Basic LTE concepts required

for RNDR
Radio Network Design for Roll-Outs (RNDR)
• NPO Global

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Contents

• LTE Operating Bands

• LTE/EPC Network Elements
• Definitions: PRB, RE and RS
• LTE Frame Structure
• FDD: Type 1 Frame
• TDD: Type 2 Frame
• Physical Control Channels and Resource Mapping
• DL
• UL

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LTE Operating Bands FDD and TDD Example

LTE FDD bands:

LTE TDD bands:

• TD-LTE has been specified to use a set
of 8 operating bands
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 LTE/EPC Network Elements

Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN) Evolved Packet Core (EPC)

HSS
eNB
Mobility
Management Entity:
Flexi NS Policy & Charging
S6a Rule Function
MME S10
X2 Gx Rx
PCRF
S11
S1-U S5/S8 SGi
PDN
LTE-Uu Serving PDN
Evolved Node B
Gateway Gateway
(eNB)
LTE-UE
Flexi NG
HSS: Home Subscriber Server (part of IMS)
PDN: Packet Data Network
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Definitions
PRB, RE and RS
Physical Resource Block (PRB or RB):
• Capacity allocation is based on Resource blocks
• 1 PRB = 12 subcarriers in frequency domain x 1ms in time
domain (1 TTI)
Reference Signals (RS):
• Used for channel estimation (RSR, RSRQ)
– RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power
– RSRQ: Reference Signal Received Quality
• Position of RS differs in DL and UL:
Downlink: Uplink: Resource Element (RE):
• Theoretical minimum capacity
allocation equivalent to one subcarrier
x one symbol period
• Reference Signals occupy Resource
Elements
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Frame Structure
FDD: Type 1 Frame Physical Resource
Block (PRB)
• FDD Frame structure (Type 1 Frame) is common to both uplink and
downlink
• Frame duration is 10ms (same as UMTS) divided in 10 x 1ms sub-frames
(TTIs)
• 1 subframe or TTI (Transmission time interval) has 2 slots
• 1 slot has 7 (normal Cyclic Prefix) or 6 symbols (extended Cyclic Prefix)
0.5 ms slot

sy0 sy1 sy2 sy3 sy4 sy5 sy6

10 ms frame

s0 s1 s2 s3 s4 s5 s6 s7 ….. s18 s19 SF: Sub-Frame

s: slot
0.5 ms slot
Sy: symbol
TTI0 TTI1 TTI2 TTI3 TTI9
…..
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1 ms
 Frame Structure More info: TS36.211

TDD: Type 2 Frame

• Similar in time-domain to FDD but with some specific fields to enable also TD-SCDMA co-existence:
10 ms radio frame containing 10 x 1ms subframes (TTIs)
• Subframes1 and 6 are ‘special subframes’ with 3 specialised fields
DwPTS: Downlink Pilot time Slot
UpPTS: Uplink Pilot Time Slot
GP: Guard Period to separate between UL/DL
• Subframes 0, 5 and DwPTS: always reserved for downlink
• Subframes 2, 7 and UpPTS reserved for uplink in case 5 ms switch-point periodicity
• Remaining subframes are dynamically assigned 0.5 ms slot
between UL and DL
sy0 sy1 sy2 sy3 sy4 sy5 sy6

radio frame 10 ms
f
SF0 SF1 SF2 ... SF4 SF5 SF6 SF7 ... SF9
(DL) (UL) (DL) (DL) (UL) (DL)

subframe 0 subframe 1 subframe 2 subframe 4 subframe 5 subframe 6 subframe 7 subframe 9

half frame t
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UL/DL Configurations (TDD)
Type 2 Frame

• TDD allows for flexible bandwidth allocation between uplink and downlink to support asymmetric
traffic
- Number of subframes for uplink and downlink within the 10ms frame can be adjusted
• 7 different frame configurations (NOKIA supports cfg 1 & 2)
- Chosen UL/DL Configuration should be the same across all cells of a network to avoid
interference between transmission directions

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 Special Subframe (TDD) More info: TS36.211

Type 2 Frame
• Total length of special subframe is 1ms but the length (symbols) of the each field may vary
– 9 different formats supported by 3GPP (10 since R11)
– Nokia TD releases support formats 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9 (see next slide)
Fields:
• Downlink Pilot time Slot
• Regular shortened downlink subframe containing Reference Signals
and Control Info
• It may carry data at discretion of the scheduler
• Contains PSS (note: SSS is transmitted on the last symbol of subframe 0)
• Uplink Pilot Time Slot
- Mainly used for RACH transmission
SUBFRAME 1
• Guard Period
- Switching point between downlink and uplink transmission
- Compensates for the delay when switching between transmission directions
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Introduction
• Special subframe format
R11 introduce SSF9,
Normal CP in DL and UL Extended CP in DL and UL •
but SSF9 in case of
LTE1388(RL55) supports SSF3&4(R8) for high Extended CP in

