Some Question Answer of 3G

1. If a UE is on a data call (CELL-DCH state) and there is in no activity for awhile

what would you expect to see occur?
UE should go from CELL-DCH to CELL-FACH then if still no activity to either CELL-
PCH or URA-PCH (via CELL-FACH). If they talk about inactivity timers and mention
that the state goes from CELL-DCH straight to CELL-PCH or URA-PCH that is also
possible. Bonus they say they would see RADIO BEARER RECONFIGURATION
messages when the states are changing.
2. Explain the concept of a Monte Carlo Simulation for UMTS Design.
This is a simulator that randomly distributes terminals/users geographically onto the
network and then checks the link budget for each terminal/connection to see if they
can successfully connect or not. The simulator modifies parameters such has UE Tx
Power, BTS Tx Power, requested bearer (in the case that multiple bearers could
support the same service) when checking if a connection can be made. In every
snapshot the simulator runs through the list of terminals/connections and attempts
to make them all connect successfully, it starts a new snapshot when the number of
successful connections converges. The process then starts on a new snapshot.
3. In what cases is Open Loop Power Control used?
This is a simulator that randomly distributes terminals/users geographically onto the
network and then checks the link budget for each terminal/connection to see if they
can successfully connect or not. The simulator modifies parameters such has UE Tx
Power, BTS Tx Power, requested bearer (in the case that multiple bearers could
support the same service) when checking if a connection can be made. In every
snapshot the simulator runs through the list of terminals/connections and attempts
to make them all connect successfully, it starts a new snapshot when the number of
successful connections converges. The process then starts on a new snapshot.
4. Explain Inner and Outer loop power control and who controls them.
If they start talking about Open and Closed Loop PC, tell them you want Inner/Outer
Closed Loop PC. Inner loop power control is performed by the NodeB to set the
transmit power of the UE and BTS to compensate for signal variations due to fading
or path loss to maintain the set SIR (occurs up to 1500 times per sec). Outer loop
power control is performed by the RNC to set the target SIR based on the required
BER/BLER for the requested services (occurs up to 100 times per sec).
5. In HSDPA, how does the network manage the throughput on the Radio Interface
for a user/ connection?
Modulation (16QAM, QPSK etc), Coding (convolution coding, fire codes etc), number
of codes allocated and scheduling (it's a shared resource)
6. Depending on the RF conditions, what can the network do to manage call quality?
AMR - for good conditions use codec will low redundancy/overhead; for poor
conditions use codec with lower bit rate requirement but higher overhead, stronger
coding and more redundancy.
7. What is the typical/most common bit rate that a voice call uses?
They should say 12.2kbps but may be different if they start talking about AMR and
the different rates then the know more. Prod them to see if they know the Spreading
Factor (SF) used for the radio bearer, should be 128
8. In Release '99, how does the network manage the throughput on the Radio
Interface for a user/connection?
This question is a little harder to ask, so you may need to work it differently a few
times. Perhaps leading questions could be: What
parameter/configuration does the network change on the air interface What you are
trying to hear from the candidate is that the network assigns a radio bearer with a
channelization code with a spreading factor that matches the requested service
maximum bit rate.
9. Name the 4 RRC Connected Modes (states) and describe the characteristics of
each.
Cell-DCH: UE has been allocated a dedicated physical channel in uplink and
downlink.
Cell-FACH: UE listens to RACH channel (DL) and is allocated a FACH channel (UL).
Small amounts of UL/DL data can be transfers in this state. The RNC tracks the UE
down to the cell level and cell reselections are possible with the CELL UPDATE
message.
Cell-PCH: UE monitors (using discontinuous reception) a PCH channel (PCH)
indicated by the PICH channel. The RNC tracks the UE down to the cell level and cell
reselections are possible with the CELL UPDATE message. No data can be
transferred in the UL in this state.
URA-PCH: UE monitors (using discontinuous reception) a PCH channel (PCH)
indicated by the PICH channel. The RNC tracks the UE down to the URA level.
10. What is compressed mode, what is it's function, and what impact does it have on
the network?
Compressed mode is when the mobile goes into a slotted transmit mode whereby it
opens up an idle period (transmission gap) where it can monitor another carrier or
technology (GSM). The impact is that to maintain the same bit rate, it halves the SF,
and therefore increases power level causing higher interference to the network. If the
SF cannot be halved then the bit rate of the bearer decreases. If they seem
knowledgably, ask them if they know what messages and events trigger and configure
compressed mode on/off. 2D event for on, 2F for off. Messages would for
configuration would be RADIO BEARER RECONFIGURATION, TRANSPORT
CHANNEL RECONFIGFURATION or PHYSICAL CHANNEL RECONFIGURATION.
11. What are the general triggers for an iRAT handover?
Ec/Io of best cell below a certain threshold (usually around -16 to -18 dB) or RSCP of
best cell below a certain threshold (usually around -100 dBm).
12. What would you define as a pilot polluter?
Many definitions: A cell that has high signal strength at a location but is not part of
the active set. A cell that meets the criteria for addition into the Active Set but can not
enter because the active set is full.
13. What is typically the requirements (criteria) for a cell to be
added/removed/replaced to/from/in the active set?
For addition (Event 1a), candidate cell needs to have an Ec/Io value that is within a
T_ADD threshold of the primary/reference (usually the best) cell for a specify time
hysteresis. For removal (event 1b), cell needs to have Ec/Io lower than T_DROP
margin for a specific time hysteresis. For replacement (event 1c), cell needs to have
an Ec/Io better than the worst cell in the active set by the T_REPLACE and for a
specific time hysteresis.
14. What is the typical maximum active set size and what needs to be considering
when setting this?
3 to 4 cells, the larger the active set size the more likely it is that Iub link efficiency is
reduced (more than one resource for a single connection due to SHO).
15. In the Link Budget, what is a Shadow Fade Margin for and what factors does it
depend on?
The shadow fade margin is dependent on the target percentage area coverage, the
propagation model, and the standard deviation of the lognormal shadowing (usually
the same as the model's standard deviation if the fast fading effects are removed).
The Shadow Fade Margin is a added margin placed in the link budget such that a
guaranteed level of service can be offered "in the worst case".
16. What would the call flow be for a Mobile Originated Call (major RRC messages)?
RRC Connect Request -> RRC Connection Setup -> RRC Setup Complete -> (SETUP,
authentication encryption, TMSI reallocation etc) -> CALL PROCEEDING-> Radio
Bearer Setup -> Radio Bearer Setup Complete -> ALERT -> CONNECT ->
CONNECT ACK ->DISCONNECT -> RELEASE.
17. How would you find such cells from a planning tool and from a drive test tool?
Ignoring low signal conditions, if the best cell RSCP is greater than say -85dBm and
there are cells not in the active set but are strong enough to be in the active set then
they are candidate for pilot polluters. Looking at cells that have a high noise rise,
high amount of traffic compared to surrounding cells, may also indicate a pilot
polluter. Areas with high Signal strength for the (Active Set Size + 1) best pilot (like
the 4th best pilot if AS size is 3). In DTT, areas with poor Ec/Io but good RSCP, in the
monitored set contains a cell with a good Ec/Io but cannot enter the AS because it is
full. Areas where scanner shows a strong signal for a far away cell.
18. What is the major difference in link budgets between UMTS and GSM/TDMA?
In UMTS you generally have a link budget for each service (voice, data, video etc), in
GSM you usually only use 1 for voice. Each service has a different Eb/No target. In
UMTS you have to consider the target traffic load you will have and add a noise-rise
margin, in GSM you may have a slight interference margin but not normally related
to traffic. In UMTS some services (like voice) will show up as uplink limited but other
services (like HSDPA, 384kbps service) will show as downlink limited. In UMTS you
usually have to consider that all users use the same power from the BTS therefore the
more number of users the lower the maximum power available per user (maximum
power per connection) which is a starting point in the link budget.
19. What is an active set, monitor set and detected set?
Active Set: the set of cells with which the UE is currently connected/communicating
with; Drive test usually show them as SC or Pilots but they are actually cells;
Monitored Set: Cells that the UE has detected and is monitoring and are known to
the network, they either don't meet the criteria or the active set is full; Detected Set -
Cells that the UE has detected but are not known to the network as yet (missing
neighbor likely).
20. Explain the different Handover types in UMTS.
Soft(er) Handover: connected to more than one cell on the same frequency, softer
occurs when 2 cells in the active set belong to same Node-B; Intra-frequency Hard
Handover: Occurs when UE moves from one cell in one RNC to a cell in another RNC
and the RNCs do not have an Iur link between each other; Inter-Frequency Hard
Handover: when UE changes from one frequency to another frequency (usually due
to traffic layer management or Quality reasons);Inter-technology (iRAT) Hard
Handover: Handover from UMTS to GSM (v.v.) usually at the edge of UMTS service
area but also due to quality reasons.
21. Explain the concept of Cell Breathing. How is the accounted for in the link
Budget?
Io or No (the interference part of Ec/Io and Eb/No) increase as the traffic on the
network increases since everyone is using the same frequency. Therefore as Io or No
increases the UE or BTS needs to use more power to maintain the same Eb/No or
Ec/Io. When the power required is more than the maximum power allowed, the
connection cannot be made. Users at the cell edge are usually the first to lose service;
hence the service area of a cell shrinks. As traffic decreases the reverse happens and
the service area increases. They should say that it is accounted for in the Noise Rise
Margin found in the Link Budget.
22. What does the scrambling code do and function?
Scrambling Code makes it possible for the UE to distinguish the transmissions from
different cells/NodeBs. Bonus if he knows there are 512 primary scrambling codes
and that the are broken up to 64 groups of 8 codes each.
23. What does channelization codes do and function?
Channelization codes are used for spreading and dispreading of the signals, they also
create the "channels" making it possible to distinguish between
users/connections/channels. Bonus if they know that they have an associated
Spreading Factor and are allocated depending on the bandwidth required by the
service.
2G Optimization
Low Signal Strength Analysis
lets starts todays topic that is Low signal strength analysis
What could be the probable cause of low signal while you drive or optimize.
First see the following flow chat and try to understand the things


