BSS Parameters User Guide V15.1.1

V15.1.
1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide bPUG

Document number:
Document issue:
Document status:
Date:
PE/DCL/DD/000036
15.12 / EN
Standard
03/07/2006
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V15.1.1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide - bPUG
PUBLICATION HISTORY
System release: GSM/BSS V15
July 2006
Issue 15.12/EN
Update of TEPMOS for AMR and not EFR calls ( 6.32.2 and 6.32.6)
June 2006
Issue 15.11/EN
Update for V15.1.1 I Multipaging command message ( 4.10.5); UI Multipaging command
message ( 4.10.6); Directed Retry Handover and queuing ( 4.5.5, 4.23.5 removed from
WPS description); updates on CellAllocation and mobileAllocation description ( 5.21);updates
on AMR mechanism ( 4.23.2, 4.23.4);updates on TCH allocation management ( 4.9.1,
4.9.2); updates on interference cancellation ( 4.15, 6.22); update on lRxQualDLH and
lRxQualULH description ( 5.10);update on dARPPh1Priority description ( 5.36); update
coderPoolConfiguration ( 5.34); update on extended cell description ( 5.12); update
Frequency Spacing Between Two TRXs of the Same Area( 6.16)
October 2005
Issue 15.10/EN
Update for V15.1.1 CuR: AMR based on traffic ( 4.22.7, 6.35); AMR improvements (amr
adaptation table : 4.22.2, 4.22.3, 6.32.3, 5.34); Network Synchronization ( 3.2.46,
4.25, 5.36, 6.36); Automatic Handover Adaptation ( 4.5.22 frequency hopping, 6.33.2
Fine Tuning); NMO I ( 4.9.5, 5.37); list of possible dual band network ( 6.20.3); update of
cell models ( 6.27.4); update on concentricCell with HePA ( 4.5.6 and 5.16
bizonePowerOffset
and
concentricCell,
6.6.1
bizonePowerOffset,
6.6.2
ZoneTxPowerMaxReduction); update CellAllocation and mobileAllocation description ( 5.21)
September 2005
Issue 15.09/EN
Update for V15.1 ChR + 8 weeks: overhaul of Concentric Cell matter ( 4.5.6
Concentric/DualCoupling/DualBand Cell Handover, 5.16 Concentric Cell Parameters and
6.6 Concentric Cell) and Microcell matter ( 6.21 Microcell Benefits) based on recent field
feedback, add of a guideline for traffic HO ( 6.34 Handover for traffic reasons activation
guideline), update on the appendix B: Erlang table, add of 4.5.10 Ad-Hoc Frequency plan,
update on amrReserved2 and uMTSAccessMinLevel parameters.
July 2005
Issue 15.08/EN
Update for V15.1 ChR: add of Satellite Abis Interface description, Automatic Handover
Adpatation field field feedback
March 2005
Issue 15.07/EN
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Update for V15.1 CuR: update of existing features on BSC12000 (Automatic Handover
Adaptation, support of S18000, configure sending SI2Quater & SI13 on NORM or EXT
BCCH), update on Cell Group Management and Load Balancing, Changed
microCellCaptureTimer parameter range of values
April 2005
Issue 15.06/EN
Update for V15.0.1 ChR: correction for noOfBlocksForAccessGrant parameter (it is greater
than zero if the SysInfo 2Q and/or SysInfo 13 on extended BCCH features are activated)
November 2004
Issue 15.05/EN
Update for V15.0.1 CuR: AMR field feedback and GSM products update
September 2004
Issue 15.04/EN
Update for V15.0 ChR
June 2004
Issue 15.03/EN
Update for AMR
December 2003
Issue 15.00/EN
Update for Wireless Priority Service
June 2004
Issue 14.05/EN
Update for AMR
December 2003
Issue 14.04/EN
Update for V14.3 ChR
December 2002
Issue 14.03/EN
September 2002
Issue 14.02/EN
Update with V14
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September 2002
Issue 13.02/EN
Update with V13
May 2001
Issue 12.02/EN
Update with V12 (Chapters 1 to 4 except the counters and GSM fields in Chapter 3
Algorithms Parameters).
January 2000
Issue 12.01/EN
Modifications after Review
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CONTENTS
1.
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT .........................................................................................................13

1.1.
1.2.
1.3.
1.4.
1.5.
1.6.
OBJECT ..................................................................................................................................13
SCOPE ...................................................................................................................................13
AUDIENCE FOR THIS DOCUMENT ..............................................................................................13
DISCLAIMER ...........................................................................................................................13
DOCUMENT STRUCTURE ..........................................................................................................14
PARAMETERS MODIFICATION ...................................................................................................15
1.6.1
1.6.2
2.
RELATED DOCUMENTS ............................................................................................................17

2.1.
2.2.
3.
between V15.1 and V15.1.1..........................................................................................15

between V15.0 and V15.1.............................................................................................15
APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS ........................................................................................................17

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS .......................................................................................................17
CLASSIFICATION OF BSS PARAMETERS ..............................................................................19

3.1.
3.2.
PARAMETERS INFORMATIONS ..................................................................................................19

PARAMETERS VERSUS BSS FEATURES AND PROCEDURES .......................................................27
3.2.1
3.2.2
3.2.3
3.2.4
3.2.5
3.2.6
3.2.7
3.2.8
3.2.9
3.2.10
3.2.11
3.2.12
3.2.13
3.2.14
3.2.15
3.2.16
3.2.17
3.2.18
3.2.19
3.2.20
3.2.21
3.2.22
3.2.23
3.2.24
3.2.25
3.2.26
3.2.27
3.2.28
3.2.29
3.2.30
3.2.31
3.2.32
3.2.33
Level averaging.............................................................................................................27
Quality averaging ..........................................................................................................27
Distance averaging .......................................................................................................27
Cell eligibility..................................................................................................................27
Radio Link Failure .........................................................................................................27
Interference management .............................................................................................27
PCH and RACH control parameters .............................................................................27
Concentric Cell ..............................................................................................................27
Extended cell.................................................................................................................27
Queuing and priority management................................................................................28
SMS-CB ........................................................................................................................28
Frequency Hopping.......................................................................................................28
Selection / Reselection (idle mode) ..............................................................................28
Dynamic barring of access class ..................................................................................28
DTX ...............................................................................................................................28
Uplink Power control .....................................................................................................28
Downlink Power control.................................................................................................28
Directed retry handover.................................................................................................29
Uplink intracell handover...............................................................................................29
Downlink intracell handover ..........................................................................................29
Intercell handover on bad uplink quality criterion..........................................................29
Intercell handover on bad downlink quality criterion .....................................................29
Intercell handover on bad uplink level criterion.............................................................29
Intercell handover on bad downlink level criterion ........................................................29
Intercell handover on power budget criterion................................................................29
Microcellular algorithm ..................................................................................................29
Intercell handover on distance criterion ........................................................................30
Handover for traffic reasons (V12)................................................................................30
Handover decision according to adjacent cell (V12).....................................................30
General protection against HO PingPong (V12) ...........................................................30
Call clearing...................................................................................................................30
Frequency Band favouring ............................................................................................30
Minimum Time between Handover (before V12) ..........................................................30
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3.2.34
3.2.35
3.2.36
3.2.37
3.2.38
3.2.39
3.2.40
3.2.41
3.2.42
3.2.43
3.2.44
3.2.45
3.2.46
4.
Radio resource control at cell level ...............................................................................30

Pre-synchronised Handover..........................................................................................30
Interferer cancellation....................................................................................................30
Early HO decision .........................................................................................................30
Maximum RxLev for PBGT ...........................................................................................31
Cell Tiering (V12) ..........................................................................................................31
2G -3G Mobility (V14.2) ................................................................................................31
TTY support on BSC/TCU 3000 (V14.3).......................................................................31
Potection against intracell HO Ping-pong (V14.3) ........................................................31
Automatic Handover adaptation (V14.3).......................................................................31
Adaptative Full/Half Rate (V14.3) .................................................................................31
Wireless Priority Service ...............................................................................................31
Network Synchronization ..............................................................................................32
ALGORITHMS .............................................................................................................................33
4.1.
4.2.
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................33
CONVENTIONS AND UNITS .......................................................................................................33
4.2.1
4.2.2
4.2.3
4.2.4
4.2.5
4.2.6
4.3.
SELECTION, RESELECTION ALGORITHMS..................................................................................43
4.3.1
4.3.2
4.3.3
4.4.
Mp_1: Measurement processing (run by the BTS) .......................................................47

Mp_2: Measurement processing in dedicated mode (run by the MS) ..........................49
Missing Downlink Measurements .................................................................................50
DIRECT TCH ALLOCATION AND HANDOVER ALGORITHMS .........................................................52
4.5.1
4.5.2
4.5.3
4.5.4
4.5.5
4.6.
Selection or reselection between cells of current Location Area (Sel_1) .....................43

Criteria for reselection towards a cell of a different Location Area (Sel_2)...................44
Additional reselection criterion (for phase 2) (Sel_3)....................................................44
MEASUREMENT PROCESSING ..................................................................................................47
4.4.1
4.4.2
4.4.3
4.5.
Unit ................................................................................................................................33
Phase 2 BTS and MS maximum transmitting output powers .......................................34
GSM Products sensitivity and power ............................................................................36
Conversion rules ...........................................................................................................41
Accuracy related to measurements ..............................................................................41
Frequency band ............................................................................................................42
General formulas...........................................................................................................52
Direct TCH Allocation....................................................................................................55
Handovers .....................................................................................................................56
Handovers decision priority...........................................................................................58
Directed Retry Handover...............................................................................................60
CONCENTRIC/DUALCOUPLING/DUALBAND CELL HANDOVER (HO_3).........................................63
4.6.1
4.6.2
4.6.3
4.6.4
4.6.5
4.6.6
4.6.7
4.6.8
4.6.9
4.6.10
4.6.11
4.6.12
4.6.13
4.6.14
4.6.15
Rescue Handover .........................................................................................................67

Power Budget Handover ...............................................................................................68
Handover for traffic reasons (from V12)........................................................................69
Handover decision according to adjacent cell priorities and load (from V12)...............71
Automatic cell tiering (from V12) ...................................................................................72
Microcellular Handover .................................................................................................77
Forced Handover (Ho_10) ............................................................................................80
Early HandOver Decision..............................................................................................81
Maximum RxLev for Power Budget ..............................................................................82
Pre-synchronized HO....................................................................................................83
Radio channel allocation ...............................................................................................83
Define eligible neighbor cells for intercell handover (except directed retry) (Ho_11) ...84
Handover to 2nd best candidate when return to old channel (Ho_12) .........................85
Protection against RunHandover=1 ..............................................................................85
General protection against HO ping-pong (from V12) ..................................................86
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4.6.16
4.6.17
4.7.
4.8.
HANDOVER ALGORITHMS ON THE MOBILE SIDE ........................................................................94

POWER CONTROL ALGORITHMS ..............................................................................................95
4.8.1
4.8.2
4.8.3
4.8.4
4.8.5
4.9.
Dual Band Handling ................................................................................................... 148

SI2Quater & SI13 on Extended or Normal BCCH...................................................... 151
INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION ............................................................................................ 153

EXTENDED CCCH ............................................................................................................... 155
4.16.1
4.16.2
4.17.
Cabinet power description.......................................................................................... 143

Pr computation ........................................................................................................... 144
Ps computation .......................................................................................................... 145
SYSTEM INFORMATION MESSAGES RELATED FEATURES ........................................................ 148
4.14.1
4.14.2
4.15.
4.16.
BSC12000 Overload Management ............................................................................ 136

BSC3000 Overload Management .............................................................................. 139
Load Balancing .......................................................................................................... 141
V15.1 Evolution of Load Balancing ............................................................................ 141
CABINET OUTPUT POWER SETTING ...................................................................................... 143
4.13.1
4.13.2
4.13.3
4.14.
Frequency hopping principles .................................................................................... 129

Main benefits of frequency hopping ........................................................................... 130
Synthesised frequency hopping................................................................................. 132
Baseband frequency Hopping.................................................................................... 133
Ad-Hoc frequency plan............................................................................................... 135
BSC OVERLOAD MANAGEMENT MECHANISMS....................................................................... 136
4.12.1
4.12.2
4.12.3
4.12.4
4.13.
Paging command Process (Pag) ............................................................................... 118

Paging command repetition process (run by BTS) (Pag_rep) ................................... 121
Request access command process (RA)................................................................... 121
Request access command repetition process (RA_rep) ........................................... 122
I Multipaging command message ............................................................................. 123
UI Multipaging command message........................................................................... 125
Network Mode of Operation I support in BSS ............................................................ 127
FREQUENCY HOPPING ......................................................................................................... 129
4.11.1
4.11.2
4.11.3
4.11.4
4.11.5
4.12.
TCH Allocation and Priority ........................................................................................ 100

Queuing...................................................................................................................... 104
Barring of access class .............................................................................................. 108
Radio link failure process (run by the MS) (Rlf-ms) ................................................... 113
Radio link failure process (run by the BTS) (Rlf-bs)................................................... 113
Call reestablishment procedure (Cr) .......................................................................... 114
Call Clearing Process (run by BTS) (Cc) ................................................................... 115
Interference Management (BTS and BSC) (If)........................................................... 115
DTX ............................................................................................................................ 115
PCH AND RACH CHANNEL CONTROL ................................................................................... 118
4.10.1
4.10.2
4.10.3
4.10.4
4.10.5
4.10.6
4.10.7
4.11.
Step by step Power Control (Pc_1)...............................................................................95

One shot Power Control (Pc_2) ....................................................................................96
Fast Power Control at TCH assignment (Pc_3)............................................................98
Power Control on mobile side (Pc_4) ...........................................................................99
AMR Power Control (Pc_5)...........................................................................................99
TCH ALLOCATION MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................... 100
4.9.1
4.9.2
4.9.3
4.9.4
4.9.5
4.9.6
4.9.7
4.9.8
4.9.9
4.10.
Automatic handover adaptation ....................................................................................88

Protection against Intracell HO Ping-Pong ...................................................................91
Customer/service provider benefits ........................................................................... 155

Feature functional description .................................................................................... 155
PCM ERROR CORRECTION .................................................................................................. 156

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4.17.1
4.17.2
4.17.3
4.18.
CELLULAR TELEPHONE TEXT MODEM (TTY) ......................................................................... 158
4.18.1
4.18.2
4.19.
Principle...................................................................................................................... 202
Feature activation....................................................................................................... 203
Feature Interworking .................................................................................................. 203
NETWORK SYNCHRONIZATION .............................................................................................. 204
4.26.1
4.26.2
5.
Principle...................................................................................................................... 196
WPS Queuing management ................................................................................... 196
WPS Access class barring with class periodic rotation .......................................... 199
WPS Public access bandwith protection................................................................. 200
SATELLITE ABIS INTERFACE .................................................................................................. 202
4.25.1
4.25.2
4.25.3
4.26.
Basics and specific terninology.................................................................................. 169

AMR mechanisms ...................................................................................................... 171
Traffic Management mechanisms.............................................................................. 174
AMR L1m ................................................................................................................... 178
Legacy L1M................................................................................................................ 188
Engineering rules ....................................................................................................... 189
AMR based on traffic.................................................................................................. 191
WPS - WIRELESS PRIORITY SERVICE ................................................................................... 196
4.24.1
4.24.2
4.24.3
4.24.4
4.25.
GSM to UMTS cell reselection ................................................................................... 165
BSC/TCU 3000 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 168

AMR - ADAPTATIVE MULTI RATE FR/HR .............................................................................. 169
4.23.1
4.23.2
4.23.3
4.23.4
4.23.5
4.23.6
4.23.7
4.24.
Principle...................................................................................................................... 162
Performances ............................................................................................................. 163
MOBILITY 2G - 3G RESELECTION.......................................................................................... 165
4.21.1
4.22.
4.23.
Principle...................................................................................................................... 161
Performances ............................................................................................................. 161
SMS-CELL BROADCAST....................................................................................................... 162
4.20.1
4.20.2
4.21.
TTY principle .............................................................................................................. 158

TTY impact ................................................................................................................. 159
LOCATION SERVICES............................................................................................................ 161
4.19.1
4.19.2
4.20.
Feature principle ........................................................................................................ 156

Feature benefits ......................................................................................................... 157
Parameters and counters associated with this feature .............................................. 157
Global description ...................................................................................................... 204

Feature impacts expectations .................................................................................... 205
ALGORITHM PARAMETERS .................................................................................................. 206

5.1.
5.2.
5.3.
5.4.
5.5.
5.6.
5.7.
5.8.
5.9.
5.10.
5.11.
5.12.
5.13.
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 206

CELL SELECTION AND RESELECTION PARAMETERS ............................................................... 207
RADIO LINK FAILURE PARAMETERS ....................................................................................... 212
SIGNAL QUALITY AVERAGING PARAMETERS .......................................................................... 215
SIGNAL STRENGTH AVERAGING PARAMETERS....................................................................... 217
NEIGHBOR CELL AVERAGING PARAMETERS .......................................................................... 220
DISTANCE AVERAGING PARAMETERS .................................................................................... 222
HANDOVER (GLOBAL) PARAMETERS ..................................................................................... 224
INTRACELL HANDOVER PARAMETERS.................................................................................... 237
INTERCELL HANDOVER THRESHOLD PARAMETERS ................................................................ 240
HANDOVER FOR MICROCELLULAR NETWORK PARAMETERS ................................................... 243
DISTANCE MANAGEMENT PARAMETERS ................................................................................ 245
POWER CONTROL PARAMETERS........................................................................................... 249
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5.14.
5.15.
5.16.
5.17.
5.18.
5.19.
5.20.
5.21.
5.22.
5.23.
5.24.
5.25.
5.26.
5.27.
5.28.
5.29.
5.30.
5.31.
5.32.
5.33.
5.34.
5.35.
5.36.
5.37.
6.
TCH ALLOCATION MANAGEMENT PARAMETERS .................................................................... 257

DIRECTED RETRY HANDOVER PARAMETERS ......................................................................... 271
CONCENTRIC CELL PARAMETERS ......................................................................................... 274
INTERFERENCE LEVEL PARAMETERS .................................................................................... 282
RADIO RESSOURCES CONTROL AT CELL LEVEL .................................................................... 285
BSS TIMERS ....................................................................................................................... 286
PAGING PARAMETERS .......................................................................................................... 293
FREQUENCY HOPPING PARAMETERS .................................................................................... 298
BSC LOAD MANAGEMENT PARAMETERS ............................................................................... 305
DUALBAND CELL PARAMETERS ............................................................................................ 306
DTX PARAMETERS .............................................................................................................. 312
MISCELLANEOUS ................................................................................................................. 313
INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION PARAMETERS ....................................................................... 316
PCM ERROR CORRECTION PARAMETERS ............................................................................. 317
CELL TIERING PARAMETERS ................................................................................................. 318
ENCODING PARAMETERS ..................................................................................................... 321
SMS-CELL BROADCAST PARAMETERS ................................................................................. 322
MOBILITY 2G - 3G RESELECTION PARAMETERS .................................................................... 323
PROTECTION AGAINST INTRACELL HO PING-PONG PARAMETERS .......................................... 325
AUTOMATIC HANDOVER ADAPTATION PARAMETERS .............................................................. 326
AMR - ADAPTATIVE MULTI RATE FR/HR PARAMETERS ......................................................... 328
WPS - WIRELESS PRIORITY SERVICES PARAMETERS ............................................................ 342
NETWORK SYNCHRONIZATION PARAMETERS ......................................................................... 343
NETWORK MODE OF OPERATION PARAMETERS ..................................................................... 345
ENGINEERING ISSUE ............................................................................................................. 346

6.1.
GSM/GPRS TS SHARING: PRIORITY HANDLING AND QUEUING ............................................. 346
6.1.1
6.1.2
6.1.3
6.2.
LAYER 1 MANAGEMENT: CHANGES BETWEEN V1 AND V2 ...................................................... 349
6.2.1
6.2.2
6.2.3
6.3.
6.4.
Micro-cellular network ................................................................................................ 359

Non micro-cellular network......................................................................................... 361
DIRECTED RETRY HANDOVER BENEFIT ................................................................................. 362
6.5.1
6.5.2
6.6.
Main differences......................................................................................................... 349

Benefit ........................................................................................................................ 357
Change in Handover performance after L1mV2 implementation............................... 357
ONE-SHOT POWER CONTROL .............................................................................................. 358

MINIMUM TIME BETWEEN HANDOVER.................................................................................... 359
6.4.1
6.4.2
6.5.
Resources reserved for priority 0 and preemption..................................................... 346

GSM/GPRS TS sharing and queuing: ....................................................................... 347
Resources strategy .................................................................................................... 348
Benefit of feature on mono-layer structure................................................................. 362

Benefit of feature on multi-layers structure ................................................................ 363
CONCENTRIC CELLS ............................................................................................................ 366
6.6.1
6.6.2
Concentric Cell Parameter Definition......................................................................... 367

Concentric Cell Field Experience ............................................................................... 370
6.7.
IMPACT OF DTX ON AVERAGING ........................................................................................... 374
6.8.
BEST NEIGHBOR CELLS STABILITY........................................................................................ 375
6.9.
TCH ALLOCATION GENERAL RULES ..................................................................................... 376
6.10. GENERAL RADIO FREQUENCY RULES ................................................................................... 377
6.11. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UPLINK AND DOWNLINK LEVELS ........................................................ 378
6.12. EFFECTS OF NOOFMULTIFRAMESBETWEENPAGING ON MOBILE BATTERIES AND RESELECTION
REACTIVITY ...................................................................................................................................... 379
6.13. EFFECTS OF SMS-CELL BROADCAST USE ON NOOFBLOCKSFORACCESSGRANT................. 381
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6.14.
IMPACT OF THE AVERAGING ON THE HANDOVERS .................................................................. 382
6.14.1
6.14.2
6.14.3
6.15.
IMPACT OF CALL RE-ESTABLISHMENT ON THE NETWORK ....................................................... 384
6.15.1
6.15.2
6.16.
Introduction................................................................................................................. 414
4/12 reuses pattern .................................................................................................... 414
1X3 and 1X1 Fractional reuse pattern specific case ................................................. 416
Set-up principles of a BSIC plan ................................................................................ 418
STREET CORNER ENVIRONMENT .......................................................................................... 419
6.24.1
6.24.2
6.24.3
6.25.
Frequency super reuse .............................................................................................. 411

Traffic Homogenization .............................................................................................. 411
Radio conditions improvement................................................................................... 411
Microcell Field Experience ......................................................................................... 412
INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION USAGE ................................................................................. 413

SET UP PRINCIPLES OF A NEIGHBORING LIST AND A BCC PLAN ............................................. 414
6.23.1
6.23.2
6.23.3
6.23.4
6.24.
frequency band favouring........................................................................................... 407

frequency band defavouring....................................................................................... 409
Possible dualband network ........................................................................................ 410
MICROCELL BENEFITS .......................................................................................................... 411
6.21.1
6.21.2
6.21.3
6.21.4
6.22.
6.23.
Nortel choice between Baseband and Synthesised Frequency hopping .................. 392
Fractional load............................................................................................................ 394
Maximum TRX configuration (homogeneous sites of configuration Sxxx) ................ 395
SFH parameter setting for 1X1 pattern: strategy 1 .................................................... 396
SFH parameter setting for 1X3 pattern: Strategy 2 ................................................... 401
DUALBAND NETWORKS ........................................................................................................ 407
6.20.1
6.20.2
6.20.3
6.21.
Broadband noise ........................................................................................................ 390

Blocking...................................................................................................................... 390
How to improve the MCL............................................................................................ 391
GENERAL RULES FOR SYNTHESISED FREQUENCY HOPPING .................................................. 392
6.19.1
6.19.2
6.19.3
6.19.4
6.19.5
6.20.
Gains and losses........................................................................................................ 386

Designs margins ........................................................................................................ 387
Environmental factors margins................................................................................... 387
Link budget balance or disbalance ()....................................................................... 388
MINIMUM COUPLING LOSS (MCL)......................................................................................... 390
6.18.1
6.18.2
6.18.3
6.19.
Intra_cell..................................................................................................................... 385
intra_site..................................................................................................................... 385
Inter_site..................................................................................................................... 385
LINK BUDGET (LB)............................................................................................................... 386
6.17.1
6.17.2
6.17.3
6.17.4
6.18.
Impact on capacity ..................................................................................................... 384

Impact on call drops ................................................................................................... 384
FREQUENCY SPACING BETWEEN TWO TRXS OF THE SAME AREA .......................................... 385
6.16.1
6.16.2
6.16.3
6.17.
Global statistics .......................................................................................................... 382

Study of reactivity....................................................................................................... 383
Ping pong vs Reactivity.............................................................................................. 383
Description ................................................................................................................. 419

Case A: Mobile moving straight ................................................................................. 420
Case B: Mobile turning at the cross road................................................................... 421
SYNCHRONIZED HO VERSUS NOT SYNCHRONIZED HO .......................................................... 422
6.25.1
6.25.2
Introduction................................................................................................................. 422
OMC-R Parameter settings........................................................................................ 422
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6.25.3
6.26.
BTS SENSITIVITY ................................................................................................................. 427
6.26.1
6.26.2
6.26.3
6.26.4
6.26.5
6.26.6
6.27.
Related parameters.................................................................................................... 476

Deployment Optimization and Monitoring .................................................................. 477
HANDOVER FOR TRAFFIC REASONS ACTIVATION GUIDELINE .................................................. 481
6.34.1
6.34.2
6.35.
6.36.
NSS Interaction .......................................................................................................... 452

AMR Theoretical Performances ................................................................................. 453
AMR Engineering Studies .......................................................................................... 457
Half Rate Penetration Analysis .................................................................................. 463
AMR User Behaviour Effect ....................................................................................... 466
Voice Quality Analysis................................................................................................ 468
AMR Monitoring ......................................................................................................... 470
IMPACT OF AUTOMATIC HANDOVER ADAPTATION ACTIVATION ................................................. 476
6.33.1
6.33.2
6.34.
Paging parameters..................................................................................................... 449

Field examples: BSS paging repetition tuning ........................................................... 450
Field examples: NSS paging repetition tuning ........................................................... 451
AMR FIELD FEEDBACK ........................................................................................................ 452
6.32.1
6.32.2
6.32.3
6.32.4
6.32.5
6.32.6
6.32.7
6.33.
Dualband cell ............................................................................................................. 445

Concentric cell............................................................................................................ 447
Dualcoupling cell ........................................................................................................ 448
GSM PAGING REPETITION PROCESS TUNING ....................................................................... 449
6.31.1
6.31.2
6.31.3
6.32.
CPU Engineering limit meaning............................................................................... 443

CPU Call Processing limit meaning......................................................................... 444
POWER CONTROL COMPENSATION IN INTERZONE HANDOVER ................................................ 445
6.30.1
6.30.2
6.30.3
6.31.
BSS prerequisite ........................................................................................................ 438

BSS: Suggestions for parameters to be modified for the special event .................... 439
NSS level.................................................................................................................... 440
ENGINEERING LIMITS WITH BSC OVERLOAD CONTROL MECHANISM ....................................... 443
6.29.1
6.29.2
6.30.
SDCCH Dimensioning................................................................................................ 432

SDCCH distribution .................................................................................................... 434
TDMA Model .............................................................................................................. 434
TDMA priorities .......................................................................................................... 435
PCM Priority ............................................................................................................... 437
ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR EXCEPTIONAL EVENTS .......................................................... 438
6.28.1
6.28.2
6.28.3
6.29.
Definition of Sensitivity ............................................................................................... 427

Static and Dynamic Sensitivity ................................................................................... 428
Typical / Guaranteed Sensitivity................................................................................. 428
Space diversity gains ................................................................................................. 428
Cross-polarization antenna use ................................................................................. 429
Circular polarization and crosspolar antennas........................................................... 430
SDCCH DIMENSIONING AN TDMA MODELS ......................................................................... 432
6.27.1
6.27.2
6.27.3
6.27.4
6.27.5
6.28.
Timing HO .................................................................................................................. 423
Algorithms and Parameters Definition ....................................................................... 481

Expected effects and recommended parameters ...................................................... 483
DISABLING AMR BASED ON TRAFFIC IN V15.1.1 .................................................................... 487

NETWORK SYNCHRONIZATION ENGINEERING PLANNING METHODOLOGIES ............................... 488
6.36.1
6.36.2
6.36.3
TSC planning ............................................................................................................. 488

Collision probability .................................................................................................... 489
Interference cancellation ............................................................................................ 492
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7.
APPENDIX A: MAIN EXCHANGE PROCEDURES AT BSC LEVEL...................................... 494

7.1.
7.2.
7.3.
7.4.
7.5.
7.6.
7.7.
7.8.
7.9.
7.10.
ESTABLISHMENT PROCEDURE .............................................................................................. 494

CHANNEL MODE PROCEDURE .............................................................................................. 495
DEDICATED CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT ...................................................................................... 496
INTRACELL HANDOVER PROCEDURE ..................................................................................... 497
INTRABSS HANDOVER PROCEDURE ..................................................................................... 498
INTERBSS HANDOVER PROCEDURE ..................................................................................... 499
RESOURCE RELEASE PROCEDURE (EXAMPLE)...................................................................... 500
SACCH DEACTIVATION PROCEDURE ................................................................................... 501
MOBILE TERMINATING CALL ................................................................................................. 502
MOBILE ORIGINATING CALL .................................................................................................. 503
8.
APPENDIX B: ERLANG TABLE.............................................................................................. 504
9.
ABBREVIATIONS & DEFINITIONS ......................................................................................... 507

9.1.
9.2.
10.
ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................... 507

DEFINITIONS ........................................................................................................................ 513
INDEX ....................................................................................................................................... 516
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1.
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
1.1.
OBJECT
This document describes BSS GSM and Nortel algorithms and parameters from an
engineering point of view.
This document is written by Nortel BSS experts and contains extensive Nortel BSS
parameters setting know-how. Informations coming from experiments, studies, simulations are
also related in the document.
The parameters are called by the name used in the features and algorithms. For their
corresponding name (when different) at the OMC, refer to [R6].
The parameters described in this document are the ones used in the features and algorithms.
Refer to [R2] to have a description of ALL BSS parameters.
1.2.
SCOPE
This version is compliant with the ChR V15.1.1 BSS GSM release.
1.3.
AUDIENCE FOR THIS DOCUMENT

Draft and preliminary: Nortel R&D, PLM and Eng'
Standard: customers and Nortel R&D, PLM and Eng'
1.4.
DISCLAIMER
Depending on particular objective, call profile and network characteristics, a parameter setting
can never be judged as being universally optimized.
The recommended setting presented in this document should result in good network
performance; however several iterations and improvements may be required in order to be
optimal according to customer specificities. Every effort is made to incorporate suggestions
and feedback received from customers.
PRELIMINARY VERSION
The recommended setting has been validated with product and system tests in lab. This
document will be updated and adjusted after the first results from VO site or new Product
Test/End-to-end labs if available.
STANDARD VERSION
This is a living document and the contents will be modified based on feedback received from
R&D, Engineering and customers.
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1.5.
DOCUMENT STRUCTURE
In chapter CLASSIFICATION OF BSS PARAMETERS, BSS algorithm parameters are
presented in alphabetic order according to their group. Process and related objects are also
provided.
Chapter ALGORITHMS describes the GSM Nortel BSS algorithms and recommends ways to
use them efficiently.
BSS parameters used in the algorithms are described in chapter ALGORITHM
PARAMETERS. For each parameter, a recommended value and a default value are given.
Engineering rules explain how to select the parameter value.
In chapter ENGINEERING ISSUE, engineering issues resulting from studies on parameter
setting and on products, simulations and experiments are developped.
Chapter APPENDIX A: MAIN EXCHANGE PROCEDURES AT BSC LEVEL gives the main
exchange procedures at BSC level.
In chapter APPENDIX B: ERLANG TABLE, an Erlang table presents the maximum offered
load according to the number of channels and the blocking rate.
In chapter ABBREVIATIONS & DEFINITIONS, the signification of all the abbrevations used in
this document and some key-definitions are explained.
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1.6.
PARAMETERS MODIFICATION
1.6.1 BETWEEN V15.1 AND V15.1.1

hrCellLoadEnd:
New recommended value set to 5 -10 in urban areas and 50 - 60 in rural areas, instead of 0
hrCellLoadStart:
New recommended value set to a fix value i.e 20-30 in urban areas and 70-80 in rural areas
instead of a value greater than 0
hoMarginTrafficOffset:
New recommended value set to 6 instead of 2; HoMarginTrafficOffset should be tune such as
the resulting margin should be equivalent to the one for rescue HO.
early classmark sending:
New recommended value set this value to Allowed even if dual band network is not used. This
parameter allows MS to send its capacity downlink Advanced Receiver performance.
1.6.2 BETWEEN V15.0 AND V15.1.

RadioLinkTimeOut:
New recommended value set to 32 instead of 20. when AMR is activated RLT drop calls
contribution is usually much higher in coverage limited or rural areas because calls are being
dragged at cell edges and the overlap between neighboring sites is less important than in
urban areas. This recommendation helps to reduce the contribution of RLT drop
Rlf1:
New recommended value set to 7 instead of 4. This new recommendation is linked to RLT one
when AMR is activated
HoMarginBeg:
New recommended value set to 2dB instead of 4 when Automatic Handover Adaptation is
activated. This new setting helps to get effective margin of 6 dB
AllocPriorityTimer:
New recommended value set to [5 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 28 28 28 28 28 28] instead of [0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
28 28 28 28 28 28].
AllocWaitThreshold:
New recommended value set to [n 0 n n 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 5] instead of [0 0 n 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 5].
CallReestablishmentPriority:
New recommended value set to 15 instead of 16.
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IntraCellHOIntPriority:
DirectedRetryPrio:
New recommended value set to 17 instead of no recommended value.
biZonePowerOffset:
New recommended value depends on the engineering rules, in v15.0 it was 63 dB for
monozone and 3 dB otherwise.
ConcentAlgoMsRange:
New recommended value set to 34 instead of depending on the radius of the site.
Small to large HO priority
T3103
New recommended value set to 9 seconds instead of 5. From a handover perspective it is
recommended to use 9s in order to offer a wider window of good completion of the procedure
at cell edge where the quality might be poorer.
noOfBlocksForAccessGrant
Addition of a recommended value for SI2Quater or/and SI13 on ext BCCH.
Data non transparent mode
New recommended value set to TBD instead of 9.6kb/s
Serving factor offset
New recommended value set to 0 instead of -2. It means it will actually favor the server or
disfavor in order word the neighbor greatly.
amrReserved2
New recommended values will depend of in what is base AMR alarm handovers and AMR
power control. Old value was 3.
amrFRIntercellCodecMThresh
New recommended value set to 10k2 instead of 6k7.
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2.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
2.1.
APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS
[A1]
2.2.
PE/SYS/DD000036
BSS Parameters User Guide
REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
[R1]
PE/SYS/DD/000065
Configuration parameters for BSS
[R2]
PE/DCL/DD/000007
BSS Operating Principles
[R3]
PE/DCL/DD/000000
BSS Product Documentation Overview
[R4]
PE/DCL/DD/0124
BSS Parameter Dictionary
[R5]
PE/DCL/DD/0125
Observation Counter Dictionary
[R6]
PE/MD/DD/000008
GDMO Configuration Management
[R7]
PE/DCL/DD/000138
GSM/GPRS/EDGE BSS Engineering Rules
[R8]
PE/BTS/DD/1514
SFS OF LAYER 1 MANAGEMENT
[R9]
PE/SYS/DD/0272
Dual band cells management:TF875
[R10]
PE/SYS/INF/0225
Concentric cell improvements (CM888/TF889)
[R11]
PE/SYS/DD/6293
FN for stepped coupling
[R12]
PE/SYS/INF/0140
Handover for traffic reasons: TF132
[R13]
PE/SYS/INF/0190
Handover decision according to adjacent cell

priorities and load TF716
[R14]
PE/SYS/DD/279
FUNCTIONAL NOTE
TIERING TF 995
[R15]
PE/BTS/DD/0421
TF809 : Early handover decision
[R16]
PE/SYS/DD/0291
General protection against HO Ping-pong :TF821
[R17]
PE/SYS/DD/0330
TF1216 : Automatic handover adaptation
[R18]
PE/SYS/DD/0331
TF1217 : Protection against intra-cell HO Pingpong
[R19]
PE/SYS/DD/0482
22464: WPS - Access class barring with class

periodic rotation
[R20]
PE/SYS/DD/010888
27318 Configure sending of SI2Quater and SI13

on Ext or Norm BCCH
[R21]
PE/SYS/INF/0242
Extended CCCH :TF184
[R22]
PE/SYS/DD/0356
SV1322: TTY on BSC/TCU e3
[R23]
PE/SYS/DD/0432
AR1526 - SMS-CB Usability improvement
AUTOMATIC
CELL
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[R24]
UMT/SYS/DD/29
GSM to UMTS mobility
[R25]
PE/SYS/DD343
SV713 : AMR Full Rate; SV885 AMR Half Rate
[R26]
PE/SYS/DD/486
22463: WPS - Queuing management
[R27]
PE/SYS/DD/487
22465 : WPS - Public access bandwidth

protection
[R28]
PE/SYS/DD/005776
24394 : Directed retry without queuing activation
[R29]
PE/BSS/APP/012435
AMR Engineering Handbook
[R30]
PE/SYS/DD/005321
Advanced Speech Call Items Evolutions
[R31]
PE/SYS/DD/0231
PM990 Satellite ABIS interface
[R32]
PE/IRC/APP/014199
Satellite Abis Interface - Engineering Guideline
[R33]
PE/BSS/APP/0115
Reference Manual for BSC data configuration
[R34]
PE/IRC/APP/016320
Network Synchronisation Engineering Guidelines

for V15.1.1
[R35]
PE/SYS/DD/7695
25604: Multi Paging Command Management
[R36]
PE/SYS/DD/013998
Paging capacity increase UI mode BSC 3000
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3.
CLASSIFICATION OF BSS PARAMETERS
3.1.
PARAMETERS INFORMATIONS
The following table gives a classification of the main BSS tunable parameters sorted by
alphabetical order, the object they are associated to at the OMC-R (as they are described in
[R1]) and the principal features using those parameters.
Parameter name
BSS
Object-
Feature(s) using this parameter
accessClassCongestion
V9
bts
Barring of access class
adjacent_cell_umbrella_ref
V9
bts
Directed Retry Handover
allocPriorityTable
V7
bts
TCH Allocation and Priority

Queuing
WPS Queuing management
allocPriorityThreshold
V7
bts

Queuing
allocPriorityTimers
V7
bts
allocWaitThreshold
V7
bts
allOtherCasesPriority
V7
bts
Queuing
Queuing
Queuing
amrUlFrAdaptationSet
V15
bts
AMR Codec mode adaptation
amrUlHrAdaptationSet
V15
bts
amrDlFrAdaptationSet
V15
bts
V15
bts
amrDirectAllocIntRxLevDL
V14
bts
AMR Handover mechanisms
amrDirectAllocIntRxLevUL
V14
bts
amrDirectAllocRxLevDL
V14
bts
amrDirectAllocRxLevUL
V14
bts
V14
handOverControl
amrFRIntracellCodecMThresh
V14
handOverControl
amrHRIntercellCodecMThresh
V14
handOverControl
amrHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh
V14
handOverControl
amriRxLevDLH
V14
handOverControl
amriRxLevULH
V14
handOverControl
amrReserved2
V14
handOverControl
AMR Legacy L1M
answerPagingPriority
V7
bts

Queuing
assignRequestPriority
V7
bts

Queuing
averagingPeriod
V7
handOverControl
baseColourCode
V7
bts
bCCHFrequency
V7
adjacentCellHandover
Radio channel allocation

Interference Management
Network Synchronization
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bCCHFrequency
V7
adjacentCellReselecti
on
bCCHFrequency
V7
bts
biZonePowerOffset
V12
General formulas
Direct TCH allocation on an adjacent cell
Concentric/DualCoupling/DualBand Cell
Handover
biZonePowerOffset
V12
handoverControl
General formulas
Handover
bscHopReconfUse
V8
bsc
Reconfiguration procedure
bscMSAccessClassBarringFunction
V9
bsc
bscQueuingOption
V7
signallingPoint
Queuing
bsMsmtProcessingMode
V7
bts
Measurement Processing
bsPowerControl
V7
powerControl
Power Control Algorithms
AMR Power Control

bssMapT1
V7
bsc
bssMapT12
V7
bsc
bssMapT13
V7
bsc
bssMapT19
V8
bsc
bssMapT20
V8
bsc
bssMapT4
V7
bsc
bssMapT7
V7
bsc
bssMapT8
V7
bsc
bssMapTchoke
V7
bsc
bssSccpConnEst
V7
signallingPoint
bsTxPwrMax
V7
powerControl
btsSMSynchroMode
V15
btsSiteManager
bts Time Between HO configuration
V9
bts
Minimum time between Handover
General formulas
Cabinet Output Power Setting
V12
General protection against HO ping-pong
btsHopReconfRestart
V8
bts
btsIsHopping
V7
bts
Frequency Hopping
btsMSAccessClassBarringFunction
V9
bts
btsThresholdHopReconf
V8
bts
callClearing
V7
bts
Call Clearing Process
callReestablishment
V7
bts
Radio link failure process,

Call reestablishment procedure
callReestablishmentPriority
V7
bts
capacityTimeRejection
V14
handOverControl
cellAllocation
V7
bts
Frequency Hopping
cellBarQualify
V8
bts
Selection, Reselection Algorithms
cellBarred
V7
bts
cellDeletionCount
V7
bts
cellDtxDownLink
V7
bts
DTX
cellReselectHysteresis
V8
bts
Queuing
Protection against Intracell HO Ping-Pong
Handovers screening
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cellReselectOffset
V7
bts
cellReselInd
V8
bts
cellType
V7
adjacentCellHandOver
Microcellular Algo
cellType
V7
bts
Microcellular Algo
channelType
V7
channel
coderPoolConfiguration
V14
transcoder
AMR Channel allocation

Cellular Telephone Text Modem (TTY)
concentAlgoExtMsRange
V9
handOverControl
Direct TCH allocation at first TCH allocation

Concentric cell / dualcoupling cell intracell
handovers
concentAlgoExtRxLev
V9
handOverControl

Handover
handovers
concentAlgoIntMsRange
V9
handOverControl

handovers
concentAlgoIntRxLev
V9
handOverControl
Handover
V9
bts
Handover
Cell Group Management
concentric_cell
V12
cpueNumber
V12
btsSiteManager
dARPPh1Priority
V15
transceiver
CPU/BIFP LOAD SHARING

Data14_4OnNoHoppingTs
V12
bts
PCM Error Correction
data mode 14.4 kbit/s
V11
transcoder board
data non transparent mode
V11
bts
V11
signallingPoint
data transparent mode
V11
bts
V11
signallingPoint
delayBetweenRetrans
V8
bts
Paging command repetition process
directedRetry
V9
directedRetryModeUsed
V9
bts
directedRetryPrio
V12
bts
distHreqt
V7
handOverControl
distWtsList
V7
handOverControl
dtxMode
V7
bts
DTX
bts
Modified SYS INFO 3
V14
early classmark sending
V10
Location Services
emergencyCallPriority
V7
bts

Queuing
enhancedTRAUFrameIndication
V12
bsc
enhCellTieringConfiguration
V14
handOverControl
Cell Tiering Parameters
estimatedSiteLoad
V15
btsSiteManager
V15.1 Evolution of Load Balancing
extended cell
V9
bts
fhsRef
V7
channel
Frequency Hopping
filteredTrafficCoefficient
V15
bts
AMR based on traffic
fnOffset
V15
btsSiteManager
forced handover algo
V9
Forced Handover
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frAMRPriority
V14
transceiver
frPowerControlTargetMode
V14
transceiver
AMR Power Control
gprsNetworkModeOperation
V15
bts
Network Mode of Operation I support in BSS
gsmToUmtsReselection
V14
bts
Mobility 2G - 3G Reselection Parameters
handOver from signalling channel
V7
handOverControl
Direct TCH Allocation and Handover

Algorithms
hoMargin
V7
Handovers
Power budget formula
Handover for traffic reasons
Define eligible neighbor cells for intercell
handover
Automatic handover adaptation
hoMarginAMR
V14

Handovers
hoMarginBeg
V11
bts
Handovers
Early HandOver Decision
hoMarginDist
V8
Handover condition for leaving a cell on

distance
handover
hoMarginRxLev
V8
Handovers
handover
hoMarginRxQual
V8
Handovers
handover
hoMarginTiering
V14
handOverControl
Automatic cell tiering
hoMarginTrafficOffset
V12
hoPingpongCombination
V12
V14
hoPingpongTimeRejection
V12
hoppingSequenceNumber
V7
frequencyHopSystem
Synthesised frequency hopping
hoSecondBestCellConfiguration
V9
bsc
Handover to 2nd best candidate when return

to old channel
hoTraffic
V12
bsc
hoTraffic
V12
bts
hrAMRPriority
V14
transceiver
hrCellLoadEnd
V14
bts
hrCellLoadStart
V14
bts
hrPowerControlTargetMode
V14
powerControl
AMR Power Control
incomingHandOver
V7
handOverControl
Handovers
interBscDirectedRetry
V9
bsc
interBscDirectedRetryFromCell
V9
bts
interCellHOExtPriority
V7
bts

Queuing
interCellHOIntPriority
V7
bts

Queuing
interferenceType
V12
interferer cancel algo usage
V10
bts
Interference Cancellation
intraBscDirectedRetry
V9
bsc
intraBscDirectedRetryFromCell
V9
bts
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intraCell
V7
handOverControl
Intracell Handover decision for signal quality

V12
intraCellHOIntPriority
V7
bts
intraCellQueuing
V8
bts
Queuing
intraCellSDCCH
V8
handOverControl
lRxLevDLH
V7
handOverControl
Handover condition for leaving a cell on rxlev
Queuing

handover
lRxLevDLP
V7
powerControl

AMR Power Control
lRxLevULH
V7
handOverControl
Handover condition for leaving a cell on rxlev
lRxLevULP
V7
powerControl
lRxQualDLH
V7
handOverControl
Handover condition for leaving a cell on rxqual
lRxQualDLP
V7
powerControl
lRxQualULH
V7
handOverControl
Handover condition for leaving a cell on rxqual
lRxQualULP
V7
powerControl
AMR Power Control
AMR Power Control
AMR Power Control

maio
V7
channel
masterBtsSmId
V15
btsSiteManager
maxNumberRetransmission
V8
bts
Request access command repetition process
measurementProcAlgorithm
V12
bts
Direct TCH Allocation and Handover
Algorithms
microCellCaptureTimer
V8
Microcellular Algo
microCellStability
V8
Microcellular Algo
minNbOfTDMA
V7
bts
missDistWt
V7
handOverControl
missRxLevWt
V7
handOverControl
missRxQualWt
V7
handOverControl
mobileAllocation
V7
frequencyHopSystem

Baseband Frequency Hopping
modeModifyMandatory
V9
bsc
msBtsDistanceInterCell
V7
handOverControl
Handovers screening
distance
msRangeMax
V7
handOverControl

distance
msTxPwrMax
V7
bts
Accuracy related to measurements

General formulas
Forced Handover (Ho_10)
msTxPwrMax2ndBand
V12
bts
Handove
msTxPwrMaxCCH
V7
bts
msTxPwrMaxCell
V7
General formulas
Handovers screening
Directed Retry Handover: BTS
Forced Handover
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handover
multi band reporting
V10
bts
Multiband reporting
nbLargeReuseDataChannels
V14
bts
nbOfRepeat
V8
bts
Paging command repetition process
nCapacityFRRequestedCodec
V14
handOverControl
neighDisfavorOffset
V14
handOverControl
new power control algorithm
V9
powerControl
V12
nFRRequestedCodec
V14
handOverControl
nHRRequestedCodec
V14
handOverControl
V7
bts
Paging command Process
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging
V7
bts
Paging command Process
notAllowedAccessClasses
V7
bts
numberOfPwciSamples
V14
handOverControl
numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans
V7
bts
Request access command repetition process
numberOfTCHFreeBeforeCongestion
V9
bts

numberOfTCHFreeToEndCongestion
V9
bts

numberOfTCHQueuedBeforeCongestion
V9
bts
numberOfTCHQueuedToEndCongestion
V9
bts
offsetLoad
V12

priorities ans load
offsetPriority
V12

priorities ans load
otherServicesPriority
V7
bts
pagingOnCell
V9
bts
PCH and RACH channel control
pcmErrorCorrection
V12
bts
penaltyTime
V8
bts
powerBudgetInterCell
V7
handOverControl
Handovers screening

Queuing
Power budget formula

powerControlIndicator
V7
bts
powerIncrStepSizeDL
V14
powerControl
powerIncrStepSizeUL
V14
powerControl
powerRedStepSizeDL
V14
powerControl
powerRedStepSizeUL
V14
powerControl
pRequestedCodec
V14
handOverControl
preSynchroTimingAdvance
V10
Pre-synchronized HO
priority
V7
transceiver
V8
bsc
BSC Overload Management Mechanisms
processorLoadSupConf
V12
pwciHreqave
V14
handOverControl
minTimeQualityIntraCellHO
V14
handOverControl

radChanSelIntThreshold
V8
handOverControl
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radioAllocator
V12
bts
radioLinkTimeout
V7
bts
radResSupBusyTimer
V8
bsc
radResSupervision
V8
bts
radResSupFreeTimer
V8
bsc
retransDuration
V8
bts
rlf1
V8
bts
Radio link failure process
rlf2
V8
bts
rlf3
V8
bts
rndAccTimAdvThreshold
V8
bts
Request access command process
runCallClear
V7
bts
Call Clearing Process
runHandOver
V7
bts
Handovers
Microcellular Algo
Protection against RunHandover=1
runPwrControl
V7
bts

AMR Power Control
rxLevAccessMin
V7
bts
rxLevDLIH
V7
handOverControl
rxLevDLPBGT
V11
Handovers screening
Maximum RxLev for Power Budget
rxLevHreqave
V7
handOverControl
rxLevHreqaveBeg
V11
handOverControl

Fast power control at TCH assignment
rxLevHreqt
V7
handOverControl
rxLevMinCell
V7
General formulas
Handovers screening
handover
rxLevNCellHreqaveBeg
V11
handOverControl

Fast power control at TCH assignment
rxLevULIH
V7
handOverControl
rxLevWtsList
V7
handOverControl
rxNCellHreqave
V7
handOverControl
rxQualAveBeg
V14
handOverControl
rxQualDLIH
V7
handOverControl
rxQualHreqave
V7
handOverControl
rxQualHreqt
V7
handOverControl
rxQualULIH
V12
handOverControl
rxQualWtsList
V12
handOverControl
selfAdaptActivation
V14
bts
selfTuningObs
V12
handOverControl

servingfactorOffset
V14
handOverControl
siteGsmFctList
V7
btsSiteManager
small to large zone HO priority
V9
handOverControl
smsCB
V7
bts

Queuing
SMS-Cell Broadcast
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speechMode
V8
bts
AMR - Adaptative Multi Rate FR/HR
signallingPoint
Dual Band Handling
adjacentCellReselect
Dual Band Handling
V14
speechMode
V8
V14
standard indicator AdjC
V10
V12
V10
V12
standardIndicator
V12
bts
Handover
synchronized
V7
Pre-synchronized HO
t3101
V9
bts
t3103
V9
bts
t3107
V9
bts
t3109
V9
bts
t3111
V9
bts
t3122
V9
bts
temporaryOffset
V8
bts
thresholdInterference
V7
handOverControl
timeBetweenHOConfiguration
V9
bsc
timerPeriodicUpdateMS
V7
bts
tnOffset
V15
btsSiteManager
trafficPCMAllocationPriority
V9
transceiver
transceiver equipment class
V9
transceiverEquipment
Handover
V9
transceiverZone
Handover
transceiverZone
V9
transceiver
Handover
Handover Algorithms on the Mobile Side
Power Budget Handover
V12

uMTSAccessMinLevel
V14
bts
Mobility 2G - 3G Reselection
uMTSReselectionARFCN
V14
bts
uMTSReselectionOffset
V14
bts
uMTSSearchLevel
V14
bts
uplinkPowerControl
V8
powerControl

AMR Power Control
uRxLevDLP
V7
powerControl
uRxLevULP
V7
powerControl
uRxQualDLP
V7
powerControl
uRxQualULP
V7
powerControl
wPSManagement
V15
bsc
WPS - Wireless Priority Service
wPSQueueStepRotation
V15
bts
zone Tx power max reduction
V9
transceiverZone
Handover
zoneFrequencyHopping
V9
transceiverZone
Handover
zoneFrequencyThreshold
V9
transceiverZone
Handover
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3.2.
PARAMETERS VERSUS BSS FEATURES AND PROCEDURES

Here is the list of the main BSS tunable parameters sorted by procedure or feature.
3.2.1 LEVEL AVERAGING

rxLevHreqave, rxLevHreqt, rxLevWtsList, missRxLevWt, rxLevHreqaveBeg.
3.2.2 QUALITY AVERAGING

rxQualHreqave, rxQualHreqt, rxQualWtsList, missRxQualWt.
3.2.3 DISTANCE AVERAGING

distHreqt, distWtsList, missDistWt.
3.2.4 CELL ELIGIBILITY

rxLevMinCell, rxNCellHreqave, cellDeletionCount, rxLevHreqave, missRxLevWt,
msTxPwrMaxCell, msTxPwrMax, hoSecondBestCellConfiguration, rxLevNCellHreqaveBeg.
3.2.5 RADIO LINK FAILURE

radioLinkTimeOut, rlf1, rlf2, rlf3, t3111, t3109.
3.2.6 INTERFERENCE MANAGEMENT

averagingPeriod, thresholdInterference, radChanSelIntThreshold.
3.2.7 PCH AND RACH CONTROL PARAMETERS

delayBetweenRetrans, maxNumberRetransmission, nbOfRepeat, noOfBlocksForAccessGrant,
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging, numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans, pagingOnCell, retransDuration,
t3122, gprsNetworkModeOperation.
3.2.8 CONCENTRIC CELL

concentric cell, concentAlgoExtMsRange, concentAlgoExtRxLev, concentAlgoIntMsRange,
concentAlgoIntRxLev, transceiverEquipmentClass, transceiverZone, zoneFrequencyHopping,
zoneFrequencyThreshold, small to large zone HO Priority, zone Tx power max reduction,
biZonePowerOffset, biZonePowerOffset(n), rxLevMinCell(n).
3.2.9 EXTENDED CELL

extended cell, rndAccTimAdvThreshold, msRangeMax, callClearing, channelType.
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3.2.10 QUEUING AND PRIORITY MANAGEMENT

allocPriorityTable, allocPriorityTimers, allocPriorityThreshold, allocWaitThreshold,
allOtherCasesPriority, answerPagingPriority, assignRequestPriority, bscQueuingOption,
callReestablishmentPriority, emergencyCallPriority, interCellHOExtPriority,
interCellHOIntPriority, intraCellHOIntPriority, otherServicesPriority, small to large zone HO
Priority, directedRetryPrio, intraCellQueuing.
3.2.11 SMS-CB
smsCB, noOfBlocksForAccessGrant, channelType.
3.2.12 FREQUENCY HOPPING

btsIsHopping, hoppingSequenceNumber, maio, siteGsmFctList, cellAllocation,
mobileAllocation, fhsRef, bscHopReconfUse, btsHopReconfRestart, btsThresholdHopReconf,
zoneFrequencyHopping, zoneFrequencyThreshold.
3.2.13 SELECTION / RESELECTION (IDLE MODE)

cellBarQualify, cellBarred, rxLevAccessMin, msTxPwrMaxCCH, cellReselInd,
cellReselectHysteresis, cellReselectOffset, temporaryOffset, penaltyTime,
rndAccTimAdvThreshold.
3.2.14 DYNAMIC BARRING OF ACCESS CLASS

bscMsAccessClassBarringFunction, btsMsAccessClassBarringFunction,
accessClassCongestion, numberOfTCHFreeBeforeCongestion,
numberOfTCHFreeToEndCongestion, numberOfTCHQueuedBeforeCongestion,
numberOfTCHQueuedToEndCongestion, notAllowedAccessClasses.
3.2.15 DTX
dtxMode, cellDtxDowlink.
3.2.16 UPLINK POWER CONTROL

uplinkPowerControl, new power control algorithm, runPowerControl, , powerIncrStepSizeUL,
powerRedStepSizeUL, lRxQualULP, uRxQualULP, lRxLevULP, uRxLevULP, msTxPwrMax,
msTxPwrMax2ndBand.
3.2.17 DOWNLINK POWER CONTROL

bsPowerControl, new power control algorithm, runPwrControl, powerIncrStepSizeDL,
powerRedStepSizeDL, lRxQualDLP, uRxQualDLP, lRxLevDLP, uRxLevDLP.
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3.2.18 DIRECTED RETRY HANDOVER

interBscDirectedRetry, intraBscDirectedRetry, interBscDirectedRetryFromCell,
intraBscDirectedRetryFromCell, modeModifyMandatory, directedRetryModeUsed,
msTxPwrMaxCell, msTxPwrMax, directedRetry, adjacent cell umbrella ref, directedRetryPrio.
3.2.19 UPLINK INTRACELL HANDOVER

intraCell, intraCellSDCCH, runHandOver, rxLevULIH, lrxQualULH, rxQualULIH.
3.2.20 DOWNLINK INTRACELL HANDOVER

intraCell, intraCellSDCCH, runHandOver, rxLevDLIH, lRxQualDLH, rxQualDLIH.
3.2.21 INTERCELL HANDOVER ON BAD UPLINK QUALITY

CRITERION
handOver from signalling channel, runHandOver, lrxQualULH, hoMarginRxQual.
3.2.22 INTERCELL HANDOVER ON BAD DOWNLINK QUALITY

CRITERION
handOver from signalling channel, runHandOver, lRxQualDLH, hoMarginRxQual.
3.2.23 INTERCELL HANDOVER ON BAD UPLINK LEVEL CRITERION

handOver from signalling channel, runHandOver, lRxLevULH, hoMarginRxLev.
3.2.24 INTERCELL HANDOVER ON BAD DOWNLINK LEVEL

CRITERION
handOver from signalling channel, runHandOver, lRxLevDLH, hoMarginRxLev.
3.2.25 INTERCELL HANDOVER ON POWER BUDGET CRITERION

handOver from signalling channel, runHandOver, powerBudgetInterCell, hoMargin,
rxLevDLPBGT.
3.2.26 MICROCELLULAR ALGORITHM

handOver from signalling channel, runHandOver, cellType, microCellCaptureTimer,
microCellStability, rxNCellHreqave.
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3.2.27 INTERCELL HANDOVER ON DISTANCE CRITERION

msBtsDistanceInterCell, handOver from signalling channel, runHandOver,hoMarginDist.
3.2.28 HANDOVER FOR TRAFFIC REASONS (V12)

handOver from signalling channel, runHandOver, hoTraffic, hoMarginTrafficOffset.
3.2.29 HANDOVER DECISION ACCORDING TO ADJACENT CELL

(V12)
handOver from signalling channel, runHandOver, offsetLoad, offsetPriority.
3.2.30 GENERAL PROTECTION AGAINST HO PINGPONG (V12)

hoPingpongCombination, hoPingpongTimeRejection.
3.2.31 CALL CLEARING

callClearing, runCallClear.
3.2.32 FREQUENCY BAND FAVOURING

early classmark sending, multi band reporting, cellBarred, cellBarQualify, hoMargin,
hoMarginDist, hoMarginRxQual, hoMarginRxLev, offsetPriority.
3.2.33 MINIMUM TIME BETWEEN HANDOVER (BEFORE V12)

timeBetweenHOConfiguration, bts Time Between HO configuration.
3.2.34 RADIO RESOURCE CONTROL AT CELL LEVEL

radResSupervision, radResSupBusyTimer, radResSupFreeTimer.
3.2.35 PRE-SYNCHRONISED HANDOVER

synchronised, preSynchroTimingAdvance.
3.2.36 INTERFERER CANCELLATION

interferer cancel algo usage.
3.2.37 EARLY HO DECISION

hoMarginBeg, rxLevHreqaveBeg, rxLevNCellHreqaveBeg.
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3.2.38 MAXIMUM RXLEV FOR PBGT

rxLevDLPBGT.
3.2.39 CELL TIERING (V12)

interferenceType, intraCell, measurementProcAlgorithm, nbLargeReuseDataChannels,
hoMarginTiering, pwciHreqave, numberOfPwciSamples, selfTuningObs.
3.2.40 2G -3G MOBILITY (V14.2)

uMTSAccessMinLevel, uMTSReselectionARFCN, uMTSReselectionOffset,
uMTSSearchLevel.
3.2.41 TTY SUPPORT ON BSC/TCU 3000 (V14.3)

coderPoolConfiguration.
3.2.42 POTECTION AGAINST INTRACELL HO PING-PONG (V14.3)

capacityTimeRejection, minTimeQualityIntraCellHO.
3.2.43 AUTOMATIC HANDOVER ADAPTATION (V14.3)

selfAdaptActivation, servingfactorOffset, neighDisvaforOffset, rxQualAveBeg.
3.2.44 ADAPTATIVE FULL/HALF RATE (V14.3)

amrDlFrAdaptationSet, amrDlHrAdaptationSet, amrUlFrAdaptationSet, amrUlHrAdaptationSet,
coderPoolConfiguration, speechMode, HRCellLoadStart, HRCellLoadEnd, frAMRPriority,
hrAMRPriority, hrPowerControlTargetMode, frPowerControlTargetMode, bsPowerControl,
uplinkPowerControl, pRequestedCodec, nHRRequestedCodec, nFRRequestedCodec,
amrFRIntercellCodecMThresh, amrFRIntracellCodecMThresh, amrHRIntercellCodecMThresh,
amrHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh, hoMarginAMR, amriRxLevDLH, amriRxLevULH,
nCapacityFRRequestedCodec, amrDirectAllocIntRxLevDL, amrDirectAllocIntRxLevUL,
amrDirectAllocRxLevDL, amrDirectAllocRxLevUL, filteredTrafficCoefficient.
3.2.45 WIRELESS PRIORITY SERVICE

allocPriorityTable, allocPriorityTimers, allocWaitThreshold, bscQueuingOption,
wPSManagement, wPSQueueStepRotation.
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3.2.46 NETWORK SYNCHRONIZATION

btsSMSynchroMode, tnOffset, fnOffset, dARPPh1Priority, masterBtsSmId, baseColourCode
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4.
ALGORITHMS
4.1.
INTRODUCTION
This chapter describes major BSS GSM algorithms using OMC-R algorithm parameters, both
on the BTS and the MS side.
4.2.
CONVENTIONS AND UNITS

In this chapter, the following abbreviations are used:
RXQUAL_DL: weighted average for DL signal quality (MS measurements)

RXQUAL_UL: weighted average for UL signal quality (BTS measurements)
RXLEV_DL: weighted average for DL signal strength (MS measurements)
RXLEV_UL: weighted average for UL signal strength (BTS measurements)
MS_BS_Dist: weighted average of MS distance from BTS (MS timing advance)
RXLEV_NCELL(n): arithmetic average for signal strength on neighbor cell
(reported by the MS)
4.2.1 UNIT
Thresholds on signal quality are given in RXQUAL values. Samples measurements are also
reported in RXQUAL values. When internal calculations are performed, RXQUAL values are
converted into bit error rates (BER) using mean values and compared to thresholds which are
also converted into bit error rate. From the V9 BSS release, the comparison is done with the
upper or the lower limit of the BER range.
RxQual value
BER range value
Mean BER value
BER < 0.2%
0.14%
0.2% < BER < 0.4%
0.28%
0.4% < BER < 0.8%
0.57%
0.8% < BER < 1.6%
1.13%
1.6% < BER < 3.2%
2.26%
3.2% < BER < 6.4%
4.53%
6.4% < BER < 12.8%
9.05%
12.8% < BER
18.10%
Signal strength thresholds are given in dBm (from -110 dBm to -47 dBm).
Signal strength measurements reported by the mobiles and the BTS are given in the rxlev
format (from 0 to 63).
The average signal strength measurement values, which are compared to the rxlev
thresholds, are the integer part of the average result.
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4.2.2 PHASE 2 BTS AND MS MAXIMUM TRANSMITTING OUTPUT POWERS

MOBILE PHASE 2 MAXIMUM TRANSMITTING OUTPUT POWER
Power
Class
GSM 850 / GSM 900
DCS 1800
PCS 1900
Nominal Maximum
Output Power
Nominal Maximum
Output Power
Nominal Maximum
Output Power
Tolerance for
condition
Normal
Extreme
restricted MS Phase 1
1W (30 dBm)
1W (30 dBm)
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
8W (39 dBm)
0,25W (24 dBm)
0,25W (24 dBm)
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
5W (37 dBm)
4W (36 dBm)
2W (33 dBm)
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
2W (33 dBm)
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
0,8W (29 dBm)
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
ASSOCIATED POWER CONTROL LEVELS
GSM 850 / GSM 900

Power
control
level
Nominal
Output
power
(dBm)
Tolerance
(dB) for
conditions
N
DCS 1800
Power
control
level
Nominal
Output
power
(dBm)
PCS 1900
Tolerance
(dB) for
conditions
N
Power
control
level
Nominal
Output
power
(dBm)
Tolerance
(dB) for
conditions
N
0-2
39
2,5
29
36
2,5
22-29
Reserved
37
30
34
30
33
35
31
32
31
32
33
30
30
31
28
28
29
26
26
27
24
24
25
22
22
10
23
20
20
11
21
18
18
12
19
16
16
13
17
14
14
14
15
12
12
15
13
10
10
10
10
16
11
11
11
17
12
12
18
13
13
19-31
14
14
15-28
15
16-21
Reserved
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BASE STATION PHASE 2 MAXIMUM TRANSMITTING OUTPUT POWERS

GSM 850 / GSM 900
GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
Tolerance for condition
CLASS 1: [320 - 640[ W [55 - 58[ dBm
CLASS 1: [20 - 40[ W [43 - 46[ dBm
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
CLASS 2: [160 - 320[ W [55 - 58[ dBm
CLASS 2: [10 - 20[ W [40 - 43[ dBm
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
CLASS 3: [80 -160[ W [49 - 52[ dBm
CLASS 3: [5 - 10[ W [37 - 40[ dBm
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
CLASS 4: [40 - 80[W [46 - 49[ dBm
CLASS 4: [2.5 - 5[ W [34 - 37[ dBm
Normal
Extreme
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
CLASS 5: [20 - 40[ W [43 - 46[dBm
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
CLASS 6: [10 - 20[ W [40 - 43[ dBm
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
CLASS 7: [5 - 10[ W [37 - 40[ dBm
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
CLASS 8: [2.5 - 5[ W [34 - 37[ dBm
+/- 2 dB
+/- 2,5 dB
Settings will be provided to allow output power to be reduced from its maximum level to at
least six steps of nominally 2 dB with an accuracy of 1 dB to allow a fine adjustment of the
coverage by the network operator. In addition, the actual absolute output power at each static
RF power step (N) shall be 2*N dB below the absolute output power at static RF power step 0
with a tolerance of 3 dB under normal conditions and 4dB under extreme conditions. The
static RF power step 0 will be the actual output power according to the TRX power class.
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4.2.3 GSM PRODUCTS SENSITIVITY AND POWER

MS SENSITIVITY
Considering GSM specifications 3GPP TS 05.05 figures applicable from December 1998, the
following MS sensitivity has to be taken into account depending on frequency band.
MS sensitivity
GSM 850 / 900
- 104 dBm
GSM 1800
- 102 dBm
GSM 1900
- 102 dBm
Nevertheless, the MS seems to have usually better sensitivity than these figures.
E-CELL BTS SENSITIVITY AND POWER

GSM 900
BTS
e-cell
Max output power at antenna connector
32 dBm
Tolerance
+1/-2 dB
Guaranteed output power
30 dBm
RX Sensitivity
- 104 dBm
Typical gain with internal antennas

(optional)
9 dBi
GSM 1800
BTS
e-cell
31,5 dBm
Tolerance
+/- 1,5 dB
30 dBm
RX Sensitivity
- 104 dBm

(optional)
8 dBi
GSM 1900
BTS
e-cell
31,5 dBm
Tolerance
+/- 1,5 dB
30 dBm
RX Sensitivity
- 104 dBm

(optional)
7,5 dBi
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S8000/S12000/S18000 BTS SENSITIVITY AND POWER

GSM 850
BTS
S8000 Outdoor / Indoor
Power amplifier
44,8 dBm (30 W)

44,8 dBm (30 W)
+/- 0,5 dB
+/- 0,5 dB
High power EDGE Amplifier HePA
Not available
Not available
Duplexor loss (guaranteed)
1 dB
1 dB
H2D loss (guaranteed
5 dB
5 dB
H4D loss (guaranteed)
8,5 dB
8,5 dB
Rx sensitivity
- 110 dBm
- 110 dBm
Expected space diversity gain at sensitivity level
5 dB*
5 dB*
Global performances of the receiving system,

including space diversity
- 115 dBm
- 115 dBm
* Crosspolar diversity gain is 1 dB less
BTS

RM module
GMSK
8-PSK
RM power output
46 dBm (40 W)
46 dBm (40 W)
Duplexor
(guaranteed)
43,4 dBm
43,4 dBm
H2D
(guaranteed)
39,6 dBm
39,6 dBm
HPRM module: not available
GMSK
8-PSK
HPRM power
output
Duplexor
(guaranteed)
H2D
(guaranteed)
Tx attenuation
Duplexor loss
(typical / max)
0,8 / 1,5 dB
H2D loss (typical

/ max)
4 / 5,2 dB
Rx sensitivity
(guaranteed)
GMSK
- 111,2 dBm
8-PSK
8-PSK
8-PSK
8-PSK
MCS5
MCS6
CS7
MCS8
- 96 dBm
- 93 dBm
- 101 dBm
- 99,5 dBm
8-PSK
MCS9
- 91,5 dBm
Note: from V15.1 S18000 products are supported on both BSC3000 and BSC12000.
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GSM 900
BTS
S2000H Micro
S2000L Micro
43,5 / 44,75 / 46 dBm
35,5 / 37 / 38,5 dBm
+/- 1 dB at antenna
+/- 1 dB at BTS feeder
Guaranteed power
42,6 dBm
33 dBm
Tolerance
+ 1,8 / - 0 dB
+ 3,5 / - 0 dB
Rx Sensitivity
- 109 dBm
- 104 dBm
Power amplifier (min/nom/max)
Typical diversity gain with internal antennas
4,4 dB
BTS
Power amplifier
44,8 dBm (30 W)
44,8 dBm (30 W)
+/- 0,5 dB
+/- 0,5 dB
47,75 dBm (60 W GMSK)
47,75 dBm (60 W GMSK)
46,5 dBm (45 W 8-PSK)
46,5 dBm (45 W 8-PSK)
1 dB
1 dB
5 dB
5 dB
8,5 dB
8,5 dB
Rx sensitivity
- 110 dBm
- 110 dBm
5 dB*
5 dB*

- 115 dBm
- 115 dBm
BTS

RM module
GMSK
8-PSK
RM power output
46 dBm (40 W)
46 dBm (40 W)
Duplexor
(guaranteed)
43,9 dBm
43,9 dBm
H2D
(guaranteed)
40 dBm
40 dBm
HPRM module
GMSK
8-PSK
HPRM power
output
47,8 dBm (60 W)
46,5 dBm (45 W)
Duplexor
(guaranteed)
45,7 dBm
44,4 dBm
H2D
(guaranteed)
41,9 dBm
40,6 dBm
Tx attenuation
Duplexor loss
(typical / max)
0,8 / 1 dB
H2D loss (typical

/ max)
4 / 4,8 dB
Rx sensitivity
(guaranteed)
GMSK
- 111,2 dBm
8-PSK
8-PSK
8-PSK
8-PSK
8-PSK
MCS5
MCS6
CS7
MCS8
MCS9
- 96 dBm
- 93 dBm
- 101 dBm
- 99,5 dBm
- 91,5 dBm
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GSM 1800
BTS
S2000H Micro
S2000L Micro
43,5 / 44,75 / 46 dBm
35,5 / 37 / 38,5 dBm
+/- 1 dB at antenna
Guaranteed power
42,6 dBm
33 dBm
Tolerance
+ 1,8 / - 0 dB
+ 3,5 / - 0 dB
Rx Sensitivity
- 109,5 dBm
- 104 dBm
4,4 dB
BTS
Power amplifier
44,8 dBm (30 W)
44,8 dBm (30 W)
+/- 0,5 dB
+/- 0,5 dB
Not available
Not available
1,2 dB
1,2 dB
5 dB
5 dB
8,5 dB
8,5 dB
Rx sensitivity
- 110 dBm
- 110 dBm
5 dB*
5 dB*

- 115 dBm
- 115 dBm
BTS

RM module
GMSK
8-PSK
RM power output
44,8 dBm (30 W)
44,8 dBm (30 W)
Duplexor
(guaranteed)
42,2 dBm
42,2 dBm
H2D
(guaranteed)
38,2 dBm
38,2 dBm
GMSK
8-PSK
HPRM power
output
Duplexor
(guaranteed)
H2D
(guaranteed)
Tx attenuation
Duplexor loss
(typical / max)
0,9 / 1,2 dB
H2D loss (typical

/ max)
4,3 / 5 dB
Rx sensitivity
(guaranteed)
GMSK
- 111,2 dBm
8-PSK
8-PSK
8-PSK
8-PSK
8-PSK
MCS5
MCS6
CS7
MCS8
MCS9
- 96 dBm
- 93 dBm
- 101 dBm
- 99,5 dBm
- 91,5 dBm
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GSM 1900
BTS
S2000H Micro
S2000L Micro
43,5 / 44,75 / 46 dBm
35,5 / 37 / 38,5 dBm
+/- 1 dB at antenna
Guaranteed power
42,6 dBm
33 dBm
Tolerance
+ 1,8 / - 0 dB
+ 3,5 / - 0 dB
Rx Sensitivity
- 109 dBm (FP)
- 104 dBm
- 109,5 dBm (EP)

4,4 dB
* First Packaging / Enhanced Packaging
BTS
Power amplifier
44,8 dBm (30 W)
44,8 dBm (30 W)
+/- 0,5 dB
+/- 0,5 dB
47,75 dBm (60 W GMSK)
47,75 dBm (60 W GMSK)
46,5 dBm (45 W 8-PSK)
46,5 dBm (45 W 8-PSK)
1,2 dB
1,2 dB
5 dB
5 dB
8,5 dB
8,5 dB
Rx sensitivity
- 110 dBm
- 110 dBm
5 dB*
5 dB*

- 115 dBm
- 115 dBm
BTS

RM module
GMSK
8-PSK
RM power output
44,8 dBm (30 W)
44,8 dBm (30 W)
Duplexor
(guaranteed)
42,2 dBm
42,2 dBm
H2D
(guaranteed)
38,2 dBm
38,2 dBm
GMSK
8-PSK
HPRM power
output
Duplexor
(guaranteed)
H2D
(guaranteed)
Tx attenuation
Duplexor loss
(typical / max)
0,9 / 1,2 dB
H2D loss (typical

/ max)
4,3 / 5 dB
Rx sensitivity
(guaranteed)
GMSK
8-PSK
MCS5
- 111,2 dBm
- 101 dBm
8-PSK
MCS6
- 99,5 dBm
8-PSK
8-PSK
CS7
MCS8
- 96 dBm
- 93 dBm
8-PSK
MCS9
- 91,5 dBm
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4.2.4 CONVERSION RULES

POWER CONVERSION
The main power conversion rules are provided below.
P (dB) = P (dBW) = 10 log (PW)
P (dBm) = P (dBmW) = 10 log (PmW)
P (dB) = P (dBm) - 30
E (dBV / m) = P (dBm) + 20 log FHz + 77,2
DISTANCE - TIMING ADVANCE CONVERSION

The table below gives the conversion rules of the timing advance versus the distance.
One bit corresponds to 554 m and the accuracy is 0.25 bit (i.e 138.5 m)
Timing Advance
Distance (m)
Recommendation accuracy
[0..554[
25 %
[554..1108[
12.5 %
[1108..1662[
6.1 %
[1662..
3.1 %
[34 902..35456[
0.4 %
63
Due to multipath and to MS synchronization accuracy, the gap of timing advances between
two different MS for a given distance can reach 3 bits (i.e. 1,6 km).
The value of the timing advance has an impact on decision taking for handover and call
clearing. The timing advance is calculated by taking into account all the rays coming from a
same signal.
The timing advance must be used carefully as a handover and call clearing criteria, especially
in a microcellular configuration.
4.2.5 ACCURACY RELATED TO MEASUREMENTS

The GSM recommendation specifies the absolute and relative accuracy of the MS and BTS
measurements (Rec. GSM 05.08 8.1.2). The table below provides the GSM absolute
accuracy recommendation.
MS and BTS absolute measurement accuracy
from - 110 dBm to - 70 dBm under normal conditions
+/- 4 dB
from - 110 dBm to - 48 dBm under normal conditions
+/- 6 dB
from - 110 dBm to - 48 dBm under extreme conditions
+/- 6 dB
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The overlap between the different ranges (see above normal condition cases) are specified in
the recommendation.
This recommendation is not restrictive and most of the BTS and MS may provide better
results. However, these figures show that the threshold accuracy handover and power
control field strength may be off by a few dB.
The relative accuracy depends on the gap between measurement levels and sensivity levels.
The table below provides the GSM relative accuracy recommendation of a difference between
two measurements lower than 20 dB.
MS and BTS absolute measurement accuracy
lower measured level > sensitivity + 14 dB
+ 2 / - 2 dB
sensitivity + 14 dB> lower measured level > sensitivity + 1 dB
+ 2 / - 3 dB
sensitivity + 1 dB > lower measured level
+ 2 / - 4 dB
For example, the level difference between two field strengths, which are higher than the
sensivity + 14 dBm, must be within the range of [-2 dB to +2 dB].
Output power tolerance must also be considered in the parameters setting because the
parameters bsTxPwrMax and msTxPwrMax are used in the algorithms.
4.2.6 FREQUENCY BAND

Frequency band
P-GSM 900
Fl(n) [lower band]
n range
Fu(n) [upper band]
Fl(n) = 890 + 0,2 * n
1 n 124
Fl(n) = 890 + 0,2 * n
0 n 124
Fl(n) = 890 + 0,2 * (n - 1024)
975 n 1023
Fl(n) = 890 + 0,2 * n
0 n 124
Fl(n) = 890 + 0,2 * (n - 1024)
955 n 1023
DCS 1800
Fl(n) = 1710,2 + 0,2 * (n - 512)
512 n 885
Fu(n) = Fl(n) + 95
PCS 1900
Fl(n) = 1850,2 + 0,2 * (n - 512)
512 n 810
Fu(n) = Fl(n) + 80
GSM 450
Fl(n) = 450,6 + 0,2 * (n - 259)
259 n 293
Fu(n) = Fl(n) + 10
GSM 480
Fl(n) = 479 + 0,2 * (n - 306)
306 n 340
Fu(n) = Fl(n) + 10
GSM 850
Fl(n) = 824,2 + 0,2 * (n - 128)
128 n 251
Fu(n) = Fl(n) + 45
GSM 750
Fl(n) = 747,2 + 0,2 * (n - 438)
438 n 511
Fu(n) = Fl(n) + 30
E-GSM 900
R-GSM 900
Fu(n) = Fl(n) + 45
Fu(n) = Fl(n) + 45
Fu(n) = Fl(n) + 45
Frequencies are in MHz.
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4.3.
SELECTION, RESELECTION ALGORITHMS

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
The selection process begins with a signal strength measurement averaging on

the whole frequency band lasting approximately three seconds in order to sort
channels according to their strength.
Then, for the most powerful channel, the MS tries to detect the FCH channel, then
decodes the SCH channel, and if the MNC and MCC are not forbidden, it listens to
SYSTEM INFORMATION 1 to 4 to get full information on that cell and possibly
select it depending on the selection criterion.
If one of the steps fails, the next powerful channel is tried and so on.
RESELECTION PROCEDURE:
Reselection criteria are calculated every 5 to 60 seconds period (depending on the

number of cells for which BCCH is in BCCH Allocation and number of multiframes
between paging) because MS must perform at least 5 measurements on every cell
listed in the BCCH Allocation before averaging is allowed. For phase 1 MS, C1
path loss criterion is used whereas for phase 2 MS, the C2 criterion is used.
Then, for the most powerful channel, the MS attempts to detect the FCH channel,
then decodes the SCH channel, and if the NCC and BCC are not forbidden, it will
listen to SYSTEM INFORMATION 1 to 4 to get full information on that cell and
possibly select it depending on the selection criterion.
4.3.1 SELECTION OR RESELECTION BETWEEN CELLS OF

CURRENT LOCATION AREA (SEL_1)
In Phase 1, MS checks that cellBarred flag is not set to barred before sorting eligible cells.
In Phase 2, MS checks cellBarred and cellBarQualify flags in order to define the cells access
(normal,low,barred).
C1 is the path loss criterion for unbarred cells of allowed PLMN.
To be selected, a cell must have a positive C1:
C1 = RXLEV - rxLevAccessMin - Max (B,0) >0
with B = msTxPwrMaxCCH - P
P = maximum RF output power of the MS
Received levels must be higher than rxlevAccessMin and if a mobile state has a classmark
lower than msTxPwrMaxCCH, it must get closer to the cell to have access to it.
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4.3.2 CRITERIA FOR RESELECTION TOWARDS A CELL OF A

DIFFERENT LOCATION AREA (SEL_2)
This is an additionnal criteria for reselection towards a y cell having a different Location Area
from the current one. A choice must be made between C1 values for cell having a different
Location Area:
C1(x) < C1(y) - cellReselectHysteresis
The value used for the parameter cellReselectHysteresis is the-one set in the current serving
cell.
4.3.3 ADDITIONAL RESELECTION CRITERION (FOR PHASE 2)

(SEL_3)
In Phase 2, MS checks cellBarred and cellBarQualify flags in order to define the cells access
(normal, low, barred).
To activate this feature, the cellReselInd parameter will be set to true.
The C1 criterion did not provide a way of preventing a fast moving mobile station from
reselecting a fugitive cell nor avoiding ping-pong reselection. The idea is to give a cell a
tunable access for reselection and to prevent mobiles from reselecting a cell if that cell is new
to the mobile or if it was recently the serving cell:
C2 = C1 + cellReselectOffset - temporaryOffset * H (penaltyTime - t)
for penaltyTime 640
C2 = C1 - cellReselectOffset
for penaltyTime = 640
where t is a timer started as soon as a cell enters the mobile best cell list:
t = penaltyTime if the new cell in the list is the previous serving cell
t = 0 otherwise
and H(x) is a function:
H(penaltyTime - t) = 0 if t penaltyTime
H(penaltyTime - t) = 1 if t < penaltyTime
temporaryOffset is a negative offset.

By adding an offset (cellReselectOffset) it is possible to give different priorities, for example, to
different types of cells in case of a multilayer network or to different bands when multiband
operation is used.
The timer penaltyTime ensures that the mobile will reselect a cell which has been received
with a sufficient level for a sufficient time. Some microcellular handover algorithms are based
on this C2 reselection principle.
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Priority of access: cellBarred and cellBarQualify parameters.

