WCDMA RAN

Interference Cancellation
Feature Parameter Description

Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 2011. All rights reserved.

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WCDMA RAN
Interference Cancellation

Contents

Contents
1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................1-1
1.1 Scope ............................................................................................................................................ 1-1
1.2 Intended Audience ........................................................................................................................ 1-1
1.3 Change History.............................................................................................................................. 1-1

2 Overview of IC ...........................................................................................................................2-1
3 Technical Description ..............................................................................................................3-1
3.1 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 3-1
3.2 Multi-User Detection Technique .................................................................................................... 3-1
3.3 Classification of Multi-User Detection Technique .......................................................................... 3-2
3.4 Parallel Interference Cancellation ................................................................................................. 3-3
3.4.1 Basic Data Flow of Parallel Interference Cancellation ......................................................... 3-3
3.4.2 Interference Cancellation Objects ........................................................................................ 3-4
3.4.3 Control Channel Parallel Interference Cancellation ............................................................. 3-4
3.4.4 E-DPDCH PIC ...................................................................................................................... 3-5

4 Engineering Guidelines...........................................................................................................4-1
4.1 HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation ............................................................................................ 4-1
4.1.1 When to Use HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation ............................................................. 4-1
4.1.2 Feature Monitoring ............................................................................................................... 4-1

5 Parameters .................................................................................................................................5-2
6 Counters ......................................................................................................................................6-1
7 Glossary ......................................................................................................................................7-1
8 Reference Documents .............................................................................................................8-1

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WCDMA RAN
Interference Cancellation

1 Introduction

1 Introduction
1.1 Scope
This document provides an overview of the interference cancellation (IC) feature. It also describes the
functions of the IC feature.
This document includes the information about the following features:

WRFD-010691 HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation

WRFD-010210 Control Channel Parallel Interference Cancellation (CCPIC)

1.2 Intended Audience

This document is intended for:

Personnel who are familiar with WCDMA basics

Personnel who need to understand IC

Personnel who work with Huawei products

1.3 Change History

This section provides information on the changes in different document versions.
There are two types of changes, which are defined as follows:

Feature change: refers to the change in the IC feature.

Editorial change: refers to the change in wording or the addition of the information that was not
described in the earlier version.

Document Issues
The document issues are as follows:

02 (2011-06-30)

01 (2011-04-30)

Draft B (2011-03-30)

Draft A (2010-12-30)

02 (2011-06-30)
This is the document for the second commercial release of RAN13.0.
Compared with issue 01 (2011-04-30) of RAN13.0, this issue adds the engineering Guidelines about
HSUPA UL parallel interference cancellation. For details, see 4.1 HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation.

01 (2011-04-30)
This is the document for the first commercial release of RAN13.0.
Compared with issue Draft B (2011-03-30) of RAN13.0, this issue has no change.

Draft B (2011-03-30)
This is the draft of the document for RAN13.0.
Compared with issue Draft A (2010-12-30) of RAN13.0, this issue optimizes the description.

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Interference Cancellation

1 Introduction

Draft A (2010-12-30)
This is the draft of the document for RAN13.0.
Compared with issue 01 (2010-03-30) of RAN12.0, this issue optimizes the description.

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2 Overview of IC

2 Overview of IC
The inherent self-interference in a WCDMA system has a serious impact on system capacity and
coverage range. The parallel interference cancellation (PIC) methods, including Control Channel Parallel
Interference Cancellation (CCPIC) and HSUPA UL Parallel interference cancellation (E-DPDCH PIC),
are introduced in to eliminate interference signals on the DPCCH and E-DPDCH. PIC helps achieve
higher signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) in demodulation and further improve uplink capacity of the
UMTS system. In addition, E-DPDCH PIC implements inter-board IC and intra-board IC. In this way,
other boards benefit from the IC technique. IC is a multi-user detection technique.

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3 Technical Description

3 Technical Description
3.1 Overview
The WCDMA system is also a self-interference system. Its capacity and performance are affected by
interference from other subscribers, known as multiple access interference (MAI). In addition, the
far-near effect problem still exists. That is, as the distances from subscribers to base stations increase
and the signals fade, strong signals may suppress weak signals. As a result, the subscribers with
relatively weak signals cannot be detected properly.
The Multi-user Detection (MUD) technique provides associated detection methods for subscribers or
reduces interference from received signals to eliminate MAI and inter-code interference. This technique
effectively combats the far-near effect, greatly improves system performance, and increases capacity of
the WCDMA system.
IC is one of the MUD techniques.

