1aGeneral

1. What is the experience and involvement in your current and previous UMTS design projects?
Talk about your current and previous projects, your responsibilities, design objectives, tools used, activities involved, challenges,
objectives met, etc.
Lin !udget
". What is a typical #ode! sensitivity level?
The service and load determines the NodeB sensitivity; in general, in a no-load condition, the sensitivity is between -11dBm to
-1!dBm. "or #ricsson, the NodeB sensitivity level is calculated at around$
%&1!.!$ -1!' dBm
(&-)'$ -11* dBm
(&-1!+$ -11 dBm
(&-,+'$ -11 dBm
$. What is a typical U% sensitivity level?
The service and load determines the -# sensitivity; in general, in no-load condition, the sensitivity is between -1.dBm and
-1!.dBm. "or #ricsson, the -# sensitivity level is calculated at around$
%&1!.!$ -11* dBm
(&-)'$-11! dBm
(&-1!+$ -11. dBm
(&-,+'$ -1. dBm
/&0(1$ -* dBm
&. What is a typical #ode! maximum output po'er?
The ma2imum NodeB output power is usually !.3 or '.3, that is, ',dBm or ')dBm.
(. What is U% maximum transmit po'er in your lin )udget?
!1dBm.
*. What is a typical antenna gain?
The antenna gain depends on antenna model; in link budget we use around 14dBi.
+. What is a typical maximum path loss?
The ma2imum path loss is dependent on the service and vendor recommendations; typically it is in between 1, to 1'.dB 5or urban
areas and between 1. to 1).dB 5or rural areas.
,. What is di--erence )et'een d!i and d!d?
dBi is the gain in dB 5rom isotropic source; dBd is the gain 5rom a dipole source.
dBd 6 !.1 7 dBi.
.. What is the di--erence )et'een d! and d!m?
dBm is a unit o5 power level, measured in milli-watts in logarithm scale, that is,
dBm 7 1. 8 log9381...: where 3 is the power in 3atts
dB is not a unit, it is the di55erence in dBm.
1/. What is /d!m?
.dBm 7 1 milli-watt.
11. 0o' does TM1 'or?
1 T;1 reduces system noise, improves uplink sensitivity and leads to longer -# battery li5e.
&ensitivity is the minimum input power needed to get a suitable signal-to-noise ratio 9&N<: at the output o5 the receiver. =t is
determined by receiver noise 5igure, thermo noise power and re>uired &N<. Thermo noise power is determined by bandwidth and
temperature, &N< is determined by modulation techni>ue, there5ore the only variable is noise 5igure.
The cascading noise 5igure can be calculated by "riis e>uation 9/erald "riis:$
N"t 7 N"1 6 9N"!-1:?@1 6 9N",-1:?9@18@!: 6 ... 6 9N"i-1:?9@18@!8...8@i:
1s the e>uation shows, the 5irst block imposes the minimum and the most prominent noise 5igure on the system, and the 5ollowing
blocks imposes less and less impact to the system provided the gains are positive. Ainear passive devices have noise 5igure e>ual to
their loss. 1 T;1 typically has a gain o5 1!dB.
There are typically top jumper, main 5eeder and a bottom jumper between antenna and BT&. 1 T;1 placed near antenna with a
short jumper 5rom antenna provides the best noise 5igure improvement B the noise 5igure will be restricted to the top jumper loss
9N"1: and T;1 99N"!-1:?@1:, and the remaining blocks 9main 5eeder and bottom jumper: have little e55ect.
To summariCe, a T;1 has a gain thatDs close to 5eeder loss.
1". What are the pros and cons 2advantages and disadvantages3 o- TM1?
En the upside, a T;1 reduces system noise, improves uplink sensitivity and leads to longer -# battery li5e. En the downside,
T;1 imposes an additional insertion loss 9typically ..dB: on the downlink and increases site installation and maintenance
comple2ity.
1$. What is typical TM1 gain?
T;1 typically has a 1! dB gain; however, the e55ective gain comes 5rom noise 5igure reduction and the gain is close or e>uivalent
to the 5eeder loss.
1&. Why TM1 are installed at the top near the antenna and not the )ottom near the #ode!?
Based on "riis #>uation, having a T;1 near the BT& will have the top jumper and main 5eeder losses 9noise 5igures: cascaded in
and a T;1 will not be able to help suppress the losses.
1(. What is UMTS chip rate?
,.+';/C.
1*. What is processing gain?
(rocessing gain is the ratio o5 chip rate over data bit rate, usually represented in decibel 9dB: scale. "or e2ample, with ,.+';/C
chip rate and 1!.!k data rate, the processing gain is$
(@1!.!k 7 1. 8 log 9,,+'.,... ? 1!,!..: 7 !dB
1+. What are the processing gains -or 4S and 5S services?
%&1!.!$ !dB
(&-)'$ 1+dB
(&-1!+$ 1dB
(&-,+'$ 1.dB
/&0(1$ !dB
1,. 0o' to calculate maximum num)er o- users on a cell?
To calculate the ma2imum number o5 users 9M: on a cell, we need to know$
W$ chip rate 95or -;T& ,,+'.,... chips per second:
EbNo$ #b?No re>uirement 9assuming ,dB 5or %&-1!.!k:
i$ other-cell to in-cell inter5erence ratio 9assuming ).F:
R$ user data rate 9assuming 1!,!.. kbps 5or %&-1!.!k:
G$ loading 5actor 9assuming .F:
Take 1!.!kbps as e2ample$
; 7 3 ? 9#nNo 8 91 6 i: 8 <: 8 G 7 ,,+'.,... 9, 8 91 6 ..): 8 1!,!..: 8 .. 7 ,!.+
The number o5 users could also be hard-limited by EH&" code space. Take %&1!.!k 5or e2ample$

1 %&-1!.!k bearer needs 1 &"1!+ code.

Total available codes 5or %&-1!.!k 7 1!+ B ! 91 &")': B ! 9' &"!): 7 1!'.

