Keysight Technologies

Concepts and Measurements

of HSPA + Evolution

Application Note

For most of the 20th century, operators used the work of Danish mathematician and
engineer A.K. Erlang as the basis for network planning: essentially predicting the number
of simultaneous users a telecommunications network would have to support. As long as
networks were used mainly for voice calls, the same broad principles applied to mobile
networks, with the added flexibility of using a smaller cell size in geographic hot spots
where more users could be expected and cell capacity exceeded.
However, the coming of the home PC in the 1990s, particularly in its laptop form, meant a
big change in demand. Fixed-line data modems delivering up to 56 kbps data and General
Packet Radio Service (GPRS) cellular modems at up to 28 kbps gave a less-than-acceptable
user experience and gave operators a new challenge. Three main solutions emerged: Data
Over Cable Service Infrastructure Specifications (DOCSIS) modems using existing cable TV
infrastructure, Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) modems using the copper of
fixed-line telephony, and third-generation cellular networks with higher cell capacities (aka
mobile broadband).
Today, as the take-up of data services on mobile networks continues to increase, the
rules of network provision need to be re-written. First, data services are by their nature
discontinuous. Moving to packet rather than circuit-switched delivery allows more users to
share the same resource (though directing the data becomes more complex). Second, the
progressively smaller cell sizes needed to fully cover the needs of ubiquitous mobile phone
ownership provides additional bandwidth for both voice and data. And finally, successive
advances in technology and system specifications have provided higher cell capacity
and consequent improvements in single-user data rates from the 384 kbps of original
Wideband Code Division Multiplex (W-CDMA) in 3GPP specification Release 99 through
High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) in Release 5 and High Speed Uplink Packet
Access (HSUPA) in Release 6 collectively High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) to evolved
HSPA (HSPA+), Dual Carrier HSDPA (DC-HSDPA) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) in 3GPP
Release 8, with the promise of more to come in further releases. Along with Release 8, there
is a concurrent move to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) the simplified all-packet network
architecture designed specifically to improve data throughput and latency. The increases
in data rates came courtesy of increased modulation density made possible by better
components, particularly in the area of digital receivers. Current HSPA networks deliver data
rates up to 14 Mbps downlink / 5.8 Mbps uplink. HSPA+ takes this to 21 Mbps downlink /
11 Mbps uplink; DC-HSDPA doubles the downlink speed and first-generation LTE starts out
at 100 Mbps downlink / 50 Mbps uplink.
Yet, these improvements have produced a chicken and egg conundrum for mobile
network operators: the more data capacity they make available, the more complex and
data-hungry user equipment (UEs) the device manufacturers offer, and the more sophisticated the demands of end-users become. Finding the funding to keep improving network
capacity, and ways of ensuring an acceptable revenue stream from high data users are
real issues. For some operators, this means offering unlimited data plans, while others
deliberately throttle back the speed available to users who exceed their data allowance.

Investment Choices
While the industry hype is all about LTE, many operators have chosen HSPA+ (or evolved
HSPA) as a more cost-effective short-term upgrade strategy. For those whose networks
are based on 3GPP specifications, most of whom have already deployed HSPA, HSPA+
is a software upgrade ideal in these days of tight budgets. HSPA+ delivers high
enough speeds to compare with most home broadband systems, so the user experience
adequately meets customer expectations.
Device manufacturers are set to provide end users with equipment for high-speed
services, with HSPA and derivatives dominating for the foreseeable future and a majority
of current installations delivering up to 7.2 Mbps downlink / 5.8 Mbps uplink.

Whats New in HSPA+ Explained

The major goals of HSPA+, as defined by the 3GPP standards organization are:
To exploit the full potential of the CDMA physical layer before moving to the
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) physical layer of LTE
To achieve performance comparable with LTE in a 5 MHz channel bandwidth
To provide smooth interworking between HSPA+ and LTE
To achieve co-existence of both technologies in one network
To allow operation in a packet-only mode for both voice and data
To be backward compatible with earlier user devices
Current W-CDMA systems are all based on a 5 MHz channel bandwidth, of which 3.84 MHz
is used and the remainder acts as a guard band between channels. New in Release 8 is the
option for dual-carrier HSDPA; that is to have the system aggregate the content of 2 contiguous
channels doubling downlink data rates at a stroke, and further enabling HSPA to maintain its
place in the high-speed world. It is important to recognize that improving uplink performance
also helps the downlink. By providing faster acknowledgement, downlink capacity and latency
both benefit. The option to have the HSPA+ network operate fully in packet mode for both
voice and data updates the backhaul network to make future LTE deployment simpler: only the
physical (base station radio) layer would need major upgrade.

