3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution)

Introduction

LTE

1. Why LTE ? Drivers for a new generation

2. LTE : requirements and key features
3. LTE Architecture
4. RAT (Radio Access Technology) : OFDM
5. Bearers and QoS(TBD)
6. Voice services on LTE

4G IMT-Adavnced

Annex

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 1. Drivers for a new generation

growth of mobile broadband data (see figures below)

sophistication of UE(e.g. smartphone):more applications and higher user data rates
even with the best spectrum efficiency, higher BW than 5 MHz (WCDMA) are
necessary
use of MIMO and spatial mux
.
current available spectrum crowded (GSM, WCDMA,HSPA, civil, military,..) but also
unused, sparced gaps with unequal BW
⇒ need for new bands and spectrum flexibility

latency (user and control plane )

=> need to reduce for real time services and service activation

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 Growth of mobile broadband data

Broadband subscriptions (Billions)

sources : ERICSSON and OVUM

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 Source: Cisco, “Cisco Visual
Networking Index: Global Mobile
Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2010-
2015,” February 1, 2011.

Source :

but voice revenues...still more than 50%

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 Forecasts for global mobile revenues

Global mobile revenues will be about $1 trillion in 2012. After that : very slow growth (growth of data revenues does’nt
compensate dercrease of voice revenues)
Voice revenues still account for 75 percent of recurring revenues on average in developing countries and 70 percent in
developed countries. (source : Wireless Intelligence)

Voice revenues forecast for 2016 : 60% (source OVUM)

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 2. LTE Requirements
(From Rel 8 of 3GPP)

Scalable bandwidth: 1.4 => 20 MHz

High data rates : Peak Data rate: DL : 100 Mbit/s ( within 20 MHz bandwidth )
UL : 50 Mbit/s
(more with MIMO : MIMO 4x4 gets 326 Mbit/s DL)

Low latency : < 5 msec in the User Plane one way

< 100 msec in the Control plane (transaction from Idle to Active)

peak spectrum efficiency: DL≥5bit/s/Hz UL ≥ 2.5 bit/s/Hz

Up to 200 active users in a cell (5 MHz)
>60 VoIP calls / MHz
Interworking with Legacy Networks
Mobility:
– Optimized for 0 ~ 15 km/h.
– 15 ~ 120 km/h supported with high performance.
– Supported up to 350 km/h
cell radius : up to: 30 Km
Enhanced support for end-to-end QoS
Enhanced multimedia broadcast multicast service (E-MBMS)

First LTE systems launched in 2010

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 Key features for LTE

Access
new radio access technology (RAT) based on :
o OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) for DL
o SC-FDMA (Single Carrier FDMA) for UL
MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) : (2 or 4)x(2 or 4) downlink and uplink
Channel-dependent resource scheduling on the air interface
Link adaptation (modulation and coding)
H-ARQ
FDD and TDD
TTI : 1ms

=> high BW, spectrum flexibility and efficiency , high data throughput
=> device power consumption for UL

Network
flat network architecture for RAN(E-UTRAN) and for Core (EPC: Evolved Packet Core) :
less nodes => better latency
only a PS domain (no CS domain but interworking with CS domain of legacy systems
:2G/3G)
all transport on IP (for U and C planes)
QoS based
IP V4 and V6

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 3. Architecture

Architecture: UMTS vs LTE

PSTN, ISDN,
BS PLMN 2G,...
(node B)
RNC CS
BS Circuit switch.
(node B) HLR networks

BS SGSN GGSN
(node B) RNC
BS PS
(node B) UTRAN

IP, Internet,…
(PDN : Packet
E Node B (= eNB) Data Networks)
– All radio interface-related
functions E Node B) MME
• MME (Mobility Management S-GW/P-GW
Entity)
–mobility, UE id , security E Node B)
parameters,... MME
• S-GW (Serving GateWay)
S-GW/P-GW Packet switch.
–interface towards E-UTRAN.
E Node B) networks
• P-GW (PDN GateWay)
– interface towards PDN.
EPC(Evolved Packet Core)
E-UTRAN

LTE( refers to RAN evolution) SAE (System Architecture Evolution) refers

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Page 8/30evolution)
 Architecture: E-UTRAN

S1 c
E Node B) MME

E Node B)
S1 u

X2 c
SGW
X2 u
E Node B)
MME

E Node B)
fully distributed radio access network
architecture
eNBs may be interconnected (meshed
E Node B) architecture) via X2 interface
functional split between U plane
X2 (SGW)and C plane(MME)
SGW
E-UTRAN
E Node B)

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Flat architecture:
no RNC (Radio Network Controller) anymore: most functions taken by eNB
better transmission latency by avoiding the delay between eNB and RNC in 3G-UMTS (Iub
interface)
eNBs may be interconnected in a meshed way via the X2 interface
This allows in particular :
enhanced mobility : when the UE makes a HO between cells, residual packet
buffer can be transmitted between the involved eNB’s
interference management (aid for cellular planning)

Functional separation between U plane and C plane in the SAE implies that 2
types of nodes with their specific capabilities, latency requirements and
scalability are used : the MME means a node with transactional features
capabilities (signalling trafic) while the SGW is devoted to user traffic flows (high
rates and volumes ,different QoS )

SON(Self Organizing Networks):a new concept : automatic configuration

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 LTE/EPC interfaces with 2G/3G and the external networks

GERAN
SGSN HLR
S6d

UTRAN Operator's IP
HSS service,...

