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Introduction to UMTS
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Introduction to UMTS
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Copyright Nokia Oyj 2003. All rights reserved.
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Contents
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2
2.1
2.2
3
3.1
3.1.1
3.2
3.3
3.3.1
3.4
3.4.1
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.7.1
3.7.2
3.8
4
4.1
4.1.1
4.1.2
4.1.2.1
4.1.2.2
4.1.2.3
4.1.2.4
4.2
4.3
4.3.1
4.3.2
4.4
4.4.1
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Introduction to UMTS
Module objectives
The aim of this module is to give the participant the introductory knowledge
needed for explaining how the UMTS network has evolved. Topics to be
covered in this module include understanding the historic factors driving the
system development and the evolution of the mobile networks. Furthermore, the
student should gain a basic understanding of the different types of the air
interface and list the key benefits of UMTS for the operator and the end user.
After completing this module, the participant should be able to:
List at least three key benefits of WCDMA and identify at least three
advantages of 3G networks for both the operator and the end user
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The system must bring clear added value when comparing to the GSM in
all aspects. However, in the beginning phase(s) the system must be
backward compatible at least with GSM and ISDN.
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The services for the end users must be independent: Radio access and the
network infrastructure must not limit the services to be generated. That is,
the technology platform is one issue and the services using the platform
totally another issue.
Significant events
Year
Event
1900
1906
1948
1949
1956
1970s
1980s
1981
1982
1983
1985
1986
1987
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1989
1990s
1991
First official GSM call in the world was made on January 7th using
Nokia equipment.
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Year
Event
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
In June, ITU receives 10 proposals for terrestrial RTTs and five for
satellite RTTs. These include CDMA2000 from the USA, ARIB
W-CDMA from Japan, and UTRA from Europe.
3GPP formed to co-ordinate the development of a joint 3rd
generation system based on evolved GSM core and UTRA air
interface.
1999
2003
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2.1
Figure 1.
3G specification bodies
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IMT-2000
radio
interface
options
TDMA
CDMA
Direct Spread
(on paired
frequency
spectrum)
Multi Carrier
(on paired
frequency
spectrum)
Time Code
(on unpaired
frequency
spectrum)
3G systems
Figure 2.
UMTS
(on paired
frequency
spectrum)
UWC-136
(EDGE)
cdma2000
FDD mode
Single Carrier
FDMA
Time Code
(on unpaired
frequency
spectrum)
(DECT)
TDD mode
This organisational body has had a very strong role when GSM Specifications
were developed and enhanced. ETSI is divided into workgroups named SMG
(number), and every workgroup has a specific area to develop. Because of the
GSM background, ETSI is in a relatively dominant role in this specification
work.
ARIB (Alliance of Radio Industries and Business)
ANSI is the American specification body that has issued a license for a
subgroup to define telecommunication-related issues in that part of the world.
Because of some political points of view, ANSIs role is relatively small as far
as UMTS concerned. The ANSI subgroup is mainly concentrating on a
competing 3G air interface technology selection called cdma2000.
In order to maintain globalisation and complete control of the UMTS
specifications, a separate specification body called 3GPP (3rd Generation
Partnership Project) was established to take care of the specification work in cooperation with the previously listed institutes. The outcome of the 3GPP work is
a complete set of specifications defining the 3G network functionality,
procedures, and service aspects.
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OHG
UMTS
3G.IP
Figure 3.
Because there are some political desires involved, the issue is not as simple as
described; global system means global business and this is why there has been a
lot of pressure to select or emphasise certain solutions more than others. This
political debate actually delayed the specification work remarkably, and finally
an organisation was established to take care of the harmonisation issues. This
organisation, OHG (Operator Harmonisation Group) aims to find a common
understanding concerning the global issues. The results of this organisation are
used as inputs in 3GPP work as well as in 3G future implementations. The OHG
made its maybe the most remarkable decision in April-May 1999, when it
decided the common-for-all-variants code word (chip) rate in the 3G WCDMA
air interface. This issue has a direct effect on the system capacity and
implementation and it was maybe the biggest delaying factor concerning the
UMTS specifications.
The aim of the OHG work is to affect the specifications so that all radio access
variants are compatible with all the variants meant for switching; this will
ensure true globalisation for 3G systems.
