WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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UTRAN: UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network.

The UTRAN consists of a set of Radio Network Subsystems connected to the
Core Network through the Iu interface.
A RNS consists of a Radio Network Controller and one or more NodeBs. A
NodeB is connected to the RNC through the Iub interface.
Inside the UTRAN, the RNCs of the RNS can be interconnected together
through the Iur. Iu(s) and Iur are logical interfaces. Iur can be conveyed over
direct physical connection between RNCs or virtual networks using any
suitable transport network.

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The layer 1 supports all functions required for the transmission of bit streams
on the physical medium. It is also in charge of measurements function
consisting in indicating to higher layers, for example, Frame Error Rate (FER),
Signal to Interference Ratio (SIR), interference power, transmit power, It is
basically composed of a layer 1 management entity, a transport channel
entity, and a physical channel entity.
The layer 2 protocol is responsible for providing functions such as mapping,
ciphering, retransmission and segmentation. It is made of four sub-layers:
MAC (Medium Access Control), RLC (Radio Link Control), PDCP (Packet
Data Convergence Protocol) and BMC (Broadcast/Multicast Control).
The layer 3 is split into 2 parts: the access stratum and the non access
stratum. The access stratum part is made of RRC (Radio Resource Control)
entity and duplication avoidance entity. duplication avoidance terminates in
the CN but is part of the Access Stratum. The higher layer signalling such as
Mobility Management (MM) and Call Control (CC) is assumed to belong to the
non-access stratum, and therefore not in the scope of 3GPP TSG RAN. In the
C-plane, the interface between 'Duplication avoidance' and higher L3 sublayers (CC, MM) is defined by the General Control (GC), Notification (Nt) and
Dedicated Control (DC) SAPs.

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Not shown on the figure are connections between RRC and all the other
protocol layers (RLC, MAC, PDCP, BMC and L1), which provide local interlayer control services.

The protocol layers are located in the UE and the peer entities are in the
NodeB or the RNC.
Many functions are managed by the RRC layer. Here is the list of the most
important:

Establishment, re-establishment, maintenance and release of an

RRC connection between the UE and UTRAN: it includes an optional
cell re-selection, an admission control, and a layer 2 signaling link
establishment. When a RNC is in charge of a specific connection
towards a UE, it acts as the Serving RNC.
Establishment, reconfiguration and release of Radio Bearers: a
number of Radio Bearers can be established for a UE at the same time.
These bearers are configured depending on the requested QoS. The
RNC is also in charge of ensuring that the requested QoS can be met.
Assignment, reconfiguration and release of radio resources for the
RRC connection: it handles the assignment of radio resources (e.g.
codes, shared channels). RRC communicates with the UE to indicate
new resources allocation when handovers are managed.
Paging/Notification: it broadcasts paging information from network to
UEs.
Broadcasting of information provided by the non-access stratum
(Core Network) or access Stratum. This corresponds to system
information regularly repeated.
UE measurement reporting and control of the reporting: RRC
indicates what to measure, when and how to report.

Outer loop power control: controls setting of the target values.

Control of ciphering: provides procedures for setting of ciphering.

The RRC layer is defined in the 25.331 specification from 3GPP.

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The RLCs main function is the transfer of data from either the user or the
control plane over the Radio interface. Two different transfer modes are used:
transparent and non-transparent. In non-transparent mode, 2 sub-modes are
used: acknowledged or unacknowledged.

RLC provides services to upper layers:

data transfer (transparent, acknowledged and unacknowledged modes).

QoS setting: the retransmission protocol (for AM only) shall be
configurable by layer 3 to provide different QoS.
notification of unrecoverable errors: RLC notifies the upper layers of
errors that cannot be resolved by RLC.

The RLC functions are:

mapping between higher layer PDUs and logical channels.

ciphering: prevents unauthorized acquisition of data; performed in RLC
layer for non-transparent RLC mode.
segmentation/reassembly: this function performs
segmentation/reassembly of variable-length higher layer PDUs into/from
smaller RLC Payload Units. The RLC size is adjustable to the actual set
of transport formats (decided when service is established).
Concatenation and padding may also be used.
error correction: done by retransmission (acknowledged data transfer
mode only).
flow control: allows the RLC receiver to control the rate at which the
peer RLC transmitting entity may send information.

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

MAC services include:

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Data transfer: service providing unacknowledged transfer of MAC SDUs

between peer MAC entities.
Reallocation of radio resources and MAC parameters:
reconfiguration of MAC functions such as change of identity of UE.
Requested by the RRC layer.
Reporting of measurements: local measurements such as traffic
volume and quality indication are reported to the RRC layer.

