February 2011
February 2011
PREFACE ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………6
1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 11
2 PROGRESS OF RELEASE 99, RELEASE 5, RELEASE 6, RELEASE 7 AND RELEASE 8: EVOLVED EDGE, UMTS/EVOLVED
HSPA (HSPA+) AND LTE/EPC .............................................................................................................................. 13
2.1 PROGRESS TIMELINE ................................................................................................................................... 13
3 PLANS FOR RELEASE 9 AND RELEASE 10: EVOLVED HSPA (HSPA+) AND LTE/LTE‐ADVANCED ………………………….27
4 THE GROWING DEMANDS FOR WIRELESS DATA APPLICATIONS ..................................................................... 29
4.1 WIRELESS DATA TRENDS AND FORECASTS ......................................................................................... 30
4.2 WIRELESS DATA REVENUE .................................................................................................................... 32
4.3 MOBILE BROADBAND DEVICES ............................................................................................................ 33
4.4 MOBILE BROADBAND APPLICATIONS ................................................................................................. 36
4.5 SMALL CELL GROWTH............................................................................................................................. 39
4.6 SPECTRUM INITIATIVES .............................................................................................................................. 40
4.7 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 41
5 STATUS AND HIGHLIGHTS OF RELEASE 8 AND RELEASE 9: EVOLVED HSPA (HSPA+) AND LTE/EPC ………………….42
5.1 VOLTE ......................................................................................................................................................... 44
6 STATUS OF IMT‐ADVANCED AND LTE‐ADVANCED .......................................................................................... 46
6.1 SPECIFYING IMT‐ADVANCED – THE ITU‐R ROLE ............................................................................................ 46
6.2 THE 3GPP ROLE ........................................................................................................................................... 49
7 STATUS OF RELEASE 10: HSPA+ ENHANCEMENTS AND LTE‐ADVANCED .......................................................... 51
7.1 LTE‐ADVANCED FEATURES AND TECHNOLOGIES ........................................................................................... 51
7.1.1 Support of Wider Bandwidth ..................................................................................................................... 51
7.1.2 Uplink transmission enhancements........................................................................................................... 53
7.1.3 Downlink Transmission enhancements ..................................................................................................... 54
7.1.4 Relaying ..................................................................................................................................................... 55
7.1.5 Heterogeneous Network Support .............................................................................................................. 59
7.1.6 MBMS Enhancements ............................................................................................................................... 61
7.1.7 Son Enhancements .................................................................................................................................... 61
7.1.8 Vocoder Rate Adaptation .......................................................................................................................... 62
7.2 HSPA+ ENHANCEMENTS FOR RELEASE 10 ............................................................................................................. 62
7.2.1 Four carrier HSDPA operation ................................................................................................................... 62
7.2.2 Additional band combinations for DB‐DC‐HSDPA...................................................................................... 65
7.3 MULTI‐RAT RELATED ENHANCEMENTS .................................................................................................................. 65
7.4.1 Band Combinations for LTE‐CA .................................................................................................................. 78
8 PLANNING FOR RELEASE 11 AND BEYOND ..................................................................................................... 80
8.1 TARGET TIMELINE FOR RELEASE 11 ...................................................................................................................... 80
8.2 LTE‐ADVANCED ENHANCEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 80
8.2.1 Coordinated multiple point transmission and reception ........................................................................... 80
8.2.2 Carrier aggregation .................................................................................................................................... 85
8.2.3 Enhanced ICIC ............................................................................................................................................ 85
8.3 HSPA+ ENHANCEMENTS .................................................................................................................................... 86
8.3.1 8‐Carrier HSDPA ......................................................................................................................................... 86
8.3.2 Uplink dual antenna beamforming and MIMO .......................................................................................... 86
8.3.3 Downlink Multipoint Transmission ............................................................................................................ 87
8.4 MULTI‐RAT RELATED ENHANCEMENTS .................................................................................................................. 88
8.4.1 Machine‐Type Communication (MTC) ....................................................................................................... 88
8.4.2 Network Provided Location Information for IMS (NetLoc) ........................................................................ 90
8.4.3 SRVCC aspect of eMPS ............................................................................................................................... 90
8.4.4 SIPTO service continuity of IP data session (SIPTO_SC) ............................................................................. 91
8.4.5 QoS Control Based on Subscriber Spending Limits (QoS_SSL) ................................................................... 91
8.4.6 Non‐Voice Emergency Services (NOVES) ................................................................................................... 91
8.4.7 Fixed Mobile Convergence ........................................................................................................................ 93
8.5 POTENTIAL AREAS OF FUTURE STANDARDIZATION ................................................................................................... 94
9 CONCLUSIONS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………95
APPENDIX B: UPDATE OF RELEASE 9 STATUS: EVOLVED HSPA (HSPA+) AND LTE/EPC ENHANCEMENTS............. 111
B.1 HSPA+ ENHANCEMENTS ................................................................................................................................ 111
B.1.1 Non‐Contiguous Dual‐Cell HSDPA (DC‐HSDPA) .......................................................................................... 111
B.1.2 MIMO + DC‐HSDPA .................................................................................................................................... 112
B.1.3 Contiguous Dual‐Cell HSUPA (DC‐HSUPA) ................................................................................................. 112
B.1.4 Transmit Diversity Extension for Non‐MIMO UES ..................................................................................... 113
B.2 LTE ENHANCEMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 113
B.2.1 IMS Emergency over EPS ......................................................................................................................... 113
B.2.2 Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) over EPS ................................................................................ 115
B.2.3 Location Services over EPS ...................................................................................................................... 119
B.2.4 Circuit‐Switched (CS) Domain Services over EPS ..................................................................................... 124
B.2.5 MBMS for LTE .......................................................................................................................................... 129
B.2.6 Self‐Organizing Networks (SON) .............................................................................................................. 135
B.2.7 Enhanced Downlink Beamforming (Dual‐layer) ...................................................................................... 136
B.2.8 Vocoder Rate Adaptation for LTE ............................................................................................................ 137
B.3 OTHER RELEASE 9 ENHANCEMENTS ................................................................................................................... 138
B.3.1 Architecture aspects for home NodeB/eNodeB ...................................................................................... 138
B.3.2 IMS Service Continuity ............................................................................................................................. 142
B.3.3 IMS Centralized Services .......................................................................................................................... 142
B.3.4 UICC: Enabling M2M, Femtocells and NFC ............................................................................................. 143
APPENDIX C: TARGET REQUIREMENTS FOR IMT‐ADVANCED ........................................................................... 144
C.1 TARGET REQUIREMENTS FOR IMT‐ADVANCED...................................................................................................... 144
C.1.1 Cell Spectral Efficiency ............................................................................................................................. 144
C.1.2 Peak Spectral Efficiency ........................................................................................................................... 145
C.1.3 Bandwidth ................................................................................................................................................ 146
C.1.4 Cell Edge User Spectral Efficiency ............................................................................................................ 146
C.1.5 Latency ..................................................................................................................................................... 147
C.1.6 Mobility .................................................................................................................................................... 147
C.1.7 Handover ................................................................................................................................................. 149
C.1.8 VoIP Capacity ........................................................................................................................................... 149
APPENDIX D: LTE‐ADVANCED AND SELF EVALUATION OF RELEASE 10 ............................................................. 151
D.1 DETAILS OF THE 3GPP CANDIDATE TECHNOLOGY SUBMISSION OF 3GPP LTE RELEASE 10 AND BEYOND (LTE‐
ADVANCED) AS ACCEPTED BY THE ITU‐R .................................................................................................... 151
D.2.1 Establishing the 3GPP Work on Satisfying IMT‐Advanced – The creation of LTE‐Advanced ................... 152
D.2.2 Defining the LTE‐Advanced capability set and technology views ............................................................ 155
APPENDIX E: SELF EVALUATION OF THE 3GPP LTE RELEASE 10 AND BEYOND (IMT‐ADVANCED) CANDIDATE
TECHNOLOGY SUBMISSION TO ITU‐R .............................................................................................................. 156
APPENDIX F: THE ITU‐R IMT‐ADVANCED PROCESS AND TIMELINES AS RELATES TO IMT‐ADVANCED CANDIDATE
TECHNOLOGY SUBMISSIONS ........................................................................................................................... 167
APPENDIX G: GLOBAL HSPA & HSPA+ DEPLOYMENTS ‐ DECEMBER 31, 2010 .................................................... 171
APPENDIX H: GLOBAL LTE DEPLOYMENT STATUS – DECEMBER 31, 2010 .......................................................... 186
APPENDIX I: ACRONYM LIST ............................................................................................................................ 194
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 205
PREFACE
Over the past eight years, 3G Americas has annually published a white paper to provide the most current
“encyclopedia” of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards work, beginning in 2003 with
a focus on Release 1999 (Rel-99). In February 2010, the 3G Americas white paper, 3GPP Mobile
Broadband Innovation Path to 4G: Release 9, Release 10 and Beyond: HSPA+, LTE/SAE and LTE-
Advanced, provided a thorough review of Release 9 (Rel-9) including HSPA+ and enhancements of
Release 8 (Rel-8) LTE/EPC capabilities. Now, 4G Americas is offering the latest edition of the annual
paper with a focus on Release 10 (Rel-10). 4G Mobile Broadband Evolution: 3GPP Release 10 and
Beyond - HSPA+, SAE/LTE and LTE-Advanced, provides detailed discussions of Rel-10 including the
significant new technology enhancements to LTE/EPC (called LTE-Advanced) that were determined in
October 2010 to have successfully met all of the criteria established by the International
Telecommunication Union Radiotelecommunication Sector (ITU-R) for the first release of IMT-Advanced.
IMT-Advanced 4G standards will usher in a new era of mobile broadband communications, according to
the ITU-R. IMT-Advanced, which includes LTE-Advanced, provides a global platform on which to build
next generations of interactive mobile services that will provide faster data access, enhanced roaming
capabilities, unified messaging and broadband multimedia. According to ITU Secretary-General
Hamadoun Touré, “ICTs and broadband networks have become vital national infrastructure — similar to
transport, energy and water networks — but with an impact that promises to be even more powerful and
far-reaching. These key enhancements in wireless broadband can drive social and economic
development, and accelerate progress towards achieving the United Nations’ Millennium Development
Goals, or MDGs.”1
Leading this progress is the GSM family of technologies, which are interchangeably called the 3GPP
family of technologies as they are all based on the evolution of standards developed for GSM, EDGE,
UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+, LTE and LTE-Advanced. Network enhancements of HSPA+ continue to progress
in the commercial market today and the LTE revolution has begun. Focusing on the Americas region, the
following are some of the market developments in mobile broadband that have occurred in recent years
and have contributed to the progress of HSPA and LTE technologies.
At the beginning of mobile broadband, in December 2005, Cingular Wireless (now AT&T) launched
UMTS enhanced with High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) in 16 major markets throughout the
U.S., becoming the first operator in the world to launch HSDPA on a wide-scale basis. AT&T deployed
HSPA – capable of peak theoretical downloads speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps – in more than 350 U.S. cities
(with populations greater than 100,000), and then upgraded its entire HSPA network to peak theoretical
capabilities of up to 7.2 Mbps. In 2010, AT&T announced plans to deploy HSPA+ and began trials of LTE
in the 700 MHz band with commercial deployment of LTE to occur as the ecosystem matures in 2011.
AT&T also noted 2013 for Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services or when the standards work and product
commercialization is ready.
T-Mobile USA launched UMTS-HSDPA in New York City in the AWS 1700/2100 MHz bands beginning its
nationwide rollout in May 2009 and as of year-end, covered 200 million POPs. In September 2009 in
Philadelphia, T-Mobile became the first operator in the U.S. to launch HSPA+ with peak theoretical
1
ITU Paves the Way for Next-Generation 4G Mobile Broadband Technologies, ITU, 21 October 2010.
Rogers Wireless in Canada introduced its mobile broadband network early, with coast-to-coast coverage
of HSPA with download capabilities up to 7.2 Mbps by July 2009 at which time it was in 25 markets
representing 75 percent of the Canadian population. Rogers was the sixth operator in the world and the
first in the Western Hemisphere to launch HSPA+ in Toronto in August 2009 and one month later covered
the five largest cities in the country. By mid-2010, Rogers covered 80 percent of the Canadian population
with HSPA+ at peak theoretical downlink speeds of 21 Mbps. In October 2010, Rogers announced a
comprehensive technical trial of LTE in Ottawa in high and low frequency bands. Rogers was the first to
trial in the recently auctioned AWS 1700 and 2100 MHz spectrum and will be working with Industry
Canada to expand trials if they secure a development license for the 700 MHz spectrum band. Telus and
Bell Canada deployed HSPA+ at peak theoretical downlink speeds up to 21 Mbps across their Canadian
markets in November 2009. Additionally Sask Tel launched HSPA+ in August 2010.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, there were 64 commercial HSPA networks in 27 countries as of
December 2010, with four new HSPA+ networks; two in Chile and one each in Bermuda and Mexico.
Since the Latin regulators have not availed operators much opportunity to acquire needed spectrum for
LTE, the opportunity presented for HSPA+ is particularly appealing to wireless operators in the region.
América Móvil conducted trials of HSPA+ in some key countries in the first half of 2010 with commercial
launches to take place mostly during 2011. Telefónica launched HSPA+ in Chile in 2010 and plans to
extend this to its other Latin America properties as well. Cable & Wireless/LIME plans to progress directly
to HSPA+ in less than two years time in markets where it has not already deployed HSPA.
2
World Cellular Information Service Forecast, Informa Telecoms & Media, December 2010.
The ecosystem for HSPA is particularly vibrant. There were 690 HSPA devices available worldwide from
112 suppliers as of December 2010 of which 85 were HSPA+ ready and 86 were LTE ready.5
It may be helpful to consider the historical development of the 3GPP UMTS standards. Beginning with the
inception of UMTS in 1995, UMTS was first standardized by the European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI) in January 1998 in Release 99 (Rel-99). This first release of the Third
Generation (3G) specifications was essentially a consolidation of the underlying GSM specifications and
the development of the new Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). The foundations were
laid for future high-speed traffic transfer in both circuit-switched and packet-switched modes. The first
commercial launch (of FOMA, a derivation of UMTS) was by Japan's NTT DoCoMo in 2001.
In April 2001, a follow up release to Rel-99 was standardized in 3GPP, termed Release 4 (Rel-4), which
provided minor improvements of the UMTS transport, radio interface and architecture.
The rapid growth of UMTS led to a focus on its next significant evolutionary phase, namely Release 5
(Rel-5) which as frozen in June 2002. 3GPP Rel-5 – first deployed in 2005 – had many important
enhancements that were easy upgrades to the initially deployed Rel-99 UMTS networks. Rel-5 provided
wireless operators with the improvements needed to offer customers higher-speed wireless data services
with vastly improved spectral efficiencies through the HSDPA feature. In addition to HSDPA, Rel-5
introduced the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture that promised to greatly enhance the end-
user experience for integrated multimedia applications and offer mobile operators a more efficient means
for offering such services. One vendor reported 82 IMS system contracts for commercial launch as of
November 2010, 47 of which were running live traffic. This represented about 75 percent of all live
commercial IMS systems at that time. The IMS systems were distributed throughout the Americas,
Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa and include fixed network implementations, GSM/GPRS, WCDMA/HSPA
and WiMAX.
UMTS Rel-5 also introduced the IP UTRAN concept to recognize transport network efficiencies and
reduce transport network costs.
Release 6 (Rel-6), published in March 2005, defined features such as the uplink Enhanced Dedicated
Channel (E-DCH), improved minimum performance specifications for support of advanced receivers at
the terminal and support of multicast and broadcast services through the Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast
Services (MBMS) feature. E-DCH was one of the key Rel-6 features that offered significantly higher data
capacity and data user speeds on the uplink compared to Rel-99 UMTS through the use of a scheduled
uplink with shorter Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs as low as 2 ms) and the addition of Hybrid
Automatic Retransmission Request (HARQ) processing. Through E-DCH, operators benefitted from a
technology that provided improved end-user experience for uplink intensive applications such as email
with attachment transfers or the sending of video (e.g. videophone or sending pictures). In addition to E-
DCH, UMTS Rel-6 introduced improved minimum performance specifications for the support of advanced
3
World Cellular Information Service Forecast, Informa Telecoms & Media, December 2010.
4
Global UMTS and HSPA Operator Status, 4G Americas, December 2010.
5
Devices, GSMWorld.com, December 31, 2010.
Release 7 (Rel-7) moved beyond HSPA in its evolution to HSPA+ and also the standardization of Evolved
EDGE; the final Stage 3 was published in March 2007. The evolution to 3GPP Rel-7 improved support
and performance for real-time conversational and interactive services such as Push-to-Talk Over Cellular
(PoC), picture and video sharing, and Voice and Video over Internet Protocol (VoIP) through the
introduction of features like Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Continuous Packet Connectivity (CPC)
and Higher Order Modulations (HOMs). These Rel-7 enhancements are called Evolved HSPA or HSPA+.
Since the HSPA+ enhancements are fully backwards compatible with Rel-99/Rel-5/Rel-6, the evolution to
HSPA+ has been made smooth and simple for operators.
Release 8 (Rel-8) specifications, frozen in December 2008 and published in March 2009, included
enhancements to the Evolved HSPA (HSPA+) technology, as well as the introduction of the Evolved
Packet System (EPS) which consists of a flat IP-based all-packet core (SAE/EPC) coupled with a new
OFDMA-based RAN (E-UTRAN/LTE).
Note: The complete packet system consisting of the E-UTRAN and the EPC is called the EPS. In this
paper, the terms LTE and E-UTRAN will both be used to refer to the evolved air interface and radio
access network based on OFDMA, while the terms SAE and EPC will both be used to refer to the evolved
flatter-IP core network. Additionally, at times EPS will be used when referring to the overall system
architecture.
While the work towards completion and publication of Rel-8 was ongoing, planning for content in Release
9 (Rel-9) and Release 10 (Rel-10) began. In addition to further enhancements to HSPA+, Rel-9 was
focused on LTE/EPC enhancements. Due to the aggressive schedule for Rel-8, it was necessary to limit
the LTE/EPC content of Rel-8 to essential features (namely the functions and procedures to support
LTE/EPC access and interoperation with legacy 3GPP and 3GPP2 radio accesses) plus a handful of high
priority features (such as Single Radio Voice Call Continuity [SRVCC], generic support for non-3GPP
accesses, local breakout and CS fallback). The aggressive schedule for Rel-8 was driven by the desire
for fast time-to-market LTE solutions without compromising the most critical feature content. 3GPP
targeted a Rel-9 specification that would quickly follow Rel-8 to enhance the initial Rel-8 LTE/EPC
specification.
At the same time that these Rel-9 enhancements were being developed, 3GPP recognized the need to
develop a solution and specification to be submitted to the ITU for meeting the IMT-Advanced
requirements (which are discussed in Section 6). Therefore, in parallel with Rel-9 work, 3GPP worked on
a study item called LTE-Advanced, which defined the bulk of the content for Rel-10, to include significant
new technology enhancements to LTE/EPC for meeting the very aggressive IMT-Advanced requirements,
which were officially defined by the ITU as “4G” technologies. Section 6 provides details of the IMT-
Advanced requirements, a timeline and process for technology evaluation, 3GPP’s role, IMT-Advanced
candidate technology submissions received by ITU-R, and timeline and submission plans for an LTE/EPC
submission (called LTE-Advanced) to the ITU for meeting the IMT-Advanced requirements. On October 7,
2009, 3GPP proposed LTE-Advanced at the ITU Geneva conference as a candidate technology for IMT-
Advanced and one year later in October 2010, LTE-Advanced was approved by ITU-R as having met all
the requirements for IMT-Advanced (final ratification by the ITU occurred in November 2010).
Wireless data usage continues to increase at an unprecedented pace. While smartphones such as the
iPhone and BlackBerry are now commonplace, penetration rates of tablets such as Apple’s iPad are also
increasing rapidly. The use of tablets greatly increases the demand for wireless video applications which
puts tremendous stress on the wireless network (higher resolution expected and thus higher user rates
required over larger coverage areas). This is, consequently, driving the need for continued innovations in
wireless data technologies to provide more capacity and higher quality of service. 3GPP technologies
have evolved from GSM-EDGE, to UMTS-HSPA-HSPA+, to now initial LTE deployments, to provide
increased capacity and user experience. The next section of this white paper discusses details of the
deployment progress of GSM-EDGE and UMTS-HSPA+, as well as the recent Rel-8 LTE commercial
deployments.
The 3GPP evolution will continue in the coming years with further enhancements to HSPA+ and the
introduction of LTE-Advanced. 3GPP completed the Rel-9 specifications in March of 2010, which provide
further enhancements to the HSPA+ technology and enhancements to the initial Rel-8 LTE technology.
For HSPA, Rel-9 introduced support for uplink dual-cell, as well as the capability to enable downlink dual-
cell deployments across non-contiguous frequency bands. Also added in Rel-9 was the support of
simultaneous MIMO and DC-HSPA operation, as well as enhancements to the transmit diversity modes to
improve performance with non-MIMO capable devices. For LTE, several Rel-9 features and capabilities
were added to enhance upon the initial Rel-8 LTE technology. These Rel-9 enhancements included the
support of emergency, location and broadcast services, enhancements to Circuit Switched Fallback
(CSFB), enhancements to MBMS, Self-Organizing Network (SON) enhancements related to load
balancing, Random Access Channel (RACH) optimization and energy savings, the support of dual layer
beamforming, the support of vocoder rate adaptation, architecture enhancements in support of Home
NodeB/eNodeB (i.e. femtocells), enhancements to IMS Centralized Services and IMS Service Continuity,
and UICC enhancements. The addition of emergency and location services in Rel-9 was critical for
meeting e911 requirements for introducing Voice over LTE (VoLTE), so some of the key LTE features for
optimizing VoLTE coverage and capacity (Semi-Persistent Scheduling and TTI Bundling) are discussed in
this paper.
With the completion of Rel-9, focus in 3GPP has turned to Rel-10 and Release 11 (Rel-11). Rel-10 is
targeted to be complete by March 2011 and will add feature functionality and performance enhancements
to both HSPA and LTE. For HSPA, additional multi-carrier and MIMO options are introduced in Rel-10.
For LTE, Rel-10 marks the introduction of LTE-Advanced, which has recently been certified as complying
with all of the ITU IMT-Advanced requirements. LTE-Advanced will be published as an IMT-Advanced
certified technology by the end of the first quarter of 2011. Some of the key LTE-Advanced technology
enhancements include carrier aggregation, multi-antenna enhancements and relays. Rel-10 also will
include LTE enhancements to Self Organizing Networks (SON), Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service
(MBMS) and Heterogenous Networks (HetNets). Other Rel-10 enhancements that apply to both UMTS-
HSPA and LTE include architecture improvements for Home (e)NBs (i.e. femtocells), local IP traffic
offloading, optimizations for machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, SRVCC enhancements and
eMBMS enhancements.
As work on 3GPP Rel-10 is nearing completion, focus is beginning on Rel-11 planning. With a target
completion timeframe of September to December of 2012, significant progress on Rel-11 is expected in
2011. Rel-11 will focus on continued HSPA+ and LTE/LTE-Advanced enhancements. At the time of this
writing, the focus of Rel-11 that has been agreed to date for LTE includes Co-ordinated Multi-Point
(CoMP), Carrier Aggregation enhancements and ICIC enhancements. The proposed enhancements to
This paper will first discuss the progress of the deployment status of UMTS-HSPA and LTE technologies,
followed by the progress and plans toward Rel-9/Rel-10 HSPA+ and LTE/LTE-Advanced deployments. In
Section 4, the growing demands for wireless Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and packet data will then
be demonstrated, which presents the basis for the drive towards even wider bandwidth wireless solutions
defined by LTE. A brief summary of Rel-8/Rel-9 LTE/EPC is provided in Section 5 with a detailed
discussion of the enhancements introduced in Rel-9 in Appendix B of this document. Status of IMT-
Advanced and LTE-Advanced is then discussed in Section 6 (details of the IMT-Advanced and LTE-
Advanced requirements and LTE-Advanced self-evaluation are provided in Appendices C, D and E),
followed by details on the HSPA+ and LTE enhancements introduced in Rel-10 in Section 7. The paper
concludes with a discussion of the initial work on Rel-11 in Section 8.
The 3GPP Rel-99 UMTS specifications, initially standardized in early to mid 1999 and published by 3GPP
in March 2000, established the evolutionary path for GSM, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technologies. Rel-99 enabled more spectrally efficient
and better performing voice and data services through the introduction of a 5 MHz UMTS carrier. Rel-4
was completed in March 2001, Rel-5 was published in March 2002 and Rel-6 was completed in March
2005.
The first commercial deployment of UMTS networks began with the launch of FOMA by NTT DoCoMo in
2001, with 2003 as the year when Rel-99 UMTS networks were more widely commercialized. The number
of commercially deployed UMTS systems has grown rapidly since then, as substantiated by more than
370 commercial UMTS networks as of year-end 2010. Rel-4 introduced call and bearer separation in the
Core Network, and Rel-5 introduced some significant enhancements to UMTS, including HSDPA, IMS
and IP UTRAN.6 Rel-6 introduced further enhancements to UMTS including HSUPA (or E-DCH), MBMS
and Advanced Receivers.7
Leading manufacturers and service providers worldwide support the 3GPP evolution and to illustrate the
rapid progress and growth of UMTS, participating 4G Americas’ member companies have each provided
detailed descriptions of recent accomplishments on Rel-99 through Rel-10, which are included in
Appendix A of this white paper. A number of these technology milestones are also summarized in this
section.
2.1 PROGRESS TIMELINE
In November 2003, HSDPA was first demonstrated on a commercially available UMTS base station in
Swindon, U.K., and was first commercially launched on a wide-scale basis by Cingular Wireless (now
AT&T) in December 2005 with notebook modem cards, followed closely thereafter by Manx Telecom and
Telekom Austria. In June 2006, "Bitė Lietuva" of Lithuania became the first operator to launch HSDPA at
3.6 Mbps, which at the time was a record speed. As of year-end 2010, there were more than 376
commercial HSPA networks in 150 countries with 128 additional operators with networks planned, in
deployment or in trial with HSPA (see Appendix G). It is expected that almost all UMTS operators will
deploy HSPA.
6
3GPP Rel-5 and Beyond - The Evolution of UMTS, 3G Americas, November 2004.
7
The Global Evolution of UMTS/HSDPA - 3GPP Release 6 and Beyond, 3G Americas, December 2005.
The 3GPP standard supports the 850, 900, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, 1700/2100 and 2600 MHz frequency
bands as well as the 700 MHz bands which were auctioned in the U.S. in April 2008 with AT&T and
Verizon as two of the primary auction winners already announcing their deployments of LTE in this band.
There will be further opportunities for introducing 3GPP technologies in frequency bandwidths smaller
than 5 MHz (e.g. the 450 MHz) spectrum bands (due to LTE support for carrier bandwidths down to 1.4
MHz). Such a wide selection of bands benefits operators because it provides more flexibility.
Infrastructure and devices are currently supported by a variety of vendors in the 700, 850, 900, 1700,
1800, 1900, 2000, 2100 and 1700/2100 MHz bands and will also be supported for all future frequency
bands, including 2500 and 2600 MHz as well as the 1500 MHz band in Japan and 2300 MHz in the U.S.
One vendor cites the mobile data throughput capability of the most cost-effective base station as more
than 400 GB per day, resulting in a broadband radio network at a cost close to $1 per GB. With reportedly
up to 70 percent lower base station site expenditures, the GSM-UMTS infrastructure costs have
encouraged operators to deploy 3G UMTS technology.
Initial network deployments of HSDPA were launched with PC data cards in 2005. HSDPA handsets were
made commercially available in Q2 2006 with HSDPA handhelds first launched in South Korea in May
2006 and later in North America by Cingular (now AT&T) in July 2006. In addition to offering data
downloads at up to 1.8 Mbps, the initial handsets offered such applications as satellite-transmitted Digital
Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) TV programs, with two to three megapixel cameras, Bluetooth, radios
and stereo speakers for a variety of multimedia and messaging capabilities.
Mobilkom Austria completed the first live HSUPA demonstration in Europe in November 2006. One
month later, the first HSUPA mobile data connection on a commercial network (of 3 Italia) was
established. In 2007, Mobilkom Austria launched the world’s first commercial HSUPA and 7.2 Mbps
Uplink speeds for HSUPA increased from peak 2 Mbps initially, up to 5.8 Mbps using 2 milliseconds (ms)
Transmission Time Interval (TTI). HSUPA eliminates bottlenecks in uplink capacity, increases data
throughput and reduces latency – resulting in an improved user experience for applications such as
gaming, VoIP, etc.
The ecosystem of HSPA devices continues to expand and evolve. As of December 2010, 112 suppliers
commercially offered 690 devices.9 The HSPA mobile broadband device variety included handsets, data
cards, notebooks, wireless routers, USB modems and embedded modules.
Leading vendor infrastructure developments include multi-carrier power amplifiers that feature digital pre-
distortion and A-Doherty techniques to maximize efficiency, minimize running costs and ultimately reduce
the networks/impact on the environment. Certain zero footprint or flexible base station solutions offer
cost-effective deployment options to deliver UMTS-HSPA capability. Many are already fully software
definable to upgrade to LTE, which means operators can deploy the base station with GSM-UMTS-HSPA
technology and then upgrade to LTE via software in the same frequency band. In addition to providing
increased opportunities that might offer high return on investment for operators, these solutions increase
opportunities in areas where previously deployment costs meant that the business case was unfavorable.
Using a distributed architecture, the zero footprint solution type is comprised of units that are physically
small – some are waterproof – so they can be deployed virtually anywhere; thus, they are relatively easy
to site, a major consideration in dense urban areas where space is invariably a premium. When combined
with features such as RAN site sharing, remote antenna adjustment and the various backhaul techniques,
these smaller units are cost effective for operators. Base stations support most IMT frequency bands
including the 1.7/2.1 GHz AWS band and the 700 MHz band in the U.S. and Canada. A top vendor has
been providing LTE-capable multi-standard base stations since 2001, offering many options to operators
including a smooth transition to new technology while minimizing Operating Expenses (OPEX) and
reducing environmental impact.
Over the course of 2006 to 2007, there was significant progress on Rel-7 standards, which were finalized
in mid 2007. Rel-7 features were commercially introduced as HSPA+ and trials of HSPA+ began as early
as Q3 2007 including several planned commercial announcements made in the 2007 to 2008 timeframe.
The world’s first data call using HSPA+ was completed in July 2008 achieving a data transfer rate of more
than 20 Mbps in a 5 MHz channel. The industry’s first HSPA + Rel-7 chipset was launched in early 2009
which set the state for the first commercial launch of HSPA+ by Telstra. In February 2009, Telstra in
Australia became the first operator in the world to launch Rel-7 HSPA+ using the 850 MHz band and a
data card, and one month later in Austria Mobilkom launched in the 2100 MHz band; both operators
initially providing peak theoretical downlink speeds of 21 Mbps. Rogers was the first mobile operator in
the Americas to commercially launch HSPA+ at 21 Mbps in July 2009, more than doubling the speeds of
its HSPA network. By the end of 2009, there were 38 commercial launches of HSPA+ in 24 countries
including Rogers, Telus and Bell Canada in Canada as well as T-Mobile USA in North America and by
8
Global Deployment Status UMTS-HSPA, See Appendix D, 4G Americas, December 2010.
9
Devices, GSMWorld.com, 31 December 2010.
T-Mobile USA launched its first HSPA+ Rel-7 market in Philadelphia in the fall of 2009, beginning a
nationwide rollout of the technology throughout 2010 with the goal of deploying HSPA+ across the
breadth of its 3G footprint, covering 100 metropolitan areas and 185 million people. AT&T advanced its
HSPA network and by November 2010, 80 percent of the AT&T mobile network had been upgraded to
HSPA+ Rel-7. AT&T covered 250 million POPs with HSPA+ by the end of 2010. AT&T introduced
modems that could use both HSPA+ and LTE in 2010 in preparation for their planned LTE deployment in
2011.
Advantages of HSPA+ include its cost-efficient scaling of the network for rapidly growing data traffic
volumes, the ability to work with all HSPA devices, and improved end-user experience by reducing
latency. It is expected that the majority of HSPA operators will chose to deploy HSPA+ an in fact, the
percentage of HSPA operators who have commercially launched HSPA+ was at 27 percent at the end of
2010.
HSPA+ USB modems were commercially available beginning in February 2009 in the 850 MHz bands
and by November 2009, Telstra announced its 3G HSPA+ network gateway connection with typical
Smartphones with HSPA+ technology emerged in the first quarter of 2010 with demonstrations at the
Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Powered by Android, the smartphones were to be commercially
available in the third quarter of 2010, and able to support high-speed Internet access faster than existing
3G smartphones. Integrated HSPA+ capabilities would support downlink speeds of up to 14 Mb/s and
allowing users to download a 400 Mb feature-length movie within thirty seconds. T-Mobile broke new
ground launching the first smartphone specifically designed for their new HSPA+ network in September
2010.11.
Rel-7 HSPA+ networks are sometimes also deployed with MIMO antenna systems providing yet another
upgrade in performance benefits. In July 2009, TIM Italy launched the world’s first HSPA+ network using
MIMO offering peak theoretical download speeds of 28 Mbps. Shortly thereafter, O2 in Germany,
Swisscom in Switzerland and M1 in Singapore also launched HSPA+ services with MIMO. At the end of
2010, there were more than 6 commercial HSPA+ networks with MIMO antenna systems.
Another development by vendors is flat IP base stations, an innovation that integrates key components of
3G mobile networks into a single network element optimized to support UMTS-HSPA data services, and
flattens what is typically a more complex architecture. HSPA+ eases the path to LTE as the two
technologies use the same flat network architecture. As early as February 2007, live demonstrations of
one GTP Tunnel with a flat IP base station showed a flat architecture by extending the one tunnel
approach of the Packet Switched Network to the Radio Access Network consisting of a base station and
single core network node on the user plane. With Direct Tunnel, data packets between the IP-based
Internet and the WCDMA network are tunneled directly from the RNCs to the GGSNs. The SGSN only
establishes the connection and handles location and charging-related tasks – and no longer handles data
traffic between the RNCs and GGSNs. The main benefits are the CAPEX and capacity savings, which, for
example, during a two-year period for operator TeliaSonera, in 2009 amounted to 40 percent. On the
technical side, a full 90 percent of throughput capacity was freed up by bypassing the SGSN with the
Direct Tunnel solution. These benefits would not have materialized if the choice had been to purchase
further SGSN units. Because Direct Tunnel is not a technical network feature that is easily visible, nor is it
often publicly announced, the number of operators that are utilizing direct tunnel is not evident. Direct
Tunnel is a key component of the flat architecture used in the technological evolution to LTE and is
specified by 3GPP.12 One leading vendor affirmed over 65 Direct Tunnel deployments as early as
November 2009. For more information on Direct Tunnel, 13the 3G Americas white paper, UMTS Evolution
for Release 7 to Release 8 - HSPA and SAE/LTE.
HSPA Rel-6 mobile broadband equipment supports peak theoretical throughput rates up to 14 Mbps
downlink and up to 5.8 Mbps uplink, capabilities that are typically added to existing networks using a
simple software-only upgrade, which can be downloaded remotely to the UMTS Radio Network Controller
(RNC) and NodeB. Most leading operators are now moving forward with deployment of Rel-7 HSPA+.
Nearly all vendors have existing NodeB modules that are already HSPA+ capable and the activation is
done on a software basis only. This solution is part of a converged RAN strategy with building blocks to
10
Ibid.
11
Introducing the T-Mobile G2 with Google—the First Smartphone Delivering 4G Speeds on T-Mobile’s Super-Fast HSPA+
Network, T-Mobile USA, 9 September 2010.
12
3GPP TS23.060 General Packet Rado Service (GPRS); Service description; Stage 2 (Release 7), section 15.6.
13
UMTS Evolution for Release 7 to Release 8 HSPA and SAE/LTE, 3G Americas, December 2007,
http://www.4gamericas.org/documents/UMTS_Rel-8_White_Paper_12.10.07_final.pdf
Converged Controller
Converged transport
Vendors are enhancing network quality with advances such as flat IP femtocells, enabling operators to
provide comprehensive in-building or in-home coverage. 3G femtocells are offered by many leading
manufacturers, and although operator deployments were slower than initially anticipated, Vodafone (UK),
China Unicom, AT&T and Verizon, were among those operators offering customers the option for
potentially improved in-building coverage by the fourth quarter of 2009. Many more operators were
moving to a converged broadband environment through the proliferation of small cells in 2010, extending
the technology from residential gateways to the enterprise and into the metropolitan areas. Most
femtocells in 2009 supported the Rel-6 standard; in 2010 companies are providing UICC for femtocells
that will implement Rel-9 features. The introduction of femtocells is an early step in the move toward small
cell architectures, which are expected to play a major role in the introduction of Rel-8 LTE networks.
Beyond HSPA, leading vendors are actively developing and testing IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)
device implementation. The GSMA’s IMS (Video Share) Interoperability Test Sessions yielded important
early successes in demonstrating IMS functionality in 2006 as well as ensuring interoperable solutions.
This was further supported by vendors at the 2007 World Congress with demonstrations of IMS Video
Share on all types of devices.
In November 2006, Softbank Mobile Corp. in Japan launched the world’s first IMS-based services over a
3G network with new exciting 3G services initially including Push-to-Talk, presence and group list
management. IMS Mobile VoIP over HSPA was demonstrated for the first time on a mobile terminal at the
3GSM World Congress 2007.
IMS serves as the cornerstone for next-generation blended lifestyle services. Vendors are supporting IMS
development across multiple frequency bands to deliver valuable applications and services. Mobile
softswitches – compliant with 3GPP Rel-4, Rel-5, Rel-6 and Rel-7 architecture – that were in the market
in 2009 support a smooth evolution to VoIP and IMS. CS core inter-working with SIP call control, and
end-to-end VoIP support, with or without IMS, and can deliver mobile voice service with up to 70 percent
savings in operating expenditures, according to a leading vendor. Some vendors’ IMS solutions optimize
core network topology by moving from vertically implemented services towards common session control,
QoS policy management and charging control. IMS intuitive networks are device, application and end-
user aware, resulting in the creation of an ecosystem of best-in-breed real-time multimedia applications
and services. IMS developer programs are available in Germany, the U.S., China and Singapore to
encourage the creation of advanced IMS applications and services. IMS solutions, such as the service
enhancement layer, allow for integration of a set of software technologies that enable wireless, wireline
and converged network operators to create and deliver simple, seamless, secure, portable and personal
multimedia services to their customers. VoIP platforms have been developed for deployments across all
types of networks that support Web Services Software Development Kits (SDKs), which enable operators
to combine communications services with the IT world. Signaling overlay solutions for fixed and mobile
operators provide number portability and SS7 signaling capabilities. They also offer a variety of features
to help operators protect their networks against SMS fraud and SMS spam.
AT&T has probably been one of the most aggressive in the IMS segment of the market, having deployed
the technology for its U-Verse offering that allows customers to integrate mobile services via a broadband
connection powering in-home Internet, TV and wired phone services. AT&T also just started to further
integrate its wireless service into the mix, most recently through apps for select smartphones that enable
subscribers to control their TV digital video recorder or watch programs on their MIDs (Mobile Internet
Devices).
