HSDPA Technology

Contents
1 HSDPA Architecture.....................................................................................................................................1 2 Basic Principle...............................................................................................................................................3 2.1 Physical Channel......................................................................................................................................3 2.1.1 HS-PDSCH...............................................................................................................................3 2.1.2 HS-SCCH.................................................................................................................................4 2.1.3 HS-DPCCH...............................................................................................................................5 2.2 Working Principle....................................................................................................................................6 3 Basic Functions..............................................................................................................................................9 3.1 HSDPA Common Carrier with R99.........................................................................................................9 3.2 HSDPA Dedicated Carrier........................................................................................................................9 3.3 HSDPA cell indicator in idle mode........................................................................................................10 3.4 HSDPA UE Category Support...............................................................................................................10 3.5 PS Interactive/Background Service over HSDPA.................................................................................11 3.6 PS Streaming Service over HSDPA.......................................................................................................11 4 Enhanced Functions....................................................................................................................................13 4.1 HSDPA HS-DPCCH ACK/NACK enhancement..................................................................................13 4.2 Fractional Dedicated Physical Channel of HSDPA...............................................................................13 4.3 SRB Over HSDPA.................................................................................................................................14 5 Mobility Management of HSDPA..............................................................................................................17 5.1 Serving HS-DSCH Cell Change............................................................................................................17 5.2 Migration Between the HS-DSCH and DCH........................................................................................19 6 Key Technologies and Algorithms at the Node B Side............................................................................23 6.1 HSDPA Multiplex..................................................................................................................................23
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6.2 HSDPA 16QAM.....................................................................................................................................24 6.3 HSDPA Adaptive Modulation and Coding............................................................................................25 6.4 HSDPA HARQ.......................................................................................................................................29 6.5 HSDPA CQI Adjustment........................................................................................................................30

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1 HSDPA Architecture
HSDPA is a downlink enhanced technology provided by WCDMA. As compared with R99, HSDPA adds a MAC sublayer (MAC-hs sublayer) in the system architecture. The MAC-hs sublayer is responsible for dispatching and flow control, as shown in Figure 1 -1.
DTCH DTCH

MAC-d

MAC-d

MAC-hs

MAChs

HS-DSCH FP

HS-DSCH FP

PHY

PHY

TNL

TNL

UE

Uu

Node B

Iub

CRNC/SRNC

Figure 1-1 HS-DSCH Protocol Model

As shown in the figure, the major difference between HSDPA and R99 is that the MAC-hs sublayer is introduced in Node B and UE respectively. Through HS-DSCH FP, the MAC-d entity of the RNC transfers the MAC-d PDU to the MAC-hs entity of Node B. The MAC-hs entity of Node B transfers the MAC-hs PDU to the peer entity MAC-hs of the UE through the Uu interface. The MAC-hs sublayer is introduced in Node B for the following reasons: 1. 2. 3. Fast scheduling of multiple users Reduce the retransmission delay, and thus improve subscriber experience Improve the link adaptation performance of the AMC technology: The AMC technology adjusts the modulation and coding mode according to the channel quality. Its performance is sensitive to the delay in reporting the channel quality. The higher the delay is, the worse the link adaptation performance is.
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2 Basic Principle
2.1 Physical Channel
To implement the function of the HSDPA, new channels are introduced in the physical layer of the 3GPP R5. High-Speed Physical Downlink Shared Channel (HS-PDSCH): the physical channel used for transmitting downlink subscriber data. High-Speed Shared Control Channel (HS-SCCH): the signaling channel used for the downlink in the physical layer High-Speed Dedicated Physical Control Channel (HS-DPCCH): the signaling channel used for the uplink in the physical layer

2.1.1 HS-PDSCH
The HS-PDSCH is a physical downlink channel. It is introduced to carry the actual subscriber data transmission. The spreading factor is fixed to 16, the modulation mode can be QPSK or 16QAM, and 1/3 Turbo codes are used for channel coding. Figure 2 -2 shows the channel structure.
Data Ndata 1 bits Tslot = 2560 chips, M*160 bits

Slot #0

Slot#1 1 subframe: Tf = 2 ms
Figure 2-2 HS-PDSCH Structure

Slot #2

M refers to the bit number represented by each modulation symbol. For QPSK, M is equal to 2 and the bit number of the physical channel in the 2-ms TTI is 960, that is, the bit rate is 480 Kbps. For 16QAM, M is equal to 4 and the bit number of the physical channel in the 2-ms TTI is 1,920, that is, the bit rate is 960 Kbps. If 15 code channels
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transmit data concurrently and the modulation mode is 16QAM, the peak rate of the physical layer is 14.4 Mbps and the peak rate of the MAC-hs layer is 13.976 Mbps, as shown in Figure 2 -3.