The parameters are used to give each cell the authorization to be selected or reselected, and
for all of them a priority of access is given.
The selection procedure is mainly concerned by this priority introduction.
SELECTION
For the server cell and the neighboring cells, the C1 algorithm is computed. The C2 algorithm
is computed only if cell reselection is used (cellReselInd = true).
A priority is affected to each eligible cell and is only applied to Phase II MS.
IF cellBarQualify = TRUE THEN the cell priority is low, whatever the cellBarred value is.
IF cellBarQualify = FALSE AND IF the cell is barred (cellBarred set to barred) THEN the cell
priority is null (the cell can not be reselected in idle mode).
IF cellBarQualify = FALSE AND IF the cell is not barred THEN the priority is normal.
For a mobile Phase II: if no cell with NORMAL priority is eligible (cell contained in the eligible
list constituted using the C1 algorithm), then the cells with LOW priority are scanned. So even
if a cell is barred, a phase II mobile is able to select this cell, but it will not be able to perform a
call on it.
For a mobile Phase I: it is not possible to reselect a cell that is barred.
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cellBarred
cellBarQualify
Priority
barred
false
no selection possible
barred
true
low
not barred
false
normal
not barred
true
low
Note: To forbid the access of a cell to a MS, the cellBarred set to not barred and
incomingHandover set to disabled, is not sufficient. Care must be taken with the
cellBarQualify that gives the priority.
RESELECTION
There is only one kind of priority which is NORMAL.
IF the cell is barred
AND IF cellBarQualify is false
THEN the reselection is not authorized.
cellBarred
cellBarQualify
Priority
barred
false
barred
true
normal
not barred
false
normal
not barred
true
normal
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4.4.
MEASUREMENT PROCESSING
4.4.1 MP_1: MEASUREMENT PROCESSING (RUN BY THE BTS)

Each sample on the uplink side used by the Layer 1 Management in the average computation
is composed of measurements performed in Watts on several bursts. So the uplink samples
are first computed in Watts before being translated into dBm.
The general idea is to perform arithmetic averages. These averages are stored, and each time
a decision has to be taken, an other average (weighted-average) is computed. This weightedaverage is based on a defined number (Hreqt) of arithmetic averages, which are weighted in
order to favor the latest results.
In the new version of the Layer 1 Management (L1mV2), the process of averaging is based on
fully sliding windows.
Examples for Hreqave = 8, Hreqt = 1, run xx = 4
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AVERAGING PROCESS
for quality and level:

o
o
rxLevHreqave, rxQualHreqave: number of measurement results to

compute an arithmetic average.
rxLevHreqt, rxQualHreqave: number of arithmetic averages necessary to
compute a weighted average, each one being associated to rxLevWtsList
and rxQualWtsList (highest weight for the most recent data).
missRxLevWt, missRxQualWt: weight applied to latest arithmetic average if
existing or latest received value to replace a missing
downlink
measurement. In case there have been no previous measurements, a
default value is used.
for distance, weighted average applies directly to distHreqt raw figures.

for neighbor cells, only the arithmetic average is computed. Furthermore, for
L1mV2, when 10 SACCH blocks are missing, that cell is no longer considered and
corresponding data is deleted.
Note: cellDeletionCount is used as an eligibility criterion.

Arithmetic averaging is performed with xx_Hreqave period whereas weighted averaging is
done before algorithm processing, thus, weighted average is executed if run_xx is not a
multiple of xx_Hreqave.
Example for Hreqave = 3, Hreqt = 2, run xx = 4
Notes: In L1mV2, the weighted average is done with the latest not overlapped arithmetic
averages.
Reactivity of the L1mV2 has been improved. The measurements done by the MS and the BTS
during the first SACCH block period is proceeded by the BTS during the second SACCH block
period instead of the third SACCH block period.
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RESCALING
Measurements are stored along with the MS and BS power level (meas_txpwr) reported in
MEAS RESULT, latest power control (MS or BS) is also stored (ref_txpwr).
From the L1mV2, rescaling is done at maximum transmission power (txPwrMax). It means that
the values or averages are adjusted as follows
newLev = oldLev + ((txPwrMax meas_txPwr) * Pwr_to_dbm)
In this way BTS attenuation is already included in RxLevDL and handovers are better
anticipated.
4.4.2 MP_2: MEASUREMENT PROCESSING IN DEDICATED MODE

(RUN BY THE MS)
On the MS side, every sample is composed of measurements performed on several bursts in
dBm. On the uplink side, measurements are performed in Watts. So the uplink samples are
previously computed in Watts before they are translated into dBm.
Those two different ways of calculation provide samples which are artificially about 2,5 dB
higher for the uplink than for the downlink (see chapter Difference Between Uplink and
Downlink Levels).
While in dedicated mode, the mobile performs signal strength monitoring on all
BCCH allocation carriers, measurements are usually done every frame, except on
idle frames. Averaging is considered valid when five measurements are available
per reporting period.
On the uplink SACCH, the mobile provides RX level and quality on the serving
cell. The number of blocks involved is different depending on whether the downlink
DTX is used. Two sets of values are reported: full and sub. The mobile also
reports its current Timing Advance and TxPower, and whether uplink DTX is used,
as well as the BSIC of the 6 best adjacent cells along with their received levels.
While in TCH dedicated mode, the idle frame is dedicated to best cell survey:
among strongest carriers from BCCH allocation list, the mobile tries to get FCH
then decodes SCH channels (to get its bsic). A mobile is obliged to maintain
synchronization with at most 6 best cells of permitted PLMN, and confirm it at least
every 10 seconds. If synchronization with a cell is lost, corresponding information
is kept during at least 10 seconds (in case a handover is requested on that cell).
Every 2 seconds, the most powerful carriers that do not belong to the 6 best ones
are given a try: if synchronization on one of them is impossible or bsic forbidden,
then the cell is discarded. Otherwise the cell enters the 6 best cell list according to
received power.
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4.4.3 MISSING DOWNLINK MEASUREMENTS

In case of Air interface problems, its possible to loose some SACCH blocks. Four rules of
substitution are applied to compensate the missing measurements.
RULE 1
If averaged values are available, missing measurements are replaced by the latest averaged
value multiplied by a weighting factor (missDistWt, missRxLevWt, missRxQualWt).
r1
r2
r3
r4
r5
r6
m1
r7
r8
m5
m2
time
m3
m4
Example: If r8 is missing, then r8 = m4 X weighting factor.
RULE 2
If no average value is available, missing measurements are replaced by the latest
measurement value multiplied by a weighting factor (missDistWt, missRxLevWt,
missRxQualWt).
r1
r2
r3
r4
r5
r6
m1
r7
r8
m5
m2
time
m3
m4
Example: If r3 is missing, then r3 = r2 X weighting factor.
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RULE 3
If no measurement value is available, the missing measurement is replaced by a default value.
r1
r2
r3
r4
r5
r6
m1
r7
r8
m5
m2
time
m3
m4
Example: If r1 is missing, then r1 = default value.
RULE 4:
In the following, the substitution of a missing value is only done when 6 neighbouring cells are
reported during the considered period.
From L1mV2 missing measurements for neighboring cells are replaced as follows; for both
cases, inputs are:
Ncell1 no longer belongs to the list of 6 preferred cells at T+1 period,

T, T+1 correspond to measurement periods.
First case:
IF RxLevNCell1(T) min(RxLevNCell(T+1) of the 6 reported cells)
THEN RxLevNCell1(T+1) = RxLevNCell1(T)
Second case:
IF RxLevNCell1(T) > min(RxLevNCell(T+1) of the 6 reported cells)
THEN RxLevNCell1(T+1) = min(RxLevNCell(T+1)) - missOffsetdB
missOffset has a fixed value of 3 dB.
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4.5.
DIRECT TCH ALLOCATION AND HANDOVER ALGORITHMS

Since V14, a new version of the Layer 1 Management (L1mV2) is applicable (see chapter
Measurement Processing)
LCAUTION!
It is understood in all the following formulas that RxLev_XX is computed with L1mV2.
4.5.1 GENERAL FORMULAS

PBGT
The general PBGT formula is computed in the band0 because HO_MARGIN is always specific
to the band0:
PBGT(n) = Min [msTxPwrCapability(n), msTxPwrMax]
- Min [msTxPwrCapabilityCell(n), msTxPwrMaxCell(n)]
+ (RxLevNCell(n)ave - RxLevDLave))
msTxPwrCapability(n): maximum transmission power capability of the MS

according to the power class of the mobile and according to the band of the band0
of the neighbour cell n
msTxPwrMax: maximum transmission power level the MS is allowed to use on a
traffic channel in the band0 of the serving cell
msTxPwrMaxCapabilityCell(n): maximum transmission power capability of the MS
(in the BCCH frequency band) of an adjacent cell (n), according to the BCCH
frequency band of adjacent cell (n) and the power class of the mobile in this band
msTxPwrMaxCell(n): maximum transmission power level the MS is allowed to use
on a traffic channel in the band0 of the neighbour cell n
RxLevNCell(n) ave: averaged downlink signal strength of the neighbour cell n
RxLevDL ave: averaged downlink signal strength of the serving cell
However, if the MS is in band1 the PBGT formula is changed.

Indeed, RxLevNCell(n) ave should be replaced by RxLevNCell(n)ave + biZonePowerOffset(n)
in order to simulate what the field strength would be like in band0.
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EXP1
The expression named EXP1 used for defining eligible cells:
EXP1(n) = RxLevNCell(n) ave - [ rxLevMinCell(n) + Max(0, msTxPwrMaxCell(n) msTxPwrCapability(n) ) ]
It is also used in the following process:

EXP1Capture(n) = RxLevNCell(n) ave - rxLevMinCell(n)
EXP1DirectedRetry(n) = RxLevNCell(n) ave - [directedRetry(n) + Max(0,

msTxPwrMaxCell(n) - msTxPwrCapability(n)]
EXP1Forced HO (n) = RxLevNCell(n) ave - [forced handover algo(n) + Max(0,

RxLevNCell(n) ave: averaged downlink signal strength of the neighbour cell n

rxLevMinCell(n): minimum RXLEV value required for a MS to handover towards
cell n
msTxPwrMaxCell(n): maximum transmission power level the MS is allowed to use
on a traffic channel in the band0 of the neighbour cell n
msTxPwrCapability(n): maximum transmission power capability of the MS
according to the power class of the mobile and according to the band of the band0
of the neighbour cell n
directedRetry(n): minimum signal strength level received by the MS to process
directed retry handovers in BTS mode
forced handover algo(n): minimum signal strength level received by the mobiles to
be granted access to a neighbor cell in case of forced handover
Note: If HO decision is made toward the inner zone of a multizone cell, then related
EXP1XX(n) is computed with biZonePowerOffset(n).
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EXP2
The expression named EXP2 used for defining suitable cells:
EXP2PBGT(n) = Pbgt(n) - AdaptedHoMargin(n)
EXP2Traffic(n) = Pbgt(n) - [hoMargin(n) - hoMarginTrafficOffset(n)]
EXP2Quality(n) = Pbgt(n) - hoMarginRxQual(n)
EXP2Strength(n) = Pbgt(n) - hoMarginRxLev(n)
EXP2Distance(n) = Pbgt(n) - hoMarginDist(n)
EXP2AMR(n) = Pbgt(n) - hoMarginAMR(n)
EXP2bis(n) = rxLevDLPBGT(n) - RxLevDL ave
AdaptedHoMargin(n): margin computed when AHA feature is enabled. It takes into

account neighDisfavorOffset and servingfactorOffset parameters (see chapter
Automatic handover adaptation)
hoMargin(n): margin to be used for power budget HO
hoMarginTrafficOffset(n): offset to be applied to hoMargin(n) for traffic HO decision
(when current cell is overloaded)
hoMarginRxQual(n): margin to be used for quality HO
hoMarginRxLev(n): margin to be used for signal strength HO
hoMarginDist(n): margin to be used for distance HO
hoMarginAMR(n): margin to be used for quality intercell HO defined for AMR TCH
channels
rxLevDLPBGT(n): maximum downlink RxLev received from serving cell to allow a
power budget or traffic HO towards this NCell
Note: If HO decision is made in the inner zone of a multizone cell, then related EXP2XX(n) is
computed with (hoMarginXX(n) + biZonePowerOffset).
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4.5.2 DIRECT TCH ALLOCATION

This chapter describes the new features available from V12 and concerns the dualband cell,
the concentric cell and the dualcoupling cell. From V12, it is possible to allocate directly a TCH
in the innerzone for call set-up or handover and to reuse the same frequency on both zones .
From V12, the dualband cell feature enables to manage GSM 900 / GSM1800 frequency
bands in the same cell; in a dualband cell, BCCH and SDCCH are only defined in band0 ; a
dualband cell manages up to 128 frequencies and that means one frequency band manages
up to 64 frequencies.
DIRECT TCH ALLOCATION AT FIRST TCH ALLOCATION

From V12, on SDCCH (always in the large zone), when the serving cell is either a dualband
cell or a dualcoupling cell or a concentric cell, the BSC asks if the call can be directed to the
small zone with a Connection state request message.
The small zone (or band1) is eligible when the following conditions are satisfied:
RxLevDL > concentAlgoExtRxLev
And (only for concentric cells)
MS_BS_Dist < concentAlgoExtMsRange (timing advance criterion)
The timing advance criterion is disabled for a dualcoupling cell since the algorithm only needs
to check that the BS Tx power in the innerzone is sufficient to maintain the communication.
This criterion is also disabled for dualband cells.
Only one TA measurement is done for concentric cells.
For dualband cells, obviously, a test is also performed on the capability of the mobile to
support the band1.
LCAUTION!
The BSC does not send the inquiry if the call is established on a signalling TCH.
DIRECT TCH ALLOCATION ON AN ADJACENT CELL

This capability (to handover directly in the innerzone/band1 of the adjacent cell) is inhibited
when biZonePowerOffset(n) is set to 63. Otherwise, it is assumed that the adjacent cell has a
small zone (concentric cell or dualband cell or dualcoupling cell).
The 2 following conditions shall be satisfied: EXP1>0, EXP2>0.
Knowing that:
if the MS is in band0, RxLevNCell(n) ave shall be used in the PBGT formula

if the MS is already in band 1, RxLevNCell(n) ave + biZonePowerOffset shall be
used in the PBGT formula
For dualband cells, obviously, a test is also performed on the capability of the mobile to
support the band1.
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4.5.3 HANDOVERS
Each runHandOver, after L1M initialisation process for handover, the BTS performs handover
decision process based on regular uplink and downlink measurements on the current cell
(level and quality) and neighbouring cells (level only); the main steps of this process are:
Triggering: the BTS detects that a handover is needed by comparison with

thresholds: lRxLevXLH for alarm on level; lRxQualXLH for alarm on Quality;
msRangeMax for alarm on distance, there is no triggering for handover on PBGT
Screening: the BTS determines what are the n best suitable cells (n=6 from V12)
for the handover (preferred cells list) and sends them to the BSC in the Handover
Indication message; to be in the preferred cells list, a cell must first be eligible
(eligibility checking) then sorted (Ncells list sorting); the preferred cells list is an
ordered list of sorted cells.
Selecting: the BSC determines THE target cell according to the resource found
after reducing the preferred cells list to a maximum of three elements
Executing: allocation, activation, assignment of the new channel, switching onto
this channel
HANDOVERS TRIGGERING
Intercell handover normally occurs for two main reasons:
Rescue handovers: when the MS gets too far from the BS (Distance) and/or radio
link measurements show low received signal strength (DL/UL signal Strength)
and/or signal quality on the current serving cell (DL/UL signal Quality)
Network Optimization Handovers: a better signal strength is available on an
adjacent cell (Power Budget), the serving cell gets overloaded (Traffic) or in the
particular case of a multilayer network (Capture)
Note: new intercell handover decisions have been introduced for AMR channels
Intracell handovers normally occur for the following reasons:
Interference handover: radio measurements show a low received signal quality but
a high received signal strength on the serving cell.
inter-zone handover from a "zone" of a multizone cell to another "zone".
frequency tiering handover
specific intracell handover for AMR TCH channels,
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HANDOVERS SCREENING
To a given handover is associated (hard coded) a set of expressions used both to check
eligibility of a neighbour cell (a cell from the list of Ncells reported by the MS is eligible if all
expressions attached to this HO cause and neighbour cell are strictly positive) and to sort
target cells list.
See the chapter General formulas to get the detail of each expression.
According to the handover cause, the candidate cells expressions must then fulfil the
following formulas to be declared eligible
HO cause / connection state request type
Eligibility criteria
powerBudgetInterCell(n) = true
EXP1(n) > 0
Power Budget
EXP2PBGT(n) > 0
EXP2bis(n) > 0
deleteCounter(n) < cellDeletionCount(n)
trafficInterCell(n) = true
EXP1(n) > 0
Traffic
EXP2Traffic(n) > 0
EXP2bis(n) > 0
ul/dlQualityInterCell(n) = true
UL / DL signal quality
EXP1(n) > 0
EXP2Quality(n) > 0
ul/dlSignalStrengthInterCell(n) = true
UL / DL signal strength
EXP1(n) > 0
EXP2Strength(n) > 0
msBtsDistanceInterCell(n) = true
Distance
EXP1(n) > 0
EXP2Distance(n) > 0
captureInterCell(n) = true
Capture
EXP1Capture(n) > 0
interBtsForcedHO(n) = true
Forced HO
EXP1ForcedHO(n) > 0
interBsDirectedRetry(n) = true
Directed Retry
EXP1Directedretry(n) > 0
ul/dlAMRQualityInterCell(n) = true
Quality intercell HO on UL / DL mode for AMR

TCH channels
EXP1(n) > 0
EXP2AMR(n) > 0
EXP2bis(n) > 0
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4.5.4 HANDOVERS DECISION PRIORITY

HANDOVER DECISION FUNCTIONS FOR SDCCH & TCH/F CHANNELS
The whole set of HO decision functions currently implemented for non AMR channels, with
their priority, is defined in the table below (handover functions are executed in increasing order
of priority as shown below):
HO decision function
early HO
intercell HO
priority
comment
Capture
false
intercell
UL signal quality
false
intercell
DL signal quality
false
intercell
UL signal strength
false
intercell
DL signal strength
false
intercell
Distance
false
intercell
Power Budget
true
intercell
Traffic
false
intercell
Intracell on UL signal strength & quality
false
intracell
(a) (c)
Intracell on DL signal strength & quality
false
intracell
10
(a) (c)
Interband HO (dualband cells)
false
intracell
11
(b) (c)
Interband HO (concentric cells)
false
intracell
11
(b) (c)
Interband HO (dualcoupling cells)
false
intracell
11
(b) (c)
Frequency tiering
false
intracell
12
(a) (c)
Directed Retry
false
intercell
(d)
(a) intracell and tiering handover functions are exclusive from each other
(b) these handover functions are exclusive from each other (a given cell may be of only one
type among concentric, dual-coupling & dual-band) and do not apply to SDCCH channels.
(c) these intracell handover functions are ihnibited when in directed retry mode.
(d) only for a monozone cell or in the large zone of a multizone cell.
Note: The so-called "Directed Retry" handover is a "pseudo" handover indication message
sent upon request from the BSC. This specific case is mainly intended to provide BSC with a
target cells list for intercell HO and is discussed in chapter Directed Retry Handover.
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HANDOVER DECISION FUNCTIONS FOR AMR TCH CHANNELS

HO decision function
early HO
intercell HO
priority
comment
Capture
false
intercell
quality intercell HO on UL codec mode
false
intercell
quality intercell HO on DL codec mode
false
intercell
Distance
false
intercell
Power Budget
false
intercell
Traffic
false
intercell
(d)
capacity intracell HO on UL / DL codec modes
false
intracell
(b) (c)
quality intracell HO on UL codec mode
false
intracell
(b)
quality intracell HO on DL codec mode
false
intracell
(b)
Interband HO (dualband cells)
false
intracell
10
(a) (b)
Interband HO (concentric cells)
false
intracell
10
(a) (b)
Interband HO (dualcoupling cells)
false
intracell
10
(a) (b)
Frequency tiering
false
intracell
11
(b)
Directed Retry
false
intercell
(a) these handover functions are exclusive from each other (a given cell may be of only one
type among concentric, dual-coupling & dual-band).
(b) these intracell handover functions are ihnibited when in directed retry mode.
(c) this intracell handover function applies to TCH/AFS (Full Rate) channels only.
(d) only for a monozone cell or in the large zone of a multizone cell.
Note: The so-called "Directed Retry" handover is a "pseudo" handover indication message
sent upon request from the BSC. This specific case is mainly intended to provide BSC with a
target cells list for intercell HO and is discussed in chapter Directed Retry Handover.
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4.5.5 DIRECTED RETRY HANDOVER

After the initial establishment procedure, if the MS is attached to a SDCCH and if there is no
TCH resource available, a directed retry handover is required.
The following parameters enable this feature:
intraBscDirectedRetry (bsc)
interBscDirectedRetry (bsc)
intraBscDirectedRetryFromCell (bts)
interBscDirectedRetryFromCell (bts)
Previously to V15.0, it is mandatory to activate the Queuing when the Directed Retry is
enabled. From V15.0, the feature Directed retry without queuing activation removes this
constraint and allows the activation indepently from queuing.
DIRECTED RETRY HANDOVER: BSC (OR LOCAL) MODE (HO_1)

This mode is enabled by the bts object parameter directedRetryModeUsed set to bsc. Until
V9, bsc mode could only be applied from a micro cell towards a macro cell (system rule).
One of the adjacent cells is predefined as the one used for directed retry. The
adjacentCellUmbrellaRef parameter gives the position of this cell in the neighbor list.
LCAUTION!
In this mode, there is no check of the RF conditions on the predefined target cell before the
directed retry HO occurs: the predefined cell must cover the whole area of the current cell.
To ensure that the MS is pre-synchronised with the predefined target cell (MS has decoded
GSM time and the BSIC), the neighbor cell BCCH must be put in the adjacentCellReselection
parameter bCCHFrequency.
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DIRECTED RETRY HANDOVER: BTS (OR DISTANT) MODE (HO_2)

This mode is enabled by the bts object parameter directedRetryModeUsed set to bts. It is
used, for example in the case of a high traffic cell covered by several neighbors.
When the BSC receives the Assign Request message from the MSC, the BSC requests the
BTS through a Connection State Request message to return a list of eligible neighbor cells
generated by the following criteria. This list is immediately sent through a Connection State
Acknowledgement message to the BSC. If the list is empty, the BTS tries to regenerate it later.
As soon as handover conditions are fulfilled for at least one neighbouring cell, the BTS sends
the BSC a spontaneous Handover Indication message with the specific cause Directed
Retry.
If RxLevNcell(n) > directedRetry(n) + Max[0, (msTxPwrMaxCell(n) - P)]

where P = maximum RF output power of the MS
then cell n is candidate for Directed Retry Handover
If RxLevNcell(m) = Max(RxLevNcell(n))
then Cell m is chosen by the BSC as the target cell for the Directed Retry HO
LCAUTION!
The Directed Retry criterion is based on only one measurement of RxLevNcell(n) and not on
NCellHreqave measurements.
In a microcell network, a directed retry HO may handover a call from a macro cell to a micro
cell even if the stability criteria is not fulfilled (microcellular handover type A). In this
environment, to avoid a ping-pong HO, one may put a high value to the adjacentCellHandOver
parameter directedRetryAlgo.
DIRECTED RETRY AND QUEUING
Before V15.0, queuing must be activated to enable directed retry. In that case, when the BSC
receives from the MSC an Assignment Request and there is no TCH available in the cell, then
the request is queued and the directed retry procedure is started. The BSC sends to the MSC
a Queuing Indication message.
If there is a resource in the target cell, the directed retry procedure is successful
and the communication is established, and the resources of the serving cell are
released
If there is no resource available in the target cell, the directed retry procedure fails
and the request remains queued in the source cell until a TCH is available, the
timer associated to the queue expires (allocPriorityTimers), a handover indication
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is received from the BTS and is successfully executed, or other events which lead
to the release of the communication (MS is lost, MS disconnect the call ).
If there is no neighbouring cells indicated by the BTS in the connection state ack
message, then the request remains queued in the source cell until a TCH is
available, the timer associated to the queue expires, a handover indication (cause
directed retry) is received from the BTS and successfully executed, or other
events which lead to the release of the communication (MS is lost, MS disconnect
the call )
In case the request could not be queued (queue full for instance), BSS sends an Assignment
failure (cause no radio resource available) message to the MSC.
From V15.0, as soon as the directed retry is enabled in the BSS, whatever is the queuing
activation, the directed retry is processed. In that case,
if queuing is activated, it is the same behavior as before V15.0. The only change is
that if the request could not be queued, the directed retry (if allowed) is processed
independently from the queuing.
If queuing is desactivated, (or if the request could not be queued), then the
procedure is as follow: when the BSC receives from the MSC an Assignment
Request and there is no TCH available in the cell, then the directed retry
procedure is started and the BSC sends to the MSC a Queuing Indication
message to inform the MSC of a delay in the TCH allocation, and the MS remains
on SDCCH channel.
o
o
If there is a resource in the target cell, the directed retry procedure is

successful and the communication is established.
If there is no resource available in the target cell, the directed retry
procedure fails and the BSS sends an Assignment failure (cause no radio
resource available) message to the MSC.
If there is no neighbouring cells indicated by the BTS in the connection
state ack message, it means that neighbouring cells information are not
available in the BTS (it depends also on the MS performances) or
handover conditions are not met. Then the BSC starts an internal timer
directedRetryWithNoQueuingTimer (5 seconds, non configurable) in order
to wait for a handover indication message (cause directed retry) the BTS
sends if the handover conditions are fulfilled. The BSC processes this
handover indication message as described here above. In case the timer
directedRetryWithNoQueuingTimer expires, the BSC sends an Assignment
failure message (cause no radio resource available) to the MSC.
Note: during a directed retry procedure, if there is no TCH available in the target cell, the
procedure can neither be queued, nor execute another directed retry from the target cell.
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4.6.
CONCENTRIC/DUALCOUPLING/DUALBAND CELL
HANDOVER (HO_3)
CONCENTRIC CELL PRINCIPLES
From V9 a cell is defined as concentric if two pools of ressources (TDMAs) are defined using
Rxlev and optionally Timing Advance as allocation criteria. One or two types of TRXs can be
used.
From V12, the concept is enlarged and concentric cell parameter may have 4 possible values:
monozone, concentric, dualband or dualcoupling.
CONCENTRIC CELL
Definition: a cell is defined as concentric if it exists two transceiverzones configured to transmit
at different power resulting in two different coverage areas. For the two different
transceiverzones, the same antenna is used.
Innerzone
Outerzone
BCCH and
signalling
channels
traffic
channels
The principle of the concentric cells is to share the ressources in both zones assuming that the
TRXs are transmitting at different power. The BCCH and the signalling channels use the high
power TRXs (outer zone) thus the BTS needs to check if the link budget MS-BTS is sufficient
to allocate a ressource of the inner zone. Furthermore, to avoid a subsequent intracell
handover, the BSC is checking this condition with the BTS each time a first TCH has to be
allocated at the end of the call setup, i.e an Assign Request has been sent by the MSC. The
same checking is done by the curent BTS when an intercell handover is required.
The smaller range of the frequencies in the internal zone, due to low maximum available
power for transmission, means that these internal zone frequencies can be reused a short
distance away. With this greater re-utilization of frequencies an operator can achieve the same
coverage using less bandwidth.
From V12 functionalities have been deployed allowing an easier frequency planning in case of
frequency hopping (fractional reuse techniques), and a major enhancement with the TCH
allocation directly in the relevant zone in case of calll setup and handover.
Note: a configuration with HePA on the outer zone and ePA on the inner zone is a kind of
concentric cell and not a kind of dualcoupling cell, eventhough the biZonePowerOffset
parameter has to be set accordingly to that particular case.
Please refer to the associated Functional Note [R10] Concentric cell improvements
(CM888/TF889). See also chapter Concentric Cells.
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DUALBAND CELL
Definition: a cell is defined as dualband if GSM900 TRXs and DCS1800 TRXs coexist and
share the same BCCH. The propagation loss being different, it results in two different
coverage areas.
Outerzone
Innerzone / band1 band0
GSM (or DCS)
DCS (or GSM)
BCCH and
signalling
channels
traffic channels
Main benefits of dualband cell functionality are:
The number of cells to configure and monitor is roughly divided by two

No BCCH pattern has to be defined in the second band
Frequency Hopping, Power Control, Downlink DTX are available on all second
band DRXs (instead of all but one with conventional management)
Slight increase in capacity: one TS saving + DCS and GSM DRXs in one pool,
which provides more network control of the traffic distribution
Intra cells Handover between DCS and GSM DRXs of a same cell instead of
synchronous inter cell handovers reduce the muting time
Please refer to the associated Functional Note [R9] Dual band cells management:TF875. See
also chapter Concentric Cells.
DUALCOUPLING CELL
Definition: a cell is defined as dualcoupling if the TRXs are not combined with the same type of
combiner and thus have not the same coupling loss resulting in two different coverage areas.
Innerzone
H4D
Outerzone
H2D
BCCH and
signalling
channels
traffic
channels
In a dualcoupling cell, as the TRXs are not combined with the same type of combiner the most
powerful TRXs define the large zone. Such cells are managed with the concentric cell principle
and dualcoupling cell feature take advantage of it using different coupling modules rather than
a mono type coupling module in a sector.
Please refer to the associated Functional Note [R11] FN for stepped coupling. See also
chapter Concentric Cells.
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HANDOVERS FOR CONCENTRIC CELL / DUALCOUPLING CELL

The MS is permitted to migrate from the large zone to the small zone if:
the MS is close to the BTS (Timing Advance used to estimate the MS to BTS
distance, only for concentric cells))
and if RF conditions are good enough (RxLev downlink).
Note: The transceiverZone object parameter zone Tx power max reduction value is always set
to 0 for the large zone, and in the range of [1 to 55]dB for the small zone.
The Concentric/Dualcoupling Cell Handover from Large to Small zone is triggered if:
RxLev_DL > concentAlgoExtRxLev
AND (only for concentric cells)
MS_BS_Dist < concentAlgoExtMsRange
The MS is forced to migrate from the small zone to the large one if:
the MS is far from the BTS (Timing Advance, used to estimate the MS to BTS
distance, only for concentric cells)
or if RF conditions are too bad (RxLev downlink).
The Concentric/Dualcoupling Cell Handover from Small to Large zone is triggered if:
RxLev_DL < concentAlgoIntRxLev
OR (only for concentric cells)
MS_BS_Dist > concentAlgoIntMsRange
Please note that an external priority [0...17] can be given to the Concentric Cell Handover from
a Small to Large zone, because of the small to large Zone HO priority parameter.
HANDOVERS FOR A DUALBAND CELL (FROM V12)

Convention:
if BCCH gsm, then band 0 = gsm, band 1 = dcs and standardIndicator = gsmdcs
If BCCH dcs, then band 0 = dcs, band 1 = gsm and standardIndicator = dcsgsm
In dualband the algorithms created for concentric cell are the same, except the timing advance
(distance between the BTS and the MS) is not used and the dualband capability of the mobile
is taken into account.
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SUMMARY OF CONCENTRIC/DUALCOUPLING/DUALBAND CELL HO
Interzone HO: band1 to band 0
rxLevDL < concentAlgoIntRxLev
Interzone HO: band0 to band 1
1) rxLevDL > concentAlgoExtRxLev

2) MS_Band_supported(standardIndicatorBand1) is true
Intracell intraband HO: band0 --> band0 or band1--> band1
normal intracell HO
Intercell intraband HO: band0 --> band0:
normal intercell inter or intra BSS
Intercell interband HO: band0 --> band1
1) EXP1(n) + biZonePowerOffset(n) > 0

2) EXP2PBGT(n) > 0
Intercell intraband HO: band1 --> band1
1) EXP1(n) + biZonePowerOffset(n) > 0

2) EXP2PBGT(n) + biZonePowerOffset > 0
where PBGT uses msTxPwrMax2ndBand
Intercell interband HO: band1 --> band0
1) EXP1(n) > 0
2) EXP2PBGT(n) + biZonePowerOffset > 0
where PBGT uses msTxPwrMax2ndBand
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4.6.1 RESCUE HANDOVER

INTRACELL HANDOVER DECISION FOR SIGNAL QUALITY (HO_4)
The interferences are generally related to a specific TDMA. When signal quality is bad but
signal strength is sufficient, the BSC allocates another channel in the current cell.
Condition to be fulfilled is:
(((RXLEV_UL > rxLevULIH) AND (RXQUAL_UL > rxQualULIH))
OR
((RXLEV_DL > rxlevDLIH) AND (RXQUAL_DL > rxQualDLIH))
Thresholds should be set in order to ensure good subjective voice quality (rxqualXLIH 5 with
frequency hopping or rxqualXLIH 4 without hopping).
This feature is enabled by intraCell or intraCellSDCCH flags.
LCAUTION!
From V12, in order to avoid the choice of a more interfered channel, channels are allocated in
the 2 low interference pools (hopping and not hopping) ; if no free channel is detected among
these 2 pools and although queuing is allowed, the intracell HO must not be done ; if queuing
is allowed, the request is queued then satisfied only after reception of suitable interference
level on idle channels (RF_RESOURCE_INDICATION message) ; when TDMA removals
leads to intracell HO, the first free resource is taken whatever its interference level.
HANDOVER CONDITION FOR LEAVING A CELL ON RXQUAL (HO_5)

There is no parameter to disable this feature but this can be done by assigning thresholds
rxqual maximum value (7). Thresholds should be set in order to ensure good subjective quality
(rxqual 5 with frequency hopping or rxqual 4 without hopping).
This handover is triggered when quality exceeds signal quality thresholds:
(RXQUAL_DL > lRxQualDLH)
OR
(RXQUAL_UL > lRxQualULH)
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HANDOVER CONDITION FOR LEAVING A CELL ON RXLEV (HO_6)

There is no parameter to disable this feature but this can be done by assigning threshold
RxLev minimum value (-110 dBm).
This handover is triggered when the signal strength falls below the following thresholds:
(RXLEV_DL< lRxLevDLH)
OR
(RXLEV_UL < lRxLevULH)
HANDOVER CONDITION FOR LEAVING A CELL ON DISTANCE (HO_7)

This feature is enabled by the msBtsdistanceIntercell parameter.
MS_BS_Dist > MsRangeMax
4.6.2 POWER BUDGET HANDOVER

POWER BUDGET FORMULA (HO_8)
If powerBudgetInterCell parameter is set to enabled (handover on Power Budget is allowed),
the following formula is used to determine handover condition for power budget reason. This
handover is preventive and ensures best allocation of a serving cell for a given
communication. The formula used to determine handover condition for power budget reason
is:
EXP2PBGT(n) = Pbgt(n) - AdaptedHoMargin(n)
AdaptedHoMargin(n) is the margin computed when AHA feature is enabled. It takes into
account neighDisfavorOffset and servingfactorOffset parameters (see chapter Automatic
handover adaptation)
MINIMUM TIME BETWEEN HANDOVER (HO_9)

From V12 this feature is replaced by the General protection against HO ping-pong feature.
However, in order for the new feature to be enabled the timeBetweenHOConfiguration
parameter must be set to used, and the bts Time Between HO configuration parameter must
be set to 1.
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4.6.3 HANDOVER FOR TRAFFIC REASONS (FROM V12)

This feature introduced in V12 aims at improving the network behaviour when one or several
cells are overloaded by attempting to redirect the most appropriate calls in progress to
neighbour cells with a PBGT handover procedure.
Please refer to the associated Functional Note [R12] Handover for traffic reasons: TF132. See
also chapter Handover for Traffic Reasons Activation Guideline.
This feature is enabled by the new BSC object parameter hoTraffic and by the new BTS object
parameter hoTraffic. For each neighboring cell of the cell (adjacentCellHandover object), a
parameter is defined: hoMarginTrafficOffset is the offset to (negatively) apply to the hoMargin
parameter linked to the power budget when the cell status becomes overloaded (if 0, the
handover for traffic reason is not allowed for this adjacent cell).
This features relies on the definition of the overload condition ; a cell overload condition can
only be determined by the radio resource allocator when the detection mechanism is
activated; it is activated as soon as the handover for traffic reasons feature or the Barring of
access class feature is authorized.
This overload detection mechanism is based on the number of free TCH or the number of
queued TCH requests in the cell ; TCH resources reserved for maximum priority requests are
not taken into account ; in a concentric cell, TCH resources of the small zone are not taken
into account (no queuing procedure in the small zone) ; in a dualband cell, TCH resources of
the band1 are not taken into account (no queuing procedure in the band1) ; no more operator
warning is sent at the beginning and the end of the overload phase.
The overload begins when:
the number of free TCH <= numberOfTCHFreeBeforeCongestion
OR
the number of queued TCH requests >= numberOfTCHQueuedBeforeCongestion
The overload ends when:

the number of free TCH >= numberOfTCHFreeToEndCongestion
OR
the number of queued TCH requests <= numberOfTCHQueuedToEndCongestion
When the cell status becomes overloaded, a request is done to the L1M to consider a new
ho_margin (hoMargin-hoMarginTrafficOffset) ; this request is sent only to the TRXs which
belong to the large zone/band0 (for concentric/dualband cells).
In case of intra BSS handover (for traffic reasons), the BSC checks the target cell status
during the handover selection phase and if overload condition is set, the BSC will try on the
following cell of the list (a handover between the band0 of a serving cell and the band1 of a
target cell is possible if the eligibility of band1 is indicated in the handover indication
message).
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In case of inter BSS handover (for traffic reasons), the target cell overload status is not known
until the HO procedure is launched (HO request). Also, a handover between the band0 of a
serving cell and the band1 of a target cell is not possible (due to the present A interface).
It is advised to set the General protection against HO ping-pong feature with this feature in
order to overcome the associated risk of ping-pong.
LCAUTION!
This feature is not applicable for S4000/S2000E-DCU2 or S4000/S2000E-DCU2/DCU4.
This feature is applicable for all cases where PBGT handover is possible; so, handover for
traffic reasons is not possible between microcell and macrocell.
This feature is applicable to concentric/dualband cells but is restricted to the large zone/band0
since the thresholds used to define the overload conditions concern the large zone/band0 ; if a
handover indication is received by the BSC with a cause set to traffic reasons and concerns a
communication established in the small zone/band1 of the cell, the message is discarded.
This feature is not applicable to a network which sets all the TCH request priorities to the
maximum priority since the cell is always overloaded whatever are the cell overload
thresholds.
Since the handover for traffic reasons feature uses the PBGT handover procedure, the
powerBudgetInterCell parameter shall be set to true (the BSC does not control this flag to
modify the hoMarginTrafficOffset). The BTS never transmits the Handover for traffic reasons if
this flag is not set.
There is no standby chain updating for the cell overload status ; thus, in case of switch-over,
the L1M value for hoMarginTrafficOffset is set to 0 and the cell is no longer overloaded.
About hoMarginTrafficOffset setting:

Typically, when hoMargin is reduced by 1dB (which implies that hoMarginTrafficOffset=1 dB),
this affects around 13% of the mobiles, assuming that cell overlapping is larger than the
hoMargin; roughly:
1dB of power reduction decreases the cell radius by 6.8% thus the cell coverage
by 13%
2dB of power reduction decreases the cell radius by 14%
3dB of power reduction decreases the cell radius by 21.9%
If hoMarginTrafficOffset is set to 0 dB, the HO traffic is somehow disabled since PBGT will be
done before the traffic has a chance to be done (higher priority).
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4.6.4 HANDOVER DECISION ACCORDING TO ADJACENT CELL

PRIORITIES AND LOAD (FROM V12)
The objective of this feature is to optimize the traffic distribution both between layers according
to cell priorities and cells of the same layer according to their overload conditions.
In the selection phase, the BSC places the cells in descending order according to their priority
and if cells have the same priority, the order given in the handover indication message is
maintained. Then, for those cells, the BSC calculates the following expression:
EXP4(n) = EXPi(n) [offsetLoad(n) * stateLoad(n)]
where EXPi(n) = EXP1(n) for the handover causes capture or directed retry in distant mode
or EXPi(n) = EXP2(n) for other causes
EXP1 or EXP2 are added in the handover indication message from V12 ; offsetLoad(n) is a
neighbour cell parameter in dB and stateLoad is an overload status parameter.
stateLoad=1 for an intra BSS neighbor cell which is overloaded and 0 otherwise, including an
inter BSS neighbor cell overloaded ; the BSC sorts the cells that have the same priority by
decreasing values of EXP4 before reducing the preferred cells list from six to three.
offsetLoad(n) corresponds to the new offsetLoad parameter, offsetPriority defines the range of
the priority from 1 to 5 (1 is the highest level).
The overload detection relies on the same principle as that described in the Handover for
traffic reasons feature. If the overload detection is not activated, obviously, the priority is the
only criterion which is taken into account.
With such an algorithm, it can be noticed that the priority parameter is an important criterion in
a multi-layer network and that the overload situation is an important criterion in a network
where the cells have the same priority.
For multi-layer networks, a problem may occur when the higher priority cell (which captures
traffic) becomes consequently overloaded and then induces HOs for traffic in the other
adjacent cells ; this can be awkward when the overlapping area between the higher priority
cell and its adjacent cells is wide ; in such a case, too much traffic is captured and this
prevents from doing new calls in this cell.
In a network where the cells have the same priority, another problem could be noticed: the
overload condition of adjacent cells is not managed in a uniform way if the adjacent cells do
not belong to the same BSC ; the overload condition for cells belonging to another BSC is not
considered and may induce longer handover procedure if this one is overloaded. Indeed , the
overload state will only be known when the HO is triggered. Then, if the cell is overloaded, the
request will be refused and the BSC will try the next cell on the list of preferred cells.
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4.6.5 AUTOMATIC CELL TIERING (FROM V12)

PREREQUISITE
It requires the implementation of L1mV2 and is exclusively applicable to fractional reuse
pattern networks (see chapter Frequency Hopping).
GOAL
The frequency tiering technique aims at decreasing the global interference level in a fractional
reuse pattern network and offers efficient traffic management at a TRX level through the selftuning system at the BTS
EXPECTED GAINS
The main benefits expected are:
A large capacity increase: The cell tiering increases the fractional load capabilities,
therefore, permits bigger BTS configurations with the same amount of available
frequencies.). In a 1x1 network, the fractional load can go up to 33.3% and up to
100% in 1x3.
A better network quality (worst communications, typically at the cell boundary, do
no longer corrupt other communications). The reduction of the global level of
interference may also significantly decrease the global number of dropped calls
and other faults in particularly loaded networks.
A better uplink/downlink balancing (the uplink interference cancellation gain is
balanced by a significant downlink cell tiering improvement)
PRINCIPLES
The mechanism relies on simple dynamic resources allocation strategies that are intended to
allocate the worst communications, in terms of downlink Carrier on Interference ratio (CIR), to
the non-hopping frequencies (like BCCH), taking advantage of their larger reuse pattern and
consequently of their better resistance to interference, while the best communications are
driven to the hopping frequencies.
Evaluation of the calls is based on a ratio (in Watts) of the RxLevDL measured for the serving
cell over the sum of RxLevNCell measured for the BCCH of each neighbour, weighted
according to the type of interference brought (adjacent or co-channel).
This evaluation, called Potential Worst C/I (PWCI), potential because it does not include the
frequency hopping gain, is meant to simulate what the interference on the small pattern would
be like.
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The PWCI is computed by the BTS for all the calls in progress in the cell and arranged into an
averaged PWCI distribution that provides 2 handover decision parameters: lCirDLH (low) and
uCirDLH (high):
lCirDLH is the abscissa corresponding to an ordinate of P% (percentage of TCH

resources in the large pattern) on the averaged PWCI distribution curve.
uCirDLH is determined from: uCirDLH = lCirDLH + hoMarginTiering
In V12 P% is calculated as follow:
P%=
Number of non hopping TCH - nbLargeReuseDataChannel

Total number of TCH in the cell - nbLargeReuseDataChannel
In V14, with AMR introduction P% is now calculated as follow:
P%=
(Number of non hopping TCH nbLargeReuseDataChannel) * (1 + Non_FH_HR%)

(Total number of TCH in the cell nbLargeReuseDataChannel) * (1 + HR%)
FH_HR% is the percent of HR calls managed by the hopping pattern in the cell,
HR% is the percent of HR calls managed in the cell.
The tiering handover decision can be summarised as:
If PWCI > uCirDLH => HO is performed from large to small pattern

If PWCI < lCirDLH => HO is performed from small to large pattern
The number of values required to trace the PWCI distribution curve may be modified via MMI
with the numberOfPwciSamples parameter (whereas cell tiering HO thresholds cannot be
tuned via MMI).
The lCirDLH is defined from the available traffic channels (i.e. TCH & PDTCH) in the non
hopping layer (because these one will be allocated to communications with worst PWCI). In
order to manage speech and data interworking, the averaged number of TCHs reserved for
data is defined with the nbLargeReuseDataChannels parameter.
To avoid the introduction of new configuration parameters or thresholds required by such a
function, the associated selfTuningObs functionality enables to set tiering working parameters
at their most relevant values, fitting with cell real radio profile and dynamically adapted to O&M
events or radio environment modifications ensuring that the gains of the tiering strategy are
always optimum.
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Formula of PWCI in Watts:
PWCI=
RxLevDL Watts
SUM [RXLevNCell (i)] Watts SUM [RXLevNCell (j) - ADC] Watts
With
RXLEV(0) the DL signal strength in Watts received from the serving cell, re-scaled
at maximum power (RxLev_DL + BS_Att)
RXLEV (i) is the level in Watts measured on the BCCH of a neighbor cell using the
same TCH frequencies set as the current cell. These neighbors generate cochannel interferences.
RXLEV (j) is the level in Watts measured on the BCCH of a neighbor cell using a
TCH frequencies set different from that of the current cell. These neighbors
generate adjacent channel interferences.
ADC corresponds to the first adjacent channel protection factor which is fixed in the
BTS software typically to 18dB
The PWCI value is the same whatever the effective load.
COMPATIBILITY WITH MULTIZONE CELLS

With concentric/dualband/dualcoupling cells, ACT is only applicable within the large zone.
Indeed, the tiering handover decision relies on the following algorithm:
IF the TDMA bearing the considered channel belongs to the small pattern AND
does not belong to the small zone of a multizone cell:
o
o
IF pwCi < lCirDLH

THEN the channel will be put on the large pattern
IF the TDMA bearing the considered channel belongs to the large pattern (which
implies that it belongs to the large zone):
o
o
IF pwCi > uCirDLH

THEN the channel will be put on the small pattern
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In this case, P is computed by considering exclusively the resources in the large zone
(hopping as well as non hopping). In order to perform a tiering handover, the communication
must be in the large zone and there must be fractional reuse in it. The large pattern will only
be the BCCH frequency (the other TRXs in the large zone must hop) and the communication
will stay in the Large zone.
CELL TIERING MONITORING

The PWCI statistics and uCirDLH/lCirDLH may be transmitted on the Abis interface according
to the selfTuningObs parameter; these statistics are available independently of the activation
of the feature.
The hoRequiredTch counter C1138 has 2 new screenings (tiering handover from large to
small pattern and tiering handover from small to large pattern) ; two new counters are added:
C1802 (hoSuccessTieringTch) and C1801 (hoFailureTieringTchNorr) with 2 screenings each
(0: large pattern to small pattern & 1: small pattern to large pattern).
The table below gives indicative values for the time required to gather nbPwCISamples
measurements for different cell configurations, assuming the average TCH occupancy rate is
75% and that one TCH provides 1 PwCI measurement every 480 ms which is roughly 2 PwCI
measurements per second:
Cell configuration
20000 nbPwCISamples
60000 nbPwCISamples
O2 (14 TCH)
# 16 min
# 48 min
O4 (29 TCH)
# 8 min
# 24 min
O8 (59 TCH)
# 4 min
# 12 min
O16 (121 TCH)
# 2 min
# 6 min
The time required to reach a sufficient statistics as well as the time between two consecutive
tiering threshold updates depends on the number of samples required, and the capacity
(number of TCH) and load of the cell.
So a way to decrease the period between 2 consecutive threshold updates is about the half of
the time required to reach a first reliable statistics.
CAUTIONS
Because it takes advantage of BTS O&M centralization, this feature applies also to 2G
products (equipped exclusively with DRXs).
The activation of this feature implies a previous activation of the L1mV2.
The statistics (for PWCI) are not kept during upgrade and must be gathered again after the
site reconfiguration.
Intracell handover for quality and intracell tiering handover are exclusive (choice managed with
the intracell parameter of the handOverControl object). For mobiles at cells boundaries, if for
PBGT reasons, a handover is decided towards a new cell on a hopping TCH, a subsequent
handover for tiering reasons will be possible towards a non hopping TCH and so on, so
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inducing a risk of ping-pong handovers ; this drawback will be avoided with the well tuning of
hoMarginTiering parameter.
No tiering handover decision is possible if the TDMA bearing the current TCH belongs to the
small zone/band1 of a multizone/dualband cell.
If tiering is activated, no tiering decision is undertaken by the BTS as long as a reliable
statistics has not been gathered (minimum nbPwCISamples for PWCI measurements); field
experiments have shown that at least 20000 PWCI samples are needed.
In V12, statistics are not maintained on the BCF passive chain.
The cell tiering configuration relies on a correct definition of interferes for each cell (through
interfererType). This feature is based on values of PWCI that depend on the overlap, the
available spectrum and the sites' density but neither on the traffic nor the fractional load.
However, when the traffic is low, there are fewer samples than at the busy hour and the PWCI
distribution is therefore a touch less relevant.
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4.6.6 MICROCELLULAR HANDOVER

HANDOVER PECULIARITIES IN MICROCELL ENVIRONMENT
Microcellular algorithms were initially defined to avoid issues due to fast moving mobiles
connected to microcells. People thought that fast moving mobiles would not have enough time
to receive handover information coming from the network or would jump some microcells. To
avoid communication failures, specific handover algorithms were defined to send fast moving
mobiles to the macro layer.
However, experiments performed on several microcellular networks demonstrated that fast
moving mobiles linked to outdoor microcells do not present any issues. Microcellular
algorithms are used mainly to split traffic loads on the two layers, regardless of mobile speed.
Most microcellular algorithms are based on a capture threshold. Mobiles linked to a
macrocell perform a handover towards the micro layer as soon as the field strength received
from a microcell is sufficiently high (whatever the field strength received from the macrocell)
for a sufficient duration.
The microcellular handover algorithm type A is also based on the stability of the signal. Before
V12, with L1mV1, the stability was checked on the best neighbouring microcell, now L1mV2
launches in parallel the confirmation process for the 6 best microcells.
L1mV2: Selection of the 6 best microcells

MS stability check on these 6 microcells
Selection of the 6 new best microcells
(transmitted to BSC)
Handover execution
MICROCELLULAR ALGO TYPE A (HO_A)

The following table describes permitted handover causes according to the type of the serving
cell and the neighbor cell.
Note: the traffic handover is only possible from a large zone (or monozone).
The capture handover algorithm can only be defined from a macrocell to a microcell. However
the type of a cell is defined relative to the type of the neighboring one. It means that the type of
a cell A can be a macrocell from the cell B point of view but can be a microcell from the cell C
point of view. This way, it is possible to use the capture handover algorithm on both sides,
macrocell to microcell and microcell to macrocell.
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Neighbour cell cellType [adjacentCellHandover]

normalType
signal quality
signal strength
distance
normalType
power budget
traffic
directedRetry (BTS
mode)
Serving cell cellType [bts]
forced handover
signal quality
signal strength
distance
umbrellaType
power budget
traffic
directedRetry (BTS
mode)
forced handover
umbrellaType
microType
signal quality
signal quality
signal strength
signal strength
distance
distance
power budget
power budget
traffic
traffic
directedRetry (BTS mode)
forced handover
forced handover
signal quality
signal strength
distance
capture
power budget
traffic
forced handover

forced handover
signal quality
microType
signal strength
signal quality
distance
signal strength
power budget
distance
traffic
directedRetry
directedRetry (BTS
mode)
(BTS mode)
forced handover
forced handover
signal quality
signal strength
distance
power budget
traffic
forced handover
However the Type A handover algorithm has not been specifically defined to perform
handovers from microcells to the macrocell layer.
A timer linked to that algorithm is tunable via the microCellCaptureTimer parameter. That timer
prevents the BSC from doing a handover on capture reason during a fixed period.
See also General formulas for the capture expression:
EXP1Capture(n) = RxLevNCell(n) ave - rxLevMinCell(n)
Furthermore a strength level stability Criterion (microCellStability) has to be respected before

triggering a handover toward the microcell.
While microCellCaptureTimer(n) goes on, if a normal handover decision is verified, a handover
towards a cell of the same type or a normal cell is allowed.
While a handover is decided, the list of eligible cells is provided at each runHandover
(microCellCaptureTimer (n) is not reinitialised).
The threshold microCellStability(n) must be put previously to 63 dB. This value ensures that a
handover is performed as long as the field strength received from the neighbor cell is higher
than the capture threshold. The value can then be reduced case by case.
LCAUTION!
The microcellular feature is an OMC-R option (must be activated at OMC-R installation).
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From V15.1 and thanks to the Advanced Speech Call Items Evolution functionality (refer to
[R30]) the range of the microCellCaptureTimer has been modified.
Initially that modification was designed for GSM-R applications: microcellCaptureTimer at 500s
is to avoid to be captured by a railway station cell for a communication established in the train
and thus to avoid that an on going communication from a train arriving in a railway station with
no stop, is captured by the railway station cells and when leaving the railway station, leads to
a new handover to the railways track cells.
Before V15.1 microCellCaptureTimer, on adjacentCellHandover object, has a range [0 255]
which means a maximum of about 255 * runHandOver (runHandOver is expressed in
multiples of 480 ms for SACCH frames and multiples of 470 ms for SDCCH frames) for a
communication, before being captured by a neighbouring cell which has a minimum and a
stable rxlev during this period.
The request consists in increasing the range of this parameter, so as it is kept as it is, but the
meaning of specific values are changed to give them greater values (conversion to a value
greater than 255).
value received by the BTS
microCellCapture value used by the BTS for the computation

(number of reporting period x*480ms)
0 to 249
0 to 249
250
512
245 s
251
1024
491 s
252
2048
983 s
253
4096
1966 s
254
8192
3932 s
255
16384
7864 s
This table is applicable for a runHandOver = 1. If runHandOver = 2, then 491 seconds are
obtained with MicrocellCapture value set to 250.
Note: if the Handover on SDCCH feature is activated, the timer must be computed by
multiplying the BTS used value by 470 ms.
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4.6.7 FORCED HANDOVER (HO_10)

This feature is used to force a handover towards neighboring cells. If a cell is to be shut down,
forcing handovers avoids dropped calls.
It has to be used in addition to the soft blocking feature (barring of incoming Handover, barring
of new calls).
Through a Connection State Request message, the BSC requests that the BTS sends it a list
of eligible neighbor cells. This list, immediately sent through a Connection State
Acknowledgement message to the BSC, is generated by the following criteria:
EXP1Forced HO =(n) RxLevNCell(n) ave - [forced handover algo(n) + Max(0,
By putting a low value to forced handover algo(n) , the HO becomes easier: the cell is
released more rapidly.
LCAUTION!
A forced HO is possible after a certain communication duration:
duration = Max( rxQualHreqave * rxQualHreqt, rxLevHreqave * rxLevHreqt,
rxNCellHreqave).
Therefore, when integrating this feature in the soft blocking procedure, the operating mode is
the following:
soft blocking,
wait a certain time (20 seconds),
trigger the forced HO.
There is only one attempt per cell.

Another reason to use a Forced HO with soft blocking is that a Forced HO may interrupt a
Directed Retry HO (if the Connection State Request message of the Forced HO arrives before
the Handover Indication cause Directed Retry message). One must wait a period of time after
the soft blocking so that all calls have time to move from SDCCH channels to TCH channels.
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4.6.8 EARLY HANDOVER DECISION

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
The time for a mobile to reselect a cell in idle mode is quite long. So, a mobile can start a
communication while camping in another cell, leading to a call drop in the worst case.
cell A actually selected

cell B
cell A
Beginning
of new call
End
of last call
If the reselection algorithm execution occurs close to the border of cell A the mobile can setup
a call a short moment after in the cell B while the cell A is still selected. Unfortunately, the MS
has to wait a certain period of time before being able to make an handover. The system has to
perform some measurements before taking some handovers decisions.
This period of time is quite critical, there are some risks of call drop because of the low level of
the signal.
Another issue is concerned by this feature ; that is the problem of a mobile turning at a street
corner, when the RxLev suddenly decreases in the serving cell and increases for a neighbour
cell.
FEATURE DESCRIPTION
The principle is not to speed the selection process but to allow a handover on PBGT quicker.
Cell A
1
1 sel/reselection
algo execution
2 call setup in cell A
3 HO toward cell B
Risk
of
call
drop
2
Cell B
Time
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From V11, two shorter averages are defined for the level of the serving cell
(rxLevHReqaveBeg) and for the level of the neighbouring cells (rxLevNCellHReqaveBeg).
The L1M will use this new shorter averages at the beginning of the call until Max
(rxLevHreqave*rxLevHreqt, rxQualHreqave*rxQualHreqt) is reached and after loss and
recovery of BSIC.
So from V11, the L1M must only wait:
shorter level arithmetic average of serving cell (rxLevHReqaveBeg)

shorter level average of the neighbouring cell (rxLevNCellHReqaveBeg)
Therefore, the handover can be performed more quickly and with less measurements.
The principle is not to speed the selection process but to allow a handover on PBGT quicker.
It allows to reduce the zone which represents the critical period of time. The first impact of this
feature is to reduce the probability of establishment failure and the call drop ratio.
A third parameter has been created (HOMarginBeg) in order to compensate the lack of
measurements by increasing the HOMargin.
The parameter rxLevNCellHReqaveBeg is used each time a new cell is detected by the
mobile. Therefore, it increases the system reactivity.
EXP2PBGT(n) early = Pbgt(n) - [hoMargin(n) + hoMarginBeg(n)]
UNTIL
Max(rxLevHreqave * rxLevHreqt, rxQualHreqave * rxQualHreqt) is reached
4.6.9 MAXIMUM RXLEV FOR POWER BUDGET

One of the issues to solve, in a microcellular network, is street corner (cross road)
environment:
In case of mobile moving straight the cross road (two orthogonal cells A and B), a handover
for Power Budget may be processed from cell B to cell A. Once the cross is passed, the
mobile is handed again over the cell B.
This ping-pong handover shall be avoided as useless handover leads to voice quality
degradation and signalling increase.
Another advantage of this feature is the possibility to reduce unnecessary handovers at border
of Location Area, interBSC or interMSC HO. In this case the need to perform Power Budget
handovers is diminished against the extra load on NSS and the voice quality.
The feature provides a solution by preventing handover for power budget from the serving cell
if the RXLEV downlink serving cell level exceed a specific threshold
To prevent handovers for power budget from the serving cell if the RXLEV downlink serving
cell level exceed a specific threshold (rxLevDLPBGT), the following expression used in
combination with existing cell selection criteria is actually:
RXLEV_DL < rxLevDLPBGT
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4.6.10 PRE-SYNCHRONIZED HO
During an asynchronous handover, the MS repeats the HO access bursts until it receives the
physical information message containing the timing advance of the new cell. So the speech
cut duration may last as long as the MS receives the new TA (Timing Advance) applied in the
new cell.
The pre-synchronized handover feature allows a Phase 2 MS to make a synchronized
handover between two (2) cells not belonging to the same site but managed by the same
BSC. The procedure is the same as for an intra-site synchronized handover, excepted that the
TA is set in advance and is transmitted to the MS at the beginning of the HO procedure.
LCAUTION!
Only intra BSC synchronized handover are possible.
There are two possibilities to set the timing advance in case of pre-synchronized HO:
Presynchro with default value or with a determined Timing Advance.
Two parameters are impacted in the adjacentCellHandOver object to enable this feature:
synchronized is set to the value pre sync HO, with timing advance or pre sync
HO,default timing advance.
preSynchroTimingAdvance indicates the value of the TA.
By comparing not synchronized handovers with synchronized handover, a phonetic gain from
20ms to 40 ms is expected. This is due to the Physical_Info message suppression, which is
not necessary because on pre-synchronized handover, the timing advance value is carried by
the Handover_Command message. Moreover, only four Handover_Access messages are
used on pre-synchronized handover instead of more than four in case of not synchronized
handover.
4.6.11 RADIO CHANNEL ALLOCATION

The radio channel allocation is based on the interference levels computed on the BTS free
channels (SDCCH and TCH).
Every averagingPeriod the BTS sends RF RESOURCE INDICATION messages to the BSC.
These messages are related to one TRX and contain the level of interference of the free
channels. These interference levels are classified into one from the five possible interference
bands (thresholdInterference parameter). In each of the five bands, the resources are sorted
from the least to the most recently used.
At the BSC level the free channels are divided into two new groups depending on whether
their interference level is above or below the RadChanSellIntThreshold value. Each group is
itself divided into two sub-groups, depending on whether the resource supports the Frequency
Hopping.
LCAUTION!
If, during three (3) successive RF RESOURCE INDICATION messages, an
incoherency is noticed at the BSC level concerning the avaibility of a radio
channel, the channel is released and is returned free to the allocator.
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When a resource is released upon a call termination, it always returns to the pool
of worst interference level, whatever its level before the allocation. The next
measurement received from the BTS for this resource will be used to update the
level and, consequently, to find the appropriate pool.
The inner zone of a concentric cell does not support SDCCH channels. Till V11,
although they belong to the same cell, TCH pools for the inner zone are separated
from the same pools of the outer zone, and there are no possible channel
exchanges between the two zones.
When a SDCCH is requested and no SDCCH is available, the external priorities
are considered as a TCH can be allocated instead of a SDCCH, following the TCH
allocation principles.
If a TCH is requested and the priority threshold is reached, only priority 0 requests
will be served. Other priorities will generate negative responses from the allocator.
4.6.12 DEFINE ELIGIBLE NEIGHBOR CELLS FOR INTERCELL

HANDOVER (EXCEPT DIRECTED RETRY) (HO_11)
When an intercell handover is required, the BTS sends a list of at most n best suitable cells
(n=6 from V12) according to EXP1 and EXP2 formulas.
The following diagram shows an example of cell interlapping produced by different values of
lRxLevDLH (threshold out of Cell A) and rxLevMinCell (threshold in Cell B, assuming it is a 2W
mobile and msTXPwrMaxcell is set to 33dB). If values are too restrictive, then Ho_11 will not
consider Cell B as an eligible cell for handover and the call might be dropped. This might be
the case especially in rural areas where cells have little overlap.
Putting a high value for rxLevMinCell(n) or a high value for msTXPwrMaxCell(n) results in
restricting access to that cell (see following diagram).
Cell A
Cell B
lRxLevDLH
-100 dBm
rxLevMinCell (B)
-95 dBm
HO 1
-98 dBm
HO 2
-92 dBm
There is a different margin for each handover cause:

hoMarginDist, hoMarginRxLev, hoMarginRxQual (can be negative), hoMargin (for power
budget), thus compliance to that formula becomes mandatory i.e a handover can only be
performed towards a neigbourCell for which the (PBGT(n) - hoMargin(dist, rxqual, rxlev)) is
positive.
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4.6.13 HANDOVER TO 2ND BEST CANDIDATE WHEN RETURN TO

OLD CHANNEL (HO_12)
This feature is triggered by a handover failure during the execution phase.
If hoSecondBestCellConfiguration = 1
then no HO attempt to 2nd best candidate cell
then HO attempt to 2nd best candidate cell
then HO attempt to 2nd best candidate cell and to 3rd best candidate cell
(if the HO attempt to 2nd best candidate cell fails)
When the HO attempt towards the last candidate fails, the bssMapTchoke starts at the BSC.
At the expiry of the timer, the BSC asks the BTS to provide a new list of eligible cells.
4.6.14 PROTECTION AGAINST RUNHANDOVER=1

The objective is to get a more responsive handover detection mechanism. To reach this goal,
the HO algorithm shall be run every 480 milliseconds (i.e runHandover =1 SACCH period).
This feature is useful for call drop rate improvement.
With this configuration (runHandover=1), a protection shall be implemented to avoid BSC
overload.
In case of saturated network (no free TCH) the request for handover (HO-Indication message)
will be repeated every 480 ms by the BTS, even if the target cell list has not changed.
This could cause SICD overload problems at the BSC. Although the BSC is protected against
this, such a situation should be avoided as much as possible in order not to disturb cells not
concerned by the congestion situation that could also be supported by the overloaded SICD.
As a consequence, the HO_Indication shall be repeated every 2 SACCH periods (1 second) in
case of run HO = 1.
If the content of the preferred cell list IE is modified (i.e. the content or the order of the cell
list), the HO_IND message shall be repeated every runHandover (even if runHandover=1).
In addition to that, the HO_IND message has also to be sent if the reason for handover has
changed, for the reason that there is no preferred cell list IE in case of intracell handover for
example.
The value of 1 second is justified by the fact that existing operational networks are currently
working with the value of runHandover=2, and therefore no strongest protection is needed.
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4.6.15 GENERAL PROTECTION AGAINST HO PING-PONG (FROM

V12)
This feature allows to easily solve some ping-pong handover problems (like ping-pong after
directed retry or ping-pong microcell -> macrocell -> microcell or ping-pongs already managed
by the previous feature Minimum time between Handover (Ho_9)).
It is enabled by the BSC object parameter timeBetweenHOConfiguration and by the BTS
object parameter bts Time Between HO configuration (0 means not used and value greater
than 0 means used).
For each neighboring cell of a cell (adjacentCellHandover object), two new (from V12)
parameters are defined: hoPingpongCombination defines up to four combinations (incoming
cause, outgoing cause) used in order to define forbidden handovers during
hoPingpongTimeRejection seconds for all combinations.
When the BSC receives from the BTS a Handover Indication, it calculates the time spent in
the cell since the last handover (named connection_time) and removes from the preferred
cells list the eligible cells for which the connection_time is lower than the corresponding
timeRejection and for which the combination (incoming cause, outgoing cause) corresponds to
a combination defined in HOPingpongCombination.
The incoming causes may be: RXLEV (indifferently for uplink and downlink), RXQUAL
(indifferently for uplink and downlink), DISTANCE, PBGT, CAPTURE, DIRECTED_RETRY,
O&M (for forced handovers), TRAFFIC, AMRQUALITY, ALL (if the incoming cause matches
all the preceding causes), ALLCAPTURE, ALLPBGT.
The outgoing causes may be:
RXLEV (indifferently for uplink and downlink)

RXQUAL (indifferently for uplink and downlink)
DISTANCE
PBGT
CAPTURE
O&M (for forced handovers)
TRAFFIC
AMR QUALITY
ALL (if the incoming cause matches all the preceding causes)
ALLCAPTURE (if the outgoing cause matches the CAPTURE cause for all the
microcells belonging to the current macrocell)
ALLPBGT (if the outgoing cause matches the PBGT cause for all the neighboring
cells of the current cell ; this cause can be used to restore the Minimum time
between handovers feature used from V9 to V11).
This feature works even if the BSC V12 is in front of BTS V11 or V10.
AMR QUALITY cause has been introduced in V14.3 fro AMR purpose. See also chapter
General protection against HO Ping Pong in the feature interworking part of AMR chapter.
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LCAUTION!
The parameters hoPingpongCombination and hoPingpongTimeRejection must be defined at
the entering cell (relatively to the first HO of the combination) level, for the neighbouring cell
(adjacentCellHandover object) corresponding to the left cell (still relatively to the first HO of
the combination). Thus, these parameters are known by the new BSC whatever the type of
HO is (intra or interBSC).
For interBSS handovers, if the Cause element is not included in the HANDOVER_REQUEST
message sent from the MSC to the target BSC, then this feature is not applied except when
the incoming_cause in hoPingpongCombination parameter is set to ALL.
During upgrades to V12, if bts Time Between HO configuration is greater than 0, then bts Time
Between HO configuration is set to 1, hoPingpongTimeRejection is set to the previous value of
bts Time Between HO configuration and hoPingpongCombination is set to (all, allPBGT) and if
bts Time Between HO configuration is equal to 0, then it keeps the same value,
hoPingpongTimeRejection is set to 0 and hoPingpongCombination is set to empty.
The C1166 counter related to the Minimum time between handover feature is removed and
replaced by the C1782 counter incremented when a cell is removed of the preferred cells list
(so, for one handover indication message, it can be incremented several times).
This feature gives no protection against intracell or interzone ping-pong handovers and gives
no protection against ping-pong handovers between more than 2 cells except for allCapture or
allPBGT outgoing causes.
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4.6.16 AUTOMATIC HANDOVER ADAPTATION

This feature adapts handover parameters to radio environment of each call, taking into
account mobile speed and frequency hopping (this BSS feature is available from V14.3). The
objective is to minimize call drops and bad quality transients.
That feature is available from V15.1 for BSC3000 and BSC12000.
PRINCIPLE
In order to eliminate the fading in the measurement processing, some averaging mechanisms
are implemented. But the frequency hopping and the mobile speed introduce frequency and
space diversity and average the attenuation of the received signal:
As shown on the diagram above, the faster the mobile moves the less the fading is impacting
(space diversity).
Mobiles can also be sensitive to the frequency diversity as shown on the diagram below. The
more hopping frequencies are used the less fading is impacting.
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The principle of this feature is to use these averages introduced by the frequency hopping and
the MS speed, in order to decrease the number of measurements take into account or the
handover margin.
DECISIONS FACTORS
FREQUENCY HOPPING
In order to have a sufficient averaging of the Rayleigh fading, the number of frequencies in the
hopping law has to be greater or equal than 4. If the number of frequencies in the hopping law
is less than 4, mobiles are considered as non-hopping, and all processing defined for non
hopping mobiles are applied.
This criterion and all associated mechanisms are applied to the following channels:
TCH full rate whatever the channel coding (data circuit, EFR, FR, AMR),
TCH half rate,
SDCCH.
MS SPEED EVALUATOR
From internal studies and simulation, a mobile can be considered as a fast mobile, if the
standard deviation in dB of the Rxlev during one period of measurement (i.e. 104 bursts, thus
480ms) is less than 1.4dB.
This standard deviation represents approximately:
20 km/h in GSM900,
10km/h in GSM1800 and GSM1900,
and is sufficient to have a good averaging of the Rayleigh fading.
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HALF RATE AND SDCCH CHANNELS

For half rate channels, the number of bursts during one period is sufficient to evaluate with a
correct accuracy the standard deviation criteria, then all treatments associated to this criteria
are relevant for this kind of channels.
UPLINK DTX
In case of uplink DTX activation during the period, the number of bursts received is decreased,
thus the accuracy of the calculated standard deviation is decreased. In this case, the standard
deviation is not evaluated and the last calculated standard deviation is taken.
UPLINK POWER CONTROL

In case of uplink power control, the BTS is not able to distinguish between a variation due to
Rayleigh fading and one due to a power control attenuation. Thus if the power control required
a variation of more than 8 dB during the period, then the standard deviation is not evaluated
and the last calculated standard deviation is taken.
AUTO ADAPTATION MECHANISMS

This feature is activated if the selfAdaptActivation parameter is set to enabled.
PBGT HANDOVER ADAPTATION

For this mechanism, two new parameters are added: servingfactorOffset, neighDisfavorOffset
and the previous factor hoMarginBeg from V11 is reused.
Following tables show for each case, the AdaptedHoMargin value and the averaging windows
taken into account in the PBGT handover mechanism according to
the MS type: fast or slow mobile or managed by a hopping TCH,

the number of measurement of the serving cell compared with the normal
averaging window,
the number of measurement of the neighbouring cell compared with the normal
averaging window.
See chapter EXP2 to understand how AdaptedHoMargin is used.

For each cases of measurement, the tables below give the HO Margin result.
Example:
IF
number of available measurements for the cell < normal window
AND IF
number of available measurements for the neighbour cell < normal window
THEN
AdaptedHoMargin = hoMargin+ neighDisfavorOffset
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Mobile Type: SFH MS
cell measurement
neighbour cell measurement
AdaptedHoMargin
< rxLevHreqaveBeg
< rxLevNCellHreqaveBeg
hoMargin + neighDisfavorOffset
< rxLevHreqaveBeg
rxNCellHreqave
hoMargin
rxLevHreqave
hoMargin + neighDisfavorOffset - servingfactorOffset
rxLevHreqave
rxNCellHreqave
hoMargin - servingfactorOffset
Mobile Type: Slow non SFH MS

cell measurement
neighbour cell measurement
AdaptedHoMargin
< rxLevHreqaveBeg
hoMargin + hoMarginBeg
< rxLevHreqaveBeg
rxNCellHreqave
hoMargin + hoMarginBeg
rxLevHreqave
hoMargin + neighDisfavorOffset
rxLevHreqave
rxNCellHreqave
hoMargin
Mobile Type: Fast non SFH MS

cell measurement average
rxLevHreqaveBeg
neighbour cell average
AdaptedHoMargin
hoMargin
POWER CONTROL ADAPTATION

For this mechanism, a new parameter is added: rxQualAveBeg.
The following table shows for each case, the averaging taken into account in the power control
mechanism.
Mobile type
RxLev average
RxQual average
SFH MS
rxLevHreqaveBeg
rxQualAveBeg
Fast non SFH MS
rxLevHreqaveBeg
rxQualAveBeg
Slow non SFH MS
no modification
In case of short averaging, due to the measurement quality, no specific value of K (refer to
chapter One shot power control (Pc_2) for more details on this value) is taken into account.
For slow mobile, Fast power control at TCH assignment (Pc_3) is still available in order to
reduce the power control activation time, but the first decision of power control is now taken
with Max[rxLevHreqAveBeg, rxQualAveBeg] measurements, instead of rxLevHreqAveBeg.
4.6.17 PROTECTION AGAINST INTRACELL HO PING-PONG

This feature controls the overall handover process, to avoid oscillations or so called "pingpong" handovers, to deal with the complexity introduced by all various situations with
BSC3000 (this BSS feature is available from V14.3).
There are various reasons where intracell handovers needs to be triggered, for instance:
RxQual degradation with high RxLev,

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transition from inner zone to outer zone in a multi-zone cell
but also
transition from AMR-FR to AMR-HR,

transition from outer zone to inner zone in a multi-zone cell.
The first two cases are required to maintain call quality, whereas the last two cases are
decided to optimise system capacity.
PRINCIPLE
For this feature, two kinds of intracell handover are distinguished:
capacity intracell handover: this expression groups all intracell handovers, which
are triggered in order to increase the network capacity:
o
o
o
interzone handover from the outer to the inner zone,

AMR handover from FR to HR TCH,
tiering from BCCH to TCH frequency pattern.
quality intracell handover: this expression groups all intracell handovers, which are
triggered if the quality of the call is not sufficient:
o
o
o
o
normal intracell handover,

inter-zone handover from the inner to the outer zone,
AMR handover from HR to FR TCH,
tiering from TCH to BCCH frequency pattern.
The principle of this feature is to introduce two timers, associated to the intracell handover
type, which delay an intracell handover after an intracell handover:
capacityTimeRejection: defines the rejection time of a capacity intracell handover

after an intracell handover,
minTimeQualityIntraCellHO: defines the rejection time of a quality intracell
handover after an intracell handover.
Quality intracell Capacity intracell

HO request
HO request
First intracell HO
minTimeQualityIntraCell HO
In order to avoid some load, this filtering is done at the BTS level, thus at the L1M activation
for the dedicated channel the BSC has to precise the cause:
initial assignment,
capacity intracell handover
quality intracell handover
intercell handover.
Due to the following handover non AMR priority:

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RXQUAL
RXLEV
DISTANCE
PBGT
TRAFFIC
INTRACELL
AMR INTRACELL
INTERZONE
the BTS has to check if one cause of a lower priority is fullfilled.

