5)     What is DCI?

DCI stands for downlink control information and there are various DCI formats

used in LTE in PDCCH. The DCI format is nothing but a predefined format
in which the downlink control information is packed/formed and transmitted
in PDCCH. ... The packed DCI information is the payload to the PDCCH
encoding chain.

6)     What are the contents of DCI?

DCI format [Ref TS36.212]

– DCI format 0 is used for the transmission of UL-SCH grant

– DCI format 1 is used for the transmission of DL-SCH assignments for SIMO

operation, support non-contiguous RB allocation

– DCI format 1A is used for a compact transmission of DL-SCH assignments

for

SIMO operation, frequency-contiguous RB allocation only

– DCI format 1B is used to support closed-loop single-rank transmission with

possibly contiguous resource allocation

Sensitivity: Internal
 – DCI format 1C is for downlink transmission of paging, RACH response and

dynamic BCCH scheduling

– DCI format 1D is used for the compact scheduling of one PDSCH codeword
with

precoding and power offset information.

– DCI format 2 is used for the transmission of DL-SCH assignments for MIMO

operation, similar to DCI format 1 with extension of SM support

– DCI format 2A is used for scheduling PDSCH to UEs configured in open-

loop

spatial multiplexing mode.

– DCI format 3 is used for the transmission of power-control commands for

PUCCH

and PUSCH with 2-bit power adjustments

– DCI format 3A is used for the transmission of power-control commands for

PUCCH and PUSCH with single bit power adjustments

 Downlink DCI Formats

 Format 1 – Used for scheduling a PDSCH codeword. Only a

single transport block can be scheduled here using resource
allocation type-0/type-1

 Format 1A – Used for scheduling a PDSCH codeword. Only a

single transport block can be scheduled here using resource
allocation type2 (localized or distributed)

 Format 1B – Used for scheduling a PDSCH codeword with

Rank-1 assignment

Sensitivity: Internal
  Format 1C – Very compact scheduling of a PDSCH codeword.
A single transport block can be scheduled using resource
allocation type2 distributed always

 Format 1D – Used for scheduling Multi-user MIMO cases

 Format 2 – Used for scheduling of PDSCH in closed loop

spatial multiplexing

 Format 2A – Used for scheduling of PDSCH in open loop

spatial multiplexing

 Uplink DCI Formats

 Format 0 – Used for scheduling of PUSCH (uplink grant)

 Format 3 – Uplink transmit power control with 2 bit power

adjustment

 Format 3A – Uplink transmit power control with 1 bit power

adjustment

The DCI formats are coupled with different transmission modes and resource
allocation types in downlink.

7)     What are the main difference between DCI0 and DCI1a?

 Format 1 – Used for scheduling a PDSCH codeword. Only a

single transport block can be scheduled here using resource
allocation type-0/type-1

 Format 1A – Used for scheduling a PDSCH codeword. Only a

single transport block can be scheduled here using resource
allocation type2 (localized or distributed)

8)     What is contention resolution?

Sensitivity: Internal
  wo types of RACH process : Contention-based and Contention-free
  
 When a UE transmit a PRACH Preamble, it transmits with a specific
pattern and this specific pattern is called a "Signature". In each LTE
cell, total 64 preamble signatures are available and UE select
randomly one of these signatures.
  
 UE select "Randomly" one of these signatures ?
  
 Does this mean that there is some possibility that multiple UEs send
PRACH with identical signatures ?
  
 Yes.
  
 There is such a possibility. It means the same PRACH preamble from
multipe UE reaches the NW at the same time.. this kind of PRACH
collision is called "Contention" and the RACH process that allows this
type of "Contention" is called "Contention based" RACH Process. In
this kind of contention based RACH process, Network would go
through additional process at later step to resolve these contention
and this process is called "Contention Resolution" step.
  
 But there is some cases that these kind of contention is not
acceptable due to some reason (e.g, timing restriction) and these
contention can be prevented. Usually in this case, the Network
informs each of the UE of exactly when and which preamble
signature it has to use. Of course, in this case Network will allocate
these preamble signature so that it would not collide. This kind of
RACH process is called "Contention Free" RACH procedure. To
initiate the "Contention Free" RACH process, UE should be in
Connected Mode before the RACH process as in Handover case.
  
