UMTS/HSPA and LTE cellular systems: On the frequency bands and the bit error rate

Two important aspects about UMTS/HSPA (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service/High Speed Packet Access) and LTE (Long Term Evolution) systems are analyzed. First, an analysis of the frequency bands allocated in Ecuador for the cellular systems is made. Then, expressions for the mean bit error rate in a AWGN channel and the presence of co-channel interference is carried out both for WCDMA (Wideband - Code Division Multiple Access) and OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access). Because the necessity of support the increase of traffic due to the emergence of new mobile broadband services, the deployment of LTE networks is necessary. Hence, in Ecuador, new spectrum bands were allocated to the cellular systems. Initially, the bands of 850 MHz and 1900 MHz were available for GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), EDGE (Enhanced Date Rates For GSM Evolution) and UMTS/HSPA techniques. Nowadays, the country also has the bands of 700 MHz, 1700-2100 MHz (AWS - Advanced Wireless Services) and 2.5 GHz to deploy cellular systems. Also, it is shown that WCDMA provides higher immunity against the co-cell interference, but due to the computational simplicity of the OFDMA technique, it is employed in the new cellular systems.