HS-PDSCH: High speed physical downlink shared channel

29
2.1 HS-PDSCH: High speed physical downlink shared channel
This channel transports the physical downlink traffic to the UEs and
uses a shared concept, i. e. there can be several UEs receiving data on
the common used channel. Fig. 2-3 below outlines the structure of the
HS-PDSCH.
J Spreading factor 16
J Assignment of multiple channelization codes to one UE possible
Slot 0

Slot 1

Slot 2
T
slot
= 2560 chips
HS-DSCH:
transport channel
with user data
1 subframe of 3 slots: 2 ms
HS-PDSCH:
physical channel
320 bits for QPSK, 640 bits for 16QAM
Fig. 2-3 HS-PDSCH structure.
Source: [TS 25.211, Ref. 20], reproduced by permission of 3GPP.
The HS-PDSCH always uses a spreading factor of 16. Due to its shared
channel structure, the WCDMA Rel-99 concept of a variable spreading
factor must be discontinued. Multiple channelization code allocation is
possible to increase the throughput. Using a spreading factor of 16 rep-
resents an optimization of the efficiency. Recalling the effect of code
blocking in WCDMA with the CPICH and P-CCPCH always blocking
the codes C
ch, SF, 0,
it is clear that the definition of a constant spreading
factor of 16 represents a good compromise between reduced signaling
effort (i. e. if a spreading factor >16 were used, the higher layer proto-
cols would require more signaling overhead to indicate the amount of
multiple codes) and the total available physical resources (i. e. if a
spreading factor <16 were used, the code blocking effect would reduce
the remaining capacity within a cell). A side effect is that the spreading
factor itself is not signaled to the UE, and only the number of codes is
contained in the control information. The physical channel HS-PDSCH
carries a transport block that is delivered by the transport channel
HS-DSCH within a TTI of 2 ms. This time is also constant and no flex-
ibility is allowed. The flexible values on the HS-PDSCH are the modu-
lation scheme (QPSK or 16QAM) and the transport block size, i. e. the
amount of data bits contained in one HS-DSCH transport block. This
is set by the puncturing scheme and indicated as the redundancy ver-
30
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
sion. Additionally, the redundancy version can be changed, meaning
the puncturing procedure can be executed in different ways. If the UE
category allows, HS-DSCH transport blocks can be scheduled to the
UE continuously, i. e. in every TTI. Less complex UEs corresponding to
a lower UE category can only process data received in every second or
even every third TTI. This is described by the so-called inter-TTI dis-
tance parameter; see section 2.8, page 79 for further details. An
inter-TTI distance of 1 corresponds to continuous HS-PDSCH trans-
mission (assuming data is available for transmission). An example of
the maximum amount of multiple channelization codes used for
HS-PDSCH is shown in Fig. 2-4. Here, all of the 15 possible channeliza-
tion codes for spreading factor 16 are assigned, but as can be seen, this
already occupies most of the available resources provided by the NodeB.
SF = 1 SF = 2 SF = 4 SF = 8 SF = 16 SF = 32 SF = 64 SF = 128 SF = 256
2,0
2,1
4,0
8,0
16,0
32,0
64,0
128,0
256,1
16,1
8,1
4,1
4,2
4,3
1,0
64,1
128,1

8,2
8,3
256,0 All possible HS-PDSCH codes
Possible HS-SCCH codes (example)
CPICH
P-CCPCH
Blocked
256,3
256,2
128,2
128,3
256,7
256,6
256,5
256,4
32,1
64,2
128,4
256,9
64,3
128,5
256,11
256,10
128,6
128,7
256,15
256,14
256,13
256,12
256,8
64,62
128,124
256,249
64,63
128,125
256,251
256,250
128,126
128,127
256,255
256,254
256,253
256,252
256,248
32,30
32,31
16,2
16,3
16,4
16,5
16,6
16,7
16,8
16,9
8,4
8,5
16,10
16,11
16,12
16,13
8,6
8,7
16,14
16,15

Fig. 2-4 Example of HS-PDSCH code allocation; maximum allocation.

