Module I: Introduction

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To understand where LTE fits into the GSM/UMTS network, let’s look at the evolution
of GSM and UMTS networks.

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Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)

The Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) is the most popular 2G
standard for mobile communication. It is estimated that over 80% of the global
market uses GSM. Standardized in two phases in 1992-1995, GSM initially supported
circuit-switched voice services, circuit-switched data at 2.4, 4.8, and 9.6 kbps, and
introduced Short Message Service (SMS).
GSM Release 96 introduced higher speed circuit-switched data rates.
The 2G GSM network uses a 200 kHz air interface, and a Circuit Switched (CS)
domain for digital voice/signalling. The CS domain consists of one or more Mobile
Switching Centers (MSC) and (possibly) a Gateway Mobile Switching Center (GMSC)
to interconnect with the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
The Home Location Register (HLR) contains the subscriber records, including
authentication information and services associated with a subscriber.

The graphic shows an extremely simplified view of GSM, ignoring critical functions
such as Visited Location Register (VLR) and service architectures.

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General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)

Introduced in GSM Release 97, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a 2.5 G packet
data network that shares the radio access network with GSM but has a separate
Packet Switched (PS) core network.
In a GSM/GPRS network, data traffic is forwarded through the PS domain, while voice
and SMS traffic goes through the CS domain. GPRS consists of Serving GPRS Support
Nodes (SGSN) and Gateway GPRS Support Nodes (GGSN). SGSNs and GGSNs support
IP mobility tunnels based on the GPRS Tunnelling Protocol (GTP). GPRS has
theoretical data rates between 56 kbps and 114 kbps.

Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)

Introduced in Release 99, Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) provides
coding and modulation improvements to GPRS that support minimum 3G data rates
from 236 kbps to 473 kbps depending on coding and modulation techniques used.
EDGE does not introduce any changes to the network other than coding and
modulation enhancements to the air interface to increase data speed.

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Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Release 99

Introduced in Release 99, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) was
designed as the 3G replacement/evolution of GSM/GPRS. UMTS changes the air
interface from 200 kHz Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) to 5 MHz Wideband
Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA).
Also, the BTS and BSC were replaced by the NodeB and Radio Network Controller .
(RNC) While UMTS was designed to coexist with GSM/GPRS, each new 3GPP release
from this point forward is referred to as UMTS Release n.

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UMTS Release 4
the MSC with an MSC Server and Media Gateways (MGW). This upgrade to the CS
domain dramatically reduced capital and upgrade costs, as well as reducing
operational expenses for CS domain trunk circuits.
Essentially, an MGW converts PCM voice samples to packet voice, and forwards the
voice packets to a terminating MGW over a data circuit. The terminating MGW
converts the voice packets back to PCM
voice samples, and forwards the voice stream to the PSTN. The MSC Server, also
called a soft-switch, controls the MGWs, manages call setup, and handles all signaling
requirements.
Although the MGW was intended to forward voice packets over IP, Bearer
Independent Call Control (BICC) allowed carriers to also use other packet data
technologies such as ATM.
UMTS R4 does not affect data rates, services, or RAN or CS signaling techniques. The
MSC Server and MGWs emulate a traditional MSC.

With this release, 3GPP abandoned the “annual” release format (R97, R98, and so on)
and began numbering releases consecutively from 4.

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UMTS Release 5
UMTS Release 5 (R5) introduced big changes to the UMTS network. Beginning in R5,
all traffic is transported via the PS domain using IP. Because all traffic is now
forwarded by the PS domain, Release 5 removes the Circuit Switched domain from
the network architecture.
Critical circuit switched functions, such as voice call setup, interconnecting with the
PSTN, and so on, are performed by the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). An R5
compliant UE must communicate with IMS using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
signaling, and generate and receive voice over IP traffic within the subscriber device.
UMTS R5 also introduced High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA); HSDPA
increased peak downlink throughput to 14.4 Mbps.

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UMTS Release 6
With the introduction of High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), UMTS Release 6
increased the peak uplink speed to 5.76 Mbps. UMTS R6 also enhanced IMS, and
introduced Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS) to support broadcast
services such as mobile TV.
MBMS offers broadcast and/or multicast, unidirectional, point-to-multipoint,
multimedia flows. Broadcast and multicast are two completely different services. A
broadcast service is transmitted to all user devices which have the service activated in
their equipment. A service provider does not attempt to charge for or limit the
broadcast transmission.
In contrast, a multicast service is subscription-based. A UE must have subscribed to
the service and explicitly joined the multicast group to receive the multicast
transmission. A service provider may track, control, and charge for the multicast
transmission.
Examples of possible MBMS applications include audio/video streaming, audio/video
downloading, file downloading, and text/image distribution.