Important features of HSPA+ are:

3GPP Release 7
Downlink MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output)
Higher order modulation for uplink (16QAM) and downlink (64QAM)
Continuous packet connectivity (CPC)

3GPP Release 8
Combined downlink MIMO and 64QAM peak rate can be up to 42 Mbps
CS over HSPA a circuit switched connection in a packet-based network
Dual Carrier HSDPA (though this cannot be combined with MIMO)

3GPP Release 9 and beyond

Releases 9 and beyond add further multi-carrier capability, including non-contiguous channels, adding supplemental downlink capacity using unpaired spectrum, enhanced MIMO
and 256QAM modulation. Current visions show HSPA+ Advanced, supporting over 300
Mbps downlink and almost 70 Mbps uplink, in Release 11. It remains to be seen how the
trade-offs between the further developments of HSPA+ and LTE will evolve.

Some Technical Details

16QAM in uplink
With the possibility to use 16QAM on the Enhanced Dedicated Channel (E-DCH) in the
uplink, HSPA+ can achieve uplink peak data rates of 11.5 Mbps.

64QAM in downlink
With the possibility to use 64QAM in the downlink, HSPA+ can achieve downlink data
rates of 21 Mbps. 64QAM is an optional UE capability, so not all UEs will support it.

Continuous packet connectivity (CPC)

CPC is a collection of enhancements that allow more users to be continuously connected
to the network and at the same time increase UE battery life. CPC mode avoids delays
related to state transitions, which in turn can improve the link quality, especially for lowdata-rate services like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). In other words, it allows more
users to be in the full on (CELL_DCH) state for a longer period of time even when there
is no data exchanged between the UE and the base transceiver station (BTS).
To support CPC, the following uplink and downlink improvements were made:
New UL Dedicated Physical Control Channel (DPCCH) slot format
(Helps reduce signaling overhead)
New UL DPCCH gating/discontinuous transmission (DTx) UE to BTS
(Helps increase battery life and minimize interference)
New DL discontinuous reception (DRx) at the UE
(Helps increase battery life and minimize interference)
New DL High Speed Shared Control Channel (HS-SCCH)-less operation
(Helps minimize interference and reduce signalling overhead)
These features are attractive to service providers because they can increase capacity
(especially for low-data-rate services such as VoIP), and they are relatively simple
upgrades to the network and terminals.

Some Technical Details (continued)

Web page
download

User reading web page

(in Cell_DCH state)
UL DPCCH is continuosly transmitted and
DL channels are continuosly received by
the UE during the reading phase

HSPA R6

DPCCH gating (DTx) starts

after download completes

HSPA R7

Discontinuos reception (DRx)

is only possible when DTx is active

Figure 1. Comparison of normal and DTx/DRx operation

Figure 1 illustrates the CPC concept with a real-world example. In this case, the user is
downloading a web page. After the web page has been downloaded they stop browsing
and read the page. During this reading time, there is no data exchange required by the
user between the mobile device and the BTS. In the upper graphic (HSPA Release 6), the
UL DPCCH is continuously transmitted and the DL channels are continuously received by
the UE while the user is reading.
The lower graphic illustrates the application of the CPC mode. In this case, after the web
page is downloaded, the UE quickly goes into the UL DPCCH gating mode (or DTx mode).
Following this, the UE receiver goes into discontinuous reception (or DRx). The scheduling
of these two events is managed by a series of rules in such a way as to maximize overlap
so that DTx and DRx happen at approximately the same time. This allows the UE to go
into a micro-sleep mode which significantly helps battery life. It also reduces the signalto-noise and interference (SIR) generated by all these channels including the HS-SCCH,
which in turn allows more users to be connected at the same time. This feature is
attractive to service providers because it increases voice capacity with VoIP and requires
relatively simple upgrades to the network and terminals. In some cases, this increase in
voice capacity can be as much as 50%. To further reduce signaling overhead, HS-SCCH
Orders are introduced to control the activation and deactivation of DRx and DTx behavior.
Transitions with HS-SCCH Orders avoid the upper layer signaling required for a traditional
reconfiguration procedure.
DRx operation is only possible when uplink DTx operation is activated. UE and BTS Tx/Rx
designers need to test how their chipsets/algorithms respond to these dynamic changes
in the signals.

Some Technical Details (continued)

HS-SCCH-less operation
HS-SCCH-less operation is used to reduce the signaling overhead, especially for services
using relatively small packets, such as VoIP.
With HS-SCCH-less operation, the first High-Speed Downlink Shared Channel (HS-DSCH)
transmission of small transport blocks on predefined High-Speed Physical Downlink Shared
Channels (HS-PDSCHs) is performed without the accompanying HS-SCCH which contains
information to help the UE decode this and future downlink transmissions. Consequently,
UEs are required to use more complex algorithms to determine the transport format on the
HS-DSCH and to identify to which UE the HS-DSCH transmission was addressed. Three
modifications are made in the first HS-DSCH transmission with HS-SCCH-less operation to
simplify the changes required to the UEs downlink detection algorithms. First, the number
and complexity of the HS-DSCH transport formats are reduced. In addition, a simpler
method for detecting the correct UE ID (technically referred to as the HSDPA radio network temporary identifier (H-RNTI)) is defined. Finally, the first HS-DSCH transmission with
HS-SCCH-less operation always uses the same modulation format (quaternary phase-shift
keying (QPSK)) and redundancy version (zero (0)).
Just as for standard HSDPA, an acknowledgement (ACK) is sent on the uplink High-Speed
Dedicate Physical Control Channel (HS-DPCCH) when the UE successfully detects the first
HS-DSCH transmission with HS-SCCH-less operation. If the UEs algorithm does not successfully detect the first HS-DSCH transmission, the UE buffers the data for retransmission
instead of sending a non-acknowledgement (NACK). When an ACK is not received, the
network re-transmits the same data once or twice (only two re-transmissions are allowed)
with specific redundancy versions (3 and 4) and the same modulation format (QPSK). In
addition, a simplified HS-SCCH (HS-SCCH type 2) is sent with the re-transmitted data to
help the UE to detect the transmission.
Once again, HS-SCCH Orders can be used to activate and deactivate HS-SCCH-less
operation thus further reducing the overhead signalling. To provide the maximum benefit,
HS-SCCH-less operation can be combined with UL DTx and DL DRx.