In general, wireless carriers have been very slowly moving towards IMS deployments for a variety of
reasons. Beyond some small and incomplete IMS deployments by carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and
France's Orange Internet, wireless industry analysts have noted that the slow adoption rate has been
mostly due to a lack of need for IMS to this point. Brian Partridge, Vice President at Yankee Group, said,
“IMS technology has been less of a success so far. The business case for IMS has not been compelling,
at least not until today, and we don't really see that changing until at least March or April of 2011. VoIP
simply isn't viable for mobile today. You need IMS to enable rich communication services, but at this point
it's a set of services in search of a business case. But we are still hopeful that this could change soon.”15
Some wireless industry analysts have underscored that the lack of action on behalf of the mobile industry
has been due to a lack of network capacity to handle the services IMS desperately needs. “In terms of
infrastructure, the largest drawback for IMS in the mobile segment has been the small size of the network
pipe,” said Joe McGarvey, Principal Analyst for IP Services Infrastructure at Current Analysis Inc. “That
might sound a bit rudimentary, but that has been the case in some cases we've seen.”16
McGarvey also noted that on the wired side, IMS has been used mostly as a way to overlay a VoIP
(Voice over Internet Protocol) application, allowing enterprises to offer voice services over their data
networks. However, for mobile that has not yet been needed as 2G and 3G networks are based on voice-
focused technologies and, thus, there has been no need to turn to VoIP. That is expected to change once
4G networks start coming online. Infonetics Research and others expect LTE-based wireless networks to
be a boon for the IMS market.17
Mobile TV services have been launched by several carriers worldwide, particularly in Japan and South
Korea. According to ABI Research analysis, several factors have hindered the widespread deployment
and adoption of mobile cellular and broadcast TV services up to 2010. However, the market inhibitors are
being addressed and worldwide adoption will accelerate starting in 2012 through 2015 when total market
revenues are forecast to exceed $20 billion.18
14
Wireless carriers moving very slowly towards IMS deployments, WirelessIndustryNews.com, 14 October 2010.
15
Ibid.
16
Ibid.
17
Ibid.
18
Mobile TV Services Set for Accelerated Adoption After 2012; Forecast to Top $20 Billion in 2015. ABI Research, 16 June 2010.
The lack of free and simulcast local and national TV programs as a primer for fee-based premium
content in most countries outside of Japan and South Korea
Limited analog-to-digital TV transitions in most regions that would allow broadcasters to simulcast
mobile and terrestrial TV services. Most developed countries will complete that transition by 2012
3G cellular service throughput and latency performance are inadequate for mobile TV. The
deployment of 4G networks over the next few years will enable a significantly improved mobile TV
experience
The mobile TV service allows users to easily access stored content for playback, making the mobile TV
service more attractive and personal. Peak theoretical speeds of up to 84 Mbps and 12 Mbps on the
uplink will be supported by HSPA+ in the coming years, and Rel-10 will bring the throughput rates even
higher. These speeds are achieved by combining new higher order modulation technology (64 QAM),
together with 2X2 MIMO antenna technology and later with dual-carrier.
Mobile TV subscribers worldwide are expected to grow at a CAGR of over 47 percent between 2010 and
2013 to reach 570 million by the end of 2013. Moreover, streaming technology will dominate the global
mobile TV subscriber base by the end of 2013.19
Rel-8 HSPA evolution at 42 Mbps was first demonstrated at CTIA Wireless 2008 using a form-factor
handheld device. The improved speed will assist operators in leveraging existing network infrastructure to
meet the growing consumer appetite for advanced multimedia services. Some operators may choose to
deploy HSPA+ with higher order modulation and forestall MIMO. They will achieve excellent advances
and benefits, with speeds up to 21 Mbps without deploying MIMO. As previously noted, operators are
already deploying HSPA+ with MIMO and 64 QAM, and there were more than ten commercial dual-carrier
HSPA+ networks as of December 2010. Telstra was first to deploy Rel-8 dual-carrier HSPA+ (DC-
HSPA+) at peak speeds of 42 Mbps in February 2010. In Canada, Bell began their rollout of DC-HSPA+
in November 2010, with Telus following suit. In the U.S., T-Mobile has announced plans to deploy DC-
HSPA+ in 2011.
EDGE has been deployed to over 80 percent of GPRS networks globally20 and is developed in Rel-7 as
Evolved EDGE (EEDGE), GERAN Evolution or EDGE Evolution with the following features: Downlink
Dual Carrier (DLDC), EGPRS2 (with variants EGPRS2A and EGPRS2B), Latency Reductions (LATRED)
and MS Receive Diversity (MSRD). A leading vendor’s progress on the evolution of EDGE was already
demonstrated end-to-end in 2008 by and continued in 2009 when the EDGE DLDC network solution with
peak theoretical downlink speeds of up to 592 kbps became available from network vendors. In 2010, a
leading device manufacturer conducted the first successful field trial of EEDGE (Rel-7). The next update,
called EGPRS 2B, will further double peak theoretical downlink speeds up to 1.2 Mbps and uplink speeds
of up to 473 kbps. These evolutionary enhancements are essential to provide service continuity with
HSPA and LTE, since more than 72 percent of HSPA networks are deployed with EDGE and 84 percent
of HSPA devices also support EDGE.21 There are numerous operators worldwide who are trialing EEDGE
and it is anticipated that deployment may occur in 2011.
19
Global Mobile TV Forecast to 2013 – April 2010. http://www.electronics.ca/publications/products/Global-Mobile-TV-Forecast-to-
2013.html
20
WCIS+, Informa Telecoms & Media, December 2010.
21
GSA, Mobile Broadband Update, 25 November 2010.
With the number of wireless devices already beyond five billion, and a growing percentage of
smartphones, the increasing traffic challenge for operators is how they will manage their network traffic.
Solutions are being offered for agile intelligent mobile networks, solutions like web optimizers that will
support Rel-8 and beyond networks by using compression, caching and transcoding techniques to
increase data transfer rates while decreasing the amount of traffic flowing over the network. Web and
media optimizing are intelligent, content-aware solutions that work to automatically trigger optimization
when the network reaches pre-determined thresholds. Media optimization will address the growing
richness of the mobile internet video content.
After 3GPP approved specifications for Rel-8 standards in January 2008, work continued throughout the
year, and in March 2009, the completed final standards on HSPA+, LTE and EPC/SAE enhancements
were published.
The first live demonstrations of the future-proof solutions that formed an integral building block for the
Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or System Architecture Evolution (SAE) occurred at the Mobile World
Congress and CTIA Wireless in 2007 including support for an integrated Voice Call Continuity (VCC)
solution for GSM-WLAN handover.
LTE lab trials between vendors and operators also began in 2007. In November 2007, LTE test calls were
completed between infrastructure vendors and device vendors using mobile prototypes representing the
first multivendor over-the-air LTE interoperability testing initiatives. Field trials in realistic urban
deployment scenarios were created for LTE as early as December 2007, and with a 2X2 MIMO antenna
system, the trials reached peak data rates of up to 173 Mbps and more than 100 Mbps over distances of
several hundred meters. Trials demonstrated that future LTE networks could run on existing base station
sites.
The first multi-mode 3G/LTE chipsets were sampled in November 2009, supporting both LTE Frequency
Division Duplex (FDD) and LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) including integrated support for Rel-8 CD-
HSPA+ and EV-DO Rev B, helping to provide the user with a seamless mobile broadband experience.
Many lab and field trials for LTE were conducted in 2008. By September 2009, one leading vendor
reported that it had already deployed 20 trial networks throughout the world while another vendor
asserted to having 16 active trials underway in November 2009.
As of the end of 2009, more than 100 operators had indicated their intentions to trial or deploy LTE and
that number grew to more than 250 operators by the third quarter of 2010 (for a complete list of LTE
commitments, see Appendix F.) TeliaSonera launched the first commercial LTE networks in Oslo, Norway
and Stockholm, Sweden in December 2009. By November 2010, there were ten commercial LTE
networks worldwide, with as many as twenty commercial launches expected by the end of the year.
Live 2X2 LTE solutions in 20 MHz for Rel-8 were demonstrated at both the Mobile World Congress 2008
and CTIA Wireless 2008. Among the new exciting applications demonstrated on LTE networks at various
bands, including the new 1.7/2.1 GHz AWS band, were: HD video blogging, HD video-on-demand and
video streaming, multi-user video collaboration, video surveillance, online gaming and even CDMA-to-
LTE handover showing the migration possible from CDMA and EV-DO to LTE. In February 2009, LTE
mobility and speed were demonstrated during live drive tests through the streets of Barcelona at Mobile
World Congress, in April through Las Vegas at CTIA 2009; and in August, on the roads of Sweden. As
previously noted, some vendors offer equipment that is software definable for the ideal upgrade path to
LTE. Beginning in Q3 2008, UMTS-HSPA base stations that could be upgraded to LTE via software in the
same frequency became available; operators could deploy the base stations with UMTS-HSPA
technology and then chose to upgrade to LTE in 2010. Many bands are supported by these base stations
including the 1.7/2.1 GHz AWS band and the recently auctioned 700 MHz bands in the U.S.
Many vendors developed new base stations in 2008 that are compact energy-efficient site solutions and
support GSM-EDGE, UMTS-HSPA and LTE in a single package. These multi-standard base stations offer
many options that make decisions simpler while providing greater freedom of choice and a clear
evolutionary path.
22
3GPP HSPA-LTE Timeline, 4G Americas and Informa Telecoms & Media, December 2010.
The first Rel-8 compliant LTE eNodeB ready for large-scale commercial deployment was launched in July
2009, and is capable of supporting a peak theoretical rate of up to 150 Mbps on the downlink. Regulatory
authorities around the world have moved forward with certification of LTE equipment in various bands.
By November 2009, LTE base stations (eNodeBs) were commercially available from Alcatel-Lucent,
Ericsson, Huawei, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks and Fujitsu. Several other leading vendors made
announcements in 2010.
The eNodeB features enhanced coverage and capacity for improved performance, superior power
efficiency for reduced energy consumption, lower total cost of ownership, and advanced Self-Organizing
Network (SON) implementation to help operators build and operate their LTE networks at a lower cost.
SON aims to leapfrog to a higher level of automated operation in mobile networks and is part of the move
to LTE in Rel-8. Benefits of SON include its ability to boost network quality and cut OPEX. Traffic patterns
in cellular networks are changing quickly with mobile data closing in on voice services; therefore, an
intelligent network with the ability to quickly and autonomously optimize itself could sustain both network
quality and a satisfying user experience. In this context, the term Self-Organizing Network is generally
taken to mean a cellular network in which the tasks of configuring, operating, and optimizing are largely
automated. Radio access elements account for a large share of cellular networks’ installation,
deployment, and maintenance costs. This is why efforts to introduce SON focus on the network’s radio
access assets first. A 2006 decision by the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) alliance was
instrumental in driving development of SON. NGMN singled out SON as a key design principle for the
next-generation mobile network, and published a specifications paper in 2008. Hence, SON was often
associated with LTE technology. And as a consequence, while drafting LTE specifications, 3GPP
introduced SON in Rel-8. Subsequent 3GPP releases will cover further SON specifications, starting with
auto-configuration functions.
In October 2009, T-Mobile completed testing on the world’s first LTE Self-Organizing Network (SON) in
Innsbruck, Austria. Also in October, a manufacturer announced a revolutionary base station
commissioning process called “SON Plug and Play.”
Depending on regulatory aspects in different geographical areas, radio spectrum for mobile
communication is available in different frequency bands, in different sizes and comes as both paired and
unpaired bands. Consequently, when the work on LTE started late 2004 with 3GPP setting the
requirements on what the standard should achieve, spectrum flexibility was established as one of the
main requirements, which included the possibility to operate in different spectrum allocations ranging from
1.4 MHz up to 20 MHz, as well as the possibility to exploit both paired and unpaired spectrum. In
essence, this meant that the same solutions should be used for FDD and TDD whenever possible in
order to provide a larger economy of scale benefit to both LTE FDD and LTE TDD.
LTE operating in both FDD and TDD modes on the same base station was first demonstrated in January
2008. By using the same platform for both paired and unpaired spectrum, LTE provides large economies
In October 2008, China Mobile announced that it was jointly implementing tests with relevant operators to
set up TD-SCDMA LTE TDD trial networks in 2010 and investing in research and development to build
the ecosystem. In September 2009, China Mobile partnered with a leading vendor to demonstrate an LTE
TDD femtocell with a live streaming video downlink application at its research institute laboratory.
According to China Mobile, the demonstration achieved throughputs exceeding the typical xDSL speed
currently available via residential broadband connections. In collaboration with China’s Ministry of
Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Phase I field trials and a full feature set TD-LTE lab trial
supported 3GPP Rel-8. All major pavilions at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai China had indoor coverage
with TD-LTE (Rel-8) and China Mobile launched the world’s first trial TD-LTE network in May 2010.
The first over-the-air (OTA) TD-LTE data session on the TD-LTE network in Shanghai was completed and
China’s MIIT approved TD-LTE key functionalities. The first TD-LTE dongle was also unveiled at
Shanghai Expo. Another first at Shanghai for TD-LTE was the first high-definition video call including
handover with a TD-LTE device from a leading manufacturer in August 2010.
In addition, the first live drive demo of TD-LTE Rel-8 was conducted at ITU World Telecom in Geneva in
October, demonstrating 82 Mbps (maximum theoretical rate) in a real-world environment. There was also
a fist real-world TD-LTE demonstration with SON capability (Rel-8) at a vendor’s LTE trial network in the
U.K. in 2010. And TD-LTE was demonstrated using broadband wireless access spectrum in India with the
first video call running on commercial hardware, marking an important milestone and moving 2.3 GHz TD-
LTE closer to commercial availability.
In November 2009, a top tier vendor announced that it was developing both LTE TDD and FDD chipsets.
As mentioned earlier in this section, the first multi-mode chipsets for both LTE FDD and TDD with
integrated support for 3G DC-HSPA+ and EV-DO Re B were sampled in November 2009.
The world’s first triple mode LTE modem was introduced in February 2010, which is compatible with all
three major network standards: GSM, UMTS and LTE (currently supporting Rel-8).
Rel-8 User Interface Control Channel (UICC) to LTE networks in the U.S. and around the world were
provided in 2010 enabling Over the Air (OTA) remote application and file management over Hypertext
Transfer Protocol Secure HTTP(S). This migration away from the traditional UICC updates over (Short
Message Service) SMS enables greater efficiency and reduced cost of operation with higher availability.
In order to make LTE licensing as fair and reasonable as possible, in April 2008, a joint initiative was
announced by leading vendors Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NEC, NextWave Wireless, Nokia, Nokia
Siemens Networks and Sony Ericsson to enhance the predictability and transparency of (Intellectual
Property Rights) IPR licensing costs in future 3GPP LTE/SAE technology. The initiative included a
commitment to an IPR licensing framework to provide more predictable maximum aggregate IPR costs for
LTE technology and enable early adoption of this technology into products.
In April 2008, the first public announcements were made about LTE demonstrations at high vehicular
speeds with download speeds of 50 Mbps in a moving vehicle at 110 km/h. By August 2008,
demonstrations of the first LTE mobility handover at high vehicular speeds were completed and
announced jointly by LTE infrastructure and device manufacturers. T-Mobile announced successful live-
air testing of an LTE trial network, in real-world operating conditions with a leading vendor during the
month of September 2008. Data download rates of 170 Mbps and upload rates of 50 Mbps were
repeatedly demonstrated with terminals and devices on a test drive loop that included handoffs between
multiple cells and sectors.
The world’s first LTE handover test using a commercially available base station and fully Rel-8 standards
compliant software was conducted in March 2009. In the same month, another milestone was achieved
as the world’s first LTE call on Rel-8 baseline standard using a commercial base station and fully
standard compliant software was made. This is the first standardization baseline to which future LTE
devices will be backwards compatible. In August 2009, T-Mobile (Austria) demonstrated full mobility
capabilities on Europe’s largest LTE commercial trial network. In July 2010, the first LTE call at 800 MHz
was completed, moving the industry closer to realizing the potential of digital dividend spectrum.
Perhaps among the most exciting milestones in 2009 was TeliaSonera’s December 14 launch of the
world’s first commercial LTE networks in both Sweden and Norway. With network speeds capable of
delivering HD video services, this major achievement was supported by two leading vendors.
The readiness of LTE to deliver mission critical communications for public safety has been demonstrated
in the U.S. leading the way to the establishment of a nationwide LTE broadband network (Rel-8). An LTE
data call was successfully completed over 700 MHz Band 14, the spectrum earmarked for public safety
agencies in the U.S.
E911 calls over LTE are being supported by adding LTE node functionality to existing location service
platforms by a leading vendor.
The IMS Core in wireless and wireline networks began moving from vertically implemented services
towards common session control, QoS policy management and charging control in 2009. Additionally, in
2009, the first Voice-over-LTE solutions were launched with IMS.
Evolved Packet Core (EPC) is the IP-based core network defined by 3GPP in Rel-8 for use by LTE and
other access technologies. The goal of EPC is to provide simplified all-IP core network architecture to
efficiently give access to various services such as the ones provided in IMS. EPC consists essentially of a
Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving Gateway (S-GW) that interfaces with the E-UTRAN and a
PDN Gateway (P-GW) that interfaces to external packet data networks. EPC for LTE networks were
announced by numerous vendors beginning in February 2009, allowing operators to modernize their core
data networks to support a wide variety of access types using a common core network. EPC solutions
typically include backhaul, network management solutions, video solutions that monetize LTE investment
and a complete portfolio of professional services.
By the third quarter of 2008, the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) – an organization
comprised of the world’s major mobile network operators as well as leading manufacturers – selected
LTE as the sole technology that successfully matched its requirements. Other technologies such as
mobile WiMAX and Ultra Mobile Broadband were not selected at that time.
A strong ecosystem is needed to support the launch of a new technology and offer the benefits of scope
and scale. The LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI) has provided support to ensure timely development of the
LTE ecosystem; all leading vendors for LTE are actively participating in LSTI. Early co-development and
testing with chipset, device and infrastructure vendors will help accelerate comprehensive interworking
and interoperability activities and the availability of the complete ecosystem. Some manufacturers will
support a complete in-house ecosystem providing LTE chipsets, handsets and CPE, backhaul solutions
and experience in the deployment of OFDM/LTE mobile broadband networks. The future for LTE and its
already impressive ecosystem is evidence of a well-defined standard.
Technology milestones and advances in the evolution of UMTS and HSPA continue to develop as the
number of 3G customers grows at a rapidly increasing rate. With the structure for services and
applications growing more securely, the demand for wireless data services and other advanced voice
applications is also demonstrating tremendous development. Refer to Appendix A for more detailed
information on the progress of UMTS Rel-99 to Rel-8.
3GPP Rel-9 focuses on enhancements to HSPA+ and LTE while Rel-10 focuses on the next generation
of LTE for the ITU’s IMT-Advanced requirements and both were developed nearly simultaneously by
3GPP standards working groups. Several milestones have been achieved by vendors in recent years for
both Rel-9 and Rel-10. Most significant was the final ratification by the ITU of LTE-Advanced (Rel-10) as
4G IMT-Advanced in November 2010.
HSPA+ was further enhanced in Rel-9 and was demonstrated at 56 Mbps featuring multi-carrier and
MIMO technologies in Beijing at P&T/Wireless & Networks Comm China in 2009. Vendors anticipate that
the steps in progress for HSPA+ will lead up to 168 Mbps peak theoretical downlink throughput speeds
and more than 20 Mbps uplink speeds in Rel-10 in coming years. At Mobile World Congress 2010, the
world’s first HSPA+ data call with a peak throughput of 112 Mbps was demonstrated by a leading vendor.
M2M Identity Modules (MIM) with Rel-9 M2M Form Factors (MFF) are being shipped around the world for
devices now embarking wireless in vehicles and harsh environments where humidity and vibration would
not allow the traditional 2FF and 3FF to perform to the requirements. These MFF MIM also include
additional software features to enable the expected life expectancy for such devices.
Vendors are already progressing beyond LTE with the next generation of technologies in Rel-10 for IMT-
Advanced, called LTE-Advanced, demonstrating that the evolution of LTE is secure and future-proof. In
October 2009, 3GPP submitted LTE-Advanced to the ITU as a proposed candidate IMT-Advanced
technology for which specifications could become available in 2011 through Rel-10. Detailed information
on the progress of LTE-Advanced is provided in Section 6 of this paper.
Milestones have already been achieved in the commercialization of Rel-10 and beyond. As early as
December 2008, researchers conducted the world’s first demonstration of Rel-10 LTE-Advanced
technology, breaking new ground with mobile broadband communications beyond LTE. A leading
infrastructure company’s researchers successfully demonstrated Relaying technology proposed for LTE-
Advanced in Germany. The demonstration illustrated how advances to Relaying technology could further
improve the quality and coverage consistency of a network at the cell edge – where users were furthest
from the mobile broadband base station. Relaying technology – which can also be integrated in normal
base station platforms – is cost-efficient and easy to deploy as it does not require additional backhaul.
The demonstration of LTE-Advanced indicated how operators could plan their LTE network investments
knowing that the already best-in-class LTE radio performance, including cell edge data rates, could be
further improved and that the technological development path for the next stage of LTE is secure and
future-proof.
The industry’s first live field tests of Coordinated Multipoint Transmission (CoMP), a new technology
based on network MIMO, were conducted in Berlin in October 2009. CoMP will increase data
transmission rates and help ensure consistent service quality and throughput on LTE wireless broadband
networks as well as on 3G networks. By coordinating and combining signals from multiple antennas,
CoMP, will make it possible for mobile users to enjoy consistent performance and quality when they
access and share videos, photos and other high-bandwidth services whether they are close to the center
of an LTE cell or at its outer edges.
The key elements of success for new technologies include the networks, devices and applications.
Infrastructure vendors are partnering with many leading application vendors to make sure operators can
fully exploit an LTE network’s potential to increase operator revenues. In the fourth quarter of 2009, one
leading vendor developed and launched an initiative called ng Connect, as a multi-industry collaboration
among leading network, device, application and content suppliers to develop pre-integrated examples of
applications and services for 4G and 4G networks. Detailed information on the progress of Rel-9 and Rel-
10 features by members of 4G Americas is presented in Appendix A of this white paper.
“Mobile voice service is already considered a necessity by many, and mobile data, video,
and TV services are now becoming an essential part of consumers’ lives. Mobile
subscribers are growing rapidly and bandwidth demand due to data and video is
increasing. Mobile machine-to-machine (M2M) connections continue to increase. The
next five years are projected to provide unabated mobile video adoption despite the
recent economic downturn. Operators are rolling out increased bandwidth through
Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO),
High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), and related upgrades. There is a need
for backhaul capacity to increase in order for mobile broadband, data access, and video
services to engage the end consumer as well as keep costs in check.”23
Data traffic is now significantly more than the voice traffic.24 With the success factors of high-speed
mobile broadband networks, Internet-friendly handheld devices (smartphones) and a wide variety of
applications in place, consumer adoption curves for wireless data are showing the “hockey stick” effect on
charts and, as wireless voice ARPU hits the flat rate ceiling, data ARPU is proving to be the next big
growth engine for mobile operators.
4000
3500
Petabytes Per Month
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Year
In its annual Visual Networking Index Forecast 2009-2014, Cisco Systems reported that global IP traffic
will increase more than fourfold to 767 exabytes by 2014 and video will represent more than 91 percent of
23
Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update 2009-2014, Cisco, 9 February 2010.
24
US Mobile Data Market Update Q2 2010, Chetan Sharma, 10 August 2010.
25
Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, Cisco, 9 February 2010.
Considering that there were more than 4.75 billion GSM-HSPA subscriptions worldwide by December
2010, including an estimated 371 million 3G UMTS-HSPA subscriptions, the tremendous opportunity for
the uptake of wireless data services and applications is clear.27
In this section, the growing demands for wireless data are demonstrated by examples of increased
operator ARPU from data services, a variety of mobile broadband applications for consumers and the
enterprise and analysts’ predictions for their growth as well as the introduction of a greater variety of
wireless data devices such as smartphones and netbooks and tablets.
Using AT&T as an example for the growth rate of mobile data traffic, the volume of traffic grew from just
over 1 billion megabytes in the third quarter of 2007 to about 30.3 billion megabytes in the third quarter of
2010, according to CTO John Donovan in November at the Sancha Conference in San Francisco (2010).
That growth rate of about 30 times is down from the previous three year growth of 50 times reported
earlier in 2010, and remains explosive even at the current rate of more than 3,000 percent over the past
three years. AT&T continues to upgrade its network to meet that demand, with the evolution of HSPA,
LTE planned for 2011 and backhaul upgrades from its cell sites to Ethernet on fiber links.28
“The explosive growth in mobile communications is outpacing our ability to keep up. If we don’t act to
update our spectrum policies for the 21st century, we’re going to run into a wall -- a spectrum crunch --
that will stifle American innovations and economic growth and cost us the opportunity to lead the world in
mobile communications,” stated FCC Chairman Genachowski as the commission issued a report on
October 20, 2010, that detailed the “looming spectrum crunch.”29 Some of the key findings of the report
included the following:
This spectrum crunch will be driven by significant growth of mobile broadband traffic, on the order
of 35 times recent levels
Mobile broadband growth is likely to likely to outpace the ability of technology and network
improvements to keep up by an estimated factor of three
Meeting this need may create US$120 billion in spectrum value, with hundreds of billions more in
total value to the economy
4.1 WIRELESS DATA TRENDS AND FORECASTS
Mobile data traffic is growing at an incredible rate. The U.S. has become ground zero for mobile
broadband consumption and data traffic management evolution, according to industry analyst Chetan
Sharma. Data traffic has surpassed voice traffic and the current usage and data consumption trends are
pushing wireless carriers to accelerate their plans for 3.5G/4G services and develop long-term strategies
26
Ibid.
27
World Cellular Information Service, Informa Telecoms & Media, December 2010.
28
AT&T mobile data growth eases – to 30X, IDG News. 16 November 2010.
29
Prepared Remarks of Chairman Julius Genachowski, Federal Communications Commission, FCC Spectrum Summit,
Washington, D.C., 21 October 2010.
A wave in Internet connectivity growth is being driven by the cellular industry, and the global number of
Internet connected devices has now surpassed the number of connected computers and is growing at a
much faster rate.31 According to CTIA, there were more than 243.5 million Internet-capable devices
during the time of its survey, which was an increase of more than 6.4 million since June 2009.32
SMS text messaging also continues to grow as more SMS-capable devices widely penetrate the market.
As of June 2010, 1.8 trillion SMS messages were reported.33 This number is up by 33 percent from the
year before, when 740 billion text messages were reported for the first half of 2009. Wireless subscribers
are also sending more pictures and other Multimedia Messages (MMS) with their mobile devices – 56.3
billion MMS messages were reported for the first half of 2010, an increase of 187 percent.
Data traffic continues to increase across all U.S. networks, which CTIA reported handling 161.5 billion
megabytes of data in the six months ending in June 2010, up 49.8 percent from the last half of 2009.34
The U.S. wireless data market grew 6 percent quarter over quarter and 22 percent year over year to
exceed $13.2 billion in mobile data service revenues in Q2 2010, according to Chetan Sharma. Non-
messaging services continued to capture 60 to 65 percent of the data revenues of U.S. carriers.35
In its June 2010 Visual Networking Index, Cisco estimates that almost 66 percent of the world’s mobile
data traffic will be video by 2014 and will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 131
percent between 2009 and 2014. Cisco reported that mobile video had the highest growth rate of any
application category measured within the mobile data portion of its Cisco VNI forecast at that time.36
Forecasts by consulting firm Ovum show that users of mobile broadband services (3G and 3G+
technologies) will grow from 181 million in 2008 to over 2 billion in 2014; a staggering growth of 1,024
percent. Ovum forecasts that users accessing the Internet via mobile broadband-enabled laptops and
handsets will generate revenues of US$137 billion globally in 2014, over 450 percent more than in
2008.37
There will be a continuing shift in the percentage of 3G mobile broadband versus 2G connections.
Informa Telecoms & Media predicts that by the end of 2015, the global 3G mobile broadband market will
include over 4.2 billion subscriptions, of which 3.6 billion will be 3GPP family technologies with 87 percent
share of market.38 This substantial number of mobile broadband connections will serve to feed the
growth of data services.
30
US Mobile Data Market Update Q2 2010, Chetan Sharma, 10 August 2010.
31
Internet connected Devices about to pass the 5 billion milestone, IMS Research, 19 August 2010.
32
Semi-Annual Survey on Wireless Trends, CTIA, 6 October 2010.
33
Ibid.
34
Ibid.
35
US Mobile Data Market Update Q2 2010, Chetan Sharma, 10 August 2010.
36
Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2009-2014, Cisco, 2 June 2010.
37
2 billion+ mobile broadband users by 2014, 450% more revenue - and watch emerging markets, Michael Schwartz, Analysis
Market Trends, 15 April 2009.
38
Forecast Summary, 2Q 2010, Informa Telecoms & Media.
4.2 WIRELESS DATA REVENUE
Presently, wireless voice revenues are more than double the revenues of wireless data. Within five years,
wireless data is expected to represent the majority of industry revenues.39
Infonetics Research forecasts that revenue generated by mobile service providers would reach US$829
billion by 2014, driven by mobile broadband service-derived revenues which are predicted to more than
double between 2010 and 2014.40
ABI Research forecasts global revenues from mobile messaging services, including SMS and mobile
email from mobile business customers, will reach $48 billion by 2014, with data access services revenues
for handsets and computing estimated to total $43 billion by 2014.41
The U.S. remains a very strong market for operator revenues. The U.S. average industry percentage
contribution of data to overall ARPU was 33 percent in Q3 2010 according to industry analyst Chetan
Sharma. Mobile data revenues for the U.S. are likely to reach $54B by the end of 2010 with 25 percent
growth year-over-year.42 Sharma predicts that in 2013, one should expect data and voice revenues to be
roughly equal for the U.S. carriers.43
CTIA reported in its Semi-Annual Survey on Wireless Trends that annualized wireless data service
revenues showed impressive year-to-year gains, climbing to $48.6 billion for the first half of 2010 in the
39
Atlantic-ACM, http://atlantic-acm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=558&Itemid=1.
40
Mobile broadband service revenue to more than double by 2014, Infonetics Research, 15 July 2010.
41
Enterprise Mobile Data Revenues to Reach $43 Billion by 2014, ABI Research, 16 March 2010.
42
US Mobile Data Market Update Q3 2010, Chetan Sharma, 7 November 2010.
43
US Mobile Data Traffic to Top 1 Exabyte, GigaOm, 7 November 2010.
AT&T’s wireless data revenues at the third quarter 2010 – from messaging, Internet access, access to
applications and related services – increased $1.1 billion, or 30.5 percent from the year-earlier quarter, to
$4.8 billion. Additionally, AT&T wireless subscribers on data plans increased by 21.5 percent over the 12
months ending September 2010. Fifty-seven percent of AT&T’s 67.7 million postpaid subscribers had
integrated devices, up from 42 percent a year earlier. The average ARPU for integrated devices on
AT&T’s network was 1.7 times that of the company’s non-integrated device base. Churn levels for these
plans continued to run below the company’s postpaid base. AT&T’s third-quarter integrated device growth
included 5.2 million iPhone activations, the most iPhone activations ever in a quarter. This was 61.6
percent more than the previous quarterly record of 3.2 million activated in the second quarter of 2010.
Approximately 24 percent of those activations were for customers who were new to AT&T.44
With its rapid network deployment of HSPA+ in 2010, T-Mobile USA's data growth started to match other
leading mobile service providers by the third quarter of 2010. Service revenues reached $1.26 billion,
increasing 25 percent year-over-year by September 2010. Data service revenues per customer grew to
$12.40, representing 27 percent of blended ARPU, up from 25 percent of blended ARPU/$11.60 per
customer in the second quarter of 2010. T-Mobile USA reported 7.2 million subscribers used
smartphones at the third quarter 2010, compared to 6.5 million in the previous quarter and 2.8 million in
the third quarter of 2009. The operator credited increasing smartphone penetration as well as ongoing
network upgrades for increasing adoption of mobile broadband data plans, adding that messaging
remained a substantial component of blended data ARPU.45
In Canada, Rogers Wireless had data revenue growth of 28 percent at the third quarter of 2010. Wireless
data revenue comprised 28 percent of total wireless network revenue and was helped by the activation
and upgrade of a record 529,000 additional smartphones during the third quarter, predominantly
BlackBerry, iPhone and Android devices, of which approximately 33 percent were for subscribers new to
wireless, compared to 370,000 in the prior year’s third quarter. This resulted in subscribers with
smartphones, who typically generate ARPU nearly twice that of voice only subscribers, representing 37
percent of the overall postpaid subscriber base as at September 30, 2010, up from 28 percent as at
September 30, 2009.46
Informa Telecoms & Media reported the average data contribution to ARPU in Latin America as of 2Q
2010 at 19 percent. Countries with the highest data contribution to ARPU were: Argentina (39 percent),
Venezuela (33 percent), Mexico (24 percent), Ecuador (24 percent), Brazil (15 percent), Colombia and
Peru (14 percent), and Chile (13 percent); the data contribution to ARPU represented US$ 4 billion in
Latin America during this period.
4.3 MOBILE BROADBAND DEVICES
The worldwide mobile phone market grew 14.6 percent in Q3 2010, which, according to IDC, was the
fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth and was driven in part by the fast-growing converged
mobile device category.
44
AT&T Investor Briefing #207, AT&T, 21 October 2010.
45 rd
T-Mobile USA Reports 3 Quarter 2010 Results, 4 November 2010
46
Rogers Reports Third Quarter 2010 Financial and Operating Results, 26 October 2010
As of June 2010, smartphones comprised 31 percent of the U.S. subscription base.50 Forecasts by
Nielsen Research indicate that by the end of 2011, smartphones will outnumber feature phones in the
U.S. One in two Americans will own a smartphone by year-end 2011, Nielsen estimates, compared to one
in 10 reported for Q2 2008. Nielsen Research expects that the acceleration of the growth rate makes
sense due to increased application availability, better features and declining prices for smartphone
devices.51
The cellular industry is driving a wave in Internet connectivity growth; the global number of Internet
connected devices has now surpassed the number of connected computers and is growing at a much
faster rate.52 According to CTIA, there were more than 243.5 million Internet-capable devices in the U.S.
at June 2010 which was an increase of more than 6.4 million since June 2009.53 More than 89 percent of
the handsets operating on wireless carriers’ networks are capable of browsing the web as of June 2010.54
Bernstein Research estimates more than 1.5 billion devices that connect wirelessly to the Internet will be
shipped worldwide over the next five years, including 450 million smartphones.55
The quantities and variety of HSPA devices continues to explode. As of December 2010, there were a
reported 690 commercial HSPA devices worldwide from 112 suppliers.56 Announcements regarding
commercial HSPA+ handsets began in 2010. HSPA+ modems already offer peak theoretical download
speeds of up to 21 Mbps and the first 42 Mbps devices entered the market late in 2010.
Initial subscriptions in LTE will be primarily driven purely by data applications and devices, with the first
being laptop cards/dongles, followed by some multi-mode smartphones and other phones. The first USB
dongles were available by mid-2010 and LTE handsets are expected in 2011. MetroPCS in the U.S.
launched the first commercially available phone to use an LTE network globally -- the Samsung Craft.
Verizon is expected to offer an LTE capable handset in the first half of 2011, MIDs (Mobile Internet
Devices) or netbooks are likely to follow.
These non-handset mobile data devices are set to grow dramatically, and according to Strategy Analytics,
are already proving to be key contributors of growth for device makers in late 2010 and 2011, as reflected
in the cellular baseband chip market. While unit shipments were up 23 percent in the first half of 2010
compared to the period of 2009, non-handset basebands exceeded this percentage growth and
47
Apple Takes the Lead in USA Smart Phone Market with a 26% Share, Cellular-News, 1 November 2010.
48
50 Wireless Quick Facts, CTIA, October 2010.
49
Ibid.
50
US Mobile Data Market Update Q2 2010, Chetan Sharma, 10 August 2010.
51
Smartphones to Overtake Feature Phones in U.S. by 2011, Nielsen Research, 26 March 2010.
52
Internet connected Devices about to pass the 5 billion milestone, IMS Research, 19 August 2010.
53
Semi-Annual Survey on Wireless Trends, CTIA, 6 October 2010.
54
50 Wireless Quick Facts, CTIA, October 2010.
55
Cellular goes beyond the call, The Seattle Times, 27 June 2010.
56
HSPA-Devices, GSM World, http://www.gsmamobilebroadband.com/devices/detail.asp
Additionally, products such as game consoles, ATMs and a host of other M2M applications, eBook
readers, digital picture frames and connected cameras have already illustrated the possibilities in creating
new mobile computing categories for the enterprise and consumer. In a world where some experts and
companies foresee a future of 50 billion connected devices by 2020,59 there is good reason to anticipate
that the variety and quantity of connected devices will only be limited by the imagination.
The global tablet market is expected to exceed 80 million annual device sales by 2015, according to
recent industry reports. A recent report by Strategy Analytics noted that 4.4 million tablets were shipped in
Q3 2010, a 26 percent sequential increase. Additionally, Apple’s iPad clenched 96 percent of the global
share, which came as no surprise considering the fact that Android-based tablets from vendors such as
Samsung, Dell and Toshiba are only just beginning to become available. The U.S. was labeled “by far the
world’s largest tablet market” during Q3 2010, but demand is also emerging in Western Europe and
Asia.60 Juniper Research predicts that the number of annual shipments for tablet devices will hit 81 million
by 2015 as more vendors enter the market.61
Forecasts indicate that the tablet marketplace of 2014 will look very different from today’s iPad-dominated
market. It is estimated to be much bigger, with about 70 million tablets sold annually. The market may
have a much larger enterprise component: almost all tablets today are purchased by individual
consumers, but Deloitte Research predicts that by 2014 up to 40 percent will be purchased by
corporations for business uses, which will be led by retail and health sectors.62
According to the Cisco VNI Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, a single laptop can generate as much
traffic as 1,300 basic-feature phones, and a smartphone creates as much traffic as 10 basic-feature
phones. iPhones, in particular, can generate as much traffic as 30 basic feature phones.63
57
Non-handset devices drive baseband market growth, Rethink Wireless, 12 October 2010.
58
Ibid.
59
Next Stop for 4G/LTE – Denmark, Ericsson, 09 November 2010.
60
Tablet sales to hit 80M in next five years; Apple is the one to beat, GSMA Mobile Business Briefing, 2 November 2010.
61
Ibid.
62
Tablet Market About To Go Through Major Changes, Globe and Mail Update, 7 October 2010.
63
Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, Cisco, 9 February 2010.
The dramatic increase in bandwidth is exemplified in Figure 4.3, where the combined effect of
sophisticated devices and rich applications results in typical monthly usage of 1.8 Gigabytes (GB).
4.4 MOBILE BROADBAND APPLICATIONS
“… The wireless industry is an incredibly vibrant, intensely competitive and remarkably innovative while
still providing unparalleled value for consumers,” said Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA-The
Wireless Association. “Every day across the country, Americans are benefiting from being able to access
the mobile Internet or make a phone call at anytime and anywhere. Whether wireless technology is being
used by other industries such as healthcare, education, transportation or energy, these results affirm our
industry is revolutionizing and improving the way we live and work.”64
The mobile phone continues to be the device of choice for communication whether via voice, SMS, IM, or
MMS/video, thereby creating communities of like-minded users who readily create, distribute and
consume content. It is also rapidly becoming an important source of consumption of entertainment, news,
social networking and ad content as well as content generation, whether via video recordings,
photographs or audio recordings.
The days of cell phone users relying on their devices strictly for voice communication have passed.
Mobile phones have evolved from being simple telephone communication devices to increasingly
becoming life management tools, entertainment systems and virtual wallets.65 With the rapid uptake of
smartphones and data-enabled phones, the ubiquity of mobile services and increasing adoption of
64
CTIA-The Wireless Association® Releases Semi-Annual Survey on Wireless Trends, CTIA, 6 October 2010.
65
Adoption of Mobile Banking Services Exceeds Expectations, Sybase 365, cellular-news.com, 13 August 2010.
