Carrier Aggregation: Fundamentals and Deployments · PDF fileWhy LTE-Advanced? IMT-Advanced Requirements ... Carrier Aggregation of Band 7 and Band 20 Huawei Carrier Aggregation of

Carrier Aggregation: Fundamentals and Deployments

Presented by:

Manuel Blanco

Agilent Technologies

© 2014 Agilent Technologies

Agenda

LTE-Advanced

Carrier Aggregation

Design and test challenges

© 2014 Agilent Technologies 2

Industry background

263 LTE networks in more than 95 countries (+500 operators investing)

o Approximately 10% are TDD

o Less than 10% are using 20 MHz

www.gsacom.com

157.7 million LTE subscribers (112 million added in the past 12 months)

o More than half in North America (79 million)

Over 1,200 LTE capable devices available

o 40% can operate in Band 3 and Band 7

LTE is the fastest developing mobile technology ever


http://www.gsacom.com/

Why LTE-Advanced?

IMT-Advanced Requirements

Based on an all-IP packet switch network

Scalable channel bandwidths between 5 and 20 MHz

Interoperability with existing wireless standards


Item Subcategory IMT-Adv LTE

Spectral

efficiency

(b/s/Hz)

Downlink 15

(4x4 MIMO)

16.3 (4x4 MIMO)

Uplink 6.75

(2x4 MIMO)

4.32 (64QAM)

Data rate

(Mbps)

Downlink 1000 300

Uplink 100 75

LTE-Advanced New features

Carrier Aggregation Enhanced MIMO

Higher data rates

(bps) Higher spectral effiency

(bps/Hz)

Higher spectral effiency

per coverage area

(bps/Hz/Km2)

Het-Nets


LTE-Advanced New UE Categories

UE

Category

Data Rate DL/UL

(Mbps)

Downlink Uplink

Max number

of layers

Max number

of layers

Support for

64QAM

1 10 / 5 1 1 No

2 50 / 25 2 1 No

3 100 / 50 2 1 No

4 150 / 50 2 1 No

5 300 / 75 4 1 Yes

6 300 / 50 2 or 4 1 or 2 No

7 300 / 100 2 or 4 1 or 2 No

8 3000 / 1500 8 4 Yes

LT

E

LT

E-A


Agenda

LTE-Advanced

Carrier Aggregation



Carrier Aggregation – Fundamentals

Bandwidth extension by aggregating LTE component carriers (CC)

o Up to 5 CC can be allocated in both DL and UL – 100 MHz aggregated

o Components carriers are backwards compatible with Release 8 terminals

o Symmetric or asymmetric DL/UL CA configurations

Motivation

o Higher peak data rates

o Facilitate efficient use of fragmented spectrum

o Enable 150 Mbps (Category 4) in typical

deployments where 20MHz contiguous spectrum

is not an option


Aggregated

Data Pipe

10MHz

DL Carrier 1

10MHz

DL Carrier 2

Carrier Aggregation is the first step of LTE Advanced

PCC (Primary Component Carrier)

oHandle the RRC/NAS procedures

oMeasurement reports and mobility

oUEs using the same set of CCs, can have different PCC

oRole only changed with handover

oPUSCH is mandatory

SCC (Secondary Component Carrier)

oUE handles up to 4 SCC

oConfigured using RRC signaling procedures

oCan be dynamically activated/de-activated using a MAC control element

oActivated only when in CONNECTED mode

oPUSCH is optional - asymmetric CA



SCC

SCC

PCC

Downlink

PCC

SCC

Uplink


PCC UE

RRC Connection

MME

Attach Request

Authentication and NAS Security

AS Security

UE capabilities

Attach Accept + Default EPS

SCC

Release 8

PS Attach

Band 4 - 10 MHz Band 17 -10 MHz

Data Link (single carrier) 73 Mbps



PCC

RRC Connection

MME

Attach Request


AS Security

UE capabilities


RRC Reconfiguration

+ Add SCC

SCC

Release 8

PS Attach

Release 10

SCC Addition

& Activation


Band 17 -10 MHz Band 4 - 10 MHz


UE


Physical cell ID and

DL frequency

channel

Common configuration:

