Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

Feature Description

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Copyright

© Ericsson AB 2016–2020. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be

reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright owner.

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 Contents

Contents

1 Overview 1

2 Dependencies 4

3 Network Impact 6

4 Parameters 7

5 Performance 8
5.1 Observation of Carrier Aggregation with FDD, TDD, and LAA
Component Carriers 8

6 Activate the Feature 9

7 Deactivate the Feature 10

Appendix A: Feature Change History 11

Appendix A.a: 18.Q4: Support for 16 and 20 Layers MIMO for Carrier
Aggregation 11
Appendix A.b: 20.Q2: TM9 Support for TDD SCells in FDD-TDD Carrier
Aggregation 13

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Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

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1 Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD Overview

The Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD feature extends TDD downlink coverage

and increases peak throughput by combining the FDD and TDD spectra.

Access Type: LTE

Feature Identity: FAJ 121 4252
Value Package Name: Carrier Aggregation
Value Package Identity: FAJ 801 0405
Node Type: Baseband Radio Node
DU Radio Node
Licensing: Licensed feature. One license for
each node.

Summary
The Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD feature allows downlink traffic to be offloaded
on the TDD spectrum without being constrained by the limited uplink application
coverage of a TDD carrier. Instead, a UE can be served by the larger range FDD
uplink while still enjoying the substantial downlink performance boost provided
by the TDD carrier.

Figure 1 shows an over-the-air drive measurement and illustrates the coverage

extension of the TDD spectrum when combined with FDD in carrier aggregation.

Note: The TDD spectrum provides a substantial DL performance improvement,

well beyond the traditional coverage point of a TDD carrier not used in
carrier aggregation with FDD.

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 Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

TDD UL TDD / FDD CA

Region

FDD Region
DL Throughput [Mbps]

TDD UL cell-edge

FDD cell-edge

Distance L0001091B

Figure 1 Extending TDD Coverage

In sites where operators have access to both FDD and TDD spectra, the Carrier
Aggregation FDD-TDD feature enables both spectrum resources to be used. The
use of both spectrum resources improves system performance and end-user
experience.

For more information about benefits of carrier aggregation in general, see Carrier
Aggregation.

Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD provides the following benefits:

— Extends TDD downlink coverage and provides user data rate gains by using
the uplink of FDD carriers. As uplink HARQ feedback is sent on FDD carriers,
TDD HARQ bundling is not required.

— Increases user peak throughput by combining FDD and TDD data rates.

— Supports asymmetric traffic.

The Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD feature supports the following characteristics:

— The feature supports any mix of FDD, TDD and LAA SCells with FDD PCell,
depending on the activated Carrier Aggregation feature licenses.

— On DU Radio Nodes, TDD cells configured with TM7, TM8, and TM9 are
overridden to TM3 when used as SCells or ESCells.

— On Baseband Radio Nodes, the following transmission modes are supported:

• TDD cells can be configured with TM9 when used as SCells.

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 • TDD cells configured with TM7 and TM8 are overridden to TM3 when
used as SCells or ESCells.

• TDD cells configured with TM9 are overridden to TM3 when used as
ESCells.

Additional Information
More information about the feature and related topics can be found in the
following documentation:

