3G Tems Parameters Investigation and Drive Testing

Syed Mohib Hussain (ZTE Engineer Team C-III)

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WCDMA

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What is Drive Test?

The Drive Test is a test performed in cellular networks regardless of technology (GSM, CDMA,
UMTS, LTE, etc. ...) usually Performed in order to Analyze and optimize the Network Quality.
Drive Test is used to analyze and optimize the network quality.
Although by the analysis of KPI's we can identify problems of Parametrical Issues e.g. (CDR,
Interference, Traffic etc. etc.) while the drive tests allow a deeper analysis in the field. Identifying
areas of each sector of coverage, interference, evaluation of network changes and various other
parameters.

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Why we Perform Drive Test?

Every alive network needs to be under continues control to

maintain/improve the performance.
Optimization is the only way to keep track of the network by
looking deep into statistics and collecting and analyzing drive
Test data.
Drive Test helps operation and maintenance for trouble shooting
purpose.

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WCDMA 3G UMTS

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Drive Test Tools

Tools used for 3g Drive Testing are enlisted below:

Tems Investigation, Nemo , Probe for WCDMA (Software)

Doungle (License)
User Equipment's (Sonny Ericsson W995)
Data card (3G supported for data testing)
GPS
Scanner
Invertor

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Received Signal Strength Dedicated Ground Floor

Drive Test Types:

The main types of Drive Test are :
Performance Analysis
Integration of New Sites and change parameters of Existing Sites
Marketing
Benchmarking

Performance Analysis:
Tests for Analysis Performance is the most common, and usually made
into clusters (grouping of cells), ie, an area with some sites of interest.
They can also be performed in specific situations, as to answer a
customer complaint.

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New Site Verification:

When the site is completely integrated , Drive tester team will start to perform site
investigation.
The detailed sub-activities are outlined below:
1.Rigging Audit
2.Site Verification
3.Functionality Tests
4.Acceptance Test

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Site Verification:

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Test Performed:

Test Performed on a New Roll out site are enlisted below:

Sector Swap
Audio calls
Video calls
R99
HSPA (HSDPA & HSUPA)
Cell Reselection
IRAT (Inter Radio Access technology)
Soft and Softer Handovers
Coverage Test

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Site Verification:
Voice / Video Calls
Verify on per Basis for all carriers:
RSCP
Ec/No
Scrambling code
LAC/RAC
Cell ID
Etc etc.

Data and Throughput Test:

HSDPA / HSPUPA / R99
Verify on per Basis for all carriers:
RSCP
Ec/No
Scrambling code
LAC/RAC
Cell ID
Max & Avg Throughput
Etc etc

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Static Test:

Audio Call:
Performed number of calls as defined by the operator on all the three
sectors of sites in order to determine if any call failure , dropped or
blocked is found.
Video Call:
Just Like Audio Calls number of video calls are also performed on all the
three sectors of sites in order to determine if any call failure , dropped or blocked
is found. Video call found should be successful.
It Takes 64kb/s data to transmit a call.
R99: (Release 99)
First Step Advancing toward Global 3G network. Can Support data rate
up-to 384kb/s and a dedicated channel is allocated for each specific user.
Perform Number of R99 Test by making a dial up connection and verify the
achieving speed.

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Static Test:

HSPA (HSDPA & HSUPA):

HSDPA:
High Speed downlink packet access is the total speed on a downlink channel
Ideally on single carier HSDPA will Provide Data Rate upto 14Mb/s and for Dual
carrier as like on Zong It is Providing data Rate upto 42 Mb/s.
Large and Huge Data Contained Files are downloaded Via Http or FTP to
perform this test. On Zong Minimum Average Speed for HSDPA Should be
more than 9mb/s. Moreover HSDPA used Dedicated Shared channel.
One Channel shared with number of users.
HSUPA:
High Speed Uplink packet access is the total speed on a uplink channel Ideally
on single carrier HSUPA will Provide Data Rate upto 5Mb/s and for Dual carrier as
like on Zong It is Providing double than that/
Large and Huge Data Contained Files are uploaded Via Http or FTP to perform this
test.
HSUPA always used E-DCH Channel.
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Cell Reselection:

This test is performed to check weather

our cell is camping to better serving cell
or not in Ideal mode while moving from
one node B to another or one Sector to
another.
Specific Threshhold level will be
adjusted for this parameter. It
Commonly depends upon the RSCP
and EcNo.
Mostly If EcNo Exceeds <-14 it will
Reselect a new cell.
Forcefully Test:
WCDMA to forcefully on GSM
from Inter Radio access technology
option and then Back to WCDMA Ue
should not exceeds from 2secs while
reselecting a WCDMA cell from No
Service mode to RRC Eastablished.
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Inter Radio Access Technology (IRAT):

Inter Radio Access Technology Test Tells us in case we are in dedicated mode
and some where coverage levels of WCDMA are degraded or we are coming
out from the coverage area of WCDMA then our call instead of Dropping simply
switched on to a GSM Network.
Same like in this test we will check weather our cell is properly mapped with 2G
desired cell and MSC or not and is properly switching to GSM or not.

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Types of Hand over:

Handovers:
1.Soft Hand over: Make Before
break. Between two Node Bs at a
time connecting with number of
cells and first of all making the
connection with better serving cell
then release.
2.Softer Handover: Make Before
break. Between different sectors of
the same Node B and first of all
made the connection with better
serving cell then release.
3.Hard Handover: Break before
make. Intra frequency handover in
WCDMA.

