Heritage
The air interface standard is one of most hyped and controversial issues in digital wireless service today. From the handset to the cell site, voice and data has to be transferred over radio spectrum. Competing air interface standards exist for how this transfer occurs.
While several competing standards have been approved for use in the US, you will most likely encounter sales representatives emphasizing CDMA, TDMA, and GSM. These are the most popular and the most deployed air interface standards in the US and, in fact, the world. I'll attempt to explain each below in as simple terms as possible.
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) is probably the more complicated to understand. Qualcomm developed the standard and compares it to several couples in a room all speaking a different language. Only a specific couple can communicate, and each is "tuned in" to only their conversation. In more technical terms, CDMA uses specific codes that convert analog voice sounds into digitized code that is undigitized on the receiving end, whether handset or cell site. Only the handset and the cell site can conduct the conversation because of the encoding and the fact that there may be billions of codes.
Major wireless carriers support CDMA include Sprint PCS, US West Wireless, and PrimeCo. The CDMA Development Group continues to promote and enhance the standard and has been on the forefront of enabling the technology for wireless Internet.
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) is a competing air interface standard that basically divides up frequency into time slots. Imagine that you can slice up time into segments that are very small fractions of a second. As multiple handset users talk, their conversations are received by the cell site at different time slots. However, because the time slots are so small, there is no discernible lag in the conversation and multiple conversations appear to occur at the same time. In TDMA, eight or twelve time divided slots (or channels) are available. AT&T Wireless is the dominant TDMA carrier in the US.
As for Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), this is not an air interface specifically. GSM is actually a European standard for an entire Personal Communications Service (PCS) network. In fact, the air interface is an older TDMA version. What sets GSM apart is that the entire network architecture has become a standard for most of Europe and much of Asia. The concept is the simple use of one handset to make calls anywhere, nationally and internationally. The network supports this through a sophisticated, intelligent network and the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card in the phone. The SIM card is actually an advanced "smart card" with an embedded microchip, just like the one in the American Express' Blue credit card.
GSM carriers in the US include BellSouth Mobility DCS, Omnipoint, and Voicestream who are all part of the GSM World Association.
Note, because of different frequencies used in the US versus Europe and other countries, your GSM phone may not work abroad. However, you can remove the SIM card and rent a phone for use abroad. Contact your wireless carrier for details on roaming overseas.
W-CDMA-The Technology that Makes Mobile Multimedia a Reality 1998-1999
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Development is underway with the aim of establishing a global standard for the third-generation mobile communications system. Mobile multimedia opens up a whole new world of possiblities, allowing users to take full advantage of the potential of applications based on various contents.
IMT-2000 is now being standardised by the International Telecommunication Union(ITU) as the global standard for the third-generation mobile communications system. The Wideband CDMA(W-CDMA) technology promoted by NTT DoCoMo is regarded as one of the most promising candidates for the IMT-2000 radio transmission technology standard. The W-CDMA technology has gained good acceptance in the international arena, with Europe adopting a scheme based on W-CDMA as its radio transmission technology for the third-generation mobile communciations system in January 1998, and many operators in Asia and Oceania announcing their support for this technology. NTT DoCoMo is committed to further contributions toward establishing a global standard, while promoting joint system trials with interested parties worldwide.
The rapidly increasing demand for cellular telephony is placing a greater demand on the limited bandwidth resources available. This research is concerned with increasing the capacity of a direct-sequence code-division-multiple-access mobile network by increasing the amount of inherent randomness within the transmitted signal. This provides a large processing gain so that the system is better able to distinguish between the wanted signal and unwanted signals generated by other users which, in the receiver, can be considered to be noise components in the received signal waveform. A system model has been produced for this type of network and so far results have been obtained for two possible strategies. One of these strategies is the variation of the chip duration over a single bit period. Several different variation functions have been tried and a sinusoidal function was found to provide the greatest increase in maximum number of system users for any given signal-to-noise ratio, the increase obtained being in the order of 33%. The other strategy at present under consideration is the use of additive amplitude modulation together with data/chip phase-shift-keying.
ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode ) is a packet-oriented transfer technique designed for use in Broadband ISDN. It employs fixed size packets, or frames, which are relayed through the networks using abbreviated addressing at OSP layer 2. This makes it an efficient transfer mechanism requiring the minimum of routing decisions at intermediate nodes.
