Power control

It is essential that all transmitting entities in the radio access network use as low transmission powers as possible as any WCDMA system is limited by interference (the less interference there is, the more capacity the system can offer to the users). The purpose of power control is to maintain the connection quality using as little radio resources as possible. It is the task of power control to allow access to as many users as possible while keeping the interference caused by these users at a minimum. Every user equipment (UE) accessing the network generates a signal which, from the point of view of the base transceiver station (BTS), increases interference in the system. At the same time, the capacity of a WCDMA system is proportional to the level of interference in the system. The less interference there is, the more capacity the system can offer. This way, fast and accurate power control is of the utmost importance, particularly in the uplink. Without it, a single overpowered UE can block a whole cell. Interference in the radio path is a limiting factor in WCDMA radio access, and also the most difficult thing to control. Power control adjusts the transmission power of the UE in the uplink, and of the BTS in the downlink. For a BTS receiver to be able to recover the signal emitted by a UE, there must be a difference in power between the signal mentioned and the interference level. In the context of power control, a value called signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) is used to represent this power difference. As a result, power control aims at using the minimum SIR required for the sufficient connection quality. Power control works on a connection basis. Power control provides protection against large changes in shadowing, the immediate response to fast changes in signal and interference levels. Power control is also needed to handle the near-far problem and to bring the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) back close to the target SIR as fast as possible after each transmission gap in the compressed mode. In WCDMA radio access network (RAN), accurate power control is essential mainly because of three reasons: The UEs transmit simultaneously. WCDMA RAN very often uses only one frequency. Inaccuracy in power control immediately increases interference and, as a result, decreases the capacity of the network. The optimum strategy to maximize capacity is to equalise the received power per bit of all UEs at all times. This way, the power control algorithms in the RNC and in the BTS aim at balancing the transmission power of all transmitting elements against each other. Part of this balancing process handles the near-far problem illustrated in the figure Near-far problem in WCDMA radio access network. The near-far problem refers to the fact that UEs move around in the cell and find themselves at varying distances from the BTS at different points in time. The further away from the BTS a UE is, the more power it has to use; so, the power has to be adjusted continuously. The BTS also receives equally strong signals from all UEs at all times despite the continuously varying distances. The signals from the three UEs in Figure Near-far problem in WCDMA radio access network must always be equally strong (P1=P2=P3) at the receiving end, although the distances between the UEs and the BTS differ (D1D2D3). The UEs and the BTSs must always use the lowest possible transmission power.

Figure 1:

Near-far problem in WCDMA radio access network

The SIR is independently adjusted for each connection based on the estimated quality of the connection. The task of the BTS is to keep the SIR as close as possible to the target SIR set by the RNC. In other words, the BTS and the UE immediately respond to fluctuations in signal and interference levels. This way, power control provides protection against large changes in shadowing (changes in signal strength due to obstacles in the radio path). No matter how fast and accurate the power control is, admitting additional UEs always increases the interference level to some extent. Therefore, power control is related to admission control and load control, functions that determine whether an additional radio bearer can be set up in the system. The admission control algorithm estimates the load increase that the establishment of a new radio bearer (containing a number of radio links) would cause in the network, both in the uplink and the downlink. Cell load is related to the SIR, but it is not a linear relationship. It is relatively easy to control interference up to a certain percentage of the cell load; beyond that point it becomes very difficult to keep interference in check. Optimum power control also means that the UE must be linked to the BTS with the strongest signal; in this sense power control is linked to handover control. The task of power control is to keep the transmission powers used for a connection, both by the UE and the BTS, at a minimum. The minimum amount of power needed is dependent on the quality requirements of the radio access bearer (RAB), set by admission control. In WCDMA RAN, the UEs and the base stations transmit simultaneously, and use the same frequency. Because of this, there is an ever-present risk that one of the UEs overpowers all the others, thereby effectively drowning them out. The other UEs, detecting that their transmissions are not being acknowledged, could react by ramping up their own transmission power, creating a ripple effect. This would quickly lead to a situation where all transmitting elements in the WCDMA network were transmitting at full blast in order for their signal to be detected at the other end of the radio path. Transmission power is closely connected to interference, which in turn determines the capacity that the system can offer. Consequently, in order to make sure that the capacity remains high, accurate and fast power control is needed in WCDMA radio access networks.

Power control uses the following functions to adjust the transmission power both in the uplink and downlink direction: open loop power control (initial access) slow power control for downlink common physical channels (FACH/DSCH) fast closed loop power control (inner loop power control) (DCH/CPCH/DSCH) outer loop power control (DCH/CPCH). power balancing (DL DCHs in the soft handover)

Figure 2:
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Power control loops in WCDMA

Id: 0900d80580656f72 2009 Nokia Siemens Networks