Course Content

Radio Resource Management Overview

Parameter Configuration
Common Channels & Power Control
Load Control
Admission Control
Packet Scheduling
Handover Control
Resource Manager

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Course Objectives
At the end of the course you will be able to:
Describe the purpose of RRM
List the RRM functional entities
Describe the purpose of each of the RRM functional entities
Identify the location of RRM entities
Identify relationships between RRM entities
Describe the Nokia RAN parameter database structure

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Radio Resource Management Overview

Introduction

Load Control (LC)

Admission Control (AC)
Packet Scheduler (PS)
Power Control (PC)
Handover Control (HC)
Resource Manager (RM)

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Radio Resource Management

Radio Resource Management (RRM) is responsible for optimal
utilisation of the air interface resources
Target for RRM is to ensure the RAN offers:

The planned coverage for each targeted service

High capacity i.e. low blocking (new calls, handovers)
The required Quality of Service (QoS)
Optimize the use of available capacity (priorities)

By continuously monitoring/adjusting how the available resources are used in accordance

with user requests

Link Quality

Cell Capacity
4

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

RRM

Cell Coverage

RRM Tasks
RRM must be able to:
Overload

Predict the impact on interference (power) of the

admitting a new user for UL & DL

Provide different quality of service for real time (RT)

and non-real time (NRT) users
Take appropriate corrective action when the different
cell load thresholds are exceeded in order to maintain
cell stability (i.e. load control)

Load Target

Power

Perform appropriate actions (e.g. new call admissions,

bitrate increase/decrease etc.) in accordance with
prevailing load conditions

Time
Estimated capacity for
NRT traffic
Measured load caused
by non-controllable load
(RT)

RT services must have higher quality assurance than NRT

5

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Overload Margin

RRM Functional Split

RRM is made up of a number of closely interdependent functions (i.e. algorithms)
These functions can be divided into;

LC

Cell Based
Load control (LC)
Admission control (AC)
Packet scheduling (PS)
Resource manager (RM)

Connection Based

Handover control (HC)

Power control (PC)

PS
RM

AC
Cell based functions

PC
HC
Connection based functions

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

RRM Cell Based Functions

Admission control (AC)
Performs the admission control for new bearers to enter the network.
Predicts interference caused by the bearer and checks whether there is room for it.
Power allocation
Defines transport channel parameters

Packet Scheduler (PS)

Scheduling packets on the radio interface (UL/DL)
Ensures fast allocation of resources for NRT users

Load Control (LC)

Takes care of radio network stability
Gathers interference information and provides cell load status to AC & PS

Resource manager (RM)

Manages the physical resources of RAN
Maintains the code tree and code allocations

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

RRM Connection Based Functions

Power Control (PC)
Continuously monitors the quality of the radio link and adjusts MS, BTS powers
Ensures absolute minimum Tx power is used to maintain required quality
Can be divided into;
Closed loop PC
Open loop PC
Outer loop PC

Handover Control (HC)

Manages the mobility of the users
Ensures MS is connected to the optimal cell(s) > minimising interference
Can be divided into;
Intra-frequency handovers
Inter-frequency (hard) handovers
Inter-system handovers
8

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Radio Resource Management Overview

Introduction

Load Control (LC)

Admission Control (AC)
Packet Scheduler (PS)
Power Control (PC)
Handover Control (HC)
Resource Manager (RM)

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Load control States

The load control function within RRM can be divided:

Preventative load control (e.g. congestion)

Overload control (e.g. dropping of calls in worst case)

Preventative actions are performed before the cell is overloaded (threshold y)

Overload actions are performed after cell is overloaded (threshold x)
RNP parameters define the thresholds for the RRM functionalities
The thresholds define a stable functionality within a cell and with surrounding cells
Overload Control
Preventative Load Control

Estimated capacity for

NRT traffic.

