2012 International Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering

Advances in Biomedical Engineering, Vol.11

The Analysis Ideas and Settlement Means of Pilot Frequency Pollution

in CDMA
Yi Ke, Sicong Liu, Yi Xiao, Lejiang Guo
Department of System Integration, Hubei Branch of China Telecom Corporation,
Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
KeYi@163.com, YiXiao@163.com
Keywords: Pilot Frequency Pollution; CDMA; Network Optimization; Detection Method; Frequency
Coverage

Abstract. Network optimization is important to CDMA mobile communication system. Network

optimization can not only improve the network performance and service quality, but also increase
the capacity of the system. In this paper, the common pilot frequency pollution problems in the
CDMA system are analyzed, and the inevitability of network optimization is explained. Network
optimization has become a very important issue in construction of mobile communication network
which aims to improve the quality of communication networks. In combination with network
optimization case, the reason of pilot frequency pollution problems, analyzing and solving common
idea and some of prevention suggestions in preliminary construction of network are introduced, it
will help reduce complexity and workload of network optimization and improve the quality of the
whole network communication.
1. Introduction
With current the telecom expands and renovates the CDMA network, a large number of new base
stations join the network which increased network coverage and enhance the quality of signal
coverage, it inevitably increases the pilot frequency pollution problems, and the problems will
increase as the network development. Since the CDMA system is the interference the system
oneself when the increased new stations improves coverage and the absorption traffic, it brings pilot
frequency pollution and pilot interference. If the wireless network planning is not good, it will cause
the relatively large negative impact on entire system, soft switching increased, dropped calls and
other issues. Therefore, the detailed analysis the reasons of pilot frequency pollution and the
interference, grasping the method of finding pilot frequency pollution and interference and finding
appropriate solutions are the key to enhance network quality, also are an important work to
optimizing CDMA network. The following work will give some analysis and solutions combined
with some of the related pilot frequency pollution problems found in the preceding work, it will play
a role in the work of the network optimization.
2. Classification and impact of pilot frequency pollution
In CDMA networks, pilot frequency pollution is divided into the pilot phase pollution and the pilot
strength pollution. Pilot frequency pollution which normally referred usually is the frequency
intensity pollution. Pilot frequency pollution generated is mainly caused by the signals of multisectors mutual interference. As the complexity of the wireless environment: including topography,
building distribution, street distribution, water and in other aspects, making it is very difficult to
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ICECE 2012

control the signal, and it can not reach the ideal situation. Pilot frequency pollution occurs mainly in
the urban environment of the base station relatively dense because the city base stations are density,
which is prone to the pilot signals of a few sectors covering the same area because the indoor signal
will be leakage to the outside. The signal will be refracted reflected by high-rise city buildings; this
can easily lead to pilot frequency pollution. When the pilot signal strength in weak primary pilot in
the pilot covered area, resulting in receiving several not strong pilot signals in the same time, it is
pilot frequency pollution phenomenon. In the city, both pilot planning and sector coverage are
important as long as the engineering construction and network optimization planning pilot and
controlling sector coverage well can avoid possible pilot frequency pollution.
Pilot strength pollution refers to common pilot frequency pollution, usually when the phone
active set has four or more pilot signal, the pilot signal strength is larger than T_ADD threshold, not
all signal strength is large enough to become a truly dominant frequency. In these regions, when the
phone is moving, due to the strong pilot signal is more and mutual change also relatively fast, it will
inevitably lead to the frequent occurrence of switching cell phone. Dropped calls mostly are
happened in the process of phone switching, frequent occurrence of switching the phone is bound to
increasing the probability of dropped calls.
When the pilot frequency pollution is generated, because the other pilot signal which can not
demodulate may disturb the signal which can be demodulated, which will lead to background noise
is increased, the values become smaller, while the value of FER is increased, the mobile phone will
improve transmission power when demodulates the useful signal, with the increasing transmission
power, making the mobile phone users cause more interference to other users, for the base station,
due to the increased transmitter power of mobile phones, making the base station's sensitivity
decreases. If it make a call in the pilot frequency pollution areas, due to the pilot frequency pollution
that in the process of calling the pilot frequency will switch frequently, the systems have less open
the access and switch function which would make phone in the continuation send more Preamble
probe than usual, make on-time longer, transmitting power larger when access and percentage of
lost calls increase, but also affect the call out access of high-speed business. When the mobile
station moves in the region, the strong pilot signal is more and mutual change also relatively fast, it
will inevitably lead to the frequent occurrence switching the mobile station. When the mobile
station is in soft switch status, it communicates simultaneously with several base stations. Although
the diversity gain can improve call quality of the mobile station, the switching gain in switch instant
is negative, it means that there do not have gain, but it will increase the possibility of switch failure.

