Rec. ITU-R M.1225
1
RECOMMENDATION  ITU-R  M.1225
GUIDELINES  FOR  EVALUATION  OF  RADIO  TRANSMISSION
TECHNOLOGIES  FOR  IMT-2000
(Question ITU-R 39/8)
(1997)
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Rec. ITU-R M.1225
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CONTENTS
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................
Scope..............................................................................................................................................................
Structure of the Recommendation..................................................................................................................
Related documents .........................................................................................................................................
Radio transmission technology considerations ..............................................................................................
Radio transmission technologies functional blocks ..........................................................................
5.1
Multiple access technology...............................................................................................
5.1.1
5.1.2
Modulation technology .....................................................................................................
Channel coding and interleaving.......................................................................................
5.1.3
Duplexing technology.......................................................................................................
5.1.4
Physical channel structure and multiplexing.....................................................................
5.1.5
5.1.6
Frame structure .................................................................................................................
5.1.7
RF channel parameters......................................................................................................
Other functional blocks.....................................................................................................................
5.2.1
Source coder .....................................................................................................................
Interworking......................................................................................................................
5.2.2
5.2
Technical characteristics chosen for evaluation .............................................................................................
6.1
Criteria for evaluation of radio transmission technologies ...............................................................
Spectrum efficiency ..........................................................................................................
6.1.1
Technology complexity – Effect on cost of installation and operation.............................
6.1.2
6.1.3
Quality ..............................................................................................................................
Flexibility of radio technologies .......................................................................................
6.1.4
Implication on network interface ......................................................................................
6.1.5
6.1.6
Handportable performance optimization capability..........................................................
Coverage/power efficiency ...............................................................................................
6.1.7
Selected test environments for evaluation......................................................................................................
Guidelines for evaluating the radio transmission technologies by independent evaluation groups ...............
Evaluation methodology ................................................................................................................................
Objective criteria ..............................................................................................................................
9.1
9.2
Subjective criteria .............................................................................................................................
Evaluation spreadsheet .....................................................................................................................
9.3
Summary evaluations........................................................................................................................
9.4
9.4.1
Methodology for summary criteria evaluations ................................................................
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Rec. ITU-R M.1225
Annex 1  –  Radio transmission technologies description template ..........................................................................
Annex 2  –  Test environments and deployment models...........................................................................................
Appendix 1 to Annex 2  –  Propagation models........................................................................................................
Appendix 2 to Annex 2  –  Computation of Doppler shift for satellites....................................................................
Annex 3  –  Detailed evaluation procedures..............................................................................................................
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1
Introduction
International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) are third generation mobile systems which are scheduled to
start service around the year 2000 subject to market considerations. They will provide access, by means of one or more
radio  links,  to  a  wide  range  of  telecommunication  services  supported  by  the  fixed  telecommunication  networks
(e.g. PSTN/ISDN), and to other services which are specific to mobile users.
A range of mobile terminal types is encompassed, linking to terrestrial and/or satellite based networks, and the terminals
may be designed for mobile or fixed use.
Key features of IMT-2000 are:
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high degree of commonality of design worldwide,
compatibility of services within IMT-2000 and with the fixed networks,
high quality,
use of a small pocket terminal with worldwide roaming capability.
IMT-2000  will  operate  worldwide  in  bands  identified  by  Radio  Regulations  provision  No. S5.388  (1 885-2 025  and
2 110-2 200 MHz, with the satellite component limited to 1 980-2 010 and 2 170-2 200 MHz). IMT-2000 are defined by a
set of interdependent ITU Recommendations, of which this Recommendation is a member.
It  is  a  design  objective  of  IMT-2000  that  the  number  of  radio  interfaces  should  be  minimal  and,  if  more  than  one
interface is required, that there should be a high degree of commonality between them. These radio interfaces will serve
the  radio  operating  environments  as  nominated  in  Recommendation  ITU-R  M.1034.  A  number  of  sets  of  radio
transmission technologies (SRTTs) may meet the requirements for the radio interfaces. This Recommendation contains
the procedure and criteria that will be used to evaluate candidate radio transmission technologies (RTTs).
The  subject  matter  of  IMT-2000  is  complex  and  its  representation  in  the  form  of  Recommendations  is  evolving.  To
maintain the pace of progress on the subject it is necessary to produce a sequence of Recommendations on a variety of
aspects.  The  recommendations  strive  to  avoid  apparent  conflicts  between  themselves.  Nevertheless,  future
Recommendations, or revisions, will be used to resolve any discrepancies.
