Plenary Talk3 IEEE Asian Solid-State Circuits Conference

November 3-5, 2008 / Fukuoka, Japan

4G Wireless Technology:
When will it happen? What does it offer?
Bill Krenik
Chief Technical Officer, Wireless Business Unit
Texas Instruments, Inc., Dallas, Texas

Abstract
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This paper will explore what 4G technology is, as well as 6WUDWHJ\$QDO\WLFV-DQXDU\µ

some of the key factors that must be addressed to fully

comprehend the benefits and challenges of successfully
implementing 4G. Silicon level technology issues will be
addressed, such as next-generation applications processing,
modem technology, power management and integration.
Finally, the trends and predictions for 4G network deployment
will be discussed.
Introduction
Consumer expectations for mobile handsets and similar
products are becoming more and more sophisticated.
Consumers are demanding a better user experience along with
more advanced and useful applications on a more ergonomic
device. Devices continue to shrink in size while growing in
processing power. Next generation mobile networks, like 4G
wireless technologies, will need to meet these user
expectations if they are to succeed.
Figure 1: Current 3G handset features
The move to 4G networks will allow service providers to offer
the impressive applications that will drive users to upgrade to
the new phones. Current downlink data rates are less than 10
megabits per second (Mbps); 4G systems will offer downlink
data rates well over 100 Mbps, an improvement of 10 times
over 3G. 4G systems will also have low latency, improving
the consumer experience. With flexible network connections,
efficient use of spectrum and impressive user applications, 4G
will offer what consumers want.
But bringing 4G to the market will have its challenges. Next
generation applications processors and modem technology will
be necessary as well as higher levels of integration and power
management. All of this, of course, has to be offered at a price
point that the consumer will pay.

The current third generation (3G) offerings are a big
improvement over the previous 3G network products from
several years ago. Figure 1 demonstrates how mobile devices
have changed in the past 7 years.
The current 3G devices are good, but they will have to
improve in areas like imaging and processing power to support
future 4G applications like three dimensional (3D) and
holographic gaming, 16 megapixel (MPixel) smart cameras
and high-definition (HD) camcorders. Applications like these
will demand more processing power than the current 3G
handsets offer, requiring more efficient applications processors.
What is LTE?
Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology is sometimes called
3.9G or Super 3G and has been developed by the Third
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as an improvement to
the current Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
(UMTS). By using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple
Access (OFDMA), LTE will be able to provide download rates
of 150 Mbps for multi-antenna (2x2) multiple-input multiple-
output (MIMO) for the highest category terminals. For these
terminals upload rates in the 50 Mbps range will allow an
efficient transfer of data.

978-1-4244-2605-8/08/$25.00 ©2008 IEEE 141

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LTE makes very efficient use of the available spectrum with
channel bandwidths from 1.25 Megahertz (MHz) to 20 MHz.
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IMT-
implemented in countries where 5 MHz is a commonly Advanced
allocated amount of spectrum. LTE will also co-exist with LTE/
UMTS/ Wi-MAX ~ 100 Mbps
legacy systems already rolled out around the world. TD-SCDMA to 1Gbps
HSPA ~ 10 to 100 ƒ Virtual reality
GPRS/ Mbps ƒ Context &
~ 300kbps Preference-Aware
With less than 5 millisecond (ms) latency for small IP packets, EDGE to 14 Mbps ƒ HD video streaming
ƒ Multi-view real time
ƒ Advanced video
display
ƒ Interactive 3D
LTE is able to offer an Internet experience closer to a wired ~ 200kbps graphics
ƒ High-resolution
video streaming

broadband connection. In addition, LTE supports MBSFN ƒ SMS, Internet

Browsing
video streaming
ƒ Mobile Web 2.0 Show Time
7:30pm

(Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network) for Mobile Song 1

Song 2

Purchase

TV broadcasts over the LTE network.