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UMTS Release 7
Along with enhancing IMS, UMTS Release 7 introduced Multiple Input Multiple
Output (MIMO) antenna technology and High Speed Packet Access+ (HSPA+). MIMO
antenna systems significantly improve radio network throughput and coverage.
HSPA+ with 2X2 MIMO increases uplink speeds to 11.5 Mbps and downlink speeds to
22 Mbps.

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UMTS Release 8
UMTS Release 8 introduced the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network
(E-UTRAN) and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC).
To reduce latency, the E-UTRAN collapsed the UMTS NodeB and RNC functionality
into the evolved NodeB (eNodeB). In addition to 5 MHz, the E-UTRAN radio access
network supports 1.4, 3, 10, 15, and 20 MHz channels.
R8 with 2x2 MIMO and 64QAM modulation increases UL speeds to 23 Mbps, and DL
speeds to 42 Mbps. In the Evolved Packet Core, the SGSN and GGSN are replaced by
the Serving Gateway (S-GW) and Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW). The
Mobility Management Entity (MME) manages UE mobility and paging functions.

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SAE: System Architecture Evolution

SAE GW: Serving Gateway +PDN Gateway

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LTE can evolve directly from UMTS R5, R6, or R7. If using dual-mode UEs or other
overlay techniques, LTE can interoperate with GSM/GPRS.

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There are three basic air interface multiple access techniques, frequency, time and
code division multiple access.

Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) is very common in the first generation of
Mobile Communication systems, for example TACS. The available spectrum is divided
into physical channels of equal bandwidth. One physical channel is allocated per
subscriber. The physical channel allocated to the subscriber is used during the entire
duration of the call and is unavailable for use by another subscriber during this time.

In Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) the available spectrum for one carrier, is
divided in time. The subscriber is allocated a set amount of time referred to as a time
slot. Subscribers can only use the air interface for this amount of time. An example of
a system that uses this principle is D-AMPS, which explains why D-AMPS is sometimes
called TDMA. Since other mobile telephony systems that use TDMA, for example
GSM, also split the available frequency band into several distinct carriers, in a sense
they are hybrids using both TDMA and FDMA

Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) allows many subscribers to use
the same frequency at the same time. In order to distinguish between the users the
information undergoes a process known as spreading. That is the information is
multiplied with long and short codes, hence WCDMA is referred to as a spread
spectrum technology. This technology was first developed by the military to avoid
the possibility of their signals being jammed or listened to by the enemy.

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In 3GPP Release 8 the following 14 frequency bands have been defined for FDD (new bands added after
700 auction in the US March 2008) and 8 frequency bands for TDD. We will see end user devices that
will support multiple bands from day one.
It should be noted that Band 13 and Band 14 have their DL and UL opposite to the normal convention
(ie. The UL is at the higher frequency). This is to comply with a FCC requirement on upper 700 MHz band. The 2nd
harmonic of 787.5 MHz, which falls between Band 13 and Band 14, is very close to 1575.42 MHz which is the L1 GPS Carrier
frequency.
Additional frequency bandswill be added to this list in subsequent releases of the 3GPP standards. For
example, 3GPP release 9 (TS 36.104-910) has already included frequency bands 18 and 19 which extend
the 850 MHz band.
Frequency bands and channels - Points of Interest
The channel raster of the LTE system is 100 kHz. This means that the carrier frequency of the LTE carrier can be set in increments of
100 kHz. The 3GPP standards (TS 36.101 and TS 36.104) provide formulas which allow for the calculation of
the channel number for both the downlink and the uplink.
The carrier frequency in the uplink and downlink is designated by the E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel
Number (EARFCN) in the range 0 - 65535. The relation between EARFCN and the carrier frequency in MHz for the
downlink is given by the following equation, where FDL_low and NOffs-DL are given in table 5.7.3-1 of TS 36.104 and
NDL is the downlink EARFCN.
FDL = FDL_low + 0.1(NDL – NOffs-DL)
The relation between EARFCN and the carrier frequency in MHz for the uplink is given by the following equation
where FUL_low and NOffs-UL are given in table 5.7.3-1 of TS 36.104 and NUL is the uplink EARFCN.
FUL = FUL_low + 0.1(NUL – NOffs-UL)
It should be noted that the carrier frequency numbers for LTE are different to the carrier frequency numbers defined
for WCDMA and GSM.
The current frequency allocations are symmetrical in DL and UL paths. This means that the bandwidth of the LTE signal in the
downlink is the same as the bandwidth of the LTE signal in the uplink. The 3GPP release of 8 standard clearly states that the use of
asymmetrical channel bandwidth for the DL and UL is not precluded and is intended to form part of a later release.
The channel spacing between two adjacent LTE carriers is defined by the following formula:
Nominal Channel spacing = [BWChannel(1) + BWChannel(2)]/2
where BWChannel(1) and BWChannel(2) are the channel bandwidths of the carriers.

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Band 38 is the mid band of 2600 FDD band

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