5G • RAN
SCell
Secondary Cell
Additional component carrier configured to provide extra radio bandwidth for a UE in Carrier Aggregation.
Technical Explanation
An SCell provides additional downlink and/or uplink capacity under the control of the PCell. SCells are dynamically activated and deactivated via MAC Control Elements (SCell Activation/Deactivation MAC CE) based on instantaneous data buffer volume, allowing battery savings when full capacity is unneeded.
Key Functions
- Provides supplementary radio bandwidth on secondary carrier frequencies
- Activated and deactivated dynamically via MAC Control Elements
- Scheduled either directly via self-scheduling or via cross-carrier scheduling
Specifications
3GPP TS 38.300, TS 38.321
Interfaces
Uu
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