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Scope
This Recommendation provides guidelines for both the procedure and the criteria to be used in evaluating RTTs for a
number of test environments. These test environments, defined herein, are chosen to simulate closely the more stringent
radio operating environments. The evaluation procedure is designed in such a way that the impact of the candidate RTTs
on  the  overall  performance  and  economics  of  IMT-2000  may  be  fairly  and  equally  assessed  on  a  technical  basis.  It
ensures that the overall IMT-2000 objectives are met.
The  Recommendation  provides,  for  proponents  and  developers  of  RTTs,  the  common  bases  for  the  submission  and
evaluation of RTTs and system aspects impacting the radio performance.
Rec. ITU-R M.1225
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This Recommendation allows a degree of freedom so as to encompass new technologies.
The  actual  selection  of  the  RTTs  for  IMT-2000  is  outside  the  scope  of  this  Recommendation.  It  deals  only  with  the
methodology for the technical evaluations that should be performed. The results of the evaluation are to be documented
in an evaluation report and submitted to the ITU-R.
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Structure of the Recommendation
Section  5  outlines  the  RTT  considerations  and  identifies  the  transmission  dependent  part  of  the  radio  interface
considered in the evaluation procedure. Section 6 defines the criteria for evaluating the RTTs and § 7 references the tests
environments under which the candidate RTTs are evaluated. Section 8 outlines the overall procedure for evaluating the
RTTs. Section 9 gives details on evaluation methodology.
The following Annexes form part of this Recommendation:
Annex 1:
Radio transmission technologies description template
Annex 2:
Test environments and deployment models
Annex 3:
Detailed evaluation procedures
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Related Documents
Recommendation ITU-R M.687
International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000)
Recommendation ITU-R M.816
Recommendation ITU-R M.818
Recommendation ITU-R M.819
Recommendation ITU-R M.1034
Recommendation ITU-R M.1035
Recommendation ITU-R M.1036
Recommendation ITU-R M.1079
Recommendation ITU-R M.1224.
ITU-T Recommendation G.174
ITU-T Recommendation F.115
Recommendation ITU-R M.1167
ITU-T Recommendation E.770
ITU-T Recommendation E.771
Framework  for  services  supported  on  International  Mobile
Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000)
Satellite 
Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000)
operation 
within 
International 
Mobile
International  Mobile  Telecommunications-2000  (IMT-2000)  for
developing countries
Requirements  for  the  radio  interface(s)  for  International  Mobile
Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000)
for 
the 
Framework 
radio  subsystem
functionality  for  International  Mobile  Telecommunications-2000
(IMT-2000)
interfaces  and 
radio 
Spectrum  considerations  for 
Mobile  Telecommunications-2000  (IMT-2000) 
1 885-2 025 MHz and 2 110-2 200 MHz
implementation  of  International
the  bands
in 
Speech  and  voiceband  data  performance 
International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000)
requirements 
for
Vocabulary of terms for International Mobile Telecommunications-
2000 (IMT-2000)
Transmission performance objectives for terrestrial digital wireless
systems using portable terminals to access the PSTN
Service  objectives  and  principles  for  Future  Public  Land  Mobile
Telecommunication Systems (FPLMTS)
Framework  for  the  satellite  component  of  International  Mobile
Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000)
Land  mobile  and  fixed  network  interconnection  traffic  grade  of
service concept
Network grade of service parameters and target values for circuit-
switched public land mobile services
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Radio transmission technology considerations
Rec. ITU-R M.1225
Within a telecommunication system (see Fig. 1), a RTT reflects the combination of technical choices and concepts that
allow  for  the  provision  of  a  radio  subsystem.  The  evaluation  process  for  candidate  IMT-2000  RTTs  will  involve
maximizing  the  transmission  independent  aspects  and  minimizing  the  differences  between  the  remaining  transmission
dependent parts in the various IMT-2000 operating environments from an implementation perspective.
Radio transmission technologies as part of a total telecommunication system
FIGURE 1
Telecommunication system
Total quality
management
Customer care
Environment,
 market
and regulations
Telecommunications
Management
Network
Market impact,
measurable performance,
customers perception,
environment impact
Network
infrastructure
Radio
transmission
technology
Radio transmission technology
Access
technology
Modulation
technology
Channel coding
and interleaving
RF-channel
parameters
Duplexing
technology
Frame structure
Physical channel
structure and
multiplexing
FIGURE 1225-01 = 16 CM
1225-01
Figure 2 presents an example of a layered structure of radio interface.