Some Technical Details (continued)

DC-HSDPA
Dual-carrier or dual-cell high-speed downlink packet access (DC-HSDPA) is a W-CDMA
feature defined in 3GPP Release 8 that allows the network to transmit HSDPA data to
a mobile device from two cells simultaneously. A theoretical maximum throughput of
42 Mbps in the downlink can be achieved with this configuration.
Four new HS-DSCH UE categories, 21-24, have been added to cover a range of capabilities when a DC-HSDPA connection is active. All 4 categories are capable of receiving
15 HS-PDSCH codes per transport block with an inter-TTI (transmission time interval) of
1 (for maximum HSDPA throughput), but vary in the transport block size, soft buffer size
and whether 64QAM is supported.
While operating in DC-HSDPA mode, the UE receives HSDPA transmissions from two
cells. One of the cells is known as the serving cell and the other the secondary serving
cell. The two cells transmit on separate but adjacent W-CDMA channels while potentially
generating two different cell powers. DC-HSDPA assumes that the two cells are served
by the same Node-B (from the same physical base station site). While the serving cell
has a full set of common channels (SCH, P-CCPCH, CPICH, PICH, etc.), the UE must
assume that the secondary serving cell only transmits a CPICH (the UE cannot rely on
the presence of an SCH/P-CCPCH). Both cells can transmit HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH to
the UE simultaneously. The data content of each cells HS-PDSCH is different and each
cells HS-PDSCH is configured independently. As with single-carrier HSDPA (SC-HSDPA),
the UE monitors up to 4 HS-SCCHs from each cell, although it can only be configured to
monitor a total of 6 HS-SCCHs across both cells.
On the uplink, the UE transmits a single HS-DPCCH to the serving cell. This HS-DPCCH
carries either 1 or 2 ACK/NACK bits depending on how many HS-PDSCH transmissions the UE attempted to decode. The HS-DPCCH also carries 2 CQI (channel quality
indicator) reports, one for each cell. Despite the presence of more information on the
HS-DPCCH in DC-HSDPA than for SC-HSDPA, the underlying physical channel remains
unchanged. Instead, more code points are added to the ACK/NACK and CQI fields.
In the physical layer, the nominal radio frame timing in a secondary serving HS-DSCH cell
is the same as for the serving HS-DSCH cell.
To the MAC-ehs (medium access control - enhanced high speed) layer (MAC-hs is not
supported) the two cells essentially look like two HS-DSCH transport channels. Each of
these HS-DSCH channels is controlled by its own independent HARQ (hybrid automatic
repeat request) process entity, with each entity containing a unique set of HARQ processes. Each of the two HARQ process entities is fed by a common priority queue, which
means the rest of the stack from MAC-d upwards is unaware that two carriers are being
used to transmit data to the UE. Some limitations have been added to HARQ memory
partitioning to restrict the amount of soft memory that can be allocated to a single HARQ
process and, thus, limit the amount of data that has to be transferred across the UEs
internal data buses.

Some Technical Details (continued)

DC-HSDPA continued
With upper layer signaling, the UE indicates whether it supports DC-HSDPA using a flag
(multi-cell support) in the RRC (radio resource control) Connection Setup Request message,
and then signals its DC-HSDPA category in the RRC Connection Setup Complete message.
The network enables and activates DC-HSDPA at call setup in the RRC Connection Setup
or RB Setup message. Once on a connection, DC-HSDPA can be enabled or disabled by
all the reconfiguration messages (Radio Bearer Reconfiguration (RBR), Transport Channel
Reconfiguration (TCR) and Physical Channel Reconfiguration (PCR)), or by using the RB
Release or Active Set Update message. The Release 8 versions of all these messages
contain a new information element (IE), Downlink Secondary Cell Info FDD, to signal the
configuration of the secondary serving cell in terms of its downlink UARFCN, primary
scrambling code, HS-SCCH channelization codes, 64QAM support, and other parameters.
For a reduction in signaling overhead, the secondary serving cell can be activated or
deactivated using HS-SCCH Orders sent on either the serving or secondary serving cell
(the UEs behavior is undefined if it receives conflicting orders).
DC-HSDPA can be combined with CPC, but HS-SCCH-less operation can only be used on
the serving cell. In Release 8, MIMO and DC-HSDPA cannot be active at the same time,
and the serving and secondary serving cells must operate on adjacent W-CDMA channels
in the same band.

