Convergence of Mobile Broadband Wireless Technologies

M. Gade, D. Noguli, D. Jarnjak

Mobile Networks
Ericsson Nikola Tesla d.d.
Krapinska 45, HR-10002 Zagreb, Croatia
Phone: +385 (1) 365-3303 Fax: +385 (1) 365-3129 E-mail: milenka.gadze@ericsson.com

Abstract - In the last decade the requirement for highspeed wireless connectivity has increased significantly with
advanced and more complex data services as well as enlarged
migration of voice applications from fixed to mobile systems.
Several broadband wireless standards and technologies are
being developed and it is expected that no single one will
become dominant but will rather work synergistically
together ultimately allowing global access and seamless
roaming. The focus of this paper is on convergence of major
mobile broadband access technologies WiMAX/OFDMA
(IEEE 802.16e) and 3G/WCDMA and their evolution through
802.20 and HSDPA/HSUPA respectively.

I. INTRODUCTION
The continuous increase of usage of Internet and related
services has created a huge demand for broadband access
throughout the world and as a result broadband is currently
one of the fastest growing telecommunications services.
As the focus in telecommunications has been transferred
to the broadband access, appropriate standards and
technologies are being developed in order to provide
higher bit rates to end-user. Apart from higher throughput
users require mobility and universal availability, which
gives additional importance to mobile broadband wireless
access. There are two main approaches to fulfil these
requirements: to improve and evolve existing technologies
reusing already deployed 3G networks or to develop
completely new solutions optimised for wireless
broadband services such as IEEE 802.16e and 802.20
standards.
Mobile applications and different traffic types require
broadband access to be enabled directly to end-user via
portable devices ranging from smartphones and PDAs to
notebook and laptop computers. Advanced data services
include: FTP, file-sharing, web browsing and download
(music video, film clips), content-rich e-mail (picture mail,
video mail), VoIP, videotelephony and videoconference,
mobile business, streaming media (news, sports,
audio/video), live mobile TV and gaming. It is necessary
to develop systems with substantial improvements in data
rate and spectral efficiency to activate mentioned services.
Operators have to satisfy the end-user needs by offering
the broadband services ubiquitously and at affordable rates
and at the same time invest in new equipment and expand
their networks to meet market requirements.
The focus in this article is on the major technical
comparisons between WiMAX/OFDMA (IEEE 802.16e)
and 3G/WCDMA/HSPA for mobile broadband data
services, describing how each technology best serves
operators needs for networks capable of delivering high
speed mobile data services in a cost efficient manner and

how will convergence of these technologies affect the enduser perception.

II. EVOLUTION OF MOBILE BROADBAND

TECHNOLOGIES
A. WCDMA HSPA
Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA),
a well-known 3G technology based on 3GPP Release 99,
uses Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) to spread
the signal over a 5 MHz spectrum providing data rates of
384 Kbps for wide area coverage and up to 2 Mbps for
hot-spot areas. In addition to the use of orthogonal
spreading codes, it uses Quadrature Phase Shift Keying
(QPSK) for its modulation.
The evolution of WCDMA system towards true mobile
broadband technology is shown in Figure 1. The first step
is introduction of High Speed Downlink Packet Access
(HSDPA) in WCDMA 3GPP Release 5 specifications. The
first versions of HSDPA enabled systems are already
commercially available. The main objectives are
improving the downlink to handle higher bit rates (up to
14,4 Mbps) over a single WCDMA carrier, improving
spectral efficiency and offering higher system capacity.
Features that will enhance uplink including coverage
improvement for higher data rates (up to 5,8 Mbps), uplink
capacity improvement and reduced delay are part of the
second step within 3GPP Release 6 specifications, which
define High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA). The
first HSUPA trial systems are expected to be launched
during 2006. Finally, advanced receiver techniques, such
as receiver diversity, MIMO, smart antenna technology,
will have positive impact on both basic R99 and evolved
HSPA WCDMA system.
1992-2000
TDMA

2000-2004
EGPRS
384 kbps(~80)

2004-2008
TD-SCDMA
(China)

GPRS
~150 kbps

GSM

PDC

WCDMA

WCDMA R99
2 Mbps (300)

