BASIC CONCEPTS OF

WCDMA

UMTS AIR INTERFACE

UMTS AIR INTERFACE

WCDMA FDD
TECHNOLOGY
Multiple access technology is wideband
CDMA (WCDMA)

All cells at same carrier frequency

Spreading codes used to separate cells and users
Signal bandwidth 3.84 MHz

Multiple carriers can be used to increase

capacity
Inter-Frequency functionality to support mobility
between frequencies

Compatibility with GSM technology

Inter-System functionality to support mobility between

GSM and UMTS

ACCESS TECHNOLOGY
EXPLANATION
Multiple Access means Many users
share the same medium
There are a number of different
Multiple Access (MA) strategies :
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)
Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA)
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)

TDMA
Timeslot Period

Frame Period

frequenc
y

Available
Frequency
Band

time
User 1

User 1

Idealised TDMA
(with no guard
periods)

FDMA
frequency

Frame Period (we may still need

frames/timeslots for signaling)
Channel
Bandwidth

User 1
Idealised FDMA
(with no guard
bands)

tim
e

CDMA - DIRECT SEQUENCE

SPREAD SPECTRUM
frequency

code

Frame Period (we may still need

frames/timeslots for signaling)

tim
e

WCDMA TECHNOLOGY

Users share same time and frequen

Frequency

WCDMA
Carrier
3 .8 4 M H z

f
5 MHz

5+5 MHz in FDD mode

5 MHz in TDD mode

WCDMA
5 MHz, 1 carrier

TDMA (GSM)
5 MHz, 25 carriers

Direct Sequence (DS) CDMA

Time

UMTS & GSM NETWORK

PLANNING
G S M 9 0 0 /1 8 0 0 :

3 G (W C D M A ):

SC PLANNING

TRANSMISSION POWER
Power density
Frequency

High bit rate user

5MHz

Low bit rate user

Time
- Radio Frame: 38400 chip = 10ms = 15 Time Slots
- Time Slot: 2560 chip = 666,6 us (Slots are used for
periodic functions (e.g. Power Control), they are not used
for channel separation)
- Chip Rate: 3.84 Mcps
- Chip Time: 0.2604 us

WCDMA SPREADING
OPERATION
In WCDMA two separate codes are used in the
spreading operation
Channelisation code
Chanelization code
Scrambling code (SF)

scrambling
code

Data
Bit rate

chip rate

chip rate

Chanelization (increases signal BW)- using orthogonal codes

Scrambling (doesnt affect signal BW)- using pseudo noise code

Downlink Spreading Factor

Uplink Spreading Factor

Channelisation and Scrambling Codes

Scrambling & Channelization

Codes

CONCEPTS OF RSCP AND

EC/NO
Two Important Terms
RSCP
Ec/No, Ec/Io

TOTAL RECEIVED POWER IO

In a WCDMA network the User Equipment (UE) receives

signals from many cells
Io* = The sum total of all of these signals (dBm)
*Note: Sometimes Io is referred to as No, RSSI

RECEIVED POWER OF A
CPICH

Using the properties of SCs the UE is able to extract the

respective CPICH levels from the sites received
RSCP = The Received Power of a Particular CPICH (dBm)
Ec = Energy per Chip

Ec1

Ec2

THE CPICH QUALITY (EC/IO)

From the previous two measures we can calculate a signal

quality for each CPICH (SC) received
Ec/Io = Ec - Io (dB)
*Note: Sometimes Ec/Io is referred to as Ec/No

Ec1

Ec2

Logical Channels
Dedicated Logical Channels

RLC

Dedicated Traffic Channel

(DTCH)
Dedicated Control Channel
(DCCH)

Logical Channels
Common Logical Channels
MAC

Transport Channels

Physical Layer

Broadcast Control Channel

(BCCH)
Paging Control Channel (PCCH)
Common Control Channel
(CCCH)
Common Traffic Channel (CTCH)

Physical Channels
RLC Radio Link Control
MAC Medium Access Control
RNC Radio Network Controller

