WCDMA Basic Theory

Introduction to 3G/4G
1. EVOLUTION OF MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS

1G 2G 3G 4G
Analog
Digital cellular Digital cellular Hybrid IP based
cellular
Voice / very high speed
Voice Voice /data Voice / high speed data
data

AMPS CDMA 1XRtt CDMA2000 /

HSDPA / HSUPA
TACS GSM GPRS WCDMA

9.6 Kbps 64 Kbps 144 Kbps 2 Mbps >10 Mbps

80’ 1992 1999 2001 2004 Not yet deployed

AMPS: Advanced Mobile Phone System

TACS: Total Access Communication System
GPRS: General Packet Radio Services

1G – 1st Generation: Analog Cellular

1) Feature:
• frequency division multiple access (FDMA)
• analog signal
• narrow band

2) Main mode: AMPS TACS NMT

3) Limitations:
• hard to develop digital bearer services
• cannot adopt to digitization of fixed networks
• low frequency efficiency
• cannot meet larger capacity requirements
• easy to be eavesdropped

2G – 2nd Generation: Digital Cellular

1) Feature:
• time division multiple access (TDMA); narrow code division multiple
access (N-CDMA)
• digital signal, narrow band
• strong anti-interference capability

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 • security is guaranteed with authentication and encryption
• can support ISDN

2) Main mode: GSM D-AMPS N-CDMA

3) Limitations:
• Narrow bandwidth unable to provide various broadband information
services such as high speed data services.

3G – 3rd Generation: Digital Cellular – IMT 2000

1) Feature:
• code division multiple access (CDMA)
• digital signal
• broadband
• integrated service system integrating all current mobile telephone system
functions providing multiple services
• large capacity

2) Meaning of ‘2000’:
• frequency spectrum around 2000MHz
• data rate up to 2000kbps
• putting into business about 2000

3) Main mode: WCDMA CDMA2000 TD-SCDMA

4G – 4th Generation: Hybrid IP Based Mobile Network

1) Feature:
• 3G Mobile Voice and Data Service, Broadband Access, Video Call
• > 10 Mbps Data Rate
• In principle will allow high-quality smooth video transmission
• HSDPA / HSUPA

2. 3G VOCABULARIES

3G systems are referred to as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) in

Europe and International Mobile Telecommunications 2000 (IMT2000) worldwide.

UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

WCDMA = Wideband CDMA

IMT-2000 = International Mobile Telecommunications – 2000
3GPP = 3rd Generation Partnership Program

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 MS = Mobile Station (WCDMA)
BTS = Base Transceiver Station (WCDMA)
RNC = Radio Network Controller
3G-SGSN = 3G Serving GPRS Support Node
GGSN = Gateway GPRS Support Node
SCP = Service Control Point
HLR = Home Location Register
MSC = Mobile Switching Centre
GMSC = Gateway MSC
UTRAN = UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Networ

3. NUMBERS

UMTS

Working frequency: 2GHz

Bandwidth: 5MHz
Chip rate: 3.84Mcps
Frame length: 10 ms

3G Bit Rates

64 - 144 kbits/s, Rural outdoor

384 kbits/s, Urban
2 Mbits/s, Indoor, low range outdoor

4. ADVANTAGES OF WCDMA
FDM
Wideband Code Division Multiple Access A
Uses direct sequence spread-spectrum technology to transmit a
number of independent conversations across 5MHz segments of the Pow
radio spectrum.
Frequency
Time
• Large capacity
WCDMA uses different user use same frequency at the same
time, but with different spreading code
TDM
A
• Large Coverage Pow

Almost 2 times than GSM, save money for operator Frequency

Time
Example: To cover 1000 km2 :
GSM will need 200 BTS
WCDMA will only need 50 BTS CDM
** Attention: exact result need “Link Budget” A
Pow

Frequency
Time

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 • High privacy and hard to eavesdropped
• Use soft handoff: decrease drop-call rate
o WCDMA: “make before break”--- soft handoff
o Other systems: “make after break”--- hard handoff

• Perfect Power Control and voice activation

This makes the UE power low, which is healthy for the human body.

Mean Power Max Power

GSM: 125mW 2W
WCDMA: 2mW 200mW

5. SPREAD SPECTRUM SYSTEM

• Traditional technologies try to squeeze the signal into the minimum required bandwidth
• Direct-Sequence Spread spectrum systems mix their input data with a fast spreading
sequence and transmit a wideband signal
• The spreading sequence is independently regenerated at the receiver and mixed with
the incoming wideband signal to recover the original data

SPREAD-SPECTRUM SYSTEM TRADITIONAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

Spread Spectrum
Narrowband
Wideband Signal Signal
Slow Slow
Slow Slow Information Information
Information Information
Sent Recovered
Sent Recovered
TX RX TX RX

Fast Fast
Spreading Spreading
Sequence Sequence

Spread Spectrum Technique employs a transmission bandwidth that is several orders of

magnitude greater than the minimum required signal bandwidth.

• Sender combines data with a fast spreading sequence, transmits spread data stream
• Power is “Spread” Over a Larger Bandwidth; Many code channels are individually
“spread” and then added together to create a “composite signal”

• Receiver intercepts the stream, uses same spreading sequence to extract original data

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 6. COVERAGE

WCDMA performance is determined by such factors as：

• Number of users
• Transmission rate
• Mobile rate
• Wireless environment
o indoors
o outdoors

The sizes of cell depend on such factors as:

• Local radio conditions (local interference)
• Traffic in neighbouring cells (distanced interference)

Cell Radius decrease according to the increase number of users

7. HSDPA: High Speed Downlink Packet Access

HSDPA's major advantage

• Use of the different air interface qualities of each user at any given time
• Higher resolution in time of 2 ms
• Fast adaptive scheduling which prefers the highest quality UE in the cell
• Adaptive scheduling will be performed once in every three inner loop power control
cycles. This is a classical task of the Node B, since it is too fast to be controlled by the
RNC. Thus the HSDPA enabled Node B has to take over the scheduling functionality

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 8. WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability of Microwave Access

WiMAX is described in IEEE 802.16 Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) standard.
This is the next generation of Wi-Fi that will connect one to the internet at faster speeds and
much longer ranges those current wireless technologies. It is expected that WiMAX compliant
systems will provide fixed wireless alternative to conventional DSL and Cable Internet.

WiMAX promises:

• Up to 10 mile range without wires

• Broadband speeds without cable or T1
• Handles “last mile” access in remote areas
• Affordable technology

Two corresponding WiMAX standards:

IEEE 802.16-2004 for fixed point-to-point and point-to-multipoint wireless access. It's
akin to a faster, airborne version of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or cable-modem services and
became the industry's first NLOS BWA standard last June.

IEEE 802.16e for mobile wireless access from laptops and handhelds. It's analogous to a
faster version of third-generation telecommunications technology. WiMAX proponent Intel
Corp. has promised 802.16e-enabled laptops by early 2007.

WiMAX Applications:

• Residential and SOHO High Speed Internet Access

• Small and Medium Business
• Wi-fi Hot Spot Backhaul

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