DL and UL channel BW,

uplink EARFCN,

antenna config,

physical channels config, power

control config

Dedicated configuration:

Transmission mode,

physical channels config,

cross-carrier scheduling,

CSI-RS config Source: 3GPP TS 36.331

SCC Configuration at RRC level Screen capture of the Agilent Trace log and debug application (Trace Spy II)


http://www.3gpp.org/DynaReport/36331.htm


PCC

RRC Connection

MME

Attach Request


AS Security

UE capabilities


RRC Reconfiguration

+ Add SCC

SCC

Release 8

PS Attach

Release 10

SCC Addition

& Activation


MAC control element

Data Link (2 CC aggregated) 147 Mbps

Band 17 -10 MHz Band 4 - 10 MHz


UE


Band A Band B

Intra -band

contiguous

Reso

urc

e b

lock

f

≈

Reso

urc

e b

lock

f

Intra-band

non-contiguous

Inter-band

non-contiguous

Reso

urc

e b

lock f

Band A

Band A

Modes and Deployments

Release 10: o Signaling to support up to 5 CC

o Scenarios limited to 2 CCs

o Maximum aggregated bandwidth is 40MHz

o Prioritized support intra band contiguous and inter band

o Rest of scenarios were postponed to later Releases

Intra - band Contiguous CA

E-UTRA CA

Band

E-UTRA operating

Band

Uplink (UL) band Downlink (DL) band

Duplex mode

UE transmit / BS receive Channel BW MHz

UE receive / BS transmit Channel BW MHz

FUL_low (MHz) – FUL_high

(MHz) FDL_low (MHz) – FDL_high

(MHz)

CA_40 40 2300 – 2400 [401)

] 2300 – 2400 [401)

] TDD

CA_1 1 1920 – 1980 40 2110 – 2170 40 FDD

[1) For the first phase of LTE TDD CA for UE side, with eventual goal for 50MHz]

Inter - band Non -Contiguous CA

E-UTRA CA Band

E-UTRA operating

Band

Uplink (UL) band Downlink (DL) band

Duplex mode

UE transmit / BS receive Channel BW MHz

UE receive / BS transmit Channel BW MHz FUL_low (MHz) – FUL_high

(MHz) FDL_low (MHz) – FDL_high

(MHz)

CA_1-5 1 1920 – 1980 10

1) 2110 – 2170 10

FDD 5 824 – 849 10

1) 869 – 894 10

1) Only one uplink component carrier is used in any of the two frequency bands at any time.


Inter-band Intra-band cont

1 2 3

CA

Band C

om

bin

atio

ns

Rel.10


Release 11: o Maximum aggregated bandwidth is 40MHz

o Support multiple timing advances (required for UL CA)

o Core requirements for intra-band non-cont

o Performance requirements for new inter-band and

intra-band combinations



Inter-band

1 2 3

CA

Band C

om

bin

atio

ns

24

CA

Band C

om

bin

atio

ns

Rel.10

Intra-band cont


Intra non-cont

Rel-11 inter-band Carrier Aggregation Rapporteur

Carrier Aggregation of Band 3 and Band 7 TeliaSonera

Carrier Aggregation of Band 4 and Band 17 AT&T

Carrier Aggregation of Band 4 and Band 13 Ericsson (Verizon)