The functions accomplished by the MAC sub-layer are listed above. Heres a
quick explanation for some of them:

Priority handling between the data flows of one UE: since UMTS is
multimedia, a user may activate several services at the same time,
having possibly different profiles (priority, QoS parameters...). Priority
handling consists in setting the right transport format for a high bit rate
service and for a low bit rate service.

Priority handling between UEs: use for efficient spectrum resources

utilization for bursty transfers on common and shared channels.
Ciphering: to prevent unauthorized acquisition of data. Performed in
the MAC layer for transparent RLC mode.
Access Service Class (ACS) selection for RACH transmission: the
RACH resources are divided between different ACSs in order to provide
different priorities on a random access procedure.

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PDCP

UMTS supports several network layer protocols providing protocol

transparency for the users of the service.
Using these protocols (and new ones) shall be possible without any
changes to UTRAN protocols. In order to perform this requirement, the
PDCP layer has been introduced. Then, functions related to transfer of
packets from higher layers shall be carried out in a transparent way by
the UTRAN network entities.
PDCP shall also be responsible for implementing different kinds of
optimization methods. The currently known methods are standardized
IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) header compression algorithms.
Algorithm types and their parameters are negotiated by RRC and
indicated to PDCP.
Header compression and decompression are specific for each network
layer protocol type.
In order to know which compression method is used, an identifier (PID:
Packet Identifier) is inserted. Compression algorithms exist for TCP/IP,
RTP/UDP/IP,
Another function of PDCP is to provide numbering of PDUs. This is done
if lossless SRNS relocation is required.
To accomplish this function, each PDCP-SDUs (UL and DL) is buffered
and numbered. Numbering is done after header compression. SDUs are
kept until information of successful transmission of PDCP-PDU has been
received from RLC. PDCP sequence number ranges from 0 to 65,535.

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BMC (broadcast/multicast control protocol)

The main function of BMC protocol are:

Storage of cell broadcast message. the BMC in RNC stores the cell
broadcast message received over the CBC-RNC interface for scheduled
transmission.
Traffic volume monitoring and radio resource request for CBS. On
the UTRAN side, the BMC calculates the required transmission rate for
the cell broadcast service based on the messages received over the
CBC-RNC interface, and requests appropriate .CTCH/FACH resources
from from RRC
Scheduling of BMC message. The BMC receives scheduling
information together with each cell broadcast message over the CBCRNC interface. Based on this scheduling information, on the UTRAN
side the BMC generates schedule message and schedules BMC
message sequences accordingly. On the UE side ,the BMC evaluates
the schedule messages and indicates scheduling parameters to RRC,
which are used by RRC to configure the lower layers for CBS
discontinuous reception.

Transmission of BMC message to UE. The function transmits the

BMC messages according to the schedule
Delivery of cell broadcast messages to the upper layer. This UE
function delivers the received non-corrupted cell broadcast messages to
the upper layer

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The layer 1 (physical layer) is used to transmit information under the form of
electrical signals corresponding to bits, between the network and the mobile
user. This information can be voice, circuit or packet data, and network
signaling.

The UMTS layer 1 offers data transport services to higher layers. The access
to these services is through the use of transport channels via the MAC sublayer.
These services are provided by radio links which are established by signaling
procedures. These links are managed by the layer 1 management entity.
One radio link is made of one or several transport channels, and one physical
channel.
The UMTS layer 1 is divided into two sub-layers: the transport and the
physical sub-layers. All the processing (channel coding, interleaving, etc.) is
done by the transport sub-layer in order to provide different services and their
associated QoS. The physical sub-layer is responsible for the modulation,
which corresponds to the association of bits (coming from the transport sublayer) to electrical signals that can be carried over the air interface. The
spreading operation is also done by the physical sub-layer.
These two parts of layer 1 are controlled by the layer 1 management (L1M)
entity. It is made of several units located in each equipment, which exchange
information through the use of control channels.

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In terms of protocol layer, the WCDMA radio interface has three types of
channels: physical channel, transport channel and logical channel.
Logical channel: Carrying user services directly. According to the types of the
carried services, it is divided into two types: control channel and service
channel.
Transport channel: It is the interface between radio interface layer 2 and layer
1, and it is the service provided for MAC layer by the physical layer. According
to whether the information transported is dedicated information for a user or
common information for all users, it is divided into dedicated channel and
common channel.
Physical channel: It is the ultimate embodiment of all kinds of information
when they are transmitted on radio interface. Each channel which uses
dedicated carrier frequency, code (spreading code and scramble) and carrier
phase (I or Q) can be regarded as a physical channel.