3.2 Multi-User Detection Technique

In the scenario of single user, the noise for the user includes background noise, Inter-symbol
interference (ISI), and exterior interference (including neighboring cell).
In the scenario of multiple users, interference between users should be considered as noise too. This
type of interference is called Multiple User Interference (MUI) or Multiple Address Interference (MAI).
Noise
type

Description

NO

Background noise

ISI

Inter-symbol interference (ISI) is a form of distortion of a signal in which one symbol

interferes with subsequent symbols. This is an unwanted phenomenon as the previous
symbols have similar effect as noise, thus making the communication less reliable. ISI is
usually caused by multipath propagation or the inherent non-linear frequency response of
a channel causing successive symbols to "blur" together. The presence of ISI in the
system introduces errors in the decision device at the receiver output. Therefore, in the
design of the transmitting and receiving filters, the objective is to minimize the effects of
ISI, and thereby deliver the digital data to its destination with the smallest error rate
possible. Ways to fight inter-symbol interference include adaptive equalization and error
correcting codes.

MAI

MAI is caused by multiple access technology. Scrambling codes are used to distinguish
UEs in the uplink. Scrambling codes are not orthogonal. So the users interfere with each
other in the uplink and cause Multiple Access Interference (MAI).
When SF is large and subscriber number is small, the MAI is approximate to Gaussian
white noise and has little impact on performance. But when SF is small or subscriber
number is large, the MAI can not be taken as Gaussian white noise and affects
performance greatly.

A traditional detection technique uses a matched filter to despread the received signals and is followed by
an information bit decision. A common receiver does not perform combined signal processing because it
does not consider the MAI from other subscribers. That is, it does not use transmission information from
other subscribers.

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3 Technical Description

Compared with the common detection technique, the multi-user detection (MUD) technique uses signal
information from all subscribers that have generated MAI to detect signals of a single subscriber. The
MUD technique improves the anti-interference capability of the system, solves the near-far effect
problem, efficiently uses the spectrum resource in the uplink (UL), and also increases system capacity.

3.3 Classification of Multi-User Detection Technique

The MUD technique can be classified into optimal MUD and suboptimal MUD.
Optimal MUD is implemented by using a matched filter and the Viterbi algorithm to detect the transmit
sequence with the maximum posterior probability for the received signals. This technique is also called
maximum likelihood sequence (MLS) detection. The Viterbi algorithm has excellent performance. The
MLS detection uses the amplitude and phase of the received signals, which are obtained through
estimation. The computational complexity of the estimation increases exponentially with the number of
users and therefore the optimal MUD actually cannot be implemented in reality.
Suboptimal MUD is classified into two types: linear MUD and non-linear MUD. The IC technique is one of
the non-linear MUD techniques. It estimates the MAI produced by different subscribers, through decision
and reconstruction, and then eliminates part of or all interference from the received signals. The
interference canceller (IC) need not include the calculation of correlated matrix. It can be expanded
without increasing the calculation complexity. In addition, the interference canceller can improve the
reception performance of low-power signals. Therefore, the IC technique is often preferred in a
third-generation (3G) communications system.
The basic idea of IC is to estimate the MAI in the received signals through decision and reconstruction
and then to eliminate part of or all interference before the decision. The main IC methods are as follows:

Parallel interference cancellation (PIC)

PIC performs decision and reconstruction on signals of multiple subscribers simultaneously to reduce
the impact of MAI between subscribers. Currently, the IC method used in Huawei products is PIC.

Successive interference cancellation (SIC)

SIC performs decision and reconstruction on signals of a single subscriber at each level and then
eliminates interference from the received signals to reduce the impact of MAI on other subscribers at
lower levels. Generally, the operations by levels are performed in descending order of power of
received signals. That is, the SIC operation is performed on subscribers in sequence from strong
power to low power. Therefore, subscribers with lower power benefit most from the method.