Rx
IMS
EUTRAN S6a
S3
MME S10
MME PCRF
S4

S1c S7
S11
S5 SGi
eNode
eNode B B IP, Internet,…
UE Serving PDN
GW GW
S1u

S2 a,c
X2
ePDG

Trusted /Untrusted
WLAN
3GPP access
Untrusted non
non 3GPP access
3GPP access

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 EPC architecture

PDN gateway (P-GW):

anchor point for for multiple access
UE IP address allocation
packet filtering
lawful interception
charging
Serving Gateway (S-GW)
Mobilty anchor point for hand-over between eNodeB
Mobility anchor point for inter RAT mobility
QoS marking
Charging
Lawful interception
Mobility Management Entity (MME)
handles control (signaling) for a given session.
mobility management
EPS bearer control
Policy Charging and Rules Function (PCRF): extension of IMS PCRF for both IMS and non-IMS
applications

IP-based protocols on all interfaces between network elements (SIP, Diameter for C plane))

Two different mobility protocols: GTP and MIP (Mobile IP) (Proxy and Client MIP). GTP based
protocol used whithin legacy 3GPP networks and MIP used for interworking with non-3GPP network
.

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 4. LTE : RAT (Radio Access Technology) : OFDM

sub sub sub

carrier carrier carrier
1 2 3
PSD
OFDM

F
T

OFDM : + and -
+
good behavour as regards time dispersion multipaths and interference
don’t need complex egalisation
works well with MIMO and spatial mux
-
high sensitivity to frequency offset (resulting from instability of electronics and Doppler spread due to mobility)
very high Peak to Average Power Ratio(PAPR) =>inconvenient for UE:high PAPR requires expensive and
inefficient power amplifiers with negative impact on the terminal’s cost and the battery comsuption =>
Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) in the uplink (but high intersymbol interference for the uplink due to the single
carrier modulation).

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LTE DL : ressource element and ressource block
channel bandwith (max 20 MHz in LTE REL8)

PSD
sub-carriers 15 kHz

0 1 2 k n
1 resource element
1 OFDM symbol
modulation : QPSK, F
16QAM or 64QAM

180 kHz

0,5 ms 1 TS = 0,5 ms
1 TS = 7 OFDM symbols

1 resource 0,5 ms
block
=12 x 7 = 84
ressource
elements

Temps
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LTE sub-carriers
Ed. 1.5 light 9/11 Page 14/30
 LTE DL : OFDM

channel bandwidths: 1.4 MHz/3 MHz /5 MHz /10 MHz /15 MHz /20 MHz
number of resource blocks: 6/15/25/50/75/100
spacing between subcarriers : ∆f = 15 kHz
symbol duration = 1 / 15 kHz +CP (*) = 66.7 (orthogonality)
symbol rate = 15 kilosymbols per second
modulation : QPSK, 16QAM or 64QAM
max data rate : with 20 MHz bandwidth, raw symbol rate = 18 Msymbol/s. If 64 QAM => 108 Mbit/s

(*)The CP(cyclic prefix) (4,69µs )is used to maintain orthogonally between the sub-carriers

Frequencies bands for LTE.

Start in Europe in 2.6 GHz band
“golden” band is the Digital Dividend – 800 MHz
Re-farming of UMTS and GSM bands also will happen

Frequency bands allocation : see annex

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 LTE Resource Assignment in Time and Frequency

Principle
OFDMA assign different users different subcarriers over time.

Channel-Dependent Scheduling
Each 1ms Transmission Time Interval (TTI) consists of two TS's
(Time Slots)
The corresponding 2 resource blocks can be allocated to a user
folllowing a Scheduling in time and frequency .
The user and the data rate are selected following the instantaneous
channel quality (same principle as used by HSPA in the time-domain)
Link adaptation in time domain only

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 DL : Channel dependent scheduling

Frequency

TTI=1 ms

12 sub-carriers

Scheduling in time and

frequency

Time User D
User A User B User C

Scheduling in frequency
Since different frequencies may fade differently for different users, frequency domain scheduling
can allocate resource blocks on those frequencies that are not faded for each user that result in the greatest
throughput (not possible in UMTS WCDMA).
The benefit decreases at higher user speeds.
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 Scheduling in time
CQI : « Channel
Quality Info »)

User A

User B

Time Time Time

Allocation
scheduling :

User A

User B

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 DL : SC-FDMA

TTI=1 ms

Time
User A User B User C User D

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 Frequency reuse

Flexibility due to the control over which sub-carriers are assigned to which sectors

Several possibilities:

frequency reuse: N=1 as in WCDMA (problem : management of interference on the cell borders but
easier because e-node B has greater capabilities and information exchange via X2 interface)

frequency reuse: N>1(e.g. N=3 :frequencies distributed between 3 sectors) : less spectral efficiency
but high peak rates to users.

