Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, KL, MALAYSIA, March 2730, 2012 1467

LTE-FDD and LTE-TDD for Cellular Communications

A. Z. Yonis
1
, M. F. L. Abdullah
1
, and M. F. Ghanim
2
1
Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Department of Communication Engineering
University of Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia
2
Computer Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq
Abstract LTE-Advanced (Long Term Evolution-Advanced) is used on fourth generation (4G)
in mobile phone technology as many providers are beginning to augment their networks with LTE.
As known, mobile phone trac is divided into two parts: an uplink and a downlink. This paper
presents the LTE two duplexing modes: LTE-TDD (Time Division Duplexing) and LTE-FDD
(Frequency Division Duplexing). Where LTE-TDD favored by a majority of implementations
because of exibility in choosing uplink to downlink data rate ratios, ability to exploit channel
reciprocity, ability to implement in non-paired spectrum and less complex transceiver design. In
the case of FDD operation there are two carrier frequencies, one for uplink transmission (f
UL
) and
one for downlink transmission ( f
DL
). During each frame, there are thus ten uplink subframes and
ten downlink subframes, so uplink and downlink transmission can occur simultaneously within a
cell. LTE-FDD implies that downlink and uplink transmission take place in dierent, suciently
separated, frequency bands, while TDD implies that downlink and uplink transmission take
place in dierent, non overlapping time slots. Thus, TDD can operate in unpaired spectrum,
whereas FDD requires paired spectrum. Also the required exibility and resulting requirements
to support LTE operation in dierent paired and unpaired frequency arrangements are discussed
in this Paper. This paper focuses on the main dierence between LTE-FDD and LTE-TDD in
how they divide the single channel to provide paths for both uploading (mobile transmit) and
downloading (base-station transmit). FDD does this by dividing the frequency band allotted into
two discrete smaller channels. TDD uses the entire channel but alternates between uploading
and downloading and in the case of TDD uplink and downlink communication taking place in
the same frequency band but in separate non-overlapping time slots; there is typically a high
fading correlation between the downlink and uplink.
1. INTRODUCTION
With full coverage in the 3 GPP Release 8 specications of both TDD and FDD modes of operation,
LTE can eectively be deployed in both the paired and unpaired spectrum. LTE TDD and FDD
modes have been greatly harmonized in the sense that both modes share the same underlying
framework, including radio access schemes OFDMA in downlink and SC-FDMA in uplink, basic
subframe formats, conguration protocols, etc.. As clear indication of the harmonization, the
TDD mode is included together with the FDD mode in the same set of specications, including
the physical layer where there are just a few dierences due to the uplink/downlink switching
operation. In terms of architecture there are no dierences between FDD and TDD and the
very few dierences in the MAC and higher layer protocols relate to TDD specic physical layer
parameters. Procedures are kept the same. Thus there will be high implementation synergies
between the two modes allowing for ecient support of both TDD and FDD in the same network
or user device. Coexistence would of course still require careful analysis. Another key feature of
the LTE-TDD mode (known also as TD-LTE) is the commonality with TD-SCDMA. In this paper,
the detailed aspects of LTE-TDD that dier from the LTE-FDD mode are introduced. Further,
information related to both the link and system performance of the LTE TDD mode of operation
is given [1].
2. SPECTRUM FLEXIBILITY
A high degree of spectrum exibility is the main characteristic of the LTE radio-access technology.
The aim of this spectrum exibility is to allow for the deployment of LTE radio access in dierence
frequency bands with dierent characteristics, including dierent duplex arrangements and dierent
sizes of the available spectrum [2].
2.1. Flexibility in Duplex Arrangement
One important part of the LTE requirements in terms of spectrum exibility is the possibility to
deploy LTE-based radio access in both paired and unpaired spectrum. Therefore, LTE supports
1468 PIERS Proceedings, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA, March 2730, 2012
both frequency- and time-division-based duplex arrangements. FDD as illustrated on the left
in Figure 1, implies that downlink and uplink transmission take place in dierent, suciently
separated, frequency bands. TDD as illustrated on the right in Figure 1 implies that downlink and
uplink transmission take place in dierent, non-overlapping time slots. Thus, TDD can operate in
unpaired spectrum, whereas FDD requires paired spectrum [1].
Operation in both paired and unpaired spectrum has been supported by 3GPP radio-access
technologies even before the introduction of LTE by means of FDD-based WCDMA/HSPA in
combination with TDD-based TD-SCDMA radio. However, this was then achieved by means of,
at least in the details, relatively dierent radio-access technologies leading to additional eort and
complexity when developing and implementing dual-mode terminals capable of both FDD and
TDD operation. LTE, on the other hand, supports both FDD and TDD within a single radio-
access technology, leading to a minimum of deviation between FDD and TDD for LTE-based radio
access.
In the case of dierences between FDD and TDD, these dierences will be explicitly indicated.
Furthermore, the TDD mode, also known as TD-LTE, is designed with coexistence between TD-
LTE and TD-SCDMA in mind to simplify a gradual migration from TD-SCDMA to TD-LTE.
LTE also supports half-duplex FDD at the terminal (illustrated in the middle of Figure 1). In
half-duplex FDD, transmission and reception at a specic terminal are separated in both frequency
and time. The base station still uses full-duplex FDD as it simultaneously may schedule dierent
terminals in uplink and downlink; this is similar to, for example, GSM operation. The main benet
with half-duplex FDD is the reduced terminal complexity as no duplex lter is needed in the
terminal. This is especially benecial in the case of multi-band terminals which otherwise would
need multiple sets of duplex lters.
3. DUPLEX SCHEMES
Spectrum exibility is one of the key features of LTE. In addition to the exibility in transmission
bandwidth, LTE also supports operation in both paired and unpaired spectrum by supporting both
FDD- and TDD-based duplex operation with the timefrequency structures illustrated in Figure 2.
Although the time-domain structure is, in most respects, the same for FDD and TDD, there are
some dierences, most notably the presence of a special subframe in the case of TDD. The special
subframe is used to provide the necessary guard time for downlinkuplink switching.
3.1. Frequency-division Duplex (FDD)
In the case of FDD operation (upper part of Figure 2), there are two carrier frequencies, one for
uplink transmission (f
UL
) and one for downlink transmission (f
DL
). During each frame, there

