LTE PHY Layer

3 days

Download brochureThe course focuses on the physical (PHY) layer of the 3-GPP E-UTRA FDD system. It describes in detail the architecture of the two nodes of the E-UTRA, namely Evolved Node B (eNB) and User Equipment (UE), by discussing every single component processing block and the generated signals.

This course is heavily based on the LTE PHY Lab (link), which is a state-of-the art Link Level Simulator. Thanks to that, there are multiple options for creation, generation and observation of all the FDD LTE PHY channels and signals.

Introduction to Evolved Packet System (EPS)

• Evolution steps of the 3GPP systems, the goals for LTE
• E-UTRA and Evolved Packet Core network architecture
• Nodes: UE, eNB, SGW, MME and interfaces: Uu, X2, S1, S11
• Summary of the radio access techniques
• E-UTRAN protocol stack
• System parameters (bandwidths, bands, throughputs)

Signal Processing for OFDMA, SC-FDMA and MIMO

• Fundamentals of multipath propagation (selectivity in time, frequency and space)
• OFDM transmission, orthogonality, subcarriers, separation between subcarriers
• Time-domain and frequency-domain representation of the OFDM signal
• Guard interval and Cyclic Prefix (CP) role
• Equalization for OFDM
• IDFT/DFT, IFFT/FFT
• Multiuser diversity and OFDMA
• SC-FDMA as a subclass of OFDMA, comparison between SC-FDMA and OFDMA
• Multiple antenna concept and related signal processing
• Open and closed loop spatial multiplexing
• Single-user and Multi-user MIMO

Signal Processing for the Evolved Node B

• Architecture of the eNB transmitter and receiver including processing blocks and signals
• E-UTRA radio frame for FDD
• Downlink channel architecture
• eNB-originated signals and PHY channels: RS, P-SS, S-SS, PBCH, PCFICH, PHICH, PDCCH, PDSCH
• 3GPP Rel. 8 MIMO processing with layer mapping, pre-coding and feedback

Signal Processing for the User Equipment

• LTE UE categories
• Architecture of the UE transmitter and receiver including processing blocks and signals
• Uplink channel architecture
• UE-originated signals and PHY channels: DRS, SRS, PUCCH, PUSCH, PRACH

Evaluation of the eNB and UE Transceiver Operation Under Various Conditions

• Impact of uncorrected multipath channels
• Peak-to-average-power-ratio and its influence on the transmitted signal
• Pulse shaping and filtering in the time domain and its influence on the transmitted signal
• Synchronization mismatches in the time and frequency domain and their influence on the received signal
• Influence of various types of interferers (single-dominant, non-single-dominant) on the received signal

Radio Interface Procedures

• Various traffic allocations for the FDD downlink and uplink EUTRA radio frame
• Various traffic allocations for the TDD downlink and uplink E-UTRA radio frame
• Synchronization and random access procedures
• Scheduling for FDD
• ARQ operation and feedback consideration

Processing Improvements in E-UTRA 3GPP Rel. 9 and Rel. 10

• Usage of 8 antennas in the downlink for spatial multiplexing
• Transmit diversity in the uplink
• Spatial multiplexing in the uplink
• Coordinated MIMO
• Bandwidth aggregation