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As in GSM, UMTS uses the concept of logical channels.

A logical channel is characterized by the type of information that is
transferred.
As in GSM, logical channels can be divided into two groups: control channels
for control plane information and traffic channel for user plane information.
The traffic channels are:

Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH): a point-to-point bi-directional

channel, that transmits dedicated user information between a UE and
the network. That information can be speech, circuit switched data or
packet switched data. The payload bits on this channel come from a
higher layer application (the AMR codec for example). Control bits can
be added by the RLC (protocol information) in case of a non transparent
transfer. The MAC sub-layer will also add a header to the RLC PDU.
Common Traffic Channel (CTCH): a point-to-multipoint downlink
channel for transfer of dedicated user information for all or a group of
specified UEs. This channel is used to broadcast BMC messages.
These messages can either be cell broadcast data from higher layers or
schedule messages for support of Discontinuous Reception (DRX) of
cell broadcast data at the UE. Cell broadcast messages are services
offered by the operator, like indication of weather, traffic, location or rate
information.

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The control channels are:

Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH): a downlink channel that

broadcasts all system information types (except type 14 that is only used
in TDD). For example, system information type 3 gives the cell identity.
UEs decode system information on the BCH except when in Cell_DCH
mode. In that case, they can decode system information type 10 on the
FACH and other important signaling is sent on a DCCH.
Paging Control Channel (PCCH): a downlink channel that transfers
paging information. It is used to reach a UE (or several UEs) in idle
mode or in connected mode (Cell_PCH or URA_PCH state). The
paging type 1 message is sent on the PCCH. When a UE receives a
page on the PCCH in connected mode, it shall enter Cell_FACH state
and make a cell update procedure.
Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH): a point-to-point bi-directional
channel that transmits dedicated control information between a UE and
the network. This channel is used for dedicated signaling after a RRC
connection has been done. For example, it is used for inter-frequency
handover procedure, for dedicated paging, for the active set update
procedure and for the control and report of measurements.

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Common Control Channel (CCCH): a bi-directional channel for

transmitting control information between network and UEs. It is used to
send messages related to RRC connection, cell update and URA update.
This channel is a bit like the DCCH, but will be used when the UE has
not yet been identified by the network (or by the new cell). For example,
it is used to send the RRC connection request message, which is the
first message sent by the UE to get into connected mode. The network
will respond on the same channel, and will send him its temporary
identities (cell and UTRAN identities). After these initial messages, the
DCCH will be used.

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In order to carry logical channels, several transport channels are defined.

They are:

Broadcast Channel (BCH): a downlink channel used for broadcast of

system information into the entire cell.
Paging Channel (PCH): a downlink channel used for broadcast of
control information into the entire cell, such as paging.
Random Access Channel (RACH): a contention based uplink channel
used for initial access or for transmission of relatively small amounts of
data (non real-time dedicated control or traffic data).
Forward Access Channel (FACH): a common downlink channel used
for dedicated signaling (answer to a RACH typically), or for transmission
of relatively small amounts of data.
Dedicated Channel (DCH): a channel dedicated to one UE used in
uplink or downlink.

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Now we will begin to discuss the physical channel. Physical channel is the
most important and complex channel, and a physical channel is defined by a
specific carrier frequency, code and relative phase. In CDMA system, the
different code (scrambling code or spreading code) can distinguish the
channel. Most channels consist of radio frames and time slots, and each radio
frame consists of 15 time slots. There are two types of physical channel: UL
and DL.

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The different physical channels are:

Synchronization Channel (SCH): used for cell search procedure.

There is the primary and the secondary SCHs.

Common Control Physical Channel (CCPCH): used to carry common

control information such as the scrambling code used in DL (there is a
primary CCPCH and additional secondary CCPCH).

Common Pilot Channels (P-CPICH and S-CPICH): used for coherent

detection of common channels. They indicate the phase reference.

Dedicated Physical Data Channel (DPDCH): used to carry dedicated

data coming from layer 2 and above (coming from DCH).

Dedicated Physical Control Channel (DPCCH): used to carry

dedicated control information generated in layer 1 (such as pilot, TPC
and TFCI bits).

Page Indicator Channel (PICH): carries indication to inform the UE that

paging information is available on the S-CCPCH.

Acquisition Indicator Channel (AICH): it is used to inform a UE that

the network has received its access request.

High Speed Physical Downlink Shared Channel (HS-PDSCH): it is

used to carry subscribers BE service data (mapping on HSDPA) coming
from layer 2.