Mobile messaging continues to be a major traffic driver and its growth continues to progress at a healthy
pace. SMS continues to escalate with a total of 1.8 trillion SMS messages – 4.9 billion per text messages
sent per day – reported in the 12 months ending June 2010.66 This number is up by 33 percent from the
year before, when 740 billion text messages were reported for 2009. Wireless subscribers are also
sending more pictures and other Multimedia Messages (MMS) with their mobile devices – 56.3 billion
MMS messages were reported with an increase of 187 percent. Data traffic continues to increase across
all networks. U.S. wireless carriers reported handling 161.5 billion megabytes of data in the six months
ending in June 2010, up 49.8 percent from the last half of 2009, according to CTIA.67
In its report on mobile application and browser usage among smartphone subscribers, comScore
reported that the number of smartphone users accessing mobile content through browsers and
applications now surpasses that of non-smartphone users. Averages taken from a three month period
ending August 2010 showed that smartphone subscribers made up 60 percent of those who used a
downloaded application and 55 percent of those who used a browser.68
“That smartphone owners now represent the majority of the U.S. mobile audience accessing downloaded
applications and browsers represents a watershed moment in the industry,” said Mark Donovan, Senior
Vice President of Mobile at comScore, further noting that smartphones are, “generating the lion’s share of
mobile content consumption. With smartphones’ share of the pie destined to get greater over time,
marketers and content providers should begin to shift their focus towards developing with primarily these
devices in mind.” 69
As of May 2010, more than 240,000 applications were available from seven stores on seven different
platforms.70 CTIA has estimated that in 2010, consumers are expected to spend $6.2 billion in mobile app
stores worldwide to download more than 8 billion apps – 8 out of 10 of which will be free.71
The most popular applications are those that provide some form of entertainment (e.g., games, music,
food, travel and sports) as well as applications that help people find information and accomplish tasks
(e.g., maps and navigation, weather, news, banking).72
In a survey conducted by wireless analyst firm mobileSQUARE, when operators were asked to choose
what they thought would be the top five most popular forms of communication in 2015, 94 percent of the
31 global operators responded that social networking will be the most popular form.73 This was followed
by 87 percent and 81 percent of operators that believe messaging and voice, respectively, will continue to
play an important role in communications predicting they will remain in the top three most heavily used
communications in 2015. The study revealed that these forms of communication will be complemented
rather than replaced by rising mobile Internet usage, particularly from mobile social networking. The
66
Semi-Annual Survey on Wireless Trends, CTIA, 6 October 2010.
67
Ibid.
68
Smartphone Subscribers Now Comprise Majority of Mobile Browser and Application Users in U.S, comScore, Inc., 1 October
2010.
69
Ibid.
70
50 Wireless Quick Facts, CTIA, October 2010.
71
Ibid.
72
The Rise of Apps Culture, Pew Research Center, The Nielsen Company, 15 September 2010.
73
Majority of Mobile Operators Believe That Social Networking Will Dominate by 2015, Cellular-News, 15 November 2010.
According to the Cisco VNI Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, video will be responsible for the majority
of mobile traffic growth between 2009 and 2014. 75 Mobile video is expected to account for 66 percent of
global mobile data traffic by 2014.76
This was further supported by a mobile trends report by Allot Communications citing that worldwide
growth of mobile data bandwidth usage increased by 68 percent during the first half of 2010 and the top
uses for bandwidth were streaming video, social media and VoIP.77 Streaming video continues to
dominate the global mobile bandwidth space and remains the largest consumer of bandwidth with a 35
percent share, reported Allot. In addition, video streaming is the single largest growing application type
with a 92 percent increase, due in part to the ever-rising popularity of YouTube.78
In response to a growing number of people accessing their videos through m.youtube.com, Google ran a
survey on the mobile site. According to the Google Mobile Ads Blog, 75 percent of YouTube Mobile users
said that their mobile was the number one device they used to watch YouTube videos; 70 percent said
they used the mobile site at least once a day; 58 percent spent 20+ minutes per visit; and 38 percent said
that their online use of YouTube was being replaced by YouTube Mobile.79
The increasing adoption of tablet computing also could play a role in potentially overwhelming mobile
networks with video traffic. Taking into consideration the current quality of video being consumed on
mobile networks today, versus what users will expect on large-screen mobile devices like the iPad, mobile
carriers must consider how to address the bandwidth crunch as more consumers buy those devices.80
While most users have been mostly limited to watching low-resolution, non-bandwidth-intensive videos on
their mobile devices, the Apple iPad and a new generation of mobile tablets that use Google’s Android
operating system have the ability to strain mobile networks with heavy video data consumption.
Additionally, large-screen mobile devices are increasing demand for high-quality mobile video.81
Higher mobile data rates mean more video going across carrier networks. Research from Bytemobile
compared the amount of data traffic across multiple mobile carriers and found that those with faster
networks delivered a larger percentage of video across their networks.82 Video on a network operating at
400 kbps made up only 39 percent of data traffic, compared with 57 percent of data traffic on a network
running at 850 kbps.83
Vertical markets have been taking major steps to make use of the benefits offered by the mobile
computing space. Significant work is taking place in areas such as mHealth, mRetail, mCommerce,
mEducation, mEnergy, and others. Innovative startups have made use of the computing capabilities of
74
Majority of Mobile Operators Believe That Social Networking Will Dominate by 2015, Cellular-News, 15 November 2010.
75
Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, Cisco, 9 February 2010.
76
Ibid.
77
A Lot of Mobile Bandwidth to Video, Social Media and VoIP, Says Allot, Wireless and Mobile News, 27 September 2010.
78
Ibid.
79
Mobile video use explodes for YouTube, GoMo News, 11 November 2010.
80
Will Video on iPad, Other Tablets Crush Mobile Networks? GigaOM, 19 October 2010.
81
Ibid.
82
Ibid.
83
Ibid.
According to CTIA, the current U.S. market for wireless home-based health care applications has been
estimated to be $304 million.86
ABI Research estimates that healthcare, retail and manufacturing, three sectors each with a double-digit
share, will command over 36 percent of all mobile business customer data revenues worldwide over the
next five years. By 2014, data revenues derived from messaging, mobile broadband access, and
applications will reach nearly $27 billion.87
As previously covered in this section, data traffic is expected to grow significantly. The introduction of
laptops and high-end mobile handsets onto mobile networks is a key driver of traffic, since they offer
content and applications not supported by the previous generations of mobile devices. Among these, the
leading generator of traffic is video, but other applications such as peer-to-peer (P2P) are already
creating waves.88 As noted by Cisco, a single laptop can generate as much traffic as 1300 basic-feature
phones, and a smartphone creates as much traffic as 10 basic-feature phones. iPhones, in particular, can
generate as much traffic as 30 basic feature phones.89
In its Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, Cisco estimates that nearly
66 percent of the world’s mobile data traffic will be from video by 2014, will grow at a CAGR of 131
percent between 2009 and 2014 and was noted as having the highest growth rate of any application
category measure within the Cisco VNI Forecast at the time.90 In the same time period, CAGR growth
rates for mobile gaming is expected to reach 106 percent, P2P will reach 78 percent; with VoIP at 103
percent and web, data and other applications at 83 percent.91
The industry is faced with development of solutions to address the good news of explosive mobile traffic.
One solution is the reconfiguration of networks to include small cells.
4.5 SMALL CELL GROWTH
The fast-growing wireless data usage discussed in this section is placing high throughput/capacity
demands on current 3G macro networks and is expected to place similar high capacity demands on LTE
as LTE is deployed. Further, the demand for higher user speeds leads to coverage challenges, especially
for indoor users. While enhancements to HSPA (through HSPA+) and LTE (through LTE-Advanced) will
help address these high throughput/capacity demands, many operators are beginning to deploy small cell
solutions as an additional means of addressing the fast-growing wireless data usage demands.
Small cell solutions include 2G/3G/4G femto/pico/micro cells for indoor home/enterprise coverage,
extending outdoor coverage to fill coverage holes and offloading traffic from macro cells. In addition, Wi-Fi
solutions are being used for indoor and outdoor coverage and macro traffic offload. Clearly, future
84
Mobile Industry 1H 2010 Assessment, Chetan Sharma, 8 July 2010.
85
Ibid.
86
50 Wireless Quick Facts, CTIA, October 2010.
87
Enterprise Mobile Data Service Revenues from Healthcare, Retail and Manufacturing Sectors to Reach $27 Billion by 2014, ABI
Research, Analyst Insider, 18 August 2010
88
Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, Cisco, 9 February 2010.
89
Ibid.
90
Ibid.
91
Ibid.
Femtocells are very low power small cellular base stations that are typically deployed in residential or
enterprise settings using broadband connections for backhaul and are intended to extend coverage and
offload the mobile macro network, particularly through indoor deployments (typically covering less than 50
meters). In the U.S., femtocells have now outnumbered conventional outdoor cell sites, marking a huge
milestone in the evolution of mobile broadband networks and technologies. Picocells are higher power
femtocells, also typically deployed indoors for larger businesses or shopping malls (typically covering less
than 200 meters). Microcells typically have much lower power than macrocells but higher power than
picocells (typically covering about 1 km) which can be used for providing either indoor coverage or for
filling holes in macrocell coverage as well as for offloading macro traffic.
Femtocell deployments have almost tripled in the last year.92 According to Informa Telecoms & Media,
there are now an estimated 350,000 femtocells and approximately 256,000 macrocells in the U.S.93 A
number of operators have launched femtocell services on their networks, more recent launches include
Movistar (Telefónica’s mobile arm in Spain), Everything Everywhere (UK Orange/T-Mobile) and Vodafone
Greece. Informa reported that the total number of femtocell deployments has increased to 17 over the
past quarter and a total of 23 deployment commitments – compared to 8 in November 2009 – as well as
approximately 60 ongoing trials.94 As of Q3 2010, there were 17 commercial services reported.
“We are now starting to see practical evidence that femtocells are irrevocably changing the traditional
macrocell culture of mobile networks. Whereas today’s networks consist of a few thousand cells, in the
future there will be millions – this will have a massive impact on mobile broadband capacity at a time
when networks are under increasing strain,” noted Dimitris Mavrakis, Senior Analyst, Informa Telecoms &
Media.95
According to its quarterly research report, Informa expects significant growth in the femtocell market, with
nearly 49 million femtocell access points in the market by 2014 and 114 million users accessing mobile
networks during that year. iSuppli forecasted that shipments would grow to 1.9 million during 2010, up
from 571,000 in 2009. They further expected that growth would continue with shipments reaching 7.2
million units in 2011, a 289 percent rise from 2010. Shipments are estimated to increase by 232 percent
to 23.9 million units in 2010 and by 657 percent to reach 39.6 million units in 2013.96
Clearly operators are looking to small cell solutions as one means of addressing the fast-growing wireless
data usage demands and provide higher data rates/better quality of experience to the end-users. The
combination of HSPA+ enhancements, LTE-Advanced, Wi-Fi and 2G/3G/4G small cells are all viewed as
important technologies for addressing future wireless data usage growth, which is not predicted to level
off anytime soon.
4.6 SPECTRUM INITIATIVES
Another clear indication of the growing demands for wireless data is the push towards freeing up
92
Femtocell Market Status, Informa Telecoms & Media, October 2010.
93
Femtos outnumber macrocells in U.S., Telecoms.com, 22 October 2010.
94
Femtocell Market Status, Informa Telecoms & Media, October 2010.
95
Informa Telecoms & Media: The Shape of Mobile Networks Starts to Change as Femtocells Outnumber Macrocells In US, Informa
Telecoms & Media, 21 October 2010.
96
Femtocell Market Status, Informa Telecoms & Media, October 2010.
In addition to freeing up additional spectrum, the FCC has passed a rulemaking notice that provides for
flexible sharing of the TV bands such that the TV broadcasters maintain their primary right to access and
usage of the spectrum, but also allows for secondary users to access the spectrum under the new rules
that will be fully codified in new regulations. This rulemaking is significant since, for the first time, it
introduces a new licensing regime that allows for co-sharing of existing spectrum using new techniques
such as spectrum brokering, geo spatial databases for “right to use” determination and also promotes
new concepts for even better utilization such as cooperative/cognitive radio for finding and using
spectrum holes in a given spectrum and geo-location. This new flexible licensing/voluntary channel-
sharing model could be used to open up additional federally allocated spectrum held by advantaged
users such as the DoD and other federal agencies, but would require new market, technology and
network constructs in order for the MNOs to be able take advantage of such flexible licensing regimes.
The fact that the FCC has taken action to free up and/or co-share valuable spectrum for wireless is a
clear indication that the demands for wireless data are growing fast and must be addressed.
4.7 SUMMARY
ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré said, “ICTs and broadband networks have become vital national
infrastructure — similar to transport, energy and water networks — but with an impact that promises to be
even more powerful and far-reaching. These key enhancements in wireless broadband can drive social
and economic development, and accelerate progress towards achieving the United Nations’ Millennium
Development Goals, or MDGs.”97
“While the goals set for IMT-Advanced were considered by some to be very high, I am very pleased to
see that all stakeholders in the mobile wireless industry have risen to meet the challenge,” said Valery
Timofeev, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau, in expressing his appreciation for this
worldwide effort. “I look forward to the ITU-R Recommendation for IMT-Advanced that will have a
profound effect on the development of state-of-the-art technologies for 4G mobile broadband.”98
While technology is moving forward to deliver more connected devices and richer content and
applications, the number of subscriptions continues to grow along with an exponential increase in data
traffic thereby creating significant network capacity concerns for wireless operators. Operators are
increasing capacity in a number of ways to cope with the growth, including adding base stations and cell
sites, reallocating spectrum, improving backhaul through the addition of more T1s, and deploying fiber.
Coverage continues to improve with network upgrades as some operators make a huge effort to deploy
HSPA and HSPA+ in more spectrum bands. And it is the evolution of the 3GPP technology standards and
the rapid commercialization of products to support the standards that will offer next-generation solutions.
97
ITU paves way for next-generation 4G mobile technologies, ITU, 21 October 2010.
98
Ibid.
3GPP Rel-8 provided significant new capabilities, not only through enhancements to the WCDMA
technology, but the addition of OFDM technology through the introduction of LTE as well. On the WCDMA
side, Rel-8 provided the capability to perform 64 QAM modulation with 2X2 MIMO on HSPA+, as well as
the capability to perform dual carrier operation for HSPA+ (i.e. carrier aggregation across two 5 MHz
HSPA-HSPA+ carriers). Both of these enhancements enabled the HSPA+ technology to reach peak rates
of 42 Mbps. Rel-8 also introduced E-DCH enhancements to the common states (URA_PCH, CELL_PCH
and CELL_FACH) in order to improve data rates and latency and introduced discontinuous reception
(DRX) to significantly reduce battery consumption.
In addition to enhancing HSPA-HSPA+, Rel-8 also introduced Evolved Packet System (EPS) consisting
of a new flat-IP core network called the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) coupled with a new air interface
based on OFDM called Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). In its most basic
form, the EPS consists of only two nodes in the user plane: a base station and a core network Gateway
(GW). The node that performs control-plane functionality (MME) is separated from the node that performs
bearer-plane functionality (Gateway). The basic EPS architecture is illustrated in Figure 5.1. The EPS
architecture was designed to not only provide a smooth evolution from the 2G/3G packet architectures
consisting of NodeBs, RNCs, SGSNs and GGSNs, but also provide support for non-3GPP accesses (e.g.
Wi-Fi), improved policy control and charging, a wider range of QoS capabilities, advanced
security/authentication mechanisms and flexible roaming.
In Rel-8, LTE defined new physical layer specifications consisting of an OFDMA based downlink and SC-
FDMA99 based uplink that supports carrier bandwidths from 1.4 MHz up to 20 MHz. Rel-8 defined options
for both FDD and TDD LTE carriers. Rel-8 also defined a suite of MIMO capabilities supporting open and
closed loop techniques, Spatial Multiplexing (SM), Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) schemes and
Beamforming (BF). Because OFDMA and SC-FDMA are narrowband based technologies, LTE supports
various forms of interference avoidance or coordination techniques called Inter-Cell Interference
Coordination (ICIC).
Finally, Rel-8 provided several other enhancements related to Common IMS, Multimedia Priority Service,
support for packet cable access and service brokering, VCC enhancements, IMS Centralized Services
(ICS), Service Continuity (SC) voice call continuity between LTE-HSPA VoIP and CS domain (called
Single Radio VCC or SRVCC) and User Interface Control Channel (UICC) enhancements.
99
SC-FDMA was chosen for the uplink instead of OFDMA in order to reduce peak-to-average power ratios in device amplifiers, thus
improving battery life.
SGi
GW
MME
S11
S5
S1-MME S1-U
eNode
After the completion of Rel-8 in March of 2009, focus in 3GPP turned to Rel-9, which was subsequently
completed in March 2010. Rel-9 added feature functionality and performance enhancements to both
HSPA and LTE.
For HSPA, Rel-9 introduced support for uplink dual-cell, as well as the capability to enable downlink dual-
cell deployments across non-contiguous frequency bands. Also added in Rel-9 was the support of
simultaneous MIMO and DC-HSPA operation, as well as enhancements to the transmit diversity modes to
improve performance with non-MIMO capable devices.
For LTE, several Rel-9 features and capabilities were added to enhance upon the initial Rel-8 LTE
technology, specifically:
The support of emergency services, location services and emergency warning broadcast
services. These features are critical for introducing VoIP over LTE because they are required for
VoLTE to meet e911 requirements
Enhancements (particularly for idle mode camping) to the Circuit Switched FallBack (CSFB)
feature that was introduced in Rel-8
The support of dual layer beamforming to improve peak rates when in beamforming mode
5.1 VoLTE
With the support of emergency and location services in Rel-9, interest in Voice over LTE (VoLTE) has
increased. This is because the Rel-9 enhancements to support e911 were the last step to enable VoLTE
(at least in countries that mandate e911) since the Rel-8 specifications already included the key LTE
features required to support good coverage, high capacity/quality VoLTE. There are two main features in
Rel-8 that focus on the coverage, capacity and quality of VoLTE: Semi-Persistent Scheduling (SPS) and
TTI Bundling.
SPS is a feature that significantly reduces control channel overhead for applications that require
persistent radio resource allocations such as VoIP. In LTE, both the DL and UL are fully scheduled since
the DL and UL traffic channels are dynamically shared channels. This means that the physical DL control
channel (PDCCH) must provide access grant information to indicate which users should decode the
physical DL shared channel (PDSCH) in each subframe and which users are allowed to transmit on the
physical UL shared channel (PUSCH) in each subframe. Without SPS, every DL or UL physical resource
block (PRB) allocation must be granted via an access grant message on the PDCCH. This is sufficient
for most bursty best effort types of applications which generally have large packet sizes and thus typically
only a few users must be scheduled each subframe. However, for applications that require persistent
allocations of small packets (i.e. VoIP), the access grant control channel overhead can be greatly reduced
with SPS.
SPS therefore introduces a persistent PRB allocation that a user should expect on the DL or can transmit
on the UL. There are many different ways in which SPS can setup persistent allocations, and Figure 5.2
below shows one way appropriate for VoLTE. Note that speech codecs typically generate a speech
packet every 20 ms. In LTE, the HARQ interlace time is 8 ms which means retransmissions of PRBs that
have failed to be decoded can occur every 8 ms. Figure 5.2 shows an example where a maximum of five
total transmissions (initial transmission plus four retransmissions) is assumed for each 20 ms speech
packet with two parallel HARQ processes. This figure clearly shows that every 20 ms a new “first
transmission” of a new speech packet is sent. This example does require an additional 20 ms of buffering
in the receiver to allow for four retransmissions, but this is generally viewed as a good tradeoff to
maximize capacity/coverage (compared to only sending a maximum of two retransmissions).
The example in Figure 5.2 can be applied to both the DL and UL and note that as long as there are
speech packets arriving (i.e. a talk spurt) at the transmitter, the SPS PRBs would be dedicated to the
user. Once speech packets stop arriving (i.e. silence period), these PRB resources can be re-assigned to
other users. When the user begins talking again, a new SPS set of PRBs would be assigned for the
duration of the new talkspurt. Note that dynamic scheduling of best effort data can occur on top of SPS,
but the SPS allocations would take precedent over any scheduling conflicts.
TTI bundling is another feature in Rel-8 that optimizes the UL coverage for VoLTE. LTE defined 1 ms
subframes as the Transmission Time Interval (TTI) which means scheduling occurs every 1 ms. Small
TTIs are good for reducing round trip latency, but do introduce challenges for UL VoIP coverage. This is
because on the UL, the maximum coverage is realized when a user sends a single PRB spanning 180
kHz of tones. By using a single 180 kHz wide PRB on the UL, the user transmit power/Hz is maximized.
This is critical on the UL since the user transmit power is limited, so maximizing the power/Hz improves
coverage. The issue is that since the HARQ interlace time is 8 ms, the subframe utilization is very low
(1/8). In other words, 7/8 of the time the user is not transmitting. Therefore, users in poor coverage areas
could be transmitting more power when a concept termed TTI bundling (explained in the next paragraph)
is deployed.
While it’s true that one fix to the problem is to just initiate several parallel HARQ processes to fill in more
of the 7/8 idle time, this approach adds significant IP overhead since each HARQ process requires its
own IP header. Therefore, TTI bundling was introduced in Rel-8 which combined four subframes
spanning 4 ms. This allowed for a single IP header over a bundled 4 ms TTI that greatly improved the
subframe utilization (from 1/8 to 1/2) and thus the coverage (by more than 3 dB).
This section has provided a high level overview of the key features and capabilities introduced in 3GPP
Rel-8 and Rel-9. The focus of the remainder of this paper is on Rel-10 and beyond; updated status and
significant details of Rel-8 can be found in the February 2010 white paper by 3G Americas, 3GPP Mobile
Broadband Innovation Path to 4G: Release 9, Release 10 and Beyond: HSPA+, LTE/SAE and LTE-
Advanced,100 while updated status and significant details on Rel-9 can be found in Appendix B of this
paper.
100
3GPP Mobile Broadband Innovation Path to 4G: Release 9, Release 10 and Beyond: HSPA+, LTE/SAE and LTE-Advanced, 3G
Americas, February 2010.
1. The ongoing work on the global development of next-generation technologies (4G) being defined
in the context of IMT-Advanced
2. The developments by 3GPP to add its technology expertise into the to-be-defined family of IMT-
Advanced
The section (and the related Appendices D, E and F) is structured into an overview of the ITU-R
requirements for IMT-Advanced, the 3GPP target requirements for its solution, LTE-Advanced and a
discussion of the timelines, process, and workplans of both the ITU-R and 3GPP as they collaboratively
work towards defining the next-generation (4G) technology of the future. Also, the last part of this section
discusses HSPA+ enhancements being specified for Rel-10, which is being worked on in parallel to the
LTE-Advanced work.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)102 is the internationally recognized entity chartered to
produce an official definition of the next generation of wireless technologies. Its Radiocommunication
Sector (ITU-R) has established an agreed upon and globally accepted definition of 4G wireless systems
that is inclusive of the current multi-dimensioned and diverse stakeholder universe.
The ITU103 is poised to release the final set of documentation by year-end 2011 and has, as of year-end
2010, identified the technologies that have qualified as IMT-Advanced. It has held ongoing consultations
with the global community over many years on this topic in Working Party 8F104 under the scope of a work
item known as, Question ITU-R 229-1/8 Future development of IMT-2000 and systems beyond IMT-2000.
This work is currently being addressed under the Study Group 5 umbrella by Working Party 5D.
This work has addressed the future beyond 3G that is comprised of a balance among a Spectrum view, a
Marketplace View, a Regulatory View and a Technology View. These are the key elements for business
success in wireless and must each be considered for successful next-generation technology
development.
Appendix F provides an overview of the defined ITU-R IMT-Advanced process and the high-level
timeframes of the process. Significant work has been completed in ITU-R, establishing the nucleus of
what should be encompassed in a 4G system. In particular, ITU-R, working under a mandate to address
systems beyond 3G, progressed from delivering a vision of 4G in 2002, to establishing a name for 4G in
2005 (IMT-Advanced). In 2006, ITU-R set out the principles for the process for the development of IMT-
Advanced. These early deliverables stimulated research and development activities worldwide, spawned
101
Information in this section is adapted from 3G Americas white paper, Defining 4G Understanding the ITU Process for the Next
Generation of Wireless Technology, August 2008.
102
ITU, http://www.itu.int.
103
ITU materials used by permission.
104
Working Party 8F held responsibility for the IMT-2000 and “Beyond IMT-2000” from its inception in the year 2000 through its
disbanding in 2007 when it was superseded by WP 5D. The archive records of this work on IMT may be found at
http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/index.asp?category=study-groups&rlink=rwp8f&lang=en.
By the end of 2008, ITU-R advanced beyond the vision and framework and had concluded work on a set
of requirements, which along with evaluation guidelines by which technologies and systems could, in the
near future, be determined as being part of IMT-Advanced and in so doing, earn the right to be
considered 4G.
Starting in 2008 and throughout 2009, ITU-R held an open call for the “first invitation” of 4G (IMT-
Advanced) candidates. Subsequent to the close of the submission period for the first invitation, an
assessment of those candidates' technologies and systems were conducted under the established ITU-R
process, guidelines and timeframes for this IMT-Advanced first invitation.
At year-end 2009, WP 5D received six valid candidate technology submissions for the global mobile
wireless broadband technology known as IMT-Advanced. The six proposals were aligned around the
3GPP LTE Rel-10 and beyond (LTE-Advanced) technology and the IEEE 802.16m technology.
Throughout 2010, the candidate Radio Interface Technologies (RITs) or Set of RITs (SRITs) were
evaluated by Independent Evaluation Groups that were registered in the ITU-R. In this process, the
candidate RITs or SRITs were assessed based on the Report ITU-R M.2133 and ITU-R M.2135-1.
During the evaluation phase, the ITU-R monitored the progress of the evaluation activities and provided
appropriate responses to problems or requests for guidance to facilitate consensus building. To facilitate
the process, ITU-R convened correspondence activities from October 2009 to June 2010 and coordinated
discussion between proponents and Independent Evaluation Groups, and among Independent Evaluation
Groups.
At the end of 2010, ITU-R attained a major milestone in the IMT-Advanced process by announcing the
technologies that it considered as a result of the IMT-Advanced process (principally the results of Steps 4
through 7) to be qualified as IMT-Advanced..
The following is taken from the October 21, 2010, ITU-R press release105 announcement:
“ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) has completed the assessment of six candidate
submissions for the global 4G mobile wireless broadband technology, otherwise known as IMT-
Advanced. Harmonization among these proposals has resulted in two technologies, “LTE-
Advanced”106 and “WirelessMAN-Advanced”107 being accorded the official designation of IMT-
Advanced, qualifying them as true 4G technologies, … ITU-R Working Party 5D, which is charged
with defining the IMT-Advanced global 4G technologies, reached a milestone in its work by
deciding on these technologies for the first release of IMT-Advanced. In the ITU-R Report, which
will be published shortly, the LTE-Advanced and WirelessMAN-Advanced technologies were
each determined to have successfully met all of the criteria established by ITU-R for the first
release of IMT-Advanced.”
105
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2010/40.aspx
106
Developed by 3GPP as LTE Release 10 and Beyond (LTE-Advanced).
107
Developed by IEEE as the WirelessMAN-Advanced specification incorporated in IEEE Std 802.16 beginning with approval of
IEEE Std 802.16m.
The results of Steps 4 through 7 of the IMT-Advanced process are extensively documented in the Report
ITU-R M.2198:
“The outcome of the evaluation, consensus building and decision of the IMT-Advanced process (steps 4-
7), including characteristics of IMT-Advanced radio interfaces” which was approved by ITU-R in
November 2010. The Scope of this Report states:
“This Report is the record of the work performed after receipt of the proposals for IMT-Advanced
candidate RITs and SRITs, including the evaluation activity and the consensus building.
This document contains the outcome and conclusions of Steps 4-7 of the IMT-Advanced process.
These steps correspond to:
The details of these Steps are provided in Document IMT-ADV/2 Rev 1109.
This Report also states the decisions reached by ITU-R on each of the candidate proposals and
provides the technical characteristics of the RITs and SRITs for IMT-Advanced.
Note that the actual specifications of the agreed IMT-Advanced radio interfaces will be contained
in Recommendation ITU-R M. [IMT.RSPEC].”
The culmination of this open process is an IMT-Advanced 4G family. Such a 4G family, in adherence to
the principles defined for acceptance into this process, is globally recognized to be one that can grow to
include all aspects of a marketplace that will arrive beyond 2010; thus complementing and building upon
an expanding and maturing 3G business.
108
Recommendation ITU-R M. [IMT.RSPEC], “Detailed specifications of the terrestrial radio interfaces of IMT-Advanced.”
109
IMT-ADV documents referred in this Report are found on the ITU-R web page “IMT-Advanced submission and evaluation process
(http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/go/rsg5-imt-advanced)”.
6.2 THE 3GPP ROLE
3GPP technologies have been an essential and widely deployed part of the 3G technology family under
the ITU-R IMT-2000 family since the onset of these recommendations111 released by the ITU-R. 3GPP
has continued its role of enhancing its members of the IMT-2000 family through all released revisions of
Recommendation ITU-R M.1457 and has continued this evolution of 3G through the incorporation of LTE
technology in the ITU-R work.
3GPP plays an important role in IMT-Advanced and has had a program underway for developing
technology solutions for IMT-Advanced beginning with 3GPP workshops on the “Systems Beyond IMT-
2000.”
The purpose of these workshops was to contribute to the international understanding of IMT-Advanced,
and to further the development of LTE-Advanced. The first 3GPP workshop was held on November 26,
2007, as an informational and educational session to provide relevant information related to IMT-
Advanced in the ITU-R. A more detailed second workshop on IMT-Advanced and LTE-Advanced was
held on April 7-8, 2008, attended by over 160 international participants and addressed 58 documents.
During this workshop, operators’ and manufacturers’ views on possible requirements for LTE-Advanced
as well as ideas and proposals for LTE-Advanced were exchanged and discussed. On May 27, 2008,
3GPP held a third workshop to focus specifically on the 3GPP requirements for LTE-Advanced.
3GPP continued with its working assumption that the 3GPP proposal for IMT-Advanced should be based
on E-UTRAN capabilities and the requirements for IMT-Advanced in ITU-R should initially be not less
than those contained in 3GPP TR 25.913.112
Furthermore, 3GPP set an objective to establish (in Study and Work Items) requirements and capabilities
higher than those contained in TR 25.913 towards meeting ITU-R requirements for IMT-Advanced.
110
4G Americas, December 2010.
111
Recommendation ITU-R M.1457 Detailed specifications of the radio interfaces of International Mobile Telecommunications-2000
(IMT-2000).
112
3GPP Technical Report 25.913. Requirements for Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA) and Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN) (Release 7).
Additional details on the 3GPP Candidate technology submissions as documented in IMT- ADV/8 may be
found in Appendix D of this paper.113
It is important to note that the 3GPP Rel-10 work which extends the foundation of LTE in Rel-8 and Rel-9
was accepted by the ITU-R as an IMT-Advanced technology under the ITU-R Terminology of “LTE-
Advanced.”114 The positive assessment of the 3GPP LTE technology by the many IMT evaluation groups
across the world, now confirmed by the ITU, reinforces the global preeminence of the work of 3GPP
which unites the leading mobile technology companies in developing market oriented high performance
broadband mobile wireless systems. The 3GPP submission was made jointly in the name of the
Partnership’s Organizational Partners: ATIS, ETSI, ARIB, CCSA, TTA and TTC, which represent the
North American, European and Asian regions and make 3GPP a truly global initiative.
In the final steps of the ITU-R IMT-Advanced process, 3GPP in conjunction with its Organizational
Partners will provide the detailed technical specifications and standards to the ITU-R in 2011, for inclusion
in the Recommendation ITU-R M. [RSPEC]. The successful candidature of 3GPP LTE as an IMT-
Advanced (4G) solution builds upon 3GPP’s multi-year continuing success story. By offering a full suite of
integrated 3G and 4G ecosystems for IMT-2000 and now IMT-Advanced, the 3GPP technology family
supports the evolving and expanding needs of the broad international base of mobile operators and
allows the users of wireless mobile broadband to experience, on a global basis, a rich and innovative
range of service and capabilities that is unparalleled by any other technology.
Throughout this section, references are made to 3GPP and ITU-R Working Party 5D and to the ITU-R
webpage for the IMT-Advanced submission and evaluation process. The following are the relevant entry
point links:
113
The complete 3GPP submission as documented by the WP 5D may be found at: <http://www.itu.int/md/R07-IMT.ADV-C-
0008/en>.
114
Developed by 3GPP as LTE Release 10 and Beyond (LTE-Advanced).
7.1 LTE‐ADVANCED FEATURES AND TECHNOLOGIES
3GPP LTE Rel-10 and beyond, also known as LTE-Advanced, is intended to meet the diverse
requirements of advanced applications that will become common in the wireless marketplace in the
foreseeable future. It will also dramatically lower the Capital Expenses (CAPEX) and Operating Expenses
(OPEX) of future broadband wireless networks. Moreover, LTE-Advanced will provide for backward
compatibility with LTE and will meet or exceed all IMT-Advanced requirements.
This section will discuss the enabling technologies of LTE-Advanced Rel-10. The organization of the
discussion is as follows: Section 7.1.1 will focus on the support of wider bandwidth. Section 7.1.2 and
7.1.3 will examine uplink and downlink enhancements, respectively. Section 7.1.4 will discuss the support
for Relays in the LTE-Advanced network. Section 7.1.5 will detail the support of heterogeneous network.
Section 7.1.6 will present MBMS enhancements and Section 7.1.7 will discuss the SON enhancements.
Section 7.1.8 will expound on the vocoder rate enhancements.
7.1.1 SUPPORT OF WIDER BANDWIDTH
Carrier Aggregation (CA) has been identified as a key technology that will be crucial for LTE-Advanced in
meeting IMT-Advanced requirements. The need for CA in LTE-Advanced arises from the requirement to
support bandwidths larger than those currently supported in LTE while at the same time ensuring
backward compatibility with LTE. Consequently, in order to support bandwidths larger than 20 MHz, two
or more component carriers are aggregated together in LTE-Advanced. An LTE-Advanced terminal with
reception capability beyond 20 MHz can simultaneously receive transmissions on multiple component
carriers. An LTE Rel-8 terminal, on the other hand, can receive transmissions on a single component
carrier only, provided that the structure of the component carrier follows the Rel-8 specifications.
The spectrum aggregation scenarios can be broadly classified into three categories:
1. Intra-band adjacent
2. Intra-band non-adjacent
3. Inter-band
Combined Combined
Combined Combined
Combined Combined
For LTE Rel-10 CA, each component carrier aggregated together is a LTE Rel-8 carrier. That is, each
component carrier uses the LTE Rel-8 numerology and occupies a maximum of 110 resource blocks.
Both contiguous component carriers and non-contiguous component carriers are supported. The exact
CA scenarios will be determined by RAN 4 in a release-independent manner as discussed in Section 7.4.
In LTE Rel-10, both symmetric as well as asymmetric CA are supported. In symmetric CA, the numbers of
DL and UL component carriers are the same. In asymmetric CA the numbers and bandwidths of DL and
UL carriers are different. For simplicity, LTE Rel-10 only supports asymmetrical CA where the number of
DL carriers is greater than or equal to the number of UL carriers. In TDD deployments, however, the
number of component carriers in UL and DL is typically the same.
For the MAC to PHY mapping strategy, separate transport blocks, HARQ entities, and HARQ feedback
are supported for each component carrier. This allows for maximum reuse of Rel-8 functionalities and
better HARQ performance due to carrier component-based link adaptation. This strategy also implies that
the uplink transmission format is a multi-carrier transmission consisting of an aggregation of single carrier
DFT-S-OFDM (NxDFT-S-OFDM) illustrated in Figure 7.2.
With respect to downlink control signaling, per-carrier scheduling grant is used. Additionally, each grant
will also contain a Carrier Indication Field (CIF) that indicates the carrier to which the grant applies to
enable cross-carrier scheduling. The CIF field is added to the existing Rel-8 DCI format. The per-carrier
scheduling has the following advantages: 1) it allows several DCI formats to the same UE in different
component carriers; and 2) it facilitates dynamic grant-based traffic channel load-balancing among the
component carriers on a sub-frame by sub-frame basis.
The PUCCHs corresponding to all DL CCs are transmitted on the Primary Component Carrier (PCC).
Multi-bit HARQ feedback signaling format and Channel State Information (CSI) signaling for multiple DL
CCs are supported in Rel-10. For specific UEs, Uplink Control Information (UCI) can also be transmitted
simultaneously on PUCCH and PUSCH. The power control and UE power headroom reporting are
enhanced to support flexible UE power amplifier implementation for diverse CA scenarios.
An important aspect of the design of Rel-8 LTE is the ability of LTE to use spectrum in a flexible fashion.
This allows, for example, an initial LTE deployment with a small amount of spectrum as well as migration
of GSM/CDMA frequency bands. Then as the usage of LTE grows, the system can efficiently migrate to
increasingly larger bandwidths. To facilitate this spectrum scalability, a number of transmission
bandwidths were defined in Rel-8.
7.1.2 UPLINK TRANSMISSION ENHANCEMENTS
In order to be fully IMT-Advanced compliant for uplink peak spectral efficiency, the LTE uplink must be
extended with the support for uplink MIMO (multi-layer). The extension of the uplink currently under study
in 3GPP can be roughly classified into two categories: 1) techniques relying on channel reciprocity; and 2)
techniques not relying on channel reciprocity. Among the techniques that use channel reciprocity are
Beam Forming (BF), SU-MIMO and MU-MIMO. With these techniques, the enhanced NodeB (eNB)
processes a sounding reference signal from the UE to determine the channel state and assumes that the
channel as seen by the eNB is the same as that seen by the UE (channel reciprocity) and forms
transmission beams accordingly. It is important to note that since the transmitter has information about
the channel, the transmitter may use this information to generate weights for antenna
weighting/precoding. These techniques are especially suited for TDD.
The channel non-reciprocity techniques can be further separated into open-loop MIMO (OL-MIMO),
closed-loop MIMO (CL-MIMO) and MU-MIMO. OL-MIMO is used in the case where the transmitter has no
knowledge of the Channel-State Information (CSI). Since the UE has no knowledge of the CSI from the
eNB, these techniques cannot be optimized for the specific channel condition seen by the eNB receiver
but they are robust to channel variations. Consequently, these techniques are well suited to high-speed
mobile communications. OL-MIMO can be classified into Transmit Diversity (TXD) and Spatial
In the case where the eNB sends CSI to the UE, CL-MIMO can be used to significantly increase spectral
efficiency. CL-MIMO utilizes the CSI feedback from the eNB to optimize the transmission for a specific
UE’s channel condition. As a result of this feedback, it is vulnerable to sudden channel variations. In
general, CL-MIMO has better performance than OL-MIMO in low-speed environments. SM techniques
can also be used to significantly increase the spectral efficiency of CL-MIMO. The multiple spatial streams
are separated by an appropriate receiver processing (e.g. using successive interference cancellation
[SIC]). This processing can increase peak data rates and potentially the capacity due to high SINR and
uncorrelated channels. The SM techniques can be classified into Single-Codeword (SCW) and Multiple-
Codewords (MCW) techniques. In the former case, the multiple streams come from one turbo encoder,
which can achieve remarkable diversity gain. In the latter case, when multiple streams are encoded
separately, an SIC receiver can be used to reduce the co-channel interference between the streams
significantly.
Specifically for Rel-10 the uplink enhancements are divided into three major areas:
1. Inclusion of TxD for uplink control information transmission via Physical Uplink Control Channel
(PUCCH). The Spatial Orthogonal-Resource Transmit Diversity (SORTD) mode was selected for
many PUCCH formats where the same modulation symbol from the uplink channel is transmitted
from two antenna ports, on two separate orthogonal resources.
2. SU-MIMO Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission with two transmission modes:
a single antenna port mode that is compatible with the LTE Rel-8 PUSCH transmission and a
multi-antenna port mode that offers the possibility of a two and a four antenna port transmission.
Discussions are ongoing in 3GPP regarding the refinements of PUSCH multi-antenna port
transmission such as handling rank-1 transmissions, the SRS options, the UCI multiplexing on
PUSCH as well as the precoder design for retransmissions.
