Wireless Broadband Network: HSPA+ in Release-7 and Release-8

Thought of adding this while I am in mode of making lists. So whats in HSPA evolution in Rel-7 and Rel-8. Lot of people are unaware that HSPA+ was big enough to finish off in Rel-7 and was definite to spill over in Rel-8

HSPA+ Features in Release 7

Higher Order Modulation Schemes

Advantages and weaknesses of higher order modulation
- Interference Sensitivity
- QPSK
- 16-QAM, 64-QAM)
- Consequences
- Behavior in Time Variant Mobile Radio Channels
- Behavior of a time variant mobile radio channel
- Effect of amplitude variations
- Effect of phase variations

16-QAM for the S-CCPCH (DL)
- MBSFN only
- Interleaving
- Modulation
- Scaling factors

64-QAM for the HS-PDSCH (DL)
- Interleaving
- Constellation Rearrangement
- Modulation
- Related UE Categories

16-QAM for UL (4-PAM for the E-DPDCH)
- HARQ Rate Matching Stage
- Interleaver
- Modulator
- UE category

Overview Advantages and Disadvantages
- Higher peak data rate
- Better resource utilization
- Blind choice of modulation scheme
- High SNIR requirement
- More TX power requirement
- Low range
- Small cell environment
- Restrictions of use for high UE moving speeds

Channel Estimation Algorithms
- Normal Algorithm
- Gathering pilot information
- Channel estimation
- Data detection
- Advantage
- Disadvantage
- Advanced Algorithms
- Shorter channel estimation window
- Moving channel estimation window
- Adaptive detection
- Turbo detection
- Advantages
- Disadvantages

Performance16-QAM in the UL
- Performance on Link Level 16-QAM in the UL
- Performance of BPSK compared to 4-PAM
- Influence of non-linearity of the power amplifier
- Performance on System Level
- Behavior with increasing load
- Maximum versus average throughput

Higher Order Modulation Testing
- Test Setup for 16-QAM in the UL
- RF components
- Discussion of the setup
- Selected Performance Requirements for 16-QAM in the UL
- BPSK vs. 4-PAM
- Effect of RX diversity
- Effect of high degree of multipath
- Effect of high UE moving speed

MIMO

Introduction to MIMO Technology
- The Basics: Signal Fading Physics between TX and RX
- Scattering
- Refraction
- Reflection
- Diffraction
- Multiplexing Dimensions
- The Multipath Dimension
- MIMO General Operation

MIMO Feedback Procedure (PCI)
- Motivation of Spatial Precoding
- Plain MIMO
- Multiple rank beamforming
- Spatial Precoding
- Codebook, PCI and CQI Loop
- Codebook
- PCI and CQI loop

MIMO Algorithms
- Linear MIMO Algorithms (Preparation work, Equalizer at the end of the processing chain,
- Equalizer at the beginning of the processing chain), Non-Linear MIMO Algorithms

MIMO Performance
- MIMO Performance on Link Level (SISO vs. SIMO, SIMO vs. MIMO, 2x2 MIMO vs. 4x2
- MIMO, 16-QAM vs. 64-QAM), Performance on System Level (MIMO vs. SIMO, 50% vs.
- 75% power allocation, 0% vs. 4% feedback errors)

MIMO Tests
- Official Test Setups (Test NodeB, Fading simulator, Noise generator, UE under test, Single stream test setup, Double stream test setup), Quick and Easy Test Setups (The
easiest test setup, A more reliable test setup: The MIMO circle), Selected Performance
- Requirement Figures (Conditions, 64-QAM performance, Dual stream MIMO
performance, Single stream MIMO performance)

Continuous Packet Connectivity (CPC)

Basic features
- Uplink Discontinuous Transmission (DTX), Downlink Discontinuous Reception (DRX)

RRC message ID’s
- DTX and DRX Information

CPC Timing
- Uplink CQI transmission

Example for Uplink DPCCH Burst Pattern for 10 ms E-DCH TTI
- Uplink DRX, Downlink DRX

Uplink DPCCH preamble and postamble
- Uplink DPCCH preamble and postamble for the DPCCH only transmission, Uplink DPCCH preamble and postamble for the E-DCH transmission, Uplink DPCCH preamble and postamble for the HS-DPCCH transmission

Example of simultaneous Uplink DTX and Downlink DRX

CPC and Enhanced F-DPCH
- Timing Implications for CPC + Enhanced F-DPCCH

Upgraded L1 Signaling

HS-SCCH Review of Rel. 5 and 6
- HS-SCCH Frame Structure, HS-SCCH Part 1 and 2 Forward Error Coding Chain, UE
specific masking of Part 1 and Part 2, HS-PDSCH Code Allocation through Part1 of HSSCCH,
- Transport Block Size Determination – TFRI Mapping

