WCDMA Air interface channel

Briefly describe UMTS air interface channel types and their functions.
There are 3 types of channels across air interface physical channel, transport channel and logical
channel:

Physical Channel: carries data between physical layers of UE and NodeB.

Transport Channel: carries data between physical layer and MAC layer.
Logical Channel: carries data between MAC layer and RRC layer.

1.
Logical Channel:
Control channel: BCCH, PCCH, CCCH, DCCH.
Traffic channel: DTCH, CTCH.
2. Transport Channel:

Common control channel: BCH, FACH, PCH, RACH, CPCH.

Dedicated channel: DCH, DSCH.
3.
Physical Channel:
Common control channel: P-CCPCH, S-CCPCH, P-SCH, S-SCH, CPICH,
PCPCH, CD/CA-ICH.
Dedicated channel:
DPDCH, DPCCH.

AICH, PICH, PDSCH, PRACH,

Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH):

It broadcast system control information for all mobiles in a cell like Code values in the cell, neighbor
information, allowed power levels in downlink direction.
Paging Control Channel (PCCH):
It transfers paging information in downlink direction. Network page the mobile to discover the UE
location or UE in a cell connected state.
Common Control Channel (CCCH):
Network may have certain tasks which are or may be common to UE in the cell. Its being used in both
direction DL & UL. The CCCH is also used when UE is accessing a new cell after cell reselection.
Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH):
When there is dedicated/active connection means RRC connection between the network and the
mobile, the control information transferred using DCCH. Its a bi-directional channel.
Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH):
It is used transfer the user data between the network and the UE in both uplink and downlink
directions.
Common Traffic Channel (CTCH):
It is used to transfer the data from one point to all mobiles or a specified group of mobiles.
Dedicated Channel (DCH):
It is the channel used to send dedicated control and user data between UE and the network in both
uplink & downlink directions
Random Access Channel (RACH):
It is used to send control information from UE in the uplink direction. Also may carry short user
packets.

Forward Access Channel (FACH):

It is a downlink common channel used to send small amounts of control and user data.
Broadcast Channel (BCH):
It broadcast system information in the downlink direction for all mobile stations in a cell.
Paging Channel (PCH):
Its a downlink common channel used to send paging notification messages.
Dedicated Channel (DCH):
It is a channel that is used to send dedicated control and user data between the UE and the network in
both directions
(Paging Indicator Channel) PICH:
It is used to carry paging and notification message to all UEs and it is always associated with SCCPCH
(Acquisition Indicator channel) AICH:
It is used in random access procedure by network to indicate that the RACH preamble was detected
(Synchronization channel) SCH:
It is downlink channel. It is used to cell search procedure and synchronization with network. There is
two type of SCH primary & secondary
(Physical Random access channel) PRACH:
It is uplink channel and Initial message when UE want gain access to network and transfer small amount
of data
(common Pilot channel) CPICH:
It is downlink channel and used to continuously sending scrambling code to cell. It is also aids channel
estimation for cell re-selection and Handover for UEs. There are two types of CPICH- Primary and
secondary.
(Primary-common control physical channel) P-CCPCH:
It is downlink channel and used to carry Synchronization channel (SCH) and BCH. It has fixed rate of 30
Kbps.
(Secondary- common control physical channel) S-CCPCH:
It is downlink channel and used to carry PCH and FACH. It has variable bit rate from 30kbps to 1,920
kbps.
Dedicated Channels:
Dedicated Physical Data Channel (DPDCH)
Dedicated Physical Control Channel (DPCCH)
Dedicated Physical Control Channel (DPCCH)
For each radio link, there is one DPCCH, it carries control information like

Pilot bits (used to support channel estimation at rake receiver)

Transmit Power Control (TPC) commands (Used power control)

Feedback information (FBI) needed with transmit diversity

Transport Format Combination Indicator (TFCI)

Spreading factor is always 256.

Dedicated Physical Data Channel (DPDCH)
Each radio link may have no DPDCHs or several DPDCHs.

Spreading factor for the DPDCH can be between 256 and 4.

DPCCH & DPDCH are time multiplexed in downlink but uplink these are I/Q modulation.