3. Uplink Reference Signals (RS). The UL reference signal structure in LTE-Advanced will retain the
basic structure of that in Rel-8 LTE. Two types of reference signals were enhanced:
Demodulation Reference Signals (DM RS) and Sounding Reference Signals (SRS). The
demodulation reference signal is used by the receiver to detect transmissions. In the case of
uplink multi-antenna transmission, the precoding applied for the demodulation reference signal is
the same as the one applied for the PUSCH. Cyclic shift (CS) separation is the primary
multiplexing scheme of the demodulation reference signals. Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC)
separation is also used to separate DM RS of different virtual transmit antennas. The sounding
reference signal is used by the receiver to measure the mobile radio channel. The current
understanding is that the sounding reference signal will be non-precoded and antenna-specific
and for multiplexing of the sounding reference signals, the LTE Rel-8 principles will be reused.
7.1.3 DOWNLINK TRANSMISSION ENHANCEMENTS
In order to improve the SU-MIMO spatial efficiency of the downlink, the LTE downlink SM has been
enhanced to support up to eight layers per component carrier in LTE Rel-10. The maximum number of
codewords supported remains two.
More specifically in LTE Rel-10, a new transmission mode (TM-9) is defined supporting SU-MIMO up to
rank 8 and dynamic switching between SU and MU-MIMO. Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 2C
is used and 3-bits are used as shown in the following table to index the combination of layer, antenna port
and scrambling identity.
Table 7.1. Antenna Port(s), Scrambling Identity and Number of Layers Indication for
Format 2C of TM-9115
The Channel State Information (CSI) reporting is also planned to be enhanced with multiple reporting
modes supporting CSI via PUCCH and PUSCH. Precoding Matrix Index (PMI) granularity, Channel
Quality Indications (CQI) subband reporting, multistage reporting methods are among the topics
discussed in the modes of configuring CSI reports.
In terms of reference signals, the CSI-RS is defined to help the UE estimate the DL channel. Its
configuration is cell-specific and up to eight CSI RS ports can be used. In TM-9 the UE may use the CSI-
RS only for channel estimation. For CQI feedback it may use CRS and/or CSI-RS. For TM1-TM8 it
continues to use CRS for channel estimation.
7.1.4 RELAYING
115
Table 5.3.3.1.5C-1, 3GPP TS 36.212
The relay nodes are wirelessly connected to the radio access network via a donor cell. The RN is
connected to the donor eNB via the Un interface and the UEs are connected to the RN via the Uu
interface as shown in Figure 7.3. The Un connections can be either in-band or out-band. In an in-band
connection, the eNB-to-relay link shares the same band with the direct eNB-to-UE link within the donor
cell. In this case, Rel-8 UEs should have the ability to connect to the donor cell. For out-band connection,
on the other hand, the eNB-to-relay connection is in a different band than the direct eNB-to-UE link.
Figure 7.3. A Diagrammatic Representation of a Relay Network.
The types of relays that were studied in 3GPP during the LTE Rel-10 timeframe can be roughly separated
by the layers within the protocol stack architecture that are involved in the relay transmission:
Layer 1 (L1) Relay. Also called Amplify-and-Forward Relay, Layer 1 (L1) Relay is simple and
easy to implement through RF amplification with relatively low latency. The noise and
interference, however, are also amplified along with the desired signal. Moreover, strict isolation
between radio reception and transmission at RN is necessary to avoid self-oscillation, which limits
its practical applications.
Layer 2 (L2) Relay. Layer 2 (L2) Relay performs the decode-and-forward operation and has
more freedom to achieve performance optimization. Data packets are extracted from RF signals,
processed and regenerated and then delivered to the next hop. This kind of relay can eliminate
propagating the interference and noise to the next hop, so it can reinforce signal quality and
achieve much better link performance. (Difficulty for HARQ techniques)
Layer 3 (L3) Relay. Also called Self-Backhauling, Layer 3 (L3) Relay has less impact to eNB
design and it may introduce more overhead compared with L2 Relay.
From the point of view of UE knowledge, the relays that were studied in 3GPP can be classified into two
types; transparent and non-transparent. In transparent relay, the UE is not aware that it is communicating
with the eNB via a relay. Transparent relay was proposed for the scenarios where it is intended to
achieve throughput enhancement of UEs located within the coverage of the eNB with less latency and
Depending on the relaying strategy, a relay may be part of the donor cell or it may control cells of its own.
In the case where the relay is part of the donor cell, the relay does not have a cell identity of its own. At
least part of the RRM is controlled by the eNodeB to which the donor cell belongs, while other parts of the
RRM may be located in the relay. In this case, a relay should preferably support LTE Rel-8 UEs, as well
as LTE Rel-10 UEs. Smart repeaters, Decode-and-Forward Relays and different types of L2 Relays are
examples of this type of relaying.
In the case where the relay is in control of cells of its own, the relay controls one or several cells and a
unique physical-layer cell identity is provided in each of the cells controlled by the relay. The same RRM
mechanisms are available and from a UE perspective there is no difference in accessing cells controlled
by a relay and cells controlled by a “normal” eNodeB. The cells controlled by the relay should also
support LTE Rel-8 UEs. Self-Backhauling (L3 Relay) uses this type of relaying.
The following describes the different types of relays have been defined in 3GPP116, but it should be noted
that not all types of relays have been adopted in the Rel-10 standards specifications:
A so called “Type 1” relay node is an in-band relaying node characterized by the following:
It controls cells, each of which appears to a UE as a separate cell distinct from the donor cell
Each cell shall have its own Physical Cell ID (defined in LTE Rel-8) and the relay node shall
transmit its own synchronization channels, reference symbols, etc.
In the context of single-cell operation, the UE will receive scheduling information and HARQ
feedback directly from the relay node and send its control channels (SR/CQI/ACK) to the relay
node
It appears as a Rel-8 eNodeB to Rel-8 UEs (i.e. it will be backwards compatible)
To LTE-Advanced UEs, it should be possible for a Type 1 relay node to appear differently than a
Rel-8 eNodeB to allow for further performance enhancement
A “Type 1a” and “Type 1b” relay nodes are Type 1 relays with the following exceptions:
A Type 1a relay node operates out of band; that is the band for the Un and UU links are on
different bands
A so-called “Type 2” relay node has also been proposed. A Type 2 relay is an in-band relay node
characterized by the following:
116
3GPP TR 36.814, Further advancements for E-UTRA physical layer aspects, 2010.
Specifically, LTE-Advanced will support the so-called “Type 1” and “Type 1a” transparent relay node in
the standard.
In order to allow in-band backhauling of the relay traffic on the relay-eNB link, some resources in the time-
frequency space are set aside for this link and cannot be used for the access link on the respective node.
For LTE Rel-10, the following scheme will be supported for this resource partitioning:
The general principle for resource partitioning for Type 1 relay are:
eNB → RN and RN → UE links are time division multiplexed in a single frequency band and only
one is active at any one time
RN → eNB and UE → RN links are time division multiplexed in a single frequency band and only
one is active at any one time
Two relay timing scenarios are defined in LTE Rel-10. The first scenario is with the timing at the relay so
that the Un and Uu subframe timing are aligned to within one OFDM symbol. In particular the Un subframe
timing maybe ahead of the Un subframe timing in order to provide the switching time necessary for the
relay to switch between transmission and reception. The second timing scenario is for the Uu subframe
timing at the relay to align with the sub frame timing of the DeNB. This case is similar to the current
network timing for LTE TDD.
A new control channel, R-PDCCH is defined for the type 1 relay. This is because the UEs are expecting
the RN to transmit the PDCCH in the first few OFDM symbols of the subframe and so the RN will not be
able to receive the PDCCH from the DeNB. Consequently, the new R-PDCCH is defined such that the
time-frequency resources that it uses do not coincide with neither the RN’s nor the DeNB’s PDCCH. The
exact time-frequency resources that it occupies are configurable by the DeNB and both frequency-
localized and distributed configurations are possible.
The PDSCH is used for the data transmission in the Un link. However, it should be noted that in LTE Rel-
10, carrier aggregation in the Un link is not supported.
7.1.4.1 PERFORMANCE
Figure 7.11 shows the possible system performance gain determined from system simulation from using
relays in an LTE-Advanced system. The assumptions of the simulations were consistent with that agreed
Figure 7.4. The Potential System Gain in LTE-A with Relays 118.
7.1.5 HETEROGENEOUS NETWORK SUPPORT
The heterogeneous network can be characterized by deployments where low power nodes are placed as
an underlay throughout a macrocell deployment. These low power nodes include micro, pico, Remote
Radio Heads (RRH), relay and femto nodes. The most challenging aspect in the deployment of
heterogeneous networks is the interference issues generated by sharing the carrier with the overlaid
macro nodes.
In LTE Rel-10, two methods have been defined for the support of Heterogeneous network in LTE Rel-10:
carrier aggregation-based and non-carrier aggregation-based. For carrier aggregation based support,
cross-carrier scheduling is used to avoid the interference of PDCCH between macro cell and small cell
(Figure 7.5). In particular, the PDCCH to schedule the multiple component carriers in a macro cell is
located in one component carrier while the PDCCH to schedule the multiple component carriers in the
small cell is located in another component carrier.
117
3GPP TR 36.814, Further Advancements for E-UTRA, Physical layer Aspects.
118
Further information on these results can be found in 3GPP R1-100270.
For non-carrier aggregation-based heterogeneous network support, three enhancements were made to
the LTE Rel-8 ICIC: control channel orthogonality, CSI-RS enhancements and resource specific CQI. To
guarantee the orthogonality of the control channel, the PDCCH for the macro cell are sent in different
subframes than the PDCCH for the small cell (Figure 7.6). In particular, LTE Rel-10 defines almost blank
subframes (ABS) to allow for subframes without PDCCH and PDSCH transmissions. To be specific, a UE
may assume the following with ABS:
Figure 7.6. Time Domain Separation of the Macro and Small Cell PDCCH’s for Interference
Avoidance.
Resource specific CQI measurement and report is needed to support the time frequency domain
interference variations expected in a heterogeneous deployment. In particular, the Radio link
management, Radio Resource management and channel state information measurements for LTE Rel-10
UEs are restricted to certain resources. RRC signaling is used to inform the UE across which resources
interference can be averaged for the measurement reports.
7.1.6 MBMS ENHANCEMENTS
For LTE Rel-10, two enhancements were made in the support of MBMS: MBMS counting and MBMS
Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP). For MBMS counting, 3GPP has agreed to use a new RRC
meassage. MBMS counting in LTE is used to determine if there are sufficient UEs interested in receiving
a service to enable the operator to decide if it is appropriate to deliver the service via MBSFN. It allows
the operator to choose between enabling or disabling MBSFN transmission for the service.
The MBMS ARP uses the Multi-cell/multicast coordination entity to pre-empt radio resources for other
radio radio bearer(s) of ongoing MBMS service(s).
7.1.7 SON ENHANCEMENTS
SON technologies have been introduced in Rel-8/Rel-9 to help decrease the CAPEX and OPEX of the
system. The initial SON features in Rel-8 and Rel-9 assist operators in deploying LTE networks with
clusters of eNBs in existing 2G, 3G legacy networks to meet the initial coverage requirements. As LTE
networks expand towards more ubiquitous coverage, operator focus will shift towards network growth and
optimizing the capacity and coverage in a heterogeneous environment with Macros, Micros, Picos and
Femtos, with 2G and 3G RATs, and with multiple carriers per RAT. Features are being standardized in
3GPP Rel-10 that offer additional opportunities to further optimize the performance of heterogeneous
networks and further reduce OPEX. The following enhancements to existing SON features and new SON
features are being considered in Rel-10 SON.
Mobility Load Balancing. Enhancements to the Rel-9 inter-RAT load balancing signaling mechanisms
support load balancing between 2G, 3G and 4G networks to better utilize the air interface capacities of
the pooled RF carriers. The specific goals of these enhancements is to improve the reliability of mobility
load balancing in intra-LTE scenarios and improve the functionality of the mobility load balancing in inter-
RAT scenarios.
Mobility Robustness Optimization. Rel-10 defines enhancements to detect connection failures and
provide information needed for possible corrective actions also in cases that were not supported in Rel-9,
like the case of unsuccessful handover. Also, part of the MRO enhancement is enabling the detection of
unnecessary inter-RAT handovers and reporting that event back to the source eNB.
Inter-cell Interference Coordination. Rel-8 ICIC is the coordinated frequency resource allocation
between neighboring cells to reduce interference. Coordination of interference through fractional
frequency reuse can enhance cell edge rates. Self-configuration and self-optimization of control
Coverage and Capacity Optimization. Coverage and Capacity Optimization techniques are being
studied in 3GPP to provide continuous coverage and optimal capacity of the network. Support for
coverage and capacity optimization is realized through minimization of drive test procedures which could
be expensive and limited in their use. The performance of the network can be obtained via key
measurement data and adjustments can then be made to improve the network performance. For
instance, call drop rates will give an initial indication of the areas within the network that have insufficient
coverage and traffic counters can be used to identify capacity problems. Based on these measurements,
the network can optimize the performance by trading off capacity and coverage. Specific procedures
include the capability to collect connected and idle mode UE measurements at the eNB via call trace
procedures. These measurements can then be processed to identify capacity needs and coverage holes.
Cell Outage Compensation. The configuration changes for compensating a cell outage influence the
network performance. Operator policies may range from just providing coverage up to guaranteeing high
quality in the network. Policies could be different for various cells in the network and may vary for cell
outage situations and normal operation situations. Furthermore, the policies may be declared differently
depending on the time/day of the week. A general framework for defining an operator policy, taking into
account the above mentioned aspects is being discussed in 3GPP.
Energy Savings. Energy savings mechanisms will aid the deployment of increasing numbers of cells
through the autonomous switch-off decision in basestations. 3GPP has defined such mechanisms along
with accompanying features where neighbouring eNBs are informed about switch off, and where
neighboring eNBs can request switch-on are being considered in 3GPP in inter-RAT deployment
scenarios.
Self-Healing. Self-healing mechanisms mitigate the faults, which could be solved automatically by
triggering appropriate recovery actions. The self-healing functionality also monitors the execution of the
recovery action/s and decides the next step accordingly. 3GPP is examining the triggers and recovery
aspects of self healing mechanisms for different types of faults.
7.1.8 VOCODER RATE ADAPTATION
The main focus in Rel-10 for Vocoder Rate Adaptation is to extend what was done in Rel-9 (as discussed
in Appendix B in section B.2.8) to cover HSPA.
7.2 HSPA+ ENHANCEMENTS FOR RELEASE 10
7.2.1 FOUR CARRIER HSDPA OPERATION
Motivated by surging traffic volumes and growing demand for increased data rates, support for non-
contiguous four carrier HSDPA (4C-HSDPA) operation was introduced in Rel-10. Relying on the same
principles as Rel-8 DC-HSDPA and the Rel-9 extensions of DC-HSDPA operation together with dual-
band operation or MIMO operation, which are further described in Appendix B.1.1 - B.1.2, 4C-HSDPA
The performance gain from multi-carrier operation is based on the resource pooling principle.119 If multiple
downlink carriers are pooled an increased spectrum utilization efficiency can be achieved since the
probability of having unused resources reduces. This phenomenon is sometimes also referred to
“trunking efficiency.” It is interesting to note that in a system using 4X5 MHz carriers (but where only
single-carrier operation and load balancing are supported), 4C-HSDPA will yield a fourfold increase in
both peak and end-user data rates.120 121
For 4C-HSDPA the configured system can be spread over two frequency bands. Similarly as in Rel-9 DB-
DC-HSDPA operation the following band combinations are supported (one for each ITU region):122
Band I (2100 MHz) and Band VIII (900 MHz): Two or three 5 MHz carriers can be configured in
Band I simultaneously as one 5 MHz carrier is configured in Band VIII
Band II (1900 MHz) and Band IV (2100/1700 MHz): One or two 5 MHz carriers are configured in
Band II simultaneously as one or two 5 MHz carriers are configured in Band IV
Band I (2100 MHz) and Band V (850 MHz): One or two 5 MHz carriers are configured in Band I
simultaneously as one or two 5 MHz carriers are configured in Band V
In addition to these dual-band configurations, it is also possible to configure three adjacent carriers in
Band I (2100 MHz) only (i.e. without configuring any carriers in another frequency band). The different
configurations for 4C-HSDPA in Rel-10 are illustrated in Figure 7.7. Introduction of additional band
combinations can be done in a release-independent manner.
119
D. Wischik, M. Handley, M. Bagnulo Braun, The Resource Sharing Principle, ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication
Review, Vol 38, No 5, October, 2008.
120
3GPP Tdoc R1-091082, RAN1 findings of the UTRA Multi-Carrier Evolution study.
121
K. Johansson et al, Multi.Carrier HSPA Evolution, In Proceedings of VTC spring, 2009.
122
3GPP Tdoc R4-103975, Introduction of frequency bands for 4C-HSDPA, Ericsson, RAN4 Adhc meeting, Xian, China, October
11th – 15th, 2010.
As shown in Figure 7.7 all carriers configured in a frequency band need to be adjacent in Rel-10 4C-
HSDPA. This is because only supporting adjacent configured carriers will facilitate a simplified UE design
employing a single receiver chain per band. However, it should be noted that the protocol specifications in
principle support non-contiguous configurations of downlink carriers within a band.
To a large extent 4C-HSDPA operation reuses the L1/L2 solutions standardized for Rel-8 DC-HSDPA,
and Rel-9 DC-HSDPA with MIMO, to a large extent. L1 changes are limited to changes of the L1
feedback channel (HS-DPCCH). More specifically, to accommodate the doubling in L1 feedback
information, the spreading factor for this physical channel was reduced from 256 to 128. The L2 changes
are limited to increased UE buffer sizes for the RLC AM and MAC-(e)hs buffers, for example, and with
4C-HSDPA, this means that a UE can be scheduled in both the primary serving cell and the secondary
serving cells over a total of four HS-DSCH transport channels. As in previous multi-carrier features (See
Appendix B.1.1 - B.1.2) HARQ retransmissions, coding and modulation are performed independently for
activated downlink carriers and streams. One configuration that received special attention within Rel-10 is
the configuration where three carriers are configured without MIMO. In order to maintain similar HS-
DPCCH uplink coverage as in Rel-8 and Rel-9, a new HARQ-ACK codebook was designed for this
configuration.
As for the multi-carrier features standardized in Rel-8 and Rel-9, all secondary serving carriers can be
dynamically deactivated and reactivated in a fully flexible manner by means of HS-SCCH orders
transmitted by the serving base station. Thus, HS-SCCH orders enable an efficient means for:
Dynamic load balancing. This is possible since different users can be configured by the S-RNC
to have different primary serving cells. This may increase user data rates.
UE battery savings. Deactivating all downlink carriers in a frequency band enables that the UE
switches off the receiver chain for this particular band. This can yield significant battery savings in
traffic scenarios where the data arrives in bursts.
+ +
Figure 7.8. Illustration of the Conceptual Gains that can be Achieved by Dynamic Deactivating
Secondary Carriers by Means of HS-SCCH Orders.
In figure 7.8, user 1 (white) has carrier c3 as its primary serving cell and user 2 (light blue) has carrier c1
as its primary frequency. The left side of Fig. 7.8 depicts a scenario where both users have all carriers
activated and the users are scheduled in a CDM fashion. The right side of Fig. 7.8 illustrates the scenario
where the serving Node-B has deactivated part of the secondary serving cells. This may increase data
rates (due to less intra-cell interference) as well as enable significant UE battery savings (since the can
switch off one of its receiver chains).
7.2.2 ADDITIONAL BAND COMBINATIONS FOR DB‐DC‐HSDPA
To enable more operators to enjoy the benefits of DB-DC-HSDPA operation, 3GPP introduced support for
DB-DC-HSDPA operation in the following two additional band combinations during Rel-10 (in addition to
the three band combinations introduced during Rel-9):123 124
Band I (2100 MHz) and Band XI (1500 MHz): This band combination is intended for ITU region 3
Band II (1900 MHz) and Band V (850 MHz): This band combination is intended for ITU region 2
(Americas)
Both of these band combinations are introduced in a release-independent manner, which means that a
Rel-9 device is able to indicate support for the band combinations in question.
7.3 MULTI‐RAT RELATED ENHANCEMENTS
3GPP is currently defining system and service enhancements that will be needed to help deliver the
expected advance applications that users will demand in the future.
7.3.1 HOME NODEB/ENODEB ENHANCEMENTS
For UMTS HNB, basic solutions for inbound handover were defined in Rel-8/Rel-9. For example, inter-
RAT handover, from UTRA macrocell to LTE femtocell is not supported. Consequently, it was proposed
that the Home (e)NodeB (HeNB) support be further enhanced in Rel-10 with the following features:
123
3GPP Tdoc RP-100657, Support of New Band Combinations for Dual-Band Dual-Cell HSDPA.
124
3GPP Tdoc R4-104427, Addition of new band combinations for DB-DC-HSDPA, Ericsson, ST-Ericsson.
7.3.2 LIPA/SIPTO
3GPP had requirements on Local IP Access to the home and Internet in Rel-9 but those features were
not completed as part of Rel-9 and the work was moved to Rel-10. Due to the fact that 3GPP radio
access technologies enable data transfer at higher data rates, the 3GPP operator community shows
strong interest in offloading selected IP traffic not only for the HeNB Subsystem but also for the macro
layer network (i.e. offload selected IP traffic from the cellular infrastructure and save transmission costs).
From a functional and architectural perspective, the issues for selected IP traffic offload are similar for
HeNB Subsystem and for macro layer network and therefore there are commonalities with regard to
architecture decisions.
Support of Local IP access for the HeNB Subsystem, selected IP traffic offload for the HeNB Subsystem
and for the macro layer network is required in 3GPP TS 22.220 and TS 22.101. The following
functionalities are being defined:
Selected IP traffic offload – SIPTO– (e.g. Internet traffic) for HeNB Subsystem
Selected IP traffic offload (Internet traffic, corporate traffic, etc.) for the macro network (3G and
LTE only)
7.3.2.1 LIPA
The Local Internet Protocol Access (LIPA) breakout is performed in the same residential/enterprise IP
network. Figure 7.10 illustrates this breakout at a Local Gateway (L-GW) in the residential/enterprise IP
network.
For Rel-10, the support of LIPA is based on traffic breakout performed within H(e)NB using a local PDN
connection. Further the Rel-10 specifications are limited to supporting only an L-GW collocated with
H(e)NB without mobility. This solution is applicable for breakout "in the residential/enterprise IP network."
Mobility support is intended to be completed in Rel-11.
Figure 7.11. LIPA Solution for HeNB Using Local PDN Connection.
The salient features of the architecture shown above include the following:
A Security Gateway (SeGW) node is located at the edge of the operator's core network; its role
(according to 3GPP TS 33.320) is to maintain a secure association with the HeNB across the IP
backhaul network that is considered insecure
A Home router/NAT device is located at the boundary of the home-based IP network and the IP
backhaul network, as typically found in DSL or cable access deployments today
For completeness, also depicted is an external PDN Gateway (PGW) located in the operator's
core network. It is used for access to the operator services
The Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) scenario in 3GPP is part of the Evolved Packet System defined by
3GPP TS 23.402 where it is specified how a non-3GPP system can be connected to a 3GPP EPC
network. The interconnection of a non-3GPP system is based on two scenarios depending on whether
the non-3GPP network is considered a Trusted access network or an Untrusted access network. In 3GPP
specifications, the non-3GPP system can be any technology which is not defined by 3GPP, such as
WLAN, WiMAX, 3GPP2 and xDSL. However in some cases, the access characteristics are taken into
account, while in other cases it is assumed that access network will support some 3GPP specific features.
A simple example is represented by APN and PCO. 3GPP assumes that if supported then the UE has the
same behavior in 3GPP access and in non-3GPP access, otherwise the UE cannot establish a PDN
connection from non-3GPP system, so the user cannot obtain the same services from both networks.
For its nature, the FMC spans several standard organizations. The 3GPP and Broadband Forum (BBF)
started a collaboration and a parallel work for definition of use cases, requirements, architecture and
protocol considering new 3GPP features such as H(e)NBs; Local Internet Protocol Access (LIPA) to
residential/corporate local networks; Selected IP traffic offload (SIPTO) for H(e)NBs; IP Flow Mobility and
seamless WLAN offload (IFOM); and new BBF features as support of IP session, definition of Policy
Framework and Broadband multi-service nodes.
Considering the complexity of the scenario, the work in 3GPP has been divided in three steps: the first
step considers the scenario of a 3GPP UE or a femto connected to the BBF access where the traffic is
always home routed; the second step considers the scenario of traffic offloaded to the broadband access,
(i.e. SIPTO/LIPA and non-seamless WLAN offload); the third scenario considers a more tight convergent
network. The first two steps are commonly identified as interworking scenario. The above work has been
further organized in as a study included in the 3GPP TR 23.839, after the conclusion of each step the
normative specification will be modified accordingly.
The BBF has organized the parallel Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) work differently. The 3GPP
interworking use cases and requirements are defined in WT-203; however, some impact is expected on
the WT-134, which defines the use cases, requirements and the information model for the Broadband
Policy Control Framework.
The interworking scenario takes into account the Trusted/Untrusted model and the different mobility
protocols (e.g. DSMIPv6 on s2c, PMIPv6 on s2b, etc) defined in 3GPP TS 23.402, where the generic
non-3GPP access network has been substituted by the BBF access network with its own characteristic.
Figure 7.12 shows the reference architecture for Untrusted scenario with s2c and s2b (for the other
scenario refers to 3GPP TS 23.839 or to WT-203). The key interfaces are the S9* between the PCRF and
the BBF Policy Server and the STa*/Swa between the AAA Servers. The S9* interface represents the
enhancement of 3GPP S9 for supporting the transport of the QoS and Charging information between the
Broadband Policy Framework and the PCC. At current stage of work, BBF and 3GPP agreed that PCRF
sends the 3GPP QoS rules to the BBF Policy Server which performs the mapping to BBF QoS rules.
However, since the BBF is defining the Policy Information Model and the functionalities of the Policy
Framework, many open issues are on the table and further work is required. For example, one of the
main issues is related to the 3GPP UE authentication. The 3GPP specification requires that UE
authentication is EAP-based, but the BBF specification does not support EAP-based authentication for a
single device beyond the Residential Gateway (RG). In order to fulfill such requirement and to enable also
the device authentication for fixed device, BBF has started the definition of the support of EAP for IP
session in WT-146. So, if the 3GPP UE is authenticated when attached to a WLAN both BBF access and
3GPP are aware of the UE identity and the Policy server can start the S9 session towards the PCRF. If
Figure 7.12. Reference Architecture for 3GPP-BBF Interworking – WLAN Untrusted Scenario.
The current situation for a femto scenario, which is not shown in the figure, is more complex. The BBF
access network is only aware of the H(e)NB which is connected to the RG, but presence of a 3GPP UE
connected to a H(e)NB is completely unknown. In addition traffic between the H(e)NB and the SeGW is
tunneled and ciphered. Currently, 3GPP is discussing three alternative scenarios for deriving, mapping
and binding the 3GPP bearer, the IP CAN session and the aggregate information per H(e)NB and per
tunnel. The different alternatives have different impact on the 3GPP part of the architecture for femto and
At this stage of the work we can presumably assume that the 3GPP EPC architecture and procedures
included in 3GPP TS 23.402, the PCC specification 3GPP TS 23.203 and the relevant stage 3
specification will be enhanced for support of BBF interworking scenario. As mentioned above, the BBF is
working on the definition of the functionalities, procedures and parameters for the Policy Framework (WT-
134) so the implications of supporting interworking are not fully investigated.
In 3GPP the FMC work has been moved from Rel-10 to Rel-11 framework; in BBF the approval of WT-
203 is planned for Q1 2011 and for WT-134 in Q2 2011.
7.3.4 MACHINE‐TO‐MACHINE COMMUNICATIONS
Machine-Type Communication (MTC) is a form of data communication that involves one or more entities
that do not need human interaction. Machine-Type Communications is different from current mobile
network communication services as it mainly involves communication amongst large number of terminals
and little traffic per terminal. Smart meters with metering application are expected to be one among the
early MTC devices deployed by utility companies, who will be using the services provided by wireless
network operators. Many other MTC devices such as e-health monitors (running monitoring applications)
are envisioned and are expected to be widely used in the near future.
MTC functionality is provided by the visited and home networks when the networks are configured to
support Machine-Type Communication. The number of MTC devices may be several orders of magnitude
greater than “traditional” devices. A service optimized for Machine-Type Communications differs from a
service optimized for human-to-human communications. By leveraging connectivity, Machine-to-Machine
(M2M) communication enables machines to communicate directly with one another. In so doing, M2M
communication has the potential to radically change the world around us and the way that we interact
with machines.
In the Rel-10 timeframe, 3GPP studied a number of M2M application scenarios to establish requirements
for 3GPP network system improvements that support Machine-Type Communications (MTC). The
objective was to identify 3GPP network enhancements required to support a large number of MTC
devices in the network and to provide necessary network enablers for MTC communication service.
Specifically, transport services for MTC as provided by the 3GPP system and the related optimizations
are being considered as well as aspects needed to ensure that data and signaling traffic related to MTC
devices does not cause network congestion or system overload. It is also important to enable network
operators to offer MTC services at a low cost level, to match the expectations of mass market machine-
type services and applications.
The 3GPP stage 1 on Machine-Type Communications (3GPP TS 22.368) describes common and specific
service requirements. Common service requirements include:
Charging requirements
Security requirements
Low Mobility
Time Controlled
Time Tolerant
MTC Monitoring
Secure Connection
Infrequent Transmission
The main MTC functionality specified by 3GPP in Rel-10 provides overload and congestion control
functionality. Considering that some networks already experienced congestion caused by M2M
applications, overload and congestion control was considered with priority during Rel-10. A set of
functions is specified for this. It includes specific Mobility Management features, connection reject and
access class barring for MTC devices and also APN-based congestion control. To a certain extent this
functionality is also available for terminals that are not specifically configured for MTC as applications
already deployed use normal terminals. The full range of MTC congestion and overload control means
becomes available when terminals specifically configured for MTC are used for M2M applications.
The congestion and overload control functions affect the overall system. Their specification implied
considerable efforts. Therefore, other MTC features are transferred to the following release and the 3GPP
architecture, core network and RAN groups will work on it in Rel-11. In addition 3GPP stage 1 continues
to identify new MTC scenarios and MTC features.
7.3.5 SINGLE RADIO VOICE CALL CONTINUITY
As part of Rel-10 study, 3GPP is investigating techniques to improve the performance of Single Radio
Voice Call Continuity (SRVCC) handovers while minimizing impacts on the network architecture for
handovers of IMS voice sessions from 4G to 2G/3G CS, and from HSPA to 2G/3G CS systems.
Figure 7.13 provides the reference architecture for SRVCC using the Access Transfer Control Function
(ATCF) enhancements (non-emergency session). The figure only depicts the specific reference points for
the ATCF.
Figure 7.13. IMS Service Centralization and Continuity Reference Architecture when using ATCF
Enhancements.
7.3.5.1 ACCESS TRANSFER CONTROL FUNCTION
The Access Transfer Control Function (ATCF) is a function in the serving (visited if roaming) network.
When SRVCC enhanced with ATCF is used, the ATCF is included in the session control plane for the
duration of the call before and after Access Transfer. It should be noted that it is recommended for the
ATCF be co-located with one of the existing functional entities within the serving network (e.g. P-CSCF,
IBCF, or MSC Server).
o allocate a STN-SR
o instruct the ATGW to anchor the media path for originating and terminating sessions
Perform the Access Transfer and update the ATGW with the new media path for the (CS) access
leg, without requiring updating the remote leg
After Access Transfer, update the SCC AS that Access Transfer has taken place to ensure that
T-ADS has the information on the currently used access
After access transfer, and based on local policy, the ATCF may remove the ATGW from the media path.
This step requires remote end update.
If MSC Server assisted mid-call feature is used, then the SCC AS provides required session state
information on alerting, held and/or conference state for any transferred session.
The ATCF shall not modify the dynamic STI that is exchanged between the UE and SCC AS.
ATCF ANCHORING
The following implementation methods could be used to determine if the ATCF should be including itself
during registration:
If UE is roaming, based on the roaming agreement (e.g., home operator also support SRVCC
enhanced with ATCF in SCC AS and HSS)
Based on local configuration (e.g., if operator always deploys IBCF, MGCF etc. with media
anchor for inter-operator calls)
Based on the access type over which the registration request is sent
NOTE 1: If the ATCF decides not to include itself during registration, it will not be possible to use the
ATCF enhancements during and after the registration period.
The following implementation methods could be used to determine if the ATCF should anchor the media
in the ATGW for an originating or terminating call:
Based on local configuration (e.g., if operator always deploys IBCF, MGCF etc. with media
anchor for inter-operator calls)
Based on the communication service and media capabilities used for the session
Based on the access type over which the request or response is sent
As part of another Rel-10 study, 3GPP is investigating techniques for supporting seamless service
continuity for subsequent hand-back to VoLTE/Voice over HSPA IMS voice sessions initiated in
VoLTE/Voice over HSPA and previously handed over to 2G/3G CS access. Additionally, it is investigating
feasibility of enabling handovers of the voice calls directly initiated in 2G/3G CS with minimum impact to
CS core network and access nodes.
Several solutions are studied in timeframe of 3GPP Rel-10, but because of lack of time, if this study is not
finished in 3GPP Rel-10, it will be continued as a study work item in 3GPP Rel-11.
7.3.6 IMS SERVICE CONTINUITY (ISC) AND IMS CENTRALIZED SERVICES (ICS)
Work on functionality to provide aspects of Service Continuity has been underway in 3GPP for several
releases. Rel-7 saw the definition of Voice Call Continuity (VCC) and Rel-8 and Rel-9 built on this to
define Service Continuity (SC) and VCC for Single Radio systems (SRVCC). Rel-10 has added further
enhancements to these features including:
Initiation of the procedures can come from multiple devices rather than just one controlling device
For example, one user could be watching a video stream on a mobile device and a second user, sitting
next to them, or even on the other side of the world, could request that they can watch the same video
stream.
Rel-10 provides enhancement to the performance characteristics of SRVCC to reduce the voice break
experienced by users, for example in some roaming scenarios. SRVCC was also enhanced to support
transfer of a call during the alerting phase.
7.3.7 INTERWORKING WITH WI‐FI
Wi-Fi capability is becoming a commonplace feature on high-end smart phones. End-users with a Wi-Fi
capable handset have the potential to experience higher aggregate throughput, and potentially relaxed
usage caps, at a Wi-Fi hotspot. Network operator control of this capability in any form affords the
operator another tool to protect precious licensed spectrum by managing the offload of certain classes of
traffic to unlicensed spectrum.
WLAN (Wi-Fi) access to the 3GPP packet core was introduced in 3GPP Rel-6, but deployment of this
version of the capability was very limited. 3GPP Rel-8 and Rel-9 introduced different solutions for
standard mobility between 3GPP and WLAN access:
Authentication-only, “non-seamless” access to the Internet is authenticated using the 3GPP USIM
credentials of the handset. This type of access is characterized by a new IP address allocated at the
Wi-Fi hotspot that can be used for access to the public Internet through that hotspot; seamless
mobility is not provided with this approach. Use of the 3GPP USIM credentials for authentication is
simpler than manual authentication by the end-user and more secure than the MAC-based
authentication used at some hotspots.
Multi-Access PDN Connectivity (MAPCON) provides the capability for 3GPP terminals to establish
multiple connections to different PDNs via different access systems. MAPCON provides a selective
transfer of PDN connections between accesses: Upon inter-system handover (e.g. triggered by the
detection by the UE of WLAN coverage in addition to the 3GPP coverage), the UE may transfer only
a subset of the active PDN connections from the source to the target access. This MAPCON feature
is characterized by multiple packet core IP addresses at the UE, any of which may be moved (but
unchanged) between 3GPP and WLAN/Wi-Fi access without impacting the 3GPP access connectivity
of the other IP addresses. This allows that 3GPP systems keep the PDN connection for VoIP/IMS
over 3GPP and only moves the PDN connection for HSI/Internet/VPN over Wi-Fi.
IP Flow Mobility (IFOM) provides the capability for 3GPP terminals to access a PDN connection via a
non-3GPP WLAN access such as a wireless hotspot, while maintaining connectivity to the same PDN
connection (IP address) via the 3GPP radio. The feature also introduces the infrastructure for IP Flow
Mobility as specified in 3GPP TR 23.261 for seamless mobility of individual IP flows between 3GPP
access and WLAN access. Notably this feature permits individual flows to the same PDN connection
to be routed over different access based on network policy; for example, best-effort traffic may be
routed over WLAN while QOS-sensitive traffic such as voice telephony may be routed only over the
3GPP radio. This feature is characterized at the UE by the ability to move a flow between 3GPP and
WLAN/Wi-Fi.
7.3.8 UICC
Work has started to integrate UICCs with the relay nodes. The Relay Node is a powerful means of
network extension. Its specification started with Rel-9 and is continuing within Rel-10. By essence, a
Relay Node behaves as a User Equipment towards the network. As such, every Relay Node will be
required to use a USIM-based authentication to the network.
Future releases will likely develop another promising feature that will provide the ability for the UICC to
directly send and receive SIP messages to IMS application servers and leverage on the IP Multimedia
Subsystem. This will allow the deployment of applications requiring end-to-end security such as mobile
banking, identity management, and management of the card over a full IP network.
125
PDN = Packet Data Network. Corresponds to an APN. Connection to a PDN implies the allocation of at least an IP address to the
UE
Among other services, CPM service offers both a pager mode messaging user experience similar to
instant messaging, as well as a session-based mode messaging user experience. CPM has requirements
to support interworking between a CPM user and an SMS user using both pager mode messaging and
session-based messaging.
Up to Rel-9, the IP-SM-GW supports the pager mode messaging interworking between instant messaging
users and SMS users, but not the session-based mode.
In Rel-10, stages 1, 2 and 3 work has been done to improve the IP-SM-GW for supporting the session-
based messaging interworking between CPM users and SMS users. Stage 2 built upon the current
principles and architecture of the IP-SM-GW, and enabled the session-based messaging interworking
between SMS users and session-based messaging users, with the aspects:
Establishment and release of a messaging session with an SMS user (the establishment may be
subject to the consent of the SMS user)
o Give the service provider the opportunity to control the representation of messaging sessions
(both for peer-to-peer and group sessions) towards the SMS user, with a number of options:
1. Let the network accept the messaging session on behalf of the SMS user without seeking
consent with the SMS user and subsequently relay the messages sent within the context
of the messaging session.
2. Let the network deny the creation of (certain types) of messaging sessions on behalf of
the SMS user, without seeking consent with the SMS user.
3. Let the network ask consent with the SMS user before accepting the messaging session,
and let the SMS user determine whether the messaging session needs to be accepted.
There is no impact to the current SMPP protocol. Stage 2 TR 23.824 captured the architecture and 3GPP
23.204, 29.311 were updated.
7.3.10 L AWFUL INTERCEPTION LI10 IN RELEASE 10
SA WG3-LI studied all relevant function and services of Rel-10 to fulfill the national requirements on
interception.
eMBMS
IMS Enhancements
EPS Enhancements
The objective of this work item is to update lawful interception specifications for the latest Rel-10
architecture and services as described in the above justification.
The enhancements to specifications TS 33.106, TS 33.107 and TS 33.108 address the additional work to
specify the HI2 (Intercepted Related Information) and the HI3 (Content) interfaces to delivery to the Law
Enforcement Monitoring Facilities for 3G networks for Rel-10.
Details, for the common IMS and the TISPAN LI needs, have to be specified. Dynamic triggering of
interception between different domains should be investigated.
7.4 RELEASE‐INDEPENDENT FEATURES
While most 3GPP features are introduced in a specific release (e.g. Rel-99, Rel-5, Rel-6, etc.), there are
some features that can be introduced in a release-independent fashion. The main features that are
release-independent are the introduction of new frequency bands and the carrier configurations for DC-
HSPA and LTE CA. The significance of these features being release-independent is that they can be
standardized after a release is completed but can still be applicable to the earlier release.
