03 - LTE Dimensioning Guidelines - Macrocell Link Budget - FDD - Ed5.0 - Internal

INTERNAL
LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Outdoor Link

Budget - FDD
December 2014
< LTE DIMENSIONING GUIDELINES – OUTDOOR LINK BUDGET> <DEC.2014>
Copyright © 2012 by Alcatel-Lucent. All Rights Reserved.

About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers,
enterprises and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video communication services
to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies,
applications, and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling
communications services for people at home, at work and on the move. For more information,
visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet.
Notice
The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. At the time of
publication, it reflects the latest information on Alcatel-Lucent’s offer, however, our policy of
continuing development may result in improvement or change to the specifications described.
Trademarks
Alcatel, Lucent Technologies, Alcatel-Lucent and the Alcatel-Lucent logo are trademarks of
Alcatel-Lucent. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Alcatel-Lucent
assumes no responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein.
Alcatel-Lucent – Proprietary
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History
Changes Date Author

st
Ed 1.0 – 1 Release Dec 2008 Keith Butterworth
Ed 2.0 - Quality review and edits, minor edits to section 4.1 Feb 2009 Keith Butterworth
Ed2.1 – Correction to interference margin definition Mar 2009 Keith Butterworth
Ed2.2 – Addition of ACK/NACK link budget considerations Jun 2009 Keith Butterworth
Ed2.3 – Updates to the link budget aspects (modification of UL link

Nov 2009 Keith Butterworth
budget + addition of revised DL link budget)
Ed2.3 – Minor updates and corrections Dec 2009 Keith Butterworth
Ed2.5 – Alignment with Ed8.2 link budget (updated SINR figures, FSS
Feb 2010 Keith Butterworth
Gain, revised IoT section, rework of DL section, SMUX gain)
Ed2.6 – Update inline with new dimensioning guidelines document

Apr 2010 Keith Butterworth
structure + alignment with changes in Ed8.3.2 of link budget tool
Ed2.7 – Minor changes to sections 2.1.4.4, 3.1.3 and 3.1.5.4. Jul 2010 Keith Butterworth
Ed2.8 – Minor editorial updates (correction of interference margin

equation). Updates to align with Ed 8.4 of the LKB tool. Sept 2010 Keith Butterworth
Addition of 8bit CQI report over PUCCH link budget.
Ed2.9 – Updates to align with Ed8.5 of the LKB tool. Correction of
Feb 2011 Laurent Demerville
effective coding rates and other minor corrections.
Ed2.10 – Updates to align with Ed8.5.1 of the LKB tool. Addition of
RACH constraints. Correction of DL power recommendations. Other Sep 2011 Laurent Demerville
minor corrections & clarifications.
Ed3.0 – Updates to align with Ed9.0 of the LKB tool. Clarifications
Sep 2012 Laurent Demerville
regarding HARQ operating points and DL power recommendations.
- Ed4.0 – Updates to align with Ed10.0 of the LKB tool:
- 1%pBLER UL data service examples have been removed since not
supported/planned by ALU.
- Misc. editorial changes: RE distribution table, add PA sizing
recommendation for TRDU…
- Misc. corrections: Correction of HARQ operating point for VoLTE Oct 2014 Ramez Soss
Optimized Segmentation, correction of UL interference management
equation by adding the noise figure impact, indoor daylight considered
by default instead of deep indoor.
- Update UL control channels’ SINR requirements.
- Update Geometry %ile equation (no more dependent on Pcov).
Ed5.0 – Updates to align with Ed11.0 of the LKB tool:
- New UL Link Level Performance figures
Dec 2014 Ramez Soss
- Update of VoLTE performances
- Update of UL Rxdiv gains
This Alcatel-Lucent document has been written by the Network Design Competence Center and has been
reviewed by the Advanced RF Design team
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CONTENTS
1 Introduction ...................................................................... 7
2 Uplink Link Budget .............................................................. 8
2.1 Uplink Link Budget Parameters .................................................. 9
2.1.1 UE Characteristics ...................................................................... 9
2.1.2 eNode-B Receiver Sensitivity ....................................................... 10
2.1.3 Noise Figure ........................................................................... 10
2.1.4 SINR Performances ................................................................... 11
2.1.5 Handling of VoIP on the Uplink ..................................................... 16
2.1.6 Uplink Explicit Diversity Gains ...................................................... 18
2.1.7 Interference Margin .................................................................. 19
2.1.8 Shadowing Margin .................................................................... 21
2.1.9 Handoff Gain / Best Server Selection Gain ....................................... 22
2.1.10 Frequency Selective Scheduling (FSS) Gain ....................................... 24
2.1.11 Penetration Losses ................................................................... 26
2.2 Final MAPL and Cell Range ..................................................... 27
2.2.1 Propagation Model ................................................................... 27
2.2.2 RACH constraints ..................................................................... 28
2.2.3 Site Area ............................................................................... 29
2.3 Impact of RRH and TMA ......................................................... 29
2.3.1 RRH ..................................................................................... 29
2.3.2 TMA ..................................................................................... 29
2.4 Uplink Link Budget Example ................................................... 30
2.5 Uplink Common Control Channel Considerations .......................... 31
2.5.1 Attach Procedure ..................................................................... 32
2.5.2 ACK/NACK Feedback ................................................................. 33
2.5.3 Periodic CQI Reports ................................................................. 34
3 Downlink Link Budget ......................................................... 36
3.1 Downlink Budget Parameters .................................................. 37
3.1.1 SINR .................................................................................... 37
3.1.2 RSRQ .................................................................................... 39
3.1.3 Interference Sources ................................................................. 40
3.1.4 Geometry .............................................................................. 40
3.1.5 Downlink SINR Performances ....................................................... 44
3.1.6 Resource Element Distribution ..................................................... 48
3.1.7 Energy Per Resource Element (EPRE) .............................................. 49
3.1.8 Shadowing Margin & Handoff Gain ................................................. 50
3.2 Downlink Link Budget Example ................................................ 51
4 Downlink Output Power ...................................................... 52
5 Radio Network Planning ..................................................... 53
6 Summary ........................................................................ 54
7 Annex ............................................................................ 55
7.1 Accronyms ......................................................................... 55
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this series of dimensioning guidelines is to describe details of Alcatel-Lucent’s

dimensioning rules for the LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) air interface and eNode-B modem
hardware.
A first step of the network design process consists of determining the number of sites required
and deployment feasibility according to the following information:
Site density of any legacy network deployments,
Frequency band(s) used by the legacy system(s), if applicable
Frequency band(s) used by the LTE system,
Bandwidth available for LTE (1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15 or 20 MHz),
Requirements in terms of LTE data rates at cell edge (e.g. uplink data edge to be
guaranteed, best effort data, VoIP coverage requirements, etc.).
This initial number of sites is then typically refined by means of a Radio Network Planning (RNP)
study, taking into account site locations, accurate terrain databases and calibrated propagation
models. The figure below illustrates key inputs and outputs of the Alcatel-Lucent eNode-B
dimensioning process:
Coverage Outputs
Coverage Inputs
• Cell Range
• Area to be covered Link Budget
•Legacy Site Reuse
• Targeted service at cell edge RF Planning
•Number of Sites
• Indoor penetration level
+ Traffic Inputs
Network Information
• Incumbent network info
• LTE Frequency eNodeB Configuration
Air Interface
• LTE Maximum bandwidth • LTE Bandwidth
Capacity
• MIMO Scheme, Output Power
Analysis
Traffic Inputs
eNodeB configuration
• Number of subscribers
• Number of modems
• Traffic profile per subscriber Traffic Model • Modem configuration
Optional Requirements Modem - No. connection tokens
• Peak Throughput per Site Dimensioning - UL & DL Throughput tokens
Figure 1: Alcatel-Lucent Dimensioning Process
As implied in the figure, Alcatel-Lucent’s process relies on advanced dimensioning rules for Link
Budget Analysis, Air Interface Capacity Analysis, eNode-B Modem Dimensioning, and Multi-service
traffic modeling. The dimensioning process takes into account product release functionalities
and will be updated regularly to follow product evolutions.
Internal: These rules are implemented in the dedicated LTE tools used by Network Designers:
“Alcatel-Lucent LTE Link Budget” for FDD and TDD link budget analysis, “9955 and ACCO” for
radio network planning studies and “LTE eNode-B Dimensioning Tool” for air interface capacity
and modem dimensioning.
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References
[1] Jakes W.C., “ Microwave Mobile Communications”, IEEE Press, 1994

[2] K.M Rege, S. Nanda, C.F. Weaver, W.C. Peng, “ Analysis of Fade Margins for Soft
and Hard Handoffs”, PIMRC, 1996
[3] K.M Rege, S. Nanda, C.F. Weaver, W.C. Peng, “Fade margins for soft and hard
handoffs”, Wireless Networks 2, 1996
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1 INTRODUCTION
This document forms one part of a series of network dimensioning guidelines, as detailed in
Table 1.
Table 1: Design Topics Covered in the LTE Dimensioning Guidelines Package
Design Topic Document

Deployment Strategy LTE Dimensioning Guidelines - Deployment Strategy
Radio Features LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Radio Features
Outdoor Link Budget LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Outdoor Link Budget
Indoor Link Budget LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Indoor Link Budget
Peak Throughput LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Peak Throughput
Radio Network Planning LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – RNP
Air Interface Capacity LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Air Interface Capacity
eNode-B Dimensioning LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Modem
Token & Licensing Dimensioning LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Token & Licensing
S1/X2 Dimensioning LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – S1 & X2
Frequency Reuse Considerations LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Frequency Reuse
Diversity & MIMO LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Diversity & MIMO
Traffic Power Control LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Power Control
Traffic Aggregation Modeling LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Traffic Aggregation Modeling
The purpose of this document is to detail the formulation of Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE link budget for
outdoor macro cellular deployments.
Link budgets are used by Alcatel-Lucent primarily to derive the expected LTE performances at
cell edge on the uplink and compare them with legacy systems in the case of an overlay of an
existing network. This enables the estimation of the proportion of sites that can be reused
(additional constraints such as space for hardware deployment, etc, have to be considered on
top of this) and/or the required number of sites for a Greenfield operator.
Figure 2 illustrates the main inputs and outputs for an LTE link budget coverage analysis.
Coverage Inputs
• Area to be covered
• Targeted service at cell edge
Coverage Outputs
• Indoor penetration level Link Budget
• Cell Range
RF Planning
Network Information •Legacy Site Reuse
• Incumbent network info •Number of Sites
• LTE Frequency
• LTE Maximum bandwidth
Figure 2: Link Budget Coverage Analysis Inputs/Outputs
Key factors influencing the link budget analysis include the frequency band for LTE operation,
the cell edge performance requirements, and the depth of coverage expectations.
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2 UPLINK LINK BUDGET
On the uplink, a cell is generally dimensioned by its coverage, the maximum cell range at which
a mobile station is received with enough quality by the base station.
Figure 3: Uplink Link Budget Concept
The signal threshold at which a signal is received with enough quality is called the eNode-B
eNode
receive sensitivity. This sensitivity figure will depend upon the:
Data rate targeted at cell edge,
Target quality / HARQ operating point (such as Block Error Rate (BLER), maximum
number of retransmissions),
Radio environment conditions (multipath channel, mobile speed),
eNode-B receiver characteristics
cteristics ((including Noise Figure).
As for 2G and 3G systems, the uplink link budget involves the calculation of the Maximum
Allowable Propagation Loss (or Pathloss), denoted as the MAPL, that can be sustained over the
link between a mobile at cell edge and the eNode-B,B, while meeting the required sensitivity level
at the eNode-B.B. As for 2G/3G systems, the uplink link budget calculations consider all the
relevant gains and losses encountered on the link between the mobile and the eNode
eNode-B.
The uplink link budget
udget is formulated such that one service (UL_Guar_Serv) is targeted at the cell
edge, while for more limiting service rates, link budgets are formulated under the assumption
they are not guaranteed at cell edge but at a reduced coverage footprint, as is illustrated
i in
Figure 4).
UL Rates
128kbps
256kbps
512kbps
RangeUL_Guar_Serv
Figure 4:: Rationale behind the Uplink LKB Formulation
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2.1 Uplink Link Budget Parameters

The power, Cj(UL), received at the eNode-B from a User Equipment (UE) located at cell edge
transmitting with its maximal power, PMaxTX_PUSCH, is given by:
C j(UL) dBm = P MaxTX_PUSCH (

+ Gain Tx dB − Loss Tx dB − Losses ) Propagation (R Service(UL) ) − Loss Body dB
( )
dBm dB
− M arg in Penetration dB + Gain Rx dB − Loss Rx dB

where:
PMaxTX _ PUSCH dBm
is the maximum transmit power of the UE (see section 2.1.1)
GainTx and LossTx, the gains and losses at the transmitter side such as UE antenna gain
GainRx and LossRx represent the gains and losses at the receiver side such as the eNode-B
antenna gain and the feeder losses between the eNode-B and the antenna
LossBody is the body loss induced by the user, typically 3dB body losses are considered for
voice services and 0 dB for data services (handset position is far from the head when
using data services)
MarginPenetration is the losses (in dB) induced by buildings, windows or vehicles according to
the penetration coverage objective (deep or light indoor, outdoor) (see section 2.1.11)
Assuming a Hata-like propagation model, the propagation losses can be expressed
according to the cell range, LossesPropagation (see section 2.2.1):
Losses Propagation dB
(R Service(UL) )= K 1(UL) + K 2(UL) ⋅ Log 10 (R Service(UL) ) .
To ensure reliable coverage, the received power at the eNode-B should be higher than the
eNode-B receiver sensitivity (see section 2.1.2):
C j(UL)
dBm
≥ Sensitivity dBm + MarginIoT + MarginShadowing − GainHO − GainFSS
dB dB dB dB
where:
MarginIoT is a margin accounting for inter-cell interference (see section 2.1.7)
MarginShadowing is a margin that compensates for the slow variability in mean path loss
about that predicted using the propagation model, e.g. Hata (see section 2.2.1)
GainHO is a handoff gain or best server selection gain that models the benefits due to the
ability to reselect to the best available serving cell at any given location (see section
2.1.9)
GainFSS is a frequency selective scheduling gain that is due to the ability of the scheduler
to select best frequency blocks per UE depending on their channel conditions
For each service to be offered by the operator, this relationship allows computation of the
maximum propagation losses that can be afforded by a UE located at the cell edge, that is to say
the Maximum Allowable Path Loss (MAPL):
MAPL j(UL) dB = PMaxTX_PUSCH dBm
+ Gain Tx − Loss Tx + GainRx − LossRx − LossBody
dB dB dB dB dB
− M arg inPenetration − Sensitivity dBm − MarginIoT

dB dB
− MarginShadowing + GainHO + GainFSS

dB dB dB
2.1.1 UE Characteristics
The maximum transmit power of an LTE UE, PMaxTX_PUSCH, depends on the power class of the UE.
Currently, only one power class is defined in 3GPP TS 36.101 (except for EUTRAN band14 –
typically reserved for public safety applications):
A 23dBm output power is considered with a 0 dBi antenna gain.
Internal: This is the case in the TS 36.101 version of July 2013. Only one class defined (Class 3)
with 23dBm output power (with ±2dB tolerance, but we should not account for such a tolerance
to define the UE output power).
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2.1.2 eNode-B Receiver Sensitivity

