5G NR Air Interface

Nelson Ueng
Dinesh Kumar

S1ensitivity: T-Mobile Internal T-Mobile Confidential

 5G NR Air Interface Agenda
• Overview of channel structure, signals
• Ultra Lean design
• Numerology, Waveform, Modulation,
Subcarrier spacing, coding etc.
• Beam based structure
• Beam management
• Bandwidth Occupancy
• Q&A

S2ensitivity: T-Mobile Internal

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LTE and NR very Similar yet Different
OFDM based waveform and multiple access like LTE
4G/LTE 5G/NR
DL – OFDM DL- OFDM
Waveform
UL – SC-FDMA UL- OFDM optional SC-FDMA
Turbo (Data)/Convolution Coding (Control) LDPC (Data) /Polar (Control)
Coding

1.4/3/5/10/15/20 Flexible Numerology

Bandwidth

Subcarrier & Slot 15KHz/1ms 15,30,60,120,240KHz/Flexible slot

Cell specific and UE specific Only UE Specific (Lean carrier)

Reference signal

CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SRS CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SRS, PTRS,TRS
Physical Signals

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Physical Channels in NR ( Ring a Bell….)
Channels Modulation
PDSCH QPSK, QAM(16,64 and 256)
PDCCH QPSK
PBCH QPSK
PUSCH ∏/2-BPSK, QPSK, QAM(16,64
and 256)
PUCCH QPSK and BPSK

5G
SS Blocks
PSS, SSS and PBCH are transmitted in 4 consecutive symbol

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DL Reference/Physical Signal
• No Cell Specific Reference Signal like in LTE only UE Specific Reference Signals
• So how we does the UE measure RSRP/RSRQ?
Signals
CSI-RS - (Channel state Information-RS)
PDSCH DMRS (Demodulation RS)
PDCCH DMRS
PBCH DMRS
PTRS (Phase Tracking RS)
Tracking Reference Signal
PSS - Primary Synchronization Signal
SSS - Secondary Synchronization Signal
• In NR SINR is now a standardized measurement unlike LTE.
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Purpose
Beam Management and Channel State Acquisition
Demodulate PDSCH
Demodulate PDCCH
Demodulate PBCH
Used for Phase tracking of PDSCH
Used for time tracking
Radio Frame Synchronization
Subframe Frame Synchronization
T-Mobile Confidential
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Lean Carrier – Improved Efficiency
• High periodicity of CRS in LTE was a over
kill and cause of increased interference
• Synchronization every 5ms
• Broadcast channel every 10ms

• No CRS
• Synchronization every 20ms
• Broadcast channel every 20ms

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Flexible/Variable slots based Framework

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NR Scalable Numerologies vs LTE fixed
NR (New Radio) numerology is scalable
• Subcarrier-spacing Fc=15*2^n kHz, n=0,1,2,3
• Subframe length with Fc=15*2^n kHz is exactly
1/2^n ms

1 sub-frame
= 0.25 ms

Tu*Fc=1 Tu
Subcarrier-spacing Fc = 60 kHz

Scalable numerology enables a wide range of spectrum and services (from < GHz up to 100 GHz)
• More spectrum, high speed, low latency, various services
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NR Scalable Numerologies vs LTE fixed
NR (New Radio) numerology is scalable LTE numerology is fixed
• Subcarrier-spacing Fc=15*2^n kHz, n=0,1,2,3 • Fc = 15 kHz, Tu = 66.6… us
• Subframe length with Fc=15*2^n kHz is exactly • Tu*Fc = 1
1/2^n ms

1 sub-frame

Tu= 66.6 us
= 0.25 ms
Tu*Fc=1

Tu*Fc=1 Tu Fc= 15 kHz

Subcarrier-spacing Fc = 60 kHz

Scalable numerology enables a wide range of spectrum and services (from < GHz up to 100 GHz)
• More spectrum, high speed, low latency, various services
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NR Scalable Frame and symbol length
LTE fixed
frame length

NR Mini-slot

NR supports scalable frame structure

• Optimized performance over a wide range of spectrum
• Mini-slot enables very low latency
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NR supports scalable subcarrier-spacing (SCS)
LTE fixed
µ Δf = 2^µ·15 kHz Mandatory/ Optional SCS= 15k

0 15 kHz Mandatory
Sync < 6GHz 1 30 kHz Mandatory Data < 6GHz
60 kHz Optional for < 6 GHz/
2 Mandatory for mmW
3 120 kHz Mandatory Data for mmW
Sync for mmW
4 240 kHz for Synchronization only

NR supports scalable subcarrier-spacing

• Optimized performance over a wide range of spectrum, taking into consideration of…
• Phase noise, Doppler shift, Channel delay spread
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NR Waveforms and Multiple Access Schemes
• NR supports Waveforms for eMBB/URLLC for < 52.6 GHz
• DL waveform= OFDM LTE does not
support
• UL waveform= SC-FDMA, OFDM
• NR supports Orthogonal Multiple Access - OMA
• OFDMA LTE does not
really support
• Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access - NOMA
• NOMA is extensively studied in NR, likely supported in Rel-16 or later
• Three types studied: NOMA in power domain, code domain, hybrid of the two

Uplink OFDM waveform enables mini-slot in the uplink, very low latency
NOMA possibly supported in NR, will achieve higher capacity/spectral efficiency