— 3GPP TS 36.101

— 3GPP TS 36.211

— 3GPP TS 36.212

— 3GPP TS 36.213

— 3GPP TS 36.321

— 3GPP TS 36.331

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 Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD
2 Dependencies of Carrier Aggregation FDD-
TDD
Table 1 Feature Dependencies
Feature
Carrier Aggregation (FAJ 121 3046)
FDD and TDD on Same eNodeB (FAJ 121 4274)
Dynamic SCell Selection for Carrier Aggregation
(FAJ 121 3063)
3CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension (FAJ 121
3084)
4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension (FAJ 121
4466)
5CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension (FAJ 121
4467)
6CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension (FAJ 121
5032)
7CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension (FAJ 121
5033)
Cross-DU Carrier Aggregation Support (FAJ 121
3080)
Inter-eNodeB Carrier Aggregation (FAJ 121 4469)
Elastic RAN (FAJ 121 4608)
Supplemental Downlink with License-Assisted
Access (FAJ 121 4573)
TM9 8x2 Octal Antenna Downlink Performance
Package (FAJ 121 4180)
TM9 8x4 Octal Antenna Downlink Performance
Package (FAJ 121 4793)
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Relationship Description
Prerequisite The Carrier Aggregation feature must be activated
for the Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD feature to be
operational.
Prerequisite The FDD and TDD on Same eNodeB feature must
be activated for the Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD
feature to be operational.
Related The Dynamic SCell Selection for Carrier
Aggregation feature is a prerequisite if more than
one SCell candidates are desired for a PCell.
Based on UE measurements and the SCell
algorithm, the SCell of a UE is dynamically
configured or deconfigured.
Related The maximum number of component carriers
aggregated for a UE depends on the activated
feature licenses.
Related SCells can have different frame structure types
(FDD and TDD) if the Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD
feature is used.
Related
Related
Related
Related This feature is a prerequisite if the PCell and the
SCells for FDD-TDD Carrier Aggregation are spread
across two DUs.
Related This feature is a prerequisite if the PCell and the
SCells are on different eNodeBs connected over X2
Interface (there is latency). Only FDD as PCell
supported.
Related This feature is a prerequisite if the PCell and the
SCell are on different eNodeBs connected over
internal interface (there is no latency).
Related When the Supplemental Downlink with License-
Assisted Access and the Carrier Aggregation FDD-
TDD features are used together, SCells of any frame
structure type (FDD, TDD, LAA) can be configured
for the UE.
Related When the two features are used together, TM9 is
supported with the following criteria:
— On DU Radio Nodes, TDD cells configured
with TM9 are overridden to TM3 when used
as SCells or ESCells.
— On Baseband Radio Nodes, TDD cells used
as SCells can be configured with TM9. TDD
cells configured with TM9 are overridden to
TM3 when used as ESCells.
Related When the two features are used together, TDD cells
used as SCells can be configured with TM9. TDD
cells configured with TM9 are overridden to TM3
when used as ESCells.
 Feature
Enhanced PDCCH Link Adaptation (FAJ 121 3051)
Relationship Description
Related When the Enhanced PDCCH Link Adaptation
feature is activated, all SCells are deactivated for
UEs engaged in VoLTE calls that have TDD or a mix
of TDD and FDD SCells configured.

Hardware
No specific hardware requirements.

Limitations
The feature is supported for multibaseband as one node configurations only
when the EUTranCellTDD.subframeAssignment attribute is the same across
cells on different Baseband units.

Dynamic switching between TM3 and TM4 is not available for SCells.

FDD-TDD CA is not available for Category 5 UEs with DL 4x4 MIMO feature
active on the eNodeB, regardless of the actual number of layers used in the
transmission.

Network Requirements
No network requirements for this feature.

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 Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

3 Network Impact of Carrier Aggregation FDD-

TDD

With the Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD feature, a gain in coverage is

expected.

Capacity and Performance

As a result of Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD using the FDD uplink carrier for TDD
SCells, a significant coverage gain can be measured by TDD cells.

Interfaces
No impact.

Other Network Elements

No impact.

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4 Parameters for Carrier Aggregation FDD-
TDD

The Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD feature has no introduced or associated

parameters.

Feature Parameters
No parameters are introduced or associated with this feature.

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 Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

5 Performance of Carrier Aggregation FDD-

TDD

The Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD feature uses counters to observe

downlink carrier aggregation with combinations when some of the SCells
have different frame type than the PCell.

KPIs
This feature has no associated Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Counters

— EUtranCellFDD.pmCaActivatedDlFddTddSum

— EUtranCellFDD.pmCaCapableDlFddTddSum

— EUtranCellFDD.pmCaConfDlSCellFddTddSumDistr

— EUtranCellFDD.pmCaConfDlSCellTddSumDistr

— EUtranCellFDD.pmCaConfDlTddSumDistr

— EUtranCellFDD.pmCaConfiguredDlFddTddSum

Events
This feature has no associated events.

5.1 Observation of Carrier Aggregation with FDD, TDD, and

LAA Component Carriers
To observe carrier aggregation when both the Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD and
the Supplemental Downlink with License-Assisted Access features are used, the
following counters can be used:
— EUtranCellFDD.pmCaConfDlSCellTddLaaSumDistr

— EUtranCellFDD.pmCaConfDlSCellFddTddLaaSumDistr

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6 Activate Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

To use the feature, it must be activated following the usual feature

activation procedure.

Prerequisites

— The license key is installed in the node.

— Continuous Cell Trace Recording (CCTR) is activated since at least one week.
This ensures there is troubleshooting data available if something goes
wrong.

