UMTS Spreading Factor

SF: Spreading Factor The Spreading Factor (SF) is the ratio of the chips to baseband information rate. Spreading factors vary from 4 to 512 in FDD UMTS. Spreading factor in dBs indicates the process gain. The lower the spreading factor the higher the data rate.
Spreading Factor = chip rate/bit rate

1) Soft HO is possible in WCDMA because all the cells of NodeB use same frequency. This universal frequency reuse (1-1 frequency reuse) requires several codes to differentiate between cells and users. These codes must be used both in DL and UL, since the limitation on each link are different. 2) On the DL, the first requirement is to differentiate among cells. In TDMA/FDMA it is achieved by using different frequency for each cell. But in WCDMA, cells are distinguished by using PSCs(Primary scrambling codes). 3) To understand how they work, consider a coded message. When viewed, the coded message is recognized as random letters/noise. Only reader using proper ciphering key/PSC can make words out of random letters. The words can be further assembled into sentences either on a single subject or on different topics. The topics can be compared to different channels for which proper rules must be defined: these rules correspond to different channeling codes that allow decoded words to be assembled into sentences. 4) Several words in a sentence express a single idea; this is the same principle of spreading, where several chips represent one bit. Losing the exact value of chip does not compromise the demodulation of corresponding bit. Spreading is done before scrambling of message. 5) Multiplying a signal with PSC does not achieve spreading, it only randomizes the signal.

5) Within the cell, different channels are separated by OVSF (Orthogonal Variable Spreading Factor). 6) OVSFs have 2 main characteristics : Orthogonality property Orthogonality is conserved between OVSFs of variable lengths 7) OVSF orthogonality property ensures that different users of the same cell do not interfere with each other. If a signal coded with OVSF is decoded with different OVSF, then the resulting signal gives an equal number of 1s (-1) and 0s (1). Thus the result is an average null signal.