The sensitivity level can be derived from SNR figures calculated or measured for some given
radio channel conditions (multipath channel, mobile speed) and quality target (e.g. 10% initial
BLER):
Sensitivity dBm = SNR PUSCH_dB + 10 ⋅ Log10 (FeNode_B .N th .N RB(UL) .WRB )

where:
SNRPUSCH_dB is the signal to noise ratio per Resource Block, required to reach a given
PUSCH data rate and quality of service,
FeNode-B.Nth.NRB(UL).WRB is the total thermal noise level seen at the eNode-B receiver within
the required bandwidth to reach the given data rate, where:
o FeNode-B is the noise figure of the eNode-B receiver,
o Nth is the thermal noise density (-174dBm/Hz),
o NRB(UL) is the number of resource blocks (RB) required to reach a given data rate – it
can be deduced from link level simulations selecting the best combination (e.g. the
one that requires lowest SNR or lowest number of RB to maximize the capacity),
o WRB is the bandwidth used by one LTE Resource Block. One RB is composed of 12
subcarriers, each of a 15kHz bandwidth – so WRB is equal to 180kHz.
2.1.3 Noise Figure

The Noise Figure of the eNode-B is supplier dependent. Typically, the Noise Figure of an FDD
eNode-B ranges between 2 and 2.5dB depending on the product variant.
Internal: The Noise Figure for ALU RF modules depends on the specific hardware realization and
as such within a given frequency band there may be variation between different product
variants. The following table provides the typical noise figure for some RF products:
RF module 3GPP band Noise Figure
TRDU 2x60 12 2.0 dB
TRDU 2x60 17 2.0 dB
RRH 2x40 12 2.2 dB
RRH 2x40 17 2.2 dB
RRH 2x40 13 2.5 dB
TRDU 2x40 13 2.0 dB
RRH 2x40 28 1.9 dB
TRDU 2x40 20 2.0 dB
RRH 2x50 26 2.3 dB
RRH 2x60 8 1.8 dB
RRH 2x40 8 2.2 dB
RRH 2x40 3 2.2 dB
RRH 2x60 3 1.8 dB
RRH 4x40 25 3.0 dB
TRDU 2x60 4 2.0 dB
RRH 2x40 4 2.0 dB
RRH 4x25 30 2.5 dB
TRDU 2x60 7 1.8 dB
RRH 2x40 7 2.1 dB
Internal: When the precise noise figure is not determined in the related FDD RF module’s
datasheet, it is reasonable to assume a frequency dependent noise figure as follows:
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Frequency Band Typical Noise Figure

700 MHz 2.5 dB
800 MHz 2.1 dB
850 MHz 2.1 dB
900 MHz 2.1 dB
1800 MHz 2.0 dB
1900 MHz 2.0 dB
AWS 2.0 dB
2100 MHz 2.0 dB
2600 MHz 2.0 dB
2.1.4 SINR Performances
The SINR figures are derived from link level simulations or better from equipment measurements
(lab or on-field measurements). They depend on the eNode-B equipment performance, radio
conditions (multipath fading profile, mobile speed), receive diversity configuration (2-branch by
default and optionally 4-branch), targeted data rate and quality of service.
2.1.4.1 Multipath Channel

For link budget analysis, the most typical UE speed and multipath profiles are considered
according to the type of environment (e.g. dense urban, rural, etc).
In terms of multipath channel, the dense urban, urban or suburban indoor macrocell deployment
environments are considered to be well characterized by the ITU Vehicular multipath profile,
with mobiles moving at 3km/h. For rural environments, UEs are assumed to be located inside
moving vehicles with 50km/h.
Choosing one multipath channel for a given environment is a modeling assumption. In reality, in a
cell, various multipath conditions exist. A better representation would be to consider a mix of
multipath channel models (even though there is no one unique mix to represent a typical Macro
cell environment that has been agreed across the radio community). However for a coverage
assessment, the worst case model should be considered. The ITU VehA multipath channel model
is correspondingly a good compromise for a reasonable, worse case, link budget analysis.
For LTE, some evolved multipath channel models have been defined such as EVA5Hz or EPA5Hz.
These are an extension of the VehA and PedA models used in UMTS to make them more suitable
for the wider bandwidths encountered with LTE, e.g. >5MHz. Main difference lies in the
definition of a doppler frequency instead of a speed, making the model useable for different
frequency bands. Typical SINR performances used in Alcatel-Lucent macrocell link budgets are
for EVehA-5Hz and ETU-70Hz channel models.
For the purposes of the link budget, the underlying assumption is that the UE is at the cell edge
and the main driver is to maximize the coverage.
2.1.4.2 Number of Resource Blocks & Modulation & Coding Scheme

For a given target data rate, the required target SINR depends upon (see Figure 5 for some
definitions of the LTE channel structure):
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Number of Resource Blocks1, NRB

Modulation & Coding Scheme Index (MCS)
subframe
Physical Resource Block (RB)
= 14 OFDM Symbols x 12
Subcarrier
f one Subcarrier
This is the minimum unit of
allocation in LTE
one
OFDM
symbol
RB
15 kHz
Slot (0.5 ms) Slot (0.5 ms)
t Subframe (1 ms)
Figure 5: LTE Channel Structure - Some Definitions
The Modulation & Coding Scheme Index (MCS) determines the Modulation Order which in turn
determines the Transport Block Size (TBS) Index to be used (see Table 2).
Table 2: Extract from the Modulation and TBS index table for PUSCH (from 36.213)
MCS Index, IMCS Modulation Order, QM TBS Index, ITBS

0 QPSK 0
1 QPSK 1
2 QPSK 2
3 QPSK 3
… … …
For a given MCS Index the Transport Block Size (TBS) is given by Table 3 for different numbers of
resource blocks
1
Note that 3GPP defines an RB as 12 subcarriers in one slot. However, as the smallest time unit for
allocation is two consecutive slots, it is reasonable for simplicity to use the term RB to denote the set of
12 subcarriers over two slots
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Table 3: Extract from the Transport Block size table (from 36.213)
ITBS NRB = 1 NRB = 2 NRB = 3 NRB = 4 NRB = …

0 16 32 56 88 …
1 24 56 88 144 …
2 32 72 144 176 …
3 40 104 176 208 …
4 56 120 208 256 …
5 72 144 224 328 …
6 328 176 256 392 …
… … … … … …
For example, for an MCS Index = 2 and NRB = 3 the corresponding TBS = 144 bits.
2.1.4.3 Hybrid Automatic Repeat request (HARQ)

A key characteristic of the LTE air interface is the utilization of HARQ, a combination of ARQ and
channel coding which provides greater robustness against fast fading; these schemes include
incremental redundancy, whereby the code rate is progressively reduced by transmitting
additional parity information with each retransmission.
There are multiple HARQ operating points that can be utilized for an LTE system:
Either, a lower initial BLER with a correspondingly fewer overall number of HARQ
transmissions, resulting in a higher SINR requirement with reduced latency and better
spectral efficiency (e.g. 10% iBLER target for the 1st HARQ transmission)
Or, a higher initial BLER with a correspondingly greater overall number of HARQ
transmissions resulting in a lower SINR requirement with an increased latency and
poorer spectral efficiency (e.g. 1% pBLER target after up to 4 HARQ transmissions – iBLER
~50-70%).
The former operating point is currently recommended by Alcatel-Lucent, this corresponds to
a 10% iBLER target for the 1st HARQ transmission.
Note: in some specific operation modes (e.g. TTI bundling or for some control channels) where
link adaptation and/or HARQ operations are limited, the concept of HARQ operating point may
not be relevant so that a quality target (e.g. 1% error rate) is assumed instead for the link
budget.
Internal: Ideally, the higher initial BLER HARQ operating point is considered at cell edge
locations (for which we perform the link budget) where the objective is to tradeoff spectral
efficiency and latency for an improved SINR and receiver sensitivity. Whereas in locations that
are not link budget constrained, e.g. closer to the eNode-B, the lower initial BLER HARQ
operating point is more appropriate. The current Alcatel-Lucent implementation considers 10%
iBLER and 30% iBLER operating points but it is recommended to use only 10% iBLER for now in the
link budget since the benefits from 30% iBLER could not be demonstrated. Higher operating
points (e.g. 1% pBLER) are not recommended due to possible issues on the feedback channels
(Uplink Channel Information).
2.1.4.4 Selection of Optimal MCS Index & NRB

For each targeted uplink data rate, there will be an optimal combination of NRB and MCS Index
that will maximize the receiver sensitivity for the relevant HARQ operating point. Figure 6
provides an example of the selection of the optimal MCS and number of RB, NRB, for a given
target effective data rate. This plot illustrates for the full range of possible MCS indices the
corresponding required NRB and the resultant eNode-B receiver sensitivity.
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MCS 5 provides the optimal tradeoff

between Rx. Sens and NRB required
Figure 6:: Selection of Optimal MCS and NRB for a target rate of 256kbps with 10% iBLER,
EVehA-5Hz
From Figure 6, it can be seen that MCS 5 with 4 RBs is optimal for PS-256kbps, as this provides
the best receiver sensitivity while minimizing the RB utilization.
2.1.4.5 Typical SINR Performances

Based on link level
evel simulations, for the 10% iBLER HARQ operating point recommended by
Alcatel-Lucent for data services
services, the optimal combination of NRB, MCS Index and the
corresponding SINR target for the typical data rates considered in Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel Lucent uplink link
budgets are summarized in Table 4 and Table 5 for EVehA-5Hz (3km/hr) and ETU-70Hz
70Hz (50km/hr)
channel conditions respectively with 2
2-way Rx Diversity.
Table 4:: Typical Rates Considered in Uplink Li
Link Budget (for EVehA-5Hz channel conditions @
700MHz with 2.2dBdB Noise Figure, 10% iBLER, 10MHz bandwidth)
Post HARQ average T’put 64 kbps 128 kbps 256 kbps 512 kbps 1000 kbps 2000 kbps
MCS Index MCS 5 MCS 5 MCS 5 MCS 3 MCS 4 MCS 5
Modulation QPSK QPSK QPSK QPSK QPSK QPSK
NRB(UL) 1 RB 2 RB 4 RB 10 RB 16 RB 25 RB
HARQ Operating Point 10% iBLER 10% iBLER 10% iBLER 10% iBLER 10% iBLER 10% iBLER
TBS Size 72 bits 144 bits 328 bits 568 bits 1128 bits 2216 bits
Effective Coding Rate 0.364
364 0.318 0.333 0.224 0.273 0.339
Average # HARQ Tx 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1
SINR Target (3km/hr) 3.9 dB 3 dB 2.1 dB 0.5 dB 0.7 dB 1.1 dB
Rx Sensitivity (3km/hr) -115.4
115.4 dBm -113.3 dBm -111.1 dBm -108.7 dBm -106.5
106.5 dBm -104.2 dBm
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Table 5: Typical Rates Considered in Uplink Link Budget (for ETU-70Hz channel conditions @
700MHz with 2.2dB Noise Figure, 10% iBLER, 10MHz bandwidth)
Post HARQ Peak T’put 64 kbps 128 kbps 256 kbps 512 kbps 1000 kbps 2000 kbps
MCS Index MCS 5 MCS 5 MCS 5 MCS 4 MCS 4 MCS 5
Modulation QPSK QPSK QPSK QPSK QPSK QPSK
NRB(UL) 1 RB 2 RB 4 RB 9 RB 16 RB 25 RB
HARQ Operating Point 10% iBLER 10% iBLER 10% iBLER 10% iBLER 10% iBLER 10% iBLER
TBS Size 72 bits 144 bits 328 bits 632 bits 1128 bits 2216 bits
Effective Coding Rate 0.364 0.212 0.333 0.276 0.273 0.339
Average # HARQ Tx 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1
SINR Target (50km/hr) 4.3 dB 3.4 dB 2.5 dB 1.1 dB 1.0 dB 1.4 dB
Rx Sensitivity (50km/hr) -114.9 dBm -112.8 dBm -110.7 dBm -108.6 dBm -106.3 dBm -103.8 dBm
The above SINR figures have been derived from link level simulations which assume ideal
scheduling and link adaptation, the reality in the field will not be as good. To compensate for
such ideal assumptions, there are currently two key elements to the margins incorporated into in
the SINR performances used in uplink budgets today:
Implementation Margin: to account for the assumptions implicit in the link level
simulations used to derive the SINR performances
o Since the current link level performances are based on fixed-point
implementation and have been proven to be very close to the Alcatel-Lucent
modem measurements, only 0.5dB implementation margin is considered in the
Link Budget analysis.
o No variability is assumed for different environments or UE mobility conditions
ACK/NACK Margin: to account for the puncturing of ACK/NACK onto the PUSCH
o 0.5dB is considered in Link Budget analysis
The SINR performances quoted in Table 4 and Table 5 account for the above mentioned
implementation and ACK/NACK margins.
Figure 7 illustrates the receiver sensitivity figures quoted in Table 4 and Table 5 for 10% iBLER
HARQ operating point and EVehA-3km/h and 50km/hr channel conditions.
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-105 dBm
EVehA 3km/h - 10% iBLER
EVehA 50km/h - 10% iBLER

