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4G Mobile Communications An Overview

Deepa Tyagi
Deputy Director General, Telecom Engineering Centre Department of Telecom, India

Rajeshwar Dayal
Director, Telecom Engineering Centre Department of Telecom, India
Introduction Drivers for the New Telecom World The world of communications is undergoing changes more radical than any since the invention of the telephone 120 years ago. Telecommunications technologies are evolving at an unbelievable pace, driven by innovation, speed, quality, convenience, and cost. The growth of the Internet has been phenomenal; doubling in size every year since 1998. In parallel with the demands for the Internet has been the incredible boom in mobile and wireless communications. These two explosively growing customer-driven service requirements have dramatically and profoundly changed the nature and face of global telecommunications in this millennium and have brought into existence the new telecom world. Evolution Path Modern telecom networks began with first-generation (1G) networks, deployed in the early 1980s, which provided simple analog voice telephony. The second generation (2G) networks, which had initial deployments in the early 1990s, use digital telephony with added low-rate data services in addition to basic voice service. 2.5G systems refer to the state of wireless technology and capability that is in between 2G and third generation (3G) mobile technology. The 3G networks are capable of providing data rates of up to 2Mbps and supporting a variety of services such as high-resolution video and multimedia services in addition to voice, fax, and conventional data services. International Mobile Telecommunications 2000 (IMT2000) is the Telecommunication Unions (ITU's) terminology to define 3G mobile telecom. International

Systems beyond IMT2000 are commonly referred to as fourth generation (4G) or beyond 3G (B3G) networks. The evolution from 3G to 4G will be driven by services that offer better quality (e.g., voice, video, multimedia) thanks to greater bandwidth, more sophistication in the association of a large quantity of information, and improved personalization. A new source of local traffic, machine-tomachine communicationswhich basically involve two equipment types: sensors (which measure parameters) and tags (which are generally read/write equipment)may evolve.

Initiatives/Developments by the International Telecommunication Union The following are the two ITU groups that are specifically working on standardization of systems beyond IMT2000 (or 4G): Working Party 8F (WP8F) of Study Group 8 in ITURadio Communication Sector (ITU R) Study Group 19 (earlier called Special Study Group [SSG] IMT 2000 and Beyond) in ITUTelecommunication Standardization Sector (ITUT)

WP8F is dealing with the overall radio-system aspects of 4G, including radio interfaces, radioaccess networks (RANs), spectrum issues, service and traffic characteristics, and market estimations, whereas Study Group 19 is dealing with the network or wireline aspects of future wireless systems, including wireless Internet, convergence of mobile and fixed networks, mobility management, internetworking, and interoperability. The main deliverable of WP8F is recommendation ITUR M.1645. This recommendation contains the overall goals for the future development of wireless communications. Study Group 19 is working on a draft of new recommendation Functional Network Architecture for Systems beyond IMT2000 (Q.FNAB), which is likely to be finalized by mid-2007. The capabilities of IMT2000 and systems beyond IMT2000 as envisioned in ITUR recommendation M.1645 are given in Figure 1.

Mobilit y

Systems IMT-2000 encompas the beyond capabilities previous s will of systems

High Enhance IMTd 2000


Enhancemen t

Ne mobil w acces e s

New of systems capabilities IMTbeyond 2000 Dashed line that the exact indicates rates data associated systems beyond IMTwith are not 2000 yet determined

Lo w 1

New area wireless nomadic/local access 10 100 Peak useful data rate (Mbps) Denotes interconnection between systems via networks, which allows flexible use in any environment without making users aware constituent of systems Nomadic/local area access systems Digital broadcast systems 1 000

Figure 1: Illustration of Capabilities of IMT2000 and Systems beyond IMT2000 (Source: ITUT Rec M.1645) As per ITU, the new radio access interface(s) are envisioned to handle a wide range of supported data rates according to economic and service demands in multi-user environments with target peak data rates of up to approximately 100 Mbps for high mobility such as mobile access and up to approximately 1 Gbps for low mobility such as nomadic/local wireless access. These data rates are targets for research and investigation. The phases and expected timelines for future development of IMT2000 and systems beyond IMT2000 are given in Figure 2.