HS-SCCH of Rel. 7
- HS-SCCH Overview of Rel. 7 (HS-SCCH type 1, No HS-SCCH, HS-SCCH type 2, HSSCCH
type 3), HS-SCCH Type 1 (HS-SCCH Type 1, HS-SCCH Type 1 for Configured 64-QAM Operation, HS-SCCH Orders, 64-QAM Constellation Versions), HS-SCCH Type 2 (for HS-SCCH less operation) (Use of the HS-SCCH-less operation, Procedure HSSCCH-less operation), HS-SCCH Type 3 (HS-SCCH Type 3 Overview, Modulation and
Transport Block Number , HARQ Process Number, Redundancy Version and
Constellation Version)

HS-DPCCH of Rel. 7
- HS-DPCCH ACK/NACK (ACK-NACK of primary TB in R5, Preamble and postamble in
R6, ACK-NACK of 2 TB’s in R7), HS-DPCCH PCI and CQI type A and B (CQI in case of
no MIMO operation, PCI and CQI in case of MIMO with 1 TB (CQI type A), PCI and CQI
in case of MIMO with 2 TB’s (CQI type B))

E-AGCH and E-DPCCH
- Changes in the E-TFCI tables, Changes in the AG tables, Changes in the SG tables

MAC-ehs Entity versus MAC-hs

UTRAN side MAC-hs Details – CELL_DCH only
- Flow Control, Scheduling/Priority Handling, HARQ, TFRC selection

UE side MAC-hs Details – CELL_DCH only
- HARQ, Reordering Queue distribution, Reordering, Disassembly

UTRAN side MAC-ehs Details
- Some advantages of MAC-ehs compared to MAC-hs , Flow Control, HARQ, TFRC
selection (~ TFRI), LCH-ID mux, Segmentation

UE side MAC-ehs Details
- HARQ , Disassembly, Reordering queue distribution, Reordering, Reassembly, LCH-ID demultiplexing

Differences in the MAC-ehs and MAC-hs Header
- MAC-hs Header Parameter Description
- MAC-hs SDU , , MAC-hs Header of MAC-hs PDU), MAC-ehs Header Parameter Description
- MAC-ehs Header Parameter Details
- HARQ Process Work Flow in UE – MAC-hs / MAC-ehs
- Split HS-DSCH Block Functionality
- Practical Exercise: MAC-hs contra MAC-ehs
- MAC-hs / MAC-ehs Stall Avoidance
- Timer-Based Scheme
- Window Bases Scheme
- MAC-(e)hs Reordering Functionality – Timer / Window based

Flexible RLC PDU Sizes

The RLC AMD PDU – Rel. 7 Enhancements
- The Poll (POLL) super-field
- RLC AMD Header Fields
- Release 7 Enhancement of the HE-Field and LI

Comparison of RLC-AM between Rel. 6 and Rel. 7
- RLC-AM Overhead using fixed or flexible PDU size
· RRC State Operation Enhancements

Transport Channel Type Switching with HSPA in R6
- Transport Channel Combinations between UL and DL, Radio Bearer Multiplexing Options in Rel. 6

Operation of UTRA RRC States in Release 7
- UE Idle mode, CELL_DCH state

HS-DSCH Reception in CELL_FACH and XXX_PCH
- Overview (UE dedicated paging in CELL_DCH, CELL_FACH and CELL_PCH, BCCH
reception in CELL_FACH, FACH measurement occasion calculation, Measurement
reporting procedure), (1) Operation in the CELL_FACH state (DCCH / DTCH reception in
CELL_FACH state , User data on HS-DSCH in Enhanced CELL_FACH state), (2) Operation in the CELL_FACH state – Cell Update, (3) RRC Idle to transient CELL_FACH
(Common H-RNTI selection in CELL_FACH (FDD only), H-RNTI selection when entering
Connected mode (FDD only) ), Operation in the URA_PCH or CELL_PCH state (Data
Transfer in CELL_PCH with dH-RNTI, State Transision from CELL_PCH to CELL_FACH
to CELL_DCH, CELL_PCH and URA_PCH enhanced Paging Procedure)

HSPA+ Features in Release 8

Overview of HSPA+ Related Work Items in R8

Requirements for two branch IC

CS voice over HSPA

Performance req. for 15 HSDPA codes

MIMO + 64-QAM

Enhanced DRX

Improved L2 for UL

Enhanced UL for CELL_FACH

R3 Enhancements for HSPA

Enhanced SRNS relocation

MIMO combined with 64-QAM

New UE Categories
- Data Rate, Soft IR memory

L1 Signaling of MIMO and 64-QAM
- Modulation Schemes and TB Sizes (Signaling on the HS-SCCH type 3, Dilemma to signal
on the modulation schema and TB number field, Solution), CQI Signaling, CQI Tables
used

Interested readers can refer to Alcatel-Lucent presentation in HSPA+ Summit here.

There is also an interesting Qualcomm paper titled, "Release 7 HSPA+ For Mobile Broadband Evolution" available here.