Figure 2-3 Maximum Channel Bit Number Schematic Diagram

The figure shows the coding process when the HS-PDSCH transmits the largest transport blocks within 2 ms. Within the 2-ms TTI, as shown in Figure 2 -3, the largest MAC-hs PDU to be transmitted is 27,952 bits in size and the largest bit number of the physical channel is 28,800: 15 (number of HS-PDSCH code channels) 1,920 (number of physical channel bits per code channel). Therefore, the maximum MAC-hs rate of the HS-PDSCH is 27,952 bits/2 ms =13.976 Mbps, and the maximum physical channel rate is 28,800 bits/2 ms = 14.4 Mbps.

2.1.2 HS-SCCH
The HS-SCCH is a physical downlink channel. It is introduced to carry the physical layer signaling required by the coding HS-PDSCH. The spreading factor is 128, the modulation mode is QPSK, channel codes are convolutional codes, and the first-order rate is used for matching. As shown in Figure 2 -4, the signaling carried by the HSSCCH comprises two parts: The first part (Slot #0) includes channelization codes and modulation mode. The UE decodes the information in Slot #1 to enable the HS-PDSCH receiving process at the Slot #2 start time and avoid the chip-level data cache at the UE side. The second part (Slot #1 and Slot #2) includes the size indication of transport
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Chapter 2 Basic Principle

block, HARQ process number, RV parameter, and indication of new data. The information in the second part is decoded within a certain period upon completion of Slot #2. Before such information is decoded, the symbol-level data of HS-PDSCH decoding is buffered. After such information is decoded, the HS-PDSCH undergoes rate de-matching, soft bit combination, and Turbo decoding.
Data Ndata 1 bits Tslot = 2560 chips, 40 bits

Slot #0

Slot#1 1 subframe: Tf = 2 ms

Slot #2

Figure 2-4 HS-SCCH Structure

As shown in the figure, the HS-SCCH transmits a fixed number of bits within 2-ms TTI. According to the maximum number of users supported by code multiplexing, the UTRAN allocates a corresponding number of HS-SCCH code channels. Each UE can monitor a maximum of four HS-SCCHs. Usually, a maximum of four users are scheduled within one TTI (thus preventing the HS-SCCHs from consuming excessive power and code channel resources). The number of HS-SCCHs can be configured according to the power resource and code channel resource of the HSDPA service. If a UE is scheduled continuously, the HS-SCCHs should use the same code channel within continuous TTIs, so as to reduce UE complexity and enhance the reliability of signaling. In R5 and R6, the HS-SCCH structure remains unchanged.

2.1.3 HS-DPCCH
The HS-DPCCH is physical uplink channel. It is introduced to carry necessary feedback information, including the HS-PDSCH decoding information (ACK/NACK) and channel quality indicator (CQI). Its spreading factor is 256 and its modulation mode is BPSK. I/Q multiplexing and code channel multiplexing are implemented between HS-DPCCHs and UL-DPCCHs, UL-DPDCHs. The following figure shows the channel structure.

HSDPA Technology

T slot = 2560 chips HARQ-ACK

2Tslot = 5120 chips CQI

One HS-DPCCH subframe (2 ms)

Subframe #0

Subframe #i One radio frame Tf = 10 ms

Figure 2-5 HS-DPCCH Structure

Subframe #4

Part I: The ACK/NACK domain indicates the decoding result of the HS-PDSCH. 10 bits are used to indicate the downlink decoding information, including ACK/NACK/DTX. The ACK domain indicates that the downlink HS-SCCH and HSPDSCH decoding results are correct. The NACK domain indicates that the downlink HS-SCCH decoding result is correct but the HS-PDSCH decoding result is not correct. The DTX domain indicates that the downlink HS-SCCH decoding result is not correct and the HS-PDSCH is not demodulated. Part II: The CQI domain indicates the channel quality of the UE. The CQI value ranges from 0 to 30. 0 indicates that the channel quality is very bad and thus transmission is not allowed. The CQI values of 1 to 30 indicates that the supported channel quality ranges from single-code-channel QPSK transmission to 15-code-channel 16QAM transmission (including diversified rates).

2.2 Working Principle

The following figure shows the basic working principle of HSDPA.