There is considerable interest in using the technique in digital mobile radio applications to obtain the necessary transmission characteristics to enable integrated services to be carried on the medium. This work investigates the particular features of digital mobile radio that have repercussions on ATM operation with a view to finding solutions to likely problems such as transmission security and error recovery. is a packet-oriented transfer technique designed for use in Broadband ISDN. It employs fixed size packets, or frames, which are relayed through the networks using abbreviated addressing at OSP layer 2. This makes it an efficient transfer mechanism requiring the minimum of routing decisions at intermediate nodes.
There is considerable interest in using the technique in digital mobile radio applications to obtain the necessary transmission characteristics to enable integrated services to be carried on the medium. This work investigates the particular features of digital mobile radio that have repercussions on ATM operation with a view to finding solutions to likely problems such as transmission security and error recovery.
Attributes of CDMA IS-95
Universal frequency reuse
Fast and accurate power control
Constructive combining of multipath by RAKE receiver
Seamless soft-handover
Autonomous capacity increases for variable rate transmission
Natural and seamless exploitation of sectored and adaptive beam forming antennas
Capacity increases with FEC without overhead penalty
Improved capacity and coverage (Forward Links)
Limitations of IS-95A Forward Links (due to Reverse-Link emphasis)
9.6kbps links: Very slow power control. (error message back to BSC)
14.4 kbps links: slow power control (error indicator per frame; loop latency); very weak code (rate 3/4)
Both speeds: Limitation of 64 (Walsh Function) channels; excessive handoff overhead (approx. 100%: 2Txs/link)
Evolutionary IS95-C
Faster more accurate power control, more accurate Eb/No measurement and much reduced PC loop latency
QPSK replaces BPSK modulation affording: 128 Walsh Function channels (I and Q); stronger codes (rate 3/8 for 14.4kbps links and rate 1/4 for 9.6kbps.
Reduce soft-handoff overhead to 70% (1.7 Txs/Link)
Forward Link Improvements
Gain Vs IS-95A
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9.6kbps
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14.4kbps
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Airlink Total
Power Control
Coding
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2.0 dB
1.5 dB
0.5 dB
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2.5dB
0.5 dB
2.0 dB
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Soft Handoff reduction
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0.7 dB
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0.7 dB
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Total Gain
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2.7 dB (90%)
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3.2 dB (110%)
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IS-95 Limitation
Forward link limitation to 64 Walsh function channels constrains number of high-speed users
Reverse link modulation renders rates higher than 19.2k or 28.8k (twice voice rates) cumbersome
95-C Solution
Forward link increased to 128 channels (QPSK)
New reverse link modulation (BPSK, Pilot-aided) efficient supports data rates up to 16 times voice
To preserve battery power, slotted mobile terminal 'wakes up' once per slot (1.28s or 2.56s) to check for a page. This operation requires 96ms. The "Sleep/Awake" ratio is 13:1 or 26:1.
New "Fast Paging" feature using same slot periods reduces "Sleep/Awake" ratio is 200:1 or 400:1
Technology improvements will overtime reduce Sleep Current as well, providing further evolutionary standby time enhancements.
Optimised for packet data services
Decouples data services from voice services
Voice and data have different requirements
1.25MHz carrier dedicated to 95-HDR
Maintains a high degree of compatibility with IS-95
Same 1.2288MHz chip rate
Same power requirements as current IS-95 handsets and base stations
Same link budgets as used for IS-95, hence same coverage
Reuses all RF, IF, and Baseband analog components currently used by IS-95 handsets and base stations
Leverages from high volume, low cost of IS-95 components
Reduces time to market
Integration of HDR into IS-95 systems possible
Separate RF carrier
Same BTS count (multi-carrier)
Reuse of antenna systems
Take advantage of IS-95 network optimisation already achieved for voice networks
What is the basic lithium-polymer battery concept?
The battery design consists of cells made from a flexible, multi-layered laminate less than 100 microns (0.004 inches) thick (about the thickness of plastic food wrap). It has five layers consisting of a current-collecting metal foil, cathode, solid polymer electrolyte, lithium foil anode, and insulator. The solid-state design is tough, durable, and can be formed into packages of many shapes to fit different applications.
What is Lithium?
Lithium-a soft, silver-white element-is the lightest known metal on earth. It belongs to the alkali metal group. Lithium is very reactive to air and water and is therefore found naturally in salt form. The metal is refined from the naturally occurring salts and is therefore abundant and affordable.
The Laminate
A lithium polymer cell is made by laminating together five thin materials--an insulator, a lithium foil anode, a solid polymeric electrolyte, a metallic oxide cathode and a current collector. A finished electric vehicle battery will contain virtually miles of web laminate.
