WCDMA Air Interface

Layered three-layer protocol model

Layer 1
 Lowest layer in this interface is physical layer,
(PHY).
 The physical layer has interface to both MAC
and RRC sub-layer.
Layer 2

Layer 2 Consists of
 Medium Access Control (MAC)
 Radio Link Control (RLC)
 The Broadcast Multicast Control (BMC)
 Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)
Layer 3

Layer 3 consists of:

 RRC
 Mobility Management (MM)
 GPRS Mobility Management (GMM)
 Call control (CC)
 Supplementary services (SS)
 Short Message Service (SMS)
 Session Management (SM)
 GPRS Short Message Service support(GSMS)
WCDMA Air Interface :
Physical Layer
Physical layer interfaces
Functions of physical layer

 FEC encoding/decoding of transport channels

 Radio measurements and indications to
higher layers
 Macro diversity distribution/combining and
SHO execution
 Error detection on transport channels
 Multiplexing of transport channels and de
multiplexing of coded composite transport
channels (CCTrCHs)
Functions of physical layer ….

 Rate matching
 Mapping of CCTrCHs on physical channels
 Modulation, spreading/demodulation, and
de-spreading of physical channels
 Frequency and time synchronization
 Closed-loop power control
 Power weighting and combining of physical
channels
 RF processing
FEC encoding/decoding of transport
channels
 FEC scheme aims to reduce transmission
error
 UTRAN employs two FEC schemes
(i) Convolution codes
(ii) turbo codes
Radio measurements and indications
to higher layers
 Radio measurements is to be carried by
physical layer and result is to be reported to
higher layers.
 These measurements can be specific to either
UE or Node B
Radio measurements and indications
to higher layers….

Possible measurement types of UE :

 Received Signal Code Power (RSCP)
 Received signal strength indicator (RSSI)
 Block error rate (BLER)
 UE transmitted power
 CFN-SFN observed time difference
 UE Rx-Tx time difference
 Observed time difference to GSM cell
Radio measurements and indications
to higher layers….

Possible measurement types for UTRAN

 Received total wide band power
 Signal to interference ratio (SIR)
 SIR error
 Transmitted carrier power
 Transmitted code power
 Bit error rate (BER)
 Round trip time
 SFN-SFN observed time difference
Macro diversity Distribution/Combining
and SHO Execution

 Macro diversity (SHO) is a situation in which a

receiver receives the same signal from
different sources.
 This macro diversity should be combined,
Without combining interference level would
increase and capacity decreased by
considerable amount.
 This combining is done at physical layer using
RAKE receiver
Macro diversity Distribution/Combining
and Soft Handover Execution

RAKE receiver
Error Detection on Transport Channels

 The purpose of error detection is to find out

whether a received block of data was
recovered correctly.
 CRC is used for this.
 There are five CRC polynomial lengths in use
(0, 8, 12, 16, and 24 bits)
Multiplexing of Transport Channels and
De multiplexing of CCTrCHs

 Each UE can have several transport channels

in use simultaneously.
 Every 10 ms, one radio frame from each
transport channel is multiplexed into a
(CCTrCH), serially.
 For uplink, FDD mode has 1 CCTrCH
TDD mode has multiple CCTrCHs
 For downlink, both FDD and TDD modes have
multiple CCTrCHs
Rate Matching

 The number of bits on a transport channel

can vary with every transmission time
interval. However, the physical channel radio
frames must be completely filled.
 To match bit rate after transport channel with
total physical channel bit rate either
repeating or puncturing bits techniques is
used.
Mapping of CCTrCHs on Physical
Channels
 If there is more than one physical channel in
use, then the bits in the CCTrCH must be
divided among them. This is done by
segmenting the input bits evenly for each
physical channel.
 Since rate matching is already done in an
earlier phase, so the bits should fit nicely into
physical channels.
Modulation, Spreading/Demodulation,
and De spreading of Physical Channels