Chapter 2 Basic Principle

Figure 2-6 Working Principle of HSDPA and the Related Channels

If downlink data needs to be transmitted after the UE accesses the HSDPA network, the UE periodically reports the CQI to Node B through the uplink HS-DPCCH, so as to indicate the data rate (the coding and modulation policy and number of multiple codes) supported by the UE in the current radio environment. After receiving the CQI reported by the UE, Node B selects an appropriate modulation mode (QPSK or 16QAM) and number of code channels according to the QoS of the transmitted data, radio environment of the UE, and capability level of the UE, and sends the information to the UE through the downlink HS-SCCH. The UE first receives the signaling information of the HS-SCCH, and begins to receive the downlink data packets in the HS-PDSCH that Node B sends to the UE after two timeslots. After receiving each data packet, the UE sends an ACK/NACK message to Node B through the uplink HS-DPCCH, so that Node B can know whether the UE has received the downlink data packet correctly. For R99, the retransmission of the lowest layer is RLC layer retransmission. The delay of RLC layer retransmission includes the delay of physical layer processing and delay of Iub interface retransmission. The delay of Iub interface retransmission accounts for a large proportion. Unlike R99, HSDPA also supports physical layer retransmission. The RLC is responsible for retransmission in case packets are lost in the physical layer. The physical layer of HSDPA uses the 2-ms short frames and R99 uses the 10-ms, 20-ms,
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HSDPA Technology

40-ms, and 80-ms long TTIs. Therefore, the delay of the physical layer of HSDPA is far lower than that of R99. The Round Trip Time (RTT) of HSDPA can be as low as 70 to 80 ms, but the RTT of R99 is 120 to 150 ms.

3 Basic Functions
3.1 HSDPA Common Carrier with R99
HSDPA can share a carrier frequency with R99. A cell can provide R99 services and HSDPA services at the same time, and public resources (including channelization codes, Node B transmit power, and Iub interface transmission bandwidth) of the cell can be allocated between R99 services and HSDPA services. The sharing mode has the following advantages: The R99 CS/PS service shares frequency and power with the high-speed data service supported by HSDPA, thus utilizing system resources fully. Services can be selected flexibly, thus avoiding UE cell selection and camping caused by the independent carrier frequency. Allows fast and convenient upgrade, thus reducing investment

If an operator has limited frequency resources but has to provide the R99 services, the mode of sharing the carrier frequency allows the operator to provide high-speed data services through the residual resources of R99. However, the peak rate and throughput provided by the cell are reduced and the experience of data service users is affected when the R99 services occupy resources.

3.2 HSDPA Dedicated Carrier

HSDPA can also use an independent carrier frequency. HSDPA uses a different carrier frequency from R99 for building a dedicated network layer. In addition to the independent carrier frequency of HSDPA, the carrier frequency of R99 should also be deployed so as to support the traditional CS service and low-speed PS service (carry the DCH). The R99 network offers the solution to coverage and the high-speed PS service is carried over the HSDPA network first. The independent carrier frequency mode has the following advantages: independent networking, simple planning, low adjacent-channel interference, and higher peak capacity. HSDPA needs to occupy a separate precious frequency and related resources, and incurs high expenses of network construction. In the initial phase of network
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operation, the independent carrier frequency mode may cause the low degree of sharing. Due to users different service needs (CS or PS), inter-frequency handover can occur, thus affecting network reliability and user experience. If the operator has more frequency resources than required by the R99 services, an independent carrier frequency can be deployed to provide the HSDPA services. As the spectrum utilization of the HS-DSCH is higher than that of the DCH, the independent carrier frequency provides the following benefits: Attain higher peak rate and cell throughput Improve the subscriber experience of the mobile data service Reduce the unit cost of the high-speed data service

In the initial phase of network construction, the independent carrier frequency mode is not recommended. However, the number of PS users increases while the network is developed to a certain phase or the application is an indoor network scenario. In this case, a separate frequency can be deployed to build a network that only supports the PS service, and HSDPA and R99 share another carrier frequency to win common mobile users.

3.3 HSDPA cell indicator in idle mode

The indicator of a HSDPA cell is broadcasted in the SIB5 or SIB5bis system message. When implementing cell searching, a HSDPA UE determines whether the cell supports HSDPA, displays HSDPA coverage, and decides to select a cell according to the indicator. For example, a HSDPA data card subscriber can search for the HSDPAcapable carrier frequency in the same sector. The UE can set the strategy of selecting a cell according to the cell capability at its discretion. 3GPP R6 introduces the HSDPA cell indicator. To identify a cell, the R5 HSDPA UEs need to be upgraded to the R6 version.