HS-DSCH: High speed downlink shared channel, transport channel
31
Additional physical layer parameters applied by the HS-PDSCH are, for
example, the constellation rearrangement, retransmission indication
and redundancy version; see section 2.2.3, page 44 for further details.
2.2 HS-DSCH: High speed downlink shared channel,
transport channel
In this book, we would like to distinguish between different types of
channels such as the physical, transport and logical channels. A log-
ical channel is defined by what type of information is sent, a physical
channel is defined by its physical characteristics and a transport chan-
nel describes how the information is formatted. HSDPA defines a new
transport channel known as the HS-DSCH which provides a higher
data rate due to its larger transport block sizes and allows flexible chan-
nel coding compared to the existing transport channels in WCDMA
Rel-99. This means the HS-DSCH may use different redundancy ver-
sions with various ways of puncturing. This section discusses some
characteristics of the transport format used on this channel type. The
total coding chain is outlined in Fig. 2-5:
Data arrives at the coding unit at a
maximum rate of one transport
block per transmission time interval.
CRC attachment to
each transport block
Bit scrambling
Code block segmentation
Channel coding
Turbo coding rate 1/3
Physical layer hybrid
ARQ functionality
Physical channel mapping
Constellation
rearrangement for
16QAM
HS-DSCH interleaving
Physical channel
segmentation
PhCH #1 PhCH #P
Fig. 2-5 Coding chain of HS-DSCH.
Source: [TS 25.212, Ref. 21], reproduced by permission of 3GPP.
32
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
The data arriving here is represented by a MAC-hs PDU, a protocol
data unit coming from the MAC layer and representing a transport
block that is sent once every transmit time interval of 2 ms. The first
step in the coding chain is the attachment of a cyclic redundancy check
(CRC) with a length of 24 bits to the transport block. In HSDPA, the
CRC is used for error detection, and the ACK/ NACK feedback sent by
the UE is based on the CRC status. The next step involving bit scram-
bling uses a bitwise XOR combination of the input bits with a pseudo-
random bit sequence to randomize the data and avoid long sequences
of constant bits that can prevent proper decoding. This is a precon-
dition for the turbo coder performed two steps later. To speed up the
channel coding process and for memory reasons, the turbo coder has a
maximum limit of 5114 input bits. If the transport block is larger than
5114 bits, it will be split into several parallel coding segments and chan-
nel coding will be performed in a parallel architecture. HSDPA uses
the turbo coding principle with a code rate of , i. e. for one input bit,
the turbo coder generates three output bits. Turbo coding generates
systematic bits representing the input along with two groups of par-
ity bits [Ref. 12]. They are handled separately, particularly in the sub-
sequent puncturing process. The step physical layer HARQ functional-
ity represents several puncturing and buffering procedures. It includes
a two-stage rate adaptation to the subsequent HS-PDSCH formats; see
Fig. 2-6. The redundancy version signaled on HS-SCCH controls this
process. A first step separates the bits into systematic and parity bits, a
first rate matching step constrains the bit sequence to the size of the
virtual IR buffer which is needed for optional retransmissions, and
a second rate matching step linked to the adaptive coding technique
punctures a certain number of bits. The decision on how many bits to
puncture and what bits to puncture is indicated as the redundancy ver-
sion. This involves the principles of chase combining and incremen-
tal redundancy as explained in section 2.2.2, page 41. The size of the
virtual IR buffer depends on the UE category.
Systematic
bits
Separation of bits
1st rate matching
Turbo
coder
output
Parity bits 1
Parity bits 2
HS-PDSCH
Redundancy version
Virtual IR buffer
2nd rate
matching
Fig. 2-6 Basic principle of HARQ functionality on HS-PDSCH.
HS-DSCH: High speed downlink shared channel, transport channel
33
After the HARQ functionality step, the remaining bits are segmented
into parallel streams due to the fact that the physical layer in HSDPA can
use several channelization codes for the physical channel HS-PDSCH.
Depending on the physical layer status which involves how many chan-
nelization codes can be used for transmission, this step divides the data
into parallel streams. Another step for error protection is the avoidance
of bundled errors. Here, the data sent in parallel HS-PDSCH codes is
interleaved to provide an interleaving gain to the channel decoder. If
the 16QAM modulation scheme is used, the following step of constel-
lation mapping will set a mapping scheme for which bits are mapped to
which modulation symbol. The various constellation mapping schemes
are shown in Fig. 2-15, page 45. Finally, the resulting modulation
symbols must be mapped onto the physical channel, i. e. they are first
spread with a channelization code having spreading factor 16, then
they are scrambled by using the NodeB specific primary or secondary
scrambling code and finally they are mapped on the carrier frequency.
2.2.1 Brief digression into channel coding
Since channel coding is a substantial feature of HSPA, a short digres-
sion into general aspects of channel coding is included here to help the
reader understand the procedures used in HSPA. It is not the inten-
tion of this book to discuss channel coding in detail. Interested read-
ers can seek out relevant literature on this topic, e. g. [Ref. 9], [Ref. 10],
[Ref. 11] and [Ref. 14]. HSDPA channel coding comprises block cod-
ing with CRC for error detection, turbo coding for error correction
and interleaving to mitigate error bursts. Channel coding is performed
in this order at the data source and in the reverse order at the data
sink. Fig. 2-7 below provides an overview of channel coding and its
components.
34
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
Error detection
added
J Block coding
J CRC attachment
J Parity bits
Redundancy added
for error correction
Forward error
correction (FEC) by
J Convolutional coding
J Turbo coding
Rate matching
J Puncturing
J Repetition
Inter-
leaving
Deinter-
leaving
Error correction
Convolutional
decoding
J Turbo decoding
Error detection
J CRC check
J Parity check
Transmitting end
Receiving end
Fig. 2-7 General channel coding components, example.
Error detection Example with block coding
Generally known as outer loop error correction, this step involves
attachment of some error detection mechanisms that are added onto
the data block by the transmitter to enable the receiver to detect errors.
Common examples are parity bit attachments or cyclic redundancy
checks using the block coding principle. Block coding involves calcu-
lating a certain number of parity bits for a block of data bits and then
appending them to the data block. At the data sink, i. e. the receiving
end, errors in the received code word can be detected with the aid of
these redundancy bits.
HSDPA uses a type of block code known as a cyclic redundancy check
(CRC). The cyclic codes of this type are also known as (n, k) codes,
where n represents the number of code symbols (bits) and k the num-
ber of data symbols (bits). The number of check bits is therefore n,k.
In HSDPA, there is only one length of cyclic redundancy check: Every
transport block in the HS-DSCH is followed by a 24-bit CRC. An exam-
ple of how this CRC-based block coding works is given below.
These check bits, and thus the code word, are produced by a generating
polynomial. A polynomial is used to represent a bit sequence as a code
word with the power of each term in the polynomial corresponding to
a bit position and the coefficient of each term to a bit (D
m
). A data word
with k bits is, therefore, represented as follows:
D
k
x
k
+ D
k1
x
k1
+ + D1 x + D0
HS-DSCH: High speed downlink shared channel, transport channel
35
An example could be the simple bit pattern 1101 which would repre-
sented as polynomial x3 + x + 1, i. e. 1 x3 + 0 x2 + 1 x1 + 1 x0.
To calculate the check bits, the data word D(x) is multiplied by x
nk

and then divided by the generating polynomial G(x) which is of degree
(nk). The remainder R(x) is the check word comprising the check bits:
R x mainder
x D x
G x
n k
( ) Re
( )
( )
=