  The spreading process in UTRAN consists of

two steps: channelization & scrambling.
 Channelization transforms each data symbol
into several chips.
 Data symbols on I- and Q-branches are
multiplied with a channelization code.
 Channelization codes are orthogonal codes.
Modulation, Spreading/Demodulation,
and De spreading of Physical Channels…

 In the scrambling procedure, the I- and Q-

phases are further (after channelization)
multiplied by a scrambling code.
 These scrambling codes have good
autocorrelation properties.
 The modulation scheme in the UTRAN is
quadrature phase shift keying(QPSK).
 Modulation rate = 3.84 Mcps
Frequency and Time Synchronization

 This procedure takes place when the power is

turned on in the UE, starts with downlink SCH
synchronization.
 The UE knows the SCH primary
synchronization code, which is common to all
cells.
 P-SCH and S-SCH both are sent over first 256
chips of each slot (of 2560 chips).
 There are 15 such slots in each radio frame.
Frequency and Time Synchronization…

Structure of synchronization channel

Inner-Loop Power Control

 In UTRAN two forms of power control : open

loop & closed loop.
 Closed loop power control is further divided
into : inner loop & outer loop power control.
 Outer loop power control sets the Signal to
Interference Ratio (SIRtarget) and Inner loop
power control adjusts the peer entity
transmit power so that measured SIR fulfills
the SIRtarget requirement.
Power Weighting and Combining of
Physical Channels
In Uplink
Power Weighting and Combining of
Physical Channels…
 In the uplink, one UE can transmit
simultaneously one DPCCH and up to six
DPDCHs.
 The control channel (DPCCH) will be sent in
the Q-plane, and the data channels (DPDCH)
in both planes.
 The channelization codes are orthogonal
codes, and the scrambling code is a pseudo-
random sequence.
Power Weighting and Combining of
Physical Channels…
In downlink
Power Weighting and Combining of
Physical Channels…
 All channels have their own power weight
factor G.
 All physical channels (except the SCH) are
processed in the same way as a DPDCH.
 All channels (except the SCH) are scrambled
with the same scrambling code.
RF Processing

 Four UE Power Classes

RF Processing…

 Frequency bands
RF Processing…

 RF specification
Channels

 There are three separate channel concepts in

the UTRAN: logical, transport and physical
channels.
Logical Channel

 Logical channels define what type of data is

transferred.
 It can be divided into control channel and
traffic channel.
 Control channels transfer Control plane (C-
plane) information and traffic channels User
plane (U-plane) information.
 A control channel can either be common or
dedicated.
Logical Channel…
 A common channel is a point-to-multipoint channel;
i.e. common to all users in a cell.
 A dedicated channel is a point-to-point channel; i.e.
used by only one user.
 The defined logical control channels are:
Broadcast control channel (BCCH)
Paging control channel (PCCH)
Dedicated control channel (DCCH)
Common control channel (CCCH)
Shared channel control channel (SHCCH)
 The used logical traffic channels are:
Dedicated traffic channel (DTCH)
Common traffic channel (CTCH)
Transport Channel

 The transport channels define how and with

which type of characteristics the data is
transferred by the physical layer.
 Transport channels are divided into common
channels and dedicated channels.
 All these channels are unidirectional.
Transport Channel…

 Common transport channels include:

Broadcast channel (BCH)
Paging channel (PCH)
Random access channel (RACH)
Common packet channel (CPCH)
Forward access channel (FACH)
Downlink shared channel (DSCH)
High-speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH)
Uplink shared channel (USCH)
 The only dedicated transport channel type is:
Dedicated channel (DCH)
Physical Channel