LTE is currently expected to be ratified in December 2008

with first products available the next year. An additional Figure 3: 4G Enables Higher-Performance Applications
upgrade, LTE Advanced, would enable peak data download
rates of over 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) to support 4G OFDMA is able to deliver high spectral efficiency due to its
functionality. resistance to frequency selective fading, multi-path robustness,
flexible resource scheduling and its ability to take advantage
Latency and Efficiency of MIMO antenna systems. With two times the spectral
efficiency of High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA),
Latency in a wireless network describes the time it takes OFDMA is able to provide the performance needed for 4G
between when an action is initiated or requested and when it systems.
actually begins. In 3.5G networks, when a phone is in
dormant mode and wants to initiate a connection, a several 4G Applications
hundred milleseconds (ms) delay is common. For
transmission of data packets, 50 ms one-way latency is the As data rates have increased over the years, higher
norm. performance applications have been enabled on the mobile
handset. Figure 3 shows the progression of these applications.
Consumers want a connection experience like they get at their
homes using a wired broadband connection. LTE will Context awareness will allow phones to sense and react to a
decrease latency to just 50 ms from dormant to connection and XVHU¶V VXUURXQGLQJV  )RU H[DPSOH LPDJLQH D ZRPDQ LV RXW
a 5 ms one-way latency after that, delivering connection shopping in a local mall. She passes by a poster of her favorite
latencies similar to a wired connection. TV star. Her phone and the poster sense each other and she
receives information directly on her phone about show times
Like latency, efficiency will be critical to 4G systems. The RUHYHQDQRIIHUWRGRZQORDGWKHVWDU¶VODWHVWKLWVLQJOH
large amounts of information flowing through 4G systems will
require high spectral efficiency. Figure 2 shows the relative Another exciting future application is telemedicine. In the
spectral efficiency of different 3G and 4G system modem future a patient will be able to take general readings, like
technologies. temperature, pulse and blood glucose levels and send them
directly to a doctor for evaluation. Or, imagine you are the
LTE Downlink LTE Uplink
SDUHQWRIDGLDEHWLFFKLOG,QWRGD\¶VZRUOGZKHQ\RXUFKLOG
1.6

1.4
0.8

0.7
heads off to school each day you must rely on the child and
Spectral efficiency (bps/Hz)
Spectral efficiency (bps/Hz)

1.2 0.6 school nurse to keep their diabetes under control. With
1 0.5
telemedicine applications, your child would be able to take
0.8 0.4

0.6 0.3
their blood glucose reading at school and that reading would
0.4 0.2
then be automatically forwarded to you, the parent, giving you
0.1
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peace of mind. The possibilities are endless!
HSDPA (1X2) HSDPA (1X2) HSDPA (2X2) LTE (2X2) HSUPA release'6 LTE (1X2)*
Rake* LMMSE MIMO MIMO*
(1X2)*

OFDM Benefits Figure 4 shows some of the expected 4G applications and the
ƒ High-spectral efficiency ƒ OFDMA allows flexible resource
ƒ Resistance to frequency scheduling
ƒ Well-suited to multiple antennae,
performance levels consumers demand. Consumers today
selective fading
ƒ Robust to multi-path MIMO systems (diversity) expect their mobile device to perform with the same or even
better standards than stand-alone devices. These applications
*: Based upon operator initiated LTE performance comparison in 3GPP RAN1
along with an intuitive, high resolution user interface will
Figure 2: OFDM Offers the Best Spectral Efficiency deliver the 4G experience of tomorrow.