The code word C(x) is now obtained by appending the check word to
the data word.
C(x) = x
nk
D(x) + R(x)
The receiver knows the generating polynomial G(x) and performs the
division C(x)/G(x). If there are no transmission errors, the code word
C(x) is divisible by G(x). The probability is therefore high that any
errors will be detected. The maximum number of errors per code word
that can be detected is determined by the length of the check word,
which in our case is the length of the CRC. But what is not known is the
position of those errors and thus there is no way to correct them. This
is the responsibility of the inner error correction such as the attach-
ment of redundancy bits which enable the receiver to correct some bit
errors. Note that block codes can also be used in general to correct
errors, but this is not performed in HSPA because this would increase
the overall latency time.
Error correction performed with forward error correction (FEC),
principle of convolutional coding
With forward error correction (FEC), redundant bits are inserted into
data packets (bursts) at the transmitting end to enable the receiving
end to implement a correction mechanism. The assumption is that the
errors do not occur in a burst. Here, the principle of a convolutional
coder is used. This type of coder remembers the last n bits sent and
adds each input bit to the stored n bits. The words obtained at the out-
put are usually longer than one bit. The code rate defines the ratio of
the input bits to the output bits, for example a coder using a code rate
of generates for each input bit a code word of two output bits. Error
correction is based on the fact that a previous state, i. e. a word or a bit
36
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
sequence can only assume one of two succeeding states depending on
whether 0 or 1 was entered into the coder, i. e. the decoder decides for
the metric providing the minimum error estimation. If a word arrives
at the receiver in a state that cannot be reached from a state obtain-
able from one of the two input combinations, a transmission error has
occurred and needs to be corrected. This procedure is equivalent to
tracing a path through a trellis diagram which is familiar from cod-
ing theory.
We would now like to discuss a brief example to demonstrate the func-
tionality of channel coding and the subsequent steps of puncturing.
Please note that this example does not represent the real coders used
in HSDPA. Consult the relevant literature for further details of cod-
ing theory, [Ref. 10], [Ref. 11] and [Ref. 14] as well as the specification
[TS 25.212, Ref. 21] which describes the coding applied in HSPA.
The convolutional coder shown in Fig. 2-8 consists of one input fol-
lowed by three registers in a shift configuration and finally two out-
puts. With each clock generation, the content of each register is shifted
one register to the right as the last registers content is discarded and
a new input bit is inserted into the first register. The outputs 1 and 2
are generated by an XOR operation between the linked register con-
tents. In this manner, we create a finite response filter and a certain
memory effect. Lets assume we want to transmit the following input bit
sequence: 110110 0/1. Here, the nomenclature 0/1 means that the last
bit of our contemplated sequence can be either 0 or 1 and we wish to
consider both alternatives. The registers are initialized with all 0s, and
typically some tail bits are attached to the code word which will ensure
this for the succeeding code word. The table in Fig. 2-8 shows the input
bit on the left side, the register sequence content after each step and
outputs 1 and 2 on the right side. The output sequence for the given
input will be 11 01 01 00 01 01 11/00. Note the last two lines in the table.
We do assume an either / or, i. e. there are two alternatives such that
alternative A means that after the sequence 110110 has been sent to the
coder, the following bit will be logical 0. Alternative B means that after
the sequence 110110, the following bit will be a logical 1. So we present
an either / or situation. This will be used to explain the coding principle.
HS-DSCH: High speed downlink shared channel, transport channel
37
Example of convolutional coding
Input Regis-
ter 1
Regis-
ter 2
Regis-
ter 3
Out-
put 1
Out-
put 2
XOR operation
Register 3 Register 2 Register 1
+
Input
Output 1
Output 2
+ +
1 1 0 0 1 1
1 1 1 0 0 1
0 0 1 1 0 1
1 1 0 1 0 0
1 1 1 0 0 1
0 0 1 1 0 1
Alt. A 0 0 0 1 1 1
Alt. B 1 1 0 1 0 0
Fig. 2-8 Simple example for convolutional coding.
In Fig. 2-9 that follows, there is a trellis diagram representing in each
column the four possible output values of our channel coder 00, 01, 10
or 11 and in bold color there is the trellis path through this diagram
resulting from the input sequence. Recalling our definition of the two
alternatives for the last bit of our example code word, we can see that
the rightmost part of this trellis diagram shows the two possible steps.
From state 01, we can only reach either state 00 or state 11. The two
other states 01 or 10 are not possible, and with no input to the coder
shown in Fig. 2-8 the output can reach these two states in this step. For
example, if the receiver detects a sequence such as 11 01 01 00 01 01 01,
it knows there is an error at the last position 01 which had to be cor-
rected as either 00 or 11 because only these two alternatives are pos-
sible. The error correction is performed by looking at the total trellis
path and selecting the maximum likelihood sequence estimation based
on the received data pattern. In our short example, we admit that we
stopped at this point, of course. Imagine that the input sequence of bits
continues: The decoder would not know if it should proceed with the
pattern 00 or 11 so the decision will be to continue both ways. The fol-
lowing step is then checked again and one of the assumed ways will dif-
fer more from the demodulated pattern than the other one. This prin-
ciple is described in the Viterbi algorithm [Ref. 15]. Based on this algo-
rithm, the stronger path will survive, i. e. the decoder checks at each
step which path of the examined ones in the trellis path exhibits the
smallest deviation from the demodulation sequence and thus this path
will be continued. The paths exhibiting a higher deviation are discarded
to reduce the calculation expense. The path through the trellis diagram
is called a metric and the term maximum likelihood sequence esti-
mation (MLSE) represents the selection by the channel decoder of the
real possible metric which is the closest to the received data pattern. As
38
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
an analogy: If we do a crossword puzzle and find some characters in a
word, the channel decoder would check in a primer or dictionary of the
language containing all possible character combinations that we call
words and select the existing word that has the maximum likelihood
for the prevailing sequence of characters.
00
01
10
11
00
01
10
11
00
01
10
11
00
01
10
11
00
01
10
11
00
01
10
11
00
01
10
11
00
01
10
11
Alternative B
Alternative A
Register 2
+ +
+
Output 1
Output 2
XOR operation
Trellis diagram above shows
metric for input sequence:
110110 0 or 1
into a coder such as:
1
1
0
1 1
0
0
1
Register 3 Register 1
Fig. 2-9 Metric in trellis diagram.
Interleaving
Forward error correction based on convolutional coders has one disad-
vantage related to the impact of block errors. If the transmission errors
are distributed, they can be corrected as demonstrated in the trellis dia-
gram example using the Viterbi algorithm, but if many adjacent bits
are lost, the decoder will have problems retrieving the right bit pattern.
Interleaving means that the information to be transmitted is spread or
distributed over several bursts in such a way that contiguous informa-
tion is split up and transmitted in a time or block distributed mode.
To avoid error bursts, an attempt is made to spread the bit errors over
several code words. This is achieved by interleaving several code words.
This method is also called diagonal interleaving; see Fig. 2-10. Another
kind of interleaving is block interleaving as shown in Fig. 2-11. Blocks
of code words are written row-by-row into a matrix and then read col-
umn-by-column. With both methods, consecutive bits of a code word
are never transmitted consecutively, and conversely, when the bits are
deinterleaved at the receive end, error bursts are spread over several
code words.
HS-DSCH: High speed downlink shared channel, transport channel
39
As several code words are interleaved, the decoder has to wait a cer-
tain time until all bits of a particular code word arrive. This delay, i. e.
the measure for spreading over time is referred to as the interleav-
ing depth. The greater the interleaving depth, the more code words are
available for spreading the error bursts and the greater the probability
that errored bits can be corrected, but on the other hand this increases
the overall latency time.
HSDPA uses the block diagonal interleaving principle for the HS-DSCH
only since, as we should recall, one goal is to have a short round-trip
time.
Spreading

Interleaving

Fig. 2-10 Diagonal interleaving.

