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 #HSPDSCH Codes

TB Size Modulation Data Rate

1 5 7300 QPSK/16QAM 1.2 Mbit/s

2 5 7300 QPSK/16QAM 1.2 Mbit/s

3 5 7300 QPSK/16QAM 1.8 Mbit/s

4 5 7300 QPSK/16QAM 1.8 Mbit/s

5 5 7300 QPSK/16QAM 3.6 Mbit/s

6 5 7300 QPSK/16QAM 3.6 Mbit/s

7 10 14600 QPSK/16QAM 7.2 Mbit/s

8 10 14600 QPSK/16QAM 7.2 Mbit/s

9 15 20432 QPSK/16QAM 10.2 Mbit/s

10 15 28776 QPSK/16QAM 14. 4Mbit/s

11 5 3560 QPSK Only 0.9 Mbit/s

12 5 3650 QPSK Only 1.8 Mbit/s

13 15 35280 QPSK/16QAM/64QAM 17.6 Mbit/s

14 15 42192 QPSK/16QAM/64QAM 21.1 Mbit/s

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

“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.

Figure 1 - HSDPA mobile terminal categories

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

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).

Channel Quality

20

18

16

14

12

10

6

5

4

2

03 5 9 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29

HSDPA Cat 10

HSDPA Cat 14 (64QAM)

HSDPA Cat 9

Optimisation Potential for HSDPA Cat 10/Cat 14

Optimised HSDPA Cat 9

HSDPA Performances

Date

Rat

e (M

bit/

s)

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

TBS 11418 bits

100

80

60

40

0-2 0 2 6 8 10

lor/loc (dB)

14 18 20

Blac

k Er

ror R

atio

(%)

15 codes

Vincent Bultot System ArchitectAdvanced Engineering

HSDPA Cat 8