 Typical 'Contention Based' RACH Procedure is as follows :
  
 i) UE --> NW : RACH Preamble (RA-RNTI, indication for L2/L3
message size)
 ii) UE <-- NW : Random Access Response (Timing Advance, T_C-
RNTI, UL grant for L2/L3 message)
 iii) UE --> NW : L2/L3 message

Sensitivity: Internal
  iv) Message for early contention resolution
  
 Now let's assume that a contention happened at step i). For example,
two UEs sent PRACH. In this case, both of the UE will recieve the
same T_C-RNTI and resource allocation at step ii). And as a result,
both UE would send L2/L3 message through the same resource
allocation(meaning with the same time/frequency location) to NW at
step iii). What would happen when both UE transmit the exact same
information on the exact same time/frequency location ? One
possibility is that these two signal act as interference to each other
and NW decode neither of them. In this case, none of the UE would
have any response (HARQ ACK) from NW and they all think that
RACH process has failed and go back to step i). The other possibility
would be that NW could successfully decode the message from only
one UE and failed to decode it from the other UE. In this case, the UE
with the successful L2/L3 decoding on NW side will get the HARQ
ACK from Network. This HARQ ACK process for step iii) message is
called "contention resolution" process.
  
 Typical 'Contention Free' RACH Procedure is as follows :
  
 i) UE <--NW : RACH Preamble (PRACH) Assignment
 ii) UE --> NW : RACH Preamble (RA-RNTI, indication for L2/L3
message size)
 iii) UE <--NW : Random Access Response (Timing Advance, C-RNTI,
UL grant for L2/L3 message)
 ... contention-based RACH procedure is a four-message (mgs1,
msg2, msg3, msg4) handshake between the device and the base
station managed by the Radio Network Controller (RNC) [9] as
illustrated in Fig. 1 Collisions during the RACH procedure occur when
two or more devices send the same preamble code in the same RA-
slot

Sensitivity: Internal
 9)     When Radio Link Failure is detected?

Ans:

 Radio link failure to be detected:

  1) upon T310 expiry

  2) upon random access problem indication from MAC while neither T300,
T301, T304 nor T311 is running
  3) upon indication from RLC that the maximum number of re-
transmissions has been reached

10)   What is SRS used for?

Ans: UL reference signal used to measure the channel quality over a
section of the bandwidth.
Node B use this information for frequency selective scheduling and link
adaptation decisions.
11)   What is DMRS/DRS?

Sensitivity: Internal
 Ans: DMRS/DRS is uplink reference signal.
     Used for : 1)Channel Estimation and synchronization in UL
                2)EnodeB can use DMRS for calculating TA command for each
UE.
     Two Types: 1) PUSCH DMRS.
                2) PUCCH DMRS.
     PUSCH DMRS: 
                1) Included in every resource block allocated to UE for PUSCH
transmission.
                2) Distributed only in Frequency domain to preserve the PAPR
characteristic of SC-FDMA.
                3) 12 Resource element per resource block allocated to PUSCH
DMRS.
     PUCCH DMRS: 
                1) Included in every resource block allocated to UE for PUCCH
transmission(if transmitted).PUCCH occupies 2 resource block per 1 ms
subframe when transmitted.
                2) No of REs used for PUCCH DMRS depends on a) PUCCH
format to be transmitted and whether b) normal or extended cyclic prefix
used.
                3) PUCCH DRMS used more no of bits in case of format 1,1a,1b
and less no of bits in caseof format 2, 2a, 2b.

12)   What is SPS? Explain SPS?

Ans: http://howltestuffworks.blogspot.in/2013/10/semi-persistent-
scheduling.html

13)   What is DRX?

14)   Explain Connected mode DRX and Idle mode DRX?

15)   Why PHICH configuration is mentioned in MIB?

16)   In what are the scenario RACH is triggered?

17)   What is RACH Procedure?

Sensitivity: Internal
 18)   How UE come to know which RACH Preamble to USE?

19)   Why there is no SOFT HO in LTE?

20)   What PLMN Selection Order UE follows during  Automatic PLMN

selection and Manual PLMN Selection?

Sensitivity: Internal