Write
Read
Interleaving-
Matrix
Fig. 2-11 Block interleaving.
Puncturing:
Having briefly described the principle of convolutional coding, another
mechanism will be presented that is used to increase the throughput
of user data and coordinate with the AMC mechanism described in
section 1.2, page 10. After adding redundancy, the total bit stream is
now known as soft bits, i. e. the sum including all of the raw data bits
at the input of the channel coder plus the added redundancy bits. This
quantity must match the required transport block size demanded by
the transport layer and the process performed here is called rate match-
ing, i. e. deleting some of the soft bits at the transmitting end in a pre-
40
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
defined manner or repeating or adding some stuffing bits. In HSPA, the
rate matching mechanism uses puncturing which provides higher data
throughput. The signaled values TBS and RV tell the receiving convo-
lutional coder how many and where bits have been punctured. This
allows the decoder to insert blank positions which have to be filled later
by performing trellis decoding. In other words, we may consider the
punctured bits as bit losses created intentionally by the transmitter. In
this manner, the total amount of data bits can be increased for the sake
of lower redundancy. In HSDPA, this puncturing scheme will be very
flexible, and the NodeB scheduler will set the puncturing rate adapted
to the prevailing RF conditions on the radio channel to obtain the high-
est possible data throughput under the existing conditions. The disad-
vantage of adaptive coding is that we need signaling information so
that the transmitter has to inform the receiver about how many soft bits
have been punctured. This is seen in Fig. 2-26, page 55 in the form
of the redundancy version carried by the HS-SCCH control channel.
Fig. 2-12 below again depicts the principle of puncturing in HSDPA
and clarifies some signaling parameters such as the transport block size.
1 1 0 1 1 0 0
11 01 01 00 01 01 11
Transport block size:
Input bits into channel coder
Soft bits:
Output from channel encoder
Rate matching:
Puncturing or repeating bits
11 01 01 00 01 01 11
1 01 0 00 0 01 1
Coded composite transport bits:
Can be several combined streams after
coding + rate matching
Transport block size FEC
Fig. 2-12 Puncturing based on coding example from Fig. 2-8, page 37.
The process of channel coding starts first with the transport block
size, which is given by the size of the input data bit sequence added
by a cyclic redundancy checksum. The next step is the channel cod-
HS-DSCH: High speed downlink shared channel, transport channel
41
ing which is performed in HSPA by a so-called turbo coder. The turbo
coder is a parallel concatenated convolutional coder that exhibits bet-
ter reliability compared to a single convolutional coder. Discussing
the functionality of a turbo coder in all of its details would represent a
major digression from the intention of this book. Accordingly, we will
simply encourage the interested reader to consult the channel coding
literature for more details about turbo coders and their applications
[Ref. 10], [Ref. 12]. Determined by the scheduler of the base station or
the redundancy version to be used, the next step known as the redun-
dancy version will either puncture (the most likely) or repeat some of
the bits resulting from the channel coding process. How many bits will
be punctured is defined by the coding rate. In our example in Fig. 2-12,
we see that the input bit sequence has a length of 7 bits, resulting in
14 soft bits after channel coding with our example coder providing a
coding rate of . The scheduler decided to puncture 4 bits so that we
finally obtain 10 bits which have to be mapped on the physical chan-
nels. Our overall coding rate is therefore given as 10. In other words,
some bits are protected with redundancy information while others
are not. Note that the size of the coded composite transport channel
is determined by the physical layer parameters such as the number of
channelization codes used to convey the HS-PDSCH, the modulation
scheme and the transmit time interval which is constant for HSDPA
but can be either 2 or 10 ms for HSUPA. Thus, its size does not need
to be signaled to the receiver and only the transport block size and the
redundancy versions will be contained in the HS-SCCH channel.
2.2.2 Incremental redundancy and chase combining
for HS-DSCH
Until now, we have presented some general characteristics of HSDPA
and HSUPA which we would now like to discuss in a combined pro-
cedure and then deduce two other principles. The HARQ abbreviation
combines an automatic retransmission of erroneous data with a soft
combination at the receiving end. A related question can now be how
the transmitter has to repeat the transport block, should the retrans-
mission of data occur in an identical retransmission mode or should
some changes in coding parameters, e. g. the manner of puncturing be
applied? This question is also important for the implementation of the
rate matching step shown in Fig. 2-12. The transmitter has to provide
42
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
a certain soft buffer, i. e. a memory that stores the transmitted data for
the sake of possible retransmissions and deletes it after having received
a positive acknowledgment from the receiver. Should the transmitter
now store the coded composite transport data, i. e. the data after coding
but also after puncturing? This would restrict it to repeating the data in
an identical manner. A better approach is to store the data after channel
coding and before puncturing. Even if this requires more memory, it
gives the flexibility to change the puncturing scheme and retransmit the
transport block in a different way. Fig. 2-13 and Fig. 2-14 represent both
mechanisms that are used in HSDPA and HSUPA. Identical retransmis-
sion is called chase combining and non-identical retransmission with
a different puncturing scheme is called incremental redundancy. The
scheduler in the base station can decide which retransmission scheme
will be used. We do not wish to delve into the details of channel coding
theory to discuss which mechanism is the better one chase combin-
ing or incremental redundancy. We will only mention that both mech-
anisms have their advantages and thus their applications. Chase com-
bining has the advantage that the systematic bits representing the orig-
inal data input into the channel coder are contained in the transmit-
ted sequence after puncturing. Thus, chase combined transport blocks
are self-decodable. If we consider a situation where the original trans-
port block is lost completely and only the retransmitted block is pres-
ent at the receiver, there is a chance to decode the data properly. Mean-
while, incremental redundancy seems to add more redundancy when
retransmitting but in a scenario where the first transmission contain-
ing the systematic bits is lost completely and only the retransmission
is present, the receiver will have no chance to decode the data without
having some of the systematic bits. Accordingly, incremental redun-
dancy is applied whenever sporadic bit errors occur due to a time vari-
ant channel and chase combining is selected whenever we have to deal
with complete transport block errors, i. e. the time variance of the radio
link exhibits some bursted fading dips.
HS-DSCH: High speed downlink shared channel, transport channel
43
Turbo encoder output (36 bits)
Rate matching to 16 bits (puncturing)
Chase combining at receiver
Systematic bits
Parity 1
Parity 2
Original transmission
Retransmission
Transmitted bit
Punctured bit
Systematic bits
Parity 1
Parity 2
Systematic bits
Parity 1
Parity 2
Fig. 2-13 Chase combining principle.
Turbo encoder output (36 bits)
Rate matching to 16 bits (puncturing)
Incremental redundancy combining at receiver
Systematic bits
Parity 1
Parity 2
Original transmission
Retransmission
Systematic bits
Parity 1
Parity 2
Systematic bits
Parity 1
Parity 2
Fig. 2-14 Incremental redundancy.
44
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
2.2.3 Constellation rearrangement
Due to the fact that HSDPA introduces a higher-order modulation
scheme (16QAM), we can recognize some effects due to the physi-
cal layer influencing the susceptibility to noisy RF conditions. One of
these effects can be explained by looking at the constellation diagram
in the 16QAM modulation scheme; see section 1.2, page 10. As we