At the TS release, the BTS sends in the Stop Measurement Ack, to the BSC the number of
each kinds of filtered intracell handovers. The BSC uses this information in order to generate 2
counters.
The feature is deactivated at the OMC-R,
minTimeQualityIntraCellHO parameters are set to 0.
if
the
and
LCAUTION!
Due to AMR L1m introduction, a new cause value is added in hoPingpongCombination:
AMRquality.
This value is used in case of AMR handover triggered for alarm purpose.
In case of interBSC handover, in order to distinguish between RxQual handover and AMR
quality handover, the BSC uses following rules:
IF the handover cause = RxQual
AND IF the speech version <> AMR
THENHandover cause = RxQual.
IF the handover cause = RxQual

AND IF the speech version = AMR
THEN Handover cause = AMR quality.
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4.7.
HANDOVER ALGORITHMS ON THE MOBILE SIDE

For an intracell handover, the mobile receives an ASSIGNMENT COMMAND and simply
switches to another timeslot belonging to any TDMA of the cell.
For an intercell handover, upon reception of the HANDOVER COMMAND, the mobile checks
if it has the synchronization information. If not a handover failure is reported and
communication remains on old channel.
Then, if it is a synchronized handover, four access bursts are sent on the new channel before
actually switching to it.
If it is a non synchronized handover, the mobile will send contiguous access bursts on new
cell, expecting a PHYSICAL INFORMATION message to be sent back by the BTS, in order to
know the Timing Advance to be used on the new channel and actually switch to it. If that
message is not received within one second, then there is a handover failure and the mobile
returns to the old channel.
Once on the new cell, the mobile tries to establish level 2 connexion (SABM and UA exchange
procedure). If that procedure fails, then the mobile returns to the old channel, but if it succeeds
the synchronization information with previous best cells is kept for updating with new cell
parameters.
To conclude this paragraph, one realizes that a handover can be a rather lengthy process,
which should not be performed too late in order to ensure its success and not too often to
maintain a smooth voice or data flow.
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4.8.
POWER CONTROL ALGORITHMS

The aim of the Power Control feature is to reduce the average interference level on the
Network and to save mobile batteries.
4.8.1 STEP BY STEP POWER CONTROL (PC_1)

LCAUTION!
From V14 in L1mV2, RxLevXX is always rescaled at the maximum power output (see chapter
Measurement Processing)
This algorithm is a step by step full path loss compensation. The algorithm determines the gap
between the received level at Pmax (theoretical maximum power without taking into account
Power Control) and the power control threshold (lRxLevDLP, lRxLevULP) and compensates
the path loss step by step until the received level reaches the threshold. That algorithm has
been improved in L1mV2 with the introduction of a limitation based on the one shot
computation when there is a need to re-compute the attenuation (high level and good quality)
The basic idea of the step by step power control algorithm is:
to reduce transmitted power when reception level is high and quality is good
to compute a new transmitted power with total path loss compensation when
reception level is high and quality is good
At every runPwrControl event, the Weighted Average is computed at Pmax (SAveRxlev) and
the following algorithm is perfomed by Ms/Bs:
IF (SAveRxLev < lRxLevP) OR (SAveRxQual > lRxQualP)
NewAttRequestdB = Max (CurrentAttRequestdB - IncStepSizeXX, 0)
ELSE IF [(SAveRxLev > uRxLevP) AND (SAveRxQual < uRxQualP)]

TempAttRequestdB = SAveRxLev lRxLevP
IF (TempAttRequestdB < CurrentAttRequest IncrStepSizeXX)
NewAttRequestdB = CurrentAttRequestdB IncStepSizeXX
ELSE IF (TempAttRequestdB > CurrentAttRequest + RedStepSizeXX)
NewAttRequestdB = CurrentAttRequestdB + RedStepSizeXX
ELSE NewAttRequestdB = TempAttRequestdB
ELSE ((lRxLevPSAveRxLev uRxLevP) OR (uRxQualP SAveRxQual lRxQualP))

NewAttRequestdB = LastCommandedAttRequestdB
The resultfor the new attenuation request is stored into NewAttRequestdB
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The figure below summarizes the command for (UL or DL) transmission power according to
RxLev/RxQual values.
RxQual
Increase Tx Power
lRxQual
No new command for MS

(or BS) transmission power
uRxQual
New Tx Power
computation
lRxLev
RxLev
uRxLev
LCAUTION!
When the MS or the BTS is in the NEW TX POWER COMPUTATION zone, the recomputation of the attenuation does not lead necessarily to a reduction of the emitted power.
Note: This feature is activated at the BTS level by setting the following parameters:
powerControl object: uplinkPowerControl = enabled and bsPowerControl =

enabled
bts object: new power control algorithm = step by step
4.8.2 ONE SHOT POWER CONTROL (PC_2)

LCAUTION!
Measurement Processing).
The enhanced power control is a one shot partial path loss compensation algorithm.
The one shot power control algorithm determines the optimal transmit power by computing a
partial path loss compensation and compensates it in one step.
This feature is activated at the BTS level by setting the following parameters:

enabled
BTS object: new power control algorithm = one shot
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At every runPwrControl event, the Weighted Average is computed at Pmax (SAveRxlev) and
the following algorithm is perfomed by Ms/Bs:
IF (SAveRxLev < lRxLevP) OR (SAveRxQual > lRxQualP)
NewAttRequestdB = 0
ELSE
NewAttRequestdB = K * (SaveRxLev - lRxLevP)
The values of K depend on the activation of frequency hopping and of the RxQual. Here are
the values of K, which come from simulation results:
0
K with Frequency Hopping
RXQUAL
0,9
0,8
0,7
K without Frequency Hopping
0,7
0,6
0,5
The figure below summarizes the command for (UL or DL) transmission power according to
RxLev/RxQual values.
RxQual
Tx Power max
(MS or BS attenuation = 0)
lRxQual
New Tx Power
computation
lRxLev
RxLev
Please note that if NewAttRequestdB = 0 then the MS power becomes equal to the maximum
power possible in the cell, i.e. Min(msTXPwrMaxCell(n), MSTxPwrMax). The limitation can
come from the mobile (MSTxPwrMax) or from the cell (msTxPwrMax).
Concerning the BTS, the attenuation (difference between current power and max power) is
considered, so if NewAttRequestdB = 0 then the BTS power becomes equal to the maximum
static power possible.
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LCAUTION!
From V12, an 8 dB limitation applies on decrease, e.g.the BTS will never decrease its power
by more than 8 dB (some mobiles would lose the BTS)
4.8.3 FAST POWER CONTROL AT TCH ASSIGNMENT (PC_3)

LCAUTION!
Measurement Processing).
This V12 feature is an improvement of the one shot power control (described above). One
shot power control reactivity is improved by deciding power control on SDCCH allocation and
on TCH allocation with only rxLevHreqaveBeg or rxQualAveBeg measurements. With this
feature, attenuation (possibly decided on SDCCH) is kept at TCH assignment and for each
channel switch-over (start on SDCCH, SDCCH to TCH or TCH to TCH), the few first
measurements (from Max[rxLevHreqAveBeg, rxQualAveBeg] to Max[rxLevHreqave *
rxLevHreqt, rxQualHreqave * rxQualHreqt]-1) may be used to decide power control.
This feature is activated by setting the following parameters:

enabled
BTS object: new power control algorithm = enhanced one shot
The triggering of the one shot power control is accelerated because rxLevHreqaveBeg or
rxQualAveBeg measurements are taken into account.
Until Max[rxLevHreqave * rxLevHreqt, rxQualHreqave * rxQualHreqt] is reached, the
attenuaton is computed with the compensation factor K for uplink and downlink. This factor no
more depends on the rxQualHreqave measurements but only on the frequency activation:
NewAttRequestdB = K * (SaveRxLev - lRxLevP)
K = 0.5 in case of non hopping channel,

K = 0.7 in case of hopping channel,
When Max[rxLevHreqAveBeg, rxQualAveBeg] > Max[rxLevHreqave

rxQualHreqave * rxQualHreqt] this feature is no more activated.
rxLevHreqt,
When Max[rxLevHreqave * rxLevHreqt, rxQualHreqave * rxQualHreqt] is reached the usual

average of the one shot power control described before is computed with the K value
depending of the rxQualHreqave measurements.
LCAUTION!
This feature is not supported with DCU2 boards or with a mix of DCU2/DCU4 boards.
Note: In some very specific cases with a poor quality and a good level strength (very interfered
environment) the Fast Power Control algorithm may prevent from powering up after a TCH
assignment until max(rxLevHreqave*rxLevHreqt, rxQualHreqave*rxQualHreqt) is reached.
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4.8.4 POWER CONTROL ON MOBILE SIDE (PC_4)

In RACH phase, the MS power is equal to Min [msTxPwrMax, msTxPwrMaxCCH].
When the MS switches from RACH to SDCCH or TCH, it keeps the same power.
In dedicated mode, the mobile transmits at the power required in the POWER COMMAND
message transmitted in the layer1 header of SACCH blocks. This command will be received at
the end of a reporting period (102 frames in SDCCH, 104 in TCH). It will be applied at the
beginning of the following period at a rate of 2dB per 13 frames.
Before triggering an intercell handover due to uplink causes (RXQUAL or RXLEV) and only
step by step power control and for L1mV1 (only), the BTS should request the MS to transmit to
its maximum power capability. In such cases, if the MS can increase its transmit power, no
Handover Indication is transmitted by the BTS.
In the case of a handover, the maximum transmitted power allowed in the target cell is sent to
the mobile in the handover command message (msTxPwrMaxCell).
In case of intracell handover, the power reduction is kept.
The current txpwr value is saved so that it can be sent in the next transmitted uplink SACCH.
For the BTS, the duration of the entire process (from order to acknowledgment) is three
multiframes.
BTS sends PC andTA

commands in a
SACCH block
SA0
SA1
SA2
SA3
BTS gets the

Measurement
Report
One SACCH reporting period

26 * 4 = 104 frames (480 ms)
SA0
SA1
SA2
MS starts applying
New PC and TA
MS gets the
SACCH block
SA3
SA0
SA1
SA2
SA3
MS starts transmitting
SACCH concerning
Previous multiframe
4.8.5 AMR POWER CONTROL (PC_5)

With the introduction of the AMR feature a new Layer 1 Management has been desgined to
take into account AMR channels specificity, including new algorithm for Power Control.
Please refer to section Power Control in the chapter AMR - Adaptative Multi Rate FR/HR.
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4.9.
TCH ALLOCATION MANAGEMENT
4.9.1 TCH ALLOCATION AND PRIORITY

ALLOCATION AND PRIORITY (RUN BY THE BSC) (ALL_1)
Different priorities are defined in GSM to prioritise TCH resource usage for the different types
of procedures. Basically, GSM procedures can be divided into the following types:
Assignment Request Messages: coming from MSC. It includes Public calls and
WPS calls. The only difference between the types of Assignment Requests is
basically the priority included in the message.
InterBSC Handovers
IntraBSC Intercell Handovers
Directed Retry Handovers
IntraCell Handovers: normal Intracell HO, small to Large zone, AMR, cell tiering
TCH overflow cases: this includes different procedures in the signaling phase when
trying to get a resource SDCCH. If this one is not available, a resource TCH will be
requested instead.
For certain procedures like the handovers, where reactivity is crucial, it is important to
immediately have TCH resources available. This can be done by reserving some resources for
them. For other procedures like the Assignment Requests where the communication is not
established yet, it might be more interesting to allow the queuing of the requests for some
seconds in order to gain access to the network even if it is a few seconds later. The reactivity
time in this last context is not as important as for the handovers. To be able to control this, a
priority system has been created.
Priorities can be divided into two different groups: external and internal. The BSC is in charge
of converting external priorities into internal ones. Conversion rules will be detailed.
Two kinds of external priorities, NSS external priorities and BSS external, can be defined:
NSS external priorities are those included in the BSSMAP message coming from
the MSC. As only the Assignment Requests and the Handover Requests (for
interBSC HO) can generate this type of messages, these are the only procedures
having an external NSS priority.
BSS external priorities are defined via OMC parameter settings. They are set for all
types of procedures, even for the Assignment Requests.
The type of external priority of the Assignment Request procedures taken for conversion to an
internal priority is depending on the value of another OMC parameter (bscQueuingOption) that
indicates if the mode is MSC driven or OMC driven.
The mode MSC driven means that it is the NSS external priority which is taken into account
for internal priority conversion of Assignment Request Procedures. For Handover Request and
TCH overflow, it is BSS external priority that is used for conversion.
The mode OMC driven means it is the BSS external priority which is taken into account for
conversion, whatever the procedure.
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LCAUTION!
Note that if we are in MSC driven mode there might be different Assignment Requests
coming from MSC with different priorities, meaning that we could treat them differently
according to the type of call.
However, in OMC driven mode there is only one priority, set with a parameter, for all the
types of Assignment Requests. In particular, assignment requests with cause emergency call
are not differentiated from the other assignment requests.
At this point we can start introducing some of the main OMC parameters used for the TCH
allocation management:
ALLOCATION AND PRIORITY PARAMETERS

bscQueuingOption
bscQueuingOption = allowed
bscQueuingOption = forced
bscQueuingOption = not allowed
MSC driven mode
OMC driven mode
OMC driven mode
Queuing is allowed
Queuing is allowed
Queuing is not allowed
NSS external priorities are taken

into account for Assignment
Request.
BSS external priorities are

taken into account for all
procedures
BSS external priorities are taken into

account all procedures.
BSS external priorities are taken

into account for handover request
and TCH overflow
allocPriorityTable
It is probably the most important parameter for the allocation priority management. It is used to
make the conversion between external and internal priorities and it consists of a vector
containing 18 values. The values can go from 0 to 12 and define the internal priorities
associated to the different procedures. The association between external and internal priority
is done using the index number (or slot number) in this table that goes from 0 to 17. The index
in the table represents the BSS external priority. When NSS external priority is used, in order
to convert into internal priority, we look in the slot NSS external priority - 1.
NSS external priority contained in the BSSMAP message can take a value from 1 to 14. Slots
1 to 5 are reserved for WPS call treatment.
Example: allocPriorityTable = 0 8 9 10 11 12 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 0 4 2
Slot number
allocPriorityTable
10
11
12
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
With this example in MSC driven mode, for a BSS external priority = 16, the internal priority
defined is 4 and for a NSS external priority = 5, we have to look at the slot number = 5 1 = 4,
so the internal priority is 11.
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bscQueuingOption
"forced"
OMC driven
"allowed"
MSC driven
BSS ext. Priority = NSS ext. Priority - 1

(only for Ass. Requests)
Slot nb. (BSS Ext. Prio.)

allocPriorityTable
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
10 11 12 2
WPS
Parameter that defines the number of TCH resources reserved for procedures with internal
priority = 0. This internal priority is typically used for Handovers procedures where the
reactivity time is very important. For all the other procedures with an internal priority > 0 a TCH
will be assigned if at least allocPriorityThreshold + 1 TCH resources are free. If that is not the
case the procedure will be rejected or queued depending on the provisioning and type of
procedure (see chapter Queuing).
LCAUTION!
The ressource reservation for priotity 0 procedures is independent from the queuing process,
i.e. even if the parameter bscQueuingOption = not allowed, the TCH reservation is effective.
Note also that this induces two pools of prioritie :
{0}, for which TCH resources are reserved according to the parameter
[1..12], for which the TCH resources reserved for priority 0 procedures are not
available.
BSS EXTERNAL PRIORITY PARAMETERS

Parameters that are used to associate a BSS external priority to the different types of
procedures. As the NSS external priorities can go from 1 to 14, so slots 0 to 13 in the
AllocPriorityTable, we recommend using values from 14 to 17 for these parameters.
Assign request procedures:
assignRequestPriority: BSS external priority for Assignment Request messages

used when OMC driven mode is used.
Note: If the MSC driven mode is used and the priority is not included in the incoming
Assignment Request message from the MSC, the assignRequestPriority parameter will be
used instead.
Handover procedures :
directedRetryPrio: BSS external priority for incoming Directed Retry Handovers.

interCellHOExtPriority: BSS external priority for interBSC interCell Handovers.
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interCellHOIntPriority: BSS external priority for intraBSC interCell Handovers.

intraCellHOIntPriority: BSS external priority for intraCell Handovers (normal
intracell Handovers, cell tiering Handovers or AMR intracell Handovers).
small to large zone HO priority: BSS external priority for Small to Large Zone
intracell Handovers in concentric/dualband/dualcouplig cells.
Note: these are external priority taken into account whatever the value of bscQueuingOption.
TCH overflow procedures :
answerPagingPriority: BSS external priority used for TCH overflow procedures for
an answer to paging.
callReestablishmentPriority: BSS external priority used for TCH overflow
procedures during the signaling phase of a Call Reestablishment.
emergencyCallPriority: BSS external priority used for TCH overflow procedures
during the signaling phase of an Emergency Call.
allOtherCasesPriority: BSS external priority used for TCH overflow procedures
during the signaling phase of a call establishment with cause other services.
otherServicesPriority: BSS external priority used for TCH overflow procedures
during the signaling phase of a call establishment with cause other services.
Note: these are external priority taken into account whatever the value of bscQueuingOption.
The table below presents the sum up of recommanded setting for each BSS External priority
and the mapping of each internal priority via the allocPriorityTable parameter:
Parameter
BSS Ext
priority
Internal
priority
15
Assigning the internal priority 0 to these procedure will allow to

reserveTCH resources for them (using allocPriorityThreshold
parameter)
reserved for future use
Internal priority 2 is assigned to assignment requests in order to

perform some queuing as we will see in next section.
Meaning
17
directedRetryPrio
Directed Retry Handovers are considered to have the same

priority than assignment requests, even if queuing is not allowed
for this type procedure
14
Internal priority 3 is assigned to IntraCell Handovers in order to

perform some queuing as we will see in next section
16
Internal priority 4 is assigned to the TCH overflow procedures
small to large zone HO

priority
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4.9.2 QUEUING
Queuing is used to put TCH allocation request into a waiting queue when no TCH resource is
available. Some types of procedures are interesting to queue up: the TCH requests wait
during a certain time if these ones are not satisfied the first time. In this way the requests is
more likely to succeed if TCH resources become free during the queuing time.
This is typically the case of Assignment Requests or Intracell Handovers. By performing some
queuing on the Assignment Request the end-user impact is a little increase in the call
establishment duration. In the case of Intracell Handovers, as the call is already established,
the effect of the queuing from an end-user point of view is barely perceptible.
Assignment Requests and Intracell Handovers (normal intracell Handovers, small to large
zone, cell tiering, AMR) are the only procedures for which queuing is allowed. TCH overflow
procedures and intercell handovers are never queued.
The activation of the Queuing must be viewed as a solution to prevent an exceptionnal
saturation of TCH. For the waiting queue, a maximum waiting time (allocPriorityTimers) and a
maximum number of TCH allocation requests affected to this queue and the queues of greater
priorities (allocWaitThreshold) are defined via OMC-R parameters.
Note: as intercell handover procedures can not be queued, the allocPriorityThreshold
parameter must be correctly set to reserve TCH resource for incoming handovers (ie priority 0
for these procedures).
LCAUTION!
Please note that when an assignment request is queued, the MS is still attached to a SDCCH
channel and the measurement process keeps on going to allow the MS to perform a handover
on SDCCH. One must so pay attention to:
enable or not the feature intraBTS handovers on SDCCH (see intraCellSDCCH).

Correctly dimension the allocWaitThreshold parameter to spare SDCCH resources
QUEUING DRIVEN BY THE MSC (ALL_2)

The MSC driven mode is enabled by the bscQueuingOption parameter set to allowed.
In this mode queuing is used according to the priority defined in the message coming from the
MSC for the assignment requests (Slots from 0 to 13) and those defined with BSS external
priorities(Slots from 14 to 17) for the other procedures. As the NSS external priorities can take
values from 1 to 14 and, according to the conversion rule (Slot Nb =NSS Priority - 1), these
priorities match slots from 0 to 13 in the allocPriorityTable. According to this rule, the
Assignment Requests with NSS internal priority set to 1, usualy for emergency calls, will be
mapped to internal priority 0.
In order to make a clear difference between NSS external priorities and BSS external
priorities, the recommend values for BSS external priority parameters are from 14 to 17 (see
chapter Allocation and priority Parameters).
Interest of MSC driven mode is to allow distinction between assignment request and then the
possibility to set different priority for them (WPS calls, VIP users ).
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LCAUTION!
From V15, if WPS is activated, Slots from 1 to 5 are reserved for WPS priorities, as the
assignment request coming from the MSC for WPS requests can go from 2 to 6 (see chapter
WPS - Wireless Priority Service).
QUEUING DRIVEN BY THE BSC (ALL_3)

The OMC drive mode is enabled by the bscQueuingOption parameter set to forced.
In this mode queuing is used according uniquely to the priority defined with the BSS external
priorities (Slots from 14 to 17).
Queuing is managed by the BSC whatever queuing information coming from the MSC are. So
an assignment request priority is set accordingly to assignRequestPriority and the mapping
associated to in the allocPriorityTable.
LCAUTION!
In this mode, WPS can not be efficient because resource allocation request queuing depends
on the type of operation only: thus the priority in the WPS assignement request is not
considered (see chapter WPS - Wireless Priority Service).
In the same way, assignment request with cause emergency calls cannot be differentiated in
this mode, and are treated with priority according to assignRequestPriority.
QUEUING PROCESS
Whatever the queuing mode is, a queue is defined by its size and the maximum waiting time
beyond which it is not allowed to queue the request anymore,. set by these two parameters:
allocWaitThreshold
This parameter is a 13 slot vector. The slot number (012) represents the internal priority
queues and the values define the maximum number of TCH allocation requests queued for
each internal priority. The last five slots set to 5 are reserved for WPS call treatment. These
values are accumulative, so the value for one queue represents the maximum number of
requests for that queue and all the queues with lower priorities. Note that the serving
preference for these queues has an increasing order, e.g. if there are two TCH allocation
requests waiting in two different queues, when a TCH resource is released, the request with
the lowest priority is served.
Slot number
allocWaitThreshold
10
11
12
n is the integer part of (number of SDCCH sub-channels in the cell)/2.

Note: that while the TCH request is queued it remains in a SDCCH sub-channel. A queue size
longer than the number of sub-channels SDCCH in the cell is so useless. On the other hand a
value closed to the number of SDCCH channels may cause an increase of SDCCH blocking
rate due to the lack of SDCCH resources.
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allocPriorityTimers
This parameter is a 13 slot vector. The slot number (012) represents the internal priority
queues and the values mean the maximum waiting time (in seconds) in the queue of a TCH
allocation request for each internal priority. The last five slots set to 28 are reserved for WPS
call treatment.
Slot number
allocPriorityTimers
10
11
12
28
28
28
28
28
Note: a too long timer is unrealistic as an user will not wait indefinetely.
Sum up of the recommanded value
3
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
allocPriorityTable
Slot number
10
11
12
Internal priority /
queue number
10
11
12
allocWaitThreshold
allocPriorityTimers
28
28
28
28
28
procedures coming with an external priority 0 or 15 are associated to internal

priority and queue 0, but queuing is not allowed for intercell handovers (system
rule). In this configuration, only Emergency Call can be queued for the external
priority 0.
internal priority and queue 1 are reserved for future use
procedures coming with an external priority from [6 to 13] or 17 are associated to
internal priority and queue 2 and queuing is allowed
procedures coming with an external priority 14 are associated to internal priority
and queue 3 and queuing is allowed
procedures coming with an external priority 16 are associated to internal priority
and queue 4 but queuing is not allowed
procedures coming with an external priority from [1 to 5] are associated to internal
priorities and queues [8 to 12] and queuing is allowed (if WPS activated)
internal priorities and queues [5 to 7] are not used
LCAUTION!
There is no queuing for TCH in signaling mode (TCH overflow).
It is important to note that even if Directed Retry Handovers are associated to an
internal priority 2 queuing is not allowed for this type of procedure, as for the other
intercell handover procedures.
Queuing set for procedures with internal priority 0 has been intentionally configured
for Assignment Requests cause Emergency Call (which should have in this case
a NSS external priority set to 1 if in MSC driven mode). Indeed, the only other
procedures with priority 0 are intercell handover for which queuing is forbidden.
It is recommended to give different BSS external priorities for the Assignment
Requests and intracell Handovers in order to prioritise the queued allocations for
Assignment Requests. This type of procedure is more sensitive from an end-user
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point of view. A user not succeeding in the assignment request will experience an
establishment failure and have to re-establish the call, whereas in the intracell
Handovers, the call is already established and even in case of Intracell Handover
failure that does not necessarily mean a call drop. The intracell Handover may be
re-tried without a real end-user impact.
Below is the flowchart summarizing the TCH allocation handling if queuing is configured as
recommended in MSC driven mode:
Note: if directed retry handover is activated, another way of leaving the queue is a directed
retry handover. Refer to Directed Retry Handover for more details.
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4.9.3 BARRING OF ACCESS CLASS

On SYS INFO messages, the list of mobile access classes that can not start a call on the cell
is broadcast. Up to V8, this list is represented by the OMC-R parameter
notAllowedAccessClasses. From V9, a feature allows the modification of what is sent on SYS
INFO in case of congestion.
LCAUTION!
As the MS reads SYS INFO messages every 30 seconds in idle mode, there could be a time
window where non-authorized mobiles will still be allowed, e.g. if the MS did not read the
message before the cell selection, it could start a call.
DYNAMIC BARRING OF ACCESS CLASS (ALL_4)

The mechanism consists of temporarily forbidding cell access to some of the mobiles
(according to their access class) when a congestion situation is observed. The congestion
condition is based on:
The number of free TCH channels.

o
o
Note that TCH resources reserved for maximum priority requests (internal
priority = 0) are not considered as free TCH channels.
The
parameters
are
and
numberOfTCHFreeToEndCongestion.
or
The number of queued requests in the cell.

o
The parameters are numberOfTCHQueuedBeforeCongestion

numberOfTCHQueuedToEndCongestion.
and
The feature is enabled at bsc level by the attribute bscMSAccessClassBarringFunction, and at

bts level by the attribute btsMSAccessClassBarringFunction.
PRINCIPLE
In case of non-congestion, only the list of mobile access classes in notAllowedAccessClasses
is not allowed to select the cell.
In case of congestion, the list of mobile access classes in accessClassCongestion is not
allowed.
NO
Congestion ?
Forbidden in the cell
YES
Forbidden in the cell
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CONGESTION DETERMINATION
To enter a congestion state, either the number of free TCH must be less than
numberOfTCHFreeBeforeCongestion or the number of queued TCH requests must be greater
than numberOfTCHQueuedBeforeCongestion.
To leave a congestion state, either the number of free TCH is greater than
numberOfTCHFreeToEndCongestion or the number of queued TCH request is less than
numberOfTCHQueuedToEndCongestion.
Example with a one TRX cell where one time slot is reserved for requests with an internal
priority equal to 0:
numberOfTCHFreeBeforeCongeston = 1
BCCH
SA0
SA1
SA2
SA3
SA0
SA1
SA2
SA3
T: TDMA enter in congestion
BCCH
SA0
SA1
SA2
SA3
SA0
SA1
SA2
SA3
T+1: TDMA is still in congestion
BCCH
SA0
SA1
SA2
SA3
SA0
SA1
SA2
SA3
T+2: TDMA gets out of congestion
numberOfTCHFreeToEndCongeston = 3
SA1
Used TCH
SA0
Free TCH
time
SA3
reserved TS
for priority 0
A congestion situation may be detected each time one of the following events occurs:
allocation of a TCH resource

queuing of a TCH resource request
blocking of a TCH resource (O&M action)
TDMA removal for defense or O&M reason
detection thresholds modification
End of congestion situation may be detected each time one of the following events occurs:
release of a TCH resource

a queued TCH resource request is served or aborted
unblocking of a TCH resource (O&M action)
TDMA attribution
detection thresholds modification
Note: The overload state duration of a cell can be monitored thanks to the counter C1714, but
that counter is effectively reported to the OMC-R only if the load of the cell is taken into
account (i.e. only if hoTraffic = enabled at cell and BSC levels).
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V15.0 CHANGES OF DYNAMIC BARRING OF ACCESS CLASS (ALL_4)

The previous access class barring mechanism can be improved on 3 main points:
The list of forbidden access classes is fixed, so the same customers are always
impacted.
The number of barred access classes is fixed, so the number of barred access
classes may be insufficient.
The mechanism is triggered on TCH allocation or release basis, but due to the
Erlang law (which induces sudden traffic modification) and because the MS
rereads the SYS INFO (only every 30 seconds), that mechanism could be
improved.
To ensure the functionning of the new mechanism, two levels of barring are created and run at
the same time:
One level (low level) to provide point 1 and point 3

One level (high level) to provide point 2
This feature is controlled by bscMSAccessClassBarringFunction on the bsc object and

btsMSAccessClassBarringFunction on the bts object.
HIGH LEVEL MECHANISM DESCRIPTION

To provide point 2, the number of access classes can be modified (additional or less) in order
to adapt to the length of congestion level. Once the cell enters in the congestion state, a
supervision timer is set, and every 3 minutes (system rule), an adaptation is made based on
the new cell congestion state:
If the cell is still in the congestion state, 2 additional access classes are barred
(assuming they are not all barred)
If the cell is not in the congestion state, 2 less access classes are barred (until
none are barred)
Once the cell is no longer in the congestion state, and if no access classes are barred, the
supervision timer (3 minutes) is stopped.
Congestion level
Beginning of
congestion
Beginning of congestion:
3 minutes timer is set
No more classes
barred: 3 minutes
timer is stopped
End of congestion :
3 minutes timer
is running
End of
congestion
3 minutes
time
Number of access
classes barred
[0 to 2]
[2 to 4]
[4 to 6]
[6 to 4]
[4 to 2]
[2 to 0]
This mechanism is independent of the low level of barring mechanism.

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The barred access classes rotate inside the 3 minute time period according to the low level
mechanism of barring described below:
LOW LEVEL MECHANISM DESCRIPTION

Two parameters are important
accessClassCongestion parameter.
in
this
mechanism:
the
periodicity
and
the
Periodicity: the congestion condition is still triggered on a TCH allocation or TCH release
basis, but once the congestion condition is triggered, a 60 seconds interval (system rule) is
used to periodically change which access classes are barred.
accessClassCongestion parameter: this parameter is a list of access classes which are
eligible to be barred during the congestion condition. The principle is that, during each 60
seconds interval of congestion, a different subset of access classes (and thus a different set of
mobile sets) may be barred. Access classes 11 to 15 are managed and can be automatically
barred if they are included in the accessClassCongestion parameter. They can not be
automatically barred if they are not in the accessClassCongestion parameter.
LOW AND HIGH LEVEL MECHANISM EXAMPLE

Congestion level
Beginning of
congestion
Beginning of congestion:
3 minutes timer is set
End of
congestion
3 minutes
Number of access classes

barred
Barred access classes
60 seconds
time
[0 to 2]
[2]
[2]
[0,1]
[2,3]
[4,5]
[2 to 4]
[6,7,8,9]
[4]
[0,1,2,3]
[4]
[4 to 2]
[4,5,6,7]
[8,9]
Let us take an example for the accessClassCongestion = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].

Next time the cell is in congestion, since the last barred access classes are memorised in the
BSC, the new barred access class are the 2 followings in the list of access classes indicated in
the accessClassCongestion parameter.
In case the BSC12000 switchover, TMU reset for BSC3000 or lock/unlock of the cell, the first
barred access class is the first one in the list of access classes indicated in the
accessClassCongestion parameter.
In case the feature is turned off (cell or BSC level), the BSC sends immediately the system
information with notAllowedAccessClasses parameter included whatever is the cell congestion
status.
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In case the accessClassCongestion parameter is modified while the cell is in congestion, the
list of access classes to be barred will be re-evaluated on the 60s timer expiry, and on the 3
minutes timer expiry, the evaluation will be done on this new list (and not on the list of the
previous 3 minutes timer expiry).
NOTALLOWEDACCESSCLASSES PARAMETER MANAGEMENT

Until BSS V15, the following principle applies:
In case of non congestion, only the list of mobile access classes in

notAllowedAccessClasses is not allowed to select the cell
In case of congestion, the list of mobile access classes in
accessClassCongestion is not allowed.
Usually all users are authorized, and the notAllowedAccessClasses list is empty.
With the redefinition of the access class barring functionality, the management of the
notAllowedAccessClasses parameter is modified in the following way:
In case of non congestion, only the list of mobile access classes in the
notAllowedAccessClasses parameter is not allowed to select the cell: there is no
modification compared to the previous management.
In case of congestion, the accessClassCongestion parameter is used to process
access classes rotation on all the access classes listed in the
accessClassCongestion except on the access classes listed in the
notAllowedAccessClasses parameter, which remain barred during the congestion.
Let us take the example for the accessClassCongestion = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] and

notAllowedAccessClasses = [3, 4].
This means, as described here above, that access class rotation will be done on the following
access class list = [0, 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] and that access classes 3 and 4 remain barred during
the congestion.
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4.9.4 RADIO LINK FAILURE PROCESS (RUN BY THE MS) (RLF-MS)

It is performed by the MS in dedicated mode on SACCH blocks.
RLC counter is initialized to radioLinkTimeout at the beginning of a dedicated mode.
IF good SACCH block

THEN RLC = Min[RLC+2, radioLinkTimeout]
IF bad SACCH block

THEN RLC = RLC - 1
If RLC reaches 0, then call is dropped and re-establishment is tried if reselection is made on a
cell with CallReestablishment set.
4.9.5 RADIO LINK FAILURE PROCESS (RUN BY THE BTS) (RLF-BS)

The FrameProcessor sets the CT counter to 0 at channel activation
On each correct SACCH:
IF good SACCH block AND IF (CT = 0)
THEN CT = 4*rlf1 + 4
ELSE CT = Min[4*rlf1 + 4,CT+rlf2]
IF bad SACCH block

CT = max(0,CT-rlf3)
If CT reaches 0, a connection Failure Indication is sent to the BSC every T3115, until a
Deactivate Sacch or RF Channel Release message is received.
This process is started when the first SACCH frame is received correctly, and the CT counter
is set according to rlf1 value. If SACCH frame is not received, then the radio link failure
process is not started, CT value is kept to zero and is not modificated.
Interest of the algorithm: the quality of an uplink communication is now considered for the
decision to cut a communication.
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4.9.6 CALL REESTABLISHMENT PROCEDURE (CR)

The call re-establishment procedure allows a mobile station to resume a connection in
progress after a radio link failure, possibly in a new cell and possibly in a new location area.
So this feature avoids losing calls, improving in that way the quality of service. Moreover, in
case of call drop, it reduces the SICD load by avoiding the subscriber to hang off and on.
The Call Re-establishment can be launched following 2 different procedures depending on the
entity which detects the radio link failure:
a) The radio failure is first seen at the MS side (RadioLinkTimeOut value):

o
The mobile sends a call-reestablishment on a selected cell (previous one

or new one) and the MSC re-allocate new resources. The old resources
are free by the BSS after the rlf1 timer has expired.
b) The radio failure is first seen at the BSS side:

o
The BTS send a radio_link_failure message to the BSC after rlf1 has
expired, the BSC releases the radio resources and in the same time the
MSC activates the t3109 timer and waits a call-reestablishment. Then,
when the MS has detected the radio link failure as well, it performs the
selection and sends a channel request on the selected cell.
To attempt a call re-establishment on a cell, the parameter callReestablisment of the cell will
be set to allowed and the cell will not be barred (see chapter Barring of access class).
The mobile station is not allowed under any circumstance, to access a cell to attempt call reestablishment later than 20 seconds after it detects the radio link failure causing the call reestablishment attempt.
The mobile station shall perform the following algorithm to determine which cell to use for the
call re-establishment attempt within 5 seconds max:
1) The level measurement samples taken on the serving cell BCCH carrier and on
neigbhor cells carriers (carriers indicated in the BA (SACCH) received on the
serving cell) received in the last 5 seconds shall be averaged.
The carried with the highest average received level is selected.
2) On this carrier the MS shall attempt to decode the BCCH data block containing
the parameters affecting cell selection.
3) If the parameter C1 is greater than zero call re-establishment shall be attempted
on this cell.
4) If the MS is unable to decode the BCCH data block or if the call re-establishment
is not allowed, the carrier with the next highest average received level shall be
taken, and the MS shall repeat steps 2) and 3) above.
5) If the cells with the 6 strongest average received level values have been tried
but cannot be used, the call re-establishment attempt shall be abandoned.
Beware, during a re-establishment attempt the mobile station does not return to idle mode,
thus no location updating is performed even if the mobile is not updated in the location area of
the selected cell, however the mobile station will update its location area at the end of the call.
Generally a call re-establishment procedure lasts from 4 seconds to 20 seconds max.
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4.9.7 CALL CLEARING PROCESS (RUN BY BTS) (CC)

This process is used to drop calls with mobiles which are located too far away from a serving
cell and that may disturb other communications on adjacent time slots.
Every runCallClear:
IF (MS_BS_Dist > CallClearing)
THEN call needs clearing.
4.9.8 INTERFERENCE MANAGEMENT (BTS AND BSC) (IF)

All interference measurements performed by the BTS on the idle channels are performed in
Watts. Each sample is computed in Watt before being translated in dBm and sent to the L1M.
This method of calculation provides a result which is 2.5 dB higher than the one directly
performed in dB.
Every averagingPeriod, BTS computes Interference levels of idle channels (SDCCH and TCH)
according to the 4 defined thresholdInterference (resulting in 5 Interference ranges) and sends
this information to the BSC. It is therefore possible to monitor interference levels at the OMC.
From V8, the BSC will use RadChanSelIntThreshold parameter in order to sort available
channels according to their interference level. Thus the BSC will allocate channels using the
following priority:
Hop and low_IF

NoHop and low_IF
Hop and (high_IF or just released)
NoHop and (high_IF or just released).
4.9.9 DTX
DTX is possible both downlink and uplink, but configuration and activation are uncorrelated in
the 2 mechanisms.
DTX UPLINK
The feature is enabled when dtxMode parameter is set to msShallUseDtx (the shall is
dependent on the MS decision or capability.
When DTX uplink is activated on the network, MS gets the information from the BTS
(activation parameter). Then it is allowed to perform DTX uplink, i.e. to transmit
discontinuously only a subset of TCH bursts.
If the MS perform DTX on a call, the minimum number of transmitted bursts is 12 (out of 104
for a complete reporting period of 480ms).
The 12 bursts correspond to the 4 SACCH + 8 fixed positioned TCH bursts.
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Compared to a full TCH frame (120ms to be multiplied by 4 for a complete message):
DTX deactivated
DTX activated
1 SACCH
12 bursts TCH
1 idle
12 bursts TCH
(given fixed positions are only examples; for speech, a SID frame (Silence Descriptor frame:
used to describe comfort noise) made of 8 consecutive TSs shall be sent at the start of every
inactivity period and more are sent regularly, at least twice per second, as long as inactivity
lasts)
Full frame x 4:
o
o
(24 TCH + 1 SACCH + 1 idle) x 4 = 96 TCH + 4 SACCH + 4 Idle

= 104 bursts
With DTX:
o
(1 SACCH) x4 + 8 TCH = 12 bursts minimum
Then, depending on the communications (presence of silences), the MS can use DTX or not.
Note: To the minimum number of bursts (12) can be added other transmitted bursts depending
on some criteria (user traffic activity and interleaving depth).
The MS sends to the BTS 2 kinds of measurements, RxQual/RxLev Full, and RxQual/RxLev
Sub.
RxQual/RxLev Full corresponds to an average of measurements performed over 100 out of
104 frames in a SACCH reporting period. These measurements are valid if DTX has not been
used by the MS.
RxQual / RxLev Sub correspond to an average of measurements performed over 12 frames
(instead of 100), these 12 frames being fixed as explained previously. These measurements
are valid if DTX has been used by the MS.
With these measurements, the MS has to send to the BTS a notification that it has performed
DTX or not (uplink DTX status), so that the BTS can choose the average which is valid
(RxQual / RxLev Full or Sub) for L1M purposes. This notification is done via the DTX-used bit
in the Measurement Report.
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DTX DOWNLINK
In the same way, the BTS can transmit discontinuously (cellDtxDownLink parameter).
The activation of downlink DTX follows an algorithm depending on both OMC-R flags and
MSC configuration.
CELLDTXDOWNLINK = FALSE
DTX is off
CELLDTXDOWNLINK = TRUE
DTX activation depends on the contents of the Assign Request or HO request at the origin of
the TCH attachment. Fields concerned are downlink DTX use and Channel Type:
If Downlink DTX use field is unset, the DTX is activated

If Downlink DTX use field appears:
o
o
o
If transmitted data is non transparent, the DTX is activated without further

consideration for the value of Downlink DTX use flag
If transmitted data is voice, the DTX is activated depending on Downlink
DTX use flag (false or true)
Note: With transparent data, DTX does not exist because in this case, it is difficult to assess
when user data transmission can be suspended without degrading the service.
For the case of downlink DTX, the BTS does not need to notify the MS about the activation
(downlink DTX status). The activation information is stored by the BTS, and attached downlink
measurements sent back by the mobile in order to be processed by L1M.
As a summary, for L1M purposes, the BTS combines:
uplink DTX Status and downlink measurements sent by the MS in MEASREP

downlink DTX status and uplink measurements done by the BTS
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4.10. PCH AND RACH CHANNEL CONTROL

4.10.1 PAGING COMMAND PROCESS (PAG)
Paging process is triggered by the system when a mobile needs to be found (incoming calls or
short messages) in a location area (LA). The paging command is broadcast over all the cells
of the LA where the mobile is located. In idle mode, the mobile listens to the broadcast
channel (BCCH).
Paging messages are carried by the CCCH which is a sub-channel of the BCCH. It is divided
into 3 logical channels:
Uplink: RACH (Channel Request)

Downlink: AGCH (Immediate assignment)
Downlink: PCH (Paging command)
Four (4) CCCH frames are necessary to transmit a complete paging message due to bursts
interleaving.
For the mobile, listening to the broadcast channels is battery consuming. Therefore the paging
messages broadcast has been optimized. Instead of listening continuously to the paging
channel, the mobile waits for specific occurrences of paging message. A set of mobiles are
associated to a specific occurrence of the paging channel, they belong to a so-called paging
group.
In order for a mobile to find its associated paging group among N groups, the following rule is
applied:
Nb of paging group = (IMSI mod1000) mod N
Dimensioning the paging means determining the number of paging groups needed to meet
incoming calls requirements inside a specific LAC. Two basic factors are taken into account:
the number of subscribers

the average amount of paging messages per subscriber (or average number of
subscribers that receive a paging message at the same time)
PAGING CHANNEL CONFIGURATION

According to the required number of paging groups, the CCCH configuration is consequently
tuned. This configuration depends on the TDMA model and on 2 parameters:
TDMA Model: is the BCCH combined or not

noOfBlockForAccessGrant: bts object parameter (class 2)
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging: bts object parameter (class 2)
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CONSEQUENCES OF THE TDMA MODEL

The number of CCCH occurrences depends on the BCCH model, i.e., if the BCCH is
combined or not. If the BCCH is combined, there are less Frames dedicated to the CCCH.
BCCH COMBINED CASE
FCCH
SCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
FCCH
SCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
FCCH
SCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
IDLE
BCCH Multiframe representation in combined configuration
When using a TDMA model with BCCH combined, there are 3 occurrences of CCCH per
multiframe of 51 frames.
BCCH NOT COMBINED CASE:
FCCH
SCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
IDLE
BCCH Multiframe representation in not combined configuration
When not combined, a BCCH multiframe carries 9 CCCH occurrences.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOOFBLOCKSFORACCESSGRANT.
Up to V8, when different than 0, noOfBlocksForAccessGrant defines the number of blocks (i.e.
the multiple of 4 CCCH occurrences) that are booked to transmit Immediate Assignment
messages. E.g., with BCCH combined, the noOfBlocksForAccessGrant describes how many
blocks out of 3 cant be used for paging, because they are reserved for I.A.
Block
booked
for AGCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
FCCH
SCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
FCCH
SCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
IDLE
FCCH
SCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
Example with BCCH combined, and noOfBlocksForAccessGrant = 1:
If noOfBlocksForAccessGrant = 0, then Immediate Assignment are transmitted as soon as

possible, using the first CCCH block available. When both IA and paging messages are to be
transmitted at the same time, a decision must be done on which message to broadcast.
Moreover, paging messages and Immediate assignment are repeated, so the system has to
deal with fresh paging messages (messages never sent), old paging messages (messages
already sent and so repeated), fresh Immediate assignment and finally old Immediate
assignment.
The following priorities are applied to distribute the CCCH resources:
Priority 1: Immediate assignment message never sent

Priority 2: Paging message never sent
Priority 3: Immediate assignment message already sent
Priority 4: Paging message already sent
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The management of paging messages repetition is described in chapter Paging command
repetition process (run by BTS) (Pag_rep).
From V9, the behaviour of the system depending on noOfBlocksForAccessGrant has been
changed. The aim was to use when needed the preemption mechanism which is better than
booking a specific CCCH for Immediate Assignment.
If noOfBlocksForAccessGrant = 0, the mechanism is the same as in V8.
If noOfBlocksForAccessGrant > 0, AGCH messages overlap on PCH channels each time
AGCH channels are full. It means that it has been defined to be sure AGCH will be treated as
soon as possible in any configuration. In that case, new priorities are applied. This gives the
possibility of a higher priority for paging messages repetitions if required on the network.
Priority 1: Immediate assignment message never sent

Priority 2: Paging message never sent
Priority 3: Paging message already sent
Priority 4: Immediate assignment message already sent
Note: see chapter Paging Parameters for more information on this parameter advised values.
SMS-CB use has some influence on noOfBlocksForAccessGrant value (see chapter Effects of
SMS-Cell Broadcast Use on noOfBlocksForAccessGrant).
CONSEQUENCES OF NOOFMULTIFRAMESBETWEENPAGING: CCCH

CONFIGURATION
The noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging parameter defines the frequency of a paging group
occurrence. For instance, if noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging = 3, 1 multiframe out of 3 will
carry an occurrence of a paging group.
Using the same example as above with BCCH combined, noOfBlocksForAccessGrant = 1,
and noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging = 2, one can see that one out of 2 multiframes wont
transmit paging messages for the paging group A. This space is necessary to locate several
paging groups.
Paging
group
nb1
Paging
group
nb2
Paging
group
nb3
Paging
group
nb0 (A)
Paging
group
nb1
FCCH
SCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
FCCH
SCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
FCCH
SCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
IDLE
FCCH
SCH
Paging
group
nb0 (A)
FCCH
SCH
Block
booked
for AGCH
FCCH
SCH
FCCH
SCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
FN0
Block
booked
for AGCH
FCCH
SCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
FCCH
SCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
FCCH
SCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
IDLE
FCCH
SCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
FN1
Block
booked
for AGCH
FCCH
SCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
FCCH
SCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
SDCCH
FCCH
SCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
SACCH
IDLE
FCCH
SCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
FN2
This parameter is deeply involved in the time needed to establish a call when a paging
message is coming. For instance, if a paging command is to be transmitted in a paging group
P1 just after the paging group P1 occurrence, the paging command will have to wait for at
least noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging x 240ms to be transmitted.
If noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging = 8, the time waited to transmit a paging message can be
of 2 seconds without any other delays.
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From the configuration, paging group occurences are determined. In the previous example,
the paging groups will be split as follows:
Nb of Paging groups = (na - nb) x nc
na = number of CCCH groups per BCCH multiframe

nb = noOfBlocksForAccessGrant
nc = noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging
Note: see chapter Paging Parameters for more information on this parameter recommended
values.
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging has also an influence on mobile battery consumption and on
reselection reactivity (see chapter Effects of noOfMultiFramesBetweenPaging on Mobile
Batteries and Reselection Reactivity).
4.10.2 PAGING COMMAND REPETITION PROCESS (RUN BY BTS)

(PAG_REP)
Paging messages are systematically repeated. From V8, three (3) parameters will manage
paging message repetitions:
nbOfRepeat
o
delayBetweenRetrans
o
defines the number of times a paging message will be repeated by the BTS
defines the number of occurrence between 2 repetitions of the same

paging group
retransDuration
o
defines the maximum time allocated to broadcast a paging message
The following rule is checked at the OMC-R:

retransDuration > (delayBetweenRetrans + 1) x nbOfRepeat
This inequality is to insure at least nbOfRepeat paging transmissions when there is no

blocking on paging channel.
See chapter Paging Parameters and chapter GSM Paging Repetition Process Tuning to find
engineering rules to set these parameters.
4.10.3 REQUEST ACCESS COMMAND PROCESS (RA)

RACH are used when mobiles request a channel to establish a communication (both
terminated and initiated calls, see chapters Mobile Terminating Call and Mobile Originating
Call). Request management is configurated (nb of repetitions, time between repetitions...) at
the OMC-R thanks to different parameters.
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4.10.4 REQUEST ACCESS COMMAND REPETITION PROCESS

(RA_REP)
After sending the initial CHANNEL REQUEST message, the MS starts a timer (T3120) and
listens to AGCH logical channel. When this timer expires and number of retransmissions does
not exceed maxNumberRetransmission, the MS repeats the CHANNEL REQUEST.
See also chapter GSM Paging Repetition Process Tuning.
PHASE 1 MOBILES
When the timer is started, a random value n is drawn with equal probability between 0 and N-1
where N is:
for the initial access: max (8, numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans)

for next attempts: numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans
T3120 is set so that there are n RACH slots between T1 and the expiry of T3120. T1 is a fixed
delay thanks to the configuration of the BCCH:
before initial access, T1 = 0

after initial access, T1 = 250 ms (for non combined CCCH)
after initial access, T1 = 350 ms (for combined CCCH)
Fixed delay whose

value depends on
whether or not the
BCCH is combined
Variable delay from 0 to

numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans 1
RACCH
time
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PHASE 2 MOBILES
Rec 04.08 have been modified to avoid double allocation (see chapter Paging Parameters).
When the timer is started, a random value n is drawn with uniform probability distribution in the
interval [S, S+1, ..., S+T-1]:
where T is numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans
where S depends on the BCCH configuration and on T (see following table).
S on non-combined BCCH
S on combined BCCH
3, 8, 14, 50
55
41
4, 9, 16
76
52
5, 10, 20
109
58
6, 11, 25
163
86
7, 12, 32
217
115
Fixed delay whose

value depends on
BCCH configuration and
Variable delay set according to

time
4.10.5 I MULTIPAGING COMMAND MESSAGE

The multipaging command message is a Nortel Specificity. The principle of this
implementation is to form group of paging on the Abis interface. Before BSS V14.3.1, for each
paging message receives from the MSC; one paging message is sent on Abis interface to a
target cell.
The aim of this feature is to reduce the congestion and overload messages on Abis interface.
In order to achieve this goal, a new BSC timer Called T_Paging_Group was introduced, to
define the minimum of time between two occurrences of multi paging command messages on
Abis interface.
Therefore, at emission of one multi paging command message, the BSC starts
T_Paging_Group.
If during T_Paging_Group, more than 10 paging messages are received, then only the 10
first messages are stored, thus others messages are discarded.
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At T_Paging_Group expiry, either no paging message is received from the MSC or at least
more than one paging message is stored and the BSC sends these messages to the BTS.
In both cases the BSC restarts the timer.
Note: Since BSS V14.3.2 and V15.1 this maximum length is 12 paging messages.
From V15.1.1, a multi paging command is sent by the BSC in two cases:
As soon as the 12 first paging are received by the BSC, a paging group message
is sent to the BSC leading to avoid discarding paging messages and waiting for
T_Paging_Group timer expiry.
If T_Paging_Group timer is reached and at least one paging message is
received, a multi paging command is sent
LCaution!
The value of this T_Paging_Group is set to 200ms. Only CS paging use I Multipaging
command, therefore the PS pagings are not combined. Thus a single paging I is used for data
paging.
The following figure illustrates the principles of multipaging command
BTS
MSC
BSC
Paging MS1
T_Paging_group
Paging MS2
Multi paging command
Paging MS3
MS1, MS2, MS3

T_Paging_group
Paging MS4
Multi paging command

MS4
The two major improvements bring by this feature are:
a large Lap D bandwidth associated to the BCCH for non-paging messages, which
provides a better quality of service,

a reduction of the CPU load generated by paging messages at BSC and BTS
levels.
However, it induces a delay (average=100ms, min=0ms, max=200ms) during the paging
management at the BSC level, and the mobile terminated call setup time is lightly increased.
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LCAUTION!
Note: As this feature increases the BSS capacity, since BSS V14.3.1 it is activated by default.
4.10.6 UI MULTIPAGING COMMAND MESSAGE

PRINCIPLE
Each time a data request message (I frame on LapD) is used to convey a multipaging
message to the BTS, the BSC has to wait for an acknowledgement before sending the
next multipaging message. Therefore, the paging process is RTD dependent.
Using the Unit Data Request message (UI frame on the LapD), no acknowledgement
is required before sending the next frame, which decreases the lapd bandwidth
associated to the BCCH TRX for paging messages.
Hence, whatever is the paging number per second, the quality of service is increased
and more especially in case of large location area which generates high number of
paging messages or during exceptional events.
This feature is introduced in V15.1.1 and it allows, at equivalent paging messages
number, to better fill the downlink lapd bandwidth associated to the BCCH for paging
messages and to decrease the use of the uplink lapd bandwidth. Hence it increases
the lapd bandwidth associated to the BCCH for non-paging messages.
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE UI MULTIPAGING COMMAND MESSAGE

UI Multipaging command message uses the same mechanisms (to group the paging
command messages) as the I Multipaging command message described in below
except the ones described here under.
In order to build the UI Multipaging message, the BSC timer T_Paging_Group is
used, which defines the maximum time between 2 occurrences of UI Multi Paging
Command message on the Abis interface.
The BSC starts T_Paging_Group at emission of one UI Multi Paging Command
message.
Until T_Paging_Group expiry, as soon as a MultiPaging command message has
stored 12 unit paging command messages, it is transmitted immediately to the BTS.
At T_Paging_Group expiry, if one or more than one paging command messages are
currently stored :
the MultiPaging command message is transmitted to the BTS and

T_Paging_Group timer is restarted
otherwise T_Paging_Group timer is restarted
Hence, all paging requests messages accepted by the BSC filter are all sent to the
BTS which means up to 105 paging command / second.
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Note: The value of this T_Paging_Group is set to 200ms and can not be modified
even via the bsc data config tool.
UI multipaging command message allow to combined CS and PS pagings whereas
with I multipaging command message only CS paging is supported.
FEATURE ACTIVATION
The feature is deactivated by default and can be activated thanks to a build on line.
Recommended upgrade steps are the following:
Upgrade of the BSC without activation of the UI MultiPaging feature (type 4)
Upgrade of the BTS supported by the BSC
Activation of the UI Multipaging feature in the BSC (via a build on line)
LCAUTION!
In order to identify bad PCM links and fix it, the operator should monitor the quality of
all the PCM links before the feature activation.
As soon as the BSCe3 and the TRXs of BTS are able to manage this feature, the BSC
sends UI MultiPaging Command messages.
The BSC is aware of the BTS capacity for the Circuit Service thanks to the DRX
catalog file and especially the bit 8 (from 0 to 31) of the hardware mask defined as
follow:
0: UI MultiPaging Command message for Circuit Service not supported
1: UI MultiPaging Command message for Circuit Service supported
As all types of DRX support this feature (except DCU2), there is no modification of the
"display all" feature, in order to know the activation state of this feature.
Note: As this feature is not implemented on BSC12000 and due to upgrade
constraints, then the BTS has to manage the following types of paging messages: I
paging command, I MultiPaging and UI MultiPaging command messages.
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4.10.7 NETWORK MODE OF OPERATION I SUPPORT IN BSS

The Network Mode of Operation 1 (NMO1) takes benefit of the Gs interface to exchange
messages between the MSC and SGSN in order to coordinate the CS and PS paging
management and to optimize some signaling procedures.
Note that Gs interface (between SGSN and MSC) is a pre-requesite before using NMO1.
The feature should be enabled with gprsNetworkModeOperation (bts object). The parameter is
at BTS object but must be consistent at Routing Area level, i.e. activated (or de-activated) in
all cells of a given Routing Area.
PAGING MANAGEMENT
If NMO1 is activated, CS-Paging are managed through Gb interface for any GPRS-attached
MS. ClassB MS may be simultaneously attached to GSM and GPRS services but cannot
simultaneously perform CS and PS transfer.
If the MS is not attached to GPRS services, the CS-Paging procedure is not modified and
done through the A interface.
If the MS is attached to GPRS, the CS-Paging is sent from the MSC to the SGSN (Gs
interface) and then to the PCU (Gb interface):
If the target mobile is in GMM STANDBY state, the PCU transmits the Paging
message to the BSC on the SAPI RSL. Therefore the BSC has to broadcast this
message on the CCCH of all target cells.
If the mobile is in GMM READY state, the PCU sends the Paging on the PACCH of
the TBF or on the CCCH of the cell if there is not an established TBF for the target
mobile. In case Paging is sent on PACCH, the PCU repeats the paging message 3
times (1 emission + 3 repetitions), with a delay between 2 occurrences equal to
480 ms. This enhances the probability of success of the Paging procedure.
The 3 different cases (MS not GPRS-attached, MS in GPRS STANDY state and MS in GPRS
READY state) are illustrated below.
Note that the load of some interfaces is impacted by NMO1 activation:
less paging on A interface

more paging on AGPRS interface
less load on A interface.

more load on AGPRS LAPD TS.
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MS not attached to
GPRS services
SGSN
MSC/VLR
PCU
MS attached to
GPRS services &
standby state
SGSN
MSC/VLR
PCU
BSC
BTS
BTS
BTS
MS attached to
GPRS services &
ready state
SGSN
MSC/VLR
PCU
BSC
BTS
Paging procedure not

modified
BTS
BTS
BTS
BSC
BTS
BSC broadcasts paging

on CCCH
BTS
BTS
BTS
BTS
Paging on:
PACCH if TBF established
CCCH if no TBF established
COMBINED SIGNALING PROCEDURES
Two procedures are combined when using NMO1:
Combined GSM / GPRS Attach

Combined LA / RA update.
Each procedure is performed with a single access on packet channels. This is transparent for
the PCU, which manages it as usual without any particular action. The SGSN then informs the
MSC through the Gs inteface.
The following gains are expected:
decrease of SDCCH occupancy

less load on A and Abis interfaces
less load on BSC
faster cell reselection between 2 LA.
As the combined procedures are performed on packet channels, it is critical to

protect the access to GPRS service and thus set minNbrGprsTs > 0
There is a LAPD impact on Agprs interface due to the addition of cs_paging
messages for the data attached mobiles.
Notes:
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4.11. FREQUENCY HOPPING

4.11.1 FREQUENCY HOPPING PRINCIPLES
Basically, Frequency Hopping aims at spreading the spectrum of the signal to minimise the
impact of potential interferers. Frequency Hopping consists in changing the frequency used by
a channel at regular intervals.
In GSM, the transmission frequency remains the same during the transmission of a whole
burst. Thus, it is possible to have different frequencies on each burst of a frame. The radio
interface of GSM uses then slow Frequency Hopping.
According to the type of coupler used in the BTS, two (2) main types of Frequency Hopping
mechanism can be used:
Synthesised mode for Hybrid couplers with duplexers: hopping time slots can hop
on a large band of frequencies.
Baseband mode using Cavity couplers with duplexers: hopping time slots can hop
on a set of frequencies limited by the number of TRXs (only available with S4000
BTS).
Note: using frequency hopping allows to adapt and maximise the frequency re-use pattern
efficiency by maximising the capacity in term of offered Erlang/Mhz/km2. The pattern to use
will depend on the available frequency band and the traffic requirement.
It is possible (and recommended) to mix different frequency re-use technique, as 4X12 for
BCCH and 1X3 or 1X1 for TCH. Indeed, a traditional 4X12 reuse pattern is appropriate to a
wide spectrum allocation as for BCCH frequency (only one frequency per cell is needed).
However, in order to increase the number of TRX per cell with a given frequency band, while
keeping a low interference level, the only solution is to use more restricting reuse pattern, as
1X1 or 1X3.
See also chapter General Rules For Synthesised Frequency Hopping.
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4.11.2 MAIN BENEFITS OF FREQUENCY HOPPING
the higher the number of frequencies in the hopping law, the smaller the Fading
margin taken into account in the link budget (due to Rayleigh fading).
RXLEV cdf versus SFH
100
1 freq
2 freq
4 freq
8 freq
% 10
2
8
1
-2 -1 0
4
3
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
FADING MARGIN (dB)
the smaller the mobile speed and the higher the number of frequencies, the higher
the benefit of the frequency hopping.
Frame Erasure Rate versus SFH at 104 dBm (DCS)
12.00
10.00
0.5
1.5 km/h
2.5 km/h
8.00
FER (%)
0.5 km/h
1.5
2.5
4.00
2.00
km/h
25 km/h
6.00
5
25
0.00
1
NUMBER OF FREQUENCIES FOR HOPPING
the higher the number of frequencies in the hopping law, the narrower the Rxqual
distribution. However Rxqual mean remains the same (see figure below). Hence
the Frequency Hopping eliminates the number of bad Rxqual samples but it also
reduces the number of good Rxqual ones.
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cdf RxQual with SFH, at 0.5 km/h, -104 dBm (DCS)
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
1 freq
4 freq
8 freq
16 freq
30
20
10
16
0
0
10
BER %
Increase resistance to Rayleigh fading:

o
o
o
o
re-centred RxQual distribution for slow moving mobiles

better stability of the received signal level (smoothing effect)
completion of diversity task on uplink and full benefit on downlink
high improvement for areas of weaker signal strength (inside buildings and
on street level)
Resistance to interference
o
o
o
o
spread of interference over all RF spectrum

spread of interference over time
highly loaded sites benefit from lower load on adjacent sites
more efficient error correction gain from digital processing
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4.11.3 SYNTHESISED FREQUENCY HOPPING

Using synthesised frequency hopping, each TX is associated to one FP (TDMA) and can
transmit on all the frequencies. It is used with hybrid coupling systems then more frequencies
than TRXs can be used.
The main issue is to ensure that the frequency BCCH is transmitted all the time (on all the TS
of the TDMA) at a constant power even if there is no call to transmit (no voice or data burst).
This is done by a specific configuration which consists in dedicating a TRX to the BCCH
frequency (so the TDMA called BCCH does not hop).
Generally, the number of frequencies is greater than the number of TRX in order to have the
smallest Fading margin in the link budget.
TDMA1
TX1
TDMA2
TX2
TDMA3
TX3
TDMA4
TX4
MA frequency list
BCCH Freq
MAIO
The TDMA configurations in case of synthesised frequency hopping are defined as follows:
F1 is the BCCH frequency.

the other two TDMA of the cell have the same MA. HSN and MAIO can be
different.
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4.11.4 BASEBAND FREQUENCY HOPPING

PRINCIPLE
Using baseband frequency hopping, each TX is dedicated to one frequency and is connected
to all the Frame Processor (TDMA) via the FH bus. It is used with cavity coupling system. It
uses exactly the same number of frequencies as TRXs.
The filling is done by the FP according to the configuration of the TDMA (all the parameters for
the frequency hopping are static and not per call basis; so even if there is no call the FP
knows if it has to transmit on the BCCH frequency).
Moreover the TX can have a carrier filling functionality which is not useful for the BCCH
frequency (Carrier filling is already done by the FP) but which can be used in case of other
frequencies carrier filling with the use of a specific BCF load.
FP1
TX1
FP2
TX2
FP3
TX3
FP4
TX4
BCCH Freq
Filling burst when there is no information

to transmit on the BCCH frequency.
If filling is needed on other frequencies,

it is managed by the TXs.
For a given cell with the previous configuration (4 TRX), one Mobile Allocation should be
defined:
MA0 contains all the frequencies except the BCCH frequency (3 frequencies in the
exemple).
The baseband frequency hopping configuration is the following:
hopping on TCH, no hopping on BCCH
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TS
TDMA 0
F1
F1
F1
F1
F1
F1
F1
F1
MAIO=0
TDMA 1
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MAIO=1
TDMA 2
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MAIO=2
TDMA 3
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MA0
MAIO=3
MA: Mobile Allocation (list of hopping frequencies for a TRX)

MAIO: Mobile Allocation Index Offset between 0 and (Nb of Freq in MA - 1).
F1: BCCH frequency
LCAUTION!
It is not recommended to hop on BCCH frequency when using baseband frequency hopping,
because it can lead to some troubles when downlink DTX or downlink power control are
enabled.
RECONFIGURATION PROCEDURE
With the baseband frequency hopping mechanism, it is possible to reconfigure the frequencies
in certain cases. In case of equipment failure/recovery within a TRX, the BSC starts the
reconfiguration process for a Radio Cell which supports frequency hopping and uses the
Frequency Management GSM function.
This function is supported by the TRX and allows the BSC to configure or to reset a frequency
on a TX which is identified by the TEI of the corresponding TRX. The loss of one TX implies
the loss of one frequency (which is not the BCCH) and of one TDMA (the one defined with the
lowest priority) if no redundant TRX.
Two symmetric mechanisms are managed by the BSC to handle the automatic frequency
reconfiguration in the case of frequency hopping cavity coupling BTS:
loss of a frequency
o
the cell is stopped and restarted with new set of frequencies. This may lead
to release the calls if there is more live TX than btsThresholdHopReconf
recovery of all frequencies

o
an automatic reconfiguration is triggered by the BSC when all the

frequencies are recovered. This may lead to release the calls
There will be a reconfiguration if the flag bscHopReconfUse is set to true (defined at BSC
level) and if there are more frequencies than the threshold btsThresholdHopReconf (defined at
BTS level). Otherwise the cell is badly configured.
When a end of fault occurs if the flag btsHopReconfRestart is set to true and if there are
more frequencies than the threshold (btsThresholdHopReconf), there is a complete cell
reconfiguration.
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4.11.5 AD-HOC FREQUENCY PLAN

The Ad-Hoc frequency hopping does not reproduce a pattern all over the network. Frequency
planning is done (HSN, MAIO, MA lists) according to the interference matrix. The particularity
is that the number of hopping TRX = the number of hopping frequencies in most of the cases.
A frequency plan optimizes frequency hopping list of each sector in order to reduce the
interferences. The length of the frequency hopping list is variable (it should be at least equal to
the number of TRx on the sector).
TDMA1
TX1
TDMA2
TX2
TDMA3
TX3
TDMA4
TX4
BCCH Freq
MA frequency list: n frequencies for n TRX

For ad-hoc frequency planning, an interference matrix or a very intense and accurate drive
tests campaign is needed. A frequency planing tool can also be used.
For each method the principle is the same: take into account DL BCCH and HO interactions
between cells. The frequencies on the list are planned intelligently in order to avoid collision
with the neighboring cells, allocating same frequencies on the hopping list to cells which are
far in distance or that the interaction between them is the minimum as possible.
There is a reduction on the number of frequencies on the frequency hoping list. It is
recommended to space the maximum as possible (at least 3 channels) the frequencies used
in the same frequency list to maximize frequency hopping gain (fading reduction)
Every sector of one site has a different HSN in order to minimize co-channel or adjacent
collisions.
The main drawback is the cost to maintain the plan since regularly it is recommended to
review the plan in order to optimize its performances.
Ad-hoc should be considered as a spectral efficiency feature in a constraining bad condition
assuming the cost associated. In case of non frequency band constraining conditions, 1x1 has
shown a great cost-performance trade-off and is worth to use in the case of a fast growing
network in order to minimize operational impacts.
In summary Ad-Hoc frequency plan allows good performances if the calculation method is
very precise (either Interference matrix, drive tests or frequency planning tool) and number of
hopping frequencies per TDMA is sufficicent (at least MA list 4 frequencies)
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4.12. BSC OVERLOAD MANAGEMENT MECHANISMS

The aim of such a feature is to avoid BSC restart or crash because of overload conditions.
Without defense mechanism, an overload of one of the BSC boards will imply a suicide of the
active chain, a switch to the passive chain and at last a suicide of the new active chain. This
implies a suppression of all the communications and an interruption of service.
For further details on this feature please refer to BSS Engineering Rules in chapter Reference
Documents
4.12.1 BSC12000 OVERLOAD MANAGEMENT

This overLoad management mechanism is based on the following principles:
Current CPU load for MPU / BIFP / OMU / SICD and memory resources are
supervised (including also OMU-SUP-SWC chained boards)
Resources fluctuation trends are analysed and taken into account for anticipation
purpose
Each board monitors its own load and neighboring involved board load, and
makes decisions dependent of all others
Decisions are taken only on traffic stimuli, not O&M stimuli
Such a mechanism is able to take into account not only traffic CPU load but O&M CPU load
and to trigger an upstream or downstream protection (but based only on traffic stimuli).
BSC12000 DIMENSIONING RULES

LOCAL CARD SYNTHETIC LOAD
A local card synthetic load is generated each second by each board.
This synthetic load is given as the result of:
the CPU load occupancy,

the memory resource occupancy,
the resources fluctuation trends (only positive variations of CPU/memory
occupancy values according to the previous one are taken into account for
anticipation purpose)
Note: CPU or memory resource occupancy is corrected to give the higher weight to the more
critical factor (i.e. a lack of timer may lead to a BSC switchover, thus timers have a weighting
factor more important than CPU load).
LOCAL CARD OVERLOAD LEVEL

This local card synthetic load, compared with the overLoad threshold value associated with
current board, is converted into a local card overLoad level [levels 0..3] and sent to a
centralized overLoad control task located on the OMU board.
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OMU-SUP-SWC CHAINED BOARDS

By the same way, the OMU-SUP-SWC cain is monitored in order to generate an associated
overload level.
GSM OBJECT & OPERATION OVERLOAD LEVEL

Thus firstly, this centralized task collects and computes different overLoad levels to determine:
the overLoad level of each cellGroup, showing the overLoad level of each BIFP
board (used for instance by TMG to select BIFP board to propagate a
pagingRequest from A-I/F or an incoming external handover)
the overLoad level of each CELL, showing the highest overLoad level between
SICD boards handling this GSM object instance
the overLoad level of each SITE, showing the highest overLoad level between
the overLoad level of each TCU, showing the highest overLoad level between
COMPUTED INFORMATION REDISTRIBUTED

Then secondly, this centralized task collects and computes different overLoad levels to
determine the overLoad level of the operation family (i.e Paging Request, Network Access,
Location Updating...) indicating the highest overLoad level between potentially impacted
boards OMU / MPU / SICD / BIFP / OMU-SUP-SWC.
OVERLOAD LEVEL CONTROL

Lastly, before processing any operation, each board (i.e. each applicative task located on this
board, impacted by this operation) must check:
its local overLoad level,

the overLoad level associated to the current operation,
the overLoad level of the impacted object instances
Example:
Before processing a pagingResponse at BIFP level, TMG (TMG-RAD and TMG-CNX located
on BIFP board) checks:
its local overLoad level (i.e.its own overlLoad level... at BIFP level)
the overLoad level of the network access operation family (i.e. overLoad levels of
OMU-SUP-SWC, OMU and MPU boards involved)
the overLoad level of the each CELL impacted by this operation (i.e. over-Load
levels of the impacted SICD board)
List of the operations to be filtered

Despite the fact, this mechanism is defined as a centralized overLoad control method,
actions are triggered at local level (i.e. by each board). Following actions can be done only on
traffic reduction purpose according overLoad level and operation type:
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overLoad level 1: traffic reduction around 33% by filtering 1 request out of 3 of the
following messages:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Paging Request,
Channel Request with cause different from Emergency call,
All First Layer 3 messages with cause different from Emergency call,
HandOver for traffic reason,
HandOver for O&M reason,
Directed Retry.
overLoad level 2: traffic reduction around 66% by filtering 2 requests out of 3 of

the previous messages.
overLoad level 3: no new traffic is accepted by screening all previous and
following messages:
o
o
o
o
All First Layer 3 messages,

All Channel Request (including causefor Emergency Call),
All Handover Indication,
All Handover Request.
Note: when communications need to be filtered to reduce the load of the BSC, it can be done
for all the BTSs or CELLs supported by the overLoaded board !
PROTECTION AT STARTING OR SWITCHING

During the first 30mn of a BSC restart, all thresholds are decreased by 30%, in order to give
more power to the O&M operations.
When a BSC is in simplex mode, all thresholds are decreased by 20%, in order to reduce the
risk of outage in this phase.
CHOOSING PARAMETERS
The internal overload parameters have been .validated in R&D for V12 and upper releases
and must not be changed.
Refer to the processorLoadSupConf parameter.
CAPACITY IMPACT
As overLoad mechanism is based on real measurement, robustness has been increased as
rejected rate for incoming calls. In other terms, same traffic can be carried by the BSC but with
higher rejected rate for incoming calls in case of overload.
ALARM NOTIFICATION
Alarm notification number is 1490 BSC OverLoad.
This alarm is triggered for the first card which is in overLoad level 3 for 5sec at less and ended
when all cards are under the OverLoadLevel 3 for 5sec at less.
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4.12.2 BSC3000 OVERLOAD MANAGEMENT

The Overload software manages the board load and the global load of the system so as to
avoid the crash in case of overload. On the BSC sub-system an overload situation is mainly
due to the traffic management which is computed on the TMU module. The overload software
uses system indicators to calculate overload levels that allow applications to decrease the load
level.
BSC3000 DIMENSIONING RULES

The BSC is responsible for accepting or rejecting sites creation or reparenting in order to
ensure that the hardware capacity is sufficient to handle the traffic.
The maximum dimensioning of a BSC 3000 is 3000 Erlang, 500 Sites, 600 Cells, 1000 TRX,
16 SS7 links, 567 LAPD links. A good dimensioning lead to the following relations:
Carried Traffic BSC hardware capacity (number of TMU)
Offered Traffic BSC hardware capacity (number of TMU)
CARRIED TRAFFIC
The carried traffic (or real traffic) is the number of simultaneous voice communication a BSC
handles at the busy hour. The carried traffic is given by the customer for an area or can be
observed with monitoring. It is necessary to consider a margin carried traffic for a lot of
reasons (GPRS traffic is increasing lightly the load on the TMU, Load balancing algorithm
shares fairly the load between TMU, The operator wants to be able to absorb additional traffic
in case of special Event).
As a consequence it is recommanded to use a margin of about 20-25 % when considering the
carried traffic.
Moreover AMR handset penetration should be considered if half rate vocoder is used on a
network since it increases offered capacity on radio sites.
OFFERED TRAFFIC
The offered traffic in a cell is the number of simultaneous users that can use a resource with a
target quality of service objective (blocking rate). This step will consist in determining the
values of table ERLANG_PER_N_TRX_CELL in order to let the BSC computes the most
adapted offered erlang.
TMU NUMBER
To set the appropriate number of TMU boards please refer to the BSS Engineering Rules
(Reference Documents).
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BSC3000 OVERLOAD MECHANISM

The overload mechanism only applies to TMU boards. OMU and interface node overload are
not managed.
This overload mechanism is based on the following principles:
Decisions are only taken on traffic stimuli, not on O&M stimuli. On the BSC subsystem, an overload situation is mainly due to the traffic management, which is
computed on the TMU module
Each TMU monitors its overload level and decisions will be applied to all the cellgroups it manages.
The overload management concerns overload levels of two boards of the TMU:
SBC board (based on CPU usage, memory and waiting time of messages in the
mailbox)
PMC board (based only on CPU usage).
Overload architecture is hierarchically organized:
1) the elementary overload level is returned from SBC and PMC by comparing their
level of CPU, memory and mailbox resources to specific thresholds
2) the maximum of these elementary overload level gives the local overLoad level
3) for each new local overload level received, each TMU computes its
TMUOvLevel(i) as the maximum of all the local overload levels of the boards it
manages. TMUOvLevel(i) is then sent to a centralized overload control task
located on the OMU that will trigger the appropriate action for TMU(i).
The actions are triggered at TMU level, as TMU are rather independent one from the other in
terms of overload handling. When a TMU is in overload, it will filter partially the new coming
traffic requests related to the cell-groups it manages.
LIST OF OPERATIONS TO BE FILTERED
Overload level 1: filtering 33,33% requests of the following messages:

o
o
o
o
o
Paging request
Channel request with cause different from Emergency call
All first layer 3 messages with cause different from emergency call
Handover for traffic reason
Directed retry
Overload level 2: filtering 66,66% requestsof the messages described above

Overload level 3: no new traffic is accepted by filtering all previous and following
messages
o
o
o
All first layer 3 messages

All handover indication
All handover requests
PARAMETERS
No specific new counters or configuration parameters are introduced with this feature.
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4.12.3 LOAD BALANCING

The Load Balancing is a mechanism that allows a distribution as balanced as possible (from
the traffic weight point of view) of the Cell Groups (CG) among the existing TMUs (See
chapter BSC Boards Management) during the initialization phase. It also allows a
redistribution of the CG on the TMUs (if all the CG are duplex), without disturbing the
established calls when:
A TMU module fails or comes into operation (for hardware or operator reasons)
An imbalance of the TMU loads is detected by the BSC (on online operations such
as new TMU board, new BTS, or new TRX). In this case, the load balancing can
be manually started.
For further details on this feature please refer to the corresponding chapter in the BSS
Engineering Rules (chapter Reference Documents).
4.12.4 V15.1 EVOLUTION OF LOAD BALANCING

In V15.1 some evolutions are introduced in the Cell Group Management and Load Balancing
algorithms used by the BSCe3. These evolutions are made in order to take into account the
introduction of new TMU boards (TMU2), to better introduce new big site configurations.
MAIN EVOLUTIONS
Global dimensioning constraints for the BSC remain unchanged: the BSC capacity is, as in
V14.3, V14.3.1 and V15.0 limited by the following maximum number of managed objects:
Maximum of 1000 TRX per BSC

Maximum of 600 Cells per BSC
Maximum of 500 Sites per BSC
Maximum of 1 PCUSN per BSC
Maximum of 2 TCUe3 per BSC
Maximum of 32 TCU2G per BSC
Concerning the maximum site configuration supported in V15.1, the limitations are the
following:
Maximum of 16 TRX per Cell

Maximum of 48 TRX per Site
Moreover, the maximum capacity of the BSC remains 3000 Erlang.

The rules to respect the same dimensioning constraints for the TMU and TMU2 boards are
defined in the BSS Engineering Rules (see chapter Reference Documents), as well as those
existing for the Cell Group definitions.
PACKAGING OF CG IN ERLANG
The previous packaging of site in CG was previously based on the number of TRX. The
addition of a site of N TRX in an existing CG was roughly done if the CG had no more than 16N TRX, else an empty CG was chosen. The maximum number of TRX per CG (48) could be
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an issue in the case of site extension or big site introduction in V15.0.1 (with more than 40
TRX).
In V15.1, the packaging of sites in CG is now based on a target in Erlang. The weight of each
site is estimated and this estimation is used for the packaging of the CG: the objective is to
have a target of 84 Erlang per CG. So the principle of the algorithm remains the same: the
addition of a site with N TRX in an existing CG is roughly done if this one has no more than 84
Erlang. If no more empty CG remains, the site is added in the existing CG with a maximum
constraint of 10 sites per CG. A site created on line is considered with a value of Erlang
corresponding to a site of one Cell with 8 TRX.
ESTIMATEDSITELOAD PARAMETER
In V15.1 is introduced a new parameter called estimatedSiteLoad. This parameter (applicable
to the btsSiteManager object) allows specifying the value in Erlang for a given site. This
parameter is optional (default value 0).
If this parameter is not specified (value of 0), the BSC will use the ERLANG_PER_N_TRX
table for the estimation of the sites weight, else it is the estimatedSiteLoad value that is used.
This weight will be considered for the placement of the site into a CG and naturally also for the
CG distribution on the TMU.
This parameter is a class 3 parameter. Thus, this one may be used at site creation (off line or
on line) but may also be changed at any moment while the site is operational. On an online
change of this parameter, the BSC will regenerate the site weight estimation (and the CG
weight estimation) and will perform a new CG re-balancing if needed (as in case of a TRX
addition for instance: the packaging of sites in CG are not re-performed, but the distribution of
the CG according to new CG weight will be reconsidered: if the capacity of the TMU hosting
the active CG or the passive CG reach their limits, the algorithm considers if it can move these
CG to other TMU. Otherwise, it suppresses the CG that can not fit).
Please refer to the BSS Engineering Rules (see chapter Reference Documents) for further
informations on the use of that parameter.
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4.13. CABINET OUTPUT POWER SETTING

This section aims at describing the way to determine the output power of a BTS knowing its
coupling and its associated parameter setting. As described in following figure, two OMC
parameters are involved: bsTxPwrMax (powerControl object) and from V9, attenuation
(btsSiteManager object).
4.13.1 CABINET POWER DESCRIPTION

There are three steps in the cabinet output power evaluation.
OMC attenuation
(since V9)
DLU
attenuation
(until V8)
OR
Pc
bsTxPwrMax
SUM
Tx
Tx
Pr
translation
translation
table
table
Coupling
Coupling
system
system
Ps
Pc: bsTxPwrMax + DLU/OMC attenuation

Pr: given by a translation table
Ps: Cabinet output power
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4.13.2 PR COMPUTATION
This is the table for correspondance between the bsTxPwrMax and the Pr for S8000 and
S12000 products (in function of the coupling system).
BTS
S8000 (In/Out) & S12000 (In/Out)
Coupling system
Duplexor & Tx filter
H2D
H4D
DLU attenuation or
OMC attenuation
Pr
BsTxPwrMax
Pr
Pr
PA / ePA
HePA
PA / ePA
HePA
PA / ePA
HePA
51
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
50
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
49
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
48
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
47
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
46
Nack
Pmax
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
45
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
44
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
43
Pmax
Nack
Pmax
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Pmax
Pmax-4
42
41
Pmax-2
40
39
Pmax
Pmax-8
Pmax-2
Pmax-10
Pmax-4
Pmax-12
Pmax-6
Pmax-10
Nack
Pmax-6
Nack
Nack
Pmax-2
Pmax
Pmax-8
Nack
32
Pmax-2
Pmax-4
Pmax-8
34
33
Nack
Pmax-6
Pmax-6
36
35
Nack
Pmax-4
38
37
Pmax-2
Pmax-4
Pmax-2
Pmax-10
Pmax-8
Pmax-6
Pmax-4
31
Pmax-12
Nack
Pmax-12
30
Nack
Nack
29
Nack
Nack
28
Nack
Nack
Pmax-12
Nack
27
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
26
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
25
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
24
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Pmax-12
Nack
23
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
22 0
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Pmax-10
Nack
Pmax-8
Pmax-6
Nack
Pmax-10
Pmax-8
Pmax-12
Pmax-10
Nack
Nack
For more details on the Pmax per products, please refer to chapter GSM Products sensitivity
and power.
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LCAUTION!
There is no exact match between the power emitted with a PA/ePA (even power) and the
power emitted with a HePA (odd power)
This is the table for correspondance between the bsTxPwrMax and the Pr for S18000 product
(in function of the configuration).
BTS
Configuration
DLU attenuation or
OMC attenuation
S18000 (In/Out)
RM 30 W
RM 40 W
HPRM
Duplexor
H2D
Duplexor
H2D
Duplexor
H2D
BsTxPwrMax
Pr
Pr
Pr
51 to 48
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
47
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
46
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Pmax
Nack
45
Nack
Nack
Pmax
Nack
Pmax
Nack
44
Nack
Nack
Pmax
Nack
Pmax-2
Nack
43
Pmax
Nack
Pmax-2
Nack
Pmax-2
Pmax
42
Pmax
Nack
Pmax-2
Pmax
Pmax-4
Pmax
41
Pmax-2
Nack
Pmax-4
Pmax
Pmax-4
Pmax-2
40
Pmax-2
Pmax
Pmax-4
Pmax-2
Pmax-6
Pmax-2
39
Pmax-4
Pmax
Pmax-6
Pmax-2
Pmax-6
Pmax-4
38
Pmax-4
Pmax-2
Pmax-6
Pmax-4
Pmax-8
Pmax-4
37
Pmax-6
Pmax-2
Pmax-8
Pmax-4
Pmax-8
Pmax-6
36
Pmax-6
Pmax-4
Pmax-8
Pmax-6
Pmax-10
Pmax-6
35
Pmax-8
Pmax-4
Pmax-10
Pmax-6
Pmax-10
Pmax-8
34
Pmax-8
Pmax-6
Pmax-10
Pmax-8
Pmax-12
Pmax-8
33
Pmax-10
Pmax-6
Pmax-12
Pmax-8
Pmax-12
Pmax-10
32
Pmax-10
Pmax-8
Pmax-12
Pmax-10
Pmax-4
Pmax-10
31
Pmax-12
Pmax-8
Nack
Pmax-10
Nack
Pmax-12
30
Pmax-12
Pmax-10
Nack
Pmax-12
Nack
Pmax-12
29
Nack
Pmax-10
Nack
Pmax-12
Nack
Nack
28
Nack
Pmax-12
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
27
Nack
Pmax-12
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
26 to 0
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
Nack
4.13.3 PS COMPUTATION
Then, the effective cabinet output power is:
Ps = Pmax (+/- 0.5dB) - cablesLoss - couplingLoss
POWER AMPLIFIER 30W

The nominal output power output for PA is 44.8 dBm (+/- 0.5dB). This nominal output is the
same for all frequencies.
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HIGH POWER EDGE POWER AMPLIFIER (HEPA)

The nominal power output for HePA depends on the frequencies and on the product. Please
note that not all product support HePA for all the frequency bands.
For more details on HePA output power in fuction of the porduct and the frequency band refer
to chapter GSM Products sensitivity and power.
COUPLING SYSTEM
To know the input power, its important to know the system coupling losses:
Max guaranted losses (dB)
GSM 900
GSM 1800
GSM 1900
Duplexor (Dp)
1.2
1.2
Tx FILTER (TxF)
H2D
H4D
8.5
8.5
8.5
CABLES LOSS
RF/IO CABLE
It is the RF cable connecting the Antenna connector of the duplexer to the output connector (to
connect the antenna feeder).
Each cable is specifically dedicated to a frequency band. This particularity is due to the quarter
wave lightning protector which must be adapted to the frequency band.
S8000 Example: Maximum insertion attenuation (guaranted):
GSM 900: 0.2 dB Outdoor BTS, 0.25 dB Indoor BTS

GSM1800&1900: 0.3 dB Outdoor BTS, 0.35 Indoor BTS
Characteristic impedance: 50
Total length: 290 mm
Maximum cable diameter: 7 mm
CABLE BETWEEN PA AND COUPLING SYSTEM

It is the RF cable connecting the PA (Power Amplifier) output connector to the input connector
of the Hybrid combiner.
S8000 Example: Maximum insertion attenuation (guaranted):
Cable total length: L 305 mm

GSM 900: 0.25 dB Outdoor BTS, 0.35 dB Indoor BTS
GSM1800&1900: 0.40 dB Outdoor BTS, 0.5 dB Indoor BTS
Characteristic impedance: 50
Maximum cable diameter: 5.5 mm
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PS COMPUTATION
Losses coupling
Losses in the cables

900
Total losses
900
1800&1900
Duplexor
1.2
0.2
0.25
= 0.45
0.3
0.4
= 0.7
1.45
1.9
TxFilter
0.2
0.25
= 0.45
0.3
0.4
= 0.7
1.45
1.7
H2D
0.2
0.25
= 0.45
0.3
0.4
= 0.7
5.45
5.7
H4D
8.5
8.5
0.2
0.25
= 0.45
0.3
0.4
= 0.7
8.95
9.2
Losses coupling
1800&1900
900
Losses in the cables
1800&1900
Total losses
900
1800&1900
900
900
1800&1900
Duplexor
1.2
0.25
0.35
= 0.6
1800&1900
0.35
0.5
= 0.85
1.6
2.05
TxFilter
0.25
0.35
= 0.6
0.35
0.5
= 0.85
1.6
1.85
H2D
0.25
0.35
= 0.6
0.35
0.5
= 0.85
5.6
5.85
H4D
8.5
8.5
0.25
0.35
= 0.6
0.35
0.5
= 0.85
9.1
9.35
Example:
Calculation for S8000 Outdoor coupling diplexeur GSM900
Ps = 44.8 (+/- 0.5dB) (0.2+0.25) 1= 43.35dB (+/-0.5dB)
Calculation for S8000 Indoor H2D GSM1800
Ps = 44.8 (+/-0.5dB) (0.35+0.5) 5 = 38.95 dB (+ /-0.5dB)
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4.14. SYSTEM INFORMATION MESSAGES RELATED FEATURES

4.14.1 DUAL BAND HANDLING
The purpose of this feature is to allow an operator with licenses in several frequency bands to
support the use of multiband mobile stations in all its bands. In addition, it also allows the
operator to support the use of single band mobile stations in each band of the license. The
specification indicates that GSM900 and GSM1800 frequency bands can be combined. No
frequency band is treated as the primary band. However, parameter setting can help
multiband MS to give a higher priority to one of the bands.
LCAUTION!
It has been experimented that with some mobile brands a delay in the other band neighbor
cells reports occurs, i.e. a minimum time is necessary for those mobiles to send
measurements from neighbors transmitting of the other band to the current cell.
MULTIBAND MOBILE STATION

A multiband mobile station is a mobile station which:
supports more than one band

has the functionality to perform handover, directed retry, channel assignment, cell
selection and cell reselection between the different bands in which it can operate
(within the PLMN)
has the functionality to make PLMN selection in the different bands in which can it
operate
has 2 receivers, one specific to each band
has 2 transmitters, one specific to each band
MODIFIED SYS INFO 3

Two new fields have been added to SYS INFO 3:
EARLY_CLASSMARK_SENDING_CONTROL
It indicates if multiband MS is authorized to send the early Classmark Change message to the
BSC via the BTS. This allows the MSC to receive as soon as possible the multiband
information and to pass it to the target BSC. It will speed up call set-ups and allows to perform
Handover and directed retry when needed. The Classmark Change indicates the frequency
bands supported by the MS and MS power classes to perform HO procedures in the best
conditions.
The corresponding parameter is the class 3 attribute early classmark sending belonging to bts
objects. If it is set to enabled, the Classmark_Change message is sent just after the SABM
and UA frames exchange on the Immediate_Assignment procedure. This message makes
interband handover procedures possible. Moreover this parameter allows the mobile to send
its capacity downlink Advanced Receiver performance. That helps to have SAIC mobile
penetration
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In single band networks, early classmark sending will be set to disabled.
Note: indeed monoband network may forbid a dual band mobile to use the Early Classmark
sending procedure in order to prevent phase 2 mobiles to send useless information to the
network, and to cope with any potential problems with this feature in the mobiles.
SYS_INFO_2TER_INDICATOR
It is used to inform multiband MS that SYS INFO 2ter information is available.
NEW SYS INFO MESSAGES

The neighbouring cell lists for handover and cell reselection are broadcast towards multiband
and single band mobile stations. The frequencies of neighbouring cells in other frequency
bands than the current cell will be carried by new SYS INFO messages:
SYS INFO 2ter for reselection neighbours.