DL sharing and coexistence with other vendors Pattern DwPTS GP UpPTS DwPTS GP UpPTS downlink not
supported.
3 11 2 1 10 1 1 • Only normal CP
supported by NOK
NSN legacy support SSF5&7(R8) 4 12 1 1 3 7 2 now, configured by
vendor parameter
cycPrefix (Cyclic
5 3 9 2 8 2 2 prefix length in DL
LTE1467(RL55) support SSF9(R11) for and UL) that
coexistence with TD-SCDMA and higher 7 10 2 2 6 4 2 ‘0’(normal CP) is only
possible value
DL sharing comparing to SSF5 9 6 6 2 - - -

• 3GPP defines 9 possible Special subframe configurations, divided into Special subframe configuration SSF5 SSF7 SSF3 SSF4
3 parts:
• DwPTS (DL pilot timeslot) DwPTS (us) 214.58 714.58 785.94 857.29
• UpPTS (UL pilot timeslot) GP (us) 642.71 142.71 142.71 71.35

• Guard period UpPTS (us) 142.71 142.71 71.35 71.35

• Special subframe format (SSF) 5 and 7 for Normal CP are supported SSF5 SSF7 SSF3 SSF4
starting from RL15, configurations 3 and 4 are introduced in RL55

DwPTS

DwPTS

DwPTS

DwPTS
UpPTS

UpPTS

UpPTS

UpPTS
GP

GP

GP
release to extend system interoperability and improve DL

GP
throughput
• Special subframe format 9 is introduced in RL55 to support
Max cell size:
SSF3 = (142.71 – 26 ) /2 = 58.35us17.5 km
interoperability with TD-SCDMA SSF4 = (71.35 – 26 ) /2 = 22.67us6.8 km
SSF5 = (642.71 – 26 ) /2 = 308.35us92.5 km
SSF6 = (214.06 – 26 ) /2 = 94.03us28.2 km
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SSF7 = (142.71 – 26 ) /2 = 58.35us17.5 km
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DL Physical Channels (1/2)
No dedicated channels in LTE, neither in UL nor DL
•PBCH:
- Broadcasts the MIB (Master Information Block)
- MIB carries the DL channel bandwidth, the
PHICH configuration and the SFN

•PDSCH:
- Carries user data, paging data, SIBs (cell status,
random access parameters, cell IDs, allowed
services…)

•PMCH:
- For multicast traffic as MBMS services

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DL Physical Channels (2/2)
No dedicated channels in LTE, neither in UL nor DL
• PHICH:
- Carries H-ARQ Ack/Nack messages from eNB
to UE in response to UL transmission

• PCFICH:
- Carries details of PDCCH format (e.g.# of
symbols)

PDCCH:
- Carries the DCI (DL control information):
schedule uplink resources on the PUSCH or
downlink resources on the PDSCH.
Alternatively, DCI transmits TPC commands
for UL
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 Mapping of DL Physical Channels
FDD frame
• PBCH, PCFICH, PDCCH and PHICH physical channels also occupy symbols and represent
an overhead
• PDSCH physical channel used to transfer application data has access to whatever is left
over
20 slots = 10 subframes = 10 ms = 10 TTI
72 subcarriers
(1.4MHz)

Control information at start of TTI PDSCH

every TTI
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 Mapping of DL Physical Channels
TDD Frame
Total System Bandwidth E.g.: 10MHz – 50 PRBS

Frequency
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 UL Physical Channels CCCH DCCH DTCH
Logical
RLC
• PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel
• Carries user data (for multiple UEs)
RACH Transport
MAC
• PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel
UL-SCH
• Carries H-ARQ Ack/Nack indications, uplink
scheduling request, CQIs and MIMO feedback PHYS.

• If control data is sent when traffic data is being

transmitted, UE multiplexes both streams together PRACH PUSCH PUCCH

•PRACH: Physical Random Access Channel

• For Random Access attempts. PDCCH indicates the Resource elements for PRACH use

• PBCH contains a list of allowed preambles (max. 64 per cell in Type 1 frame) and the required
length of the preamble

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Uplink Resource Mapping

- Demodulation Reference Signal:

Always on symbol 3 of each slot (normal CP)

- PUSCH mapping:
Data is allocated in multiples of 1 RB (12 subcarriers in frequency domain). Only factors of 2, 3 and 5
resource blocks are allowed

- PUCCH mapping:
If PUCCH not multiplexed with PUSCH then it is transmitted on a reserved frequency region. PUCCH
occupies RBs at both edges of the uplink bandwidth (in green in the picture on the right)

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 Random Access Channel (PRACH)
• RACH operation uses around 1.08 MHz bandwidth
- This is equal to 6 resource blocks of 180 kHz
• The location of those resource blocks is dynamically defined by 2 RRC Layer Parameters (PRACH
Configuration Index and PRACH Frequency offset)
- 4 possible PRACH durations (PRACH configuration index parameter selects one of the 4)
• PRACH only carries the preambles and it is used during the RACH process

307200Ts

CP Preamble

TCP TPRE TGT

0.1 ms 0.8 ms 0.1 ms

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20 © Nokia 2014 - NPO GS
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