High Speed Shared Control Channel (HS-SCCH): it is used to carry

control message to HS-PDSCH such as modulation scheme, UE ID etc.

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The different physical channels are:

EDCH Absolute Grant Channel(E-AGCH): Carries absolute grant

determined by the scheduler

EDCH Relative Grant Channel (E-RGCH): Carries relative grant

determined by the scheduler

EDCH HARQ Indicator Channel (E-HICH): Carries HARQ ACK/NACK

indicator for E-DCH

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The different physical channels are:

Dedicated Physical Data Channel (DPDCH): used to carry dedicated

data coming from layer 2 and above (coming from DCH).
Dedicated Physical Control Channel (DPCCH): used to carry
dedicated control information generated in layer 1 (such as pilot, TPC
and TFCI bits).
Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH): used to carry random
access information when a UE wants to access the network.
High Speed Dedicated Physical Control Channel (HS-DPCCH): it is
used to carry feedback message to HS-PDSCH such CQI,ACK/NACK.
Enhanced Dedicated Physical Control Channel (E-DPDCH): Carries
E-DCH
Enhanced Dedicated Physical Data Channel (E-DPCCH): Carries
control signal for E-DPDCH

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When a UE is turned on, the first thing it does is to scan the UMTS spectrum
and find a UMTS cell. After that, it has to find the primary scrambling code
used by that cell in order to be able to decode the BCCH (for system
information). This is done with the help of the Synchronization Channel.
Each cell of a NodeB has its own SCH timing, so that there is no overlapping.
The SCH is a pure downlink physical channel broadcasted over the entire cell.
It is transmitted unscrambled during the first 256 chips of each time slot, in
time multiplex with the P-CCPCH. It is the only channel that is not spread
over the entire radio frame. The SCH provides the primary scrambling code
group (one out of 64 groups), as well as the radio frame and time slot
synchronization.
The SCH consists of two sub-channels, the primary and secondary SCH.
These sub-channels are sent in parallel using code division during the first
256 chips of each time slot. P-SCH always transmits primary synchronization
code. S-SCH transmits secondary synchronization codes.
The primary synchronization code is repeated at the beginning of each time
slot. The same code is used by all the cells and enables the mobiles to detect
the existence of the UMTS cell and to synchronize itself on the time slot
boundaries. This is normally done with a single matched filter or any similar
device. The slot timing of the cell is obtained by detecting peaks in the
matched filter output.
This is the first step of the cell search procedure. The second step is done
using the secondary synchronization channel.
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The S-SCH also consists of a code, the Secondary Synchronization Code

(SSC) that indicates which of the 64 scrambling code groups the cells
downlink scrambling code belongs to. 16 different SSCs are defined. Each
SSC is a 256 chip long sequence.
There is one specific SSC transmitted in each time slot, giving us a sequence
of 15 SSCs. There is a total of 64 different sequences of 15 SSCs,
corresponding to the 64 primary scrambling code groups. These 64
sequences are constructed so that one sequence is different from any other
one, and different from any rotated version of any sequence. The UE
correlates the received signal with the 16 SSCs and identifies the maximum
correlation value.
The S-SCH provides the information required to find the frame boundaries and
the downlink scrambling code group (one out of 64 groups). The scrambling
code (one out of 8) can be determined afterwards by decoding the P-CPICH.
The mobile will then be able to decode the BCH.

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The Common Pilot Channel (CPICH) is a pure physical control channel

broadcasted over the entire cell. It is not linked to any transport channel. It
consists of a sequence of known bits that are transmitted in parallel with the
primary and secondary CCPCH.
The PCPICH is used by the mobile to determine which of the 8 possible
primary scrambling codes is used by the cell, and to provide the phase
reference for common channels.
Finding the primary scrambling code is done during the cell search procedure
through a symbol-by-symbol correlation with all the codes within the code
group. After the primary scrambling code has been identified, the UE can
decode system information on the P-CCPCH.
The P-CPICH is the phase reference for the SCH, P-CCPCH, AICH and PICH.
It is broadcasted over the entire cell. The channelization code used to spread
the P-CPICH is always Cch,256,0 (all ones). Thus, the P-CPICH is a fixed
rate channel. Also, it is always scrambled with the primary scrambling code of
the cell.