SYS INFO 5ter for handover neighbours.
A single band mobile station will only use frequencies from SYS INFO 2 and 5 and if
necessary, 2bis and 5bis for reselection and handover purposes, i.e. frequencies from the
frequency band it supports. The BSC selects neighbour cells from the other band out of the
neighbour list and sends them in SYS INFO 2ter and 5ter (see table below).
Sys info 2
Sys info 2bis
Sys info 2ter
Sys info 5
Sys info 5bis
Sys info 5ter
GSM900 cell
GSM900 nei list
GSM1800 nei list
GSM 1800 cell
GSM1800 nei list
GSM1800 nei list
GSM900 nei list
NEIGHBOUR CELL LIST IN SYS INFO

The new SYS INFO 2ter and 5ter messages carry parameters which are needed by multiband
mobile stations to perform respectively cell reselection (2ter) and handover (5ter) towards cell
from another band:
Multiband Reporting: indicates to multiband MS the minimum number of cells to

report in their measurement report outside the current frequency band. Its value is
equal to the Multiband reporting parameter in the SYS INFO 5ter message.
Neighbouring Cells List: coding of the frequencies of neighbouring cells.
LCAUTION!
Some single band mobiles are disturbed by the receipt of SYS INFO 5ter. They react by
sending an RR status message, that can load the BSC. To avoid this, the sending of these
messages is controlled by the BTS. On the opposite, single band mobile stations are not
disturbed by 2ter messages because they ignore them.
No field called Sys_Info_5ter_Indicator exists. To know if 5ter messages are sent, SACCH
filling messages are used.
The parameter cellBarQualify is not used by some dual band MS in selection and reselection
algorithms.
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MULTIBAND REPORTING
Multiband mobile stations report cells from different frequency bands according to Multiband
Reporting parameter (corresponding to class 3 attribute multi band reporting of bts objects)
broadcast in SYS INFO messages:
the six strongest cells: default value. The multiband MS reports the six strongest
allowed cells regardless of the frequency band.
1, 2, 3: the multiband MS reports the strongest or the two, three strongest allowed
cells outside the current frequency band. The remaining space in the report is
used to give information about cells in the current frequency band. If there are still
some remaining positions (not enough neighbours in the current frequency band),
these positions are used to report cells outside the current frequency band.
LCAUTION!
A maximum of six cells will be reported. Only a maximum of n best cells (according to the
L1M algorithm) will be transmitted to the BSC by the L1M in a Handover_Indication message
(n = 3 before V12 ; n = 6 from V12).
OHER PROCEDURES
The handling of multiband MS did not need specific changes in L1M. Main changes are on MS
side. However, main procedures can be reviewed with the differences that occur in V10.
PLMN selection: a single band MS only selects a PLMN from its frequency band.
A multiband MS can select PLMNs of both bands.
Cell selection & reselection: a single band MS only selects or re-selects cells from
its frequency band. A multiband MS can select or re-select cells of both bands.
Priority can be given to one band (see chapter Selection, Reselection Algorithms).
Handovers: a new attribute is introduced in both adjacentCellReselection and
adjacentCellHandover objects. Its name is standardIndicator Adjc and tells the
type of network where the neighboring cell operates (gsm or dcs or gsmdcs or
dcsgsm). A single band MS only performs handovers towards cells from its
frequency band. A multiband MS can perform handovers towards cells of both
bands if classmark 3 is supported on NSS side.
If local mode directed retry is chosen, as it is performed towards a specific neighbour, one
type of single band MS (the one which does not support the frequency band of adjacent cell
umbrella ref) will not use this feature.
For multiband MS, formulas like PBGT or thresholds are the same as single band ones, their
power class is replaced according to the band of the cell they are in (se chapter General
formulas).
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4.14.2 SI2QUATER & SI13 ON EXTENDED OR NORMAL BCCH

PRINCIPLE
This feature has been designed to allow configuring the sending of System Information 13
(SI13) and System Information 2Quater (SI2Quater) messages either on normal or extended
BCCH.
This configuration is possible on a per BSC basis and done via the BSC Data Config tool.
That feature is avalaible from V15.1 for BSC3000 and BSC12000.
3GPP recommendations gives:
SI2QUATER
It is sent if needed, as determined by the system operator. If sent on BCCH Norm, it shall be
sent when TC = 5 if neither of SI2bis and SI2ter are used, otherwise it shall be sent at least
once within any of 4 consecutive occurrences of TC = 4. If sent on BCCH Ext, it is sent at least
once within any of 4 consecutive occurrences of TC = 5.
SI13
It is only related to the GPRS service. SI13 need only be sent if GPRS support is indicated in
one or more of System Information Type 3 or 4 or 7 or 8 messages. These messages also
indicate if the message is sent on the BCCH Norm or if the message is transmitted on the
BCCH Ext. In the case that the message is sent on the BCCH Norm, it is sent at least once
within any of 4 consecutive occurrences of TC = 4.
FCCH
SCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
IDLE
Today SI13 and SI2Quater are allocated on Norm BCCH.
FCCH
SCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
BCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
FCCH
SCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
CCCH
IDLE
The feature allows configuring separately SI2Quater and SI13 per BSC either on Norm BCCH
or Ext BCCH.
As a consequence, SI3 message has been updated in order to indicate to the mobile:
whether or not SI2quater and SI13 is broadcast

if broadcast is done on Normal or Extended BCCH
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PERFORMANCES
The BCCH channel has a repeat period of 8 multi-frames. One multi-frame has 51 frames and
one frame is approximately 4,615ms long. Therefore, the BCCH repeat period is
8*51*4.615ms, or 1,88 seconds. Each period of the BCCH channel is given a number in the
range 0 to 7. This number is called TC. The 3GPP specifications define in which BCCH repeat
period (TC value) a specific SYS INFO message can be sent.
SI2Ter, SI13 and SI2quater can be sent when TC=4.
This means that:
if 1 of SI2Ter, SI13 and SI2Quater messages has to be sent, it will be sent every
1.88 seconds.
if 2 of SI2Ter, SI13 and SI2Quater messages has to be sent, each will be sent
every 3.76 seconds.
if all of SI2Ter, SI13 and SI2Quater messages has to be sent, each will be sent
every 5.64 seconds.
Redirection procedure duration is directly linked to the time the MS needs to read system
information messages.
On the contrary, the sending of system information on extended BCCH increase load on
AGCH/PCH channel.
BENEFITS
Customers are facing MS issues:
Devices being unable to read SI13 messages when these are sent on the
Extended BCCH. The impact of the failure to read this message was that the
device is partially or completely unable to connect to GPRS services.
Devices seeing valid SI messages containing 3G NCells (SI2Quater) as
corrupted when sent on the Normal BCCH; continued reception of these
messages resulted in the device rebooting or failing to set up CS calls.
So if customers dont wish to recall affected MS the feature allows to modify the allocation of
SI2Quater and SI13 messages
SI2Quater and SI13 on Ext BCCH allow as well speeding up 3G toward 2G cell reselection
(see chapter Mobility 2G - 3G Reselection).
The drawback is a PCH / AGCH capacity lost.
LCAUTION!
When this feature is enabled, e.g. if SI2Quater and/or SI13 on extended BCCH features are
activated, the parameter noOfBlocksForAccessGrant has to be greater than 0.
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4.15. INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION

Interference cancellation is a very important feature in a mobile network, especially when
capacity is a critical issue and aggressive frequency reuse schemes are applied to maximize
it. Experience has shown gains with an adhoc frequency plan. Preliminary studies had
indicated that in a 1X3 reuse frequency pattern network, capacity could be limited by uplink
interferers. In general, even if capacity is not limited by uplink interferers, it is essential to
mitigate their effect for quality improvement. Moreover it has been experienced that even if
capacity is not UL limited, Interference Cancellation ensures improvements on data
performance in UL, vocal quality in UL and measurement reports in UL, which improve
mobility management. This results in a descreasing number of radio drops (study done with
half MS quite UL weak, half MS quite DL weak).
A BTS-based interference cancellation algorithm is of great interest. Nortel has designed a
proprietary signal processing scheme aimed at cancelling the interferers. It works on the Base
Stations equipped with all DRX S8K/S12K and with BTS18000. The effect of the feature
depends on diversity: on a site without diversity, the feature Interference Cancelation will have
no benefit. The algorithm works as well with or without frequency hopping and it can remove
any kind of interferer that has some spatial or temporal coherence (co-channel, adjacent
channel, CDMA signal leaking in the PCS band, TV transmitter, etc..). It can be viewed as a
digital beam-forming technique in which a null of the radiation pattern is pointed towards the
interferer.
8 interfering MS s
on the 8 TS s of F0
BS#2
call drop:
too high C/I
MS driving away
from serving BS
BS#1
The algorithm is based on the use of the Maximum Ratio Combining diversity technique and
the midamble in the GSM burst that is used to gain some indication of the channel
characteristics, and hence an estimate of the noise present. This noise is approximately made
up of interference and thermal-noise. The midamble is a known sequence of bits, which
undergoes changes after propagation. The interference estimation is necessarily biaised since
it is estimated on a short period of time (22 Tsymbol compared to the 148 Tsymbol) and the
interference cancellation in the absence of interference will result in decreasing the SNR ratio.
To avoid this problem, a parameter is introduced
Thus it is better not to try to estimate the noise but to put as an a priori information that there
is only white noise. However when there are interferers, it is necessary to estimate them and
the algorithm can do it only on the 22 signal samples where the useful signal is known.
The parameter is the interferer cancel algo usage parameter that can be set from the OMC.
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The parameter is a compromise parameter that can trade-off the pure noise performances
against the dominant interferer case. The algorithm finds the maximum of the modified signalto-noise ratio:
= 0 implies that we have a constant term at the denominator, the noise energy,
and the processing finds the linear combination that maximizes the signal (under
the constraint that |a|2+|b|2=1), i.e. it performs the maximal ratio combiner (MRC).
= 1 (100%) means that we remove the constant term i.e. the a priori information
on the noise. When there is no interference an approximate MRC combiner is
performed.
other values like e.g. .5 (50%) mean that a compromise is made between
performances at high interference and at pure noise situations.
MRC is Nortel equipments diversity combining technique which is known to be the linear
combination of signals received on the two antennas, that maximises the S/N ratio when there
is only thermal noise (for example it is 1.5dB better than selection combining). It suffers about
2dB loss when there are strong interferers. Simulations have been carried out to show how
with the use of MRC, the required Carrier-to-Int+Noise ratio (C/(I+N)) to maintain a particular
BER reduces, as the presence of synchronus/asynchronus interferers increases. Although
following the same trend, ICA simulation showed the use of a lower C/(I+N) to maintain the
same BER as opposed to only using MRC.
Before V15.1.1, gain of interferer cancellation was not optimal in case of low Rxlev. Since
V15.1.1 interferer cancellation algorithm has been improved to take into account all range
value for parameter "interferer cancel algo usage" (called rejection factor ) for all RxLev
range
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4.16. EXTENDED CCCH

This V12 feature consists in the implementation of the extended CCCH feature The need of
this feature has been identified in some configuration where only one CCCH is not sufficient,
due to a high rate of paging and immediate assignment.
4.16.1 CUSTOMER/SERVICE PROVIDER BENEFITS

This feature allows increasing the rate of paging and immediate assignment messages related
to a cell and thus:
Allows managing large location area with up to 16 TRX per cell,

Gives the ability to manage multi-layers networks
Allows managing GPRS traffic.
4.16.2 FEATURE FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION

Up to V.11, only one CCH could be configured at the OMC-R. From V12 you can allow the
configuration of extended CCCH on TS 2, 4 and 6 of the BCCH TDMA.
The following CCCH configurations are now available :
CCCH_Conf = 0:
o
CCCH_Conf = 1:
o
TS 0 = FCCH+SCH+BCCH+CCCH
TS 2 = CCCH
CCCH_Conf = 4:
o
o
o
TS 0 = FCCH+SCH+BCCH+CCCH+SDCCH/4+SACCH/4
CCCH_Conf = 2:
o
o
TS 2 = CCCH
TS 4 = CCCH
CCCH_Conf = 6:
o
o
o
o
TS 2 = CCCH
TS 4 = CCCH
TS 6 = CCCH
Note: By increasing the number of CCCH, we decrease the number of TCH, so it leads to
reduction of the capacity. For example, an O8 with 1 BCCH has a capacity of 48,65 Erlangs
(with 2% of blocking rate); with 4 CCCH its capacity drops to 45,88 Erlangs.
To configuration of a CCCH block on a TS the channelType parameter must be set to cCH.
See also chapter SDCCH Dimensioning an TDMA Models.
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4.17. PCM ERROR CORRECTION

This V12 feature has been introduced in order to reduce the number of errors due to PCM.
This feature concerns a new frame coding (16 kbits/s) between the subsystem and the TCU
subsystem allowing detection and correction of faults on Abis and Ater PCM.
This new frame coding called ETF (Enhanced TRAU Frame) is an option and an alternative to
the ETSI recommendation 08.60.
4.17.1 FEATURE PRINCIPLE

The principle of this feature is quite simple; it is to replace the ETSI TRAU frames and to
define a new frame (ETF) by introduction of a CRC on the uplink and the downlink path in
order to detect and correct erroneous frames due to PCM error rate.
The ETF can be used for the following frames:
Full rate,
Enhanced full rate,
Data up to 14.4 kbit/s
The CRC is designed for three functions:
Firstly, it synchronizes the ETF (CRC 26),

Then, it detects errors on the received ETF,
And it corrects them until 2 pairs of bits.
According to the frame transmission direction (downlink or uplink), the functions of the BTS
and the TCU are different:
On uplink direction: the BTS(DRX boards) build the frame(ETF) while the TCU
(TCB2 boards) synchronizes, detects, corrects and monitors the frame. If an error
is not corrected, the TCU mutes the frame. At the end of the communication, the
RF_channel_Release_Ack message carries the synthetic information about the
PCM link status.
On downlink direction: the BTS(DRX boards) synchronizes, detects, corrects and
monitors the frame while the TCU builds the frame. If an error is not corrected, the
BTS sends a filled frame to the MS.
During a BSC HO, if the TCU losses the frame synchronization, the communication is cut until
the synchronization is found back (duration around 1 or 2 frames: it means around 20 or 40
ms). Moreover, if the BSC manages different frame formats (ETSI TRAU 8.620, ETF), the
PCM error correction performance on the voice depends on the transmission direction:
On uplink direction: no degradation in relation to the current state

On downlink direction: 60 ms of supplementary muting
LCAUTION!
This feature is only available at the OMC-R if all TCB2 boards have V12 software.
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4.17.2 FEATURE BENEFITS

For users, the benefits of this feature are:
Improvement of the voice quality,

Better data transmissions.
4.17.3 PARAMETERS AND COUNTERS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS

FEATURE
PARAMETERS
This feature needs to be activated at two levels: the BSC one and the BTS one. At the BSC
level, the parameter enhancedTRAUFrameIndication is set to available, only if the
transcoder boards of all the related TCUs are on TCB2 boards type with V12 software.
Moreover, at the BTS level pcmerrorCorrection must be set to 1 (but it can only be set to 1 if
the enhancedTRAUFrameIndication is set to available).
COUNTERS
There are several new counters for this feature:
For ETF monitoring:

o
o
o
C1717: received downlink TRAU frames number,

C1718: corrected ETF number,
C1719: muted frames number,
For FER monitoring:

o
o
C1720: received uplink radio frames number,

C1721: frame erasure ration number.
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4.18.
CELLULAR TELEPHONE TEXT MODEM (TTY)

Deaf, hard of hearing, and speech-impaired persons have been using specific Text Telephone
(referred to as TTY in North America) equipment in the fixed network for many years to
transmit text and speech through ordinary speech traffic channels.
To answer US FCC requirements, NORTEL V12.4 (or V14.3 with BSC/TCU 3000 introduction)
BSS includes now the Cellular text Telephone Modem (CTM) solution for reliable transmission
of a Text Telephone conversation via the speech channel of cellular or PSTN networks.
4.18.1 TTY PRINCIPLE

Data transmission methods exist in the wireless services, but for various reasons, a text
telephone transmission method for the speech path is desired. Two reasons are:
text telephony is acknowledged as a way to contact the emergency services, and

emergency services in wireless networks are so far only defined for speech calls.
alternating speech and text in a call is desired, and one simple way to accomplish
that without special service support (like multimedia) is by alternating the use of
the speech channel.
CTM allows reliable transmission of a text telephone conversation alternating with a speech
conversation through the existing speech communication paths in cellular mobile phone
systems. This reliability is achieved by an improved modulation technique, including error
protection, interleaving and synchronization.
The CTM is intended for use in end terminals (on the mobile or fixed side) and within the BSS
network for the adaptation between CTM and existing traditional text telephone standards.
The signal adaptation Baudot CTM is localized in the TCU-TCB2 in a pool TCB2 boards (or in
the TCU 3000 in each TRM board).
NORMAL CASE
SPEECH/DATA INDICATOR = SPEECH + CTM
If an ASSIGNMENT REQUEST or HANDOVER REQUEST message is received from the
MSC with:
Circuit Identity Code compatible with TCB2 (or TRM_DSP) capability (FR+CTM)
Speech/data indicator = Speech + CTM
and permitted speech version identifiers = EFR & FR,
an ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE or HANDOVER COMPLETE message will be sent to the MSC

with Speech Version (Chosen) = FR (or EFR).
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SPEECH/DATA INDICATOR = SPEECH

If an ASSIGNMENT REQUEST or HANDOVER REQUEST message is received from the
MSC with:
Circuit Identity Code compatible with TCB2 (or TRM_DSP) capability (FR+CTM)
Speech/data indicator = Speech
and permitted speech version identifiers = EFR & FR or FR (or EFR & FR)
and unavailable archipelago EFR and FR resource (SPU)
an ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE or HANDOVER COMPLETE message will be sent to the MSC

with Speech Version (Chosen) = FR (or EFR).
ABNORMAL CASE
On reception by the BSC of an ASSIGNMENT REQUEST or HANDOVER REQUEST
message with:
Circuit Identity Code incompatible with TCB2 (or TRM_DSP) capability (the circuit
pool implied by the CIC information element is incompatible with the channel type
indicated)
Speech/data indicator = Speech + CTM
and permitted speech version identifiers = EFR & FR
and unavailable archipelago EFR_CTM resource (SPU)
In a first step an ASSIGNMENT FAILURE or HANDOVER FAILURE message will be sent to

the MSC.
In a second step an ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE or HANDOVER COMPLETE message will be
sent to the MSC with Speech Version (Chosen) = EFR (or FR according to the archipelago
resource availability).
4.18.2 TTY IMPACT

TCU-TCB2
The TCU-TCB2 capacity is not impacted by the CTM implementation.
The TCU-TCB2 performances are the following:
Manage up to 8 TCB2 boards and 4 A interface PCM (24 TS available on PCMA 0-1-2 and
only 20 TS available on PCMA 3 fir ss#7, X25 or circuit)
Each TCB2 board is downloaded with either the FR + EFR load and FR + CTM load
Each TCB2 manages 12 communications whatever the associated CODEC type (FR + EFR
and FR + CTM) exept for the #7 TCB2 which manages 8 communications.
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TCU 3000
The TCU 3000 capacity is affected by the CTM implementation according to the configured
archipelagos EFR_CTM number.
TCU 3000 architecture supports until 10 TRM max: (9+1 for redundancy))
Each TRM manages 3 archipelagos i.e. 36 SPU:
FR codec: up to 6 communications corresponding to 72 calls per archipelago

EFR codec: up to 6 communications corresponding to 72 calls per archipelago
EFR_CTM codec: up to 4 communications corresponding to 48 calls per
archipelago
AMR: up to 5 communications
The TCU 3000 capacity can be formulated on maximum of communications.

If X = number of configured archipelago FR
If Y = number of configured archipelago EFR
If Z = number of configured archipelago EFR_CTM
Capacity = X*72 + Y*72 + Z*48 = 2138
No new parameters or counters are introduced with this feature.
However, new information is available through the Channel Type message, and the field
Speech / data indicator. We have the new request: Speech + CTM Text Telephony.
LCAUTION!
CTM provides a solution that:
works with EFR and FR codecs (for example AMR)

allows roaming between networks of different operators
allows the users to transmit speech and text alternately (Voici Carry Over VCO /
Hearing Carry Over HCO)
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4.19. LOCATION SERVICES

The objective of this feature is to allow the GSM network to geographically position Mobile
Stations with BSC12000 (this BSS feature is available from V13.2) and BSC3000.
The position of the MS is obtained using handset-based methods, namely EOTD and Network
Assisted GPS. Additionally, the Cell Id and Timing Advance methods may be used as fallback
methods. The determination of the positioning method is done outside the BSS at Mobile
Location Center level.
4.19.1 PRINCIPLE
The Enhanced Observed Time Difference (EOTD) positioning method combines the relative
time of arrival of the signals from several BTSs reported by the target MS with the signals
received by a fixed measuring point known as the Location Measurement Unit (LMU) whose
location is known. Typically one LMU is needed for every 3 to 4 BTS sites.
Note that there are two possible types of LMU:
Type A LMU communicates with the BTS over the air, it requires an additional
antenna for this purpose. This is known as the GSM Tx/Rx antenna. The
signaling protocol for the LMU to SMLC interface is known as the LMU LCS
Protocol (LLP) and is described in GSM 04.71.
Type B LMU communicates with the BTS over a dedicated wired interface. The
Type B interface uses the serial communications port on the LMU and will require
a proprietary connection to the BTS (such as the Q1 bus or similar).
The Network Assisted GPS solution uses the GPS information measured by the MS if it
supports this functionality. To ensure efficient service, assistance data needs to be sent by the
network to the MS. Nortel has adopted a NSS-based architecture and will provide a combined
Gateway Mobile Location Center and Serving Mobile Location Center (GMLC/SMLC) into a
single platform, the Mobile Location Server. This server is therefore connected to the MSC.
The BSS acts as a relay between the mobiles and the LMUs on one side and the Mobile
Location Server on the other. Location Measurements Units (LMUs), if required (EOTD
method), are wireless devices (type A) provided by a third party. It should be noted that the
positioning accuracy is dependant on many factors, but mainly the algorithms implemented in
the MS and in the SMLC. Therefore, the BSS is not responsible for the final location accuracy.
4.19.2 PERFORMANCES
New signaling messages are introduced for this feature management:
RR Layer: Application Information message

BSSMAP Layer: Connection Oriented Information message
New BSSLAP Layer, including 7 messages needed for signaling between SMLC
and BSC.
Note: the class 3 parameter early classmark sending of the bts object class must be set to
allowed by the OMC-R user.
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4.20. SMS-CELL BROADCAST

The objective of this feature is to support new broadcast services as advertising or
informations with BSC12000 and BSC3000 (this BSS feature is available from V14.2)
The goal is to offer an interface for the SMS-CB that allows to send easily the same message
on every cell of a list of BSCs and so that the system can update all the cells in a quicker time.
BS
OMC
BS
Cell
Broadcast
Center
SMS-CB
manager
BSC
BS
BS
BSC
BS
4.20.1 PRINCIPLE
In the Nortel networks structure of Cell Broadcast Service a Cell Broadcast Center is
interfaced with the OMC via a non Q3 interface. The OMC act as the SMS-CB manager and
broadcast SMS over all the BSCs placed under its control.
The new requirements concern:
the broadcast of the same short messages on all the cells which are managed by
an OMC-R or a BSC list.
the change rate of these short messages: 13 seconds are required;
The current implementation about the short message broadcast involves several
limitations and OAM constrains which should be raised:
CBC/OMC-R interface throughput which must be compliant with the user activity
performance.
OMC-R/BSC interface throughput which must be compliant with the number of
message (TGE) to be processed by the BSC (from 1 up to 2 TGE/sec for all
transactions).
Heavy OAM constraint to update the data base CBC when network (re)
configuration occurs.
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4.20.2 PERFORMANCES
The following table depicts the number of messages:
CBC / OMC / I/F
Messages
Old
New
Create short message
Start broadcast (first time)
X*Y
Set short message (continued)
Stop broadcast (continued)
X*Y
Start broadcast (continued)

Stop broadcast (last)
Periodic MMI commands
number
OMC / BSC / I/F
Old
New
X*Y
X*Y
(1+2*X*Y)*n
2*n
2*y*n
Periodic TGEs number
320*n max or
1200*n max
o
o
o
o
X: BSC number
[1:30]
Y: Cell number / BSC12000 [1:160]
X*Y: Cell number / OMC
[1:2400]
n: Number of updates of messages
With this solution, SMS-CB has been dimensioned for following capacities:
5 messages maximum per cell (broadcast in loop)

message format: 1 page / 93 characters
broadcast periodicity (30 sec, 1 mn, 2mn, 4 mn, 8 mn or 16 mn), 2 sec (1
message / cell) corresponding to the CBCH maximum capacity
The whole users activity can be:
on an average: 1 MMI command every 10 sec. for the whole set of users. Or, 1
MMI unitary command every 160 sec. per users, with a maximum of 16 users.
on a maximum: 1 MMI unitary command every 2 sec. for the whole set users,
during 2 hours maximum. Or 1 MMI unitary command every 32 sec. per users,
during 2 hours maximum, with a maximum of 16 users.
The CBC can be associated to n users among 16 ones: then the number of MMI commands
on the CBC / OMC interface is n every 32 sec.
Every short message modifications involves 2 MMI unitary commands (set short message &
start broadcast) the short message change rate is 32*2n.
Note:
When the OMC-R receives one command for all the cells of one or several BSC, it checks for
each cell if there is a CBCH channel and if the limit of 5 short messages is not exceeded. That
defines a compliant cell. It then checks if a threshold S (per BSC) corresponding to a max of
tolerated non compliant cells is reached.
If the limit of 5 messages is exceeded for one or several cells and if the number of non
compliant cells exceeds the threshold S for one or several BSC, the OMC-R rejects the
command and does not sent the TGEs. The TGEs will not be sent for these BSC(s), but will be
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sent for the others. The response (FAILED) to the CBC will report per BSC the non compliant
bts identities (up to the first S bts identities per BSC).
If the number of non compliant cells does not exceed the threshold S for any BSC, the OMC-R
accepts the command and sends the TGEs. The response (SUCCEEDED) to the CBC will
report per BSC the non compliant bts identities (up to S bts identities per BSC).
CBCH CHANNEL RECOMANDATION

On the air interface the CBCH channel takes 4 TS bursts (4*0.577 ms) on one 51 multiframe.
The CBCH channel takes the place of one SDCCH channel.
The SDCCH channel can be mapped on two different ways on TDMA: with BCCH combined
(SDCCH/4) or on one reserved TS for SDCCH (SDCCH/8). Thus it is the same thing for
CBCH.
The CBCH is not using the radio resources of the CCCH. It is using the radio resources of one
SDCCH channel. The activation and the use of the SMS-CB will not impact the load on the
CCCH.
The activation of the CBCH will take 1 SDCCH channel and so will increase the SD
congestion. After the activation of the CBCH one needs to follow the SDCCH congestion and
maybe if necessary on some cells to increase the number of SDCCH channels.
Once defined on the cell the CBCH channel can only be used to send SMS-CB. Thus the
quantity of SMS-CB sent will not impact the load of the radio channels other than the CBCH.
Throughput calculation:
The CBCH (idem to SDCCH) offers 184 bits for a block message (or 4TS).
The corresponding throughput offered by the CBCH carried on 51 multitrame:
Throughput = 184 * 4 / 4.615 ms / 51 = 781 b/s
The limitations described in the FN are:
SMS of 88 bytes
5 messages per cell
2 seconds between each message.
This means a throughput of: 88 * 8 * 5 / 2= 1760 b/s, which is more than 2 times the max
throughput of the CBCH channel.
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4.21. MOBILITY 2G - 3G RESELECTION

In this version, "GSM to UMTS mobility" is only provided to mobiles in Idle Mode using the cell
reselection algorithm with BSC12000 and BSC3000 (this BSS feature is available from V14.2).
Mobiles in GSM connected mode are not addressed by this version of the document.
This part only considers mobility to UMTS FDD Radio Access Technology.
As UMTS is deployed, if GSM access network does not provide "GSM to UMTS mobility" for
mobiles in idle mode, all the multimode mobiles (e.g. mobile supporting both GSM and
UTRAN/FDD radio access technologies) will be stuck on GSM cells:
when leaving UMTS coverage the mobile will reselect a GSM cell
when on a GSM cell a multimode mobile will only reselect a GSM cell
switching off-on the mobile will not make the mobile reselect UMTS, since the
mobile is first looking for its last "Registered technology" at power on
using a different PLMN for UMTS (being the mutimode subscriber HPLMN) and
GSM layers can help, but this will not work for the operators not taking this option
4.21.1 GSM TO UMTS CELL RESELECTION

UE ALGORITHM IN GSM-CIRCUIT MODE
Instead of the C2 criterion used in GSM only network, the multimode cell reselection uses a
criteria based on RLA_C (Received Level Averages for Circuit services), which is an
unweighted average of the received signal levels measured in dBm.
The UE starts measuring 3G cells when RLA_C in serving cell is below or above Qsearch_I
(depending on the value of Qsearch_I). Main reason is to save mobile battery.
The UTRAN/FDD neighbouring cell n is reselected by the UE if the 2 following conditions are
met:
(CPICH_RSCP(n) > RLA_Cserving + FDD_Qoffset) during 5 seconds
(CPICH Ec/No)(n) > FDD_Qmin
CPICH_RSCP(n): is the Received Signal Code Power on one code measured on

the Primary CPICH
(CPICH Ec/No)(n): is the received energy per chip on the Primary CPICH divided
by the power density in the band
The 1st condition ensures a minimum signal level is available from cell n.
The 2nd condition ensures the quality (level of interference) of cell n is acceptable.
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The parameters used by the mobile to perform intersystem cell reselection are the following.
Nortel Parameter Name
3GPP Parameter Name
uMTSSearchLevel
Qsearch_I
Search for 3G cells if signal level is bellow
Description
FDD_Qoffset
Applies an offset to C2 to cell re-selection to

access technology FDD UMTS access min level
uMTSAccessMinLevel
FDD_Qmin
A minimum threshold for Ec/No for UTRAN FDD

cell re-selection
FDD_ARFCN
Neighbouring UMTS cell ARFCN
These parameters are controlled by O&M and broadcasted on BCCH in the System
Information 2quater message.
LCAUTION!
In order to enable the broadcasting of the SI2Quater on the BCCH the parameter
uMTSReselectionARFCN must be set to a non-null value.
PROCESS IN THE BSS

The cell reselection does not require any specific algorithm in the GSM-BSS. The intersystem
reselection only requires new piece of information to be broadcast on the BCCH by the GSMBSS:
new intersystem cell reselection control parameters (as described above)

neighboring UMTS cell list
The broadcast of this new information is ensured using the "System Information 2quater"
message. Due to the volume of information, it may happen that the set of data exceeds the 23
byte limit for "System Information" messages sent on BCCH.
In such a case, the information is segmented into several parts i.e. several instances of the
System Information 2quater message, each of them tagged with an INDEX from 0 to COUNT,
(COUNT + 1) being the number of segments.
When the information is updated (following a change at the OMC-R), the CHANGE MARK bit
is set to a new value.
The System Information 2quater is scheduled either on Normal or Extended BCCH (see
chapter SI2Quater & SI13 on Extended or Normal BCCH):
If sent on Normal BCCH:

o
o
it shall be sent when TC = 5 if neither of 2bis and 2ter are used

otherwise it shall be sent at least once within any of 4 consecutive
occurrences of TC = 4
If sent on BCCH Ext, it is sent at least once within any of 4 consecutive

occurrences of TC = 5
As a consequence, System Information 3 message has been updated in order to indicate to

the mobile:
whether or not SI2quater is broadcast

if broadcast is done on Normal or Extended BCCH
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Note: another possibility to broadcast 3G neighbouring and cell reselection control information
is using the SI2ter message. Due to the message size limitation, the SI2ter message can only
contain information to help the mobile to monitor 3G UMTS cells.
For that reason, SI2quater is considered as being a more flexible and future proof mechanism,
and the SI2ter based mechanism will not be further described in this document.
3G NEIGHBOURING CELL INFORMATION IN SI2QUATER

The GSM standard offers different possibilities to broadcast 3G neighbouring cell information
using SI2quater:
1) The BSS broadcast FDD_ARFCN and primary scrambling code for each of the
UMTS FDD neighbouring cells.
2) The BSS only broadcast FDD_ARFCN. This is the most simple solution from a
Network point of view.
In Nortels choice, neighboring cell scrambling codes will not be broadcast, and it will be
assumed that only one UTRAN/FDD carrier is deployed by cell, e.g. it possible to have
different carriers on different cell but only one per cell.
As it will take "some" additional time with that solution (the mobile have to decode the UTRAN
FDD neighbouring cells scrambling codes) 2 additional informations are provided and used by
the network and the mobile when the mobile reports measurement in connected mode:
a one bit 3G-BA_IND field used to correlate the measurements with a neighbouring
cell list
a Absolute_Index_Start_EMR used for building the neighbouring cell list in the
mobile. The value of this parameter is dynamic, and depends on the number of 2G
neighbouring cells (this allows shorter Meas. Report messages from the UE).
CONTROL INFORMATION IN SI2QUATER

The following Control information is broadcast by SI2quater message, as described in a
previous chapter:
FDD_Qoffset (uMTSReselectionOffset)
FDD_Qmin (uMTSAccessMinLevel)
Qsearch_I (uMTSSearchLevel)
Following parameters are also contained in SI2quater message, but not used for the moment:
FDD_REP_QUANT
FDD_MULTIRAT_REPORTING
SERVING_BAND_REPORTING
Qsearch_C-initial
LCAUTION!
Although being broadcast on BCCH, these parameters are only applicable to the connected
mode. There are not used in this version of the document.
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4.22. BSC/TCU 3000 INTRODUCTION

With the BSC3000 introduction (this BSS equipment is available from V14.3), a lot of new
features will be implemented:
Automatic handover adaptation (see HO adaptation feature TF 1216 in chapter

Automatic handover adaptation)
Protection againts Intracell HO Ping-pong (see HO Ping-pong feature TF 1217 in
chapter Protection against intracell HO Ping-pong)
TTY Support on TCU 3000 (see TTY feature in chapter CELLULAR TELEPHONE
TEXT MODEM (TTY))
BSC 3000 overload (see chapterBSC3000 Overload Management)
AMR HR/FR ( see AMR feature SV885/SV713 in chapterAMR - Adaptative Multi
Rate FR/HR)
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4.23. AMR - ADAPTATIVE MULTI RATE FR/HR

Nortel BSS has evolved to introduce sophisticated traffic management features dealing with
call quality management and capacity improvements. This feature manages AMR services,
which allow high gains and good trade-off between these 2 objectives.
4.23.1 BASICS AND SPECIFIC TERNINOLOGY

In GSM, speech is transmitted on a radio channel (using a speech coder also called source
coder) which has a fixed raw bit rate. The coder delivers speech frames every 20 ms. From
that standpoint, speech quality tends to improve when the source coder bit rate is increased.
If we use a high coder rate, the speech quality will be very good in excellent radio conditions,
as long as speech frames can be decoded properly. But in bad radio conditions, a high
proportion of speech frames will not be decoded, in which case some interpolation will be
done by the decoder, and speech quality actually drops. If we use a low coder rate, speech
quality will be medium or low, but will resist very well to radio channel impairments, due to the
high level of redundancy. Consequently, present techniques like FR or EFR are the result of
compromises between the source coder rate, and the channel coding, within the boundaries of
the raw bit rate of a GSM channel.
AMR techniques are adaptive, and multirate. It means that it allows adapting the compromise
between source coder rate and channel coding/redundancy to actual radio conditions. AMR
may operate in full rate channels, or half rate channels. This is called the channel type
(TCH/FR or TCH/HR). Uplink and downlink always apply the same channel type.
Basis of AMR is that within the channel (FR or HR), there is a set of voice coders, along with
associated channel coding, among which the best combination can be selected to maximize
speech quality according to conditions met on the radio link. This is codec mode adaptation.
For codec mode adaptation the receiving side performs link quality measurements of the
incoming link. The measurements are processed yielding a Quality Indicator.
For uplink adaptation, the Quality Indicator, as measured in the BTS is compared to certain
thresholds and generates, also considering possible constraints from network control, a Codec
Mode Command (CMC) indicating the codec mode to be used on the uplink. The Codec Mode
Command is then transmitted inband to the mobile side where the incoming speech signal is
encoded in the corresponding codec mode. For downlink adaptation, the DL Mode Request
Generator within the mobile compares the DL Quality indicator with certain thresholds and
generates a Codec Mode Request (CMR) indicating the preferred codec mode for the
downlink.
Both for uplink and downlink, the presently applied codec mode is transmitted inband as
Codec Mode Indication (CMI) together with the coded speech data. At the decoder, the Codec
Mode Indication is decoded and applied for decoding of the received speech data.
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The following figure provides the AMR data flow from a "CMR, CMC and CMI" point of view
and explains the CMI, CMC and CMR period.
MS
BTS
CMI
CMI
20ms
CMR
40ms
20ms
CMC
40ms
CMI
CMI
CMR
CMC
AMR is introduced to choose in real time the repartition between rate of the source vocoder
and channel protection:
Half Rate
Source coding
Global throughput = 11,4 kBits/s
Channel coding
Full Rate
Global throughput = 22,8 kBits/s
when the transmission is good, a high rate vocoder is chosen and the number of
bits dedicated to the channel protection is low,
in case of degraded radio conditions, the vocoder rate is decreased, in order to
provide a better channel protection and allow a better voice quality.
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4.23.2 AMR MECHANISMS

AMR introduces algorithms based on requested codec mode, which are fixed using an
approximation of C/I and a set of thresholds and hysteresis. Depending on the channel used,
the set of codec mode is different:
For AMR FR, 5 codec modes can be requested: 12k2, 10k2, 6k7, 5k9, 4k75 (12k2
is a virtual mode)
For AMR HR, 4 codec modes can be requested: 7k4, 6k7, 5k9, 4k75 (7k4 is a
virtual mode)
CODEC MODE ADAPTATION

The purpose of AMR codec mode adaptation is to provide the "best" compromise between
data rate of codec mode and channel protection, according to the link quality. This adaptation
is done for uplink and downlink and there is no interdependence between the 2 links, but both
sets of codec have to be identical.
Each 40ms, according to the requested codec mode and the applied codec mode, the BTS:
increases by one step the rate of the codec mode, if the requested codec mode
(CMR) is greater than the applied codec mode,
decreases by one step the rate of the codec mode, if the requested codec mode
(CMR) is lower than the applied codec mode,
keeps the same codec mode, if the requested codec mode (CMR) is equal to the
applied codec mode.
DOWNLINK REQUESTED CODEC MODE

A comparison of the estimated uplink C/I is then made with the network parameters to see to
which codec mode the C/I corresponds.
C/I
Codec Mode 4
Thresold_3 + Hysteresis_3 = Threshold_Max_Up(3)
Thresold_3 = Threshold_Max_Dn(4)
Codec Mode 3

Codec Mode 2

Codec Mode 1
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UPLINK REQUESTED CODEC MODE

The BTS computes for each burst the SNR criteria, which provides a good approximation of
C/I. In order to have a smooth variation of these criteria, the BTS applies the following filter:
(SNR)(k) = * (SNR)(k) + (1 - ) * (SMR)(k - 1)
Where is equal to:
0.05 in case of FR no frequency hopping channel and slow moving mobile,

0.1 in others cases of FR channels,
0.1 in case of HR no frequency hopping channel and slow moving mobile,
0.2 in others cases of HR channels.
In case of DTX, the BTS cannot evaluate the SNR criteria, thus during the DTX period, the last
value of (SNR)k is taken into account and at the end of the DX period, a time exponential filter
is used in order to increase the weight of the new measures and keep the same period of
filtering. This filtered SNR is compared to a set of thresholds and allows determining the
requested codec mode. If no uplink correct frames is received, the BTS has no way to
evaluate the quality of the downlink path, the BTS decreases the applied downlink codec
mode of one step each 40ms. This procedure is repeated until an uplink frame is correctly
received or the 4k75 codec mode is selected for the downlink path.
LCAUTION! There is a hardware limitation on the old DRX (DRX egal1 and egal2 and ND),
these DRX could not exceed UL SNR measurements of 24dB (48 in 0.5dB). Therefore, the
software limitation was implemented in order to have a homogeneous behavior for AMR
calls with every kind of DRX.
It should be note that this limitation does not impact EFR calls because SNR measurements
are not used for EFR calls. Moreover EFR was introduced before the new DRX (ND3, EDRX
and RM)
Futhermore, the 24dB software limitation is transparent on the system function:
No impact is observed on PWC.
No impact on the codec adaptation.
The only impact is on the AMR metric.
PARAMETERS
For each mobile, the following set of parameters has to be defined:
for each link direction (upLink or DownLink), one threshlod per subsequent codec
in the defined Active Codec Set (ACS),
one hysteresis (the same value is used for each codec mode, but one for FR and
another one for HR channel).
But these parameters are linked to a set of factors, some of them being determined by the
BTS (frequency hopping, MS speed), others being network dependent (environment profile).
The following table is implemented in the BSS:
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5k9 to 4k75
6k7 to 5k9
FR thresholds
10k2 to 6k7
12k2 to 10k2
FR hysteresis
5k9 to 4k75
HR thresholds 6k7 to 5k9
7k4 to 6k7
HR hysteresis
slow MS no FH
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
uplink
downlink
ideal FH
fast MS SFH 900
< 4 FH
(>= 4 freq)
no FH
TU3
90
99
108
117
91
100
109
118
92
101
110
119
93
102
111
120
94
103
112
121
95
104
113
122
96
105
114
123
97
106
115
124
98
107
116
125
According to the network configuration, and for each combination of codec mode and link
direction, the operator selects the appropriate thresholds by using the parameters
amrUlFrAdaptationSet, amrUlHrAdaptationSet, amrDlFrAdaptationSet, amrDlHrAdaptationSet
(or the single parameter amrAdaptationSet before V15.1.1). These parameters allow to
choose between 3 sets of pre-defined tables (optimistic, pessimistic and typical settings) plus
one set of tables which is user-defined The BSS using the TS configuration and the MS speed
applies the appropriate column for the uplink path.
As specifed in the GERAN recommendations (05.09) the mobile shall use the downlink
thresholds provided by the BSS defined for a reference environement: Typical Urban 3 km/h
with ideal frequency hopping at 900 MHz. The MS shall then apply a normalization factor to
normalize with respect to different channel types. The normalization factor is mobile
dependant.
See also chapter AMR Field Feedback for further informations on the codec adaptation table.
RATSCCH MANAGEMENT
This new channel is used in order to change the set of codec modes (see "L1m" section), and
has the following main characteristics:
frame stealing (1 speech frame for a FR channel, 2 speech frames for a HR

channel),
priority of RATSCCH frames is lower than FACCH priority,
a RATSCCH message has to be acknowledged in the next 3 frames by the MS,
the content of RATSCCH message is applicable 12 frames after this message,
in case of failure (ACK_ERR message), a RATSCCH procedure is repeated twice.
If the procedure completely fails, the MS and the BTS use the previous set of
codec modes.
This procedure is used by the L1m to modify the set of codec modes, for a FR channel and in
case of handover failure with return on the old FR channel, in order to avoid inconsistency
between the BTS and the MS (the BTS sends the AMR_CONFIG_REQ message).
For TCH/FR, the default transmission phase shall be such that Codec Mode Indications are
sent aligned with TDMA frame 0 in the uplink and with TDMA frame 4 in the downlink. For
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TCH/HR, the default transmission phase shall be such that Mode Indications are sent aligned
with TDMA frame 0 or 1 depending on the subchannel in the uplink and with TDMA frame 4 or
5 depending on the subchannel, in the downlink.
If at call setup or after a handover, the Codec Mode Indication is not aligned, an Ater
procedure is engaged in order to change the default phase in downlink direction.
PRINCIPLES
The RATSCCH as the FACCH shares the dedicated channel of the TCH. Contrarily to the
FACCH the RATSCCH is time synchronous. The RATSCCH allows modification of the AMR
configuration (CMI/CMC phasing, Adaptation Thresholds, ACS). From V14, the introduction of
the AMR, Nortel Networks BTS will support the RATSCCH (All Nortels BTS from the S4000
DCU4 to the most recent BTS will support the AMR speech service.)
The RATSCCH message is composed of a preamble and of a message part. Several
messages have been defined. These messages correspond to different procedures. At the
moment the following have been defined:
Changing of the Active Codec Set

Changing of the thresholds and hysteresis
PRE-HANDOVER
In case of intracell or intercell handover, the adaptation mechanism has to be frozen to the
ICM. For this result, the BTS has to intercept:
the Assignment Command in case of intracell,

the Handover Command in case of intercell handover,
and to perform up to 2 codec mode adaptations, in order to activate the initial codec mode
(5k9 kbits in all cases) and to stop the adaptative mechanism.
This induces:
an increase of around 150ms on the handover duration from the BSS point of view,
a delay of around 150ms on the handover starting time from a MS point of view,
but no impact for the end-user in term of voice quality (i.e. same speech gap).
In case of handover failure when the MS returns on the old channel, the adaptation
mechanism is restarted by the BTS at reception of the Start Measurement message
4.23.3 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MECHANISMS

CHANNEL ALLOCATION
TCH channel allocation is triggered by the reception of an Assignment request or a Handover
request message from the MSC, or in case of an intraBSC handover. The BSC should
determine whether AMR is to be used, and select between FR or HR. This mechanism is
based on proprietary algorithms, which provide to the operator a full control of the allocation.
These decisions are made based on several criteria:
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OAM flags which indicate if the BSC, the TCU, and the cell support AMR, and
strategy selected
MS capability, which is reported by the MSC in Assignment request or Handover
request messages
radio context, for instance as evaluated during the SDCCH phase.
The BSC also has to control the BSS version: an AMR channel is activated only if all nodes
managing the call are at least in V14.
FLAG MANAGEMENT
We use the two following parameters:
coderPoolConfiguration (AMR, fullrate, enhancedfullrate) attribute. This attribute

indicates enumerated speech coding algorithms supported by the TCU.
speechMode (halfRateAMR, fullRateAMR, fullrate, enhancedfullrate) attribute. This
attribute indicates speech coding algorithms supported by the cell.
CHANNEL TYPE MANAGEMENT

In order to select the channel type associated to the connection, the BSC uses the channel
rate and type and permitted speech version information, in order to know the MS capability in
term of:
FR/HR management
Speech codec
But the chosen channel type is fixed according to radio criteria and some O&M parameters,
and the BSS has the possibility to modify the channel type during the connection, in all cases.
So at reception of the Assignment Request or Handover Request, the following mediation is
done on the Channel Type octet 4:
IF Target TCH = FR TCH

THEN the BSC always allocates a FR TCH
IF Target TCH = HR TCH

AND IF AMR HR is allowed in the cell
THEN the BSC allocates a HR TCH
ELSE the BSC allocates a FR TCH.
CELL LOAD STATE

The cell load state is used in order to choose between a FR or a HR channel, and is defined
using following parameters:
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hrCellLoadStart
hrCellLoadEnd
Previously to V15.1.1, if hrCellLoadStart = 0, then FR radio channel is always allocated to the

MS, and if hrCellLoadStart > 0, then HR radio channel is allocated to the MS, according to its
radio conditions. For one call, the cell load state is evaluated at the first TCH allocation in the
cell, thus in case of intracell handover, the cell load state is not reevaluated.
In V15.1.1, the feature AMR based on traffic is introduced. The goal is to enhance the HR
allocation in order to take into account the cell load: AMR HR channels are allocated only
during loaded period. The cell load state is evaluated every 10s (see Filtered Erlang traffic and
cell load state)
ASSIGNMENT
In case of assignment, according to:
the speechMode parameter value of the target cell (signalingPoint +

TranscoderBoard + bts parameters)
the cell load of the target cell
the radio condition of the MS
the BSC selects the target Channel Type.

To know the radio conditions, the BSC sends to the BTS a Connection State Request and in
the Connection State Ack the BTS gives the following bit map:
small zone bit indicates if the small zone of the serving is eligible in case of multizone cell
HR large bit indicates if the MS has sufficient radio conditions to manage a HR
channel in the large zone of a mullti-zone cell or in normal cell
HR small bit indicates if the MS has sufficient radio conditions to manage a HR
channel in the small zone of a mullti-zone cell or in normal cell
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Using these bits and the following priority order between channel type and zone:
Priority
Preferred zone
++
HR small zone
HR large zone
FR small zone
--
FR large zone
the BSC selects the channel type and the zone for the MS.
RADIO ALLOCATOR
The radio allocator is improved in order to manage AMR calls. Due to intrinsic quality of FR
AMR and HR AMR, 2 new parameters are created on the transceiver object, in order to give
an AMR priority to each TDMA:
frAMRprioriry
hrAMRPriority
Priority 0 is given to a high priority TDMA

Priority 1 is given to a low priority TDMA
Priority 2 disables this service on the TDMA
where
Thus according these new parameters, the BSC chooses the radio TS using the following
order:
Interference level,
TDMA priority,
TDMA number (from the smallest to the biggest: 0 to n),
TS number (from the biggest to the smallest: TS7 to TS0).
In case of HR request, the BSC applies the following rules:
Always fill the holes in term of tree half (between 2 holes, the BSC uses priority
rules previously defined
If there is no hole, then the BSC allocates the highest priority TS using the rules
previously defined
This radio allocator is not improved in order to manage AMR calls, thus if an AMR
request occurs and this radio allocator is selected, then:
an other vocoder (EFR or FR) is selected using priority order given in the channel
type element
the allocated channel type is always a full rate TCH.
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4.23.4 AMR L1M

Up to V14, L1m algorithms are common for all types of dedicated channel, but due to
performances of AMR channels:
A FR AMR channel, specially with low codec mode, is more resistant than the
normal FR channel
A HR AMR channel, is more sensitive to interference than the normal FR channel
Some new mechanisms dedicated for AMR channels based on "requested codec mode" in
uplink and downlink paths, which is the best representation of the quality in this case, are
designed.
For this reason, RxQual criterion is not used in AMR L1m algorithm, dealing with AMR
channel.
12K2 AND 7K4 CODEC MODE FALSE ACTIVATION

As seen before following codec mode sets are implemented in the BTS:
AMR FR
AMR HR
10k2
6k7
6k7
5k9
5k9
4k75
4k75
In AMR L1m mechanisms, the main criterion for L1m is the requested codec mode provided
by the MS or the BTS. With this set of codec modes, it is impossible to detect if the quality is
good or very good (in both cases the MS and the BTS provide the 10k2 or 6k7 codec mode
according to the channel type).
In order to solve this problem, for an half rate channel, a fourth codec mode (7k4) is added to
the list allowing to distinguished between good and very good radio conditions. Thus the half
rate codec mode set becomes:
AMR HR
7k4
6k7
5k9
4k75
For a full rate channel:
if the radio conditions are good for uplink and downlink, then the 12k2 kbits codec
mode is configured and the 4k75 discarded allowing to distinguish between good
and very good radio conditions (using RATSCCH channel).
if the radio conditions are bad for uplink or downlink, then the 12k2 kbits codec
mode is removed and the 4k75 is set back (using RATSCCH channel).
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Thus the codec mode set becomes:
AMR FR
AMR HR
12k2
10k2
10k2
6k7
6k7
5k9
5k9
4k75
The following algorithm details the way of changing the codec mode set, for both paths:
1) initial state: the active codec mode set is {12k2, 10k2, 6k7, 5k9}
2) during the last 480ms period, at least one 4k75 code mode or 3 * 5k9 codec mode
are requested for uplink or downlink paths, then the active codec mode set is change
to {10k2, 6k7, 5k9, 4k75}
3) if the active code mode set is {10k2, 6k7, 5k9, 4k75} and during the last 2*480ms
period, no 5k9 nor 4k75 code mode is requested for uplink and downlink paths, then
the active codec mode set is change to {12k2, 10k2, 6k7, 5k9}.
POWER CONTROL
The Power Control feature reduces the average interferences level on the Network and saves
mobile batteries.
Power control algorithms are redesigned for AMR calls, in order to take into account the
requested codec mode. With the following parameters (powerControl object), the operator
defines the target codec mode of each channel type:
For the uplink path, SNR and CMR criteria are available, but the SNR is more accurate than
the CMR. For the downlink path only the CMR is available. Thus the AMR power control does
not apply same principles for both paths. This new power control mechanism is also controlled
by the 2 classical power control parameters:
bsPowerControl for the downlink path,

uplinkPowerControl for the uplink path.
UPLINK POWER CONTROL

For the uplink path, the criterion is the SNR, averaged on 2 measurement periods. As this
mechanism shall guarantee a voice quality, the target SNR is the upper threshold of the
adaptation mechanism:
Note: for the 12k2 (or 7k4) value, the BTS takes into account the 10k2 (or 6k7) value plus the
FR (or HR) hysteresis.
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At each measurement period, the BTS calculates the new MS power using the following
formula:
IF (Filtered_SNR Target _SNR) > 0
THEN MS_txpwr(N) = MS_txpwr(N-1) 0.7*( Filtered_SNR Target _SNR)
ELSE IF
THEN MS_txpwr(N) = MS_txpwr(N-1) + 1.4*( Target _SNR -Filtered_SNR)
DOWNLINK POWER CONTROL

The power control principle is:
To decrease the power level of one step if the last requested codec mode of the
480 ms is greater than the target codec mode,
To increase the power level of one step if the last requested codec mode of the
480 ms is lower than the target codec mode
Note: in AMR like in EFR, the parameter lRxLevDLP indicates the threshold below which
power control is inhibited.
HANDOVER MECHANISMS
The following table describes which handover mechanisms are impacted by the AMR
introduction
Handover type
modified
uplink and downlink quality
yes
uplink and downlink strength
no
distance
no
power budget
no
uplink and downlink intra-cell handover
yes
capture
no
inter-zone
yes
directed retry
no
Traffic
no
PRINCIPLE
These 4 handovers are based on "(n,p) voting" principle, using the requested codec mode.
The (n,p) voting principle considers the last p requested codec modes, it compares them to
two parameters: a codec mode threshold defined for the procedure and the specific n value
used for the procedure.
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pRequestedCodec
t
Handover
decision
If p is set to 2 SACCH periods (2*12), n is set to 10, the target codec mode is the green one,
and then a handover is triggered in the following example:
This principle applies in uplink and downlink direction independently.
This mechanism is managed by the L1m and triggered at the end of each period of
measurement, thus p has to be a multiple of the number of requested codec mode in one
measurement period (i.e. 480 / 40 = 12).
The following parameters are defined in the handOverControl object:
pRequestedCodec
nHRRequestedCodec
nFRRequestedCodec
If the n parameter is set to a value greater than the p parameter, then all associated features
are deactivated. If the target codec mode is the smallest, then the associated feature is
deactivated.
INTERBSC HANDOVER
In case of interBSC handover, according to:
the speechMode parameter value of the target cell (signallingPoint +

transcoderBoard + bts parameters)
the cell load of the target cell
the Current Channel element
the Cause element
the BSC selects the target Channel Type:
if one out of these last 2 optional A interface elements is not set in the Handover
Request message, the chosen channel type is FR
if these 2 elements are present and the half rate is allowed in the target cell, then
the following table is applied:
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Current Channel type 1
HR
Cause
FR
uplink quality
FR
FR
uplink strength
FR
FR
downlink quality
FR
FR
downlink strength
FR
FR
Distance
FR
FR
O&M intervention
FR
FR
Better cell
HR
FR
Directed retry
FR
FR
Traffic
HR
FR
In all other case, a FR channel is allocated.
INTRABSC INTERCELL HANDOVER

In case of intraBSC handover, following transitions are defined in order to determine the target
channel type:
Initial Channel type
HR AMR
Handover cause
FR AMR
AMR quality
FR AMR
FR AMR
DISTANCE
FR AMR
FR AMR
PBGT
HR AMR
FR AMR
TRAFFIC
HR AMR
FR AMR
Forced HO
FR AMR
FR AMR
Capture
FR AMR
FR AMR
Directed retry
FR AMR
FR AMR
The speechMode parameter value of the target cell and the cell load are also checked in order
to verify that the half rate is allowed in the cell.
With AMR calls, RxLev and RxQual criteria for uplink and downlink are not used and replaced
by an algorithm based on "(n,p) voting" principle, using the requested codec mode.
Following parameters are introduced in order to specified the target requested codec mode for
FR and HR AMR channel:
In order to manage the eligible cell list, a new handover margin is introduced in the
adjacentCellHandOver object: hoMarginAMR this parameter is used in order to calculate the
Exp2 (this expression is used to evaluate the PBGT criteria for each cell and to classify eligible
cells, please refer to chapter EXP2).
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IF N(Uplink) nXXRequestedCodec
OR N(Downlink) nXXRequestedCodec
THEN the Handover is triggered
With N the number of requested codec mode for the uplink or the downlink strictly lower than
AMRXXIntercellCodecModeThreshold (XX stands for HR or FR)
INTRABSC INTRACELL HANDOVER

In order to select the channel type, the BSC applies the following table:
Handover cause
original channel type
target channel type
normal intra-cell
FR
FR
Small to large zone
FR or HR
FR
large to small zone
FR
FR or HR according to radio conditions*
large to small zone
HR
HR**
tiering FH to no FH
FR
FR
tiering FH to no FH
HR
FR
tiering no FH to FH
FR
FR
tiering no FH to FH
HR
HR
AMR FR to HR
FR
HR
AMR HR to FR
HR
FR
*The radio conditions are given by the BTS to the BSC using the Current Cell Add information
element in the Handover Indication message.
**If radio conditions are not sufficient in the small zone to manage this HR MS, the MS
remains in the large one, due to the HR priority.
Intracell handover principle is to give to the mobile a better resource in term of interference, if
its C/I is low, with a high C value.
This principle is only applicable to FR AMR mobiles, due to interaction with HR >FR handover:
in these radio conditions, it is really more efficient to allocate a FR radio TS to a HR AMR
mobile, than to perform a handover from an HR TS to a HR TS. This intracell handover is
triggered only if the intracell parameter of handovercontrol object is set to enabled.
The following parameter is introduced on the handoverControl object, in order to specify the
target requested codec mode for FR AMR channel:
The minimum level to perform an AMR intracell handover is defined by following parameters
on the handoverControl object:
amriRxLevDLH
amriRxLevULH
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So the intracell handover uses the following criteria:

IF N(Uplink) nFRRequestedCodec AND RxLevUL > amriRxLevULH
OR N(Downlink) nFRRequestedCodec AND RxLevDL > amriRxLevDLH
THEN the handover is triggered.
With N the number of requested codec mode for the uplink or the downlink strictly lower than
amrFRIntracellCodecMThresh for the uplink or the downlink
INTRACELL HANDOVER AMR FR AMR HR

This handover is used to change the channel type of a mobile from FR to HR if the quality is
sufficient.
Due to the high C/I requirement for HR channel, the requested codec mode of "(n,p) voting"
mechanism is fixed by default to 12k2 kbits/s and a dedicated "n" parameter allows to set the
trade-off between quality and capacity:
The handover is triggered if the "(n,p) voting" principle is fulfilled in both directions.
Note:
this mechanism is not linked to the intracell parameter of handovercontrol object.

this mechanism is deactivated if nCapacityFRRequestedCodec is greater than
pRequestedCodec.
So the handover AMR FR to HR uses the following criteria:

IF N(Uplink) nCapacityFRRequestedCodec
AND N(Downlink) nCapacityFRRequestedCodec
THEN the capacity handover is triggered.
With N the number of requested codec mode for 12k2 in the p requested codec mode for the
uplink and the downlink path,
INTRACELL HANDOVER AMR HR AMR FR

This handover is used to change the channel type of a mobile from HR to FR if the quality is
not sufficient.
The handover is triggered if the "(n,p) voting" principle is fulfilled in one direction.
The following parameter is introduced on the handoverControl object, in order to specify the
target requested codec mode for this handover:
Note: this mechanism is not linked to the intracell parameter of handovercontrol object, and it
is deactivated if amrHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh is set to 4k75.
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DIRECT HALF RATE TCH ALLOCATION

In order to avoid some unnecessary handover from FR to HR channel, it is mandatory to
evaluate the radio conditions at following stages:
primo allocation: SDCCH to TCH in a normal cell,

primo allocation: SDCCH to large zone TCH in a multi-zones cell,
primo allocation: SDCCH to small zone TCH in a multi-zones cell,
inter-zone handover from large to small in a multi-zones cell.
and allocate immediately a HR channel if radio conditions are sufficient.

The principle of this mechanism is to compare the RxLev uplink and downlink to dedicated
thresholds, in order to estimate the MS HR capability.
Following parameters are introduced on the handoverControl object, in order to specified
RxLev thresholds for this handover:
So the direct half rate TCH allocation uses the following criteria:
In a normal cell or in the large zone:
IF RxLevDL > amrDirectAllocRxLevDL and RXLevUL > amrDirectAllocRxLevUL
THEN the direct HR TCH allocation is enabled
In a small zone:
IF RxLevDL > amrDirectIntAllocRxLevDL and RXLevUL > amrDirectIntAllocRxLevUL
THEN the direct HR TCH allocation is enabled
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SUMMARY
The following table presents a summary of all new L1m decisions:
HO decision
channel type
p value for (n,p) voting
n value for (n,p) voting
target codec
quality intercell UL / DL
TCH FR
pRequestedCodec
TCH HR
pRequestedCodec
nFRRequestedCodec
nHRRequestedCodec
quality intracell UL / DL
FR FR
TCH FR
pRequestedCodec
nFRRequestedCodec
HR FR
TCH HR
pRequestedCodec
nHRRequestedCodec
FR HR
TCH FR
pRequestedCodec
capacity intracell
Direct HR TCH allocation
outer zone
inner zone
channel type
SDCCH
fixed to FR codec 12k2
averaging window
thresholds
1 rxLevHreqt*
rxLevHreqave
SDCCH
1 rxLevHreqt*
TCH FR
rxLevHreqave
TCH HR
* in this case, all available measures, up to rxLevHreqt are taken into account.0
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Following figures illustrate all possible transitions for an AMR call, in a multi-zones cell
environment:
INTRACELL HANDOVERS ON QUALITY
Tiering BCCH to FH FR
Tiering BCCH to FH HR
Intracell FR or HR
FR
FR
Interzone FR or HR
Intracell FR or HR
FR
FR
INTRACELL HANDOVERS ON CAPACITY
Tiering BCCH to FH FR
Tiering BCCH to FH HR
Interzone FR
Interzone HR
FR or HR
HR Capacity FR
Capacity FR
HR
HR
FR or HR
FR
HR
HR
FR or HR
Direct TCH
allocation
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INTERCELL HANDOVERS:
FR FR
Target Cell
FR
FR
HR
HR
PBGT
Traffic
Alarm
Capture
HR
HR
FR FR
Source Cell
FR
FR
HR
HR
FR FR
Directed
Retry
4.23.5 LEGACY L1M

Type of power control and quality handover can be chosen via the parameter amrReserved2.
While legacy L1m bases its decision on RxQual/RxLev measurements (please refer to chapter
Measurement Processing), AMR L1m base trigger its algorithms on C/I estimations (please
refer to chapter AMR L1m).
The choice between legacy or AMR power control or handover management is up to the
operators strategy.
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4.23.6 ENGINEERING RULES

QUEUING/PRIORITY 0
queuing is not possible for an HR only request,

for a FR or HR request in queue, only a FR TCH can be allocated.
The number of priority 0 TS takes into account only radio TS which are completely free (i.e. a
free half rate TS is count for 0).
TCH SIGNALLING
A signaling half rate TCH can not be activate at reception of Channel Required.
If a signaling Assignment Request (channel type: speech/ data indicator field), for a mobile
using an half rate TCH, an assignment procedure is triggered to a SDCCH channel and the
associated CIC is released.
If a signaling Assignment Request (channel type: speech/ data indicator field), for a mobile
using a full rate TCH, a channel mode modify procedure is triggered to a signaling TCH
channel and the associated CIC is released.
If an AMR HR or FR Assignment Request is received for a mobile using a signaling FR TCH,
the BSC modifies the current signaling FR TCH to a AMR FR TCH and later, if radio
conditions are sufficient, then a handover from AMR FR to AMR HR will be triggered by the
BTS (see section Principles/ L1m/Handover mechanisms/ handover HR->FR).
AUTOMATIC CELL TIERING

In V12.4, according to PWCI distribution and hopping TCH percentage, the BTS is able to
automatically set the used threshold in order to trigger tiering handover.
In V14, this mechanism has to be enhanced as show below, in order to take into account AMR
HR calls:
in V12.4: P% is evaluated as:
Number of non hopping TCH - nbLargeReuseDataChannel
P%=
Total number of TCH in the cell - nbLargeReuseDataChannel
P%=
in V14: P% is evaluated as:
(Number of non hopping TCH nbLargeReuseDataChannel) * (1 + Non_FH_HR%)

(Total number of TCH in the cell nbLargeReuseDataChannel) * (1 + HR%)
FH_HR% is the percent of HR calls managed by the hopping pattern in the cell,
HR% is the percent of HR calls managed in the cell.
These 2 percentages are calculated by the BTS.

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GENERAL PROTECTION AGAINST HO PING PONG

Due to AMR L1m introduction, a new cause value is added in hoPingPongCombination:
AMRquality. This value is used in case of AMR handover triggered for alarm purpose.
In case of interBSC handover, in order to distinguish between RxQual handover and AMR
quality handover, the BSC uses following rules:
If the handover cause = RxQual and the speech version <> AMR then the
Handover cause = RxQual.
If the handover cause = RxQual and the speech version = AMR then the Handover
cause = AMR quality.
HANDOVER EFR/FR - AMR

For handover from an AMR cell to a non-AMR cell it is performed via the A interface using
external handover mechanism, in order to allow the fallback to EFR or FR channel (according
to Assignment Request order).
For handover from a non-AMR cell to an AMR cell, in order to decrease the MSC load, the call
is not upgraded to AMR and a normal EFR handover occurs.
Note that interBSC procedure may increase the number of dropped call, so it is recommended
to minimize that trnasition period.
GSM/GPRS TS SHARING
The GSM/GPRS TS sharing is used in order to allow the BSC to preempt some GPRS radio
resources, in case of lack of circuit radio resources.
In case of AMR FR request, there is no special mechanism.
In case of AMR HR request, if a preemption has to be done, then the allocated channel is an
AMR FR one.
TDMA CONFIGURATION
Due to the half rate channel introduction and to limit the number of contexts in the BSC, the
number of SDCCH per TDMA is limited as following:
normal cell:
Maximum number of SDCCH per TDMA: 2,

only one SDCCH TS managed by odd TS per TDMA,
only one SDCCH TS managed by even TS per TDMA.
extended cell:
Maximum number of SDCCH per TDMA: 1.
LCAUTION!
It is highly recommended to respect that TDMA configuration in case of activation of AMR.
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AMR HR-FR INTERWORKING

In case of deactivation of AMR FR service, following points have to be highlighted:
direct HR TCH allocation is available, even if AMR FR is not configured in the cell,
handovers from FR radio TS to AMR HR are triggered on requested codec mode
criterion, but this criterion is available only for AMR calls, thus this kind of
handover is not possible from a FR or EFR channel and decreases the AMR HR
efficiency,
handovers from (or to) an AMR HR channel to (or from) EFR channel are
performed using an external handover procedure and thus induce:
more load on the MSC,
more perturbations on the voice quality, thus it is mandatory to activate AMR FR
service, in case of AMR HR activation.
4.23.7 AMR BASED ON TRAFFIC

PRINCIPLE
Previously to V15.1.1, the choice between an half rate and full rate channel was based only on
radio criteria, thus in order to guarantee the voice quality at any time the operator had to tune
the network with conservative values.
With the introduction of AMR based on traffic, AMR HR channels are allocated only during
loaded period, so the operator could choose more aggressive radio thresholds and then get
more radio capacity for the same number of TRX.
In order to minimize impacts of this strategy, this feature tune the half rate penetration
according to the cell load:
HR capacity
HR
FR capacity
FR
This feature is based on a smooth mechanism, which allows anticipating the cell load and
switching the allocation into HR mode, when an Erlang threshold is reached.
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The following picture illustrates the interworking between these 2 kinds of mechanisms over
24 hours:
Blocking managed
thanks to directed retry
and HO traffic
Traffic
Max HR
capacity
Number of
allocated TCH
Half rate area

Max FR
capacity
FR->HR threshold
Blocking managed
thanks to directed retry
and HO traffic
Full rate area
Avg Erlang
24 hours
Two typical periods are observed:
Low traffic: all calls are allocated in full rate mode and the blocking is managed
thanks to directed retry and traffic handovers features.
High traffic: call are allocated in half or full rate modes, according to radio
conditions of each calls and the ultimate blocking is managed thanks to directed
retry and traffic handovers features.
FILTERED ERLANG TRAFFIC AND CELL LOAD STATE
Filtered_TCH_ration = a*
busy_TCH_TS
+ (1 - a)* Filtered_TCH_ration-1
available_TCH_TS
where:
Filtered_TCH_ration is the busy TCH ratio managed by the cell at period n.

is the filter coefficient (filteredTrafficCoefficient parameter).
busy_TCH_TS is the number of TCH TS allocated to a FR or a HR TCH call (in
case of multi-zones cell, traffic of both zones is taken into account).
Available_TCH_TS is the number of TCH TS configured and available in the cell
(in case of multi-zones cell, traffic of both zones is taken into account).
The initial value of Filtered_TCH_ration is set to 0.
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This filtered busy TCH ratio is then compared to the 2 thresholds HRCellLoadStart and
HRCellLoadEnd in order to determine the cell load state:
If (Filtered_TCH_ration < HRCellLoadEnd),
then Cell_Load_Staten = min(max (0, Cell_Load_Staten-1 -1); nb of in service

DRX+1)
Else if (Filtered_TCH_ration >= HRCellLoadStart),
then Cell_Load_Staten = min(nb of in service DRX, Cell Load_Staten-1 +1).

Else
Cell_Load_Staten = min(Cell_Load_Staten-1; nb of in service DRX)

The initial value of this Cell_Load_Staten is set to 0.
This mechanism is activated whatever values of all associated parameters (AMR FR and / or
HR activated or not, HRCellLoadStart, HRCellLoadEnd ), in order to allow the monitoring at
the OMC-R level of this mechanism.
PDTCH TS (preempted or not) are not taken into account in this mechanism in order to
decrease PDTCH preemption.
In case of TDMA / TRX defense mechanism, the BSC has to take into account the new
number of DRX in service at the next period, in order to evaluate the cell load state.
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLE

The 3 algorithms used to allocate a HR channel to a mobile are tuned in order to be adapted
to the cell load.
DIRECT HALF-RATE ALLOCATION

Direct half rate allocation: the range between the OMC-R RxLev threshold and -48dBm (the
deactivation value) is divided in N sub-range, thus new subthresholds are dynamically created
by the BSC. At each cell load state modification, appropriate sub-thresholds is used by the
BTS:
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Cell load state

RxLev
distribution
Smax
S4
S3
S2
S1
S0
amrDirectAlloc RxLev4
(Int)RxLevxx
-110
RxLev3
RxLev2
RxLev1
-48
dBm
The principle is for the BSC to adapt the following OMC-R parameters according to the cell
load state:
AMRDirectAllocRxLevUL
AMRDirectAllocRxLevDL
AMRDirectAllocIntRxLevUL
AMRDirectAllocIntRxLevDL
The threshold associated to the cell load state i is evaluated according to the following
formula:
Nb_DRX-i
Threshold_i = int AMRDirectAllocyyRxlevxx + (-48 - AMRDirectAllocyyRxlevxx)*
Nb_DRX
Where:
Xx is used for UL or DL,

Yy is used for int or nothing.
Every 10 seconds if needed, new thresholds are sent to all DRX.

The initial value of this mechanism is the threshold_0 (-48dBm),
At the end of a defense TDMA procedure, current thresholds are sent to the BTS.
This mechanism is activated only if:
at least one OMC-R threshold is not equal to -48.

The AMR HR service is activated in the cell (speechMode parameters of the BSC
& cell object)
In case of modification of one AMRDirectAllocyyRxlevxx parameter, the new value is taken

into account at the next period.
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FR TO HR HANDOVER
FR to HR handover: this handover is activated DRX per DRX according to the cell load state:
S0: no DRX is configured in order to allow the FR to HR handover

Si: i DRX are configured in order to allow the FR to HR handover and N-i-1 are
configured in order to deactivate this handover.
The BSC chooses the i DRX in the cell according to the AMR FR radio allocator priority.
Highest priority TDMA are switched in FR->HR mode in first. Every 10 seconds if needed, new
parameters are sent to all DRX.
The initial is no DRX activated, especially at the end of a defense TDMA procedure.
In case of modification of any AMR FR to HR handover parameter, the new value is taken into
account at the next period.
All Handover Indication messages sent by the BTS, have to be managed by the BSC
whatever the cell load state.
This mechanism is activated only if:
nCapacityFRRequestedCodec not greater than pRequestedCodec.

The AMR HR service is activated in the cell (speechMode parameters of the BSC
& cell object)
HR TO HR INTER-CELL HANDOVER
HR to HR inter-cell handover: this half rate allocation is full deactivated in case of S0 cell load
state and fully activated in all others cases.
This mechanism is activated only if the AMR HR service is activated in the cell (speechMode
parameters of the BSC & cell object)
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4.24. WPS - WIRELESS PRIORITY SERVICE

The current United States industry focus in support of National Security and Emergency
Preparedness telecommunications services is to specify the requirements for Wireless Priority
Services. The initial deployment of WPS is intended to allow qualified and authorized NS/EP
users to obtain priority access to radio traffic channels during situation when Commercial
Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) network congestion is blocking call attempts.
WPS is intended to facilitate emergency response and recovery operations in response to
natural and man-made disasters and events, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and
terrorist attacks. WPS is also intended to support both national and international emergency
communications.
4.24.1 PRINCIPLE
If a Service user invokes WPS (Wireless Priority Service) and no radio traffic channel is
available in the cell, the WPS request shall be queued according to the WPS priority, the call
initiation time and the state of the queue for the cell.
This feature is an improvement of the queuing services available to WPS users.
The WPS queuing principle is the following:
The eight (8) current queues are kept unchanged

Five (5) new queues are added an dedicated to WPS request
For public queue management and related parameters, refer to chapter Queuing.
4.24.2 WPS QUEUING MANAGEMENT

The new queuing management of WPS requests is activated when queuing is driven by the
MSC (bscQueuingOption parameter is set to allowed) and WPS management is activated
(wPSManagement parameter is set to enabled)
LCAUTION!
The bscQueuingOption is a class 1 parameter, which means that parameter can be set only
when the parent bsc object is locked.
It is important to underline that the internal queues associated with WPS requests and the
internal queues associated with public requests are treated in completely separate ways.
CHARACTERISTIC OF THE WPS QUEUE

Each WPS queue is defined with:
Its associated priority Pi

Its queue size Ni, the maximum number of WPS call requests (of priority Pi or
higher) which can be queued simultaneously
Its own T11 timer value, which represents the maximum time a WPS call request of
a given priority Pi can remain in queue
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The priority Pi is received from the MSC in the assignement request message.
The size Ni of a given WPS queue is set according to the allocWaitThreshold parameter. In
order to be in accordance with the WPS industry requirement and configuration, each queue
size threshold Ni (with 8< i <12) should be equal (N8=N9=N10=N11=N12) and equals the
maximum number of WPS requests allowed in the WPS queues.
The timer T11 for a given queue can be defined with the allocPriorityTimers parameter. It is
understood that the request will immediately be denied with a cause no radio resource
available if this timer is set to 0.
PROCEDURE TO QUEUE SERVICE REQUEST USER WPS

FIRST CASE: MS IS PUT IN QUEUE
As no radio channel is available, and as the queue size threshold Ni of the queue
corresponding to the WPS priority Pi is not reached, the WPS call request is put in queue i. A
queuing indication message is sent to the MSC.
SECOND CASE: MS IS DENIED (QUEUE FULL)

As no radio channel is available, and as the queue size threshold Ni of the queue
corresponding to the WPS priority Pi is reached, the WPS call request is denied. An
assignement failure message with cause no radio resource available is returned to the MSC.
THIRD CASE: MS IS PUT IN QUEUE TAKING THE PLACE OF AN OTHER

MS
As no radio resource is available, if the queue size threshold Ni corresponding to the WPS
priority Pi is not reached, but if adding the call request to queue i would cause the threshold Nj
of another internal WPS queue j to be violated, and if the WPS request priority (Pi) is higher
than at least one WPS request (Pk) already in queue in the cell, the BSS takes the following
actions:
the BSS shall remove the WPS request with the lowest priority (Pk) and the most
recent initiation time from the queue. It sends an assignment failure for this
removed WPS request with the cause no radio resource available.
the BSC shall place the newly arrived WPS request in the queue i according to the
initiation time and the priority level.
A queuing indication for the WPS call request of priority Pi and an assignement failure for the
WPS call request of priority Pk are sent to to the MSC.
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MANAGEMENT OF SERVICE REQUEST USER WPS PUT IN QUEUE

RESOURCE AVAILABLE
If a radio traffic channel becomes available when there are WPS requests in queue, the
process of ressource allocation decribed in the WPS Public access bandwith protection
(see chapter WPS Public access bandwith protection below) has to be followed.
T11 EXPIRY
If the WPS request is in queue i for a radio traffic channel and the maximum time allowed for
that queue expires, the WPS request is removed from the queue and the call is cleared. A
clear request with the cause no radio resource available is then sent to the MSC.
RADIO CONTACT WITH THE MS IS LOST

If the WPS request is in queue for a radio traffic channel but radio contact with the mobile is
lost (detected by the BTS which informs the BSC), the WPS request is removed from the
queue and the call cleared. A clear request with the cause Radio Interface Failure is sent to
the MSC.
MS DISCONNECTS THE CALL

If the MS decides to disconnect the call while the WPS request is queued, the BSC receives a
clear command message from the MSC and processes the release of the call including the
request removing from the WPS queue.
FEATURE ACTIVATION
If the bscQueuingOption parameter is set to not allowed then queuing is not performed, i.e.
no request goes into any of the queues 0 to 12, whatever the wPSManagement value is. In all
the following cases, the bscQueuingOption flag is considered as allowed (MSC driven).
One has to well understand the two levels of queuing in MSC Driven queuing mode:
At the MSC level the call request is described by two fields in the assignement
request message: queuing allowed set to allowed / not allowed, and priority
level (14 are defined)
At the BSC level the queuing management of the call requests is set to allowed, so
the BSC takes into account the 2 fields described above
WPS queuing is so done according both to the queuing allowed field value set in the
assignment request message sent by the MSC (if this field value is set to queuing not
allowed, then there is no queuing) and the WPS priority (1 to 5).
In all the following cases, this field value is considered as queuing allowed for all WPS and
public call requests.
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WPSMANAGEMENT FLAG IS ENABLED

The WPS request is queued according to the mapping (GSM 08.08 priority / internal priority)
done by the customer at the OMC-R.
Internal priorities correspond to the queues 0 to 7 for public requests, and queues 8 to 12 for
WPS requests.
When the wPSManagement flag is enabled, a recommended mapping of the allocPriorityTable
has to be respected.
When the wPSManagement flag is turned on, it also enables the PURQ AC algorithm feature.
(see chapter WPS Public access bandwith protection below)
WPSMANAGEMENT FLAG IS DISABLED

It is recommended that the customer sets the mapping (GSM 08.08 priority / internal priority)
at the OMC-R, so that only internal priority 0-7 are used when the wPSManagement flag is
disabled. In this case, if a WPS request is received by the BSC, the request will be managed
like a public call since it will be queued in the public queues.
If no mapping is specified by the customer, the default mapping is done to the internal queue
0.
4.24.3 WPS ACCESS CLASS BARRING WITH CLASS PERIODIC

ROTATION
In normal conditions, the number of WPS Users should be sufficiently small that there is little
likelihood of them having a significant impact on public use. But in case of exceptional events,
the number of initial access is dramatically increased and can induce a full blocking of the
system.
In V9, a feature called "access class barring" was designed in order to avoid this kind of
problem, thanks to a dynamic barring of a significant part of users. An enhancement of this
feature has been designed, in order to allow users to access periodically to the network,
without huge network congestion.
To synthesize, one can say that this feature allows users to access the network periodically
during network congestion by modifying the number of barred access classes in function of the
congestion state of the cell, and by periodically changing which access classes are barred.
There are no specific access class parameters that can be tuned in order to optimize WPS
use.
For further details about this change of access class baring, see chapter Barring of access
class.
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4.24.4 WPS PUBLIC ACCESS BANDWITH PROTECTION

The public access bandwidth protection is required in case of cell congestion with WPS users
in the cell. Assuming that the number of WPS users is less important than public users, and
taking into account that WPS users are priority users, this feature ensures that a radio network
bandwidth is available to public users during cell congestion (lack of radio resources).
PRINCIPLE
The idea of the algorithm is to allocate a specified portion of the traffic channels (as they
become free) with preference to public calls, and to allocate a second portion of the traffic
channels (as they become free) with preference to WPS calls.
The BSC radio resource allocator processes the algorithm which favors WPS calls 1 out of
wPSQueueStepRotation times and then process the algorithm which favors public calls P out
of wPSQueueStepRotation times (P = wPSQueueStepRotation 1).
With this choice, 1 out of wPSQueueStepRotation of the call capacity can be allocated for
WPS users, wPSQueueStepRotation being 1,2, ,10. (recommended value is 4 and hence
25% can be allocated with preference to WPS requests)
PURQ-AC ALGORITHM WITH SUPERCOUNT

PURQ-AC stands for Public Use Reservation for Queuing - All Calls
This algorithm is only activated if If the wPSManagement flag (BSC level) authorizes the WPS
requests management
When the algorithm is turned on (i.e at the startup of a BSC or after a lock/unlock of the cell),
the priority is given to a WPS call request (1 out of wPSQueueStepRotation times), the
algorithm proceeds to some checks about the state of the WPS queues (left side on the
schema below), then the priority is given to public call requests (P out of
wPSQueueStepRotation times) and the algorithm proceeds also to some checks about the
state of the WPS queues (right side of the schema below).
The aim of the supercount is to allow 10 call running deficit over allocation, and enhanced
small cell performances. It smoothes out short term variations, and decreases delay. The
Supercount tigger value of 10 is a fixed value. Supercount is initialised to 0 and is reset to 0
when a lock/unlock action is done on the cell for instance.
FEATURE ACTIVATION
If the wPSManagement flag (BSC level) is disabled but queuing indications in the assignement
request message still give the priority to WPS call requests, in case of cell congestion, the
WPS users may use all the cell bandwidth (due to their priority) and public users may not have
an access to the network. However that case could only occur if WPS queues are mapped on
internal queues 0-7 instead of the queues dedicated for WPS, because only internal queues 07 are evaluated to serve a queued request when wPSManagementFlaf is turned off. The new
algorithm has a cell based internal management that does not impact any other cells in term of
traffic management.
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This feature is linked with the queuing management (public and WPS requests) and hence
parameters related to the queue management have to bet set in order to take advantage of
the benefits provided by the PURQ AC algorithm.
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4.25. SATELLITE ABIS INTERFACE

From V15.1 the use of Satellite Abis links will be possible to allow the connection between
BSC and BTS.
BTS
BSC
Abis
Agprs
Abis
Ater
BTS
Abis
In some network areas, there is no earth terrestrial transmission infrastructure between the
BSC and the BTS. This feature solves this problem thanks to a satellite link between these 2
nodes.
To get detailed information about the implementation of this feature, please refer to document
[R31].
4.25.1 PRINCIPLE
The principle of this feature is to allow the implementation of satellite links, instead of
terrestrial links on the Abis interface.
The main issue is to take the propagation delay between BSC to BTS which changes of some
ms to about 240 ms (2*36000 km/300.000 km/s):
The Abis link has to be modified, in order to take into account this supplementary
delay
The channel Request / Immediate Assignment has to be improved in order to allow
an efficient channel allocation.
Details on how these changes are done are fully detailled in the Functional Note.
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4.25.2 FEATURE ACTIVATION

To activate this feature on a given BSS, some appropriate parameters will have to be
specified. These parameters will be provided through the BSC data config functionality. They
are presented in document [R31] and correspond:
to the LAPD T200 timer value and anticipation window size to be used for Abis
LAPD Data Links
to the type of Abis configuration concerned (terrestrial or satellite) at a BTS level
Thus a dedicated build will be needed to activate this feature with the corresponding
parameters.
At the BTS site, installation has to be done with software release compatible with satellite
links. Else it will not be possible to switch in service these equipments.
The introduction of this feature will also imply specific engineering rules mainly due to very big
transmission delays induced by satellite links usage and due to specific implementation
choices. The current document will not focus on engineering rules related to this feature as
they are described in detail in the Satellite Abis Interface - Engineering Guideline (refer to
document [R32]).
LCAUTION!
The applicable BSS Engineering rules presented on document [R7] may be overwriten by the
specific rules applicable to the case where Abis satellite links are used.
4.25.3 FEATURE INTERWORKING

INTERWORKING WITH NON SATELLITE EQUIPMENTS
The system behaviour is not guaranteed if:
a satellite BTS is equipped with a DRX, which is not a eDRX,

a satellite BTS is equipped with a CMCF phase 1,
a satellite BTS is connected to a non satellite BSC,
a non satellite BTS (i.e. this type of BTS or the BTS release do not support this
feature) is connected to a satellite BSC.
COMBINED BCCH
It is recommended to not use a combined BCCH for a satellite cell because of:
Channel Request: the MS timer between Channel Request and Immediate

Assignment is shorter, in case of combined BCCH, thus the risk of triple Channel
Request is increased
Lapd load: in order to distribute the signaling load over all DRX.
More details on recommended parameter associated to feature restrictions are given in the
Satellite Abis Interface - Engineering Guideline (refer to document [R32])
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4.26. NETWORK SYNCHRONIZATION

4.26.1 GLOBAL DESCRIPTION
When NW synchronization is not applied, the cells get their time base through the PCM time.
Only the cells of the same site (on the same PCM) can be burst aligned and frame numbers
are random for all cells.
Cell x1
TDMA y1
FN z1
TSC : centre
of the burst
z1
Cell x2
TDMA y2
FN z2
z1 + 1
z2
z2 + 1
Time synchronisation
Burst synchronisation
General case of non synchronisation
With NW synchronization feature, all cells of a network could be synchronized on the same
clock, the GPS clock, through an additional external GPS receiver.
There are 2 ways this can be implemented:
Burst synchronization: the frames and bursts are aligned to the GPS clock; all the
equipments are enslaved to the clock.
Time synchronization: the absolute time (or a way to deduce it) is provided, as well,
to all the equipments. A major difference: no FN/TN Offsets planning is possible
without Time Synchronization.
A major interest can be seen already for location services: location precision will improve with
a better synchronization of the network elements.
Nortels implementation allows applying synchronization by following 2 modes:
Aligning bursts (burst synchronisation)

Determining FN (time synchronisation).
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TSC : centre
of the burst
Cell x1
TDMA y1
FN z
Cell x2
TDMA y2
FN z + offset
z+o
z+1
z+o + 1
General case of synchronisation
Both type of synchronizations are implemented in Nortels portfolio and are supported by
addition of equipments (TMU) and parameters.
4.26.2 FEATURE IMPACTS EXPECTATIONS

From literature and 3GPP recommendations, modification of the NW behavior, following NW
synchronization activation, could occur at various levels:
Quantity of interferences: being able to determine FN for the various hopping laws,
it is then expected that some laws (HSN, MAIO, MA list, FN) that are better than
others.
Impact of interferences: the various features of interferences cancellation, noise
cancellation in both, the NW and the MS are expected to work optimally with
synchronization.
Others : HO reactivity, LCS precision
But, synchronizing all BTS in a network, meaning synchronizing possible interferers (some
cells) and their victims (other cells) doesnt provide alone any gain of quality or capacity. On
the contrary, synchronization may reduce the performances if no additional feature or
engineering solution is applied.
It has to be accompanied by engineering actions (strategies, planning methods ). Please
refer to chapter Network synchronization engineering planning methodologies.
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5.
ALGORITHM PARAMETERS
5.1.
INTRODUCTION
This chapter lists parameters, sorted according to their group, as they were defined in the
previous Chapter.
The following information is provided for each parameter:
a brief description
value range and unit
the recommended value: takes the best benefit of the feature in a standard network
configuration and environment.
process in which it is used (see Chapter 2)
some engineering rules that must be considered for the parameter setting
the object that contains this parameter
the default value. Most of the time, the default value inhibits the feature
characterized by this parameter
corresponding GSM name
GSM Recommendation
parameter type and OMC-R class (see note below)
Note: The recommended value is established from Nortel experience and studies. This value
has to be adapted according to the network specificities. For the recommanded value in GSM
900, its the same value for eGSM and GSM-R when nothing else is recommended for these
two networks. This value is not contractual, and it could change with Nortel new studies results
and experience growth.
The following types of parameters can be distinguished:
Customer engineering parameters:

o
o
o
o
Addressing: relative to an object

Design: contract characteristic
Optimization:network tuning
Operation: network operation
Manufacturer parameters:
o
o
o
System: modifying such a parameter seriously impacts system

behaviour
Product: parameters related to the current system release
DP: stands for permanent data
OMC-R class gives rules to be followed when modifying a parameter:

CLASS
Class 0
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Rules
Implies reconstruction of the BDA
Put BSC out of service (i.e. BSC state set to locked), takes new parameters into account by
resetting active chain and passive chains
Declares the object (or its parent) temporarily out-of-service before modification
Modification is dynamically taken into account
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5.2.
CELL SELECTION AND RESELECTION PARAMETERS

cellReselectHysteresis
Class3
V7
Description:
Hysteresis to reselect towards a cell:

when the MS is in IDLE mode and reselects a cell with a different
LA (Location Area)
when the MS is in GPRS STANDBY mode and reselects a cell with
a different LA (Location Area) or a different RA (Routing Area)
when the MS is in GPRS ready state and reselects a different cell
Value range:
[0 to 14, by steps of 2] dB
Object:
bts
Default value:
6 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
6 dB (rural / low cell overlap), 10 dB (urban / high cell overlap)
Used in:
Criteria for reselection towards a cell of a different Location Area

(Sel_2)
Eng. Rules:
GSM case:
A high value prevents the MS from making frequent location
updates and may also prevent an MS from performing adequate
location updates, thus risking not receiving calls. The level variation of
the signal is more important in an urban context, so a higher value of
hysteresis should be set. To avoid frequent location updates, there is
also a timer forbidding the reselection of the previous server cell. For
a reselection with change of location area, the value is 15 seconds.
GPRS case:
In order to minimize the impact of the introduction of the GPRS in an
existing GSM network, it is recommended not to modify the current
value of CellReselectHysteresis used for voice. A high value would
keep the link for a long time hence some communications would have
a high BLER due to an important load of the cell. The throughput
would then decrease because of the retransmission at RLC/MAC
layer.
On the other hand a low value would ease the cell reselection
ping-pong in data mode which could severely decrease the overall
user throughput due to the gap of transmission during the reselection.
In case of cell overlap (i.e. urban environment, site covered in several
frequency bands), 10dB should be considered in order to minimize
ping-pong reselections.
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cellReselectOffset
Class 3
Description:
Encouragement to reselect a cell (C2 criterion) for phase 2 MS
Value range:
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Between 4 and 10
Used in:
Additional reselection criterion (for phase 2) (Sel_3)
Eng. Rules:
Otherwise, if there is no privileged layer, the recommended value

remains the same for both sites, between 4 dB and 10 dB.
cellReselInd
Class 3
Description:
Whether cell reselection criterion (C2) use is authorized
Value range:
[true / false]
Object:
bts
Default value:
true
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
True
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
See chapter Selection, Reselection Algorithms
msTxPwrMaxCCH
Class 3
V8
V8
V7
Description:
Maximum MS transmission power in a cell CCCH

The BSC relays the information to the mobiles in the Abis CELL
MODIFY REQUEST message.
Value range:
[5 to 43, by steps of 2] dBm (GSM 900, GSM-R, GSM850, GSM850GSM1900 and GSM 900& 850MHz - GSM 1800 networks)
[0 to 36, by steps of 2] dBm (GSM 1800 and GSM 1800 - GSM 900 &
850MHz networks)
[0 to 33] dBm (GSM 1900 network and 1900-850 network)
[0 to 33] dBm (E-GSM network)
Object:
bts
Default value:
Typical value of 33 dBm for GSM 900 & 850MHz handhelds, 30 dBm
for GSM 1800 and 1900
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
33 dBm for GSM 900 & 850MHz, 30 dBm for GSM 1800 and 1900
Used in:
Selection or reselection between cells of current Location Area

(Sel_1), Criteria for reselection towards a cell of a different Location
Area (Sel_2), Additional reselection criterion (for phase 2) (Sel_3)
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Eng. Rules:
In GSM 900 & 850MHz, msTxPwrMax = msTxPwrMaxCCH. In GSM

1800 or 1900, msTxPwrMaxCCH msTxPwrMax. Both are verified at
OMC-R level. This value is related to typical mobile (handheld or
vehicle-mounted) and assumed an environment (urban, rural). If the
cell is rural, it is possible to put a higher value because lot of mobiles
have car kits (can transmit at a higher power). In urban environment,
the density of mobile increases and care should be taken to reduce
interferences. Furthermore, the major part of the mobile market are
handsets.
Remark:
If the cell is used as a neighbor cell of another serving cell in the

network, msTxPwrMaxCCH must be identical to the msTxPwrMaxCell
power defined for the corresponding adjacentCellHandOver object
(the values must be checked by users).
penaltyTime
Class 3
V8
Description:
Timer used by an idle mobile before reselecting a cell (C2 criterion)

When a mobile places the cell on the list of strongest carriers, it starts
a timer that stops after penaltyTime seconds. This timer is reset when
the mobile removes the cell from the list.
For the entire timer duration, the reselection criterion (C2) is assigned
a negative temporaryOffset value.
Refer to the cellReselectOffset parameter in the Dictionary.
Value range:
[20 to 640, by steps of 20] seconds.

