Reverse DRC channel performance analysis for 1xEV-Do: third generation high-speed wireless data systems

In systems based on the 1xEV-Do standard (also known as IS-856), the access terminal (AT) measures the channel condition and reports it through the reverse-link data rate control (DRC) channel to accommodate asymmetric high-speed forward-link data traffic. Although a high DRC rate can provide better forward-link channel estimation, resulting in a more accurate channel assignment, the rise in generated noise on the reverse link degrades the reverse-link capacity. To understand the impact on forward-link and reverse-link capacity, link-level simulations were performed to determine the required E_b/N₀ for a given slot-error-rate criterion in the DRC channel. The tradeoff between the erasure rate and the required E_b/N₀ in the DRC channel was also determined based on a simple DRC threshold setting mechanism. For different DRC lengths, the impact on the forward-link and the reverse-link throughputs is discussed.