1. LTE-Advanced Relay Technology Self-backhauling Special Articles on LTE-Advanced Technology —Ongoing Evolution of LTE toward IMT-Advanced— Relay Technology in LTE-AdvancedNTT DOCOMO Technical Journal †1 The standardization of LTE-Advanced is now underway with Radio Access Network Development Department Mikio Iwamura †0 the goal of achieving a next-generation high-speed and high- Hideaki Takahashi †0 capacity mobile communications system. For LTE-Advanced, Satoshi Nagata studies are being made on relay technology for achieving self-backhauling of the radio signal between the base station and mobile station on the layer 3 level. This technology aims to improve the received signal to inter-cell interference plus noise power ratio and enhance throughput. In this way, radio waves can be propagated more efficiently, coverage extended and throughput improved at cell edge. nology for relaying radio transmissions 1. Introduction between a base station and mobile sta- 2. Overview of Radio Standardization activities are under- tion. Relays are expected to extend cov- Relay Technology way at the 3GPP, an international stan- erage in an efficient manner in various 2.1 Types of Radio Relay dardization organization, on LTE- types of locations such as places where Technologies *1 Advanced with the aim of achieving fixed-line backhaul links are difficult Radio-relay stations for relaying high-speed, high-capacity communica- to deploy. radio signals come in various types tions beyond LTE, the standard for In this article, we describe deploy- according to the relay technology Third-Generation (3G) mobile commu- ment scenarios applicable to relay tech- adopted. Three types of radio relay nications systems. In LTE-Advanced, nology and the radio access technology, technologies and their respective an important issue in addition to achiev- radio control technology, and architec- advantages and disadvantages are ing high-speed, high-capacity commu- ture for achieving the relay technology shown in Figure 1. A layer 1 relay nications is greater throughput for cell- now being standardized in 3GPP. consists of relay technology called a *2 edge users, and one means now being booster or repeater . This is an Ampli- studied to accomplish this is relay tech- fier and Forward (AF) type of relay †1 Currently Strategic Marketing Department *1 Fixed-line backhaul link: Communication *2 Repeater: Physical layer relay equipment that †2 Currently Corporate Strategy & Planning circuit for fixed-line interconnecting of equip- amplifies downlink signals received from a Department ment making up the mobile communications base station for transmission to a mobile sta- system such as switching stations and radio tion. base stations. NTT DOCOMO Technical Journal Vol. 12 No. 2 29
2. Relay Technology in LTE-Advanced Radio relay Advantages/Disadvantages Overview technology ・Simple and inexpensive functions ・Minimal impact on standard Repeater Plus specifications (specifications on Downlink transmitted repeater performance already Downlink received RF signal defined in LTE Rel. 8) RF signal Layer 1 relay Base station Mobile ・Noise is amplified Power Minus simultaneously with desired station amplification signals Plus ・Elimination of noiseNTT DOCOMO Technical Journal Layer 2 relay station ・Processing delay due to modulation/demodulation and Layer 2 relay encoding/decoding Minus ・Radio control functions must be Base station Mobile added between base station and Demodulation/ Encoding/ Power station relay station Decoding Modulation amplification Layer 3 relay station ・Elimination of noise Plus ・Small impact on standard specifications Base station Mobile Layer 3 relay User-data User-data station ・Processing delay due to regeneration transmission modulation/demodulation and processing processing encoding/decoding Minus ・Layer 3 processing delay (user- Demodulation/ Encoding/ Power data regeneration processing, Decoding Modulation amplification etc.) Same functions as base station Figure 1 Features of various radio relay technologies technology by which Radio Frequency widespread use in 2G and 3G mobile deteriorating the received Signal to (RF) signals received on the downlink communication systems. It is being Interference plus Noise power Ratio from the base station are amplified and deployed with the aim of improving (SINR) and reducing the throughput- transmitted to the mobile station. In a coverage in mountainous regions, enhancement gain. similar manner, RF signals received on sparsely populated areas and urban The layer 2 relay, meanwhile, is a the uplink from the mobile station are areas as well as in indoor environments. Decode and Forward (DF) type of relay amplified and transmitted to the base The RF performance specifications for technology by which RF signals station. The equipment functions of a repeaters have already been specified in received on the downlink from the base layer 1 relay are relatively simple, LTE, and deployment of these repeaters station are demodulated and decoded which makes for low-cost implementa- for the same purpose is expected. The and then encoded and modulated again tion and short processing delays associ- layer 1 relay, however, amplifies inter- before being sent on to the mobile sta- ated with relaying. With these features, cell interference and noise together with tion. This demodulation and decoding the layer 1 relay has already found desired signal components thereby processing performed at the radio relay 30 NTT DOCOMO Technical Journal Vol. 12 No. 2
