Overview of CDMA Technology

-D.S.Sandhu, SDE
-R.T.T.C Guwahati
 Course Objectives

To make the trainees familiar with -

- What is CDMA
- Salient features of CDMA
- Advantages of CDMA from operator’s point of view
- Implementation of CDMA systems in BSNL
 What is CDMA?

CDMA is a multiple access technique

where large numbers of transmissions are
combined on the same RF channel at the
same time but are separated by codes.
 Salient features of CDMA

- It is an advanced communication technology

- It uses spread spectrum technology
- It has inbuilt anti-jam and security features
- Large capacity as compared to other technologies like
FDMA and TDMA
- Less (optimum) power per cell
- Seamless handoff
- Variable data rate
 Main advantages from operator’s point of view

- Fast network deployment

- Reduced service interruptions
- Low maintenance & operational cost
- Better system coverage flexibility
- Higher capacity
- Frequency re-use (No freq. reuse pattern reqd.)
- Easy transition to mobile services
 CDMA Specifications

Frequency Bands
CDMA Band – 824 – 849 MHz
869 – 894 MHz
PCS Band - 1850 – 1910 MHz
1930 – 1990 MHz
RF Carrier – 1.25 MHz
 Implementation in BSNL

CDMA technology based systems are deployed in BSNL

to provide the following services:

1] WLL (Wireless in Local Loop)

2] High Speed wireless Internet services

 Implementation in BSNL

The CDMA Systems used in BSNL are:

1] CDMA2000 1x

2] 1x EVDO
 CDMA System Overview

CDMA2000 1x system consists of –

1] Radio Access Network (RAN)

2] Circuit Switched – Core Network (CS-CN)

3] Packet Switched – Core Network (PS-CN)

 RAN

1] RAN consists of –

i] Base Transceiver Station (BTS)

ii] Base Station Controller (BSC)

iii] Packet Control Function (PCF)

 RAN

i] BTS
- It modulates and demodulates baseband signal

- Performs channel processing function

- Receives and transmits RF signal

 RAN

ii] BSC
- Allocates radio resources
- Call processing
- Power controlling
- Handover processing
- Voice coding
 RAN

iii] PCF
- Assign supplemental channels for packet data
sessions
- Maintain reachable state between PDSN and MS

- Buffer packets during unavailability of radio resources

- Relay packets between MS and PDSN

 CS-CN

2] CS-CN consists of –
i] Mobile Switching Centre (MSC)

ii] Home Location Register (HLR)

iii] Visitor Location Register (VLR)

iv] Authentication Register (AuC)

 CS-CN

i] MSC
- Overall control of the network

- Controls and switches the voice service of the

terminals in the local service area

- Interfaces with different types of networks

 CS-CN

ii] HLR
- It stores and manages user profiles

- Manages relevant service functions

- Assists in completing user calls and service

operations
 CS-CN

iii] VLR
- Responsible for storing and updating user data of
roaming MS

- It stores information required for call

establishment into the database for MSC to
search
 CS-CN

iv] AuC
- It authenticates the mobile user
- Stores the authentication information related to
the MS
- Able to generate and transport relevant
authentication parameters according to the
MSC/VLR request
 PS-CN

3] PS-CN mainly consists of -

i] PDSN [Packet Data Serving Node]

ii] AAA [Authentication Authorization Accounting]

iii] HA [Home Agent]

iv] FA [Foreign Agent]

 PS-CN
i] PDSN
- Establishes, maintains, and terminates PPP
sessions with the subscriber
- Supports Simple and Mobile IP packet-services
- Initiates authentication, authorization and
accounting for the MS client to the AAA server
- Routes packets to and from the external packet-
data networks
 PS-CN

ii] AAA
- Authentication associated with PPP and Mobile IP
connections
- Authorization (service profile and security key
distribution and management)
- Dynamically assigning IP addresses for the
Simple and Mobile IP
- Accounting
 PS-CN
iii] HA
- Supports seamless data roaming into other
networks
- Tracking the location of the mobile IP
subscriber as it moves from one packet zone to
another
- It associates the MS IP address with MS
forwarding address and forwards any mobile
bound traffic to the appropriate network for
delivery to the handset
 HA

- A MS has to register on HA after it left the

registration network so that packets received
destined to an MS will be transmitted to the
forwarding address of the MS through the tunnel
connecting the HA and FA.
 PS-CN

iv] FA
- It is a router through which the MS visits a
network.

- It provides the MS with IP forwarding address

and IP routing services

- For data destined to a MS, FA picks up the IP

data packets from HA tunnel and forwards
them to the MS.
© For internal circulation of BSNLonly