recall, there is a total of 16 different constellation points given by the
modulation vector and represented by its phase and amplitude. Con-
sidering the Euclidean distance, which is the distance in this constella-
tion diagram between two neighboring points, we can clearly see that
some points have more neighbors than others. Especially the four con-
stellation points at the very four corners only have three direct neigh-
bors, making them less susceptible to misdetection due to noise shift-
ing them in a certain direction. On the other hand, the four constella-
tion points representing the inner square of the constellation have eight
direct neighbors each and are therefore more likely to be incorrectly
detected. The idea of constellation rearrangement is now to change the
mapping scheme applied in the original transmission when retrans-
mitting. As we know, the receiver will soft combine the retransmit-
ted data with the previously received information so we can achieve a
certain incremented redundancy and a certain protection mechanism.
Note, however, that considering a sole transmission of a transport block
using a certain constellation arrangement will not show any more pos-
itive or negative results compared to other constellation arrangements.
The redundancy gain is only achieved by rearranging the constellation
mapping in a retransmitted transport block and performing soft com-
bining at the receiver. Overall, HSDPA defines four constellation rear-
rangement schemes which are indicated in the redundancy version
field of the HS-SCCH and are represented by the b bit field ranging
from b = 0 to b = 3. All four constellation schemes are Gray encoded,
i. e. the directly adjacent constellation symbols do not exhibit four com-
pletely different bits in order to reduce the impact of misdetection on
bit errors.
High speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH)
45
Q
I
(1 111) (1 1 11) (1 1 11) (1 111)
(1 11 1) (1 1 1 1) (1 1 1 1) (1 11 1)
(111 1) (11 1 1) (11 1 1) (111 1)
(1111)(11 11) (11 11) (1111)
b = 0
Q
I
(1 1 1 1) (1 11 1) (1 11 1) (1 1 1 1)
(1 1 11) (1 111) (1 111) (1 1 11)
(11 11) (1111) (1111) (11 11)
(1 1 1 1) (111 1) (111 1) (11 1 1)
b = 2
Q
I
(111 1) (111 1) (11 1 1) (11 1 1)
(1 11 1) (1 11 1) (1 1 1 1) (1 1 1 1)
(1 111) (1 111) (1 1 11) (1 1 11)
(1111)(11 11) (11 11) (1111)
b = 1
Q
I
(1 11 1) (1 11 1) (1 1 1 1) (1 1 1 1)
(111 1) (111 1) (11 1 1) (11 1 1)
(1111) (1111) (11 11) (11 11)
(1 111) (1 111) (1 1 11) (1 1 11)
b = 3
Fig. 2-15 Constellation rearrangement in HSDPA.
2.3 High speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH)
The HS-SCCH sends scheduling information to the UEs. As seen before,
the HS-PDSCH has a very flexible configuration for physical parame-
ters such as the coding rate, number of code channels or retransmis-
sions. This high flexibility increases the complexity and engenders the
need for additional signaling information transferred on the HS-SCCH.
Reception of user data in HSDPA is always a two-step procedure:
First, the receiver has to capture the scheduling control information
and afterwards based on the received control information it may start
demodulating and decoding the HS-PDSCH containing the user data.
This two-step procedure is shown in Fig. 2-16 below which lists what
kind of control information is sent to the UEs via the HS-SCCH. As
shown in Fig. 2-2, page 28 which describes the overall HSDPA chan-
nel structure, there can be up to four HS-SCCHs assigned to one UE.
But only one HS-SCCH would contain the scheduling information for
this UE within one TTI. Thus, the network can assign resources simul-
taneously to various UEs in the downlink direction.
46
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
I would like to receive data
but I don't know where my
HS-PDSCH resources are
and what they look like.
?
HS-SCCH
Read the 1st HS-SCCH slot
for HS-DSCH channelization
codes, UE identity and
modulation scheme.
Then, the 2nd and 3rd HS-SCCH
slots provide transport block size
information, hybrid ARQ process in-
formation, redundancy /constellation
version, new data indicator.
HS-PDSCH
Fig. 2-16 HS-SCCH control channel usage.
Regarding the physical layer parameters, we see in Fig. 2-17 that the
HS-SCCH uses a channelization code with a spreading factor of 128
and it also uses the newly introduced transmit time interval of one sub-
frame which is equal to 2 ms. It should be mentioned that the spread-
ing factor of 128 requires double the capacity compared to similar con-
trol channels in WCDMA Release 99, reflecting the signaling overhead
needed to guarantee the huge flexibility introduced with HSDPA. Addi-
tionally, Fig. 2-16 shows that the control information is sent consecu-
tively within one subframe. The first slot within this subframe contains
the control information UE identity, channelization code information
and modulation scheme identifier. Slots 2 and 3 of the subframe con-
tain the remaining control information: Transport block size, HARQ
process identifier, redundancy version and new data indicator. Conse-
quently, the UE can self-decode slot 1 alone and slots 2 and 3 in a sec-
ond step, even if they represent one logical unit. This raw control infor-
mation is, of course, also channel coded using a turbo and on the phys-
ical layer the quantity of bits after the rate matching step is 40 bits con-
veyed in one slot, corresponding to 666 s [TS 25.212, Ref. 21]; see also
Fig. 2-28, page 56.
High speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH)
47
The HS-SCCH is a fixed rate (60 kbps, SF = 128) downlink
physical channel used to carry downlink signaling related to
HS-DSCH transmission.
Slot 0 Slot 1 Slot 2
T
slot
= 2560 chips
Data = 40 bits
1 subframe = 2 ms
Fig. 2-17 Structure of High speed shared control channel HS-SCCH
Source: [TS 25.211, Ref. 20], reproduced by permission of 3GPP.
We would like to return now to the time consecutive transmission of
control information. There is a difference in the control information
in terms of its priority: Some information is needed at the UE end
very urgently, while other control information does not have such a
high priority. But why? This will be explained by looking at some tim-
ing aspects defined for HSDPA. If we consider the timing between
the shared data channel HS-PDSCH and the shared control chan-
nel HS-SCCH as shown in Fig. 2-18, we see that the HS-PDSCH fol-
lows the HS-SCCH by exactly two slots or 5120 chips. The HS-SCCH
is completely time-aligned with the general control channels CPICH
and P-CCPCH of the NodeB. This is mandatory because it is a shared
channel. Consider several UEs with different distances to the NodeB
wanting to receive the HS-SCCH channel. Thus, it must have constant
timing that is known a priori. The shared data channel HS-PDSCH is
now transmitted exactly 5120 chips after the first chip of the HS-SCCH.
This leads to an overlapping slot, thereby requiring multitasking recep-
tion at the UE end. While the UE is still receiving the last slot of an
ongoing HS-SCCH subframe, it may already start the reception of an
HS-PDSCH transport block. The first slot in the HS-SCCH subframe
now contains information required by the physical layer to perform
despreading and demodulation. These values are the UE identity, indi-
cating whether the UE will start demodulation of the HS-PDSCH or
not; in case it is not scheduled, the modulation scheme information
since the UE has to know how to interpret the received constellation
vector and whether it has to be considered as a QPSK or 16QAM con-
stellation point; and finally, the UE has to know which channelization
codes it has to apply to capture the HS-PDSCH transport block. The
48
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
overall UE reaction time when being scheduled is now seen as 1 slot
or 2560 chips. This tough requirement for the UEs is due to the objec-
tive to obtain overall a much shorter latency than legacy standards. The
additional control information such as the new data indicator, redun-
dancy version and transport block size is not that urgent since it is
needed after demodulation but before channel decoding. So first the
UE will sample the whole three slots of the HS-PDSCH and demodu-
late them into a bit stream which is finally handed over to the channel
decoder. This principle is known as post-processing and is used typi-
cally in mobile communications technologies.
J Start of HS-SCCH subframe 0 is aligned with start
of P-CCPCH frames
J The HS-PDSCH starts