HSDPA (R5)
14 Mbps
(~3Mbps)

HSUPA
(R6)
VoIP

cdmaOne

CDMA 2000 1X
144 (~60)

CDMA 2000
1xEVDO

HSDPA - High Speed Downlink Packet Access

HSUPA - High Speed Uplink Packet Access

CDMA 2000
1XEVDV

= CDMA based

Figure 1 The Evolution of WCDMA System

Adv.
Receivers
(R7)

HSDPA adds a new transport channel, the high-speed

downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH), which is optimised
for shared data and makes more efficient use of available
code resources in WCDMA. With shared channel
transmission, amount of channelization codes and
transmission power in a cell are considered a common
resource that is dynamically shared among the users.
The peak data rate enhancement is achieved by the use
of multicode transmission and higher order modulations
such as the 16-QAM. Furthermore, several performanceenhancing technologies are included in HSDPA: Adaptive
Modulation and Coding (AMC), fast scheduling and fast
Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) are used to
improve spectral efficiency. AMC with link adaptation
means that link throughput is maximized by appropriately
choosing a modulation and coding combination according
to the estimated link quality. Users experiencing favorable
channel conditions can be assigned higher-order
modulation and high-rate coding, e.g., 16-QAM and rate
3/4, thus achieving higher peak rates. Similarly, users with
less favorable conditions need to use robust QPSK
modulation and low-rate coding.
When link adaptation errors result in frame decoding
failures, fast HARQ protocol is used in retransmissions to
enable soft combining of data packets. The utilization of
soft information from both the original transmission and
the retransmission attempts can be performed as Chase
combining or incremental redundancy (IR). In Chase
combining, identical encoded data is transmitted in
response to a retransmission request, and the receiver only
has to form a weighted sum of the multiple copies
(maximum ratio combining) before decoding. Incremental
redundancy, on the other hand, implies that additional
parity bits are transmitted in response to a retransmission
request. The additional parity bits can be used in
conjunction with the previously transmitted ones,
effectively forming a lower rate code.
Finally, the fast scheduling algorithms take channel
conditions, priorities and other quality-of-service
parameters into account to allocate radio resources to the
appropriate users. The algorithm of proportional fair
scheduler takes advantage of short term channel variation
and at the same time maintains the same long term
throughput for all users.
To support these features efficiently, a new media
access (MAC) sublayer, MAC-hs, is introduced for HSDSCH transmission. To allow for as up to date channel
quality estimation as possible for link adaptation and
channel-dependent scheduling as well as to reduce the
retransmission delays for HARQ, MAC-hs is located in the
Node B. Also, for these same reasons, the transmission
time interval (TTI) for HS-DSCH is shortened to 3 slots (2
ms). For each TTI, the Node B allocates available power
and up to 15 unused orthogonal variable spreading factor
(OVSF) codes of spreading factor 16 for HS-DSCH
transmission. Simultaneous transmissions to multiple users
are possible by using different subsets of the reserved HSDSCH channelization codes.
HSUPA remains based on dedicated channel and is
supposed to use a new uplink Enhanced Dedicated
Channel (E-DCH) on which it will employ the same
advanced link adaptation techniques as used in HSDPA
including: higher-order modulation 8PSK in addition to
the existing QPSK, enabling higher data rates under

favourable radio conditions, i.e. over less noisy channels;

shorter TTI enabling faster link adaptation and HARQ
with incremental redundancy making retransmissions more
effective.