3.4 HSDPA UE Category Support

A capability level reflects the extent to which the UE supports the HSDPA services.
Table 3-1 HSDPA Capability Levels

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Chapter 2 Basic Principle

Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Supported 5 5 5 5 5 5 10 10 15 15 5 5

Number

of

Minimum Interval 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1

TTI

Modulation QPSK, 16QAM QPSK, 16QAM QPSK, 16QAM QPSK, 16QAM QPSK, 16QAM QPSK, 16QAM QPSK, 16QAM QPSK, 16QAM QPSK, 16QAM QPSK, 16QAM QPSK QPSK

Peak

Rate

of

Concurrent Codes

MAC Layer 1.2 Mbps 1.2 Mbps 1.8 Mbps 1.8 Mbps 3.6 Mbps 3.6 Mbps 7.2 Mbps 7.2 Mbps 10 Mbps 13.9 Mbps 0.9 Mbps 1.8Mbps

3.5 PS Interactive/Background Service over HSDPA

The HSDPA services are carried by HS-DSCHs. The HS-DSCHs provides higher channel rate and can be shared by more users through technologies such as high-order 16QAM, AMC, HARQ, and fast scheduling. Generally, HS-DSCHs are suitable to such high-burst data services as the interactive services and background services. Higher peak rate can also improve subscriber experience. The actual maximum rate depends on the following factors: UE capability level Maximum rate configured in the CN System load Local radio environment

3.6 PS Streaming Service over HSDPA

A streaming service is a unidirectional data communication service, which requires a certain degree of real-time performance and certain rate, and ensures the time relativism between packets. Streaming services include audio streaming and video streaming. Streaming services have the following features: The size of each data packet is almost the same No burst occurs
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HSDPA Technology

High requirements for the BER High requirements for delay and delay jitter

The HS-DSCH provides services for all UEs. A HSDPA cell mainly carries high-speed data services and burst services, for example, interactive services and background services. However, streaming services can also be transmitted through HS-DSCHs if their BER and transmit delay are ensured through an appropriate scheduling mechanism. While the streaming services are in the coverage area of the network, the QoS must remain stable. The QoS should not be degraded when the quality of signals is deteriorated or when the number of users increase. HSDPA uses the AMC technology, so users' throughput goes down when the quality of signals is deteriorated. In addition, HSDPA users share the radio resources of the air interface. Therefore, the throughput of one or more users goes down if the number of users is increased. However, the phenomena are contrary to the features of the streaming service. The RNC gives a specific parameter identifier to a streaming service, and Node B provides special services for a streaming service through a scheduling algorithm and flow control algorithm. The main principle is as follows: Assign a larger justice factor to streaming users in the scheduling algorithm, so as to relieve the impact of the increase in the non-streaming service users on the QoS of the existing streaming service users Control the waiting time of the streaming service users to an appropriate level (the waiting time of the streaming services should be a little shorter than that of interactive services and background services, so as to ensure the real-time performance of the streaming services) Ensure the retransmission priority of the streaming services, so as to ensure the real-time performance

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4 Enhanced Functions
4.1 HSDPA HS-DPCCH ACK/NACK enhancement
3GPP R6 introduces the HS-DPCCH enhancement function. Before the HS-DPCCH sends the ACK/NACK message, 3GPP R6 introduces the PREAMBLE. After the HSDPCCH sends the ACK/NACK message, 3GPP R6 introduces the POSTAMBLE. The enhancement function brings the following benefits: At the UE side, the transmit power of the HS-DPCCH is reduced. At the Node B side, the demodulation performance of ACK/NACK of the HSDPCCH is improved.

4.2 Fractional Dedicated Physical Channel of HSDPA

The F-DPCH is introduced by R6. When the SRB of the downlink signaling is carried by the HS-DSCH, the downlink DPCH of the UE only needs to transfer the inner loop power control information field TPC. To save the code channel resources of the downlink, the F-DPCH is introduced. The SF of the F-DPCH is 256, each timeslot of the TPC field is 2 bits, and each timeslot of the code channel with the SF of 256 can carry 20 bits. Therefore, one F-DPCH can implement time division multiplexing for up to 10 UEs, thus occupying fewer code channels. The following figure shows the F-DPCH structure.
512 chips
(Tx OFF) TPC NTPC bits (Tx OFF)

Tslot = 2560 chips

Slot #0

Slot #1

Slot #i 1 radio frame: Tf = 10 ms

Slot #14

Figure 4-7 F-DPCH Structure

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As shown in the following figure, three UEs use the F-DPCH of the same channelization code and the offset of the F-DPCH needs to be staggered, thus saving the channelization codes used by the associated DPCH significantly.
vvv Any CPICH
10 ms P-CCPCH UE 1 DPCH Radio framewith (SFN modulo 2) = 0 DPCH1 DPCH2 UE 3 DPCH Fractional Dedicated Physical Channel HS-PDSCH Subframes DPCH3 TPC + pilot bits for 1 slot Radio framewith (SFN modulo 2) = 1