The value 640 is reserved and indicates that the temporary offset is
ignored in the reselection criterion (C2) calculation. It also changes
the sign in the C2 formula.
Object:
bts
Default value:
20
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
20
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The longer this timer is, the longer a penalty is applied for reselecting
that cell. The value should be correlated with the expected mobiles
speeds, which are to be managed by that cell.
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rxLevAccessMin
Class 3
V7
Description:
Minimum signal strength level received by the mobiles for being

granted access to a cell. The information is sent to MS prior to
registering.
As an example, a threshold level of -104 dBm corresponds to an
acceptable BER of approximately 10-2 (minimum recommended
value).
Value range:
[less than -110, -110 to -109, ... , -49 to -48, more than -48] dBm
Object:
bts
Default value:
less than -110 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
GSM 900/GSM 850: -101 to -100 dBm,

GSM 1800/1900: -99 to -98 dBm
Used in:

(Sel_1), Criteria for reselection towards a cell of a different Location
Area (Sel_2), Additional reselection criterion (for phase 2) (Sel_3)
Eng. Rules:
Main parameter for selection or reselection.

Notice that the tuning of this parameter strongly depends on the
operator strategy. Decreasing the value eases the access to the
network by reducing the quality. This parameter defines the cell
access size.
Remark:
The difference between GSM 900/GSM 850 and GSM 1800/1900 is

due to MS sensitivity (-104 dBm (GSM 900/GSM 850), -102 dBm
(GSM 1800/1900)).
Example:
RxLevAccessMin 1 = -100 dBm

RxLevAccessMin 2 = -99 dBm
A rough calculation gives the following impact on the cell access
surface: Access Zone 1 = Access Zone 2 x 1.2
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temporaryOffset
Class 3
V8
Description:
Negative offset applied during Penalty Time for reselecting a cell (C2
criterion)
This negative offset is applied during the entire penaltyTime duration
and allows to prevent speeding mobiles from selecting the cell. Refer
to the cellReselectOffset entry in the Dictionary.
Value range:
Object:
bts
Default value:
70
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
0 (microcell & macrocell in mono-layer),

70 (macrocell in multi-layers)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The value prevents a mobile from reselecting a cell during

PenaltyTime. By giving the highest possible value, which is higher
than the field strength range (0 to 63), we ensure that the mobile will
not reselect the cell before the timer expires. Then, the value 70
means the applied offset is infinite.
It could be dangerous on a microcell or macrocell in a mono-layer
environment to have a high value, because it slows down the
reselection process. However, on a macrocell in a multi-layers
environment, it is recommended to prevent from reselecting a cell
(value 70), in keeping a low value for penaltyTime (20 seconds).
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5.3.
RADIO LINK FAILURE PARAMETERS

callReestablishment
Class 3
V7
Description:
Whether call re-establishment in a cell is allowed when the radio link

is broken off for propagation reasons
The information is broadcast to the mobiles at regular intervals on the
cell BCCH.
On receipt of a CHANNEL REQUIRED message with cause call reestablishment, the BSC attempts to allocate a TCH in one of the cells
where call re-establishment is allowed. Then, if no TCH is available
the BSC attempts to allocate a SDCCH.
Value range:
[allowed / not allowed]
Object:
bts
Default value:
not allowed
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
allowed
Used in:
Radio link failure process (run by the MS) (Rlf-ms),

Call reestablishment procedure (Cr)
Eng. Rules:
Enabling or not this feature is a MSC capability issue
radioLinkTimeout
Class 2
V7
Description:
Maximum value of the counter (S) associated with the downlink

SACCH messages, beyond which the radio link is cut off. It is lower
than or equal to t3109.
Mobiles comply with system operating conditions when the counter
(S) is assigned a value lower than or equal to t3109.
If the receiver is unable to decode a downlink SACCH message
(BTStoMS direction), the counter is decreased by 1. If the message
is received, the counter is increased by 2. When the counter goes
down to zero, the radio link is declared faulty.
Value range:
[4 to 64, by steps of 4] SACCH frames (1 unit = 480 ms on TCHs, 470

ms on SDCCHs)
Object:
bts
Default value:
20 SACCH
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
20
32 when AMR is activated
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Used in:
Radio link failure process (run by the MS) (Rlf-ms),

Eng. Rules:
radioLinkTimeOut < t3109.

If surrounding cells accept re-establishment (from GSM08 for DMS
MSC), overall process should not be too long.
Remark:
Small value: call might be dropped before a move to a more

favorable environment could occur.
High value: in case of permanent bad conditions, users anger and
taxation increase before actual calls end or reestablishment.
The rlf1 attribute serves the same goal on the uplink, but the system
does not check that the values of the two attributes are consistent.
rlf1
Description:
Class 2
V8
Value to compute the initial and maximum value of the (CT) counter
used in the BTS radio link control algorithm
The FP runs the following algorithm to monitor the uplink SACCHs
(MStoBTS direction):
The CT counter is reset to zero when the FP receives a CHANNEL
ACTIVATION message.
On each occurence of an uplink SACCH, the following occurs:
if the channel is decoded and CT = 0, then CT = 4 * rlf1 + 4
if the channel is decoded and CT 0, then CT = min (4 * rlf1 + 4,
CT+rlf2)
if the channel is not decoded, then CT = max (0, CT - rlf3)
When the CT counter goes down to zero, the radio link is broken and
the BTS sends a CONNECTION FAILURE INDICATION message to
the BSC.
Value range:
[0 to 15]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Radio link failure process (run by the BTS) (Rlf-bs),

Eng. Rules:
The resulting CT value is the same as radioLinkTimeOut value.

There is no reason to recommend to cut a communication more
rapidly in the uplink or downlink direction. In a network with a lot of
traffic or with many zones of interference, a lower value (between 2
and 4) of this parameter is recommended. Typically the value, in such
a case should be 2.
Notes:
The radioLinkTimeOut attribute serves the same goal on the downlink,

but the system does not check that the values of the two attributes are
consistent.
7 when AMR is activated
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rlf2
Class 2
V8
Description:
Step value by which the (CT) counter is increased by the radio link
control algorithm when an uplink SACCH is decoded.
Refer to the rlf1 entry.
Value range:
[1 to 4] SACCH frames
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Radio link failure process (run by the BTS) (Rlf-bs)
Eng. Rules:
The value should be higher than rlf3 value, in order to encourage the
continuity of service. The higher the value, the longer an MS will keep
a bad quality communication in a disturbed zone. The choice of this
value must be made by the operator, in keeping with its service quality
level.
rlf3
Class 2
V8
Description:
Step value by which the (CT) counter is decreased by the radio link
control algorithm when an uplink SACCH is not decoded
Refer to the rlf1 entry.
Value range:
[1 to 4] SACCH frames
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Radio link failure process (run by the BTS) (Rlf-bs)
Eng. Rules:
It is recommended to fix this value to 1. This allows the use of the rlf1
value to set the maximal duration of consecutive non-reception of
SACCH frame.
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5.4.
SIGNAL QUALITY AVERAGING PARAMETERS

missRxQualWt
Class 3
V7
Description:
Weight applied to missing Quality measurement

The missing measurement is replaced by the latest computed
arithmetic average, or by the latest received raw measurement if no
average value is available, weighed by this corrective factor when
calculating the average bit error rate in the radio link. The range of
permitted values makes missing quality measurements not favored.
Value range:
[100 to 200] %
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
110
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
110
Used in:
Missing Downlink Measurements
Eng. Rules:
The higher the value is, the higher the missing measurement will be
weighted.
rxQualHreqave
Class 3
V7
Description:
Number of bit error rate measurements performed on a serving cell,

used to compute arithmetic BER averages in handover and power
control algorithms
Value range:
[1 to 10] number of measurement results
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
4 in urban environment,
> 8 in rural environment
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
In order to minimize calculation of temporary averages it is better if

runHandOver and runPwrControl are multiples or sub multiples of
rxQualHreqAve. Length of weighed average window should be
reduced when the cell is small or environment requires quick
reactivity. Studies have shown that a reduction of the window size
value (from 8 to 4 for instance) does not increase the number of
handovers on a network and does not change handover causes.
However, it has a positive impact, because it leads to a greater
reactivity.Then, the weighted average window size (rxQualHreqAve *
rxQualHreqt) has to be correlated to the hoMargin value to keep a low
ping-pong probability.
The larger the window size, the lower the hoMargin should be.
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rxQualHreqt
Class 3
V7
Description:
Number of arithmetic averages taken into account to compute the

weighted average bit error rate in handover and power control
algorithms. Each is calculated from rxQualHreqave bit error rate
(BER) measurements on a radio link.
Value range:
[1 to 16]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The quality and signal strength weighted average window should

encompass the same period. For the sake of simplicity, the default
value disables weighting. The weighed average window size
(rxQualHeqAve * rxQualHreqt) must be correlated to the hoMargin
value to keep a low ping-pong probability.
rxQualWtsList
Class 3
V7
Description:
List of up to sixteen weights used to compute the average bit error

rate on a radio link
The L1M function calculates rxQualHreqave arithmetic averages from
raw measurements, and balances rxQualHreqt averages among those
with the weights defined in rxQualWtsList.
Each arithmetic average is partnered with one weight in the list.
Weight/average associations are set in the order in which the weights
are recorded. The latest computed arithmetic average is always
partnered with the first weight in the list.
Superaverage = [ (averagei x weighti)] / 100, i = 1 to rxQualHreqt
Value range:
[0 to 100] %
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
100
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
100
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Values add up to 100.

If there are several values, the biggest weights must be used for more
recent reports.
In rural environment, rxLev and rxQual weighed average window will
not refer to the same time window.
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5.5.
SIGNAL STRENGTH AVERAGING PARAMETERS

missRxLevWt
Class 3
V7
Description:
Weight applied in case of missing signal strength measurement

report
The missing measurement is replaced by the latest computed
arithmetic average, or by the latest received raw measurement if no
average value is available, weighed by this corrective factor when
calculating the average signal strength in the cell.
Selecting the greatest value makes missing strength measurements
not favored.
Value range:
[0 to 100] %
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
90
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
90
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
rxLevHreqave
Class 3
V7
Description:
Number of signal strength measurements performed on a serving cell,

used to compute arithmetic strength averages in handover and power
control algorithms
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
6 for small cells (Dintersite < 800m)

between 8 and 10 for large cells (Dintersite > 1600m)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
In order to minimize calculation of temporary averages it is better if

runHandOver and runPwrControl are multiples or sub multiples of
rxLevHreqAve. In an urban environment, the window size should be
minimized and the hoMargin value should be high. However, choosing
too small a value leads to averaging meaningless measures in case of
DTX activation uplink or downlink. Then, in an urban environment,
according to building density, antenna height and global environment,
the window size can fluctuate between 6 and 8. The minimum value,
6, may be preferred, because it ensures a good reactivity without bad
influence if the parameter hoMargin is well chosen.
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rxLevHreqaveBeg
Class3
V11
Description:
Number of measurement reports used in short averaging algorithm on

current cell for signal strength arithmetic average
Refer to the rxLevHreqave entry in the Dictionary.
Value range:
[1 to 10]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:

Fast power control at TCH assignment (Pc_3)
Eng. Rules:
rxLevHreqaveBeg < rxLevHreqave

This parameter has to be coupled
rxLevNCellHreqaveBeg.
Remark:
with
hoMarginBeg
and
This parameter is only available for DCU4 or DRX transceiver

architecture.
rxLevHreqt
Class 3
Description:
Number of arithmetic averages taken into account to compute the

weighted average signal strength in handover and power control
algorithms. Each is calculated from rxLevHreqave signal strength
measurements on a serving cell.
Value range:
[1 to 16]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
V7
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
In a urban environment, the window size should be minimized and the

hoMargin value should be high.
For the sake of simplicity, weighted averaging is disabled by default
value.
LCAUTION!
The weighted average is not used for the PBGT. The weighed
average window size (rxLevHreqAve * rxLevHreqt) has to be
correlated to the hoMargin value to keep a low ping-pong probability.
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rxLevWtsList
Class 3
V7
Description:
Values of weights to be used for signal strength weighed average

The L1M function first calculates rxLevHreqave arithmetic averages
from raw measurements, and balances rxLevHreqt averages among
those with the weights defined in rxLevWtsList.
Each arithmetic average is partnered with one weight in the list.
Weight/average associations are set in the order which the weights
are recorded. The latest computed arithmetic average is always
partnered with the first weight in the list.
Superaverage = [ (averagei x weighti)] / 100, i = 1 to rxLevHreqt
Value range:
[0 to 100] %
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
100
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
100
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Arithmetic law to be preferred, biggest weight for most recent reports
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5.6.
NEIGHBOR CELL AVERAGING PARAMETERS

cellDeletionCount
Class 3
V7
Description:
The cellDeletionCount is to be compared to the number of

consecutive Measurement Results messages not containing
information on one of the neighbour cells that would result in the cell
being no longer eligible.
Before V12, the neighbour cells information of such a cell would be
discarded.
From V12 (TF 1089-2), from a number cellDeletionCount the cell will
be non eligible, but the information of that neighbour cell will only be
discarded when the number of consecutive Measurement Results with
no information on the cell will reach 10 (i.e. 5 sec).
Value range:
[0 to 31]
Object:
bts
Default value:
5 in rural environment, 2 in microcell environment
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
5 in rural,
2 in urban environment
Used in:
Handovers screening
Eng. Rules:
As there is no weighting factors on neighboring cells, low values of

cellDeletionCount are advised and so the rule cellDelectionCount <
rxNcellHrequave. A mobile is required to keep synchronization
information at least 10 seconds after a cell was removed from the best
cells list. This synchronisation becomes quickly obsolete in the case of
fast moving mobiles.
LCAUTION!
This mechanism applies only for Power budget handover.
Remark:
Further informations are provided in chapter Best Neighbor Cells

Stability
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rxNCellHreqave
Class 3
V7
Description:
Number of measurement results used in the PBGT algorithm to

compute the average neighboring signal strength
No weighed average is computed for this category of measurement
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
6 for small cells (Dintersite < 800m)

between 8 and 10 for large cells (Dintersite > 1600m)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
In the PBGT formula, the RXLEV_DL is the last arithmetic signal

strength on the current cell. In order to use the same time base, we
should have rxNcellHreqAve = rxLevHreqAve.
Class 3
V11
Description:
Number of measurement results used in short averaging algorithm to

compute the average neighboring signal strength
Value range:
[1 to 10]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
rxLevNCellHreqaveBeg < rxLevNCellHreqave

This parameter has to be coupled with
rxLevHreqaveBeg.
Remark:
hoMarginBeg
and

architecture.
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5.7.
DISTANCE AVERAGING PARAMETERS

distHreqt
Class 3
V7
Description:
Number of distance measurements, used to compute the weighted

average MStoBTS distance in handover algorithms
Value range:
[1 to 16]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
For distance handover and Call Clearing, a weighted average of the

MS-BS distance is computed from timing-advance results.
distWtsList
Class 3
V7
Description:
List of no more than sixteen weights, used to compute the average

MStoBTS distance from distHreqt measurements
The L1M function balances distHreqt raw measurements with the
weights defined in the distWtsList list. Each measurement is partnered
with one weight in the list. Weight/measurement associations are set
in the order which the weights are recorded. The latest received
measurement is always partnered with the first weight in the list.
Superaverage = [ (measurementi x weighti)] / 100, i = 1 to distHreqt
Value range:
[0 to 100] %
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
40 30 20 10
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
40 30 20 10
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
A supply weights to distHreqt values, highest value for latest

measurements. Choosing an arithmetic law enables to enhance latest
values while not putting too much weight upon the period of time
which might not be representative of the current trend.
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missDistWt
Class 3
V7
Description:
Weight applied to missing Distance measurement.

The missing measurement is replaced by the latest received raw
measurement weighed by this corrective factor when calculating the
average MSBTS distance.
The range of permitted values makes missing distance measurements
not favored.
Value range:
[100 to 200] %
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
110
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
TBD
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The higher the value is, the higher the missing measurement will be
weighted.
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5.8.
HANDOVER (GLOBAL) PARAMETERS

bts time between HO configuration
Class 3
V9
Description:
Whether the hoPingpongTimeRejection timer can be used at bts level

when processing handovers
Value range:
[0 / 1]
0:The timer is disabled.
1:The timer is used.
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Minimum time between Handover (Ho_9)

General protection against HO ping-pong (from V12)
Eng. Rules:
New semantic in V12 in order to restore the minimum time between

HO feature (TF218, V9):
timeBetweenHOconfiguration = used
bts time between HO configuration = 1
ho Pingpong combinaison = (all, allPBGT)
ho Pingpong Time Rejection > 0
forced handover algo
Class 3
V9
Description:
Minimum signal strength level received by the mobiles to be granted

access to a neighbor cell in case of forced handover
Value range:
[less than -110, -110 to -109, ..., -49 to -48, more than -48] dBm
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
less than -110
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
= rxLevMinCell -1
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
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handOver from signalling channel
Class 3
V7
Description:
Authorization to perform intercell handovers on signalling channels

(SDCCH or TCH in signalling mode)
Value range:
[enabled / disabled]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
disabled
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
disabled
Used in:
Direct TCH Allocation and Handover Algorithms
Eng. Rules:
It is recommended to enable this feature when queuing is activated.
hoMargin
Class 3
V7
Description:
Margin to use for PBGT handovers to avoid subsequent handover, in

PBGT formula
Value range:
[-63 to 63] dB
Object:
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
between 4 and 6 for small cells

(4 in an 1X1 pattern, 5 or 6 otherwise),
5 for large cells.
Used in:
Handovers
Power budget formula (Ho_8)
Handover for traffic reasons (from V12)
Define eligible neighbor cells for intercell handover (except directed
retry) (Ho_11)
Eng. Rules:
As a general rule, this parameter enables to harden access to a new

cell in order to avoid a subsequent return to the current cell (provided
rxLevMinCell is set to its minimal value and does not already take into
account ping-pong handover protection).
The value of this hoMargin must be correlated to the window size
value to keep a low ping-pong probability. In case of ping-pong,
handover hoMargin value must be incremented, and the window size
value must be decremented.
For a dual Band Network where one frequency band is privileged, it is
advised to increase this value in neighbouring objects with a
frequency belonging to the low priority frequency band. Thus, these
neighbours will be underprivileged.
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hoMarginBeg
Class 3
V11
Description:
Margin to be added to hoMargin until rxLevHreqave for short

averaging algorithm in order to compensate the lack of measurements
This parameter is coupled with hoMargin and rxLevHreqaveBeg.
Value range:
[-63 to 63] dB
Object:
bts
Default value:
4 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
4 dB
2 dB with Automatic Handover Adaptation
Used in:
Handovers
Eng. Rules:
Remark:

architecture.
hoMarginDist
Class 3
Description:
Margin to be used for Distance Handovers
Value range:
[-63 to 63] dB
Object:
Default value:
- 24 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
- 2 dB
V8
Depends on the environment and on the value of the

msRangeMax Threshold.
Used in:
Handover condition for leaving a cell on distance (Ho_7)

retry) (Ho_11)
Eng. Rules:
Because the priority of the handover on Distance cause is lower than

the Quality and Strength causes, it is performed while the quality and
the signal strength on the current cell are still acceptable. Setting a
negative value decreases the interference.
L CAUTION!
PBGT hoMargin in the target cell should be set in order to avoid a

ping-pong handover. For a dual Band Network where one frequency
band is privileged, it is advised to increase this value in neighbouring
objects with a frequency belonging to the low priority frequency band.
Thus, these neighbours will be underprivileged.
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hoMarginRxLev
Class 3
Description:
Margin to be used for signal strength Handovers
Value range:
[- 63 to 63] dB
Object:
V8
Default value:
- 24 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
From 3 to 6 dB in urban environment, from 1 to 3 in rural

environment. Depends on the environment and the value of
lRxLevXXH. threshold.
Used in:
Handovers
retry) (Ho_11)
Eng. Rules:
In rural environments, the hoMargin value on signal strength should

be between 1 and 3.
On the contrary, due to fast radio signal variations in urban
environments, this criteria must be selective to allow good reactivity.
Furthermore, this criteria can be selective due to site density in urban
environments.
The value of this hoMargin must be correlated to the window size
value to keep a low ping-pong probability. In case of ping-pong
handover, hoMargin value must be incremented, and the window size
value must be decremented.
This parameter, defined per neighbor, is used to select and sort
neighbors.
The setting of hoMarginRxLev depends of the gap between
rxLevMinCell and lRxLevXXH. The higher the difference between
these two values is, the higher the hoMarginRxLev.
advised to increase this value in neighbouring objects with a
frequency belonging to the low priority frequency band. Thus, these
neighbours will be underprivileged.
hoMarginRxQual
Class 3
Description:
Margin to be used for Signal Quality Handovers
Value range:
[-63 to 63] dB
Object:
Default value:
- 24 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
in [- 2; 0] without SFH,
V8
in [1; (hoMargin - 2)] with SFH (#2 or 3)

Used in:
Handovers
retry) (Ho_11)
Eng. Rules:
Handover cause on Signal Quality: case where access to another cell

should be encouraged, provided target cell field strength is not much
lower than the current one. If bad quality remains there is a risk of
return handover but there is nothing much to be done.
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LCAUTION!
PBGT hoMargin in target cell should be set in order to avoid a pingpong handover. This parameter, defined per neighbor, is used to
select and sort neighbors. For a dual Band Network where one
frequency band is privileged, it is advised to increase this value in
neighbouring objects with a frequency belonging to the low priority
frequency band. Thus, these neighbours will be underprivileged.
Class 3
V12
Description:
Minimum signal strength margin with the serving cell that allows to
select the best neighbor cell when a handover is triggered for overload
reasons
Value range:
[0 to 63] dB
Object:
Default value:
0 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
6 dB (if overlapping exists)
Used in:
Handovers
Eng. Rules:
Since the HO for traffic reasons uses the PBGT HO procedure, the
parameter powerBudgetInterCell shall be enabled.
It is advised to combine the HO for traffic reason with the feature HO
decision according to priority and Load.
This parameter shall be set at a value which guarantees that cell
overlapping exists with (hoMargin -hoMarginTrafficOffset).
See Paragraph 2.5k9 for more details.
When set to 0, handovers for traffic reasons are not allowed in the
adjacent cell (the PBGT HO is done before because it has a higher
priority than the HO for traffic).
LCAUTION
Only applicable to BTSs equipped with non mixed DCU4, or DRX

boards
Description:
Class3
V12
List of couples of causes (HOInitialCause and HONonEssentialCause)

indicating the causes of ping-pong handovers in the overlapping areas
The following causes are defined with regard to the neighboring cell:
HOInitialCause indicates the essential handover cause which leads
to enter the neighbor cell (cause of incoming handover).
HONonEssentialCause indicates the non-essential handover
cause which leads to leave the cell (cause of outgoing handover).
This parameter defines the combination for which the
HOPingpongTimeRejection attribute is used.
Value range:
[rxQual, rxLev, distance, powerBudget, capture, directedRetry, OaM,

traffic, all, allCapture, allPowerBudget, AMRquality]
Object:
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
(all, PBGT)
Used in:

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Eng. Rules:
This parameter shall be known by the new BSC (whatever the type of
HO is intra or inter BSC) ; so, it must be defined at the entering cell
(relatively to the first HO of the combination) level, for the
neighbouring cell (adjacentCellHandover object) corresponding to the
left cell (still relatively to the first HO of the combination).
Example: if you perform a handover from cell A to cell B for quality
reason and you want to protect against pingpong HO for PBGT
reason (from B to A), you have to declare (rxQual, PBGT) as one of
the forbidden handover combinations at cell B level (for the
neighbouring cell A).
Note:
The hoPingpongCombination list can hold up to 4 couples of causes.
LCAUTION!
No protection against intracell or interzone pingpongHO

No protection against pingpong HO between more than 2 cells except
for allcapture / all PBGT causes.
Directed retry can only be an initial cause.
timeBetweenHOConfiguration and bts Time Between HO
configuration shall be set accordingly in order for the feature to be
activated.
Class 3
V12
Description:
Time before a new handover attempt can be triggered

Refer to bsc object timeBetweenHOConfiguration and bts object bts
time between HO configuration attributes in this Dictionary of
Parameters for this timer activation.
Refer to adjacentCellHandOver object HOPingpongCombination
attribute in this Dictionary of Parameters for the combinations for
which this timer applies.
To avoid ping-pong handovers this new timer is started after a
successful handover. Up to the expiration of this timer, the receipt of
HANDOVER INDICATION message is ignored.
Value range:
[0 to 60] s
Object:
Default value:
30 s
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
between 8 and 30 s
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The value of HOPingpongTimeRejection may be between 8 and 30

to have a real impact. The following rule can be applied:
HOPingpongTimeRejection = 50% TCH effective occupancy average
in a cell.
If the rescue handovers are disabled in the network a too high value
can result in dropped calls.
The value depends on the speed of the mobile, the size of the cell and
the type of cell (micro-micro etc).
For an area where there are ping-pong handovers on Quality cause
(the first HO occurs on Quality reason, the second one on PBGT),
the value corresponds to the distance between the interference point
and the limit of the cell.
Care must be taken for small cells with high speed mobiles.
See also chapter Minimum Time Between Handover
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hoSecondBestCellConfiguration
Class 3
V9
Description:
Number of neighbor cells in which the BSC immediately attempts to

perform a new handover when the previous handover attempt failed
with return to the old channel
Giving the attribute a value greater than 2 allows the BSC to renew
the handover request without waiting for a new set of radio
measurements (the first attempt is included in this count). The same
list of neighbor eligible cells is used to process the request (no new list
is provided by the BTS).
Value range:
[1 to 3]
Object:
bsc
Default value:
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
Used in:
Handover to 2nd best candidate when return to old channel (Ho_12)
Eng. Rules:
The value 1 means no new attempt after a handover failure, 2 means

one new attempt and 3 corresponds to another new attempt if the first
new attempt has failed. The recommended value optimizes the
handover completion rate.
Comment about the process: when all handover attempts have failed,
the mobile returns on the previous channel. The measurement history
is then complety lost, and the BTS will wait until the next (HReqAve x
HReqt) period to relaunch a handover request.
See also chapter Directed Retry Handover Benefit
hoTraffic
Class 3
V12
Description:
Whether handovers for traffic reasons at bts level are allowed.
Value range:
[disabled / enabled]
Object:
bts
Default value:
enabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
enabled
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
enabled will be effective only if it is also enabled for the bsc object.
In order to activate the feature handover decision according to
adjacent cell priority and load (TF716), either hoTraffic shall be
enabled or btsMSAccessClassBarringFunction shall be enabled
(with also bscMSAccessClassBarringFunction).
See parameter hoMarginTrafficOffset
hoTraffic
Class 3
Description:
Whether handovers for traffic reasons at bsc level are allowed.
Value range:
Object:
bsc
Default value:
disabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
V12
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Rec. value:
enabled (only if hot spotcells linked to the BSC)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
See parameter hoMarginTrafficOffset
incomingHandOver
Description:
Whether incoming handovers are allowed in a cell.
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
enabled
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
enabled
Class 3
V7
Class 3
V7
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
msTxPwrMax
Description:
Maximum MS transmission power in a serving cell. It is equal to

msTxPwrMaxCCH in a GSM 900 network.
Value range:
[5 to 43, by steps of 2] dBm (GSM 900, GSM850, GSM-R, GSM850GSM1900 and GSM 900 - GSM 1800 networks)
[0 to 36, by steps of 2] dBm (GSM 1800, and GSM 1800 - GSM 900
networks)
[0 to 33] dBm (GSM 1900 network)
[0 to 33] dBm (E-GSM network and 1900-850 network)
[0 to 33] dBm (GSM850 network)
Object:
bts
Default value:
Typical value of 33 dBm for GSM 900 handhelds and 30 dBm for
GSM 1800 and 1900 handhelds
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
33 dBm for GSM 900 in urban environment

39 dBm for GSM 900 in rural environment handhelds
30 dBm for GSM 1800 and 1900 handhelds
33 dBm for GSM 850s
Used in:
Accuracy related to measurements

General formulas
One shot power control (Pc_2)
Power control on mobile side (Pc_4)
Eng. Rules:
We must have msTxPwrMax = msTxPwrMaxCCH for GSM 900

Networks and msTxPwrMaxCCH msTxPwrMax for GSM 1800 and
1900 Networks (check done at OMC-R). This parameter is adapted to
mobile classes taken into account in Network Design.
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msTxPwrMaxCell
Class 3
V7
Description:
Maximum MS transmission power in a neighbor cell. It is equal to

msTxPwrMaxCCH when the cell is declared as a serving cell on the
network (the value must be checked by users).
Value range:
[5 to 43, by steps of 2] dBm (GSM 900, GSM850, GSM-R and GSM

900 - GSM 1800 networks)
[0 to 36, by steps of 2] dBm (GSM 1800 network
and GSM 1800 - GSM 900)
[0 to 33] dBm (GSM 1900 network)
[0 to 33] dBm (E-GSM network)
[0 to 33] dBm (GSM 1900-850 network)
Object:
Default value:
Typical value of 33 dBm for GSM 900/850 handhelds and 30 dBm for
GSM 1800 and 1900 handhelds
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
msTxPwrMaxCell = msTxPwrMaxCCCH of the current cell
Used in:
General formulas
Handovers screening
Directed Retry Handover: BTS (or distant) mode (Ho_2)
retry) (Ho_11)
Power control on mobile side (Pc_4)
See Paragraph 2.5.1 and Paragraph 2.7.

Eng. Rules:
If this value is higher than the actual MS classmark, then MS will apply
its own capability.
Remark:
If the cell is used as a neighbor cell of another serving cell in the

network, msTxPwrMaxCell should be identical to the
msTxPwrMaxCCH power defined for the corresponding
adjacentCellHandOver object (the values must be checked by users).
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offsetLoad
Class 3
Description:
Load offset applied by the bsc to the cell selection process
Value range:
[0 to 63] dB
Object:
Default value:
0 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
3 dB
V12
offsetLoad hoMarginTrafficOffset (Handovers for traffic reason

feature activated)
Used in:
Handover decision according to adjacent cell priorities and load (from

V12)
Eng. Rules:
When set to 0, no offset is effective.

This parameter is set to 0 for the cells that do not belong to the
related bsc object.
This parameter allows to put a disadvantage to overloaded eligible
cells for HO (for cells with the same offsetPriority).
In order to take into account this parameter, the overload detection
must be activated ; so either hoTraffic shall be enabled (bsc and bts
objects) or btsMSAccessClassBarringFunction shall be enabled
(with also bscMSAccessClassBarringFunction).
A bad offset load parameter tuning can induce a risk of ping-pong HO
or longer handover procedures; so, it is advised to set the General
protection
against
HO
ping-pong
feature
with
HOPingpongCombination including (traffic, all PBGT).
See also chapter Handover for Traffic Reasons Activation Guideline.
offsetPriority
Class 3
V12
Description:
Priority offset applied by the bsc to the cell selection process
Value range:
[1 to 5]
Object:
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Handover decision according to adjacent cell priorities and load (from

V12)
Eng. Rules:
1 is the highest priority.

This parameter allows to classify eligible cells according to its value;
so, it is used to optimize the traffic distribution between layers.
See also chapter DualBand Networks.
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powerBudgetInterCell
Class 3
Description:
Authorization to perform intercell handovers for power budget
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
enabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
enabled
Used in:
Handovers screening
Power budget formula (Ho_8)
Eng. Rules:
Handover on PBGT should be enabled, because for an optimized

network it ensures the best quality of service.
runHandOver
Class 3
V7
V7
Description:
Number of Measurement Results messages that must be received

before the handover algorithm in a cell is triggered
Value range:
[1 to 31] SACCH frames (1 unit = 480 ms on TCHs, 470 ms on

SDCCHs)
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
Used in:
Handovers
Ho__A: Microcellular Algo type A
Protection against RunHandover=1
Eng. Rules:
Should be run as often as possible, main impact is upon BSS load.

The V11 feature protection against runHandover=1 allows some
protections in order to avoid that the setting of this parameter to 1
leads some overload problems (SICD overload)..
Therefore, runHandOver may be set to 1 in some environments where
the reactivity is crucial (microcell, high-speed environment). So from
V11, it is recommended to set this parameter to 1. However, this
parameter setting must be done in accordance with the value of
handover thresholds, margins and timers.
See also chapter Impact of the Averaging on the Handovers and
chapter Street Corner Environment
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rxLevMinCell
Class 3
V7
Description:
Minimum signal strength level received by MS for being granted

access to a neighbor cell
Value range:
Object:
Default value:
- 95 to -94 dBm (GSM 900 & 850), - 93 to - 92 (GSM 1800 & 1900)
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
- 95 to - 94 dBm (GSM 900 & 850)

- 93 to - 92 dBm (GSM 1800& 1900) in urban environment
RxLevMinCell = lRxLevDLH if HOmargin 0 in rural environment
Used in:
General formulas
Handovers screening
retry) (Ho_11)
Eng. Rules:
A method to estimate this value is to use MS sensitivity (-104 dBm in

GSM 900 for handheld, and -102 dBm in GSM 1800/1900 for
handheld, otherwise -104 dBm) and applying a margin to it. However,
if most of communications are handled in an indoor environment, or
overlap between cell coverage is not sufficient, these recommended
values can be decreased.
advised to set this parameter to a lower value in neighbour cells
belonging to the priority frequency band. Thus, this band will be
preferred. However, it may be greater than the value rxLevAccessMin.
Thus the recommended value is -99 to -98 dBm (GSM900) or -97 to 96 dBm (GSM1800) for neighbour cells belonging to the priority
frequency band.
Studies have shown that the subjective quality depends on the way
erroneous bits are spread into each frame. Experiments have shown
that with frequency hopping in TU3 (Typical urban at 3 Km/h) up to
Rxqual = 5 the subjective quality seems to be good, on the other hand
without frequency hopping Rxqual = 4 seems to be the maximum
value for which subjective quality is good.
The table below gives examples of the margins that could be
taken into account for an infinite C/I and for different mobile speeds.
t 50 km/h
u 50 km/h - t 80 km/h
u 80 km/h
margin with FH
2 dB
2 dB
2 dB
margin without FH
5 dB
4 dB - 2 dB
2 dB
And that other table below shows the different margins that could be
taken into account in a slow mobile area depending of the C/I.
C/I = 35
C/I = 20
C/I = 15
margin with FH
2 dB
3 dB
4 dB
margin without FH
5 dB
6 dB
10 dB
See also chapter Directed Retry Handover Benefit and chapter

DualBand Networks.
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synchronized
Class 3
V7
Description:
Whether the neighbor cell and the associated serving cell are
synchronous, that is attached to the same BTS
Value range:
[not synchronized cells / synchronized cells / pre sync HO with timing

advance / pre sync HO, default timing advance]
not synchronized cells: the neighbor cell and the serving cell are
not attached to the same BTS.
synchronized cells: the neighbor cell and the serving cell are
attached to the same BTS
pre sync HO with timing advance: the handover procedure
between the neighbor cell and the serving cell is presynchronized
with the real Time Advance.
pre sync HO, default timing advance: a predefined timing
advance is used in the presynchronized handover procedure
between the serving cell and the neighbor cell. Refer to
preSynchroTimingAdvance parameter.
Object:
Default value:
not synchronized cells
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
See Eng. Rules
Used in:
Pre-synchronized HO
Handover Algorithms on the Mobile Side
Eng. Rules:
It is recommended to use pre-synchronized HO in microcellular

environment because in small cells the timing advance when
handovers are triggered is generally a low value (less than 3).
It is also interesting to use this feature for determined path such as
railways, highways, and tunnels where handovers between two cells
happen always at the same place.
See also chapter Synchronized HO versus Not Synchronized HO
timeBetweenHOConfiguration
Class 3
V9
Description:
Whether the HOPingpongTimeRejection timer can be used in a BSS

when processing handovers. Refer to bts object bts time between HO
configuration and adjacentCellHandOver object
HOPingpongTimeRejection attributes in this Dictionary of Parameters.
Value range:
[used / not used]
Object:
bsc
Default value:
used
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
used
Used in:
Power Budget Handover

Eng. Rules:
see Engineering Rules for the parameter bts time Between HO

Configuration.
See also chapter Minimum Time Between Handover and chapter
Directed Retry Handover Benefit.
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5.9.
INTRACELL HANDOVER PARAMETERS

intraCell
Class 3
V7
Description:
Whether intrabts handovers on TCH are allowed in a cell for

interference reasons or Cell Tiering reasons
Value range:
[cellTieringHandover / intraCellHandover / handoverNotAllowed]

cellTieringHandover: the intraBTS handovers are allowed for
CellTiering reason
intraCellHandover: the intraBTS handovers are allowed for
interference reason
handoverNotAllowed: the intra bts handovers are not allowed
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
handoverNotAllowed
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
cellTieringHandover
Used in:
Intracell Handover decision for signal quality (Ho_4)
Eng. Rules:
For mono-TRX cell, do not enable intracell handover

(handoverNotAllowed).
As the MS power is not checked before performing an intracell
handover, it is not advised to enable this feature as intraCellHandover.
It would lead to a high ratio of intracell handover.
In V7, the resource allocator does not classify free TCH resources
according to their interference level. From V8, the channel is selected
from the best not empty pool.
To enable tiering, the cell tiering conditions shall be fulfilled and the
cell tiering advantages shall be estimated as well (see chapter
Automatic cell tiering (from V12) and hoMarginTiering parameter).
intraCellSDCCH
Class 3
V8
Description:
Whether intraBTS handovers on SDCCH are authorized in a cell for

interference reasons
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
disabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
disabled
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
None except system ability.

Note that, some mobiles have been reported to drop the call when
that feature is performed.
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rxLevDLIH
Class 3
V7
Description:
Maximum interference level in BTStoMS direction, beyond which an

intraCell handover may be triggered
Value range:
[less than -110, -110 to -109,..., -49 to -48, more than -48] dBm
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
-85 to -84 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-85 to -84 dBm
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
LCAUTION!
Path balance must be looked for this threshold parameter setting.
rxLevULIH
Class 3
V7
Description:
Maximum interference level in MStoBTS direction, beyond which an

intra cell handover may be triggered
Value range:
[less than -110, -110 to -109, ... , -49 to -48, more than -48] dBm.
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
-85 to -84 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-85 to -84 dBm
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
LCAUTION!
Path balance must be looked for this threshold parameter setting.
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rxQualDLIH
Class 3
V12
Description:
Bit error rate threshold in BTS-to-MS direction for intracell handover,

above which a handover may be triggered.
Value range:
[less than 0.2, 0.2 to 0.4, 0.4 to 0.8, ... , 6.4 to 12.8, more than 12.8] %
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
1.6 to 3.2 %
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
rxQualDLIH lRxQualDLH
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
From V12, intracell HO for signal quality uses a different threshold

than the intercell one and intracell HO can only use either hopping
channels having low interference or non hopping channels having low
interference. This should improve the voice quality and the
performance.
The possible drawback could be to increase queuing at BSC
level for networks experiencing interferences.
To favor intracell HO for quality (compared to intercell HO for
quality), the following rule shall be satisfied: rxQualDLIH <
lRxQualDLH.
From V12, the intracell HO has a lower priority than the
intercell HO for quality.
rxQualULIH
Class 3
V12
Description:
Bit error rate threshold in MS-to-BTS direction for intracell handover,

above which a handover may be triggered.
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
1.6 to 3.2 %
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
rxQualULIH lRxQualULH
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
From V12, intracell HO for signal quality uses a differentthreshold than

the intercell one and intracell HO can only use either hopping
channels having low interference or non hopping channels having low
interference. This should improve the voice quality and the
performance.
The possible drawback could be to increase queuing at BSC level for
networks experiencing interferences.
To favor intracell HO for quality (compared to intercell HO for quality),
the following rule shall be satisfied: rxQualULIH < lRxQualULH.
From V12, the intracell HO has a lower priority than the intercell HO
for quality.
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5.10. INTERCELL HANDOVER THRESHOLD PARAMETERS

lRxLevDLH
Class 3
Description:
Signal strength threshold in BTStoMS direction, below which a

handover may be triggered
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
-101 to -100 dBm (GSM 900) / -99 to -98 dBm (GSM1800/1900)
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-95 to -94 dBm in urban environment (900 MHz or 850 MHz)
V7
-101 to -100 dBm in rural environment (900 MHz or 850 MHz)

Used in:
Handover condition for leaving a cell on rxlev (Ho_6)

retry) (Ho_11)
Eng. Rules:
This threshold must be set from the MS sensitivity. A margin must be

taken to consider shadowing, fast fading and MS measurement
accuracy. At least, a 3 dB margin can be taken into account in a rural
environment and a 10 dB margin in an urban environment.
LCAUTION!
where the cell is declared as a neighbor, we should have: lRxLevDLH

< rxlevMinCell, and path balance must be considered for this
threshold parameter setting.
See also chapter lRxlevDLH and lRxlevULH Definition.
lRxLevULH
Class 3
Description:
Signal strength threshold in MStoBTS direction, below which a

handover may be triggered
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
-101 to -100 dBm (GSM 900) / -99 to -98 dBm (GSM 1800/1900)
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-95 to -94 dBm in urban environment (900 MHz or 850 MHz)
V7
-101 to -100 dBm in rural environment (900 MHz or 850 MHz)

Used in:
Handover condition for leaving a cell on rxlev (Ho_6)
Eng. Rules:
These thresholds depend on BTS sensitivity. Then, values should be

increased if one of the following points is verified:
the thresholds on quality are permissive
run-handover 3 scarce
mobile speed is high
initial tuning causes frequent level strength handover failure rate
At least, a 3 dB margin can be taken into account in a rural
environment and a 10 dB margin in an urban environment.
LCAUTION!
where the cell is declared as a neighbor, we should have: lRxLevULH

< rxLevMinCell, and path balance must be considered for this
threshold parameter setting.
See also chapter lRxlevDLH and lRxlevULH Definition.
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lRxQualDLH
Class 3
V7
Description:
Bit error rate threshold in BTStoMS direction, above which an inter

cell handover may be triggered
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
1.6 to 3.2 %
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
1.6 to 3.2 % (4 in rxqual GSM unit) without frequency hopping.

See Engineering Rules in case of frequency hopping.
Used in:
Handover condition for leaving a cell on rxqual (Ho_5)
Eng. Rules:
According to some experiments and studies, 4 in GSM unit is the

upper limit for TU3 no hopping, while 5 in GSM unit for TU3 hopping.
Suggested values become 4 in GSM unit (no frequency hopping or
MS speed > 80km/h) and 5 in GSM unit (frequency hopping and low
urban speed). High BER rate for threshold is dangerous (risk of
handover failure). On the contrary, if a tight rxqual threshold is linked
with a short averaging period, the risk is that a single bad quality
report will affect the whole result (ie: if 8 samples without weighting
and a threshold of 2 in GSM unit: if 7 of these samples are 2 in GSM
unit and 1 of them is 5 in GSM unit, handover decision will be taken
on a wrong basis). Experience shows whatever the MS speed, rxQual
= 6 does not provide a comfortable voice quality.
The average in the above is equal to:
(7 * 0.57 + 4.53) B 8 = 1.065 greater than 0.57 (2 in GSM unit).
In case of using synthesized frequency hopping, this threshold has to
be increased in order to limit the increase of the number of handover
on quality criteria.
In a 1X1 pattern, it is advised to set this value to 5 or 6 (3.2 to 6.4 %
or 6.4 to 12.8 %).
In case of a 1X3 pattern, the recommended value is 4 or 5 (1.6 to 3.2
% or 3.2 to 6.4 %).
DTX is often used with Frequency Hopping. There are less
measurement reports with DTX, and thus the RxQual_average may
be less reliable. But no degradation was observed when using both
features therefore there is no need to disable handovers on quality
criteria in this case.
lRxQualULH
Class 3
V7
Description:
Bit error rate threshold in MStoBTS direction, above which an inter

cell handover may be triggered
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
1.6 to 3.2 %
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
1.6 to 3.2 % (4 rxqual GSM unit) without frequency hopping.

See Engineering Rules in case of frequency hopping.
Used in:
Handover condition for leaving a cell on rxqual (Ho_5)
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Eng. Rules:
According to some experiments and studies, 4 in GSM unit is the

upper limit for TU3 no hopping while 5 in GSM unit for TU3 hopping.
Suggested value becomes 4 in GSM unit (no frequency hopping or
MS speed > 80km/h) and 5 in GSM unit (frequency hopping and low
urban speed). High BER rate for threshold is dangerous (risk of
handover failure). On the contrary, if a tight rxqual threshold is linked
with a short averaging period, the risk is that a single bad quality
report will affect the whole result (ie: if 8 samples without weighting
and a threshold of 2: if 7 of these samples are 2 and 1 of them is 5,
handover decision will be taken on the wrong basis).
In case of using synthesized frequency hopping, this threshold has to
be increased in order to limit the increase of the number of handover
on quality criteria.
In a 1X1 pattern, it is advised to set this value to 5 or 6 (3.2 to 6.4 %
or 6.4 to 12.8 %).
In case of a 1X3 pattern, the recommended value is 4 or 5 (1.6 to 3.2
% or 3.2 to 6.4 %).
DTX is often used with Frequency Hopping. There are less
measurement reports with DTX, and thus the RxQual_average may
be less reliable. But no degradation was observed when using both
features therefore there is no need to disable handovers on quality
criteria in this case.
rxLevDLPBGT
Class 3
V11
Description:
Downlink signal strength threshold above which handovers for power

budget are inhibited
In certain issues, the operator may want to prevent handover for
power budget in case of the received level in the serving cell is good
enough so that a handover would not improve the situation.
This parameter shall be set such as rxLevDLPBGT > lRxLevDLH.
Value range:
[less than -110, -110 to -109,..., -49 to -48, more than -48] dBm
Object:
Default value:
more than -48
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
TBD
Used in:
Handovers screening
Maximum RxLev for Power Budget
Eng. Rules:
rxLevDLPBGT > lRxLevDLH

This parameter has to be managed carefully because it can prevent
all the handover for power budget when set to less than -110.
Moreover, the setting of this parameter has to be done with the help of
some radio measurement campaigns.
This parameter shall be disabled by setting the value to more than
48 (dBm).
Remark:

architecture. It shall be disabled for DCU2 architecture.
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5.11. HANDOVER FOR MICROCELLULAR NETWORK

PARAMETERS
cellType
Class 3
V7
Description:
Type of the adjacent cell
Value range:
[normalType / umbrellaType / microType]
Object:
Default value:
normalType
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
normalType
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
To run a capture handover (umbrella to micro) on a neighbor, which

must be microType, the bts must be declared as umbrellaType. It is
possible to manage a three layer network by declaring cell A and cell
B as umbrellaType, neighbor B and neighbor C as microType for cell
A, neighbor A as umbrellaType and neighbor C as microType for cell
B, and finally neighbor B as umbrellaType for cell C.
See also chapter Minimum Time Between Handover
cellType
Class 3
V7
Description:
Type of the serving cell
Value range:
[normalType / umbrellaType / microType]
Object:
bts
Default value:
normalType
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
normalType
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
To run a capture handover (umbrella to micro) on a neighbor, which

must be microType, the bts must be declared as an umbrellaType. It
is possible to manage a three layer network by declaring cell A and
cell B as umbrellaType, neighbor B and neighbor C as microType for
cell A, neighbor A as umbrellaType and neighbor C as microType for
cell B, and finally neighbor B as umbrellaType for cell C.
Remark:
The adjacent cell umbrella Ref attribute is defined at the OMC-R if the
cell is a microcell (cellType) and directed retry handovers are
processed in BSC mode (directed-RetryModeUsed).
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Class 3
V8
Description:
Time used to confirm a capture (signal strength stability) when using

microcell Algorithm type A
Value range:
Time = N multiplied by runHandOver.

According to microCellCaptureTimer value, N values are the
following:
[0 to 249]
250
251
252
253
254
255
N = [0 to 249]
N = 512
N = 1024
N = 2048
N = 4096
N = 8192
N = 16384
Object:
Default value:
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
8s, whatever runHandOver value

(e.g. if runHandOver = 2 N = 8, if runHandOver = 1 N = 16)
Used in:
Microcellular Algo type A (Ho_A)
Eng. Rules:
Experiments done in urban areas show that a timer of 8 seconds to 10

seconds allows a better use of the capture.
See also chapter Impact of the Averaging on the Handovers.
microCellStability
Class 3
V8
Description:
Strength Level Stability Criterion for Capture Algorithm A
Value range:
[0 to 255] dB
Object:
Default value:
10 dB
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
63 dB
Used in:
Microcellular Algo type A (Ho_A)
Eng. Rules:
To allow handovers on capture this parameter has to be set at a value

greater than 0. A value of microCellStability equal to 63 dB has to be
set first, because with such a value, the stability constraints are
always verified.
The value of this parameter can then be decreased case by case.
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5.12. DISTANCE MANAGEMENT PARAMETERS

callClearing
Class 3
V7
Description:
Maximum distance between MS and BTS before call is cleared

It is greater than msRangeMax.
This distance defines the cell maximum coverage area.
Value range:
[2 to 35] km (non-extended mode)

[2 to 120] km (extended mode)
Object:
bts
Default value:
35 in non-extended mode, 90 in extended mode
Type:
DP, Product
Rec. value:
Depends on the environment, typical value = (1.5 * cell diameter)

+ 2 km or best cell distance coverage server
Generaly for non-extended mode: 7 km for urban, 35 km for rural
Used in:
Call Clearing Process (run by BTS) (Cc)
Eng. Rules:
The value should be related to the current cell coverage. A margin is

taken by using the 1.5 coefficient. A 2km margin is also considered to
compensate lack of mobile timing advance accuracy.
If the observation counter shows a high number of call clearings, it
may mean that handover parameters on that cell are too permissive or
badly tuned.
At the OMC-R, a control exists: callClearing > msRangeMax
extended cell
Description:
Class 2
V9
Whether the cell is extended (up to 120 km large) or not

The cell working mode governs the upper limit of the following
attribute values (refer to theses entries in the Dictionary):
callClearing, msRangeMax, and rndAccTimAdvThreshold

attributes of the bts object
concentAlgoExtMsRange and concentAlgoIntMsRange attributes
of the associated handOverControl object if the bts object
describes a concentric cell
Value range:
[true (extended) / false (normal)]
Object:
bts
Default value:
false
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
see Engineering Rules
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Extended cells will be used to reach mobiles that are far from the BTS
(in the case of sea shores and pleasure boats, for example).
In an extended cell, two consecutive time slots are reserved for each
channel. The capacity is then decreased.
LCAUTION!
Up to V10, an extended cell cannot be concentric. Whatever the MSBTS distance is, two consecutive time slots are reserved on Air
interface.
See also chapter SDCCH Dimensioning an TDMA Models.
LCAUTION!
GPRS/EDGE is not supported when extended cell feature is activated.

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msRangeMax
Class 3
V7
Description:
Maximum MStoBTS distance beyond, which a handover may be

triggered. It can be set to 1 for a microcell and is less than callClearing
in all cases.
Value range:

Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
34 in non-extended mode, 89 in extended mode
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
= callClearing - 1 km
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
If the associated serving cell is a concentric cell, the following

inequality, that is not checked by the system, must be true (refer to
this entry in the Dictionary):
concentAlgoExtMsRange concentAlgoIntMsRange msRangeMax
LCAUTION!
callClearing > msRangeMax is controled at the OMC level. It must be

adapted to current cell extent in order to be an efficient preventive
handover. If value is too small, there is a big risk of ping-pong
handover.
LCAUTION!
Due to lack of mobile timing advance accuracy this parameter must

not be set at a too low value (not < 2). Generaly for non-extended
mode (6 km for urban and 34 km for rural)
msBtsDistanceInterCell
Class 3
V7
Description:
Whether interbts handovers are allowed in a cell for distance

reasons
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
enabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
enabled
Used in:
Handovers screening
Eng. Rules:
Due to the imprecision of some MS on Timing Advance (see chapter

Distance - timing advance conversion) and due to the delay spread in
a very urban environment, it is possible to set this parameter to
disabled (in an urban environment). However, for all cells with a
radius of more than 1 km, handover on distance must be authorized.
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preSynchroTimingAdvance
Class 3
V10
Description:
Pre-defined timing advance used in a pre-synchronized handover

procedure between the serving cell and this neighbor cell.
Value range:
[1 to 35] (km)
Object:
Default value:
Refer to parameter synchronized
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
Used in:
Pre-synchronized HO
Eng. Rules:
This value of timing advance is used when the parameter

synchronized is set to pre sync HO with timing advance. A
predefined timing advance can be defined when phase 2 MSs always
handove from the serving cell to this neighbor cell approximately at
the same place (railway, highway).
If the parameter synchronized is set to presyncho HO, default timing
advance, the default TA value is -1 (554 m).
If the parameter synchronized is set to presyncho HO, with timing
advance, the parameter preSynchroTimingAdvance must be tuned to
the estimated value of TA.
See also chapter Synchronized HO versus Not Synchronized HO.
LCAUTION!
preSynchroTimingAdvance value is not controlled at the OMC-R
rndAccTimAdvThreshold
Class 3
V8
Description:
MStoBTS distance beyond which mobile access requests to a cell

are refused.
It defines the maximum timing advance value accepted.
The effective timing advance value is broadcast in the CHANNEL
REQUIRED message sent by the BTS to the BSC. If it is above the
user defined threshold, the BSC ignores the request.
Value range:

Object:
bts
Default value:
35 (non-extended cell), 90 (extended cell)
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
msRangeMax (= call clearing - 1km = 1.5* cell diameter + 2 km -1

km)
Generally for non-extended mode: 6 km for urban, 35 km for rural
Used in:
Request access command process (RA)
Eng. Rules:
The maximum authorized value will inhibit the feature.

By adjusting the value to the size of the cell (see recommended
value), parasite RACH (noise which is decoded by the system like a
RACH) are filtered. This avoids the unnecessary assigment of
SDCCH.
For example, for small cells, if the value is 35 km, almost 30% of the
RACHs are parasite. If the value is modified to 2, almost no parasite
RACH are detected.
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runCallClear
Class 3
V7
Description:

before the call clearing algorithm in a cell is triggered
Value range:
[1 to 31] SACCH frames (1 unit = 480 ms on TCHs, 470 ms on

SDCCHs)
Object:
bts
Default value:
16
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
16
Used in:
Call Clearing Process (run by BTS) (Cc)
Eng. Rules:
It is not necessary to run Cc too often, since those calls are going to
be ended anyway. Nevertheless, traffic out of a cells range interferes
on other cells or timeslots.
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5.13. POWER CONTROL PARAMETERS

bsMsmtProcessingMode
Class 2
V7
Description:
Whether radio measurements collected by the mobiles for a cell are

processed by the BTS or the BSC
Value range:
[preProcessedMeasurementReporting (BTS) /
basicMeasurementReporting (BSC)]
Object:
bts
Default value:
preProcessedMeasurementReporting
Type:
DP, Product
Rec. value:
preProcessedMeasurementReporting
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Since radio measurements are always preprocessed by the BTS,

changing this attribute has no meaning.
bsPowerControl
Class 3
V7
Description:
Whether BTS transmission power control is allowed at cell level
Value range:
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
disabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
enabled
Used in:
Step by step Power control (Pc_1)

Power Control (AMR)
Eng. Rules:
Not useful for mono-TRX cells, because BTS power control on BCCH
frequency is not allowed.
LCAUTION!
During a measurement field campaign, it can be normal to disable this

feature in order to have the real signal strength and not the adjusted
one.
bsTxPwrMax
Class 3
V7
Description:
Maximum theoretical level of BTS transmission power in a cell

The BSC relays the information to the mobiles in the Abis CELL
MODIFY REQUEST message.
Value range:
[0 to 47] dBm
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
43 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
depends on the equipment
Used in:
General formulas
Cabinet Output Power Setting
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Eng. Rules:
This power is used to calculate the cabinet output power. From V9, it
depends on the attribute attenuation of btsSiteManager objects (see
chapter Pr computation), because the value of the parameter
attenuation is then taken into account as DLU attenuation.
Remark:
For a GSM 1900 network (standardIndicator of bts object set to

pcs1900), the MD-R checks the following: bsTxPwrMax < 32 (dBm)
when an edge frequency is defined for the cell (i.e. if the value is
included in the cellAllocation attribute values).
Some bsTxPowerMax values are not compatible with the effective
power output by the BTS (see chapter Pr computation).
lRxLevDLP
Class 3
V7
Description:
Signal strength threshold in BTStoMS direction, below which the

power control function increases power. It is lower than uRxLevDLP.
Value range:
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
-95 to -94 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-95 to -94 dBm (step by step)

-85 to -84 dBm (one shot)
Used in:

Power Control (AMR)
Eng. Rules:
The difference between lower and upper thresholds must be greater

or equal to max (powerIncrStrepSize, powerRedStepSize), because it
is controled at the OMC level.
lRxLevDLP > lRxLevDLH, up to V7, because power Control and
handover algorithms are decorrelated.
LCAUTION!
In case the AMR power control algorithm is activated ( refer to the

amrReserved2 parameter) that parameter defines the threshold below
which the AMR power control is inhibited.
In that case the recommended values remain the same if the AMR
penetration is low, and the same + 2dB if the AMR penetration is high.
lRxLevULP
Class 3
V7
Description:
Signal strength threshold in MStoBTS direction, below which the

power control function increases power. It is lower than uRxLevULP.
Value range:
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
-95 to -94 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-95 to -94 dBm (step by step)

-85 to -84 dBm (one shot)
Used in:

Power Control (AMR)
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Eng. Rules:
lRxLevULP > lRxLevULH, up to V7, because power Control and

handover algorithms are decorrelated.
LCAUTION!
In case the AMR power control algorithm is activated ( see

amrReserved2 parameter) that parameter defines the threshold below
which the AMR power control is inhibited.
In that case the recommended values remain the same if the AMR
penetration is low, and the same + 2dB if the AMR penetration is high.
lRxQualDLP
Class 3
V7
Description:
Bit error rate threshold in BTStoMS direction, above which the

power control function increases power. It is greater than or equal to
uRxQualDLP.
Value range:
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
0.4 to 0.8
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
0.8 to 1.6 % (RxQual = 3 in GSM unit) without SFH

3.2 to 6.4 % (RxQual = 5 in GSM unit) with SFH
Used in:

Power Control (AMR)
Eng. Rules:
This value must be lower than lRxQualDLH in order to maintain

priority between power control and handover.
lRxQualULP
Class 3
V7
Description:
Bit error rate threshold in MStoBTS direction, above which the

power control function increases power. It is greater than or equal to
uRxQualULP.
Value range:
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
0.4 to 0.8
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:

Used in:

Power Control (AMR)
Eng. Rules:
This value must be lower than lRxQualULH in order to maintain

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msTxPwrMax2ndBand
Class 2
V12
Description:
Maximum MS transmission power in the band 1 of the dualband cell

depending on the network type (BCCH is only defined in band 0)
Value range:
[0 to 36] for GSM 900 GSM 1800 (gsmdcs),

[5 to 43] for GSM 1800 GSM 900 (dcsgsm)
[0 to 33] for GSM 850 GSM 1900 (gsm850pcs)
[5 to 43] for GSM 1900 GSM 850 (pcsgsm850)
for all in the steps of 2 + value = 33 for GSM 850 GSM 1900
0..43 for other standardIndicator types
Object:
bts
Default value:
Typical value of 33 dBm for GSM 900 & 850 handhelds, 30 dBm for
GSM 1800 and 1900
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
33 dBm for dcsgsm

30 dBm for gsmdcs & 850
Used in:
Concentric/DualCoupling/DualBand Cell Handover (Ho_3)
Eng. Rules:
This parameter is only used for power control.

The attribute value is within the range [0 to 36] and even when the bts
object standardIndicator attribute is gsmdcs.
The attribute value is within the range [5 to 43] and odd when the bts
object standardIndicator attribute is dcsgsm.
new power control algorithm
Class 3
V9
Description:
Algorithm used by the BTS to control power in a cell

step by step value refers to the standard power control algorithm.
one shot value refers to the advanced power control algorithm.
enhanced one shot value refers to the advanced power algorithm
used in connection with the handOverControl object
rxLevHreqaveBeg attribute used in the early handover mechanism.
Value range:
[step by step / one shot / enhanced one shot]
Object:
bts
Default value:
one shot
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
one shot (if DCU2 boards)

enhanced one shot (otherwise)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
LCAUTION!
Enhanced one shot is not supported with DCU2 boards or with a mix
of DCU2/DCU4 boards
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powerControlIndicator
Class 3
V7
Description:
Whether MS signal strength measurements include measurements on

BCCH or not.
Value range:
[include BCCH measurements / do not include BCCH measurements]
Object:
bts
Default value:
include BCCH measurements
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
See Eng. Rules
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
BCCH measurements must not be included when the following two

conditions are met:
The radio channel hops at least on two different frequencies,
including the BCCH frequency.
Power control on the downlink is used.
LCAUTION!
This parameter should only be used with cavity coupling.
powerIncrStepSizeDL
Class 3
V14
Description:
Increment step size for downlink power control.
Value range:
[2, 30] dB
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
4 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
4 dB
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
A high step is required to be reactive in increasing the power when

entering an area where propagation is not acceptable.
A higher step (6 dB) is recommended for specific networks or
environment (high speed trains for example).
The attribute powerIncrStepSizeDL must verify: lRxLevDLP +
powerIncrStepSizeDL uRxLevDLP
LCAUTION!
Not used in one shot power control nor in AMR power control.
powerIncrStepSizeUL
Class 3
Description:
Increment step size for uplink power control.
Value range:
[2, 30] dB
V14
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
4 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
4 dB
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
A high step is required to be reactive in increasing the power when

entering an area where propagation is not acceptable.
A higher step (6 dB) is recommended for specific networks or
environment (high speed trains for example).
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The attribute powerIncrStepSizeUL must verify:lRxLevULP +
powerIncrStepSizeUL uRxLevULP
LCAUTION!
Not used in one shot power control nor in AMR power control.
powerRedStepSizeDL
Class 3
V14
Description:
Decrement step size for downlink power control.
Value range:
[2, 8] dB
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
2 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
2 dB
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Small steps are enough to adapt two subsequent changes in quality

and strength. Moreover, calls become sensitive to low MS or BS
TxPower.
The attribute powerIncrStepSizeDL must verify: uRxLevDLP
powerRedStepSizeDL lRxLevDLP
LCAUTION!
Not used in one shot power control.
powerRedStepSizeUL
Class 3
Description:
Decrement step size for uplink power control.
Value range:
[2, 30] dB
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
2 dB
V14
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
2 dB
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Small steps are enough to adapt two subsequent changes in quality

and strength. Moreover, calls become sensitive to low MS or BS
txPower.
The attribute powerRedStepSizeUL must verify: uRxLevULP
powerRedStepSizeUL lRxLevULP
LCAUTION!
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runPwrControl
Class 3
V7
Description:

before the power control algorithm in a cell is triggered.
Value range:
[1 to 31] frames (1 unit = 480 ms on TCH, 470 ms on SDCCH)
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
Used in:

Power Control (AMR)
Eng. Rules:
The lowest is the parameter value, the best will be the reactivity;
nevertheless, it is better to wait for the effect of MS power decrease
on the uplink quality.
uplinkPowerControl
Class 3
V8
Description:
Whether power control in the MStoBTS direction is authorized at

cell level
Value range:
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
enabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
enabled
Used in:

Power Control (AMR)
Eng. Rules:
uRxLevDLP
Class 3
V7
Description:
Upper strength threshold for BTS txpwr decrease for step by step
algorithm (it is greater than IRxLevDLP)
Value range:
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
-85 to -84 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
= lRxLevDLP + Max (powerIncrStepSizeDL,

powerRedStepSizeDL) typically
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Difference between the lower and upper thresholds must be greater or

equal to the maximum power step size.
LCAUTION!
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uRxLevULP
Class 3
V7
Description:
Upper strength threshold for MS txpwr decrease for step by step

algorithm (it is greater than lRxLevULP).
Value range:
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
-85 to -84 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
lRxLevULP + Max (powerIncrStepSizeUL, powerRedStepSizeUL)

typically
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Difference between the lower and upper threshold, must be greater or

equal to the maximum power step size.
LCAUTION!
uRxQualDLP
Class 3
V7
Description:
Upper quality threshold to reduce BTS txpwr for step by step algorithm
(it is lower than or equal to lRxQualDLP).
Value range:
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
0.2 to 0.4
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:

Used in:
Eng. Rules:
This value must be lower than lRxQualDLH in order to maintain

LCAUTION!
uRxQualULP
Class 3
V7
Description:
Upper quality threshold to reduce MS txpwr for step by step algorithm

(it is lower than or equal to lRxQualULP).
Value range:
Object:
powerControl
Default value:
0.2 to 0.4
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:

1.6 to 3.2 % (RxQual = 4 in GSM unit) wtih SFH
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
This value must be lower than lRxQualULH in order to maintain

There is no reason why this value should differ from uRxQualDLP.
LCAUTION!
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5.14. TCH ALLOCATION MANAGEMENT PARAMETERS

Class 3
Description:
List of access classes that are not authorized in a cell during TCH
congestion phase (class 10 not included)
Value range:
[0 to 9] User classes
[11 to 15] Operator classes
V9
Object:
bts
Default value:
[0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
Used in:
Dynamic barring of access class (All_4)

V15.0 Changes of dynamic barring of access class (All_4)
Eng. Rules:
Usually, in a low capacity cell (between 1 and 2 TRXs), many classes

must be forbidden in case of congestion (few resources available). In
a high capacity cell, only a few classes must be forbidden.
allocPriorityTable
Class 3
V7
Description:
Table of eighteen elements that define the internal priorities for

processing TCH queued allocation requests for each external priority
defined (among them, fourteen are GSM priorities)
TCH is always allocated using the internal priority.
Value range:
[0 to 12]. 0 defines the highest priority.
Object:
bts
Default value:
000000000000000000
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
02222222222223042
Used in:
Allocation and priority (run by the BSC) (All_1)

Queuing driven by the MSC (All_2)
Queuing driven by the BSC (All_3)
Eng. Rules:
The default set means that all TCH allocation requests have the same
priority, which is equal to 0.
When queuing is activated, set the following parameters in order not
to disadvantage the interCell handover procedures:
0 8 9 10 11 12 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 0 4 2 for WPS use
LCAUTION!
Priority for interCell handover: 0

Priority for other procedures: 0
allocPriorityThreshold > 0
When WPS Queuing Management is activated, the WPS priorities (8

to 12) have to be set as recommended, otherwise WPS queues will be
managed like internal public queues.
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Description:
Class 3
V7
Number of free TCHs needed for processing a TCH allocation request

with an internal priority higher than 1
These channels are reserved to allocation requests with a maximum
internal priority (priority 0).
The TCH allocation is performed according to this algorithm:
Nb of free TCH = 0
1 Nb of free TCH
Nb of free TCH >

TCH request
of priority 0
queuing if defined or
rejected
TCH allocated
TCH allocated
TCH request
of priority > 0
rejected
rejected
TCH allocated
For GPRS with shared PDTCH, the allocation is performed according

to this algorithm: free resources are composed of free TCH and
shared PDTCH not already used by a GSM call:
Nb of free TCH = 0
TCH request
of priority 0
rejected
1 Nb of free TCH
Nb of free TCH >

TCH allocated if TCH

free > 0

free > 0
if preemption is
authorized and PCU
ACK, allocation of a
shared PDTCH
if preemption is
authorized and PCU
shared PDTCH
if preemption is not
authorized or PCU
NACK, queuing if
defined or rejected
authorized or PCU
NACK, queuing if
defined or rejected
free > 0
TCH request
of priority > 0
rejected
rejected
if preemption is
authorized and PCU
shared PDTCH
authorized or PCU
NACK, queuing if
defined or rejected
Value range:
[0 to 2147483646]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type
DP, Design
Rec. value:
n, with n TRX
Used in:

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Eng. Rules:
When TCH channels are reserved and the internal priority for
assignRequest is 0, the capacity for incoming calls decreases:
Example:
1 TRX, 7 TCH, 2 % blocking rate, allocPriorityThreshold = 0,
capacity for incoming calls = 2,88 Erlang
1 TRX, 7 TCH, 2 % blocking rate, allocPriorityThreshold = 1,
capacity for incoming calls = 2,23 Erlang
Queuing spreads out the TCH allocation request. As incoming
handover requests are not queued, such requests are disadvantaged.
A solution is to reserve 1 TCH channel (for 1 or 2 TRXs) or 2 TCH
channels (for at least 2 TRX) for calls of internal priority 0, and set the
priority 0 for incoming handovers only.
Note that when TCH channels are reserved for handovers, the
capacity for incoming calls decreases.
allocPriorityTimers
Class 3
V7
Description:
Table of timers defining the maximum waiting time of TCH allocations

request (public and WPS request), according to the internal priority.
Value range:
[0 65535] for BSC3000

[0 2147483646] for BSC12000
Object:
bts
Default value:
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 28 28 28 28
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
5 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 28 28 28 28 28
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The maximum waiting time in the queue must be lower than:

tnt2 - t3107
Where:
tnt2 is the DMS MSC timer, which represents the maximum

duration between the assign request message (sent by the MSC)
and the assign complete message (received from the BSC).
t3107 is the timer set on the transmission of the assign command
message and reset on the receipt of the assign complete.
Maximum_waiting_time tnt2 - t3107

A high value of timer is not realistic, since a subscriber will not wait
unless the last TCH is available quickly.
The last five parameters in the table (those set to 28) are determining
the waiting time of WPS calls queued.
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allocWaitThreshold
Class 3
V7
Description:
Table of thresholds defining the maximum number of TCH allocation

requests queued (public and WPS), according to their internal priority.
A TCH request of priority Pi, P0<Pi<P7, is queued if the total number
of requests of priority Pj, with j<i, already in the queue does not
exceed the waiting threshold of the queue i (element i of the
allocWaitThreshold table).
A WPS request priority is queued according to the rules of WPS
queuing.
Value range:
[0 to 63] MMI Range
Object:
bts
Default value:
0000000055555
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
n 0 n n 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 5, with n = integer part of (number of

SDCCH subchannels / 2)
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The maximum size in each queue must be lower than the number of
SDCCH channels in the cell.
For an incoming call, when the assignRequest is queued, it remains
on the SDCCH subchannel.
The last five parameters in the table are determining the maximum
number of WPS calls of the same priority that can be queued.
Class 3
V7
Description:
Index in the allocPriorityTable that defines the processing priority of

TCH allocation requests with cause other cases
This priority is used in primoallocations or when an SDDCH cannot
be allocated for overload reasons.
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Object:
bts
Default value:
17
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
16
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The associated internal priority is > 0.

A TCH allocation request (in signaling mode) whose cause is other
case is acknowledged when at least allocPriorityThreshold + 1
channels are free.
Refer also to the allocPriorityTable parameter.
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Class 3
V7
Description:

TCH allocation requests with cause reply to paging
This priority is used in signaling mode on TCH only.
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Object:
bts
Default value:
17
Type:
DP, System
Rec. valueb
16
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The associated internal priority is > 0.

A TCH allocation request (in signaling mode) whose cause is other
case is acknowledged when at least allocPriorityThreshold + 1
channels are free.
Class 3
V7
Description:

TCH allocation requests with cause immediate assignment
This priority is used when radio resource allocation queuing is not
requested by the MSC or not authorized in the BSS (refer to the
bscQueuingOption parameter).
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Object:
bts
Default value:
17
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
17
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
When queuing driven by the MSC is used, this parameter is not

significant.
It is recommended not to associate an internal priority equal to 0.
There is no queuing for TCH in signaling mode.
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bscMSAccessClassBarringFunction
Class 3
V9
Description:
Enable or disable dynamic barring of access class at the bsc level
Value range:
Object:
bsc
Default value:
disabled
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
enabled, see Engineering Rules
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
Set to disabled, this parameter allows to inhibit the dynamic barring of

access class feature for the whole BSC whatever the values of the
other parameters related to All_4 are.
If queuing or directed retry is activated, the following
parameters must be used:
bscQueuingOption
Description:
Class 1
V7
Whether radio resource allocation requests are queued in the BSC

when no resources are available
If no resource is available when an allocation request is received and queuing is not

allowed, the allocation request is refused immediately.
Value range:
[allowed (MSC driven) / forced (O&M driven) / not allowed]

allowed: resource allocation request queuing depends on the type
of operation and indicative items provided with the messages
received from the MSC.
forced: resource allocation request queuing depends on the type of
operation only.
not allowed: resource allocation request queuing is forbidden.
Object:
signallingPoint
Default value:
forced
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
forced (O&M driven)

allowed (MSC driven) for WPS use
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
When queuing is activated, the queued procedures (assignRequest

and intraCellHO if OMC driven) statistically take advantage on the
other procedures. If all the TCH channels are already allocated, the
queued procedures stay in the queue during a defined time (see
allocPriorityTimers), when the others are rejected.
Suppose the operator expects to enable the queuing later. Due to the
class of the parameter bscQueuingOption, it is recommended not to
set not allowed. Otherwise, the BSC will need to be switched off to
implement the feature.
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LCAUTION!
WPS Queuing Management can be activated only if

bscQueuingOption is set to allowed, i.e if MSC can handle different
priorities of assignement request.
btsMSAccessClassBarringFunction
Class 3
Description:
Enable or disable dynamic barring of access class at the bts level
Value range:
Object
bts
Default value:
disabled
V9
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
See Engineering Rules
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
To enable dynamic barring of access class at the bts level, this

parameter and the bscMSAccessClassBarringFunction parameter of
the corresponding bsc must be set to enabled.
This feature globally reduces the cell capacity.
The fewer the number of TRXs on the cell, the more the capacity is
reduced.
Class 3
V7
Description:

TCH allocation requests with cause call reestablishment
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Objectb
bts
Default value:
17
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
15
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The value that must be given should correspond to a priority 0.