Rec. ITU-R M.1225
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FIGURE 2
Example of a layered structure of radio interface
Network layer containing:
call control, mobility management,
radio resource management
Layer 3
Link access control layer
Layer 2
Medium access control layer
Layer 1
Physical layer
Transmission independent
Transmission dependent
1225-02
FIGURE 1225-02 = 12 CM
As  shown  in  Fig. 3,  the  transmission  dependent  part  of  the  radio  interface  may  be  considered  as  a  set  of  functional
blocks. It should be noted that all these functional blocks are not necessarily transmission dependent in their entirety.
The functional blocks identified here are the following:
– multiple access technology,
– modulation technology,
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channel coding and interleaving,
RF-channel parameters such as bandwidth, allocation and channel spacing,
duplexing technology,
frame structure,
physical channel structure and multiplexing.
In the process of making design choices, the dependencies between the above functional blocks have to be considered.
Some of the interdependencies are shown in Fig. 3 and are further described in § 5.1.
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Rec. ITU-R M.1225
FIGURE 3
Functional blocks and their interdependencies 
Radio transmission technologies
Physical channel
definition and multiplexing
Frame
structure
Duplexing
technology
RF-channel
parameters
Multiple
access
technology
Modulation
technology
Synchronization requirements
Spectrum efficiency requirements
Source coder
Interworking
Channel coding
1225-03
FIGURE 1225-03 = 10 CM
5.1
Radio transmission technologies functional blocks
5.1.1
Multiple access technology
The choice of the multiple access technology has major impact on the design of the radio interface.
5.1.2
Modulation technology
The  choice  of  the  modulation  technology  depends  mainly  on  radio  environment  and  the  spectrum  efficiency
requirements.
5.1.3
Channel coding and interleaving
The choice of channel coding depends on the propagation environment and spectrum efficiency and quality requirements
of  the  various  services.  Applications  of  large  cells,  especially  in  case  of  satellite  component,  usually  require  more
powerful  channel  coding,  while  microcellular  systems,  used  in  a  pedestrian  environment,  may  allow  less  complex
channel coding. For the choice of the channel coding with or without interleaving, it may be desirable to have multiple
choices; each optimized to the appropriate service environment.
5.1.4
Duplexing technology
The choice of the duplexing technology mainly affects the choices of the RF-channel bandwidth and the frame length.
Duplexing  technology  may  be  independent  of  the  access  technology  since  for  example  either  frequency  division
duplex (FDD) or time division duplex (TDD) may be used with either TDMA or CDMA systems.
5.1.5
Physical channel structure and multiplexing
The physical channel is a specified portion of one or more radio frequency channels as defined in frequency, time and
code domain.
Rec. ITU-R M.1225
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5.1.6
Frame structure
The frame structure depends mainly on the multiple access technology (e.g. FDMA, TDMA, CDMA) and the duplexing
technology (e.g.  FDD,  TDD).  Commonality  should  be  maximised  by  maintaining  the  same  frame  structure  whenever
possible. That is, data fields identifying physical and logical channels, as well as the frame length should be maintained
when possible.
5.1.7
RF channel parameters
RF channel parameters include parameters such as bandwidth, allocation and channel spacing.
5.2
Other functional blocks
5.2.1
Source coder
The choice of the source coder may generally be made independently of the access method.
5.2.2
Interworking
The interworking function (IWF) converts standard data services to the rates used internally by the radio transmission
subsystem.  The  IWF  feeds  into  the  channel  coder  on  the  transmit  side  and  is  fed  from  the  channel  decoder  on  the
receiver side.
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Technical characteristics chosen for evaluation
As a radio interface is only one part of a system, the choice of a specific RTT (see Fig. 1), for the provision of a radio
interface for IMT-2000, requires consideration of the broad technical characteristics so as to cover the most important
aspects that may impact the economics and performance of the system.
For practical reasons, a limited set of these technical characteristics has been chosen. It by no means implies that other
(technical and non-technical) criteria are not relevant or significant. It is however believed that those essential system
aspects which are impacted by the RTTs are fairly covered with the selected technical characteristics.
Given the difficulties of predicting the future, in particular when dealing with technology, sufficient provision is also
made for a fair technical evaluation for all possible technologies, particularly new technologies. This is accomplished by
making sure that it is not only the technology itself which is evaluated but also its impact on the system performance and
economics.