3. station overcomes the drawback in 2.2 Layer 3 Relay Technology encoding/decoding processing. layer 1 relays of deteriorated received The layer 3 relay also performs In 3GPP, it has been agreed to stan- SINR caused by amplification of inter- demodulation and decoding of RF sig- dardize specifications for layer 3 relay cell interference and noise. A better nals received on the downlink from the technology in LTE Rel. 10 because of throughput-enhancement effect can base station, but then goes on to per- the above features of improved received therefore be expected compared with form processing (such as ciphering and SINR due to noise elimination, ease of the layer 1 relay. At the same time, the user-data concatenation/segmenta- coordinating standard specifications, layer 2 relay causes a delay associated tion/reassembly) for retransmitting user and ease of implementing the technolo- with modulation/demodulation and data on a radio interface and finally per- gy. Standardization of this technologyNTT DOCOMO Technical Journal encoding/decoding processing. In this forms encoding/modulation and trans- is now moving forward. type of relay, moreover, radio functions mission to the mobile station. Similar to Layer 3 radio relay technology is other than modulation/demodulation the layer 2 relay, the layer 3 relay can shown in Figure 2. In addition to per- and encoding/decoding (such as mobili- improve throughput by eliminating forming user-data regeneration process- *3 ty control , retransmission control by inter-cell interference and noise, and ing and modulation/demodulation and Automatic Repeat request (ARQ), additionally, by incorporating the same encoding/ decoding processing as and user-data concatenation/seg- functions as a base station, it can have described above, the layer 3 relay sta- mentation/reassembly) are performed small impact on the standard specifica- tion also features a unique Physical Cell between the base station and mobile sta- tions for radio relay technology and on ID (PCI) on the physical layer different tion transparently with respect to the implementation. Its drawback, howev- than that of the base station. In this radio relay, which means that new er, is the delay caused by user-data pro- way, a mobile station can recognize that radio-control functions for supporting cessing in addition to the delay caused a cell provided by a relay station differs this relay technology are needed. by modulation/demodulation and from a cell provided by a base station. Mobile station PCI = X Scheduling TDM PCI = Y Mobile station Switching Base station station (MME/S-GW) Relay station Radio access link (Uu) Wireless backhaul link (Un) Figure 2 Overview of layer 3 relay technology *3 Mobility control: A control function that enables the continuous provision of incoming and outgoing communications for moving ter- minals. NTT DOCOMO Technical Journal Vol. 12 No. 2 31
4. Relay Technology in LTE-Advanced In addition, as physical layer control Extending the coverage area to moun- relay technology can also be effective signals such as Channel Quality Indica- tainous and sparsely populated regions for urban scenarios. Finally, the group *4 *5 tor (CQI) and Hybrid ARQ (HARQ) (rural area and wireless backhaul sce- mobility scenario in which relay sta- can terminate at a relay station, a relay narios) is an important scenario to oper- tions are installed on vehicles like trains station is recognized as a base station ators. It is expected that relay technolo- and buses to reduce the volume of con- from the viewpoint of a mobile station. gy can be used to economically extend trol signals from moving mobile sta- It is therefore possible for a mobile sta- coverage to such areas as opposed to tions is also being proposed. tion having only LTE functions (for deploying fixed-line backhaul links. In 3GPP, it has been agreed to stan- example, a mobile station conforming Relay technology should also be effec- dardize the relay technology deployedNTT DOCOMO Technical Journal to LTE Rel. 8 specifications) to connect tive for providing temporary coverage for coverage extension in LTE Rel. 10. to a relay station. Here, the wireless when earthquakes or other disasters These specifications will, in particular, backhaul link (Un) between the base strike or when major events are being support one-hop relay technology in station and relay station and the radio held (emergenc
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