HS-PDSCH
(2 T
slot
= 5120 chips)
after the start of the HS-SCCH
UE identity etc.
processing time
of receiver
HS-DSCH subframe
3 T
slot
= 7680 chips
3 T
slot
= 7680 chips

HS-PDSCH
(2 T
slot
= 5120 chips)
HS-SCCH
HS-PDSCH
Fig. 2-18 Timing relation between HS-SCCH and HS-PDSCH.
Source: [TS 25.211, Ref. 20], reproduced by permission of 3GPP.
Content of the HS-SCCH control channel
The control information contained in the HS-SCCH control chan-
nel has already been mentioned, so we will now consider the values
in more detail. We will begin with an overview of what kind of control
information is contained in the HS-SCCH channel before proceeding
with further details about the single control elements. The following
control information is present in the HS-SCCH [TS 25.212, Ref. 21]:
Channelization code set information (7 bits)
Modulation scheme information (1 bit)
Transport block size information (6 bits)
Hybrid ARQ process information (3 bits)
Redundancy and constellation version (3 bits)
New data indicator (1 bit)
UE identity (16 bits) = H-RNTI
High speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH)
49
Some of these parameters are more or less self-explanatory, while oth-
ers require additional background information and closer examination.
Modulation scheme information, 1 bit
This single bit is used to inform the receiver whether the modulation
scheme QPSK or 16QAM is applied on the data channel HS-PDSCH.
The interpretation of the bit x
ms,1
is as follows:
ms,1
x
if QPSK
otherwise
0
1
=

New data indicator, 1 bit

The new data indicator bit field informs the receiving entity that the
prevailing PDU transmitted by the current HARQ process is either a
retransmission or contains new data. This is done by setting the new
data bit to the value 0 for the first PDU on this particular HARQ process
and incrementing the value by 1 with every new data sent [TS25.321,
Ref. 30]. This leads to a toggled value. In case the new data bit is not
incremented, i. e. if it remains at its previous value, it is an indicator for
retransmission.
1st PDU of this
HARQ process
NDI = New data indicator
NDI = 0 NDI = 1
NACK
NDI = 1
ACK
NDI = 0
HS-SCCH HS-SCCH
HS-SCCH HS-SCCH
ACK
Fig. 2-19 New data indicator bit, principle of incrementing value.
Channelization code set information, 7 bits
This field is used to indicate the number of channelization codes used
for transmitting the transport block on the HS-PDSCH. As was already
described, the spreading factor applied on the HS-PDSCH is constant
with a value of 16, but the flexible values are the number of channeliza-
tion codes forming a cluster when using multiple codes and their posi-
tion in the code tree. It is not allowed to distribute the code channels
over the code tree diagram. For the sake of simplicity in signaling, sev-
eral channelization codes form one cluster and these codes are con-
50
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
tiguous in the channelization code tree [TS 25.213, Ref. 22]. Fig. 2-20
illustrates the principle of indicating the channelization codes on the
HS-SCCH.
SF = 16
Code 0 is
reserved for
common
channels
Code offset 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
P = 5 O = 7
Code group indicator:
x
ccs,1
, x
ccs, 2
, x
ccs, 3
= min (P1, 15P)
Code offset indicator:
x
ccs, 4
, x
ccs, 5
, x
ccs, 6
, x
ccs, 7
= |O1 P/8 15|
A cluster of codes
can be allocated to a UE:
C
ch,16, O
C
ch,16, O + P 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 15
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 14 14
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 2 1
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 13 13 13
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 3 2 1
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 12 12 12 12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 4 3 2 1
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 11 11 11 11 11
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 5 4 3 2 1
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 10 10 10 10 10 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6 5 4 3 2 1
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
0 (1/15)
1 (2/14)
2 (3/13)
3 (4/12)
4 (5/11)
5 (6/10)
6 (7/9)
7 (8/8)
Redundant area
C
l
u
s
t
e
r

c
o
d
e

i
n
d
i
c
a
t
o
r

(
3

b
i
t
s
)
Tree offset indicator (4 bits)
Signaled on HS-SCCH
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
P
O
Decoding notation
Number of
multi-codes
Offset from
left / right in
code tree (SF = 16)
Fig. 2-20 Channelization code set indicating the HS-PDSCH code cluster.
The idea behind the code indication is a matrix with the rows repre-
senting the number of codes per cluster and the columns represent-
ing the position of that cluster, the offset value in the code tree. Recall-
ing that the maximum number of channelization codes per cluster
is 15 and if the cluster size is 1, the offset values can also range from
1to15, the resulting matrix would have 15 rows and 15 columns. Since
we know that four bits are needed to represent an integer from 1to15,
we need a total of 4 + 4 = 8 bits for representation of the channeliza-
tion code set information. It is a smart idea to save one bit. The 1515
matrix would contain much redundant information. By way of analogy,
like in a road map indicating distances between cities. A table showing
High speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH)
51
the distance from cityA to cityB, the opposite distance from cityB to
cityA is redundant information. The useful information has the form
of a triangle. The idea is to cut the lower part, rotate it and append it
to the spare part of the upper table. In this manner, a table is obtained
with 7 rows and 15 columns and it is possible to indicate each position
in it with just 7 bits.
1
5

