Network Time Synchronization in Time Division - LTE systems

Abstract

Network time synchronization is a requirement for TD-LTE systems to prevent multi-access and cross-slot interference. Network listening is a technique used for network time synchronization in femto cellular networks. However, femto BSs which use network listening technique for synchronization suffer from interference coming from neighboring femto BSs. In this thesis the possibility to coordinate the reception times of the non-synchronized femto BSs is investigated so as to combat the interference issues in network listening based synchronization for TD-LTE femto BSs. This coordination effectively reduces the interference among the non-synchronized femto BSs and thereby enables the network to converge to a common frame timing. Further coordinated reception is combined with and compared to coordinated transmission methods. Also a proof of concept implementation of a simple network time synchronization scheme based on network listening is done on a test bed with the help of Software Defined Radios (SDRs).