New elements to offer new capabilities of systems beyond IMT2000 Visio definitio n n Other radio system s

Systems deployment* Spectrum implementation Requirement Standard s definitio developmen s n t Standard enhancemen s t

Evolution/integration with other radio systems Systems deployment

IMT2000 and future developmen t

Spectrum implementation Enhancement and related development of standards 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015

The sloped dotted lines indicate that the exact starting point of the particular subject can not yet be fixed. : Possible spectrum identification at WRC07 *: Possible wide deployment around the year 2015 in some countries

Figure 2: Phases and Expected Timelines for Future Development of IMT2000 and Systems beyond IMT2000 (Source: ITUT Rec M.1645) Other Initiatives/Developments Apart from ITU, there are several other initiatives on 4G the world over, some of which are been described in the following sections. Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) The IEEE is working on wireless standards that are optimized for a particular domain: 802.15 for the wireless personal-area network (WPAN), 802.11 for the wireless local-area network (WLAN), and 802.16 for the wireless metropolitan-area network (WMAN). Some implementations of these technologies, including the following, address the 4G goal of very high data rates: 802.15.3a (ultra wideband [UWB]) with a short-range throughput of 480 Mbps 802.11n (multiple input, multiple output [MIMO] WLAN) with a medium-range throughput of 100 Mbps 802.16-2004 (WiMAX) with a long-range throughput of 75 Mbps

To achieve the vision of 4G, mobility has to be added to these systems. The following standards address the mobility issue:

802.16eThis is an enhancement to the WiMAX standard. 802.20This will support data rates up to 4 Mbps with frequencies up to 3.5 GHz. This standard will allow cell phones to operate from vehicles traveling at up to 250 km per hour and could be based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), code division multiple access (CDMA), and multi-antenna techniques.

Fourth-Generation Mobile Forum (4GMF) 4GMF is an international technical body focusing on next-generation broadband wireless mobile communication systems with a view to giving wireless users an affordable broadband mobile access solution for the application of secured wireless mobile Internet services with value-added quality of service (QoS) through the application layer all the way down to the media access control (MAC) layer and physical layer (PHY).

Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF)


The WWRF, founded by Alcatel, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, and Siemens in early 2001, is working toward formulating visions on strategic future research directions for the wireless field. The main deliverables of the WWRF are white papers on various emerging technology topics and the Book of Visions, which is a document that collects ideas on the opportunities and challenges of the future wireless world, including operational issues such as spectrum policy and security. NTT DoCoMo (MAGIC) DoCoMos vision of 4G is mobile multimedia; anytime, anywhere, anyone; global mobility support; integrated wireless solution; and customized personal service (MAGIC). A key focus of research is variable spreading factor-orthogonal frequency and code division multiplexing (VSFOFCDM) technology, which is capable of offering transmission at extremely high speedsup to 100 Mbps outdoors and 1 Gbps indoors. In addition, it is also developing a new concept that will eliminate the need for base stations by allowing direct connection among terminals. It is also researching versatile mobile networks in which base stations will have the ability to automatically install (configure) themselves, creating a network that actually has the ability to think for itself. Mobile IT Forum (mITF), Japan This forum works with external organizations to clarify 4G standard development at a technology level and studies visions and usage opportunities to help design a road map toward new lucrative business markets. Goals and recommendations such as the features and services expected in 4G mobiles are collected into a document called Flying Carpet. FuTURE Forum FuTURE Forum is a non-governmental, nonprofit organization that was jointly founded by operators, equipment providers, universities, and research institutions in China and abroad. It is dedicated to promoting exchanges and cooperation on B3G research and harmonizing different views on the vision, demands, and trends of next-generation mobile communication systems. My Personal Adaptive Global NET (MAGNET) MAGNET is an integrated project supported within the Sixth Framework Programme of the EU Commission. As the name indicates, the project has a profound emphasis on user-centricity, personalization, and personal networking. The objective of this user-centric approach is to improve the quality of life for the end user by introducing new technologies more adapted to the