This means that if a new frequency band or DC-HSPA/CA configuration has been approved in 3GPP for
inclusion in the specifications (i.e. co-existence and interference studies have been performed and
agreed to not introduce performance degradations to adjacent frequency bands), then these can be
applicable to any release and not have to wait for the completion of the next big 3GPP Release. These
updates can occur with the approval of the RAN plenary, more or less every quarter, by updating 3GPP
TS 36.307.
7.4.1 BAND COMBINATIONS FOR LTE‐CA
Specifically for the LTE-CA combinations, a large number of combinations will need to be studied in order
to support the needs of the various operators throughout the world (see 3GPP R4-101062). It is clear that
the large amount of work needed to complete this will not be done before the plan release date for LTE
Rel-10. Consequently, it was decided that in LTE Rel-10, RAN 4 will complete the specification for a set
of generic scenarios (Tables 7.2 and 7.3). It was also agreed that the additional CA scenarios will be
completed in a release-independent fashion.
1 1
CA_40 40 2300 – 2400 50 2300 – 2400 50 TDD
Note 1: BS requirements will be developed for both 50 MHz and 40 MHz aggregated channel BWs for the CA_40 scenario in release-
10 timeframe
E-UTRA Duplex
E-UTRA
operating UE transmit / BS receive Channel UE receive / BS transmit
CA Band
Band BW MHz Channel mode
BW MHz
FDL_low (MHz) – FDL_high
FUL_low (MHz) – FUL_high (MHz)
(MHz)
1 1920 – 1980 10
1
2110 – 2170 10
CA_1-5 FDD
1
5 824 – 849 10 869 – 894 10
Note 1: Only one uplink component carrier is used in any of the two frequency bands at any time.
126
This table is based upon the table in 3GPP RP-100661.
127
This table is based upon the table in 3GPP RP-100661.
As work on 3GPP Rel-10 is nearing completion, focus is beginning on Rel-11 planning. This section
provides a snapshot of the status of Rel-11 work as of the December 2010 3GPP RAN Plenary meetings,
and significant progress on Rel-11 is expected in 2011 and beyond. The timeline for Rel-11 will first be
provided, followed by an explanation of several of the LTE-specific enhancements, including Co-ordinated
Multi-Point (CoMP), Carrier Aggregation enhancements and ICIC enhancements. The proposed
enhancements to HSPA+ in Rel-11 will then be discussed including 8-carrier HSDPA, Uplink dual
antenna beamforming and MIMO, and downlink multi-point transmission. Technology-agnostic
enhancements such as Machine-Type Communications will then be examined and the section concludes
by listing a few other areas that may be discussed in 2011 for possible inclusion in Rel-11 or beyond.
8.1 TARGET TIMELINE FOR RELEASE 11
8.2 LTE‐ADVANCED ENHANCEMENTS
8.2.1 COORDINATED MULTIPLE POINT TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION
8.2.1.1 PRINCIPLE
The main idea of CoMP is as follows: when a UE is in the cell-edge region, it may be able to receive
signals from multiple cell sites and the UE’s transmission may be received at multiple cell sites regardless
of the system load. Given that, if the signaling transmitted from the multiple cell sites is coordinated, the
DL performance can be increased significantly. This coordination can be simple as in the techniques that
focus on interference avoidance or more complex as in the case where the same data is transmitted from
multiple cell sites. For the UL, since the signal can be received by multiple cell sites, if the scheduling is
coordinated from the different cell sites, the system can take advantage of this multiple reception to
significantly improve the link performance. In the following sections, the CoMP architecture and the
different CoMP schemes will be discussed.
8.2.1.2 COMP ARCHITECTURE
CoMP communications can occur with intra-site or inter-site CoMP as shown in Figure 8.1. With intra-site
CoMP, the coordination is within a cell site and can be achieved in Rel-8/Rel-9/Rel-10 using non-
An interesting CoMP architecture is the one associated with a distributed eNB depicted in Figure 8.2. In
this particular illustration, the Radio Remote Units (RRU) of an eNB are located at different locations in
space. With this architecture, although the CoMP coordination is within a single eNB, the CoMP
transmission can behave like inter-site CoMP instead.
128
MIMO Transmission Schemes for LTE and HSPA Networks, 3G Americas, June 2009.
In terms of downlink CoMP, two different approaches are under consideration: Coordinated scheduling, or
Coordinated Beamforming (CBF), and Joint Processing/Joint Transmission (JP/JT). In the first category,
the transmission to a single UE is transmitted from the serving cell, exactly as in the case of non-CoMP
transmission. However, the scheduling, including any Beamforming functionality, is dynamically
coordinated between the cells in order to control and/or reduce the interference between different
transmissions. In principle, the best serving set of users will be selected so that the transmitter beams are
constructed to reduce the interference to other neighboring users, while increasing the served user’s
signal strength. CoMP techniques are applicable for both homogeneous and heterogeneous networks.
For JP/JT, the transmission to a single UE is simultaneously transmitted from multiple transmission
points, across cell sites. The multi-point transmissions will be coordinated as a single transmitter with
antennas that are geographically separated. This scheme has the potential for higher performance,
compared to coordination only in the scheduling, but comes at the expense of more stringent requirement
on backhaul communication.
Depending on the geographical separation of the antennas, the coordinated multi-point processing
method (e.g. coherent or non-coherent), and the coordinated zone definition (e.g. cell-centric or user-
centric), network MIMO and collaborative MIMO have been proposed for the evolution of LTE. Depending
on whether the same data to a UE is shared at different cell sites, collaborative MIMO includes single-cell
antenna processing with multi-cell coordination, or multi-cell antenna processing. The first technique can
be implemented via precoding with interference nulling by exploiting the additional degrees of spatial
freedom at a cell site. The latter technique includes collaborative precoding and CL macro diversity. In
collaborative precoding, each cell site performs multi-user precoding towards multiple UEs, and each UE
receives multiple streams from multiple cell sites. In CL macro diversity, each cell site performs precoding
independently and multiple cell sites jointly serve the same UE.
In Rel-11, the DL performance enhancement due to both intra and inter-site CoMP with respect to
homogeneous and heterogeneous network will be studied. This includes coordination i) between cell(s)
and the distributed RRHs connected to the cell(s) and ii) different cell layers (e.g. between macro’s and
pico’s) and iii) within a cell layer (e.g. between pico’s) in heterogeneous networks. The small cells within
heterogeneous networks can be uniformly or non-uniformly distributed. The potential enhancements to
both the CS/CB and JP will be investigated with respect to feedback of DL channel state information from
multiple cells, sounding reference signal, latency associated with X2 interface for various CoMP schemes.
8.2.1.4 UL COMP
Uplink coordinated multi-point reception implies reception of the transmitted signal at multiple
geographically separated points. Scheduling decisions can be coordinated among cells to control
interference. It is important to understand that in different instances, the cooperating units can be
separate eNBs’ remote radio units, relays, etc. Moreover, since UL CoMP mainly impacts the scheduler
and receiver, it is mainly an implementation issues. The evolution of LTE, consequently, will likely just
define the signaling needed to facilitate multi-point reception.
Another simple CoMP transmission scheme which relies on resource management cooperation among
eNBs for controlling inter-cell interference is an efficient way to improve the cell edge spectral efficiency.
The Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (ICIC) enhancement currently being studied for LTE-Advanced
can be classified into dynamic Interference Coordination (D-ICIC) and Static Interference Coordination (S-
ICIC). In D-ICIC, the utilization of frequency resource, spatial resource (beam pattern) or power resource
is exchanged dynamically among eNBs. This scheme is flexible and adaptive to implement the resource
balancing in unequal load situations. For S-ICIC, both static and semi-static spatial resource coordination
among eNBs are being considered.
The advanced ICIC techniques were defined in Rel-10 for Macro-Pico scenarios. Further advancement to
these schemes may be studied in Rel-11 as discussed in Section 8.2.3.
8.2.1.6 PERFORMANCE RESULTS
Figure 8.3 shows the possible system performance gain determined from system simulation with the
various CoMP techniques in the downlink. The simulations assumptions were consistent with that agreed
to in 3GPP.129 The CoMP techniques investigated include:
CBF
Intra-Site Coherent JP
Quantized feedbacks were assumed for CBS with SU-MIMO and Intra site JP with MU-MIMO while
idealized feedbacks were assumed for the other schemes. Figure 8.3 illustrates that significant cell edge
and cell average throughput gain is possible.
129
3GPP TR 36.814, Further Advancements for E-UTRA, Physical layer Aspects.
8.2.2 CARRIER AGGREGATION
In Rel-10, the carrier aggregation work in RAN4 was focused mainly on generic intra-band and inter-band
cases. As discussed in Section 7.4, carrier aggregation will be treated as a release independent feature.
Thus, the Rel-11 work item process will concentrate on band-specific issues related to RF performance,
inter-mod analysis and conformance testing for a real carrier aggregation band combination (which can
be included in TS 36.307 prior to the completion of Rel-11 as explained in Section 7.4). While many band
combinations are expected to be studied over the next few years, RAN-4 and RAN-5 will have early focus
on the following combinations:
8.2.3 ENHANCED ICIC
The inclusion of Enhanced ICIC topics has been postponed until March 2011. The following items were
proposed to be studied under this item:
a. Data channel ICIC enhancements, e.g., FDM/TDM coordination and enhanced signaling for
resource allocation
b. Higher layer enhancements, e.g., for idle mode operation and mobility enhancements (RAN1,
RAN2, RAN3, RAN4)
c. Uplink enhancements (e.g. uplink interference mitigation for Macro-Pico and Macro-Femto)
8.3 HSPA+ ENHANCEMENTS
The 3GPP has initiated the work on a set of new HSPA features considered for inclusion in Rel-11. The
features under discussion so far include 8-Carrier HSDPA, Uplink dual antenna beamforming and MIMO
as well as Downlink Multipoint Transmission.
8.3.1 8‐CARRIER HSDPA
The 8-carrier HSDPA extends the HSDPA carrier aggregation up to 40 MHz aggregate bandwidth by
enabling transmission simultaneously on up to eight carriers towards a single UE. The carriers do not
necessarily need to reside adjacent to each other on a contiguous frequency block, as it is possible to
aggregate carriers together from more than one frequency band.
Band A Band B
DL 4 x 5 MHz DL 4 x 5 MHz
+
20 MHz 20 MHz
Figure 8.4. 8-Carrier HSDPA Aggregates up to 8X5 MHz Carriers from Different Frequency Bands.
Eight-carrier HSDPA is expected to increase the peak HSDPA data rate by a factor of 2 compared to 4-
carrier HSDPA, and it can be expected to bring similar gains as the other multi-carrier features
standardized in Rel-8 to Rel-10. As a potential additional evolution step, 4X4 MIMO can be envisioned,
with the potential to yet again double the peak rate over 2X2 MIMO.
8.3.2 UPLINK DUAL ANTENNA BEAMFORMING AND MIMO
Uplink dual antenna beamforming and 2X2 MIMO allows for the HSUPA transmissions to originate from
two transmit antennas. Both rank 1 (single stream beamforming) and rank 2 (dual-stream MIMO)
transmission modes are being considered. The rank 1 beamforming gains allow for better uplink data rate
coverage and the rank 2 MIMO doubles the achievable peak data rate on the carrier. In addition, 2X4
antenna configurations with 4 Node B Rx antennas are considered in the 3GPP evaluation work even
though additional receive antennae is more of a deployment option not impacting the standards. Four-
way Rx is expected to roughly double the capacity and significantly improve the probability for rank 2
transmission.
1 or 2
streams
With uplink 2X2 (and 2X4) MIMO the uplink peak rate reaches 23 Mbps per 5 MHz carrier with 16 QAM
modulation. As an additional evolutionary step, the introduction of 64 QAM modulation can be considered,
which would bring the uplink peak rate with MIMO to 35 Mbps per 5 MHz carrier or to 69 Mbps if it were to
be supported in combination with Dual Carrier HSUPA configuration.
8.3.3 DOWNLINK MULTIPOINT TRANSMISSION
The downlink Multipoint Transmission concept is improving the achievable HSDPA cell edge data rates
by both reducing the inter-cell interference and increasing the energy of the desired signal. By
transmitting identical data from two cells on the same frequency to the cell edge UE, the cell edge signal-
to-noise ratio can be increased. This operation is analogous to the soft handover used in downlink DCH
channels since Rel-99. Alternatively if the two cells transmit independent data to the UE, the peak and
average data rate can be increased. This gain stems from spatial multiplexing and it would be similar to
the Dual-Cell HSDPA operation standardized in Rel-8.
8.4.1 MACHINE‐TYPE COMMUNICATION (MTC)
The scope of the second release of Network Improvements for Machine-Type Communication (NIMTC)
for Rel-11 has not been finalized. Considering the number of MTC features in the service requirements,
the feature work will have to be prioritized. The following MTC features may have higher priority going
forward:
Time Tolerant (improvements for a class of MTC devices that can delay transmitting data)
MTC Group and Group-based features (improvements to allow grouping of devices e.g. for
authentication, QoS/bearer control or reduction of signaling)
Small Data transmission (improvements for a class of MTC devices that transmits relatively small
pieces of data)
Low Mobility (improvements for a class of MTC devices that do not move frequently or at all)
8.4.1.1 TIME CONTROLLED, TIME TOLERANT
Time Controlled is a feature that is mainly intended for MTC devices that connect with the network only
within a defined time period. Time Tolerant is intended for MTC devices that can delay their data transfer.
While there are slight differences in the intention of these MTC devices, a single solution may fit the
needs of all these devices.
MTC device communicates only within certain time periods (grant time intervals) and is not
allowed to communicate within certain other time periods (forbidden time intervals): Could be
configured in the subscription data
Access outside grant time interval or during forbidden time interval could result in rejection or
different charging rates (i.e. MTC service provider has to pay extra fees)
8.4.1.2 MTC GROUP
MTC group is intended for use with MTC devices that can easily be grouped to enable optimization of
network resources. Group of devices could be defined by the network operator or based on agreements
between the service provider and the operator. It is defined at the time of subscription and is identified by
a Group ID; the Group ID is expected to be unique within the PLMN.
Currently it is assumed that devices that have the following characteristics could form a group:
Grouping of devices could affect the way these devices authenticate towards the network, are attached or
detached and how bearers and what kind of bearers are maintained.
8.4.1.3 SMALL DATA TRANSMISSION
This feature is intended for use with MTC devices that need to transmit and receive only small amount of
data. Sending small amount of data in the attach request (or another NAS signaling message) without the
need to establish bearer contexts is under consideration.
8.4.1.4 MTC MONITORING
This is intended for use with monitoring MTC device related events; mainly to address the needs of
devices deployed in locations with high risk of vandalism or theft.
Device behavior not aligned with the activated MTC feature(s) (e.g. device is transmitting data
outside the allowed time period or a low mobility device moving very frequently)
MTC service provider and network operator could define the type of events that should be detected and
the action that should be taken by the network. Such agreements are usually fixed in Service Level
Agreements (SLAs).
8.4.1.5 LOW MOBILITY
This is intended for use with MTC Devices that do not move, move infrequently or move only within a
certain region or area; for instance, meters (power, gas, water, heating, grid control), surveillance systems
are mostly placed in a fixed location.
Following are some of the potential approaches considered to address the needs of such devices:
(Limited) Paging area configured in the subscription data and the network pages in the configured
area
Stepwise paging: Network first pages the last known cell or service area and if there is no
response, it pages within the whole RA or TA list
Network detects the lack of or rare mobility hence decides to store the last known location for subsequent
paging.
This work aims to identify and specify solutions for the provision of a network provided Cell ID to the IMS
nodes. This information is needed to fulfill legal obligations in the case where regulators disallow the use
of the Untrusted UE provided Cell ID.
LCS for EPS has been defined in Rel-9. Normally the LCS location information is provided in the
geographical information format, which is not suitable for charging purposes as it lacks access network
information.
In the circuit-switched network when a UE initiates a CS call or sends an SMS message, the MSC can get
the current Cell ID information provided by RNC/BSC, which can be used for charging purposes and/or
for recording the location of a subscriber for whom the government authority requests communication
history. In the IMS, Cell ID information is currently provided by the UE. As the Cell ID information provided
by the UE cannot be trusted, it is required that the network provides the Cell ID for following scenarios:
The destination for VoIP emergency calls shall be selected according to Cell ID
IMS services may need the Cell ID information to trigger localized services
The goal of this work item is to investigate and specify the architecture solutions for making the Cell ID /
PLMN ID the UE is camped on available to the IMS nodes when the mobile operator needs to record this
information either to fulfill legal obligations or for charging purposes. Currently multiple options have been
identified. A study will be performed in order to gather the various existing regulatory requirements that
the solution needs to be fulfilled, such as:
o To the users served by the network (i.e. “non-roaming” subscribers and inbound roamers)
o To the users served by the network which are also subscribers of that network
What events trigger the need to retrieve the Cell ID of the user
What accuracy is required and what accuracy is allowed (e.g. when transferred between
networks)
The charging and security aspects of the solution will also be taken into account.
8.4.3 SRVCC ASPECT OF EMPS
Enhancements for Multimedia Priority Service (eMPS) have started to develop the priority treatment of
IMS-based multimedia services. Stage1 specification mentions that even during handover procedure,
priority needs to be supported. Depending on regulatory requirements in a region, it is useful to forward
priority indication of an IMS-based voice call over LTE with priority to Circuit Switch of GERAN/UTRAN or
1xCS so that the call can be forwarded to the Circuit Switch of GERAN/UTRAN or 1xCS with prioritized
way compared to other normal IMS-based voice calls if SRVCC is performed. The objective of this work is
to analyze and, if needed, specify mechanisms for the priority handling of SRVCC with regard to LTE/EPC.
8.4.4 SIPTO SERVICE CONTINUITY OF IP DATA SESSION (SIPTO_SC)
In Rel-10, 3GPP has specified requirements for the support of Selected IP Traffic Offload (SIPTO) from
the macro network and from H(e)NB subsystems in an enterprise/residential environment (subsequently
called a H(e)NB-involved network). However, requirements related to the service continuity of existing IP
data sessions during mobility events in the macro network when SIPTO is used and also between macro-
network and H(e)NB-involved network have not been provided in detail. This work item aims to review
use cases and develop requirements for a system that will enable the mobile operators to provide
services in a more effective manner, as well as improving the user experience for the following scenarios:
Service continuity of IP data session(s) when a UE, whose data is offloaded, moves between
(e)NBs in the macro network
Service continuity of IP data session(s) when a UE, whose data is offloaded, moves between
H(e)NBs in an enterprise/residential environment
Service continuity of IP data session(s) when a UE, whose data is offloaded, moves between the
macro-network and H(e)NB sub-system in an enterprise/residential environment
8.4.5 QOS CONTROL BASED ON SUBSCRIBER SPENDING LIMITS (QOS_SSL)
This work item aims to provide a mechanism to allow a mobile operator to have a much finer granularity
of control of the subscriber’s usage of the network resources by linking the subscriber’s data session QoS
with a spending limit. This gives the operator the ability to deny a subscriber access to particular services
if the subscriber has reached his/her allocated spending limit within a certain time period. It would be
useful if, in addition, the bandwidth of a subscriber’s data session could be modified when this spending
level is reached. This could be done depending on, for example, the type of service being used by the
subscriber, the subscriber’s spending limit and amount already spent and operator’s charging models.
This allows the operator to have an additional means of shaping the subscriber’s traffic in order to avoid
subscribers monopolizing the network resource at any given time. Since support for roaming scenarios is
needed, the possibility to provide support for roaming subscribers without having dedicated support in the
visited network is needed.
Upon triggers based on the operator’s charging models, the subscriber could be given the opportunity to
purchase additional credit that increases the spending limit.
The objective of this study is to provide use cases/service requirements and specs that allow:
Enforcing of spending limits for roaming subscribers without having dedicated support in the visited
network
8.4.6 NON‐VOICE EMERGENCY SERVICES (NOVES)
Non-verbal communications such as text messaging and instant messaging via wireless devices has
been very successful and continues to expand. Many of the consumers assume that they can utilize
Currently, service requirements for emergency calls (with or without the IP Multimedia Core Network) are
limited to voice media. The Non-Voice Emergency Services (NOVES) is intended to be an end-to-end
citizen to authority communications. NOVES could support the following examples of non-verbal
communications to an emergency services network:
2. Session-based and session-less instant messaging type sessions with emergency services
3. Multimedia (e.g., pictures, video clips) transfer to emergency services either during or after other
communications with emergency services.
In addition, to support the general public, this capability would facilitate emergency communications to
emergency services by individuals with special needs (e.g., hearing impaired citizens).
The objectives of this study include the following questions for NOVES with media other than or in
addition to voice:
2. What are the security, reliability, and priority handling requirements for NOVES?
3. How is the appropriate recipient emergency services system (e.g., PSAP) determined?
6. Are there any implications due to the subscriber crossing a PSAP boundary during NOVES
communications (e.g., subsequent text messages should go to the same PSAP)?
7. Do multiple communication streams (e.g., voice, text, video emergency services) need to be
associated together?
9. What are the load impacts of NOVES in the case of a large scale emergency event or malicious
use?
NOVES will be applicable to GPRS (GERAN, UTRAN) and to EPS (GERAN, UTRAN, E-UTRAN and non-
3GPP). The content may be transmitted between the subscribers and the emergency services which
might bring new security issues. Therefore, the security impacts need to be studied.
The collaborative work between 3GPP and BBF has resulted in a workshop focusing on Fixed Mobile
Convergence (FMC). The basis for the work is a set of requirements documented in BBF WT-203. As a
result of the workshop, it has been identified that several working groups in 3GPP will need to work on
requirements, architecture, security and OA&M. This work is moved from Rel-10 to Rel-11 with the
following scope:
Building block I:
Aspects on basic connectivity, host-based mobility (S2c), and network-based mobility for
untrusted accesses (S2b) on top of Rel-9 baseline architecture including network
discovery/selection functions and IP address allocation
Interworking between 3GPP and BBF architectures for authentication, including identities, on top
of Rel-9 baseline architecture
Policy and QoS interworking between 3GPP and BBF architectures considering the following
scenarios:
o When H(e)NB is being used and traffic is routed back to the EPC
o When WLAN is being used and traffic is routed back to the EPC
Policy and QoS interworking between 3GPP and BBF architectures considering the following
scenarios:
o When H(e)NB is being used and traffic is offloaded in the local wireline network
o When WLAN is being used and traffic is offloaded in the local wireline network (i.e. non-
seamless WLAN offloading)
Study of a potential architecture for the case of network-based mobility when the BBF access is
considered as trusted
Further convergence between 3GPP and fixed network architectures beyond basic inter-working
such as converged database and further architecture optimizations for operators providing both
3GPP and BBF accesses with input from BBF
Policy and QoS interworking between 3GPP and BBF networks considering scenarios when the
services and policies are provided by the BBF network
8.5 POTENTIAL AREAS OF FUTURE STANDARDIZATION
The following features have not been agreed to date for Rel-11, but may be considered in the future for
standardization in Rel-11 or beyond.
a) Enhanced Carrier Aggregation for LTE: Some example of enhancements are as follows:
i. Extension carrier for DL
ii. Multiple timing advances for different UL bands
b) MIMO Enhancement for LTE-Advanced (e.g. enhancements to Multi-User MIMO): These
enhancements can be considered under the CoMP SI
c) 4X4 MIMO for HSPA+
d) Carrier Aggregation between HSPA+ and LTE
Wireless data usage continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, thanks mainly to the introduction of
newer devices such as the iPhone/iPad, Android, Nokia N900 and BlackBerry, which have introduced
user interfaces that have made end-users want to utilize more applications over their devices. The HSPA
technologies defined in Rel-5 (HSDPA) and Rel-6 (HSUPA) have supported these quickly growing data
capacity demands. Networks with a large majority of smartphone users are experiencing strain and
operators continue to further evolutions such as HSPA+. The 3GPP standards anticipated the needed
evolution to Rel-7, and the introduction of LTE in Rel-8, which will be critical for supporting future data
growth. Beyond Rel-8, the standards deliver further enhancements in Rel-9 and later in Rel-10 towards
LTE-Advanced.
Rel-9 was completed in March 2010 and added feature functionality and performance enhancements to
both HSPA and LTE. For HSPA, Rel-9 enhancements included the ability to support non-contiguous DC-
HSDPA, MIMO + DC-HSDPA, contiguous DC-HSUPA and extensions to transmit diversity to support
non-MIMO devices. The focus for LTE included: additional features and enhancements to support IMS
Emergency Services, Commercial Mobile Alert Systems, location services, CS domain services (i.e.
voice), broadcast services (enhancements for MBMS), SON enhancements, Downlink BF (dual layer)
enhancements, vocoder rate adaptation for LTE, enhancements to support Home NodeB/eNodeB (i.e.
femtocells) and the evolution of the IMS architecture.
Rel-10 work has been the focus of 3GPP since the completion of Rel-9. Rel-10 is targeted to be
complete in March 2011 and will define enhancements required to meet IMT-Advanced requirements
through a work item called LTE-Advanced. LTE-Advanced has focused on introducing carrier aggregation
schemes, enhanced SU-MIMO and MU-MIMO techniques, support for relays, enhancements for MBMS,
SON enhancements, support for Heterogenous Networks, and Home NB/Home eNB enhancements.
LTE-Advanced was recently certified by the ITU as meeting all of the IMT-Advanced requirements and
will be published as IMT-Advanced compliant in the latter part of Q1 2011.
3GPP has already begun initial planning and discussions for Rel-11. Some of the key Rel-11 LTE
features are expected to be the addition of CoMP as well as enhancements to Carrier Aggregation and
ICIC. Some of the key Rel-11 HSPA+ features are expected to be downlink enhancements to support 8-
carrier HSDPA and multi-point transmission, and uplink enhancements to support dual antenna
beamforming and MIMO. Rel-11 will also focus on enhancements to support Machine-Type
Communications.
Clearly the continued evolution of 3GPP is exceptionally strong, providing significant new capabilities and
enhancements to HSPA+ and LTE-Advanced through Rel-10, Rel-11 and beyond to provide operators
with the solutions for meeting the fast growing wireless data usage demands of consumers and the
enterprise.
The following sections were contributed by companies represented in the working group for this 4G
Americas white paper. This is not a comprehensive document of all the commercial progress made to
date by the mobile broadband community, but is representative of some of the activities by leading
members of the UMTS-HSPA and LTE ecosystem.
Alcatel-Lucent is a major player in the UMTS-HSPA market, with one of the industry’s most
comprehensive UMTS-HSPA portfolios that can support deployments covering all markets and frequency
bands (including AWS and 900 MHz spectrum bands).
Alcatel-Lucent currently has 66 UMTS-HSPA customers in 47 countries. The company has a strong
presence in the most dynamic and highest-volume UMTS markets including the U.S. (with AT&T) and
Korea (with SKT & KT) who address over 70 million subscribers. More than 33 percent of HSPA
connections worldwide came from four major operators: AT&T in the U.S., KT and SKT in Korea and
Vodafone Italy who all selected Alcatel-Lucent as their partner (Wireless Intelligence Q2 2010).
Alcatel-Lucent is best positioned to help its customers in addressing the mobile data explosion and smart
phone behavior specificities leveraging on its High Leverage Network™ architecture including excellent
optimization features, multi-carrier traffic balancing, smart management of signaling load and topology
adjustment (small cells). The company is also leveraging its wireline leadership to evolve its customers’
networks to an all-wireless IP network. Alcatel-Lucent is the only mobile equipment vendor with both the
portfolio and the experience needed to transition wireless networks to all-IP to enable its wireless
customers to offer multimedia and differentiated services while optimizing costs.
Alcatel-Lucent is working closely with its customers to smoothly migrate their networks towards HSPA+
and LTE. Part of Alcatel-Lucent’s converged RAN solution, the company’s existing hardware is already
HSPA+ (Dual Carrier and MIMO) and LTE capable and the activation is done on a software basis only
(Rel-7). Moreover, Alcatel-Lucent is a dynamic force in the proliferation of small cells in a converged
broadband environment, extending the technology from residential gateways to the enterprise and into
the metropolitan areas. Through a series of 12 new small cell contract wins in only three months, Alcatel-
Lucent is clearly establishing itself as the leading end-to-end Femto/small cell vendor, currently holding
more than 20 trials and 14 commercial deployment agreements (including contracts with Vodafone UK
and Etisalat in the UAE).
Alcatel-Lucent has also established a clear leadership position in the LTE market, having been
selected so far by seven customers for commercial deployments, including two of the world’s largest
service providers (Verizon Wireless and AT&T), and being involved in 58 trials worldwide. Almost half of
these 58 trial customers are nontraditional 2G/3G customers of Alcatel-Lucent. Trials are conducted in
both FDD and TDD spectrum in all the major frequency bands. NTT DOCOMO also selected Alcatel-
Lucent to build the mobile backhaul network to support its LTE service in Japan.
In its global Pubic Safety segment, Alcatel-Lucent has demonstrated the readiness of LTE to deliver
mission-critical communications for public safety through a series of industry firsts in the United
States, leading the way toward the establishment of a nationwide LTE broadband network; First to
complete a data call over Band 14, the spectrum earmarked for public safety agencies in the US: First to
join the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA): First to light up a true 700 MHz Band 14 network at the Public Safety
Alcatel-Lucent is a strong and early promoter of LTE, heavily contributing to LTE ecosystem
development: The company started to operate LTE trials in 2007 and is a leading force in defining 3GPP
LTE specifications, also working in close collaboration with Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance
(NGMN) and playing a leading role in the LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI). Alcatel-Lucent is also fostering
the development of a robust LTE ecosystem and innovative business models with the ng Connect
Program.
From a technology standpoint, Alcatel-Lucent is the end-to-end LTE solution partner of mobile service
providers worldwide with the industry’s most comprehensive offering:
Proven IP transformation and integration experience with a full set of professional services
The company has grown to become the trusted transformation partner to its customers for 3G+
and “4G” LTE wireless IP solutions, building on a solid foundation of services, solutions, and
products. Alcatel-Lucent is the undisputed leader in flat IP architecture (#1 in IP access) with
unique expertise in Wireless IP transformation and integration for network optimization (200+
mobile network migrations) supporting (3GPP Rel-8).
Alcatel-Lucent is the unique end-to-end partner selected by Verizon across all strategic areas of
their LTE network: Radio Access, Evolved Packet Core, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and
backhaul solution.
Alcatel-Lucent was the first vendor to receive FCC certification for LTE base stations for the 700
MHz spectrum band (3GPP Rel-8), a key requirement for sales in the U.S. market.
Alcatel-Lucent also received a certification for its 800 MHz radio (European Digital Dividend) and
2.6 GHz LTE BTS equipment, allowing for shipments in Europe.
1. A four-year agreement worth US$4 billion with Verizon Wireless: Alcatel-Lucent will
provide its wireless network architecture and services to support the operator's ongoing
3G network expansion and 4G LTE network build out.
2. Three framework agreements valued in total at 1.178 billion Euros with China Mobile,
China Telecom and China Unicom to provide wireless networking solutions, xPON and
DSL access platforms, transmission equipment, IP routers, IP Multimedia Subsystem
(IMS) platforms, applications and professional services.
Texas Energy Network (TEN) has announced that it will be the first communications company to
deploy LTE technology to benefit Oil and Gas companies’ growing data requirements, leveraging
Alcatel-Lucent‘s market-leading end-to-end LTE solution.
Andrew Solutions™, the CommScope, Inc. division that is a global leader in wireless communication
systems and products, delivers solutions that address all areas of RF path and coverage needs in UMTS
including a suite of tools for UMTS planning, implementation, geo-coded traffic, and performance data
management. Andrew’s RF solutions enable operators to synchronize investments with revenue using
scalable deployment strategies and technologies, accelerate payback by expanding macro coverage
effectively, and manage coverage, capacity and interference in key areas such as urban settings, indoors,
and along transportation corridors.
Andrew’s solutions specifically address the unique needs of wireless operators deploying UMTS networks
in the following ways:
Rapid development of a focused outdoor UMTS footprint – Andrew accelerates dense urban
builds with small footprint rooftop deployments; supplements macro coverage with microcell-
based capacity for outdoor hotspots; simplifies Greenfield site builds with kits and bundles; and
broadens effective cell coverage with tower-mounted amplifiers, multi-carrier power amplifiers,
and Node-based interference cancelling repeaters. Andrew provides turnkey coverage and
distributed capacity for outdoor venues such as urban streets, urban canyons, road tunnels, and
railways with multi-operator, multi-standard ION® optical distribution networks and RADIAX®
radiating cable. Andrew’s HELIAX® 2.0 cable and connector products have best-in-class RF
performance coupled with ease of deployment. Andrew’s broadband, multiband base station
antennas, with available Teletilt® remote electrical tilt, facilitate site optimization and simplify
configuration, lowering rental costs. The Andrew Institute provides world renowned training for RF
system installers and maintenance crews.
Cost-effective indoor capacity and coverage – Andrew also helps operators and OEMs evolve
beyond voice and move indoors aggressively with its ION distributed antenna system distributing
coverage and capacity in a cost-effective, homogonous, future proof fashion. The current ION
system supports up to five frequency bands in a tightly integrated package with an extension for
up to three more frequencies over a pair of single mode fibers. The new Node A indoor or outdoor
all-digital repeater provides a low cost coverage extension solution, supporting up to four
simultaneous frequency bands in 400, 700, 800, 850, 900, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, or 2600 MHz.
Real-time network monitoring and optimization – Andrew makes regular, systemic drive
testing fast and effective with Invex.NxG™ i.Scan™ scanners that were among the first to support
LTE and other technologies in the same instrument. Our patented remote electrical tilt base
station antennas accelerate post-deployment optimization by responding quickly to changing
traffic patterns and reducing interference and coverage “holes.” Andrew’s reconfigurable
SmartBeam® antennas provide remote adjustment of the elevation beamtilt, azimuth beamwidth
and boresite pointing direction. This provides the operator with the ability to achieve capacity
o Cell ID (CID)
o RF Profiling
o Hybrid A-GPS combining satellite and network based measurements for optimal yield
and accuracy
The GeoLENs platform enables a wide variety of emergency, commercial and security related services.
Andrew is evolving the GeoLENs MLC to seamlessly support location services in LTE networks in
accordance with the recommendations of both the 3GPP and Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) specifications
groups. 3G operators migrating to LTE will be able to add the LTE node functionality as required to
existing GeoLENS MLC platforms already supporting their 2G and 3G networks. CDMA operators
migrating to 3GPP/LTE will be able to deploy a proven platform into their new network environment.
Andrew is at the forefront of standardization efforts both in 3GPP as well as in the OMA forums. Andrew
is actively involved in the Rel-10 standardization efforts to specify the wireless location services
architecture, technologies, and protocols and is an active contributor as OMA finalizes SUPL 2.0
definitions and initiates work on SUPL 3.0.
Andrew’s products will support current 3GPP releases and product roadmaps will continue to be
developed to ensure future compliance to 3GPP specifications.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T
operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world.
With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network,
AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, high speed Internet and voice services.
The GSM/UMTS platform enables continued enhancement of mobile broadband speeds as AT&T evolves
to the next generation of technologies.
AT&T has been a global leader in planning and deploying mobile broadband technology. In 2005, AT&T
became the first carrier in the world to widely deploy an HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access)
network. Two years later, AT&T upgraded the network with HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access)
technology, which provided a substantial improvement in uplink speeds for the network.
In 2010, AT&T upgraded mobile broadband cell sites nationwide to High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA)
7.2. HSPA 7.2 provides theoretical peak speeds that are twice as fast as HSPA.
By November 2010, AT&T had again made substantial upgrades to its network, by deploying HSPA+ in
80 percent of its mobile network. AT&T expected to cover 250 million POPs with HSPA+ by the end of
2010.
The company is also among the world’s leaders in moving to LTE, the next generation of wireless
technology. Today, AT&T has LTE trials in Baltimore and Dallas, and is planning to have 70-75 million
POPs covered by the end of 2011.
These advancements, when combined with an ongoing initiative to increase the number of high-speed
backhaul connections to cell sites, are a part of AT&T’s strategy to provide customers with an enhanced
mobile broadband experience, both today and in the future.
In October 2010, AT&T introduced the first LTE and HSPA+ capable LaptopConnect devices. The AT&T
USBConnect Adrenaline from LG will be LTE upgradeable, while the AT&T USBConnect Shockwave
from Sierra Wireless will offer HSPA+ connectivity.
Ericsson: Today's mobile broadband services enabled by Ericsson’s HSPA systems support up to 42
Mbps peak theoretical throughput on the downlink and up to 5.8 Mbps on the uplink (Rel-6). In December
2008, Ericsson was the first vendor to provide the first step of HSPA Evolution in commercial networks in
both Australia and Europe when up to 21 Mbps peak theoretical downlink speeds where enabled by
Telstra in Australia and 3 in Sweden (Rel-7). On July 17, 2009, Telecom Italy launched the world’s first
HSPA MIMO network, supplied by Ericsson, with peak theoretical downlink speeds up to 28 Mbps (Rel-7).
And in February 2010, Telstra in Australia started to offer services up to 42 Mbps, based on Ericsson's
dual carrier HSPA technology. Key characteristics in Ericsson's HSPA offering for mobile broadband are
superior radio performance with a comprehensive RBS portfolio for optimized coverage and capacity,
excellent in-service performance built on scalable and future proof 3G platforms with an easy path to
further steps in HSPA Evolution (HSPA+) that will increase HSPA peak theoretical throughput speeds up
to 168 Mbps and above on the downlink and more than 20 Mbps on the uplink within the coming years
(Rel-10).
The popularity of smartphones is growing, as consumers see the greatly expanded connectivity and
communications options they offer and operators recognize the additional revenue potential. Soon, many
networks in developed markets will see smartphone penetration exceed 50 percent, growing towards 100
percent. Ericsson is the leader in supporting operators with a large population of smartphones and we
Moving on to the next step in mobile broadband, in January 2008, Ericsson became the first company to
demonstrate LTE operating in both FDD and TDD modes on the same base station platform (Rel-8). By
using the same platform for both paired and unpaired spectrum, LTE provides large economies of scale
for operators. In order to make LTE licensing as fair and reasonable as possible, in April 2008, Ericsson
announced its role in a joint initiative with Alcatel-Lucent, NEC, NextWave Wireless, Nokia, Nokia
Siemens Networks and Sony Ericsson to enhance the predictability and transparency of IPR licensing
costs in future 3GPP LTE/SAE technology. This initiative includes a commitment to an IPR licensing
framework that provides more predictable maximum aggregate IPR costs for LTE technology and enables
early adoption of this technology into products. In 2008, Ericsson unveiled the world’s first commercially
available LTE-capable platform for mobile devices, the M700, which offers peak data downlink rates of up
to 100 Mbps and uplink rates of up to 50 Mbps (Rel-8). The first products based on M700 will include data
devices such as laptop modems, USB modems for notebooks and other small-form modems suitable for
integration with other handset platforms to create multi-mode devices. Since LTE supports hand over and
roaming on existing mobile networks, all of these devices can have ubiquitous mobile broadband
coverage from day one. The world's first LTE system, TeliaSonera in Sweden and Norway, went live
December 2009 (Rel-8).
In 2008, Ericsson announced the new RBS 6000 base station family. The RBS 6000 is a no-compromise,
energy efficient compact site solution that supports GSM/EDGE, WCDMA/HSPA and LTE (Rel-8) in a
single package. The RBS 6000 is built with cutting-edge technology and at the same time provides
backwards compatibility with the highly successful RBS 2000 and RBS 3000 product lines. Base stations
delivered since 2001 are LTE-capable, supporting operators with a clear and stable evolutionary path into
the future. As a multi-standard base station, the RBS 6000 offers many options that make choices simpler
while providing greater freedom of choice. Cost-effective deployment and development of new, high-
speed mobile broadband services, mobile TV and Web applications requires a smart solution that
provides a real performance leap. The RBS 6000 family not only ensures a smooth transition to new
technology and functionality minimizing OPEX, but also reduces environmental impact.