r
o
w
s7

r
o
w
s
Matrix reduction for channeli-
zation code set information
15 columns
Fig. 2-21 Matrix size reduction for channelization code set information.
The content of the channelization code set matrix can be described as
a value with two numbers: The upper number is the number of mul-
ticodes forming one cluster and the lower number is the offset in the
channelization code tree. Accordingly, the example in Fig. 2-20 can be
interpreted to mean the HS-SCCH sends the bits as row number 4 and
column number 6 in the matrix. The content of this element are the
values 5 over 7 which have to be interpreted as a cluster size of 5 codes
and an offset of 7.
Transport block size information, 6 bits
With a length of six bits, the transport block size (TBS) informa-
tion informs the receiving UE entity about the data block size of the
transport block sent on the HS-PDSCH. We should keep in mind the
link adaptation performed with the adaptive modulation and coding
scheme that was described in section 1.2, page 10. The ratio error
correction and user data are flexible, while the physical layer param-
eters such as the spreading factor, modulation scheme and number of
channelization codes determine the physical block size. This physical
block consists of the user data ratio or transport block size and the for-
ward error correction or redundancy information. As this ratio is flex-
ible, the HS-SCCH will inform the receiving UE entity about the size
of the transport block. Here too, there is a strategy of bit reduction; the
52
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
goal is to inform the receiver with as few bits as possible. A non-effi-
cient approach would involve conversion of the decimal number repre-
senting the TBS into a binary sequence, but the number of bits needed
would exceed the space available on the HS-SCCH. Imagine that the
range of transport block sizes depends on the physical layer condi-
tions. The ambient physical layer parameters modulation scheme and
number of channelization codes set a certain working point where the
remaining flexibility for a different TBS configuration can be obtained
by more or less puncturing, resulting in a flexible ratio between for-
ward error correction and user data. This will lead to a two-step proce-
dure when evaluating the transport block size. First, the receiver exam-
ines the information modulation scheme and number of channeliza-
tion codes scheduled via HS-SCCH, which indicate the value k
0, l
as
shown in Fig. 2-22. The 6-bit HS-SCCH control parameter transport
block size information will be the transport format resource indica-
tor (TFRI) named k
i
. Let k
t
be the sum of the two values: k
t
= k
i
+ k
0, i
.
Both values k
t
and k
0, i
can be obtained from tables given by [TS 25.321,
Ref. 30]. The range for the TFRI is from 1 to 256 and the derived trans-
port block size ranges from 137 bits to 27 952 bits. The first table indi-
cates the value k
0, i
based on the channelization code and the modula-
tion scheme.
Combination i Modulation scheme Number of channelization codes k
0, i
0
QPSK
1 1
1 2 40
2 3 63
3 4 79
4 5 92
5 6 102
Fig. 2-22 Extract from TS 25.321 table representing k
0, i
.
The second table indicates the final transport block size based on k
t
.
Index TB size Index TB size Index TB size
1 137 86 1380 171 6324
2 149 87 1405 172 6438
3 161 88 1430 173 6554
4 173 89 1456 174 6673
5 185 90 1483 175 6793
6 197 91 1509 176 6916
7 209 92 1537 177 7041
Fig. 2-23 Extract from TS 25.321 table representing k
t
.
High speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH)
53
J The transport block size used on HS-DSCH is not signaled explicitly on HS-SCCH
J Instead, a transport block size index k
i
is signaled to indicate the transport block size:
First step:
Modulation scheme and
number of channelization
codes as signaled on HS-SCCH
determine value k
0, i

Second step:
Index k
t
= k
i
+ k
0, i

determines HS-DSCH
transport block size
k
t
= k
i
+ k
0, i
Table according to 3GPP TS 25.321, extract from QPSK section
Table according to 3GPP TS 25.321, 254 entries in total
Combination i Modulation
scheme
Number of
channelization codes
k
0, i
0
QPSK
1 1
1 2 40
2 3 63
3 4 79
4
Index TB size Index TB size Index TB size
1 137 86 1380 171 6324
2 149 87 1405 172 6438
3 161 88 1430 173 6554