user. MAGNET research focuses on environments to become smarter, more responsive, and more accommodating to the needs of the individual without jeopardizing privacy and security. Wireless World Initiative New Radio (WINNER) WINNERa consortium coordinated by Siemens to work toward enhancing the performance of mobile communication systemsaims to stimulate a technological leap toward more convenient and user-oriented mobile services around the world. The initiative aims to develop a ubiquitous radio system concept based on global requirements for mobile communication systems beyond 3G. Other Efforts Several industry standards groups made up of manufacturers, carriers, and academic institutionsincluding the IPv6 Forum, Software Defined Radio (SDR) Forum, third-generation partnership project (3GPP), and Wireless World Research Forumare helping to formulate a vision of a 4G wireless world. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Mobile Wireless Internet Forum (MWIF) are also expected to play a part in 4G development. Indian Initiative The Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT) India, an autonomous institution, has been set up under a public-private initiative with a view to spearhead research in the country in the area of 4G technology. CEWiT will engage with academic and industry research groups in India to focus research on areas with strong potential and also foster collaboration with similar efforts worldwide through active participation in international standards bodies. Technical Perspective 4G, just like all the previous generations, is driven not only by technology, but also by market requirements. 4G domain includes three targetsterminals, networks, and applications. Terminals In order to adapt to the diverse applications and networks, together with the various requirements of users, the terminals may include the following: User interfaces, varying from traditional keyboard and display to new ones based on speech, touch, soft buttons, etc. This will be common at a time when one terminal has multiple user interfaces. Adaptive techniques such as smart antennas, software radio, and smart transceivers to enhance interoperability through simultaneous support of several radio interfaces in a single terminal. This makes a terminal roamable across any air interface standard and connectable to any wireless access point by exchanging configuration software. These approaches can also be used on wireless access points as an advanced smart base station. Awareness of location and context, often based on some wireless low-power sensors that are human-sensitive and/or environment-sensitive in order to monitor and interact with the physical world to report the human and/or environmental factors. The ability to dynamically improve its processing capability in order to support various services. Some function modules can even be downloaded to a terminal when needed.

Networks More advances in networks are needed to keep pace with the rapidly changing terminals and applications, including the following:

Smart antennas and software radio, together with advanced base stations, are the key techniques to achieve adaptability of wireless access points to diverse terminals, i.e., to make radio systems and air networks reconfigurable. Hierarchical cellular systems, including picocell, microcell, macrocell, and megacell systems, implement seamless network interconnection and seamless terminal handoff. Network layer hierarchical mobility management based on mobile IPv6 and cellular IP brings quick and seamless handoff to terminals. Mobile IPv6 also presents a great contribution to the adaptability of heterogeneous networks. Ad hoc wireless networks are a kind of self-deployed wireless networks to make networks portable and adaptable so they dynamically share unlicensed radio spectrum. Network reconfiguration can adapt dynamically to the changing channel conditions and low- or high-data-rate users. Miscellaneous services can be delivered through a mixture of transmission networks, including unicast, multicast, and broadcast networks. According to the service types, e.g., real-time attribute, importance, bandwidth demand, or data stream type, multiple levels of QoS can be defined for various services. Network resource can be dynamically allocated to cope with varying traffic load, channel condition, and service environment.

