UTRA/TDD physical layer description

Henrik Olofsson
Radio Access Research
Ericsson Radio systems AB
 Outline

r Background / Standardisation
r UTRA/TDD Physical layer
– Key parameters
– Time division duplex
– Physical channels
– Common channels
– Base station synchronisation
r Summary
 Background / Standardization

r In January, it was decided in ETSI that the former TD/CDMA

proposal was to be used the unpaired frequency band which
implies TDD operation.
r The decision in ETSI also points out the need to harmonise the
parameters to ease dual mode implementations.
– The system parameters have therefore been modified to match the
UTRA/FDD (WCDMA) parameters (chip rate, frame length).
r The driving forces behind UTRA/TDD are Siemens and
Matsushita.
– These two companies previously had two very different proposals
but these proposals merged into the one, common proposal.
 UTRA/TDD key parameters,
harmonisation
Harmonization in Original Concept Harmonized Concept Result
Chiprate 2.167 MHz 4.096 MHz same as FDD
Frequency Reuse 3 1 same as FDD
Switching Point single multiple not used in FDD
Spreading Factor 16, fix 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, harmonized with
variable FDD
Frame Length 4.615 ms 10 ms same as FDD
Time Slots per Frame 8 16 same as FDD
Time Slot Duration 577 µs 625 µs same as FDD
Pulse Shape linearised GMSK root-raised-cosine same as FDD
SCH mapped in beacon prim. + sec. SCH harmonized with
CH FDD
 Time division duplex

r The proposal is very flexible and suggests a number of

switching points, leading to groups of up- and downlink slots
r Three examples of this:

Symmetric

12:4 Asymmetric

15:1 Asymmetric

1 frame (10 ms)

 Time division duplex, continued

r The same channel for up- and downlink

– Easy implementation of adaptive antennas
– Possible to use a pre-rake
– Easy transmitter diversity
r The base stations are frame-synchronised (required for
TDD)
– Easier to support positioning
– Easier cell search
– Easier channel allocation between cells
 Physical channels
r Frequency, code and time defines one resource unit
r A burst is transmitted in the time slots. The burst consists
of two data parts with a midamble between them.
r The spreading factors used for the data can be: 1,2,4,8,16
r There are two traffic bursts:
1 slot (625 µs)
Data Midamble Data GP
976 or 1104 chips 512 or 256 chips 976 or 1104 chips 96 chips

– 512 chips midamble. Can be used for both up- and downlink.
– 256 chips midamble. Can be used for downlink and for uplink
with less than 4 users per slot.
r Each slot can be shared by up to 8 users.
 Physical channels, continued
r There are also two types of access bursts, transmitted on
the RACH.
1 slot (625 µs)
Data Midamble Data GP Extended guard period
336 chips 512 chips 336 chips 96 1280 chips

Extended guard period Data Midamble Data GP

1280 chips 336 chips 512 chips 336 chips 96

r A collision occurs when two different users use the same

spreading code and the same type of access burst when
doing the random access.
 Common channels

r Three slots for each frame are used for the common
channels.
r By using only three slots, the flexibility of assigning slots to
uplink/downlink can be kept for the other slots.

1 frame (10 ms)

downlink
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 uplink
 Synchronisation channel
1 frame (16 slots)

r The primary and secondary SCH

are constructed as for
UTRA/FDD.
r The SCH is transmitted in two
fixed slots for each frame.
r Since the base stations are
frame-synchronised, and the
cp
primary SCH is the same for all
cs base stations, an additional
offset, Toffset, is used to be able
to distinguish between different
Toffset Tgap
base stations.
1 slot (2560chips)
r A multi frame structure of four
frames is used.
 Broadcast control channel
1 frame (16 slots)

r The allocation of the BCCH is

very flexible.
r It can be assigned to any
combination of codes in the two
slots used for downlink common
channels.
 Base station synchronisation
r Neighbouring base stations should be frame-synchronised to
avoid interference from mobile station to mobile station.
r The base stations can be synchronised through the core
network or by listening to other base stations.
r Hierarchical structure:
Local master
Building

Master
 Summary

r The UTRA/TDD proposal has successfully merged the

opinions from the proponents and in the same time
managed to harmonise with UTRA/FDD.
r The TDD mode offers high flexibility in up- and downlink
time slot allocation which makes it very suitable for
asymmetric traffic.
r The TDMA component of the TDD mode makes it very
suitable for uncoordinated systems since strong
interference can be avoided.