Figure 1: Frequency and time-division duplex [1].
Figure 2: Uplink/downlink time-frequency structure for FDD and TDD [2].
Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, KL, MALAYSIA, March 2730, 2012 1469
Figure 3: Guard time at the terminal for half duplex FDD [2].
are thus ten uplink subframes and ten downlink subframes, and uplink and downlink transmission
can occur simultaneously within a cell [3]. Isolation between downlink and uplink transmissions is
achieved by transmission/reception lters, known as duplex lters, and a suciently large duplex
separation in the frequency domain. Even if uplink and downlink transmission can occur simul-
taneously within a cell in the case of FDD operation, a terminal may be capable of full-duplex
operation or only half-duplex operation for a certain frequency band, depending on whether or not
it is capable of simultaneous transmission/reception. In the case of full-duplex capability, transmis-
sion and reception may also occur simultaneously at a terminal, whereas a terminal capable of only
half-duplex operation cannot transmit and receive simultaneously. Supporting only half-duplex
operation allows for simplied terminal implementation due to relaxed duplex-lter requirements.
This applies especially for certain frequency bands with a narrow duplex gap.
Hence, full duplex support is frequency-band dependent such that a terminal may support only
half-duplex operation in certain frequency bands while being capable of full-duplex operation in
the remaining supported bands. It should be noted that full/half-duplex capability is a property
of the terminal; the base station is operating in full duplex irrespective of the terminal capabilities.
Hence, as the relevant transmission structures and timing relations are identical between full-duplex
and half-duplex FDD, a single cell may simultaneously support a mixture of full-duplex and half-
duplex FDD terminals. Half-duplex operation has an impact on the sustained data rates that can
be provided to/from a single mobile terminal as it cannot transmit in all uplink subframes, but the
cell capacity is hardly aected as typically it is possible to schedule dierent terminals in uplink
and downlink in a given subframe. Since a half-duplex terminal is not capable of simultaneous
transmission and reception, the scheduling decisions must take this into account and half-duplex
operation can be seen as a scheduling restriction. If a terminal is scheduled such that downlink
reception in one subframe immediately precedes a subframe of uplink transmission, a guard time is
necessary for the terminal to switch from reception to transmission. This is created in such cases
by allowing the terminal to skip receiving the last OFDM symbol(s) in the downlink subframe, as
illustrated in Figure 3.
3.2. Time-division Duplex (TDD)
In the case of TDD operation (Upper part of Figure 2), there is a single carrier frequency only
and uplink and downlink transmissions are separated in the time domain on a cell basis [4]. As
seen in the gure, some subframes are allocated for uplink transmissions and some subframes
for downlink transmission, with the switch between downlink and uplink occurring in the special
subframe (subframe 1 and, in some cases, subframe 6).
Like FDD, LTE TDD supports bandwidths from 1.4 MHz up to 20 MHz but depending on the
frequency band, the number of supported bandwidths may be less than the full range. For example,
for the 2.5 GHz band, it is not likely that the smallest bandwidths will be supported. Since the
bandwidth is shared between uplink and downlink and the maximum bandwidth is specied to be
20 MHz in Release 8, the maximum achievable data rates are lower than in LTE FDD. This way the
same receiver and transmitter processing capability can be used with both TDD and FDD modes
enabling faster deployment of LTE.
The TDD system can be implemented on an unpaired band (or in two paired bands separately)
while the FDD system always requires a pair of bands with a reasonable separation between uplink
and downlink directions, known as the duplex separation. In a FDD UE implementation this
normally requires a duplex lter when simultaneous transmission and reception is facilitated. In
a TDD system the UE does not need such a duplex lter. The complexity of the duplex lter
increases when the uplink and downlink frequency bands are placed in closer proximity. In some of
the future spectrum allocations it is foreseen that it will be easier to nd new unpaired allocations
than paired allocations with sensible duplex separation thereby increasing further the scope of
applicability for TDD.
1470 PIERS Proceedings, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA, March 2730, 2012
However, since uplink and downlink share the same frequency band, the signals in these two
transmission directions can interfere with each other. This is illustrated in Figure 4, with the use of
TDD on the same frequency without coordination and synchronization between sites in the same
coverage area.
For uncoordinated deployment (unsynchronized) on the same frequency band, the devices con-
nected to the cells with dierent timing and/or dierent uplink/downlink allocation may cause
blocking for other users. In LTE TDD the base stations need to be synchronized to each other at
Table 1: Comparison between FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE.
FDD-LTE TDD-LTE
Uses Frequency-Division Duplex Uses Time-Division Duplex
Generally better suited for applications
like voice calls that have symmetric
traffic, because traffic in both directions is
always constant.
Is better at reallocating traffic than
FDD-LTE such as Internet or other data
centric services.
It requires paired spectrum with different
frequencies with guard band.
Does not require paired spectrum since
transmit and receive occurs in the same
channel
Is appears when planning sites for base
stations. Because FDD base stations use
different frequencies for receiving and
transmitting, they effectively do not hear
each other and no special planning is
needed.
With TDD, special considerations need to
be taken in order to prevent neighboring
base stations from interfering with each
other.

