TTI Bundling in FDD and TD-

LTE
Abstract

TTI Bundling has been introduced in FDD and TD-LTE to improve Uplink coverage.
In this blog, we shall present the salient features of TTI Bundling with respect to FDD
and TD-LTE. We will first explore the motivation for TTI Bundling and then compare
it with other techniques. Finally, we shall address the implementation of TTI bundling
in FDD and TD-LTE .

Introduction

TTI bundling is a technique used to send a transport block multiple times in

consecutive subframes without waiting for HARQ ACK/NACK messages. Normally,
a transport block is converted to multiple redundancy versions after coding and the
first redundancy version is sent in a subframe. Subsequent transmissions of the
transport block are dependent on the HARQ ACK/NACK which is sent 4 subframe
durations later or more after the first transmission. In TTI bundling, the different
redundancy versions can all be sent in consecutive subframes without waiting for the
HARQ ACK/NACK feedback and a combined ACK/NACK can be sent after
processing all the transmissions of a transport block.

The motivation for TTI bundling which is illustrated in Figure 1 is the low transmission
power of some handsets, short TTI length, and the long RTT of the HARQ
transmissions. TTI bundling is expected to improve the UL coverage of applications
like VOIP over LTE wherein low power handsets are likely to be involved. This
feature has more relevance for TDD over FDD as coverage issues are likely to be
more challenging in TD-LTE. Simulation results reported in publications indicate a 4
dB gain due to TTI bundling on the UL.
Alternative Approach

The alternative to TTI bundling is RLC segmentation wherein a VOIP payload is split
into smaller size RLC PDUs as shown in Figure 2. The smaller RLC PDUs will result
in smaller transport blocks which can be decoded with better accuracy. One
drawback of this method is the potential overhead increase due to RLC
segmentation due to multiple RLC headers needed. For a typical VOIP payload, it
has been shown that as we increase the segmentation factor from 1 to 8, the
overhead increases from 14% to 55%. Each RLC PDU which is mapped into a
transport block will need a separate PDCCH assignment message which will
contribute to control signal overhead for such a scheme. There might be
retransmissions of each of those transport blocks which will also potentially increase
the control signaling overhead. In addition, since we are transmitting many small
transport blocks, the chances of interpreting a NACK as a ACK also increases
proportionately with the increase in the RLC segmentation size. Hence, RLC
segmentation has many disadvantages when we consider the transmission of a
VOIP like payload from a power limited terminal.
Overview of TTI Bundling

TTI bundling is used to achieve successful transmissions from power limited

terminals. The process as shown in Figure 3 is typically triggered by UE informing
the eNB about its power limitations at the present state. This could for example
happen at the edge of a cell when the terminal has to send high power but is limited
by the power capability of the terminal. This triggers the eNB to transmit the various
redundancy versions of the same transport block in consecutive subframes or TTIs
giving rise to the name TTI bundling. A single PDCCH allocation is sufficient for the
multiple transmissions thus saving control overhead as compared to the RLC
segmentation approach. A single HARQ ACK/NACK for the combined transmissions
is generated after processing the TTI bundle which can reduce the error rate of the
transport block as compared with processing a single redundancy version. This
approach can also reduce the delay in the HARQ process compared to
transmissions of the redundancy versions separated in time using the normal
approach.
TTI Bundling Operation

As shown in Figure 4, TTI bundling enables up to 4 redundancy versions of the same

transport block to be sent in 4 consecutive subframes. In TD-LTE systems, the TDD
configurations standardized allow only a maximum of 3 consecutive UL subframes.
A single RLC PDU is transmitted as multiple redundancy versions in consecutive
subframes using a single common allocation. The channel coding used in LTE
enables easy generation of the multiple redundancy versions from which the
transmissions in the TTI bundle are generated. A common RLC header is shared
across the TTI bundle and the same HARQ process identity is used for multiple
transmissions in the TTI bundle. Combined processing of the redundant
transmissions over multiple subframes leads to a better probability of detection of the
transport block. Thus, with limited power, the UE has a better chance of a
successful transmission with lesser latency using the TTI bundling method.
Summary: TTI bundling is a useful technique for improving coverage of VOIP
handsets in LTE systems. It is applicable to both FDD and TD-LTE deployments and
can improve the link budget by up to 4 dB. Differences in implementation exist
between FDD and TD-LTE systems. TTI bundling helps achieve good latency
performance for VOIP even at the edges of cells.