RLC

RLC

MAC-d

MAC

HS-DSCH FP

HS-DSCH FP

L2

L2

L1

L1

MAC-hs

PHY

PHY
Uu

Iub/Iur

Figure 2 Protocol Architecture of HS-DSCH

Similarly to HSDPA, there will be a packet scheduler,

but it will operate on a request-grant principle where the
UE requests permission to send packets and the scheduler
decides when and how many UEs will be allowed to do so.
A request for transmission will contain data about the state
of the transmission buffer, the queue at the UE and its
available power margin.
B. IEEE 802.16e and IEEE 802.20
Development of IEEE 802.16 standards and the
included wireless MAN air interface (WiMAX) is
primarily intended for fixed broadband wireless access
systems. However, 802.16e specifications focus on
modifications of 802.16 physical and MAC layer to offer
some mobility and metro-area portability. There is a
significant interest for WiMAX today and its
implementation is rapidly growing.
802.16e is defined for NLOS channel conditions and
following technical solutions are used to overcome the
problems resulting from this environment: OFDM
technology, subchannelisation, directional antennas, Tx
and Rx diversity, adaptive modulation, error correction
and power control.
The portable version of WiMAX, IEEE 802.16e, utilizes
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access
(OFDM/OFDMA), where the spectrum is divided into
many sub-carriers. By virtue of the OFDM symbol time
and cyclic prefix, the OFDM waveform eliminates the ISI
problems, selective fading is localized and delay spread
has less effect on system, which allows for higher data rate
throughput.
Subchannelisation is uplink option that enables balanced
link budget, so that the system gains are similar for both
uplink and downlink directions. Subchanneling
concentrates the available transmit power into fewer
OFDM carriers. Consequently, the system gain is
increased and can either be used to extend the reach of the
system, overcome the building penetration losses, and or
reduce the power consumption of the customer premise
equipment (CPE). The use of subchanneling is further
expanded in orthogonal frequency division multiple access

(OFDMA) to enable a more flexible use of resources that

can support nomadic or mobile operation.
As explained earlier, adaptive modulation allows
WiMAX system to adjust the signal modulation scheme
(QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM) depending on the signal to
noise ratio of the radio link. As a result, data rates of up to
15 Mbps can be achieved at 5 MHz channelisation.
Strong Reed Solomon FEC, convolutional encoding,
and interleaving algorithms are used to detect and correct
errors to improve throughput. Automatic repeat request
(ARQ) is used to correct errors that cannot be corrected by
the FEC, by having the error information resent.

IEEE 802.20 specifies the physical and MAC layers of

an air interface. Its system reference architecture will be
based on a layered architecture. The MAC layer may
consist of common part and a PHY-specific part if more
than one PHY technology is adopted.
The table below gives a brief comparative overview of
main characteristics for mentioned mobile broadband
technologies.

TABLE I
MOBILE BROADBAND TECHNOLOGIES COMPARISON
Technology
802.16e

Figure 3 IEEE 802.16 Reference Model and Protocol Stack

Access and bandwidth allocation algorithms are handled

by standardized 802.16 MAC layer. The 802.16 MAC is
connection-oriented. All services, including inherently
connectionless services, are mapped to a connection. This
provides a mechanism for requesting bandwidth,
associating QoS and traffic parameters, transporting and
routing data to the appropriate convergence sublayer.
Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and packet-based
convergence layers provide the interface to higher
protocols. Issues of transport efficiency, such as adaptive
modulation and coding support, are also addressed at the
interface between the MAC and the physical layer. The
important feature is request-grant mechanism. The 802.16
access system does not lose efficiency when presented
with multiple connections per terminal, multiple QoS
levels per terminal, and a large number of statistically
multiplexed users. While extensive bandwidth allocation
and QoS mechanisms are provided, the details of
scheduling and reservation management are left
unstandardized. Along with the fundamental task of
allocating bandwidth and transporting data, the MAC
includes a privacy sublayer that provides authentication of
network access and connection establishment, and
provides key exchange and encryption for data privacy.
Standardisation in IEEE 802.20 aims at radio interface
optimised for mobility at vehicular speeds. The purpose is
basically to fill the performance gap between low mobility
WMAN and higher mobility 3G systems. The choice of
technology for 802.20 is still under evaluation. There are
three proposals today: TDD+SDMA (625 kHz),
FDD+OFDM (1,25 MHz) and MC-SCDMA (1,25 MHz).

