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TheImportanceofPDCCHCapacityinLTEAscomNetworkTestingBlog

AscomNetworkTestingBlog

CAPACITYMANAGEMENT

TheImportanceofPDCCHCapacityinLTE
BYMAXDOWNEY2014ONOCTOBER31,2014(4COMMENTS)

Managingtheairinterfacecapacityofmobile/cellulartechnologiesistrickybusiness.Thecomplexities
ofradiopropagation(withradiowavesbouncingaround,passingthroughandscatteringoffobjectsas
theymaketheirmerrywayfrombasestationtomobilephone)leadtosituationswheretwoostensibly
identicalcells(fromahardwareconfigurationpointofview)havesignificantlydifferentcapacities.Not
onlythis,butuserswithinthesecellsdontstayput,theymovearound(almostasiftheyvegotamind
oftheirown),andastheydo,theradioresourcesrequiredtoprovidethemwithacertainlevelof
servicechange.
anddontevengetmestartedonMIMO,atechnologywhichishardtodescribewithoutresortingto
termssuchasmagicandwitchcraft.
Irefertothevariablecapacitypresentinmodernmobile/cellulartechnologies(LTEincluded)assoft
capacity.Softcapacityiscapacitythatisntfixed,itcanvaryfromcelltocellandfrommomentto
moment.Softcapacitycomesaboutbecauseusersingoodradioconditionscanreceivelargeamounts
ofdatawithrelativeeasewhilstusersinpoorradioconditionsstruggletosuccessfullydecodeamere
trickleofbits.Softcapacityisdistinctfromahardcapacitylimit(suchasthemaximumnumberof
timeslotsavailableinaGSMsystem)whichisfixedandimmutable.
LookingatthecapacityofLTEsPhysicalDownlinkControlChannel(PDCCH)providesanillustrative
exampleastohowsoftcapacitycansignificantlyinfluenceoverallsystemcapacity.
InLTEsdownlink,thePDCCHappearsinthefirst1,2or3OFDMsymbols(or4symbolsina1.4MHz
LTEsystembutwhowouldeverusesuchathing?!)atthebeginningofeverysubframe(1ms,also
referredtoasaTTI).TheactualnumberofsymbolsusedbythePDCCHinagivensubframeis
communicatedoverthePhysicalControlFormatIndicatorChannel(PCFICH)andcanchangein
responsetodemand.
ThePDCCHisresponsibleforhandingoutschedulinggrants,i.e.allocatingresourcesonthedownlink
(PDSCH)oruplink(PUSCH).Itsalsoresponsiblefordealingwithabunchofsignalling(RACH
responses,uplinkpowercontrol,SIBbroadcasts,etc.)
EssentiallythePDCCHactsasagatekeeper,controllingaccesstoimportantLTEresourcesand
communicatingthisinformationtotheUEswhoarepatientlywaitingforachancetodosomething.
Tobeslightlymorespecific,whenaUE(e.g.mobilephone)isconnectedtoacell,itwillmonitorthe
PDCCH.Periodicallymessages(calleddownlinkcontrolinformationDCI)willappearthatonlya

