Multiple Access Techniques for

Wireless Communication

Duplexing
FDMA
TDMA
SDMA
PDMA
Introduction
• many users at same time
• share a finite amount of radio spectrum
• high performance
• duplexing generally required
• frequency domain
• time domain
Frequency division duplexing (FDD)
• two bands of frequencies for every user
• forward band
• reverse band
• duplexer needed
• frequency seperation between forward band
and reverse band is constant

reverse channel forward channel

frequency seperation f
 Time division duplexing (TDD)

• uses time for forward and reverse link

• multiple users share a single radio channel
• forward time slot
• reverse time slot
• no duplexer is required

reverse channel forward

channel t
time seperation
Multiple Access Techniques

• Frequency division multiple access (FDMA)

• Time division multiple access (TDMA)
• Code division multiple access (CDMA)
• Space division multiple access (SDMA)
• grouped as:
• narrowband systems
• wideband systems
 Narrowband systems
• large number of narrowband channels
• usually FDD
• Narrowband FDMA
• Narrowband TDMA
• FDMA/FDD
• FDMA/TDD
• TDMA/FDD
• TDMA/TDD
Logical separation FDMA/FDD

forward channel
user 1
reverse channel

...
f

forward channel
user n
reverse channel

t
Logical separation FDMA/TDD

user 1

forward channel reverse channel

...
f

user n

forward channel reverse channel

t
Logical separation TDMA/FDD

forward forward
channel channel

user 1 ... user n f

reverse reverse
channel channel

t
Logical separation TDMA/TDD

user 1 user n

...
forward reverse forward reverse f
channel channel channel channel

t
Wideband systems
• large number of transmitters on one channel
• TDMA techniques
• CDMA techniques
• FDD or TDD multiplexing techniques
• TDMA/FDD
• TDMA/TDD
• CDMA/FDD
• CDMA/TDD
Logical separation CDMA/FDD

user 1

forward channel reverse channel

...
code

user n

forward channel reverse channel

f
Logical separation CDMA/TDD

user 1

forward channel reverse channel

...
code

user n

forward channel reverse channel

t
Multiple Access Techniques in use

Multiple
Cellular System
Access
Technique
Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) FDMA/FDD
Global System for Mobile (GSM) TDMA/FDD
US Digital Cellular (USDC) TDMA/FDD
Digital European Cordless Telephone (DECT) FDMA/TDD
US Narrowband Spread Spectrum (IS-95) CDMA/FDD
Frequency division multiple access FDMA

• one phone circuit per channel

• idle time causes wasting of resources
• simultaneously and continuously
transmitting
• usually implemented in narrowband systems
• for example: in AMPS is a FDMA
bandwidth of 30 kHz implemented
 FDMA compared to TDMA
• fewer bits for synchronization
• fewer bits for framing
• higher cell site system costs
• higher costs for duplexer used in base station and subscriber
units
• FDMA requires RF filtering to minimize adjacent channel
interference
 Nonlinear Effects in FDMA
• many channels - same antenna
• for maximum power efficiency operate near saturation
• near saturation power amplifiers are nonlinear
• nonlinearities causes signal spreading
• intermodulation frequencies
 Nonlinear Effects in FDMA
• IM are undesired harmonics
• interference with other channels in the FDMA system
• decreases user C/I - decreases performance
• interference outside the mobile radio band: adjacent-channel
interference
• RF filters needed - higher costs
 Number of channels in a FDMA system

Bt - Bguard
N=
Bc

• N … number of channels
• Bt … total spectrum allocation
• Bguard … guard band
• Bc … channel bandwidth
 Example: Advanced Mobile Phone System

• AMPS
• FDMA/FDD
• analog cellular system
• 12.5 MHz per simplex band - Bt
• Bguard = 10 kHz ; Bc = 30 kHz

12.5E6 - 2*(10E3)
N= = 416
30E3
channels
 Time Division Multiple Access
• time slots
• one user per slot
• buffer and burst method
• noncontinuous transmission
• digital data
• digital modulation
Repeating Frame Structure
One TDMA Frame

Preamble Information Message Trail Bits

Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3 … Slot N

Trail Bits Sync. Bits Information Data Guard Bits

The frame is cyclically repeated over time.