%onsider so5t-handover 5actor o5 1.+ and loading 5actor o5 .F$ 1!' ? 1.+ 8.. 7 ,' uers?cell.
1.. What is %)6#o?
By de5inition #b?No is energy bit over noise density, i.e. is the ratio o5 the energy per in5ormation bit to the power spectral density
9o5 inter5erence and noise: a5ter dispreading.
#b?No 7 (rocessing @ain 6 &=<
"or e2ample, i5 #b?No is dB and processing gain is !dB then the &=< should be -!.dB or better.
"/. What are the %)6#o targets in your design?
The #b?No targets are dependent on the service$

En the uplink, typically %& is to )dB and (& is , to 'dB B (& is about !dB lower.

En the downlink, typically %& has ) to 4dB and (& is to )dB B (& is about 1dB lower.
"1. Why is %)6#o re7uirement lo'er -or 5S than -or 4S?
(& has a better error correction capability and can utiliCe retransmission, there5ore it can a55ord to a lower #b?No. %& is real-time
and cannot tolerate delay so it needs a higher #b?No to maintain a stronger <" link.
"". What is %c68o?
#c?=o is the ratio o5 the energy per chip in %(=%/ to the total received power density 9including %(=%/ itsel5:.
"$. Sometimes 'e say %c68o and sometimes 'e say %c6#o9 are they di--erent?
=o 7 own cell inter5erence 6 surrounding cell inter5erence 6 noise density
No 7 surrounding cell inter5erence 6 noise density
That is, =o is the total received power density including %(=%/ o5 its own cell, No is the total received power density e2cluding
%(=%/ o5 its own cell. Technically #c?=o should be the correct measurement but, due to e>uipment capability, #c?No is actually
measured. =n -;T&, #c?No and #c?=o are o5ten used interchangeably.
"&. What is :S45?
<&%( stands 5or <eceived &ignal %ode (ower B the energy per chip in %(=%/ averaged over 1! chips.
"(. What is S8:?
&=< is the &ignal-to-=nter5erence <atio B the ratio o5 the energy in dedicated physical control channel bits to the power density o5
inter5erence and noise a5ter dispreading.
"*. What is the loading -actor in your design?
The designed loading typically is .F; however, sometimes a carrier may want to design up to 4F load.
"+. Give a simple de-inition o- pole capacity?
The uplink noise increases with the loading e2ponentially. 3hen the uplink noise approaches in5inity then no more users can be
added to a cell B and the cell loading is close to 1..F and has reached its Ipole capacityJ.
;athematically, to calculate the uplink pole capacity we need to know$
W$ chip rate 95or -;T& ,,+'.,... chips per second:
R$ user data rate 9assuming 1!,!.. kbps 5or %&-1!.!k:
f$ other-cell to in-cell inter5erence ratio 9assuming )F:
EbNo$ #b?No re>uirement 9assuming dB:
1"$ 1ctivity 5actor 9assuming .F:
(ole %apacity 7 93?<: ? 9916f: 8 1" 8 1.K9#bNo?1.:: 7 1!..)
To calculate the downlink pole capacity we also need to know$
$ downlink channels orthogonality 5actor 9assuming F:
(ole %apacity 7 93?<: ? 991- 6f: 8 1.K9#bNo?1.:: 7 )'..)
",. What is typical pole capacity -or 4S;1"."9 5S;*&9 5S;1", and 5S;$,&?
3ith same assumptions as above$

%&-1!.!k$ 1!..) 9-A:, )'.1 90A:.

(&-)'k$ ,'.+ 9-A:, 1!.+90A:.

(&-1!+k$ 1).! 9-A:, +.' 90A:.

(&-,+'k$ 1).! 9-A:, !.+ 90A:.

(&-,+'k has only 1!+k on the uplink, there5ore the uplink capacity is the same 5or both.
".. 0o' many types o- handovers are there in UMTS?
&o5t handover, so5ter handover, inter-5re>uency handover, inter-<1T handover, inter-<1T cell change 9-# moving out o5 -;T&
coverage into @&;?@(<&?#@0@# coverage:.
$/. What is so-t handover and so-ter handover?

&o5t handover$ when a -# is connected to cells owned by di55erent NodeB.

&o5ter handover$ when a -# is connected to cells owned by the same NodeB.

$1. 0o' does so-t6so-ter handover 'or?

&o5t?so5ter handover downlink$ -# rake receiver per5orms ma2imum ratio combining, i.e. -# combines multi-path signals and
5orm a stronger signal.

&o5t handover uplink$ <N% per5orms selection combining, i.e. <N% selects the better signal coming 5rom multiple NodeB.

&o5ter handover uplink$ NodeB per5orms ma2imum ratio combining, i.e. NodeB rake receiver combines signals 5rom di55erent
paths and 5orms a stronger signal.
$". Why is there <so-t handover gain=?
&o5t handover gain comes 5rom the 5ollowing$

;acro diversity gain over slow 5ading.

;icro diversity gain over 5ast 5ading.

0ownlink load sharing over multiple <" links. By maintaining multiple links each link could transmit at a lower power,
resulting in lower inter5erence there5ore a gain.
$$. !rie- descri)e the advantages and disadvantages o- so-t handover?
1dvantages$

Evercome 5ading through macro diversity.

<educed Node B power which in turn decreases inter5erence and increases capacity.

<educed -# power 9up 'dB:, decreasing inter5erence and increasing battery li5e.
0isadvantages$

-# using several radio links re>uires more channeliCation codes, and more resources on the =ub and =ur inter5aces.
$&. What are -ast -ading and slo' -ading?
"ast 5ading is also called multi-path 5ading, as a result o5 multi-path propagation. 3hen multi-path signals arriving at a -#, the
constructive and destructive phases create a variation in signal strength.
&low 5ading is also called shadowing. 3hen a -# moves away 5rom a cell the signal strength drops down slowly.
$(. What are -ast -ading margin and slo' -ading margin?
To 5actor in the 5ast 5ading and slow 5ading, we need to have a margin in the link budget and they are called 5ast 5ading margin and
slow 5ading margin.
=n link budget, the 5ast 5ading margin is usually set to !-,; slow 5ading margin is set to 4-1..
$*. What is a typical so-t handover gain in your lin )udget?