-110 dBm
Receiver Sensitivity
-115 dBm
-120 dBm
-125 dBm
10 kbps 100 kbps 1000 kbps
Uplink Average Effective Throughput
Figure 7: Receiver Sensitivity for Typical Rates Considered in Uplink Link Budget (for EVehA3
& EVehA50 channel conditions @ 700MHz with 2.2dB Noise Figure and 10% iBLER)
2.1.5 Handling of VoIP on the Uplink
VoIP (Voice over IP) is a conversational service which is as such very sensitive to delay (delay
jitter) and errors. Those two criteria drive the VoIP coverage.
There are two main approaches to offer good coverage performances of VoIP: RLC segmentation
and TTI bundling. They are illustrated in Figure 8 and described hereafter.
RLC Segmentation (illustrated with 4 segments here) 4ms TTI Bundling
Figure 8: RLC Segmentation and 4ms TTI Bundling Operating Modes
For both approaches, Robust Header Compression (RoHC) feature is mandatory to maximize VoIP
coverage by compressing IP/UDP/RTP header and reducing upper layer overhead (thus the voice
packet could fit into a smaller TBS). 4 bytes are typically considered for RoHC header.
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2.1.5.1 VoIP via RLC Segmentation

When a VoIP packet cannot be transmitted in a single MAC segment with an acceptable error
rate, it may be segmented into multiple smaller segments. The link budget is enhanced
compared to transmission of a single packet as the smaller segments result in a more favorable
required MCS and NRB. However the benefit is not proportional to the number of segments
because of additional RLC/MAC overhead and possible delay limitations.
Figure 9 illustrates the possible delay build-up issue in the case of a 20ms voice codec. The
scheduler breaks up the voice packet labeled “N” into 5 segments. If the 5th segment labeled
“s5-N” requires 3 or more transmissions, then the next voice packet labeled “N+1” will
experience a delay in scheduling.
VoIP packet has
been segmented
into 5 parts
Scheduling Scheduling
of VoIP packet #N of VoIP packet #N+1
20ms
UL HARQ
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
process id
PUSCH
S1-N S2-N S3-N S4-N S5-N S1-N S2-N S3-N S4-N S5-N S1-N S2-N S3-N S4-N
19 S5-N
transmission
S1-
N+1
HARQ
retransmissions
!!!
Collisions between
retransmission of 5th segment of
frame N and transmission of 1st
segment of frame N +1 leads to
delay build up
Figure 9: illustration of delay build-up due to excessive VoIP packet segmentation
Alcatel-Lucent support optimized segmentation (by appropriate adaptation of MCS and number
of RB) to limit the delay build-up and extend VoIP coverage.
There is a wide range of VoIP codecs that can be used for such solutions, including typical AMR
NB 12.2 or AMR WB 12.65. With Alcatel-Lucent’s optimized RLC segmentation, the recommended
HARQ operating point is 0.66% residual BLER – which corresponds to 2% voice packet error rate
with 3 RLC segments. Table 6 summarizes the VoIP AMR12.2 NB with optimized segmentation
characteristics that are considered in uplink link budgets:
Table 6: VoIP with optimized segmentation (2.2dB NF)
AMR 12.2 kbps

Channel Model (EVehA-5Hz) (ETU-70Hz)
Mean number of RLC/MAC segments
3 Segments 3 Segments
per voice packet
Mean MCS / NRB / SINR MCS 4 / 2 RB / 0.7 dB MCS 4 / 2 RB / -2.8 dB
Rx Sensitivity -115.6 dBm -119.0 dBm
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2.1.5.2 VoIP via TTI Bundling

With TTI bundling (adopted in 3GPP Rel8), as opposed to RLC Segmentation, larger transport
blocks are used. Relying on incremental redundancy, HARQ Transmissions are performed in
consecutive TTIs without waiting for HARQ feedback. The link budget is enhanced compared to
transmission of a single packet by supporting more HARQ transmissions in short time period,
which is of importance for VoIP which is delay-sensitive. As illustrated on Figure 8, the HARQ
receiver accumulates the received energy of all transmissions and responds with HARQ feedback
only once after the entire bundle has been received and evaluated.
The VoIP packet size for an AMR NB 12.2 or AMR WB 12.65 VoIP codec, after accounting for RLC
and MAC overheads and RoHC header, is ~328 bits. The VoIP codec generates such packets with
~20ms periodicity. With 4ms TTI bundling, each 328 bit VoIP packet is sent in 4 consecutive TTI’s
with 4 different redundancy variants (think of this as doing 4 HARQ transmissions in successive
TTI’s). These four transmissions can be sent up to 3 times (i.e. overall 12 HARQ transmissions).
For each TTI, MCS Index 6 is utilized with a single RB, which saves air-interface capacity
compared to 2RB with MCS10. This yields a TBS (Transport Block Size) of 328 bits (MCS 6 & 1 RB is
a special combination created especially for VoIP services). The effective air interface rate for
active transmission for an AMR 12.2 VoIP service over the air interface is 328 bits / 4 successive
TTIs / 3 transmissions = 27.3 kbps. However, if we average the codec payload of 328 bits over the
20ms periodicity, the average throughput is 328 bits / 20ms = 16.4 kbps. Table 7 summarizes the
VoIP with TTI bundling performance characteristics that are considered in uplink link budgets:
Table 7: VoIP with TTI Bundling (2.2dB NF)
AMR 12.2 kbps

Channel Model (EVehA-5Hz) (ETU-70Hz)
VoIP Packet Size (with overheads) 328 bits 328 bits
Mean MCS / NRB / SINR MCS 6 / 1 RB / 1.4 dB MCS 6 / 1 RB / -1.3 dB
Rx Sensitivity -117.8 dBm -120.5 dBm
2.1.6 Uplink Explicit Diversity Gains

The SINR performance figures considered by Alcatel-Lucent in uplink and downlink link budgets
are based on link level simulations that already account for the corresponding transmit and
receive diversity gains: For the uplink, the default assumption is 1x2 receive diversity (2RxDiv),
the gain associated with 2RxDiv is already included in the SINR figures.
Table 8 summarizes the receive diversity gains observed from link level simulations performed
for a range of different eNode-B receive antenna correlation assumptions.
Table 8: Receive Diversity Gains from Link Level Simulations
Correlation Low Medium High

‡
4RxDiv Gain (QPSK) 4.2 dB 4.1 dB 3 dB
8RxDiv Gain‡ (QPSK) 7.5 dB 6.2 dB 5 dB
Power Combining Gain 3dB (4RxDiv) and 6dB (8RxDiv)
Spatial Diversity Gain Large Medium Small
‡
Relative to 2RxDiv performances with low antenna correlation
It can be seen from Table 8 that 4RxDiv gains range from 3 to 4.2dB and 8RxDiv gains from 5 to
7.5dB. For high correlation conditions, the 8RxDiv gains are less than that attributable to the
power combining gain due to an MRC loss.
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Table 9 details the impact on the SINR figures considered by Alcatel-Lucent for link budget
purposes for 4 different uplink receive diversity schemes (these represent an intermediate case
between medium and high antenna correlations from Table 8 ):
Table 9: SINR impact due to uplink Receive Diversity Scheme
Uplink Rx Diversity
SINR Impact
Scheme
1 RxDiv -5 dB
2 RxDiv 0 dB
4 RxDiv +3.5 dB
8 RxDiv +5.5 dB
For example, to account for 1x4 receive diversity (4RxDiv) on the uplink an additional 3.5dB gain
is considered on the (2RxDiv) SINR figures from link level simulations.
2.1.7 Interference Margin
Generally, sensitivity figures are derived considering only thermal noise. However, in a link
budget analysis, the real interference, Ij(UL), should be considered and not only the thermal
noise. This means that the received power, Cj(UL), should satisfy the following condition:
C j(UL)
dBm
≥ Sensitivity dBm + MarginInterference dB
where:
 I j(UL) + N th * W * NF 
Margin InterferencedB = 10log  
 N th * W * NF 
The MarginInterference is the interference rise over that of thermal noise due to inter-cell
interference. Nth is the thermal noise density (-174 dBm/Hz), W is the used PRB bandwidth (Hz)
and NF is the eNode-B noise figure. Note that the assessment of the interference margin is
totally different from the classical relationship between uplink cell load and noise rise
considered in CDMA and WCDMA systems. Ij(UL) is the interference due to adjacent cells utilizing
the same PRB at the same time. Note that this interference could also be considered to comprise
of external interference from other systems such as MediaFLO or DTC Channel 51.
LTE resources are divided into resource blocks (set of OFDM symbols and frequencies). The
interference per resource block will depend on the probability that resource blocks of same
frequency are simultaneously used in the surrounding cells. However, LTE system is typically
deployed with a frequency reuse of 1. The interference on a given resource block can therefore
be high.
Assessing the interference level enables the derivation of the interference margin to be
accounted for in link budgets used for coverage (cell range) evaluation. In CDMA or WCDMA
systems, the interference margin was derived from power control equations, these equations
established a linkage between the number of users transmitting in the cell (or the cell load) to
the interference margin (or noise rise). In LTE some specific power control schemes are defined
with some flexibility in the definition of the parameters offering various power control strategies
to be adopted and consequently impacting the interference margin, IoT, to be considered in link
budget analysis.
For overlay and Greenfield deployment scenarios, different approaches can be adopted for
selecting the system IoT target and tolerable adjacent cell RB loadings.
For a pure 100% overlay, the inter-site distance of the incumbent system must be
respected. The link budget enables the determination of the ideal IoT target so that the
system can reach a given data rate at cell edge,
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o From this IoT target, the tolerable RB loading of adjacent cells can be estimated.
For a Greenfield network, there is more flexibility to set the IoT target versus the data
rate expectations at cell edge.
o This can be performed for a target RB loading for adjacent cells.
A typical Interference Margin considered in LTE link budgets is 3dB. Such an IoT target will have a
corresponding loading for adjacent cells for the cell range computed using the link budget
formulation presented in this document.
The average IoT is dependent upon the cell edge data rate (SINR) that is targeted by UEs in
adjacent cells:
Higher cell edge SINR targeted by UEs in adjacent cells Higher average IoT
Larger cell sizes Lower cell edge rates can be achieved by UEs in adjacent cells
Lower average IoT (e.g. NGMN Case 3)
Smaller cell sizes Higher cell edge rates can be achieved by UEs in adjacent cells
Higher average IoT (e.g. NGMN Case 1)
An example from some system level simulations performed under NGMN Case 3 conditions (a
coverage/link budget limited scenario) is presented in Figure 10 (assuming 100% resource block
loading, 10 UEs per sector, full buffer simulations, 10MHz bandwidth).
7000 kbps
6000 kbps
5000 kbps
Cell Throughput
4000 kbps
3000 kbps
2000 kbps
1000 kbps
0 kbps
1.0 dB 1.5 dB 2.0 dB 2.5 dB 3.0 dB 3.5 dB
IoT
Figure 10: NGMN Case 3 – Coverage limited scenario, 100% resource block loading, 10
UEs per sector, full buffer simulations
Figure 10 illustrates the impact of allowing a different average IoT on the spectral efficiency of
the uplink. It can be seen that for this particular scenario the optimal IoT is between 2.5 and
3dB. Such scenarios are more typical of deployments that are more coverage rather than
interference limited which is typical of the cases commonly considered in link budget analysis.
A further example performed under NGMN Case 1 conditions (an interference/capacity limited
scenario) is presented in Figure 11 (assuming 100% resource block loading, 10 UEs per sector, full
buffer simulations, 10MHz bandwidth).
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10000 kbps
9000 kbps
8000 kbps
7000 kbps
Cell Throughput 6000 kbps
5000 kbps
4000 kbps
3000 kbps
2000 kbps
1000 kbps
0 kbps
0 dB 5 dB 10 dB 15 dB 20 dB
IoT
Figure 11: NGMN Case 1 – Interference/capacity limited scenario, 100% resource block
loading, 10 UEs per sector, full buffer simulations
Figure 11 illustrates the impact of allowing a different average IoT on the spectral efficiency of
the uplink. It can be seen that, for this particular scenario, the optimal IoT is greater than 5dB.
However, in this case the link budget is not constraining and thus from a link budget perspective
there is no issue with tolerating a higher IoT.
Note that while the simulations indicate there are gains to be had at IoT levels up to 15dB or
more, operating points greater ~5.5dB are not currently recommended by Alcatel-Lucent.
2.1.8 Shadowing Margin
From the previous section, the link budget should satisfy the following equation:
C j(UL)
dBm
This equation should be satisfied from a statistical point of view with a given probability, Pcov,
(coverage probability) within the cell. Typically, the received power should be better than the
sensitivity over more than 95% of the cell area:
(
Proba C j(UL) dBm
)≥ P
cov
Generally, a target of 95% cell coverage is considered in dense urban, urban and suburban
environments, while 90% is considered in rural environments, but this is dictated by the
operator’s coverage quality objectives.
The received power from a mobile within the cell will depend upon the shadowing conditions due
to obstacles between the UE and the base station antennas. These slow shadowing variations (in
dB) can be represented as a Gaussian random variable with a zero-mean and a standard
deviation that is dependent upon the environment (typically between 5 to 10 dB).
Due to the Gaussian properties of the shadowing, a margin called the “shadowing margin” can be
computed and incorporated in the link budget calculations to consider the coverage probability
requirement, either probability at cell edge or over the cell. The following formulas are used to
derive the shadowing margins according to the specified coverage probability:
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1  Margin Shadowing 
Pcov cell border = 1 − erfc dB


