CDMA2000—A world view Johan Langer and Gwenn Larsson The world’s first CDMA2000 networks were launched in Korea in October while maintaining the 1.25 MHz band- 2000, providing 144 kbit/s data rates to subscribing customers and deliv- width. Operators and manufactures soon re- ering nearly twice the voice capacity that operators experienced with their alized that there were inherent cost, back- cdmaOne (IS-95) systems. The success of the CDMA2000 1X system in ward compatibility and timing advantages Korea has encouraged many operators in the Americas and Asia to follow in keeping with the 1.25 MHz bandwidth for evolution. Thus, CDMA2000 3X has through with their plans to launch CDMA2000 this year. now been put on the wayside until market The authors outline some of the products and describe product advan- demands make it necessary to migrate to a tages that Ericsson CDMA customers will gain when rolling out Ericsson’s widerband carrier (3.75 MHz). CMS 11 R3 to provide third-generation services early next year. The authors also describe some of the key enablers in CMS 11 R3. 1xEV-DO The two phases of 1xEV are labeled 1xEV-DO and 1xEV-DV. DO stands for data only; DV stands for data and voice. Updates in the evolution CDMA2000 1xEV-DO was standardized by the Telecommunications Industry Associa- of CDMA2000 tion (TIA) in October 2000. 1xEV-DO was Since the spring of 2000, the evolution of recently recognized by the ITU-R WP8F as third-generation CDMA systems has an IMT-2000 standard. Formal approval is changed dramatically. Previously, the in- expected to be granted in November, when dustry was focused on a widerband approach the standard is submitted to ITU-R SG-8. to high data rates—commonly referred to as Ericsson has made significant contributions CDMA2000 3X or 3XRTT. The 3X stan- to the standard, including the provisions for dard has now been superseded by a two- handoff and interoperability with the phase strategy called CDMA2000 1xEV, CDMA2000 1X standard. where 1xEV stands for 1X evolution, or evo- 1xEV-DO can provide customers with lution using 1.25 MHz. Today’s peak data rates of 2.4 Mbit/s. To implement CDMA2000 1X systems are based on a stan- 1xEV-DO, operators will have to install a dard 1.25 MHz carrier for delivering high separate carrier that is dedicated to data- data rates and increased voice capacity only use at each cell location where high- (Figure 1). speed data services are demanded. Howev- Advances in the industry and engineering er, customers will be able to handoff seam- prowess contributed to new proposals for lessly from a 1X to a 1xEV-DO carrier (Fig- higher data throughput and more capacity ure 2). Figure 1 IS-2000 1X 144 kbit/s, CDMA standards evolution. 600 kbit/s peak IS-95-B CDMA IS-2000 1xEV – DO IS-95-A CDMA voice, packet – 600 kbit/s, 2.4 Mbit/s peak voice, packet – 64 kbit/s 9.6/14.4 kbit/s IS-2000 1xEV-DV 2–5 Mbit/s peak CDMA2000 PCN/Mobile IP Interworking function CDMA2000 All IP cdmaOne 150 Ericsson Review No. 3, 2001 The first 1xEV-DO systems will be launched in 2002, approximately 18 1xEV-DO 1xEV-DO months after the launch of the first CDMA2000 1X system. Ericsson products 1X 1X are scheduled for delivery in late 2002 as part of CMS 11 R4. Scan the 1X Packet data 1xEV-DV carrier handoff performed The second phase of the 1xEV standardiza- tion is currently underway, and a goal has 1xEV-DO been set to complete the 1xEV-DV standard by the end of 2001. Several proposals are on the table for this phase of third- 1X generation CDMA. Operator requirements, laid out with the help of the CDMA Devel- Packet data opment Group (CDG), focus on providing handoff performed high-speed data and voice on one carrier— thereby eliminating the need for a separate Figure 2 carrier. Also, provisions should be made for The CDMA2000 1X and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO interworking function provides faster delivering end-user data connections. • real-time packet-data services; and • better mechanisms for guaranteeing a given quality of service. Likewise, improved average throughput and out, lower costs, and guarantee easily main- peak rates are expected as well as greater ca- tained backward compatibility with previ- pacity for voice. These are lofty goals for a ous systems. 