The first UMTS release was frozen in December 1999. This release is called
UMTS Release 99. In UMTS Release 99, the specification body 3GPP
concentrated on two main aspects:
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The UMTS radio interface solutions are based on the multiple access
principle CDMA. CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access. In
UMTS Release 99, CDMA is applied on 5 MHz carrier frequency
bands. This is the reason, why in some areas of the world, UMTS is
called Wideband CDMA (WCDMA).
Two radio interface solutions were specified with UMTS Release 99:
The FDD-mode combines CDMA with frequency division duplex, i.e.
uplink and downlink transmission are realised on separate 5 MHz
frequency carriers
The TDD-mode combines CDMA with time division duplex, i.e.
uplink and downlink are made available of the same 5 MHz frequency
carrier, separated by time.
The next version of the 3GPP Specifications is Release 4, which was frozen
March 2001, and Release 5, which was frozen in March/June 2002. In Release 4
and 5, the upgrades in the radio access and radio access network were minor.
The main focus lay on the core network and the service infrastructure. UMTS
Release 4 included a specification of the Multimedia Messaging Service
(MMS), a new radio interface solution for China called low chip rate TDD
mode (or TD-SCDMA). While in UMTS Release 4 the first steps toward a 3G
All IP could be found, this was fully specified in UMTS Release 5, including
the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).
2.2
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ATM
WCDMA
Uu
Iu
RAN
RAN
UE
UE
Service
Service
Platform
Platform
CN
CN
O&M
UE = User Equipment
RAN = Radio Acces Network
CN = Core Network
NMS = Network Management System
Figure 4.
NMS
NMS
The multiple access method used between the User Equipment (UE) and the
RAN (Radio Access Network) is called Wideband Code Division Multiple
Access (WCDMA). The 3GPP is aiming to specify open interfaces also within
the RAN in order to guarantee multivendor scenarios. Despite this, it is
reasonable to believe that operators will not select a large number of suppliers
for the RAN, nor for the Core Network (CN) implementation.
In GSM, we use TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) as the transmission
method between the different network elements. For UMTS, ATM
(Asynchronous Transfer Mode) has been chosen as the transmission method in
the radio access network. The basic difference between TDM and ATM is that
in TDM, we use timeslots for conveying information between network
elements. In ATM, on the other hand, the data is transmitted in cells (packets)
of fixed size across the network. (An ATM cell has 48 octets of payload, 5
octets of headers.)
Also the interfaces within the CN and between the CN and the other networks
can be considered as open, but there may be several national limitations /
enhancements / extensions present. The 3G network can also be presented as a
collection of management layers, which cover certain parts of the network.
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UE
Figure 5.
RAN
CN
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3G Radio Access
Figure 6.
3G access rates
As indicated already, the 3G network will have the means and readiness for data
transfer in all forms. The traffic to be delivered through 3G can be divided into
two categories: Circuit Switched and Packet Switched. The circuit switched
traffic normally has a high real-time requirement (that is, no delay or the delay
occurring must be constant). Normal speech and video phoning are examples of
this kind of traffic. The packet switched traffic normally does not have such
exact real-time requirements, and a good example of this kind of traffic is an
Internet connection. Based on this traffic division, the services generating traffic
are either Real-Time (RT) or Non-Real-Time (NRT) services. The following
values are defined for the 3G and services to be used.
Table 2.
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Environment
Rural outdoor
(Speed < 250 km/h)
Urban/Suburban
(Speed < 150 km/h)
- 2 Mb/s
(Special conditions)
- 2 Mb/s
(Special conditions)
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Network evolution
How can GSM as a system be converted or upgraded further on to face the
increased requirements set by the cellular operators and their subscribers? When
studying this matter, it is relatively easy to realise that there are several steps as
to how things will be implemented. On the other hand, there are several "clans"
being either for or against certain technical development step(s).
The majority of networks will support UMTS by evolving from GSM
backbones. Several public authorities have announced that it is not necessary to
implement every single step described here, but, by experience, a complicated
technical concept must be done in phases in order to guarantee final quality and
better working equipment.
3.1
BTS
BSC
TCSM
MSC&VLR
PSTN
ISDN
BTS
Figure 7.