Remember that
Low Signal strength is one of the reason of drop call. It can
be indicated by many calls disconnected at low signal
strength by subscriber, drop calls due to excessive TA,
poor handover performance and poor call setup
performance.
What could be the probable reasons
Probable Reason
Poor BSC
Exchange
Property
setting
High LOWSSDL & LOWSSUL
will give more drop reason
due to SS and this might not
show the actual drop. It is
because drop due to SS is
more priority than Quality.
No dominant
cell
Cell might be isolated or
standalone.
Antenna tilt &
orientation
Too much downtilt sometimes
might not cover a larger area
and the subscriber might lose
the SS.
Output Power Low output power might
cause smaller border cell.
Just try to observed what could be the right cause :-

The following procedure should be performed for low
signal strength
analysis:
1:
Identify the baseline requirement of design and BSC exchange property
(setting for LOWSSUL/LOWSSDL).
2:
Check the value for LOWSSDL & LOWSSUL. If it is higher than ACCMIN,
change the parameter to a reasonable value since the drop reason will be
more priority to SS compared to Quality.
3:
Check the site position, antenna direction, position etc. This is to ensure the
possible location is open to interference (open water environment) or
isolated. Good map is needed for this.
4:
Check if the site is sectorized or Omni. If it is Omni, set the cell into
sectorized cell.
5:
Check if the signal strength is uplink or downlink limited. Mostly, It is
designed to be downlink limited.
6:
Check the coverage cover expected area from the planet. If it is not, check
the antenna tilt and orientation. Change the direction or tilt if it is too much
downtilt or pointing to a wrong direction.
7:
Sometime, low output power might cause low SS. Check output power and
if it is low, increase the output power.
8:
Check cell whether it has hotspots from drivetests. If found, adding new site
is recommend.
9:
In order to check power distribution, run Cell Traffic Recording (CTR) to
that particular cell.
10:
Check if the cell has indoor coverage problem. If yes, add micro site instead.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TCH Assignment Analysis