3. The analysis idea of pilot pollution

3.1 The Pilot Pollution and Interference Detection Method
Phenomenon caused by pilot pollution and pilot interference has more common, it mainly are
difficulties in mobile phones phone calling and called, intermittent calls in the actual network
optimization process, mainly have the following test methods:
(1) Detection timely in the road test
Road test is the main methods and means of testing pilot pollution and interference in the road
test using of road test equipment and software, acquisition real-time data, analysis, discovery and
location of pilot pollution and disturbance area, and find out the sources of pilot pollution.
(2) Testing by analysis software
Road testing background analysis software and system performance analysis software can search
and analyze pilot frequency pollution and interference well. It can analyze and test pilot frequency
pollution using of software, analyze and detect the way and other pilot interference phenomenon.
(3) Detect by ROP report
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ROP report in the CDMA system, it has much failure and other alarms .The base station has no
hardware alarm, it has preliminary specification that the coverage area may have serious pilot
frequency pollution or interference.
3.2 Distinguish Method of Pilot Frequency Pollution and Interference
It is difficult and complex to distinguish pilot frequency pollution and interference.In general, pilot
frequency pollution area usually occurs in dense base station areas .In the area, that base station
antennas effective height has large difference, the signal in these areas covers over seriously, lots of
strength pilot signal, signal messy, mobile phones has no primary pilot frequency signal. Difficult
detection pilot frequency interference is caused by existing base station of far more over coverage
area which generally occurs in the situation that the effective height of base station location has
significant differences.
End

pollution
exist

Start

Coverage
Analysis

Pollution
exist

Pilot pollution
( position)

Drive test post

processing

Parameter adjustment
and optimization

Fig.1 The process of pollution analysis

If a region in which the pilot frequency pollution is not very serious, but has many dropped calls,
after excluding the base station hardware failure, it can be concluded basically that it has been
caused by the pilot frequency disturbance. There have pilot frequency pollution detection methods,
early survey in the road test or late plan software analysis can be inseparable from the effective data
in the road test to support. The following paper shows the pilot frequency pollution analysis
process:
As pilot frequency pollution is caused by technical characteristics of CDMA system, therefore
inhibition of pilot frequency pollution can not simply handle from the number of the PN and the
value, it needs to comprehensively consider of the wireless environment and the status of base
stations to analyze and propose suitable solutions.
(1) Through raising a sectors power or lowering power of other PN, broadening the level of
strength of the pilot frequency power, thus forming a dominant frequency.
(2) Through the adjustment of the base station feed system to reduce the effective number of PN
of coverage the region, or reduce the specified target region PN to solve the pilot frequency
pollution.
(3) Building new base station to form a high strength coverage in the region, thus to form a new
leading frequency.

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Fig.2 The map of the base station location

In the figure.2, the circles center is the location of telecom business hall; you can see there have
more base stations near business hall. In the figure, we can see in the region, MOS value is 2.92, it
has great impact on users call perception, which affects call quality and increases the probability of
dropped calls, and eventually leading to an increase dropped calls in the region. At this point, it
examine the neighborhood configuration relationship of the three sectors, and not find the leakage
and mismatch, switch parameters of the levels are normal configuration to ensure the system
configuration with no problem, and combine with the around base stations environments in the
region, identify the reason of the main problems of the region is the pilot frequency pollution.
3.3 Destructive Analysis of Pilot Frequency Pollution
The existence of pilot frequency pollution will play a negative role in network performance, specific
performance and analysis as follows:
(1) Access difficulties and increase the probability of call failure. Prior to the UE calling, UE has
been doing cell reselection operation, because of the existence of the number of similar pilot
frequency and re-election which makes the UE can not immediately re-election to the area with the
best value, UE typically in the district with poor pilot frequency calls. When the call begins, UE
sends uplink random access, and waits for the ACK message, if this is success, UE initiates RRC
signal interaction with UTRAN. During this process, due to the absence interaction of measurement
control and measurement report, UE will do not have switch operation. After done the RRC
interaction, RNC can be possible to send down the measure control message and wait for UE
measurement report. During the period until the UE measurement report, UE always has operation
with the UTRAN which occurs in the district of the beginning of the calling, once the UE moves,
the signal of the district becomes deterioration, which is likely to lead that subsequent signaling can
not be received and sent down, and results in call failure.
(2) High-speed data service call failure probability increased significantly. In general, highspeed data services require a higher pilot frequency and the better stability of the wireless
environment, under the pilot frequency pollution circumstances, it is difficult to find pilot frequency
signal with a stable and in the strongest position which is extremely unfavorable to high-speed
business call access.
(3) Switch failure. When the mobile station moves in the region, due to the lots of strong pilot
frequency signal and fast mutual change, it will inevitably lead to the frequent occurrence of
switching the mobile station. When the mobile station is in this situation of status of soft switch, it
needs to communicate simultaneously with several base stations. Although the diversity gains can
improve call quality of the mobile station, the research shows that switch gain in switch instantly is
negative, it means that there does not have gain, but will increase the possibility of switch failure.
(4) Capacity loss. Due to the frequent switching, that will cause a decline in system capacity,
especially in the downlink capacity is limited, and a UE communicates with multiple cells, which
results in the base station downlink load increase, decrease system capacity.