 Features of TDMA
• a single carrier frequency for several users
• transmission in bursts
• low battery consumption
• handoff process much simpler
• FDD : switch instead of duplexer
• very high transmission rate
• high synchronization overhead
• guard slots necessary
 Number of channels in a TDMA system

m*(Btot - 2*Bguard)
N=
Bc
• N … number of channels
• m … number of TDMA users per radio channel
• Btot … total spectrum allocation
• Bguard … Guard Band
• Bc … channel bandwidth
Example: Global System for Mobile (GSM)

• TDMA/FDD
• forward link at Btot = 25 MHz
• radio channels of Bc = 200 kHz
• if m = 8 speech channels supported, and
• if no guard band is assumed :

N= 8*25E = 1000 simultaneous

6200E3 users
 Efficiency of TDMA
• percentage of transmitted data that contain information
• frame efficiency f
• usually end user efficiency < f ,
• because of source and channel coding
• How get f ?
Repeating Frame Structure
One TDMA Frame

Preamble Information Message Trail Bits

Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3 … Slot N

Trail Bits Sync. Bits Information Data Guard Bits

The frame is cyclically repeated over time.

Efficiency of TDMA

bOH = Nr*br + Nt*bp + Nt*bg + Nr*bg

• bOH … number of overhead bits
• Nr … number of reference bursts per frame
• br … reference bits per reference burst
• Nt … number of traffic bursts per frame
• bp … overhead bits per preamble in each slot
• bg … equivalent bits in each guard time
intervall
Efficiency of TDMA

bT = Tf * R

• bT … total number of bits per frame

• Tf … frame duration
• R … channel bit rate
Efficiency of TDMA

f = (1-bOH/bT)*100%

• f … frame efficiency
• bOH … number of overhead bits per frame
• bT … total number of bits per frame
Space Division Multiple Access

• Controls radiated energy for each user in space

• using spot beam antennas
• base station tracks user when moving
• cover areas with same frequency:
• TDMA or CDMA systems
• cover areas with same frequency:
• FDMA systems
Space Division Multiple Access

• primitive applications are

“Sectorized antennas”

• in future adaptive
antennas simultaneously
steer energy in the
direction of many users at
once
 Reverse link problems
• general problem
• different propagation path from user to base
• dynamic control of transmitting power from each user to the
base station required
• limits by battery consumption of subscriber units
• possible solution is a filter for each user
 Solution by SDMA systems
• adaptive antennas promise to mitigate reverse link problems
• limiting case of infinitesimal beamwidth
• limiting case of infinitely fast track ability
• thereby unique channel that is free from interference
• all user communicate at same time using the same channel
 Disadvantage of SDMA
• perfect adaptive antenna system: infinitely large antenna
needed
• compromise needed
SDMA and PDMA in satellites

• INTELSAT IVA
• SDMA dual-beam
receive antenna
• simultaneously access
from two different
regions of the earth
SDMA and PDMA in satellites

• COMSTAR 1
• PDMA
• separate antennas
• simultaneously
access from same
region
SDMA and PDMA in satellites

• INTELSAT V
• PDMA and SDMA
• two hemispheric
coverages by SDMA
• two smaller beam
zones by PDMA
• orthogonal
polarization
 Summary
• FDMA
• TDMA
• DUPLEXING
• SDMA
 Test your Understanding

1. Explain the concept of duplexing in wireless communication.

2. Compare Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) and Time Division Duplexing (TDD).
3. Explain the principle of TDMA.
4. Explain How the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) combines time division multiple access
with frequency division multiple access.

***Refer text book for more theory

 References
• “Wireless Communications – Andreas F. Molisch”