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The Primary Common Control Physical Channel (P-CCPCH) is a fixed rate

(SF=256) downlink physical channel used to carry the BCH transport channel.
It is broadcasted continuously over the entire cell like the P-CPICH.
The figure above shows the frame structure of the P-CCPCH. The frame
structure is special because it does not contain any layer 1 control bits. The PCCPCH only has one fix predefined transport format combination, and the
only bits transmitted are data bits from the BCH transport channel. It is
important to note that the P-CCPCH is not transmitted during the first 256
chips of the slot. In fact, another physical channel (SCH) is transmitted during
that period of time. Thus, the SCH and the P-CCPCH are time multiplexed on
every time slot.
Channelization code Cch,256,1 is always used to spread the P-CCPCH.

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The Page Indicator Channel (PICH) is a fixed rate (30kbps, SF=256)

physical channel used by the NodeB to inform a UE (or a group of UEs) that a
paging information will soon be transmitted on the PCH. Thus, the mobile only
decodes the S-CCPCH when it is informed to do so by the PICH. This enables
to do other processing and to save the mobiles battery.
The PICH carries Paging Indicators (PI), which are user specific and
calculated by higher layers. It is always associated with the S-CCPCH to
which the PCH is mapped.
The frame structure of the PICH is illustrated above. It is 10 ms long, and
always contains 300 bits (SF=256). 288 of these bits are used to carry paging
indicators, while the remaining 12 are not formally part of the PICH and shall
not be transmitted. That part of the frame (last 12 bits) is reserved for possible
future use.
In order not to waste radio resources, several PIs are multiplexed in time on
the PICH. Depending on the configuration of the cell, 18, 36, 72 or 144
paging indicators can be multiplexed on one PICH radio frame. Thus, the
number of bits reserved for each PI depends of the number of PIs per radio
frame. For example, if there is 72 PIs in one radio frame, there will be 4
(288/72) consecutive bits for each PI. These bits are all identical. If the PI in
a certain frame is 1, it is an indication that the UE associated with that PI
should read the corresponding frame of the S-CCPCH.

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The Secondary Common Control Physical Channel (S-CCPCH) is used to

carry the FACH and PCH transport channels. Unlike the P-CCPCH, it is not
broadcasted continuously. It is only transmitted when there is a PCH or FACH
information to transmit. At the mobile side, the mobile only decodes the SCCPCH when it expects a useful message on the PCH or FACH.
A UE will expect a message on the PCH after indication from the PICH (page
indicator channel), and it will expect a message on the FACH after it has
transmitted something on the RACH.
The FACH and the PCH can be mapped on the same or on separate SCCPCHs. If they are mapped on the same S-CCPCH, TFCI bits have to be
sent to support multiple transport formats
The figure above shows the frame structure of the S-CCPCH. There are 18
different slot formats determining the exact number of data, pilot and TFCI bits.
The data bits correspond to the PCH and/or FACH bits coming from the
transport sub-layer. Pilot bit are typically used when beamforming techniques
are used.
The SF ranges from 4 to 256. The channelization code is assigned by the
RRC layer as is the scrambling code, and they are fixed during the
communication. They are sent on the BCCH so that every UE can decode the
channel.
As said before, FACH can be used to carry user data. The difference with the
dedicated channel is that it cannot use fast power control, nor soft handover.
The advantage is that it is a fast access channel.
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The Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) is used by the UE to

access the network and to carry small data packets. It carries the RACH
transport channel. The PRACH is an open loop power control channel, with
contention resolution mechanisms (ALOHA approach) to enable a random
access from several users.
The PRACH is composed of two different parts: the preamble part and the
message part that carries the RACH message. The preamble is an identifier
which consists of 256 repetitions of a 16 chip long signature (total of 4096
chips). There are 16 possible signatures, basically, the UE randomly selects
one of the 16 possible preambles and transmits it at increasing power until it
gets a response from the network (on the AICH). That preamble is scrambled
before being sent. That is a sign that the power level is high enough and that
the UE is authorized to transmit, which it will do after acknowledgment from
the network. If the UE doesnt get a response from the network, it has to select
a new signature to transmit.
The message part is 10 or 20 ms long (split into 15 or 30 time slots) and is
made of the RACH data and the layer 1 control information.

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The data and control bits of the message part are processed in parallel. The
SF of the data part can be 32, 64, 128 or 256 while the SF of the control part
is always 256. The control part consists of 8 pilot bits for channel estimation
and 2 TFCI bits to indicate the transport format of the RACH (transport
channel), for a total of 10 bits per slot.
The OVSF codes to use (one for RACH data and one for control) depend on
the signature that was used for the preamble (for signatures s=0 to s=15:
OVSFcontrol= Cch,256,m, where m=16s + 15; OVSFdata= Cch,SF,m, where
m=SF*s/16.

