Security Level:

Neighbor Cell Planning and

Scrambling Code Planning
Usage of CAN and SCP
GSM-to-UMTS Training Series_V1.0
www.huawei.com

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. Huawei Confidential

 Date Revision Description Author
Version

2008-11-08 1.0 Draft completed. Zang Liang

2008-12-27 1.1 The method for obtaining the tool is Kuang Jun
added in page 14.
The explanation of scrambling code
concept is added in page 16.
2009-01-20 1.2 Description of new parameters about Dong
file setting is added in page 12 Qihuan

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 Upon completion of this course, you will be
able to:
 Understand the principles and usage of the
neighbor cell planning tool CNA
 Understand the principles and usage of the
scrambling code planning tool SCP

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 Chapter one Neighbor cell planning

Chapter two Scrambling code planning

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Neighbor Cell Planning
• Principles of the tool for neighbor cell planning
A. Take a certain scope (for example, at a distance of 10 km in urban areas or
20 km in suburban areas) around a base station as an area for neighbor cell
planning. Draw the horizontal and vertical grids in this area at a certain
distance (for example, 20 m, 50 m, and 100 m) to obtain a node list {Jn}.
B. At node Jn, calculate the coupling losses from all surrounding cells. (A
propagation model that involves the height of the base station above the
ground is used. The model takes into account the antenna height, direction,
downtilt angle, and pattern but not the clutter because no digital map is
provided.) Sort the losses in ascending order. If a coupling loss is within a
certain range (for example, 6 dB) above the minimum value, it is considered
that the relevant cells are in neighboring relation.
C. For a cell, for example cell Ci, collect the information about the neighbor cell
pairs in the node list {Jn} and the times that each pair occurs in {Jn}. Sort the
pairs according to the occurrence times in descending order and retrieve the
first n pairs. Alternatively, sort the pairs according to the distance between
sites and retrieve the nearest m pairs. The final result is the union of n and m.
• Tool for neighbor cell planning
- Cell Neighbor Allocation (CNA)

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Neighbor Cell Planning
• Data preparation
Prepare the following data according to the template in \Input
in the CAN release package:
A. Template for engineering parameter table of cell: cellinfo_template.xls
B. Example of propagation model file: Propagation_model.txt
C. Example of antenna pattern file: DEFAULT in AntennaPattern
• Data description
A. Complete the cell data in cellinfo_template.xls, and then save the data
in cellinfo.txt of which the data is separated by tabs.

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Neighbor Cell Planning
Inputs of cell parameters

• Data Description

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Neighbor Cell Planning
• Data Description
B: Propagation model parameters are defined in the Propagation_model.txt file.

Inputs of the transmission model

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Neighbor Cell Planning
• Data description
C. Modify the antenna pattern file, as shown in the following figure. That is,
reserve the gain data, add data to line 2 through line 4, and reserve the
horizontal and vertical loss data.

Inputs of the propagation model

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Neighbor Cell Planning
• Check the configuration file CNA_config.txt (unchangeable file
name).
Modify the parameter in each line and the name of the output and input files as required.
A: Parameter settings
1. [1]Calculated_bin_size[m]=:20 The estimate resolution is 20 m. That is, 20 m x 20 m maps a logical point.
2. [2]Calculated_SHO_threshold[dB]=:6 It indicates the threshold of soft handover.
3. [3]MaxIntraFreqNBCellsbyCPL=:15 The value range is [1, 31]. It indicates the maximum number of
neighbor cells based on the coupling path loss.
4. [4]MaxIntraFreqNBCellsbyDistance=:15 The value range is [0, 31]. It indicates the maximum number of
neighbor cells based on the distance between base stations. The final number of neighbor cells is the union of
the results obtained in step 3 and step 4.

Note: The cells at the same site are neighbor cells of each other. The number of intra-
frequency neighbor cells cannot exceed 31. Therefore, certain unidirectional neighboring
relations may present.

As stipulated in the protocols, a maximum

of 32 intra-frequency neighbor cells are
allowed at the same site. Except one cell,
a maximum of 31 neighbor cells can be
configured.

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 Neighbor Cell Planning
• Check the configuration file CNA_config.txt (unchangeable file name).
File settings
1. [5]Cellinfo_file=:.\input\cellinfo.txt.
2. [6]Allocating_Cellneighbor_file=:.\output\cellneighbor.txt It indicates the neighbor cell file after
planning.
3. [7]Coor_trans_file=:.\output\GaussianPlanarRectCoor.txt It indicates the output file of projection
transformation. This file is an output for the Release version, but must be reserved in the
configuration file.
4. [8]Antenna_pattern_Dir=:.\input\antennapattern It indicates the directory where the antenna pattern
file is stored.
5. [9]Propagatation_model_file=:.\input\Propagation_model.txt It indicates the SPM propagation
model parameter in each environment.
6. [10]Path_loss_file_Dir=.\Output\PL It indicates the directory where the path loss calculation file is
stored. This directory is not an output in the Release version, but must be reserved in the
configuration file.
7. [11]SHO_Array_file=.\Output\SHO_Array.txt It indicates the array file of soft handover analysis.
This file is not an output in the Release version, but must be reserved in the configuration file.
8. [12]Cell_NB_by_CPL_file=.\Output\Cell_NB_by_CPL.txt It indicates the planning result of neighbor
cells based on the coupling path loss.
9. [13]CNA_statis_file=.\Output\CNA_statis.txt It indicates the planning result statistics of neighbor
cells.