802.20

3G

Extensions to
802.16a MAC and
PHY
(OFDM/OFDMA)

New PHY and

MAC optimized
for packet data
and AAS

WCDMA

Optimized for and

backwards
compatible with
fixed stations

Optimized for full

mobility

Evolving of GSM

Licensed bands 26GHz

Licensed bands
<3,5GHz

Licensed bands
<2,7GHz

Typical channel
BW >5MHz

Typical channel
BW <5MHz

Typical channel
BW <5MHz

Packet oriented
architecture

Packet oriented
architecture

Circuit oriented
architecture
evolving to packet

Channelization
and control for
multimedia
services with QoS

Channelization
and control for
mobile multimed.
services

Channelization
and control for
mobile voice
services

High efficiency
data uplinks and
downlinks

High efficiency
data uplinks and
downlinks

Medium
efficiency data
downlinks, low
efficiency uplinks

Low latency
architecture

Low latency data

architecture

High latency data

architecture

C. Advanced Receiver Techniques

Advanced receiver techniques, planned for 3GPP
Release 7 specifications are above all being developed to
enable requisite high data rates to 3G cellular systems.
Different methods and approaches exist in this area.
Diversity schemes, implying multiple transmit and/or
receive antennas, are taking advantage of multipath and
reflected signals that occur in NLOS environments
reducing interference, fading and path loss. The OFDMA
transmit diversity option uses space time coding. For
receive diversity, techniques such as maximum ratio
combining (MRC) take advantage of two separate receive
paths.

MIMO is considered a key technology for improving the

throughput of future wireless broadband data systems. The
use of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) will also
enhance throughput and increase signal paths. MIMO
utilizes multiple receive and/or transmit antennas for
spatial multiplexing. Each antenna could transmit different
data which could then be decoded at the receiver. For
OFDMA, since each of the sub-carriers is parallel
narrowband channel, frequency selective fading appears as
flat fading to each sub-carrier. This effect can then be
modelled as a complex constant gain and may simplify the
implementation of a MIMO receiver for OFDMA.
Adaptive antenna systems (AAS) are an optional part of
the 802.16 standard. AAS equipped base stations can
create beams that can be steered, focusing the transmit
energy to achieve greater range. When receiving, they can
focus in the particular direction of the receiver. This helps
eliminate unwanted interference from other locations.

III.CONVERGENCE OF TECHNOLOGIES
Cellular technologies have evolved so far through the
addition of more and more system capabilities and
enhancements. HSDPA has the obvious advantage of
being designed to be compatible with already deployed 3G
infrastructures. By increasing the capacity and efficiency
of the network, both data and voice performance can be
improved. However, there is a trade-off here between
voice and data. While HSDPA also upgrades voice
capacity, data takes up significantly more bandwidth.
Since voice quality and capacity cannot be put at risk for
the sake of data, having a separate data-centric network
that is optimized for data rather than voice has to be
seriously considered. In that sense, WiMAX can be
considered as data-centric overlay for 3G networks, Figure
4.

The concept of optimal access to multimedia services,

anytime and anywhere has three dimensions: enhanced
performance, seamless access and user-centric service
provisioning. Enhanced performance focuses on increasing
spectrum and bandwidth efficiency, delivering higher
capacity and higher data rates.
It is expected that user data rates in mobile, fixed and
portable environments will converge to around 100 Mbps
in the next decade. Service delivery over a common QoSenabled IP core network based on the mobile IP
Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) platform is considered,
Figure 5. The aim of IMS is not only to provide new
services but all the services, current and future, that the
Internet provides and to truly merge the Internet with the
cellular world. In addition, users have to be able to execute
all their services when roaming as well as from their home
networks. To achieve these goals, IMS uses open standard
IP protocols. IMS truly conciliates all available broadband
wireless technologies merging them with Internet in order
to provide ubiquitous access as well as appealing services
to end user in the best possible way. The suitability of IMS
as the platform for convergence is reinforced by the
security and reliability features that are integrated within
3G standards. Aside from the pure connectivity, usercentric service provisioning takes into account service
characteristics, content and context.

Figure 5 IMS Architecture

A. 3G and WiMAX Interworking

Figure 4 Comparative assessment of data rates and mobility for
co-existing and complementary wireless access technologies

As WiMAX emerges as important complementary

technology to 3G/UMTS network, the strategy of seamless
extension of mobile 3G network by adding other nomadic
(or fixed) extension to the cellular core infrastructure,
enabling voice and data service over new access
technology has to be addressed.