 Physical channels define the exact physical

characteristics of the radio channels.
 In frequency-division duplex (FDD) mode,
both the uplink and downlink bands have
their own frequency channels.
 In time-division duplex (TDD) mode, there is
only one frequency channel, which is then
dynamically time-divided for both uplink and
downlink slots.
 FDD Physical Channels
 Downlink
Synchronization channel (SCH)
Common pilot channel (CPICH)
Primary common control physical channel (P-CCPCH)
Secondary common control physical channel (S-CCPCH)
Physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)
Paging indicator channel (PICH)
Acquisition indicator channel (AICH)
 Downlink and Uplink
Dedicated physical data channel (DPDCH)
Dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH)
 Uplink
Physical random access channel (PRACH)
Physical common packet channel (PCPCH)
Uplink dedicated control channel for HS-DSCH (HS-DPCCH)
 TDD Physical Channels
 Downlink
Primary common control physical channel (P-CCPCH)
Secondary common control physical channel (S-CCPCH)
Synchronization channel (SCH)
Paging indicator channel (PICH)
Physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)
Physical Node B synchronization channel (PNBSCH)
High speed physical downlink shared channel (HS-PDSCH)
Shared control channel for HS-DSCH (HS-SCCH)
 Downlink and Uplink
Dedicated physical channel (DPCH)
 Uplink
Physical random access channel (PRACH)
Physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)
Shared information channel for HS-DSCH (HS-SICH)
Spreading and Scrambling

 The spreading process actually consists of

two phases, spreading and scrambling, and
both of them use different types of codes
with different characteristics.
Spreading and Scrambling…

 Spreading increases the bandwidth of the

signal.
 Spreading codes used are orthogonal
 Scrambling shuffles the bit using a code
called scrambling code.
 Scrambling is done after the spreading in the
transmitter
 Scrambling codes are pseudo-random
sequence of bits.
Diversity

 A signal can be subjected to time diversity,

multipath diversity, and antenna diversity.
Time Diversity

 Time diversity means that the signal is spread

in the time domain.
 Time diversity spreads the faulty bits over a
longer period of time, and thus makes it
easier to reconstruct the original data.
Multipath Diversity

 Multipath diversity is a phenomenon that

happens when a signal arrives at the receiver
via different paths.
Multipath Diversity…

 In a WCDMA system the receiver is typically

able to track and receive several multipath
components and combine them into a
composite signal.
 The receiver is of the RAKE variety.

RAKE receiver
Macro diversity

 In a CDMA system the same signal can be

transmitted over the air interface, on the
same frequency, from several base stations
separated by considerable distances. This
scheme is called the soft handover (SHO).
 In a SHO all the participating base stations
use the same frequency, and the result is a
macro diversity situation.
Macro diversity…

 A typical SHO situation

WCDMA Air Interface :
Protocol Stack
Control Plane

 Radio interface protocols can be divided in

two ways: horizontal layers and vertical
planes.
Medium Access Control (MAC)

 The UTRAN MAC can even contain different

functionalities depending on whether it
supports FDD, TDD, or both modes.
 The MAC is not a symmetric protocol; the
entities in the UE and in the UTRAN are
different.
MAC Services

The services MAC provides to the upper layers

include the following:
 Data transfer;
 Reallocation of radio resources and MAC
parameters;
 Reporting of measurements to RRC.
MAC Functions

 Mapping between logical channels and

transport channels;
 Priority handling between data flows of one
UE;
 Priority handling between UEs by means of
dynamic scheduling;
 Identification of UEs on common transport
channels;
 Traffic-volume monitoring;
MAC Functions…

 Transport-channel type switching;

 Ciphering for transparent RLC;
 Selection of the appropriate transport format
for each transport channel depending on the
instantaneous source rate;
Radio Link Control (RLC)

 RLC layer is in charge of the actual data

packet transmission over the air interface.
 The RLC task maintains a retransmission
buffer, performs ciphering, and routes the
incoming data packets to the right
destination task (RRC, BMC, PDCP, or voice
codec).
Radio Link Control (RLC)
RLC Services

 Transparent Data Transfer Service

Segmentation and reassembly;
Transfer of user data;
SDU discard.
 Unacknowledged Data Transfer Service
Segmentation and reassembly;
Concatenation;
Padding;
Transfer of user data;
Ciphering;
Sequence number check;
SDU discard.
RLC Services…

 Acknowledged Data Transfer Service

Concatenation;
Padding;
Transfer of user data;
Error correction;
In-sequence delivery of higher-layer PDUs;
Duplicate detection;
Flow control;
Protocol error detection and recovery;
Ciphering;
SDU discard.
RLC Functions