%&-1!.!k$ ,dB 9-A:, !dB 90A:.

(&-)'k$ 1dB 9-A:, .dB 90A:.

(&-1!+k$ 1dB 9-A:, .dB 90A:.

(&-,+'k$ 1dB 9-A:, .dB 90A:.

$+. What is the percentage in time a U% is expected to )e in so-t or so-ter handover?
Typically a -# should be in so5t handover mode at no more than , to '.F o5 the time; in so5ter handover mode at about F o5 the
time.
$,. What is a typical %i:5?
The #i<( depends NodeB transmit power, cable and connector loss and antenna gain. 3ith a sample system o5 ',dBm transmit
power, a ,dB cable and connector loss and a 14dBi antenna gain, the #i<( 7 ', B , 6 14 7 4dBm.
$.. 0o' much po'er usually a #ode! is allocated to control channels?
The power allocated to control channels may depend on e>uipment vendor recommendation. Typically no more than !.F o5 the
total NodeB power is allocated to control channels, including %(=%/. /owever, i5 /&0(1 is deployed on the same carrier then the
total power allocated to control channel may go up to ! to ,.F because o5 the additional /&0(1 control channels re>uired.
&/. What is a typical 45840 po'er?
%(=%/ power typically takes about 1.F o5 the total NodeB power. "or a !.3 9',dBm: NodeB, %(=%/ is around !3 9,,dBm:.
=n urban areas where in-building coverage is taken care o5 by in-building installations, the %(=%/ may sometimes go as low as F
because$

The coverage area is small since users are close to the site, and

;ore power can be allocated to tra55ic channels.

&1. 0o' much is your 0S>51 2max3 lin po'er?
/&0(1 link power is typically ' to dB below the ma2imum NodeB ma2imum output power. "or e2ample, 5or ',dBm ma2imum
NodeB power the /&0(1 link power is ,*dBm.
&". 4onsider do'nlin only9 'hat are the major components in calculating maximum path loss9 starting -rom #ode!?

NodeB %(=%/ transmit power.

Lumper and 5eeder connector loss.

1ntenna gain.

Ever-the-air loss.

Building ? vehicle penetration loss.

Body loss.

#tc.
&$. What is maximum path;loss?
The ma2imum path-loss is how much signal is allowed to drop 5rom a transmitter to a receiver and maintains as good signal.
&&. Simple lin )udget? 'ith a $/d!m 45840 and a ;1//d!m U% sensitivity9 ignoring anything in )et'een9 'hat is the
maximum path loss?
,. B 9B1..: 7 ,. 6 1.. 7 1,.dB.
&(. Suppose 8 have a maximum path;loss o- 1$/d!m9 'hat is the ne' path;loss i- a (d! )ody loss is added?
1!dB.
&*. What is channeli@ation code?
%hanneliCation codes are orthogonal codes used to spread the signal and hence provides channel separation, that is, channeliCation
codes are used to separate channels 5rom a cell.
&+. 0o' many channeli@ation codes are availa)le?
The number o5 channeliCation codes available is dependent on the length o5 code. =n the uplink the length is de5ined as between '
and !). =n the downlink the length is de5ined as between ' and 1!.
&,. 1re channeli@ation codes mutually orthogonal? 8- so9 'hy is <Arthogonality Bactor= re7uired in the lin )udget?
Mes, channeliCation codes are mutually orthogonal. Nonetheless, due to multi-path with variable time delay, channels 5rom the
same cell are no longer per5ectly orthogonal and may inter5ere with each other.
1 I0ownlink Erthogonality "actorJ, typically .-).F, is there5ore needed in the link budget to account 5or the inter5erence B and
hence reduces pole capacity.
&.. What is scram)ling code? 0o' many scram)ling codes there are?
&crambling codes are used to separate cells and -#s 5rom each other, that is, each cell or -# should have a uni>ue scrambling
code. There are 1! scrambling codes on the downlink and millions on the uplink.
(/. What is scram)ling <code group=?
The 1! scrambling codes are divided into )' code groups B each code group has + scrambling codes.
%ode group i 9i 7 . to ),: has codes 5rom i8+ to 9i61:8+-1, i.e. 9.-4: 9+-1:N 9.'-11:.
(1. >o you divide scram)ling code groups into su)groups? 5lease give an example.
Mes, we divide the )' code groups into subgroups$

;acro layer group$ !' code groups reserved 5or macro 9outdoor: sites.

;icro layer group$ 1) code groups reserved 5or micro 9in-building: sites.

