Ultra Mobile Broadband
Encyclopedia
UMB was the brand name for a project within 3GPP2 to improve the CDMA2000
mobile phone standard for next generation applications and requirements. In November 2008, Qualcomm
, UMB's lead sponsor, announced it was ending development of the technology, favoring LTE
instead.
Like LTE, the UMB system was to be based upon Internet (TCP/IP
) networking technologies running over a next generation radio system, with peak rates of up to 280 Mbit/s. Its designers intended for the system to be more efficient and capable of providing more services than the technologies it was intended to replace. To provide compatibility with the systems it was intended to replace, UMB was to support handoffs with other technologies including existing CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO systems. However 3GPP added this functionality to LTE, allowing LTE to become the single upgrade path for all wireless networks. No carrier had announced plans to adopt UMB, and most CDMA carriers in Australia, USA, Canada, China, Japan and South Korea have already announced plans to adopt either WiMAX
or LTE
as their pre-4G technology.
technology. These technologies use a high bandwidth, low latency, underlying TCP/IP
network with high level services such as voice built on top. Widespread deployment of 4G networks promises to make applications that were previously not feasible not only possible but ubiquitous. Examples of such applications include mobile high definition video
streaming and mobile online gaming
.
UMB's use of OFDMA would have eliminated many of the disadvantages of the CDMA technology used by its predecessor, including the "breathing" phenomenon, the difficulty of adding capacity via microcells, the fixed bandwidth sizes that limit the total bandwidth available to handsets, and the near complete control by one company of the required intellectual property.
CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is a family of 3G mobile technology standards, which use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. The set of standards includes: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A, and CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. B...
mobile phone standard for next generation applications and requirements. In November 2008, Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
, UMB's lead sponsor, announced it was ending development of the technology, favoring LTE
3GPP Long Term Evolution
3GPP Long Term Evolution, usually referred to as LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using new modulation techniques...
instead.
Like LTE, the UMB system was to be based upon Internet (TCP/IP
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
) networking technologies running over a next generation radio system, with peak rates of up to 280 Mbit/s. Its designers intended for the system to be more efficient and capable of providing more services than the technologies it was intended to replace. To provide compatibility with the systems it was intended to replace, UMB was to support handoffs with other technologies including existing CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO systems. However 3GPP added this functionality to LTE, allowing LTE to become the single upgrade path for all wireless networks. No carrier had announced plans to adopt UMB, and most CDMA carriers in Australia, USA, Canada, China, Japan and South Korea have already announced plans to adopt either WiMAX
WiMAX
WiMAX is a communication technology for wirelessly delivering high-speed Internet service to large geographical areas. The 2005 WiMAX revision provided bit rates up to 40 Mbit/s with the 2011 update up to 1 Gbit/s for fixed stations...
or LTE
3GPP Long Term Evolution
3GPP Long Term Evolution, usually referred to as LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using new modulation techniques...
as their pre-4G technology.
Summary
- OFDMAOFDMAOrthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access is a multi-user version of the popular Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing digital modulation scheme. Multiple access is achieved in OFDMA by assigning subsets of subcarriers to individual users as shown in the illustration below...
-based air interface - Frequency Division DuplexDuplex (telecommunications)A duplex communication system is a system composed of two connected parties or devices that can communicate with one another in both directions. The term multiplexing is used when describing communication between more than two parties or devices....
- Scalable bandwidth between 1.25-20 MHz (OFDMA systems are especially well suited for wider bandwidths larger than 5 MHz)
- Supports mixed cell sizes, e.g., macro-cellular, micro-cellularMicrocellA microcell is a cell in a mobile phone network served by a low power cellular base station , covering a limited area such as a mall, a hotel, or a transportation hub. A microcell is usually larger than a picocell, though the distinction is not always clear...
& pico-cellular. - IPInternet ProtocolThe Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
network architecture - Supports flat, centralized and mixed topologies
- Data speeds over 275 Mbit/s downstream and over 75 Mbit/s upstream
Features
- Significantly higher data rates & reduced latencies using FL advanced antenna techniques
- MIMOMIMOIn radio, multiple-input and multiple-output, or MIMO , is the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve communication performance. It is one of several forms of smart antenna technology...
, SDMASpace-division multiple accessSpace-Division Multiple Access is a channel access method based on creating parallel spatial pipes next to higher capacity pipes through spatial multiplexing and/or diversity, by which it is able to offer superior performance in radio multiple access communication systems...
and BeamformingBeamformingBeamforming is a signal processing technique used in sensor arrays for directional signal transmission or reception. This is achieved by combining elements in the array in a way where signals at particular angles experience constructive interference and while others experience destructive...
- MIMO
- Higher RL sector capacity with quasi-orthogonal reverse link
- Increased cell edge user data rates using adaptive interference management
- Dynamic fractional frequency reuse
- Distributed RL power control based on other cell interference
- Real time services enabled by fast seamless L1/L2 handoffs
- Independent RL & FL handoffs provide better airlink and handoff performance
- Power optimization through use of quick paging and semi-connected state
- Low-overhead signaling using flexible airlink resource management
- Fast access and request using RL CDMA control channels
- New scalable IP architecture supports inter-technology handoffs
- New handoff mechanisms support real-time services throughout the network and across different airlink technologies
- Fast acquisition and efficient multi-carrier operation through use of beacons
- Multi-carrier configuration supports incremental deployment & mix of low-complexity & wideband devices
Fourth-Generation Cellular Technology Benefits
UMB was intended to be a so-called fourth-generation4G
In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2009, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s...
technology. These technologies use a high bandwidth, low latency, underlying TCP/IP
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
network with high level services such as voice built on top. Widespread deployment of 4G networks promises to make applications that were previously not feasible not only possible but ubiquitous. Examples of such applications include mobile high definition video
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
streaming and mobile online gaming
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
.
UMB's use of OFDMA would have eliminated many of the disadvantages of the CDMA technology used by its predecessor, including the "breathing" phenomenon, the difficulty of adding capacity via microcells, the fixed bandwidth sizes that limit the total bandwidth available to handsets, and the near complete control by one company of the required intellectual property.
External links
- 3GPP2 Standards and specifications
- CDMA Development Group (CDG)
See also
- 3GPP2, CDMA2000CDMA2000CDMA2000 is a family of 3G mobile technology standards, which use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. The set of standards includes: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A, and CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. B...
- LTE - the predominant standard for pre-4G
- OFDM
- 4G4GIn telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2009, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s...
- Flash-OFDM
- WiMAXWiMAXWiMAX is a communication technology for wirelessly delivering high-speed Internet service to large geographical areas. The 2005 WiMAX revision provided bit rates up to 40 Mbit/s with the 2011 update up to 1 Gbit/s for fixed stations...