Steps

1. Set the attribute featureState to ACTIVATED in the applicable MO

instance, depending on node type:

Node Type License Control MO

DU Radio Node OptionalFeatureLicense=CarrierAggregatio
nFddTdd
Baseband Radio Node FeatureState=CXC4011922

After This Task

Let the CCTR be active for one week, for continued collection of troubleshooting
data.

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 Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

7 Deactivate Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

If the feature is no longer needed, it can be deactivated following the usual

feature deactivation procedure. It must also be deactivated before the
activation of any conflicting feature.

Prerequisites
Continuous Cell Trace Recording (CCTR) is activated since at least one week. This
ensures there is troubleshooting data available if something goes wrong.

Steps

1. Set the attribute featureState to DEACTIVATED in the applicable MO

instance, depending on node type:

Node Type License Control MO

DU Radio Node OptionalFeatureLicense=CarrierAggregatio
nFddTdd
Baseband Radio Node FeatureState=CXC4011922

After This Task

Let the CCTR be active for one week, for continued collection of troubleshooting
data.

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 Feature Change History

Appendix A: Feature Change History

This section lists changes that affected this feature and the impact it had on
network.

Appendix A.a: 18.Q4: Support for 16 and 20 Layers MIMO for Carrier Aggregation
This feature enhancement enables to reach a higher spectrum efficiency
with a larger peak downlink throughput on LTE FDD, TDD, and FDD-TDD.
This is achieved by increasing the maximum number of supported MIMO
layers with Carrier Aggregation using four or five component carriers.

Feature Name: 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension

Feature Identity:
Value Package Name:
Value Package Identity:
Node Type:
Access Type:
5CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension
Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD
FAJ 121 4466 R5
FAJ 121 4467 R3
FAJ 121 4252 R3
Carrier Aggregation
FAJ 801 0405 R11
Baseband Radio Node
LTE

The enhancement provides support for the following:

— 16 MIMO layers with the 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension, with a
maximum peak throughput of 1.6 Gbps.

— 16 MIMO layers with the 5CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension, with a

maximum peak throughput of 1.6 Gbps.

— 20 MIMO layers with the 5CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension, with a

maximum peak throughput of 2 Gbps.

— Higher spectrum efficiency is achieved by using 16 or 20 MIMO layers.

Capacity and Performance

The UE downlink throughput is increased for UEs in very good channel condition.

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 Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

Operation
The following counters has been modified to increase PDF range:

— EUtranCellFDD.pmUeCategoryDlUlCombDistr

EUtranCellTDD.pmUeCategoryDlUlCombDistr

Interfaces
No impact.

Hardware
For 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension, the following platforms are
supported:
— Baseband 5212

— Baseband 5216

— Baseband 6620

— Baseband 6630

— Baseband 6318

For 5CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension, the following platforms are

supported:
— Baseband 5212

— Baseband 5216

— Baseband 6620

— Baseband 6630

— Baseband 6318

For Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD, the following platforms are supported:

— Baseband 5212

— Baseband 5216

— Baseband 6620

— Baseband 6630

— Baseband 6318

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 Feature Change History

Other Network Elements

To fully benefit from the change, the node requires support from the following
network elements:

— For 16 MIMO layers with 4CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension, the UE must
support downlink category 19.

— For 20 MIMO layers with 5CC DL Carrier Aggregation Extension, the UE must
support downlink category 20.

Appendix A.b: 20.Q2: TM9 Support for TDD SCells in FDD-TDD Carrier Aggregation
The enhancement makes TM9 available for intra-eNodeB FDD-TDD carrier
aggregation on TDD SCells with downlink 256-QAM.

Feature Name: Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

Feature Identity: FAJ 121 4252
Value Package Name: Carrier Aggregation
Value Package Identity: FAJ 801 0405
Node Type: Baseband Radio Node
Access Type: LTE

Benefits
The enhancement has the following benefits:

— TDD SCells can be configured with TM9 if the PCell and the SCells are
deployed on the same eNodeB, up to four component carriers.

— Downlink 256-QAM is supported in each component carrier.

— Improved downlink throughput for UEs located at the edge of the SCell.

Capacity and Performance

Improved downlink throughput for UEs located at the edge of the SCell.

Operation
The existing pmRadioTxRankDistr PM counter is used to observe the use of TM9
in the cell.

Interfaces
No impact.

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 Carrier Aggregation FDD-TDD

Hardware
No special hardware requirements.

Other Network Elements

No impact.

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