PN Offset in CDMA

Offset is one of the 512 short code sequences used to differentiate sectors on base stations for communication with mobile units. PN stands for pseudo random noise that appears in a repetitive manner. The PN sequence forms a “short” code that is 32,768 chips in length and repeats every 26.666 milliseconds. This short code is combined with the data and transmitted in each of the forward channels. 512 points within the sequence have been selected as the PN offsets (from 0-511). Each base station uses a different point in the sequence to create a unique PN offset or identifier in its pilot signal which can be used to identify the base station sector.

For CDMA networks, the most common form of interference is pilot pollution. Each base-station sector is assigned an identifier called a PN offset, which is a timing offset based on the GPS even-second clock. Since each base station assigned to a particular frequency carrier operates at the same center frequency, the PN offset is used to distinguish base stations from one another.

When a CDMA phone searches for the strongest base-station signal, it identifies the PN offset of each signal it receives. It only looks for PNs for which the network tells it to search. This list of PNs, the neighbor list, constantly is changing since it depends on the phone's current location. Pilot pollution occurs when the CDMA mobile phone's rake receiver receives more than three (four for newer phones) pilot signals having approximately the same Ec/Io relative power levels.

Each base station sector in a cdmaOne network may transmit on the same frequency, using the same group of 64 Walsh codes for pilot, paging, sync and forward traffic channels. Therefore, another layer of coding is required so that a mobile phone can differentiate one sector from another.

The PN offset plays a key role in this code layer. The abbreviation “PN” stands for pseudo-random noise – a long bit sequence that appears to be random when viewed over a given period of time, but in fact is repetitive. In cdmaOne transmissions, the entire PN sequence is defined to form a short code that is 32,768 chips in length and repeats once every 0.027 seconds. The short code is exclusive OR’d with the data and transmitted in each of the forward channels (pilot, paging, sync, and traffic). Within the 32,768 chip sequence, 512 points have been chosen to provide PN offsets. Each base station transceiver uses a different point in the sequence to create a unique PN offset to the short code in its forward link data. As a result, a mobile phone can identify each base station sector by the PN offset in the received signal.

Each base station transmits a version of the long code that is shifted in time by a different multiple of the chip time. The PN offset represents the number of chip times by which a particular base station delays transmission of the long code. The cellular telephone receives the long code offset when the cellular telephone enters a cell or powers on, and stores the PN offset in a nonvolatile portion of memory.