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Neighbor Cell Planning
10. [13]Existing_Cellneighbor_file=: .\input\cellneighbor.txt It indicates the neighbor cell file
on the existing network. Note that the file name here is a basic file name. The actual file
name is the basic file name (without suffix) + “_IntraFreq_” or “_InterFreq_” + “_RNC_” +
RNC_ID + suffix to the basic file name. For example, the file name of an intra-frequency
neighbor cell with RNC ID 1 is “cellneighbor_IntraFreq_RNC_1.txt”. The file name of an
inter-frequency neighbor cell with RNC ID 1 is “cellneighbor_InterFreq_RNC_1.txt”.

11. [14]Cell_update_list=: .\input\cellupdate.txt It indicates the list of expanded cells, or the

list of cells with neighbor cells to be exported.

12. [15]InterFreq_HD_strategy= .\input\DL_UARFCN.txt It indicates the downlink UARFCN

number, referring to the handover direction of an inter-frequency handover between edge
cells and cells that use different frequencies but with the same coverage.

13. [16]MML_template_file= .\input\MMLscripts.txt It indicates the sample script for adding

an intra-frequency or inter-frequency neighbor cell. Leave CELLID, RNCID, and NCELLID
unfilled (cannot be a space), and set other parameters according to the baseline or as
required.

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Neighbor Cell Planning
Check the configuration file CNA_config.txt (unchangeable file name).

B: File settings

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Neighbor Cell Planning
When the data are configured properly, run the CAN.exe program to
plan the neighbor cell.

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Neighbor Cell Planning

Neighbor cell planning exercise

Calculate the neighbor cell planning result according to the input

information provided in the following attached file:

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 Chapter one Neighbor cell planning

Chapter two Scrambling code planning

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Scrambling Code Planning
Primary scrambling code 0

Primary scrambling code 1

…
Group 0
Downlink Primary scrambling code 7
primary Group 1
scrambling …
codes Primary scrambling code 504

Group 63 The primary scrambling

Primary scrambling code 505 codes are divided into
64 groups. Each group
… contains eight codes.
512 primary 64 groups
scrambling codes
Primary scrambling code 511

Downlink primary scrambling codes are used to distinguish between cells.

Scrambling code planning refers to the planning and assignment these 512
downlink primary scrambling codes.

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Scrambling Code Planning
• Objectives of scrambling code planning:
a) Assign a primary scrambling code to each cell.
b) Ensure that the downlink signals of the cells that use the same
frequency and the same scrambling code do not interfere with each
other. In this way, Mobile Stations can correctly synchronize and decode
the pilot channels of normal service cells.
c) The intra-frequency neighbor cells of a cell must be assigned with
different scrambling codes.

The cells that are assigned with different

frequencies in the same sector can use
the same scrambling code
(recommended configuration).

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Scrambling Code Planning
Example of manual scrambling code planning
Assign the same scrambling code group for the cells at the same site. Neighbor
sites belong to different scrambling code groups.

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Scrambling Code Planning

• Rules of scrambling code planning

- The basic rule of scrambling code planning is to improve the
utilization of scrambling code resources on the entire network and
meet the network development requirements for capacity
expansion and maintenance under the precondition of assigning a
suitable scrambling code to each cell.
• Tool for scrambling code planning
- Scrambling Code Planning (SCP)

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Scrambling Code Planning
• Principles of the tool for scrambling code planning
1. Availability
How to determine whether a scrambling code can be assigned
to a cell? Theoretically, a precise digital map and an accurate
propagation model can be used to estimate the signal strength
that approximates the actual result. The estimate result helps
evaluate the interference on the cells that use the same
frequency and the same scrambling code, and determine
whether the scrambling code can be used. In fact, signals
attenuate quickly in space propagation. Therefore, the space
isolation (that is, reuse distance) can be increased to meet the
requirements for defending against interferences. The second
method is preferred as it saves cost and time. However, a
larger reuse distance may cause smaller or even no scrambling
code resources for assignment in the planning area.