Radio bearer (RB) test mode

RB test mode is a special defined-channel configuration, designed to simplify the testing
environment. Since W-CDMA and its extensions are incredibly flexible, defined radio
bearers called RMCs (reference measurement channels) simplify which configurations
need to be tested for standards compliance. This is the typical test environment that is
used throughout the lifecycle of a devices design and manufacturing process. New RMCs
(called fixed reference channels or FRCs) have been specified to test the new features of
HSPA and HSPA+, including the new modulation types, MIMO and UL DTx/DL DRx.

New test requirements for HSPA+ (3GPP Release 7 and 8)

Adding new capability to an existing UE platform involves a huge amount of validation
testing before the products initial development is completed. Thereafter, the cycle of
external testing may find interactions that require changes to the design and mean the
entire process has to be repeated. The final arbiter of product success is the court of
public opinion is the user experience a delight, or a focus of customer complaint?
Todays handsets, be they low-cost feature phones, smartphones, tablets, or laptop data
cards, typically already support legacy 2 and 2.5G as well as standard and enhanced
3G functionality: GSM, GPRS, EGPRS, W-CDMA, and HSPA. In adding Release 7 and
8 HSPA+ capability, developers must ensure they correctly interpret and implement the
required new features, and at the same time make sure the behavior of the existing
base product does not change. DC-HSDPA requires developing the additional receiver
capability and ensuring there are no adverse interactions. Test labs, either independent or
part of a manufacturer or network operator, use automated systems such as the Keysight
Technologies, Inc. GS-8800 (see Figure 2) to run exhaustive suites of tests (known as
campaigns in the industry) to prove the designs meet requirements.

Figure 2. A typical conformance test system, Keysight GS-8800

Table 1, in the following pages, shows the list of required tests that have been added for
HSPA, HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA. For test details, see 3GPP TS 34.121-1 V10.1.0 (2011-12)
UE Conformance Specification; Radio Transmission and Reception (FDD), at
http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/archive/34_series/34.121-1/34121-1-a10.zip.

New test requirements for HSPA+ (3GPP Release 7 and 8) (continued)

In Table 1, there are tests for both physical attributes of the equipment (characteristics)
and expected behaviors (performance requirements). The former are traditional tests,
and while they may be modified by evolving technology, they are relatively familiar to
those working in the industry. They measure parameters such as output power and
receiver sensitivity that may change from device to device, so they are performed over the
expected environmental range of the device during the design phase. A subset of these
essential tests will form the basis of testing in manufacturing. Performance characteristics
deal with the operation of the device as a network component, and are tied closely to the
design of the devices type and control software rather than to the physical attributes of
an individual device. The enhanced performance characteristics listed refer to classes of
UE that have more than one receive antenna and support either receive diversity (multiple
antennas feeding a single receiver) or MIMO. These characteristics are verified by the
manufacturer during development and are subject to extensive testing for conformance
and interoperability by external test houses, national conformance test labs and operators
before the device is passed as fit for use on a network. Devices are required to be
completely re-tested if any part of their control software is modified in any way.
Here is an example of a specific type of requirement. W-CDMA and its evolutions are
code-domain-multiplex systems simplistically, each user makes use of the entire channel with user separation through an assigned scrambling code which is known to the
transmitter and receiver. Other transmissions in the same channel use different codes and,
therefore, just look like wideband noise. Figure 3 shows a conceptual block diagram of
how a base station transmitter output is constructed.

Figure 3. W-CDMA base station transmitter block diagram

10

New test requirements for HSPA+ (3GPP Release 7 and 8) (continued)

To keep the base station receiver operating at maximum efficiency, the power transmitted
from each UE is monitored and raised or lowered continuously to maintain a target error
ratio at the base station receiver, while providing minimum interference to other users.
This closed loop power control is a key UE performance requirement which becomes
more important as the modulation density increases. Less space between the constellation points means signal-to-noise ratio must be improved to maintain the same error
ratio. See Figure 4 below.

Figure 4. Noisy 64QAM constellation vector diagram

The Keysight 8960 Wireless Communications Test Set supports W-CDMA and all its evolutions, and its Lab Application gives keyboard control of the power increase and decrease
messages, allowing developers to thoroughly test the functionality of a new or revised
device, Figure 5.