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TCSM
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3.1.1
BSC (Base Station Controller) is responsible for radio path and radio
resource management.
BTS (Base Transceiver Station) is the network radio terminal forming the
air interface that the MSs (Mobile Stations) use for network access and
communication purposes.
NSS (Network Switching (Sub) system), the switching part of the GSM
network, contains the following elements:
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3.2
BTS
BSC
TCSM
MSC&VLR
PSTN
ISDN
BTS
Figure 8.
BSC
TCSM
Value Added
Service Platform(s):
SMSC, VMS
The Short Message Service (SMS) has proven its potential in commercial use.
Originally, the SMS was not seriously considered as a service at all and thus it
was very cheap to use. However (and partly surprisingly), the subscribers
adopted this service and nowadays a remarkable share of the traffic in the GSM
networks is SMS based.
Another issue is the capacity offered. In this phase the capacity of the network
is (normally) drastically increased, and a clear difference between the analogue
and digital technology in this respect becomes evident.
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3.3
BTS
BSC
TCSM
MSC&VLR
PSTN
ISDN
BTS
BSC
TCSM
Value Added
Service Platform(s):
SMSC, VMS
IN
Figure 9.
3.3.1
IN services
Fraud management is a very essential issue for the operators. For this purpose,
the basic GSM has two registers: AuC and EIR. However, these registers cannot
guarantee that the subscribers pay their bills.
IN is maybe the most common and flexible way to create a service called
Prepaid, where the prepaid customers have their own account (paid in advance)
with a call credit balance. During each call the account balance is regularly
checked. When the balance is 0 it is not possible to establish any calls.
Naturally, the subscribers are able to buy more airtime, thus increasing their
account balances.
The Intelligent Network has the following advantages:
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3.4
HW/SW
Ch
BTS
BSC
TCSM
MSC&VLR
PSTN
ISDN
BTS
BSC
TCSM
Value Added
Service Platform(s):
SMSC, VMS
IN
Figure 10.
3.4.1
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3.5
HW/SW
C
BTS
BSC
MSC&VLR
TCSM
PSTN
ISDN
BTS
BSC
Value Added
Service Platform(s):
SMSC, VMS
TCSM
IN
SGSN
GGSN
IP Networks
Figure 11.
The traffic through the packet core is not equal when comparing to the MSC
side: the packet core traffic uses free air interface slots and thus the capacity of
the packet connection varies all the time. This is the basic reason why the 2G
packet traffic does not have exact QoS (Quality of Service) classification in use;
it is said that 2G packet connection QoS is best effort.
From the operator point of view, the packet connections increase traffic anyway
and the time slots not used by circuit switched services are in effective use.
Fast, wireless access to the Internet is enabled; theoretically, bit rates of 150
kb/s in optimal circumstances are possible. A subscriber can expect nowadays
data rates of about 30 to 40 kb/s. Packet data transfer does not waste the
capacity (as the HSCSD does on one physical channel). WAP and SMS will be
utilised very effectively in the context of different services either provided by
the operator or a 3rd party.
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3.6
HW/SW
Changes
BTS
BSC
MSC&VLR
TCSM
PSTN
ISDN
BTS
BSC
Value Added
Service Platform(s):
SMSC, VMS
TCSM
IN
SGSN
TRX Change & Transmission
Upgrade
GGSN
IP Networks
Figure 12.
GSM - EDGE
This step will probably be the end point for several operators due to the
licensing policy (country-specific regulations). On the other hand, some
operators may skip this phase and move on to the next step in this development
path. EDGE utilises everything built in the GSM, including the multiple access
method used in the air interface (TDMA, Time Division Multiple Access).
Because the channel coding methods experience remarkable changes in this
step, the spectral efficiency does not change: same kinds of time slots are still in
use, carrying traffic like they have been carrying in a normal GSM. Also from
the network planning point of view, the use of radio frequencies will not
change. The changes in the system are related to transmission and multiple time
slot allocation required in PSTN connections.
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3.7
HW/SW Changes
HLR & AC & EIR
IP Networks
BTS
BSC
MSC&VLR
TCSM
PSTN
ISDN
BTS
BSC
Value Added
Service Platform(s):
SMSC, VMS
TCSM
IN
SGSN
GGSN
IP Networks
BTS
Figure 13.