Successful assignments show the number of successful TCH allocations at
call setup.
At unsuccessful assignment, the Assignment Complete message, sent by the
MS, was never received by the BTS.
The formula is defined as:
% TCH
ASSIGNMENT
SUCCESS RATE
= TFCASSALL X 100 %
TASSATT
Probable Reason
No dominant
serving cell
The serving cell cannot cope with the
TCH traffic.
Severe congestion
on TCH
Failing TCH allocation for assignment
or handover due to congestion
Low signal strength
for call access
The signal strength might be higher on
the BCCH than on the TCH.
Interference Disturbance on SDCCH or target TCH
Faulty transceiver Faulty equipment

The following procedure should be performed for TCH
Assignment analysis:
1: For TCH assignment success rate, the first thing, check the TCH Time
Congestion.
2: If there is congestion on TCH, it is recommend doing the dimensioning
and adding TRU based on carried TCH traffic demand.
3: If there is no congestion on TCH, check the output power of the BTS. If
the output power is low, increase the output power.
4: If the output power is ok, check the faulty BTS by extracting BTS error
log.
5: If hardware fault found, swap or repair HW.
Perform drivetests to check the coverage and received RxLEV.
6: If no dominant cell or similar signal strengths of a few cells found during
drivetests, it is recommended to add BTS.
7: If there is no problem on the dominant cell, check the interference
whether co-channel or adjacent channel.
8: Check the disturbance whether it is on SDCCH or target TCH. If
disturbance found, improve the frequency plan.
Mostly, the problems of low TCH assignment are TCH
availability and interference.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interference Analysis

The following procedure should be performed for interference analysis:
Check the drop call performance for that particular cell. When the interference problem occurs in the
cell, the drop call will be higher than usual. This might depends on the severity of the interference
whether it is co-channel or adjacent channel.
Check the handover performance of the cell. The HO performance will also look bad especially when
you look into the neighbor relation that has interference. For e.g. adjacent channel. (CNA consistency
checking can detect this)
Check the antenna direction, position etc. This is to see whether the direction covers the right area,
open space area (this can be seen by having good and updated map)
Check if the site is a dragon site. If the site is a dragon site, it might be possible to get interfered by co-
channel from far away.
Check the co-channel sites, if found, change frequency and see the result. Mostly, changing the
frequency will solve the interference problem.
Check the Intracell handover (normally for Intracell handover 25% Uplink and 75% Downlink) and if
the variation is different from this. Intracell handover usually indicates bad quality and high signal
strength. Too high number of intracell handover show a bad quality cell and if possible, you can
reduce the number of intracell handover of MAXIHO to a smaller value based on the channel group.
Locate the interference from statistics based on MS reversion to old channel of total attempt. High
number of reversion will show that the target frequency might be interfered.
Check the statistics from Outgoing Handover decision due to bad quality Uplink or Downlink from
handover decision. High decision of handover due to quality will show the direction of interference.
Check if the interference is uplink interference (this might be an interference from other MSs) by
analyze the ICM band for other band (not include band 1). If found on ICM > 3, change frequency.
Check the MS power regulation setting. If any poor setting found, correct the parameter. Improper
setting of MS power regulation might cause interference. The feature used to reduce the MS power
when the MS is near to the BTS and hoping that it might not interfere the uplink.
Check if the frequency hopping on or off. If more than 1 TRU, turn on the frequency hopping. Turning
on the frequency will help to reduce interference by interference averaging.
Check if DTXU feature is on or off. If off, turn the DTX feature on. This will save the battery in the MS
and reduce the interference.
If the interference is downlink (causing by other BTS interference), Check BTS power regulation. If
any poor setting found, correct parameter setting.
Check if DTXD feature is on or off. If off, turn the DTX feature on. This is used to reduce interference
and decrease BTS power consumption
If changing frequency or parameter cannot solve the interference for both uplink & downlink, it might
be external interference.
Check antenna installation, ensure that the antenna is correctly installed
Check if another mobile network like AMPS is near to the location.
Check from the statistics if there is any pattern of bad quality reason. For example, for surveillance
purpose, the CCTV or wireless alarm system might be turn on during nighttime only.
If external interference problem occurs, do drive test and report the usage of the frequency to
authorities.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congestion Analysis

Hi all
This is second topic for today that is "Congestion Analysis" a well known
word for Telecom professionals .

Traffic congestion is one of the major network problems in a mobile system.
A high congestion deteriorates the overall performance of the network and
should be minimized.
1: Short term growth
If the high traffic related to an occasional event, like sports event, fairs,
conference, a temporary solution might be considered.
2: Long term growth
If there is a long-term growth the network capacity has to grow according to
the demand.
Type of Congestion
The congestion analysis begins by identifying if there is only SDCCH or
TCH congestion or both. Congestion on both SDCCH and TCH may mean
that the only way to get rid of the congestion is to add more physical
capacity in terms of transceivers or sites.
Consider how many channels that are allocated in the cell. If possible,
expand the capacity with new transceivers, otherwise a new site must be
implemented. Frequency planning schemes such as MRP and FLP could be
used to relieve congestion. Microcells could be used to take traffic in severe
congested areas.
SDCCH Congestion
In R8, the time congestion should be used instead of congestion based on
access attempts as there is no way to estimate the number of access
attempts a single mobile does.