Ttx_diff

Subframe Subframe Subframe Subframe Subframe Subframe Subframe Subframe #0 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 0 2 6 9

UL 1 DPCCH T0 UL 2 DPCCH

UL 3 DPCCH

Figure 4-8 F-DPCH Multi-UE Multiplexing

4.3 SRB Over HSDPA

3GPP R6 introduces the F-DPCH. The F-DPCH is an associated DPCH of the HSPDSCH, and is used to assist the uplink DPCCH with power control. The F-DPCH only reserves the TPC domain of the DPCH, but has no space of data bits. Therefore, users SRB needs to be carried by HSDPA. The high-speed feature of HSDPA, allows the signaling flow in the Uu interface to speed up and thus reducing the call delay in the subsequent service setup when the SRBs are carried by HSDPA. On the other hand, the overhead of the downlink channelization codes can be reduced because of the F-DPCH. When the SRBs are carried by HSDPA, the DCCH is mapped to the HS-DSCH, the SRBs are carried by an independent MAC-d Flow, and four SRBs are multiplexed to
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Chapter 2 Basic Principle

one MAC-d Flow. At the RNC side, the appropriate MAC-d Flow parameters are configured according to the QoS of the SRB. Such parameters include Allocation/Retention Priority (ARP), preemption, and no preemption. The ARP can be configured to the highest priority. The Scheduling Priority Indicator (SPI) enjoys the highest priority. The MAC-hs guarantee rate need not be configured. DiscardTime is configured to 4s. When the HSDPA scheduler schedules the RRC signaling at the Node B side, the reliability of the RRC signaling is ensured.

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5 Mobility Management of HSDPA

UMTS RAN supports seamless handover of UEs inside the HSDPA coverage area, between the HSDPA coverage area and R99 coverage area, and between the HSDPA coverage area and 2G coverage area. The cell attribute HspaSptMeth of the HSDPA coverage area is Support HSDPA and DCH, Support HSDPA only, Support HSUPA, HSDPA and DCH, or Support HSUPA and HSDPA. The cell attribute HspaSptMeth of the R99 coverage area is Not Support HSUPA and HSDPA. For improving the compatibility of HSDPA over Iur, RAN supplies two more parameters RNCFEATSWITCH1 and RNCFEATSWITCH4 which can be configured based neighbor RNC. The RNCFEATSWITCH1 is used to configure the neighbor RNC support HSDPA or not. If the neighbor RNC doesnt support HSDPA, RNC will transfer HS-DSCH to DCH before do the Iur signaling flow. The RNCFEATSWITCH4 is configured to use DSCR or not when doing hard handover SRNS relocation for HSDSCH configuration. Compared with R99, there are two types of handover in the HSDPA system, that is, change of HS-DSCH serving cell and migration between the HS-DSCH and DCH.

5.1 Serving HS-DSCH Cell Change

The shared physical channels of HSDPA do not support soft handover, but the associated dedicated physical channels support soft handover. Compared with the handover flow of R99, the handover flow of HSDPA is changed. Figure 5 -9 shows the intra-frequency serving HS-DSCH cell change.

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Figure 5-9 Flow on the Intra-frequency Serving HS-DSCH Cell Change

Before the serving cell of the HS-DSCH is changed, the UE is connected to multiple cells: The HSDPA service connection to the source cell of Source Serving Node B DCH signaling connection to the target cell of Target Node B

The change flow is as follows: 1. According to the measurement control of the RNC, the UE measures the quality of the co-frequency adjacent cells in the adjacent cell list, judges the occurrence of the co-frequency event (for example, 1D event), and hands in the measurement report (for example, the 1D events) to the RNC. 2. The RNC decides to change the HS-DSCH serving cell according to the event and radio resource status reported by the UE. 3. The RNC sends a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Prepare, to Source Serving Node B. 4. The RNC sends a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Prepare, to Target Serving Node B.
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Chapter 2 Basic Principle

5.

Source Serving Node B implements RL reconfiguration, releases the HS-DSCH related resources, and returns a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Ready to the RNC.

6.

Target Serving Node B implements RL reconfiguration, sets up the HS-DSCH related resources, and returns a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Ready to the RNC.

7.

The RNC sends a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Commit, to Source Serving Node B.

8.

The RNC sends a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Commit, to Target Serving Node B.

9.

The RNC sends an RRC message, Physical Channel Reconfiguration, to the UE.