2  σ 2 
1+2ab
1   1 + ab 
Pcov cell area = 1 + erf (a ) + e b2
1 − erf  
2    b 
Where
MarginShadowing
a=
σ 2
K2
b=
ln(10 )σ 2
K2 is the propagation model coefficient.
More details on the way these equations are derived can be found in [1].
In order to guarantee a given level of indoor coverage, a penetration margin is considered in the
link budget (see sections 2.1 and 2.1.11). Either this penetration margin is defined as a worst-
case (e.g. 95th percentile value) value for which indoor coverage must be ensured or as an
average penetration loss value with an associated standard deviation. In the former case, both
variations of penetration and shadowing can be considered together through a single Gaussian
random variable with the following composite standard deviation:
σ = σ 2shadowing + σ penetratio
2
n
In order to simplify the link budget it is recommended to consider the former approach, i.e. the
penetration margin defined in Section 2.1.11 is therefore considered as a worst case value,
without the requirement to consider any additional standard deviation.
Table 10 summarizes some typical shadowing margins for a typical path loss slope, K2 =35:
Table 10: Example of Shadowing Margins
Cell Area Cell Edge

Shadowing Standard Shadowing
Coverage Coverage
Deviation Margin
Probability Probability
95% 87.7% 11.7 dB
10 dB
90% 77.7% 7.7 dB
95% 86.2% 8.7 dB
8 dB
90% 75.1% 5.4 dB
95% 84.9% 7.2 dB
7 dB
90% 73.3% 4.3 dB
95% 83.9% 5.9 dB
6 dB
90% 70.9% 3.3 dB
2.1.9 Handoff Gain / Best Server Selection Gain
Unlike UMTS/WCDMA or CDMA, there is no soft-handoff functionality for LTE. Therefore, no soft-
handoff gain should be considered for LTE.
However it would be too pessimistic to only consider the shadowing margin computed with one
cell as in section 2.1.8: a mobile at the cell edge can still handover to or originate a call on a
neighboring cell with more favorable shadowing, i.e. a lower path loss.
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Some models have been derived to compute such a hard handoff gain, taking into account
handoff hysteresis thresholds and connection delays [2] [3]. Such a model collapses to that of
soft-handoff computations when the handoff threshold and the connection delays are equal to
zero. It is also important to note that while this is referred to in the link budget as a “handoff
gain” it could equally well be referenced as a “best server selection gain”.
Note that this hard handoff gain can be considered for any system without soft handoff. So this is
the case for GSM. Note that the handoff gain for LTE should be somewhere in between that
which may be considered for GSM and that for a soft handoff scenario for WCDMA or CDMA.
A shadowing margin, which is partially mitigated by the handoff gain, is only considered in the
link budget due to uncertainties in the estimation of the path loss and cell range. As the
uncertainty in the prediction of the path loss is reduced (a reduction in the standard deviation of
shadowing), the shadowing margin and handoff gain will also be reduced. If there are no
uncertainties in the estimation of the path loss and the corresponding cell range, there will be
no need to consider any shadowing margin or handoff gain.
Internal: However we are not used to considering such a gain in GSM due to the much slower
handover decision/execution compared to LTE. It is highly recommended to consider such a hard
handoff gain, above all to have favorable link budget comparison with CDMA or WCDMA, both of
which consider a soft handoff gain in their link budgets.
Table 12 provides some examples of the shadowing margin and handoff gain for different
coverage probability targets and shadowing standard deviations. This example is based on the
assumptions listed in Table 11:
Table 11: Assumptions for Hard Handoff Gain Computations
Antenna Height 30 m
K2 Propagation Model 35.2
Shadowing Correlation 0.5
Hysteresis 3 dB
HO sampling time 20 msec
# of samples to decide HO 4 samples
Correlation distance 50 m
Note that the assumptions in Table 11 for the Hysteresis and HO sampling time are relatively
conservative so as to ensure that the handoff gains considered in the LKB are evaluated with a
reasonable degree of confidence.
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Table 12: Example of Hard Handoff Gain
Shadowing Cell Area Cell Edge Soft Handoff Gain

Shadowing
Standard Coverage Coverage Handoff 3 50 100
Margin
Deviation Probability Probability Gain km/h km/h km/h
6 dB 90% 71% 3.3 dB 2.7 dB 2.3 dB 2.1 dB 2.0 dB
6 dB 95% 84% 5.9 dB 2.8 dB 2.5 dB 2.2 dB 2.0 dB
7 dB 90% 73% 4.3 dB 3.1 dB 2.8 dB 2.6 dB 2.4 dB
7 dB 95% 85% 7.2 dB 3.4 dB 3.1 dB 2.8 dB 2.6 dB
8 dB 90% 75% 5.4 dB 3.6 dB 3.4 dB 3.1 dB 2.8 dB
8 dB 95% 86% 8.7 dB 3.9 dB 3.6 dB 3.3 dB 3.0 dB
10 dB 90% 78% 7.7 dB 4.7 dB 4.4 dB 4.1 dB 3.7 dB
10 dB 95% 88% 11.7 dB 5.0 dB 4.8 dB 4.4 dB 4.0 dB
Based on these results, a 3.6dB handoff gain can be assumed for typical DU, U and SU
deployment conditions (95% area reliability, 8dB shadowing standard deviation and 3km/h) and
2.6dB in Rural conditions (90% area reliability, 7dB shadowing standard deviation and 50km/h).
Note that the full handoff gain is only applicable for UE’s located at the cell edge. In the uplink
link budget, we consider one service (data rate) that is guaranteed at the cell edge; the more
demanding services are supported in a subset of the coverage area. Consequently, the other
services will not take benefit of the full handoff gain. Figure 12 illustrates the handoff gains
computed for UE locations between the eNode-B and the cell edge. Note that this is an example
for the same assumption as shown in Table 11 for a shadowing standard deviation of 8dB and 95%
coverage reliability.
4.0 dB
3.5 dB
3.0 dB
Handoff Gain
2.5 dB
2.0 dB
1.5 dB
1.0 dB
0.5 dB
0.0 dB
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
% of Cell Range
Figure 12: Handoff Gains for UE Locations between the eNode-B and the Cell Edge
2.1.10 Frequency Selective Scheduling (FSS) Gain
There are a number of ways the LTE system can manage the potentially considerably frequency
selective channel:
Schedule the best groups of RBs (Resource Blocks) to individual UEs according to the
channel conditions for specific UEs (frequency selective scheduling)
Make no specific consideration to the frequency selectivity:
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o Frequency non-selective scheduling

o A variant upon this is to randomly hop frequencies (RBs) for retransmissions
and/or successive TTIs
For frequency selective scheduling, consider as an example, an uplink where an eNode-B is
serving 3 contending UEs. For each UE, the eNode-B has knowledge of the quality of the radio
channel (by means of the uplink Sounding Reference Signal (SRS)) and as such can form quality
metrics for each individual RB for each UE on the uplink. Based on these quality metrics, the
scheduler can formulate which resource block or group of resource blocks is most advantageous
to allocate to each of the contending UEs on the uplink. This process is highlighted on Figure 13.
8
12
7
10
6
5 8
Priority Metric
Priority
4
Metric
6
3
2 4
UE 1
1
UE 2
2
0 UE 3
UE 3
9
8
UE 2 7
6 0
5
UE 1 3
4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1
2 PRB Index
PRB Index
Figure 13: Per UE quality metrics for each RB and the consolidated priority metric for
each RB
By allocating the RB groupings according to the right hand diagram in Figure 13 – but also taking
into account the Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) properties of the UL
transmission, it is possible to ensure that each UE is more likely to get allocated individual
resource blocks that have more favorable channel conditions, thus resulting in enhanced link
budget performances. This can be thought of a type of interference co-ordination scheme,
whereby it is possible for the system to avoid interference by appropriate resource block
allocation. A similar principle also applies on the downlink.
One alternative to such a frequency selective scheduling approach is to consider only an average
of the channel qualities across the entire band for each UE, see Figure 14.
Priority
3 Metric
1 UE 1
UE 2
UE 3
0
UE 3
9
8
UE 2 7
6
5
UE 1 4
3
2 Resource Unit Index
1
Figure 14: Frequency Non-Selective Scheduling
With such an approach, the scheduler losses the ability to differentiate the best RB or group of
RBs depending on the channel quality of individual resource blocks. Thus as a consequence, the
system cannot take benefit of the corresponding link budget benefits.
The gains attributable to frequency selective scheduling are dependent upon the channel model
and the HARQ operating point. The gains can be estimated by means of system level simulations
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performed both with and without consideration of frequency selective scheduling. The
difference in cell edge performances dictates the link budget gain that can be attributed to
frequency selective scheduling.
Table 13 summarizes the frequency selective scheduling gains, derived from simulations, for two
HARQ operating points and three different channel models.
Table 13: Frequency Selective Scheduling Gains
1% pBLER 10% iBLER

Channel Model
(high initial BLER) (low initial BLER)
EVehA-3km/hr 0.44 dB 1.76 dB
Consider as an example from Table 13:

10% iBLER HARQ operating point, EVehA3 channel conditions
FSS Gain = 1.76dB
This means the throughput with FSS is about 50% greater than the case without FSS
Note: the FSS gain is only applied for services in the uplink link budget where the RB’s for the
service can be allocated from all the available RB’s. For example the PUCCH and Attach link
budgets do not benefit from this gain as the RB allocation is restricted.
2.1.11 Penetration Losses
The penetration losses characterize the level of indoor coverage targeted by the operator (deep
indoor, indoor daylight, window, in-car, outdoor, etc). They are highly dependent on the wall
materials and number of walls/windows to be penetrated.
As mentioned earlier, Section 2.1.8, the penetration losses can be specified either as an average
penetration loss with an associated standard deviation or as a single “worst case” penetration
margin (the latter case is recommended). Table 14 summarizes some typical “worst case” indoor
daylight penetration losses for the most common frequency bands.
Table 14: Typical Penetration Losses for Common Frequency Bands
Penetration Margin
Frequency
band Dense Suburban Suburban Rural
Urban
Urban Indoor Incar Incar
450 MHz 16 dB 13 dB 10 dB 5 dB 5 dB
700 MHz 17 dB 14 dB 11 dB 5 dB 5 dB
800 MHz 17 dB 14 dB 11 dB 5 dB 5 dB
850 MHz 18 dB 15 dB 12 dB 6 dB 6 dB
900 MHz 18 dB 15 dB 12 dB 6 dB 6 dB
1800 MHz 20 dB 17 dB 14 dB 8 dB 8 dB
1900 MHz 20 dB 17 dB 14 dB 8 dB 8 dB
AWS 20 dB 17 dB 14 dB 8 dB 8 dB
2100 MHz 20 dB 17 dB 14 dB 8 dB 8 dB
2600 MHz 21 dB 18 dB 15 dB 9 dB 9 dB
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2.2 Final MAPL and Cell Range

The final uplink link budget equations become:
C j(UL) dBm = PMaxTX_PUSCH (
+ Gain Tx − Loss Tx ) − Losses PropagationdB − LossBody
( − Loss )
dBm dB dB dB
− M arg inPenetration + GainRx

dB dB Rx dB
And
C j(UL)
dBm
≥ Sensitivity dBm + MarginIoT + MarginShadowing − GainHO − GainFSS
dB dB dB dB
For each service j to be offered by the operator, this relationship allows computation of the
maximum propagation losses that can be afforded by a UE located at the cell edge, that is to say
the Maximum Allowable Path Loss (MAPL):
MAPL j(UL) dB = PMaxTX_PUSCHdBm + Gain Tx dB − Loss Tx dB + Gain Rx dB − Loss Rx dB − Loss BodydB

− M arg inPenetration dB − Sensitivity dBm − Margin IoTdB
− Margin ShadowingdB + Gain HOdB + GainFSS dB
Transmit Power
Max UE transmit Power Losses

Maximum Allowable and Margins
Pathloss
Gains
Interference margin
extra cell interference Reference
Gains - Losses- Margins Sensitivity
Reference Sensitivity Interference

cell radius
•= MAPL
Figure 15: Uplink Link Budget Elements
Considering the most demanding service for which contiguous coverage is to be offered, the
following can be used to determine the maximum allowable cell range for deployment of the
system:
MAPL (UL)dB = Min (MAPL j(UL) dB )= K 1(UL) + K 2(UL) ⋅ Log10 (R Service(UL) )
2.2.1 Propagation Model
K1 and K2 characterize the propagation model. For Macro-cell coverage, the following
propagation models are used:
LossesPr opagation (R km ) = K 1 + K 2 ⋅ Log10 (R km )
For 700, 850 or 900 MHz, the Okumura-Hata model is used:
o K 1 = 69.55 + 26.16 ⋅ Log10 (FMhz ) − 13.82 ⋅ Log10 (Hb ) − a(Hm ) + K c
For AWS, 1.9GHz or 2.1GHz band, the COST-231 Hata model is used:
o K 1 = 46.3 + 33.9 ⋅ Log10 (FMhz ) − 13.82 ⋅ Log10 (Hb ) − a(Hm ) + K c
For 2.6GHz, a Modified COST-231 Hata model is used:
o The COST-231 Hata is limited to frequency between 1.5GHz and 2GHz. Based on
measurements at higher frequency (3.5GHz, 2.5GHz), Alcatel-Lucent proposed
the following modified formula:
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F 
o K 1 = 46.3 + 33.9 ⋅ Log10 (2000 ) + 20 ⋅ Log10  MHz  − 13.82 ⋅ Log10 (Hb ) − a(Hm ) + K c
 2000 
o The Modified Cost-231 Hata model is only considered applicable for Suburban and
Rural morphologies. For Dense Urban and Urban morphologies the Cost-231 Hata
model is considered to be a better representation.
Where
o K 2 = 44.9 − 6.55 ⋅ Log10 (Hb )
a(H m ) = 3.2 ⋅ [(Log10 (11.75 xH m )] − 4.97 for K c > −5
2
o
o a (H m ) = [1.1 ⋅ Log 10 (FMHz ) − 0.7] ⋅ H m − [1.56 ⋅ Log 10 (FMHz ) - 0.8] for K c ≤ −5
FMHz represents the operating frequency in MHz. Hb is the height of the eNode-B antenna in
meters and Hm is the height of the UE antenna in meters (typically 1.5m).
A morphology correction factor, Kc, is used depending on the type of environment, e.g. dense
urban, urban, suburban, rural (typical values from calibration measurement campaigns).
Internal: For the propagation model, it is always better to use a calibrated propagation model
for the country or city you are studying – if a calibration measurement campaign is available.
Otherwise, use the default morpho correction factors defined in the document “Clutter Classes
For Radio Network Planning”.
2.2.2 RACH constraints