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The PRACH transmission is based on the access frame structure. The

access frame is access of 15 access slots and lasts 20 ms (2 radio frames).
To avoid too many collisions and to limit interference, a UE must wait at least
3 or 4 access slots between two consecutive preambles.
The PRACH resources (access slots and preamble signatures) can be divided
between different Access Service Classes (ASC) in order to provide different
priorities of RACH usage. The ASC number ranges from 0 (highest priority) to
7 (lowest priority).

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The Acquisition Indicator Channel (AICH) is a common downlink channel used

to control the uplink random accesses. It carries the Acquisition Indicators (AI),
each corresponding to a signature on the PRACH (uplink). When the NodeB
receives the random access from a mobile, it sends back the signature of the
mobile to grant its access. If the NodeB receives multiple signatures, it can
sent all these signatures back by adding the together. At reception, the UE
can apply its signature to check if the NodeB sent an acknowledgement
(taking advantage of the orthogonality of the signatures).
The AICH consists of a burst of data transmitted regularly every access slot
frame. One access slot frame is formed of 15 access slots, and lasts 2 radio
frames (20 ms). Each access slot consists of two parts, an acquisition
indicator part of 32 real-valued symbols and a long part during which nothing
is transmitted to avoid overlapping due to propagation delays.
The SF used is always 256 and the OVSF code used by the cell is indicated in
system information type 5.

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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There are two kinds of uplink dedicated physical channels, the Dedicated
Physical Data Channel (DPDCH) and the Dedicated Physical Control
Channel (DPCCH). The DPDCH is used to carry the DCH transport channel.
The DPCCH is used to carry the physical sub-layer control bits.

Each DPCCH time slot consists of Pilot, TFCIFBITPC

Pilot is used to help demodulation

TFCI: transport format combination indicator

FBI:used for the FBTD. (feedback TX diversity)

TPC: used to transport power control command.

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On the figure above, we can see the DPDCH and DPCCH time slot
constitution. The parameter k determines the number of symbols per slot. It
is related to the spreading factor (SF) of the DPDCH by this simple equation:
SF=256/2k. The DPDCH SF ranges from 4 to 256. The SF for the uplink
DPCCH is always 256, which gives us 10 bits per slot. The exact number of
pilot, TFCI, TPC and FBI bits is configured by higher layers. This configuration
is chosen from 12 possible slot formats. It is important to note that symbols
are transmitted during all slots for the DPDCH

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The uplink DPDCH and DPCCH are I/Q code multiplexed. But the downlink
DPDCH and DPCCH is time multiplexed. This is main difference.
Basically, there are two types of downlink DPCH. They are distinguished by
the use or non use of the TFCI field. TFCI bits are not used for fixed rate
services or when the TFC doesnt change.

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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We have known that the uplink DPDCH and DPCCH are I/Q code multiplexed.
But the downlink DPDCH and DPCCH is time multiplexed. This is main
difference. The parameter k in the figure above determines the total number of
bits per time slot. It is related to the SF, which ranges from 4 to 512. The
chips of one slot is also 2560.
Downlink physical channels are used to carry user specific information like
speech, data or signaling, as well as layer 1 control bits. Like it was
mentioned before, the payload from the DPDCH and the control bits from the
DPCCH are time multiplexed on every time slot. The figure above shows how
these two channels are multiplexed. There is only one DPCCH in downlink for
one user.

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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HS-PDSCH is a downlink physical channel that carries user data and layer 2
overhead bits mapped from the transport channel: HS-DSCH.
The user data and layer 2 overhead bits from HS-DSCH is mapped onto one
or several HS-PDSCH and transferred in 2ms subframe using one or several
channelization code with fixed SF=16.

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HS-SCCH uses a SF=128 and has q time structure based on a sub-frame of

length 2 ms, i.e. the same length as the HS-DSCH TTI. The timing of HSSCCH starts two slot prior to the start of the HS-PDSCH subframe.
The following information is carried on the HS-SCCH (7 items)

Modulation scheme(1bit) QPSK or 16QAM

Channelization code set (7bits)

Transport block size ( 6bits)

HARQ process number (3bits)

Redundancy version (3bits)

New Data Indicator (1bit)

UE identity (16 bits)

In each 2 ms interval corresponding to one HS-DSCH TTI , one HS-SCCH

carries physical-layer signalling to a single UE. As there should be a
possibility for HS-DSCH transmission to multiple users in parallel (code
multiplex), multiplex HS-SCCH may be needed in a cell. The specification
allows for up to four HS-SCCHs as seen from a UE point of view .i.e. UE must
be able to decode four HS-SCCH.

