This book provides a comprehensive description of the Radio Access Networks for UMTS. It is
intended to address the requirements of both the beginner and the more experienced mobile
telecommunications engineer. An important characteristic is the inclusion of sections from example
log files. More than 180 examples have been included to support the majority of explanations and to
reinforce the reader’s understanding of the key principles. Another important characteristic is the
inclusion of summary bullet points at the start of each section. The reader can use these bullet points
either to gain a high-level understanding prior to reading the main content or for subsequent revision.
The main content is based upon the release 6 version of the 3GPP specifications. Changes since the
release 99 version are described while some of the new features appearing within the release 7 version
are introduced.
Starting from the high-level network architecture, the first sections describe the flow of data between
the network and end user. The functionality and purpose of each protocol stack layer is explained while
the corresponding structure and content of packets are studied. A section is dedicated to describing and
contrasting the sets of logical, transport and physical channels. The increasing importance of the
bandwidth offered by the transport network connecting the ******lation of Node B to the RNC justifies
the inclusion of a dedicated section describing the Iub interface and the associated transport solutions.
Dedicated sections are also included for both HSDPA and HSUPA. The bit rates and functionality
associated with these technologies are described in detail. A relatively large section is used to describe
some of the most important signalling procedures. These include RRC connection establishment,
speech call connection establishment, video call connection establishment, PS data connection
establishment, SMS data transfer, soft handover and inter-system handover. The accompanying
description provides a step-by-step analysis of both the signalling flow and message content. Other
sections focus upon the more practical subjects of link budgets and radio network planning. Topics
include scrambling code planning, neighbour list planning, antenna subsystem design, co-siting,
microcells and indoor solutions.
The content of this book represents the understanding of the author. It does not necessarily represent
the view nor opinion of the author’s employer. Descriptions are intended to be generic and do not
represent the implementation of any individual vendor.