Wireless Communication Systems Module 8: Wireless systems

Main Reference: Rappaport Chapter 11 This module contains a brief overview of the GSM (TDMA) cellular system and the IS-95 (CDMA) cellular system. GSM cellular system (Sect. 11.3 Rapp) Introduction GSM=Global system for mobile or Groupe special mobile, developed in Europe, but used in many other regions around the globe, including Australia. GSM is a 2nd generation cellular system, is a digital system which employs TDMA . GSM provides Teleservices: standard mobile telephony Data services: computer to computer communication and packet switched traffic at data rates from 300 to 9600 kbps. Subscriber identity module (SIM) Allocated to each subscriber gives each GSM subscriber unit its own identity. Memory device that stores information such as the subscribers identification number, the networks and countries where the subscriber is entitled to service, privacy keys and other user-specific information. Each subscriber uses their SIM via a 4-digit personal ID number to activate service from any GSM phone.

SIMs are available as plug-in modules. Subscribers may plug their SIM into any suitable terminal such as hotel phone, public phone or any portable or mobile phone and are then able to have all incoming GSM calls routed to that terminal and have all outgoing calls billed to their home phone account. GSM radio subsystem In all GSM member countries two 25MHz bands are used: 890-915MHz for mobile unit to base-station (uplink or reverse link) 935-960MHz for base-station to mobile unit (downlink or forward link) hence frequency division duplexing is employed. Multiple access scheme=TDMA (although frequency hop multiple access is also sometimes used to overcome multipath problems). Both of the 25MHz bands are divided into Bc=200kHz channels each referred to by its ARFCN (absolute radio frequency channel number). Hence there are 25000/200=125 channels within both the forward, reverse bands.125 full duplex frequency channels within each cluster of N cells. In practice, a guard band of 100kHz is included at the upper and lower ends of the GSM spectrum hence only 124 full duplex frequency channels available Each TDMA frame contains 8 user time slots. Hence there are 124*8=992 traffic channels within the allocated GSM spectrum.992 full duplex traffic channels within each cluster of N cells.

On both forward and reverse links the TDMA data rate is 270.833 kbps.effective channel transmission rate per user is 270.833/8=33.854 kbps. With GSM overhead (described below), user data is actually sent at a maximum rate of 24.7 kbps. Each user time slot has an equivalent time allocation of 156.25 channel bits = 8.25 guard bits, 6 start/stop bits, 26 training bits, 2 flag bits see figure 11.9, 11.10 Rapp. TDMA bit interval = 3.692s=1/270833 sec. Each time slot duration = 3.692s*156.25 = 576.92s. TDMA frame duration = 4.615ms. GSM channel types Two types of channels Traffic channels (TCH): carry digitally encoded user speech or user data. Have identical functions and formats on both forward and reverse links. Control channels (CCH): carry signaling and synchronizing commands between base-station and mobile unit. Certain types of CCHs are defined for just the forward or reverse links. TCH: full rate channel, user data rate=22.8kbps speech channel: speech digitized (sampled, quantised, bit encoded) to a raw data rate of 13kbps, then channel coded (additional bits added). 9600/4800/2400 bps data channel: raw user data at 9600/4800/2400 bps plus channel coding half rate channel, user data rate=11.4kbps speech channel: speech digitized (using more sophisticated techniques than full rate speech channel) to a raw data rate of 6.5kbps, then channel coded. 4800/2400 bps data channel

Signal processing The GSM system includes the following signal processing operations for speech signals see Figure 11.11 Rapp. The transmitter applies the following operations. Digitising and source coding if user signal=speech then require sampling, quantising, source coding (bit encoding); if user signal=data then require only source coding. Channel coding error protection. Interleaving: in the case of speech user signal, each user bit stream is divided into 20ms sections = 456 bits = 8 blocks of 57 bits each. The bits from these 8 blocks are interleaved according to a specific interleaving procedure. [Note: the 8 blocks correspond to one user, not to 8 different users . within the TDMA structure, these 8 blocks are located in 4 consecutive TDMA frames.] Ciphering modifies the contents of the 8 interleaved blocks through the use of encryption techniques known only to the particular mobile unit and base-station. The encryption algorithm involves pseudo noise sequences. The PN chip interval equals the user bit interval hence the encrypting operation does not change the signal bandwidth. Burst formatting: generation of the TDMA signal. Modulation: BT=0.3 GMSK modulation is used. Binary ones and zeros represented by two different carrier frequencies with spacing of 135.4165kHz =270.833/2kHz. Gaussian filter B3dB = 0.3*270.833kHz = 81.25kHz.negligible signal power outside of 200kHz channel bandwidth.

The receiver applies the reverse of the above operations. In addition, the receiver includes an equalization operation, to reduce the intersymbol interference introduced by the radio channel. This requires the availability of an accurate estimate of the radio channel impulse response. Such an estimate is obtained with the help of the training sequences included within each user timeslot the training sequences are known to the receiver. IS-95 (sect 11.4 Rapp ) Introduction IS-95 = interim standard 95. 2nd generation cellular system, digital based and employs CDMA. Developed in the US and currently used in many countries, including Australia. Reverse link operation in the band 824-849MHz. Forward link operation in the band 869-894MHz. To enable smooth transition from the US analog cellular system AMPS (1st generation, FDMA) each IS-95 channel occupies only 1.25MHz (i.e.10% of available spectrum). Note: many users share each 1.25MHz channel via CDMA. Frequency and channel specifications Maximum user data rate is 9600bps. User data is spread to a channel chip rate of 1.2288Mchips per sec (a total spreading factor of 128) using a combination of techniques. The spreading process is different for the forward and reverse links.