1xEV-DV systems are antici- standardization body that must deliver all pated to be available in 2003 or 2004. this using the same 1.25 MHz carrier, but many people feel that the goals can be at- Core network evolution tained. While the media focus seems to be primar- It is too early to confirm what the final ily on the air-interface evolution of standard for 1xEV-DV will offer CDMA op- CDMA2000, other standards groups, name- erators and customers, but continued evo- ly the Third-generation Partnership Project lution with 1.25 MHz will speed up roll- Two (3GPP2) and TIA, are quietly and dili- BOX A, TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 1X From CDMA2000 1X (IS- DSSS Direct-sequence spread PCN Packet core network 2000), derived from 1XRTT, spectrum PDA Personal digital assistant signifying 1 x 1.25 MHz carrier GSM Global system for mobile PDSN Packet data service node 1xEV 1X evolution communication QoS Quality of service 1xEV-DO 1xEV data only HA Home agent RAN Radio access network 1xEV-DV 1xEV data and voice HLR Home location register RBS Radio base station 3GPP/3GPP2 Third-generation Partnership IDAE Integrated distributed RNC Radio network controller Project/Two application environment RNM Radio network manager 3X From CDMA2000 3X (IS-2000- IEEE Institute of Electrical and SCP Service control point A), derived from 3XRTT, sig- Electronics Engineers SDK Software development kit nifing 3 x 1.25 MHz carriers IETF Internet Engineering Task Force SLA Service level agreement AAA Authentication, authorization IOS Interoperability standard SMS Short message service and accounting IP Internet protocol SMS-C SMS center AC Authentication center IRP Integration reference point TDMA Time-division multiple access ANSI American National Standards ITU International Telecommunication TIA Telecommunications Industry Institute Union Association API Application program interface IWF Interworking function TMN Telecommunications manage- ATM Asynchronous transfer mode LAN Local area network ment network BSC Base station controller MCPA Multicarrier power amplifier WAP Wireless application protocol BSS Base station subsystem MIP Mobile IP WCDMA Wideband CDMA CDG CDMA Development Group MSC Mobile switching center WIN Wireless intelligent network CDMA Code-division multiple NMS Network management system WLAN Wireless LAN access OAM&P Operation, administration, main- WML WAP markup language CPP Cello packet platform tenance, and provisioning WSN WLAN serving node Ericsson Review No. 3, 2001 151 External Services network Network management Applications E- iPulse PSTN commerce SCP Terminals Prepaid Location Messaging/ IP Multimedia services HLR/AC network ANSI-41 server IWF network WAP server SMS, OTASP PCN MSC WSN AAA HA PDSN UM/VMS BSC BSC Access network Access Access network network RBS Figure 3 WLAN CDMA2000 cdmaOne Total CDMA solution. gently working on the core network evolu- be commercially available in 2002. Many of tion of CDMA2000, which starts with the the products have been built from the introduction of a packet core network and ground up or have been taken from the glob- evolves all the way to a system that can de- al technology platform used for WCDMA. liver services using IP protocols from end to This gives Ericsson a lead over the compe- end. Ericsson has been a key contributor to tition. Also, the macro radio base station this work, primarily by bringing in exper- (RBS) designs in a micro package continue tise from the standardization of all-IP in to lead the CDMA industry in many ways. 3GPP. The evolution to all-IP for With CMS 11 R3 products, key changes CDMA2000 systems is based on existing will be made in the fundamentals of CDMA, Internet protocols and standards. The work including higher-speed data capabilities, in 3GPP2 is also closely tied to work in the always-on connectivity, and vastly im- Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). proved voice capacity. A new system node, As core networks evolve, synergies be- the packet core network (PCN), has been in- tween CDMA2000 and WCDMA net- troduced for connection to the IP network works will be beneficial to global operators (Figure 3). These fundamental product and to the industry as a whole. Interoper- changes will benefit both cdmaOne and ability in the network between various air TDMA operators who migrate their net- interfaces and other access media will be- works to CDMA2000. come more and more important as wireless service providers expand the scope of their Radio access network telecommunications businesses through CMS 11 R3 is a commercial radio access net- partnerships and increased service offer- work (RAN) product that implements the ings. Ericsson has already begun laying out IS-2000-A standard for CDMA wireless product plans for future releases of communication. The CMS 11 is a third- CDMA2000 core network components. generation mobile communications system that is capable of supporting the communi- cation needs of mobile users in a third- Ericsson’s CDMA2000 generation environment. The Ericsson radio 1X products access network uses an IS-2000 air interface Ericsson’s CDMA2000 1X products are part and the ANSI-41 core network. (Re-use of of the CMS 11 R3 product plans, which will components in the ANSI-41 network are es- 152 Ericsson Review No. 3, 2001 pecially beneficial to TDMA operators who plan to implement CDMA2000 for RF 4 third-generation services.) The RAN, RF 3 which consists of the BSC 1120 (base sta- RF 2 tion controller, BSC), the RBS 1127, and the radio network manager (RNM), is RF 1 interoperable with switches from numerous cdmaOne vendors via the interoperability standard RBS 1107 (IOS) interface.