The flowchart below, explains a general approach to investigate SDCCH
Congestion. The next section describes the action points in this flowchart.
The reference to each action point is indicated on the flow chart as well.




TCH Drop Analysis
1. Radio Link Time-Out
Every time a SACCH message can not be decoded the radio link time-out
counter is decreased by 1. If the message can be decoded the counter is
incremented by 2. However, the value can not exceed the initial value. The
initial value is set by the parameter RLINKT for radio link time-out in the
mobile station and by RLINKUP for timeout in the BSC. If the mobile
moves out of coverage and no measurement reports are received in the
BSC, there will be a radio link time-out and the message Channel Release
(cause: abnormal release, unspecified) is sent to the mobile station and the
SACCH is deactivated in the BTS. A Clear Request message is sent to the
MSC. To be sure that the mobile has stopped transmitting, the BSC now
waits RLINKT SACCH periods before the timeslot is released and a new call
can be established on the channel.

2. Layer 2 Time-Out
If the BTS never get an acknowledge on a Layer 2 message after the time
T200XN200, the BTS will send Error Indication (cause: T200 expired) to
the BSC, which will send Channel Release (cause: abnormal release, timer
expired) to the mobile station and a Clear Request to the MSC. The SACCH
is deactivated and the BSC waits RLINKT SACCH periods before the
timeslot is released and a new call can use the channel. This is only valid if
the call is in steady state, i.e. not during handover or assignment.


3. Release Indication
When the BTS received a layer 2 DISC frame from the mobile it replies with
a Layer 2 UA frame to the mobile station and a Release Indication to the
BSC. The system does only react on Release Indication if it is received
during a normal disconnection situation. If such a message is received
unexpectedly this will usually cause radio link time-out or timer T200
expiration as the mobile station stops the transmitting of measurement
reports. It is also possible that the release will be normal depending on
when the Release Indication is received.
4. MSC Time-Out
Normal Release:
If the MSC never received a response on a message (e.g. Identity Request)
and there is no radio link time-out or layer 2 time-out, the MSC will send a
Clear Command to the BSC. The time-out is depending on the message.
When receiving Clear Command, the BSC will send a Channel Release
(cause: normal release) and then deactivates the SACCH.
Reject (only SDCCH):
If the MSC never receives a response on the first message after Establish
Indication, the MSC will send a reject message. If the connection was a
Location Update it will be a Location Update Reject (cause: network
failure) and if the connection was a mobile originating call (CM Service
Request) a CM Service Reject (cause: network failure) will be sent. The
MSC will then send a Clear Command to the BSC and the call is cleared by
Channel Release (cause: normal release).
5. Assignment to TCH
Before sending an Assignment Command from the BSC at TCH assignment,
the following two criterion have to be fulfilled:
a. There must be a TCH channel available, i.e. no congestion
b. The locating algorithm must have received at least one valid
measurement report.
If either of the criterion is not fulfilled, Assignment Command will not be
sent and a Channel Release (cause: abnormal release, unspecified) will be
sent to the mobile station and a Clear Request to the MSC.
TCH Drop reason (1)
The classification of TCH Drop Reasons are arranged in the order of
priority:
1.ExcessiveTiming Advance
2.Low Signal Strength
3.Bad Quality
4.Sudden Loss of Connection
5.Other Reasons

Excessive Timing Advance
The TCH Drop counters due to Excessive Timing Advance will pegged when
the during the time of disconnection, the last Timing Advance value
recorded was higher than the TALIM Parameter. This drop reason is
commonly apparent to isolated or island sites with a wide coverage area.
Action:
Check if the cell parameter TALIM is < "63" Solution:
Set TALIM to a value close to 63.
Tilt antenna/reduce antenna height/output power, etc. for co-channel cells.


TCH Drop Reasons (2)
Low Signal Strength on Down or Uplink or Both Links
The drops counters due to Low Signal Strength will be pegged when the
Signal Strength during the last Measurement Report before the call
dropped is below the LOWSSDL and/or LOWSSUL Thresholds. LOWSSDL
and LOWSSUL are BSC Exchange Property parameters which is used only
for statistics purposes and does not affect the behavior of calls. If both UL
and DL Signal Strength are below the thresholds, only Drop due to Low SS
BL will pegged. Normally a call is dropped at the border of large rural cell
with insufficient coverage. Bad tunnel coverage cause many dropped calls
as well as so called coverage holes. Bad indoor coverage will result in
dropped calls. Building shadowing could be another reason.

Action:
Check coverage plots.
Check output power.
Check power balance and link budget.
Check if Omni site.
Check antenna configuration & type.
Check antenna installation.
Perform drive tests & site survey.
Check TRX/TS with high CONERRCNT.

Solution:
Add a repeater to increase coverage in for example a tunnel.
Change to a better antenna (with higher gain) for the base station.
Add a new base station if there are large coverage holes.
Block/Deblock TRX

TCH Drop Reasons (3)
Poor Quality on Down or Uplink or Both Links
The drops counters due to Bad Quality will be pegged when the Signal
Strength during the last Measurement Report before the call dropped is
above the BADQDL and/or BADQUL Thresholds. BADQDL and BADQUL
(expressed in DTQU) are BSC Exchange Property parameters which is used
only for statistics purposes and does not affect the behavior of calls. If both
UL and DL Quality are above the thresholds, only Drop due to BAD Quality
BL will pegged.
Problem on Bad Quality is usually associated with Co-channel Interference
on BCCH or TCH. Faulty MAIO assignment can cause frequency collisions
on co-sited cells especially on 1x1 Reuse. External interference is also one
possible cause of problem on quality.

Action:
Check C/I and C/A plots.
Check Frequency Plan (Co-BCCH or Co-BSIC Problem).
Check MAIO, HOP, HSN parameters.
Check FHOP if correctly configured (BB or SY).
Check for External Interference.
Perform drive tests.

