LTE Air Interface

Who Should Attend?

The course is intended for all telecom specialists and professionals wishing to understand 3GPP LTE air interface concepts. This includes equipment design engineers, network deployment specialists, researchers, research managers, and technology decision makers.

Course Content

  1. Introduction to LTE.
    • Role of 3GPP standardization.
    • Review of 3GPP releases.
  2. Evolved Packet System (EPS) network architecture.
    • Spectrum bands, system bandwidths, throughput requirements.
    • E-UTRAN nodes and functions.
    • EPC nodes and functions.
    • Interfaces and their functions (S1, Uu, X2, S1, S5).
    • Uu protocol stacks.
  3. E-UTRAN PHY layer fundamentals.
    • Wideband channel characteristics.
    • Doppler, multipath, ISI.
    • OFDM, OFDMA, SC-FDMA.
    • Use of FFT, Cyclic Prefix.
    • Parallel transmission and multiuser diversity.
    • Review of the key algorithms for OFDM / OFDMA transceiver: synchronization and channel estimation.
    • Use of MIMO in E-UTRAN (STC, beamforming, SU-, MU-MIMO).
    • Fundamentals of QoS management.
  4. E-UTRAN PHY layer in-depth.
    • Radio frame structures (FDD, TDD).
    • Pilots, reference signals, preambles.
    • Downlink (DL) and (UL) processing chain.
    • PHY layer traffic channels: PDSCH, PUSCH.
    • Physical Resource Blocks.
    • PHY layer control channels: PDCCH, PCFICH, PHICH, PUCCH.
    • Control Channel Elements.
    • DL and UL frames and mapping PHY channels on time-frequency resource grid.
    • Channel coding in E-UTRAN (Turbo coding, HARQ, redundancy versions, rate matching).
  5. PHY Layer-related procedures. Measurements control.
    • CQI/PMI/RI reporting.
    • Adaptive Modulation and Coding.
    • Cell search.
    • Synchronization.
    • Random access.
    • DL and UL resource assignment.
  6. E-UTRAN MAC Layer.
    • Architecture and functions (QoS, scheduling, HARQ).
    • RRM (scheduling algorithms, power control, resource allocation).
    • HARQ types.
    • Overview of the other L2/L3 protocols (RRC, PDCP, RLC).
  7. Overview of alternative systems.
    • WiMAX (802.16e, 802.16m).
    • Future of LTE: LTE Advanced.

Course Objectives

This course describes in detail E-UTRAN air interface (being part of 3GPP-LTE). Our objective is to train a student in such as way that he or she understands well the principles of the E-UTRAN air interface operation and is able to apply this knowledge in practice, either in the design or deployment of LTE systems.

Pre-requisites

Prior experience with 2G / 3G is a plus but is not strictly required. Background in wireless communications will be of help.

Training structure

Three days training divided into logical sessions.

Methodology

Instructor led training.