#2pansion group$ !' code groups reserved 5or 5uture e2pansion sites.
(". Which service usually needs higher po'er9 4S or 5S?
%onsider downlink and take %&-1!.! and (&-,+'k 5or e2ample. The processing gain is ! 5or %&-1!.! and 1. 5or (&-,+'. The
#b?No re>uirement is 4 5or %&-1!.! and 5or (&-,+'. There5ore the power re>uirement is higher 5or %&-1!.! than (&-,+'.
($. What is %)6#o re7uirement -or 0S>51?
The #b?No re>uirement 5or /&0(1 varies with user bit rate 9data rate:, typically ! 5or 4)+kbps and 5or !;bps.
(&. What is <noise rise=? What does a higher noise rise mean in terms o- net'or loading?
"or every new user added to the service, additional noise is added to the network. That is, each new user causes a Inoise riseJ. =n
theory, the Inoise riseJ is de5ined as the ratio o5 total received wideband power to the noise power. /igher Inoise riseJ value
implies more users are allowed on the network, and each user has to transmit higher power to overcome the higher noise level.
This means smaller path loss can be tolerated and the cell radius is reduced. To summariCe, a higher noise rise means higher
capacity and smaller 5ootprint, a lower noise rise means smaller capacity and bigger 5ootprint.
((. What is <pilot pollution=?
&imply speaking, when the number o5 strong cells e2ceeds the active set siCe, there is Ipilot pollutionJ in the area. Typically the
active set siCe is ,, so i5 there are more than , strong cells then there is pilot pollution.
0e5inition o5 Istrong cellJ$ pilots within the handover window siCe 5rom the strongest cell. Typical handover window siCe is
between ' to )dB. "or e2ample, i5 there are more than ! cells 9besides the strongest cell: within 'dB o5 the strongest cell then there
is pilot pollution.
(*. What is a typical handover 'indo' si@e in your net'or?
1 handover window siCe is usually between ' to )dB.
(+. What is <so-t handover= and <so-ter handover=?
I&o5t handoverJ is when -# has connection to multiple cells on di55erent NodeB.
I&o5ter handoverJ is when -# has connection to multiple cells on same NodeB.
=n downlink a -# can combine signals 5rom di55erent cells, improving the signal >uality. "or uplink and so5t handover, <N%
selects the best signal 5rom di55erent NodeB. "or uplink and so5ter handover, a NodeB combines the signal 5rom di55erent sectors.
(,. >uring a handover9 i- one cell sends a po'er do'n re7uest and t'o cells send a po'er up re7uest9 shall the U% po'er up or
po'er do'n?
(ower down. 1s long as a good link can be maintained it is not necessary to power up in order to maintain multiple links.
;aintaining unnecessary multiple links increases noise rise and shall be avoided.
(.. Suppose 'e are designing a 4S net'or and a 5S net'or9 is there a major di--erence in the design consideration?
&erver dominance is the key di55erence. =n a %& network we shall limit the number o5 strong servers in any given area to no more
than the active set siCe to avoid pilot pollution 9in the downlink:. =n a (& network, however, there isnDt so5t handover in the
downlink so the server dominance is very important B meaning ideally there should be only one dominant server in a given area.
*/. What is the active set si@e on your net'or?
,.
*1. 0o' many -ingers does a U% rae receiver have?
'.
*". What is <compressed mode=?
Be5ore -# can per5orm inter-5re>uency or =<1T handover, it needs to have some time to lock on to the control channel o5 the other
5re>uency or system and listen to the broadcast in5ormation. %ertain idle periods are created in radio 5rames 5or this purpose and is
called Icompressed modeJ.
*$. >escri)e the po'er control schemes in UMTS?

Epen loop B 5or -# to access the network, i.e. used at call setup or initial access to set -# transmit power.

%losed outer loop$ <N% calculates the &=< target and sends the target to NodeB 9every 1.ms 5rame:.

%losed inner loop$ NodeB sends the T(% bits to -# to increase or decrease the power at 1,.. times a second.
*&. What is the -re7uency o- po'er control 2ho' -ast is po'er control3?

Epen loop$ depends on parameter setting$

T,.. B time to wait between <<% retries 91..ms to +... ms, typical 1..ms:

%losed outer loop$ 1.. times a second.

%losed inner loop$ 1,.. times a second.

*(. !rie-ly descri)e 'hy open loop po'er control is needed and ho' it 'ors?

3hen a -# needs to access to the network it uses <1%/ to begin the process.

<1%/ is a shared channel on the uplink used by all -#, there5ore may encounter contention 9collision: during multiple user
access attempts and inter5ere with each other.

#ach -# must estimate the amount o5 power to use on the access attempt since no 5eedback 5rom the NodeB e2ists as it does
on the dedicated channel.

The purpose o5 open loop power control is to minimiCe the chance o5 collision and minimiCe the initial -# transmit power to
reduce inter5erence to other -#.
=nitial -# transmit power 7 (rimaryO%(=%/O(ower B %(=%/O<&%( 6 -AO=nter5errnce 6 constantOHalueO%prach

=nstead o5 sending the whole message, a ItestJ 9preamble: is sent.

3ait 5or answer 5rom NodeB.

=5 no answer 5rom NodeB increase the power.

Try and try until succeed or timeout.