11

New test requirements for HSPA+ (3GPP Release 7 and 8) (continued)

Figure 5. 8960 power control screen

In terms of RF conformance testing, DC-HSDPA receiver test cases have been added to
3GPP TS 34.121-1 s6 and the HSDPA performance test cases in 3GPP TS 34.121-1 s9.2 also
have new DC-HSDPA requirements. Reference sensitivity levels have been raised by 4 dB for
DC-HSDPA tests. Throughput under various conditions and BLER must be measured independently for each cell. Two new Reporting of CQI tests verify the UEs ability to accurately report
CQI for both cells.
New RF tests use new Fixed Reference Channel (FRC) configurations, namely H-Set 3A,
H-Set 6A, H-Set 8A, H-Set 10A, and H-Set 12. H-Set 12 is 60 kbps, uses one HS-PDSCH
code with QPSK modulation, and is transmitted identically on both serving and secondary
serving cells. H-Set 3A, H-Set 6A, H-Set 8A, and H-Set 10A are essentially the same
as H-Sets 3, 6, 8 and 10, defined for use with HSDPA. The only difference is that for
DC-HSDPA, the H-Set is transmitted on both cells.
3GPP TS 34.108 s7.3.13 defines a call setup procedure for DC-HSDPA RF conformance
testing that is almost identical to the typical HSDPA call setup procedure with the exception that the loop is not always closed on the 12.2 kbps reference measurement channel
(RMC). Instead, each test is required to specify loopback conditions.
A new additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) configuration is defined for DC-HSDPA
having a minimum bandwidth of 11.52 MHz (3GPP TS 34.121-1 sD.1.1).

12

New test requirements for HSPA+ (3GPP Release 7 and 8) (continued)

Table 1. Additional test list for HSPA, HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA
3GPP TS 34.121-1 V10.1.0 (2011-12) Section 5 Test for Transmitter Characteristics
3GPP TS
34.121-1

Test Description

HSDPA

5.2A

Maximum Output Power with HS-DPCCH (Release 5 only)

5.2AA

Maximum Output Power with HS-DPCCH (Release 6 and later)

5.2B

Maximum Output Power with HS-DPCCH and E-DCH

5.2C

UE Relative Code Domain Power Accuracy

5.2D

UE Relative Code Domain Power Accuracy for HS-DPCCH and

E-DCH

5.2E

UE Relative Code Domain Power Accuracy for HS-DPCCH and EDCH with 16QAM

5.7A

HS-DPCCH Power Control

5.9A

Spectrum Emission Mask with HS-DPCCH

5.9B

Spectrum Emission Mask with E-DCH

5.10A

Adjacent Channel Leakage Power Ratio (ACLR) with HS-DPCCH

5.10B

Adjacent Channel Leakage Power Ratio (ACLR) with E-DCH

5.13.1A

Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) with HS-DPCCH

5.13.1AA

Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) and Phase Discontinuity with HSDPCCH

5.13.1AAA

EVM and IQ origin offset for HS-DPCCH and E-DCH with 16 QAM

5.13.2A

Relative Code Domain Error with HS-DPCCH

5.13.2B

Relative Code Domain Error with HS-DPCCH and E-DCH

5.13.2C

Relative Code Domain Error for HS-DPCCH and E-DCH with 16QAM

HSUPA

HSPA+

DC-HSDPA

X
X

X
X
X

3GPP TS 34.121-1 V10.1.0 (2011-12) Section 6 Test for Receiver Characteristics

3GPP TS
34.121-1

Test Description

HSDPA

HSUPA

HSPA+

DC-HSDPA

6.2A

Reference Sensitivity Level for DC-HSDPA

6.2B

Reference Sensitivity Level for DB-DC-HSDPA

6.3A

Maximum Input Level for HS-PDSCH Reception (16QAM)

6.3B

Maximum Input Level for HS-PDSCH Reception (64QAM)

6.3C

Maximum Input Level for DC-HSDPA Reception (16QAM)

6.3D

Maximum Input Level for DC-HSDPA Reception (64QAM)

X
X

6.4B

Adjacent Channel Selectivity (ACS) for DC-HSDPA

6.5A

Blocking Characteristics for DC-HSDPA

6.6A

Spurious Response for DC-HSDPA

6.7A

Intermodulation Characteristics for DC-HSDPA

6.7B

Intermodulation Characteristics for DC-HSDPA

13

New test requirements for HSPA+ (3GPP Release 7 and 8) (continued)

3GPP TS 34.121-1 Section 7 Performance Requirements
3GPP TS
34.121-1

Test Description

HSDPA

7.8.5

Power Control in the Downlink for F-DPCH

7.13

UE UL Power Control Operation with Discontinuous UL DPCCH

Transmission Operation

HSUPA

HSPA+

DC-HSDPA

HSUPA

HSPA+

DC-HSDPA

3GPP TS 34.121-1 V10.1.0 (2011-12) Section 9 Performance Requirements for HSDPA

3GPP TS
34.121-1

Test Description

HSDPA

9.2.1

Demodulation of HS-DSCH (Fixed Reference Channel): Single Link

Performance

9.2.1A

QPSK/16QAM, FRC H-Set 1/2/3

9.2.1B

QPSK, FRC H-Set 4/5

9.2.1C

QPSK/16QAM, FRC H-Set 6/3

9.2.1D

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 1 - QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 1/2/3

9.2.1E

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 1 - QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 6/3

9.2.1F

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 2 - QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 6/3

9.2.1FA

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 2 - QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 6A/3A

9.2.1G

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 3 - QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 6/3