Solution:
Change BCCH frequency.
Change BSIC.
Change MAIO, HOP, HSN.
Change FHOP.
Record RIR or on-site Frequency Scanning to identify source of
interference.
Use available radio features.

TCH Drop Reasons (4)
Sudden Loss of Connection
Drops due to Sudden Loss are drops that have not been registered as low
signal strength, excessive timing advance, bad quality or hardware (other)
reasons, and the locating procedure indicates missing measurement results
from the MS.
There are some common scenarios that could lead to Sudden Loss of
connections such as very sudden and severe drops in signal strength, such
as when subscribers enter into buildings, elevators, parking garages, etc.,
very sudden and severe occurrence of interference, MS runs out of battery
during conversation, Handover Lost, BTS HW faults, Synchronization or A-
bis link fault (transmission faults), and
MS Faults.

Action:
Check BTS Error Logs, Alarms and Fault Codes.
Check CONERRCNT per TRX and TS.
Check Transmission Link (A-bis).
Check for DIP Slips.
Check LAPD Congestion.
Correlate Handover Lost to Drops due to Sudden Loss

Solution:
Fix Hardware Faults and Alarms.
Reset TRX with high CONERRCNT.
Ensure that Synchronization and A-bis Link are stable.
Change RBLT with high DIP Slips.
Change CONFACT or increase Transmission Capacity
Investigate HO Lost Problem

TCH Drop Reasons (5)
TCH Drops due to Other Reasons
TCH drops due to Other Reasons are computed by subtracting the sum of
drops due to Excessive TA, Low SS, Bad Quality and Sudden Loss from the
Total TCH Drop Counts. Drops due to Other Reasons are generally
associated with hardware problems, transmission link problems on A-bis,
Ater or Ainterfaces, and sometimes Handover Lost.

Action:
Check BTS Error Logs.
Check Alarms and Fault Codes.
Check CONERRCNT per TRX and TS.
Check Transmission Link (A-bis).
Check for DIP Slips.
Correlate Handover Lost to Drops due to Other Reasons

Solution:
Fix Hardware Faults and Alarms.
Reset TRX with high CONERRCNT.
Ensure that Synchronization and A-bis Link are stable.
Change RBLT with high DIP Slips.
Investigate HO Lost Problem


Problem reason of drop in SDCCH

Low Signal Strength on Down or Uplink
The reason for poor coverage could be too few sites, wrong output power,
shadowing, no indoor coverage or network equipment failure.
Action: Check coverage plots.Check output power. Perform drive tests.
Check BTS error log
Solution: Add new sites. Increase output power. Repair faulty equipment.

Poor Quality on Down or Uplink
Action: Check C/I and C/A plots. Check frequency plan. Perform drive
tests.
Solution: Change frequency. Use available radio features.

Too High Timing Advance
Action: Check if the cell parameter TALIM is < style="font-weight:
bold;">Solution: Set TALIM to a value close to 63. Tilt antenna/reduce
antenna height/output power, etc. for cochannel cells.

Mobile Error
Some old mobiles may cause dropped calls if certain radio network features
are used. Another reason is that the MS is damaged and not working
properly.
Action: Check MS fleet.
Solution: Inform operator.

Subscriber Behavior
Poorly educated subscribers could use their handsets incorrectly by not
raising antennas, choosing illadvised locations to attempt calls, etc.
Action: Check customer complaints and their MS.

Battery Flaw
When a subscriber runs out of battery during a conversation, the call will be
registered as dropped call due to low signal strength or others.
Action: Check if MS power regulation is used. Check if DTX uplink is used.

Congestion on TCH
The SDCCH is dropped when congestion on TCH.
Action: Check TCH congestion
Solution: Increase capacity on TCH or using features like Assignment to
another cell, Cell Load Sharing, HCS, Dynamic Half-Rate Allocation and
FR-HR Mode Adaptation etc
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SDCCH drop due to "Other Reason"
How to Analyse SDCCH drop due to "Other Reason"
SDCCH drop
SOLUTION:
CONDITIONS:
PROCEDURE:
Our experience says that the "Other Reasons" is the area which is
Really difficult to point out as there could be various possibilities of the same.
There is list of some possibilities that has to be taken care while
analysing the SDCCH drop:
1.Hardware Fault at BTS
For BTS, HW fault should be the prime and preliminary point to be
concentrated. This can be seen by collecting The OMT Logs of CF,TRX,
ECU etc. This type of fault could also be intermittent in nature.
2.Definition of Parameter
Wrong definition or parameter in the BSC could lead to this type of fault.
Few important ones are as follows
The MS power control and BTS power control : As the MS and BTS powers are regulated in order to
decrease battery consumption of the MS and not to saturate the multicoupler of the BTS as well as
decreasing the
Interference in the system.So the fine tuning of the control parameters are very important in
accordance
with R&D recommendation.
Activation of Adaptive configuration : This could also be the reason for the SDCCH drop. So proper
R&D consultation is needed before activating the same, if required . It is advisable to use of this only
in those cells which are really needing the same not the entire BSC area.

3.DIP Status
DIP with poor quality may lead to drop call problem in different cells.
Poor quality may implicate High BER or Frame Loss in the DIP connected to a site. DIP Quality
Supervision tools should be initiated for the suspected connecting Digital Path. Mismatch of DIP
could be another reason behind drop call occurrence in some of the cell.

4.frequency Interference Problem
Interference is generally related with Quality Drop, but sometimes it may provoke Sudden Drop as per
situation.