**. What is po'er control <headroom=?
(ower control IheadroomJ is also called Ipower riseJ. =n a non-5ading channel the -# needs to transmit a certain 5i2ed power. =n
a 5ading chennel a -# reacts to power control commands and usually increases the transmit power. The di55erence between the
average power levels o5 5ading and non-5ading channels is called Ipower riseJ or IheadroomJ.
*+. When in $;'ay so-t handover9 i- a U% receives po'er do'n re7uest -rom one cell and po'er up re7uest -rom the other "
cells9 should the U% po'er up or do'n and 'hy?
(ower down. ;aintaining one good link is su55icient to sustain a call and having unnecessary stronger links creates more
inter5erence.
*,. Suppose t'o U% are served )y the same cell9 the U% 'ith 'eaer lin 2poor :B condition3 uses more <capacity=9 'hy does
this mean?
The -# with weaker <" link will re>uire NodeB to transmit higher tra55ic power in order to reach the -#, resulting in less power
5or other -# B there5ore consumes more IcapacityJ.
*.. Under 'hat circumstances can a #ode! reach its capacity? What are the capacity limitations?
NodeB reaches its ma2imum transmit power, runs out o5 its channel elements, uplink noise rise reaches its design target, etc.
+/. What is <cell )reathing= and 'hy?
The cell coverage shrinks as the loading increases, this is called cell breathing.
=n the uplink, as more and more -# are served by a cell, each -# needs to transmit higher power to compensate 5or the uplink
noise rise. 1s a conse>uence, the -# with weaker link 9-# at greater distance: may not have enough power to reach the NodeB B
there5ore a coverage shrinkage.
=n the downlink, the NodeB also needs to transmit higher power as more -# are being served. 1s a conse>uence -# with weaker
link 9greater distance: may not be reachable by the NodeB.
+1. 8s UMTS an uplin;limited or do'nlin;limited system?
1 -;T& system could be either uplink-limited or downlink-limited depending on the loading. =n a lightly loaded system, the -#
transmit power sets a coverage limitation there5ore it is uplink-limited. =n a heavily loaded system, the NodeB transmit power
limits the number o5 -#s it can serve there5ore it is downlink-limited.
+". What is the impact o- higher data rate on coverage?
/igher data rate has lower processing gain and there5ore a NodeB needs to transmit more power to meet the re>uired #b?No; this
means the coverage is smaller 5or higher data rate.
+$. What is A4#S?
E%N& stands 5or Erthogonal %hannel Noise &imulator. =t is a simulated network load usually by increasing the noise rise 5igure in
the NodeB.
UT:1#
+&. What are the inter-aces )et'een each UT:1# component?
-u$ -# to NodeB
=ub$ NodeB to <N%
=ur$ <N% to <N%
=u$ <N% to ;&%
+(. !rie-ly descri)e the U% to UT:1# protocol stac 2air inter-ace layers3.
The radio inter5ace is divided into , layers$
1. 5hysical layer 9Aayer 1, A1:$ used to transmit data over the air, responsible 5or channel coding, interleaving, repetition,
modulation, power control, macro-diversity combining.
!. Lin layer 9A!:$ is split into ! sub-layers B ;edium 1ccess %ontrol 9;1%: and <adio Aink %ontrol 9<A%:.
;1%$ responsible 5or multiple2ing data 5rom multiple applications onto physical channels in preparation 5or over-the-
air transmition.
<A%$ segments the data streams into 5rames that are small enough to be transmitted over the radio link.
,. Upper layer 9A,:$ vertically partitioned into ! planes$ control plane 5or signaling and user plan 5or bearer tra55ic.
::4 9<adio <esource %ontrol: is the control plan protocol$ controls the radio resources 5or the access network.
=n implementation$
1. -# has all , layers.
!. NodeB has (hysical Aayer.
,. <N% had ;1% layer and <<% layer.
+*. !rie-ly descri)e UMTS air inter-ace channel types and their -unctions.
There are , types o5 channels across air inter5ace B physical channel, transport channel and logical channel$
1. (hysical %hannel$ carries data between physical layers o5 -# and NodeB.
!. Transport %hannel$ carries data between physical layer and ;1% layer.
,. Aogical %hannel$ carries data between ;1% layer and <<% layer.
++. Give some examples o- 5hysical9 Transport and Logical channels.
1. Aogical %hannel$
%ontrol channel$ B%%/, (%%/, %%%/, 0%%/.
Tra55ic channel$ 0T%/, %T%/.
!. Transport %hannel$
%ommon control channel$ B%/, "1%/, (%/, <1%/, %(%/.
0edicated channel$ 0%/, 0&%/.
,. (hysical %hannel$
%ommon control channel$ (-%%(%/, &-%%(%/, (-&%/, &-&%/, %(=%/, 1=%/, (=%/, (0&%/, (<1%/, (%(%/,
%0?%1-=%/.
0edicated channel$ 0(0%/, 0(%%/.
+,. What are the ::4 operation modes?
=dle mode and connected mode.
+.. What are the ::4 states?
There are ' <<% &tates$ %ellO0%/, %ellO"1%/, -<1O(%/ and %ellO(%/.
-<1 7 -T<1N <egistration 1rea.
,/. What are transparent mode9 acno'ledged mode and unacno'ledged mode?

Transparent mode corresponds to the lowest service o5 the <A% layer, no controls and no detection o5 missing data.

-nacknowledged mode o55ers the possibility o5 segment and concatenate o5 data but no error correction or retransmission
there5ore no guarantee o5 delivery.

1cknowledged mode o55ers, in addition to -; mode 5unctions, acknowledgement o5 transmission, 5low control, error correction
and retransmission.
,1. Which layer2s3 per-orm ciphering -unction?
<<% B 5or acknowledged mode 91;: and unacknowledged mode 9-;:.
;1% B 5or transparent mode 9T;:.
,". What is ACSB?
Erthogonal Hariable &preading "actor.
,$. 0o' many ACSB code spaces are availa)le?

Total EH&" codes 7 !).

<eserved$ 1 &")' 5or &-%%(%/, 1 &"!) 5or %(=%/, (-%%(%/, (=%/ and 1=%/ each.

Total available code space 7 !) B ' 91 &")': B ' 9' &"!): 7 !'+.
,&. 4an code space limit the cell capacity?
Mes, cell capacity can be hard-limited by code space. Take %&-1!.!k 5or e2ample$

1 %&-1!.!k bearer needs 1 &"1!+ code.

Total available codes 5or %&-1!.!k 7 1!+ B ! 91 &")': B ! 9' &"!): 7 1!'.

%onsider so5t-handover 5actor o5 1.+$ 1!' ? 1.+ 7 )+ uers?cell.

,(. 4an a user have ACSB code as <1111=?
No, because I1111NJ 9!) times: is used by %(=%/.
,*. What are the sym)ol rates 2)its per sym)ol3 -or !5SD9 E5SD9 ,5SD and 1*E1M?

B(&P$ 1.

Q(&P$ !.

+(&P$ ,.

1)Q1;$ '.
,+. !rie-ly descri)e UMTS -rame structure.

-;T& 5rame duration 7 1.ms.

#ach 5rame is divided into 1 timeslots.

#ach timeslot is divided into !). chips.

There5ore !). chips?T& 8 1 T&?5rame 8 91...ms?1.ms: 5rame?sec 7 ,,+'.,... chip?sec.

,,. What is cell selection criterion?
%ell selection is based on$

Qmean$ the average &=< o5 the target cell.

Qmin$ minimum re>uired &=<.