Ericsson has 82 IMS system contracts for commercial launch, 47 of which are running live traffic. This
represents about 75 percent of all live commercial IMS systems. They are distributed throughout the
Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa and include fixed network implementations, GSM/GPRS,
WCDMA/HSPA and WiMAX.
Ericsson is helping operators expand and evolve their communications businesses by employing the
latest broadband and IP-based technology to reduce cost and improve service capability, flexibility and
convenience for their customers. Today, Ericsson has the industry’s largest installed base and the
largest, most mature service organization for all-IP network transformation, which are the results of
Ericsson’s history of being first to market with IMS and IP softswitching.
Ericsson has consolidated its position with about 50 percent core and IMS market share. At twice the size
of its nearest competitor, Ericsson’s installed MSS base provides a much stronger foundation for growth
through expansion and upgrades.
Gemalto, in 2010, provides Rel-8 UICC to LTE networks in the U.S. and around the world based on the
Rel-8 feature enabling Over-The-Air Remote Application and File Management over HTTP(S). This
1. Gemalto is increasingly shipping M2M Identity Module (MIM) with the Rel-9 MFF form factor
around the world for device now embarking wireless in vehicles and in harsh environments in
general where vibration and humidity constraints would not allow the traditional 2FF and 3FF to
perform to the requirements. These MFF MIM also include additional software features to enable
the expected life expectancy for such devices.
2. Pre-commercial NFC pilots around the world benefit from the ETSI standardization that place
MNOs in control of the secure element, provides financial institutions and service providers with
trusted smart card security, and gives the users the ability to move their contactless application
with their SIM cards. The NFC architecture based on the UICC as the secure element is now
widely adopted worldwide by operators, financial institutions, and supported by NFC chipset
providers and OEMs.
3. Gemalto is providing UICC for femtocells and validating the CSG files for one pilot.
4. Gemalto implemented the ICE features within some of our product concepts to evaluate the
benefits of having emergency information in the UICC for mobile healthcare use cases.
As of October 2010, Huawei had won more than 193 UMTS-HSPA commercial contracts spanning over
160 HSPA networks and over 33 HSPA+ networks. As of Q3 2010, Huawei’s UMTS Node B had
deployed a total of more than 1.92 million TRXs.
Huawei has emerged as a leading supplier of UMTS-HSPA solutions as evidenced by the following list of
“firsts” in 2010:
February 2010: Huawei and Qualcomm Incorporated successfully completed one of the industry's
first interoperability tests on Dual Carrier (DC)-HSPA+ technology. The test, which reached a
peak downlink data rate of 42Mbps, the fastest downlink rate experienced by 3G end-users,
demonstrates that DC-HSPA+ technology is ready for commercial deployment. (Rel-8)
July 2010: Huawei successfully launched world’s first smartphone signaling solution in Singapore
for StarHub, further enhancing network performance by reducing 56 percent of the redundant
signaling traffic on StarHub’s current Huawei HSPA+ network. (Rel-8)
August 2010: Huawei launched Asia Pacific’s first Dual Carrier (DC)-HSPA+ commercial network
in Hong Kong for PCCW, demonstrating peak download speeds of 42 Mbps. The DC-HSPA+
solution is an upgrade that doubles the downlink peak data rate of PCCW’s current Huawei
HSPA+ mobile broadband network. (Rel-8)
As of October 2010, Huawei has been awarded 18 LTE commercial contracts and has deployed over 70
LTE trial networks with global leading operators that include China Mobile, Cox Communications, Saudi
December 2009: Huawei helped TeliaSonera launch the world’s first and fastest commercial LTE
network in Oslo, Norway with Huawei’s E2E LTE solution. (Rel-8)
December 2009: Huawei won the world’s first dual-mode GSM/LTE commercial contract from
Net4Mobility (joint venture by Tele2 and Telenor) to deploy in Sweden.
February 2010: Huawei unveiled the latest innovation in mobile broadband terminal devices -
E398 modem, world’s first triple-mode LTE modem compatible with all three major network
standards: GSM, UMTS, and LTE. (currently supporting up to Rel-8)
March 2010: Huawei achieved the world's fastest LTE-Advanced downlink speeds of up to 1.2
Gb/s at CTIA Wireless 2010 in Las Vegas, with our prototype product that includes some
projected Rel-10 features.
May 2010: Huawei won two top awards - "Significant Progress for a Commercial Launch of LTE
by a Vendor" and "Best Contribution to Research & Development for LTE” at the LTE World
Summit 2010 in Amsterdam.
May 2010: Huawei helped China Mobile launch the world’s first trial TD-LTE network for 2010
Shanghai World Expo with Huawei’s E2E solution. (Rel-8)
July 2010: Huawei was selected by Vodafone as technology partner to upgrade the base stations
in Germany and build world’s first 800 MHz LTE commercial network. (Rel-8)
September 2010: Huawei won the world’s first 1800 MHz LTE/EPC commercial contract from
Mobyland to deploy in Poland. (Rel-8)
Huawei’s SingleRAN solution enables operators to achieve full convergence of multi-mode wireless
networks, including base stations, base station controllers, cell sites, and operations and maintenance
management. SingleRAN provides a simple and unified radio access network fully capable of supporting
any combination of GSM, WCDMA, or LTE/LTE-Advanced and is software configurable. The SingleRAN
solution won the InfoVision Award in the category of "Broadband Access Network Technologies and
Services" at Broadband World Forum 2010 in Paris. Huawei’s Fourth Generation base station is a key
component of the SingleRAN solution. As of October 2010, Huawei had shipped over 4.5 million
transceivers of this latest generation BTS, spanning over multiple releases of 3GPP with Rel-8 being the
latest.
As of October 2010, based on ETSI announcements, Huawei was awarded over 270 essential patents in
LTE, which ranked Huawei as the global No. 4 in the entire industry and as the No. 1 within infrastructure
vendors. In addition, Huawei has generated over 5800+ LTE/SAE standards contributions.
Motorola’s UMTS-HSPA (Rel-6 and Rel-7) solutions address the very specific needs of mobile operators
worldwide enabling them to make the most of today’s challenging market environment. Support for full 15
code HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, IP backhaul options and a host of global operating frequencies are just a
few of the many features that Motorola’s solutions deliver. In addition to improving the end-user
experience, these features also target mobile operators’ network CAPEX and OPEX, providing
opportunities to minimize Total Cost of Ownership.
Motorola’s early commitment to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) has given it vast
experience and expertise in designing, planning, optimizing and managing OFDM LTE mobile broadband
networks. It’s also yielded tremendous insight into perfecting the LTE network scheduler, the master
controller of the radio access network that prioritizes voice and data traffic. Motorola is leveraging this
extensive OFDM, multiple-in/multiple out (MIMO), all-IP wireless broadband experience, and expertise in
the LTE scheduler to deliver a complete award-winning LTE solution that supports both FDD and TD-LTE
Rel-8 and future Releases 9 and 10.
Motorola’s commercial LTE deployments are based on its “4th Generation” OFDM platforms that have
been proven and field-hardened and for which algorithms have been optimized to deliver best
performance in real-life environments (Rel-8 and future Releases 9 and 10).
Motorola was involved in more than 30 LTE trials or engagements with customers around the world in the
third quarter of 2010, including a contract with Zain Saudi Arabia, and publicly announced activities with
KDDI and China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC). In addition, Motorola has a state-of-the-art
LTE trial network and testing facility in Swindon, U.K. where customers can engage in LTE technology
field trials and detailed real-world equipment testing. Motorola’s Hangzhou R&D Center is actively
engaged with the TD-LTE trials initiated by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)
as part of its efforts to develop a globally competitive TD-LTE industry.
During 2010, Motorola was selected by China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC) as the
primary TD-LTE solution partner to provide indoor coverage for all major pavilions at the World Expo 2010
Shanghai China (Rel-8). Motorola also integrated and launched the world’s first TD-LTE USB dongle that
supports both 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz (Rel-8 and future releases), helping build a healthy TD-LTE
ecosystem for operators.
Motorola’s LTE solution is comprised of its OFDM broadband platform and a selection of radio options
that include MIMO and smart antennas (Rel-8, Rel-9 and Rel-10). It also features Motorola’s advanced
self-organizing network (SON) solution that helps operators lower the operation and management-related
OPEX (Rel-8 and future releases). Motorola’s 2nd generation LTE eNodeB WBR 700 series, is the first
and only LTE-Advanced capable EnodeB solution available today (Rel-10), features Motorola proprietary
Intelligent OFDM Scheduler and also includes the industry’s first TD-LTE 4Tx/8Rx radio head (Rel-8, Rel-
9 and Rel-10).
Motorola’s LTE portfolio also includes its evolved packet core (EPC) solution - the Wireless Broadband
Core (WBC) 700 portfolio, backhaul, network management solutions, video solutions that monetize LTE
investment, and a complete portfolio of professional services. The Motorola WBC 700 is comprised of
Motorola's LTE portfolio has won multiple awards, including recognition for its LTE SON and WBR 700
eNodeB solution as part of the 2010 NGN Leadership Award, for SON in the Service Management
category at the 2009 CTIA Wireless E-Tech Competition, EPC as a finalist in the 2009 InfoVision Awards,
and the eNodeB receiving a 2009 Next Generation Networks Leadership Award.
Successful completion of Phase I TD-LTE field trials and full feature set TD-LTE lab trial with
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) supporting Rel-8
Selected by Zain Saudi Arabia to deploy the first LTE network in the Kingdom
Selected by KDDI as a key development vendor for its nationwide LTE network
The only vendor able to complete all radio frequency (RF) test cases in CMCC’s TD-LTE trial
including reaching the TD-LTE theoretical maximum data rate in 20 MHz and successfully
running multiple user devices on the same sector for Rel-8
Conducted LTE first live drive tour in 2.6 GHz demonstrating handoffs and video streaming during
2009 Mobile World Congress and in Sweden
A state-of-the-art FDD and TD-LTE trial network in Swindon in the United Kingdom that features
live SON optimization for Rel-8
Announced enhancements to its LTE product portfolio including its eNodeB that is both FDD and
TD-LTE compatible, evolved packet core (EPC) and advanced self-organizing network (SON)
o First over-the-air (OTA) TD-LTE data session on the TD-LTE network in Shanghai (Rel-8)
o First company to successfully complete and pass the TD-LTE key functionalities test initiated
by China’s MIIT
o First live drive demo of TD-LTE at ITU World Telecom in Geneva in October, and
demonstrating 82 Mbps in a real-world environment (maximum theoretical data rate in that
TD-LTE config 1 DL/UL ratio profile) – first real-world LTE network with SON capability at its
LTE trial network in the United Kingdom (Rel-8)
o First demonstration of LTE in 700 MHz during a live drive demo at CTIA in Las Vegas in April
2009
o Other industry firsts from prior years include a CDMA to LTE handover and over-the-air
sessions in digital dividend spectrum 700 MHz
Nokia Siemens Networks is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and services
companies in the world with more than 60,000 people serving more than 600 customers in over 150
countries. Nokia Siemens Networks is committed to innovation and sustainability and offers a complete
Nokia Siemens Networks is the global industry leader in UMTS-HSPA development. With over 180 3G
radio network references worldwide, the company supplies 18 of the 25 biggest 3G operators globally and
connects over half of the world's UMTS-HSPA subscribers.
Nokia Siemens Networks is also leading the industry in flat network architectures, underscored by its
innovative 3GPP-standardized Internet-HSPA (I-HSPA) technology. Enabling cost-efficient scaling of the
network with rapidly growing data traffic volumes,
I-HSPA works with all 3G devices, improving user experience by reducing latency, and paving the way
towards LTE.
At Mobile World Congress 2010, Nokia Siemens Networks demonstrated the world’s first HSPA+
data call with a peak throughput of 112 Mbps. At CeBIT 2010, Deutsche Telekom together with
Nokia Siemens Networks conducted an HSPA+ data call with a peak throughput of 42 Mbps over
a standards-based UMTS network.
December 15th 2010 Nokia Siemens Networks together with T-Mobile USA announced a Long
Term HSPA Evolution initiative driving the future HSPA peak data rates beyond 650 megabits per
second (Mbps). The features under the Long Term HSPA Evolution umbrella are expected to be
part of 3GPP Release 11 aiming to make it available for commercial deployment by 2013.
At the heart of the company’s radio evolution is the Flexi Multiradio Base Station. The small, modular,
energy-efficient and award-winning base station makes full use of the software defined radio concept and
covers GSM-EDGE, UMTS-HSPA and LTE technologies – all running concurrently in a single unit. The
LTE-ready Flexi Multiradio Base Station has been shipped to 200 operators worldwide.
Nokia Siemens Networks is at the forefront of LTE research and technology development and a
frontrunner in 3GPP. Since making the first LTE call using commercial hardware and standards-compliant
software in 2009 (3GPP Rel-8), Nokia Siemens Networks was running LTE trials with over 25 operators
across the globe and had already been selected by 19 operators for commercial LTE deployment,
including the LTE pioneers TeliaSonera and Deutsche Telekom.
Nokia Siemens Networks and Nokia conduct first LTE call at 800 MHz, moving the industry closer
to realizing the potential of digital dividend spectrum. (Rel-8; July 2010)
Independent labs confirm Nokia Siemens Networks TD-LTE leadership. Meets full TD-LTE test
specifications defined by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, conducting
world’s first high-definition TD-LTE video call including handover with a Samsung TD-LTE device.
(Rel-8; August 2010)
MegaFon, Russia’s largest network operator together with Nokia Siemens Networks, showcased
a next-generation mobile broadband (4G) data call. The high-speed LTE data transmissions were
conducted on our proven, commercial end-to-end LTE system. (Rel-8; September 2010)
Nokia Siemens Networks readies TD-LTE for India by being the first company to successfully
demonstrate TD-LTE using broadband wireless access spectrum in India. The first video call was
Nokia Leading the Way with Better Voice Quality. Nokia is leading the way in support of the Adaptive
Multi-rate Wideband (AMR-WB) codec in mobile devices. This feature, when supported in the network
and mobile device, provides a high-definition, crystal-clear voice call experience to the end-user. AMR-
WB uses twice the sampling rate of its widely-used predecessor codec, the Adaptive Multi-rate (AMR)
codec. The AMR-WB codec also covers almost twice the frequency bandwidth as “classical” AMR. Voice
calls carried over the AMR-WB codec are characterized by very high audio quality which replicates being
in the same room as the person on the other end of the call. The end-user also experiences less
background noise and better voice intelligibility, making mobile voice calls more natural-sounding than
wireline calls.
3GPP Rel-5 introduced the AMR-WB codec that began to take root in commercial wireless operations in
2009. Support for the AMR-WB codec is present in the following Nokia mobile devices: 6720 Classic,
E52, E55, X6, 6700 Slide, E72, X5, E5, C3-01, X3-02, N8, E7, C6-01, and the C7. Nokia expects support
for this feature to grow in its 3G terminal portfolio.
The ability to use a GSM mobile phone anywhere on the globe has been there for quite some time. In
many GSM devices today support for up to four GSM frequency bands, including 850, 900, 1800, and
1900 MHz is quite commonplace. Over the past three years the mobile phone industry has seen multi-
band frequency support grow to the level whereby 2-3 UMTS-HSPA bands are supported on UMTS-
HSPA phone models. Nokia, during 2010, has taken the support for multi-band capability on UMTS-
HSPA to the next level. In September 2010 Nokia announced the N8 and E7, both of which support
UMTS-HSPA on five frequency bands -“penta-band HSPA capability.” This 3G band support is in addition
to the classical “quad-band” GSM/EDGE band support also present in these devices. The five UMTS-
HSPA frequency bands supported in the N8 and E7 include 850, 900, AWS (1700/2100 MHz), 1900 MHz,
and 2100 MHz. This level of 3G frequency band support allows these devices to be used in UMTS-HSPA
networks almost anywhere on the globe and covers all of the 3G frequency bands supported in the
Americas region.
Note: 3GPP Frequency Band Designations for the Frequency Bands supported in the N8 and E7 are as
follows: 850=Band 2, 900=Band 8, AWS (1700/2100)=Band 4, 1900=Band 2, and 2100=Band 1.
Openwave: The number of wireless devices is scheduled to reach six billion worldwide, with a growing
percentage of these devices providing a rich online experience. The great challenge for mobile operators
around the world is how they will manage the growth in data traffic on their networks. The escalating
number of devices, data subscriptions and rich apps requires agile, intelligent mobile networks if
communication service providers wish to deliver on the promise of always-on, real-time services.
Openwave Integra provides operators with a next-generation service mediation and policy management
solution designed to allow operators to effectively manage, monitor and monetize mobile traffic. Integra
orchestrates and mediates a set of mobile internet services that are driven by a rich policy-rules engine,
allowing each transaction to be processed based on factors that include user profile, device capabilities,
content and network type. As traffic increases, Integra can rapidly scale to deploy new mobile data
services across converging access networks and devices.
The growth in data subscriptions and in the app business is reflected in the volume of data being
transported by mobile networks. Openwave Passport helps manage the traffic in an application-aware
manner in coordination with policies defined in PCC infrastructure. Further, the network traffic mix can be
monitored and analyzed using Openwave Analytics to plan for network expansion and service
structuring. In addition, Openwave Analytics provides marketing insights for measuring the effectiveness
of service structuring and also enables integration into ecosystem for personalization of mobile web
experiences.
The growing richness of the mobile Internet entails heavier web pages more video content. Openwave’s
Web Optimizer and Media Optimizer are intelligent, content-aware solutions that work to automatically
trigger optimization when the network reaches pre-determined thresholds. Openwave Media Optimizer
enables the ability to intelligently analyze and implement network optimization based on real-time network
conditions. This in-network intelligence capability is expected to significantly lower operator’s total cost of
ownership (TCO) by reducing transmission requirements up to 40 percent when required by network
conditions.
Openwave Web Optimizer uses compression, caching and transcoding techniques to increase data
transfer rates over 3GPP Rel-8 and beyond wireless data networks while decreasing the amount of traffic
flowing over the network. It delivers faster browsing speeds and more immediate access to content while
conserving valuable bandwidth.
Qualcomm Incorporated is the leader in next-generation mobile technologies, developing some of the
industry’s most advanced chipsets, software and services. The Company’s R&D efforts and intellectual
property portfolio in the areas of UMTS-HSPA and LTE have catalyzed the evolution of mobile
broadband, helping to make wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to
people everywhere.
Qualcomm is committed to HSPA+ and LTE and is a leader in both standards development and chipset
commercialization of 3GPP technologies. Qualcomm’s contributions to the advancement of HSPA+ and
LTE are reflected in a variety of key industry milestones, including:
The industry’s first HSPA+ Rel-7 chipset was launched early 2009. Qualcomm’s introduction
of the MDM8200 chipset set the stage for HSPA+ Rel-7 network trials in 2008, as well as
Qualcomm’s collaboration with Telstra in launching the world’s first HSPA+ network in early 2009.
The first single-chip 45nm multi-mode HSPA+ Rel-7/EV-DO Rev. B chipset announced
November 2007
The dual-core, multi-mode QSC7630 for HSPA+ and EV-DO Rev. B features multi-band RF
transceiver supporting all frequency bands worldwide and support for third-party operating
systems in a single 12X12 package.
The world’s first data call using HSPA+ in July 2008. In mid-2008, Qualcomm completes the
world's first data call using HSPA+ Rel-7. The call, made on Qualcomm’s MDM8200 product,
achieves a data transfer rate of more than 20 Mbps in a 5 MHz channel.
The first multi-mode 3G/LTE chipsets sampled in November 2009. These chipsets support
both LTE FDD and LTE TDD including integrated support for Rel-8 DC-HSPA+ and EV-DO Rev
B – helping to provide the user with a seamless mobile broadband experience.
Qualcomm also continues to serve as a leading contributor to 3GPP for LTE/SAE performance and is a
leader in several LTE standards areas, including:
o Qualcomm is the company to show results satisfying IMT-Advanced requirements for single
point transmission results
Research In Motion (RIM), is the designer and manufacturer of the award-winning BlackBerry®
smartphone, used by millions of people around the world. The company also creates software for
businesses and the operating system that allows the BlackBerry smartphone to provide mobile access to
email, IM, apps, media files, the Internet and more.
Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia
Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto
Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM).
RIM works with over 575 carrier and distribution partners worldwide in over 175 countries. RIM is an end-
to-end player in wireless technology – manufacturing handsets, providing software and middleware,
providing the Network Operating Center (NOC) and accessories.
2010: RIM has first successful field trial of EEDGE product – Rel-7
September 2009: RIM trials world’s first R7 GERAN Evolved EDGE prototype – Rel-7
July 2008: RIM released the first HSDPA capable device – the Bold 9000 with HSDPA – Rel-5
(cat 5/6)
T-Mobile USA, Inc., the U.S. wireless operation of Deutsche Telekom AG, provides high speed wireless
access to approximately 33.7 million mobile customers as of the end of the third quarter of 2010. Utilizing
technology based on GSM, UMTS and HSPA, T-Mobile USA’s innovative wireless products and services
help empower people to connect to those who matter most.
At Mobile World Congress in February 2010, T-Mobile announced it would light up HSPA+ in major cities
on both coasts. Additionally, T-Mobile announced the availability of the T-Mobile webConnect Rocket 1.0
USB Laptop Stick, the first HSPA+ (Rel-7) device offered by a national U.S. wireless carrier.
After introducing the first device to take full advantage of T-Mobile’s “4G” speeds, the carrier unveiled
plans to upgrade its national high-speed 3G service to HSPA+ and to have HSPA+ deployed across the
breadth of its 3G footprint, covering 100 metropolitan areas and 185 million people, by the end of 2010.
Included in this announcement was news that T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network was commercially available in
New York City with deployment in Los Angeles coming soon.
T-Mobile then began a series of announcements on its aggressive expansion of its HSPA+ network to
major metropolitan areas across the country including Boston, Dallas, San Francisco, Atlanta,
Washington, D.C. and Houston:
In May 2010, T-Mobile announced availability of its HSPA+ network in the Northeastern U.S. and
other major cities across the country, covering more than 30 million Americans with today’s “4G”
speeds.
In June 2010, T-Mobile announced it was offering today’s “4G” speeds to more than 25 major
metropolitan areas across the U.S. and plans to cover more than 75 million Americans with
HSPA+ by the end of June.
In July 2010, T-Mobile announced its HSPA+ network had expanded to reach more than 85
million Americans and nearly 50 major metropolitan areas - offering the most pervasive network
to deliver today’s “4G” speeds in the country. At this time, T-Mobile also announced its
webConnect Rocket 2.0 USB Laptop Stick, an updated form factor of its first HSPA+-capable
device.
In August 2010, T-Mobile unveiled the T-Mobile G2 with Google, the first smartphone designed
for T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network and announced that its HSPA+ network now covered 100 million
Americans in more than 55 major metropolitan areas across the country with plans to cover 200
million people by the end of 2010. It also announced plans to begin rolling out Dual-Carrier
HSPA+ (Rel- 8) in 2011.
In October 2010, T-Mobile announced the continued expansion of its HSPA+ network and T-
Mobile’s second HSPA+ capable device, the new T-Mobile myTouch.
In November 2010, T-Mobile announced an upgrade path for HSPA+ that continues to provide
room for exponential speed enhancements, and offers a next-generation super-fast mobile
broadband experience to more people than any other wireless network in the country.
Today, T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network is the most pervasive “4G” network in the United States, offering
mobile broadband service reaching 76 major metropolitan areas. Over the course of 2010, T-Mobile has
heavily invested in upgrading its network and expects to expand its “4G” HSPA+ network to reach 200
million people in the U.S. by the end of the year.
In 3GPP Mobile Broadband Innovation Path to 4G: Release 9, Release 10 and Beyond: HSPA+,
LTE/SAE and LTE-Advanced,130 a white paper published by 3G Americas in February 2010, a detailed
discussion on HSPA+ and LTE enhancements in Rel-9 was provided. Since the publication of the paper
preceded the finalization of Rel-9 in March 2010, it was determined that the paper’s Section 6: Status of
Release 9: HSPA+ and LTE/EPC Enhancements, would be fully updated to reflect the final version of the
3GPP Rel-9 specifications. The update in this Appendix includes enhancements to the Evolved HSPA
(HSPA+) technology and to the initial LTE/EPC technology defined in Rel-8 to include all current features
and functionalities as published in March 2010 by 3GPP.
B.1 HSPA+ ENHANCEMENTS
B.1.1 NON‐CONTIGUOUS DUAL‐CELL HSDPA (DC‐HSDPA)
In deployments where multiple downlink carriers are available, multi-carrier HSDPA operation offers an
attractive way of increasing coverage for high bit rates. Dual-carrier (or dual-cell) HSDPA operation was
introduced in Rel-8, enabling a base station to schedule HSDPA transmissions over two adjacent 5 MHz
carriers simultaneously to the same user, thereby reaching a peak rate of 42 Mbps for the highest
modulation scheme (64 QAM) without the use of MIMO. Furthermore, it doubles the rate for users with
typical bursty traffic and therefore it typically doubles the average user throughput, which results in a
substantial increase in cell capacity.
In order to provide the benefits of dual-carrier HSDPA operation also in deployment scenarios where two
adjacent carriers cannot be made available to the user (e.g. due to spectrum distributed over different
bands), Rel-9 introduces dual-band HSDPA operation, where in the downlink the primary serving cell
resides on a carrier in one frequency band and the secondary serving cell on a carrier in another
frequency band. In the uplink transmission takes place only on one carrier, which can be configured by
the network on any of the two frequency bands.
In Rel-9, dual-band HSDPA operation is introduced for three different band combinations, one for each
ITU region:
Dual-band HSDPA operation reuses the L1/L2 solutions that were specified for Rel-8 dual-carrier HSDPA
operation on adjacent carriers. This means that the user can be scheduled in the primary serving cell as
well as in a secondary serving cell over two parallel HS-DSCH transport channels. The secondary serving
130
3GPP Mobile Broadband Innovation Path to 4G: Release 9, Release 10 and Beyond: HSPA+, LTE/SAE and LTE-Advanced, 3G
Americas, February 2010.
B.1.2 MIMO + DC‐HSDPA
Rel-8 introduced two ways to achieve a theoretical peak rate of 42 Mbps: dual-carrier HSDPA operation
as mentioned above and 2X2 MIMO in combination with 64 QAM.
The term MIMO refers to the use of more than one transmit antenna in the base station and more than
one receive antenna in UEs. The transmitter chain for the standardized HSDPA MIMO scheme applies
separate coding, modulation and spreading for up to two transport blocks transmitted over two parallel
streams, which doubles the achievable peak rate in the downlink. The actual radio propagation conditions
that the UE experiences determine whether one or two streams can be transmitted.
Rel-9 combines dual-carrier HSDPA operation with MIMO. The peak downlink rate is thus doubled to 84
Mbps and the spectral efficiency is boosted significantly compared to dual-carrier HSDPA operation
without MIMO. Again, the L1/L2 solutions from earlier releases are reused to a large extent with only
minor modifications to the L1 feedback channel (HS-DPCCH) and the L2 transmission sequence
numbering (TSN) in order to handle the doubled amount of transport blocks. In order to provide maximum
deployment flexibility for the operator, the MIMO configuration is carrier-specific, meaning that, if desired,
one carrier can be operated in non-MIMO mode and the other carrier in MIMO mode.
B.1.3 CONTIGUOUS DUAL‐CELL HSUPA (DC‐HSUPA)
The data rate improvements in the downlink call for improved data rates also in the uplink. Therefore,
support for dual-carrier HSUPA operation on adjacent uplink carriers is introduced in Rel-9. This doubles
the uplink peak rate to 23 Mbps for the highest modulation scheme (16 QAM). The achievable uplink data
rate is often more limited by the available bandwidth than by UE transmit power, and in these scenarios
both availability and coverage of high data rates in the uplink are substantially increased by multi-carrier
HSUPA operation.
The dual-carrier HSUPA user is able to transmit two E-DCH transport channels with 2 ms TTI, one on
each uplink carrier. The user has two serving cells corresponding to two carriers in the same sector of a
serving base station, and the serving base station has the ability to activate and deactivate the secondary
carrier dynamically using so-called HS-SCCH orders. When two uplink carriers are active, they are to a
large extent operating independently from each other in a way that is very similar to the single-carrier
HSUPA operation specified in earlier releases. For example, mechanisms for grant signaling, power
control and soft handover toward non-serving cells have been reused.
Dual-carrier HSUPA operation can only be configured together with dual-carrier HSDPA operation and
the secondary uplink carrier can only be active when the secondary downlink carrier is also active. This is
because the secondary downlink carrier carries information that is vital for the operation of the secondary
uplink carrier (F-DPCH, E-AGCH, E-RGCH, E-HICH). The secondary downlink carrier can, on the other
hand, be active without a secondary uplink carrier being active or even configured, since all information
B.1.4 TRANSMIT DIVERSITY EXTENSION FOR NON‐MIMO UES
The 2X2 MIMO operation for HSDPA specified in Rel-7 allows transmission of up to two parallel data
streams to a MIMO UE over a single carrier. If and when the HSDPA scheduler in the base station
decides to only transmit a single stream to the UE for any reason (e.g. because the radio channel
temporarily does not support dual-stream transmission), the two transmit antennas in the base station will
be used to improve the downlink coverage by single-stream transmission using BF.
As MIMO is being deployed in more and more networks, single-stream transmission using BF also
towards non-MIMO UEs that reside in MIMO cells becomes an increasingly attractive possibility.
Therefore, this option has been introduced in Rel-9, reusing L1/L2 solutions from Rel-7 MIMO to as large
extent as possible. This is referred to as “single-stream MIMO” or “MIMO with single-stream restriction.”
For a multi-carrier HSDPA user, the usage of single-stream MIMO can be configured independently per
carrier.
B.2 LTE ENHANCEMENTS
B.2.1 IMS EMERGENCY OVER EPS
Emergency bearer services are provided to support IMS emergency sessions. A main differentiator of an
IMS emergency session is that emergency service is not a subscription service and therefore, when the
UE has roamed out of its home network, emergency service is provided in the roamed-to network and not
the home network.
Emergency bearer services are functionalities provided by the serving network when the network is
configured to support emergency services. Emergency bearer services can be supplied to validated UEs
and depending on local regulation, to UEs that are in limited service state and otherwise not allowed on
the network. Receiving emergency services in limited service state does not require a subscription.
Depending on local regulation and an operator's policy, the MME may allow or reject an emergency
request for network access for UEs in limited service state. To support local regulation, four different
behaviors of emergency bearer support have been identified as follows:
1. Valid UEs only. No limited service state UEs are supported in the network. Only normal UEs that
have a valid subscription, and are authenticated and authorized for PS service in the attached
location are allowed.
2. Only UEs that are authenticated are allowed. These UEs must have a valid IMSI. These UEs
are authenticated and may be in limited service state due to being in a location that they are
restricted from regular service. A UE that cannot be authenticated will be rejected.
3. IMSI required, authentication optional. These UEs must have an IMSI. Even if authentication
fails, the UE is granted access and the unauthenticated IMSI retained in the network for recording
purposes.
4. All UEs are allowed. Along with authenticated UEs, this includes UEs with an IMSI that cannot
be authenticated and UEs with only an IMEI. If an unauthenticated IMSI is provided by the UE,
When a UE attaches to the network, indication is provided to the UE if emergency bearer services are
supported in the network. UEs in limited service state determine whether the cell supports emergency
services over E-UTRAN from a broadcast indicator in Access Stratum.
To provide emergency bearer services independent of subscription, the MME is configured with MME
Emergency Configuration Data, which are applied to all emergency bearer services that are established
by an MME on UE request. The MME Emergency Configuration Data contain the Emergency Access
Point Name (APN), which is used to derive a PDN GW, or the MME Emergency Configuration Data may
also contain the statically configured PDN GW for the Emergency APN.
B.2.1.1 MOBILITY AND ACCESS RESTRICTIONS FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES
When emergency services are supported and local regulation requires emergency calls to be provided
regardless of mobility or access restrictions, the mobility restrictions should not be applied to UEs
receiving emergency services. The source E-UTRAN ignores any mobility and access restrictions during
handover evaluation when there are active emergency bearers.
During Tracking Area Update procedures, the target MME ignores any mobility or access restrictions for
UE with emergency bearer services where required by local regulation. When a UE moves into a target
location that is not allowed by subscription, any non-emergency bearer services are deactivated by the
target MME.
B.2.1.2 HANDOVER AND SINGLE RADIO VOICE CALL CONTINUITY SUPPORT
Handover and SRVCC support of emergency bearer is provided for the following radio access types:
In order to support IMS session continuity (i.e. SRVCC) of emergency sessions, the IMS emergency
services architecture is enhanced with an Emergency Access Transfer Function (EATF) used to anchor
the IMS emergency session in the local serving network and manage access transfer of an emergency
session to the CS domain.
B.2.1.3 REACHABILITY MANAGEMENT FOR UE WHEN IDLE
In order to support efficient re-establishment of an IMS emergency session or call back from a PSAP, the
emergency bearer service PDN connection remains active for a configurable time after the end of the IMS
emergency session.
A PDN GW is selected in the visited PLMN, which guarantees that the IP address also is allocated by the
visited PLMN. The PDN GW selection does not depend on subscriber information in the HSS since
emergency services support is a local service and not a subscribed service.
B.2.1.5 QOS FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES
Where local regulation requires the support of emergency services from an unauthorized caller, the MME
may not have subscription data. Additionally, the local network may want to provide IMS emergency
session support differently than what is allowed by a UE subscription. Therefore, the initial QoS values
used for establishing emergency bearer services are configured in the MME in the MME Emergency
Configuration Data.
B.2.1.6 PCC FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES
When establishing emergency bearer services with a PDN GW and dynamic policy is used, the Policy
Charging and Rules Function (PCRF) provides the PDN GW with the QoS parameters, including an
Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP) value reserved for the emergency bearers to prioritize the bearers
when performing admission control. Local configuration of static policy functions is also allowed. The
PCRF ensures that the emergency PDN connection is used only for IMS emergency sessions. The PCRF
rejects an IMS session established via the emergency PDN connection if the Application Function (i.e. P-
CSCF) does not provide an emergency indication to the PCRF.
B.2.1.7 IP ADDRESS ALLOCATION
Emergency bearer service is provided by the serving PLMN. The UE and PLMN must have compatible IP
address versions in order for the UE to obtain a local emergency PDN connection. To ensure UEs can
obtain an IP address in a visited network, the PDN GW associated with the emergency APN supports
PDN type IPv4 and PDN type IPv6.
B.2.2 COMMERCIAL MOBILE ALERT SYSTEM (CMAS) OVER EPS
In response to the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act passed by Congress in 2006,131
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established the Commercial Mobile Alert Service
(CMAS) to allow wireless service providers who choose to participate, to send emergency alerts as text
messages to their users who have CMAS capable handsets.
The FCC established a Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee (CMSAAC) for the
development of a set of recommendations for the support of CMAS. The CMSAAC recommendations
were included as the CMAS Architecture and Requirements document in the FCC Notice of Proposed
Rule Making (NPRM) which was issued in December 2007. In 2008, the FCC issued three separate
Report and Order documents detailing rules (47 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Part 10) for CMAS.
131
WARN Act is Title VI of the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006, Pub.L. 109-347 and is available from
the U.S. Government Printing Office <http://www.gpo.gov/>.
The CMAS network will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to accept and
aggregate alerts from the President of the United States, the National Weather Service (NWS), and state
and local emergency operations centers, and then send the alerts over a secure interface to participating
commercial mobile service providers (CMSPs). These participating CMSPs will then distribute the alerts
to their users.
As defined in the FCC CMAS Third Report and Order, CMSPs that voluntarily choose to participate in
CMAS must begin an 18 month period of development, testing and deployment of the CMAS no later than
ten months from the date that the Government Interface Design specifications available. On December 7,
2009, the CMAS timeline of the FCC CMAS Third Report and Order was initiated with the
announcement136 by FEMA and the FCC that the Joint ATIS/TIA CMAS Federal Alert GW to CMSP GW
Interface Specification (J-STD-101) has been adopted as the Government Interface Design specification
referenced in the FCC CMAS Third Report and Order.
Participating CMSPs must be able to target alerts to individual counties137 and ensure that alerts reach
customers roaming outside a provider’s service area. Participating CMSPs must also transmit alerts with
a dedicated vibration cadence and audio attention signal. Emergency alerts will not interrupt calls in
progress. CMAS supports only English text-based alert messages with a maximum displayable message
size of 90 English characters.
For purposes of CMAS, emergency alerts will be classified in one of three categories:
1. Presidential Alerts. Any alert message issued by the President for local, regional, or national
emergencies and are the highest priority CMAS alert
132
FCC 08-99, Federal Communications Commission First Report and Order In the Matter of The Commercial Mobile Alert System,
Federal Communications Commission, 9 April 2008, <http://www.fcc.gov/>.
133
FCC 08-164, Federal Communications Commission Second Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking In
the Matter of The Commercial Mobile Alert System, 8 July 2008, <http://www.fcc.gov/>.
134
FCC 08-184, Federal Communications Commission Third Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking In the
Matter of The Commercial Mobile Alert System;7 August, 2008 and is available from the Federal Communications Commission.
<http://www.fcc.gov/>.
135
FCC 08-166, Federal Communications Commission Order on Reconsideration and Erratum In the Matter of The Commercial
2008
Mobile Alert System, 15 July and is available from the Federal Communications Commission. <http://www.fcc.gov/>.
136
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=50056.
137
The county geocode information will be present in all CMAS alert messages sent to CMSPs. If available, more granular
geographic targeting information such as polygons or circles will be included in the CMAS messages. It is a voluntary option of the
CMSPs to use the finer granular geographic targeting information.
The following figure shows the CMAS Reference Architecture as defined in the FCC CMAS First Report
and Order:
Reference Point C is the secure interface between the Federal Alert GW and the Commercial Mobile
Service Provider (CMSP) GW. The Reference Point C interface supports delivery of new, updated or
canceled wireless alert messages, and supports periodic testing of the interface. This interface is defined
in the J-STD-101, the Joint ATIS/TIA CMAS Federal Alert GW to CMSP GW Interface Specification.139
J-STD-101 defines the interface between the Federal Alert GW and the Commercial Mobile Service
Provider (CMSP) GW for CMAS alerts. This standard is applicable to CMSPs and to the Federal
Government entity (i.e. FEMA) responsible for the administration of the Federal Alert GW. FEMA will
perform the function of aggregating all state, local, and federal alerts and will provide one logical interface
to each CMSP who elects to support CMAS alerts.
For GSM and UMTS systems, wireless alert messages that are received by CMSP GWs will be
transmitted to targeted coverage areas using GSM-UMTS Cell Broadcast Service (CBS). The CMAS
functionality does not require modifications to the 3GPP-defined CBS.
The ATIS WTSC-G3GSN Subcommittee is developing the CMAS via GSM-UMTS Cell Broadcast Service
(CBS) Specification.140 The purpose of this standard is to describe the use of the GSM-UMTS Cell
138
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, In the Matter of The Commercial Mobile Alert System, FCC 07-214, 14 December 2007.
139
J-STD-101, Joint ATIS/TIA CMAS Federal Alert Gateway to CMSP Gateway Interface Specification, Alliance for
Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), October 2009, <http://www.atis.org>.
140
ATIS-0700006, ATIS CMAS via GSM/UMTS Cell Broadcast Service Specification.
The ATIS WTSC-G3GSN Subcommittee is developing the Cell Broadcast Entity (CBE) to Cell Broadcast
Center (CBC) Interface Specification.141 The purpose of this standard is to define a standard XML-based
interface to the CBC. The CMSP Alert GW will utilize this interface to provide the CMAS Alert message
information to the CBC for broadcast via CBS.