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PDCCH.Periodicallymessages(calleddownlinkcontrolinformationDCI)willappearthatonlya
specificUEcandecode(byusingitsRNTI).ThesemessagesletthetargetedUEknowwhetherthereis
datawaitingforitonthePDSCH,orifithasbeenallocatedspecificresourcesonthePUSCH(orit
mightcontainsomeothersignallingmessage).Onreceiptofsuchamessage,theUEwillgooffand
transmitorreceivedataasappropriate.
EachoftheseschedulinggrantsconsumesanonzeroamountofavailablePDCCHcapacity(PDCCH
capacityismeasuredinunitscalledControlChannelElementsCCEs)whichmeansthatthereisa
finitenumberofDCImessages/schedulinggrantsthatagivencellcansendoutinanygivenTTI.The
numberofCCEsaschedulinggrantrequiresvariesbasedonradioconditionsandcontentsofthe
grant.
Cellperformanceistypicallymeasuredbyhowquicklyavolumeofuserplanebitscanbetransmitted
thismeansthattheperformanceandutilisationofchannelsthatcarryuserplanedata(i.e.PDSCHand
PUSCH)isparamount.
Tomakeoptimaluseofallavailableuserplaneresourcesyouwanttobeabletodooneoftwothings:
1.Satisfyallavailableusersbyprovidingthemwithresourcescommensuratetotheirrequirements.In
thiscaseitdoesntmatterifthereareunusedresourcesattheendofallocationsbecause
everybodyishappy(orshouldbe,sometimesthereisnopleasingeveryone!)Or,iftherearent
enoughresourcesavailabletomakeeverybodyhappyrightaway:
2.Fullyallocateasubsetofusersallavailableuserplaneresources(i.e.fullyallocatePDSCHor
PUSCH).Youwontmakeeverybodyhappy,butatleastyoutried!
So,nowtherearemultipleresourcesthatneedtobebalanced(wellfocusjustonthedownlinkforthe
sakeofsimplicity):
Theresourcesrequiredtoinformusersthattheyvebeenscheduled(PDCCH)
Theresourcesrequiredtotransmituserplanedata(PDSCH).
TheresourcesavailableonPDCCHcontrolthenumberofusersthatcanbescheduledonPDSCH.If
eachuserisonlyabletoconsumeafractionofavailablePDSCHresource,thenmultipleusersneedto
bescheduledifallavailablePDSCHistobeallocated.
Havealookatthefollowingscenarios:
Scenario1:
Thereareonlytwousersandwereabletofullyschedulebothofthem,soeverybodyishappy.

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(https://ascomnetworktestingblogspot.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/sc1.jpg)

Scenario2:
Therearefourusers.Wecanschedulethreeofthem,butthereisntenoughspaceonPDSCHto
scheduletheforthuser.Werenotmakingeverybodyhappy,butatleastweremakingfulluseofallof
ouravailableresources.

(https://ascomnetworktestingblogspot.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/sc2.jpg)

Now,andhereswheresoftcapacitylimitscanturnaroundandbiteus.TheamountofPDCCH
resourcerequiredtoprovideaschedulinggranttoausercanvarydependingontheradioconditions
theuserfindsitselfin.AuserinpoorradioconditionsneedstousemuchmorePDCCHthanauserin
goodradioconditions,thiscanleadtothefollowingscenario:
Scenario3:
Therearefourusers.PoorradioconditionsincreasetheamountofPDCCHeachuserrequirestobe
scheduled.Thismeansthatonlytwoschedulinggrantscanbegivenoutandtherefore,despitethere
beingfreespaceonthePDSCHandusersavailabletofillthatspace,itgoestowasteduetoalackof
PDCCHcapacity.

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(https://ascomnetworktestingblogspot.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/sc3.jpg)

ThereforeyoucanseehowdegradedradioconditionscancauseareductioninPDCCHcapacitywhich
inturncanleadtoreducedPDSCHutilisation,loweringoverallsystemcapacity.Thisiscertainlynotthe
onlywayinwhichexternalfactorscancausetheinherentcapacityofanLTEsystemtovary,butitisan
interestingone.

4replies

Maxdowney:thatisanawesomeexplanationofaverycomplexsystemwhichexhibitsthisnasty
REPLY
tradeoffbetweencapacityexpendedonthecontrolplane,andontheuserplane.

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like_comment=29&_wpnonce=bc755eb687)
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LucianoMiranda:Interestinganalysis.Veryhelpful.

REPLY

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like_comment=36&_wpnonce=5dc58fee51)
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JustaquestionhowisthePDCCHutilizationaffectedbylowCQIwhenthePDCCHisonly
REPLY
capableofQPSKmodulation?

(https://ascomnetworktestingblog.com/2014/10/31/theimportanceofpdcchcapacityinlte/?
like_comment=399&_wpnonce=2d03060e69)
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@emmanuelTrueenoughThereisntalwaysadirectrelationbetweenPDCCHandCQI,
REPLY
themainpointisthatinpoorradioconditionsPDCCHsignallingrequiresmoreredundancy
andthereforeconsumesmoreCCEs(andthereareonlyafinitenumberofCCEsallocatedto
thePDCCH)hencetherelationbetweenCQIandPDCCHutilisation.
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