RNC
MGW
If there is a possibility (as well as requirements and license), the operator may
move to a completely new level in service offering. This phase introduces new
wideband radio access technology, which, in the beginning, roughly equals the
bit rates the EDGE concept is able to provide. The new radio access require new
network elements in the radio network: RNC (Radio Network Controller) and
BS (Base Station) The BS is referred to as Node B in the 3GPP specifications.
The new radio access introduced in this phase is, however, utilising the
frequency spectrum more efficiently; the data flow and its bit rate is not
dependent on time slots any more. When the radio access method was planned,
the packet type of traffic was especially considered.
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3.7.1
UMTS development
UMTS will be developed in releases like GSM. When the technology is more
mature, the services will be more sophisticated and involved in every area of
life.
The structure of the network will change considerably. There will be several
radio access technologies in use in parallel. The wideband communication has
changed the structure of the network equipment and transmission.
The trend is that packet switched traffic volume soon will dominate over circuit
switched. It is expected that circuit switched traffic is used only in special cases,
such as for real time services that have high Quality of Service (QoS)
requirements.
3.7.2
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3.8
3G end-to-end IP solutions
With UMTS Release 99, a radio interface solution was introduced to allow the
transport of a wide range of multimedia services. The transmission network
solution of the UMTS radio access network is based on ATM (and an
alternative specification of IP transport partly exists), which guarantees flexible
bearer establishment in the radio access network. But the UMTS CN solution is
still rooted in GSM, and this may impose limitations for multimedia
applications. In UMTS Rel. 4 and 5, call-processing server solutions combined
with media gateways were specified for circuit and packet switched services to
allow flexible bearer establishment also in the core network. The specifications
explicitly mention IP and ATM as potential transmission solutions for the core
network.
This means a core network evolution.
IS D N
PSTN
Figure 14.
The majority of the traffic is expected to be packet switched data transfer over
IP (its more mature variant(s)). That is, the IP is expected to fully support
mobility management (if expressed in telecommunication terms). Additionally,
in this kind of environment the IP must fully support QoS (Quality of Service)
thinking. These two conditions are essential if cellular IP terminals are going to
be used.
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4.1
Wireless principles
4.1.1
Duplex transmission
There are three ways to accomplish communications:
Simplex
Half-duplex
Duplex
Simplex has been used since the early 1900s. It is communication in a one-way
direction, such as AM and FM broadcast stations. Simplex uses one frequency
broadcast to one or multiple receivers.
Half duplex is communication in a two-way direction. However, only one
person may talk at a time, since half duplex uses only one frequency. Half
duplex is often referred to as push-to-talk (PTT).
Duplex is communication in a two-way direction on two frequencies. One
frequency is used to talk and the other one to listen. This is the modern way of
cellular communication.
There are two common ways to realise duplex transmission:
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in each time frame, some time resources are used for uplink
transmission, while the remaining ones are used for downlink
transmission.
Time Division Duplex
e
tim
e
tim
Uplink
Downlink
lin
k
Downlink
Do
wn
Up
lin
k
Uplink
Uplink
Downlink
frequency
Figure 15.
4.1.2
frequency
Radio communication
There are two basic formats used in the radio communication: analogue and
digital. The commercially available analogue format has been used since 1900,
while the commercially available digital format was introduced in 1990. The
difference between the analogue and the digital format is that when using
analogue, a persons voice signal is transmitted over the air, while the digital
format uses a string of 1s and 0s to represent the voice signal (Figure 16). If
someone would lock on to the frequency used for an analogue conversation,
he/she could actually hear the users voices. For that same situation in the
digital format the observer would need to decode the 1s and 0s before hearing
the conversation.
There are four basic air interface technologies used for communication:
Both FDMA and SDMA were introduced in the analogue format. TDMA and
CDMA technologies are based on the digital format.
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Analogue
Digital
Figure 16.
4.1.2.1
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m
ob
ile
ph
on
m
ob
e1
ile
ph
m
on
ob
e2
ile
ph
m
on
ob
e3
ile
ph
on
e4
tim
e
Introduction to UMTS
carrier band
Figure 17.
frequency
Early cellular systems (1940s - 1960s) used higher power and lower frequencies
compared to todays cellular systems.
