ED

EDGE Technology introduction

EDGE = Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution

1

TEDLX / ETC

GPRS&EDGE Diffenenc?
EDGE is an accessory to GPRS ! -EGPRS
EDGE =GPRS+EDGE Modulation

GPRS

MS

Internet
Internet

GPRS Protocol
EDGE
TRU

BTS

SGSN
SGSN
GGSN

PCU

EGPRS
MS

EGPRS Protocol

GPRS = EGPRS

TEDLX / ETC

GPRS & EDGE Main

Difference

Modulation: GMSK vs 8PSK

LA: Link adaptation
IR: Incremental redundancy

EGPRS mode TBFs only supported on 64 kbit/s abis TSs

Both GPRS and EGPRS can be supported on 64 kbit/s abis TS

TEDLX / ETC

EDGE Basic
EDGE is the name for the enhancements made from GPRS R97 to GPRS R99.
EGPRS only refers to the packet switched (GPRS) enhancements made in the
standard
EDGE is a method to increase the data rates on the radio link for GSM
EDGE is basically only a new modulation technique and new channel coding
Used to transmit both packet switched (PS) and circuit switched (CS) data/voice

TEDLX / ETC

EDGE Basic, contd

EGPRS is combining the GPRS functionality with the new standardized packet
switched Edge radio technology.
EGPRS introduces a new high level modulation, called 8PSK,
as well as protocol enhancements for transmitting packets over the radio.
Whereas GPRS allow data rates up to 160 kbps on the physical layer,
EGPRS is capable of offering up to 473,6 kbps in the same bandwidth of 200 kHz.
combined with improved link adaptation mechanisms.

TEDLX / ETC

EDGE/GPRS technical data

GPRS

EDGE

Modulation

GMSK

8-PSK/GMSK

Symbol rate

270 ksym/s

270 ksym/s

Modulation bit rate

270 kb/s

810 kb/s

Radio data rate per timeslot

22.8 kb/s

69.2 kb/s

Max user data rate per timeslot

20 kb/s

59.2 kb/s

Max user data rate

(8 timeslots)

160 kb/s

473.6 kb/s

TEDLX / ETC

1. EDGE Modulations

TEDLX / ETC

GPRS and EGPRS Modulations

GPRS
GMSK Modulation

EDGE GPRS (EGPRS):

8PSK Modulation

(0,1,0)
(0,0,0)

Q
(0,1,1)

I
(0,0,1)

(1,1,1)

(1,0,1)

(1,1,0)
(1,0,0)

1 bit per symbol

3 bits per symbol

8

TEDLX / ETC

EDGE modulation technique

The modulation type that is used in GSM is called Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying (GMSK),
which is a kind of phase modulation.
This can be visualised in a so-called I/Q-diagram that shows the real (I) and imaginary (Q)
components of the transmitted signal,
Transmitting a 0-bit or a 1-bit is then represented by incrementing the phase with + .
Every symbol that is transmitted represents one bit, i.e. each shift in the phase represents one
bit
8PSK, is a linear modulation,
Three consecutive bits are mapped onto one symbol in the I/Q-plain
Nine coding schemes (actually Modulation & Coding Schemes = MCS) are introduced (MCS1
to MCS9)

TEDLX / ETC

Standardized improvement I
- EDGE Modulation

kbps
60

59.2
54.4

50
40
44.8

30

29.6

20

14.4
12.0
8.0

17.6

GPRS

MCS9

MCS8

MCS7

MCS6

MCS5

MCS4

MCS3

CS4

CS3

CS2

MCS2

8.4

0
CS1

14.8

11.2

MCS1

10

22.4

20.0

EGPRS

GMSK modulation
10

8PSK modulation
TEDLX / ETC

Standardized improvement I
GPRS vs EGPRS
Basically it comes down to different Coding and Modulation techniqes. This in turn
requires larger send windows, GSL with higher capacity (64k links) etc. Many of the
details in the RLC, MAC & GSL protocols are different. However the different techniques
allow us to transfer various amount of data within the same timeperiod (i.e. in the same
timeslot period).
Channel
Coding
Scheme

GPRS

Channel
Coding
Scheme

GPRS
RLC Data
Size

EGPRS
Modulation
RLC Data
Technique
Size
Family

MCS-1

22oct

GMSK

MCS-2

28oct

GMSK

MCS-3

37oct

GMSK

CS-1

22oct

CS-2

32oct

CS-3

38oct

MCS-4

44oct

GMSK

CS-4

52oct

MCS-5

56oct

8-PSK

MCS-6

74oct

8-PSK

MCS-7

2x56oct

8-PSK

MCS-8

2x68oct

8-PSK

MCS-9

2x74oct

8-PSK

EGPRS

CS-1
CS-4
MCS-1
MCS-9

11

TEDLX / ETC

2. LQC: LA & IR

12

TEDLX / ETC

Theoretical Edge performance (IR and LA)

13

TEDLX / ETC

Link Quality Control for EDGE

Link Quality Control: High Throughput
Link adaptation
(GPRS CS1-4, EGPRS)

Incremental redundancy
EGPRS

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TEDLX / ETC

LQC EGPRS
Link Quality Control: Achieve highest throughput!
Two ways to do it ...