5.C7 link
The C7 link between BSC to MSC should be properly dimensioned and check The command C7ERP
for SCCP information.
Stability of C7 link

6.Proper definition of MSC parameter
The main functions of SDCCH are as follows :
-Call Setup
-Paging
-Location Updating
-Authentication
-Ciphering
-SMS
-IMEI Check
As we could see above, the MSC is also very well involved in above functions so it is equally required to
check MSC part also while analyzing the SDCCH drop.
Few important parameters definition are given below :
1.The Exchange properties IMEICONTROLSMS and IMEICONTROLSS to "0" (No IMEI related
checks ON if
you don't have a EIR),
2 PHASE2-1 in the BSC parameters in MSC (MGBSP).
Same as above, we may also check the parameter related to Location
updating, SMS, ciphering , authentication etc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOSR Analysis
Probable Reasons of Bad Handover Performance
---Neighboring Cell Relation
Action:Add neighbor cell relation.


---Missed measurement frequencies in BA-list
Action:Check measurement frequencies list.


---Permitted Network Color Code problem
Action:Check NCC Permitted


---HW faults.
Action: Check BTS error log.


---Blocking on Target Cell
Action:Remove Blocking on Tager Cell



---Congestion
A high congestion might lead to dragged calls (handover performed at a not
intended location) and a lot of unsuccessful handovers.
Action: Check TCH congestion.


---Timer Expire After MS is Lost
The MS never answers the base station.
Action: Check coverage. Check interference.


---Link Connection or HW Failure
Action: Check BTS error log. Perform site visit. Perform link performance
measurements.


---Bad Antenna Installation
Action: Perform site survey and check antenna installation. Check antenna
cabling.


---Many Neighbors Defined
Many defined measurement frequencies defined (>16) will decrease the
accuracy of the mobile measurements to locate the best six servers. Many
measurement frequencies mean few samples per frequency and problem
for mobiles to decode the BSIC.
Action: Check number of definitions.
---Delayed Handover Decision
A delayed handover decision can be due to congestion in the target cell.
Action: Check handover parameters.
---Wrong Locating Parameter Setting
Action: Check locating parameters.
---Bad Radio Coverage
Action: Check coverage plots.
---High Interference, Co-Channel or Adjacent
The potential handover candidate is disturbed by interference. Outgoing
handover due to bad uplink quality may indicate interference from co-
channel another MS. On the border, the quality may be rather bad and the
signal strength low. Bad downlink quality may indicate interference from
another co-channel base station.
Action: Check interference. Check if many handovers are performed due to
downlink or uplink bad quality.
---Receiver Antenna Problem or RBS HW problems (in candidate
cell)
Action: Check antenna installation. Check RBS HW and Error log of the
target cell
---Poor Inter-MSC/BSC Handover Performance
For outer or external cell, wrong definitions in either MSC or BSC may be
reason for the problem.
Action: Check inter-MSC/BSC handover performance.
---Incorrect Down Tilt
Action: Perform site survey and check antenna installation.
Solution: Correct antenna tilting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FREQUENCY HOPPING
What is Frequency Hopping?

Frequency Hopping is an old technique introduced firstly in military transmission system to
ensure the secrecy of communications and combat jamming. Frequency Hopping is
mechanism in which the system changes the frequency (uplink and downlink) during
transmission at regular intervals. It allows the RF channel used for signaling channel
(SDCCH) timeslot or traffic channel (TCH) timeslots, to change frequency every TDMA
frame (4.615 ms). The frequency is changed on a per burst basis, which means that all the
bits in a burst are transmitted in the same frequency.

Advantages of Frequency Hopping

1. Frequency Diversity

In cellular urban environment, multipath propagation exists in most cases. Due to Rayleigh
fading, short-term variations in received level are frequently observed. This mainly affects
stationary or quasi-stationary mobiles. For a fast moving mobile, the fading situation can be
avoided from one burst to another because it also depends on the position of the mobile so
the problem is not so serious. Frequency Hopping is able to take the advantage due to
frequency selective nature of fading to decrease the number of errors and at the same time
they are temporally spread. As a result, the decoding and de-interleaving processes can more
effectively remove bit errors caused by bursts received whilst on fading frequencies (errors
will be randomly distributed instead of having long bursts of errors). This increase in
effectiveness leads to a transmission quality improvement of the same proportion.

Frame Erasure Rate reduces due to 6 dB to 8 dB gain.
Number of reports with rxqual 6 and 7 reduce.
Reported values of rxlev are more concentrated around mean.

2. Interference Averaging

Interference Averaging means spreading raw bit errors (BER caused by the interference) in
order to have random distribution of errors instead of having burst of errors, and therefore,
enhance the effectiveness of decoding and de-interleaving process to cope with the BER and
lead to better value of FER.

With hopping, the set of interfering calls will be continually changing and the effect is that all
the calls experience average quality rather than extreme situations of either good or bad
quality. All the calls suffer from controlled interference but only for short and distant periods
of time, not for all the duration of the call.

For the same capacity, Frequency Hopping improves quality and for a given average quality
Frequency Hopping makes possible increase in capacity.
When more than 3 % of the reports have rxqual of 6 or 7 then voice quality disturbances start to
appear.
Gains (reduction in the C/I value needed to satisfy the quality requirements involved in the
criterion) from hopping relative to fixed frequency operation can be achieved.
1/3 interference: 1 dB gain
i.e. if 1 out of 3 frequencies are experiencing a continuous interference a gain of 1 dB in C/I
requirement is obtained.
Similarly,
1/4 interference: 4 dB gain
1/5 interference: 6 dB gain
2/4 interference: 0 dB gain
2/5 interference: 4 dB gain

The effective gain obtained with Frequency Hopping is due to the fact that the interference
effect is minimized and it is easier to keep it under control.


Types of Frequency Hopping

There are two ways of implementing Frequency Hopping in a Base Station System, one
referred as Base Band Frequency Hopping (BBH) and another as Synthesizer Frequency
Hopping (SFH). Their operation differs in the way they establish the Base to Mobile Station
link (downlink), however there is not difference at all between Mobile Station to Base Station
link in both types of hopping. Motorola does not allow BBH and SFH to be used together on
the same site

1. Base Band Frequency Hopping

This is accomplished by routing the traffic channel data through fixed frequency DRCUs via
the TDM highway on a timeslot basis. In this case, the DRCU would have fixed tuned
transmitters combined either in low loss tuned combiners or hybrid combiners.