(compensation$ a correction value 5or di55erence -# classes.

& 7 Qmean - Qmin - (compensation

=5 &R. then the cell is a valid candidate.

1 -# will camp on the cell with the highest &.

,.. !rie-ly descri)e 4apacity Management and its -unctions?
%apacity ;anagement is responsible 5or the control o5 the load in the cell. =t consists o5 , main 5unctions$

0edicated ;onitored <esource /andling$ tracks utiliCation o5 critical resources o5 the system.

1dmission %ontrol$ accepts?re5uses admission re>uests based on the current load on the dedicated monitored resources and the
characteristics o5 the re>uest

%ongestion %ontrol$ detects?resolves overload situations

5lanning
./. What are the major & D58s in propagation model tuning and typical accepta)le values?
The ' P(=s are standard deviation error, root mean s>uare error, mean error and correlation coe55icient. The typical acceptable
values are$

&tandard deviation error$ the smaller the better, usually 4 to *dB.

;ean error$ the smaller the better, usually ! to,.

<oot mean s>uare error$ the smaller the better, usually

%orrelation coe55icient$ the larger the better, usually 4.F to *.F.

.1. What is the minimum num)er o- )ins re7uired -or a certain propagation model?
The more bins the more likely to come up with a good model. -sually a minimum o5 !,... bines is considered acceptable, but
sometimes as low as .. bins may be accepted.
.". 0o' many scram)ling codes are there?
There are 1! scrambling codes in the downlink and 1),444,!1) codes in the uplink.
.$. 0o' many scram)ling code groups are there -or do'nlin?
There are )' code groups, each group has + scrambling codes.
.&. 4an 'e assign same scram)ling codes to sister sectors 2sectors on same site3?
No, because scrambling code on the downlink is used 5or cell identity. 1s a re>uirement, scrambling codes have to maintain a sa5e
separation to avoid inter5erence.
.(. 1re scram)ling codes orthogonal?
No, scrambling codes are not orthogonal since they are not synchroniCed at each receiver. They are pseudo random se>uences o5
codes.
.*. 4an 'e assign scram)ling codes 19 " and $ to sister sectors?
Mes.
.+. 8n 8S;.( 'e have a 5# reuse -actor 25# step si@e3 and there-ore cannot use all (1" 5# codes9 'hy isnFt it necessary -or
UMTS scram)ling codes?
Because =&-* is a synchroniCed network, di55erent (N codes have the same code se>uence with a time shi5t, there5ore we need to
maintain a certain (N step siCe to avoid multi-path problem. "or e2ample, i5 two sectors in the neighborhood have a small (N
separation then signal arriving 5rom cell 1 may run into the time domain o5 cell B, causing inter5erence.
-;T&, on the other hand, is not a synchroniCed network and all scrambling codes are mutually orthogonal so no need to maintain a
step siCe.
.,. What are coverage thresholds in your UMTS design and 'hy?
The coverage thresholds are based on -# sensitivity, 5ading and penetration loss. 1ssuming -# sensitivity o5 -11.dBm, 5ade
margin o5 dB$

Eutdoor$ -11.dBm sensitivity 6 dB 5ade margin 7 -1.dBm.

=n-vehicle$ -11.dBm 6 dB 6 +dB in-vehicle penetration loss 7 -*4dBm.

=n-building$ -11.dBm 6 dB 6 1dB in-building penetration loss 7 -*.dBm.

... What is the %c68o target in your design?
The #c?=o target typically is between -1! to -1'dB. /owever, i5 a network is designed 5or data then the #c?=o target could go higher
to around -1.dB because server dominance is more critical 5or a data network B since there isnDt so5tware in the downlink.
1//. What is <Monte 4arlo simulation=?
&ince -;T& coverage is dependent on the loading, static coverage and >uality analysis 9<&%( and #c?=o: represents the network
per5ormance in no-load condition. ;onte %arlo simulation is there5ore used to illustrate network per5ormance under simulated
loading consition.
1/1. What is the ey di--erence )et'een a static analysis and a Monte 4arlo simulation?
&tatic analysis can only show <&%( and #c?=o in no-load condition. ;onte %arlo simulation not only can show <&%( and #c?=o in
simulated loading condition but also can show many more others$ mean served, cell loading, uplink and downlink capacity limits
reached, etc.
1/". What should )e run -irst 2'hat in-ormation should )e ready and loaded3 )e-ore running a Monte 4arlo simulation?
Be5ore running ;onte %arlo simulation, the 5ollowing should be completed or in place.

<un prediction.

&pread the tra55ic.

0e5ine terminal types.

1/$. 0o' many snap shots and iteration do you usually have 'hen running Monte 4arlo simulation?
90epend on so5tware tool recommendations:.
1/&. What are the design D58Fs?
9<&%(, #c?=o, mean served, so5t handover ratioN:
1/(. What plots do you usually chec a-ter running Monte 4arlo -or trou)le spots?
9<&%(, #c?=o, service probability, reasons 5or 5ailureN:
1/*. What are the typical reasons o- -ailure in Monte 4arlo simulation?

0ownlink #b?No 5ailure 9%apacity:.

0ownlink #b?No 5ailure 9<ange:.

-plink #b?No 5ailure.

Aow pilot &=<.

Noise rise limit reached.

#tc.
1/+. What does <tra--ic spread= mean?
ITra55ic spreadJ means spreading tra55ic 9number o5 terminals: in a cell coverage area.
1/,. >o you use live tra--ic or even;load tra--ic in your design?
90epends:.
Aptimi@ation
1/.. What are the optimi@ation tools you use?
0rive test, analysis, othersS
11/. 1re System 8n-ormation !locs 2S8!3 transmitted all the time?
No, system in5ormation block is multiple2ed with synchroniCation channel. &ynchroniCation channel occupies the 5irst time slot
9T&: and &=B occupies the other * time slots.
111. 0o' does U% camp 2synchroni@e3 to a #ode!?
1. -# uses the primary synchroniCation channel 9(-&%/: 5or slot alignment 9T& synchroniCation:.
!. 15ter aligning to NodeB time slot, -# then uses secondary synchroniCation channel 9&-&%/: to obtain 5rame synchroniCation
and scrambling code group identi5ication.
,. -# then uses scrambling code =0 to obtain %(=%/, thus camping to a NodeB.
11". What could )e the cause o- so-t handover -ailure?