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3 Technical Description

Figure 3-1 MUD methods

3.4 Parallel Interference Cancellation

Based on different scenarios, Huawei provides the following PIC methods:

Control channel parallel interference cancellation (CCPIC)

HSUPA UL interference cancellation (E-DPDCH PIC)

In addition to the principles of IC, differences and characteristics of the PIC methods are described in the
subsequent sections.

3.4.1 Basic Data Flow of Parallel Interference Cancellation

Figure 3-2 shows the basic data flow of PIC.
Figure 3-2 Basic data flow of PIC

The IC technique includes the following operations:

1. One-time demodulation or data regeneration: After the NodeB receives the antenna data (data of all
subscribers), it demodulates the data of each subscriber and then modulates the data to obtain the
modulated data of each subscriber, that is, regenerating subscriber data.
2. IC: The regenerated data is sent to the IC module.
3. NodeB demodulation: The NodeB demodulates the data after IC.

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3 Technical Description

3.4.2 Interference Cancellation Objects

The HSUPA function of the WCDMA system provides a new UL transport channel, called E-DCH. In
contrast to HSDPA, HSUPA uses dedicated channels rather than shared channels. Each UE is assigned
a dedicated E-DCH, which is independent from the DCH and channels of other UEs. At the same time,
HSUPA uses various new physical channels, as shown in Figure 3-3.
Figure 3-3 shows all the physical channels required for running HSUPA, except the broadcast channel.
The E-DPDCH is a physical channel used for the UE to transmit bits (E-DCH processing results) to the
NodeB. Subscriber data is carried on this channel. With the increase of the HSUPA rate, the UL
interference increases.
The IC technique is developed to eliminate interference signals on the two types of channels. CCPIC is
used to eliminate interference signals on the DPCCH. E-DPDCH PIC is used to eliminate interference
signals on the E-DPDCH.
Figure 3-3 Physical channels required for HSUPA when the R99 DCH is used in the DL

E-HICH: E-DCH HARQ Acknowledgement Indicator Channel

E-RGCH: E-DCH Relative Grant Channel
E-AGCH: E-DCH Absolute Grant Channel
E-DPCCH: E-DCH Dedicated Physical Control Channel
E-DPDCH: E-DCH Dedicated Physical Data Channel
UE: User Equipment

3.4.3 Control Channel Parallel Interference Cancellation

Control Channel Parallel Interference Cancellation (CCPIC) is used to eliminate interference signals on
the DPCCH.
Each subscriber has a control channel that is the major source for the interference, especially for low-rate
and low-activity services. CCPIC is a simplified MUD technique of the receiver in the NodeB. It is used in
the heavy-load scenario. By eliminating interference from the UL control channel signals in the baseband
data and reducing UL interference, CCPIC improves system capacity and thus reduces the investment for
operators.
The principle of CCPIC is as follows: After receiving baseband signals, the NodeB demodulates the
signals. According to the multipath delay and fading signals, the data regeneration module regenerates
DPCCH signals and sends them to the IC module for IC processing. The data on other channels such as
the DPDCH, E-DPDCH, and E-DPCCH can be demodulated after IC is performed on the DPCCH.
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3 Technical Description

3.4.4 E-DPDCH PIC

HSUPA UL interference cancellation (E-DPDCH PIC) is used to eliminate interference signals on the UL
high-rate E-DPDCH. This function is controlled by the parameter IC_MODE.
HSUPA provides UL high-rate services. The Radio Access Network (RAN), based on the wideband code
division multiple access technology, is a typical self-interference system. With the increase of the HSUPA
rate, the UL interference increases. The UL interference is a major factor affecting the UL capacity of the
RAN.
E-DPDCH PIC greatly improves the UL capacity of the RAN system. When there are few
high-throughput HSUPA subscribers and several low-throughput HSUPA subscribers in the system,
high-throughput HSUPA subscribers generate serious UL interference to low-throughput HSUPA
subscribers, and the rate of the original high-throughput HSUPA subscribers is also affected. E-DPDCH
PIC can reduce the interference from high-throughput HSUPA subscribers on other subscribers. When
E-DPDCH PIC is used, more subscribers using low-rate services such as VoIP can access the network,
considering that the rate of the existing subscribers remains unchanged.
In the HSUPA application scenario, if there are some high-rate HSUPA subscribers, E-DPDCH PIC can
be used to increase the SIR and the system capacity.
When E-DPDCH PIC is used, the NodeB demodulates the HSUPA UL E-DPDCH data and then
performs IC based on the demodulated data and the original received baseband data. Then, the NodeB
demodulates the baseband data again after IC. For the baseband data after IC, the interference from the
E-DPDCH data is eliminated and the MAI is reduced. Therefore, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the
data is improved.
Huawei NodeB can provide an IC resource pool to share signals generated after IC between the boards.
The functions of the IC resource pool are as follows:

Intra-board IC: IC results cannot be shared between boards. IC results of an IC-capable board can be
used within the board only but cannot be shared with other boards, irrespective of whether these
boards are IC-capable.