9.2.1GA

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 3 - QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 6A/3A

9.2.1H

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 2 - 64QAM, FRC H-Set

8

9.2.1HA

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 2 - 64QAM, FRC H-Set

8A

9.2.1I

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 3 - 64QAM, FRC H-Set

8

9.2.1IA

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 3 - 64QAM, FRC H-Set

8A

9.2.1J

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 2 - QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 10

9.2.1JA

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 2 - QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 10A

9.2.1K

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 3 - QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 10

9.2.1KA

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 3 - QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 10A

14

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

New test requirements for HSPA+ (3GPP Release 7 and 8) (continued)

3GPP TS 34.121-1 V10.1.0 (2011-12) Section 9 Performance Requirements for HSDPA continued
3GPP TS
34.121-1

Test Description

HSDPA

9.2.1L

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 3i - QPSK, FRC H-Set 6

9.2.1LA

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 3i - QPSK, FRC H-Set

6A

HSUPA

HSPA+

DC-HSDPA

9.2.2

Open Loop Diversity Performance

9.2.2A

QPSK/16QAM, FRC H-Set 1/2/3

9.2.2B

QPSK, FRC H-Set 4/5

9.2.2C

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 1 QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 1/2/3

9.2.2D

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 2 QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 3

9.2.2E

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 3 QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 3

9.2.3

Closed Loop Diversity Performance

9.2.3A

QPSK/16QAM, FRC H-Set 1/2/3

9.2.3B

QPSK, FRC H-Set 4/5

9.2.3C

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 1 QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 1/2/3

9.2.3D

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 2 QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 6/3

9.2.3E

Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 3 QPSK/16QAM, FRC

H-Set 3

9.3

Reporting of CQI

9.3.1

Single Link Performance - AWGN Propagation Conditions

9.3.1A

Single Link Performance - AWGN Propagation Conditions, 64QAM

9.3.1B

Single Link Performance - AWGN Propagation Conditions, DCHSDPA Requirements

9.3.1B

Single Link Performance - AWGN Propagation Conditions, DCHSDPA Requirements

X
X

9.3.1C

Single Link Performance - AWGN Propagation Conditions, Periodically Varying Radio Conditions

9.3.2

Single Link Performance - Fading Propagation Conditions

9.3.2A

Single Link Performance - Fading Propagation Conditions, DCHSDPA Requirements

9.3.2B

Single Link Performance Fading Propagation Conditions, 64QAM

9.3.3

Open Loop Diversity Performance - AWGN Propagation Conditions

9.3.4

Open Loop Diversity Performance - Fading Propagation Conditions

9.3.5

Closed Loop Diversity Performance - AWGN Propagation Conditions X

15

New test requirements for HSPA+ (3GPP Release 7 and 8) (continued)

3GPP TS 34.121-1 V10.1.0 (2011-12) Section 9 Performance Requirements for HSDPA continued
3GPP TS
34.121-1

Test Description

HSDPA

9.3.6

Closed Loop Diversity Performance - Fading Propagation Conditions

9.4

HS-SCCH Detection Performance

9.4.1

Single Link Performance

9.4.1A

Single Link Performance - Enhanced Performance Requirements

Type 1

9.4.2

Open Loop Diversity Performance

9.4.2A

Open Loop Diversity Performance - Enhanced Performance Requirements Type 1

9.4.3

HS-SCCH Type 3 Performance

9.5

HS-SCCH-Less Demodulation of HS-DSCH (FRC)

9.5.1

Requirement QPSK, FRC H-Set 7

9.5.1A

Requirement QPSK, FRC H-Set 7 Enhanced Performance Require- X

ments Type 1

9.6

HS-DSCH and HS-SCCH Reception in CELL_FACH State

9.6.1

Single Link HS-DSCH Demodulation Performance in CELL_FACH

State

9.6.2

Single Link HS-SCCH Detection Performance in CELL_FACH State

HSUPA

HSPA+

DC-HSDPA

X
X

3GPP TS 34.121-1 V10.1.0 (2011-12) Section 10 Performance Requirement (E-DCH)

3GPP TS
34.121-1
10.2

Test Description

HSDPA

HSUPA

Detection of E-DCH HARQ ACK Indicator Channel (E-HICH), Single

Link Performance

10.2.1.1

10 ms TTI

10.2.1.1A

10 ms TTI, Type 1

10.2.1.2

(2 ms TTI

10.2.1.2A

(2 ms TTI, Type 1

10.2.2

Detection in Inter-Cell Handover Conditions

10.2.2.1

RLS Not Containing the Serving E-DCH Cell

10.2.2.1.1

10 ms TTI

10.2.2.1.1A

10 ms TTI, Type 1

10.2.2.1.2

2 ms TTI

10.2.2.1.2A

2 ms TTI, Type 1

10.2.2.2

RLS Containing the Serving E-DCH Cell

10.2.2.2.1

10 ms TTI

10.2.2.2.1A

10 ms TTI, Type 1

10.2.2.2.2

2 ms TTI

10.2.2.2.2A 2 ms TTI, Type 1

10.3.1

Detection of E-DCH Relative Grant Channel (E-RGCH), Single Link

Performance

10.3.1.1

10 ms TTI

10.3.1.1A

10 ms TTI, Type 1

10.3.1.2

2 ms TTI

16

HSPA+

DC-HSDPA

New test requirements for HSPA+ (3GPP Release 7 and 8) (continued)