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 5. LTE bearers and QoS

LTE bearers

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 6. Voice Services on LTE

The problem :
- no more CS domain
- in the early stage, LTE coverage is spotty or partial : how to handle a voice call when
going out of coverage ?
- the HO is not only between 2 RAT’s but also between PS and CS domains
- also to consider : roaming and SMS
In a LTE network, only PS domain and voice is :VoIP .
The issue iscritical :
see point1above : importance of voice revenues for operators
challenge of OTT : if voice services can be delivered continously on a spotty LTE coverage ,it’s an
advantage over OTT

Following discussions between GSMA and an association of suppliers (One Voice), agreement
found on what is called VoLTE (Voice over LTE) :

Main features :
-use of IMS : VoLTE is in fact VoLTEoIMS
- VoLTE = basic phones services + a main usual supplementary services ( thus VoLTE less
ambitious than MMTel)

VoLTE is defined in : GSMA PRD IR.92.

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 Inter-operability for voice with legacy systems 2G/3G

Assumption : terminal UE with Multi RAT technology (but most of the cases :only one technology active at a
given time) and with CSFB and SR-VCC capability

3 basic mechanism’s (« framework ») can be used at different stages of the LTE coverage (see figure below).

CS Fallback(CSFB) Framework :the voice services are provided by the CS infrastructure of the
underlaying 2G/3G CS layer when the UE is served by E-UTRAN. The function allows to perform CS
domain paging over E-UTRAN but the voice call is handled by the CS 2G/3G.

Single-Radio Voice Call Continuity (SR-VCC)Framework allowing the network to handover a voice
call from the IMS CN Subsystem (PS domain) to the CS domain of a legacy system The function allows to
perform a PS(VoIP) to CS(VoCS) domain transfer together with a radio link handover

Inter-RAT PS HO : « Packet Switched HO » : HO between 2 PS domains on 2 RAT’s : VoIP call in LTE is

moved to the PS domain of 3G (e.g. VoIP over HSPA) (if VoIP is available in the 3G network).

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 SR-VCC

PS HO

source : coexistence of GSM,HSPA/WCDMA and LTE (4G Americas)

CS fallback principle
This is not a HO. As soon a UE is concerned by a voice call (originating or terminating) , the call is served by the 2G/3G CS. Because the UE
is registered in the LTE ,firstly it has to be registered also in the 2G/3G CS. Than the normal CS call procedures will take place. At
completion, the UE can remain in the 2G/3G domain or eventually return to the LTE if possible (i.e if LTE coverage still available).There are
several procedures depending on the nature and capabilities of the 2G/3G target network and the impact over an existing data flow when the
voice call happens can be different ( e.g. releas, suspension ,PS HO,…)

SRVCC principle

The SR-VCC is a true HO and is far more complex : it impacts the eNode B, the MME , the HSS in the LTE and in 2G/3G , the MSC server,
and needs a particular AS(Application server) above IMS :the SRVCC AS.
SRVCC uses the ICS (IMS centralized services) concept of IMS.

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 4G IMT Advanced

Definition of “4G”

“4G”:appellation officielle ITU : « IMT-Advanced « (pour rappel : 3G => IMT-2000)

Vision ITU pour le 4G : "a completely new, fully IP-based integrated system of systems and network of networks- achieved after convergence of
wired and wireless networks."

note :this is in sharp contrast to current 2G/3G networks, which are circuit-switched based, with an overlay of data carrying capabilities (domain CS
and PS). 4G networks will be entirely IP packet switched and voice => VoIP.

The key features of IMT-Advanced are:

– a high degree of commonality of functionality worldwide while retaining the flexibility to support a wide range of services and
applications in a cost efficient manner;
– compatibility of services within IMT and with fixed networks;
– capability of interworking with other radio access systems;
– high-quality mobile services;
– user equipment suitable for worldwide use;
– user-friendly applications, services and equipment;
– worldwide roaming capability;
– enhanced peak data rates to support advanced services and applications (target DL : up to 100 Mbit/s for high and 1 Gbit/s for low
mobility)

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 Historique et planning ITU.

publication en 2008 d’une liste de spécifications : fonctionalités à satisfaire et critères d’évaluation pour les
techonologies candidates ( concerne surtout l'interface radio: ITU M.2134 et M.2135 )
évaluation et choix de technologies capables de répondre aux exigences : fin 2009.
à l'isue du processus, recommandations en octobre 2010 : 2 technologies retenues pour IMT -Avdanced :
LTE-Advanced (3GPP Rel-10)
Mobile WiMAX 2.0 (IEEE 802.16m).