4.1.2.2
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in the newly created uncovered areas. A second alternative was to add another
frequency to the existing cell, so that two calls could be placed from the same
cell. Both of these solutions, however, did not overcome the basic limit of one
call per frequency.
Figure 18.
4.1.2.3
The next step in providing greater network capacity was not only to divide
frequencies into different cells, but also to divide this frequency into different
slices of time. Originally, the frequency could only carry one conversation, but
with the Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) technology, multiple users
could carry on conversations using the same frequency in the same cell or
space.
That is the idea behind TDMA; dividing the frequency into multiple time slices
so that multiple users can access the same frequency at the same time.
The commercially available products associated with this new technology are
Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service (D-AMPS) and Global System for
Mobile Communication (GSM). D-AMPS was introduced in the late 1980s, and
GSM became available in 1990. These two products are not compatible. DAMPS is a digital overlay to the existing analogue system AMPS for the
purpose of increasing capacity. GSM is standalone product with a digital format
at its core.
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f3
f1
f6
f2
f4
f2
f7
f5
f3
f1
Mobile Phone 3
tim
Figure 19.
Mobile Phone 2
Mobile Phone 1
Mobile Phone 4
Mobile Phone 3
Mobile Phone 2
TDMA frame
Mobile Phone 1
Mobile Phone 4
Mobile Phone 3
Mobile Phone 2
Mobile Phone 1
carrier band
Figure 20.
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TDMA frame
frequency
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4.1.2.4
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) also uses digital format. In CDMA
systems, several transmissions via the radio interface take place simultaneously
on the same frequency bandwidth. The user data is combined at the
transmitters side with a code, then transmitted. On air, all transmission get
mixed. At the receivers side, the same code is used as in the transmitters side.
The code helps the receiver to filter the user information of the transmitter from
the incoming mixture of all transmissions on the same frequency band and same
time. This is often represented by layers, as can be seen in the figure below.
In contrast to classical FDMA and TDMA systems, the same carrier frequency
band can be used in neighbouring cells. Frequency reuse factor in CDMA is
one.
Figure 21.
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Power (P)
Time
Codes
Frequency
Figure 22.
4.2
CDMA background
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) is a type of spread-spectrum; a family
of digital communication methods that the military has used for some time
dating back to World War II. It is particularly useful to the military for two
reasons:
Even though CDMA was hypothetically possible in the late 1940s, it was not
available to the civilian market for another four decades. A primary reason for
this was that low cost, high-density digital integrated circuits had to be
developed to keep the cost and the weight of the units down.
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4.3
Principles of CDMA
CDMA is the classic example of a room with people speaking different
languages.
Let us imagine that a corporate CEO is hosting a large multinational gathering.
Our host, having mastered many languages, is primarily the one making the
conversation. Our host demands that his guests speak in their native tongues.
Our host, a true mediator, is able to interpret the conversations between guests if
they wish to talk with each other; he can fluently follow several conversations at
the same time. He can understand different speakers, all talking at the same
time, because they speak in different languages.
He occasionally has to tell some guests, who tend to get carried away, to speak
a little softer; and he has to ask the soft speakers to talk more loudly so that he
can hear them better.
In the corner, a jazz band begins to play. Because of the music, the guests have
to speak louder in general. The host will no longer be able to hear the soft
speakers in the back, even though they yell at the top of their lungs. When the
band takes a break, it is easier to communicate again. The guests can speak with
less volume for a while.
The party starts to mature and many more guests arrive. The overall volume
begins to rise, because there are more people speaking at the same time. The
host asks the guests nearest to him to speak more softly, while he asks the ones
further away to please speak up.
CDMA functions are much like our party. The CEO hosting the party is our
Base Station (BS), the band represents another BS, and the guests are the
Mobile Stations (MS). The different languages correspond to codes in a CDMA
system. The BS can tell the mobiles apart, even though they are transmitting at
the same time, by the codes that they use. Each MS uses a separate code. Each
BS also uses a different code when they talk with the MSs. The codes the
mobiles use increase, spread the bandwidth used. The bandwidth actually used
is much larger than what is actually required. That is why we also call this a
spread spectrum system.