Applications Adaptability will be one of the basic requirements for the development and delivery of new mobile services. Promising techniques and possible topics may include the following: Mobile applications should refer to a users profile so that it can be delivered in a way most preferred by the subscriber, such as context-based personalized services. This also brings the applications with adaptability to terminals that are moving in varying locations and speeds. Microsensors and GPS receivers are the main driven techniques. Techniques such as adaptive multimedia and unified messaging take the terminal characteristics into account and ensure that the service can be received and run on a terminal with the most suitable form. Intelligent mobile software agents are a common technique to all three targets and act as a platform for service development, delivery, and autoconfiguration. Applications can negotiate with networks so that they can be transferred with the most efficient channel (e.g. indoor networks, WLANs, cellular systems) in a wide area. Services will be tailorable to fit the different network environments and varying traffic conditions. Services and applications can also be smoothly delivered across a multiple domain of operators and service providers.

Key Technologies/Enablers Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing This is a technology that transmits multiple signals simultaneously over a single transmission path such as a cable or wireless system. Through this technique the data is distributed over a large number of carriers that are spaced apart at precise frequencies that result in providing the orthogonality. There are many variants of OFDM, including coded OFDM, wideband OFDM, flash OFDM, and vector OFDM. OFDM modulation can also be employed as a multiple access technology (OFDMA) in which case, each OFDM symbol can transmit information to and from several users using a different set of subcarriers. SDR (Software-Defined Radio)

Essentially, SDRs are radios that can be upgraded by changing software; this allows more effective use of expensive hardware and infrastructure. Smart Antenna A smart antenna is a digital wireless communications antenna system that takes advantage of diversity effect at the source (transmitter), the destination (receiver), or both. Diversity effect involves the transmission and/or reception of multiple radio frequency (RF) waves to increase data speed and reduce the error rate. Smart antennas fall into three major categories: single input, multiple output (SIMO), multiple input, single output (MISO), and MIMO, based on the number of antennas used at the source and destination. UWB Radio This can transmit data at very high speed by sending the transmission over a wide range of frequencies but at very low power bands as compared to traditional radio. Also, unlike traditional radio technologies that use various carrier waves to send data information, UWB instead uses very fast pulses to represent the zeroes and ones of digital communication. Road Map Many technologies are competing on the road to 4G just as several paths are possible for evolution to 4G. Three possible road maps are as follows: The 3Gcentric path in which CDMA may be enhanced to realize the required increase in capacity and data rates The WLAN path IEEE 802.16e and 802.20 paths. The core network evolution toward a broadband nextgeneration network (NGN) will facilitate the introduction of new access network technologies through standard access gateways.

Challenges 4G is not yet fully defined, but the broad vision of 4G appears to have been more or less uniformly accepted nonetheless. However, the challenges toward fulfillment of the 4G vision are several. Possible spectrum identification is not likely to happen until 2007 (WRC07). The earliest suite of standards is not likely to be completed until 2008. Even after the spectrum is identified and the standards are released, a lot of work must still be done by various stakeholders to figure out how to implement them to achieve maximum efficiency and interoperability. Further, there will be several design and test challenges. Conclusion There will not be a single network branded as 4G in the same way that there is 2G Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or 3G Universal Mobile Telecommunications System terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN). Instead, 4G will be a collection of networks and a wide variety of smart devices communicating with each other. The 4G technology will provide for a collection of different kinds of multiple-access networks in which a user can gain access to a portal on the Internet (or whatever the entity) by the most appropriate means (e.g., always best connected [ABC]). The user will not have to know which network provides the service. The smart device can analyze its environment and choose the best available service provider and technology (service discovery). Both the network entities and the smart devices will be able to configure themselves so that they can adapt to new requirements.

4Gthe enabler for the next generation of untethered communicationswould be driven by three main drivers: increased capacity (the number of wireless subscribers is growing at an unprecedented pace), increased data throughput (to enable services that generate higher revenue per user) and seamless interoperability (to increase user acceptance and ease of use). Initial deployments are not likely before 2010. Research on 4G is not just centered on new network concepts and radio interfaces. There is a concerted attempt to identify how wireless technology can complement a more user-focused wireless world. One major shift already taking place in the wireless business model is the move from a device-driven world to a service- and experience- centered world, and 4G systems might just succeed in delivering that. References 1. ITUR M.1645: Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT2000 and systems beyond IMT2000.

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