DRCU always transmits fixed frequency.
The information for every call is moved among the available DRCUs on a per burst basis. (Burst
of 577 s)
Call hops between same timeslots of all DRCUs.
Processing (coding and interleaving) is done by digital part associated with DRCU on which call
was initially assigned.
For uplink call is always processed by DRCU on which the call was initially assigned.
Number of DRCUs needed is equal to the number of frequencies in the hopping sequence.
BCCH frequency can be included in the hopping sequence.
Power control does not apply to BCCH or bursts transmitting BCCH frequency.
BCCH, timeslot 0 will never hop.
Any timeslot with CCCH will never hop.
Timeslot carrying all SDCCHs can hop.

If a network running with fixed frequency plan is switched over to BBH (BCCH included in
MA list) without any frequency changes, significant quality improvement can be observed in
the network. As a result drop call rate reduces in the network. Alternatively, for the existing
network quality additional capacity can be provided. FHI can be used effectively in BBH.
Further details regarding FHI planning are discussed later in the document.






2. Synthesizer Frequency Hopping

This is accomplished by high speed switching of the transmit and receive frequency
synthesizers of the individual DRCUs. As a result of dynamic nature of the transmit
frequency, broadband (hybrid) combining of the transmitters is necessary.

DRCU changes transmitting frequency every burst.
Call stays on the same DRCU where it started.
Remote tune combiners (RTC) are not allowed.
Number of DRCUs is not related to number of frequencies in hopping sequence.
BCCH can be included in the hopping sequence:
1. If BCCH is included in the hopping sequence, timeslots 1 to 7 can not be used to carry
traffic. They transmit dummy burst when BCCH frequency is not in the burst.
Whenever BCCH frequency is being transmitted in a burst by DRCU, it will be
transmitted at full power.
2. BCCH DRCU will never hop. It either carries traffic in timeslots 1 to 7 or it transmits
dummy bursts.
Transmission and reception is done on the same timeslot and same DRCU.



Frequency Hopping Parameters

GSM defines the following set of parameters:

Mobile Allocation (MA): Set of frequencies the mobile is allowed to hop over. Maximum
of 63 frequencies can be defined in the MA list.

Hopping Sequence Number (HSN): Determines the hopping order used in the cell. It is
possible to assign 64 different HSNs. Setting HSN = 0 provides cyclic hopping sequence and
HSN = 1 to 63 provide various pseudorandom hopping sequences.

Mobile Allocation Index Offset (MAIO): Determines inside the hopping sequence,
which frequency the mobile starts to transmit on. The value of MAIO ranges between 0 to
(N-1) where N is the number of frequencies defined in the MA list. MAIO is set on per carrier
basis.


Motorola has defined an additional parameter, FHI.

Frequency Hopping Indicator (FHI): Defines a hopping system, made up by an
associated set of frequencies (MA) to hop over and sequence of hopping (HSN). The value of
FHI varies between 0 to 3. It is possible to define all 4 FHIs in a single cell.

Motorola system allows to define the hopping system on a per timeslot basis. So different
hopping configurations are allowed for different timeslots. This is very useful for interference
averaging and to randomize the distribution of errors.
GSM algorithm

GSM has defined an algorithm for deciding hopping sequence. The algorithm is used to
generate Mobile Allocation Index (MAI) for a given set of parameters.

ARFCN: absolute radio frequency channel number
MA: mobile allocation frequencies.
MAIO: Mobile allocation offset (0 to N-1), where N is the number of frequencies defined in
MA.
HSN: Hopping sequence number (0-63)
T1: Super frame number (0-2047)
T2: TCH multiframe number (0-25)
T3: Signaling multiframe number (0-50)

This algorithm generates a pseudorandom sequence of MAIs. MAI along with MAIO and MA
will decide the actual ARFCN to be used for the burst.


Planning for Frequency Hopping

1. Frequency Plan:

Frequency Hopping plan differs from the conventional fixed frequency plan. The plan
depends upon the type of Frequency Hopping system used. In case of SFH including BCCH
frequency in hopping sequence is not a practical option, as it results in loss of traffic
channels on BCCH carrier. A separate frequency plan is prepared for the BCCH carriers. This
planning is very much similar to the conventional fixed frequency plan with lesser number of
frequencies. This plan needs to be done very carefully as the system monitors cells based on
the BCCH frequency only. Since BCCH carrier radiates continuously without downlink
power control, frequencies used for BCCH on one cell should not be used as hopping
frequencies on other cell. The reason is to avoid continuous interference from BCCH carriers.
The benefits of hopping increase if more frequencies are available for hopping. Generally the
frequency band is divided into two parts, one used for BCCH frequency plan and other for
hopping frequencies. The division of frequency band for allocation of BCCH and hopping
carriers should be done to maintain reasonable C/I for BCCH carriers as well as to have
enough frequencies for hopping.

e.g. consider a network with 31 frequencies, using 12 frequencies for BCCH and using 18 for
hopping with 1 frequency as guard, is the ideal option. But it may not be practically possible
to plan BCCHs with 12 frequencies (4/12 reuse). Using 15 for BCCH plan and 15 for hopping
frequencies is more practical. There always exists a trade-off between BCCH and hopping
plans. Using very less frequencies for BCCH plan might result in poor quality on BCCH
carrier and the advantages of having quality improvement on hopping carriers may be lost.