-# issue.

<esource unavailable at target NodeB.

=nade>uate &/E threshold de5ined.

#tc.
11$. What are the three sets in handover?
The , sets in handover are$

1ctive set B the list o5 cells which are in so5t handover with -#.

;onitored set B the list o5 cells not in active set but <N% has told -# to monitor.

0etected set B list o5 cells detected by the -# but not con5igured in the neighbor list.
11&. What are the major di--erences )et'een GSM and UMTS handover decision?
@&;$

Time-based mobile measures o5 <2Aev and <2Qual B mobile sends measurement report every &1%/ period 9'+.ms:.

B&% instructs mobile to handover based on these reports.

-;T&$

#vent-triggered reporting B -# sends a measurement report only on certain event ItriggersJ.

-# plays more part in the handover decision.

11(. What are the events 1a9 1)9 1c9 etc.?

e1a B a (rimary %(=%/ enters the reporting range, i.e. add a cell to active set.

e1b B a primary %(=%/ leaves the reporting range, i.e. removed a cell 5rom active set.

e1c B a non-active primary %(=%/ becomes better than an active primary %(=%/, i.e. replace a cell.

e1d$ change o5 best cell.

e1e$ a (rimary %(=%/ becomes better than an absolute threshold.

e15$ a (rimary %(=%/ becomes worse than an absolute threshold.

11*. What are event "a;"d and $a;$d?
#vents !a-!d are 5or inter-5re>uency handover measurements and events ,a-,d are 5or =<1T handover measurements.

e,a$ the -;T& cell >uality has moved below a threshold and a @&; cell >uality had moved above a threshold.

e,b$ the @&; cell >uality has moved below a threshold.

e,c$ the @&; cell >uality has moved above a threshold.

e,d$ there was a change in the order o5 best @&; cell list.
11+. What may happen 'hen thereFs a missing neigh)or or an incorrect neigh)or?

1ccess 5ailure and handover 5ailure$ may attempt to access to a wrong scrambling code.

0ropped call$ -# not aware o5 a strong scrambling code, strong inter5erence.

(oor data throughput.

(oor voice >uality.

#tc.
11,. What can 'e try to improve 'hen access -ailure is high?
3hen access 5ailure is high we can try the 5ollowing to improve <1%/ per5ormance$

=ncrease ma2imum -# transmit power allowed$ ;a2OallowedO-AOTTO(ower.

=ncrease power >uickly$ powerOE55setO(..

=ncrease number o5 preambles sent in a given preamble cycle$ preambleO<etransO;a2.

=ncrease the number o5 preamble cycles$ ma2O(reambleO%ycle.

=ncrease number o5 <<% %onnection <e>uest retries$ N,...

11.. What are the conditions you typically set to trigger 8:1T handover?
<&%( and #c?=o are used to trigger =<1T handover$

<&%( U -1..dBm.

#c?=o U -1)dBm.
1"/. What are the typical D58s you use to measure a net'or and 'hat criteria?

1ccess 5ailure rate 9U !F:.

%all setup time 9%&$ over *F o5 the time V )-second 5or mobile-to-(&TN, *-second 5or mobile-mobile. (&$ over *F o5 the
time V -second:.

0ropped call rate 9U !F:.

BA#<$ over *F o5 the blocks U !F.

1verage 0A?-A throughput 5or (&0$ !1.kbps 5or loaded, !'.kbps 5or unloaded.
1"1. What is the typical U% transmit po'er?
Haries - most o5 the time below .dBm.
1"". 0ave your used %ricsson T%MS? 8- so?

0o you know how to create command se>uenceS

3hat are the call se>uences you typically haveS %& long call, %& short call, (&0 call, etc.

3hat are the typical commands you have 5or %& and (& callS

0o you regularly stop and restart a new log 5ileS 3hy and when to stop and start a new 5ileS

/ow do you stop a log 5ileS &top command se>uence 5irst, wait and make sure all e>uipment are in idle mode be5ore stop
logging.
1"$. >id you 'or on neigh)or prioriti@ation?
1"&. What is the typical event se7uence o- 8:1T 0andover -rom $G to "G

#vent !d B entering into compressed mode B measurement o5 !@ candidates B #vent ,a B Heri5ication o5 !@ resources B
/andover 5rom -T<1N %ommand 5rom ,@ <N% to -#
1"(. What are the possi)le causes -or an 8:1T Bailure?

;issing !@ relations

Non availability o5 !@ <esources

(oor !@ %overage

;issing ,@ <elations
1"*. What is 5aging Success :atio? What is the typical 5S: that you have seen in a UMTS net'or?

(&< B (aging <esponses to the (aging 1ttempts

1bout *.F
1"+. What are the possi)le causes -or a lo'er 5S:?

Non-continuous <" %overage B -# going in and out o5 coverage area 5re>uently

Hery /igh W(eriodic Aocation -pdate TimerD B Peeping -#s in HA< long time a5ter it moved out o5 coverage

Aower (aging %hannel (ower

1ccess %hannel (arameter =ssues

0elayed Aocation -pdate when crossing the A1 ? %N Boundaries

1",. What are the possi)le causes -or a >rop 4all on a UMTS net'or?

(oor %overage 90A ? -A:

(ilot (ollution ? (ilot &pillover

;issing Neighbor

&% %ollisions

0elayed /andovers

No resource availability 9%ongestion: 5or /and in

Aoss o5 &ynchroniCation

"ast "ading

0elayed =<1T Triggers

/ardware =ssues

#2ternal =nter5erence
1".. 1 U% is served )y " or $ S4 in 1S. 8t is identi-ying a S4 -rom $
rd
tier9 Stronger and meets the criteria -or %vent1a or
%vent1c. !ut S0A did not happen )ecause o- missing neigh)or relations? 0o' do you optimi@e this issue?