Once the laminate is formed, it is wound into a cell, completing the basic building block of a unit cell.
A large number of these unit cells are connected in a series to provide the 300+ volts needed to power today's electric vehicles.
By adjusting the thickness and length of the materials in the cells and the number and arrangement of the cells, the battery can be designed to suit the power and energy needs of many vehicle designs.
Cell Construction
3M mills and compounds the basic materials, prepares the polymer electrolyte, creates a thin film of cathode material and rolls it all into a continuous web polymer half cell.
3M sends its polymer half cell rolls to Hydro-Quebec, which produces the lithium foil anode with a patented, proprietary metallic lithium process.
Hydro-Quebec laminates the polymer half cell with its lithium anode, rolling up completed cells. It then winds cells, assembles modules and battery packs, and tests the packs to verify performance.
Once electrochemical testing is completed, all modules and packs are torn down at Hydro-Quebec, where post-mortem analysis helps solve problems and refine the lithium polymer battery technologies.
The Winding Technique
Ultra-thin lithium foil from Hydro-Quebec is paired with solid polymer and cathode webs from 3M to form a composite laminate less than 0.004 inches thick. Three different winding techniques were evaluated as part of the lithium polymer battery research:
The flat roll and flat stack designs produce "prismatic" cells.
The "Jelly Roll" produces a cylindrical cell. Cylindrical cells, while easier to produce, waste volume when assembled in a rectangular battery enclosure.
Flat roll, prismatic cells have been selected for electric vehicle applications because they provide the highest energy density, better cycle life performance and improved design flexibility.
Thermal Management
The lithium polymer battery design incorporates an insulated, controlled thermal management system to keep the battery at the optimal operating temperature.
At its current state of research, the battery operates best at temperatures between 60-80oC (140-176oF).
The system uses less than 200W of energy to keep the battery warm.
Insulation surrounds the battery pack to minimize heat loss.
Thermal management ensures that the battery operates efficiently for up to three days without a plug-in.
Voltage Curve
The operating voltage range is between 3.2 and 2.0 volts related to the depth of discharge. Unlike most current battery technologies, the lithium polymer battery system has no secondary reaction during the charging process. The advantage is that during normal charging, the cell coulombic efficiency is 100 percent and energy efficiency is 95 percent.
Cycle Life
Lithium polymer batteries will have a life expectancy of about 10 years, based on the following equation:
150 miles/charge X 600 cycles = close to 100,000 miles useful life.
Can I expect to see an LPB battery for my cell phone or lap top computer?
The current LPB system has been optimized for electric vehicles, and is designed to be a warm battery. This design is not directly usable in small consumer electronic devices. Further research will be necessary to make this system usable for cell phones or laptop computers.
Traffic Data Mode (Svc Opt)
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Description
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1
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Basic Variable Rate Voice Service (IS-96A)
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2
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Mobile Station Loopback (IS-126)
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3
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Enhanced Variable Rate Voice Service
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4
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Asynchronous data Service (IS-99)
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5
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Group 3 FAX Service (IS-99)
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6
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Short Message Services (IS-637)
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7
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Internet Standard PPP Packet Data Service (IS-657)
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9
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Mobile Station Loopback (IS-126) 13K
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C
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Asynchronous Data Service (IS-99) over Rate Set 2
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D
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Group 3 FAX Service (IS-99) over Rate Set 2
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E
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Short Message Services using MUX Option 2 (TSB-79)
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F
IS-657 SO number
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Internet Standard PPP Packet Data Service (IS-657) over Rate Set 2 13K
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11
IS-733 SO number
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High Rate Voice Service (13kbps) IS-733
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16
IS-707A SO number=22
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Medium Data Rate (externally known as High Speed data) PPP Packet Data Service (IS-707) with rate set 1 forward and reverse. Default Mux=9 forward 1 reverse
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17
IS-707A SO number=23
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Medium Data Rate (externally known as High Speed data) PPP Packet Data Service (IS-707) with rate set 1 forward and rate set 2 reverse. Default Mux=9 forward 2 reverse; not supported by MSM3000
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18
IS-707A SO number=24
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Medium Data Rate (externally known as High Speed data) PPP Packet Data Service (IS-707A) with rate set 1 forward and rate set 2 reverse. Default Mux=10 forward 1 reverse; not supported by MSM3000
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19
IS-707A SO number=25
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Medium Data Rate (externally known as High Speed data) PPP Packet Data Service (IS-707A) with rate set 2 forward and reverse. Default Mux=10 forward 2 reverse
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