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 Main requirements for 4G/IMT-Advanced (radio access) (1)

transmission bandwith : scalable up to 40 MHz

spectral efficiency (peak ,cell, cell edge user : see ITU M.2134) :
e.g. peak special efficiency : DL : 15 bit/s/Hz ; UL : 6,75 bit/s/Hz

latency :
Control Plane (transition time from different connection modes, e.g., from idle to active ) : < 100 ms
User Plane (*) : <10 ms
hand-over interruption times (due to the radio access; not including the core-network contribution)

Handover type Interruption time

(ms)
Intra-frequency 27.5
Inter-frequency
– within a spectrum band 40
– between spectrum bands 60

(*)The user plane latency (also known as transport delay) is defined as the one-way transit time between an SDU packet being available at the IP
layer in the user terminal/base station and the availability of this packet (protocol data unit, PDU) at IP layer in the base station/user terminal.
User plane packet delay includes delay introduced by associated protocols and control signalling assuming the user terminal is in the active state.
IMT-Advanced systems shall be able to achieve a user plane latency of less than 10 ms in unloaded conditions (i.e., a single user with a single
data stream) for small IP packets (e.g., 0 byte payload + IP header) for both downlink and uplink.

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 Main requirements for 4G/IMT-Advanced (radio access) (2)

VoIP capacity
VoIP capacity was derived assuming a 12.2 kbit/s codec with a 50% activity factor such that the percentage of users in outage is less
than 2% where a user is defined to have experienced a voice outage if less than 98% of the VoIP packets have been delivered
successfully to the user within a one way radio access delay bound of 50 ms.
The VoIP capacity is the minimum of the calculated capacity for either link direction divided by the effective bandwidth in the
respective link direction
Note : the codec 12.2 kbit/s does not form a part of the requirements and the conditions for evaluation are described in Report ITU-R M.2135.

Test environment(1) Min VoIP capacity

(Active users/sector/MHz)
Indoor 50
Microcellular 40
Base coverage urban 40
High speed 30

mobility classes
– Stationary: 0 km/h
– Pedestrian: > 0 km/h to 10 km/h
– Vehicular: 10 to 120 km/h
– High speed vehicular: 120 to 350 km/h

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 ANNEX

FDD LTE frequency band allocations

Duplex
LTE Band Uplink Downlink Width of Band Gap
Spacing
Number (MHz) (MHz) Band (MHz) (MHz)
(MHz)
1 1920 - 1980 2110 - 2170 60 190 130
2 1850 - 1910 1930 - 1990 60 80 20
3 1710 - 1785 1805 -1880 75 95 20
4 1710 - 1755 2110 - 2155 45 400 355
5 824 - 849 869 - 894 25 45 20
6 830 - 840 875 - 885 10 35 25
7 2500 - 2570 2620 - 2690 70 120 50
8 880 - 915 925 - 960 35 45 10
9 1749.9 - 1784.9 1844.9 - 1879.9 35 95 60
10 1710 - 1770 2110 - 2170 60 400 340
11 1427.9 - 1452.9 1475.9 - 1500.9 20 48 28
12 698 - 716 728 - 746 18 30 12
13 777 - 787 746 - 756 10 -31 41
14 788 - 798 758 - 768 10 -30 40
15 1900 - 1920 2600 - 2620 20 700 680
16 2010 - 2025 2585 - 2600 15 575 560
17 704 - 716 734 - 746 12 30 18
18 815 - 830 860 - 875 15 45 30
19 830 - 845 875 - 890 15 45 30
20 832 - 862 791 - 821 30 -41 71
21 1447.9 - 1462.9 1495.5 - 1510.9 15 48 33
22 3410 - 3500 3510 - 3600 90 100 10
23 2000 - 2020 2180 - 2200 20 180 160
24 1625.5 - 1660.5 1525 - 1559 34 -101.5 135.5
25 1850 - 1915 1930 - 1995 65 80 15

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 TDD LTE frequency band allocations
LTE Band
Allocation (MHz) Width of Band (MHz)
Number
33 1900 - 1920 20
34 2010 - 2025 15
35 1850 - 1910 60
36 1930 - 1990 60
37 1910 - 1930 20
38 2570 - 2620 50
39 1880 - 1920 40
40 2300 - 2400 100
41 2496 - 2690 194
42 3400 - 3600 200
43 3600 - 3800 200

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