Recently, deployment of mix of access technologies is

underway, such as integrated offerings of fixed/wireless
broadband services (3G+WLAN+ADSL) or new
approaches to offering mobile broadband access
(3G+WiMAX). Evolution and convergence of mobile and
wireless communication systems and IP technologies
require serious consideration of interoperability and
interworking issue. Interworking implies a technical and
business relationship between operators owning
homogenous or heterogeneous networks enabling
subscribers to authenticate/authorize to their home
operator network via the visited network and utilize

system functions and IP services offered by both networks.

The key issue is to support seamless mobility across
different access network technologies maintaining
security, QoS and mobility management on the same level.
Since there are several possibilities regarding where
AAA and data signalling between the networks might
intersect, the coupling between WLAN and 3G core is a
major architectural point that needs further consideration.
WiMAX-3GPP interworking solutions are based on the
available results from WLAN and 3GPP UMTS/GPRS
interworking specifications. The specifications also define
a Public WLAN IP interworking entity called the Packet
Data Gateway (PDG) to be incorporated in Release 6.
With adaptations as needed based on functional
requirements, the PDG can serve as the ingress to the
operator IP 802.16 core network, Figure 6.

Direct IP access

UE

Interworking
Network

e.g. WLAN or
WiMAX
Access Network

Internet/
Intranet

3GPP AAA
Server
Packet Data
GW

3GPP
IP
access
Internet/
3GPP PS
services

PDG to the Internet without any impact on the 3G core

components (SGSN/GGSN). In loosely-coupled scenario,
each access network will have separate mechanisms and
protocols for authentication, billing, and mobility, as well
as full mobility from one access network to the other. The
handover procedures are defined as Media Independent
Handover mechanisms in IEEE 802.21. The value of this
scenario is that it allows the independent deployment and
traffic engineering. Users benefit from having just one
subscription for accessing the different networks, although
3G PS service cant be shared by WiMAX users.
In tightly-coupled scenario WiMAX network and the
3GPP radio access network elements are in the same way
connected to the 3GPP core network (SGSN). The
WiMAX gateway is required to enable the connection
towards 3GPP core PS domain, appearing as an RNC
component to the core network. Since the introduction of
WiMAX traffic directly into 3G core disturbs precisely
designed 3G core network, SGSN/GGSN node must be redimensioned in order to handle the additional load and
differing traffic characteristics. The user mobile equipment
has to support the corresponding 3GPP protocol stack on
top of standard 802.16 network interface cards and switch
from one physical layer to the other as required. As a
consequence, all 802.16 traffic is passed directly into the
3G core network using 3GPP protocols. Since 3G and
WiMAX share the same authentication, signalling,
transport and billing infrastructures, 3G interface becomes
exposed to certain security threats.

IV. CONCLUSION

3GPP Network

Figure 6 General 3GPP-WiMAX Interworking Architecture

There are two main interworking scenarios: looselycoupled and tightly-coupled. Both are shown in Figure 7.

Services need to be delivered seamlessly and

transparently to the users over the most appropriate access
network, taking advantage of a variety of technologies
optimised for specific combinations of mobility and data
rates. The technologies differ in terms of their degree of
mobility, level of performance and their market
penetration. Enhancements of 3G technologies,
HSDPA/HSUPA, will certainly improve the mobility and
bandwidth performance of the 3G mobile networks. At the
beginning WiMAX was developed as fixed wireless
solution - 802.16a, but now, WiMAX is evolving to
support
mobility
with
the
802.16e
standard.
Complementing or integrating all broadband technologies
will improve overall system performance. Of course,
timing is essential for the success of each different
broadband wireless option from both a technology and
market application perspective. Mid-term evolution
described in this article considers the period over next five
years when enhancements to existing standards will be
implemented along with migration to all-IP platform which
will allow convergence of technologies and transition to
user-centric environment.

Figure 7 Interworking Scenarios

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In loosely-coupled scenario interworking can be realized

either by connection to 3GPP Access, Authentication and
Authorization (AAA) service through Internet or by
connection to PDG through WiMAX edge router. The
traffic is directly routed through interface dedicated on

[2]

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TS 25.308, 2004

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[8]

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