ICellular networks (CDMA and UMTS)
Synchronization of data streams is required in Wireless third-generation
technologies like UMTS and cdma2000 to ensure reliable
signal handoff between
basestations. With the increasing demand for high-bandwidth and real-time
application, dropped
connection are becoming intolerable. The solution is to establish effective management and distribution of a reliable reference
clock
throughout the entire network.Theoretically it was tempting to use the public-switched telephone network
(PSTN)
as the source for synchronization and distribute it via T1/E1 links to
the rest of the network. Unfortunately, using the
PSTN is not impracticable for
many reasons: first the quality of the PSTN cannot be certain, excessive jitter
and wander are
add during transit. Practically, wireless networks generally
operate using a reference clock backed by a holdover clock.
All other network
clocks must be traceable to the reference clock.
The question is how to
distributing a reliable reference clock throughout the entire network. GPS
system can offer
independent reference for any application, including
wireless Time synchronization is not easy.
It take time to propagate a
reference clock to the users. Each line and nodes add error.
After you set the
user clock it will start to drift, so continuous recalibration is needed.
Even
when using one reference clock for entire network you can have a situation when
subsystem start to deviate at different rate
until the connecting will start to
drop.
CDMAone and cdma2000 demand that the deviation will not exceed 1 part in
1,010 or 7.5 microseconds over a 24-hour period.
Comparatively, UMTS wideband
code-division multiple access (W-CDMA) and GSM networks require an accuracy of 5
parts in
108 or 4.3 milliseconds. To reach this level of synchronization subsystem must track a reliable reference clock and also
have excellent holdover
abilities in case the reference clock is not available.
The reference
clocks used to be sent over the network itself. It is an appropriate way most of
the time, but it cannot
guarantee adherence to the minimum requirements for
high-speed data transfers across highly constrained
wireless networks under all
operating conditions.
GPS is an excellent candidate for transporting a reference
clock because each subsystem can have a direct connection to the same reference clock instead of an indirect connection over an unreliable network link.
GPS is not all the time available. You might have a situation when not enough
satellites or environmental conditions make
the signal difficult to lock onto.
In this case you need to have an holdover capability. Holdover starts when a
clock holds the last frequency at which it was
clocking when the reference clock
signal failed to arrive.
Two standard types of clocks used in basestations today that are up to the
task of accurately holding a reference clock
with such accuracy are highly
precise ovenized quartz oscillators and rubidium atomic clocks.
Quartz oscillators are the less-expensive option but require additional
components. For example, quartz performance
changes over temperature, so this
has to be managed. Rubidium atomic clocks, on the other hand, provide
reliability
that's an order of magnitude greater than CDMA networks require.
The primary difference between the two clocks is reflected during
loss-of-power scenarios and how long it takes the
clock to regain stability once
the reference source has been lost. Quartz clocks can take four to 24 hours to
stabilize frequency.
As the quartz warms, its stability increases. Rubidium
atomic clocks achieve 98 percent reliability within minutes.
Rubidium units
achieving lock within a 5-minute window with an absolute accuracy better than 1
part per billion.
In contrast, quartz resonators depend on the bulk acoustic
properties of a crystal and can take hours to achieve wireless levels
of
accuracy, even with a GPS reference.As in UMTS technology there is no need for an absolute time code you
can used
a local clock as a reference source as long as its long term stability is 50
parts per billion over a 10-year period.
This level of stability is in the very
high level of quartz technology and easily achievable by Rubidium atomic clock.
Rubidium can run for longer than 10 years and exceed the UMTS requirements.
Positioning systems in cellular
networks
There are a number of reasons for which it is useful to be able to pinpoint
the positionof a mobile telephone: location sensitive
billing, increased
subscriber safety, intelligent transport systems (ITS), enhanced network
performance and so on.
The principal positioning techniques are:
- Propagation Time (PT), this involves measuring the time it
takes for a signal to travel between
a base station and a mobile station or
vice versa.
- Time difference of arrival (TDOA), a mobile station can
¡°listen¡± to a series of base stations
and measure the time difference between
each pair of arrivals. If the base stations are transmitters, the transmitted
signal must leave each base station at the same time or with a known offset;
if the base stations are receivers there must be a known time relationship
between the receiver clocks at these base stations.
- Angle of arrival (AOA), this involves measuring the angle
of arrival of a signal from a base
station at a mobile station;
synchronization is not required.
- Carrier phase (CP), the phase of a carrier has the
potential to provide position evaluations
with an error less than the carrier
wave length. The need is to maintain a continuous lock on the carrier signal.
Failure to do so
- results in cycle slips and errors in position.
In the GSM system a combining of the previous techniques is generally used;
some studies have demonstrated that performances improve through the TDOA
technique and in presence of BTS synchronism. In UMTS system best results are
obtained through Time Aligned Idle Period Downlink
(TA-PDL) technique, in which the mobile is required to
make Time of Arrival measurements during the idle period of the serving base
site and these periods are approximately time aligned in adjacent BTS. The
utilization of rubidium clocks will be indispensable to offer location and
positioning services in future
mobile networks.
Testing technology for wireless devices and
network
As wireless technologies have evolved over multiple generations, handsets and
network infrastructure have become more complex and
test requirements
increasingly challenging.
Atomic Rubidium Standard are use in the Handset
Testing and Network Measurement devices.
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