Allows for easier planning than TDD
LTE.
It is cheaper than FD LTE since in
TDD-LTE no need of duplexer to isolate
transmission and receptions.
FDD LTE is full duplex this means that
both the upload and download are always
available.
TDD LTE is half duplex as either upload
or download can use the channel but not
at the same time.
With FDD, the bandwidth cannot be
dynamically reallocated and the unused
bandwidth is wasted.
TDD can allocate more time for the part
that requires more bandwidth, thereby
balancing the load
FDD-LTE every downlink subframe can
be associated with an uplink subframe
TD-LTE the number of downlink and
uplink subframes is different and such
association is not possible.
An FDD system uses a duplexer and/or
two antennas that require spatial
separation and, therefore, cannot reuse the
resources. The result is more costly
hardware [5].

In TDD, both the transmitter and receiver
operate on the same frequency but at
different times. Therefore, TDD systems
reuse the filters, mixers, frequency
sources and synthesizers, thereby
eliminating the complexity and costs
associated with isolating the transmit
antenna and the receive antenna.
FDD cannot be used in environments
where the service provider does not have
enough bandwidth to provide the required
guard-band between transmit and receive
channels.
TDD utilizes the spectrum more
efficiently than FDD.
It is requires two interference-free
channels.
It is requires only one interference-free
channel.
Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, KL, MALAYSIA, March 2730, 2012 1471
Figure 4: Interference from uplink to downlink in uncoordinated TDD operation.
frame level in the same coverage area to avoid this interference. This can be typically done by us-
ing, for example, satellite based solutions like GPS or Galileo or by having another external timing
reference shared by the LTE TDD base stations within the same coverage area. LTE FDD does
not need the base station synchronization. There is no interference between uplink and downlink
in FDD due to the duplex separation of the carriers.
4. SUMMARY AND COMPARISON
The two versions of LTE are very similar. In fact, they dier only in the physical layer and, as
a result, the version implemented is transparent to the higher layers. This means that UEs will
be able to support both TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE with one chipset with only minor modications
required. The Table 1 shows the main comparison between FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE.
5. CONCLUSION
The uplink coverage with respect to a specic data rate in TDD-LTE is generally worse than FDD-
LTE due to the fact that the uplink transmission is not continuous. The percentage of coverage
for control and data channels is, however, very similar to that of FDD-LTE. In terms of spectrum
eciency, the performances of TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE are similar for non-delay sensitive trac.
The lower performance of TDD-LTE is due to the guard periods mentioned above. Overall, TDD-
LTE oers operators a great alternative to FDD. Its natural suitability for asymmetric applications,
low latency, high throughput, and security make it a exible and cost-eective solution for the next
generation wireless networks. TDD is more exible than FDD in meeting the need to dynamically
recongure the allocated upstream and downstream bandwidth in response to customer needs. In
summary, TDD is a more desirable duplexing technology that allows system operators to receive
the most from their investment in spectrum and telecom equipment, while meeting the needs of
each individual customer
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Authors are grateful to University of Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Faculty of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering, Communication lab for their valuable suggestions and help in carrying out
this study.
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