6.1
Criteria for evaluation of radio transmission technologies
Each of the technical characteristics defined hereafter will be used as evaluation criterion and is further defined in the
specific technical attributes in Annex 3. The RTTs description template is given in Annex 1.
Some of the criteria such as coverage or spectrum efficiency are measurable and may be numerically evaluated. Specific
test scenarios are given in Annex 2 so as to enable the proponents and evaluators to calculate and verify the required
figures on a common and fair basis.
Other criteria such as flexibility are of a more subjective nature and need to be assessed qualitatively. Advantages and
drawbacks  of  the  proposed  technologies  are  to  be  given  and  commented  on  by  the  proponents  and  evaluators
considering the technical parameters that are judged relevant to the criterion. A list of technical parameters that will be
considered for each evaluation criterion, is given in Annex 3.
6.1.1
Spectrum efficiency
Optimum  use  of  the  radio  spectrum  is  of  great  importance  to  IMT-2000  radio  interfaces.  In  general  the  more
telecommunications traffic that can be handled at a given quality, for a given frequency band, the more efficiently the
spectrum is used. Evaluation of voice traffic capacity and information capacity should take into account frequency reuse
and signalling overhead, among other parameters, as noted in Annex 2.
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Rec. ITU-R M.1225
6.1.2
Technology complexity – Effect on cost of installation and operation
This criterion expresses the impact of a given RTT on complexity (and hence on cost) of implementation (equipment,
infrastructure, installation, etc.) i.e., the less complex the better. In order to achieve the minimum cost and best reliability
of equipment, the technologies selected should have a level of complexity consistent with the state of technology, the
desired  service  objectives  and  the  radio  environment.  Some  technologies  have  several  possible  methods  of
implementation which allow a compromise between complexity/cost and performance.
The installed and ongoing cost of IMT-2000 is influenced by both the transmission technology and the level of quality
and  reliability.  At  a  given  quality  level,  it  is  impacted  by  the  complexity  of  the  radio  hardware,  the  other  necessary
network infrastructures, and the ongoing operational aspects of IMT-2000.
6.1.3
Quality
Most of the quality parameters which are dealt with in other Recommendations are minimum requirements which must
be  met  and  are  not  to  be  treated  in  the  evaluation  process.  RTTs  will  be  evaluated  on  the  impact  of  transmission
processing  delay  on  the  end-to-end  delay,  expected  average  bit  error  ratio  (BER)  under  the  stated  test  conditions,  on
their  maximum  supportable  bit  rate  under  specified  conditions  and  their  overall  ability  to  minimise  circuit  disruption
during handover. In addition, they will be evaluated on their ability to sustain quality under certain extreme conditions
such as system overload, hardware failures, interference, etc.
6.1.4
Flexibility of radio technologies
This criterion is of utmost importance for IMT-2000 operators. IMT-2000 systems will have to be flexible in terms of
deployment, service provision, resource planning and spectrum sharing. Among the items that need to be considered are:
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ability to balance capacity versus RF signal quality as long as minimum performance requirements are met;
adaptability of system(s) to different and/or time-varying propagation and traffic environments;
ease of radio resource management;
ability to accommodate fixed wireless access (FWA) architecture;
ease  of  service  provision  including  variable  bit  rate  capability,  packet  data  mode  transmission  and  simultaneous
transmission of voice and non-voice services;
and for terrestrial considerations:
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ability to accommodate mixed-cell (pico, micro, macro, and mega) architecture;
suitability  for  multiple  operators  in  the  same/overlapping  service  areas.  RTTs  will  be  compared  based  on  their
ability to:
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efficiently share a common spectrum allocation;
share network infrastructures (for example in areas of low subscriber density);
provide for handover between systems run by different operators.
6.1.5
Implication on network interface
It  is  desirable  to  minimise  the  impact  of  the  radio  subsystems  on  fixed  network  interfaces.  The  choice  of  RTTs  may
affect  both  the  actual  network  interfaces  required  in  IMT-2000  for  multi-environment  operation  and  the  information
passed  over  them.  The  need  for  synchronization  between  base  stations  (BSs)  and  between  systems  sharing  common
location and spectrum may be different. The requirements placed on the networks by the handover procedure may be
different.  Cross-environment  operation,  e.g.  PSTN  to  wireless  PBX  call  transfer,  may  require  additional  PSTN
functionality. In particular, the number of signalling messages, the actual switching requirements, and the transmission
capacity from BSs to switches may be different. RTTs should be evaluated based on the implications they impose on
fixed network interfaces.