Frequency selective schedulingalgorithms work based on the channel

information that is fed back to the eNode-B scheduler. Increasing the
accuracy of this information directly translates into better efficiency in
reaching the scheduling algorithm’s objective. The subscriber’s speed
determines the degree of time selectivity in the channel, namely the channel
coherence time. As the speed increases, the Doppler spread increases and
the channel’s coherence time decreases. Consequently, fast fading causes the
user’s CQI and interference conditions to change during the scheduling delay
associated with the reported CQI. As a result, the usefulness of the reported
CQI estimate is limited to short scheduling delays. As the scheduling delay
increases, the frequency selective scheduling process converges to a random
scheduling scheme. LTE measurements indicate a typical delay between
measurement and application of the reported CQI of about 10 to 15 ms.
Figure1 shows the FSS CINR gains in dB achieved using the proportional fair
FSS algorithm for three mobile speeds: 0, 3, and 30 km/h. Note that perfect
CQI reporting is assumed for stationary users, and hence the shape of the
gains directly follow the algorithm’s objectives. Other factors in the simulation
are fixed to a cell load of 100% and 1 resource block per user. It is worth
noting here that the scheduling delay is not increased in these simulations,
and is fixed to 15 ms.
Figure 1. Frequency selective scheduling gain for various user speeds, the proportional fair

algorithm, a cell load of 100%, and a 1 resource block per user.

B. Cell Resource Load

A fully loaded cell implies that all available resource blocks are used,
including good and bad quality resource blocks. On the other hand, if a cell is
not fully loaded, the scheduler could avoid allocating the resource blocks of
bad quality to cell users. Simulation results show that reducing the cell load
mitigates the FSS scheduling losses that exist in fully loaded cells for the
group of users who are not favored by the FSS algorithm.

C. Allocated Bandwidth per User

The number of users within the service area of the cell and the
characteristics of the traffic demand determine the amount of allocated
bandwidth per user, which is translated into a number of resource blocks per
user. These parameters have a considerable impact on the gains achieved
from FSS. FSS gains decrease when increasing the number of resource blocks
per user, because users assigned with narrower pieces of bandwidth provide
more potential for multi-user frequency selectivity. As the per-user channels
get wider, the selectivity in terms of the channel’s induced power is
decreased and the scheduler is less likely to find the user with the best
selective scheduling opportunity. For this reason, narrowband services such
as voice over IP have greater potential for FSS gains when scheduled
dynamically.

Frequency selective scheduling provides benefits to both FDD and TDD LTE
networks. FDD has the advantage of having more instantaneous CQI feedback
from the subscriber, so it is more advantageous in the case of severe
multipath or high user mobility. TDD includes a time split within the LTE radio
frame between the uplink and downlink which results in longer CQI reporting
delay that depends on the TDD UL/DL frame configuration. On the other hand,
TDD has both the uplink and downlink on the same center frequency.
Therefore, TDD has an edge over FDD of some slight improvement in the
accuracy of the reported channel state. To conclude, frequency selective
scheduling provides a great potential in LTE, but is constrained to a number of
limiting factors mentioned in this article. In all cases, user mobility is shown
to decrease the performance of FSS due to the CQI reporting delay.

* Faris is wireless systems engineer in the research and specifications team at

InfoVista. His domain of interest and expertise include radio access network
design and optimization, performance simulations, and advanced technologies.

LTE CoMP or Coordinated Multipoint is a facility that is being developed for LTE Advanced -
many of the facilities are still under development and may change as the standards define the
different elements of CoMP more specifically.
LTE Coordinated Multipoint is essentially a range of different techniques that enable the dynamic
coordination of transmission and reception over a variety of different base stations. The aim is to
improve overall quality for the user as well as improving the utilisation of the network.
Essentially, LTE Advanced CoMP turns the inter-cell interference, ICI, into useful signal,
especially at the cell borders where performance may be degraded.
Over the years the importance of inter-cell interference, ICI has been recognised, and various
techniques used from the days of GSM to mitigate its effects. Here interference averaging
techniques such as frequency hopping were utilised. However as technology has advanced,
much tighter and more effective methods of combating and utilising the interference have gained
support.

LTE CoMP and 3GPP

The concepts for Coordinated Multipoint, CoMP, have been the focus of many studies by 3GPP
for LTE-Advanced as well as the IEEE for their WiMAX, 802.16 standards. For 3GPP there are
studies that have focussed on the techniques involved, but no conclusion has been reached
regarding the full implementation of the scheme. However basic concepts have been established
and these are described below.
CoMP has not been included in Rel.10 of the 3GPP standards, but as work is on-going, CoMP is
likely to reach a greater level of consensus. When this occurs it will be included in future releases
of the standards.
Despite the fact that Rel.10 does not provide any specific support for CoMP, some schemes can
be implemented in LTE Rel.10 networks in a proprietary manner. This may enable a simpler
upgrade when standardisation is finally agreed.

LTE CoMP - the advantages

Although LTE Advanced CoMP, Coordinated Multipoint is a complex set of techniques, it brings
many advantages to the user as well as the network operator.

 Makes better utilisation of network: By providing connections to several base stations

at once, using CoMP, data can be passed through least loaded base stations for better
resource utilisation.
  Provides enhanced reception performance: Using several cell sites for each
connection means that overall reception will be improved and the number of dropped
calls should be reduced.
 Multiple site reception increases received power: The joint reception from multiple
base stations or sites using LTE Coordinated Multipoint techniques enables the overall
received power at the handset to be increased.
 Interference reduction: By using specialised combining techniques it is possible to
utilise the interference constructively rather than destructively, thereby reducing
interference levels.