A UE can only be scheduled for uplink transmission if its uplink transmission timing is
synchronized. The Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure is used to achieve this
synchronization. During this procedure, the UE sends with zero timing advance a Random Access
preamble in a RACH slot. The transmission is illustrated on the following figure for a UE close to
the eNodeB:
RACH slot
CP Sequence
Tcp Tseq Tgap
Figure 16: Transmission of a RACH preamble
Four preamble formats are defined in the standards for FDD. Each format is defined by the
durations of the sequence (Tseq) and of its Cyclic Prefix (Tcp). The preamble length is shorter
than the PRACH slot in order to provide room for a guard time (Tgap) to absorb the propagation
delay: the Tgap time shall cover this round trip propagation delay. The Tcp time shall cover the
round trip propagation delay as well as the delay spread. This induces a maximum cell range for
each RACH format:
Table 15: Maximum cell range due to RACH constraints
RACH Max Cell

RA Slot (ms) Tcp (ms) Tseq (ms) Tgap (ms)
Format Range (km)
0 1 0.10 0.80 0.10 15
1 2 0.67 0.80 0.50 75
2 2 0.20 1.60 0.20 30
3 3 0.67 1.60 0.67 100
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Internal: RACH Format0 is supported from LA1, RACH Format2

2 is supported in LA6
LA and RACH
Format3 is supported from LR13.
2.2.3 Site Area
Tri-sector
sector sites are commonly used to offer 2G/3G
3G coverage and this is also the case for LTE.
Figure 17: Intersite Distance and Site Area
The relationship between the cell range and the site area (3 sector sites) is defined by the
following:
9 3
SiteArea = R Service(UL) 2 = 1.95 R Service(UL) 2
8
The number of sites to cover a given area (due to coverage limitation) can then be derived.
Note: In the case of tri-sector
sector configurations
configurations, it is assumed that the antenna is tilted such that
the antenna boresight is directed at the cell edge.
2.3 Impact of RRH and TMA

2.3.1 RRH
Remote Radio Heads (RRH) are a popular solution that enables to separate the RF part of the
eNode-BB and locate it physically close to the antenna, resulting lower feeder losses between the
eNode-BB and the antenna (lower losses on uplink,, more effective radiated power on the
downlink).
). Depending on where the RRH is located relative to the antenna, more or less losses
have to be considered in the uplink link budget:
At least 0.5dB losses should be considered due to the jumper required between
between the RRH
and the antenna, applicable where the RRH is deployed very close to the antenna,
Higher losses should be considered if the RRH is installed farther from the antenna (e.g.
RRH at rooftop but still some non-zero
non zero length of feeder between the RRH and the
antenna).
The other parameters of the link budget are not modified.
2.3.2 TMA
Tower Mounted Amplifiers (TMA) (also called Mast Head Amplifiers (MHA) or Tower Top Low Noise
Amplifiers (TTLNA)) can be used to enhance the uplink coverage of eNode-Bs
eNode Bs with hhigh feeder
losses between the eNode-B B and the antenna, allowing the required number of sites to be
minimized (in the case of coverage
coverage-limited scenarios but not for capacity-limited
limited scenarios) or
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allowing the reuse of incumbent 2G/3G sites to be maximized while offering higher data rates
than in 2G/3G.
For example, TMAs can be particularly beneficial if LTE is deployed in the 2.6GHz band, while
incumbent 2G/3G sites were deployed in a lower band (e.g. 2GHz or even 850 or 900MHz), this
allows the uplink LTE cell range, affected by higher propagation losses at the higher frequency,
to be enhanced.
As for any active element inserted in the reception chain of an eNode-B, the impact of a TMA on
the link budget can be assessed by means of the Friis formula.
n feeder − 1 neNode−B − 1 NF
element G element
noverall = n TMA + + with n element = 10 10 and g element = 10 10 ,
g TMA g TMA ⋅ g feeder
where NFfeeder = -Gfeeder = Feeder Losses. The typical TMA characteristics are NFTMA = 2dB, GTMA =
12dB and Insertion Losses = 0.4dB.
Internal: These figures are dependent on the specific TMA hardware realization and as such
there may be variation between different product variants and bands. For precise figures, it is
recommended to verify the latest figures with LTE Portfolio Management.
This has 2 key impacts on the link budget parameters:
Compensation of the feeder losses,
Change in the overall Noise Figure of the eNode-B.
However, TMA insertion losses of 0.4dB must be considered in the downlink link budget.
The typical gain on the MAPL for a 3dB feeder loss is approximately 2.7dB, which corresponds to
36% less sites, thanks to TMA usage. Note that such gains are only applicable for scenarios where
uplink coverage remains as the limitation (i.e. low traffic scenarios).
2.4 Uplink Link Budget Example

Figure 18 presents some example of the entire uplink budget analysis for a dense urban
environment with indoor daylight penetration for a range of different services using 2Rxdiv.
The key objective of the air interface coverage analysis is to formulate a link budget from
which the per-service MAPL and the corresponding cell ranges can be computed (see the
rows in red in Figure 18).
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Figure 18: Typical PUSCH link budgets for a tower mounted RRH deployment in Dense
Urban with EVehA-5Hz channel at 700MHz, 2Rxdiv (128kbps guaranteed at cell edge)
The cell ranges computed above are for a Hata propagation model for a 30m
m eNode-B
eNode antenna
height, a 1.5m UE antenna height a clutter correction factor of 0dB. Where PL = K1 + K2 x
log10(dkm), K1=123.7 and K2=35.2.
Internal:: The default ALU link budget can be found on the intranet: Alcatel-Lucent
Lucent LTE-FDD
LTE
Link Budget.
Based on the service to be guaranteed at cell edge
edge, the limiting
g Maximum Acceptable Path Loss
(MAPL) can be derived.
2.5 Uplink Common Control Channel Considerations

There are three main common and control channel considerations that should be assessed for an
LTE network design to ensure that they will not limit the coverage. These include:
Attach Procedure (limiting message RRC Connection Request)
ACK/NACK Feedback
o Either punctured d onto the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)
o Or over the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)
Periodic CQI Reports
o Overver the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)
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2.5.1 Attach Procedure

Figure 19 illustrates the procedure that the UE must go through to Attach to an LTE network.
From a link budget perspective, the limiting message from messages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 14 and 15 (that
involve the air interface) must be considered to assess any link budget constraints.
UE eNB MME SGW PGW
RACH Preamble (1)
Grant and TA (2)
RRC Connection Request (3)
RRC Connection Setup (4)
RRC Connection Setup Complete (5)
Attach request (6)
Authentication (optional)/ security (7-8)

Create Default Bearer
Request (9) CDB Request
(10)
CDB Response
Create Default Bearer Response (11)
Attach accepted (12)
RRC Connection reconfiguration (13)
(14)
RRC Connection reconfiguration complete

(15)
Attach complete
(16)
1st UL bearer packet
Update Bearer Request (20)
Update Bearer Response (21)
1st DL bearer packet
No MME Relocation
Figure 19: LTE Attach Procedure
The limiting message of the Attach procedure over the air interface is message 3 (RRC
Connection Request). This message utilizes 2 resource blocks with MCS 3, delivering an average
effective data rate of 41.6 kbps after an average of 2.5 HARQ transmissions (maximum of 5). The
SINR requirements for this message is -3dB (including margins), based on link level simulation
studies for low mobility channel conditions (Veh-3km/hr).
Figure 20 summarizes an uplink budget formulated for a dense urban morphology in the 700MHz
band. This link budget compares the Attach link budget with 64, 128 and 256kbps services.
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Figure 20:: LTE Link Budget for Message 3 of the LTE Attach Procedure (compared with 64,
128 and 256kbps services)
Note: Since the RRC Connection Request message cannot be assigned to any available resource
blocks in uplink, frequency selective scheduling gain is not considered for this link budget.
It can be seen from Figure 20 that the Attach link budget is not limiting with respect to cell edge
data rates higher than or equal to 64kbps
64kbps.
2.5.2 ACK/NACK Feedback

When users are receiving packets on the downlink over the Physical
ysical Downlink Shared Channel
(PDSCH), they must send steady streams of ACK/NACK transmissions over the uplink to either
acknowledge or not acknowledge the reception of the downlink packets. Correct reception of
such ACK/NACK transmissions is critical for optimizing the efficiency of the downlink
transmissions.
ACK/NACK transmissions are either punctured onto the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)
when useful UL data is scheduled for transmission during the same TTI, or it is carried
carr over the
Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) in the absence of simultaneous PUSCH transmission.
transmission
Note that due to SC-FDMA transmission
ransmission,, PUCCH cannot be transmitted at the same time as
PUSCH.
For either solution, the ACK/NACK transmission utilizes 1 resource block with QPSK.
QPSK. Based on link
level simulation studies, the
he SINR requirements for this message are -3.4dB dB and -5.8dB for
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puncturing on the PUSCH and PUCCH, respectively (including margins), in order to satisfy 1%
error rate. Note that ACK/NACK feedback doesn’t use HARQ retransmissions.
Figure 21 summarizes an uplink link budget formulated for a dense urban morphology in tthe
700MHz band-13.. This link budget compares the ACK/NACK link budgets for puncturing over the
PUSCH and PUCCH options with 64, 128 and 256kbps services.
Figure 21:: LTE Link Budget ACK punctured onto PUSCH and over PUCCH (compar
(compared with 64,
128 and 256kbps services)
Note:: As the PUCCH only uses a subset of the uplink resource blocks
blocks, no frequency selective
scheduling gain is considered for the ACK/NACK over PUCCH link budget. However, this is not the
case for ACK/NACK over PUSCH.
From Figure 21, it can be seen that for either option (PUSCH or PUCCH) the ACK/NACK link
budget does not limit the LTE coverage but rather coverage will
will be first limited by the uplink
service link budgets, e.g. 64kbps.
kbps.
2.5.3 Periodic CQI Reports

The periodicity and frequency resolution to be used by a UE to report CQI are both controlled by
the eNode-B.B. In the time domain, both periodic and aperiodic CQI reporting modes are
supported. The Physical Uplink Control C Channel (PUCCH) is used for periodic CQI reporting only
to transmit wide-band
band CQI reports
reports; while the Physical Uplink Shared Channel
annel (PUSCH) is used for
aperiodic reporting of the narrow-band
narrow CQI, whereby the eNode-B B specifically instructs the UE to
send an individual CQI report embedded into a resource which is scheduled for uplink data
transmission.
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Focusing on the periodic CQI reports over the PUCCH, the most limiting 8bit CQI report utilizes 1
resource block with QPSK. The SINR requirement for this message is -2.9dB dB (including margins),
based on link level simulation studies for Veh-3km/hr mobility conditions.
Figure 22 summarizes an uplink link budget formulated for a dense urban morphology in the
700MHz band-13.. This link budget compares the 8bit CQI link budget over the PUCCH with 64,
128 and 256kbps services.
Figure 22: LTE Link Budget for an 8bit CQI Report over the PUCCH (compared with 64, 128
and256kbps services)
Note:: As the PUCCH only uses a subset of the uplink resource blocks
blocks, no frequency selective
scheduling gain is considered for the 8bit CQI report over PUCCH llink budget.
From Figure 22 it can be seen that the 8bit CQI link budget over the PUCCH does not limit the
LTE coverage but rather coverage will be first limited by th
the uplink service link budgets, e.g.
64kbps service.
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3 DOWNLINK LINK BUDGET
For typical eNode-BB output powers and deployment scenarios with the classical UE output power
class of 23dBm, link budgets should remain uplink limited. The downlink cell edge performances
depend primarily upon the scheduler parameters (e.g. tuning of the fairness of the p
proportional
fair scheduler algorithm) or the available bandwidth (e.g. 10MHz vs. 5MHz).
For the downlink, link budgets need to be carefully tuned with system level simulations and/or
Radio Network Planning (RNP) analysis to well assess the interference effect
ect from surrounding
cells at different footprints of the cell coverage area
area.
The approach preferred by Alcatel
Alcatel-Lucent is as follows:
Downlink cell range is defined by the uplink cell edge service link budget, i.e. the same
cell ranges as those considered for the uplink are also considered for the downlink. On
the uplink, the objective was to compute the ce
cell
ll range for a target data rate; while on
the downlink the objective is to compute the expected data rate for a known cell range.
Downlink throughputs are re computed for coverage reliabilities associated with each
corresponding uplink service
service.
Geometry distributions (see section 3.1.4) are used to determine the cell edge SINR for
the PDSCH, from which an estimate of the downlink cell
cell edge throughput can be made
made.
Figure 23 illustrates the downlink link budget approach utilized by Alcatel
Alcatel-Lucent.
Lucent. Section 2
described the methodology used to compute the cell range for different uplink services. Some
examples of such services and their relative cell ranges are illustrated in blue in Figure 23. Also
shown in Figure 23 are the downlink data rate estimates, illustrated in purple,, corresponding to
the various uplink data rates.
Figure 23:: Rationale behind the Downlink LKB Formulation
The example shown in Figure 23 is for a dense urban morphology, low mobility channel conditions
(3km/hr), indoor 0dBi omni UE configuration, cell range fixed for uplink 128kbps, 50% adjacent
cell downlink RB loading, no TMAA, 700MHz and 10MHz bandwidth.. This example illustrates the
concept behind downlink link budget approach that is described in this section.
Note: The diagram shown in Figure 23 is not to scale and does not include all rates.
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3.1 Downlink Budget Parameters