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Sector Swap:

Sector Swap is one of the major Test in

GSM,CDMA,UMTS,LTE Drive Testing.
In WCDMA 3g Sites we commonly faced a
complete swap in a new roll out site.
Sector Swap in Telecom means If you are
standing in the coverage Area of Sector 1 st
but you are going to be served with 2nd
sector and same like if you are standing infront of sector 2nd and serving cell you
measures will be showing the results of
sector 1st and same as In front of 3rd Sector
you will be served by sector 2nd.
Here it shows abnormal behavior of the
network.
By sector swap quality should be degraded
and as a results Drop calls and level of
interference should increase up to its extent.

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Coverage
Test is used to
Coverage
Test:
analyze the network by

monitoring RSCP, EcNo, CQI,

SIR, BLER etc etc.
Coverage holes and others
Missing or Detective Neighbors
Information can be also
measured.
Block calls , Drop calls,
Interference , PS Attach
Successful and Failure and
other abnormal event can also
be monitored.
Different Colour Coding shows
the Ranges of different
Parameters.
Map Info Tool is commonly used
to Plot the ranges of Power and
Interference by using
Thermatic.

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Radio Parameters:

CPICH EcNo
CPICH RSCP
Tx Power
UTRA Carrier RSSI
SIR
Target SIR
SQI
RRC State
Mode

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Radio Parameters:
CPICH Ec/No:
Chip Energy by Noise. Common Pilot channel EcNo is the ratio of the energy of the
chip and the combined power of all the signals including the specific pilot channel. It also
shows the level of Noise disrupting the specific CPICH.
Ranges for EcNo:
0 to -7 Good
-7 to -10 Acceptable
-10 to -36 Bad
CPICH RSCP:
Received signal Code Power is the level of the signal received by the U.E. or in
simple RSCP is the total power of the entire cell or a specific Common Pilot Channel
received by the user Equipment.
Ranges of RSCP:
-30 to -75 Good
-75 to -85 Acceptable
-85 to -140 Bad
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Radio Parameters:

Tx Power:
Tx Power is the transmitting power of the mobile station. Its value can vary from
50 to -50.
The minimum the Tx Power of the mobile station the better it is for call quality.
Tx Power is the power of mobile station only measured in the dedicated mode and
commonly mobile will support the call in case when you are in a low coverage area it
will increase its own power to support your call avoiding Droped.
RSSI:
Received Signal Strength Indicator is the total power of the entire common pilot
channel received by the Mobile station Including Neighbours interference and noise
as well of Neighbours and it self also.
RSSI= RSCP + EcNo
RSSI Ranges:
0 to -75 Good
-75 to -85 Acceptable
-85 to -140 Bad
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Radio Parameters:
SIR:
Signal to Interferance ratio is the ratio of
energy in the DPCC ( Dedicated Physical
control channel) to that of the interferance
and noise received by the User Equipment.
Target SIR:
It is the target signal to interferance ratio
that Mobile Equipment
is supposed to
achieve by increasing or decreasing its
power. It is usually Set by the use of Power
Control Procedure.

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Radio Parameters:

SQI:
It is the speech quality index which is a parameter to rate the
voice quality on that particular call. It ranges from 0 to 30. while
30 being the Best Value.
Adaptive Multi Rate (AMR) is also used to enhanced the speech
or the voice quality of the specific call.
WCDMA use AMR Sourc Coding.
AMR vary with different Ranges Highest AMR Value is 12.20 and
lowest AMR value is 4.75.
RRC State:
It tells the current state and channel as in idle or dedicated.
Mode:
It is the Mode that We are Using Weather GSM or WCDMA.

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Serving and Active Set + Neighbour:

Cell I.D:
This is the Identity or name given to a particular Node B and its cells by the
operator.
UARFCN:
Universal Absolute radio Frequency channel Number is the frequency band
allotted to the operator. One Spectrum band width is of 5MHz in WCDMA or 3G.
Frequency for Uplink allotted to all the operators vary between 1920 to 1980
MHZ.
While
Frequency for Downlink allotted to all the operators vary between 2110 to 2170
MHZ.

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Serving and Active Set + Neighbour:

Cell Name:
Specific Name of the Node B alloted by the Operator according to its location and Serial value.
Scrambling Codes:
Scrambling Codes are usually used to identified different cells of a node B.
They are of Two types.
1- Secondary Scrambling Code
2- Primary Scrambling Code
Secondary Scrambling Code:
Used in a Beam forming case.
Primary Scrambling codes: (0 to 511)
Are actually the Scrambling codes usually used to identified different sectors. They totally lies from 0 to
8191. More over 512 PSC are divided into a group of 64.Each contains 8PSC.
Total Down link Scrambling Codes 16*8=512.

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Serving + Neighbours

AS:
Set of Scrambling codes on which the user equipment is currently latched on and
there can be at least maximum three scrambling's codes in a Active Set.
MN:
Neighbor cell that is detected by user equipment as a neighbor. Soft and Softer
Handover decision should be taken by measuring the Stronger RSCP and EcNo
then that of Active Set at least 32 Neighbor cells can be added in a single 3g site.
DN:
It is also the neighbor cell which is detected by the U.E but is not defined in our
network. Hence the U.E does not handover onto these cells. It can be because of
Overshooting, incomplete neighbor list or in case of a new site, It is very important to
optimize a network and have no DNs as they are one of the major reasons of call
drops in 3G.

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HSPA and GSM Line Chart:

This window gives us the data speed for both 2G and 3G
depending on the mode of user equipment.
RLC DL Throughput ---- This is the total throughput on the
downlink at that particular point.
You will find throughput values in Kb/s.
RLC DL Throughput average should be more than 9mb/s.

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Pilot Pollution

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Pilot Pollution:

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