In case of BBH, generally BCCH carrier is included in the hopping sequence. The benefits of
BBH can be obtained only when most of the sites in the network are having more than one
NBCCH carriers. Benefits of BBH comparable to SFH can only be obtained by equipping
additional hardware in order to include more frequencies in hopping sequence. However
BBH without additional hardware will result in quality improvements and provide scope of
additional capacity as compared to fixed frequency plan though the benefits may not be as
significant as seen in SFH.


2. Planning of HSN:

HSN allocation to the cells is done in random fashion. Various scenarios are explained
below:

a. MA list is same for all the cells of the site In this case HSN is kept same for all the cells of the
site. MAIO is used on per carrier basis to provide offset for starting frequency in hopping
sequence and avoid hits among carriers of the site. Practically it is possible to achieve 0% hit
rate within the site, as all the cells of the same site are synchronized.
b. MA list is same for the cells of different sites In this case HSN should be different for all such
cells. MAIO can be same or different in this case as HSN is different.
c. MA list is different for the cells In this case HSN planning is not important, as there can not
be any hits between these cells.
d. HSN is set to 0 This is the case of cyclic hopping. The sequence for hopping remains same
and is repeated continuously. This is not recommended in the urban environment where
frequency reuse is more. This is because the network is not synchronized so if there is any
one hit it will result in continuous sequence of hits. Cyclic hopping is preferred in rural
environment as it provides the maximum benefits of frequency diversity.


3. Planning of MAIO:

The benefits of MAIO planning can be best achieved only in case when sectors having same
MA list are synchronized. For non-synchronized sectors MAIO can be the same. In the
present version (GSR2), Motorola does not provide manual MAIO setting. It is set
automatically by the system. However from GSR3 onwards it will be possible to set MAIO
manually. It has to be changed on a case to case basis. In cases where there are large
numbers of hits, MAIO change can be very effective as it adds the offset in the hopping
sequence and hitrate can be reduced.



4. Planning of FHI:

This parameter is not specified in GSM. FHI is the Motorola defined hopping system. It
actually means an independent hopping system consisting of MA and HSN. Total of 4 such
hopping systems can be set in a cell.
FHI can be defined on a timeslot basis.
e.g. consider a cell with 3 carriers i.e. 2 carriers are hopping. It is then possible to define 4
different FHIs for 16 timeslots. That means timeslot 0 to 3 of 1 carrier can have one FHI and
so on.

Benefits and Drawbacks of FHI

Separate FHI can be defined even for each carrier with separate MA list.
For a fully utilized cell, FHI can be used to control increase in hitrate during peak hours. This
can be done by defining different MA list associated with a FHI for one of the carriers.
Main benefits of FHI can be obtained in BBH. Consider a cell with 2 carriers using BBH with
BCCH included in the hopping sequence. Timeslot 0 of BCCH will not hop. A separate FHI
(with MA list without BCCH frequency) has to be defined for timeslot 0 of NBCCH.
Different FHIs in the same cell is not used extensively in Motorola networks with SFH, where
BCCH frequency is not included in hopping sequence.
One drawback of using FHI on timeslot basis is that it adds more complexity to the database.

5. Reuse pattern for hopping carriers:

Conventionally there are 3 main reuse patterns followed for hopping frequencies.

1 X 1: It means all the cells in the network use the same frequencies for hopping.
e.g. If 15 frequencies are to be used for hopping, then every cell will have all 15 frequencies in
the MA list. This type of reuse is useful in urban areas, where capacity requirement is large.
However there is very less planning involved and so less control over quality problems.

3 X 9: Three hopping groups are used in 3 sites, one per site. In this case all the sites should
be considered as omni sites for planning frequency reuse. The advantage of this scheme is it
provides better isolation between sites using same hopping frequencies. The problem with
this method is that, addition of new site may require frequency replan for the area.

1 X 3: This scheme is very commonly used in Motorola networks. Hopping frequencies are
divided in 3 groups. Each cell on a site uses one group and it is repeated on all sites. e.g.
consider a network with standard orientation, all V1 sectors will use the same group and so
on. It is very easy to add a site in the network. This reuse scheme is suitable for
homogeneous network with minimum overlapping areas. The problem with this scheme is in
peak hours there may be more hits.
6. Effect of Frequency Hopping

Handovers: When SFH is implemented, BCCH plan is done using lesser number of
frequencies as compared to fixed frequency plan. This may result in quality degradation.
However quality of hopping carriers improves than before. Also, quality threshold for
handovers on hopping carrier should be increased as compared to fixed frequency plan. In
the present version (GSR2), same quality threshold settings are set for both BCCH and
NBCCH. This may result on more drop calls on BCCH carriers. However GSR 3 provides
separate settings for BCCH and NBCCH carriers. By setting lower quality thresholds for
BCCH as compared to NBCCH, number of dropped calls can be controlled.

Call setup: In call setup, SDCCH hopping is also possible. There are no separate settings
required for SDCCH hopping. b Since GSR3 allows control over SDCCH configuration
(location of SDCCH on timeslot basis), SDCCH hopping depends on the location of SDCCH.
In case of SFH (with BCCH not included in MA list), if SDCCHs are on BCCH carrier they
will not hop whereas SDCCHs on NBCCH carriers may hop. Generally it is preferred to keep
SDCCHs on hopping carriers as they have better C/I compared to BCCH carriers. Call
success rate will depend on the cleanliness of BCCH carriers.

Frame Erasure Rate (FER): FER indicates the number of TDMA frames that could not
be decoded by the mobile due to interference. This parameter gives the indication of hitrate.
FER improves (gain of 6 to 8 dB) after implementation of frequency hopping.

7. Tools for simulation and drive test: Motorola uses a tool Handsem which can
simulate SFH plan (different reuse patters and HSN plan). Latest versions of plaNET and
Golf are supposed to support Frequency Hopping simulation. Drive test tools that display
decoded layer 3 information are used for monitoring frequency hopping networks. TEMS is
one of the drive test tools that can be used for the purpose.