 Segmentation and reassembly of higher-

layer PDUs into/from smaller RLC payload
units;
 Concatenation (RLC SDUs may be
concatenated so that they will fill
 the RLC PUs);
 Padding;
 Transfer of user data;
 Error correction;
RLC Functions…

 In-sequence delivery of higher-layer PDUs;

 Duplicate detection;
 Flow control;
 Sequence number check (in unacknowledged
data transfer mode);
 Protocol error-detection and recovery;
 Ciphering (in UM and AM modes);
 Suspend/resume function.
Radio Resource Control (RRC)

 The RRC controls the configuration of the

lower layers in the protocol stack, and it has
control interfaces to each of the lower layers
(PDCP, BMC, RLC, MAC, and layer 1).
RRC Services

 General control
 Notification
 Dedicated control
RRC Functions

 Initial cell selection and cell reselection

 Broadcast of information reception of paging
messages;
 Establishment, maintenance, and release of
RRC connection;
 Establishment, reconfiguration, and release
of radio bearers;
RRC Functions…

 Handovers (HOs);
 Measurement control;
 Outer-loop power control;
 Security mode control;
 Control of requested QoS;
 Contention resolution in the TDD mode;
 Timing advance in the TDD mode;
Core Network Protocols : Circuit-
Switched Core Network
 Mobility Management (MM)
Main function of the MM is location management.
MM procedures can be divided into three groups:
 MM common procedures;
 MM specific procedures;
 MM connection-management procedures.
Core Network Protocols : Circuit-
Switched Core Network
 GPRS Mobility Management (GMM)
The GPRS mobility management (GMM) sub layer
provides services to the session management (SM) entity
and to the SMS support entity for message transfer.
GMM procedures can be of two types:
▪ GMM common procedures;
▪ GMM-specific procedures.
Core Network Protocols : Circuit-
Switched Core Network
 Call Control (CC)
A CC entity supports the following elementary procedures:
▪ Call-establishment procedures;
▪ Call-clearing procedures;
▪ Call-information-phase procedures;
▪ Miscellaneous procedures.
Core Network Protocols : Circuit-
Switched Core Network
 Supplementary Services (SS)
Supplementary services (SS) are value-added services that
may or may not be provided by the network operator.
 Short Message Service (SMS)
The purpose of the SMS is to provide a means to transfer
short text messages between a UE and a short message
service center (SMSC). These messages are sent using the
control signaling resources, and their maximum length can
be only 160 characters.
Core Network Protocols : Packet-
Switched Core Network
 Session Management (SM)
The main function of the SM protocol is to support packet
data protocol (PDP) context handling of the user terminal.
there is no “connection” concept in a (IP) packet-switched
system.
 GPRS Short Message Service Support (GSMS)
The GPRS Short Message Service (GSMS) protocol task
handles the SMS service while the UE is attached to the
GPRS system. This protocol is an extension of the circuit-
switched SMS protocol.
User Plane

 MAC and RLC are in both the planes.

 PDCP and BMC exist only in user plane.
 The U-plane is responsible for the transfer of
user data, such as voice or application data,
whereas the C-plane handles the control
signaling and the overall resource
management
Packet Data Convergence Protocol
(PDCP)
 The functions the PDCP perform following:
 Header compression and decompression of IP
data streams;
 Transfer of user data;
 Maintenance of PDCP sequence numbering;
 It uses the service provided by a lower layer
called Radio Link Control (RLC).
Broadcast/Multicast Control (BMC)

 Broadcast/multicast control is a layer 2 sub-

layer that exists only in the U-plane.
 This layer handles only downlink
broadcast/multicast transmission.
 The functions of BMC are:
▪ Storage of cell broadcast messages;
▪ Traffic-volume-monitoring and radio resource requests
for CBS;
▪ Scheduling of BMC messages;
▪ Transmission of BMC messages to UEs;
▪ Delivery of cell broadcast messages to the upper layer
Queries