BWP

Technical Explanation

In 5G NR, a single carrier can be up to 100 MHz (FR1) or 400 MHz (FR2). Since wideband RF transceivers consume significant battery power, 5G introduces Bandwidth Parts (BWP). A UE can be configured with up to 4 DL BWPs and 4 UL BWPs, with only one active BWP at any time. When low data rates are needed, the network switches the UE to a narrow 10 MHz BWP to save power. When high data bursts are required, it switches the UE to a wide 100 MHz BWP. Each BWP has its own subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix.

Key Functions

• Drastic reduction of UE RF power consumption
• Enabling low-cost/narrowband devices on wideband 5G carriers
• Dynamic adaptation of numerology (e.g. 15 kHz for voice, 30 kHz for data)
• Fast switching triggered via Downlink Control Information (DCI) on PDCCH