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NR – Beam Based Air Interface
Depending upon frequency and number antenna elements – We could have one broad
beam or multiple narrow beam covering the cell - SS Block Beams

Low Band Mid Band High Band

Single Column (<50 ELEMENTS) (> 100 elements)

1- 64 Cell specific beams depending upon frequency and antenna elements

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Beam Management and Initial Access

Wide beam acquisition Narrow beam acquisition UE Beam refinement in UL

Based on SS block measurement Based on CSI-RS measurement
Control Channel Communication Data Channel communication

SS (Synchronization signal) Block – PSS + SSS + PBCH – Always transmitted together

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Beam Sweeping

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NR bandwidth occupancy/spectrum utilization is greater than LTE

NR guard band << 10% LTE guard band = 10%

NR Carrier LTE Carrier

Spectrum Utilization (SU) Spectrum Utilization
> 90% = 90%

20 MHz 20 MHz

NR improves bandwidth occupancy by reducing guardband

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NR greater bandwidth occupancy better utilizes spectrum than LTE
Maximum transmission bandwidth configuration NRB for < 6 GHz (source: TS 38.101-1) NR gains 1 MHz
at 20 MHz CHBW
5MHz 10MHz 15MHz 20 MHz
NRB NRB NRB NRB
NR vs LTE bandwidth occupancy in MHz
SCS=15 kHz 25 52 79 106 20
(90%) (94%) (95%) (95%) 15
LTE bandwidth 10
4.5 9 13.5 18 5
occupancy MHz
NR bandwidth 0
4.5 9.4 14.25 19 5MHz 10MHz 15MHz 20 MHz
occupancy MHz
LTE in MHz NR in MHz

Maximum transmission bandwidth configuration NRB for mmW (source: TS 38.101-2)

SCS [kHz] 50MHz 100MHz 200MHz 400 MHz
NRB NRB NRB NRB
60 66 132 264 N.A
(95%) (95%) (95%)
120 32 66 132 264
(92%) (95%) (95%) (95%)

NR gives you 1 more MHz in a 20 MHz channel bandwidth!

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NR Channel Bandwidths for mmW Bands (LTE cannot support mmW)
• NR supports US 28 GHz and 39 GHz bands.
• 3GPP standardized US 28 GHz as NR band n257, 39 GHz as n260
• 50/100/200 MHz mandatory; 400 MHz optional, Rel-15.

Channel bandwidths for each NR band (Source: TS 38.101-2)

NR band / SCS / UE Channel bandwidth

NR Band SCS [kHz] 50 MHz 100 MHz 200 MHz 400 MHz

N257 60 Yes Yes Yes Yes

(28 GHz) 120 Yes Yes Yes Yes
N258 60 Yes Yes Yes Yes
(28 GHz Yes Yes Yes Yes
EU/China) 120

N260 60 Yes Yes Yes Yes

(39 GHz) 120 Yes Yes Yes Yes

NR unlocks abundant of mmW spectrum for mobile wireless

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NR flexible channel BW and forward compatible (LTE is NOT)
• In LTE
• Fixed Channel bandwidth set (1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20) MHz
UE
• Channel bandwidth is always the same between UE and BS future

• In NR
• BS and UE may operate different channel bandwidths.
• One carrier for the BS may be understood as multiple carriers for the UE
U E BW
• The set of “channel bandwidths” for the BS may differ to the UE
• New max channel bandwidth per band can be defined in future release
• UEs can support different maximum channel bandwidth in DL and UL
• UE maximum channel bandwidth is a UE capability
BS BW

NR is designed inherently with forward compability.

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NR Bandwidth Part unlocks radio resource flexibility (LTE no BW part)
• Motivation of BWP
• Reduced UE BW capability gNB future release 800 MHz channel
• Load balancing within CC
• UE power saving 400 MHz 400 MHz
• A BWP defined by a group of contiguous
200 MHz 200 MHz 200 MHz 200 MHz
PRBs, SCS, CP, RB location UE1 CA 2x200 CC CC CC CC
• Network can configure up to 4 BWP to a BWP
#1
BWP
#2
BWP#1

UE per CC via RRC signaling.

• UE perspective, at least one BWP should UE2a – 400 MHz CC
be configured, or multiple up to the Load balancing BWP BWP
network. #1 #2

• At most, one active DL BWP and one BWP

#1
active UL BWP at a given time. UE2b –
Power saving BWP#2
• Active BWP switching mechanisms: DCI-
based and Timer-based.

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 Q&A
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NR Modulation Schemes and Channel Coding
Modulation schemes
\Modulation schemes\ Downlink Uplink
Data channels QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM Pi/2-BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM
Control & PBCH channels QPSK QPSK

Channel coding
TrCH/Control information Coding Scheme
DL-SCH/ UL-SCH/ PCH LDPC (Low-density parity-check code)
BCH/ DCI/ UCI Polar code

Pi/2-BPSK allows PA be driven at higher output power with lower EVM, better uplink coverage of mmW bands.
LDPC is for data channels with longer packets – DL-SCH, UL-SCH, PCH.
Polar code is for control channels/information with short packets – BCH, DCI, UCI.
Turbo coding is NOT adopted in NR

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 THANK YOU
FOR ATTENDING!

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