10. The UE sends an RRC message, Physical Channel Reconfiguration, to the RNC.

5.2 Migration Between the HS-DSCH and DCH

When the UE roams between the HSDPA cell and R99 cell, the migration between the HS-DSCH and DCH occurs. As the service traffic and radio coverage quality of the UE is changed in the HSDPA and R99 hybrid cell, the migration between the HS-DSCH and DCH may occur. The following section describes the channel migration between intra-frequency cells. The UE supports the motion from a HSDPA-capable cell to a HSDPA-incapable cell. When the RNC detects some handover events (for example, the 1D event, 1B event, or 1C event) and the target serving cell does not support HSDPA, the RNC implements intra-frequency soft handover while the channel is migrated from the HS-DSCH to the DCH. The signaling flow on channel migration is similar to the flow on the change of the serving cell. As shown in Figure Channel Reconfiguration, to the UE. 5 -10, the RNC sends the Radio Link Reconfiguration Prepare message to Node B, and sends the RRC message, Transport

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HSDPA Technology

Figure 5-10 Flow on Intra-Frequency Migration from HS-DSCH to DCH

The flow on the migration from the HS-DSCH to the DCH is as follows: 1. According to the measurement control of the RNC, the UE measures the quality of the co-frequency adjacent cells in the adjacent cell list, judges the occurrence of the co-frequency event (for example, 1D event), and hands in the measurement report (for example, the 1D events) to the RNC. 2. The RNC decides to migrate the HS-DSCH to the DCH according to the event and radio resource status reported by the UE. 3. The RNC sends a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Prepare, to Serving Node B. 4. The RNC sends a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Prepare, to NonServing Node B. 5. Serving Node B implements RL reconfiguration, releases the HS-DSCH related resources, and returns a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Ready to the RNC. 6. Non-Serving Node B implements RL reconfiguration, sets up the DCH related
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Chapter 2 Basic Principle

resources, and returns a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Ready to the RNC. 7. The RNC sends a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Commit, to Serving Node B. 8. The RNC sends a NBAP message, Radio Link Reconfiguration Commit, to NonServing Node B. 9. The RNC sends an RRC message, Transport Channel Reconfiguration, to the UE.

10. The UE sends an RRC message, Transport Channel Reconfiguration, to the RNC. The UE moves from a HSDPA-incapable cell to a HSDPA-capable intra-frequency cell. When the RNC detects some handover events and the service type and current rate of the UE conform to the HS-DSCH selection condition, the RNC requests the HS-DSCH resources first, and implements co-frequency hard handover while the migration occurs from the DCH to the HS-DSCH. The signaling flow is similar to the hard handoff flow of R99. As shown in Figure 5 -11, the RNC sends the Radio Link Setup Request message to Node B, and sends the Transport Channel Reconfiguration message to the UE.

Figure 5-11 Flow on Inter-Cell Migration from DCH to HS-DSCH

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HSDPA Technology

The flow on the migration from the DCH to the HS-DSCH is as follows: 1. According to the measurement control of the RNC, the UE measures the quality of the intra-frequency adjacent cells in the adjacent cell list, judges the occurrence of the intra-frequency event (for example, 1D event), and hands in the measurement report (for example, the 1D events) to the RNC. 2. The RNC decides to migrate the DCH to the HS-DSCH according to the event reported by the UE, radio resource status, and UE service status. 3. The RNC sends a NBAP message, Radio Link Setup Request, to Target Serving Node B. 4. Target Serving Node B implements RL setup, sets up the HS-DSCH related resources, and returns a NBAP message, Radio Link Setup Response, to the RNC. 5. 6. The RNC sends an RRC message, Transport Channel Reconfiguration, to the UE. The UE sends an RRC message, Transport Channel Reconfiguration Complete, to the RNC. 7. 8. The RNC sends a NBAP message, Radio Link Delete Request, to Source Node B. Source Node B implements RL deletion, releases the HS-DSCH related resources, and returns a NBAP message, Radio Link Setup Response, to the RNC.

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6 Key Technologies and Algorithms at the Node B Side

6.1 HSDPA Multiplex
In the same SC word, there are a total of 16 codes with the SF of 16. Because of the occupation by the public channel resources, a maximum of 15 channelization codes are available. If various factors are taken into account, Node B allows up to four UEs to be scheduled within a 2-ms TTI in a cell, that is, allow a maximum of four UEs to multiplex the HS-DSCH code channels at the same time. The HS-PDSCH is shared by all HSDPA users in the cell, thus improving channel utilization. The sharing mode is code division multiplexing and time division multiplexing. Code division multiplexing has following two features: Transmit the information of multiple users within one TTI at the same time Allocate multiple channelization codes to one subscriber within one TTI

Time division multiplexing means that different users can multiplex the same code resource after the TTI is changed. The number of the channelization codes allocated to one subscriber within one TTI is restricted by the UE capability level. The UE can select five, ten, or 15 code words. During code division multiplexing, the channelization codes can be divided into several subsets, which are allocated to different users. This mode can support not only the transmission of a small amount of data (in this case, the transmitted data needs only some channelization codes of the HSDSCH in the cell), but also the UE that cannot completely dispread all channelization code sets.