The ATIS WTSC-G3GSN Subcommittee has developed the Implementation Guidelines and Best
Practices for GSM-UMTS Cell Broadcast Service Specification142 and this specification was approved in
October 2009. The purpose of this specification is to describe implementation guidelines and best
practices related to GSM-UMTS Cell Broadcast Service regardless of the application using CBS. This
specification is not intended to describe an end-to-end Cell Broadcast architecture, but includes
clarifications to the existing 3GPP CBS standards as well as “best practices” for implementation of the
3GPP standards. CMAS is an example of an application that uses CBS.
J-STD-100, Joint ATIS/TIA CMAS Mobile Device Behavior Specification,143 defines the common set of
requirements for GSM, UMTS, and CDMA based mobile devices behavior whenever a CMAS alert
message is received and processed. A common set of requirements will allow for a consistent user
experience regardless of the associated wireless technology of the mobile device. Additionally, this
common set of requirements will allow the various local, state, and Federal level government agencies to
develop subscriber CMAS educational information that is independent of the wireless technology.
B.2.2.1 CMAS VIA LTE/EPS
In order to comply with FCC requirements for CMAS, CMSPs have a need for standards development to
support CMAS over LTE/EPS as it relates to the network-user interface generally described as the “E-
Interface” in the CMAS Reference Architecture. The intent of ATIS WTSC-G3GSN is to build upon LTE
text broadcast capabilities currently being specified by 3GPP for the Public Warning System (PWS).
3GPP TS 22.268
3GPP TS 22.268. Public Warning System (PWS) Requirements covers the core requirements for the
PWS and covers additional subsystem requirements for the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System
(ETWS) and for CMAS. TS 22.268 specifies general requirements for the broadcast of Warning
Notifications to broadcast to a Notification Area that is based on the geographical information as specified
by the Warning Notification Provider. This specification also defines specific CMAS requirements based
on the three Reports & Orders issued to date by the FCC.
3GPP TS 23.401. GPRS enhancements for E-UTRAN access, specifies the Warning System Architecture
for 3GPP accesses and the reference point between the CBC and Mobility Management Entity (MME) for
warning message delivery and control functions. This TS identifies the MME functions for warning
message transfer (including selection of appropriate eNodeB), and provides Stage 2 information flows for
warning message delivery and warning message cancel. The architecture and warning message delivery
and control functions support CMAS.
141
ATIS-0700008, ATIS Cell Broadcast Entity (CBE) to Cell Broadcast Center (CBC) Interface Specification.
142
ATIS-0700007, Implementation Guidelines and Best Practices for GSM/UMTS Cell Broadcast Service Specification.
143
J-STD-100, Joint ATIS/TIA CMAS Mobile Device Behavior Specification, 30 January, 2009 and is available from the Alliance for
Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) <http://www.atis.org>.
3GPP TS 36.300. E-UTRA and E-UTRAN – Overall description – Stage 2, specifies the signaling
procedures for the transfer of warning messages from the MME to the eNodeB. The signaling
procedures support CMAS operations.
3GPP TS 36.331. E-UTRA Radio Resource Control (RRC) – Protocol specification, specifies the radio
resource control protocol for UE-to-E-UTRAN radio interface and describes CMAS notification and
warning message transfer.
3GPP TS 36.413. E-UTRAN – S1 Application Protocol (S1AP), specifies the E-UTRAN radio network
layer signaling protocol between the MME and eNodeB, and describes the warning message transfer
needed for CMAS.
3GPP participants are working to complete these specifications and other UE procedures for supporting
PWS and CMAS.
ATIS WTSC-G3GSN will develop a Standard for a CMAS via LTE Broadcast Capability Specification.
This Standard will map the CMAS application level messages to the LTE warning message transfer
protocol (i.e. for CMAS).
This ATIS WTSC-G3GSN effort had an anticipated completion date of December 31, 2010. This takes
into account the time needed for completion of the ongoing 3GPP standards development on warning
message broadcast for LTE.
ATIS WTSC G3GSN and TIA TR45.8 Subcommittees in conjunction with FEMA were also jointly
developing a testing certification specification for the Reference Point C interface between the Federal
Alert GW and the CMSP GW based upon the requirements defined in J-STD-101. This specification had
an anticipated completion date of December 31, 2010.
B.2.3 LOCATION SERVICES OVER EPS
3GPP GSM-UMTS standards had supported Location Services (LCS) architecture for the positioning of
mobile devices since Rel-4. With the introduction of EPS in 3GPP Rel-8, a control plane LCS architecture
for the EPS was introduced in 3GPP Rel-9. This control plane LCS architecture for the EPS is shown in
Fig. B.2. The new Rel-9 interfaces SLg and SLs allows the EPS control plane element (MME) to
interconnect with the LCS core network elements which make location services using the positioning
functionality provided by the E-UTRAN access possible.
The LCS architecture follows a client/server model with the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC)
acting as the location server providing location information to LCS clients. The GMLC sends location
requests to the Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) through the MME to retrieve this
location information. The E-SMLC is responsible for interaction with the UE through E-UTRAN to obtain
the UE position estimate or get position measurements that helps the E-SMLC estimate the UE position
(see section B.2.3.1 UE Positioning for more detail). Note that the GMLC interaction over the interfaces
connecting to it other than SLg in Figure B.2 was already available before Rel-9 for GSM and UMTS
access.
The LCS clients may either be part of the core network or external to the core network and can also
reside in the UE or be attached to the UE. Depending on the location of the LCS client the Location
Request initiated by the LCS client may either be a Mobile Originated Location Request (MO-LR), Mobile
Terminated Location Request (MT-LR) or Network Induced Location Request (NI-LR). Also, immediate
location requests are supported where the LCS client expects the location information interactively.
There are various possible uses for the location information, but they are broadly categorized in to four
areas viz:
2. Internal LCS
3. Emergency LCS
Emergency location service is possible even if the UE does not have a valid service subscription due to
regulatory mandates. Support of location service related functionality in the E-UTRAN, MME and UE are
optional. LCS is applicable to any target UE whether or not the UE supports LCS.
The following outline provides the functions of various LCS architectural elements:
o Obtains routing information from HSS via Lh/SLh and performs registration authorization
o Communicates information needed for authorization, location service requests and location
information with other GMLC over Lr
o Checks the target UE privacy profile settings in the PPR over Lpp
o Depending on roaming, may take the role of Requesting GMLC, Visited GMLC and Home
GMLC
o Responsible for retrieving location information and providing to E-CSCF via the Ml interface
o Manages the overall coordination and scheduling of resources required for the location of an
UE that is attached to E-UTRAN
o Calculates the final location and velocity estimate and estimates the location accuracy (QoS)
o Interacts with E-UTRAN to exchange location information applicable to network assisted and
network based position methods
o Performs E-SMLC selection (e.g. based on network topology to balance load on E-SMLC,
LCS client type, requested QoS)
o Maps or decrypts the pseudonym (fictitious identity, which may be used to conceal the true
identity ) into the corresponding verinym (true identity i.e. IMSI or MSISDN)
o IMS entity responsible for interfacing with LRF to obtain location for an UE in IMS emergency
session
o In the network where the LCS service request originates, provides the capability to route LCS
service requests based on an IMS Public User Identity (SIP-URI) to the home network of the
target user
o In the home network of the target user, responsible to determine the appropriate HSS and to
obtain the MSISDN associated with a IMS Public User Identity from the HSS
B.2.3.1 UE POSITIONING
UE positioning is an access network function (e.g. GERAN, UTRAN, E-UTRAN). An access network may
support one or more UE positioning methods, which may be same or different from another access
network. In E-UTRAN the following UE positioning methods are supported:
2. Position estimate computation and optional velocity computation based on the measurements
The signal measurements may be made by the UE or the E-UTRAN. Both TDD and FDD radio interface
will be supported in E-UTRAN. The basic signals measured for terrestrial position methods are typically
the E-UTRA radio transmissions. Also other transmissions such as general radio navigation signals
including those from Global Navigation Satellites Systems can also be measured. The position estimate
computation may be made in the UE or in the E-SMLC. In UE-assisted positioning the UE perform the
downlink radio measurements and the E-SMLC estimates the UE position while in UE-based positioning
the UE performs both the downlink radio measurements and also the position estimation. The UE may
require some assistance from the network in the form of assistance data in order to perform the downlink
measurements and these are provided by the network either autonomously or upon UE requesting it.
The E-UTRAN positioning capabilities are intended to be forward compatible to other access types and
other position methods, in an effort to reduce the amount of additional positioning support needed in the
future.
This is the simplest of all positioning methods but the UE position is very coarse in that only the serving
cell where the UE is located is provided. As E-UTRAN and MME are involved in the mobility management
(e.g. tracking area update or paging) of UEs the serving base station and serving cell of the UE is always
known especially when there is signaling between the E-SMLC and the UE to query the UE position.
ENHANCED CELL ID‐BASED METHOD
In this method the position obtained by the Cell ID method is enhanced through means of use of other UE
or E-UTRAN measurements to estimate the UE position with better accuracy than the Cell ID method.
The measurements used may be radio resource measurements or other measurements. The E-SMLC
does not configure these measurements in the UE/E-UTRAN but only queries the UE/E-UTRAN for these
measurements and obtains them if available in the UE/E-UTRAN.
NETWORK ASSISTED GNSS METHODS
In network assisted GNSS methods the network provides various assistance data to the UE that are
equipped with radio receivers capable of receiving GNSS signals. The UEs use the assistance data
provided by the network to help perform measurements. Examples of GNSS include: GPS, Modernized
GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Space Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) and Quasi Zenith Satellite
System (QZSS). Different GNSS can be used separately or in combination to determine the position of a
UE.
OTDOA METHOD
The OTDOA method is a downlink terrestrial positioning method. In this method the UE performs
measurements of downlink signals of neighbor E-UTRAN cells. This is a good backup method for
positioning the UE when satellite signals are not strong enough (e.g. indoors or bad atmospheric
conditions etc). The UE receives the downlink radio transmission of four or more neighbor cells, aided by
downlink reference signal transmissions from those cells and measures the time difference of arrival of
the radio frames of the measured neighbor cells relative to the serving cell. These UE measurements are
then used either by the UE or by the E-SMLC to estimate the UE position using a trilateration technique.
The E-UTRAN may combine two or more of the supported UE positioning methods and perform a hybrid
positioning estimation to achieve a better positioning accuracy.
The UE positioning protocol is an end-to-end protocol with terminations in the UE and the E-SMLC. This
protocol is called the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP). This is a transaction-oriented protocol with
exchange of LPP messages between UE and E-SMLC where one or more messages realize each
transaction. A transaction results in one activity or operation such as assistance data transfer, UE
positioning capability transfer or position measurement/estimate exchange. There is a second UE
positioning protocol, LPPa, with terminations in the E-UTRAN and E-SMLC that allows the exchange of
information and measurements, which are useful for some specific positioning methods. Currently, the
LPPa is used for the delivery of timing information that is resident only to the E-UTRAN and/or is semi-
dynamically changing, which is required for the OTDOA positioning method. Apart from this the LPPa
also supports the exchange of E-UTRAN assisted measurements that are used for the Enhanced Cell ID
positioning method.
CS domain services are the services that can be offered today in GSM-UMTS networks. Examples of
such services are: voice and its supplementary services (e.g. call waiting, call forwarding), USSD, LCS,
SMS, E911, LI, and even CS DUI video, etc. This rich set of CS domain features and capabilities are the
result of years of standardization works in 3GPP and operators investments to their GSM-UMTS network.
In EPS, richer features/services can be offered to the end-user together with voice via IMS. While this is
the case for EPS, it is challenging for some operators to launch EPS with data and voice/IMS from day
one. Hence, these operators need a migration path to allow them to start from EPS with data only and
allow the reuse of CS domain services until they get to the point where IMS voice can be added to the
EPS.
Such migration path is possible with CS Fallback (CSFB) feature. CSFB is introduced in 3GPP Rel-8 to
allow an UE in EPS to reuse CS domain services by defining how the UE can switch its radio from E-
UTRAN access to other RAT (e.g. GERAN/UTRAN/1xRTT access) that can support CS domain services.
In addition, CSFB specification TS 23.272 also defines how the SMS is transferred to the UE natively via
EPS from the MSC. It should be noted that this type of SMS delivery mechanism is defined in CSFB
specification but the UE is not falling back to GERAN/UTRAN/1xRTT access. Figure B.3 shows the CSFB
architecture for GSM/UTRAN CSFB. Figure B.4 shows the CSFB architecture for 1xRTT CSFB.
With CSFB, UE under EPS can enjoy the fast PS data access and can switch over to
GERAN/UTRAN/1xRTT access for CS domain services when needed. In addition, UE can also utilize the
SMS feature supported by CSFB architecture.
UE, which wants to use CSFB, must first register itself to the CS domain via EPS. For GSM-UMTS CSFB
feature, UE performs a combined EPS/IMSI Attach/TAU procedure. In the EPS Attach/TAU response
message, the network indicates back to the UE whether CSFB (including SMS) is supported, “SMS-only”,
“CSFB Not Preferred”, or none of these features are supported. “CSFB Not Preferred” is an indication to
allow data centric devices to continue reside in EPS and to allow CSFB (including SMS) features to be
used. On the other hand, a voice centric device receiving “CSFB Not Preferred” or “SMS-only” will
assume CSFB is not supported in this network and will try to reselect to other networks (i.e. 2G or 3G) to
obtain voice services. In 1xRTT CSFB features, the UE is aware that the network supports 1xCSFB by
examining the system information broadcast information over E-UTRAN access and performs the 1xCS
registration to the 1xRTT MSC via the CDMA2000 signaling tunnel between the UE (via EPS) and 1xCS
IWS. This 1xCS registration request and response is transparent to the EPS.
After the UE has successfully registered itself to the CS domain (and has received positive response from
MME that CSFB is possible in GERAN/UTRAN case), it can then request the MME to perform CSFB
procedures whenever it wants to use CS domain services (e.g. originating a voice call or answer to a
terminating voice call). Besides voice call, USSD, MO-LR, MT-LR, NI-LR, and call-independent
Supplementary Services procedures (e.g. activates CFB) can also trigger CSFB procedures. In the CS
terminating scenario, an active UE has the ability to reject terminating call request while it still resides in
EPS. This is particularly useful when the end-user is watching a streaming video under EPS and does not
want to answer a call from an unknown number to avoid any streaming disruption in the streaming video
due to unwanted CSFB procedures.
For the GSM-UMTS CSFB feature, EPS can perform the CSFB procedure with PS handover procedure,
RRC connection release with redirection information, or cell change order with NACC (for GERAN only).
After the UE is redirected to GERAN/UTRAN/1xRTT access via one of the above procedures, the existing
CS setup procedure is taken over for the remaining of the call.
In Rel-9, IDLE mode camping mechanism is enhanced in the EPS and GPRS to allow the network to
influence the UE’s RAT camping policy so that a CSFB UE will select GERAN/UTRAN access when it is
in IDLE condition. The intention is to minimize the occurrence of CSFB procedure from EPS to allow the
UE to invoke the CS domain services directly from GERAN/UTRAN as much as possible. On the other
hand, this requires additional intelligence in the cell reselection policy in the GERAN/UTRAN access in
order to move the UE in active state to EPS to enjoy the fast PS access when appropriate. There are also
optimization enhancements to Rel-9 for speeding up the overall CSFB procedure.
As indicated earlier, SMS delivery via CS Domain is also defined as part of the CSFB feature. UE can
utilize this feature after it has successfully attached itself to the CS domain. It should be noted that EPS
has the option to support only the SMS feature and not the CSFB feature which redirect the UE to
another RAT. For GERAN/UTRAN CSFB, MME can indicate this condition by having an SMS-only
indicator to the UE during their combined EPS/IMSI Attach/TAU procedure. For 1xRTT CSFB, this
indication is not specified, as the 1xCS registration procedure is transparent to the EPS. UE receiving the
“SMS-only” indicator will not invoke the CSFB request and should not expect any CS paging coming from
EPS.
When interworking with a 3GPP MSC, SMS is delivered via the SGs interface. For MO-SMS, UE first
establishes a NAS tunnel to transfer the SMS PDU to MME. MME then transfer these SMS PDU over to
MSC via the SGs. MT-SMS works the same way by having the MME establish a NAS tunnel to UE over
E-UTRAN access.
When interworking with 1xMSC, the UE establishes a CDMA2000 tunnel with the 1xCS IWS via EPS and
SMS is delivered via that tunnel. EPS is transparent to this process.
3GPP also defines the CSFB UE in voice-centric and data-centric mode of operation in TS 23.221. Voice-
centric CSFB UE will always attempt to find a RAT where voice services can be supported. In the
example of UE receiving an SMS-only or “CSFB Not Preferred” indication from the network during
combined EPS/IMSI attach procedure, the voice-centric UE will autonomously switch to UTRAN/GERAN
access if coverage is available so voice service is possible to this user. With a data-centric mode of
operation, the CSFB UE will not switch to UTRAN/GERAN given the same scenario with the SMS-only
indication from the network and will forgo the voice services or CS domain services altogether. This is
because the data-centric mode UE wants the best possible PS access and voice is not the determining
factor to move away from EPS.
o Deriving a VLR number and LAI from the TAI of the current cell and based on the
selected PLMN for CS domain, or using a default VLR number and LAI
o For CS fallback, generating a TAI list such that the UE has a low chance of "falling back"
to a cell in a LA different to the derived LAI (e.g. the TAI list boundary should not cross
the LA boundary)
o Initiating paging procedure towards eNodeB when MSC pages the UE for CS services
o It serves as a signaling tunneling end point towards the 3GPP2 1xCS IWS via S102
interface for sending/receiving encapsulated 3GPP2 1xCS signaling messages to/from
the UE
o In order to speed up the potential LAU procedure during CS fallback the MSC may be
configured to lower the frequency of Authentication, TMSI reallocation and Identity check
for UEs that are EPS/IMSI attached via the SGs interface
144
Requirements related to ISR and CSFB interworking is outside the scope of this section and can be found in 3GPP TS 23.272.
o Directing the UE to the target CS capable cell via appropriate procedure (i.e. PS
handover, RRC release with redirection, CCO w/NACC)
o Configuration to permit the operator to choose the target “fallback” RAT and frequency
o Establish CDMA2000 tunnel between the UE and MME and forward 1xRTT messages
o Directing the UE to the target CS capable cell via appropriate procedure (i.e. RRC
release with redirection or enhanced 1xCSFB procedure with 1xSRVCC based)
o 1xRTT CS registration over the EPS after the UE has completed the E-UTRAN
attachment
B.2.5 MBMS FOR LTE
B.2.5.1 OVERVIEW
This section describes the architectural model and functionalities for the Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast
Service (MBMS) Bearer Service and is based on 3GPP TS 23.246. In case of discrepancies in other parts
of the 3GPP specifications related to MBMS, 3GPP TS 23.246 takes precedence. MBMS Bearer Service
is the service provided by the packet-switched domain to MBMS User Services to deliver IP Multicast
datagrams to multiple receivers using minimum network and radio resources. An MBMS User Service is
an MBMS service provided to the end-user by means of the MBMS Bearer Service and possibly other
capabilities, such as EPS Bearers.
MBMS is a point-to-multipoint service in which data is transmitted from a single source entity to multiple
recipients. Transmitting the same data to multiple recipients allows the sharing of network resources. The
MBMS for EPS bearer service supports Broadcast Mode over E-UTRAN and UTRAN. (MBMS for GPRS
supports both Broadcast Mode and Multicast Mode over UTRAN and GERAN).
MBMS is realized by the addition of a number of new capabilities to existing functional entities of the
3GPP architecture and by addition of several new functional entities. In the bearer plane, this service
provides delivery of IP Multicast datagrams from the SGi-mb reference point to UEs. In the control plane,
this service provides mechanisms to control session initiation, modification and termination of MBMS User
Services and to manage bearer resources for the distribution of MBMS data.
The reference architecture for the MBMS Bearer Service for EPS is shown in Figure B.5 below.
B.2.5.2 MBMS REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE MODEL
PDN
M3 Gateway
MME
E-UTRAN Uu M2 MCE SGi
Sm
SGmb
UE eNB MBMS BM-SC Content Provider
M1 GW SGi-mb
Uu Iu Sn
UTRAN SGSN
UE
Figure B.5. Reference Architecture for MBMS for EPS with E-UTRAN and UTRAN.145
NOTE: In addition to MBMS Bearers (over SGmb/SGi-mb), the BM-SC may use EPS Bearers (over SGi)
to realize an MBMS User Service as specified in 3GPP TS 26.346.
145
3GPP TS 23.246 Figure 1b.
M1. The reference point between MBMS GW and E-UTRAN/UTRAN for MBMS data delivery. IP Multicast
is used on this interface to forward data
M2. The reference point for the control plane between MCE and eNB, this point is in the E-UTRAN
M3. The reference point for the control plane between MME and E-UTRAN
Sm. Sm is the reference point for the control plane between MME and MBMS GW
Sn. The reference point between MBMS GW and SGSN for the control plane and for MBMS data
delivery. Point-to-point mode is used on this interface to forward data
SGi-mb. The reference point between BM-SC and MBMS GW function for MBMS data delivery
SGmb. The reference point for the control plane between BM-SC and MBMS GW
B.2.5.4 MBMS‐RELATED FUNCTIONAL ENTITIES
To provide MBMS Bearer Services, existing functional entities (e.g. eNodeB/RNC and MME/SGSN),
perform MBMS-related functions and procedures, of which some are specific to MBMS. An MBMS-
specific functional entity, the Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC), supports various MBMS user-
specific services such as provisioning and delivery. Another MBMS-specific functional entity, the MBMS
GW, resides at the edge between the core network and the BM-SC. The MCE entity inside the E-UTRAN
manages the radio resources of multiple cells to support the MBSFN transmission.
USER EQUIPMENT (UE)
The UE supports functions for the activation/deactivation of MBMS Bearer Services. Once a particular
MBMS Bearer Service is activated, no further explicit user request is required to receive MBMS data,
although the user may be notified that data transfer is about to start. Depending upon terminal capability,
UEs may be able to store MBMS data for subsequent playback.
E‐UTRAN/UTRAN
E-UTRAN/UTRAN is responsible for efficiently delivering MBMS data to the designated MBMS service
area and has the capability of receiving IP Multicast distribution. In E-UTRAN, the MCE entity is
introduced to support the coordinated transmission in a MBSFN area.
MME/SGSN
The MBMS control plane function is supported by MME for E-UTRAN access and by SGSN for UTRAN
access. MBMS-specific control plane functions include session control of MBMS bearers in the access
network (e.g. Session Start, Session Stop) and transmission of session control messages toward multiple
radio network nodes.
One or more MBMS GW functional entities may be used in a PLMN. An MBMS GW may be a standalone
entity or co-located with other network elements such as the BM-SC or a combined Serving/PDN GW.
MBMS GW functions include:
Providing an interface for entities using MBMS bearers through the SGi-mb (user plane)
reference point
Providing an interface for entities using MBMS bearers through the SGmb (control plane)
reference point
Distributing IP Multicast MBMS user plane data to both eNodeBs and RNCs via the M1 reference
point
Supporting fallback to point-to-point mode where applicable for UTRAN access only
BROADCAST‐MULTICAST SERVICE CENTER (BM‐SC)
The BM-SC provides functions for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. It may serve as an entry
point for content provider MBMS transmissions, be used to authorize and initiate MBMS Bearer Services
within the PLMN and can be used to schedule and deliver MBMS transmissions. The BM-SC consists of
the following sub-functions:
Membership Function. Provides authorization for UEs requesting to activate an MBMS service
Proxy and Transport Function. Proxies signaling over SGmb reference point between MBMS
GWs and other BM-SC sub-functions
Service Announcement Function. Provides service announcements for MBMS user services
which may include media descriptions
Content Synchronization. Adds content synchronization information to the MBMS payload prior
to forwarding it to radio network nodes
MBMS DATA SOURCES AND CONTENT PROVIDER
The reference point from the content provider to the BM-SC is not standardized by 3GPP in the Rel-9
specifications.
B.2.5.5 MBMS ARCHITECTURE FOR LTE
The enhanced MBMS architecture for LTE is shown in Figure B.6. It is not precluded that M3 interface
can be terminated in eNBs. In this case MCE is considered as being part of eNB. However, M2 should
continue existing between the MCE and the corresponding eNBs.
M3
MCE M1 M3 M1
F4 F2
M2
MCE MCE
eNB eNB eNB eNB
B.2.5.6 MBMS SERVICE PROVISIONING
An example for the phases of MBMS Broadcast Service provisioning is depicted in the Figure B.7 below:
Session Start
MBMS notification
Data transfer
Session Stop
The sequence of phases may repeat (e.g. depending on the need to transfer data). It is also possible that
the service announcement and MBMS notification phase may run in parallel with other phases, in order to
inform UEs that have not yet received the related service.
2. Session Start. The point at which the BM-SC is ready to send data and triggers bearer resource
establishment for MBMS data transfer
3. MBMS Notification. Informs the UEs about forthcoming (and potentially about ongoing) MBMS
broadcast data transfer
4. Data Transfer. The phase where MBMS data is transferred to the UEs
5. Session Stop. The point at which the MBMS user service determines that there will be no more
data to send for a period of time that is long enough to justify removal of bearer resources
associated with the service.
146
3GPP TS 23.246 Figure 4.
The current understanding is that the MBMS support can be provided with single frequency network
mode of operation (MBSFN). This mode of operation is characterized by synchronous transmission by all
of the eNBs that are participating in the MBMS service. The content is synchronized across the eNBs by
synchronizing the radio frame timing, common configuration of the radio protocol stack and usage of a
SYNC protocol in the core network. Studies have shown that MBSFN transmission can significantly
improve the downlink spectral efficiency over that of a single cell transmission.
In LTE, MBMS is transmitted in the MBMS service area, which is mapped to one or multiple MBSFN
areas. All the cells in one MBSFN area transmit the same content with the uniform radio resources
(Figure B.8).
To support the MBSFN transmission, the SYNC protocol is introduced to LTE, the SYNC protocol layer is
located in the BM-SC and eNB as shown in Figure B.9.
UE eNB BM-SC
MBMS
Gateway
MBMS MBMS
packet packet
SYNC SYNC
RLC RLC
TNL TNL TNL
MAC MAC
PHY PHY M1
SON concepts are included in the LTE (E-UTRAN) standards starting from the first release of the
technology (Rel-8) and expand in scope with subsequent releases. A key goal of 3GPP standardization is
the support of SON features in multi-vendor network environments. 3GPP has defined a set of LTE SON
use cases and associated SON functions. The standardized SON features effectively track the expected
LTE network evolution stages as a function of time. With the first commercial networks being launched in
2010, the focus of Rel-8 was the functionality associated with initial equipment installation and integration.
The scope of the first release of SON (Rel-8) includes the following 3GPP functions, covering different
aspects of the eNodeB self-configuration use case:
Automatic Inventory
Automatic Neighbor Relations: Each eNB can autonomously generate and manage its own
intra-frequency neighbor relation tables (NRTs) by requesting UEs to report neighbors’ identifiers
(PCI, CGI) and/or by sharing information with another eNBs through an X2 connection. This
feature benefits the operator by reducing the planning and deployment-related OPEX as it will
work as an automated planning and optimization tool on a daily operational basis.
Automatic PCI Assignment: Physical Cell IDs are automatically selected to avoid collision and
confusion with neighbors to minimize pre-provisioning during LTE network deployments, as well
as to limit re-planning exercises during capacity extensions.
The next release of SON, as standardized in Rel-9, provided SON functionality addressing more maturing
networks. It included the following additional use cases:
Inter-RAT ANR: Extension of ANR techniques to support operation in Inter-RAT allows the
identification of neighbors from other radio technologies (UMTS and GSM) and other frequencies
utilizing UE measurements. This increases the value of ANR by reducing further the amount of
initial and ongoing planning necessary on the mobile network.
RACH Optimization. RACH is the common channel used by the UE to access the network. To
improve the access to the system, RACH optimization allows the optimization of the system
parameters based upon monitoring the network conditions, such as RACH load and the uplink
interference. The goal is to minimize the access delays for all the UEs in the system, the RACH
load, the UL interference to other eNBs due to RACH.
The SON specifications are built over the existing 3GPP network management architecture, reusing much
functionality that existed prior to Rel-8. These management interfaces are being defined in a generic
manner to leave room for innovation on different vendor implementations. OAM plays a key role in the
application of the SON algorithms to network deployments. Targets for the various SON functions are set
by the OAM, such as the number of handover events and failures, additional PM counts, KPIs, etc. The
OAM also controls the enabling/disabling of SON function in addition to setting trigger conditions for
optimization function and setting specific policies. Taken together, the OAM and the SON algorithms
together allow operators to cost effectively deploy LTE networks on a wide scale.
More information on the SON capabilities in 3GPP can be found in 3G Americas’ December 2009 white
paper, The Benefits of SON in LTE.147
B.2.7 ENHANCED DOWNLINK BEAMFORMING (DUAL‐LAYER)
In LTE Rel-8, five types of multi-antenna schemes are supported on the downlink. This includes transmit
diversity, open-loop and closed-loop SM, MU-MIMO, and single layer UE-specific reference symbol-
based Beamforming. In UE-specific reference symbol-based BF (also referred to as Mode-7) the eNodeB
can semi-statically configure a UE to use the UE-specific reference signal as a phase reference for data
demodulation of a single codeword at the UE. At the eNodeB transmitter, a set of transmit weights are
computed and applied to each sub-carrier within a desired band to both the data and the corresponding
dedicated reference symbol described in 3GPP TS36.211 Section 6.10.3. The simplest way to compute
the transmit antenna weights is to first compute a covariance matrix of the channel over the band of
interest and then taking the largest eigenvector of this covariance matrix, and applying it to all the sub-
carriers within the band. For TDD transmission, the covariance matrix can be computed from Sounding
Reference Signal (SRS) due to reciprocity while for FDD the translation of UL covariance to DL
covariance may be possible for some cases or a codebook feedback can be used.
To enhance the performance of Mode-7, dual-layer BF has been standardized in LTE Rel-9. In this new
mode (Mode-8), the presence of two layers of UE-specific reference signals enables an eNodeB
scheduler to schedule a DL transmission using Single-User MIMO (SU-MIMO) – rank-1 or 2 – or MU-
MIMO – based on covariance matrices and CQI information feedback from UEs. The estimate of the
covariance matrix at the eNodeB may be obtained using channel reciprocity from SRS in an LTE TDD
system.
The existing semi-static MU-MIMO scheme in Rel-8 uses a 4 bit codebook feedback (for 4 transmit
antennas) where the codebook is a subset of the SU-MIMO codebook. There is only 1 layer of UE-
specific reference signals and the UE cannot suppress the cross-talk due to MU-MIMO. The performance
of standalone Rel-8 MU-MIMO is inferior to Rel-8 SU-MIMO (Mode-4) or UE-specific RS-based BF
(Mode-7).
In LTE Rel-9, two orthogonal streams of UE-specific reference signals (RS) are supported as shown in
Figure B. for MU-MIMO transmission in the new transmission mode. The two orthogonal streams of UE-
specific RS are CDMed, have the same overhead as Rel-8 one stream UE-specific RS, and allows for
147
The Benefits of SON in LTE, 3G Americas, December 2009.
Figure B.10. UE-Specific Reference Signal Structure per Resource Block (RB).
For Rel-9 dual layer BF, the UE may feedback CQI back based on transmit diversity computed from the
common reference signals (CRS) and may not feedback a rank indicator. The transmit weights, MCS and
rank are computed at the eNodeB in this transmission mode. The UE is not aware of SU or MU-MIMO
transmission during decoding of PDSCH. The transmit weights (for both PDSCH and UE-specific
demodulation RS) are determined at the eNodeB based on covariance computed from either, SRS (for
TDD) or a long-term estimate of UL covariance (FDD).
B.2.8 VOCODER RATE ADAPTATION FOR LTE
The vocoder rate adaptation mechanism allows operators to be able to control the codec rate based on
load criteria. At peak hour there could be a desire to trade off some quality for additional capacity. The
purpose of this mechanism is to provide support to enable vocoder rate change in LTE networks, in
particular to let the UE select a more appropriate and radio resource friendly AMR encoder for VoIP.
Vocoder rate adaptation has also been extended to cover HSPA in Rel-10.
The vocoder rate adaptation mechanism relies on existing end-to-end schemes for Codec Rate
Adaptation (3GPP TS 26.114) to dynamically adapt an individual real-time media component to changing
conditions in the network. Those schemes are based on measurements performed on the receiving side
(e.g., packet loss, packet delay) that are reported back to the sending side via RTCP receiver reports. In
addition, the receiving side can use RTCP to explicitly control, for example, the codec rate, at the sending
side.
The key element of the vocoder rate adaptation mechanism is the adoption of the IP based Explicit
Congestion Notification (ECN) specified in [RFC3168]. The eNodeB can use ECN as an “early pre-
warning” mechanism, (i.e. first set the “Congestion Experienced” (ECN-CE) codepoint in IP packets at
incipient congestion) and only start the dropping of packets on a bearer when congestion persists and/or
increases. The ECN-CE codepoint in an IP packet indicates congestion in the direction in which the IP
packets are being sent. The ECN-CE signal propagates to the receiving IP end-point and is made
available to the media/application layer receiver. The receiver can then send an application layer rate
reduction message (e.g., RTCP) to request a new send rate from the corresponding sender. Thereby, the
media/application layer should typically have sufficient reaction time (i.e. trigger a rate reduction before
packets need to be dropped at the bottleneck).
The basic mechanism is shown in Figures B.11 and B.12 for downlink and uplink, respectively.
eNB
EPC Sender Requests Marking
MS
of Media Flow’s IP Packets
with
Indication of 3GPP Bearer Level (A Side) ECN-Capable (‘01’ or ‘10’)
Congestion in
the Receive End-to-End Approach based on IP (Downlink Direction)
Direction
eNB Indication of
MS EPC Congestion in
the Receive
Direction
3GPP Bearer Level (A Side)
B.3 OTHER RELEASE 9 ENHANCEMENTS
B.3.1 ARCHITECTURE ASPECTS FOR HOME NODEB/ENODEB
In order to provide improved indoor UMTS-HSPA-LTE coverage, 3GPP has been defining architectures
to support femtocell solutions providing indoor services for both residential and enterprise deployments.
For UMTS-HSPA the solutions are called Home NodeB solutions and for LTE they are called Home
VPLMN HPLMN
CSG HLR /
List Srv HSS
C1 (OMA DM /OTA)
D
cap.
UE MSC / Gr/S6d
Iu-CS
VLR
Iuh HNB
Uu HNB
GW
Iu-PS SGSN
cap.
UE
Figure B.13. Baseline Architecture for Home NodeB Solutions for UMTS-HSPA (based on 3GPP
TS 23.830).
The Home NodeB (HNB) in the figure provides the RAN connectivity using the Iuh interface, and supports
the NodeB and most of the RNC functions from the standard UMTS-HSPA architecture. Also, the HNB
supports authentication, Home NodeB Gateway (HNB-GW) discovery, HNB registration and UE
registration over Iuh. The HNB GW serves the purpose of an RNC presenting itself to the CN as a
concentrator of HNB connections (i.e. the HNB-GW provides a concentration function for the control and
user planes). It should be noted that although it is not shown in Figure B.13, a Security Gateway (SeGW)
is a mandatory logical function which may be implemented either as a separate physical entity or
integrated into the HNB-GW. The SeGW secures the communication from/to the HNB. The Closed
Subscriber Group List Server (CSG List Srv) is an optional function allowing the network to update the
allowed CSG lists (i.e. the users allowed access on each Home NodeB) on CSG-capable UEs.
For LTE, there are three architecture variants supported in 3GPP for Home eNodeBs which are shown in
Figures B.15 through B.17, based on the logical architecture in Figure B.14.
The first variant shown in Figure B.15 has a dedicated Home eNodeB Gateway (HeNB GW) and is very
similar to the Home NodeB architecture for UMTS-HSPA. The second variant shown in Figure B.16 does
not have a HeNB GW but assumes the concentration functions and SeGW functions are either in
separate physical entities or co-located with existing entities (e.g. the MME and/or SGW). The third
variant shown in Figure B.17 is a hybrid of the first two where there is a HeNB GW but only for the control
plane.
Rel-8 focused mainly on defining idle mode mobility procedures related with Closed Subscriber Group
(CSG, i.e. a group of users authorized to access a particular HNB or HeNB). In particular, Rel-8
addressed CSG reselection and manual CSG selection. The main objectives for work on HNBs and
HeNBs in Rel-9 is to build on the foundations from Rel-8 and add further functionalities that will enable
the mobile operators to provide more advanced services as well as improving the user experience. Of
particular focus are enhancements to the existing Rel-8 idle mode mobility mechanisms, to provide active
mode mobility support, specifically in the following features:
The Rel-9 enhancements will be defined as such that legacy mechanisms coexist with the concepts
introduced to ensure pre-Rel-9 mobiles will be supported.
CSG
List Srv HSS
S1-MME MME
UE
S1 HeNB
HeNB S11
LTE-Uu GW
S1-U
S-GW
VPLMN HPLMN
CSG
List Srv HSS
C1 (OMA DM /OTA)
S6a
S1-MME MME
UE HeNB S11
LTE-Uu
S1-U
S-GW
CSG
List Srv HSS
C1 (OMA DM /OTA)
S6a
S1-MME
HeNB MME
S1-MME
GW S11
UE HeNB
LTE-Uu
S-GW
S1-U
Figure B.17. Variant 3 with HeNB GW for C-Plane (based on 3GPP TS 23.830).
B.3.2 IMS SERVICE CONTINUITY
Work on functionality to provide aspects of Service Continuity has been underway in 3GPP for several
releases. Rel-7 saw the definition of Voice Call Continuity (VCC) and Rel-8 built on this to define Service
Continuity (SC) and VCC for Single Radio systems (SRVCC). Rel-9 has added further enhancements to
these features.
In Rel-8, Service Continuity allows a user’s entire session to be continued seamlessly as the user’s
device moves from one access network to another. In Rel-9, this functionality has been enhanced to allow
components of a user’s session to be transferred to, and retrieved from, different devices belonging to the
user. For example, a video call or video stream in progress on a mobile device could be transferred to a
laptop, or even a large-screen TV (assuming both can be provided with an IMS appearance in the
network), for an enhanced user experience and then, if necessary, retrieved to the mobile device.
As well as transferring existing media, the user can add or remove media associated with a session on
multiple devices, all controlled from a single device. These devices may be on different 3GPP, or non-
3GPP, access networks.
B.3.3 IMS CENTRALIZED SERVICES
IMS Centralized Services (ICS) feature was developed in Rel-8 and provides voice services and service
control via IMS mechanisms and enablers, while providing voice media bearers via CS access. Users,
therefore, subscribe to IMS services and can receive those services regardless of whether the voice
media is carried over PS access or CS access. Within the limitations of the CS access capabilities, the
user has the same experience of the services.
The services are controlled via a channel that is provided either by IMS (via PS access, if supported
simultaneously with CS access) or through interworking of legacy CS signaling into IMS by the MSC
Rel-9 has enhanced this functionality to add support of video media. Also added is an optional service
control channel from the user’s device to IMS that is transparent to the MSC Server. This avoids the need
to update legacy CS networks and allows new services to be developed, but cannot support legacy user
devices.
B.3.4 UICC: ENABLING M2M, FEMTOCELLS AND NFC
With the standardization of one new form factor specifically designed for machine-to-machine (called MFF
with two options [1 and 2] for socketable and embedded machine identity modules), the UICC can now
function in harsh environments defined by higher temperature, vibration, and humidity constraints that are
supported by the new form factor and that were not suitable to the 2FF (a/k/a plug in) or 3FF (a/k/a
microSIM) form factors.
The role of femtocell USIM is increasing in provisioning information for Home eNodeB, the 3GPP name
for femtocell. USIMs inside handsets provide a simple and automatic access to femtocells based on
operator and user-controlled Closed Subscriber Group list.