Fig. 2-24 Retrieval of transport block size information.
Source Fig. 2-22 to Fig. 2-24: [TS 25.321, Ref. 30], reproduced by permission of 3GPP.
Hybrid ARQ process information, 3 bits
The concept behind the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) was
introduced in section 1.3, page 14. One feature is the possibility of
multitasking, i. e. having several HARQ processes activated at the same
time. Fig. 2-25 below shows the need to signal the process identity to
the receiver. Remember that on the downlink there is a shared chan-
nel concept so the NodeB can flexibly decide which UE will be sched-
uled with a downlink transport block. Up to eight HARQ processes
can be signaled via higher layers to one UE. Note, however, that due to
the round-trip timing six HARQ processes must be active to achieve
the maximum throughput as shown in Fig. 2-51, page 79. Compared
with HSUPA, the HARQ processes on the downlink are asynchronous
so they have to be indicated but on the uplink they are synchronous so
they do not need to be signaled explicitly.
54
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
Asynchronous DL Synchronous UL
Number of H-ARQ processes = 1 to 8 per UE
UL HS-DPCCH UE1
UE1 HARQ processes 1 to 4
3 4 1 4 2 1 1 1 3 2
retrans
2
A N A A
A A
N A
UL HS-DPCCH UE2
HS-PDSCH
UE2 HARQ processes 1 to 2
Fig. 2-25 HARQ process indication on HS-SCCH.
Fig. 2-25 shows a typical situation on the downlink (point-to-multi-
point): The NodeB sends data to several UEs sharing the HS-PDSCH
so therefore the HARQ process is asynchronous. The time when a
transport block is retransmitted is not fixed. For this reason, the pro-
cess identifier is signaled on the HS-SCCH. Based on the HARQ pro-
cess identity and the new data indicator bit, the receiving entity knows
which part of the soft buffer memory has to be used in case of soft com-
bining. On the uplink, the situation is slightly simpler: The UE only
communicates with one NodeB so it is a point-to-point connection.
Thus, retransmission always occurs at a fixed time linked to the origi-
nal transmission.
Redundancy and constellation version, 3 bits
Adaptive modulation and coding involve flexible selection of modula-
tion and coding schemes that are signaled to the receiving UE via the
parameters transport block size and modulation scheme information.
Another concept used in HSDPA was previously discussed: Chase com-
bining or incremental redundancy (see section 2.2.2, page 41). This
means that in case of retransmission, the transmit entity can dynami-
cally select another puncturing scheme or keep the puncturing as it was
in the original transmission. The applied puncturing scheme is signaled
as redundancy information to the receiver. Additionally in case of the
16QAM modulation scheme, the transmitter can select another constel-
lation arrangement which is also signaled to the UE with the three bits
for the redundancy and constellation version; see Fig. 2-15, page 45.
Depending on the modulation scheme (QPSK or 16QAM), there are
two different tables indicating the parameters s, r and b. The
parameters s and r indicate which scheme is used for puncturing,
i. e. if the puncturing mechanism prioritizes the systematic bits or not
High speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH)
55
and which puncturing algorithm is used. The parameter b indicates
the constellation mapping version. The receiver needs this information
to perform proper demodulation and decoding.
Initial transmission
1st retransmission
2nd retransmission
3rd retransmission
r
0
0
1
1
2
2
3
x
rv
(value)
s
0 1
1 0
2 1
3 0
4 1
5
0
6 1
7 0 3
s = 1: Systematic bits are prioritized
s = 0: Non-systematic bits are prioritized
r (range 0 to 3 for QPSK) influences:
J Input parameter for puncturing or
(together with s) for repetition
algorithm defined in TS 25.212
J Selection of parity bits
Redundancy version coding sequences are signaled on HS-SCCH, e. g.:
{0, 2, 5, 6}: One initial transmission + 3 retransmissions with different r and s parameters
Fig. 2-26 Signaling of redundancy version parameters r and s. QPSK case.
Source: [TS 25.212, Ref. 21], reproduced by permission of 3GPP.
Initial transmission
2nd retransmission
1st retransmission
3rd retransmission
r (range 0 to 1 for 16QAM)
influences input parameter
for puncturing or (together
with s) for repetition
algorithm defined in
TS 25.212 and thus selection
of parity bits
Redundancy version coding sequences are signaled on HS-SCCH, e. g.:
{6, 4, 0, 5}: Chase combining (no change in s and r parameters, i. e. same redundancy
version) with four possible constellations
x
rv
(value) s r b
0 1 0 0
1 0 0 0
2 1 1 1
3 0 1 1
4 1 0 1
5 1 0 2
6 1 0 3
7 1 1 0
Definition of parameter s
as for QPSK
b (range 0 to 3)
describes constellation
rearrangement to average
reliability of bits
Fig. 2-27 Signaling of redundancy version parameters r, s and b; 16QAM case.
Source: [TS 25.212, Ref. 21], reproduced by permission of 3GPP.
UE identity, H-RNTI, 16 bits
The HSDPA radio network transaction identifier (H-RNTI) unam-
biguously identifies the UE having an HS-PDSCH assignment within
a cell. It is allocated to the UE via layer 3 signaling procedures at the
radio bearer setup if the radio bearer is an HSDPA connection. This
56
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
value represents a temporary name of the UE used to address it when
scheduling data packets via HS-SCCH.
HS-SCCH channel coding
The control information contained in the HS-SCCH is, of course, pro-
tected with channel coding mechanisms; the whole coding chain is
described in Fig. 2-28. Fig. 2-18, page 48 presents the separation of
the control information into two code blocks which are sent consec-
utively mapped on slot 1 and slot 2 + 3 of one HS-SCCH subframe.
This principle is also visible in the coding chain: The first control block
consisting of channelization information, modulation scheme and UE
identity is coded separately from the remaining control values to enable
the UE receiver to decode this first slot separately and prepare for pos-
sible HS-PDSCH reception. The coding steps shown in Fig. 2-28 such
as rate matching 1 and 2 are similar to the HS-PDSCH coding chain
and are further described in [TS 25.212, Ref. 21].
Channel
coding 1
Rate
matching 1
mux
Channel
coding 2
Rate
matching 2
RV
coding
UE-specific
CRC attachment
UE-specific
masking
Physical channel
mapping
HS-SCCH
r s b
mux
Channelization
code set
Modulation
scheme
Transport block
size information
HARQ process
information
Redundancy and
constellation version
New data indicator
UE identity
UE identity
Fig. 2-28 Channel coding for HS-SCCH.
Source: [TS 25.212, Ref. 21], reproduced by permission of 3GPP.
High speed dedicated physical control channel (HS-DPCCH)
57
2.4 High speed dedicated physical control channel (HS-DPCCH)
In an active HSDPA connection, the UE has to send acknowledgment or
non-acknowledgment reports (as described in section 1.3, page 14
where the HARQ process is described) as well as channel status infor-
mation to the network. The reporting is performed on this physical
control channel, HS-DPCCH.
As ubiquitous in HSDPA, the uplink is also configured into a subframe
structure of 2 ms, corresponding to three slots. The first slot of the sub-
frame carries the ACK/ NACK information the UE sends to the NodeB,
while the following two slots, i. e. slot 2 and 3 of the subframe convey
the CQI value, the channel quality information to the NodeB.
Subframe 0 Subframe i Subframe 4
T
slot
= 2560 chips J The spreading factor of the
HS-DPCCH is 256 (10 bits per
uplink slot)
J The HS-DPCCH can only exist
together with an UL DPCCH
(ded. phys. control channel)
J The DPDCH (dedicated physical
data channel), the DPCCH and
the HS-DPCCH are I/Q code
multiplexed
HARQ-ACK CQI = Channel quality information
2 T
slot
= 5120 chips
One radio frame T
f
= 10 ms
One HS-DPCCH subframe 2 ms
Fig. 2-29 HS-DPCCH configuration.
Source: [TS 25.211, Ref. 20], reproduced by permission of 3GPP.
The slot format for HS-DPCCH describes a quantity of 30 bits per sub-
frame, resulting in a data rate of 15 kbps. The spreading factor used for
the HS-DPCCH is constant and is always equal to 256, but the chan-
nelization code that is used as well as the mapping on either the I or
Q axis depends on several factors, e. g. the co-existence of an HSDPA
connection with a circuit-switched connection, meaning whether a
DPDCH established or not. Fig. 2-36, page 64 illustrates this I/Q
mapping and Fig. 2-35, page 63 shows the channelization code used
for HS-DPCCH.
The HS-DPCCH builds a logical unit of one subframe but having the
independent control information HARQ-ACK and CQI included which
could be separately decoded at the NodeB. Note that the slot carrying
the ACK/ NACK statement is active only when the UE has been sched-
uled by an HS-PDSCH subframe in the corresponding downlink sub-
frame previously. Assuming the UE has not received a transport block
58
HSDPA operation overview and physical channels
in the corresponding previous HS-PDSCH subframes (this means
7.5 slots before the HS-DPCCH starts; see section 2.6, page 71), it
will send discontinuous transmission (DTX) instead of ACK/ NACK
information. Similarly, the transmission of the CQI value is not per-
manent as a result; furthermore, the CQI transmission depends on the
parameter CQI feedback cycle and is indicated by higher protocol lay-
ers at the radio bearer setup. Thus, it is also possible for the CQI to be
disabled in the contemplated HS-DPCCH subframe. We understand
there are several possibilities for the HS-DPCCH configuration in one
subframe. This is described in section 4.1, page 113 which presents
HS-DPCCH logging. One consequence of this is that the TX power
used for sending the HS-DPCCH might not be constant. Additional
analysis of this topic can be found in section 4.3, page 118 which
describes the code domain power vs. time. Fig. 4-12, page 113 shows
there are four possibilities for how the HS-DPCCH can appear depend-
ing on the circumstances:
The first slot contains ACK/ NACK, and slots 2 and 3 contain CQI
The first slot contains ACK/ NACK, and slots 2 and 3 contain DTX
The first slot contains DTX, and slots 2 and 3 contain CQI information
The first slot contains DTX, and slots 2 and 4 contain DTX
Because one HS-DPCCH subframe forms one logical unit but consists
of two separate signaling parameters, the channel coding chain is inde-
pendent for both values, i. e. the decoding can be performed indepen-
dently for slot 1 containing ACK/ NACK statements and slot 2 and 3
containing the CQI feedback. Reception of these two control values
ACK/ NACK and CQI is thus non-correlated.

Physical channel
mapping

Channel coding Channel coding
PhCH
HARQ-ACK CQI
PhCH
Physical channel
mapping
Fig. 2-30 Coding chain for HS-DPCCH.
Source: [TS 25.212, Ref. 21], reproduced by permission of 3GPP.