3.1.1 SINR
One of the measures of quality used on the downlink is the SINR. There are a number of
important channels for which the SINR is of interest, these include:
SINRPDSCH
SINRPDCCH
SINRDLRS
Of the above, the SINRPDSCH is the most commonly referenced downlink SINR metric. Based on
Link Level Simulations and lab/field measurements, the expected PDSCH throughput for a given
PDSCH SINR can be estimated.
Note: There is no industry-defined measure of SINRPDSCH that is a completely unambiguous and
can be used as a concise reference measure of downlink signal quality in the field.
While Alcatel-Lucent link level performances are quantified in terms of the SINRPDSCH, the
reference to be used, measured and validated in the field is the RSRQ (see section 3.1.2), which
is more unambiguously defined.
Unlike the uplink, the observed downlink SINR performances are dependent upon the UE location
within the cell’s coverage area, i.e. the signal to interference plus noise ratio for the PDSCH,
PDCCH or DLRS channels, SINRChannel_Des, is dependent on the user location. Thus, for a given UE
location and for a number of transmit paths PathDL, SINRChannel_Des is given by:
C j_Channel_Des (DL) ⋅ Paths DL
SINRChannel_Des = ,
I j(DL) + N (DL)
where Channel_Des is the desired channel for the SINR computation. This can be either PDSCH,
PDCCH or DLRS.
Note: PathsDL = 1 when computing SINRDLRS as the DLRS is not transmitted on the same RE from all
transmit paths.
The worst performances will be experienced when the UE is at cell edge far from the eNode-B.
The relationship between the SINRPDSCH, and downlink throughput is discussed in more detail in
section 3.1.5.
Cj_Channel_Des (DL) is the power per Resource Element (RE) of the considered channel (PDSCH,
PDCCH or DLRS) received by the UE located at the uplink service cell range, RService(UL), from the
UE’s serving eNode-B, that is transmitting with its maximal power and is given by:
C j_Channel_Des (DL) dBm = C j_DLRS(DL) dBm + Offset Channel
(
C j_DLRS(DL)dBm = EPREDLRS + Gain Tx − Loss Tx ) − Losses (R
PropagationdB Service(UL) ) − Loss
Body dB
( − Loss ) − Margin
dB dB
− M arg inPenetration + GainRx

dB dB Rx dB ShadowingdB + GainHO dB
where:
EPREDLRS is the Energy Per Resource Element for the reference symbol (see Section 3.1.7)
OffsetPDSCH / PDCCH / DLRS is the margin by which PDSCH, PDCCH and DLRS RE’s are offset in
power from the EPREDLRS. OffsetDLRS is by definition always equal to 0dB.
GainTx and LossTx, represent the gains and losses at the transmitter side such as the
eNode-B antenna gain and the feeder losses between the eNode-B and the antenna,
GainRx and LossRx, the gains and losses at the receiver side such as UE antenna gain,
LossBody is the body loss induced by the user’s proximity to the UE, typically 3dB body
losses are considered for voice services and 0 dB for data services (handset position is far
from the head when using data services),
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MarginPenetration is the loss (in dB) induced by buildings, windows or vehicles according to
the penetration coverage objective (deep or light indoor, outdoor) (see Section 2.1.11),
The downlink MAPL, MAPL(DL)dB, that corresponds to an uplink service cell range, RService(UL)
(as computed in section 2.2), is dependent upon the propagation model differences
(K1(DL) & K2(DL)) due to the frequency duplex difference between uplink and downlink,
MarginShadowing is a margin that compensates for the slow variability in mean path loss
about that predicted using the propagation model, e.g. Hata (see section 3.1.8)
GainHO is a handoff gain or best server selection gain that models the benefits due to the
ability to reselect to the best available serving site at any given location (see section
3.1.8)
Losses Propagation = K 1(DL) + K 2(DL)log(R Service(UL) ) .
dB
Ij(DL) is the average received interfering power at the UE from all adjacent cells per RE.
Averaging is based upon the average number of RE allocated to the various interfering channels.
The channels considered as sources of interference, Channel_Int, are detailed in section 3.1.3,
these can include a combination of the PDSCH, RS, PDCCH, SCH, BCH, PCFICH and PHICH.
Each of these channels may have different transmit power (based on its offset setting with
respect to RS). Therefore, the overall interference seen on the desired channel will be impacted
by which channels are sources of interference in the neighboring cells (detailed in section 3.1.3)
and what is the probability that each of these interference sources affect the desired channel
(based on the RE distribution tables in Section 3.1.6 detailing the average number of RE
elements per TTI assigned to each channel type).
( )
 I j_PDSCH(DL) Avg + I j_PDCCH(DL) Avg ⋅ Loading DL + 
I j(DL) dBm =   ⋅ Paths - Geometry
Percentile + M arg in Shad _ SINR
 I j_DLRS(DL) + I j_SCH(DL) + I j_BCH(DL) + I j_PCFICH &PHICH(DL)  DL
 Avg Avg Avg Avg 
where:
Ij_Channel_Int(DL) is the average interference contribution due to RE’s allocated to the various
interfering channels (where Channel_Int can be PDSCH, PDCCH, SCH, BCH and PCFICH &
PHICH) and is given by:
(
Ij_Channel_ Int(DL) Avg = C j_RS(DL) dBm + Offset Channel ⋅ ) Considered Channel _ Int ⋅ RE Channel _ TTI
RE Total _ TTI
,
Ij_RS(DL) is the average interference contribution due to RE’s allocated to RS’s and is given
by (Note: The 3rd and 4th antennas, if present, only transmit the RS on half the number of
RE’s as the 1st two antennas):
Considered DLRS _ Int ⋅ RE DLRS _ TTI
Ij_RS(DL) = C j_RS(DL) ⋅ If (Paths DL = 4, Then 0.75 Else 1) ⋅ ,
Avg
RE Total _ TTI
RETotal_TTI, is the sum of the RE for the considered interfering channels and is given by
(where ConsideredChannels_Int for PDSCH, DLRS, PDCCH, SCH, BCH and PCFICH & PHICH is
defined in section 3.1.3 and depends upon the considered Channel_Des):
RE Total _ TTI = ∑ Considered

All Channels
Channel _ Int ⋅ REChannel _ TTI
LoadingDL is the assumed average resource blocking loading of adjacent cells on the
downlink. Note: It is assumed that the interference due to both PDSCH and PDCCH from
adjacent cells will be reduced with reduced average RB loading.
GeometryPercentile, represents the downlink geometry that corresponds to the uplink cell
range, RService(UL) (discussed in more detailed in section 3.1.3),
MarginShad_SINR is the shadowing margin applied to the SINR distribution to account for the
fact that the shadowing effect on the desired and interfering signals is not perfectly
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correlated, i.e. shadowing from serving cell is different from shadowing from interfering
neighbors at the given UE location (see section 3.1.8 for more details).
N(DL) is the thermal noise for a single subcarrier, given by:

N(DL)dBm = Nth + FUE + 10 ⋅ Log10 (WSC )
where:
Nth is the thermal noise density (-174dBm/Hz),
FUE is the noise figure of the UE receiver (8dB by default),
WSC is the bandwidth used by one subcarrier, each of a 15 KHz bandwidth.
Internal: Note that currently there is no consideration of any frequency selective scheduling
benefits in the downlink budget as there is in the uplink (see section 2.1.10). This does not mean
such gains are not realized in the field on the downlink, but rather that such gains are not
applicable in the DL LKB context where the full BW is allocated to one user in DL. Note also that
the default setting of ALU DL scheduler doesn’t recommend using FSS at cell edge to avoid UL
performance degradation due to aperiodic CQI reporting over PUSCH.
3.1.2 RSRQ
While, SINRPDSCH, is a meaningful measure of the cell edge quality (see section 3.1.1), this is not
a measure that is standardized by 3GPP and as such is somewhat open to interpretation when it
comes to measurement in the field. The standardized measure of the downlink quality is RSRQ
(Reference Symbol Receive Quality) and is given by:
RSRQ Service(UL) = RSRP + 10 ⋅ log10 (NRB ) − RSSITotal
where:
RSRP is the Reference Signal Received Power at the UE from its serving cell and is given
by Cj_DLRS(DL) (see above)
NRB is the maximum number of RB’s for the considered carrier bandwidth
RSSITotal is the total received power at the UE from its serving cell and all adjacent cells
across the entire bandwidth and is given by:
RSSITotal = (RSSIOwn _ Cell + Ij(DL) + N(DL) ) ⋅ SubCarriersRB ⋅ NRB
SubCarriersRB is the number of sub carries per RB, this is defined by the standards to be
12 sub-carriers per RB
RSSIOwn_Cell is the average power received at the UE from its serving cell per RE. The
averaging is based upon the average number of RE allocated to the various interfering
channels (see Section 3.1.6 for details of the RE distribution) and is given by:
RSSIOwn_Cell = Ij(DL) + Geometry Percentile − M arg inShad _ SINR
Note: RSRQ targets are dependent upon the number of downlink transmit paths, PathsDL. Table
16 provides examples of RSRQ values in typical scenarios (for 95% Area Coverage Probability).
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Table 16: Typical RSRQ Values for # Tx Paths and Average Adjacent Cells RB Loading
RSRQ
Load
1 Tx Path 2 Tx Paths
100% -15.5 dB -17.5 dB
50% -13.5 dB -15.5 dB
3.1.3 Interference Sources

As mentioned in sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.2, the channels considered as sources of interference can
include a combination of the PDSCH, RS, PDCCH, SCH, BCH, PCFICH and PHICH. The channels to
be considered depend upon a number of factors including:
Whether time & phase synchronization is available in the network
The type of SINR or RSRQ computation
Table 17 summarizes the sources of interference considered for various types of SINR and RSRQ
computations. When the network is not synchronized, there is no guarantee that the same OFDM
symbols of a given subframe from two different eNode-Bs will be aligned in time. As such, it is
possible that different RE (Resource Elements) of different channels will be considered as
sources of interference.
Table 17: Sources of interference for SINR and RSRQ considered for computations with and
without phase synchronization
Interference ConsiderChannel_Int (Freq Sync.) ConsiderChannel_Int (Freq + Phase Sync)

Source,
Channel_Int SINRPDSCH SINRPDCCH SINRRS RSRQ SINRPDSCH SINRPDCCH SINRRS RSRQ
PDSCH Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes n/a Yes Yes
DLRS Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
PDCCH Yes Yes Yes Yes n/a Yes Yes Yes
SCH Yes Yes Yes Yes n/a n/a n/a Yes
BCH Yes Yes Yes Yes n/a n/a Yes Yes
PCFICH Yes Yes Yes Yes n/a Yes Yes Yes
PHICH Yes Yes Yes Yes n/a Yes Yes Yes
For example, from Table 17 consider the computation of the PDSCH SINR for a frequency and
phase synchronized configuration: For such calculations, only RE used by the PDSCH and DLRS
will be considered as sources of interference; whereas without phase synchronization all possible
sources of interfering RE will be considered.
Internal: The default Alcatel-Lucent configuration is frequency synchronization only, i.e. no
phase synchronization. Phase synchronization is required for services such as OTDOA Location
Based Services (e.g. E911 services in North America), Handover to CDMA (HRPD), eICIC and
eMBMS support. It is also important to understand that this has minimal impact on the SINR and
RSRQ computations.
3.1.4 Geometry
The geometry at a specific UE location is defined as the ratio between the total power received
from the eNode-B serving that location and the total power received from all adjacent eNode-Bs,
under the assumption that all eNode-Bs are transmitting at the same power.
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Figure 24: Signals Contributing to the Downlink Geometry (serving site is solid green and
adjacent sites are dashed maroon color)
The geometry at a given UE location is given by:
Rx PowerServing Site
Geometry =
∑ Rx Power
All
Adjacent Sites
Consequently, the geometry is influenced by the design aspects such as the relative positioning
of adjacent sites, degree of overlapping coverage, variability of the propagation environment
and directivity of eNode-B and UE antennas.
The geometry distributions considered in the link budget are based upon the geometry
distributions computed with the 9955 Radio Network Planning (RNP) tool, for a range of LTE
network deployments, across a number of markets. These geometry distributions are considered
to be representative of the typical geometries that are expected in a well optimized LTE
deployment.
Note: The downlink geometries do not account for lognormal shadowing as such an additional
shadowing margin must be applied to SINR and RSRQ computations (see section 3.1.8)
A significant factor influencing the geometry distribution is the directivity and placement of the
UE antenna. While the majority of LTE deployments are focused on a typical cellular mobility
deployment model, there is also interest in considering fixed wireless deployment scenarios
where it is not uncommon to consider a directional non-zero gain UE antenna that can be roof
mounted and directed at the best serving site.
Figure 25 provides some examples of the geometry distributions used in the downlink budget for
omni directional as well as directional UE antenna configurations.
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100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
Indoor - 0 dBi - Omni
30%
Outdoor - 4 dBi - Direc.
20% Outdoor - 8 dBi - Direc.
10% Outdoor - 10 dBi - Direc.
0%
-5 dB 0 dB 5 dB 10 dB 15 dB 20 dB 25 dB 30 dB 35 dB 40 dB
Geometry
Figure 25: Geometry Distributions Considered in Link Budget (for different UE Antenna
Configurations)
In the computation of the Cell Edge SINR (as mentioned in section 3.1.1), the average received
interfering power, Ij(DL), at the UE from all adjacent cells per RE is given by:
( )
 Ij_PDSCH(DL) Avg + Ij_PDCCH(DL) Avg ⋅ Loading DL + 
I j(DL) dBm =   ⋅ Paths - Geometry
Percentile + M arg in Shad _ SINR
 Ij_DLRS(DL) + I j_SCH(DL) + Ij_BCH(DL) + Ij_PCFICH&PHICH(DL)  DL
 Avg Avg Avg Avg 
Cell edge conditions, at distance R UL_Guarant eed_Servic e(UL) from the serving eNode-B, are modeled by
the 95%ile of the geometry distribution shown in Figure 25, whereas the percentile of geometry
distribution for the more demanding service rates farther from the cell edge is defined by the
percentage of the overall coverage area for which the downlink service is to be guaranteed:
2
R UL_Service(UL)
Percentile = 95% ⋅ 2
R UL_Guaranteed_Service(UL)
where RUL_Service(UL) is the cell range for the uplink service for which the equivalent downlink data
rate is being computed and RUL_Guaranteed_Service(UL) is the uplink service that is guaranteed at the
cell edge on the uplink. See the example in Figure 26 (based on the uplink budget summarized in
Figure 18) where RUL_Guaranteed_Service(UL) = 1.27km is for a 128kbps cell edge service and the
Percentile is computed for the uplink cell range, RUL_Service(UL) = 1.08km, that corresponds to an
uplink 256kbps service.
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Figure 26:: Example of Geometry Percentile Computation for 256kbps Uplink Cell Range
within a 128kbps Coverage Footprint
The percentiles can be calculated as follows:

For 128kbps uplink cell range, 95% x 1.272 / 1.272 = 95%
For 256kbps uplink cell range, 95% x 1.082 / 1.272 = 68%
Referring to Figure 27,, estimates of the corresponding geometries can be read off the chart for
these two uplink cell ranges, i.e. percentiles of 95% and 68% yield GeometryPercentile values of -2.2
& 3dB respectively,
ly, for a 0dBi omni UE configuration.
Figure 27: Example of Geometry distribution
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3.1.5 Downlink SINR Performances

The downlink SINR figures, like those for the uplink (see section 0), are derived from link level
simulations or from equipment measurements (lab or field measurements). They depend on the
UE performance, radio conditions (multipath fading profile, mobile speed), antenna scheme
(TxDiv/SFBC, closed loop rank 1, spatial multiplexing, etc) and targeted DL HARQ operating
point. Figure 28 illustrates a sample set of link level simulation results for the full set of MCS
Indices for a wide range of SINR conditions.
35000 kbps
MCS 0 MCS 1 MCS 2 MCS 3
30000 kbps MCS 8 MCS 9 MCS 10 MCS 11
25000 kbps MCS 20 MCS 21 MCS 22 MCS 23
MCS 28
Throughput
20000 kbps
15000 kbps
10000 kbps
5000 kbps
0 kbps
-15 dB -10 dB -5 dB 0 dB 5 dB 10 dB 15 dB 20 dB 25 dB
SINR
Figure 28: Example of link level simulations results for downlink, NRB=50, 10MHz Bandwidth
(Closed Loop Rank 1)
3.1.5.1 Multipath Channel

The equivalent channel models to those considered on the uplink (see section 2.1.4.1) are also
assumed on the downlink, i.e. EVehA-5Hz for dense urban, urban or suburban indoor Macrocell
deployment environments (modeling low mobility conditions ~3km/hr) and EVehA-120Hz for
suburban incar and rural environments to represent UE mobility ~50km/hr.
3.1.5.2 Number Resource Blocks & Modulation & Coding Scheme

For the uplink, the focus was to determine the required SINR for a given target data rate (see
section 2.1.4.4). For the downlink, the reverse is performed: The data rate that is achievable for
a given SINR value is determined. However, the same principles apply.
Note that downlink budget is typically formulated for a single user utilizing the full bandwidth
available in the serving cell; therefore the number of resource blocks is assumed to be equal to
the maximum number of RB for the considered bandwidth.
For a given SINR and Number of Resource Blocks, NRB, there will be an optimal Modulation &
Coding Scheme Index (MCS) that maximizes the data rate while also satisfying the targeted HARQ
operating point.
The same process is used for determining the Transport Block Size (TBS) that corresponds to a
given combination of NRB and MCS Index (as described in section 2.1.4.2, with the exception that
the PDSCH version of the MCS to TBS index mapping is used instead of the PUSCH version shown
in Table 2).
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3.1.5.3 Hybrid Automatic Repeat request (HARQ)

Like the uplink, there are multiple HARQ operating points that can be utilized (with the
corresponding tradeoffs), the current recommended operating point for the downlink is a 10%
iBLER.
The Figure 29 illustrates the average effective L2 post HARQ frame averaged throughput versus
the BLER for the 1st HARQ transmission for MCS index 27.
100% 35000 kbps
90%
30000 kbps
80%
27.5 Mbps Throughput 25000 kbps
70%
60%
Throughput
20.2 dB SINR
20000 kbps
iBLER
50%
15000 kbps
40%
30% 10000 kbps
20%
10 % iBLER 5000 kbps
10%
0% 0 kbps
12 dB 14 dB 16 dB 18 dB 20 dB 22 dB 24 dB
SINR
Figure 29: Throughput mapping for 20.2dB SINR, respecting 10% iBLER for 50 RB, MCS-
27, Closed Loop Rank 1 EVehA-5Hz channel and 10MHz Bandwidth
For the recommended 10% iBLER HARQ operating point, it can be seen that an SINRPDSCH = 20.2dB
is required which corresponds to a throughput of 27.5Mbps.
This is an example for MCS index 27; the same can be done for the full range of MCS indices
resulting in the plot shown in Figure 30 in Section 3.1.5.4.
3.1.5.4 Selection of the Optimal MCS Index

To select the optimal MCS index for the SINRPDSCH conditions at a specific UE location, first the
same process as that identified in Figure 29 must be performed for the full range of MCS indices.
Figure 30 illustrates for a range of SINRPDSCH values the corresponding optimal MCS indices and
post HARQ average effective frame throughputs for a 10% iBLER HARQ operating point.
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30000 kbps
MCS 25
25000 kbps
MCS 20
Throughput
20000 kbps
MCS MCS 15
15000 kbps
MCS 10
10000 kbps
MCS 5 MCS 4
5000 kbps
˜ 3.2 Mbps
MCS 0 0 kbps
-7 dB -2 dB 3 dB 8 dB 13 dB 18 dB
SINR
Figure 30: Optimal MCS Index Selection for a -2dB cell edge SINR, 50 RB, 10MHz
Bandwidth, Closed Loop Rank 1 EVehA-5Hz channel
Assuming a specific UE location, the cell edge SINR can be computed (see section 3.1.1),
SINRPDSCH, and then the optimal MCS index for such conditions can be determined. As an example,
here it is assumed that for the considered UE location the SINRPDSCH is computed to be -2dB.
Referring to Figure 30, it can be seen that the optimal MCS Index = 4 and the corresponding post
HARQ throughput is around 3.2Mbps for SINRPDSCH = -2dB.
Note: This relationship has been derived based on Closed Loop Rank 1 link level performances.
On top of these performances, there will be additional gains in very good channel conditions,
due to spatial multiplexing / Rank 2 MIMO (this is discussed in more detail in section 3.1.5.6).
3.1.5.5 Downlink Explicit Diversity Gains

The default SINR performances considered in the Alcatel-Lucent downlink budgets are for a 2x2
Rank 1 configuration, these performances account for SFBC pre-coding or Closed Loop Rank 1
gains and for a 2RxDiv gain at the UE.
The choice to base the link budget on Rank 1 link level performances was made as the typical
cell edge channel conditions are not conductive to effective utilization of Spatial Multiplexing.
However, when in very good SINR conditions, a spatial multiplexing is applied in the downlink link
budget. This gain is applied on top of the 2x2 Rank 1 (see section 3.1.5.6).
Note: An additional over the air power combining gain is also considered on the downlink, e.g. a
3dB gain is applied in the downlink budget for PathsDL ≥ 2 to account for the fact that the same
RE’s are transmitted on each transmit path (with the exception of the RS).
Where the number of transmit paths, PathsDL, considered does not match the 2x2 configuration
assumed in the underlying link level simulation data, an additional gain or loss is applied to the
computed SINR depending on the number of transmit paths, as detailed in Table 18:
Table 18: Approximation for Impact of <> 2 Transmit Paths
Downlink Transmit Paths, PathDL SINR Impact

1 path -1.0 dB
2 paths 0.0 dB
4 paths 1.0 dB
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Warning: the SINR impact detailed in Table 18 is a very rough approximation to the expected
performances with 1 and 4 transmit paths. Ensuring higher confidence in the link budget results
would require consideration of dedicated link level results for such configurations.
3.1.5.6 Spatial Multiplexing / MIMO Gain

As outlined in section 3.1.5.5, the underlying link level performances used to select the optimal
MCS Index and the corresponding throughput for a given number of resource blocks are for a
Rank 1 configuration. In very good channel conditions (channel rank >1 and high SINR), an
additional spatial multiplexing gain on top of the underlying link level simulation performances is
applied.
Such a gain is based upon a comparison of link level performances between a Rank 1
configuration and a Rank2 spatial multiplexing configuration.
Figure 31 illustrates a summary of the gain computed from such a comparison for three different
channel conditions:
2.00
VehA 3km/h - Med
1.90
Rank 2 Spatial Multiplexing Gain
VehA 50km/h - Med

1.80
VehA 120km/h - Med
1.70
1.60
1.50
1.40
1.30
1.20
1.10
1.00
10.0 dB 15.0 dB 20.0 dB 25.0 dB 30.0 dB 35.0 dB 40.0 dB 45.0 dB
SINR
Figure 31: Gains Associated with Spatial Multiplexing (MIMO Rank 2)
Note: The antenna correlation that best represents what has been seen in the field to date is
best represented by the medium correlation assumptions.
From Figure 31, it can be seen that spatial multiplexing gains become significant beyond an
SINRPDSCH = 16dB and progressively increase with increasing SINRPDSCH. The precise gain
attributable to spatial multiplexing is dependent upon the SINR, the antenna correlation and the
channel model. Medium antenna correlation is assumed to address average performances.
As an example, consider an SINRPDSCH = 35dB and EVehA3 channel conditions. Referring to Figure
31, the estimated spatial multiplexing gain is around 1.86. If we assume the Rank 1 link level
performances indicated a 30.4Mbps throughput for 50RB and a 10MHz bandwidth then the final
throughput after accounting for the spatial multiplexing gain would be 30.4Mbps x 1.86 =
56.5Mbps.
Note: One thing that is not possible to compute from a link budget analysis is whether the
channel can support rank 2 transmissions. The best that can be done is to assume/approximate
that with a high SINR there is a reasonable probability that the channel rank will also be
sufficiently good. For example, high SINR is most commonly observed close to the serving eNode-
B and so is higher channel rank.
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3.1.6 Resource Element Distribution

Computation of the downlink SINR and RSRQ detailed in sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.2 is dependent
upon the average resource element allocation to the various downlink channels.
An example of the RE distribution for 2 transmit paths, Control Format Indicator (CFI) = 3, and
10MHz bandwidth is summarized in Table 19.
Table 19: Example Average RE Distribution across the 14 OFDM Symbols of a Single TTI (2
Transmit Paths, CFI=3, 10MHz Bandwidth)
Type of RE
1 4
DLRS P-SCH S-SCH PBCH PDCCH PCFICH PHICH PDSCHA PDSCHB Unused6
5
sym. 0 200 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 300 RE 16 RE 84 RE 0 RE 0 RE
sym. 1 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 600 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE
sym. 2 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 600 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE
Slot 0
sym. 4 200 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 400 RE

585.6
sym. 5 0 RE 0 RE 12.4 RE3 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 2 RE
RE
585.6
sym. 6 0 RE 12.4 RE2 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 2 RE
RE
sym. 0 200 RE 0 RE 0 RE 4.8 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 394 RE 1.2 RE
592.8
sym. 1 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 4.8 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 2.4 RE
RE
592.8
sym. 2 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 7.2 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE
RE
Slot 1
592.8
sym. 3 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 7.2 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE
RE
sym. 4 200 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 0 RE 400 RE
Notes:
1
This value considers the RE allocations of the 2 transmit antennas: For each antenna, two Res
are allocated per Resource Block (RB) for OFDM symbols 0, 4, 7 and 11
2
P-SCH (Primary Synchronization Channel) is always located in the last OFDM symbol of the 1st
and 11th slots of each radio frame for the center 6 RB's (figures averaged across 1 radio frame)
3
S-SCH (Secondary Synchronization Channel) is always located on the symbol before the P-SCH in
the 1st & 11th slots of each radio frame for the center 6 RB's (figures averaged across 1 radio
frame)
4
On the centre 6 RB's (72 subcarriers) and 1st 4 symbols of the 2nd slot, the non-RS RE are used
once every radio frame (i.e. every 10ms) to transmit one subset of PBCH. PBCH is composed of
four successive subsets, which means a 40msec periodicity. Note for symbols 0 and 1 only 8 RE
are considered per RB as the remainder are reserved for the DLRS, for symbols 2 and 3 all 12 RE
are considered per RB.
5
PDCCH RE after accounting for DLRS, PCFICH and PHICH REs
6
There remains some unused RE due to some RE reserved around the SCH RE
A summary of the average number of Resource Elements (REs) that are transmitted per TTI for 1,
2 and 4 transmit paths is presented in Table 20. This is based on equivalent analysis to that
presented in Table 19.
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Table 20: Average Number of RE Transmitted per TTI across all paths
1 Tx Path 2 Tx Paths 4 Tx Paths
Nsym-PDSCH 6244 RE 5944 RE 5746 RE
Nsym-DLRS 400 RE 800 RE 1200 RE
Nsym-PDCCH 1600 RE 1500 RE 1300 RE
Nsym-SCH 25 RE 25 RE 25 RE
Nsym-BCH 24 RE 24 RE 24 RE
Nsym-PCFICH_PHICH 100 RE 100 RE 100 RE
3.1.7 Energy Per Resource Element (EPRE)