Carrier Aggregation of Band 4 and Band 12 Leap Wireless

Carrier Aggregation of Band 5 and Band 12 US Cellular

Carrier Aggregation of Band 7 and Band 20 Huawei




Carrier Aggregation of Band 3 and Band 20 Vodafone

Carrier Aggregation of Band 8 and Band 20 Vodafone

Carrier Aggregation of Band 3 and Band 5 SK Telecom

Carrier Aggregation of Band 4 and Band 7 Rogers Wireless

Carrier Aggregation of Band 11 and Band 18 KDDI

Carrier Aggregation of Band 1 and Band 18 KDDI

Carrier Aggregation of Band 1 and Band 19 NTT DoCoMo

Carrier Aggregation of Band 1 and Band 21 NTT DoCoMo

Carrier Aggregation of Band 3 and Band 8 KT

Rel.11

1 19 5

1

Release 12: o Core requirements uplink CA in inter-band

o Performance requirements for intra-band non-contiguous

o Core analysis for 3 component carriers in inter-band

o Maximum aggregated bandwidth is 50MHz



19 Inter-band

1 2 3

CA

Band C

om

bin

atio

ns

24

CA

Band C

om

bin

atio

ns

48 12 Inter-band

25 Inter 3 CC

95

CA

Band C

om

bin

atio

ns

Intra-band cont

10 Intra non-cont

Rel.10

Rel.11

Intra-band cont


Intra non-cont

5

Rel.12

Agenda

LTE-Advanced

Carrier Aggregation



Impact on higher layers:

o Enhanced user plane to support higher data rates

o Modifications and new additions on existing RRC procedures:

Reconfiguration message to support Addition/Release of SCC

Report of new UE categories and capabilities

Impact on UE design

NAS

RRC

PDCP

RLC

MAC

PHY

NAS

MME UE

RRC

PDCP

RLC

MAC

PHY

PCC SCC


- None

- Larger buffer

- None

- Addition and removal SCC

Carrier Aggregation impact

Impact on UE design

o Multiple PHY and aggregated MAC:

One PHY layer per CC

Data aggregation happens at MAC layer

MAC must handle scheduling on multiple CC

Support of cross-carrier scheduling

o Complex transceivers design:

Highly challenging radio environment in terms of spur and self-blocking

Front-end needs to be designed to support multiple frequency band

combinations

MIMO + multi chain makes antenna design even more challenging


PHY, MAC and RF are the most challenging

Design and Test Challenges

Challenge #1 : When Inter-Band aggregation and MIMO spatial multiplexing is

combined, test set-ups may become quite complex.

T2010A

LTE Wireless Communications Test Set

21

PCC

SCC

UE +

+

T2010A

Channel

Emulator

RF RX Performance Test Scenario

• 2CC aggregation

• MIMO 4x2

• Closed loop spatial multiplexing

• RF impairments

Channel

Emulator


TR 36.850 and 36.851 Inter-band carrier aggregation

Scope: To gather relevant background and studies to address Inter-band carrier

aggregation requirements (Release 11)

Class Description

A1 Low-high band combination without harmonic relation

between bands or intermodulation problem

A2 Low-high band combination with harmonic relation between

bands

A3 Low-low or high-high band combination without

intermodulation problem (low order IM)

A4 Low-low, low-high or high-high band combination with

intermodulation problem (low order IM)

A5 Combination except for A1 – A4

Harmonics may cause

degradation in the performance of

the high band receiver

The use of diplexers to split and

combine RF chains are very

challenging


Challenge #2 : Simultaneous transceiver chains lead to intermodulation

and cross-modulation within the UE.


710 MHz

Band 17 Band 4

Class A2 example: Band 4-17

Uplink

PCC SCC


740 MHz 2130 MHz

Downlink Downlink




3rd harmonic

Class A2 example: Band 4-17

710 MHz 740 MHz 2130 MHz

Band 17 Band 4

Uplink Downlink Downlink

PCC SCC





Ref. Sensitivity (dBm)

Release 8


Carrier Aggregation

Band 4 -96.3 -89.5

Band 17 -93.3 -92.8

Band 1 -96.3 -96.3

Band 5 -94.3 -94.3

Source: 36.851 and 36.521-1


D/A

D/A

A/D

A/D

A/D

A/D

A/D

A/D

D/A

D/A

A/D

A/D

Band A

Band A

Band B

Band B

Antenna

tuner

Sw

itch

Sw

itch

H3

Tra

p

Band 17

Band 4




http://www.3gpp.org/DynaReport/36521-1.htm



D/A

D/A

A/D

A/D

A/D

A/D

A/D

A/D

D/A

D/A

A/D

A/D

Band A

Band A

Band B

Band B

Antenna

tuner

Sw

itch

Sw

itch

H3

Tra

p

Band 17

Band 4



Release 8


Carrier Aggregation

Band 4 -96.3 -89.5

Band 17 -93.3 -92.8

Band 1 -96.3 -96.3

Band 5 -94.3 -94.3

6.8dB due to noise floor increase

caused by harmonic

Note: This is an exception allowed when the

uplink active in the lower frequency operating

band.