Power

Overload
threshold x
Load Target
threshold y

Time
10

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Measured load caused

by non-controllable load
(RT)

Load Control
Load change info

Load status

AC

NRT load
PS
LC

LC performs the function of load control in association with AC & PS

Updates load status using measurements & estimations provided by AC and PS
Continuously feeds cell load information to PS and AC;

11

NOKIA

Interference levels
BTS power levels
Non-controllable load
RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Radio Resource Management Overview

Introduction

Load Control (LC)

Admission Control (AC)
Packet Scheduler (PS)
Power Control (PC)
Handover Control (HC)
Resource Manager (RM)

12

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Admission Control
Responsible for maximising capacity (throughput) whilst providing the required
quality of service for RT traffic.
Checks that admitting a new user will not sacrifice planned coverage or quality of
existing connections
Determines whether RABs can be admitted to the RAN
Handles RT RABs alone by estimating the increase in non-controllable load
With PS decides whether to admit NRT RABs
In the decision UL interference & DL power measurements by BTS are used
Provides RLC parameters to PS for NRT users, for example
Bearer class
Transport Formats
AC sets quality and power parameters for the radio link, for example
UL/DL BLER, Eb/No targets, SIR target
Initial DL transmission power

13

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Admission Control
In uplink the total received wideband interference power measured indicates the traffic
load of the radio resources .
UL interference power

PrxTotal
Prx_target_BS

RNP decision
thresholds

Prx_target

Marginal load area

Planned load area

Load

For downlink the power change caused by new RT service is obtained from the
maximum allowed DL transmission power for the service.
In the admission decision procedure new call (or modified existing call) is admitted if
both UL and DL admission decisions are passed
14

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Radio Resource Management Overview

Introduction

Load Control (LC)

Admission Control (AC)
Packet Scheduler (PS)
Power Control (PC)
Handover Control (HC)
Resource Manager (RM)

15

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Packet Scheduler
Responsible for scheduling radio resources
for both UL and DL NRT RABs
Scheduling
parameters

period

defined

by

power
Overload threshold

RNP

Target threshold

PS relies on up-to-date information from

AC and LC
Capacity allocated on a needs basis using
best effort approach

Total Load
controllable load
non-controllable load
time

PS allocation times need to be fast to accommodate changing conditions & accurate

(up-to-date load info)
Capacity requests sent via traffic volume measurement reports (governed by RNP
parameters)
PS comprises two parts: MS specific & Cell specific
16

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Radio Resource Management Overview

Introduction

Load Control (LC)

Admission Control (AC)
Packet Scheduler (PS)
Power Control (PC)
Handover Control (HC)
Resource Manager (RM)

17

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Power Control
Since WCDMA system is interference limited it is beneficial to reduce transmission
power as far as possible.
Thus, the target of power control (PC) is to achieve the minimum signal-tointerference ratio (SIR) that is required to offer sufficient quality of the connection.
PC works on a per-connection basis.

MS

BS

RNC

Power Control

Power Control
Load Control
18

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Power Control
Handover Control
Admission Control
Load Control
Packet Scheduler

Power Control (PC) Loops in WCDMA

MS

BTS

Open Loop Power Control (Initial Access)

Fast Closed Loop Power Control
Outer Loop Power Control

19

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

RNC

Radio Resource Management Overview

Introduction

Load Control (LC)

Admission Control (AC)
Packet Scheduler (PS)
Power Control (PC)
Handover Control (HC)
Resource Manager (RM)

20

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Handover Control (HC)

HC is responsible for;
Managing the mobility aspects of an RRC connection as UE move around network
Maintaining high capacity by ensuring UE is always served by strongest cell

Soft(er) Handover
Intra-System
WCDMA to WCDMA

Intra-frequency
Inter-frequency

Hard Handover
Intra-frequency

Inter-System
(Inter-RAT)
WCDMA to GSM
WCDMA to GPRS
GSM to WCDMA
GPRS to WCDMA

21

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Intra-layer
Inter-layer
Intra-layer
Inter-layer
Intra-layer
Inter-layer

Requires
Compressed
Mode

Inter-frequency
Hard Handover

Intra-layer
Inter-layer

Radio Resource Management Overview

Introduction

Load Control (LC)

Admission Control (AC)
Packet Scheduler (PS)
Power Control (PC)
Handover Control (HC)
Resource Manager (RM)

22

NOKIA

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003

Resource Manager (RM)

Responsible for managing the logical radio resources of the RNC in co-operation with
AC and PS
On request for resources, from either AC(RT) or PS(NRT), RM allocates;

DL spreading code
UL scrambling code
Code Type

Uplink

Downlink

Scrambling codes

User separation

Cell separation

Spreading codes

Data & control channels from same UE

Users within one cell

Also looks after code tree management (to maintain orthogonality);

23

NOKIA

Initial code selection codes concentrated to same branch

Code re-fragmentation dynamic reallocation of codes as users enter/leave system

RANPAR Version 1.1/31.07.2003