Link adaptation

Incremental redundancy

- Estimate quality
- Choose coding scheme
- Re-segmentation is possible

- Use very little coding at first

- Send more coding if necessary
- Receiver uses soft combining

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TEDLX / ETC

LQC Further description

Incremental Redundancy
Receiver stores unsuccessfully decoded RLC data blocks
transmitter uses same MCS but distinct Puncturing
Scheme
receiver uses old and new versions of RLC data units to
perform decoding

Link Adaptation
Different MCS used for retransmission (more
robust)
adapting made easy by family grouping structure

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TEDLX / ETC

LQC Throughput Graph

LA curve
IR curve
8PSK

GMSK

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TEDLX / ETC

LQC Measurement Procedures

Bit Error Probability (BEP) estimated on burst level

Variation of BEP
Burst 1

Burst 2

Burst 3

Burst 4

BEP est 1

BEP est 2

BEP est 3

BEP est 4

MEAN_BEP=(mean(BEP est)
CV_BEP=std(BEP est)/mean(BEP est)

Results available per Radio Block (every 20 ms) !!!

Block n

Block n+1

Block n+2

...

...
MEAN_BEPn
CV_BEPn

MEAN_BEPn+1
CV_BEPn+1

MEAN_BEPn+2
CV_BEPn+2
18

Filtered independently
before reporting
TEDLX / ETC

LQC IR shift to LA
PCU

MS
MCS9 data block PS 1
Block is stored
NACK
MCS9 data block PS 2

Joint
decoding

NACK + out of memory

Shift to LA

MCS6 data block part 1

MCS6 data block part 2

(If same PS is used = Soft combining)

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TEDLX / ETC

LQC Further description

Incremental Redundancy
Receiver stores unsuccessfully decoded RLC data blocks
transmitter uses same MCS but distinct Puncturing
Scheme
receiver uses old and new versions of RLC data units to
perform decoding

Link Adaptation
Different MCS used for retransmission (more
robust)
adapting made easy by family grouping structure

20

TEDLX / ETC

LA Example:
PCU

MS quality report still

make LQC recommend
MCS-9
MS quality report is
worse. New
recomended MCS is
MCS-7.

NOTE! Only for EGPRS

MCS-9 data b
lock (P

MS
S 1)

NACK

MCS-9 data b
lock

(PS 2)

NACK
MCS-6, first pa
rt, P

MS returns MEAN_BEP
and CV_BEP in DL
ack/nack
MS returns MEAN_BEP
and CV_BEP in DL
ack/nack

S1

MCS-6, sec pa
rt, PS

ACK

21

TEDLX / ETC

IR Example, Joint decoding and Soft combining:

PCU

MCS9 data blo

ck P

MS

NOTE! Only for EGPRS

S1

Block is
stored

NACK

MCS9 data b
lock PS 2

Joint
decoding

NACK
MCS9 data blo
ck P

S3

Joint
decoding

NACK

MCS9 data b
lock PS 1

Soft
combining
22

Joint
decoding

OK!

TEDLX / ETC

3. Other Features
Data transmission
EDGE Addressing Window
Measurement report
Interleaved Technology

23

TEDLX / ETC

Standardized improvement II
- Data Transmisson -

GPRS

EGPRS

CS

CS

24

TEDLX / ETC

Standardized improvement III

- EDGE Addr Window ...
RLC/MAC
protocol

0 1 2 3 4

2046 2047

0 1 2 3 4

PCU

2045 2046 2047

Sliding addressing window up to

1024

Windows size: 64 increase to 1 024, avoid

the latency of signaling
25

TEDLX / ETC

Standardized improvement IV
- Measurement report -

GPRS

EGPRS

Quality report

Quality report
based on Bit Error Probability
in Edge

based on signal & interference

in GSM measurement report

26

TEDLX / ETC

Standardized improvement V
- Interleave GPRS CS4
Quality

Interleaved over 4 Bursts !

EGPRS MCS8/9
Quality

Interleaved over 2 Bursts !

Burst1

Burst1

Burst3

Burst3

Time

Time
Burst2

Burst2

Burst4

Burst4

First part is right The second lost

Data block lost !

Only resend the wrong part of data

All data resend

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TEDLX / ETC

Example
Assume we are running EGPRS on 3 Timeslots DL. The current
radio environment suggest that MCS-5 is the best Coding Scheme
to be used. The maximum bitrate at that time can then be
calculated in the following way:
Octet to bits

(56 x 8) x 50 x 3

Number of TS

= 67.2 kbps

1000
Number of
octets for
MCS-5

Number of times a RLC data

block can be sent per second
(one block scheduled once
every 20ms by the MAC layer.
(1000ms/20ms = 50 times
blocks per second)
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Channel
Coding
Scheme

EGPRS
Modulation
RLC Data
Technique
Size
Family

MCS-1

22oct

GMSK

MCS-2

28oct

GMSK

MCS-3

37oct

GMSK

MCS-4

44oct

GMSK

MCS-5

56oct

8-PSK

MCS-6

74oct

8-PSK

MCS-7

2x56oct

8-PSK

MCS-8

2x68oct

8-PSK

MCS-9

2x74oct

8-PSK

TEDLX / ETC

EGPRS Summary
Large addressing window for EGPRS with low risk for protocol stalling
Possible to re-transmit EGPRS packets with another coding scheme
EGPRS measurement report of high quality
Measurement values available per bursts allowing fast LQC
Very good spectrum efficiency
Very good coverage performance
Applicable for real time services

29

TEDLX / ETC