Coverage and Containment

Objectives
Review distributed files Setting up the tools for coverage analysis Prioritizing your work Selecting top coverage issues Categorizing In-building, In car, On-street coverage Identifying potential interference locations Walk through on coverage examples Probable coverage holes scenario Probable multi server scenario Design changes

Coverage Optimization
Objectives Create the right coverage for each location Minimize Interference

What is the Right Coverage?

Creating Dominant Servers Each location ideally has one dominant server Eliminating coverage gaps

Minimizing interference

What Limits the Coverage?

Downlink Maximum downlink power allocated for a traffic channel

Uplink Max uplink transmit power from MS

Discuss other factors!

Coverage scenarios
On street In Car In building (1-wall)

In building (3-wall)

Interference
Minimizing interference Definition:
4 or more servers within 5 dB of strongest, inclusive

Example:

Impacts:

Access failures High HO reduced capacity Drops in extreme cases Impact to throughput (for GPRS/EDGE)

Coverage Optimization Process

Input Scanner Data Mobile Camped On Cell RxLevIdle Prediction Tool Plots Test transmitter (site selection) Tasks Identify each sectors coverage pattern Eliminate over-spray where sector is dominant (and shouldnt be)

Per Sector Coverage Data

Analysis
Answer the following for each sectors coverage

pattern:

What is the design intent of this sectors coverage? Where is this sector dominant? Where should this sector be dominant? Is this sector over- (or under-) covering? Is this sector contributing to excessive coverage? Is this sector under-performing (network stats)?

Summary
Other useful plots RxLev Sub Plots C1 Plots

Use of coverage plots Access failure analysis Dropped call analysis Throughput analysis

Interference

Confidential

Interference

Types of Interference Sources of Interference Detecting Interference

Confidential

Types of Interference

Types of Interference
External Interference
Internal Interference

Co-Channel Interference Adjacent Channel Interference

External Interference

Sources of External Interference

Noise from other RF sources Man made noise Galactic Noise

Automobiles, Machines, Power Lines, etc.,

Atmospheric Noise

From Sun, Stars etc.,

Mostly from Lightning..

Co-Channel Interference
Co Channel interference: It is the relation between the desired signal C and undesired (Interfering or re-used) signal I, both using the same carrier frequency.

Carrier, F1

C/I > 12 dB (Design criteria) C/I > 9 dB ( GSM Rec.)

Interferer, F1

C
I

Types of Co-Channel Interference

Downlink Co-Channel Interference Uplink Co-Channel Interference

Frequency re-use
B1 A1 B3 B1 D3 B2 B1 C3 A1 D1 B1 C3 A1 C2 D2 B3 D3 B2 C2

C1

Potential Interferers

A3
A1 B3 D3 B2

A2

C1

C1

A3

A2

A3
C1 B3 D3 B2

A2

C3

C2

Potential Interferers
A1

D1 B1

D2

D1 B1 C3 A1 C2

D2

A3 C1 B3 D3 A3 A2 C3 A1 D1 D2 B2

A2

Potential Interferers
C1

D1
B1 C2

D2

B3 D3 A3 A2

B2

C3

C2

C1
B3 D3 B2 D1 D2

A3

A2

C3

C2

D1

D2

Internal Interference
BCCH BCCH interference

TCH TCH interference

BCCH BCCH interference: Can be identified by poor call origination rate in the interfered cell More call drops in the BCCH Carrier BCCH interference is not always dependent on the amount of traffic in the cell Difficult to detect which cell is interfering, if there are more cells with the same BCCH around the interfered cell

TCH TCH Interference

TCH

carriers interference.

are

reused

contribute

to

co-channel

It will be present only when these TCH carriers have call activity To check this type of interference calls are originated on each timeslot of suspected reused TCH carriers & the C/I values are measured Easiest method to solve this measurement problem is to make Delta (difference) measurements, that is Instead of measuring C/I on the T1 (common TCH carrier frequency), we make a delta measurement of B2 / B1 , which is near to the C/I value of T1

TCH TCH Interference

Cell 1 has BCCH carrier on ARFCN B1 and cell 2 has BCCH carrier on ARFCH B2 while both have TCH carriers on ARFCN T1

Adjacent Channel Interference

Adjacent - Channel interference: It is the relation between the desired signal C and undesired signal A, both using the adjacent carrier frequency. Interferer F1+1 or F1-1 Carrier, F1

A
C

Adjacent Channel Interference

Adjacent Channel interference: It is the relation between the desired signal C and undesired signal A, both separated by 200Khz

A
C/A > -9 dB

fx

fx+200khz

Time Dispersion

R C

C = Direct signal R = Reflected signal C/R > 9 dB

The Reflected signal that are delayed more than 15 micro sec must be at least 9 dB below the direct signal received at that time instant.

Detecting Interference

Detecting Interference
Detecting External interference Detecting internal interference Tools for detecting interference Methods of detecting interference

Detecting External Interference

Other RF

Sources:

Spectrum Analyzer Directional Antenna

(Operating in the required band)
Source: www.Agilent.com

Confidential

Interference Analyzer
Detecting Interference using Interference Analyzer:

Racal - SmartAIR Rohde & Schwarz - Roger TS 9958

Agilent E6474A / E7475A

Interference Analyzer

Detecting Interference in the network Measurement of Interfered and Interfering Signal

Identifying to which cell the interfered and interfering signal belongs to.

General Coverage Analysis process

Study RSSI from scanner and Idle phone RxLev plots. Compare with the intended (planned) coverage and identify

serving with neighboring cells. Look for potential interference. Plot serving BCCH for camped on cell. Plot individual coverage (from scanner ) to see per cell coverage/containment. In Mapinfo, plot serving with neighbors in idle mode and identify potential interference. Per cell, look at the individual tilts/height with general field clutter information Look at stats for per cell usage and performance during busy hour. Discuss recommendations for any changes required. Simulate possible changes in Frequency planning tool for intended coverage

Objectives for 15/02/10

Introduction on Drive Test tool and Actix post

processing tool. Drive test process, different test set ups Validating drive logs. Initial set-up in Actix Loading drive data into Actix tool Analysis windows/options in Actix Using MapInfo Site database ,Network Site level statistics. Examples review