Inter-board IC: IC results can be shared between all boards in the NodeB. That is ,when there are
multiple IC-capable boards in a NodeB, IC-capable boards can share IC results with each other. In
addition, IC-incapable boards in this NodeB can also share the IC results of IC-capable boards. As a
result, users carried on IC-incapable boards can use the signals after IC rather than the original
signals for demodulation. This improves the demodulation performance of users carried on
IC-incapable boards and brings gain from IC.

Currently, only the 3800/3900 series base stations support inter-board IC. Other types of base stations
support intra-board IC only.

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4 Engineering Guidelines

4 Engineering Guidelines
4.1 HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation
4.1.1 When to Use HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation
HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation reduces uplink interference and improves uplink system capacity.
This feature yields notable gains in some scenarios. For example, if the system needs to support a small
number of HSUPA users that require high throughput and a large number of HSUPA users that require
low throughput, HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation can be used to prevent high-throughput users from
inflicting too much interference on low-throughput users. Without HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation,
the system supports only a limited number of low-throughput users (such as VoIP users) or has to lower
the rates of high-throughput users.
The uplink rates of HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation users affect interference cancellation efficiency
and uplink system capacity. Generally, this feature yields notable gains for high-throughput users on the
uplink. Higher rates mean more gains. Therefore, HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation is recommended
for HSUPA cells if the network has high-throughput users on the uplink.
When used together with HSUPA Adaptive Transmission (large retransmission state), HSUPA UL
Interference Cancellation yields reduced gains, because a higher proportion of retransmissions leads to
a lower efficiency of HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation.

4.1.2 Feature Monitoring

To determine whether HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation has taken effect, check the values of the
following NodeB counters:

VS.HSUPA.Ic.MeanEff: average HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation efficiency in a cell within a

measurement period

VS.HSUPA.Ic.MaxEff: maximum efficiency of HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation in a cell within a

measurement period

HSUPA UL Interference Cancellation increases cell uplink throughput. To find out how much the cell
uplink throughput has increased, compare the uplink throughput before the feature is enabled with the
uplink throughput after the feature is enabled. The following NodeB counters indicate uplink throughput
in a cell:

VS.HSUPA.Thruput: total number of bits in MAC-d PDUs successfully received from all users within a
measurement period

VS.HSUPA.MeanBitRate: average bit rate of MAC-d data flows successfully received from all users
within a measurement period

VS.HSUPA.MeanBitRate: average bit rate of MAC-d data flows successfully received from all users in
data transmission within a measurement period

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5 Parameters

5 Parameters
Table 5-1 Parameter description
Parameter ID

NE

MML Command

Description

IC_MODE

NodeB

ADD LOCELL

Meaning:Indicates whether Interference

Cancellation(IC) is supported by the cell

MOD LOCELL

GUI Value Range:FALSE(FALSE), TRUE(TRUE)

Actual Value Range:FALSE, TRUE
Default Value:FALSE(FALSE)

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6 Counters

6 Counters
Table 6-1 Counter description
Counter ID

Counter Name

Counter
Description

Feature ID

Feature Name

50331892

VS.HSUPA.Ic.MeanEff

Average
efficiency of IC in
a cell

WRFD-010691

HSUPA UL
Interference
Cancellation

50341858

VS.HSUPA.Ic.MaxEff

Maximum
efficiency of IC in
a cell

WRFD-010691

HSUPA UL
Interference
Cancellation

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7 Glossary

7 Glossary
For the acronyms, abbreviations, terms, and definitions, see the Glossary.

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8 Reference Documents

8 Reference Documents
[1] HSUPA Feature Parameter Description

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