Refer to the allocPriorityTable parameter.
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cellBarQualify
Class 3
V8
Description:
Cell selection priority used in the C2 algorithm in Phase II

cell BCCH.
Value range:
[true (low priority) / false (normal priority)]
Object:
bts
Default value:
False
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
False
Used in:

(Sel_1)
New SYS INFO messages
Eng. Rules:
refer to Sel_3 algorithm, see also chapter DualBand Networks.
cellBarred
Class 3
V7
Description:
Whether direct cell access are barred to mobiles

cell BCCH.During a call, it is transmitted on a signaling link.
If the attribute value is changed to barred, all inprogress calls can
continue but the BSC will direct further mobile calls to another cell.
Value range:
[barred / not barred]
Object:
bts
Default value:
not barred
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
not barred
Used in:

(Sel_1)
Eng. Rules:
refer to Sel_3 algorithm, see also chapter DualBand Networks.
channelType
Class 2
Description:
Type of logical channel supported by a radio TS
Value range:
[tCHFull / sDCCH / mainBCCH / mainBCCHCombined /

bcchsdcch4CBCH / sdcch8CBCH / cCH (V12) / pDTCH (V12)]
Object:
channel
Default value:
None
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
None.
V7
No recommended value is specified since this parameter

depends on the strategy of the operator.
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
In the case of GSM, refer to chapter SDCCH Dimensioning an TDMA

Models for the rules with SDCCH.
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Class 3
V7
Description:
Index in the table allocPriorityTable for a TCH allocation request

whose cause is emergency call
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Object:
bts
Default value:
17
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
15
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The internal priority associated is 0. A TCH allocation request (in

signaling mode) whose cause is emergency call is acknowledged
when at least 1 channel is free.
Class 3
V7
Description:

incoming interbss handovers in a cell
This priority is used when radio resource allocation queuing is not
requested by the MSC or not authorized in the BSS (refer to the
bscQueuingOption parameter).
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Object:
bts
Default value:
17
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
15
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The internal priority associated is 0. A TCH allocation request (in

signaling mode) on interBSC handover is aknowledged when at least
1 channel is free.
When queuing is used, it is recommended to give the priority 0 and
reserve the TCH channels (allocPriorityThreshold) since it
disadvantages requests that cannot be queued.
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Class 3
V7
Description:

incoming intrabss handovers in a cell
This priority is always used, whether radio resource allocation queuing
is authorized in the BSS or not.
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Object:
bts
Default value:
17
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
15
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The internal priority associated is 0.

A TCH allocation request (in signaling mode) on intraBSC handover is
aknowledged when at least 1 TCH is free.
When queuing is used, it is recommended to give the priority 0 and
reserve the TCH channels (allocPriorityThreshold) since it
disadvantages requests that cannot be queued.
Class 3
V7
Description:
Index in the allocPriorityTable that defines the processing priority of an

intrabts handover in a cell
This priority is always used, whether radio resource allocation queuing
is authorized in the BSS or not.
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Object:
bts
Default value:
17
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
14
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
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directedRetryPrio
V12
Description:
Index in the allocPriorityTable that defines the processing priority for

directed retry handovers
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
17
Used in:
TCH Allocation Management
Eng. Rules:
Before V12, the directed retry used the incoming handover priority,
which is the highest priority; to avoid this, this new priority is
introduced.
intraCellQueuing
Class 3
V8
Description:
Whether intrabts handover requests are queued for a cell. This

parameter is significant only when queuing radio resource allocation
requests is allowed in the BSS.
Refer to the bscQueuingOption parameter.
Value range:
Object:
bts
Default value:
disabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Enabled
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
None.
minNbOfTDMA
Class 2
V7
Description:
Minimum number of TDMA frames that must be working in order for

the cell itself to be working.
The frame carrying the cell BCCH must be among them and is
successfully configured.
Value range:
[1 to 16]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
None.
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Class 3
V7
Description:
List of mobile access classes that are forbidden in the cell, except
case of congestion.
This attribute, together with the emergencyCallRestricted attribute,
allows to control access to a cell according to the service classes
authorized.
Value range:
List of mobile access class:

[0 to 9]: user classes
[11 to 15]: operator classes
Object:
bts
Default value:
Leave the field empty
Type:
DP,Operation
Rec. value:
null (empty list)
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
This parameter contains the list of forbidden access classes. Usually

all users are authorized, in this case, the list must be empty.
Class 3
V9
Description:
Minimum number of free TCHs which triggers the beginning of the

TCH congestion phase and the beginning of the traffic overload
condition
Value range:
[0 to infinite]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
1 for cells with 1-2 TRXs

2 or 3 for cells with more than 3 TRXs
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
Note that the congestion feature does not distinguish between

reserved or unreserved TCHs. A reserved TCH is a TCH booked for a
priority 0 procedure. Setting this parameter must consider the number
of reserved TCHs.
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Class 3
V9
Description:
Threshold that gives the number of free TCHs, which triggers the end
of TCH congestion phase and the end of the traffic overload condition.
Value range:
[0 to infinite]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
2 for cells with 1-2 TRXs

3 or 4 cells with more than 3 TRXs
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
numberOfTCHFreeToEndCongestion >
Note, this inequality is not checked at the OMC.
Class 3
V9
Description:
Maximum number of TCH allocation requests queued which triggers

the beginning of the TCH congestion phase and the beginning of the
traffic overload condition
Value range:
[0 to infinite]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
TBD
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
Class 3
V9
Description:
Maximum number of TCH allocation requests queued which triggers

the end of TCH congestion phase and the end of the traffic overload
condition
Value range:
[0 to infinite]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
TBD
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
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Description:
Class 3
V7
Index in the table allocPriorityTable for a TCH allocation request (in

signaling mode) whose cause is other services
This priority is used in primoallocations or when an SDDCH cannot be allocated for

overload reasons.
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Object:
bts
Default value:
17
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
16
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The internal priority associated is > 0. A TCH allocation request (in

signaling mode) whose cause is other services is acknowledged
when at least allocPriorityThreshold + 1 channels are free.
priority
Class 2
V7
Description:
Priority level of a TDMA frame.

At least minNbOfTDMA TDMA frames related to a cell must be
successfully configured for the cell to be working.
They include the TDMA frame carrying the cell BCCH and those with
the other priority(ies).
Value range:
[0 to 255]
Object:
transceiver
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Among the set of TDMA frames attached to a cell, it is mandatory for

the one carrying the BCCH to have the highest priority allotted and to
be the only one to have that priority.
For the TDMA carrying SDCCH channels that priority must be the
second highest priority, i.e. not as high as the BCCH priority.
For the TDMA carrying only TCH channels that priority must be the
lowest.
The easiest way to set the TDMA priorities is the following:
BCCH TDMA
priority=0
SDCCH TDMA
priority=1
TCH TDMA
priority=2
Refer also to chapter SDCCH Dimensioning an TDMA Models.
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5.15. DIRECTED RETRY HANDOVER PARAMETERS

adjacent cell umbrella ref
Class 3
V9
Description:
Identifier of the adjacentCelHandOver object that describes the

neighbor cell towards which a directed retry will be triggered in BSC
mode
Value range:
[0 to 31]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
Identifier of the adjacentCellHandOver of the macrocell which

totally covers the micro cell.
Used in:
Directed Retry Handover: BSC (or local) mode (Ho_1)
Eng. Rules:
BSC mode is especially used in a two layer network. For micro cells,
directed retry needs to be triggered towards the macro cell. However,
if the recovering of each micro cell is good enough,
adjacentUmbrellaRef can identify a micro cell.
To facilitate the procedure, the BCCH frequency of the target neighbor
cell must be in the reselection list.
See also chapter Directed Retry Handover Benefit.
directedRetry
Class 3
V9
Description:
Minimum signal strength level received by the mobiles to be granted

access to the neighbor cell, used in processing directed retry
handovers in BTS mode
Value range:
Object:
Default value:
more than -48 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
= rxLevMinCell + 3 to 25 dB
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The choice of recommended value has to be done regarding the

general design of the network. A 3 dB margin must be considered as
a minimum on a network to eliminate field strength bumps effect due
to multipath. However, this margin must be increased in an urban
environment or with the use of reuse pattern (overall for a 1X1
pattern) because of the generated interference when the MS is not on
the best server cell.
LCAUTION!
Directed retry is not allowed between 2 zones of a concentric cell.

possible to set this parameter to a higher value in neighbour cells
belonging to the low priority frequency band. Thus, this band will be
underprivileged. However, it will impact the directed retry for
monoband MS on this band (less directed retry).
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Class 3
V9
Description:
Specify how directed retry handovers are processed in a cell either

directly by the BSC (microcells only) or by querying the BTS first
Value range:
[bsc / bts]
Object:
bts
Default value:
bts
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
bts
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The micro cell should be entirely covered by the macro cell in order to
use efficiently the bsc mode.
The use of the bts mode is recommended in a hot spot when there are
several micro cells under the umbrella. The bts mode allows the use
of micro cells to rescue the umbrella cell and also avoids a saturation
of the umbrella cell.
Class 3
Description:
Whether interbss directed retry handovers are allowed in a BSS
Value range:
Object:
bsc
Default value:
allowed
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
allowed
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
LCAUTION!
Class 3
V9
V9
Description:
Whether interbss directed retry handovers are allowed in a cell
Value range:
Object:
bts
Default value:
allowed
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
allowed
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
If the value is not allowed then, the value of

interBscDirectedRetryFromCell must be set to not allowed for the
concerned cells.
LCAUTION!

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Class 3
Description:
Whether intrabss directed retry handovers are allowed in a BSS
Value range:
Object:
bsc
Default value:
allowed
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
allowed
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
LCAUTION!
Class 3
V9
V9
Description:
Whether intrabss directed retry handovers are allowed in a cell
Value range:
Object:
bts
Default value:
allowed
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
allowed
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
If the value is not allowed then, the value of

intraBscDirectedRetryFromCell must be set to not allowed for the
concerned cells.
LCAUTION!
modeModifyMandatory
Class 3
V9
Description:
Whether a CHANNEL MODE MODIFY message should be sent to the

mobile after a directed retry handover in the BSS
Value range:
[used (yes) / not used (no)]
Object:
bsc
Default value:
not used
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
used
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
This message is only useful for mobiles belonging to special brands

that are not able to switch directly from signaling information to
speech information. They need to receive a CHANNEL MODE
MODIFY message. The value must be set to used if all types of
mobile stations are welcome on the network even if it can load the
system (messages sent for all the mobiles not only the ones that need
the message).
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5.16. CONCENTRIC CELL PARAMETERS

biZonePowerOffset
Class 3
V12
Description:
Offset added in calculation formula to draw up the list of eligible cells

for handover towards a dualband, dualcoupling, or concentric cell
inner zone to take into account the difference of propagation models
between the two bands of the cells and the difference of transmission
power between TRXs of the two zones due to either BTS
configuration or coupling.
Value range:
[-63 to 63] dB
Object:
Default value:
if main band = 850 MHz biZonePowerOffset = 3 dB

if main band = 1900 MHz biZonePowerOffset = -3 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
General formulas
Eng. Rules:
Used for intercell handover to control whether the inner zone is

eligible or not.
to inhibit Direct TCH Allocation on an adjacent cell (when the
adjacent cell is declared as monozone / concentric / dualband /
dualcoupling) biZonePowerOffset(n) = 63
to allow Direct TCH Allocation on an adjacent cell (when the
adjacent cell is declared as concentric / dualband / dualcoupling)
biZonePowerOffset(n) =concentAlgoExtRxLev(n) - rxLevMinCell(n)
Note:
Shall be 63 for a monozone adjacent cell.

The higher (in positive) is the value, the more difficult it will be to
handover in the inner zone of the adjacent cell.
It is advised to set a value higher than the max offset (in rxLevDL
band 0) corresponding to the biggest difference of coverages between
the 2 bands (for the adjacent cell) otherwise an intercell handover to
the inner zone would be wrongly decided.
LCAUTION!
If HO decision is made toward the inner zone of a multizone cell, then

related EXP1XX(n) is computed with biZonePowerOffset(n).
See also chapters Concentric Cells and DualBand Networks.
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biZonePowerOffset
Class 3
V12
Description:
Power offset between inner and outer TRXs of the handOverControl

object of a dualband, dualcoupling, or concentric cell.
Value range:
[-63 to 63] dB
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
if main band = 850 MHz, biZonePowerOffset = 3 dB

if main band = 1900 MHz, biZonePowerOffset = -3 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
General formulas
Eng. Rules:
monozone cell:
biZonePowerOffset = 63
concentric cell:
biZonePowerOffset = zone Tx powermax reduction
concentric cell with HePA only on outer zone:

dualband cell (main band = 850 or 900 MHz):

dualband cell (main band = 1800 or 1900 MHz):

biZonePowerOffset = - 6
dualcoupling cell:
biZonePowerOffset = zone Tx powermax reduction = coupling losses
difference between inner and outer zone
dualband + dualcoupling cell combination:

biZonePowerOffset = coupling losses + propagation losses
LCAUTION!
When using dualcoupling cell DLU attenuation should be NULL and

compensated by the zone Tx power max reduction, see concentric
cell parameter
Note:
Shall be 63 for a monozone adjacent cell.
LCAUTION!
If HO decision is made in the small zone of a multizone cell then

related EXP2xx(n) = hoMarginxx(n) + biZonePowerOffset.
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Class 3
V9
Description:
MS to BTS distance below which a handover is requested from the

large zone to the small zone if the level criteria is verified
Value range:

Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
34
Used in:

Concentric cell / dualcoupling cell intracell handovers
Eng. Rules:
The calculated distance between the MS and the BTS is based on

timing advance (TA), which has an accuracy of 3 bits (corresponding
to more than 1,5 km), thus not very useful in urban areas where the
cell size is relatively small and multipath affect the MS_BS distance.
However this parameter can be useful in rural areas or suburban
areas, and concentAlgoExtMsRange should respect following rules:
Note:
concentAlgoExtMsRange = concentAlgoIntMsRange - 1 km
concentAlgoExtMsRange < concentAlgointMsRange
concentAlgoExtMsRange < msRangeMax
34 disable the parameter since condition is always fullfilled.

Class 3
V9
Description:
MS to BTS distance from which a handover from the small zone to the
large zone will be requested
Value range:

Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
34
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
34
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The calculated distance between the MS and the BTS is based on

timing advance (TA), which has an accuracy of 3 bits (corresponding
to more than 1,5 km), thus not very useful in urban areas where the
cell size is relatively small and multipath affect the MS_BS distance.
However this parameter can be useful in rural areas or suburban
areas, and concentAlgoIntMsRange should respect following rules:
Note:
concentAlgoIntMsRange > concentAlgoExtMsRange

concentAlgoIntMsRange < msRangeMax
34 disable the parameter since condition is always fullfilled.

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concentAlgoExtRxLev
Class 3
V9
Description:
The level of the MS signal strength above which a handover is

requested from the large zone to the small zone
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
- 95 to - 94
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
The recommended value depends on the network design. Depending

on capacity distribution between inner and outer zone, CPT can be
used to match the RxLev DL number of samples to
concentAlgoExtRxLev, which defines when users interzone handover
from outer to inner zone, i.e. inner zone traffic load.
The following rules shall be respected:
concentAlgoExtRxLev > concentAlgoIntRxLev
concentAlgoExtRxLev rxLevMinCell + biZonePowerOffset
concentAlgoIntRxLev
Class 3
V9
Description:
Level of the MS signal strength below which a handover is requested

from the small zone to the large zone
Value range:
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
less than -110
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
In order to avoid unnecessary ping-pong interzone HO a Hysteresis

Margin should be added:
concentAlgoIntRxLev = concentAlgoExtRxLev - biZonePowerOffset
- Hysteresis Margin
where recommended Hysteresis Margin = 4 dB
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concentric cell
Class 2
V9
Description:
Whether the cell is monozone, concentric, dualband or dualcoupling

A concentric, dualband, or dualcoupling cell describes a combination
of two transmission zones, the outer (or large) zone and the inner (or
small) zone. The inner zone is entirely included in the outer zone.
A dualband cell is a particular type of concentric cell for which GSM
900 and GSM1800 (or GSM 850 and GSM1900) TRXs/DRXs coexist
and share the same BCCH.
A dualcoupling cell is a particular type of concentric cell for which the
TRXs/DRXs are combined with two types of combiners.
For concentric configurations (concentric, dualband or dualcoupling),
a TDMA frame belongs to one zone or the other, but never to both.
Value range:
[monozone / concentric / dualband / dualcoupling] from V12

monozone: normal cell
concentric: two concentric transmission zones
dualband: two concentric transmissions zones with GSM 900
TRXs/DRXs for the one and GSM 1800 TRXs/DRXs for the other
dualcoupling: two concentric transmission zones with TRXs/DRXs
combined with one type of combiner for the one and with another
type of combiner for the other
Object:
bts
Default value:
monozone
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
concentric cell:
From V12, it is possible to allocate directly a TCH in the innerzone for
call set-up or HO and to reuse the same frequency in both zones, and
hopping concerns the total available number of frequencies.
A cell configuration with HePA only on outer zone is concentric cell,
not a dualcoupling cell.
dualband cell:
The dualband combining into one cell allows to save up to one
SDCCH in particular configurations, the combining of GSM 900 / GSM
1800 (or GSM 850 / GSM 1900) resources into one pool allows to
increase the traffic capacity.
LCAUTION!
dualband is not supported on S4000 with DCU2/DCU4, S4000 with

DCU2, S4000 with DCU4
dualcoupling cell:
The DLU attenuation shall be used: so configure the attenuation
parameter (btsSiteManager object) to null, configure the max power
for the cell to the desired max power (power for the outer zone) and
configure zone Tx power max reduction for the inner zone to the delta
value.
LCAUTION!
dualcoupling is not supported on mixed DCU4 or DRX transceiver

architecture.
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small to large zone HO priority
Class 3
V12
Description:
External priority of inter-zone handovers from the inner zone to the

outer zone in a concentric cell. This attribute is defined if the
associated bts object describes a concentric cell.
Value range:
[0 to 17]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
17
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
14
Used in:

Eng. Rules:

Description:
Class 2
V9
Class of a TRX/DRX.
The class of a TRX/DRX sets, among others, its maximum
transmission power. The attribute possible values have the following
meaning:
Class 1 corresponds to GSM 850/900 class 5 or GSM 1800/1900

class 1 (20W to 40W transmitters)
Class 2 corresponds to GSM 900 class 6 which is not supported or
GSM 1800/1900 class 2 (10W to 20W transmitters)
Value range:
[0 (reserved) / 1 / 2]
Object:
transceiverEquipment
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
monozone: 1
concentric cell: outer=1, inner=1
dualband cell: outer=1, inner=2
dualbcoupling cell: outer=1, inner=2
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
When dual band is used, the class of a TRX/DRX enables to

distinguish which DRX and which TDMA are used in the outer zone or
inner zone.
Class 1 corresponds to to a TDMA in the frequency band carrying
BCCH so belonging to transceiverZone = 0 (large/outer zone).
Class 2 corresponds to a TDMA in the frequency band not carrying
BCCH so belonging to transceiverZone = 1 (small/inner zone).
If the TRX/DRX is partnered with a TDMA frame, its class matches the
TRX/DRX class allotted to the zone to which the TDMA frame belongs
(refer to the next parameter).
Note:
In case of concentric cell configuration, setting inner and outer class to

1 allows a reconfiguration of TRX/DRX from the inner to the outer if
needed.
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V9
Description:
Class of the TRX/DRXs partnered with the TDMA frames of the zone.
The class of a TRX/DRX sets, among others, its maximum
transmission power. Refer to the previous parameter.
Value range:
[1 / 2]
Object:
transceiverZone
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
monozone: 1
concentric cell: outer=1, inner=1
dualband cell: outer=1, inner=2
dualbcoupling cell: outer=1, inner=2
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
When dual band is used, the class of a TRX/DRX enables to

distinguish which DRX and which TDMA are used in the outer zone or
inner zone.
Class 1 corresponds to to a TDMA in the frequency band carrying
BCCH so belonging to transceiverZone = 0 (large/outer zone).
Class 2 corresponds to a TDMA in the frequency band not carrying
BCCH so belonging to transceiverZone = 1 (small/inner zone).
Note:
In case of concentric cell configuration, setting inner and outer class to

1 allows a reconfiguration of TRX/DRX from the inner to the outer if
needed.
transceiverZone
Class 2
V12
Description:
Identifier of the transceiverZone object that defines the zone to which

a TDMA frame belongs in a concentric cell.
The transceiverZone objects are only significant for the bts objects
that describe concentric cells. Two transceiverZone objects are
created for each created concentric bts object; one describes the
large or outer transmission zone, and the other describes the smallor
inner transmission zone.
Value range:
[0 (large outer zone) / 1 (small or inner zone)]
Object:
transceiverZone
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
0 for outer zone

1 for inner zone
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
When a concentric/dualband/dualcoupling cell is created the

transceiverZone outer zone must set to 0 and the transceiverZone
inner zone must be set to 1.
It is not applicable for monozone cells.
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Class 2
V9
Description:
Attenuation vs bsTxPowerMax that defines the maximum TRX/DRX

transmission power in the zone
Value range:
large zone = [0] dB, small zone = [1 to 55] dB
Object:
transceiverZone
Default value:
0 dB
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
concentric cell:
zone Tx Power Max Reduction(outer) = 0
zone Tx Power Max Reduction(inner) zone Tx Power Max
Reduction(outer)
(zone Tx Power Max Reduction(inner) = 0 is recommanded)
dualband cell (homogeneous coupling):

zone Tx Power Max Reduction(outer) = 0
zone Tx Power Max Reduction(inner) = 1
dualcoupling cell:
zone Tx Power Max Reduction(outer)=0
zone Tx Power Max Reduction(inner)=3 simulates the D/H2D
configuration
zone Tx Power Max Reduction(inner)=4 simulates the H2D/H4D
configuration
LCAUTION!
when using dualcoupling cell DLU attenuation should be NULL and

compensated by the zone Tx power max reduction, see concentric
cell parameter
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5.17. INTERFERENCE LEVEL PARAMETERS

averagingPeriod
Class 2
V7
Description:
Number of SACCH multiframes over which the interference levels are

averaged. This averaging will be performed immediately before the
transmission of the RESOURCE INDICATION message.
This attribute, together with the thresholdInterference attribute,
allows users to manage interferences in radio cells. Refer to this entry
in the Dictionary.
Value range:
[0 to 255] SACCH frame (1 unit = 480 ms on TCH, 470 ms on

SDCCH)
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
20
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
20
Used in:

Interference Management (BTS and BSC) (If)
Eng. Rules:
Performing this message broadcast has a great impact on the system

load and should not be done too often.
Reducing this value speeds-up the channel allocation algorithm, since
it checks temporary channel interference non frequently. However, the
main purpose of this algorithm is to take into account long term
interference and not short term interference which do not have a
statistically large impact on call quality.
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radChanSelIntThreshold
Description:
Class 3
V8
Maximum interference level on free radio channels, below which the

channels are ranged in the group of allocation priority channels
The information is used to first allocate the free channels with the
lowest
interference
level.
The
levels
depend
on
the
thresholdInterference attribute value defined for the cell. Refer to this
entry in the Dictionary.
The BSC distributes the free radio channels among two groups:
The first group contains the list of channels with a measured

averaged interference level equal to or lower than the defined
level.
The second group contains the list of channels with a measured
averaged interference level higher than the defined level, and
recently released channels for which no measurement is available.
Four resource pools are defined for each SDCCH or TCH type of
channel:
low interference level radio channels that are authorized to hop

low interference level radio channels that are not authorized to hop
high interference level radio channels that are authorized to hop
high interference level radio channels that are not authorized to
hop
Value range:
[0 to 4]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
3
1 (for 1X1 & 1X3)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
A high value for this parameter means a tolerant interference sorting.

It is easier to change the value of this pointer than to tune the
thresholds themselves since the thresholds are used in the lower layer
of signal processing at the BTS.
The radChanSellIntThreshold counter can be set after interference
counters monitoring. Ideally, it should depend on the average traffic
load expected on the cell and on the interference distribution.
With low Traffic per TCH, radChanSellIntThreshold can be set to 1.
This means that the selection of the non interefered channels is very
selective. The few TCH selected are sufficient for the traffic to be
carried. RadChanSellIntThreshold can be decreased to 1 when using
1X1 or 1X3 reuse pattern in order to use as more BCCH resources as
possible.
With high Traffic per TCH, radChanSellIntThreshold can be set to 4.
This means MS will get allocated to a channel regardless of the
interference as long as there are resources available.
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thresholdInterference
Description:
Class 2
V7
List of four thresholds defined in ascending order, used to sort idle

channels on the basis of measured interference levels
This attribute, together with the averagingPeriod attribute, allows to
manage interferences in a radio cell. The classification is used by the
radio resource allocator.
For each idle radio channel, the BTS permanently measures the
signal strength level RXLEV.
When averagingPeriod Measurement results messages have been
received, the L1M function in the BTS calculates interference level
averages, sorts the idle channels according to the five defined
interference levels, and sends the information to the BSC.
Level 0 corresponds to: RXLEV < threshold 1

Level 1 corresponds to: threshold 1 < RXLEV < threshold 2
Level 4 corresponds to: threshold 4 < RXLEV
Value range:
[-128 to 0] dBm
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
-100 -90 -80 -70
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-114, -112, -108, -100
Used in:

Eng. Rules:
Those values define 5 interference level ranges, so free channel

classification can be displayed at the OMC-R level. The setting of the
threshold Interference level should be linked to the interference level
distribution in the cell. As a first definition, thresholds can be evenly
distributed over the defined range.
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5.18. RADIO RESSOURCES CONTROL AT CELL LEVEL

radResSupBusyTimer
Class 3
V8
Description:
Maximum time that SDCCH or TCH can be continuously occupied

without generating an alarm
Value range:
[1 to 18] hours
Object:
bsc
Default value:
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
10 or 3 (see Engineering Rules)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Useful, for example, to see problems of resource deallocation.

10 during busy day for high traffic area
3 for other cases (at night, in rural areas).
radResSupervision
Class 3
V8
Description:
Indicates whether radio resources are controlled at the cell level (both
busy resources and free resources)
When no control is performed, no alarm related to the use or nonuse
of an SDCCH or TCH is generated. Refer to the
radResSupBusyTimer and radResSupFreeTimer parameters.
Value range:
[true / false]
Object:
bts
Default value:
True
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
True
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
It is recommended to use this control mainly after a frequency plan

update, to regularly supervise the network.
radResSupFreeTimer
Class 3
V8
Description:
Maximum time an SDCCH or TCH can be continuously free without

generating an alarm
Value range:
[1 to 18] hours
Object:
bsc
Default value:
18
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
10 or 3 (see Eng. Rules)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Useful, for example, to see problems of design at busy hours or if

some channels are jammed.
10 during busy day for high traffic area
3 for other cases (at night, in rural areas).
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5.19. BSS TIMERS

bssMapT1
Class 1
V7
Description:
A interface timer triggered by the BSC in the BSSMAP management

procedure.
It is started on transmission of BLOCK or UNBLOCK by the BSC and
cancelled on receipt of BLOCK ACKNOWLEDGE or UNBLOCK
ACKNOWLEDGE sent by the MSC.
Value range:
[2 to 300] seconds
Object:
bsc
Default value:
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
5, 60 (if using DMS switch)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
bssMapT12
Class 1
V7
Description:

procedure.
This timer is used with a Phase I MSC only. It is started on
transmission of RESET CIRCUIT by the BSC and cancelled on receipt
of RESET CIRCUIT ACKNOWLEDGE sent by the MSC.
Value range:
[2 to 300] seconds
Object:
bsc
Default value:
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
5, 60 (if using DMS switch)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
bssMapT13
Class 1
V7
Description:
An interface timer triggered by the BSC in the BSSMAP management

procedure.
It is started on receipt of RESET sent by the MSC. On elapse, the
BSC sends RESET ACKNOWLEDGE to the MSC.
Value range:
[2 to 300] seconds
Object:
bsc
Default value:
32
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
32
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
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bssMapT19
Class 1
V8
Description:

procedure.
This timer is used with a Phase II MSC only. It is started on
transmission of RESET CIRCUIT by the BSC and cancelled on receipt
of RESET CIRCUIT ACKNOWLEDGE sent by the MSC.
Value range:
[2 to 300] seconds
Object:
bsc
Default value:
32
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
32
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
bssMapT20
Class 1
V8
Description:

procedure.
It is started on transmission of CIRCUIT GROUP BLOCK or CIRCUIT
GROUP UNBLOCK by the BSC and cancelled on receipt of CIRCUIT
GROUP BLOCK ACKNOWLEDGE or CIRCUIT GROUP UNBLOCK
ACKNOWLEDGE sent by the MSC.
Value range:
[2 to 300] seconds
Object:
bsc
Default value:
32
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
32
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
bssMapT4
Class 1
V7
Description:

procedure.
It is started on transmission of RESET and cancelled on receipt of
RESET ACKNOWLEDGE sent by the MSC. On elapse, the BSC
sends RESET.
Value range:
[5 to 600] seconds
Object:
bsc
Default value:
60
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
60
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
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bssMapT7
Class 1
V7
Description:

procedure.
It is started on transmission of HANDOVER REQUIRED and
cancelled on receipt of HANDOVER COMMAND, RESET, RESET
CIRCUIT, CLEAR COMMAND or HANDOVER REQUIRED REJECT.
Value range:
[2 to 120] seconds
Object:
bsc
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
bssMapT8
Class 1
V7
Description:

procedure.
It is greater than t3103 for each cell managed by the BSC. It is started
on transmission of HANDOVER COMMAND and cancelled on receipt
of CLEAR COMMAND sent by the MSC or HANDOVER FAILURE
sent by MS.
Value range:
[0 to 255] seconds
Object:
bsc
Default value:
15
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
15
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
It is greater than t3103 for each cell managed by the BSC.
bssMapTchoke
Class 1
V7
Description:
A interface timer triggered by the BSC in the handover management

procedure.
It is started by the BSC when the last neighbour cell in the list is
rejected. On timer elapse, the BSC asks the MSC to provide a new list
of eligible cells.
Value range:
[1 to 255] seconds
Object:
bsc
Default value:
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
It is strongly recommended to keep this value.
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bssSccpConnEst
Class 1
V7
Description:
A interface timer triggered by the BSC in the handover management

procedure.
It is set on transmission of CONNECTION REQUEST and cancelled
on receipt of CONNECTION CONFIRM or CONNECTION REFUSED.
Value rang:
[5 to 360, by steps of 5] seconds
Object:
signallingPoint
Default value:
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
A high value is dangerous in case of slowing down on A interface.

Then, the minimum value (5 s) must be chosen for this parameter; it is
strongly recommended not to modify this value.
t3101
Class 3
V7
Description:
BSC timer triggered during the immediate assignment procedure. Use

the suggested system value.
It is set on transmission of CHANNEL ACTIVATION by the BSC and
cancelled on receipt of ESTABLISH INDICATION sent by the BTS.
Value range:
[1 to 255] seconds
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Most of the time, the timer expires in the case of double allocation (i.e,
when two RACHs are sent by the same mobile to the network). The
higher the timer is the longer unnecessary signaling resources are
reserved. Up to 30% of signaling resources are allocated for a second
RACH for phase 1 MS according to numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans (32).
To optimize signaling resources (especially in case of Queuing), it
could be useful to decrease the timer value. The minimum time
between the two messages is 600 ms and the maximum for a lightly
loaded BSS is almost 1.8 seconds when MS is answering.
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t3103
Class 3
V7
Description:
BSC timer triggered during the handover procedure. Use the

suggested system value.
It is set on transmission of HANDOVER COMMAND by the BSC and
cancelled on receipt of either HANDOVER COMPLETE or
HANDOVER FAILURE sent by the MS (intrabss handover), or
CLEAR COMMAND sent by the MSC (interbss handover). At expiry
of T3103, the channel is released.
Value range:
[2 to 255] seconds (t3103 < bssMapT8)
Object:
bts
Default value:
5 seconds
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
9 seconds
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The longest procedure (inter BSS handover) is taken as an example.

The timer is set on receipt of the HO command and reset on clear
complete. It means that as long as the timer runs, 2 channels are
kept: one on the originating BSC and one on the target BSC. If the
timer is too long, two resources are used which can be a bad in case
of capacity problems.
Tests showed that t3103 set to 9 seconds offers the best compromise
between the execution of the procedure and the hold of ressources.
t3107
Class 3
V7
Description:
BSC timer triggered during the assignment command procedure. Use

It is set on transmission of ASSIGN COMMAND by the BSC and
cancelled on receipt of either ASSIGN COMPLETE or ASSIGN
FAILURE sent by MS.
Value range:
[2 to 255] seconds
Object:
bts
Default value:
10 seconds
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
10 seconds in a network without any capacity problems.

If not, the value can be decreased. The minimum theoretical
value is 5 seconds.
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
At expiry of the timer, the mobile is assumed to be lost and its

resource can be used by another mobile. Mobile on SDCCH is a
constraining case: the timer T200 leads to a 230 ms wait instead of
180 ms on TCH, before repeating a message. If no message is
repeated, this procedure lasts about 1 second. However, if the radio
link is bad, it is necessary to repeat some messages. The maximum
time before resetting t3107 is approximately 5 seconds: after this time,
the timer will expires: no new message will be received to reset t3107.
The default value of 10 seconds is then a good value to ensure that
the link is not cut too early.
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t3109
Class 3
V7
Description:
BSC timer triggered during the SACCH deactivation procedure. Use

It is set on receipt of DEACTIVATE SACCH ACKNOWLEDGE sent by
the BTS and cancelled on receipt of RELEASE INDICATION sent by
the BTS. If the timer expires, a RF CHANNEL RELEASE message is
sent to the BTS and a RF CHANNEL RELEASE ACK is expected.
Mobiles comply with system operating conditions when the counter
(S) associated with SACCH messages is assigned a value below or
equal to t3109.
Value range:
[2 to 255] seconds (t3109 radioLinkTimeout)
Object:
bts
Default value:
12 seconds
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
12 seconds (related to radioLinkTimeOut value)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
On receipt of the Deactivate SACCH message, the radio link control

algorithm will lead to a decrease on the value of the
radioLinkTimeOut timer and this on MS side or on BTS side
according to the situation. t3109 added to t3111 must be greater than
radioLinkTimeOut and greater than the time corresponding to rlf1:
t3109 radioLinkTimeOut
If t3109 is too small, the ressources could be allocated even if
radiolinkTimeOut did not reach zero yet.
LCAUTION!
When AMR is activated that parameter should be set to 17.
t3111
Class 3
V7
Description:
BSC timer triggered during the radio resource clearing procedure. Use
It is set on receipt of RELEASE INDICATION sent by the BTS. On
elapse, the BSC sends RF CHANNEL RELEASE.
Value range:
[1 to 255] seconds
Object:
bts
Default value:
2 seconds
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
2 seconds
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
This timer is used to delay the channel deactivation after

disconnection of the main signalling link. Its purpose is to allow time
for the possible repetition of the disconnection by the BTS to the MS.
After Release Indication, resources are kept until t3111 expires. In
case of capacity problems, t3111 must be as little as possible. The
smallest possible value is 2 seconds (range 2-255 seconds).The
minimum theoretic value is 5 times the repetition time which is less
than 2 seconds No advantage has been found to have a higher value
than the smallest possible one.
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t3122
Class 3
V7
Description:
Minimum time that mobiles must wait before issuing a channel

allocation request when an immediate assignment has failed. In a
similar way, in GPRS mode, this value is indicated in the Packet
Access Reject (PAREJ) to inform the MS with the waiting time before
sending a new Channel Request. The timer is called T3172 in GPRS
mode, with T3172 = T3122.
Value range:
[0 to 255] seconds
Object:
bts
Default value:
10 seconds
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
10 seconds
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
This value is broadcast to the mobile stations. When an immediate

assignment reject command is received (when no SDCCH and no
TCH in signalling mode is available or when the A-interface is down),
mobile stations wait t3122 seconds before sending the request again.
In case of BSC Overload, t3122 is automatically increased or
decreased between its value set by O&M and 30s according to a
specific algorithm.
This parameter can be used to solve a problem of a load pick. By
increasing the value, the access to the network is regulated.
timerPeriodicUpdateMS
Class 3
V7
Description:
Time between two location update requests
Value range:
[0 to 255] 1/10th of hour. 0 means that no periodic location update is

requested.
Object:
bts
Default value:
60
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
10 (not loaded network)

20 (loaded network)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Location updatings are performed when initiating a call or when

entering a new location area in idle mode. When those events do not
occur, timerPeriodicUpdateMS is used to ensure a maximum time
between two location update requests. The value of this timer should
be set regarding the value of the same timer used in the switch
(attach mobile audit for a DMS)
If the value chosen is low, the load of the BSC is severely increased.
On the contrary, a too high value would lead to a smaller reactivity of
the mobile (e.g. if a mobile is in a hole of coverage and a short
message is sent to it, it will be aware of it only at the next location
update which could be several hours later). A good trade-off is 2
hours.
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5.20. PAGING PARAMETERS

delayBetweenRetrans
Class 2
V8
Description:
Number of occurences of a paging subgroup that separates two

transmissions of the same paging message.
Value range:
[0 to 22]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Paging command repetition process (run by BTS) (Pag_rep)
Eng. Rules:
The recommended value is 0 because the time between two paging

commands broadcast must not be too long, otherwise there is a risk of
double allocation. This phenomenon occurs when the suscriber
answers and hangs up very quickly. In that case, the mobile is ready
to receive a new paging message, for example the previous one if it is
resent. The value of this parameter is linked to the values of the
nbOfRepeat and retransDuration parameters. Furthermore, the
following inequality, that is not checked by the system, must be true:
retransDuration (delayBetweenRetrans + 1) x nbOfRepeat
maxNumberRetransmission
Class 3
V8
Description:
Maximum number of RACH burst retransmissions allowed in a call in

case of non-system response. The information is broadcast to the
mobiles at regular intervals on the cell BCCH. It defines the maximum
number of times a mobile can renew access requests to the BTS on
RACH.
Value range:
[one / two / four / seven]
Object:
bts
Default value:
two
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
two in non-interfered areas

four in interfered areas
Used in:
Request access command repetition process (RA_rep)
Eng. Rules:
In interfered areas, it is necessary to repeat RACHs because of bad

conditions. Even if it increases a little overall noise, the gain in
decreasing the number of RACHs not received should be significant
(under study). In non-interfered areas, the value of two is sufficient.
one is not advised because mobile stations can be in holes of
coverage due to multipath fading and, in these cases, at least one
retransmission is necessary.
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nbOfRepeat
Class 2
V8
Description:
Maximum number of times that paging messages are repeated to

mobiles that belong to the same paging sub-group
It is set to 3 in former BSS versions (static configuration parameter).
The following inequality, that is not checked by the system, must be
true (refer to these entries in the Dictionary):
Value range:
[0 to 22]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The value of 3 ensures a good quality of service. With less repetition,

paging messages can be lost, and, as the repetitions are performed
systematically, a signicantly higher value would increase the load of
the system and the risk to page a mobile twice. The value of this
parameter is linked to the values of the delayBetweenRetrans and
retransDuration parameters.
That parameter can be tuned regarding the paging parameters and
the TDMA configuration, but very cautiously with some metric
monitoring (see chapter GSM Paging Repetition Process Tuning)
Class 2
V7
Description:
Number of CCCH blocks not used for paging

A BCCH is combined when it shares the same radio time slot with four
SDCCHs, which can include a CBCH (refer to the channelType entry
in the Dictionary). In that case, the attribute value is no greater than to
2 (the value must be checked by users).
Value range:
[0 to 2] if the cell uses a combined BCCH,

[1 to 7] otherwise.
0 means that PCH blocks are used for sending immediate
assignment messages as and when needed.
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
0 if no SMS-CB or SMS-CB with combined BCCH

1 if SMS-CB with non-combined BCCH
> 0 if SI2Quater or/and SI13 on ext BCCH are activated
Used in:
Paging command Process (Pag)

Effects of SMS-Cell Broadcast Use on noOfBlocksForAccessGrant
SI2Quater & SI13 on Extended or Normal BCCH
Eng. Rules:
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Class 2
V7
Description:
Number of occurrences of a paging subgroup

The greater this number, the greater the number of paging sub
groups.
Value range:
[2 to 9] multiframe of fifty-one frames
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
6 for rural environments

2 or 4 for urban environments
Used in:
Paging command Process (Pag)
Eng. Rules:
This parameter has an impact on the use of mobile batteries

(determine when an MS needs to listen to paging channels) and on
reselection selectivity. For this operation, frequency of measurements
performed on idle neighbours thanks to the formula: mesurements
done every Max (5 seconds, ((5*nb of idle neighbors + 6) DIV 7) *
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging /4).
Regarding mobile batteries, a value of 6 is sufficient to have a tradeoff between the saving of energy and effective paging. In rural
environments, the maximum size of reselection list is usually 4/5. 5
seconds is then the maximum in the formula, so it does not slow down
the reselection mechanism. The value of 6 is then advised.
In urban environments, the size of the list is a bit higher. Furthermore,
in this kind of environment, reselection reactivity is a key issue. The
way to avoid having more than 5 seconds in the formula is to
decrease noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging to 2 or 4 even if it
increases battery consumption. Some studies are in progress to
determine the value with more accuracy.
See also chapter Effects of noOfMultiFramesBetweenPaging on
Mobile Batteries and Reselection Reactivity.
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Description:
Class 3
V7
Number of radio time slots over which RACH transmission access are
spread in a random way to avoid collisions
cell BCCH. In the event of non-system response, the mobile will
renew the RACH bursts after a randomly defined period that varies
with numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans.
MS Phase 1
The time T between two transmissions of the same RACH burst is the
following:
T= [D + (N+1) x 4.615]ms
D is the maximum system response pending time:
D= 250 ms for BCCH not combined (i.e. 55 time slots)
D= 350 ms for BCCH combined (i.e. 77 time slots)
N is the randomly number generated by the mobile in the range [0

to numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans-1]
4.615 ms is the time occupied by a time slot.

MS Phase 2
The time T between two transmissions of the same RACH burst is the
following (whatever the BCCH is combined or not):
T= 4.615 x [S+(N + 1)] ms where
S is a parameter depending on the BCCH configuration and on the

value of numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans (see table hereafter)
N is the randomly number generated by the mobile in the range [0
to numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans-1]
4.615 ms is the time occupied by a time slot.
S on non-combined
BCCH
S on combined
BCCH
3, 8, 14, 50
55
41
4, 9, 16
76
52
5, 10, 20
109
58
6, 11, 25
163
86
7, 12, 32
217
115
Value range:
[3 to 12, 14, 16, 20, 25, 32, 50] time slots
Object:
bts
Default value:
32
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
32
Used in:
Request access command repetition process (RA_rep)
Eng. Rules:
From Rec 04.08, numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans has a different meaning

for phase 1 and phase 2 mobiles. For phase 1 mobiles, if the value is
too small, two resources may be allocated to the same mobile (double
allocation). For phase 2 mobiles, it is different. The best trade-off is to
take 32 which is very good for phase 2 mobiles and not too bad for
phase 1 mobiles.
The choice will depend on the quantities of GSM phase 1 and GSM
phase 2 mobiles.
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For Mobile phase 1, numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans = 50 leads to the
lower double allocation rate.
For Mobile phase 2, numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans = 6, 7, 11, 12, 25, 32
(respectively 5, 10, 20) for BCCH combined (respectively BCCH not
combined) leads to the lower double allocation rate.
Therefore, for a network that handles a combination of both types of
mobiles, numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans should be set to 32 (default
value).
pagingOnCell
Class 3
V9
Description:
Enable or disable paging requests in a cell
Value range:
Object:
bts
Default value:
enabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
enabled but can be disabled on special occasions (see

Engineering Rules)
Used in:
PCH and RACH channel control
Eng. Rules:
When pagingOnCell is set to disabled, the BSC does not send any
PAGING_COMMAND to the cell. This feature is used when operators
want to forbid mobile terminated call set-up in specific cells. It can be
useful during special events or in places like cinemas, theaters...
retransDuration
Class 2
V8
Description:
Maximum number of occurrences of a same paging sub-group that

separates the first and the last transmissions of the same paging
message.
Value range:
[0 to 22]
Object:
bts
Default value:
10
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
10
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
If many paging commands must be broadcast, repetitions of old

paging messages are delayed because fresh paging has a higher
priority. Therefore, repetitions could be so delayed that it leads to
double paging. By setting this parameter to an accurate value
retransDuration , the risk of sending very old paging messages is
limited. Anyway, the value of this parameter is linked to the ones of
nbOfRepeat and retransDuration. Furthermore, the following
inequality, that is not checked by the system, must be true:
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5.21. FREQUENCY HOPPING PARAMETERS

bscHopReconfUse
Class 1
V8
Description:
Whether frequency hopping reconfiguration is authorized in BTSs that

use cavity coupling
When frequency reconfiguration is authorized, it allows to
automatically reconfigure the hopping sequence whenever a
frequency is lost or recovered in the BTS.
Value range:
[true / false]
Object:
bsc
Default value:
true
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
true (for BSC that manages both cavity and hybrid coupling)
false (mandatory for hybrid coupling)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
If the value is True then the value of btsHopReconfRestart must be

true in case of cavity coupling in the BTS.
However, when enabling frequency hopping, it is advised to use
hybrid coupling and synthesized frequency hopping.
In order to facilitate the further use of frequency hopping in the
network, the parameter bscHopReconfUse can be set to True,
even if frequency hopping is not used yet.
btsHopReconfRestart
Class 2
Description:
Whether hopping frequency reconfiguration is authorized on TX

restarts in a cell
Value range:
[true / false]
Object:
bts
Default value:
true
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
true (for cavity coupling)
V8
false (mandatory for hybrid coupling)

Used in:
Eng. Rules:
If the value is True then the value of bscHopReconfUse must be true.

However, when enabling frequency hopping, it is advised to use
hybrid coupling and synthesized frequency hopping.
With cavity coupling, in order to facilitate the further use of
frequency hopping in the network, the parameter
btsHopReconfRestart can be set to True, even if frequency
hopping is not used yet.
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btsIsHopping
Class 2
V7
Description:
Whether frequency hopping is allowed in a cell
Value range:
[hopping / noHopping / hoppingWithCarrierFilling /

noHoppingWithCarrierFilling]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Hopping
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
Hopping
Used in:
Frequency Hopping
Eng. Rules:
The two main advantages of using Frequency Hopping are interferer

and frequency diversities. Enabling frequency hopping allows to adapt
and maximize the frequency reuse efficiency by maximizing the
capacity in terms of offered Erlang/MHz/km. Moreover, enabling
frequency hopping makes easier the task of frequency planning and
TRXs addition. Although when using DTX there is a few number of
RxQual measurements, there is no need to disable handovers on
quality criteria, as no degradation was observed.
LCAUTION!
When TRX are hopping, it is highly recommended to modify some

TDMA configuration. Channel SDCCH must be set on time slot 1 of
the concerned TDMA. Moreover this modification can be introduced
before enabling frequency hopping.
LCAUTION!
It is also recommended not to use Power Control with Frequency

Hopping in case of cavity couplers. Indeed, with cavity couplers, the
BCCH frequency can be part of the Mobile Allocation List (that is not
possible in case of Hybrid couplers) and then the gap between the
emitted power of two adjacent bursts could be at its maximum.
Remark:
Except this particular case (cavity coupler + FH + PWC) there is no

restriction in combining Frequency hopping with Power Control.
btsThresholdHopReconf
Class 2
V8
Description:
Minimum number of frequencies that must be working in a cell to allow

frequency hopping reconfiguration. If this attribute defines the nominal
number of cell frequencies, the reconfiguration process is deactivated.
Refer to the btsHopReconfRestart parameter.
Value range:
[1 to 64]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
This parameter is checked before reconfiguration is started, for cavity

coupling. If there are less remaining frequencies than the value of this
parameter, the cell is deconfigured. The minimum value (1) allows a
cell to be reconfigured even if there is only one frequency still
available.
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cellAllocation
Description:
Class 2
V7
List of no more than frequencies allocated to a cell in the network

frequency band.
Normally, the maximum number of frequencies that can be set
up with this parameter is 64 per frequency band. However, due to
SI13 size constraints, when GPRS or EDGE is activated in the cell
and there is at least one hopping data TDMA, the limitation becomes
a maximum of 55 frequencies (in V15.0 and V15.0.1) ,52 frequencies
(in V15.1 and V15.1.1), where n is the number of non-hopping
frequencies in the cell.
By definition, all cells covered by a given radio site use the same
frequency band defined by the type of the network (standardIndicator).
All cells declared as neighbor cells of a serving cell use the same
frequency band as the serving cell.
Value range:
[1 to 124] (GSM 900 network),

[975 to 1023] & [0 to 124] (E-GSM network),
[955 to 1023] & [0 to 124] (GSM-R network),
[512 to 885] (GSM 1800 network),
[512 to 810] (GSM 1900 network)
[128 to 251] (GSM 850 network)
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
This list must include all the frequencies used by TRX of the cell, even
the BCCH frequency and shall respect following rules:
With cavity couplers, two (2) consecutive frequencies must be
spaced of at least 600 kHz in order to avoid interference
With hybrid couplers, considering UL power control activated:
in case of intra cell and intrasite configuration Nortel recommends
400kHz frequency spacing between TRX with or without frequency
hopping.
in case of intersite configuration, 200kHz frequency spacing are
necessary between TRX with or without frequency hopping.
These frequency spacings (400kHz in intrasite and intracell, 200kHz
in intersite) guarantee a minimum of 12dB in C/I. This can provide
certain quality of service. With particular applications (e.g. EDGE), an
upper frequency spacing is needed (600kHz for EDGE).
It is recommended to declare only 1 hopping frequency list by band
(the use of the frequency band is optimal with all hopping
frequencies in the same list and it is much easier for OAM).
If at least one of the cell allocation ARFCN is in the range [975;
1023] & [0], the BCCH should be in that range also (this monoband
EGSM cell does not support monoband PGSM MS nor dualband
PGSM/DCS1800 MS), else BCCH should be a PGSM one.
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fhsRef
Class 2
V7
Description:
Identifier of the frequencyHoppingSystem object that defines the

frequency hopping management parameters for the radio time slot
Setting this attribute and the maio attribute allows the time slot to obey
frequency hopping laws.
Value range:
[0 to 63]
Object:
channel
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
It is advised to use only one (1) fhsRef per cell (when the Mobile
Allocation is the same for all its TRX), because it is time saving for
creation at the OMC.
hoppingSequenceNumber
Class 2
V7
Description:
Hopping sequence number used by a radio time slot which obeys

frequency hopping laws.
Select different HSNs for nearby cells that use the same set of
frequencies.
Value range:
[0 to 63]
Object:
frequencyHoppingSystem
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
In case of synthesized frequency hopping, whatever the fractional

reuse pattern for TCH, using a unique HSN per site allows to avoid
frequency collisions. However, it leads to a specific MAIO plan, more
restricting than with the use of different HSN in cells (needs more
frequencies). Indeed, the frequency load would be higher with
different HSN. But it is possible to reach the maximum fractional load
(value limited by RF constraints to 16,6 % for 1X1 pattern and 50 %
for 1X3 pattern in case of no intra-site collision). When intra-site
collision is allowed, field experience has shown that with an
appropriate tuning of the parameters, 1X1 can go up to 20% fractional
load and 1X3 up to 58% while keeping a very good quality for the
offered capacity.) with a unique HSN per site and then systematically
avoiding frequency adjacencies.
See also chapter General Rules For Synthesised Frequency Hopping
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maio
Class 2
V7
Description:
Index in the list of frequencies allotted to a radio time slot, which

obeys frequency hopping laws.
Setting this attribute, together with the fhsRef attribute, allows the time
slot to obey frequency hopping laws.
Value range:
[0 to N-1] N is the number of frequencies allotted to the time slot.
Object:
channel
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The MAIO must be different for each TRX within a cell in order to
avoid frequency collision. If the Mobile Allocation contains adjacent
frequencies, the difference between two TRX MAIO within a cell must
be greater or equal than two (2).
However, for a 1X3 pattern, it is possible to use the same MAIO
sequence in all cells of a same site. Moreover, for such a pattern, if
each list of MA frequencies does not contain adjacent frequencies,
adjacent MAIO can be used.
For a 1X1 pattern, different MAIO for each TRX must be used and no
adjacent MAIO if there are adjacent frequencies in the MA list.
See also chapter General Rules For Synthesised Frequency Hopping
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mobileAllocation
Class 2
V7
Description:
List of frequencies allocated in the network frequency band to a radio

time slot which obeys frequency hopping laws.
Normally, the maximum number of frequencies that can be set
up with this parameter is 63 i.e. 64 BCCH frequency. However, due
to SI13 size constraints, when GPRS or EDGE is activated in the cell
and there is at least one hopping data TDMA (carrying at least one
PDTCH), the limitation becomes a maximum of 55 n frequencies (for
V15.0 and V15.0.1) or 52 n frequencies (for V15.1 and V15.1.1),
where n is the number of non-hopping frequencies in the cell.
Value range:

[975 to 1023] & [0 to 124] (E-GSM network),
[955 to 1023] & [0 to 124] (GSM-R),
[512 to 885] (GSM 1800 network),
[512 to 810] (GSM 1900 network)
[128 to 251] (GSM 850 network).
Object:
frequencyHoppingSystem
Type:
DP, Optimization
Used in:

Baseband Frequency Hopping
Rec. value:
Eng. Rules:
This list must include all the hopping frequencies used by a TRX. As
the first TRX of a cell does not hop, it is not related to a MA (TRX
channels frequency is BCCH).
The following TRXs may have a common MA containing all the
hopping frequencies (not including the BCCH frequency).
With cavity couplers, two (2) consecutive frequencies must be
spaced of at least 600 kHz in order to avoid interference, because
of material constraints.
With hybrid couplers, considering UL power control activated:
in case of intra cell and intrasite configuration Nortel recommends
400kHz frequency spacing between TRX with or without frequency
hopping.
in case of intersite configuration, 200 kHz frequency spacing are
necessary between TRX with or without frequency hopping.
These frequency spacings (400kHz in intrasite and intracell, 200kHz
in intersite) guarantee a minimum of 12dB in C/I. This can provide
certain quality of service. With particular applications (e.g. EDGE), an
upper frequency spacing is needed (600kHz for EDGE).
It is recommended to declare only 1 hopping frequency list by band
(the use of the frequency band is optimal with all hopping
frequencies in the same list and it is much easier for OAM).
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trafficPCMAllocationPriority
Class 2
Description:
Allocation priority of a TDMA frame on the covering site PCMs

This attribute is used in case of Abis PCM reconfiguration.
Value range:
[0 to 255]
Object:
transceiver
Default value:
0 for the TDMA supporting the BCCH, 255 for the others
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
0 for the TDMA supporting the BCCH
V9
255 for the others

Used in:
Eng. Rules:
see also chapter PCM Priority.
zoneFrequencyHopping
Class 2
V9
Description:
Whether frequency hopping is authorised in the zone.

If frequency hopping is not allowed in a zone, a channel
objects that describe the radio time slots of the TDMA frames used in
the zone cannot be allowed to hop.
Value range:
[hopping / not hopping]
Object:
transceiverZone
Default value:
not hopping
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
In case of a dualband cell and if PDTCHs are configured on the inner

zone, that parameter must be set to not hopping on the
transceiverZone corresponding to the inner zone.
In any other case that parameter must be set to hopping.
zoneFrequencyThreshold
Class 2
Description:
Minimum number of frequencies needed to allow frequency

reconfiguration in the zone.
Value range:
[1 to 64]
Object:
transceiverZone
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
TBD
V9
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
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5.22. BSC LOAD MANAGEMENT PARAMETERS

processorLoadSupConf
Class 3
V8
Description:
Threshold used in the load control algorithm by the BSC
Value range:
[0] The only accepted value is 0 (outOfRangeError).
Object:
bsc
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Mechanism up to V11
Mechanism defined from V12
Eng. Rules:
This parameter was used before V12 release only to control the load
on the BSC CPU boards.
LCAUTION!
This parameter is valid for BSC12000 only.
estimatedSiteLoad
Class 3
V15
Description:
This parameter is used:

at site creation, in order to preset the erlang consumption of the
new Cell Group
ortherwise, in order to set the erlang consumption
Value range:
[0 to 1100] erlangs. 1100 is the internal erlang capacity of a TMU2.
Object:
btsSiteManager
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
V15.1 Evolution of Load Balancing
Eng. Rules:
It is usually recommended to try to set the estimatedSiteLoad of a site

at the creation of this site (with the maximum configuration wanted for
this site) to be sure that at this time the global dimensioning of the
BSC is correct.
It may also help in handling exceptional events on some parts of
the network.
LCAUTION!
This parameter is available only from V15.1
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5.23. DUALBAND CELL PARAMETERS

early classmark sending
Class 3
V10
Description:
Whether Early classmark sending procedure initiated by a multiband

MS is allowed.
cell BCCH (SYQ INFO 3).
Value range:
[Not Allowed, Allowed]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Not Allowed
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
Allowed
Used in:
Modified SYS INFO 3

Location Services
Eng. Rules:
When this parameter is set to enabled, the Classmark_Change

message is sent just after the SABM and UA frames exchange on the
Immediate_Assignment procedure. This message enables interband
handover procedures (handovers on TCH and SDCCH, Directed
Retry); Morever this parameter allows MS to send its capacity
downlink Advanced Receiver performance.
Therefore, if the operator is interested to have the SAIC mobile
penetration, it is recommended to set this parameter to Allowed
In single band networks, early classmark sending will be set to
disabled.
multi band reporting
Class 3
V10
Description:
Minimum number of cells that multiband MSs must report in their radio
measurements in each frequency band
Value range:
[the six strongest cells / the strongest cell out band / the two strongest
cells out band / the three strongest cells out band]
6 strongest allowed cells irrespective of their frequency band
the strongest allowed cell outside the current frequency band
the 2 strongest allowed cells outside the current frequency band
the 3 strongest allowed cells outside the current frequency band
Object:
bts
Default value:
the six strongest cells
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
The two strongest cells out band (case of privileged band)

the six strongest cells (case of no privileged band)
Used in:
Multiband reporting
Eng. Rules:
For values indicating the one (1), two (2) or three (3) strongest cells
out band, the multiband MS respectively reports the one, two or three
strongest allowed cells outside the current frequency band. The
remaining space in the report (at least 5, 4 or 3 cells) is used to give
information about cells in the current frequency band. If there are still
some remaining positions, they are used to report cells outside the
current frequency band.
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When the operator wants to privilege one of the frequency band, it is
advised to report two (2) cells outside the current frequency band, for
cells in the privileged frequency band. Then, neighbour cells in the
priority frequency band will be privileged.
Actually, if multibandReporting is set to 1, the risk is to report five (5)
priority frequency band neighbour cells with a bad quality or signal
strength (near priority frequency band boundaries for example) and
one (1) good neighbour cell in the low priority frequency band, but
under congestion. Thus the MS will not make a handover toward a
good neighbour cell and the quality of service may be impacted.
For cells outside the privileged frequency band, it is advised to report
three (3) cells outside the current frequency band. Thus, it ensures the
report of all (if less than 3) or at least three (3) neighours in the priority
frequency band.
In case no frequency band is preferred, the report of the the six
strongest cells allows to make a handover toward the best neighbour
cell, whatever the current cell is.
Class 3
V10
Description:
Type of network in which this neighbour cell is working
Value range:
[gsm / extended gsm / dcs1800 / pcs1900 / R gsm / gsmdcs (V12) /

dcsgsm (V12) / gsm850 / gsm850pcs / pcsgsm850]
Object:
Default value:
gsm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
extended gsm if available in the network. See Engineering Rules
Used in:
Oher procedures (Dual Band Handling)
Eng. Rules:
The indicates standard indicator must have the same value in

adjacentCellHandover or adjacentCellReselection objects and in the
associated neighbour bts object.
Refer to the standardIndicator parameter engineering rules to get
more information about neighbours management.
LCAUTION!
gsmdcs and dcsgsm are only available for S8000 DRX transceiver
architecture.
eGSM is only available for S8000 CBCF transceiver
architecture.
Class 3
V10
Description:
Type of network in which this neighbor cell is working
Value range:

dcsgsm (V12) / gsm850 / gsm850pcs / pcsgsm850]
Object:
adjacentCellReselection
Default value:
gsm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
extended gsm if available in the network. See Engineering Rules
Used in:
Oher procedures (Dual Band Handling)
Eng. Rules:
The standard indicator must have the same value in

adjacentCellHandover or adjacentCellReselection objects and in the
associated neighbour bts object
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Refer to the standardIndicator parameter engineering rules to get
more information about neighbours management.
LCAUTION!
gsmdcs and dcsgsm are only available for S8000 DRX transceiver
architecture.
eGSM is only available for S8000 CBCF transceiver
architecture.
bCCHFrequency
Class 3
V7
Description:
Radio frequency allocated to a neighbour cell BCCH in the network

frequency band.
The information is broadcast on the serving cell SACCH.
Value range:

[512 to 885] (DCS 1800 network),
[512 to 810] (PCS 1900 network),
[955 to 1023] & [0 to 124] (RGSM network),
[975 to 1023] & [0 to 124] (EGSM network),
[128 to 251] (GSM 850 network).
Object:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
bCCHFrequency
Class 3
V7
Description:
Radio frequency used for selection and reselection management. The

information is broadcast on the serving cell BCCH.
Value range:
[1 to 124] (GSM 900 network ),

[512 to 885] (DCS 1800 network),
[512 to 810] (PCS 1900 network),
[975 to 1023] & [0 to 124] (EGSM network).
Object:
adjacentCellReselection
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Note:
An adjacentCellReselection object can use the same BCCH as the

serving cell to which it is associated. This allows a mobile to
immediately recover the cell on which it was camping after being
switched off, then switched back on, and is especially useful in the
selection process.
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bCCHFrequency
Class 2
V7
Description:
Radio frequency allocated to a cell BCCH (Broadcast Control

CHannel) in the network frequency band.
The information is broadcast on the cell SACCH.
The BCCH frequency is automatically assigned to the radio time slot
carrying the cell BCCH when the cell is brought into service
(absoluteRFChannelNo attribute of the channel object describing the
carrier TDMA frame TS0). It is broadcast to the radio time slot
whenever modified.
The BCCH is used by the BTS for broadcasting cell related system
information to MS, such as frequency band and list of frequency
channels used, authorized services and access conditions, list of
neighbour cells, and radio parameters (maximum transmission
strength, minimum reception strength, etc).
Value range:
[1 to 124] (GSM 900 network ),

[512 to 885] (DCS 1800 network),
[512 to 810] (PCS 1900 network),
[975 to 1023] & [0 to 124] (EGSM network).
Object:
bts
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
If at least one of the cell allocation ARFCN is in the range [975; 1023]
& [0], the BCCH should be in that range also (this monoband EGSM
cell does not support monoband PGSM MS nor dualband
PGSM/DCS1800 MS), else BCCH should be a PGSM one.
standardIndicator
Class 2
V10
Description:
Type of network in which the cell is working

From the value given to this attribute, the OMCR determines
the network frequency band and the frequencies that can be used by
all radio entities (cells and radio time slots) in the related site.
Value range:

dcsgsm (V12) / gsm 850 / gsm850pcs / pcsgsm850]
Object:
bts
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Checks:
GSM 900 network (gsm)
The GSM 900 frequency band is 2*25 MHz wide and includes
124 pairs of carrier frequencies, numbered [1 to 124], which are 200
kHz apart:
Uplink direction (MStoBTS) = 890 to 915 MHz
f1 = 890 + 0.2xN MHz where N = [1 to 124]
Downlink direction (BTStoMS) = 935 to 960 MHz

f2 = f1 + 45 MHz
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GSM 850 network
The GSM 850 frequency band is 2*25 MHz wide and includes
124 pairs of carrier frequencies, numbered [1 to 124], which are 200
kHz apart:
f1 = 824.2 + 0.2x N MHz where N = [1 to 124]

f2 = f1 + 45 MHz
EXTENDED GSM network (extended gsm)

The extended GSM frequency band is 2*35 MHz wide and includes
174 pairs of carrier frequencies, numbered [0 to 124] and [975 to
1023], which are 200 kHz apart:
f1 = 880.2 + 0.2x(N 975) MHz where N = [975 to 1023]
f1 = 890 + 0.2xN MHz where N = [0 to 124]

f2 = f1 + 45 MHz
GSMR network (R gsm)

The GSMR frequency band is 2*39 MHz wide and includes 194 pairs
of carrier frequencies, numbered [0 to 124] and [955 to 1023], which
are 200 kHz apart:
f1 = 876.2 + 0.2x(N 955) MHz where N = [955 to 1023]
f1 = 890 + 0.2xN MHz where N = [0 to 124

f2 = f1 + 45 MHz
GSM 1800 network (dcs1800)

The GSM 1800 frequency band is 2*75 MHz wide and includes 374
pairs of carrier frequencies, numbered [512 to 885], which are 200
kHz apart:
f1 = 1710k2 + 0.2x(N 512) MHz where N = [512 to 885]

f2 = f1 + 95 MHz
GSM 1900 network (pcs1900)

The GSM 1900 frequency band is 2*60 MHz wide and includes 299
pairs of carrier frequencies, numbered [512 to 810], which are 200
kHz apart:
f1 = 1850.2 + 0.2x(N 512) MHz where N = [512 to 810]

f2 = f1 + 80 MHz
GSM 900 GSM 1800 network (gsmdcs)

The primary band is GSM 900
The secondary band is GSM 1800
GSM 1800 GSM 900 network (dcsgsm)
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GSM 850 GSM 1900 network (gsmdcs)
GSM 1900 GSM 850 network (dcsgsm)
Remark:
The frequency bands defined hereabove are the definition of the

ETSI.
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
As P-GSM range is included in E-GSM one, the following table gives
for each current cell standard indicator, the type (main or other) of
neighbouring cells according to their standard indicator:
standard indicator Adjc (neighbouring cell)
standardIndicator
(current cell)
PGSM
E GSM
GSM 1800
GSM 900
main
other
other
E GSM
main
main
other
GSM 1800
other
other
main
If one of a cell ARFCN is in [975;1023] & [0] range, this monoband

EGSM (RGSM or EGSM) cell does not support monoband PGSM MS
nor dualband PGSM/DCS1800 MS.
If a EGSM cell has a BCCH in PGSM band, a PGSM mobile will listen
to it and may be handed over in that cell on a TCH in the E band. In
that case, the mobile will send a handover failure.
Sys-infos management:
According to recommendations, only main frequencies can be
present in the SI2 and SI2bis (resp. 5 and 5bis).
Following table gives the standard indicator of the neighbouring cells
that can be included in the different sys_info messages.
(extended gsm is noted EGSM in the table).
SYS_INFO
SI2 / SI5
standardIndicator
(current cell)
SI2 bis / SI5 bis
SI2 ter / SI5 ter
GSM 900
GSM
GSM if needed
E GSM + GSM
1800 (1)
E GSM
GSM + E
GSM
GSM + E GSM if
needed
GSM 1800
GSM 1800
GSM 1800
GSM 1800 if
needed
GSM + E GSM
Note (1): In that case, the number of frequencies in the frequency list
is limited due to their large range.
=> Thus, due to the range of frequencies in EGSM + GSM 1800
bands, and the fact that only 1 message (ter) can contain such
neighbours info (if StandardIndicator = GSM), it is strongly
recommended to set the standard indicator of PGSM cells containing
EGSM neighbours to extended gsm (2 messages to encode EGSM
neighbours).
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5.24. DTX PARAMETERS

cellDtxDownLink
Class 3
Description:
Whether the use of discontinuous transmission in BTStoMS

direction is allowed in a cell
Value range:
Object:
bts
V7
Default value:
enabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
DTX downlink
Eng. Rules:
DTXDownLink is particularly interesting in case of low interfered

networks with fractional reuse patterns for frequency plan. In this
case, it is recommended to uses a reactive configuration with a short
delay between HO decision (runHandover=1) and with short average
windows (Hreqt = 1, HreqAve = 4). Ho margins can also be lowered.
LCAUTION!
Using this feature may create a more sensitivity to bad values (fading,
frequencies collision). Activation of DTXDownlink when DTX is
already used leads to a diminution in the precision of the
measurement on the cell, on quality and on level.
dtxMode
Class 3
V7
Description:
MS control of the discontinuous transmission mechanism in a cell

Discontinuous transmission is designed to lessen MS battery
consumption and diminish interference by breaking off the
transmission when no data or speech are being transmitted.
Value range:
[FRmsmayuseDTX / HRmsshallnotuseDTX, FRmsshalluseDTX /

HRmsshallnotuseDTX, FRmsmayuseDTX / HrmsmayuseDTX,
FRmsshallnotuseDTX / HRmsshallnotuseDTX, FRmsshalluseDTX /
HrmsshalluseDTX, FRmsshallnotuseDTX / HRmsshalluseDTX]
Object:
bts
Default value:
msMayUseDtx
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
msShallUseDtx
Used in:
DTX
Eng. Rules:
LCAUTION!
When AMR is activated that parameter should be set to

FRmsshalluseDTX / HRmsshalluseDTX
See also chapter Impact of DTX on Averaging
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5.25. MISCELLANEOUS
Data14_4OnNoHoppingTs
Class 3
V12
Description:
Whether data 14.4 kbit/s transmission rate is allowed at bts level on

the non hopping TSs
Value range:
Object:
bts
Default value:
disabled
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
TBD
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
data mode 14.4 kbit/s

Description:
Whether data 14.4 kbit/s transmission rate is allowed
Value range:
Object:
transcoderBoard
Default value:
disabled
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
TBD
Used in:
Class 2
V12
Class 3
V12
Eng. Rules:

Description:
Set of transmission rates used for data non transparent mode

transmission of the Radio interface and Abis interface.
Value range:
[9.6 / 14.4] (kbit/s)
Object:
bts
Default value:
9.6 kbit/s
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
TBD
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Class 3
Description:
Set of transmission rates used for data non transparent mode

transmission of the Radio interface and Abis interface.
Value range:
[9.6 / 14.4] (kbit/s)
Object:
signallingPoint
Default value:
9.6 kbit/s
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
TBD
V12
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
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Class 3
V12
Description:
Set of transmission rates used for data transparent mode transmission

of the Radio interface and Abis interface.
Value range:
[1.2/0.075 / 0.6 / 1.2 / 2.4 / 4.8 / 9.6 / 14.4] (kbit/s)
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
TBD
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Class 3
V12
Description:
Set of transmission rates used for data transparent mode transmission

of the Radio interface and Abis interface.
Value range:
[1.2/0.075 / 0.6 / 1.2 / 2.4 / 4.8 / 9.6 / 14.4] (kbit/s)
Object:
signallingPoint
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
TBD
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
measurementProcAlgorithm
Class 2
V12
Description:
Whether the new L1M interface is used
Value range:
[L1MV1, L1MV2]
L1MV1: the older L1M is used
L1MV2: the newer L1M is used
Object:
bts
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
L1MV2
Used in:
Direct TCH Allocation and Handover Algorithms
Eng. Rules:
L1MV2 is not supported on DCU2.

It is not recommended to set L1MV2 on a DCU2/DCU4 BTS mixed
configuration since the enhancements offered will be available only on
part of the site so with a call processing not homogeneous on the
whole communications.
Major benefits are:
ability to support advanced capacity and coverage features such

as Automated cell tiering
capture process more reactive
less handover failure (better updating of eligible cells)
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early decisions more accurate (0.5 s saved on the processing
delay of first measurements)
Refer also to chapter Layer 1 Management: Changes Between V1
and V2
siteGsmFctList
Class 2
V7
Description:
List of up to 14 elements that identify the GSM functions configured in

a site BCF
Value range:
[entityMgt / download / siteMgt / abisSig / abisTraf / rfTrans / rfRecep /

cellMgt / fhMgt / tdmaMgt / tsMgt / gsmTime / car0Fil / freqMgt]
Object:
btsSiteManager
Default value:
site Mgt/abisSig
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
[entityMgt / download / siteMgt / abisSig / abisTraf / rfTrans /

cellMgt / fhMgt / tdmaMgt / tsMgt]
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
It is always useless to put the elements rfRecep, gsmTime and

car0Fill in the list because these functions are not yet implemented.
The function freqMgt must be included in the list only when using
cavity coupling.
It is advised to put the function fhMgt even if frequency hopping is
not used in the network, in order to avoid a class 2 parameter change
when introducing this feature.
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5.26. INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION PARAMETERS

interferer cancel algo usage
Class 2
V10
Description:
Correlation ratio of the input signals received from the normal and
diversity antennas. This ratio enables to adapt the SPU software (the
interferer cancellation algorithm) to the propagation conditions.
Correlation ratio = 0 means that the interferer cancellation algorithm is
inactive.
Value range:
[0 to 100] %
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Design
Rec. value:
Used in:
Interference Cancellation
Eng. Rules:
Three values are necessary and sufficient to cover the clients needs
according to the sold options (it is quite unlikely that a more refined
fine-tuning will bring anything more):
- 0%: Maximum Ratio Combining (best pure thermal noise
sensitivity): no interference cancellation, minimum speed
correction.
- 50%: MRC when no interferers (same pure thermal noise
sensitivity as 0%): interference cancellation, medium speed
correction.
- 100%: Approximate MRC when no interferers: interference
cancellation, best speed correction.
To set a specific value to this parameter, the gsm Protocol (in the
omc-configure.cfg of the OMC) shall be set to JTC.
See also chapter Interference Cancellation Usage.
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5.27. PCM ERROR CORRECTION PARAMETERS

enhancedTRAUFrameIndication
V12
Description:
Whether the BTS uses the Enhanced TRAU Frame (ETF) for TCU
Value range:
[notAvailable / available / active]
Object:
bsc
Default value:
Type:
DI, Optimization
Rec. value:
TBD
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
pcmErrorCorrection
Class 2
V12
Description:
Whether the bts uses the new ETF (Enhanced TRAU Frame) frame
(set to 1) or the ETSI Rec 08.60 frame (set to 0).
Value range:
[0 / 1]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
To benefit from the PCM Error Correction feature during intra BSC
HO, it is advised to use the ETF for all cells linked to the BSC.
This attribute can be set to 1 only if enhancedTRAUFrameIndication
attribute is set to available or active.
LCAUTION!
All related TCUs shall be of TCB2 board type and their softwares shall
be V12. Only BTSs equipped with non mixed DCU4 or DRX
transceiver architecture can support the Enhanced TRAU Frame.
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5.28. CELL TIERING PARAMETERS

enhCellTieringConfiguration
Description:
Class 3
V14
This attribute allows to configure the cell tiering algorithm at BTS level
instead of the cellTieringConfiguration attribute from V14 release
BSC.
This parameter is composed of the following five parameters:
hoMarginTiering
numberOfPcwiSamples
pwciHreqave
selfTuningObs
Object:
handOverControl
Type:
DP, Optimization
hoMarginTiering
Class 3
V14
Description:
Hysteresis between the uCirDLH and lCirDLH tiering thresholds. Used

to avoid ping-pong handovers (expressed in dB)
Value range:
[0 to 63] dB
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
4 dB
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
4dB (to be optimized with the HO cell tiering monitoring)
Used in:
Automatic cell tiering (from V12)
Eng. Rules:
interferenceType
Class 3
V14
Description:
It is used for identifying the type of interference created by a neighbor

cell. The possible values are not applicable (no interference), adjacent
interference or cochannel interference.
Value range:
[notApplicable / adjacent / coChannel]
Object:
Default value:
notApplicable
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
This parameter should be set according to frequency plan

strategy.
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
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Class 3
V14
Description:
Mean number of logical channels belonging to the large frequency

reuse pattern and used at the same time for data communications
Value range:
[-16 to +16]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
To be determined according to configuration (see below)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
This parameter gives the mean number of radio TS in the large reuse
pattern (BCCH) used for data communications (and consequently not
available for tiering).
nbLargeReuseDataChannels = number of timeslots dedicated GPRS
+ average number of timslots for 14.4 if the parameter data 14.4
OnNoHoppingTs is set to 1.
This last value can be obtained through the counters 1705/2 and
1707/2.
numberOfPwciSamples
Class 3
V14
Description:
Minimum number of PwCI samples required to reach a reliable

distribution (representative of the real distribution in the whole cell) *
1000
Value range:
[0 to 60]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
20
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
20. However, it is a deal between PWCI distribution refresh time

and accurancy (see below).
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
It gives the minimum number of PWCI samples required to reach a

reliable distribution of PWCI that will be representative of the real
distribution in the whole cell x 1000.
The number of samples before a PWCI distribution is undertaken is :
1000 x numberOfPwciSamples.
For example, in a cell bearing 29 TCHs and loaded at 75%, at each
moment, 0.75x29=21.75 TCHs are occupied. Then, every 480 ms
well have 21.75 samples available and every second
(1000*21.75)/480=45.3 samples. If we set numberOfPwciSamples at
20, a PWCI distribution will be computed when 20000 samples will be
available, wich means that a PWCI distribution will be computed every
20000/45.3 = 441.5 seconds ( almost every 7 minutes and a half).
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pwciHreqave
Class 3
Description:
Averaging window size for PwCI. It defines the number of

measurement reports for a PWCI arithmetic averaging.
Value range:
[0 to 16]
V12
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
In a given cell, each communication in the cell reports its

measurements every 480 ms which allows computing the PWCI.
When 20000 samples are gathered in the cell, a distribution of all the
PWCI is computed and, lCirDLH and uCirDLH are determined for the
cell.
In order to take a tiering decision, a PWCI is averaged over a
pwciHreqAve window, for each communication and compared to
lCirDLH and uCirDLH obtained from the previous distribution, to lead
(or not) to a handover decision.
selfTuningObs
Class 3
V12
Description:
BTS mode of the sending the PwCI distribution on the Abis interface.
This allows a closer monitoring of the cell tiering feature behavior
once activated.
Value range:
[pwCi distribution not sent,

pwCi distribution sent after gathering,
one pwCi distribution sent per hour]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
pwCi distribution not sent
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Other than pwCi distribution not sent when fine tuning the
feature, with close monitoring needed.
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The possible values are pwCi distribution not sent (PWCI distribution
is gathered but not sent onto the Abis interface), pwCi distribution sent
after gathering (the distribution is sent each time a new tiering
threshold is computed for a maximum of 10 cells) or one pwCi
distribution sent per hour (the distribution is sent when a new tiering
threshold is computed but no more than one message every hour for
a maximum of 40 cells).
Remark:
PWCI distribution may be gathered and sent onto the Abis interface
independantly of tiering activation.
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5.29. ENCODING PARAMETERS

speechMode
Class 3
V12
Description:
List of the speech algorithms associated with channel use modes in

the cell
The full rate value refers to the standard algorithm. The
enhanced full rate value only applies when all the TCUs linked to the
BSC are equipped with TCB2 boards.
Value range:
list of [algoid] where algoid id: full rate, enhanced, full rate, AMR full
rate, AMR half rate
Object:
bts
Default value:
[full rate, enhanced full rate]
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
LCAUTION!
When AMR is activated, SpeechMode must be set to full rate,

enhanced full rate, AMR full rate, AMR half rate
speechMode
Class 3
V12
Description:
List of the speech algorithms associated with channel use modes on

the A interface. The full rate value refers to the standard algorithm.
The enhanced full rate value only applies when all the TCUs linked
to the BSC are equipped with TCB2 boards.
Value range:
list of [algoid] where algoid id: full rate, enhanced, full rate, AMR full
rate, AMR half rate
Object:
signallingPoint
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
LCAUTION!
When AMR is activated, SpeechMode must be set to full rate,

enhanced full rate, AMR full rate, AMR half rate
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5.30. SMS-CELL BROADCAST PARAMETERS

smsCB
Class 3
V12
Description:
Whether broadcasting of short messages in unacknowledged mode is

authorized in a cell.
Value range:
[used / unused]
Object:
bts
Default value:
used
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
SMS-Cell Broadcast
Eng. Rules:
Configuration of logical channels and broadcast of short

messages are managed by two separate OMC-R functions.
When a short message broadcast is started, the presence of a
CBCH in the channelType of a channel object is dependent on a
concerned bts object.
However, the SMS-CB function are not aware of changes
made to that attribute.
Consequently, withdrawing a CBCH from the configuration will
stop any short message broadcast in the concerned cell without th
SMS-CB function knowing.
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5.31. MOBILITY 2G - 3G RESELECTION PARAMETERS

gsmToUmtsReselection
Description:
gsmToUmtsReselection is composed of 4 parameters:

UMTS search min level
UMTS reselection offset
UMTS Access min level
UMTS reselection ARFCN
Object:
bts
Type:
DP
uMTSAccessMinLevel
Class 3
V14
Class 3
V14
Description:
A minimum threshold for Ec/No for UTRAN FDD cell re-selection

(3GPP reference is FDD_Qmin)
Value range:
[0: - 20 dB, 1: - 6 dB, 2: - 18 dB, 3: - 8 dB, 4: - 16 dB, 5: - 10 dB, 6: 14 dB, 7: - 12 dB]
Object:
bts
Default value:
- 12 dB
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
- 12 dB
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
below the recommended value UE may not be able to reach the 3G

network in good conditions.
Note:
The SI2Quater message broadcasted by the BSS is an index [0 to 7]

that is interpreted by the mobile depending on the release date of that
mobile:
Index
Mobiles interpretation
before October 2003
Mobiles interpretation
after October 2003
- 20 dB
- 20 dB
- 19 dB
- 6 dB
- 18 dB
- 18 dB
- 17 dB
- 8 dB
- 16 dB
- 16 dB
- 15 dB
- 10 dB
- 14 dB
- 14 dB
- 13 dB
- 12 dB
One should be advised that OMC-R may eventualy display old

values while the offset is broadcasted.
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Class 3
V14
Description:
Neighbouring UMTS cell ARFCN. Although no control is performed on

the value, it shall be indicated on the OMC-R display as a comment
that a UTRAN ARFCN FDD is from 10562 to 10838.
(3GPP reference is FDD_ARFCN)
Value range:
0 to 16383
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
a non-null value to broadcast the SI2Quater on the BCCH
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Class 3
V14
Description:
Applies an offset to RLA_C for cell reselection to access technology /

mode FDD (3GPP reference is FDD_Qoffset)
Value range:
[-dB, -28 dB, -24 dB, -20 dB, -16 dB, -12 dB, -8 dB, -4 dB, 0 dB, 4
dB, 8 dB, 12 dB, 16 dB, 20 dB, 24 dB,28 dB]
Object:
bts
Default value:
-dB
Type:
DP
Checks:
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
that parameter allows a fine tuning in UMTS re-selection by

introducing a favorable/defavorable offset toward a UMTS cell.
The recommanded value by default is 0 dB.
uMTSSearchLevel
Class 3
V14
Description:
Search for 3G cell if signal level is below or above the threshold

(3GPP reference is Qsearch_I)
Value range:
[0: < -98 dBm, 1: < -94 dBm, 2: < -90 dBm, 3: < -86 dBm, 4: < 82 dBm, 5: < -78 dBm, 6: < -74 dBm, 7: Always, 8: > -78 dBm,
9: > -74 dBm, 10: > -70 dBm,11: > -66 dBm, 12: > -62 dBm, 13:
> -58 dBm, 14: > -54 dBm, 15: Never]
Object:
bts
Default value:
-98 dBm
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
this parameter set whether UE should search for UMTS cells or not. It
can allow UE to search above a certain level, below a certain level, or
always. Note that in this last case the UE battery autonomy can be
impacted.
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5.32. PROTECTION AGAINST INTRACELL HO PING-PONG

PARAMETERS
Class 3
Description:
Rejection time of a capacity intracell handover after an intracell

handover
Value range:
[0 to 120 s.]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
0 s.
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
[15 to 30 s.]
Used in:

Handover mechanisms (AMR)
V14
Eng. Rules:
Remark:
Applies to a BSC 3000 architecture only.
LCAUTION!
When AMR is activated that parameter should be set to 40 s
minTimeQualityIntraCellHO
Class 3
Description:
Rejection time of a quality intracell handover after an intracell

handover
Value range:
[0 to 120 s.]
Object:
handOverControl
Default value:
0 s.
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
[0 to 10 s.]
Used in:

V14
Eng. Rules:
Remark:
Applies to a BSC 3000 architecture only.
Note:
That parameter can be named qualityTimeRejection in the literature.
LCAUTION!
When AMR is activated that parameter should be set to 5 s
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5.33. AUTOMATIC HANDOVER ADAPTATION PARAMETERS

selfAdaptActivation
Description:
Use for activate the Automatic Handover adaptation
Value range:
Object:
bts
Default value:
disabled
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
enabled
Used in:
Class 3
V12
Class 3
V12
Eng. Rules:
servingfactorOffset
Description:
This attribute defines the offset linked to the serving cell, used to
decrease the HO margin, in some specific cases
Value range:
[-63 to 63]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
-2
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
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neighDisfavorOffset
Class 3
V12
Description:
This attribute modifies the offset linked to the neighbouring cell, used
to increase the HO marging, in some specific cases
Value range:
[-63 to 63]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Note:
That parameter can be named offsetNeighbouringCell at the MMI.
rxQualAveBeg
Class 3
V12
Description:
This attribute defines the number of quality measurement results used

by the power control mechanism, in short averaging algorithm
Value range:
[1 to 10]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
same as RxlevHreqAveBeg
Used in:

Fast Power Control at TCH assignment (Pc_3)
Eng. Rules:
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5.34. AMR - ADAPTATIVE MULTI RATE FR/HR PARAMETERS

BTS OBJECT
amrUlFrAdaptationSet
Description:
Class 3
V15
Define the lines of parameter used for the adaptation mechanism.

