers

Physical Layer
TFCI Coding & Multiplexing TFCI Decoding &
Decoding Demultiplexing

Physical Physical Physical Physical

Control Ch Data Ch Control Ch Data Ch
TRANSMITTER RECEIVER
 Physical Layer
Transport Channels

Common Channels (CCHs) Dedicated Channel (DCH)

(Uplink/Downlink)

Broadcast Paging Common Packet

Channel (BCH) Channel (PCH) Channel (CPCH)
(Downlink) (Downlink) (Uplink)
Forward Access Random Access Downlink Shared
Channel (FACH) Channel (RACH) Channel (DSCH)
(Downlink) (Uplink) (Downlink)
 Physical Layer
Uplink Physical Channels

Dedicated Physical Channels Common Physical Channels

Dedicated Physical Physical Random

Control Channel Access Channels
(Uplink DPCCH) (PRACH)
Physical Common
Dedicated Physical Data
Packet Channel
Channels (Uplink DPDCH)
(PCPCH)
 Physical Layer
Downlink Physical Channels

Dedicated Physical Channel (Downlink DPCH) (Time

multiplex of downlink DPDCH and downlink DPCCH

Common Physical Channels

Common Pilot Primary Common Synchronisation Page

Channel (CPICH) Control Physical Channel (SCH) Indication
Channel (P-CCPCH) Physical Downlink Channel
Shared Channel (PICH)
Secondary Common (PDSCH)
Secondary CPICH
Control Physical Channel Acquisition Indication
Primary CPICH (S-CCPCH) Channel (AICH)
 Physical Layer
Transport Channel to Physical Channel Mapping

Transport BCH FACH PCH RACH CPCH DCH DSCH

Channels

Physical CPICH S-CCPCH PCPCH DPCCH PDSCH AICH

Channels
P-CCPCH PRACH DPDCH SCH PICH
 Physical Layer
Dedicated Physical Channel (DPCH)
DPCH

DPDCH DPCCH

DPDCH - Dedicated Physical Data Channel

•Carries dedicated transport channels

DPCCH - Dedicated Physical Control Channel

•Carries control information at layer 1 (known pilot, transport format combination indicator
(TFCI), feedback information and transmit power control (TPC) command.
 Physical Layer
Uplink DPCH Frame Structure
10ms

0 1 2 3 …... 12 13 14

DPDCH Data

DPCCH Pilot TFCI FBI TPC

2560 chips
 Physical Layer
Uplink DPDCH data Rates
DPDCH Spreading DPDCH Channel bit rate Maximum user data rate
Factor (Kb/s) with ½ rate coding
(approx.)
256 15 7.5 kb/s

128 30 15 kb/s

64 60 30 kb/s

32 120 60 kb/s

16 240 120 kb/s

8 480 240 kb/s

4 960 480 kb/s

4 with 6 parallel codes 5740 2.3 Mb/s