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Figure 6-12 HS-DSCH Time Division Multiplexing Structure and Code Division Multiplexing Structure

The figure shows the example of HSDPA multiplexing. Eight channelization codes (corresponding to eight HS-PDSCHs) are allocated to HSDPA. These channelization codes undergo time division multiplexing by the UE, and can also undergo code division multiplexing within the same TTI. In the first TTI, three channelization codes are allocated to UE3 and thus three HS-PDSCHs can be used to receive data. Five channelization codes are allocated to UE1. In this way, channelization codes can be utilized more flexibly and effectively to suit different UE capability levels. As stipulated by the protocol, there are 12 UE capability levels, which support a maximum of five, ten, and 15 codes respectively. Therefore, channelization codes need to be allocated to different subsets, that is, undergo code division multiplexing by different UEs. The number of channelization codes in each subset is changing. However, the number of channelization codes allocated to a UE should not exceed the receiving capability of the UE.

6.2 HSDPA 16QAM

RAN supports not only QPSK, but also high-order 16QAM. R99 only supports QPSK.
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Chapter 2 Basic Principle

The following figure shows the 16QAM constellation. Compared with QPSK, 16QAM doubles the spectrum utilization, but increases the complexity of the receiver. 16QAM requires not only amplitude estimation, but also more accurate phase estimation. During amplitude estimation, the received power difference between the CPICH and HS-PDSCH should be estimated.

Figure 6-13 16QAM Constellation Diagram

For 16QAM, the bit number of the physical channel in each code channel is 1,920 within the 2-ms TTI, that is, 960 kbps. If 15 code channels transmit data concurrently and the modulation mode is16QAM, the peak rate of the physical layer is 14.4 Mbps and the peak rate of the MAC-hs layer is 13.976 Mbps.

6.3 HSDPA Adaptive Modulation and Coding

In the mobile radio transmission environment, the quality of the signals received by the UE depends on the distance between Node B and the UE, as well as channel fading (including logarithmic normal slow fading and Rayleigh fast fading).The link adaptation technology is to adjust the transmit power, symbol rate, modulation order, coding rate, coding scheme, or combination of them adaptively according to the change of the fading channel, thus attaining real-time balance of the link. The link adaptation technology is intended to increase system capacity and improve communication
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quality. Fast power control adopted by the traditional WCDMA is a link adaptation technology. AMC is a typical link adaptation technology adopted by HSDPA. A maximum of 15 channelization codes can be used concurrently to suit the changing channel quality of each UE. AMC can provide a changing modulation and coding solution, thus attaining high transmission rate and spectrum utilization. AMC works on the following principle: According to the radio channel quality status (CQI report) reported by the current UE and the utilization of network resources, Node B selects the optimal downlink modulation and coding mode at the network side, so as to determine the rate of data transmitting, raising the data throughput of the UE, and reducing transmission delay. Data rate is adjusted by changing the modulation strategy, setting effective coding rate and appropriate number of HS-PDSCH codes. When the UE is at a favorable communication point (for example, the UE is close to Node B), a high-order modulation and high-rate channel coding mode (for example, 16QAM and 3/4 coding rate) can be selected to transmit subscriber data, thus attaining high transmission rate. When the UE is at an unfavorable communication point (for example, far from Node B), a low-order modulation and low-rate channel coding mode (for example, QPSK and 1/4 coding rate) can be selected to ensure communication quality. As shown in Figure 6 -14, there are two types of link adaptation technologies,

including inner loop link adaptation and outer loop link adaptation.

Figure 6-14 HS-DSCH Link Adaptation Principle

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Inner loop link adaptation should be based on the CQI. The core principle is that Node B selects the modulation and coding mode and size of the transmission block according to the CQI reported by the UE. When the UE is at a favorable communication point (for example, the UE is close to Node B or a direct ray path is available), a high-order modulation and high-rate channel coding mode (for example, 16QAM and 3/4 coding rate) can be selected to transmit subscriber data, thus attaining high transmission rate. When the UE is at a far point of the cell, or in a high-fading area or shadow area, a low-order modulation and low-rate channel coding mode (for example, QPSK and 1/4 coding rate) can be selected to ensure communication quality. shows the AMC mechanism.

Figure 6-15 AMC Mechanism

Outer loop link adaptation is based on the ACK/NACK/DTX sent back by the HSDPCCH. The CQI reports that there exists a delay. Therefore, the single inner loop link adaptation mode cannot control the downlink BLER to the target value approximately under any circumstance. In this case, outer loop link adaptation is required . Figure 6 -16 shows the relation between the UE with the capability level of 10 and throughput, modulation mode, and number of code channels.