Forward link see Figure 11.14 Rapp User data encoded using a rate convolutional code. At a user data rate of 9600bps the data rate at output of coder is then 19200bps. If lower user data rate e.g. 4800/2400/1200 bps then each code symbol is repeated 1/3/7 times so that data rate at output of coder is 19200bps. Coded symbols are input to a 20ms (384 bit interval) block interleaver, which is a 24 rows by 16 columns array. Each mobile unit within a given 1.25MHz band within a given cell is assigned a different orthogonal spreading sequence. These are based on Walsh functions of degree 64.the sequence length=64. These are operated at a chip rate of 1.2288Mchips per second, to provide a spreading factor of 64 to the 19200bps bit stream (and a spreading factor of 128 to the original 9600bps user bit stream). This spread spectrum based multiple access operation allows 64 different users within each 1.25MHz band within each cell. Prior to the application of the Walsh code orthogonal spreading operation, the 19200bps bit stream (output from the interleaver) is scrambled using a long PN sequence (sequence length = 242-1). The long PN sequence is based on the following polynomial: P(x)=x42+x35+x33+x31+x27+x26+x25+x22+x21+x19+x18+x17+x16+x10+x 7 +x6+x5+x3+x2+x+1. Each PN chip of the long code is generated by applying a 42 bit mask to the 42 bit state vector of the sequence generator .

Two types of masks are used: a public mask (which depends on the mobile units electronic serial number) for initiating the call; a private mask (which is determined through private communication between mobile unit and base-station) for the call itself. The chip rate of the long PN sequence is 1.2288Mcps. This is decimated by a factor of 64 (only every 64th chip is used) to produce a sequence at 19200bps. Each bit from this sequence is then modulo-2 added to the corresponding bit in the 19200 bps user bit stream.to obtain a direct sequence scrambled 19200bps user bit stream. [The decimated long code sequence is further decimated by a factor of 24 and the resulting sequence is used in a power control operation not discussed any further.] After the Walsh code based spreading operation, the 1.2288Mcps user stream is passed through a modified QPSK modulation operation. This involves dividing the user stream into 2 parallel (614.4kcps) I,Q streams. Then, prior to the usual QPSK baseband filtering and mixing with cos(2ft), sin(2ft), the I,Q streams are each modified by a different `pilot PN sequence. The pilot sequences are used to improve acquisition and synchronization at the receiver. Both pilot sequences have a chip rate of 1.2288Mcps. All I-branch pilot sequences are based on the same particular generating polynomial of degree 15. All Q-branch pilot sequences are also based on the same particular generating polynomial of degree 15, but different to that of the I-branch PN sequences. Each sequence period = 215 = period of PN sequence 215-1 plus 1 a zero is appended to the PN sequence.

Reverse link Fig 11.17 Rapp User data encoded using a rate 1/3 convolutional code. At a user data rate of 9600bps the data rate at output of coder is then 28800bps. If lower user data rate e.g. 4800/2400/1200 bps then each code symbol is repeated 1/3/7 times so that data rate at output of coder is 28800bps. Coded symbols are input to a 20ms (576 bit interval) block interleaver, which is a 32 rows by 18 columns array. The 28800bps user bit stream is then passed through a 64-ary orthogonal modulator. This involves sectioning the bit stream into 6-bit blocks (b0,b1,b2,,b5). These blocks are then mapped into one of 26=64 orthogonal Walsh code symbols. The particular Walsh code symbol Wm is selected according to m=b0+2b1+32b5. The output symbol rate = 28800/6=4800symbols per sec. On the other hand, each Walsh code symbol contain 64 chips, so the output chip rate is 64*4800=307200cps. Note: the Walsh functions are used for different purposes on the forward and reverse links. On the reverse link, Walsh functions are used for data modulation, while on the forward link they are used for (spread spectrum based) multiple access purposes. The Walsh coded symbol stream is passed through a data burst randomizer. This performs two operations. If the original user bit stream is at 4800/2400/1200bps then the data burst randomizer ensures that every repeated symbol is transmitted at full transmitter power level only once. [If the original bit stream is at 9600bps then all symbols are transmitted at full power.] The remaining repeated symbols are altered with a random mask and subsequently transmitted at significantly lower power levels. The random mask is determined by a long PN sequence.

The symbol stream (at 4800symbols per sec or 307200cps) output by the data burst randomizer is then direct sequence spread using a long PN sequence with a chip rate of 1.2288cps (each Walsh chip is spread by 4 long PN sequence chips). The long PN sequence is generated using the same long code PN sequence generator employed in the forward link. After the direct sequence spreading the 1.2288Mcps user stream is passed through a modified OQPSK modulation operation. The modification involves application of pilot PN sequences, in the same way as in the forward link.