142

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 Camera 2D/3D graphics
ƒ 8-12 MP ƒ Autofocus and gaming High-quality audio
ƒ Optical zoom ƒ 1 s shot-to-shot

Camcorder Seamless connectivity 12-megapixel

to WiFi, 3G, camera
ƒ HD record and playback
ƒ Image stabilization WiMAX, GPS
P
Browser OMAPΠ3 Processor DVD-quality
ƒ Full web page display O camcorder
ƒ All plug-ins and fonts M-ShieldŒ security
W Optimal balance
Navigation of power,
ƒ GPS based directions E performance 720p HD video
ƒ Real-time traffic updates and beyond
R Productivity and price
Media player clients
ƒ Support all audio & video formats
ƒ High-resolution display
Fast boot time Full Web browsing
Gaming
ƒ 3D graphics
ƒ HD quality
3D user interface

Figure 4: 4G Meets High Consumer Expectations

Figure 5: OMAP Delivers the Performance for 4G Systems

Mobile Internet Device (MID)

Integrated graphics and image accelerators enable new levels
of application performance for 4G phones, like HD camcorder
A new class of mobile devices is emerging that is a
functionality and 720p HD video playback. A critical
convergence of the Smartphone market with the PC market.
component of this new generation of OMAP processors is the
These new MIDs, Mobile Internet Devices, are low-power,
integration of SmartReflex technologies for advanced power
high-performance wireless devices, able to deliver a desktop
reduction to give users the battery life they expect. Additional
experience on a small footprint, portable device. MIDs deliver
interfaces and integrated systems on OMAP 3 processors are
an intuitive user interface with touch screens, as well as full-
shown in Figure 6.
featured browser support, high resolution displays, broadband
and personal connectivity, a camera, camcorder, navigation,
Integration and Power Management
media player, gaming and office productivity applications in a
small footprint that can operate all day on a single charge.
To be able to deliver the performance needed for 4G
technologies, process technologies must continue towards
With the ability to reuse software and hardware already in use
higher integration. The current 45 nanometer (nm) process in
in Smartphones, MIDs will offer a whole new market for 4G
use today allows up to two times the density compared to the
WHFKQRORJ\  5HXVH ZLOO PD[LPL]H DQ 2(0¶V UHWXUQRQ
previous 65nm process. In addition to cost savings, the 45nm
investment and accelerate the time-to-market of these new
process achieves a 25% performance increase over the 65nm
devices.
process. Continued integration will increase performance
while decreasing costs over time. But all this integration
Next Generation Applications Processors
comes at a price, namely the need for sophisticated power
management technologies. Shrinking the process technology
The amount of processing performance needed to deliver these
down to 45nm has an exponential effect on leakage power
new 4G applications will be large. Integrated, multi-core
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architectures that deliver microprocessors and DSPs on a
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Engine up to
Console Quality Graphics
2D and 3D acc
Video (720p) and Still
Image capture and
Internet access
social network
OpenGL® ES1.1 playback. connection, online
sophisticated and intuitive user interfaces and provide a web 800 Mhz
Floating
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OpenVG, JSR184, 239, 297 UI/game control by
camera
gaming, VoIP
based chat

browsing experience similar to traditional PCs. These multi- Java Jazelle

RCT
Acceleration
core applications processors are smaller in size and consume ARM Cortex
Neon
PowerVR
SGX530
Imaging
Video
A8 Modem
less power than PC-based architectures. Figure 5 Processing
Power for
GPU Accelerator

all
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full Internet
L3 Interconnect
WLAN

performance, power and price needed for 4G technology. browsing

experience,
L4 rnterconnect

Bluetooth
Audio LCD
Peripherals

Memory Image
Video Out

Engine,
Security

I/F Controller Signal

Speech, Camera
VoIP Chat Processor GPS
The OMAP 3 family of applications processors delivers a Image
Pipeline

whole new level of integration and performance for 4G Securing

Content,
OMAP3430
Drive TV or
applications by integrating a multi-core technology along with DRM,
Secure On device auto
image enhancement
Sensors Digital still
DLP direct
from phone
Runtime, accelerometers, camera
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eye glasses quality
imaging

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innovative user interfaces as well as faster data access rates. Figure 6: OMAP 3 High-Performance Applications Processors for 4G

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7,¶V 6PDUW5HIOH[Œ LV DQ DJJUHVVLYH SRZHU PDQDJHPHQW Positioning technology
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Predictions for 4G

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