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Figure 23.
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4.3.1
Originating Bit
Received Bit
WCDMA
Frequency
Band
Power
Spreading
Factor
Figure 24.
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Power (P)
Time
Codes
Frequency
Figure 25.
4.3.2
If the originating bit rate is low, the power required for transmission is
small. This kind of case can be seen as a narrow layer in Figure 25.
If the originating bit rate is high, is higher. This kind of case can be seen
as a thick layer in Figure 25.
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The direct sequence (DS) spread spectrum method is used in both the 2nd
generation CDMA systems (that is, IS-95) and in the new 3rd generation
Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) (UMTS and cdma2000).
Let us visualise the spreading process. We have the information bits with some
power per bits. The spreading signal is like a monster truck driving over the
bits. The bits get squashed and spread over the ground. The power that
previously defined the height of the bits is also flattened. The power is spread
over the spectrum, that is, the power per unit bandwidth is small. This is our
goal. For someone not knowing how the information was actually squashed, it
is very difficult to detect the presence of a spread spectrum user. All one would
hear is an increased amount of noise.
User A
f
Data after
spreading
Data
P
User B
Transm ission
over the air
Figure 26.
f
Despread
User A signal
at the receiver
In a spread spectrum system all the users are in the same frequency band. The
frequency band is not divided in time to the users as in GSM. All users may
send at the same time at will. The users information is spread over the whole
frequency band with a user-specific pseudo-noise (PN) signal, the spreading
code. The transmitted signal occupies a much wider bandwidth than would be
necessary to send the information. The bits in the spreading code are called
chips. The chip rate of our code is fixed to 1.96 Mchip/s.
In a multiple access environment, we will have at the receiver our spread
spectrum signal summed with the other user signals. Our receiver will decode
the original message fine as long as the noise caused by the other signals present
is not too high. This is why we can say that each user is sharing a pool of power
in the system.
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Introduction to UMTS
4.4
FDD mode
FDD stands for frequency division duplex. Two separate 5 MHz
frequency bands are used one for uplink transmission and another one
for downlink transmission.
TDD mode
TDD stands for time division duplex. Hereby, one frequency band is
used both for uplink and downlink transmission.
4.4.1
Different technologies, which improve the spectrum usage, are easy to apply to
CDMA. E.g. in GSM, one physical channel is dedicated to one user for speech
transmission. If discontinuous transmission is applied, several timeslots of the
physical channels are not used. These timeslots cannot be used otherwise. In
UMTS, the transmission of several mobile phones takes place on the same
frequency band at the same time. Therefore, each transmission imposes
interference to the transmissions of other mobile phones on the same carrier
frequency band. UMTS supports discontinuous transmission via the radio
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CDMA uses the same frequency in adjacent cells. There is no need for the
FDMA/TDMA type of frequency assignment that can sometimes be difficult.
This is the main reason for increased radio interface efficiency of WCDMA
Low mobile station transmit power
Different bit rates for uplink and downlink can be allocated to each user.
CDMA thus supports asymmetric communications such as TCP/IP access.
Wide variety of data rates
The wideband carrier can enhance the transmission of the control channels. The
MS only listens to the control channels part of the time, thereby increasing the
standby time.
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Introduction to UMTS
User Services
Subscribers are paying for value added services offered to them. Therefore
mobile operators are currently concentrating in broadening the services, offered
to the subscribers.
Multimedia messaging
Enhanced e-mail
Telecommuting
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Review questions
Please take some time to answer the following questions.
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.
It is the name of the interface between the RAN and the CN.
e.
2.
3.
4.
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a.
HLR
b.
GGSN
c.
RNC
d.
EIR
b.
c.
d.
EDGE will allow telephone calls to take place faster as people can
talk faster than in GSM.
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5.
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True
False
6.
7.
1st generation networks are digital and 2nd generation networks are
analogue.
b.
c.
d.
8.
9.
b.
c.
d.
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10.
11.
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True
False
Which of the following are benefits or services for the end user?
a.
b.
c.
Multimedia messaging
d.
e.
f.
Videophony
g.
Location-based services
h.
i.
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