&tudy the (ilot spillover 5rom the ,

rd
Tier &% and control its coverage

#ven a5ter controlling the coverage, i5 the spillover is there, 1dd the neighbor.
1$/. 1 U% is served )y " S4 in 1S9 a S4 is coming in to Monitored Set and %vent1a is triggered. !ut U% is not receiving 1ctive
Set Update -rom #ode! and the call drops. What could )e possi)le causes -or this drop?

0elayed /andover

Aoss o5 &ynchroniCation

"ast "ading

(ilot (ollution ? &pillover issues

1$1. What is 0ard 0andover in UMTS? When 'ill it happen?

/ard /andover in -;T& is a break be5ore make type /andover

=t can happen in the inter <N% boundaries where there is no =ur link.
1$". What is the typical 4all Setup Time -or a $G U% to $G U% 4all? What are the possi)le :B related causes -or a delayed 4ST
in this type o- call?

) to * seconds

;ultiple <<% 1ttempts 9-# is on poor coverage B need more than 1ccess 1ttempt:

0elayed (age <esponses

/igh Aoad on (aging and?or 1ccess %hannel

(aging ? 1ccess (arameters

1$$. What is So-t 0andover Averhead? What is the typical value in UMTS net'or?

&o5t /andover Everhead is calculated in two ways. 1: 1verage 1ctive &et &iCe B Total Tra55ic ? (rimary Tra55ic. !:
&econdary ? Total Tra55ic

Typical Halues are like 1.4 91vg 1ctive &et &iCe: or ,F 9&econdary ? Total :
1$&. What 'ill happen to the So-t 0andover Averhead 'hen you apply A4#S on the net'or? 1nd Why?

3ith E%N&, the inter5erence 9load: increases. This leads to reduction in #c?=o o5 a (ilot, which reduces the pilot spillovers.
<eduction in (ilot &pillover will reduce the &o5t /andover Everhead.
1$(. What are the possi)le causes -or an 1ccess Bailure in UMTS?

;issing Neighbors

(oor %overage

(ilot (ollution ? &pillover

(oor %ell <eselection

%ore Network =ssues

Non B availability o5 resources. 1dmission %ontrol denies

/ardware =ssues

=mproper <1%/ (arameters

#2ternal =nter5erence
1$*. 2BA: %:84SSA# %G5%:8%#4%>3 What is :TW5? What is the signi-icance o- it?

<eceived Total 3ide-band (ower

=t gives the Total -plink (ower 9=nter5erence: level received at NodeB

1$+. 2BA: %:84SSA# %G5%:8%#4%>3 What is the System :e-erence 5oint at 'hich all the 5o'er Levels are measured in
%ricsson #ode!?

&ystem <e5 (oint 5or #??? NodeB is at the output o5 T;1 9Between T;1 and 1ntenna:
1$,. What are the typical values -or Hreportingrange1aF and Hreportingrange1)F?

, dB and dB respectively.
1$.. What 'ill )e the impact 'hen you change Hreportingrange1aF -rom $ to & d! and Htimetotrigger1aF 1// to $"/ ms9 'ithout
changing any other parameters?

<eduction in number o5 #vent1a

0elayed #vent1a trigger

<eduction in 1verage 1ctive &et &iCe

0elay in #vent1a could increase 0A inter5erence, which could lead to a drop call or increase in 1verage (ower (er -ser
9reduction in cell capacity:
1&/. What is 1dmission 4ontrol?

1dmission %ontrol is an algorithm which controls the <esource 1llocation 5or a new call and additional resource allocation
5or an e2isting call. =ncase, i5 a cell is heavily a loaded and enough resources in terms o5 power, codes or %#s are not
available, admission control denies permission 5or the additional resource re>uirement.
1&1. What is 4ongestion 4ontrol?

%ongestion %ontrol monitors the dynamic utiliCation o5 speci5ic cell resources and insures that overload conditions do not
occur. =5 overload conditions do occur, %ongestion %ontrol will immediately restrict 1dmission %ontrol 5rom granting
additional resources. =n addition, %ongestion %ontrol will attempt to resolve the congestion by either down switching, or
terminating e2isting users. Ence the congestion is corrected, the congestion resolution actions will cease, and 1dmission
%ontrol will be enabled.
1&". What is the maximum num)er o- 4hanneli@ation 4odes that can )e allocated -or 0S9 as per $G55 standard?

1 codes o5 &" 1).

1&$. What is H4ode MultiplexingF in 0S>51?

&haring the /& %hanneliCation %odes among more than one /& users within the !ms TT= period.
1&&. 2BA: %:84SSA# %G5%:8%#4%>3 8n %ricsson System9 ho' is the 5o'er allocated -or 0S>51I

Power unutilized by R99 PS, CS and Comman Channels, is used for HS (PHS = Pmax -
hsPowerMargin - Pnon-HS)
1&(. What are %vents that can trigger the 0S>51 4ell 4hange?

#vent 1d /& B %hange o5 Best %ell in the 1ctive &et

#vent 1b or #vent 1c B <emoval o5 the Best %ell 5rom the 1ctive &et
1&*. 0o' is typically the 4all Setup Time o- a 4SC call calculated in UMTS using L$ messages?

%&T is calculated as the time di55erence between W1lertingD and the 5irst <<% %onnection <e>uest 9%all =nitiation: messages.
1))reviation -or Arthogonal 4hannel #oise Simulator
1&+. The Arthogonal 4hannel #oise Simulator is used to simulate additional users on the downlink. =t is
automatically enabled when the sum o5 the levels o5 all the enabled downlink physical channels is less than the cell
power setting.