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Figure 6-16 Relation Between CQI and Throughput, Modulation Mode, and Number of Code Channels

The valid CQI range is from 1 to 30. The difference of channel quality (SNR) between CQIs is about 1 dB. The number of used code channels is increased while the CQI is raised. When the CQI is not greater than 15, QPSK is used. When the CQI is greater than 15, 16QAM is used. The throughput ranges from 68.5 kbps to 12.8 Mbps. The throughput is 12.8 Mbps when the CQI is 30 and the corresponding transmission block is 25,558 bits. The largest transmission block supported by the protocol is 27,952 bits, that is, 13.976 Mbps. AMC is the most important link adaptation technology of HSDPA. When the channel conditions are favorable, the 16QAM mode with high spectrum utilization is used, thus raising the throughput of the UE and cell. AMC is related to resource allocation. When selecting a transmission format for the subscriber, AMC should consider the channel conditions, as well as the available radio resources and data amount in the subscriber data buffer.

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6.4 HSDPA HARQ

HARQ is among the key technologies of the HSPDA system. Compared with AMC, HARQ is a hidden link adaptation technology. AMC sets the modulation and coding format through an explicit C/I or similar measurement. HARQ uses the link layer acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) for the retransmission judgment. The HARQ technology is a hybrid of Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) and Forward Error Correction (FEC). In conjunction with AMC, HARQ is used to adapt to the channel quality accurately and quickly. HARQ provides a low error rate. When a data packet is retransmitted, the Redundancy Variable (RV) parameter and transmission power can be different from those during initial transmission. The RV parameter determines the combination strategy when the UE receives the retransmitted data. The first strategy is called Chase Combine (CC) or Soft Combining: The retransmitted data is the same as the initially transmitted data. The second strategy is called Incremental Redundancy (IR): The relative number of system bits and the relative number of check bits are varying every time. The IR strategy requires the UE to have more memory. Through the retransmission combining technology, the HARQ technology utilizes every retransmission, thus raising the success rate of data retransmission. By default, the number of retransmission is configured to 3. The HSDPA system supports multiple concurrent HARQ processes, so as to transmit data for a subscriber continuously. HARQ uses the Stop and Wait protocol for data transmission. The time sequence design of the physical layer of HSDPA can reflect the result of data transmission from HSDPA. The delay is six 2-ms TTIs. To utilize the radio channels completely and ensure full-rate operation, one UE requires at least six HARQs.

Figure 6-17 Schematic Diagram of Six HARQs for Single UE

The figure shows the schematic diagram on multiple HARQ processes. Assume that
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there are six HARQs and the feedback delay of the HARQs is less than six TTIs. In the initial six TTIs, different HARQs are used respectively to transfer new data. When the seventh TTI is used, HARQ 1 can be used continuously because the feedback information of HARQ 1 is received. If the feedback information is ACK, new data is transferred. If the feedback information is NACK, the last data is retransmitted. The feedback information of HARQ 2 is received in the seventh TTI, so the eighth TTI can use HARQ 2 to transfer new data. HQRQ 3 returns NACK, so the ninth TTI retransmits old data. For data retransmission, the ninth TTI must use the same HARQ Process ID as that of the first transmission.

6.5 HSDPA CQI Adjustment

In the HSDPA system, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) is used to transfer the downlink data. The MCS must be adjusted to the ever-changing channel conditions, thus maximizing the channel capacity and throughput. In the current system, the UE measures and sends back the CQI. Node B determines the MCS that is used to transmit the subsequent downlink data of the UE according to the CQI and other resource status. When the UE generates the CQI, the target BLER is 10%. Due to the implementation difference among vendors and measurement error, the reported CQI is not accurate. Therefore, the following results are obtained: The mechanism cannot acquire the optimal MCS timely and effectively The BLER is fluctuated greatly The UE cannot acquire due QoS System throughput is reduced

If the CQI of the UE is overestimated, the transmission block is extremely large and the downlink BER exceeds 10%. If the CQI of the UE is underestimated, the transmission block is extremely small and system throughput is reduced. To solve the problem, Node B implements outer loop power control, tracks the changes of the channel conditions effectively, and controls the BLER of the newly transmitted MAC-hs TB to the target value of 10% approximately. Node B adjusts the target CQI according to the CQI and ACK fed back by the UE. The intent is to reduce the measurement error of the CQI, relieve the impact of the implementation difference among the UE vendors, ensure the QoS of the UE, and raise system throughput.

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