In addition to the files, the USIM is also granted a new USAT interface that will enable UICC applications
to receive the notification when the UE attaches to the femtocells. Such a feature will enable UICC
application to automatically notify the primary UE user or other users of the attachment to a femtocell.
Another USAT feature allows the UICC to discover surrounding femtocells. This will allow MNO to localize
the subscriber or help customer service to troubleshoot femtocell set up issues. The operator can now
forbid access to user-preferred femtocells and restrict access to operator-preferred femtocells, thanks to
UICC parameters.
The upcoming releases will develop and capitalize on the IP layer for UICC remote application
management (RAM) over HTTP or HTTPS. The network can also send a push message to UICC to
initiate a communication using TCP protocol.
Rel-9 is also endorsing the NFC standards by adopting newer releases of SWP and HCI that further
define the behavior of NFC applications located in the NFC UICC according to the NFC architecture
promoted by the GSMA.
Finally, the In Case of Emergency (ICE) files initiated in Rel-8 were completed by a picture file that will
help first responders to identify the victim as the owner of the UE.
C.1 TARGET REQUIREMENTS FOR IMT‐ADVANCED
As defined in Report ITU-R M.2134 Requirements Related to Technical Performance for IMT-Advanced
Radio Interface(s):
The goal of the IMT-Advanced requirements is to provide the baseline requirements for consistent
definition, specification, and evaluation of the candidate Radio Interface Technologies (RITs) or Sets of
RITs (SRITs) for IMT-Advanced. These requirements will work in conjunction with the development of
Recommendations and Reports, such as the evaluation criteria148 and the circular letter framework.149
The requirements ensure that IMT-Advanced technologies are able to fulfill the objectives of IMT-
Advanced, and to set a specific level of minimum performance that each proposed technology needs to
achieve in order to be considered by ITU-R WP 5D for IMT-Advanced.
The requirements are not intended to restrict the full range of capabilities or performance that candidate
technologies for IMT-Advanced might achieve, nor are they designed to describe how the IMT-Advanced
technologies might perform in actual deployments under operating conditions that could be different from
those presented in ITU-R Recommendations and Reports on IMT-Advanced.
The requirements in this section are directly out of Report ITU-R M.2134.
C.1.1 CELL SPECTRAL EFFICIENCY
Cell spectral efficiency 150 () is defined as the aggregate throughput of all users – the number of correctly
received bits (i.e. the number of bits contained in the SDUs delivered to Layer 3, over a certain period of
time) – divided by the channel bandwidth divided by the number of cells. The channel bandwidth for this
purpose is defined as the effective bandwidth times the frequency reuse factor, where the effective
bandwidth is the operating bandwidth normalized appropriately considering the uplink/downlink ratio.
148
Report ITU-R M.2135, Guidelines for evaluation of radio interface technologies for IMT-Advanced.
149
ITU-R Circular Letter 5/LCCE/2 (and Addendum 1), Further information on the invitation for submission of proposals for
candidate radio interface technologies for the terrestrial components of the radio interface(s) for IMT- Advanced and invitation to
participate in their subsequent evaluation.
150
For the purposes of the IMT-Advanced requirements, a cell is equivalent to a sector, e.g. a 3-sector site has 3 cells.
i
i 1
T M (Equation 1)
Indoor 3 2.25
Microcellular 2.6 1.80
Base coverage urban 2.2 1.4
High speed 1.1 0.7
These values were defined assuming an antenna configuration of downlink 4X2, uplink 2X4. However,
this does not form part of the requirement and the conditions for evaluation are described in Report ITU-R
M.2135.
C.1.2 PEAK SPECTRAL EFFICIENCY
The peak spectral efficiency is the highest theoretical data rate (normalized by bandwidth), which is the
received data bits assuming error-free conditions assignable to a single mobile station, when all available
radio resources for the corresponding link direction are utilized (i.e. excluding radio resources that are
used for physical layer synchronization, reference signals or pilots, guard bands and guard times).
These values were defined assuming an antenna configuration of downlink 4X4, uplink 2X4. However,
this does not form part of the requirement and the conditions for evaluation are described in Report ITU-R
M.2135.
151
REPORT ITU-R M.2134, Requirements related to technical performance for IMT-Advanced radio interface(s).
C.1.3 BANDWIDTH
Scalable bandwidth is the candidate RIT’s ability to operate with different bandwidth allocations. This
bandwidth may be supported by single or multiple RF carriers. The RIT shall support a scalable
bandwidth up to and including 40 MHz, however, proponents are encouraged to consider extensions to
support operation in wider bandwidths (e.g. up to 100 MHz) and the research targets expressed in
Recommendation ITU-R M.1645.152
C.1.4 CELL EDGE USER SPECTRAL EFFICIENCY
The (normalized) user throughput is defined as the average user throughput (i.e., the number of correctly
received bits by users or the number of bits contained in the SDU delivered to Layer 3) over a certain
period of time, divided by the channel bandwidth and is measured in b/s/Hz. The cell edge user spectral
efficiency is defined as 5 percentage points of CDF of the normalized user throughput. The table below
lists the cell edge user spectral efficiency requirements for various test environments.
With i denoting the number of correctly received bits of user i, Ti the active session time for user i and
the channel bandwidth, the (normalized) user throughput of user i i is defined according to Equation
2.
i
i
Ti
(Equation 2)
152
ITU-R Recommendation M.1645, Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT-2000 and systems beyond
IMT-2000.
These values were defined assuming an antenna configuration of downlink 4X2, uplink 2X4; however,
this does not form part of the requirement. The conditions for evaluation are described in Report ITU-R
M.2135.
C.1.5 LATENCY
C.1.5.1 CONTROL PLANE LATENCY
Control plane (C-Plane) latency is typically measured as transition time from different connection modes
(e.g. from idle to active state). A transition time (excluding downlink paging delay and wireline network
signaling delay) of less than 100 ms shall be achievable from idle state to an active state in such a way
that the user plane is established.
C.1.5.2 USER PLANE LATENCY
The User Plane Latency (also known as Transport delay) is defined as the one-way transit time between
an SDU packet being available at the IP layer in the user terminal/base station and the availability of this
packet (PDU) at IP layer in the base station/user terminal. User plane packet delay includes delay
introduced by associated protocols and control signaling assuming the user terminal is in the active state.
IMT-Advanced systems shall be able to achieve a User Plane Latency of less than 10 ms in unloaded
conditions (i.e. single user with single data stream) for small IP packets (e.g. 0 byte payload + IP header)
for both downlink and uplink.
C.1.6 MOBILITY
Stationary: 0 km/h
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REPORT ITU-R M.2134, Requirements related to technical performance for IMT-Advanced radio interface(s).
The mobility classes that shall be supported in the respective test environment are defined in Table C.3.
A mobility class is supported if the traffic channel link data rate, normalized by bandwidth, on the uplink, is
as shown in Table C.3, when the user is moving at the maximum speed in that mobility class in each of
the test environments.
Table C.3. Traffic Channel Link Data Rates (from ITU-R M.2134).154
Indoor 1.0 10
Microcellular 0.75 30
These values were defined assuming an antenna configuration of downlink 4X2, uplink 2X4. However,
this does not form part of the requirements and the conditions for evaluation are described in Report ITU-
R M.2135.
Test environments*
Indoor Microcellular Base coverage High speed
urban
Mobility classes Stationary, Stationary, Stationary, High speed vehicular,
supported pedestrian pedestrian, pedestrian, vehicular
Vehicular (up to vehicular
30 km/h)
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REPORT ITU-R M.2134, Requirements related to technical performance for IMT-Advanced radio interface(s).
The handover interruption time is defined as the time duration during which a user terminal cannot
exchange user plane packets with any base station. The handover interruption time includes the time
required to execute any radio access network procedure, radio resource control signaling protocol or
other message exchanges between the user equipment and the radio access network, as applicable to
the candidate RIT or SRIT. For the purposes of determining handover interruption time, interactions with
the core network (i.e. network entities beyond the radio access network) are assumed to occur in zero
time. It is also assumed that all necessary attributes of the target channel (i.e. downlink synchronization is
achieved and uplink access procedures, if applicable, are successfully completed) are known at initiation
of the handover from the serving channel to the target channel.
The IMT-Advanced proposal shall be able to support handover interruption times specified in Table C.5.
Intra-Frequency 27.5
Inter-Frequency
- within a spectrum 40
band 60
- between spectrum
bands
In addition, inter-system handovers between the candidate IMT-Advanced system and at least one IMT
system will be supported but are not subject to the limits in Table C.5.
C.1.8 VOIP CAPACITY
VoIP capacity was derived assuming a 12.2 kbps codec with a 50 percent activity factor such that the
percentage of users in outage is less than 2 percent where a user is defined to have experienced a voice
outage if less than 98 percent of the VoIP packets have been delivered successfully to the user within a
one way radio access delay bound of 50 ms.
However, this codec does not form a part of the requirements and the conditions for evaluation as
described in Report ITU-R M.2135.
The VoIP capacity is the minimum of the calculated capacity for either link direction divided by the
effective bandwidth in the respective link direction.
In other words, the effective bandwidth is the operating bandwidth normalized appropriately considering
the uplink/downlink ratio.
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Indoor 50
Microcellular 40
High speed 30
D.1 DETAILS OF THE 3GPP CANDIDATE TECHNOLOGY SUBMISSION OF 3GPP LTE RELEASE
10 AND BEYOND (LTE‐ADVANCED) AS ACCEPTED BY THE ITU‐R
3GPP’s submission was received by the ITU-R WP 5D and was documented by WP 5D in the document
ITU-R IMT-ADV/8. This document may be found at http://www.itu.int/md/R07-IMT.ADV-C-0008/en and
access to IMT-ADV/8 and provides specific details on all parts of the 3GPP technology submission and
links to the relevant technical information.
This submission (included in IMT-ADV/8) from 3GPP, supported by the 3GPP Proponent157 was
developed in 3GPP and captured in the 3GPP documents approved at 3GPP TSG RAN Plenary #45
Seville, Spain, September 15-18, 2009.
By examining the 3GPP submission and 3GPP documents such as TR 36.912, it is evident that the 3GPP
LTE and LTE-Advanced technologies represent a high performance mobile broadband technology
capable of fulfilling and/or exceeding the established ITU-R requirements for IMT-Advanced (4G) as well
as meeting the current and future needs of the wireless marketplace in a wide range of deployment
environments, frequency bands and service scenarios.
The capabilities addressed in LTE-Advanced span the capabilities from LTE Rel-8 and extend
through Rel-10 and beyond. As such, the capabilities represent a range of possible functionalities
and solutions that might be adopted by 3GPP in the work on the further specifications of LTE
A self-evaluation for the LTE-Advanced FDD RIT and TDD RIT components was conducted in
3GPP. The relevant ITU-R Reports and documentation were utilized in the preparation of the
3GPP self-evaluation report on LTE-Advanced
Furthermore, the 3GPP self-evaluation of the LTE-Advanced technology yields the following
perspectives:
The FDD RIT Component meets the minimum requirements of all four required
test environments
The TDD RIT Component meets the minimum requirements of all four required
test environments
The complete SRIT (consisting of the FDD and TDD components) meets the
minimum requirements of all four required test environments
o The 3GPP baseline configuration exceeds ITU-R requirements with minimum extension:
LTE Rel-8 fulfills the requirements in most cases (no extensions needed)
157
The 3GPP Proponent of the 3GPP submission is collectively the 3GPP Organizational Partners (OPs). The Organizational
Partners of 3GPP are ARIB, ATIS, CCSA, ETSI, TTA and TTC, http://www.3gpp.org/partners.
The 3GPP self-evaluation was widely supported with the participation of 18 company entities in
the simulations which have contributed to a high level of confidence in the reliability of the
conclusions reached. The following 18 corporate entities (listed below in alphabetical order)
participated in these simulations:
A summary of the LTE-Advanced submission technical capabilities can be found in Appendix F, which is
taken from the 3GPP presentation made at the ITU-R Third Workshop on IMT-Advanced and focused on
Candidate Technologies and Evaluation.158 Particularly, the results of the 3GPP self-evaluation of the
technology are directly provided in the Appendix E.
D.2 TARGET REQUIREMENTS FOR 3GPP LTE‐ADVANCED TO MEET/EXCEED ITU‐R IMT‐
ADVANCED REQUIREMENTS
D.2.1 ESTABLISHING THE 3GPP WORK ON SATISFYING IMT‐ADVANCED – THE CREATION
OF LTE‐ADVANCED
3GPP has responded to the global developments of IMT-Advanced by taking on board the ITU-R
requirements and timeframes for IMT-Advanced and has agreed on a Study Item159 for its candidate
technology development. 3GPP has given the nomenclature of LTE-Advanced to its candidate technology
in order to reflect the basis of LTE as its starting point for any needed enhancements required to exceed
the ITU-R performance benchmarks and to be a forward pointer into the “Advanced” realm.
In particular the LTE-Advanced Study Item states, in part, the following (section numbers of the original
document retained):
158
http://groups.itu.int/Default.aspx?tabid=574.
159
RP080137 Work Item Description for further advancements for E-UTRA (LTE-Advanced) 3GPP TSG RAN#39, March 2008.
3 Justification
IMT-Advanced is entering the phase of the process in ITU-R addressing the development of the terrestrial
radio interface recommendations. To announce this stage of the process for IMT-Advanced, ITU-R has
issued a Circular Letter (CL) to invite submission of candidate Radio Interface Technologies (RITs) or a
set of RITs (SRITs) for IMT-Advanced. The key features of IMT-Advanced delineated in the CL are:
A high degree of commonality and functionality worldwide while retaining the flexibility to support
a wide range of services and applications in a cost-efficient manner
Enhanced peak data rates to support advanced services and applications (100 Mbit/s for high
and 1 gbit/s for low mobility were established as targets for research).
The base line requirements for IMT-Advanced will be concluded in ITU-R WP 5D #2 (June 2008) and
communicated in an Addendum to the Circular Letter in the July 2008 timeframe.
In the WRC-07, the following spectrum bands were proposed as additions to the prior identified bands,
and the parts of the existing and new bands are globally or regionally identified for IMT, which is the new
root term to encompass both IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced:
In 3GPP, E-UTRA should be further evolved for the future releases in accordance with the following:
Considering the above, 3GPP TSG-RAN should study further advancements for E-UTRA
(LTE-Advanced) toward meeting:
4 Objective
That the work on LTE-Advanced must not introduce any delay to the completion of the Rel-8
specification of LTE
That the general enhancements of LTE specifications are maintained and progressed in a
focused and efficient manner
b) Define requirements for of LTE-Advanced based on the ITU-R requirements for IMT-Advanced as
well as 3GPP operators own requirements for advancing LTE considering:
Newly identified frequency bands and existing frequency bands, and their advantages and
limitations, in particular, the consideration of the WRC-07 conclusions, to ensure that LTE-
Advanced can accommodate radio channel bandwidths commensurate with the availability
in parts of the world of wideband channels in the spectrum allocations (above 20 MHz) and
at the same time being mindful on the need to accommodate those parts of the world where
the spectrum allocations will not have availability of wideband channels.
c) Identify potential solutions, technologies for the enhancements of E-UTRA (LTE-Advanced). The
study areas include:
Physical layer
E-UTRAN architecture
An “Early Proposal” submission that would be sent to ITU-R, to be agreed at RAN #41 (9-12
September 2008), for submission to WP 5D #3 (8-15 October 2008)
A “Complete Technology” submission that would be sent to ITU-R, to be agreed at RAN #44
(26-29 May, 2009), for submission to WP 5D #5 (planned for 10-17 June 2009).
3GPP should take note, that by ITU-R convention, the formal submission deadline for ITU-R
meetings has been established as 16:00 hours UTC, seven calendar days prior to the start
of the meeting.
f) For reference, the Circular Letter as received from the ITU-R (and future Addendums to the same)
are annexed to this Work Item and should become an integral part of the WI.
D.2.2 DEFINING THE LTE‐ADVANCED CAPABILITY SET AND TECHNOLOGY VIEWS
In the normal method of work in 3GPP, the results of the efforts addressing the Study Item are captured
in one or more documents under the nomenclature of Technical Reports. TR 36.913160 is the document
currently in progress for the LTE-Advanced. As the technology work in 3GPP unfolds additional details
will be provided in TR 36.913.
160
3GPP TR 36.913, Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Requirements for Further Advancements for E-UTRA
(LTE-Advanced) (Release 8).
The complete presentation that the following material is extracted from may be found on the 3GPP
document server as document PCG23_19. It is available at this link:
Appendix 2
Detailed Self‐Evaluation Results
Full‐buffer spectrum efficiency
Evaluated downlink schemes
Single‐user MIMO Single‐layer beamforming Multi‐user MIMO
(SU‐MIMO) (Single‐layer BF) (MU‐MIMO)
Ex) Ex) Ex)
Joint processing CoMP Coordinated scheduling/beamforming‐CoMP
(JP‐CoMP) (CS/CB‐CoMP)
Ex) Ex)
suppress
Various schemes have been evaluated
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Single‐user MIMO (SU‐MIMO) CoMP
Ex) Ex)
Various schemes have been evaluated
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Full‐buffer spectrum efficiency
DL control channel overhead assumption
1 subframe = 1.0 msec = 14 OFDM symbols
DL control Data
L: OFDM symbols (L=1, 2, 3)
d= 4 d=0.5
Co‐polarized antennas Co‐polarized antennas
separated 4 wavelengths separated 0.5 wavelength
Antenna configuration (E)
d= 0.5
Cross‐polarized +/‐ 45 (deg) antennas
columns separated 0.5 wavelength
Various antenna configurations have been evaluated
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Detailed Self‐Evaluation Results
Downlink peak spectrum efficiency
• LTE Rel. 8 fulfills ITU-R requirements
• Further improved performance can be achieved by using additional technology features
(e.g., 8-layer spatial multiplexing)
DL peak spectrum efficiency for FDD
Spectral efficiency Overhead assumptions
Scheme
[b/s/Hz] • DL control channel (L = 1)
ITU‐R Requirement 15 • Cell and UE specific reference signal
• Physical broadcast channel and
Rel. 8 4‐layer spatial synchronization signal
16.3
multiplexing
8‐layer spatial
30.6
multiplexing
DL peak spectrum efficiency for TDD
Spectral efficiency
Scheme
[b/s/Hz]
ITU‐R Requirement 15
Rel. 8 4‐layer spatial
16.0
multiplexing
8‐layer spatial
30.0
multiplexing
UL peak spectral efficiency for FDD
Overhead assumptions
Scheme Spectral efficiency [b/s/Hz]
• UL control channel
• Physical random access channel
ITU‐R Requirement 6.75
2 layer spatial
8.4
multiplexing
4 layer spatial
16.8
multiplexing
UL peak spectral efficiency for TDD
Scheme Spectral efficiency [b/s/Hz]
ITU‐R Requirement 6.75
2 layer spatial
8.1
multiplexing
4 layer spatial
16.1
multiplexing
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Control plane latency
• LTE fulfills ITU-R requirements on control plane latency for idle to connected transition
ITU-R Requirement: less than 100
Component Description Time (ms)
1 Average delay due to RACH scheduling period (1ms RACH cycle) 0.5
2 RACH Preamble 1
3-4 Preamble detection and transmission of RA response (Time between the end RACH 3
transmission and UE’s reception of scheduling grant and timing adjustment)
5 UE Processing Delay (decoding of scheduling grant, timing alignment and C-RNTI 5
assignment + L1 encoding of RRC Connection Request)
6 Transmission of RRC and NAS Request 1
7 Processing delay in eNB (L2 and RRC) 4
8 Transmission of RRC Connection Set-up (and UL grant) 1
9 Processing delay in the UE (L2 and RRC) 12
10 Transmission of RRC Connection Set-up complete 1
11 Processing delay in eNB (Uu →S1-C)
12 S1-C Transfer delay
13 MME Processing Delay (including UE context retrieval of 10ms)
14 S1-C Transfer delay
15 Processing delay in eNB (S1-C →Uu) 4
16 Transmission of RRC Security Mode Command and Connection Reconfiguration (+TTI 1.5
alignment)
17 Processing delay in UE (L2 and RRC) 16
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FDD TDD
UE eNB UE eNB
TTI TTI
HARQ RTT
(a) Downlink
8 ms UE eNB
TTI
(b) Uplink
Cell‐average and Cell‐edge spectrum efficiency
Indoor environment (Downlink)
• LTE Rel. 8 with SU-MIMO 4x2 (even with maximum DL control overhead (L = 3)) fulfills
ITU-R requirements
• Further improved performance can be achieved by using additional technology features
(e.g., MU-MIMO 4x2)
Downlink spectral efficiency (FDD), InH
Scheme and ITU‐R Cell average [b/s/Hz/cell] Cell edge [b/s/Hz]
Number of
antenna Requirement
samples
configuration (Ave./Edge) L=1 L=2 L=3 L=1 L=2 L=3
Rel. 8 SU‐MIMO
3 / 0.1 15 4.8 4.5 4.1 0.23 0.21 0.19
4 x 2 (A)
Cell‐average and Cell‐edge spectrum efficiency
Microcellular environment (Downlink)
• Extension of LTE Rel. 8 with MU-MIMO 4x2 (even with maximum DL control overhead
(L = 3)) fulfills ITU-R requirements
• Further improved performance can be achieved by using additional technology features
(e.g., CS/CB-CoMP 4x2, JP-CoMP 4x2, and MU-MIMO 8x2)
Downlink spectral efficiency (FDD), UMi
ITU‐R Number
Scheme and antenna Cell average [b/s/Hz/cell] Cell edge [b/s/Hz]
Requirement of
configuration
(Ave./Edge) samples L=1 L=2 L=3 L=1 L=2 L=3
MU‐MIMO 4 x 2 (C) 2.6 / 0.075 8 3.5 3.2 2.9 0.10 0.096 0.087
MU‐MIMO 4 x 2 (A) 2.6 / 0.075 3 3.4 3.1 2.8 0.12 0.11 0.099
CS/CB‐CoMP 4 x 2 (C) 2.6 / 0.075 5 3.6 3.3 3.0 0.11 0.099 0.089
JP‐CoMP 4 x 2 (C) 2.6 / 0.075 1 4.5 4.1 3.7 0.14 0.13 0.12
MU‐MIMO 8 x 2 (C/E) 2.6 / 0.075 4 4.2 3.8 3.5 0.15 0.14 0.13
Downlink spectral efficiency (TDD), UMi
ITU‐R Number
Scheme and antenna Cell average [b/s/Hz/cell] Cell edge [b/s/Hz]
Requirement of
configuration
(Ave./Edge) samples L=1 L=2 L=3 L=1 L=2 L=3
MU‐MIMO 4 x 2 (C) 2.6 / 0.075 8 3.5 3.2 3.0 0.11 0.096 0.089
MU‐MIMO 4 x 2 (A) 2.6 / 0.075 1 3.2 2.9 2.7 0.11 0.10 0.095
CS/CB‐CoMP 4 x 2 (C) 2.6 / 0.075 3 3.6 3.3 3.1 0.10 0.092 0.086
JP‐CoMP 4 x 2 (C) 2.6 / 0.075 1 4.6 4.2 3.9 0.10 0.092 0.085
MU‐MIMO 8 x 2 (C/E) 2.6 / 0.075 4 4.2 3.9 3.6 0.12 0.11 0.099
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Uplink spectral efficiency (FDD), UMi
ITU‐R
Number of Cell average Cell edge
Scheme and antenna configuration Requirement
samples [b/s/Hz/cell] [b/s/Hz]
(Ave./Edge)
Rel. 8 SIMO 1 x 4 (C) 1.8 / 0.05 12 1.9 0.073
Rel. 8 MU‐MIMO 1 x 4 (A) 1.8 / 0.05 2 2.5 0.077
MU‐MIMO 2 x 4 (A) 1.8 / 0.05 1 2.5 0.086
Uplink spectral efficiency (TDD), UMi
ITU‐R
Number of Cell average Cell edge
Scheme and antenna configuration Requirement
samples [b/s/Hz/cell] [b/s/Hz]
(Ave./Edge)
Rel. 8 SIMO 1 x 4 (C) 1.8 / 0.05 9 1.9 0.070
Rel. 8 MU‐MIMO 1 x 4 (A) 1.8 / 0.05 2 2.3 0.071
MU‐MIMO 2 x 4 (A) 1.8 / 0.05 1 2.8 0.068
MU‐MIMO 1 x 8 (E) 1.8 / 0.05 1 3.0 0.079
Cell‐average and Cell‐edge spectrum efficiency
Base coverage urban environment (Downlink)
• Extension of LTE Rel. 8 with MU-MIMO 4x2 (even with maximum DL control overhead
(L = 3)) fulfills ITU-R requirements
• Further improved performance can be achieved by using additional technology features
(e.g., CS/CB-CoMP 4x2, JP-CoMP 4x2, and CS/CB-CoMP 8x2)
Downlink spectral efficiency (FDD), UMa
ITU‐R Number Cell average
Scheme and antenna Cell edge [b/s/Hz]
Requirement of [b/s/Hz/cell]
configuration
(Ave./Edge) samples L=1 L=2 L=3 L=1 L=2 L=3
MU‐MIMO 4 x 2 (C) 2.2 / 0.06 7 2.8 2.6 2.4 0.079 0.073 0.066
CS/CB‐CoMP 4 x 2 (C) 2.2 / 0.06 6 2.9 2.6 2.4 0.081 0.074 0.067
JP‐CoMP 4 x 2 (A) 2.2 / 0.06 1 3.0 2.7 2.5 0.080 0.073 0.066
CS/CB‐CoMP 8 x 2 (C) 2.2 / 0.06 3 3.8 3.5 3.2 0.10 0.093 0.084
Downlink spectral efficiency (TDD), UMa
ITU‐R Cell average
Scheme and antenna Number of Cell edge [b/s/Hz]
Requirement [b/s/Hz/cell]
configuration samples
(Ave./Edge) L=1 L=2 L=3 L=1 L=2 L=3
MU‐MIMO 4 x 2 (C) 2.2 / 0.06 7 2.9 2.6 2.4 0.079 0.071 0.067
CS/CB‐CoMP 4 x 2 (C) 2.2 / 0.06 4 2.9 2.6 2.4 0.083 0.075 0.070
JP‐CoMP 4 x 2 (C) 2.2 / 0.06 1 3.6 3.3 3.1 0.090 0.082 0.076
CS/CB‐CoMP 8 x 2 (C/E) 2.2 / 0.06 3 3.7 3.3 3.1 0.10 0.093 0.087
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Uplink spectral efficiency (FDD), UMa
ITU‐R
Number of Cell average Cell edge
Scheme and antenna configuration Requirement
samples [b/s/Hz/cell] [b/s/Hz]
(Ave./Edge)
Rel. 8 SIMO 1 x 4 (C) 1.4 / 0.03 12 1.5 0.062
CoMP 1 x 4 (A) 1.4 / 0.03 2 1.7 0.086
CoMP 2 x 4 (C) 1.4 / 0.03 1 2.1 0.099
Uplink spectral efficiency (TDD), UMa
ITU‐R
Number of Cell average Cell edge
Scheme and antenna configuration Requirement
samples [b/s/Hz/cell] [b/s/Hz]
(Ave./Edge)
Rel. 8 SIMO 1x4 (C) 1.4 / 0.03 9 1.5 0.062
CoMP 1 x 4 (C) 1.4 / 0.03 1 1.9 0.090
CoMP 2 x 4 (C) 1.4 / 0.03 1 2.0 0.097
MU‐MIMO 1 x 8 (E) 1.4 / 0.03 1 2.7 0.076
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Cell‐average and Cell‐edge Spectrum Efficiency
High Speed Environment (Downlink)
• LTE Rel. 8 with SU-MIMO 4x2 (even with maximum DL control overhead (L = 3)) fulfills
ITU-R requirements
• Further improved performance can be achieved by using additional technology features
(e.g., MU-MIMO 4x2, MU-MIMO 8x2, and LTE Rel. 8 single-layer BF 8x2)
Downlink spectral efficiency (FDD), RMa
ITU‐R Number
Scheme and antenna Cell average [b/s/Hz/cell] Cell edge [b/s/Hz]
Requirement of
configuration
(Ave./Edge) samples L=1 L=2 L=3 L=1 L=2 L=3
Rel. 8 SU‐MIMO
1.1 / 0.04 15 2.3 2.1 1.9 0.081 0.076 0.069
4 x 2 (C)
Rel. 8 SU‐MIMO
1.1 / 0.04 14 2.1 2.0 1.8 0.067 0.063 0.057
4 x 2 (A)
MU‐MIMO 4 x 2 (C) 1.1 / 0.04 3 3.9 3.5 3.2 0.11 0.099 0.090
MU‐MIMO 8 x 2 (C) 1.1 / 0.04 1 4.1 3.7 3.4 0.13 0.12 0.11
Downlink spectral efficiency (TDD), RMa
ITU‐R Number Cell average
Scheme and antenna Cell edge [b/s/Hz]
Requirement of [b/s/Hz/cell]
configuration
(Ave./Edge) samples L=1 L=2 L=3 L=1 L=2 L=3
Rel. 8 SU‐MIMO
1.1 / 0.04 8 2.0 1.9 1.8 0.072 0.067 0.063
4 x 2 (C)
Rel. 8 SU‐MIMO
1.1 / 0.04 7 1.9 1.7 1.6 0.057 0.053 0.049
4 x 2 (A)
MU‐MIMO 4 x 2 (C) 1.1 / 0.04 4 3.5 3.2 3.0 0.098 0.089 0.083
MU‐MIMO 8 x 2 (C/E) 1.1 / 0.04 2 4.0 3.6 3.4 0.12 0.11 0.10
Rel. 8 single‐layer BF
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8 x 2 (E)
Uplink spectral efficiency (FDD), RMa
ITU‐R
Number of Cell average Cell edge
Scheme and antenna configuration Requirement
samples [b/s/Hz/cell] [b/s/Hz]
(Ave./Edge)
Rel. 8 SIMO 1x4 (C) 0.7 / 0.015 11 1.8 0.082
Rel. 8 MU‐MIMO 1x4 (A) 0.7 / 0.015 2 2.2 0.097
CoMP 2 x 4 (A) 0.7 / 0.015 2 2.3 0.13
Uplink spectral efficiency (TDD), RMa
ITU‐R
Number of Cell average Cell edge
Scheme and antenna configuration Requirement
samples [b/s/Hz/cell] [b/s/Hz]
(Ave./Edge)
Rel. 8 SIMO 1 x 4 (C) 0.7 / 0.015 8 1.8 0.080
Rel. 8 MU‐MIMO 1 x 4 (A) 0.7 / 0.015 2 2.1 0.093
CoMP 2 x 4 (A) 0.7 / 0.015 1 2.5 0.15
MUMIMO 1 x 8 (E) 0.7 / 0.015 1 2.6 0.10
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VoIP results (FDD)
VoIP capacity for FDD
Antenna configuration Environment ITU‐R requirement Number of samples Capacity [User/MHz/Cell]
Evaluated schemes
DL: Rel. 8 (4x2, 1x2)
UL: Rel. 8 (1x4 )
VoIP capacity for TDD
Antenna configuration Environment ITU‐R requirement Number of samples Capacity [User/MHz/Cell]
Evaluated schemes
DL: Rel. 8 (4x2 or 1x2)
UL: Rel. 8 (1x4)
Mobility results (FDD)
Mobility traffic channel link data rates for FDD
Evaluated schemes
Rel. 8 UL (1x4)
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Mobility traffic channel link data rates for TDD
LOS/NLOS Environment ITU‐R Median SINR Number of TDD UL Spectrum
requirement [dB] samples efficiency [b/s/Hz]
Evaluated schemes
Rel. 8 UL (1x4)
One of the concluding aspects of defining IMT-Advanced “4G” technologies could be considered the
actual publication of criteria for “4G”, the call for technology submissions and the subsequent evaluations,
assessments and decision-making. This will launch the quantification of these developing technologies
and ultimately establish the family of IMT-Advanced “4G” systems.
It is acknowledged that the 3rd Generation Partnership Projects (3GPP162 and 3GPP2163) and industry
Standard Development Organizations (SDOs) have been and will continue to be an integral part of this
global process. Other technology proponent entities will also be equally important contributors.
In keeping with the normal method of work, ITU-R has announced to its members and to relevant external
organizations the details of this process, the established timeline and the criteria for the first invitation of
IMT-Advanced.
Provided in the Circular Letter 5/LCCE/2 and its Addenda was an announcement of an “Invitation for
submission of proposals for candidate radio interface technologies for the terrestrial components of the
radio interface(s) for IMT-Advanced and invitation to participate in their subsequent evaluation.”
The purpose of the Circular Letter (initially released in March 2008) was to encourage the submissions of
proposals for candidate RITs or SRITs for the terrestrial components of IMT-Advanced.
The Circular Letter also initiated an ongoing process to evaluate the candidate RITs or SRITs for
IMT-Advanced, and invited the formation of independent evaluation groups and the subsequent
submission of evaluation reports on these candidate RITs or SRITs.
Two key figures – directly extracted from Document ITU-R IMT-ADV/2-1 as revised in July 2008164 (which
forms the basis for this same information contained in the official ITU-R IMT-Advanced webpage
operating under the guidance of Circular Letter 5/LCCE/2) – provides a time schedule for the first
invitation for candidate RITs or SRITs and a flow diagram for the detailed procedure.
161
Defining 4G Understanding the ITU Process for the Next Generation of Wireless Technology, 3G Americas, August 2008.
162
3rd Generation Partnership Project. http://www.3gpp.org.
163
3rd Generation Partnership Project 2. http://www.3gpp2.org.
164
The ITU-R IMT-ADV document series may be found at: http://www.itu.int/md/R07-IMT.ADV-C.
Figure F.1. Schedule for the Development of IMT-Advanced Radio Interface Recommendations.165
165
Revision 1 to ITU-R ADV/2-E, Working Party 5D, Submission And Evaluation Process and Consensus Building.
Step 1
Circular Letter to invite Step 2
proposals for radio interface Development of candidate
technologies and evaluations radio interface technologies
Step 3
Submission/Reception of the
RIT and SRIT proposals and
acknowledgement of receipt
Step 4
Evaluation of candidate radio
Step 5 interface technologies by
Review and coordination of independent evaluation groups,
outside evaluation activities grouping of the technologies
through consensus building
Step 6
Review to assess Descriptions of proposed radio
compliance with minimum interface technologies and
requirements evaluation reports
Step 7
Consideration of evaluation
results, consensus building,
and decision
Step 8 Step 9
Development of radio interface Implementation of
Recommendation(s) Recommendation(s)
[IMT-Advanced A2-02]
The Circular Letter Addendum draws attention to the IMT-Advanced Web page. Of note is the Document
Report ITU-R M.2133, Requirements, Evaluation Criteria, and Submission Templates for the
Development of IMT-Advanced.
Report ITU-R M.2133 supports the process for IMT-Advanced initiated by Circular Letter 5/LCCE/2 and its
Addendums. It provides the requirements, evaluation criteria, as well as submission templates required
for a complete submission of candidate RITs and candidate SRITs for IMT-Advanced. In essence, it can
166
Revision 1 to ITU-R ADV/2-E, Working Party 5D, Submission And Evaluation Process and Consensus Building.
In particular, document Report ITU-R M.2133 establishes very specific information formats for the
submission of candidate RITs for consideration for IMT-Advanced through the use of templates. These
templates cover not only the description of the candidate RIT but also cover the compliance of the
technology with the established requirements for IMT-Advanced in the areas of spectrum, services and
technical performance.
Report ITU-R M.2133 also establishes through reference to Report ITU.R M.2135 Guidelines for
evaluation of RITs for IMT-Advanced.
Quoting from Report ITU.R M.2135, Section 2 scope is instructive on the evaluation:
“This Report provides guidelines for both the procedure and the criteria (technical, spectrum and
service) to be used in evaluating the proposed IMT-Advanced RITs or SRITs for a number of test
environments and deployment scenarios for evaluation.
These test environments are chosen to simulate closely the more stringent radio operating
environments. The evaluation procedure is designed in such a way that the overall performance of
the candidate RIT/SRITs may be fairly and equally assessed on a technical basis. It ensures that the
overall IMT-Advanced objectives are met.
This Report provides, for proponents, developers of candidate RIT/SRITs and evaluation groups, the
common methodology and evaluation configurations to evaluate the proposed candidate RIT/SRITs
and system aspects impacting the radio performance, to be applied to the evaluation of IMT-
Advanced candidate technologies.
This Report allows a degree of freedom so as to encompass new technologies. The actual selection
of the candidate RIT/SRITs for IMT-Advanced is outside the scope of this Report.
The candidate RIT/SRITs will be assessed based on those evaluation guidelines. If necessary,
additional evaluation methodologies may be developed by each independent evaluation group to
complement the evaluation guidelines. Any such additional methodology should be shared between
evaluation groups and sent to the Radiocommunication Bureau as information in the consideration of
the evaluation results by ITU-R and for posting under additional information relevant to the evaluation
group section of the ITU-R IMT-Advanced web page (http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/go/rsg5-imt-advanced).”
It is important to note that the same set of evaluation guidelines and criteria are to be utilized by the
technology proponents in performing self-evaluations of their technology submissions, which are
mandated as part of the complete submission.
Source: Informa Telecoms &
Media, 4G Americas, Public
Announcements HSPA HSPA+
Information accurate to the Networks In Service 376 103
best of our knowledge as of
Countries In Service 150 54
December 2010
Networks Planned/In Deployment 128 60
Country Operator/Network Name HSPA HSPA+
Africa
Algeria Algérie Télécom Planned 2011
Algeria Orascom Bangladesh Planned 2011
Algeria Wataniya Maldives (Qtel) Planned 2011
Angola Movicel Planned 2010
Angola Unitel In Service 2007 Jul‐10
Botswana Botswana Telecom / Be Mobile In Deployment
Botswana Mascom Wireless In Service 2008
Botswana Orange Botswana In Service
Burundi HiTs Telecom Burundi Planned 2011
Burundi Lacell Planned 2011
Cameroon MTN Cameroon Planned 2011
Cameroon Orange Cameroon Planned 2011
Chad Bharti Airtel Chad Planned 2012
Chad Millicom Planned 2012
Côte D'Ivoire Atlantique Telecom Planned 2011
Côte D'Ivoire Comium Côte D'Ivoire Planned 2011
Côte D'Ivoire MTN Planned 2011
Côte D'Ivoire Orange Planned 2011
Dem. Rep. Congo Vodacom Planned 2011
Dem. Rep. Congo Zain Planned 2011
Egypt ECMS / MobiNil In Service 2009
Egypt Etisalat Misr In Service 2007 May‐10
Egypt Vodafone Egypt In Service 2007
Equatorial Guinee HiTs Telecom In Service 2009
Ethiopia Ethiopian Telecom/Ethio‐Mobile In Service 2008
Gambia QuantumNet / Qcell In Service 2009
Ghana Airtel (Bharti‐Zain) In Service 2010
Ghana GloMobile Ghana In Deployment 2010
Ghana Millicom /Tigo Ghana In Deployment 2010
Eastern Europe
US/Canada
The mission of 4G Americas is to promote, facilitate and advocate for the deployment and adoption of the
3GPP family of technologies throughout the Americas. 4G Americas' Board of Governor members include
Alcatel-Lucent, América Móvil, Andrew Solutions, AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Ericsson, Gemalto, HP,
Huawei, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, Openwave, Powerwave, Qualcomm, Research In Motion
(RIM), Rogers, Shaw Communications, T-Mobile USA and Telefónica.
4G Americas would like to recognize the significant project leadership and important contributions of Jim
Seymour, Director of Wireless Technology Strategy and Applications, Alcatel-Lucent, as well as
representatives from the other member companies on 4G Americas’ Board of Governors who participated
in the development of this white paper: Alcatel-Lucent, Andrew Solutions, AT&T, Ericsson, Gemalto,
Huawei, Motorola, Powerwave and Nokia Siemens Networks.