Enhanced physical downlink control channel in LTE advanced Release 11

As the capacity and performance of the LTE data channels are progressively improved, the downlink control channels can potentially become the bottleneck. To address this issue, an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) has been introduced in 3GPP LTE Release 11. The design goals of the EPDCCH include the ability to support increased downlink control channel capacity, beamforming and improved spatial reuse, and frequency-domain intercell interference coordination, while taking into account the coexistence with legacy terminals. This article explains the principles and considerations behind the EPDCCH design in Release 11, and describes the corresponding specification support.