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Scrambling Code Planning
• Principles of the tool for scrambling code planning
Determining the reuse distance:
Given that the distribution of sites is related to the propagation environment, a concept of multi-
order/layer neighboring relation is introduced to define a non-reuse area. A<->B and B<->C indicate
that cells A and B have a neighboring relation and cells B and C have a neighboring relation. Cells A
and C have a two-order/layer neighboring relation instead of a direct neighboring relation. (Note: The
order means a logical relation, layer means a geographic relation, and they can be mutually replaced.)
If non-reuse is defined within a two-order neighboring relation, it indicates that cell A and all of its one-
order and two-order neighbor cells cannot be assigned with the same scrambling code. In theory, a
higher order indicates a larger reuse distance, greater propagation losses, and a smaller possibility of
interference. For a typical urban environment, suppose that the distance between densely populated
urban sites is one km, and the distance between urban sites is two km. According to statistics, the
minimum reuse distance is three km under a three-order neighboring relation, and six km under a five-
order neighboring relation. In addition, considering that the initial neighboring relation may contain
only the first-layer sites, you can add the neighbor cells of a neighbor cell to the active set by enabling
the Combine switch of the neighbor cell. That is, a relation of A<->B<->C<->D<->E may exist. If cell C is
the best cell, cells A and E have a four-order neighboring relation. Therefore, the number of neighbor
orders must be greater than or equal to 4 for outdoor sites (that is, cell F can be assigned with the
same scrambling code as cell A).

Neighbor 1 Neighbor 1 Neighbor 1 Neighbor 1 Neighbor 1

Neighbor 2 Neighbor 2 Neighbor 2 Neighbor 2 Neighbor 2
… … … … …
Cell A Cell B Cell C Cell D Cell E Cell F
… … … … …
Neighbor N Neighbor N Neighbor N Neighbor N Neighbor N

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Scrambling Code Planning
• Principles of the tool for scrambling code
planning
2. Scalability
Prepare for capacity expansion of the network during the initial planning, to avoid
frequent adjustment to earlier-phase planning results in the subsequent planning
process.
Scrambling code reservation and “Best Effort” reuse can be used to meet the
scalability requirement for scrambling code planning:
1) Scrambling code reservation is often preferred for capacity expansion. For example,
reserve 20%-30% scrambling code resources in suburban areas, and 40%-50% in
urban areas. In addition, reservation can be used in certain special scenarios. For
example, certain scrambling codes can be independently assigned to high sites or
indoor sites.
2) “Best Effort” reuse means to use the scrambling codes that are most frequently
assigned when multiple scrambling codes meet the specified conditions. “Best Effort”
reuse maximizes the utilization or reuse rate of scrambling codes. The assignment
process is not affected by the changes to the total number of scrambling codes.

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Scrambling Code Planning

• Procedure of scrambling code planning

 Parameter settings: Set the major parameters in
SCP_config.txt, including the number of non-reuse neighbor
orders, the minimum reuse distance, and the total number of
assignable scrambling codes.
 Data preparation: According to the instructions in the user
manual, set engineering parameters in the cellinfo.txt file and
prepare the neighbor cell file cellneighbor.txt.
 Planning and adjustment: Run the program, analyze the
planning result, and perform adjustment.

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Scrambling Code Planning
• Procedure of scrambling code planning
 Parameter settings:
Use the following default parameters in SCP_config.txt and
run the SCP tool to perform trial planning.
[1]Nmax=: 5
[2]Distance_threshold[Km]=: -1
[3]Min_PSC_code=: 0
[4]Max_PSC_code=: 511
[5]Reserved_PSCs_per_group=: -1
The trial planning result shows whether the network-wide
scrambling code assignment succeeds, the number of required
scrambling codes, and the reuse distance under minimum
restrictions. This helps further determine the parameter values.

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Scrambling Code Planning
Procedure of scrambling code planning
Data preparation
The following figures show the engineering data file and the
neighbor relation file.

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 Scrambling Code Planning
Procedure of scrambling code planning
Data preparation

Note: If no identical cell IDs are used for cells served by different RNCs, set
RNC ID in the above data file to -1. Otherwise, set the RNC ID according to
the actual conditions.

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Scrambling Code Planning
Procedure of scrambling code planning
Planning and adjustment

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Scrambling Code Planning
• Procedure of scrambling code planning
 Planning and adjustment:
Two objectives of planning and adjustment:
A) All scrambling codes are successfully assigned. That is, each cell is assigned
with an available
scrambling code that complies with the planning rules.
B) The occupation of scrambling code resources is as little as possible, and the
minimum reuse
distance is as large as possible.
Perform adjustment by modifying the global or cell parameters, for example:
A) Allowing/prohibiting assignment of scrambling code sets.
B) Number of neighbor orders.
C) Multiplex distance.
D) Neighboring relation.
Priority of parameters: engineering parameter file (cell ) > command line (global) >
configuration file (global).

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Scrambling Code Planning
• Scrambling code planning exercise
Obtain the scrambling code planning result according to the input information
provided in the following attached file:

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Thank you
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