The Energy Per Resource Element (EPRE) is the transmitted energy associated with a single
downlink resource element. This parameter is dictated by the overall output power setting for
the eNode-B, the carrier bandwidth and the product variant.
3.1.7.1 Reference Signal Resource Elements
The RS EPRE is the EPRE for a single downlink Reference Signal resource element. It is denoted as
EPREDLRS.
For each product variant, the following set of information is defined (as summarized in Table 21):
PowerRef – the reference downlink eNode-B transmit power per transmit path
BWRef – Reference bandwidth
EPREDLRS(Ref) – the EPREDLRS for the corresponding reference power and bandwidth
Table 21: Product EPRE Reference
Hardware PowerRef BWRef EPREDLRS(Ref)

TRDU 2x40 40 W 10 MHz 21.0 dBm
RRH 2x40 40 W 10 MHz 21.0 dBm
RRH 2x30 30 W 10 MHz 19.0 dBm
RRH 1x60 60 W 10 MHz 22.0 dBm
TRDU 2x60 60 W 10 MHz 22.0 dBm
RRH 2x60 60 W 10 MHz 22.0 dBm
MC-RRH 2x40 40 W 10 MHz 21.0 dBm
MC-TRX 1x60 60 W 10 MHz 22.0 dBm
MC-TRDU 2x60 60 W 10 MHz 22.0 dBm
As it is possible to use the same power amplifier with a different power setting, PowerCurrent and
different bandwidth, BWCurrent, in such cases the EPREDLRS is given by:
 PowerRe f   BWRe f 
EPRE DLRS = EPRE DLRS(Re f ) − 10 ⋅ Log10   + 10 ⋅ Log10  
 PowerCurrent   BWCurrent 
Note: The recommended overall power settings, PowerCurrent, for different carrier bandwidths are
detailed in section 4.
For example, consider for PowerCurrent = 40W and BWCurrent = 20MHz. The EPRERS for RRH 2x40
hardware is given by:
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 40W   10 MHz 
EPRE RS = 21dBm − 10 ⋅ Log10   + 10 ⋅ Log10   = 18dBm
 40W   20 MHz 
3.1.7.2 Other Resource Elements

Table 22 summarizes the power offsets from the EPREDLRS power setting for channels other than
the RS:
Table 22: Power Offsets from EPREDLRS
RE Type Power Offset from EPREDLRS

OffsetPDSCH -3.0 dB
OffsetPDCCH -2.8 dB
OffsetSCH -0.8 dB
OffsetBCH -3.0 dB
OffsetPCFICH & PHICH 1.0 dB
Internal: The power offsets detailed in Table 22 are dependent upon the recommendations for
the specific software release. It may depend on the PA output power for example. However, only
one set of power offsets is assumed for sake of simplicity.
Internal: The Offset for PDCCH in Table 22 is fixed and is used as such when computing the
overall PDCCH interfering power (refer to sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.3 for more details). An
additional offset is assumed when computing the PDCCH SINR in the serving cell to account for
the benefits from dynamic PDCCH power control.
3.1.8 Shadowing Margin & Handoff Gain
For the downlink, the same assumptions are considered to hold true, for reasons of reciprocity,
when computing the received signal level at the UE, as they do on the uplink when computing
the received signal level at the eNode-B. Thus, the same relationships and rationale to those
presented in section 2.1.8 (shadowing margin) and section 2.1.9 (handoff gain) are assumed to
be equally applicable on the downlink.
The only exception arises when considering the SINR and RSRQ on the downlink: For such
computations, the above mentioned shadowing margin and handoff gains are applied equally to
both the desired and interfering signals and thus the net effect is only to bring the signal closer
to the noise floor. In reality, the desired and interfering signals are not perfectly correlated with
each another.
To account for such non-ideal correlation, an approximation is applied in the downlink link
budget to account for an additional shadowing margin on the SINR and the RSRQ. The shadowing
standard deviation considered for the SINR shadowing margin is determined by the standard
deviation considered for the given environment.
Internal: the following table summarizes the mapping from the environment shadowing standard
deviation to that considered for the computing the SINR shadowing margin.
DL SINR
Environment
Shadowing Std.
Shadowing Std. Dev.
Dev.
6 dB 0 dB
7 dB 1 dB
8 dB 2 dB
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The same method as detailed in section 2.1.8 is used to compute the SINR shadowing margin
based on the SINR shadowing standard deviations presented in the table. Note: close
lose agreement
has been observed when comparing field measured SINR and RSRQ distributions with predicted
SINR and RSRQ distributions that account for a shadowing margin based on the standard
deviations presented in the table..
3.2 Downlink Link Budget Example

Figure 32 presents some example of the entire downlink budget analysis for a dense urban
environment with indoor daylight penetration for a range of different services. Note that this is
the downlink link budget that
hat corresponds to the uplink budget presented in Figure 18.
18
The key objective of the downlink link budget analysis is to formulate estimates of the data
rate expectations for the cell ranges of some nominal uplink data rates (see the rows in red
in Figure 32).
Figure 32: Typical PDSCH link budgets for RRH 2x40w deployment in Dense Urban
EVehA-5Hz @ 700MHz,, 10MHz bandwidth (uplink 128kbps guaranteed at cell edge)
It is important to note that the downlink data rate estimates presented in the last row of Figure
32 are achievable with 95% coverage reliability over the downlink cell ranges indicated in the
row titled “UL Service Cell Range”. Note also that the same data rates are achieved over the
entire coverage area (1.27km cell range) with reduced reliabilities for the higher data rates.
Internal:: The default ALU link budget tool can be found on the intranet: Alcatel--Lucent LTE-
FDD & TDD Link Budget.
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4 DOWNLINK OUTPUT POWER
Assuming that the carrier bandwidth is known, it is important to size the downlink power
amplifier to ensure sufficient downlink power resources to match the targeted uplink coverage.
A series of system simulation studies as well as RNP studies were performed to assess the
required Power Amplifier (PA) sizing for 4 different cases:
700 MHz (10 MHz)
2.1 GHz (10 MHz)
2.1 GHz/AWS (5 MHz)
2.6 GHz (20 MHz)
All scenarios considered 2x2 MIMO on the downlink and 2RxDiv on the uplink.
In principle, all of the studies concluded that spectrum efficiency for “reasonable” cell sizes is
relatively invariant to reasonable choices of PA sizes and that edge rates become much more
sensitive to the choice of power at large cell radiuses.
Table 23 summarizes the recommended PA sizing based on the observations from the above
mentioned study (independent of the frequency band):
Table 23: Recommended Power Amplifier Sizing
PA Power (RRH PA Power (TRDU

Carrier Bandwidths tower-mounted) base-mounted)
1.4 MHz 2 x 10 W 2x16 W
3.0 MHz 2 x 10 W 2x16 W
5.0 MHz 2 x 20 W 2x30 W
10.0 MHz 2 x 30 W 2x50 W
15.0 MHz 2 x 40 W 2x60 W
20.0 MHz 2 x 40 W 2x60 W
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5 RADIO NETWORK PLANNING
The key motivations for utilizing an RNP tool for LTE design purposes include:
Enhancement of the accuracy of the initial link budget design by accounting for field
constraints such as the topology, morphology and traffic distribution. Site positions,
antenna heights, antenna tilts can also be optimized.
Accounting more accurately for the interference (geometry) scenario encountered for
the specific deployment
It is the latter point that is particularly important for LTE downlink coverage considerations. The
approach recommended by Alcatel-Lucent is to formulate an uplink link budget to define the cell
range and then within that cell range perform an RNP study on the downlink to assess the SINR
performances achievable at the cell edge. This allows the following points to be assessed:
Whether the downlink is interference or noise limited
o If noise limited, a higher output power configuration should be considered
Whether the corresponding downlink cell edge performances satisfy the DL cell edge
performance expectations
o This will drive the required bandwidth, output power and MIMO configuration on
the downlink
Alcatel-Lucent relies on the 9955 RNP tool, based on the ATOLL platform developed by FORSK.
9955 is fully aligned with Alcatel-Lucent’s products and engineering tool chain. Alcatel-Lucent
customers can fully benefit from this tool since it is included in Alcatel-Lucent’s product
portfolio.
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6 SUMMARY
This document has introduced the detailed formulation of Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE FDD link budget
for outdoor macro cellular deployments for both the uplink and the downlink.
LTE coverage is not considered to be limited by the downlink for typical eNode-B output powers
and deployment scenarios. Link budgets should remain uplink limited and as such link budgets
are used by Alcatel-Lucent primarily to derive the expected LTE performances at the cell edge on
the uplink and compare them with legacy systems in the case of an overlay of an existing
network and/or the required number of sites for a Greenfield operator. In the case of overlay
deployments, this allows for the estimation of the proportion of sites that can be reused
(additional constraints such as space for hardware deployment, etc, have to be considered on
top of this).
The downlink link budgets that have been detailed here are indicative of what rates are
achievable within the corresponding uplink service coverage areas. It is important to understand
that downlink cell edge performances are strongly dependent upon scheduler parameters (e.g.
tuning of the fairness of the proportional fair scheduler algorithm for multi-user scenarios) or the
available bandwidth for single-user scenarios (e.g. 10MHz vs. 5MHz).
Downlink performances in the link budget are based only on long term average PDSCH SINR
values and do not account for dynamic channel variations that can be addressed with frequency
selective scheduling functionalities.
Better estimates of downlink performances can be achieved by means of system level simulations
and/or Radio Network Planning (RNP) analysis.
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7 ANNEX
7.1 Accronyms
AMR NB Adaptive Multi Rate Narrow Band
AMR WB Adaptive Multi Rate Wide Band
BCH Broadcast CHannel
BLER Block Error Rate
DL Downlink
DLRS Downlink Reference Signal
EPRE Energy Per Resource Element
FDD Frequency Division Duplex
FSS Frequency Selective Scheduler
HARQ Hybrid Automatic Retransmission Request
MAC Medium Access Control
MAPL Maximum Allowable Path Loss
MCS Modulation and Coding Scheme
NF Noise Figure
PCFICH Physical Control Frame Indicator CHannel
PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared CHannel
PDCCH Physical Downlink Control CHannel
PHICH Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator CHannel
PUCCH Physical Uplink Control CHannel
PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared CHannel
QPSK Quadrature Phase Shift Keying
RB Resource Block
RLC Radio Link Control
ROHC RObust Header Compression
RNP Radio Network Planning (tool)
RRH Radio Remote Head
RS Reference Signal
RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality
SC-FDMA Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access
SCH Synchronization CHannel
SINR Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio
SRS Sounding Reference Signal
TBS Transport Block Size
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TTI Transmission Time Interval

TMA Tower Mounted Amplifier
UE User Equipment
UL Uplink
VoIP Voice over IP
END OF DOCUMENT
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INTERNAL

LTE Dimensioning Guidelines – Outdoor Link

Copyright © 2012 by Alcatel-Lucent. All Rights Reserved.

Changes Date Author

Ed2.1 – Correction to interference margin definition Mar 2009 Keith Butterworth

Ed2.3 – Updates to the link budget aspects (modification of UL link

Ed2.3 – Minor updates and corrections Dec 2009 Keith Butterworth

Ed2.6 – Update inline with new dimensioning guidelines document

Ed2.8 – Minor editorial updates (correction of interference margin

The purpose of this series of dimensioning guidelines is to describe details of Alcatel-Lucent’s

Figure 1: Alcatel-Lucent Dimensioning Process

[1] Jakes W.C., “ Microwave Mobile Communications”, IEEE Press, 1994

Design Topic Document

Figure 2: Link Budget Coverage Analysis Inputs/Outputs

2 UPLINK LINK BUDGET

Figure 3: Uplink Link Budget Concept

Figure 4:: Rationale behind the Uplink LKB Formulation

2.1 Uplink Link Budget Parameters

C j(UL) dBm = P MaxTX_PUSCH (

− M arg in Penetration dB + Gain Rx dB − Loss Rx dB

− M arg inPenetration − Sensitivity dBm − MarginIoT

− MarginShadowing + GainHO + GainFSS

2.1.2 eNode-B Receiver Sensitivity

Sensitivity dBm = SNR PUSCH_dB + 10 ⋅ Log10 (FeNode_B .N th .N RB(UL) .WRB )

2.1.3 Noise Figure

Frequency Band Typical Noise Figure

2.1.4 SINR Performances

2.1.4.1 Multipath Channel

2.1.4.2 Number of Resource Blocks & Modulation & Coding Scheme

Number of Resource Blocks1, NRB

Slot (0.5 ms) Slot (0.5 ms)

Figure 5: LTE Channel Structure - Some Definitions

MCS Index, IMCS Modulation Order, QM TBS Index, ITBS

ITBS NRB = 1 NRB = 2 NRB = 3 NRB = 4 NRB = …

2.1.4.3 Hybrid Automatic Repeat request (HARQ)

2.1.4.4 Selection of Optimal MCS Index & NRB

MCS 5 provides the optimal tradeoff

2.1.4.5 Typical SINR Performances

EVehA 3km/h - 10% iBLER

EVehA 50km/h - 10% iBLER

10 kbps 100 kbps 1000 kbps

Uplink Average Effective Throughput

2.1.5 Handling of VoIP on the Uplink

RLC Segmentation (illustrated with 4 segments here) 4ms TTI Bundling

Figure 8: RLC Segmentation and 4ms TTI Bundling Operating Modes

2.1.5.1 VoIP via RLC Segmentation

Figure 9: illustration of delay build-up due to excessive VoIP packet segmentation

AMR 12.2 kbps

Mean MCS / NRB / SINR MCS 4 / 2 RB / 0.7 dB MCS 4 / 2 RB / -2.8 dB

Rx Sensitivity -115.6 dBm -119.0 dBm

2.1.5.2 VoIP via TTI Bundling

AMR 12.2 kbps

Mean MCS / NRB / SINR MCS 6 / 1 RB / 1.4 dB MCS 6 / 1 RB / -1.3 dB

Rx Sensitivity -117.8 dBm -120.5 dBm

2.1.6 Uplink Explicit Diversity Gains

Correlation Low Medium High

2.1.7 Interference Margin

Cell Throughput 6000 kbps

2.1.8 Shadowing Margin