What is LTE CoMP? - the basics

Coordinated multipoint transmission and reception actually refers to a wide range of techniques
that enable dynamic coordination or transmission and reception with multiple geographically
separated eNBs. Its aim is to enhance the overall system performance, utilise the resources
more effectively and improve the end user service quality.
One of the key parameters for LTE as a whole, and in particular 4G LTE Advanced is the high
data rates that are achievable. These data rates are relatively easy to maintain close to the base
station, but as distances increase they become more difficult to maintain.
Obviously the cell edges are the most challenging. Not only is the signal lower in strength
because of the distance from the base station (eNB), but also interference levels from
neighbouring eNBs are likely to be higher as the UE will be closer to them.
4G LTE CoMP, Coordinated Multipoint requires close coordination between a number of
geographically separated eNBs. They dynamically coordinate to provide joint scheduling and
transmissions as well as proving joint processing of the received signals. In this way a UE at the
edge of a cell is able to be served by two or more eNBs to improve signals reception /
transmission and increase throughput particularly under cell edge conditions.

Concept of LTE Advanced CoMP - Coordinated Multipoint

In essence, 4G LTE CoMP, Coordinated Multipoint falls into two major categories:
  Joint processing: Joint processing occurs where there is coordination between
multiple entities - base stations - that are simultaneously transmitting or receiving to or
from UEs.
 Coordinated scheduling or beamforming: This often referred to as CS/CB
(coordinated scheduling / coordinated beamforming) is a form of coordination where a
UE is transmitting with a single transmission or reception point - base station. However
the communication is made with an exchange of control among several coordinated
entities.

To achieve either of these modes, highly detailed feedback is required on the channel properties
in a fast manner so that the changes can be made. The other requirement is for very close
coordination between the eNBs to facilitate the combination of data or fast switching of the cells.
The techniques used for coordinated multipoint, CoMP are very different for the uplink and
downlink. This results from the fact that the eNBs are in a network, connected to other eNBs,
whereas the handsets or UEs are individual elements.

Downlink LTE CoMP

The downlink LTE CoMP requires dynamic coordination amongst several geographically
separated eNBs transmitting to the UE. The two formats of coordinated multipoint can be divided
for the downlink:

 Joint processing schemes for transmitting in the downlink : Using this element of
LTE CoMP, data is transmitted to the UE simultaneously from a number of different eNBs.
The aim is to improve the received signal quality and strength. It may also have the aim
of actively cancelling interference from transmissions that are intended for other UEs.

This form of coordinated multipoint places a high demand onto the backhaul network
because the data to be transmitted to the UE needs to be sent to each eNB that will be
transmitting it to the UE. This may easily double or triple the amount of data in the
network dependent upon how many eNBs will be sending the data. In addition to this,
joint processing data needs to be sent between all eNBs involved in the CoMP area.
 Coordinated scheduling and or beamforming: Using this concept, data to a single
UE is transmitted from one eNB. The scheduling decisions as well as any beams are
coordinated to control the interference that may be generated.

The advantage of this approach is that the requirements for coordination across the
backhaul network are considerably reduced for two reasons:

o UE data does not need to be transmitted from multiple eNBs, and therefore only
needs to be directed to one eNB.
o Only scheduling decisions and details of beams needs to be coordinated
between multiple eNBs.
Uplink LTE CoMP

 Joint reception and processing: The basic concept behind this format is to utilise
antennas at different sites. By coordinating between the different eNBs it is possible to
form a virtual antenna array. The signals received by the eNBs are then combined and
processed to produce the final output signal. This technique allows for signals that are
very low in strength, or masked by interference in some areas to be receiving with few
errors.

The main disadvantage with this technique is that large amounts of data need to be
transferred between the eNBs for it to operate.
 Coordinated scheduling: This scheme operates by coordinating the scheduling
decisions amongst the ENBs to minimise interference.

As in the case of the downlink, this format provides a much reduced load in the backhaul
network because only the scheduling data needs to be transferred between the different
eNBs that are coordinating with each other.

Overall requirements for LTE CoMP

One of the key requirements for LTE is that it should be able to provide a very low level of
latency. The additional processing required for multiple site reception and transmission could add
significantly to any delays. This could result from the need for the additional processing as well
as the communication between the different sites.
To overcome this, it is anticipated that the different sites may be connected together in a form of
centralised RAN, or C-RAN.

we are using 8 for PCCH scalin

That means we're using the mos

and also It is schedued paging with highest priority

we are scheduling up to 16 UEs for paging in a TTI. so many RBs are now
allocated for Paging as belows

TB Size MCS RB Num no_of_paging_records

10 0 6 1

21 2 12 3

35 6 18 5
44 7 24 7