3GPP TS 34.121-1 V10.1.0 (2011-12) Section 10 Performance Requirement (E-DCH) continued
3GPP TS
34.121-1

Test Description

HSDPA

HSUPA

10.3.1.2

2 ms TTI

10.3.1.2A

2 ms TTI, Type 1

10.3.2

Detection in Inter-Cell Handover Conditions

10.3.2A

Detection in Inter-Cell Handover Conditions (Type 1)

10.4

Demodulation of E-DCH Absolute Grant Channel (E-AGCH)

10.4.1

Single Link Performance

10.4.1A

Single Link Performance (Type 1)

17

HSPA+

DC-HSDPA

Keysight design and test products for HSPA+

SystemVue design libraries
There are two SystemVue design libraries for HSPA+ design work. They both include functional Tx and Rx models, including features specific to DC-HSDPA, so it is possible to make
a system-level closed-loop bit error ratio (BER) or packet error ratio (PER) measurement.
SystemVues W1916 3G library is an algorithmic reference for Baseband PHY design,
which also interacts with Keysight signal generation and analysis test equipment and RF
EDA platforms. It already includes CDMA, cdma2000, W-CDMA, and HSPA.
The W2364 2G/3G Cellular Library is a component of the Keysight Advanced Design
System, used for simulation-based pre-compliance/verification of RF/analog designs. It
can be used to measure DC-RF efficiency, spectral regrowth of power amplifiers, receiver
characteristics, and generally to speed the design verification process. Figure 6 shows one
of the SystemVue measurements.

Figure 6. DC-HSDPA receiver sensitivity test using SystemVue

18

Keysight design and test products for HSPA+ (continued)

Signal generation and Signal Studio waveform creation
software
N7600B Signal Studio for 3GPP W-CDMA FDD is PC-based software that simplifies
creation of standard-compliant 3GPP W-CDMA arbitrary waveform (ARB) test signals. It
is compatible with the ESG, PSG and MXG Vector Signal Generators and PXB Baseband
Generator and Channel Emulator.
For component testing, N7600B generates UL and DL W-CDMA, HSPA and HSPA+
signals with standard-compliant physical layer configurations.
For BTS receiver testing, N7600B generates transport-channel coded W-CDMA, HSPA
and HSPA+ UL signals, including flexible HARQ and CQI patterns for dual-cell and MIMO
testing and FRC configurations for conformance testing. See Figure 7 below.

Figure 7. Signal Studio user interface

For UE receiver testing, N7600B generates transport-channel-coded W-CDMA and

HSDPA DL signals and includes pre-defined RMC and H-Set 1-5 configurations.

19

Keysight design and test products for HSPA+ (continued)

Vector signal analysis
On the signal analysis side, the 89600 VSA supports the new Release 7 and 8
features, including MIMO and the analysis of the uplink transmission to the
serving cell of the dual-cell HS-DPCCH ACK/NACK and CQI report decodes. The
software also provides superior general-purpose and standards-based signal
evaluation, and troubleshooting tools that engineers can use to view signals
and gather the data they need to successfully troubleshoot physical layer signal
problems. Moreover, it supports both two- and four-channel MIMO and is compatible with over 30 Keysight signal analyzers, scopes and logic analyzers.
Figure 8 shows the composite EVM and relative code domain power of a 64QAM
downlink signal in both tabular and graphical form using VSA.

Figure 8. VSA display of 64QAM downlink signal

20

Keysight design and test products for HSPA+ (continued)

8960 Wireless communications test set
The updated 8960 (E5515E) supports DC-HSDPA connections for all defined HS-DSCH
categories that support DC-HSDPA: 21, 22, 23, and 24. Both FDD test mode and active
cell DC-HSDPA connections are supported. In active cell, both RB test mode and packetswitched (PS) data DC-HSDPA connections are supported. The maximum data rates for
DC-HSDPA connections are 42 Mbps in the downlink and 11 Mbps in the uplink. The serving
cell and secondary serving cell are generated on adjacent 5 MHz channels in any band
supported by the 8960, Bands I through XIV and XIX through XXI. The data throughput
monitor and HSDPA BLER measurement report results for the serving cell, the secondary
serving cell and the combination of both cells. For testing 3GPP TS 34.121-1 test cases, all of
the new H-Sets defined for use with DC-HSDPA are supported.
Figure 9 below shows a DC-HSPA-capable USB device under test. The PC on the left of the
picture is a server running IPERF, a utility developed as a method for measuring maximum
TCP and UDP bandwidth performance. In this case, the server is sending a 42 Mbps bitstream via the ethernet port of the 8960. The 8960 emulates DC-HSDPA transmission (i.e. it
transmits the primary and secondary serving cells via its front panel RF output to the device.)
The 8960s data monitor screen shows both single channel and overall data throughput, as
well as details of the numerical rates of the primary and secondary serving cells. The receiving PC on top of the 8960 is also running IPERF, and shows the received data rate. The same
setup can also be used to allow the receiving PC to FTP files from the server using software
such as Filezilla, and to see the difference in performance when data reception needs to be
acknowledged. For full setup and measurement configuration details, see the online user
guide at www.keysight.com/find/e5515e.