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The uplink HS-DPCCH consists of:

Acknowledgements for HARQ

Channel Quality Indicator (CQI)

As the HS-DPCCH uses SF=256, there are a total of 30 channel bits per 2 ms
sub frame (3 time slot). The HS-DPCCH information is divided in such a way
that the HARQ acknowledgement is transmitted in the first slot of the subframe
while the channel quality indication is transmitted in the rest slot.

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The E-DPDCH carries data in the uplink. The spreading factor of the EDPDCH varies from SF256 to SF2 depending on the data transmission rate. A
maximum of four E-DPDCHs can be used for parallel transmission. The SF of
two E-DPDCHs is SF2, and the SF of the other two E-DPDCHs is SF4.
The E-DPCCH carries control information related to data transmission in the
uplink. The control information consists of the E-DCH transport format
combination indicator (E-TFCI), retransmission sequence number (RSN), and
happy bit. The SF of the E-DPCCH is fixed to 256.

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The downlink E-AGCH and E-RGCH carry the HSUPA scheduling control information.
The E-AGCH is a shared channel, which carries the maximum E-DPDCH to DPCCH
power ratio, that is, absolute grants. The SF of the E-AGCH is fixed to 256.

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The E-RGCH is a dedicated channel, which is used to indicate relative grants and
increase or decrease the maximum E-DPDCH to DPCCH power ratio. The SF of the
E-RGCH is fixed to 128.

To implement the HARQ function, the E-HICH is introduced in the downlink. The EHICH carries retransmission requests from the NodeB. The SF of the E-HICH is fixed
to 128.

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

This page indicates how the mapping can be done between logical, transport
and physical channels. Not all physical channels are represented because
not all physical channels correspond to a transport channel.
The mapping between logical channels and transport channels is done by the
MAC sub-layer.
Different connections can be made between logical and transport channels:

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BCCH is connected to BCH and may also be connected to FACH;

DTCH can be connected to either RACH and FACH, to RACH and
DSCH, to DCH and DSCH, to a DCH or a CPCH;
CTCH is connected to FACH;
DCCH can be connected to either RACH and FACH, to RACH and
DSCH, to DCH and DSCH, to a DCH or a CPCH;

PCCH is connected to PCH;

CCCH is connected to RACH and FACH.

These connections depend on the type of information on the logical channels.

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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The purpose of the Cell Search Procedure is to give the UE the possibility of
finding a cell and of determining the downlink scrambling code and frame
synchronization of that cell. This is typically performed in 3 steps:

PSCH (Slot synchronization): The UE uses the SCHs primary

synchronization code to acquire slot synchronization to a cell. The
primary synchronization code is used by the UE to detect the existence
of a cell and to synchronize the mobile on the TS boundaries. This is
typically done with a single filter (or any similar device) matched to the
primary synchronization code which is common to all cells. The slot
timing of the cell can be obtained by detecting peaks in the matched
filter output.
SSCH (Frame synchronization and code-group identification): The
secondary synchronization codes provide the information required to find
the frame boundaries and the group number. Each group number
corresponds to a unique set of 8 primary scrambling codes. The frame
boundary and the group number are provided indirectly by selecting a
suite of 15 secondary codes. 16 secondary codes have been defined C1,
C2, .C16. 64 possible suites have been defined, each suite
corresponds to one of the 64 groups. Each suite of secondary codes is
composed of 15 secondary codes (chosen in the set of 16), each of
which will be transmitted in one time slot. When the received codes
matches one of the possible suites, the UE has both determined the
frame boundary and the group number.

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PCPICH (Scrambling-code identification): The UE determines the exact

primary scrambling code used by the found cell. The primary scrambling
code is typically identified through symbol-by-symbol correlation over the
PCPICH with all the codes within the code group identified in the second
can be read.

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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Physical random access procedure

1. Derive the available uplink access slots, in the next full access slot set,
for the set of available RACH sub-channels within the given ASC.
Randomly select one access slot among the ones previously determined.
If there is no access slot available in the selected set, randomly select
one uplink access slot corresponding to the set of available RACH subchannels within the given ASC from the next access slot set. The
random function shall be such that each of the allowed selections is
chosen with equal probability ;
2. Randomly select a signature from the set of available signatures
within the given ASC;
3. Set the Preamble Retransmission Counter to Preamble_ Retrans_
Max ;
4. Set the parameter Commanded Preamble Power to
Preamble_Initial_Power;
5. Transmit a preamble using the selected uplink access slot, signature,
and preamble transmission power;
6. If no positive or negative acquisition indicator (AI +1 nor 1)
corresponding to the selected signature is detected in the downlink
access slot corresponding to the selected uplink access slot:

A: Select the next available access slot in the set of available

RACH sub-channels within the given ASC;
B: select a signature;
C: Increase the Commanded Preamble Power;

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D: Decrease the Preamble Retransmission Counter by one. If the

Preamble Retransmission Counter > 0 then repeat from step 6.
Otherwise exit the physical random access procedure.