Logical Channels
DTCH is a point-to-point channel, dedicated to one UE, for the transfer of user
information. DTCH can exist both in the downlink and uplink.
DCCH is a point-to-point bi-directional channel that transmits dedicated control
information between an UE and the network. This channel is established through
RRC connection setup procedure.
BCCH is a downlink channel for broadcasting system control information.
PCCH is a downlink channel that transfers paging information.This channel is used
when the network does not know the location cell of the UE, or the UE is in the cell
connected state (utilizing UE sleep mode procedures).
CCCH is a bi-directional channel for transmitting control information between
network and UEs. This channel is commonly used by the UEs having no RRC
connection with the network, and by the UEs using common transport channels
when accessing a new cell after cell reselection.
CTCH is a point to multipoint unidirectional channel for transfer of dedicated user
information for all or a group of specified UEs.

Transport Channels
RLC

Dedicated Transport Channels

Dedicated Channel (DCH)

Logical Channels
MAC

Common Transport Channels

Broadcast Channel (BCH)
Paging Channel (PCH)

Transport Channels

Physical Layer
Physical Channels

Forward Access Channel

(FACH)
Random Access Channel
(RACH)
Downlink Shared Channel
(DSCH)
Common Packet Channel
(CPCH)

RLC Radio Link Control

MAC Medium Access Control
RNC Radio Network Controller

Transport Channels
DCH is a channel dedicated to one UE used in uplink or downlink.
BCH is a downlink channel used for broadcast of system information into an entire
cell.
PCH is a downlink channel used for broadcast of control information into an entire
cell allowing efficient UE sleep mode procedures. Currently identified information
types are paging and notification. Another use could be UTRAN notification of
change of BCCH information.
FACH is a common downlink channel without closed loop power control used for
transmission of relatively small amount of data.
RACH is a contention based uplink channel used for transmission of relatively small
amounts of data, e.g., for initial access or non-real time dedicated control or traffic
data.
DSCH is a downlink channel shared by several UEs carrying dedicated control or
traffic data.
CPCH is a contention based uplink channel used for transmission of bursty data
traffic. This channel only exists in FDD mode. CPCH is shared by the UEs in a cell
and therefore it is a common resource. It is fast power controlled.

Physical Channels
Dedicated Physical Channels
RLC

Dedicated Physical Channel (DPCH)

- Dedicated Physical Data Channel (DPDCH)
- Dedicated Physical Control Channel (DPCCH)

Logical Channels
MAC

Common Physical Channels

Common Pilot Channel (CPICH)
Synchronisation Channel (SCH)

Transport Channels

Physical Layer

Primary Common Control Physical Channel

(PCCPCH)
Secondary Common Control Physical Channel
(SCCPCH)
Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH)

Physical Channels

Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)

Physical Common Packet Channel (PCPCH)
Acquisition Indicator Channel (AICH)
Page Indicator Channel (PICH)

Physical Channels
The DPCH = DPDCH + DPCCH carries the DCH in the downlink and uplink.
CPICH is a fixed rate (30 Kbps, spreading factor = 256) downlink physical channel
that carries a pre-defined bit/symbol sequence
SCH is a downlink signal used for cell search. The SCH consists of two sub-channels,
Primary and Secondary SCH.
PCCPCH is a fixed rate (30 Kbps, spreading factor = 256) downlink physical channel
used to carry the BCH.
SCCPCH is a downlink physical channel used to carry FACH and PCH.
PRACH is an uplink physical channel used to carry RACH.
PDSCH is a downlink physical channel used to carry the DSCH.
PCPCH is an uplink physical channel used to carry CPCH.
AICH is a downlink physical channel used to carry acquisition indicators. Acquisition
indicator AI_s corresponds to signature s on the PRACH or PCPCH.
PICH is a fixed rate (spreading factor = 256) downlink physical channel used to carry
the page indicators. The PICH is always associated with a SCCPCH to which a PCH
transport channel is mapped.