Figure 9. 8960 running DC-HSPA data throughput test

21

Keysight design and test products for HSPA+ (continued)

Keysight command expert
In the DC-HSPA example, the 8960 was set up manually via its front panel. However,
the 8960 is one of a number of instruments supported by a new Keysight utility known
as Command Expert, where setup details can be constructed offline and sent to the
instrument. Command Expert is free to download and combines instrument commands,
documentation, syntax checking, and command execution all in one simple interface, see
Figure 10. Using Command Expert makes repeatable testing easier as it eliminates the
possibility of missed or incorrect steps in setting the instrument manually. See product data
sheet 5990-9362EN for more information and download instructions.

Figure 10. 8960 is one of the instruments supported in Command Expert

scripting

22

Keysight design and test products for HSPA+ (continued)

Manufacturing test
Throughout most of the history of cellular communications, handsets were relatively
simple single- or dual-radio devices. Manufacturing test systems emulated a network
base station, setting up device test conditions via over-the-air signaling. However, todays
handsets must support both new and legacy cellular formats and contain numerous radios
to do this: 2G GSM/GPRS/EGPRS and cdma2000, 3G W-CDMA/HSPA and 1xEV, and 4G
LTE, plus WiMAXTM, WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC. At the same time, the highly competitive
handset market has created huge pressure to reduce manufacturing test times and costs.
The result has been the inclusion of test modes in handset chipsets that allow much faster
directed non-signaling test.
There are different levels to which non-signaling test modes are implemented in cellular
chipsets and the capability of the test modes influences the degree to which test-time
reductions can be made. Chipset and test equipment vendors are continually investigating
ways in which they can provide non-signaling test speed improvements to manufacturers, and their efforts are leading to the development of proprietary, chipset-specific test
modes, particularly for cellular verification test. By taking advantage of test modes built
into the new chipsets, non-signaling test can eliminate costly signaling overhead from the
manufacturing test process, increasing throughput while maintaining the integrity of the
test and quality of the finished product.
Device manufacturers will continue to use signaling test methods in development and
production verification to ensure they build stability and confidence into their processes
when moving to non-signaling test. Signaling test then serves as a traceable reference
(measurement correlation) of device RF performance during design (between signaling
and non-signaling test modes) and on through the transition to manufacturing test.
The Keysight E6607B EXT wireless communications test set provides fast and accurate
measurements, flexible sequencer techniques, and works in sync with modern chipset
test modes to speed calibration and verification of the latest wireless devices. The EXT
is a one-box, non-signaling test set that integrates an innovative test sequencer, vector
signal analyzer (VSA), vector signal generator (VSG), and multi-format hardware. Fast,
standards-compliant measurements and modulation analysis capabilities are based on
proven Keysight measurement algorithms. The E6617A Multiport Adapter extends EXT to
eight fully calibrated RFIO interfaces and four GPS ports for parallel device testing. This
configuration enables simultaneous verification of DUTs receivers and testing of devices
GPS receiver without extra fixturing or device handling, see Figure 11.

23

Keysight design and test products for HSPA+ (continued)

3GPP channel and signal identifiers The
3GPP organization keeps a full and up-todate listing of all the technical abbreviations used in the specifications. For a full
list, see
http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/htmlinfo/21905.htm.

Figure 11. The Keysight EXT/MPA is an integrated solution for non-signaling

test

Portable tools add lexibility for network deployment

Keysights new range of FieldFox portable analyzers make collaboration simpler, see Figure
12. Share measurements amongst colleagues in development, manufacturing and field
service without the need to move lab-grade equipment around. Accurate measurements with
no warm-up, one-button measurements for quick and error-free setup, wide operating
temperature range and a compact, lightweight product design mean you can tackle your
measurement problem at its source rather than have to re-create conditions at your desk.
And you can archive or transfer data directly using LAN, USB and SD card.

Figure 12. Fieldfox portables mean you can carry precision measurements to
where you need them

Conclusion
HSPA+ offers network operators an option for the delivery of mobile broadband services.
It may be faster and less costly to implement than moving immediately to LTE, while
still meeting the expectations for the higher data rates that smartphone users demand.
Keysight has the tools and knowledge to help provide greater insight into evolving the
design and test of HSPA+ components and devices, from early simulation through design,
conformance test, interoperability test, and on into manufacturing.
24

25 | Keysight | Concepts and Measurements of HSPA+ Evolution - Application Note

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Keysight Technologies, 2012 - 2014
Published in USA, August 2, 2014
5991-1333EN
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