7. If a negative acquisition indicator corresponding to the selected

signature is detected in the downlink access slot corresponding to the
selected uplink access slot, exit the physical random access procedure
Signature;
8. If a positive acquisition indicator corresponding to the selected
signature is detected , Transmit the random access message three or
four uplink access slots after the uplink access slot of the last transmitted
preamble;
9. exit the physical random access procedure.

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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Transmitter-antenna diversity can be used to generate multi-path diversity in

places where it would not otherwise exist. Multi-path diversity is a useful
phenomenon, especially if it can be controlled. It can protect the UE against
fading and shadowing. TX diversity is designed for downlink usage.
Transmitter diversity needs two antennas, which would be an expensive
solution for the UEs.
The UTRA specifications divide the transmitter diversity modes into two
categories: (1) open-loop mode and (2) closed-loop mode. In the open-loop
mode no feedback information from the UE to the NodeB is available. Thus
the UTRAN has to determine by itself the appropriate parameters for the TX
diversity. In the closed-loop mode the UE sends feedback information up to
the NodeB in order to optimize the transmissions from the diversity antennas.
Thus it is quite natural that the open-loop mode is used for the common
channels, as they typically do not provide an uplink return channel for the
feedback information. Even if there was a feedback channel, the NodeB
cannot really optimize its common channel transmissions according to
measurements made by one particular UE. Common channels are common
for everyone; what is good for one UE may be bad for another. The closedloop mode is used for dedicated physical channels, as they have an existing
uplink channel for feedback information. Note that shared channels can also
employ closed loop power control, as they are allocated for only one user at a
time, and they also have a return channel in the uplink. There are two
specified
methodsInformation
to achieveofthe
transmission
diversity
in the
open-loop mode
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and two methods in closed-loop mode

WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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The TX diversity methods in the open-loop mode are

space time-block coding-based transmit-antenna diversity (STTD)

time-switched transmit diversity (TSTD).

In STTD the data to be transmitted is divided between two transmission

antennas at the base station site and transmitted simultaneously. The
channel-coded data is processed in blocks of four bits. The bits are time
reversed and complex conjugated, as shown in above slide. The STTD
method, in fact, provides two brands of diversity. The physical separation of
the antennas provides the space diversity, and the time difference derived
from the bit-reversing process provides the time diversity.

These features together make the decoding process in the receiver more
reliable. In addition to data signals, pilot signals are also transmitted via both
antennas. The normal pilot is sent via the first antenna and the diversity pilot
via the second antenna.
The two pilot sequences are orthogonal, which enables the receiving UE to
extract the phase information for both antennas.

The STTD encoding is optional in the UTRAN, but its support is mandatory for
the UEs receiver.

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Time-switched transmit diversity (TSTD) can be applied to the SCH. Just like
STTD, the support of TSTD is optional in the UTRAN, but mandatory in the
UE. The principle of TSTD is to transmit the synchronization channels via the
two base station antennas in turn. In even-numbered time slots the SCHs are
transmitted via antenna 1, and in odd-numbered slots via antenna 2. This is
depicted in above Figure. Note that SCH channels only use the first 256 chips
of each time slot (i.e., one-tenth of each slot).

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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The closed-loop-mode transmit diversity can only be applied to the downlink

channel if there is an associated uplink channel. Thus this mode can only be
used with dedicated channels. The chief operating principle of the closed loop
mode is that the UE can control the transmit diversity in the base station by
sending adjustment commands in FBI bits on the uplink DPCCH. The UE uses
the base stations common pilot channels to estimate the channels separately.
Based on this estimation, it generates the adjustment information and sends it
to the UTRAN to maximize the UEs received power.
There are actually two modes in the closed-loop method. In mode 1 only the
phase can be adjusted; in mode 2 the amplitude is adjustable as well as the
phase. Each uplink time slot has one FBI bit for closed-loop-diversity control.
In mode 1 each bit forms a separate adjustment command, but in mode 2 four
bits are needed to compose a command.
This functions can be configured by LMT command ADD CELLSETUP.

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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WCDMA Radio Interface and Physical Layer

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