It sets the C/I thresholds when AMR speech codecs are used on a FR
channel in UL.when AMR speech codecs are used.
Value range:
[0 to3]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Codec mode adaptation
Eng. Rules:
0: typical radio condition
1: optimistic radio condition
2: pessimistic radio condition
3: personalize with the BSC data configuration table
The recommanded value of 0 offers a good compromise between HR
penetration and radio environment.
For optimization of the table amrUlFrAdaptationSet should be turn to 3
(refer to AMR Activation Guideline PE/BSS/APP/11438 in Reference
Documents)
See also chapter AMR Engineering Studies.
Description:
Class 3
V15

Value range:
[0 to3]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
For optimization of the table amrUlHrAdaptationSetshould be turn to 3
Documents)
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amrDlFrAdaptationSet
Description:
Class 3
V15

Value range:
[0 to3]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
For optimization of the table amrDlFrAdaptationSetshould be turn to 3
Documents)
amrDlHrAdaptationSet
Description:
Class 3
V15

Value range:
[0 to3]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
For optimization of the table amrDlHrAdaptationSetshould be turn to 3
Documents)
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Class 3
V15
Description:
Filter coefficient taken into account in the cell load evaluation.
Value range:
[0..1] step 0.001
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
0.5
Used in:
AMR based on traffic
Eng. Rules:
The parameter should be set to 1 to reach a V15.1 like behaviour (HR

calls allocated on RxLev criterion only)
hrCellLoadEnd
Class 3
V14
Description:
This attribute is used to trigger the end of AMR HR allocation in the

cell.
Value range:
[0 to 100]
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
5 or 10 for urban areas

50 or 60 for rural areas
Used in:
Channel allocation
Eng. Rules:

hrCellLoadStart
Class 3
V14
Description:
This attribute is used to trigger the beginning of AMR HR allocation in

the cell.
Value range:
[0 to 100]
Object:
bts
Default value:
100
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
0 for AMR FR only, different from 0 to trigger the HR allocation in

the cell. For AMR based on traffic following values are
recommended
20 or 30 for urban areas
70 or 80 for rural areas
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Channel allocation
This parameter shall be different from 0 to use Half Rate allocation.
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radioAllocator
Class 2
Description:
Radio allocator type used in the cell
Value range:
[voice + dataCircuit, voice + dataCircuit + packetData]
Object:
bts
Default value:
voice + dataCircuit
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
voice + dataCircuit + packetData
V12
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Lab tests have shown that the recommended value has to be set to
voice + dataCircuit + packetData when AMR is activated
TRANSCODER OBJECT
coderPoolConfiguration
Class 2
V12
Description:
This attribute indicates enumerated speech coding algorithms

supported by the TCU.
List of algoid [minimumCalls, powerUplink, powerDownlink]
Value range:
Algoid: fullRateCoder, enhancedFullRateCoder,

amrFullHalfRateCoder, ctmEnhancedFullRateCoder
MinimumCall: 0 to 65535
PowerUL: -15 to +15
PowerDL: -15 to +15
Object:
Transcoder
Default value:
fullRateCoder, minimumCall = 1, pwrUL = 0, pwrDL = 0

enhancedFullRateCoder, minimumCalls = 1, pwrUL = 0,
pwrDL = 0
amrFullHalfRateCoder, minimumCalls = 1, pwrUL = 0, pwrDL
=0
ctmEnhancedFullRateCoder, minimumCalls = 1, pwrUL = 0, pwrDL =
0
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
Channel allocation (AMR)

Cellular Telephone Text Modem (TTY)
Eng. Rules:
Used for the AMR, TTY activation at the TCU level (downlink and
uplink amplification level and use to define the minimum of AMR
communications on the TCU level).
Each coded has to be present only if is is activated by the operator,
FR is mandatory.
During normal operation, it dynamically reallocates the resources
between the TRMs to meet traffic demand. For the EFR and FR
codecs, the archipelago capacity is 72, i.e. 216 circuits per TRM. For
the AMR codec, the archipelago capacity is 60, i.e.180 circuits per
TRM. For the EFR+TTY codec, the archipelago capacity is 48, i.e. 144
circuits per TRM.
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The customer can set for each enabled vocoder type (FR, EFR, AMR)
a warrantied minimum number of communications. This field is called
minimumCalls and is used for the initial distribution.
The TCU assigns CODEC to each available archipelago in an roundrobin manner until the TCU satisfies the minimumCalls condition for
each enabled CODEC. Remaining archipelagoes are configured in
order to achieve as close as possible the CODEC ratios given by
minimumCalls parameters.
Let nbMinimumCalls = sum of minimumCalls of each enable CODEC.
The ratio to achieve for a given CODEC is computed as follows:
CODEC_rate = (minimumCalls (for this CODEC) / nbMinimumCalls).
Examples:
For E1 network with 20% FR, 40% EFR and 40% AMR setting could
be:
Remark:
FullRateCoder, minimumCalls = 4, powerUL = 0, powerDL = 0

EnhancedFullRateCoder, minimumCalls = 8, powerUL = 0,
powerDL = 0
amrFullHalfRateCoder, minimumCalls = 8, powerUL = 0,
powerDL = 0
Whatever is the repartition between the codecs, the two parameters

powerUL and powerDL should always be set to 0.
For T1 network, no TTY CODEC is available at the MMI. So when
theTCU receives TRM related config messages indicating for each
CODEC(FR, EFR and AMR) their minimumCalls, the equivalent
EFR+TTYCODEC is enabled with a minimumCalls set to 1 by default.
TRANSCEIVER OBJECT
frAMRPriority
Class 2
Description:
defines TDMA allocation priority for AMR FR calls.
Value range:
[0 to 2]
Object:
Transceiver
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
1 for BCCH TDMA
V14
0 for hopping TDMA

Used in:
Channel allocation (AMR)
Eng. Rules:
BCCH and non-hopping TDMA should be set to low priority, i.e. 1,

while hopping TDMA should be set to high priority, i.e. 0.
Priority 0 is given to a high priority TDMA,
Priority 1 is given to a low priority TDMA,
Priority 2 disables this service on the TDMA.
See also chapter Isolated Areas in AMR Monitoring.
LCAUTION!
Priority 2 is not recommended as it could introduce an AMR

congestion on the cell due to a barring of access to some TDMAs for
AMR calls. However, that setting could be interesting in some specific
cases.
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hrAMRPriority
Class 2
Description:
defines TDMA allocation priority for AMR HR calls.
Value range:
[0 to 2 ]
Object:
Transceiver
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
1 for BCCH TDMA
V14
0 for hopping TDMA

Used in:
Channel allocation
Eng. Rules:
BCCH and non-hopping TDMA should be set to low priority, i.e. 1,

while hopping TDMA should be set to high priority, i.e. 0
Priority 0 is given to a high priority TDMA,
Priority 1 is given to a low priority TDMA,
Priority 2 disables this service on the TDMA.
See also chapter Isolated Areas in AMR Monitoring.
LCAUTION!
Priority 2 is not recommended as it could introduce an AMR

congestion on the cell due to a barring of access to some TDMAs for
AMR calls. However, that setting could be interesting in some specific
cases.
POWER CONTROL OBJECT

Since the introduction of the ML0, there is a treshold preventing from doing Power Control
below a defined level when using AMR power control (refer to the amrReserved2 parameter).
The two parameters lRxLevDLP and lRxlevULP setting that threshold are defined in chapter
Power Control Parameters.
Class 3
V14
Description:
AMR codec target to define the power control threshold for HR AMR
calls
Value range:
[4k75, 5k9, 6k7, 7k4]
Object:
power control
Default value:
7k4
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
7k4
Used in:
Power Control (AMR)
Eng. Rules:
Power has to be decreased when call quality is very good and

increased when the quality could be better.
Even if 7k4 AMR HR is set, which corresponds to the most
constraining Power control value, AMR Power control has shown to
be more aggressive than EFR Legacy L1m. If cell radio conditions are
very good, optimization to 6k7 HR target could be justified.
Power control has to be triggered before handover for quality reason.
AMRHRIntercellCodecModeThreshold<hrPowerControlTargetMode
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Class 3
V14
Description:
AMR codec target to define the power control threshold for FR AMR
calls
Value range:
[4k75, 5k9, 6k7, 10k2, 12k2]
Object:
power control
Default value:
12k2
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
12k2
Used in:
Power Control (AMR)
Eng. Rules:
Power has to be decreased when call quality is very good and

increased when the quality could be better.
Even if 12k2 AMR HR is set, which corresponds to the most
constraining Power control value, AMR Power control has shown to
be more aggressive than EFR Legacy L1m. If cell radio conditions are
very good, optimization to 10k2 FR target could be justified.
Power control has to be triggered before handover for quality reason.
AMRFRIntercellCodecModeThreshold<frPowerControlTargetMode
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HANDOVER OBJECT
Class 3
V14
Description:
Uplink RxLev threshold for direct AMR TCH allocation in a normal cell
or in the large zone of a bizone cell (in conjunction with
amrDirectAllocRxlevDL).
Value range:
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
- 80 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-80 to -79 dBm
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Direct HR allocation enables to avoid some unnecessary handovers

from FR to HR channels. To define the value of those parameters it is
necessary to study the distribution of RxLev for the codec mode
defined as the target for the HR to FR intra cell HO to avoid a
immediate come back on a FR channel after a direct HR allocation.
The uplink parameter may be set considering a threshold
corresponding to 90% of C/I values higher than 16 dB (proposed
value, depends on the network quality). Furthermore, it has to be
checked that the RxLev value is more restrictive than the threshold to
go back to the large zone to avoid an immediate comeback on the
large zone.
See also chapter Half Rate Penetration Analysis.
Class 3
V14
Description:
Downlink RxLev threshold for direct AMR TCH allocation in a normal

cell or in the large zone of a bizone cell (in conjunction with
amrDirectAllocRxlevUL).
Value range:
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
- 80 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-75 to -74 dBm
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Direct HR allocation enables to avoid some unnecessary handovers

from FR to HR channels. To define the value of those parameters it is
necessary to study the distribution of RxLev for the codec mode
defined as the target for the HR to FR intra cell HO to avoid a
immediate come back on a FR channel after a direct HR allocation.
The uplink parameter may be set considering a threshold
corresponding to 90% of C/I values higher than 16 dB (proposed
value, depends on the network quality). Furthermore, it has to be
checked that the RxLev value is more restrictive than the threshold to
go back to the large zone to avoid an immediate comeback on the
large zone.
See also chapter Half Rate Penetration Analysis.
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Class 3
V14
Description:
UplinkRxLev threshold for directAMR TCH allocation in the inner zone

of a bizone cell (in conjunction with amrDirectAllocIntRxlevDL).
Value range:
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
- 80 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-80 to -79 dBm
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
see Engineering Rules of amrDirectAllocRxLevUL.
Class 3
V14
Description:
Downlink RxLev threshold for directAMR TCH allocation in the inner

zone of a bizone cell (in conjunction with amrDirectAllocIntRxlevUL).
Value range:
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
- 80 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-75 to -74 dBm
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
see Engineering Rules of amrDirectAllocRxLevUL.

Furthermore, it has to be checked that the RxLev value is more
restrictive than the threshold to go back to the large zone to avoid an
immediate comeback on the large zone.
amrDirecAllocIntRxLevDL concentAlgoIntRxLev
Class 3
V14
Description:
Target codec mode to trigger an intercell AMR quality handover.
Value range:
[4k75, 5k9, 6k7, 10k2, 12k2]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
6k7
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
10k2
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The target codec mode has to be more restrictive than the one for
intracell handover otherwise intracell handover will not be possible
most of the time.
amrFRIntercellCodecMThresh<amrFRIntracellCodecMThresh.
On the other hand, the codec mode threshold for intercell handover
has to be smaller than the target codec for power control.
amrFRIntercellCodecMThresh<frPowerControlTargetMode
This parameter is directly linked to AMR adaptation set and the C/I
threshold. Intercell codec target, which directly applies on a C/I target,
has to be aligned to C/I relation with RxQual. CPT could be used.
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C/I associated to HO intercell codec target should be between 7dB
and 14 dB depending on radio environment
Class 3
V14
Description:
Target codec mode to trigger an intracell quality handover FR to FR
Value range:
[4k75, 5k9, 6k7, 10k2, 12k2]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
4k75
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
4k75 (AMR intracell deactivation value)
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The target codec mode has to be less restrictive than the one for
intercell handover otherwise intracell handover will not be possible
most of the time.
amrFRIntercellCodecMThresh<amrFRIntracellCodecMThresh
Class 3
V14
Description:
Target codec mode to trigger an intercell quality handover from a HR

channel.
Value range:
[4k75, 5k9, 6k7, 7k4]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
5k9
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
5k9
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The target codec mode has to be more restrictive than the one for
intracell handover otherwise intracell handover will not be possible
most of the time.
amrHRIntercellCodecMThresh<amrHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh.
On the other hand, the codec mode threshold for intercell handover
has to be smaller than the target codecs for power control.
amrHRIntercellCodecMThresh<hrPowerControlTargetMode.
Class 3
V14
Description:
Target codec mode to trigger an AMR intracell quality handover from

AMR HR to FR
Value range:
[4k75, 5k9, 6k7, 7k4]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
6k7
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
6k7
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The target codec mode has to be less restrictive than the one for
intercell handover otherwise intracell handover will not be possible
most of the time. In case same intercell and intracell codec target is
chosen, intercell has the priority.
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amrHRIntercellCodecMThresh<AMRHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh
If the operators strategy is to increase capacity versus quality, low
values for AMRHRtoFRIntracellCodecModeThreshold can be chosen
to delay a come back on a FR channel.
Change of AMR adaptation set could also be used for HR penetration
increase (see chapter Half Rate Maximization Analysis)
amriRxLevDLH
Class 3
V14
Description:
Minimum downlink level to receive to trigger an intracell handover FR

to FR
Value range:
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
- 75 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-75 to -74 dBm
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Since AMR coding is better than standard coding, the threshold for
intracell AMR handover must be more restrictive than the one for
standard calls: amriRxLevDLH>rxLevDLIH.
amriRxLevULH
Class 3
V14
Description:
Minimum uplink level to receive to trigger an intracell handover FR to

FR
Value range:
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
- 75 dBm
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
-75 to -74 dBm
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Since AMR coding is better than standard coding, the threshold for
intracell AMR handover must be more restrictive than the one for
standard calls: amriRxLevULH>rxLevULIH.
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amrReserved2
Class 3
V12
Description:
Legacy L1m procedures (Power control and Handover) or AMR L1m

mechanisms (based on (n,p) voting algorithm and codec target) can
be chosen
Value range:
[0 to3]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
Type:
DP
Rec. value:
Used in:
AMR Legacy L1M
Eng. Rules:
amrReserved2
LCAUTION!
AMR alarm handovers

based on
AMR PowerControl
algorithm based on
CMR/CMC [(n,p) voting]
CMR/CMC
RxQual
CMR/CMC
CMR/CMC [(n,p) voting]
RxQual
RxQual
RxQual
A mix between AMR L1m for Power Control and Legacy L1m for AMR
alarm HO is recommended at this stage (amrReserved2 = 1); however
AMR activation with full AMR algorithms on HO management and
Power Control has shown good performances.
Class 3
V14
Description:
Number of 12k2 codec mode requested to trigger a capacity handover

(FR to HR)
Value range:
[0 to 196]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
44
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
set to 100% of pRequestedCodec, i.e. 48
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
The recommended value was chosen in order to increase capacity in

real good conditions: 100% of the requested codecs should be 12k2
meaning the radio conditions are really good. If the operators strategy
is to increase capacity vs. quality, low value for
nCapacityFRRequestedCodec can be chosen.
Higher nCapacityFRRequestedCodec assures a better HR radio
conditions and reduce probability intraHO ping pong.
See also chapter Half Rate Settings.
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nFRRequestedCodec
Class 3
V14
Description:
Minimum number of codecModeRequest out of pRequestedCodec in

the (n,p) voting mechanism to trigger an AMR HO while in FR mode.
Value range:
[0 to 196]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
24
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
nHRRequestedCodec
Class 3
V14
Description:
Minimum number of codecModeRequest out of pRequestedCodec in

the (n,p) voting mechanism to trigger an AMR HO while in HR mode.
Value range:
[0 to 196]
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
34
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
pRequestedCodec
Class 3
V14
Description:
Number of codec mode requests to consider in the (n,p) voting

decisions.
Value range:
[12 to 192] (step of 12)
Object:
handoverControl
Default value:
48
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
48
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
A similar reactivity between AMR and non-AMR calls should be

reached. The recommended value corresponds to the same quality
averaging window as for standard calls in urban environment. Field
experimentation should give further information as for the value of
pRequestedCodec.
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ADJACENTCELLHANDOVER
hoMarginAMR
Class 3
V14
Description:
HO margin taken into account in an intercell quality handover for AMR

calls in order to manage the eligible cell list.
Value range:
[-63 to 63] dB
Object:
AdjacentCellHandover
Default value:
-2
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
same as hoMarginRxQual
Used in:

Handovers screening
Eng. Rules:
In case of AMR L1mis activated (cf. amrReserved2) Handover cause

AMR quality: case where access to another cell should be
encouraged, provided target cell field strength is not much lower than
the current one. If bad quality remains, there is a risk of return
handover but there is nothing much to be done.
Depending on radio environment:
Interfered environment:
It is better to have a low C/I threshold for Quality HO (chosen via AMR
adaptation set or intercell HO codec target) and have homarginAMR =
hoMarginRxQual
Coverage limited environment:

It is better to have a high C/I threshold for Quality HO (chosen via
AMR adaptation set or intercell HO codec target) and have hoMargin
= hoMarginRxQual + 2
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5.35. WPS - WIRELESS PRIORITY SERVICES PARAMETERS

wPSManagement
Class 3
V15
Description:
WPS feature is enabled or disabled
Value range:
[disabled ; enabled ]
Object:
bsc
Default value:
disabled
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
enabled for WPS use
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
In order to enabled the new queuing management of WPS requests

the wPSManagement flag has to be set to the value enabled
LCAUTION!
Queuing management of WPS requests can only be activated if the

bscQueuingOption parameter is set to allowed (MSC driven) and the
WPS priorities have been set properly
wPSQueueStepRotation
Class 3
Description:
One out of the wPSQueueStepRotation value to first have an

evaluation of the WPS queues in the radio resource allocator.
Value range:
[1 to 10]
V15
Object:
bts
Default value:
Type:
DP, System
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
If the operator choose to activate WPS queuing management on its

network this parameter can ensure a minimum amount of non-WPS
calls (with low priorities) that can access the network even if it is very
congested
With that parameter fixed to 4, when a radio resource become free
and there are WPS or public call requests queued, the priority is given
1 out of 4 times to a WPS call request and 3 out of 4 times to a public
call. In that case WPS calls are favored in 25% of the time.
LCAUTION!
The operator can choose to enabled queuing uniquely on WPS calls,

hence public calls are never queued and this parameter become
obsolete.
The Algorithm for the traffic channel allocation applies at a cell level in
the BSC, and hence wPSQueueStepRotation is a cell parameter.
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5.36. NETWORK SYNCHRONIZATION PARAMETERS

btsSMSynchroMode
Description:
Class 2
V15
Type of site synchronization.

Activation of the Synchronisation feature (either site synchro either
network synchro features). Its value defines also the synchronization
mode (burst or time)
Value range:
[normal, master, slave, gprBurstSync, gpsTimeSync,

masterGpsBurstSync, masterGpsTimeSync]
Object:
btsSiteManager
Default value:
normal
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
normal
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
tnOffset
Class 2
V15
Description:
Its value allows to specify and control TN difference between BTS in

case of network synchronisation by GPS
Value range:
[0..7]
Object:
btsSiteManager
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
fnOffset
Class 2
V15
Description:
Its value allows to specify and control FN difference between BTS in

case of network synchronisation by GPS
Value range:
[0..84863]
Object:
btsSiteManager
Default value:
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
N/A
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
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dARPPh1Priority
Class 2
V15
Description:
Its value allows specifying the priority of SAIC mobiles on the TDMA.
Value range:
[high priority, low priority]
Object:
transceiver
Default value:
high priority
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
high priority
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Actually, for radio resource allocation only SDCCH requests are not
differentiated depending if the mobile requesting is SAIC capable or
not.
masterBtsSmId
Class 2
V15
Description:
Gives the identity of the master BTS if the BTSSMSynchroMode is

slave and remains empty if the BTS is master or normal
Value range:
Master BTS id or empty
Object:
btsSiteManager
Default value:
Empty
Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
Depends on context
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
baseColourCode
Description:
Class 2
V7
Base station Color Code assigned to a serving cell. It is broadcast on

the cell SCH and is used to distinguish cells that share the same
BCCH frequency.
The (BCC, NCC) pair forms the cell BSIC.
The information is broadcast on the cell SCH.
Several BCCs may be assigned to a same BTS. Hence, different
codes can be allotted to cells that may have overlapping areas
(adjacent cells).
The Base Station Identity Code (BSIC) is a 6bit code: bits 6-5-4 =
NCC (PLMN color code), bits 3-2-1 = BCC (Base station color code).
At cell level, the NCC bits can be used to increase BCC color
possibilities when the NCC is not needed.
The BCC value is determining the TSC (training sequence code) of
the cell.
Value range:
[0 to 7]
Object:
bts
Default value:
N/A
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Type:
DP, Optimization
Rec. value:
N/A
Used in:
Eng. Rules:
Several BCCs may be assigned to cells of a same site. Hence,

different codes can be allotted to cells that may have overlapping
areas (adjacent cells). See also chapter Set Up Principles of a
Neighboring List and a BCC Plan
5.37. NETWORK MODE OF OPERATION PARAMETERS
gprsNetworkModeOperation
Class 3
Description:
Flag to choose the network mode of operation.
Value Range:
[0 - 2] ; 0 = NMO II , 1 = NMO I , 2 = NMO 3 (value forbidden) .
Object:
bts.
V15
Default value:
0.
Rec. value:
1.
Used in:
Network Mode of Operation I support in BSS
Eng. rules:
NMO 1 must be activated or deactivated at RA level: the setting must

be consistent in all cells of a RA.
NMO1 activation is recommended when GPRS is activated on all cells
of the network: NMO1 should not be activated on a LA where some
cells do not affer GPRS service.
As combined procedures are performed on PDTCH with NMO1
(combined attach/detach and combined LA/RA update), it is strongly
recommended to guaranty the continuity of GPRS service by setting
minNbrGprsTs > 0.
The feature must be activated first at Core Network level and then at
BSS level.
The bscDataConfig must be modified to take the value of
gprsNetworkModeOperation into account. (see [R36] for details)
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6.
ENGINEERING ISSUE
6.1.
GSM/GPRS TS SHARING: PRIORITY HANDLING AND

QUEUING
With GSM/GPRS TS sharing, the operators strategy can be of three main different kinds:
Minimize the impact of GPRS introduction on GSM.

Guarantee GPRS quality of service thus impacting on GSM if no resources are
added
Find a trade-off impacting GSM as little as possible and guaranteeing GPRS as
much as possible.
The tuning of priority handling, queuing and also the use of the preemption mechanism
depends on the adopted strategy.
6.1.1 RESOURCES RESERVED FOR PRIORITY 0 AND

PREEMPTION
allocPriorityThreshold is a parameter used to reserve resources for priority 0 TCH allocation
requests. This reservation of resources decreases the capacity for incoming calls when
resources are reserved for handovers. Depending on the difference between
allocPriorityThreshold and the number of shared PDTCH, several phenomenon can happen.
IF allocPriorityThreshold shared PDTCH
THEN GPRS preemption mechanism is reserved for priority 0 TCH allocation requests
This behaviour is normal and comes from the definition of allocPriorityThreshold and the
allocation strategy that allocates in priority free TCH.
On the contrary:
IF allocPriorityThreshold Number of shared PDTCH
THEN the only free resources left for priority 0 TCH allocation request are shared
PDTCH.
Reestablishment will not be enabled at those periods of time (no reestablishment

on shared PDTCH is allowed).
A more frequent issue will come from GprsPreemption set to yes enabling the PCU
to NACK a preemption requested by the BSC. This phenomenon decreases the
efficiency of allocPriorityThreshold: reserved resources considered free by the
BSC might not be used to serve a TCH allocation request when the PCU NACKs
the preemption. This phenomenon will only happen in case of heavy GPRS traffic
at the same time as heavy GSM traffic.
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The table below proposes a setting of GSM/GPRS TS dynamic sharing with priority handling
with or without reestablishment (MinNbOfGprsTs is only indicative). With reestablishment, two
sets of values are sometimes proposed, one of them for less GPRS capacity.
Number of TRX
Number of shared
PDTCH
minNbOfGprsTs
1 TRX with or without reestablishment
2 TRX with or without reestablishment
3 TRX without reestablishment
3 TRX with reestablishment

4 TRX without reestablishemnt
4TRX with reestablishment
6.1.2 GSM/GPRS TS SHARING AND QUEUING:

No queued allocation request can use the preemption mechanism to leave the queue. The
allocation request must wait until a TCH is free. Hence, a too high number of shared PDTCH
(without adding a TDMA) increases the time a queued request will stay in the queue.
A solution to decrease the length of the queue is to forbid intracell queuing (intraCellQueuing
set to disabled). The intracell handover request will be repeated later (increases the BSC
signaling load) if no resource is free but thanks to the repetition of the handover request if the
radio conditions are still bad, the shared PDTCH preemption will be allowed (not the case if
put in queue).
For example on a 2 TDMA cell queuing can be done on 14 TCH TS, but in the case of a 2
TDMA cell with 3 shared PDTCH and minNbOfGprsTs = 0 the queuing can only be done on
11 TCH TS, so queued requests will leave the queue less quickly and one could see an
increase in the number of discarded requests.
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6.1.3 RESOURCES STRATEGY

MINIMIZE IMPACT OF GPRS INTRODUCTION ON GSM
Gprspreemption is set to no
MinNbGprsTS is set to 0
It means that all PDTCH configurated are shared by GSM and GPRS and thePCU is not
allowed to NACK the preemption requested by the BSC.Impact on queuing, impact on
preemption depending on allocPriorityThreshold value.
GUARANTEE GPRS QUALITY OF SERVICE
GprsPreemption set to yes

MinNumberGprsTs > 0
It means that some resources are always dedicated to GPRS and that the PCU can NACK a
pre-emption requested by the BSC.
Impact on queuing and preemption efficiency since the PCU can NACK the preemption
It might be interesting to activate HO traffic so as to enable a spatial repartition of traffic on
overlapping cells (with protection against HO ping pong): this spatial repartition of traffic will
save PDTCH channels for GPRS traffic and guarantee a constant availability of preemptable
PDTCH.
TRADE-OFF ON GSM AND GPRS
GprsPreemption set to no
minNumberGprsTs> 0
IMPACT ON QUEUING.
Minimum resources are guaranteed to GPRS and all the other resources can be used by GSM
calls if needed since the PCU can never NACK a preemption. It might be interesting to
activate HO traffic so as to enable a spatial repartition of traffic on overlapping cells (with
protection against HO ping pong): this spatial repartition of traffic will save PDTCH channels
for GPRS traffic and guarantee a constant availability of preemptable PDTCH.
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6.2.
LAYER 1 MANAGEMENT: CHANGES BETWEEN V1 AND V2

L1M corresponds to the BTS software; it manages radio measurements and their processing.
Within the context of Automated Cell Tiering introduction, a new version of the L1m application
software (L1mV2) has been developed to support advanced features. This new version is
mandatory since V14.
This chapter is intended to highlight the major improvements of L1mV2 compared to L1mV1.
6.2.1 MAIN DIFFERENCES

In addition to the ability to support advanced features, L1mV2 brings enhancement on the
following points:
Measurement processing
Rescaling
Capture process
Neighbouring cell management
Power Control Algorithm
MEASUREMENT PROCESSING
The measurement processing ensures that the network and mobiles communicate with each
other with the minimum interference, at the lowest possible transmission power and the best
transmission quality. With the L1mV2:
The measurement processing is optimized in order to provide valid measurements

as early as possible: the MS and BTS measurements are available as soon as MS
measurements are received by the BTS, i.e. 1 SACCH period (480ms) delay
instead of 2 SACCH (960 ms) periods with L1mV1.
The process of averaging/superaveraging is based on fully sliding windows in order
to take into account the most updated samples.
In case of missing measurement, the last sliding average will be used instead of
the last synchronous average. That gives a better missing measurement update.
These major improvements will allow earlier decisions on SDCCH/TCH to be more accurate
since 0.5 seconds (over 1second) are saved on the processing delay of first measurements.
This will decrease the number of assignment failure. Moreover, the new measurement
processing will provide more reactive handover and power control decisions, enhancing the
global quality of the network.
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RESCALING
RxLevel (UL & DL) measurement are rescaled in order to take into account the difference
between the reference Power and the real transmitted Power
L1mV1: Reference power = Last value of power control command

L1mV2: Reference power = maximum transmission power (Pmax)
Example:
Rescaling with msTxPwrMax = 30, rxLevHreqave = 4
lRxLevULP = -97 to -96
uRxLevULP = -93 to -92
L1mV1
Reference: last msTxPower = mr4 = 26
mr1
mr2
mr3
mr4
msTxPower
20
24
26
26
RxLev
- 93
- 93
- 95
- 97
Delta
Average
Rescaled RxLev
- 87
- 91
- 95
- 97
- 92,5
L1mV2
Reference: msTxPwrMax = 30
mr1
mr2
mr3
mr4
msTxPower
20
24
26
26
RxLev
- 93
- 93
- 95
- 97
Delta
10
Average
Rescaled RxLev
- 83
- 87
- 91
- 93
- 88,5
computed Delta for rescaling = msTxPower - Ref_msTxPower

computed Rescaled RxLev = OldRxLev - Delta
The rescaling performed by L1mV2 ( taking as the reference power = Pmax ) gives a RxLev
that is closer to real conditions. So L1mV2 will anticipate the decision of Power control and
Handover earlier than L1mV1.
CAPTURE PROCESS
Before L1mV2, the capture was launched only on the best microcell reported by the mobile,
and then the algorithm waited for the failure of the confirmation process before starting
another capture on the second best cell.
With L1mV2, this sub-feature launches in parallel the confirmation process for all the
microcells which verify the capture threshold providing a better reactivity of the system. If a
confirmation fails for a cell, the capture can be performed rapidly towards another cell
satisfying the criterion, increasing the probability to capture a microcell in a dense area.
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NEIGHBOURING CELL MANAGEMENT

For the neighbouring cells monitoring and measurements, the mobile Measurement Report
contains received level from the 6 best neighbouring cells RXLEV_NCELL(n) and associated
BSICs + frequencies. The new L1m the Neighbouring cell management feature brings two
enhancements on the cellDeletionCount parameter and on the update of the neighbouring
informations.
CELLDELETIONCOUNT
The parameter cellDeletionCount is considered as a pure eligibility criterion. With L1mV1, the
neighbour cell information was discarded if the number of consecutive measurement reports
which does not contain measurements for this neighbouring cell was equal to
cellDeletionCount.
With L1mV2, the CellDeletionCount corresponds to the number of missing measurements
reports after which the neighbour cell is not eligible for a PBGT handover. But the
measurements related to this neighbour cell are not deleted as far as less than 10 consecutive
measurements (i.e. 5 seconds) are missing. That always allows a rescue handover after the
CellDeletionCount
Example: CellDeletionCount = 5
Rn measurement report n of a neighboring cell C by the MS
Rn+1
cell_Deletion_Counter = 4, Nb_of_Missing = 1
Rn+2
Rn+3
Rn+4
Rn+5
No more PBGT HO possible on this neighbouring cell

Rn+6
Nb_of_Missing = 6
Rn+7
Nb_of_Missing = 7
Rn+8
Nb_of_Missing = 8
Rn+9
Nb_of_Missing = 9
Rn+10
Nb_of_Missing = 10
this cell is no more candidate whatever the HO type, measurement reports for this cell are
deleted from the L1M.
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Update on neighbouring informations
The other benefit concerns the updating of information for a neighbour cell not reported for
less than 5 seconds: when the number of neighbour cell reported by the MS is 6 (the
maximum), the RxlevNcell of non reported neighbour cells are update, for this period, by
taking the minimum value between:
The RxLevNcell reported at the previous period

And the lower RxLevNcell reported by the MS for this period and for a neighbour
cell in the same frequency band, degraded by 3 dB.
This process degrades gradually the level of a missing neighbouring cell, only when it is not
any more among the 6 best cells.
POWER CONTROL IMPROVEMENT

RF power control is used to minimize the transmit power required by the MS or BTS while
maintaining the quality of the radio links.
With the new version of L1m, the step by step power control algorithm is defined as path
loss compensation algorithm, with the introduction of a limitation based on the one shot
computation when there is a need to re-compute the attenuation (high level and good quality)
ALGORITHM STEP BY STEP

When Signal strength is bad (high path loss) or the quality is poor:
SAveRxLev < lRxLevXXP OR SAveRxQual > lRxQualXXP
with SAveRxLev is the weighted averages, there is no difference between L1mV2 and L1mV1.
Both compute a new attenuation request:
NewAttRequestdB = Max (CurrentAttRequestdB - IncrStepSize, 0)
When reception level and quality are good:

SAveRxLev > uRxLevXXP AND SAveRxQual < uRxQualXXP
L1mV1 always decrease the Tx power with the reduce step size set at the OMCR while
L1mV2 compute a new transmission power with total path loss compensation (increase or
decrease). The new increase (or reduce) step size is not necessarily the same as the one set
at the OMCR but it can not be higher than IncrStepSizeXX (or RedStepSizeXX)
Main Step for the new Tx power computed by L1mV2:
NewAttRequestdB = K* (SAveRxLev - lRxLevXXP)
with K=1 for the algorithm step by step

Limitation of attenuation Request
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Case1:
IF NewAttRequestdB < CurrentAttRequest - IncrStepSize
THEN ordered attenuation = CurrentAttRequest - IncrStepSize
Case2:
IF NewAttRequestdB > CurrentAttRequest + RedStepSize
THEN ordered attenuation = CurrentAttRequest + RedStepSize
Case3:
IF CurrentAttRequest - IncrStepSize NewAttRequestdB CurrentAttRequest +
RedStepSize
THEN ordered attenuation = NewAttRequestdB
Note: The ordered attenuation request is always in the range [0, AttMaxdB], and with L1mV1
the SAveRxLev is the rescaled RxLev at last power command.
EXAMPLE 1: MS UPLINK POWER CONTROL WITH L1MV2

lRxLevULP = -97 to -96, RedStepSizeUL = 4
URxLevULP = -93 to -92, IncrStepSizeUL = 4
ordered attenuation
NewMsTx Power
7
11
Path gain of 4 dB Rxlev at Pmax =-86

-93
-86
11
3
-97
-86
11
7
11
15
11
11
19
19
4
8
10
4
5
6
30
30
30
20
23
23
7
8
30
30
23
19
CurrentAttRequest - IncrStepSizeUL
23
23
23
26
22
20
NewMsAttRequest
7
7
7
30
30
30
RxLevUL
14
11
11
1
2
3
Rxlev rough
22
20
20
CurrentAttRequest
8
10
10
CurrentMsPower
8
12
14
10
7
7
-91
-87
10
0
-95
-87
10
4
-97
-87
10
6
Path loss of 3 dB Rxlev at Pmax =-90
-100
-90
7
6
-97
-90
7
3
-97
-90
7
3
Step
MsTxPowerMax
CurrentAttRequest + RedStepSizeUL
RxQual = 0.2 to 0.4
Stable Rxlev at Pmax = -87
Rxlev Rough
= RxlevPmax - currentAttRequest
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RxLev Rough is the RxLev before the rescaling.
Here, the RxLevrough tends to reach lRxLevP when signal strength at Pmax is good,
furthermore the reduce step size and increase step size set at the OMCR are not necessarily
used.
Note: we have on the step 1 a decrease of 4 dB then on step 2 a decrease of 2 dB (even if the
reduce step size set at the OMC is 4 dB), this makes the Power Control distribution with
algorithm step-by-step different in L1mV1 from L1mV2.
26
22
22
4
5
6
30
30
30
22
26
26
7
8
30
30
26
22
4
NOP
NOP
Path loss of 3 dB
4
NOP
NOP
Path gain of 4 dB
4
NOP
NewMsTx Power
30
30
30
Rxlev rough
CurrentMsPower
1
2
3
CurrentAttRequest
Step
MsTxPowerMax
EXAMPLE 2: MS UPLINK POWER CONTROL WITH L1M V1
-91
-95
-95
22
22
22
-98
-94
-94
26
26
26
-90
-94
22
22
Here the NewMsTxPower computed by L1mV1 is often higher than the MsTxPower computed
with the new version. So L1mV2 gains in efficiency.
-1
1
-1 0
08
-1
0
-1 6
04
-1
02
-1
00
-9
8
-9
6
-9
4
-9
2
-9
0
-8
8
-8
6
-8
4
-8
2
-8
0
-7
8
-7
6
-7
4
-7
2
Initial Power control "Step by step" decrease
-92
-94
RxLev resul
-96
-98
-100
-102
-104
-106
-108
Path loss (RxLevPmax in dBm)
No new com mand between

-97 and -92dBm
-90
Target R xLev V1
Medium Target RxLev V1
Target R xLev V2
-110
Note: the RxLev result in this graph corresponds to the RxLevrough

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The figures below summarize the command for (UL or DL) transmission power according to
Rxlev and RxQual.
L1MV1
RxQual
Increase Tx Power
lRxQual

uRxQual
Decrease
Tx Power
lRxLev
RxLev
uRxLev
L1MV2
RxQual
Increase Tx Power
lRxQual

uRxQual
New Tx Power
computation
lRxLev
RxLev
uRxLev
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STEP BY STEP POWER CONTROL EFFICIENCY

With the aim of minimizing the transmit power required by the MS or BTS, the new algorithm
step by step uses a realistic Rxlev (Rxlev rescaled at Pmax), this leads to a better
anticipation of the power control decisions.
Histograms below show an example of a RxLev downlink power control distribution for L1M V1
and L1M V2
# of Samples
DL RxLev Distribution (L1MV1)

600
110%
500
90%
400
70%
300
50%
200
1
-7
-7
4
7
-7
0
-8
-8
-8
9
-8
-9
-9
8
-9
-1
-1
-1
-1
01
10%
04
0
07
30%
10
100
Rx Lev
DL RxLev Distribution (L1MV2)

110%
# of Samples
700
600
90%
500
400
70%
300
50%
200
30%
100
-7
1
-7
4
-7
7
-8
0
-8
3
-8
6
-8
9
-9
2
-9
5
-9
8
10%
-1
01
-1
10
-1
07
-1
04
Rx Lev
One can see 50% time RxLev is better than -87 dB for L1mV1 and better than -89 dB for
L1MV2, so for the same percentage of time with L1mV2 lower power levels are used.
This explains the gain in the power control efficiency.
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6.2.2 BENEFIT
The major benefit of L1mV2 is the ability to support advanced capacity and coverage features
such as Automated Cell Tiering (fromV12) which enhances quality and/or capacity of fractional
reuse in loaded networks.
In addition, as shown in the next chapter other benefits will be perceived on the network
thanks to introduction of some modifications
In microcellular dense areas, the capture process will be more reactive thanks to
the parallel launch of confirmation process for all the micro cells reported by the
mobile.
In dense urban areas where the neighbouring cells reported by the mobile are
numerous and fluctuant, with a better updating of eligible cells, the operator will
experience less handover failure.
The uplink and downlink RxLev handover and intracell handover processes will be
triggered considering the RxLev which could correspond to a transmission at
maximum power, by comparing RxLev + attenuation (instead of RxLev) to the
handover threshold. This will result in less call drop, better quality. Handover
which could be avoided by powering up transmission will not be performed.
Moreover the interference level on the network will be decreased as mobiles will
remain as much as possible on the best server cell.
Early Handover decisions on SDCCH/TCH will be more accurate since 0.5
seconds (over 1second) are saved on the processing delay of first measurements.
This will decrease the number of assignment failure. Moreover, the new averaging
of measurements based on sliding window will provide more reactive handover
and power control decisions, enhancing the global quality of the network.
The power control is more efficient thanks to the rescaling performed by L1M V2; it
gives a better approach to real conditions.
6.2.3 CHANGE IN HANDOVER PERFORMANCE AFTER L1MV2

IMPLEMENTATION
When L1mV1 is activated, with mobiles in bad radio conditions (limit of cell coverage for
example), it can lead to a Radio Link Failure drop call. In same conditions, when L1mV2 is
activated, as missing measurements are better managed more handovers will be requested by
the BTS, that can save the call if the HO succeeds. As the mobile is in bad radio conditions,
some of these HO can fail but some of them succeed.
Thats why with L1mV2 (compare to L1mV1) one can see more HO failures (the system tries
to perform more HO in bad radio conditions) and less Radio Link Failures. Some of these HO
succeed instead of leading to a Radio Link Failure, thus the total number of dropped calls
decreases, leading to an improvement of the call drop ratio. Then, globally we can say that the
QoS is improved.
Many trials were performed on different networks to try to quantify this improvement. We can
assess that the repartition between Radio Link Failure drops and handover drops is modified:
less Radio_Link samples and more T3103 samples are observed after L1mV2 activation;
nevertheless the global call drop ratio is slightly improved.
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6.3.
ONE-SHOT POWER CONTROL

The one-shot power control algorithm allows high path loss compensation. However, some
mobiles are perturbed by high received signal strength variations and hence, several of their
measurements are wrong. If the mobile is near the base station antenna, with a few types of
mobiles the BTS will first decrease in a one-shot its transmit power, and then, because of
wrong measurements performed by the mobile, will increase its power to its maximum, this is
an oscillating effect.
Due to this effect, a maximum variation step of 8 dB has been introduced. During each
SACCH period, the power can be modified by 8 dB. From V12, the 8dB limitation applies only
for decrease.
One of the V8 step-by-step power control improvements consists of correlating both handover
and power control algorithms. However, this is not the case for the one-shot power control
algorithm (V9), hence it is possible to handoff even if the MS (or BTS) does not transmit at its
maximum power. This difference is due to the fact that the one-shot power control algorithm
should be reactive enough to be decorrelated from the handover algorithm.
With the step-by-step power control algorithm, an order to transmit at maximum power is sent
as soon as a handover is triggered. With the one-shot power control algorithm, the same order
is sent as soon as the power control is triggered.
The non correlation between both algorithms will not lead to avoid the increase of the power
before a handover. So the L_RXQUAL_XX_P shall be lower than L_RXQUAL_XX_H. A
difference of one step between both values provides an effective power control and keeps a
good reactivity for handovers.
Example: L_RXQUAL_XX_P = 3 and L_RXQUAL_XX_H = 4
A rapid variation of the quality (from 2 to 5) will trigger the handover algorithm and not the
power control algorithm. In the above example, a value equal to 4 for the power control
threshold (L_RXQUAL_XX_P) would be insufficient to keep a good reactivity for handovers.
During the algorithm validation period, a comparison was made between one shot power
control algorithm and step-by-step one. The conclusions were expressed as follows:
The one shot power control is correctly implemented according to functional specifications.
Without any deterioration of uplink and downlink quality, one shot power control activation
contribues to the following advantages:
more power attenuation globally in the cell,

quicker decrease to low power,
quicker increase to maximum power.
Furthermore, the reactivity of the algorithm allows to set the one shot power control thresholds
to the step-by-step low ones without any impact on uplink and downlink quality.
One shot QoS metrics are also better than step-by-step ones.
However, these results come from a study over few days and in a specific configuration. It is
difficult to say that the one shot power control algorithm is simply better than the step-bystep one. The quality is not degraded and it seems to lead to more power attenuation but
nothing allows to conclude surely that this algorithm is the one to use in all cases.
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6.4.
MINIMUM TIME BETWEEN HANDOVER

Different cases of handovers are given, and for each, the parameter setting influence is
described.
6.4.1 MICRO-CELLULAR NETWORK

HANDOVER MICROCELL TO MICROCELL
Avoiding handover ping-pong is important but a mobile could cross a cell in 2 or 3 seconds. A
delay (bts Time Between HO configuration) should not be used in this case.
The parameter setting should be:
timeBetweenHOConfiguration = true, because the feature may be important for

other cells in the BSS.
bts Time Between HO configuration = minimal value, e.g. = rxLevHreqave *
rxLevHreqt * 0.48 sec
Actually, even in such configuration, the value of the delay depends on the speed of the
mobiles. If the speed is low and the mobile speed in the cell is homogeneous then the delay
can be significant and have an action on ping-pong handover. If the speed is non
homogeneous then the most rapid-moving mobiles must be considered for the value of the
delay, though ping-pong handovers could occur. The lower the most rapid moving mobiles
speed, the more important the delay is. Then bts Time Between HO configuration is a
function of the cell size and the mobile speed.
In such situation, the problem of field variation is solved:
If the mobile speed is low then the delay will help to avoid a ping-pong handover
If the mobile speed is high, the averaging will not show all these variations.
HANDOVER MICROCELL TO MACROCELL

microCell means: its bts object cellType is set to microcell.
macroCell means: in the microcell adjacentCellHandOver object, the cellType field
corresponding to this macrocell is set to umbrella whatever the value of its cellType field in
its bts object (normal cell, umbrella or microCell). In this way a microCell can be seen as an
umbrella for another microCell.
This kind of handover is only triggered on alarm cause. So, in this case the delay is not very
useful.
Lets consider the following case:
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macroCell B
microCell A
microCell C
With a macroCell, the delay can be used for the microCell. A mobile that goes from microCell
A to macroCell B will perform a handover (on alarm cause). Then, it is worth setting a delay on
cell A to avoid a ping-pong handover (between A and C).
Therefore, this delay is beneficial for a mobile in cell C that turns into the street of cell A. The
same is true in opposite direction.
The only restriction is for a mobile coming from macro B and going to micro C. The delay has
a negative influence for the handover microA-microB. It is the same case as before.
In V12, the feature General Protection against HO ping-pong can solve this kind of problem.
For instance, in this particular case, the parameter hoPingPongCombination should be set to
(alarm, capture) and hoPingPongTimeRejection should be set to the previous V9 value of bts
Time Between HO configuration.
HANDOVER MACROCELL TO MACROCELL

The timer is usefull for a cell intersection where there is much interference.
Lets take as an example a handover with cause quality triggered from macroCell A towards
macroCell B. But just after this change of cell, a handover with cause power budget is
attempted. Using an appropriate delay, depending on the speed of the mobile, many pingpong handovers may be avoided.
In V12, this is also achieved through the General Protection against HO PingPong feature
(see chapter General protection against HO ping-pong). In this particular case, the parameter
hoPingPongCombination should be set to (quality, PBGT) and hoPingPongTimeRejection
should be set to the previous V9 value of bts Time Between HO configuration. In order to
inhibit completely the ping-pong hoPingPongCombination should be set to (all, all).
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6.4.2 NON MICRO-CELLULAR NETWORK.

The solution is the use of the minimum time between handover. The value of the delay
depends on the distance between the interference point and the point where macroA and
MacroB have the same level. With the hypothesis that the following neighbor cell is far away,
the value of the delay depends on the minimun speed of the mobile.
It is not really obvious to recommend a value because it is a question of interference point
position. So, before test and measurement results, the recommended value is the default
value: 16, that corresponds to 8 seconds.
There are two ways to determine the best value:
system test: the counters show that ping-pong handovers exist. With a little
variation of the delay (bts Time Between HO configuration), it is possible to see
the influence (always with counters). So with only some steps of delay variation
the best value to avoid ping-pong handover and radio link failure can be found.
measurements: with mobile measurements, the point of interference and the
equivalence point can be found. Then the delay value can be deduced from the
distance between both points.
However the following light constraints are applied to the value of the delay:
average time of a mobile in the cell (weighted if nedeed for each speed)
bts Time Between HO configuration.
Those constraints could also be a way to find the best value of minimum time between
handover.
In V12, same remark as before.
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6.5.
DIRECTED RETRY HANDOVER BENEFIT

This paragraph provides theorical studies results of the benefit that Directed Retry can provide
in mono and multi-layers Networks.The Directed Retry is mainly a benefit in the case of small
congestion zone in the network. In others cases the network is either under-dimensioned or
the queuing gives better results. Moreover, the HOTraffic feature must be favoured instead of
using Directed Retry.
Long duration
Directed Retry
Network
under dimensioned
Duration of
congestion
Normal
situation
Call
Large surface
6.5.1 BENEFIT OF FEATURE ON MONO-LAYER STRUCTURE

HYPOTHESIS
12 macroCells with 3 TRX/cell

Non-combined BCCH
22 TCH available for the 12 cells
9 cells with 41% use rate (i.e. 9 TCH/22) and 3 overloaded cells with 26 channels
requested for 22 available (i.e. 24% of blocking rate)
25% of cell overlapping
WITHOUT DIRECTED RETRY

The carried capacity is:
9 cells * 9 TCH + 3 * 76% * 26= 140 Erlang

the highest blocking rate is over 24%
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WITH DIRECTED RETRY

The added carried capacity is:
25% cell overlapping => 25% * (24% * 26 requests * 3) = 4,7 Erlang

the highest blocking rate is over 18%
With Directed Retry and 25% overlapping: gain on traffic 3,3% on the whole set of 12 cells of
this example and gain on blocking rate.
6.5.2 BENEFIT OF FEATURE ON MULTI-LAYERS STRUCTURE

HYPOTHESIS
blocking rate of 2% max on the macroCell

3 TRX (22 TCH) with 9 TCH used / 22 (41% use rate)
1 TRX per -cell with not combined BCCH
10 requests for 6 TCH on the -cell (48% of blocking rate)
WITHOUT DIRECTED RETRY

Carried capacity of n -cell under 1 macroCell: = n -cell * 52% + 1 macro * 9 * 100%
For n -cell under 1 umbrella cell: number of carried Erlangs = 5,2n + 9
If n = 1, we have carried 14,2 Erlangs.
WITH DIRECTED RETRY

When the Macrocell begins to be full (the blocking rate will become low (from 2% to 3%)) then
no more calls are redirected from the -cell to the macro.
Capacity of microCell + macroCell: we aim to satisfy the 10 + 9 requests (i.e. 19 Erl needed):
n micro * X% * 10 + 1 macro * 9
The macro cell is able to carry: 14.9 Erlang
9 requests from the macroCell

5.9 requests from the -cells
Then, the macroCells keep: X% * ((n macroCell * 10) 5.9)
WITH N = 1:
The Erlang law gives X = 87.6% (a blocking rate of 12.4%), the carried traffic is:
14.9 + 87.6% * (10-5.9) = 18.5 Erl
Gain 30% on ONE -cell and the highest blocking rate is over 12.4% (instead of 48%).
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WITH SEVERAL N:
microCells transfer their calls into one umbrella-cell, and with the hypothesis of our example,
the gain should be (en = enabled, dis = disabled):
Gain%=
Erl carried DR(en)

Erl carried DR(dis)
-1
Gain%=
X(n) * (10n 5,9) (5,2n + 9)

5,2n + 9
As a consequence Gain(%) = f (number of -cells under one umbrella).
The best cells to implement directed retry are the cells that have potential problems due to a
lack of TCH resources. Directed Retry may solve the problem of load if the cell is the only one
to have this kind of problem in the close area. If the entire area is congested, almost no
improvement will be observed.
If queuing is enabled on the cell, the parameter setting of the queuing should lead to queues
of size 3 and a waiting timer of 6 seconds in the candidate cell.
From V15.0, Directed Retry can be also activated without queuing. See chapter Directed retry
without queuing activation for further informations.
The last value to set is the rxLev threshold used in the feature to choose a good neighbor
cell (distant mode). As the decision is taken on the basis of one measurement, a margin of a
few dBs needs to be taken to deal with multipath fading. Then, the advised value should be at
least rxLevMinCell + 3 dB.
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EXAMPLE OF POSSIBLE CONFIGURATIONS:

At BSC level:
interBscDirectedRetry = allowed
intraBscDirectedRetry = allowed
modeModifyMandatory = used
bscQueuingOption = forced
timeBetweenHOConfiguration = true
HOSecondBestCellConfiguration = 3
At Cell level (where directed retry is implemented):
allocPriorityTimers = 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0
allocWaitThreshold = 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
directedRetryModeUsed = bts
interBscDirectedRetryFromCell = allowed
intraBscDirectedRetryFromCell = allowed
At neighbor cell level:
directedRetry = rxLevMinCell + 3 dB
hoPingPongTimeRejection = 30 (= the previous V9 value of bts Time Between HO
configuration
hoPingPongCombination = (DirectedRetry , all) or for instance (DirectedRetry,
PBGT)
At cell level for neighbor cells:
bts Time Between HO configuration = 1 (V12 update, the parameter changes its
possible vallues)
allocPriorityThreshold = 3
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6.6.
CONCENTRIC CELLS
The concentric cell feature has been introduced from the BSS version V9.1. The main
principle is to define two zones in a cell: inner (or small) and outer (or large) zone. BCCH and
signaling channels use TMDAs of outer zone.
Outerzone
(large zone)
Innerzone
(small zone)
BCCH and
signalling
channels
traffic
channels
This feature enables the system to have two separate zones within the same cell using
different TDMAs and giving the operator flexibility to have separate frequency hopping
systems. Therefore, concentric cell zones give better spectral efficiency through mobility
management between zones and being able to increase inner zone frequency reuse.
For a good understanding of this feature, please refer to the chapter
Concentric/DualCoupling/DualBand Cell Handover (Ho_3), and the associated Functional
Notes [R10] Concentric cell improvements (CM888/TF889) and [R11] FN for stepped coupling.
Expected Network Impacts:
Radio Quality Improvement: C/I and RxQual improvement and an overall RF and
HO drops improvement
Sligth increase in intracell HO drops, inherent to concentric cell interzone traffic
management.
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6.6.1 CONCENTRIC CELL PARAMETER DEFINITION
concentAlgoExtRxLev
concentAlgoIntRxLev
(inner to outer
threshold)
(outer to inter threshold)
biZonePowerOffset
+ hysteresis Margin
As shown on the figure above, the definition of inner zone coverage depends mainly on
concentAlgoExtRxLev; concentAlgoIntRxLev and biZonePowerOffset+hysteresis parameters.
Main related parameters to the concentric cell feature are listed below:
Parameter
Description
concentric cell
enable the concentric cell feature on the cell (also used for dualband / dualcoupling)
concentAlgoExtRxLev
level threshold used for TCH Direct Allocation in the inner zone or to trigger an interzone HO from the
outer to the inner zone
concentAlgoIntRxLev
level threshold used to trigger an interzone HO from th inner to the outer zone
biZonePowerOffset
offset used to simulate the power difference between TDMAs of the inner and the outer zone (power
difference either due to power emission, coupling losses or propagation losses)
set the power difference between the two zones of a concentric/dualaband/dualcoupling cell
distance threshold used for TCH Direct Allocation in the inner zone or to trigger an interzone HO from
the outer to the inner zone (not used for dualband functionality)
distance threshold used to trigger an interzone HO from th inner to the outer zone
biZonePowerOffset(n)
offset used to reflect the difference of propagation between the two zones of an adjacent cell in case of
handover toward the inner zone
rxLevMinCell(n)
minimum signal strength level received by MS for being granted access to a neighbor cell
CONCENTALGOEXTRXLEV
The concentAlgoExtRxLev value can be set depending on how TRXs capacity in the cell is
shared between the inner and outer zone. The following figure shows CPT cumulative
distribution of RxLev uplink and downlink of a cell before concentric cell activation.
concentAlgoExtRxLev may be deduced from the downlink RxLev distribution which represents
samples of communications in function of the strength level.
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On the figure above we can see that only 10% of the traffic is handled with a level under -86
dBm. So if the traffic size of inner zone (% of TS in the inner zone with regard to total number
of TS in the cell) is 90% of the outer zone, it means that 90% of downlink Rxlev sample may
be inside of inner zone, and 10% is outside. A downlink RxLev value L90, L75 or L50 should
then correpsond to 90%, 75% or 50% of traffic on the inner zone.
concentAlgoExtRxLev = LXX (use of the CPT tool)
BIZONEPOWEROFFSET (HANDOVERCONTROL OBJECT)

biZonePowerOffset is used to simulate the power offset between TDMAs of the inner and the
outer zone.
CONCENTRIC CELL CASE

In this case biZonePowerOffset simulates the power difference between the two zones
introduced by zone Tx power max reduction of the inner zone.
zoneTxPowerMaxReduction(outer) = 0
zoneTxPowerMaxReduction(inner) = 0, best value tested (see chapter zone Tx
power max reduction)
bizonePowerOffset = zone Tx power pax reduction(inner)
DUALCOUPLING CELL CASE

introduced by coupling losses.
zone Tx power max reduction(outer)=0

zone Tx power max reduction(inner)=3 simulates the D/H2D configuration
zone Tx power max reduction(inner)=4 simulates the H2D/H4D configuration
bizonePowerOffset = zone Tx power max reduction(inner)
Note: DLU Attenuation should be NULL and replaced by zone Tx power max reduction as
explained in the parameter description: zone Tx power max reduction and concentric cell.
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DUALBAND CELL CASE

introduced by propagation losses. It should then be set according to the band used on the cell.
bizonePowerOffset = +3 dB (dualband: main band= 850 or 900 MHz)
biZonePowerOffset = -3 dB (dualband: main band= 1800 or 1900 MHz)
CONCENTALGOINTRXLEV
To avoid ping-pong interzone HO, a hysterisis margin is recommended. The level threshold to
trigger an interzone HO from the inner to the outer zone could be calculated as follow:
concentAlgoIntRxLev = concentAlgoExtRxLev - Hysteresis Margin biZonePowerOffset
where Hysteresis Margin = 4 dB is recommended.
BIZONEPOWEROFFSET(N) (ADJACENTCELLHANDOVER OBJECT)

biZonePowerOffset(n) in adjacentCellHandover object reflects the difference of propagation
between the two zones of an adjacent cell in case of handover toward the inner zone. When
attempting an HO directly to the inner zone of an adjacent cell EXP2xx(n) = hoMarginxx(n) +
biZonePowerOffset(n) > 0 shall be respected. So in order to avoid HO in sequence after
incoming HO into inner zone, its necessary to respect the following relation:
biZonePowerOffset(n) = concentAlgoExtRxLev(n) - rxLevMinCell(n)
rxLevMinCell(n)
concentAlgo
ExtRxLev(n)
cellA
cellB
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6.6.2 CONCENTRIC CELL FIELD EXPERIENCE

RADIO QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Inner zone isolation-capacity trade-off is found in concentric cell. The smaller the inner zone
coverage, the better inner zone isolation is found but less traffic, which takes profit of higher
inner zone fractional reuse pattern, is carried. Concentric cell success on improving KPI
performances is based on this balance.
On one hand reducing inner zone coverage:
provides better isolation of inner zone interferences by keeping only the calls with
very good RxLev to enter the inner zone
allows deploying a more constraining inner zone frequency plan (or a consequent
inner zone radio quality improvement) and reducing 3107 drops since inter HO are
done in better radio conditions.
On the other hand, one of the inherent risks of using this approach is to block on the outer
zone while resource availability remains on the inner zone. Even though inner zone blocking is
not customer perceived (calls can overflow onto the outer zone radios if available TCH
resources), a compromise exists between the traffic distribution between the zones, and the
improvement in KPI. Therefore, additional tuning of the concentAlgoExt/IntRxLev thresholds
may be necessary on certain sites to set an appropriate threshold for transitioning from and to
the inner zone.
INNER-OUTER ZONE CAPACITY TRADE-OFF

It is recommended having more than 1 TDMA on outer zone since it allows redundancy in
case BCCH TDMA is lost, and also because TDMAs carrying SDCCH channels must also be
on the outer zone. Furthemore, it is advised to have higher capacity in the outer than in the
inner zone, because it minimizes the probability that outer zone is blocked, which would cause
a capacity cell reduction even if inner zone TS are available.
60%-40% outer-inner capacity is recommended.
CONGESTION TARGET FOR HO TRAFFIC

Capacity is shared between inner and outer zone depending on TDMAs allocated in each
zone. Outer zone congestion targets should be updated to take into account reduction in terms
of TDMAs in outer zone. Inner zone is not considered for congestion since no congestion for
the user is found when all TS are occupied.
SDCCH DIMENSIONING
It should be noted that with Concentric Cell SDCCH channels cannot be configured in the
inner zone and all the SDCCH channels will have to be re-mapped to the outer zone radios.
All the sectors prior to implementation of Concentric Cell in the concerned BSCs must follow
Nortels recommended rule of spreading the SDCCH channels amongst different radios and
therefore had to be re-mapped carefully such that SDCCH congestion is not encountered.
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CONCENTRIC CELL PARAMETER TUNING

ZONE TX POWER MAX REDUCTION
This parameter is used to reduce the output power of the BTS on the inner zone TDMAs to
improve inner zone isolation. Simulations show it is preferred to keep the inner zone reduction
at 0 dB and rely on power control efficiency to reduce power level. Like this, power control is
always capable to power up to maximum power to save worst call who received punctual
interferences. Inner zone power reduction has not brought any significant KPI improvement
when it has been tested on field trials.
Simplified power control simulation results are shown on graph below. 250 meters of cell
radius in 1900MHz (150 meters for inner zone coverage which corresponds to 40% inner zone
capacity for a uniform traffic distribution) and perfect power control to attempt DL RxLev target
of -86 dBm are considered.
50
-84,0
45
-86,0
40
-88,0
35
-90,0
30
-92,0
25
-94,0
20
-96,0
15
10
5
0
0,00
-98,0
BTSPower(Offsetpower0)
-100,0
BTSPower(Offsetpower8dB)
InnerZone Coverage (40%)
-102,0
RxLev(Offsetpower0)
RxLev(Offsetpower8dB)
0,05
RxLev[dBm]
BTS Power [dBm]
BTS Power and RxLev evolution depending on

BTSoffset parameter
0,10
0,15
0,20
-104,0
0,25
Cell Range [km]
If BTS inner zone TDMA are not attenuated at all (0dB), 14,8 dBm mean BTS TX DL power
would be found while if 8 dB output power would be attenuated, mean BTS TX DL Power
would become 13,4 dBm. Therefore the impact on interference and isolation on innerzone is
very limited and it is preferred to leave power control the possibility to power up rather than
induce an external attenuation
CONCENTALGOEXT/INTRXLEV
It is recommended to set concentAlgoExtRxLev using CPT tool. DL RxLev number of samples
repartition found in CPT is a good indicator on how traffic load is spread around the cell.
concentAlgoExtRxLev threshold can be defined to match inner/outer zone capacity repartition.
It is recommended to define concentAlgoExtRxLev instead of concentAlgoIntRxLev through
CPT methodology. Like this, inner zone RxLev samples are slightly underestimated (signal
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level from concentAlgoExtRxLev and concentAlgoIntRxLev could also be allocated in inner
zone) and a margin to pack the inner zone TDMAs is left.
concentAlgoExt/IntRxLev impact on inner/outer traffic load has not shown to be very sensible
to their value. Same mean values have been spread all over clusters in field trials and they
have required little tuning to avoid outer zone blocking and KPI improvements.
CONCENTALGOEXT/INTMSRANGE
concentAlgoExtMsRange and concentAlgoIntMsRange could be used to reinforce or to
complement inner and outer inter zone handovers using concentAlgoExt/IntRxLev.
The calculated distance between the MS and the BTS is based on timing advance (TA), which
has an accuracy of 3 bits (corresponding to more than 1,5 km), due to the shift of
synchronization of some MSs. Thus, this parameter is not very useful in urban areas where
the cell size is relatively small and due to the multipath effect, the MS to BS distance is not
very accurate. However this parameter could be used in rural areas or suburban areas.
BIZONEPOWEROFFSET IN DUALBAND CELLS

6 dB Rxlev DL level difference has been found between 900 MHz and 1800 MHz calls due to
propagation losses in field trials. When a call who is allocated in the outer zone (900MHz) is
inter handover to inner zone (1800MHz), 6 dB level loss is expected to be found due to
propagation loss.
Since biZonePowerOffset is taken into account in power budget handovers, there is a trade-off
between biZonePowerOffset value and number of power budgets of inner zone calls. Having a
biZonePowerOffset too big can reduce significantly power budget of inner cell provoking calls
to be dragged to inner zone cell edge because of overestimating own BCCH level of the
outerzone.
6 dB presents a good trade-off and it is the value recommended.
INTRACELL HANDOVER DROP SLIGHT INCREASE

On activation of concentric cell feature, interzone handovers get triggered based on signal
level within the same cell, increasing the probability of dropped calls. The key to successful
implementation of Concentric Cell is to reduce the other drop call components such as T3103
and RLT Drops.
HYSTERISIS MARGIN DEFINITION

The inner to outer Hysteresis Margin corresponds to the delta between concentAlgoIntRxLev
and concAlgoExtRxLev minus zone TX power maximum reduction. The delta should be
adequate so that the captured traffic in the inner zone (which is the key to spectral efficiency)
is not immediately allocated back to outer zone via a ping-pong handover. A big hysterisis
zone helps to contain the users in the inner zone and keeps this zone packed in order to avoid
losing capacity and interzone HO, therefore it reduces T3107 drops.
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L1M REACTIVITY
It is not recommended to increase L1m reactivity when concentric cell is used for HO
decisions since it can increase significantly interzone HO with the consequent increase on
T3107 drops. An average of 8 frames is recommended.
CONCENTRIC CELL IMPACT ON AMR HR PENETRATION

Interzone handover from inner to outer zone is considered as a quality handover. Therefore,
even though an AMR HR call was on going in the inner zone, after a quality inner to outer
interzone handover AMR FR is allocated in outer zone.
Depending on AMR FR to HR and HR to FR thresholds, this interzone handovers can cause
an increase of intracell HO from HR to FR (inner to outer zone) and immediately from FR to
HR (in the outer zone), reducing AMR HR penetration on the cell.
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6.7.
IMPACT OF DTX ON AVERAGING

The RxLev_Full measured on a dedicated channel is the arithmetic mean of 104 received time
slots power, excepted in the case of DTX: then it is the arithmetic mean of only 12 received
time slots power.
A study was done to compare the difference (RxLev_Full - RxLev_Sub). It was based on
10800 measurements from a single network, characterized by a great proportion of microcells
and a high RxLev mean value.
The following array presents the results of this study. We considered the difference
(RxLev_Full - RxLev_Sub), without averaging (1 measurement), and then with averaging on 2,
3, 4 and 8 measurements.
number of values for averaging
mean value of RxLev_Full - RxLev_Sub (dB)
- 0,15
- 0,15
- 0,15
- 0,15
- 0,15
standard deviation (dB)
2,12
1,48
1,19
1,03
0,72
The results show that, for an averaging on 4 measurements, the standard deviation is only 1
dB. This is insignificant enough to consider that we can run simulations, and analyze the
measurements with one of the two levels, if we dont know which one is used.
Moreover, the measurement processing used for the neighbor cells is close to the process
used in the case of DTX: it is the arithmetic mean of about (104/N) received time slots power,
where N is the number of neighbor cells declared, between 1 and 32.
If 6 < N < 12, which is often the case, the two processes are quite comparable. 8 to 10 for
neighbor; standard deviation on RxLev_Sub can be extended to RxLev(i).
This means that the RxLev_NCell(i) measured on a neighbor cell, is close to the RxLev that
would be measured if it was the current cell.
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6.8.
BEST NEIGHBOR CELLS STABILITY

The parameter CellDeletionCount is used to keep a neighbor cell eligible, even if a few
measurements are lost.
A study was done with a measurement file of 2 hours, without handover. Each time one of the
6 best neighbor cells disappeared, the time before it re-appeared, called absent_time, was
calculated. 420 absent_times were found; that follow this distribution:
absent_time (s)
% cumulate
0,66
1,18
1,18
1,32
1,89
3,07
1,98
4,01
7,08
2,64
5,42
12,5
3,3
1,89
14,39
3,96
4,01
18,4
4,62
4,48
22,88
5,28
1,65
24,53
5,94
1,42
25,94
6 to 11
8,02
33,96
> 11
66,04
100
Note: absent_time values are multiples of 0,66 seconds.

For instance, for the recommended value 5 and according to these measurements, in 12,5
percent of the cases the neighbor cell concerned is accessible after 2,64 seconds, in 87,5
percent, it is still missing.
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6.9.
TCH ALLOCATION GENERAL RULES

When no queuing is allowed, as no request can be treated by the BSC at the same time, there
are two kinds of TCH allocation requests:
priority 0: the request is acknowledged if there is at least one free TCH

priority > 0: the request is acknowledged if there is at least allocPriorityThreshold +
1 free TCHs
If allocPriorityThreshold equals 0, all the requests are treated in the same manner.
If queuing is in OMC driven mode (run by the BSC), incoming handovers cannot be queued.
The highest priority must be given to incoming handovers.
The queuing plays a part when, there is not enough TCH resources. When traffic increases to
a blocking state, the queuing has no impact on the total ratio of TCH allocation success: the
more call attempts that are acknowledged, the more incoming handovers are refused.
The queuing is prefered when all TCH resources are busy during a short time; it cannot
replace a resource.
Please refer to chapter TCH Allocation Management.
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6.10. GENERAL RADIO FREQUENCY RULES

1) In dB, the path loss slope with distance, decreases as 1/D. This means that the received
signal variation, in dB/m, is greater at the close vicinity of the base station and decreases with
the distance. It depends directly on the propagation exponent.
2) We can assume stationnarity (during some seconds) of the median path loss in dB,
assumption is more and more valid since the MS is far from its antenna cell, close to the
handover area.
3) Shadowing is due to obstruction of the signal paths, created by obstacles. It is known that
these obstacles create log_normal variations of the received signal, ie the received power at a
distance, expressed in dBm, fluctuates as a gaussian random variables.
4) The shadowing depth is strongly linked to the position of the mobile as compared with the
dominant building, and as a consequence, that shadowing decorrelates when different
buildings are involved. With a building mean width d = 30m, shadowing can be considered
completely decorrelated.
5) The higher the mobile speed, the smaller the impact of the shadowing on the average
signal.
6) The higher the average window size is, the smaller the impact of the shadowing on the
average signal is.
7) The variance of the signal due to the Rayleigh fading, depends on the speed of the mobile
and of the frequency in use. About 30 to 50 wavelengths must be spanned to filter out the
fading variations with a residual error less than 1 dB. If the number of samples is equal to N =
10 the mean matches the true local mean to within 2 dB at 90%.
8) Whatever the mobile speed, from a certain window size the increase of the size does not
modify the average Rayleigh standard deviation. From 8 to 16 samples, even at a very low
speed the gain is inferior than 0.5 dB.
9) The dispersion of two MRC combined Rayleigh is decreased by more than 1.5 dB for an
MRC order 2, compared to a single channel. It means that diversity reception can help
average out the fading faster than a single channel, i.e the local mean is tracked faster. If d >
20 l, an efficient 2 order space diversity has the same effect as multiplying the speed by 3 to 4.
10) With Rayleigh fading, it is known that the mean in dB of samples in Watts is greater than
the mean in dB of samples in dBm. The limit is 2.5 dB, which means that the RXLEV tends to
be artificially 2.5 dB higher for the uplink than for the downlink.
11) The RxLev_Full as measured on a dedicated channel is the arithmetic mean of 104
received time slots power, in the case of DTX, only 12 times.
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6.11. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UPLINK AND DOWNLINK LEVELS

At the BTS, averages are performed from measurements made in Watts before . On the
contrary, some MS make measurements in dBm and then, perform their averages. In Rayleigh
environment, the first method of calculating can be up to 2.51 dB higher than the second
method.
This comes from the fact that in Rayleigh fading environment, the information goes through
several paths (at least two) between the BTS and the MS. At the antenna, according to the
phase of the signal, the different path can add up or not. This varies with time and it can vary
from complete cancellation (hole) or, on the contrary, perfect adding. This effect is called
multipath fading.
This effect implies that received levels follow a Gaussian law and its mean has an exponential
density. The evaluation of the bias between the mean of the decibels and the mean in
decibels is then:
10 .Log (e) = 2.51 dB
This comes from the following expression that relates the mean of the natural logarithm of an
exponential random variable of mean one to the Euler constant ():
Ln (x) exp (- x) dx = = 0,57721
The 10.Log (e) factor just accounts for the base 10 log.
In this normalised example:
averaged mean of Watt samples converted in dB = 0 = BTS calculation

averaged mean of dB samples = 2.51 dB = MS calculation
So, the maximum difference between the two ways of calculating the average power is 2.51
dB. The uplink value will be the higher.
However, here, the hypothesis of the Rayleigh fading lead to deal with two paths, if there are
many paths, the value of the correction needs to be decreased.
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6.12. EFFECTS OF NOOFMULTIFRAMESBETWEENPAGING ON

MOBILE BATTERIES AND RESELECTION REACTIVITY
The parameter noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging determines how often the mobile must listen
to its paging group. It has a great influence on the mobile batteries. Therefore, this value
should be raised as far as possible, so the mobile will consume less energy by listening to the
paging messages channel less often.
Changing noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging from 2 to 6 leads to a gain of at least 18% of the
batteries duration.
On the other hand, this parameter is involved in the computation of the measurements number
that a mobile averages in idle mode over reselection list.
The exact formula is:
Max(5, ((5xN+6)DIV7)x NoOfMultiframesBetweenPaging /4) seconds
with N = number of BCCHs to monitor.

This formula, confirmed by field tests, shows that increasing the
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging slows down the cell reselection mechanism.
parameter
Two different cases must be studied in order to find a trade-off:
In a rural environment
o
the reselection list usually contains a maximum of 5 reselection

neighbours. Up to 5 reselection BCCHs, a noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging
equal to 6 does not slow down the reselection mechanism too much. So it
is possible to advise an increase of the default value.
In a urban environment
o
cells size and mobiles speed generate an important constraint in terms of

reactivity. Moreover, an urban cell has much more BCCH frequencies in its
reselection list. Therefore, noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging should not be
too high to keep a good reselection reactivity.
The following curves have been drawn using the formula Max(5, ((5xN+6)DIV7)x
NoOfMultiframesBetweenPaging /4) seconds with N = number of BCCH to monitor, to
compute the periodicity of reselection measurements average.
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Periodicity of
reselection
(in seconds)
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging = 2
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
12
15
Number of BCCH to monitor

From those curves, one can define a value of noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging that doesnt
slow down the reselection mechanism depending on the number of BCCH to monitor in the
reselection list:
numbers of BCCH in the reselection list
13
from 13 to 32
none
With more than 13 neighbours in the reselection list, any

NoOfMultiframesBetweenPaging will slow down the reselection mechanism.
value
for
Therefore, with a cell that has up to 4 BCCHs in its reselection list, it is advised to set
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging = 6. In that case, the lost of reselection reactivity will
correspond to 10% (5,57 seconds instead of 5), and the gain for batteries is very important.
LCAUTION!
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging is also used in the paging algorithm. A higher value will
decrease the paging reactivity and might lead to double paging response (in case of paging
repetitions) if the call is set up and released quickly . A trade-off between the saving of
batteries and effective paging has to be found.
Please also refer to chapter GSM Paging Repetition Process Tuning.
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6.13. EFFECTS OF SMS-CELL BROADCAST USE ON

NOOFBLOCKSFORACCESSGRANT
If the SMS-CB feature is activated, SMS-CB messages are carried on the CBCH, a sub
channel of the SDCCH. The TDMA model mapping of the SDCCH becomes SDCCH-CBCH/8,
and the CBCH occurs from frame number 8 to frame number 11 of the SDCCH multiframe.
If noOfBlocksForAccessGrant = 0, then a paging message can be transmitted on frames
number 8 and 9.
Then, if the SDCCH is transmitted on the Time Slot 0 of another TDMA than the one carrying
the BCCH, a collision will occur.
In that case, the mobile must choose between an incoming call and a SMS-CB, by selecting
one kind of data to listen.
Setting noOfBlocksForAccessGrant to a value superior or equal to 1 avoids this problem: only
AGCH can be transmitted on that block.
This rule
NoOfBlocksForAccessGrant > 1
is a recommendation requirement on not combined CBCH.

In that case, on the frame number 8 and 9, the MS can just receive an Immediate Assignment.
If an Immediate Assigment message is transmitted, it means that the mobile has sent a
channel request, and is not in idle mode any more. Therefore, the MS wont listen to the
CBCH channel.
Please also refer to chapter Consequences of NoOfBlocksForAccessGrant.
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6.14. IMPACT OF THE AVERAGING ON THE HANDOVERS

The following study applies only to L1M V1.
Simulations have been performed with NMC Engineering tools to determine the impact of
some BSS parameters values in terms of handover reactivity. The simulations were performed
from real RF measurements and network field configuration.
Four Simulations have been performed with the following sets of parameters:
runHandOver
Hreqt
The results are spread on three items:
Global statistics: number of HO in each configuration.

Study of reactivity: impact of parameters on reactivity.
Reactivity vs ping-pong.
6.14.1 GLOBAL STATISTICS

HO CAUSE PBGT AND QUALITY DL
For each of the four sets of parameters presented, the amount of HO on quality DL and PBGT
is the same.
HO CAUSE LEVEL DL
The modification of the parameters has a low impact on the total amount of HO detected on
Level DL cause.
HO CAUSE CAPTURE
For each of the four sets of parameters used, the total amount of handovers is the same. The
difference is not significant because microCellCaptureTimer * runHandover is kept constant.
CONCLUSION
The simulations show that:
Setting Hreqt=1 instead of 2 has a very low impact on the total amount of
handovers (less than 4%)
Same conclusion for runHandover=1 instead of 2
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6.14.2 STUDY OF REACTIVITY

The second item of the study is to show the impact of runHandover and Hreqt on the
reactivity: how much sooner do the handovers occur ?
RUNHANDOVER=1
Field simulations have shown that such a value of runHandOver has low impact on reactivity
compared to runHandOver=2. The increase of reactivity due to runHandOver=1 is less than or
equal to 0,5 second.
HREQT=1
The influence of Hreqt on reactivity is much more decisive, 15% are being advanced by setting
Hreqt=1 (hoMargin unchanged). Two reasons can explain this:
After the beginning of communication on a new TCH, L1M waits for a fixed delay
before a new HO: HreqAve*Hreqt*0,48 sec. Among the HO performed within 8
seconds1 after a callsetup or another HO, 45% are advanced thanks to
Hreqt=1.This can be very helpful if, for example, the callsetup was initiated on a
bad cell, because of Reselection failure.
Reducing the length of the weighted averaging window can make the variations of
the weighted average less smooth. This effect is observed for only 2% of the HO.
For this particular case, it is still possible to tune hoMargin. The low impact of this
measure can be explained as follows.
HREQT=2
That configuration does not always double the size of the averaging window.
Example: runHandover=1, HreqAve=4, Hreqt=2. Every runHandover, the L1M calculates a
weighted average based on the last average stored and the sliding average of the moment.
These two averages can have up to 3 measures in common.
CONCLUSION
Hreqt=1 is an efficient way to increase reactivity for 15% of the HO.

