5G • RAN

PDCCH

Physical Downlink Control Channel

Physical channel carrying Downlink Control Information (DCI) for scheduling, power control, and slot format.

Technical Explanation

PDCCH conveys DCI packets protected by Polar codes and scrambled with RNTIs. It consists of Control Channel Elements (CCEs), where each CCE contains 6 Resource Element Groups (REGs) of 1 PRB by 1 OFDM symbol (72 subcarriers). Aggregation levels 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 provide adaptive error protection.

Key Functions

  • Schedules downlink PDSCH data transmissions
  • Grants uplink PUSCH resources and triggers HARQ retransmissions
  • Conveys slot format indications and transmit power control commands
Specifications
3GPP TS 38.211, TS 38.212, TS 38.213
Interfaces
Uu

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