Dual-cell High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) operation
The present document is intended to capture findings produced in the context of the Feasibility Study on Dual-Cell HSDPA operation [1].
The work under this study item aims at assessing the feasibility, benefits and complexity of combining network radio resources (i.e. cells) to achieve enhanced user experience and enhanced user experience consistency. The assessment focuses on scenarios with the following constraints:
• The dual cell operation only applies to downlink HS-DSCH.
• The two cells belong to the same Node-B and are on different carriers.
• The two cells do not use MIMO to serve UEs configured for dual cell operation.
• Primary priority: The two cells operate on adjacent carrier frequencies in the same frequency band. Other allocations can be considered with lower priority
In order to characterize benefits of Dual-Cell HSDPA operation, possible enhancements of performance throughout the cell and in particular in the outer area of the cell coverage are evaluated considering:
• UE receiver impairments caused by the implementation of dual-cell operation,
• Node B scheduler architecture (per carrier or joint scheduler),
• Load balancing when coupled with joint scheduling vs. per carrier scheduling.
Furthermore, impacts on implementation and complexity within the UTRA and UE, impacts systems operation (e.g. UL controlchannel coverage and operation of legacy UE), and impacts on the core specifications due to introducing Dual-Cell HSDPA operation are identified.