White Paper

How will HSDPA Category 9 benefit end-users and operators?

How will HSDPA Category 9 benefit end-users and operators?

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) classifies HSDPA mobile terminals into different categories according to data transmission capabilities. The maximum number of HS-PDSCH Codes is the number of multiplexed codes provided to a user or shared by multiple users via the network. The TB (Transport Block) size represents the number of bits a user receives at every Time Transfer Interval (TTI) while the modulation is an Amplitude or Phase Shift technique used to convert the user data into another signal to be carried over the air interface. The Phase Shift modulation technique (QPSK Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) is more robust against interference, whilst the Amplitude Modulation technique (16QAM or 64QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) provides the highest performance in good radio conditions. 16QAM is an essential requirement for Categories 1-10 to reach a maximum throughput of 14.4 Mbit/s, while 64QAM is needed to reach up to 21.1 Mbit/s for Categories 13-14.

Category 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

#HSPDSCH Codes 5 5 5 5 5 5 10 10 15 15 5 5 15 15

TB Size 7300 7300 7300 7300 7300 7300 14600 14600 20432 28776 3560 3650 35280 42192

Modulation QPSK/16QAM QPSK/16QAM QPSK/16QAM QPSK/16QAM QPSK/16QAM QPSK/16QAM QPSK/16QAM QPSK/16QAM QPSK/16QAM QPSK/16QAM QPSK Only QPSK Only QPSK/16QAM/64QAM QPSK/16QAM/64QAM

Data Rate 1.2 Mbit/s 1.2 Mbit/s 1.8 Mbit/s 1.8 Mbit/s 3.6 Mbit/s 3.6 Mbit/s 7.2 Mbit/s 7.2 Mbit/s 10.2 Mbit/s 14. 4Mbit/s 0.9 Mbit/s 1.8 Mbit/s 17.6 Mbit/s 21.1 Mbit/s

Figure 1 - HSDPA mobile terminal categories

Option has carried out an intensive series of measurements relating to the optimization of the TBS (Transport Block Size) and the number of HS-PDSCH Codes allocated to a user. This has demonstrated that operators can extend downlink coverage by 0.5 up to 6dB with a Category 9 device compared to a Category 8 device. Figure 2 shows the performance a user can achieve for different device categories, according 3GPP 25.214 Rel 7 Table 7a. An operator might consider keeping the same downlink coverage and pushing the Category 9 device to its extreme limits to provide an increase in speed to users of more than 50% (cfr optimized HSDPA Cat 9).

HSDPA Performances
20 18 16 14 Date Rate (Mbit/s) 12 10 Optimised HSDPA Cat 9 HSDPA Cat 10 Optimisation Potential for HSDPA Cat 10/Cat 14 HSDPA Cat 14 (64QAM)

6 5 4 2 0 3 5 9 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 HSDPA Cat 8 HSDPA Cat 9

Channel Quality Figure 2 - HSDPA Performances (cfr 3GPP 25.214) and potential optimization

HSDPA Category 9 devices can increase user throughput by more than 50%
HSDPA Category 10 to 14 devices will again provide higher user performance, but this is only achievable in very good radio conditions. Option is proud to produce certified high quality devices using Advanced Receiver techniques to provide maximum benefit to high tech users.
Vincent Bultot System Architect Advanced Engineering

Operators can extend downlink coverage by up to 6dB with a Category 9 device

TBS 11418 bits 100 80 Black Error Ratio (%) 60 40

-2

6 lor/loc (dB)

10

14

18

20

15 codes

For further information, please contact sales@option.com Option nv, Gaston Geenslaan 14, 3001 Leuven - Belgium - Tel +32 16 317 411 - Fax +32 16 207 164