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(5) In addition, in the WCDMA, Rake receiver generally handles the signal with 6 tracks, Rake
receiver will select the three ways division to merger, the rest of the scrambling code can not be
demodulated. This is negative to adaptive algorithm of Rake receiver which will result in the
increase of FER.
4. Solve pilot frequency pollution
4.1 Resolved Pilot Frequency Pollution by Forming the Dominant Frequency
In the above cases, we finally use the first idea of the formation of dominant pilot frequency to solve
the pilot frequency pollution problem, as the other three ideas we will analyze. It adjusts the
corresponding base station transmission power because all base stations are high-traffic stations,
base station itself has lower emission parameters by reducing the transmission power parameters .It
is difficult to reduce the pilot frequency strength. It calibrate the power and find the three sectors of
bookstores transmission powers are biased, the default value should be 36.5dBm, the actual value
has reached a 37.3dBm, after the power correction, MOS tests are carried out in the operating room,
the overall call quality increase significantly, the specific results as shown in figure:
53.49%

14
12
37.21%

10

8
6
9.3%

4
2

0%

0%

0%

0
<1.70 (1.70,2.40)(2.40,3) (3,3.50) (3.50,4.50)

>4.5

Fig.3 The specific values before MOS adjustment

14

72%

12
10
26%

8
6
4
0%

2%

0%

0%

0
<1.70 (1.70,2.40) (2.40,3) (3,3.50) (3.50,4.50)

>4.5

Fig.4 The specific values after MOS adjustment

In Figure.3 and Figure.4, MOS obviously improves after adjusted. It can see by reducing other
pilot frequency powers except dominant frequency. It can reduce the degree of pilot frequency
pollution and effectively improve call quality and dropped calls indicators. However, in the use of
this idea of the formation of dominant frequency, it needs to pay attention to changes in coverage
after parameter adjustment. Because of the adjustment of base station power, although the pilot
frequency pollution problem can be solved, the corresponding the coverage and traffic indexes will
also change, especially after adjustment, not only concerned about the pilot frequency pollution
problems, but also to observe the coverage and avoid resulting new weak and coverage problems.
4.2 By Adjusting the System to Solve Pilot Frequency Pollution
The thought of adjusting the feed system, it is to adjust the antenna azimuth and under pressure
angle, its principle is basically same to the idea of adjusting transmission power which is changing
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the pilot frequency strength of the target covered area to form a dominant frequency or reduce the
number of lead frequency. Because the three base stations are high-traffic urban stations, in the
previous project, the under pressure angle of the antenna has been adjusted to 8 or so, while
hanging high antenna of Bookstore has reached 50M which belongs to super high station if pushing
the antenna or changing some antenna azimuth, it is likely to result in coverage problem, especially
after lobe deformation, it will cause interference to other areas around, and then form a new pilot
frequency problems or interference.
4.3 Forming the Dominant Frequency Coverage.
Solution to the pilot frequency pollution through building the new base station should be the most
thorough and effective method. Because the main reason of the pilot frequency pollution is in the
target region without a clear dominant frequency, it builds the new base station. Although adjusting
the transmission parameters to resolve the pilot frequency pollution problem, but as the time goes
on, the antenna transmit power may be off again, or it may change with the surrounding wireless
environment, the pilot frequency pollution will happen again. In order to eradicate the problem, it
proposes a new spacious base station on the telecom machine building next to telecom business hall
through the high-intensity signal coverage of the base station; thoroughly solve the problem of pilot
frequency pollution.
4.4 Change Switch Parameters
The method focuses on a wide range existence of pilot frequency pollution during the engineering
and network optimization, as well as in the situation of adjusting the antenna and the transmission
parameters can not be implemented, by the way of increasing the switching threshold parameters, so
some sectors can not achieve conditions of entering the active set, thus reducing pilot frequency
pollution, reducing the number of dropped calls. However, this method does not fundamentally
solve the pilot frequency pollution, it can only play a role in reducing function, adjusting the
switching parameters will also reduce customer perception, so this method has not very practical
value, it can only be a complementary approach when other conventional methods can not be
implemented.
5. Conclusion
With the construction of CDMA network is carried forward step by step, pilot frequency pollutions
is a widespread phenomenon in CDMA network which is a difficult problem to be solved
completely. Pilot frequency pollutions affect the indicators of system performance ,it reduce the
quality of customer call, so adjusting and improving the pilot frequency pollutions is a long-term
and arduous task in the network optimization. The effect of pilot frequency pollutions to our
network will be gradually worse, so effectively solve the problems of pilot frequency pollutions has
an obvious effect for improving the quality of the whole network to communication, therefore to
network optimization workers, it should pay attention to minimize the impact of pilot frequency
pollutions to the network. Take effective measures to control the covered area of every sector as far
as possible in the engineering, it gets the result with half the effort in reducing the complexity of the
network optimization work and enhancing the quality of the whole net communication. In the actual
phenomenon of pilot frequency pollutions, nets optimal workers should utilize optimization theory,
according to the actual cases, it gather experience unceasingly to solve the related problems, so as to
minimize the influence of pilot frequency pollutions to the quality of network, continuously
improve the network service quality and customer satisfaction.
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