Source: 36.851 and 36.521-1








D/A

D/A

A/D

A/D

A/D

A/D

A/D

A/D

D/A

D/A

A/D

A/D

Band A

Band A

Band B

Band B

Antenna

tuner

Sw

itch

Sw

itch

H3

Tra

p

Band 17

Band 4



Release 8


Carrier Aggregation

Band 4 -96.3 -89.5

Band 17 -93.3 -92.8

Band 1 -96.3 -96.3

Band 5 -94.3 -94.3

Source: 36.851 and 36.521-1

0.5 dB due to H3 trap filter

insertion loss










Release 8


Carrier Aggregation

Band 4 -96.3 -89.5

Band 17 -92.8 -92.8

Band 1 -96.3 -96.3

Band 5 -94.3 -94.3

0.5 dB due to H3 trap filter

insertion loss

Source: 36.851 and 36.521-1








LTE T4000S Test Systems


T4110S LTE Protocol Tester

T4020S LTE RRM Tester

ALL BASED ON THE SAME HARDWARE PLATFORM

T4010S LTE RF Tester

T2010A

LTE Wireless Communications Test Set

3GPP Conformance Status

• 63 New RF test cases

• 16 New RRM test cases

• 36 New Protocol test cases

Ongoing! CA test cases in a new WI which covers intra-band non-contiguous

• 13 New RF test cases

• 18 New Protocol test cases

New test cases for inter-band without UL CA and intra-band contiguous with and

without UL CA

Outlook! New CA test cases expected in Rel-12 (inter-band with 2 uplinks)


SUMMARY

Carrier aggregation is the first step of LTE Advanced enabling:

o Higher IP data rates

o Facilitate efficient use of fragmented spectrum

Inter-Band with 2 component carriers aggregated in the downlink is one of

the most demanded combinations today

Carrier aggregation is a huge topic in Conformance with a lot of new test

cases defined and more in the pipeline


• Unique receiver test Flexible channel allocation and closed-loop testing

• Trusted transmitter test X-Series measurement science

• Sustained bidirectional 300 Mbps / 50 Mbps E2E IP data

• Most highly integrated solution: multiple cells, carrier aggregation, 4x2 DL MIMO, integrated fading and built-in application server

Ensure realistic category 4 / 6 performance

Achieve design confidence

LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation

CAT 6

Device

DL: 300Mbps

UL: 50 Mbps

E7515A UXM Wireless Test Set Make a clear call


Join “Overcome LTE-A UE Design Test Challenges with Agilent’s New UXM” webcast here

http://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/eventDetail.jspx?cc=US&lc=eng&ckey=2372644&nid=-35141.1037512&pid=2208387


Agilent Resources

• LTE-Advanced application and product info: www.agilent.com/find/lteadvanced

• T4000S LTE/LTE-A Conformance and DV Systems: www.agilent.com/find/t4000s

• E7515A UXM Wireless Test Set: www.agilent.com/find/E7515A

• 89600 VSA product information: www.agilent.com/find/vsa

• X-Series signal analyzer product information: www.agilent.com/find/xseries

• Signal Studio product information: www.agilent.com/find/signalstudio

LTE-Advanced Documents

• Application Note: http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/5990-6706EN.pdf

• Requirements TR 36.913: http://www.3gpp.org/DynaReport/36913.htm

• Study Technical Report TR 36.912: http://www.3gpp.org/DynaReport/36912.htm

For more information…

http://www.agilent.com/find/lteadvanced

http://www.agilent.com/find/t4000s

http://www.agilent.com/find/E7515A

http://www.agilent.com/find/vsa

http://www.agilent.com/find/xseries

http://www.agilent.com/find/signalstudio

http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/5990-6706EN.pdf








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© 2014 Agilent Technologies

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