Among the HO performed within 8 seconds (after call setup or another HO), 45%
are performed sooner with Hreqt=1 (in average 1,6 sec sooner).
Among the HO performed long after the beginning of the communication, only 2%
are performed sooner because Hreqt=1 makes the weighted average less
smooth.It is still possible to tune hoMargin.
runHandOver=1 can not advance HO of more than 0,5 sec.
6.14.3 PING PONG VS REACTIVITY

Among the 15% of HOs that were advanced for more than 1 second by Hreqt=1, simulations
show that without changing hoMargin, no supplementary ping pong handover was observed.
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6.15. IMPACT OF CALL RE-ESTABLISHMENT ON THE NETWORK

6.15.1 IMPACT ON CAPACITY
The Call-Reestablishment feature has a big impact on the MSC resources occupation. Without
Call Re-establishment, T3109 (BSC timer) is usually set to a small value (>
Min(radioLinkTimeOut, 4*rlf1+4) which is given in SACCH block) in order to free resources as
soon as possible after a radio link failure (see t3109 recommanded value).
Setting a large value to T3109 for Call Re-establishment leads the MSC to freeze the resource
for the call waiting for a Channel Request from the MS. Therefore, if the MS is unable to select
a destination cell, or if the radio link failure is due to coverage limits (border cells), the
resource is frozen for nothing.
Call Re-establishment should not be activated on border cells, or the impact could be reduced
by decreasing the value of T3109 on these specific locations.
On the other hand, on Sunday network, tests have been performed showing that, after the Call
Re-establishment activation, nearly no trunk erlangs have been noticed by Mandarin Radio
Engineers.
Please also refer to chapter Call reestablishment procedure (Cr).
6.15.2 IMPACT ON CALL DROPS

The Call Re-establishment doesnt decrease the amount of call drops from a counter point of
view, even if it improves the quality of service. The subscriber is satisfied to get back his
communication after few seconds instead of totally loosing it, but this procedure is launched
after a call drop detection, counted by the system.
Moreover, the Call Re-establishment can increase in some cases the overall number of call
drops. For instance, when a temporary destination cell is selected by the MS without providing
a long term solution:
The operator can deduce that Call Re-establishment has a bad influence on call drops
amount. Actually, the communication lasts longer, maybe allowing the subscriber to end his
call properly.
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6.16. FREQUENCY SPACING BETWEEN TWO TRXS OF THE SAME

AREA
At present, Nortel BTSs use only the hybrid coupling technology.
The following recommendations take into account the minimum C/I requirements presented in
GSM 05.05:
C/I>=-9dB for first adjacent channels (200kHz)
C/I>=-41dB for second adjacent channels (400KHz)
C/I>=-49dB for third adjacent channels (600KHz)
6.16.1 INTRA_CELL
Considering the UL power control activated, Nortel recommends a minimum of 400khz
frequency spacing between TRX on a same cell with or without frequency hopping, to
guarantee voice quality.
6.16.2 INTRA_SITE
No hopping case:
Considering the UL power control activated, Nortel recommends a minimum of 400 kHz
frequency spacing between TRX on a same cell without frequency hopping, to ensure a
satisfactory service quality.
Hopping:
Generally, when hopping and considering the UL power control activated, the minimum
recommended frequency spacing between TRX on a same site is 400 KHz. However, the
frequency spacing between TRX on a same site could go down to 200 KHz in the following
cases when some intra-site adjacencies allows a satisfactory service quality:
- 1x1 or 1x3 hopping plan when the site fractional load <= 60 %;
- adhoc hopping plan when different HSN s are used by the co-site cells;
6.16.3 INTER_SITE
Nortel recommends a minimum of 200 kHz frequency spacing between inter-site TRX with or
without frequency hopping, to ensure a satisfactory service quality.
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6.17. LINK BUDGET (LB)

The Link Budget is composed of the Uplink & Downlink gains and losses, and of system and
propagation parameters, to determine the path loss.
UPLINK BUDGET:
MS_pwr + MS_ant_gain - (BTS_sen - BTS_ant_gain - Others_UL_gains +
Others_UL_losses)
Others_UL_gains = BTS_div_gain, OR LNA_gain (for external LNA only)

Others_UL_losses = BTS_feeder_loss + Body_loss
DOWNLINK BUDGET:
BTS_pwr + BTS_ant_gain - Others_DL_gains + Others_DL_losses - (MS_sen MS_ant_gain)
Others_DL_losses = BTS_feeder_loss + XP_loss + Body_loss

XP_loss is for slant polarization loss when using cross-polarized antennas
Others_XX_gains and Others_XX_losses (XX stands for UL or DL) represents all the margins
that can be taken into account in the LB. Those margins can be grouped into 3 major groups
which are:
Gains and losses on the BTS side margins,

Design margins,
Environmental factors margins.
6.17.1 GAINS AND LOSSES

Gains and losses on the BTS side margins are composed of
DIVERSITY
It can be seen as a quality improvement. There are three kinds of diversity: space diversity
(mostly used), angle diversity, and polarization diversity.
The space diversity uses two antennas far apart enough. The two received signals suffer
uncorrelated degradation, allowing to extract a diversity gain from their simultaneous process.
This technique is used to decrease the Raleigh fading for slow moving mobiles, fast moving
mobiles being less disturbed by this fading. Therefore, this technique is mostly used in
suburban and urban areas. More generally, it is applicable in all contexts where the gain
brought by diversity can be useful to balance the link budget.
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MAST HEAD EQUIPMENT

In order to reduce the feeder loss, the PA can be deported to the mast equipment.
For the reception part, LNAs are not deported anymore for cost-reduction reasons (they are
placed in the RF combiner for S8000 only). This is not a problem given the good sensitivity of
the BTS. If the LNA is external, there is an UL gain.
COMBINING STRATEGIES
A combiner allows several frequencies to be handled by the same antenna.
Those losses are taken into account in the BTS_sen, NORTEL giving its BTS sensitivity at the
antenna connector
6.17.2 DESIGNS MARGINS

Design margins are composed of
OVERLAPPING MARGIN
Designed to prevent the field of the current cell from dropping under a critical value before the
MS locks on the next cell. The value given for this margin depends mainly on two factors: the
speed of the mobile and the speed of decreasing signal experienced by the mobile.
PENETRATION FACTORS
They can be defined with average value based on measurements.
Incar: designed to take into account a MS used in a car in standard conditions.

Indoor: designed to take into account a MS used in a building, using an outdoor
network.
Note: in the calculation of the link budget, only consider the maximum of (overlapping margin
+ incar penetration factor) and (indoor penetration factor).
6.17.3 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS MARGINS

Those factors are due to the fact that a radio signal wont propagate the same way in a rural
environment or in an urban one.
SHADOW MARGIN
Shadowing effects due to obstacles have been studied in many articles and its probability is
described as a Log-normal law. The mean square value depends on the environment (terrain
variation and vegetation) and frequency.
This margin allows the determination of an x% coverage over the cell surface (typically 90%)
by the integration of the Log-normal law over this surface.
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For a cell without a surrounding cell, coverage is provided by one server only. Thus, there can
have many uncovered areas (behind buildings in an urban environment for example), requiring
a high shadow margin. In a multiple servers configuration, the probability of coverage is
increased, and a better coverage continuity is achieved at cell edges. The delay introduced in
the handover process reduces this gain.
ENVIRONMENT CORRECTION FACTOR

This factor exists because for the same output power, the signal will propagate much farther in
a rural environment than in an urban one, creating more interference.
This parameter is defined upon field measurements and a high level of experience is needed
to evaluate this value when no measurement is available. If its badly defined, it can have a
dramatic effect on the coverage range.
Note: it is always possible to add more margin to increase the quality of coverage but:
it will increase the interference level

a system limit exists on the quality of service (around 98%) due to high number of
handovers, neighboring cells to declare...
6.17.4 LINK BUDGET BALANCE OR DISBALANCE ()

= DL_budget - UL_budget
The worst link budget between uplink and downlink will be taken as path loss in order to do the
cell planning.
If = 0: the link budget is balanced, so either DL or UL_budget is good for path

loss
If > 0: the link budget is uplink limited, take the UL_budget as path loss
If < 0: the link budget is downlink limited, take the DL_budget as path loss
Example: a link budget calculation with Nortel values for the S8000 Outdoor BTS using
duplexor, in GSM1800:
Downlink
BTS_Pwr
BTS
BTS_Ant_Gain
17 dBi
BTS_Feeder_Loss
- 2 dB
58 dB
EIRP
MS_Sen
MS
Uplink
43,3 dBm
MS_Pwr
MS
MS_Ant_Gain
-2 dBi
Body_Loss
3 dB
155,3
DL budget
MS_Ant_Gain
- 2 dBi
Body_Loss
3 dB
28 dB
EIRP
- 102 dBm
BTS_Sen
BTS
30 dBm
- 110 dBm
BTS_Ant_Gain
17 dBi
BTS_Div_Gain
5 dB
BTS_Feeder_Loss
2 dB
155
UL budget
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IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD LINK BUDGET

In the following table, it appears that a path loss increase of 1 dB can improve the coverage
range by 7% and reduces the number of sites by 12%, but 5 dB less in the path loss
corresponds to a coverage range cut by 28% and a number of sites increased by 90% (figures
are slightly higher for linear coverage, typically road coverage).
Worst Link Budget
Coverage range
Coverage area
Number of sites
125 dBm
72 %
52 %
190 %
129 dBm
93 %
88 %
114 %
130 dBm
100 %
100 %
100 %
131 dBm
107 %
114 %
88 %
135 dBm
132 %
190 %
52 %
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6.18. MINIMUM COUPLING LOSS (MCL)

The Minimum Coupling Loss is the minimal value recommended in the link budget to avoid
problems in the transmission.
The MCL is calculated to avoid the two major problems which may occur, broadband noise
and blocking. It is mainly used in a micro-cellular and pico-cellular environment where MSs are
likely to operate in the vicinity of the BTS antennas.
6.18.1 BROADBAND NOISE

The Broadband noise takes into account all kinds of noise which disturb the BTS and the MSs.
According to GSM Recommendation 05.05, the MS must keep its output noise level 60 dB
below its power level (for a frequency spacing of 600 kHz). On the BTS part, the received
noise level must be at least 9 dB below its sensitivity.
The decoupling value is the difference between the maximum output noise level and the
maximum received noise level.
Considering a S2000L BTS and a GSM 1800 MS, values are the following in both uplink and
downlink:
UPLINK
DOWNLINK
Transmitter Max Power
A (dBm)
30
33
Output Noise Level Margin
B (dB)
60
60
Max Output Noise Level
C (dBm) = A - B
-30
-27
Receiver Sensitivity
D (dBm)
-104
-101
Input Noise Level Margin
E (dB)
Max Input Noise Level
F (dBm)
-113
-110
Noise Decoupling Value
G (dB) = C - F
83
83
As we can notice in the results of the upper table, the values are the same for uplink and
downlink.
6.18.2 BLOCKING
The Blocking takes into account the interferences generated by the others MSs.
The BTS can handle, for the 600 kHz adjacent frequency, a received signal strength 35 dB
below the maximum received power of the current frequency. Over this value, a phenomenon
of flashing occurs.
The flashing phenomenon consists in a BTS or a MS which would emit at a very high value,
and would by this way interfere the communication of the others MSs. The effect of this
phenomenon is the deterioration of the wanted signal.
The decoupling value is the difference between the maximum output power and the maximum
received signal level.
Considering an S2000L BTS and a GSM 1800 MS, values are the following in both uplink and
downlink:
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UPLINK
DOWNLINK
Transmitter Max Power
A (dBm)
30
33
Max Received Signal Strength
B (dB)
-35
-44
Decoupling Value
C (dB) = A - B
65
77
Moreover, in the blocking case, the probability of collision of the burst between MS and BTS
must be taken into account.
In the blocking case, the downlink is more affected than the uplink. However, this difference is
not very important (except if the study is done at the frequency of the interferer) since the
decoupling value for the Broadband noise is more restricting than the decoupling values for
blocking.
6.18.3 HOW TO IMPROVE THE MCL

If the MCL is not respected, the communications will be deteriorated and will have a poor
quality. To improve that quality (or decrease the probability of such problems to occur), its to
say respect the MCL, solutions consist in increasing the frequency spacing between the cell
and the neighboring cells and/or ensure a better decoupling between BTS antenna and MS.
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6.19. GENERAL RULES FOR SYNTHESISED FREQUENCY

HOPPING
6.19.1 NORTEL CHOICE BETWEEN BASEBAND AND SYNTHESISED
FREQUENCY HOPPING
In case of cavity (or filter) coupling system, the only way to perform frequency hopping is to
use baseband frequency hopping. The wideband coupling system (duplexer or hybrid-2ways
and duplexer) allows the use of both types of frequency hopping; however, it is more
appropriate with synthesised frequency hopping.
Here below are listed the main comparison points between baseband and synthesised
frequency hopping. It allows to decide the most appropriate frequency hopping mechanism.
USE OF DOWNLINK DTX AND DOWNLINK POWER CONTROL

Tests have shown that if DTX downlink and Power Control downlink are activated
simultaneously when using baseband frequency hopping, it could lead to quality degradation
and eventually to call drops for some mobile brands.
With synthesised frequency hopping, this behaviour has never been encountered whatever
the mobile brand is. So with simultaneous activation of these two features, interference are
significantly reduced.
Beside, PowerControl DownLink associated with Baseband frequency hopping may lead to
interference, because the BCCH frequency included in the hopping sequence does not
perform power control.
PARAMETER SETTINGS
The parameter setting for the synthesised frequency hopping with a fractional re-use pattern is
easily performed due to the fact that the set of frequencies is the same for each cell (1*1
pattern) or a group of cells (for example 1*3 pattern). Implementation of new sites implies a
new frequency planning for the BCCH layer, but is not needed for the TCH layer.
On the contrary, two different MA per cell are needed when using baseband frequency
hopping:
one for the TS0 of all the TRXs except the one carrying the BCCH, without the
BCCH frequency
one for the TS1 to TS7 for all the TRXs, including the BCCH frequency
TS 0
TS 1
TS 2
TS 3
TS 4
TS 5
TS 6
TS 7
TDMA 0
F1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MAIO = 0
TDMA 1
MA0
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MAIO = 1
TDMA 2
MA0
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MAIO = 2
TDMA 3
MA0
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MA1
MAIO = 3
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CAPACITY AND QUALITY IMPACT IN CASE OF TRX LOSS

In case of baseband frequency hopping, the number of used frequencies is equal to the
number of TRX. As a result, in case of TRX loss, the capacity of the site will be reduced, and
the number of frequencies in the hopping sequence is also reduced by one. Therefore, the
overall benefit of the frequency hopping (i.e. voice quality) is reduced.
In case of synthesised frequency hopping, the capacity of the site is also reduced, but the
overall load of the fractional pattern is reduced (the number of frequency in the hopping
sequence is still the same, but the number of in-service TRX is reduced by one) ; the
frequency hopping gain will be maintained.
MTBF IMPACT OF THE COUPLING SYSTEM

Cavity combiners, which are mechanical equipment, have smaller MTBF than hybrid coupler
combiners which are passive equipment. Therefore, the synthesised solution with wideband
coupling system shall be more reliable than the baseband solution with cavity coupling
system.
COUPLING LOSS IMPACT

On one hand, cavity coupling systems have an insertion loss around 4,5 dB ; on the other
hand, duplexer and hybrid 2-ways coupling systems have a respective insertion loss of 1,3 dB
and 4,8 dB. Therefore, when using duplexers, a lower loss in the downlink budget allows to
have a lower downlink budget (3.2 dB) to balance the path loss. Otherwise, the use of hybrid
2-ways coupling systems does not badly impact the link budget, in comparison with cavity
coupling systems.
FREQUENCY HOPPING EFFICIENCY

For limited frequency spectrum networks, the maximum configuration of BTS is limited to few
TRX in case of baseband frequency hopping. This means that every timeslot is hopping on a
few frequencies (often less than 4).
When using synthesised frequency hopping, every timeslot (except those of the BCCH TRX)
is hopping on more frequencies (not limited by the number of TRX).
FADING DIVERSITY
From Nortel experience, to get the full benefit of frequency hopping, a minimum of six (6)
different frequencies shall be used in each cell. This benefit is increased up to 8 frequencies
available within the hopping sequence concerning fading effects.
INTERFERER DIVERSITY
Beyond 8 frequencies, the additional interferer benefits are still increasing.
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TRX ADDITION IN A GIVEN CELL

In case of synthesised frequency hopping, it is not always mandatory to stop a sector when
adding a TRX in this sector (it only requires that this additional TRX was previously declared
within the OMC database).
On the contrary, in case of baseband frequency hopping, this is not possible due to the fact
that every time a TRX is added, the quantities of frequencies used in the cell have to be
increased.
Then it is easier to add a TRX in a cell using Synthesised Frequency Hopping as long as the
fractional load is under the upper limit.
6.19.2 FRACTIONAL LOAD

The fractional reuse pattern which can be implemented on a network depends on the
fractional load.
FractLoadCell =
NbHopTRXCell
Nhfcell
NbHopTRXCell: number of hopping TRX in a cell

Nhfcell: number of hopping frequencies in a cell (= number of freq in the MA)
It is obvious that the defined fractional load is not comparable in a 1X1 pattern and a 1X3
pattern. In both cases there are three times more TRX in a trisectorial site than in each of its
cell. However, though there are also three times more TCH frequencies in a trisectorial site
than in each if its cell for a 1X3 pattern, there is the same number of hopping frequencies in a
trisectorial site than in each of if its cell for a 1X1 pattern. For that matter, we also need to
define a fractional load at the site level that allows us to compare both reuse patterns. We
need to mention that when dealing with non homogeneous sites of configuration Sxyz (with
x<y<z) this fractional load per site is important.
Note: By homogeneous sites (Sxxx) we mean cells that have the same number of TRXs and
hopping TRXs.
FractLoadSite =
NbHopTRXSite
Nhfsite
NbHopTRXSite: number of hopping TRX in a cell

Nhfsite: number of hopping frequencies in a site
The table below shows the fractional re-use pattern that can be implemented according to the
maximum fractional load. The results in this table come from simulations and field experience.
Then they have to be understood as maximum values for a good RF quality in the network.
They are available only in case of using power control and DTX, both uplink and downlink.
Otherwise, the maximum fractional load would be smaller.
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Cell tiering allows to raise the fractional load limit because of its gains in quality. Simulations
have proved that the fractional load can go up to 33% in 1*1 and 100% in 1*3. In those cases,
all the frequencies are used at the same time which also means that all the MAIOs are used at
the same time.
Fractional re-use pattern
Fractional Load max
FractLoadCell max
Frational Load max
without intraSite collisions
with intraSite collisions
1X1
16,6 %
20 %
33 %
1X3
50 %
58 %
100 %
Hommogenous
configuration (Sxxx)
with Automatic
Cell Tiering
LCAUTION!
20% and 58% can be reached with an appropriate tuning of the parameters and in this case
offer a very good quality for the given capacity (field experience).
The maximum fractional load is the basis of the following study for engineering rules
concerning HSN and MAIO. Indeed, as the fractional load is a limitation, the aim of HSN and
MAIO plans is to be as close as possible to this limitation, and to have as less interference as
possible (no adjacent frequency).
6.19.3 MAXIMUM TRX CONFIGURATION (HOMOGENEOUS SITES OF

CONFIGURATION SXXX)
We suppose here that the frequency reuse pattern for the BCCH is 4*12.
With the previous results, it is possible to determine the maximum site configuration according
to the number of frequencies and the re-use pattern (1*1, 1*3 or 4*12), and taking into
account the results of maximum fractional load.
The following tables show the maximum site configuration according to the number of
frequencies and the re-use pattern (considering a 4X12 re-use pattern for the BCCH), and
taking into account the results of maximum frequency load.
number of frequencies
96
84
72
60
1X3 fractional re-use pattern
48
45
S888
S777
47
S888
S888
4X12 re-use pattern
S666
S555
39
37
36
42
S444
33
S666

S777
32
30
S555
S777
S444
S666
S555
S333
4X12 re-use pattern
27
4X12 re-use pattern
22
S333

24
S444
18
17
12
S222
S111
S222
S333
S111
S222
S111
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6.19.4 SFH PARAMETER SETTING FOR 1X1 PATTERN: STRATEGY 1

This strategy means the use of the same frequency group of TCH (Mobile Allocation) for all
cells in the network.
The values of maximum fractional load in a cell show that for a given fractional band, this
strategy (1X1 pattern) leads to a capacity increase (more TRX per cell).
However, this maximum fractional load must be obtained without an increase of interference.
Then, the aim of the following study is to show what are the best HSN and MAIO plans to
reach the maximum frequency load without increasing the interference.
HSN AND MAIO GENERAL RULES
In case of 1X1 fractional re-use pattern it is obviously forbidden to re-use the same
value of HSN and MAIO on two different cells of a same site. As they are
synchronised, it would systematically lead to frequency collision.
For a 1X1 re-use pattern, it is forbidden to use different HSN in cells of a same site.
It would lead to a frequency collision ratio of 1 / n for all the TSs of the
communication.
Moreover, if some frequencies inside the group are adjacent (general case), the
use of two adjacent MAIO in a same site is also extremely inadvisable because it
would lead to interference (minimum frequency spacing of 400 kHz).
Spread the MAIOs as much as possible
Distribute equally the MAIOs in order to have the same distance (e.g. 600 kHz)
between used frequencies.
STRATEGY 1A: ADJACENT FREQUENCIES

Frequency band for hopping TRX: F1, F1+200, F1+400, F1+600,...
CASE 1: NO INTRA-SITE COLLISION

RULE:
same HSN for all cells within the same site
MAIO given according to a step 2 rule and by considering all the TRXs by order (TRX1
of cell 1, TRX1 of cell 2, TRX1 of cell 3, TRX2 of cell 1, TRX2 of cell 2, ...).
The maximum number of used MAIOs in the site (which correspond to the maximum number
of hopping TRXs in the site) is given by the following rule:
NbMaxOfusedMAIOsite = ROUNDDOWN(Nhfcell/2)
with ROUNDDOWN[x] the function that returns the round part of x down-wise (for instance
ROUNDDOWN(7.9) = 7)
Note: this rule can obviously not be exactly applied in the case of non-homogeneous sites.
Refer to the following examples.
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Let us consider a tri-sectorial site. As defined previously we have for each cell with 1 < i < 3
FractLoadCelli = NbHopTRXCell i / Nhfcelli
Since we are in 1X1, we have Nhfcell1 = Nhfcell2 = Nhfcell3 = Nhfsite

In order to avoid intra-site channel collision, we use a step 2 MAIO which enables us to put a
400kHz distance between the frequencies at each moment. To have hopping TRXs in 3 cells
according to step 2 MAIO is like putting all the hopping TRXs in one cell with still the step 2
MAIO and none in the 2 other cells. In this case, we will be using every other frequency which
means that the fractional load of the site must be below 50%.
In this case the rule is FractLoadSite 50%
Since FractLoadSite = NbHopTRXSite / Nhfsite = (NbHopTRXcell1 + NbHopTRXcell2+
NbHopTRXcell3) / Nhfsite = FractLoadCell1 + FractLoadCell2 + FractLoadCell3, we can
deduce that the condition for no intra-site collision is then (Sxxx or Sxyz):
FractLoadCell1 + FractLoadCell2 + FractLoadCell3 50%
In the particular case of a homogeneous site (Sxxx) and since NbHopTRXCell1 =

NbHopTRXCell2 = NbHopTRXCell3 and thus FractLoadCell1 = FractLoadCell2 =
FractLoadCell3, this condition becomes:
FractLoadCell 16.6%
These results can be summarized in the following table:

Homogeneous: Sxxx
Non homogeneous: Sxyz
NO intraSite
FractLoadSite 50%
FractLoadSite 50%
collision
FractLoadCell 16.6%
SUM(FractLoadCelli) 50%
LCAUTION!
The MAIO tuning depends on the case.
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Example:
Let us call the frequencies according to the following rule: f1=F1, f2=F1+200, f3=F1+400,
f4=F1+600, ...
Homogeneous site: S333

Let us consider 12 hopping frequencies {f1,f2,f3,f4,f5,f6,f7,f8,f9,f10,f11,f12}. Then,
NbMaxOfusedMAIO = 6 which means that of the 12 available MAIOs we can attribute 6 of
them at the most in order to respect the non intra-site collision. Since the site is homogeneous
we can use 2 hopping TRXs per cell at the most. Then, FractLoadCell is 2/12=16.6%.
0
10
11
cell 1
MAIO
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
cell 2
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
cell 3
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
As we can see, at each moment (using NORTELs BTS which are synchronized), the
frequencies used by all TRXs will be spaced by at least 400kHz. This is guaranteed by the
step 2 MAIO and the choice of frequencies spaced by 200 kHz.
HSN = 1
MAIO 0,6
HSN = 1
MAIO 4,10
HSN = 1
MAIO 2,8
Non homogeneous site:

S432
0
10
11
cell 1
MAIO
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
cell 2
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
cell 3
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
FractLoadCell1=3/12=25% and FractLoadCell2=2/12=16.6% & FractLoadCell3=1/12=8.3%

FractLoadSite = (3+2+1)/12 = 50%. We can see here that the rule of MAIO setting has been
adapted because of the non homogeneity of the site: the TRXs were not completely
considered by order.
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If we want to add a TRX on the third sector for instance, the site becoming now S433, we
need to add 2 more frequencies in order to respect the non intra-site collision and the
fractional load limitations:
0
10
11
12
13
cell 1
MAIO
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
f13
f14
cell 2
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
f13
f14
cell 3
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
f13
f14
FractLoadCell1 = 3/14 = 21.4% and FractLoadCell2 = FractLoadCell3 = 2/14 = 14.3%

FractLoadSite = (3+2+2)/14 = 50%
CASE 2: INTRA-SITE COLLISION ALLOWED

RULE:
MAIO given according to a step 2 rule as long as possible and by considering all the
TRXs by order (TRX1 of cell 1, TRX1 of cell 2, TRX1 of cell 3, TRX2 of cell 1, TRX2 of
cell 2, ...). When it is not possible anymore, down to step 1 MAIO.
The step 1 MAIO will create the adjacent intra-site interferences as frequencies spaced by
only 200 kHz (step 1 MAIO) will be used at the same time in the site. It is up to us to decide
where to create the interferences by choosing where to put the step 1 MAIOs. The
recommendations are to put them in the cell which has the smallest overlap with its neighbors.
If the overlap is similar in all cells of the same site then choose the cell with the smallest traffic
as this will have less impact. Field experience with homogeneous sites has shown that with a
proper tuning of the parameters it was possible to go up to FractLoadCell=20% while keeping
a very good quality in the cell for the capacity offered. Then, we can say that in general
FractLoadSite must be 60% in order keep a very good quality with intra-site collision. In
other words:
Homogeneous: Sxxx
IntraSite
50% FractLoadSite 60%
collision
16.6% FractLoadCell 20%
50% SUM(FractLoadCelli) 60%
Example:
Let us consider a S333 with 10 hopping frequencies {f1,f2,f3,f4,f5,f6,f7,f8,f9,f10}. With 2
hopping TRXs per cell FractLoadCell is 2/10=20%. Let us assume that at one moment the
HSN starts by f3, the frequencies that will be used at each moment are:
0
cell 1
MAIO
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f1
f2
cell 2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f1
f2
cell 3
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f1
f2
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We can see here that we attribute the MAIO according to the step 2 rule as long as we can in
order to avoid the intra-site collision (up to MAIO 8 here) and then we have to use the step 1
rule (MAIO 9). In this particular case, we have decided to create most of the collisions on
sector 3 as the interferences are created by the simultaneous use of f1, f2 and f3.
In order to add a TRX in cell 1 for instance, the site becoming now non homogeneous (S433),
we need to add 2 frequencies in order to respect the fractional load limitations:
0
cell 1
MAIO
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
cell 2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
f1
f2
cell 3
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
f1
f2
f1
f2
FractLoadCell1 = 3/12 = 25% and FractLoadCell2 = FractLoadCell3 = 2/12 = 16.6%

FractLoadSite = (3+2+2)/12 = 58.3%
Note: it is important to keep a certain coherence between the fractional loads of each cell
within a site. Indeed, if the fractional load of one cell is very high compared to the one of the
other cells, it could lead to much more intercell interferences and this should be avoided.
STRATEGY 1B: NO ADJACENT FREQUENCY

Frequency band for hopping TRX: F1, F1+400, F1+800, F1+1200, ...
Frequency band for no hopping TRX: F1+200, F1+600, F1+1000, ... for instance
This strategy leads to permanent collisions between the BCCH and the TCH time slots.
Moreover, this strategy is not applicable at all when using PowerControl on the TCH time
slots.
This strategy is not recommended at all.
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6.19.5 SFH PARAMETER SETTING FOR 1X3 PATTERN: STRATEGY 2

This strategy is studied here below in the case of a trisectorial site with an homogeneous
repartition of TRX in the cells. This strategy also means the use of the same frequency group
(T1) for all sectors 1 (cell 1) in the network, another group (T2) for sectors 2 (cell 2) and a third
(T3) for sectors 3 (cell 3). Those 3 groups are completely disjoint and have the same number
of frequencies. If this is not respected, it is not 1X3, rather an hybrid version of 1X3 and the
following do not apply anymore.
HSN AND MAIO GENERAL RULES
If both HSN and MAIO are the same for each cell of a same site, there will be
systematical frequency adjacencies. Then, this configuration is not recommended.
In order to systematically ensure a non-adjacency, the only way is to use a unique
HSN but different MAIO for consecutive cells within a site.
The MAIO can be adjacent within a cell, because two (2) consecutive frequencies
in a cell are not adjacent (non-continuous frequency bands).
The use of different HSN and MAIO in each cell of a site is not recommended
because it would lead to frequency adjacencies, then to an increase of
interference.
Spread the MAIOs as much as possible
Distribute equally the MAIOs in order to have the same distance (e.g. 600 kHz)
between used frequencies.
STRATEGY 2A: 3 NON-CONTINUOUS FREQUENCY BANDS

group T1 (for cell 1): F1, F1+600, F1+1200,...
group T1 (for cell 2): F1+200, F1+800, F1+1400,...
group T1 (for cell 3): F1+400, F1+1000, F1+1600,...
CASE 1: NO INTRA-SITE COLLISION

RULE:
MAIO given according to a step 2 rule within a cell knowing that , the setting for cell 2
will be the one for cell 1up-shifted by 1 step and the one for cell 3 will be the same one
than for cell 1.
Note: This rule can obviously not exactly be applied in the case of non-homogeneous sites.
Refer to the following examples.
Let us consider a tri-sectorial site. As defined previously we have for each cell with 1 < i < 3
FractLoadCelli = NbHopTRXCell i / Nhfcelli
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Since we are in 1X3 (not hybrid), the spectrum of the site is 3 times bigger than the spectrum
of each cell and thus Nhfsite=Nhfcell1+Nhfcell2+Nhfcell3 = 3*Nhfcelli. Thus FractLoadCelli =
3*(NbHopTRXCell i / Nhfsite)
The previous rule can be seen differently: indeed the frequencies used at a given moment are:
MAIO
cell 1
f1
f4
cell 2
f2
cell 3
f3
f7
f10
...
f5
f8
f11
...
f6
f9
f12
...
If we look at it by a site point of view, we can consider the site as one big cell with one
spectrum (equal to the 3 groups: {T1, T2, T3}). Then it becomes:
Site
f1
f2
f3
f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12
In this case, we are brought back to 1X1 (refer to the strategy 1A). Since the frequencies are
spaced by 200 kHz, we can avoid intra-site channel collision by using a step 2 MAIO which
enables us to put a 400kHz distance between the frequencies at each moment. In this case,
we will be using every other frequency which means that the fractional load of the site must be
below 50%.
In this case the rule is FractLoadSite 50%
Since FractLoadSite = NbHopTRXSite / Nhfsite = 3 * [(NbHopTRXcell1 + NbHopTRXcell2 +
NbHopTRXcell3)] / Nhfsite = 3 * (FractLoadCell1 + FractLoadCell2 + FractLoadCell3), we can
deduce that the condition for no intra-site collision is then (Sxxx or Sxyz):
3*(FractLoadCell1+FractLoadCell2+FractLoadCell3) 50%
In the particular case of a homogeneous site (Sxxx) and since NbHopTRXCell1 =

NbHopTRXCell2 = NbHopTRXCell3 and thus FractLoadCell1 = FractLoadCell2 =
FractLoadCell3, this condition becomes:
FractLoadCell 50%
Then we can deduce the following rule on the maximum number of possible used MAIOs in a
site at a given moment. This number will correspond to the maximum number of hopping
TRXs in the site. It is given by the following rule following the previous limitation FractLoadCell
50%:
NbMaxOfusedMAIOsite=ROUNDDOWN(Nhfsite/2)=ROUNDDOWN((3*Nhfell)/2)
With ROUNDDOWN[x] the function that returns the round part of x down-wise (for instance
ROUNDDOWN(7.9) = 7).
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These results can be summarized in the following table:
Homogeneous: Sxxx
NO IntraSite
FractLoadSite 50%
FractLoadSite 60%
collision
FractLoadCell 50%
SUM(FractLoadCelli) 150%
Example:
Let us call the frequencies according to the following rule: f1=F1 , f2=F1+200 , f3=F1+400 ,
f4=F1+600, ...
Let us consider 3 groups of hopping frequencies: T1={f1, f4, f7, f10, f13, f16}; T2={f2, f5, f8,
f11, f14, f17} & T3={f3, f6, f9, f12, f15, f18}.
Homogeneous site:
Then, NbMaxOfusedMAIOsite=9 which means that we can attribute 3 TRXs per cell at the
most in order to respect the non intra-site collision. FractLoadCell is 3/6=50% and we have a
S444.
3
cell 1
MAIO
f1
f4
f7
f10
f13
f16
cell 2
f2
f5
f8
f11
f14
f17
cell 3
f3
f6
f9
f12
f15
f18
As we can see, at each moment (using NORTELs BTS which are synchronized), the
frequencies used by all TRXs will be spaced by at least 400kHz. This is guaranteed by the
step 2 MAIO and the choice of frequencies spaced by 200 kHz.
HSN = 1
MAIO 0,2,4
HSN = 1
MAIO 0,2,4
HSN = 1
MAIO 1,3,5
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Non homogeneous site:
We have NbMaxOfusedMAIOsite=ROUNDDOWN(Nhfsite/2)=10: 10 TRXs at the most that we
can distribute between the 3 cells. The MAIO setting rule needs to be adapted according to
the wanted configuration:
S454
MAIO
f4
f7
f10
f13
f16
f19
f2
f5
f8
f11
f14
f17
f20
f3
f6
f9
f12
f15
f18
f21
cell 1
f1
cell 2
cell 3
FractLoadCell1=FractLoadCell3=42.8% & FractLoadCell2=57.1%

FractLoadSite=47.6%
S544
MAIO
cell 1
f1
f4
cell 2
f2
f5
cell 3
f3
f6
f10
f13
f16
f19
f8
f11
f14
f17
f20
f9
f12
f15
f18
f21
f7
FractLoadCell1=57.1% & FractLoadCell2=FractLoadCell3=42.8%

FractLoadSite=47.6%
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CASE 2: INTRA-SITE COLLISION ALLOWED

RULE:
MAIO given according to a step 2 rule within a cell knowing that, the setting for cell 2
will be the one for cell 1 up-shifted by 1 step and the one for cell 3 will be the same
one than for cell 1. When it is not possible anymore to do a step 2, down to step 1
MAIO within the cell.
The step 1 MAIO will create the adjacent intra-site interferences between the 3 cells as the
frequencies are spaced by only 200 kHz between cells (step 1 MAIO. It is up to us to decide
where to create the interferences by choosing where to put the step 1 MAIOs. The
recommendations are to put them in the cell which has the smallest overlap with its neighbors.
If the overlap is similar in all cells of the same site then choose the cell with the smallest traffic
as this will have less impact. Field experience with homogeneous sites has shown that with a
proper tuning of the parameters it was possible to go up to FractLoadCell=58% while keeping
a very good quality in the cell for the capacity offered. Then, we can say that in general
FractLoadSite must be 58% in order keep a very good quality with intra-site collision. In
other words:
Homogeneous: Sxxx
NO IntraSite
collision
50% FractLoadCell 58%
150% SUM(FractLoadCelli) 174%
Example:
Let us call the frequencies according to the following rule: f1=F1, f2=F1+200, f3=F1+400,
f4=F1+600, ...
Let us consider 3 groups of hopping frequencies: T1={f1, f4, f7, f10, f13, f16, f19}; T2={f2, f5,
f8, f11, f14, f17, f20} & T3={f3, f6, f9, f12, f15, f18, f21}.
FractLoadCell is 4/7=57.1% and we have a S555.
MAIO
cell 1
f1
f4
f7
f10
f13
f16
f19
cell 2
f2
f5
f8
f11
f14
f17
f20
cell 3
f3
f6
f9
f12
f15
f18
f21
In order to see better the interferences, let us assume that at one moment the HSN starts by
the third frequency of each group (same HSN), the frequencies that will be used at each
moment are:
MAIO
cell 1
f7
f10
f13
f16
f19
f1
f4
cell 2
f8
f11
f14
f17
f20
f2
f5
cell 3
f9
f12
f15
f18
f21
f3
f6
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In this particular case, the interferences are equally created between the cells. Indeed, the
simultaneous use of f13, f14 and f15 creates collisions between (cell1, cell2) and (cell2, cell3).
We also have the simultaneous use of f6 & f7 f15 creating collisions between (cell1, cell3).
For a non homogeneous S544 for instance:
MAIO
cell 1
f1
f4
cell 2
f2
f5
cell 3
f3
f6
f10
f13
f16
f8
f11
f14
f17
f9
f12
f15
f18
f7
FractLoadCell1=57.1% and FractLoadCell2=FractLoadCell3=42.8%

FractLoadSite=10/18=55.5%
The interferences are localized mostly in cell 1.
Note: it is important to keep a certain coherence between the fractional loads of each cell
within a site. Indeed, if the fractional load of one cell is very high compared to the one of the
other cells, it could lead to much more intercell interferences and this should be avoided.
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6.20. DUALBAND NETWORKS

This chapter does not consider the new dualband cell feature (introduced in V12). For this new
feature, nevertheless, each of these new cells can be considered as monoband at a selection /
reselection point of view, the monoband type being defined by the BCCH frequency.
Some information must be taken into account to define coverage and parameter setting for
Dual Band networks. To optimize network capacity, it is necessary to evaluate balance load
between the two bands and to avoid expensive procedures like LAC optimization (leads to
frequent location updates) or network topology (for interBSS handovers). Furthermore, the
percentage of dualband handsets and the percentage of coverage of each band are also
important to know.
Two different strategies can be used: adjacent coverage (one layer) or super-imposed
coverage (at least, two layers). Parameter setting for a multi-layer network will be similar to
microcell case. In both cases, inter-sites distance is also a key parameter to design the
network.
6.20.1 FREQUENCY BAND FAVOURING

SELECTION
To give a lower priority to band 1 cells, it is only necessary to set the parameter cellBarQualify
to true for these cells, and to false for band 2 (with cellBarred set to not barred in both
cases). A multiband MS (phase 2 MS) will choose a band 1 cell only if no band 2 cells are
found with a positive C1.
cellBarred
cellBarQualify
Priority
barred
false
barred
true
low
not barred
false
normal
not barred
true
low
RESELECTION
Multiband mobile stations are phase 2 mobile stations. Cell reselection will involve C2
computation (if cellReselInd= true). Here is the used formula:
C2 = C1 + cellReselectOffset - temporaryOffset *H(x)
where: x=penaltyTime - t
when: penaltyTime <> 640
C2 = C1 - cellReselectOffset
when: penaltyTime = 640
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Furthermore, as C1 is the criterion used to choose one cell, one band is favoured when using
advised parameter setting. Here is the formula used to compute C1:
C1 = RXLEV - rxLevAccessMin - Max (B,0)
B = msTxPwrMaxCCH - P
P = maximum RF output power of the MS
In both bands, usually Max(B,0) will be equal to 0. As the recommended value for
rxLevAccessMin is -101 to -100 dBm for GSM 900 and -99 to -98 dBm for GSM 1800. It
means that for an identical value of RxLev, GSM 900 selection is favoured (2dB) if
recommended values are used for both types of cells.
However, cell reselect offset can be used in the computing of C2 criteria to advantage one
frequency band. Two different cellReselectOffset values can be used according to the cell
frequency band. With penaltyTime <> 640, the higher the cellReselectOffset value, the higher
the value of C2. Other parameters can be set as follow if no special care needs to be taken for
fast mobile stations: penaltyTime <> 640, temporaryOffset = 0.
Then, cellReselectOffset can be set to 30 in the favoured frequency band between 4 and 10 in
the other-one (some tests using 20 and 0 respectively provided good results). The 2 dB
difference for the C1 criteria between GSM900 and GSM1800 can be ignored in this case
because the recommended parameter setting for cellReselectOffset leads to a difference of
more than 20 dB for the C2 criteria.
Another way of favouring one frequency band is to only declare reselection neighbours
belonging to the priority frequency band.
DIRECTED RETRY
For distant mode, the eligible cell list is obtained from a level criteria directedRetry in the
adjacentCellHO object. A way to have an underprivileged frequency band is to choose two
sets of value for directedRetry, one for each band and to take the higher value for neighbour
cells belonging to the low priority frequency band. However, it will impact the directed retry for
monoband MS on this band (less directed retry).
HANDOVERS
If an offset was used to select (rather re-select) the cell, one must be aware that the cell may
not be the best one. To avoid going back to another band because it is the best cell, this offset
must be taken into account as well during handovers (hoMargin). Another way is also to inhibit
power budget handovers from the priority band towards the non-priority one.
To penalize handovers towards band 1 cells, it is only necessary to modify the different
hoMargin for band 1 neighbouring cells, here-in called hoMargin_nei_cell_band1.
hoMargin_nei_cell_band1 > hoMargin_nei_cell_band2.
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During interband handovers, care must be taken when GSM900 sites and GSM1800 sites are
on different BSCs. This will awfully increase signaling because of interBSS procedures. To
avoid this case, interband HO on alarms must also be limited (by modifying thresholds).
Interband handovers can also be reduced by limiting the number of outband neighbours for
each cell. This will depend on operator priorities.
In V12, the feature HO decision according to priority and load allows to favour one band (or
just a group of cells) through the parameter offsetPriority, 1 being the highest priority.
MICROCELL ALGORITHM
Microcell capture A algorithm can also be used to make mobile stations stay in the same
frequency band.
SUM-UP OF THE RECOMMENDED PARAMETER SETTING TO FAVOUR

ONE FREQUENCY BAND
High Priority band
Low priority band
Multiband reporting
cellBarQualify
false
true
cellReselectOffset
30
between 4 and 10
hoMarginRxQual,
hoMarginRxLev...
hoMargin_nei_cell_band1 for
hoMargin_nei_cell_band2 for
adjacentCellHO object
directedRetryAlgo
rxLevMinCell + 3 dB
rxLevMinCell + 3 dB
offsetPriority
2 to 5
Note
hoMargin_nei_cell_band1
>
hoMargin_nei_cell_band2
6.20.2 FREQUENCY BAND DEFAVOURING

SELECTION
To give the same priority to both band cells, it is only necessary to set the parameters
cellBarQualify to false and cellBarred to not barred for all cells.
However, as GSM900 selection is favoured of 2 dB with the recommended values for
rxLevAccessMin for both bands, a balance can be found in setting rxLevAccessMin to -100 to
-99 dBm for all cells.
RESELECTION
No change may be done to the recommended parameter setting, then all cells may have the
same values for the parameters cellReselectOffset, temporaryOffset and penaltyTime.
As in cell selection, the parameter rxLevAccessMin may be set to -100 to -99 dBm for all
cells.
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OTHER FEATURES
For all other features (Directed Retry or handover), the same parameter setting may be kept
for both band cells.
The remark about interband handovers (see above) is particularly crucial to take into account
in the case of no band is favoured. Indeed, a interband handover must be reduced to the
minimum (by modifying thresholds) and a particular neighbour plan may be elaborated in order
to avoid frequent interBSC handovers when GSM900 sites and GSM1800 sites are not on the
same BSC.
In V12, the feature HO decision according to priority and load allows not to favour one by
setting the parameter offsetPriority to the default value for all cells.
SUM-UP OF THE RECOMMENDED PARAMETER SETTING FOR TWO

EQUAL FREQUENCY BANDS
GSM 900 band
GSM 1800 band
Multiband reporting
cellBarQualify
false
false
cellReselectOffset
between 4 and 10
between 4 and 10
rxLevAccessMin
- 100 to - 99 dBm
- 100 to - 99 dBm
hoMarginRxQual,
hoMarginRxLev...
Value 900 for
Value 1800 for
directedRetryAlgo
directedRetry 900
directedRetry 1800
offsetPriority
Note
Value 900
=
Value 1800
directedRetry 900
=
directedRetry 1800
6.20.3 POSSIBLE DUALBAND NETWORK

Here is a list of the possible dualband networks:
gsm900 - dcs1800,
gsm850 - pcs1900,
E-gsm - dcs1800,
gsm900 - pcs1900, (warning : mono-BCCH dualband cells 900-are not supported)
gsm850 - dcs1800, (warning : mono-BCCH dualband cells 850-1800 are not
supported)
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6.21. MICROCELL BENEFITS

Microcell is a spectral efficiency feature. This algorithm enables us to shift traffic irrespective of
the traffic condition based on downlink signal strength and mobile speed. This gives flexibility
in filling the micro layer first before loading the macro/umbrella layer.
Different gain can be obtained depending on microcell deployment strategy, e.g. capacity gain,
indoor coverage gain, voice quality improvement Several microcell strategies should be
considered:
6.21.1 FREQUENCY SUPER REUSE

In a good isolated micro layer network, a separated frequency plan can be allocated for
microcells with a few frequencies for BCCH and high fractional reuse pattern increasing
spectral efficiency increasing capacity keeping same QoS.
6.21.2 TRAFFIC HOMOGENIZATION

One of the most critical frequency plan challenge is high configuration sites. Indeed they are
difficult to control since they create interferences with no way to minimize the collisions.
Declaring cells as microcell allows shifting traffic and homogenizes site configurations having
a cleaner frequency plan.
Benefits of this feature could be realized by rearranging the DRX counts and carrying more
traffic in the micro layer traffic channels and simultaneously carrying lesser traffic and DRXs in
the umbrella layer thus giving room to reduce spectrum from the Macro layer which is more
interfered. This allows a cleaner and more manageable frequency plan avoiding high
configurations
6.21.3 RADIO CONDITIONS IMPROVEMENT

Cells with low antenna height are normally better isolated by environment protection. If these
cells are declared as micro, shifted traffic generates less interference creating a cleaner
frequency plan. Less interferences are traduced in a better voice quality or feasibility to
increase fractional reuse pattern keeping same voice quality.
On one hand microcell deployment is a good strategy to improve radio conditions., thus the
operator can whether increase fractional reuse and therefore increase network capacity or
increase voice quality, keeping same fractional reuse pattern.
On the other hand, microcell deployment is a good strategy to improve indoor coverage in a
specific area, such as business or travelling hot spots.
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6.21.4 MICROCELL FIELD EXPERIENCE

MICROCELL IMPACT ON AMR HR PENETRATION
Microcell deployment reduces AMR HR penetration. Indeed, in microcell PBGT HO are
disabled, and yet when PBGT HO are activated we assume to be on the best serving cell, so
in the best C/I conditions. This effect has an impact on AMR HR penetration as good C/I
conditions are required for Half Rate, which slightly reduces its penetration.
LRXLEVDLH AND LRXLEVULH DEFINITION

When a micro to umbrella relationship is declared between two different cells, it is important to
have a close look on Call Trace / Call Path Trace in order to determine lRxlevDLH and
lRxlevULH. Depending on micro and macro cell layer design, it has been found some cases
where a call, which is allocated in the micro cell and getting close to the micro cell limits,
receives an RxLev signal from the macro cell which is even lower than micro cell RxLev
signal. Since Power Budget is deactivated when micro-umbrella relationship is declared, this
phenomenon makes that rescue RxLev handover rarely executed and calls are dragged until
quality handover is triggered, which could happen too late to save the call, increasing the call
drop rate.
In this case, it is recommended to analyze with CT/CPT the level of microcell and the
neighboring macrocell level received to declare the suitable value where level handover can
safely occur.
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6.22. INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION USAGE

All the field results so far lead to the following conclusion:
50% for interferer cancel algo usage is a very good compromise between
interference cancellation and pure thermal noise sensitivity: it does not degrade
the sensitivity and gives almost the same interference cancellation performance as
100% with 5dB cancellation loss in the range I/N=0 to 20dB. For instance, it will be
very useful in a medium traffic area, where the isolated interferers will be very well
removed with no coverage degradation.
When pure thermal noise sensitivity is not an issue (not coverage but interference
limited situation), 100% achieves the best interference cancellation.
In an actual network, some particular synchronization patterns may exhibit a
performance loss when interference cancellation is applied although there are
many interferers. However, on the overall network a typical net gain of about 1dB
will be obtained with 50% (remember that 1dB is 26% increased capacity if the
network capacity is limited by the uplink interferers).
The following guidelines should be applied: when the interference cancellation is available,
50% is an excellent compromise between coverage and interference cancellation. When
speed is the main problem (high speed train coverage) 100% is the best value.
Improvement appears when there is an update from a previous v15.1.1 BSS to a later one.
Indeed, before V15.1.1, gain of interferer cancellation was not optimal in case of low Rxlev.
Since V15.1.1 interferer cancellation algorithm has been improved to take into account all
range value for parameter interferer cancel algo usage for all RxLev range.
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6.23. SET UP PRINCIPLES OF A NEIGHBORING LIST AND A BCC

PLAN
6.23.1 INTRODUCTION
An optimum neighboring plan consists in having the best compromise between the quality of
service and the network load. Indeed, the higher the number of neighboring cells in the
neighboring list, the more loaded the traffic due to HO procedures.
Moreover, an efficient neighboring plan ensures a better network reliability by avoiding an
excessive call drop rate resulting from HO failures.
Neighboring plan optimization is a trade off between:
many neighbors which can lead to excessive HO, and thus signaling overload.
Moreover, as measurements are performed on all neighbors in the list,
measurements on the more used neighbors are less often performed than with a
shorter list. Then the system is less reactive to perform handover.
few neighbors which would lead to call drop and poor quality of service due to HO
failures.
Hereafter are the engineering rules to follow when initializing a neighboring plan, depending
on the type of pattern used for the frequency plan.
6.23.2 4/12 REUSES PATTERN

INITIALIZATION OF THE NEIGHBOR LIST
The first step when initializing a neighbor list consists in choosing a cell as a neighbor of the
serving cell if they share a common border in the best server map. The neighboring list will
then define a geographical ring (first ring) around the serving cell.
Each cell belonging to this first ring of the given cell will be automatically included in the
neighboring list without selection on geometrical or mean field level criteria.
However, using only the list of first ring neighbor cells can lead to dropped calls or ping-pong
handover, because the coverage of some first ring neighbor cells can be thick between the
serving cell and a second ring neighbor cell.
ESTABLISHING A LIST OF CELLS ON GEOMETRICAL CRITERIA

Some neighbors must be added to the previous list, in order to avoid the mentioned troubles.
One solution could be to define another geographical ring (second ring) but this solution would
often lead to a very high number of neighbors in the neighbor list, and consequently to an
excessive number of handover. Thus, the risk is to have signaling overload.
Then, a good solution consists in defining a distance criteria, that must be fulfilled by a cell for
being considered as a neighbor.
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This distance is the one separating the server cell site location, and the other cells contours.
This method corresponds to the definition of a circle with a specified diameter. Any cell
coverage being totally included within this circle, or having a part of the surface within the
circle is added in the neighbor list.
This distance can be the same for all the cells of the network. But this method is more efficient
if the distance criteria is a multiple of the cell radius. The cell radius should correspond to the
maximum length separating the cell site location and any point belonging to its coverage.
Note: height and roads are important aspects to keep in mind for neighboring plan:
Indeed, two sites neighbor from a geometrical point of view but separated by a high
hill should not be declared as neighbor if no signal is expected to cross the
mountain.
Also as the channel effect is very important, especially in town, neighborhood
should take into account the main roads. Two cells not neighbor with statistical
prediction models, have high probability of being really neighbor if they are located
just on a large avenue not too far apart.
RESURGENCE PROBLEMS
If the resurgence area is large and not too far from the serving cell, it can be considered as a
real cell. Consequently, this situation is equivalent to a normal cells neighborhood assignment
and all the cells surrounding the resurgence must be added to the serving cell neighborhood.
This situation is well handled by the automatic tools.
However, there are several other situations where the resurgence should not be taken into
account:
The resurgence is reduced to a small area. Then the resurgence coverage is not
enough significant to be considered as a suitable cell for the handover or selection
issue. Any HO operation performs on the cells resurgence will lead to a pingpong handover from the cell resurgence to the surrounding cells.
The resurgence is located far from the serving cell (with several cells between the
resurgence and the serving cell). This situation leads to a poor stability of the
received signal. As the serving cell is far away from the MS, the MS could easily
lose the signal and thus almost immediatly perform a handover to another cell
(signaling load).
That is why, all the cells assigned as neighbor of a serving cell because of this kind of
resurgence should then be removed from the neighbor list.
Then, such cells with resurgence which were first assigned as neighbor of a serving cell (after
distance criteria application) must be removed from the neighbor list.
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CONCLUSION
Initialization with the first ring
Current cell:
antenna, Azimuth,
emission power,
frequency
Eligibility criteria
(distance criteria)
Candidate cell:
antenna, azimuth,
geographical position
From the current cell
List of candidate cells
Taking into account

resurgency
List of neighbours cells
6.23.3 1X3 AND 1X1 FRACTIONAL REUSE PATTERN SPECIFIC

CASE
When enabling frequency hopping on a network, a 1X3 or 1X1 pattern is generally used for
the TCH frequency plan (see chapter Frequency Hopping). Then, if the quality thresholds for
handover are not changed, the number of handover on quality criteria will increase because
the RxQual distribution is narrower (less bad RxQual samples but also less good RxQual
samples).
Thus using a distance criteria to create the neighbor list can lead to handover on TCH from a
serving cell using the same TCH frequency group than the destination (neighbor) cell. Now if
the handover is on quality criteria, the risk is high to arrive on this cell with also a bad quality
(and perhaps worst than before). Then a new handover will be triggered.
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FIRST RING NEIGHBOR LIST (1X3 REUSE PATTERN)

In the case of a 1X3 reuse pattern, a way to avoid this kind of handover is to declare only the
first crown of neighbors. In the following schema, the cells in orange are not declared
neighbors to the serving cell S.
N1, T2
N2, T3
N6, T3
S, T1
N3, T2
N7, T1
N5, T2
N4, T3
N8, T1
In case of hot traffic spot, as this solution leads to a few number of cells in the neighbor list,
there is a risk of handover failure due to channel unavailability. In order to avoid this, 2
channels in every cell must be reserved for handover (allocPriorityThreshold = 2).
The only exceptions for this rule are the following:
Coverage hole
Limited coverage due to shadowing effect
However, this solution means a few number of neighbors in the list and then can lead to call
drop and handover failures (see scheme with first ring neighbor list before).
DISTANCE CRITERIA NEIGHBOR LIST (1X3 AND 1X1 PATTERNS)

A good solution would be to put at a disadvantage handover on quality criteria toward
neighbor cells using the same TCH group than the serving cell. It would be done in setting the
parameter hoMarginRxQual to 24 for these neighbors. However, this solution could be a good
solution for optimization but not for basic neighbor plan, because it needs a study for each cell.
A compromise is to increase the handover quality thresholds (lRxQualDLH and lRxQualULH)
as it is recommended when enabling frequency hopping. Thus, the global number of handover
will not increase and the risk of handover on quality criteria toward a cell using the same TCH
group will be low.
Then the recommended solution in the case of fractional reuse pattern (1X3 or 1X1) is the
same than for a 4X12 pattern.
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HANDOVER LIST VERSUS RESELECTION LIST.

For all reuse patterns, the same cells should be declared in both handover and reselection list.
Moreover, the serving cell should be declared in the reselection list. In case of hole of
coverage, this will allow the MS to reselect the best cell and not a distant cell.
However, for 1X3 and 1X1 reuse pattern, if only the first ring is used for the neighbor list, a
higher number of reselection cells (first ring + second ring or distance criteria) than handover
cells (only the first ring) must be declared.
6.23.4 SET-UP PRINCIPLES OF A BSIC PLAN

Three main procedures can be used to set easily the BCC parameter of each cell. For all
these methods, one should take into account a distance criteria in order to minimize the
probability of BSIC / BCCH conflict between nearby cells.
The first method is based on geographical BCC values gathering. It is done by

selecting the BCC value of a cell among the values already taken by its neighbor
cells. The chosen BCC is the-one not leading to a BSIC / BCCH conflict. The
advantage of this solution is an homogeneous distribution of the BCC among the
network. However, it is long and difficult to apply by hand and is generally used
when allocating BCC with automatic tools.
The second method consists in using as less BCC values as possible. Then, for
each cell, first BCC equal to 0 is tried. The tried value is increased by one if it
leads to a BSIC / BCCH conflict. This operation is repeated until no conflict is
detected. This method has the advantage to minimize the number of used BCC.
Then when adding new cells, generally a BCC for this cell can be found without
creating BSIC / BCCH conflict and without modifying the BCC of existing cells.
However, it is long and difficult to apply by hand and is generally used when
allocating BCC with automatic tools.
The third method consists in allocating a specific BCC to each occurrence of the
BCCH reuse pattern. The occurrences having the same BCC must be as far as
possible from each other. It is the most currently used method when BSIC plans
are done by hand, because it is easy and quick to apply. However it means that a
neighbor cell can not have the same BCCH than its serving cell, what is restrictive.
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6.24. STREET CORNER ENVIRONMENT
6.24.1 DESCRIPTION
Especially in micro-cellular network, where the antennas are under the roof, the level received
by the mobile can dramatically fluctuate. Ping pong handovers and call drop were experienced
in this type of environment, and led to bad quality of service as well as a significant increase in
signalling traffic. One of the toughest issues to solve in a micro cellular network is street corner
environment.
cell A
cell B
Two cases must be distinguished:
The first one deals with mobile moving straight the cross road. In the case, the
handover toward the cell A must be avoided.
Mobiles turning at the cross road is the second case. The handover from cell B to
A must be performed quickly before the field of the current cell dropped under a
critical value, leading a call drop.
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6.24.2 CASE A: MOBILE MOVING STRAIGHT

In the case of a mobile moving straight the cross road, a handover for PBGT may be
processed from cell B to cell A. Once the cross is passed, the mobile is handed again over the
cell B. This ping pong handover shall be avoided as useless handover leads to voice quality
degradation.
The parameter rxLevDLPBGT allows to cope with that case. Actually, if the signal received by
the mobile from the serving cell exceeds this threshold, then the handovers with power-budget
criteria are prevented.
cell A
cell B
RxLev
rxLevDLPBGT
cell B
cell A
Time
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6.24.3 CASE B: MOBILE TURNING AT THE CROSS ROAD

In a microcell environment, the size of cells is very small (40 to 400 meters). The overlapping
margin between cells is not very important. Moreover, a fast moving mobile may cover a few
hundred meters during the handover process (in the worst configuration, the duration time of a
handover can be more than 1.5 s). The overlapping margin can be insufficient to prevent the
field of the current cell from dropping under a critical value before mobile locks on the next cell
(with standard parameters values). In such environment, reactivity is essential, handovers
have to be performed as quickly as possible.
cell A
cell B
RxLev
cell A
cell B
Time
The problem is solved by the combination of the following features:
Early Handover decision (see chapter Early HandOver Decision)

Protection against runHandOver = 1: in a microcell environment reactivity is
essential (see chapter Protection against RunHandover=1).
Max rxLev for PBGT: the problem of handover toward cell A when mobile goes
straight forward is solved by a negative hoMargin for PBGT that can be set in
order to help handover when mobile turns (see chapter Maximum RxLev for
Power Budget)
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6.25. SYNCHRONIZED HO VERSUS NOT SYNCHRONIZED HO

6.25.1 INTRODUCTION
Some tests have been carried in order to compare the timing HO of the three kinds of
handovers. No interBSC handovers were performed as synchronized handovers are only
available for intraBSC HO.
The test plan was the following:
Intra BSC / Intra BTS HO
Not synchronized HO from Cell A to Cell B (UL & DL)

Synchronized HO from Cell A to Cell B (UL & DL)
Presynchronized HO from Cell A to Cell B (UL & DL) with different values of the
PresynchTimingAdvance parameter.
Intra BSC / Inter BTS HO
Not synchronized HO from Cell A to Cell B (UL & DL)

Presynchronized HO from Cell A to Cell B (UL & DL) with different
values of the PresynchTimingAdvance parameter.
6.25.2 OMC-R PARAMETER SETTINGS

It has to be noted that ECU was enabled on both Cell A and Cell B. ECU may have an
influence on UL measurements.
SYNCHRONIZED HO
Parameters
Cell A
Cell B
CellId
Cell B Id
Cell A Id
Synchronized
Synchronized
Synchronized
hoMargin
-24
-24
NOT SYNCHRONIZED HO
Parameters
Cell A
Cell B
CellId
Cell B Id
Cell A Id
Synchronized
Not Synchronized
Not Synchronized
hoMargin
-24
-24
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PRE-SYNCHRONIZED HO
Parameters
Cell A
Cell B
AdjacentCellHO object
CellId
Cell B Id
Cell A Id
Synchronized
Pre sync HO with timing advance
Pre sync HO with timing advance
30
30
-24
-24
PreSynchroTA
hoMargin
Note: the value - 1 for the PreSynchroTA parameter stands for a TA value equal to 1 (554 m).
6.25.3 TIMING HO
PROCEDURE
The test procedure was based on tone recordings. A specific tone is sent for UL (resp. DL)
from the MS (resp. the land line). The tone is a pattern of a 3 second 500 Hz signal and a 3
second 700 Hz signal. The use of 2 contiguous signal is needed because problems of no
signal emission occurred when a one frequency tone signal is used.
The tone was sent for a minute. An HO occurred approximately every 5,7 seconds. Each
record has a serial of about 10 HOs.
All the averages shown in that study are calculated from these 10 values.
SYNCHRONIZED HO RESULTS
COLLECTED DATA
HO #
Muting (ms)
Silence (ms)
Demuting (ms)
Total (ms)
26
55
28
109
14
60
21
95
21
57
15
93
31
61
14
106
14
52
15
81
26
50
19
95
70
26
19
115
66
28
26
120
43
25
46
114
10
49
10
38
97
11
29
18
36
83
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The (1,2,3,4,5,6) HO # are HOs which occurred in the 500 Hz frequency part of the tone.
The (7,8,9,10,11) HO # are HOs which occurred in the 700 Hz frequency part of the tone.
STATISTICS & COMMENTS
HOs in 500 Hz frequency tone part

Muting (ms)
Silence (ms)
Demuting (ms)
Total (ms)
22
56
19
97
14
50
14
78
31
61
28
120
16
HOs in 700 Hz frequency tone part

Muting (ms)
Silence (ms)
Demuting (ms)
Total (ms)
51
21
33
106
29
10
19
58
70
28
46
144
17
11
35
For both frequencies, the average timing HO of a synchronized HO is the same, around 100
ms. The interesting part is that the time repartition between the muting, silence and demuting
phases are not the same.
The muting and demuting phases appear to be dependent on the frequency. However, the
muting and demuting algorithms at the TCB are not dependent on the frequency. Actually, the
ECU activation on both cells may be responsible of this dependence. It seems that the ECU
algorithm at the BTS makes the muting and demuting dependent on frequency.
When ECU is enabled, it seems that the muting and demuting slopes are correlated to the
frequency.
NOT SYNCHRONIZED HO RESULTS

COLLECTED DATA
HO #
Muting (ms)
Silence (ms)
Demuting (ms)
Total (ms)
25
133
162
47
113
84
244
40
114
43
197
20
137
47
204
24
131
43
198
48
93
33
174
18
123
46
187
38
143
38
219
25
109
44
178
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The (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9) HO # are HOs which occurred in the 500 Hz tone part of the signal.
STATISTICS & COMMENTS

Muting (ms)
Silence (ms)
Demuting (ms)
Total (ms)
32
122
42
196
18
93
162
48
143
84
244
12
16
20
25
The Not Synchronized Timing HO is around 200 ms. Unfortunately, the high standard
deviation value does not allow any conclusion on this specific duration.
Note: Not synchronized HO procedure
Here is a brief example of the L3 radio protocol of such a HO:
DL: HANDOVER COMMAND

UL: HANDOVER ACCESS
DL: PHYSICAL INFO
DL: PHYSICAL INFO
DL: PHYSICAL INFO
UL: HANDOVER COMPLETE
The TA is indicated from the target BTS to the MS in the PHYSICAL INFO.
We can make the statement that the not synchronized HO is twice slower than the
synchronous one. It is mainly due to the PHYSICAL INFO expectation of the MS.
PRE-SYNCHRONIZED HO RESULTS
PRINCIPLE
The pre-synchronized handover procedure is exactly the same than the synchronized
handover procedure.
After the Handover Access bursts which shall be sent with a TA value of 0 the MS shall use a
TA as specified in the HO Command by the old BTS, or a default value of 1, if the old BTS did
not provide a TA value.
The BSC indicates in the HO Command message that the handover will be pre-synchronized
and, if needed, the predefined Timing Advance to be used by the MS in the new cell
(preSynchroTimingAdvance parameter).
COLLECTED DATA
The real TA of both cells is 0 (but fluctuant sometimes to a TA value of 1). The aim of these
tests is to evaluate the voice quality loss and/or gain of a pre-synchronized HO versus the
preSynchroTimingAdvance value set at the OMC-R.
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STATISTICS
0
-1
30
Average (ms)
PreSynchroTA (kms)
120
122
89
105
436
739
756
684
705
Minimum
108
94
65
89
79
524
606
532
533
Maximum
129
144
126
105
958
971
970
947
945
Standard Deviation
18
17
13
334
172
133
132
133
COMMENTS
It has to be understood that the pre-synchronized handover has been implemented in order to
fasten the handover procedure in a dense (size <2kms) environment or in a railway / highway
optimization. As the setting of the preSynchroTimingAdvance parameter is not that easy (onfield measurements and TA distributions after HO per pair of cells), the behavior of the MS for
a wrong (2 or 3 steps of TA) and a very wrong (greater than 3 steps of TA) TA value is very
interesting for the network optimization.
Actually, regarding the timing HO results versus different preSynchroTimingAdvance values, it
seems that the MS is able to re-synchronize with the BTS. The drawback is that the speech
cut duration and the handover procedure are highly increased (up to 1 second).
CONCLUSION
Regarding the results of that study, it clearly appears that the synchronized handover is the
faster type of handover. It is available for intraBTS or intracell handovers, or if the Network
Synchronisation is activated. In this case, if the two cells are synchronized by GPS, and they
have the same TNOffset, handover can be synchronized, even if the two cells are not in the
same BSC.
However, the pre-synchronized handover has shown very good results (almost the same
performance than the synchronized one) if the TA after HO is previously known.
Therefore, pre-synchronized HO is a good solution to fasten handover and to decrease (up to
80 ms) the speech cut duration. The fields of appliance should be dense (cell size < 2kms),
railway or highway environment to ensure that the distance after handover is known.
Not synchronized handover still remains the only setting for InterBSC handovers.
Anyway, the UL results of that memo show that the speech cut duration is less than 250 ms.
This value allows to keep a pretty good voice quality during handovers.
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6.26. BTS SENSITIVITY

6.26.1 DEFINITION OF SENSITIVITY
In this chapter, sensitivity figures are clarified, knowing that such notions as static, dynamic,
guaranteed and typical may often lead to confusion.
The sensitivity is completely defined in the GSM recommendation 05.05. 6.2., as the input
level for which all performances in terms of frame erasure, bit error or residual error rates are
met. A reference table specifies rates varying according to the type of GSM channel (traffic,
signaling) and the type of propagation channel (static, urban, rural, hilly terrain).
Sensitivity is measured at antenna connector, and by definition this figure takes into account
all RF elements losses included in BTS cabinet, as shown on the following figure:
Antenna
Common
Cable losses
Rx sensivity
Antenna connector
Duplexor
Rx diversity gain
Combiner
Base Station
Power Amplifier
Note: In case of BTS S2000H, antenna connector is located on the HP RF remote unit, it is not
on the BTS itself but on the remote RF module unit.
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6.26.2 STATIC AND DYNAMIC SENSITIVITY

Static sensitivity could be viewed as the level at which sensitivity performance is met in the
static channel mode. Yet, the static mode is only one of the propagation models among others
specified in the GSM Recs. reference table. The static mode is the most favorable case
(excepted a few cases of fully not correlated antennas and 2-branchs diversity). In terms of
radio, it can be understood that for a given signal input, less communication errors are
expected within a configuration where there are no multi-path effects at all.
6.26.3 TYPICAL / GUARANTEED SENSITIVITY

Typical sensitivity is 1dB better than the worst-case used, mainly due to the variation in
performance of the RF front end and not the variation in the DRX module. The variation in
performance of DRXs on a per cell basis is therefore very tightly controlled. For more details,
please refer to chapter GSM Products sensitivity and power.
6.26.4 SPACE DIVERSITY GAINS

FADING CORRELATION
One major parameter to assess space diversity gain is the fading correlation, which depends
on many factors, such as radio environment (angular distribution of reflectors), antenna
configuration (spacing between antennas) and position of the mobile respective to the BTS.
The sensitivity for fully correlated antennas and not correlated antennas (correlation 0.2) can
be viewed respectively as the worst case and quasi-best case situations. In reality, the
correlation figure lies somewhere between both figures, depending on the factors mentioned
previously.
To assess correlation values applicable to engineering is not an easy task. Yet, it can be
observed that by taking 10 wavelengths of antenna separation (recommended distance is 20),
the correlation factor is as low as 0.2 for an angular spread of only 1 degree .These results
give us enough confidence to interpolate the sensitivity at values near the not correlated case,
in such environments as built-up areas (urban, suburban), as well as hilly terrain, which offer a
multiplicity of reflectors. However, this appears less obvious for open area environments,
typically flat rural, for which we will assume a more conservative correlation factor.
BRANCH SENSITIVITY
Diversity gains are calculated by doing the difference between with and without 2 antennas
figures. Then diversity gains vary a lot with correlation and propagation channels. Yet, it can
be observed that after rounding figures, the overall sensitivity + diversity figure stays relatively
constant, independently of the configuration. The trend is a cumulated figure of -113 dBm for
the S8000 without enhanced coverage option, and -115 dBm for the S8000 with enhanced
coverage option.
This observation partly justifies the uniformity of the diversity gain of 5 dB for the S8000. It
must be stressed that this artifice is only meant to provide separate figures for sensitivity and
diversity gain, which are still distinguished when discussing link budgets
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6.26.5 CROSS-POLARIZATION ANTENNA USE

The use of cross-polarization antenna has followed a growing trend, due to the flexibility
offered in terms of site installation (two antenna packaged into one, offering diversity gain and
coupling 2 TRXs on a single antenna without hybrid coupling).
Cross polar antenna is characterized by:
2RF ports for one antenna

slant polarized transmission.
Hence use of cross polar antennas implies:
simplification of the coupling stage.

radio link performances modification.
diversity of polarization.
SIMPLIFICATION OF COUPLING STAGES

It should be understood that with the same number of antennas as for spatial diversity
crosspolar antennas provide 2 times more RF ports. This means that on one feeder, the
number of supported DRX is divided by two, and the size of the coupling stage too.
RADIO LINK PERFORMANCES

Radio link performances are affected by the transmission over slanted polarization:
measurement reports indicate performances of crosspolar antennas compared to vertical
antenna are lower:
in urban area of 1dB in 900 MHz and 2dB in 1800 MHz.

in flat rural area of 3dB in 900 MHz and 1800 MHz.
Note: performances of crosspolar antennas are strongly dependent on environment, and

mainly on reflectors and scatterers: the more they are, the better the performances.
For link budget purposes, crosspolar antennas recommended typical losses are:
in all environment, 1.5dB in 900 MHz and 1800 MHz.

in flat open area, 3dB in 900 MHz and 1800 MHz.
POLARIZATION DIVERSITY
Polarization diversity is obtained by processing the two signals coming from the two branches
of one crosspolar antenna. Polarization diversity is estimated after measurements of signal
decorrelation between the two diversity receiving branches of one crosspolar.
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LINK BUDGET FIGURES

Proposed link budget figures for crosspolar antenna use are summarized in the table below:
all environments
flat rural, flat open
900 MHz & 1800 MHz
900 MHz & 1800 MHz
radio link performances (DL & UL)
-1.5dB
-3dB
diversity gain
+4dB (5dB)*
+4dB (5dB)*
(*) Crosspolar antennas offer as diversity solution:
polarization diversity (4dB gain) when 1 crosspolar antenna is used.

spatial diversity(5dB gain) with 2 crosspolar antennas.
6.26.6 CIRCULAR POLARIZATION AND CROSSPOLAR ANTENNAS

This system, Nortel patented, combines two types of advantages:
the crosspolar antenna benefit of the 2 antennas connectors within one antenna
chassis.
the robustness of circular polarization against depolarization effect and mobile
positioning.
This system relies on a single 3dB-90 dephaser-hybrid coupler located at the bottom of the
crosspolar antenna feeding the two ports of the crosspolar antenna with exactly the same
feeder length. The system scheme is shown below:
BTS with
polarization
diversity
BTS with
space
diversity
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In term of radio figures, the benefits of the crosspolar antenna use combined with the 3dBcoupler are:
the radio transmission is no more affected by the slanted polarization due to the
transmission of the whole signal over a circular polarized wave. Whatever the
position, the mobile receives all the power
the combining stages are divided by 2
the diversity gain is:
o
o
4dB with 1 crosspolar antenna the polarization diversity gain

5dB with 2 crosspolar antenna the space diversity gain
Recommended figures for this system are

all environments 900 MHz & 1800 MHz
diversity gain polarization diversity
+4dB
space diversity
+5dB
radio link performances

(UL and DL)
0dB
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6.27. SDCCH DIMENSIONING AN TDMA MODELS

The aim of this chapter is to define engineering rules associated to SDCCH dimensioning,
TDMA model and priority, and the PCM priority.
Concerning TDMA model that takes into account GPRS then refer to the BSS Engineering
Rules [R5].
6.27.1 SDCCH DIMENSIONING

An SDCCH assignment is provided when one of the following Layer 3 message is received:
CM Service Request (includes IMSI attach)

Paging Response
IMSI Detach
Location Update
So the number of these messages has to be taken into account in the dimensioning of the
SDCCH channels. Some rules are defined here below.
PARASITE SDCCH ALLOCATION

The level of noise can provide a parasite SDCCH allocation, the BTS seems to receive an
RACH and allocates an SDCCH channel. In this case the SDCCH is assigned for a short
duration (free after T3101 (3 sec by default)). The parasite SDCCH assignment depends of
the BCCH TDMA model. Note that from V8B7 the number of parasite SDCCH becomes
negligible with new DRX.
BTS GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION IN THE LAC

The location update frequency must also be considered for the evaluation of the blocking rate
ratio for SDCCH. For BTS located at the border of a Location Area, a lot of location updates
are performed. Then, the signaling traffic is very high. In this case (as for area with a high
SMS traffic), the number of SDCCH channels must be quite high. Therefore, the blocking rate
ratio to consider for SDCCH must be lower than the-one for TCH.
Thus, a table can be established for the blocking rates to consider, depending on the load of
the network and the kind of signaling.
TCH
SDCCH Blocking rate
Blocking rate
Middle LAC
LAC border
Normal load
2%
0.1 %
0.1 %
Very loaded
5%
0.1 %
0.1 %
DOUBLE SDCCH ALLOCATION

The double SDCCH allocation occurs when a second RACH is sent by the mobile before the
Immediate Assignment message of the first RACH is received.
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The double allocation issue depends on the numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans value.
ACTIVATION OF SMS-CB
The SMS-CB is multiplexed with the SDCCH. So the activation of the SMS-CB reduces the
number of SDCCH sub-channels and so the signaling capacity of the BTS. For example:
SDCCH/4 + SMS-CB => 3 SDCCH available (combined case)

SDCCH/8 + SMS-CB => 7 SDCCH available (not combined case)
TDMA Model
Capacity (erlang)
SDCCH/4
0.439
SDCCH/3
0.194
SDCCH/7
1.579
SDCCH/8
2.057
So the activation of the SMS-CB has a great impact on the signaling capacity of cell (see also
chapter SMS-Cell Broadcast)
Note: in case of SMS-CB, the SDCCH TS number has to be lower than 4 (< 4)
SUBSCRIBERS MOBILITIES
In a high mobility area (rural, highway) a none negligible number of the RACH are requested
for Location Updates. The total number of RACH is then higher than in a low mobility area, it is
then better to increase the number of SDCCH channels.
In a very high mobility area (high speed train) the number of Location Area are generally
reduced in order to avoid a BSS signaling overload due to the LA update. Moreover the TCH
allocation has to be as fast as possible in order to avoid dropped calls set-up. So for the cells
which are dedicated to the coverage of very high mobility area only, (e.g. cells which cover
only the high speed train railways and not surrounding roads or villages) it is better to reduce
the SDCCH channels number. If the cell is at the boundary of a location area the SDCCH
channels have to be set according to the Location Area update load.
NUMBER OF NETWORKS
The SIM card can contain the Id of only 4 forbidden networks, i.e if there are more than four
networks in a country a mobile can attempted a Location Update on other networks (->
Location Reject). So wherever there are more than four competitors in the same frequency
band it is recommended to increase the number of SDCCH channels.
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6.27.2 SDCCH DISTRIBUTION

The following rules for the SDCCH distribution on TDMA Model must be applied:
There shall be at most one SDCCH per DCU2 and per FPRX.
There shall be at most 2 SDCCH per TDMA for DCU4/DRX and in such cases,
they should be one on an odd TS and one on an even TS.
In case of SMS-CB, the SDCCH TS number has to be lower than 4 (from 0 to 3).
It is recommended to give the same TS number to all SDCCH channels in order to
gather the Immediate Assignment messages by couple in order to reduce the
global signaling messages numbers.
SYS INFO message can not describe more than one sdcch8CBCH channel per
cell. It must be carried by the first TDMA carrying an SDCCH channel.
In case of Automatic Cell Tiering, it might be useful to put the SDCCH channels on the
hopping TDMAs in order to leave many resources for traffic on the non hopping TDMA.
More generally, it is useful to put the SDCCH channels on the hopping TDMAs since it allows
the L1M to take more reliable decisions in case of early PBGT handover, directed retry in
distant mode, enhanced power control (V12), direct TCH allocation (V12).
6.27.3 TDMA MODEL

STANDARD CELL
Abbreviation
C
c
TS0
BCCH + SDCCH/4
BCCH +CBCH +
SDCCH/4
TS1
TS2
TS3
TS4
TS5
TS6
TS7
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
SDCCH/8
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
BCCH
b1
BCCH
b2
BCCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
SDCCH/8
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
S1
TCH
SDCCH/8
SDCCH/8
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
s1
TCH
SDCCH/8
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
CBCH +
SDCCH/8
CBCH +
SDCCH/8
CBCH +
DCCH/8
TCH
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EXTENDED CCCH
Abbreviation
TS0
TS1
TS2
TS3
TS4
TS5
TS6
TS7
b3
BCCH
TCH
CCCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
b4
BCCH
TCH
CCCH
TCH
CCCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
b5
BCCH
TCH
CCCH
TCH
CCCH
TCH
CCCH
TCH
TS3
TS4
TS5
EXTENDED CELL
Abbreviation
C_ext
c_ext
TS0
BCCH + SDCCH/4
BCCH +CBCH +
SDCCH/4
TS1
TS2
TS6
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
SDCCH/8
TCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
B_ext
BCCH
b1_ext
BCCH
b2_ext
BCCH
TCH
TCH
TCH
S_ext
TCH
SDCCH/8
TCH
TCH
s_ext
TCH
TCH
TCH
T_ext
TCH
TCH
TCH
CBCH +
SDCCH/8
CBCH +
SDCCH/8
TCH
TS7
6.27.4 TDMA PRIORITIES

The following tables give typical configuration of a cell according to the number of TRX. These
values are conservatives, and might require being adapted according to the cell particularities.
STANDARD CELL
These configurations are given for a standard call profile with 50% AMR-HR. Though PDTCH
are not represented in TDMA models, the calculation was made with 2 TS are dedicated to
GPRS for each cell (minNbOfGprsTS = 2 and at least 2 PDTCH configured).
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TRX/Cell
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
SDCCH/8/Cell
0
1
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
TCH/Cell
5
12
19
27
35
43
50
58
66
74
82
89
97
105
113
120
PDTCH/Cell
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
TDMA/Cell
Priorities
C
B2S
B2SS
B2SST
B2SSTT
B2SSTTT
B2SSSTTT
B2SSSTTTT
B2SSSTTTTT
B2SSSTTTTTT
B2SSSTTTTTTT
B2SSSSTTTTTTT
b2SSSSTTTTTTTT
b2SSSSTTTTTTTTT
b2SSSSTTTTTTTTTT
b2SSSSTTTTTTTTTTT
0
0,1
0,1,1
0,1,1,2
0,1,1,2,2
0,1,1,2,2,2
0,1,1,1,2,2,2
0,1,1,1,2,2,2,2
0,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2
0,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2
0,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2
0,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2
0,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2
0,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2
0,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2
0,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2
For Cell Broadcast, the following permutations are allowed:
C <=> c
B <=> b1
S <=> s (for the first S only)
EXTENDED CELL
TRX /
Cell
SDCCH/8
/ Cell
TCH /
Cell
TDMA / Cell
Priorities
C_ext
C_ext S_ext
0,1
10
b2_ext S_ext T_ext
0,1,2
14
b2_ext S_ext T_ext T_ext
0,1,2,2
18
b2_ext S_ext T_ext T_ext T_ext
0,1,2,2,2
21
b2_ext S_ext S_ext T_ext T_ext T_ext
0,1,1,2,2,2
25
b2_ext S_ext S_ext T_ext T_ext T_ext T_ext
0,1,1,2,2,2,2
29
b2_ext S_ext S_ext T_ext T_ext T_ext T_ext T_ext
0,1,1,2,2,2,2,2
27
b2_ext S_ext S_ext S_ext S_ext T_ext T_ext T_ext
0,1,1,1,1,2,2,2
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6.27.5 PCM PRIORITY

The parameter trafficPCMAllocationPriority defines the priority level of a TDMA frame on the
A-bis interface. It allows the setup of TDMA priority on the A-bis PCM for the reconfiguration
process.
The engineering rule associated to this parameter will depend on the strategy the operator
wants to use for the corresponding site.
The default engineering rule is to give the highest priority (0) to the TDMA supporting the
BCCH, and the lowest priority (255) to all other TDMA.
However, one can privilege the traffic in one of the sectors: for example on a site linked by two
PCMs if a cell is considered as more important by the operator (strategical coverage), one can
give to the TDMA of that cell a higher prioirty than 255, thus during a PCM issue those TDMA
will be re-configured in priority on the left PCM.
An other possibility is to keep a balanced configuration, in order to provide a service in all
cells, through a PCM problem.
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6.28. ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR EXCEPTIONAL EVENTS

This chapter is intended to provide guidelines on how to prepare Nortel GSM networks for
exceptional events from an engineering perspective. An exceptional event, as described in
this document, is a temporary event which is known in advance and which will generate an
exceptional high traffic load on the network. Nortels estimation is that it is economically not
justifiable to dimension a GSM network for these special events. Commonly, a GSM network
is dimensioned to carry the traffic of the busy hour. The actions proposed in this document are
intended to optimize the behaviour of the network during an exceptional event. The document
covers recommended actions on the NSS and on the BSS. On the NSS, the document
describes a set of recommended verifications that Nortel encourages the operator to do in
order to optimize the DMS behaviour. In addition a set of recommended office parameter
settings on the MSC is given with the aim of optimizing the behaviour of the BSC. On the BSS
side, this document presents the list of strongly recommended verifications and a set of
parameters values to be applied for any wide area special event. Nortel recommends that the
normal parameter setting should be reconfigured after the exceptional event.
On the NSS side, the document is applicable to GSM09, GSM10, GSM11 and GSM12. It is
assumed that all required patches on NSS and BSS are applied. Apart from the paragraphs on
CM, LPP and NSS recommendations in Chapter 4.31.3.1, most of the NSS recommendations
can also easily be applied on non-Nortel NSS equipment.
As signalling is the bottleneck during a high load situation on the BSS, the guiding idea here is
to reduce as much as possible unnecessary signalling during the exceptional event. Nortels
estimation is that this should improve the behaviour of the BSC.
The control of this situation is done by various verifications and parameter modifications. The
proposal is organised in 4 main levels:
Prerequisite
Basic tuning of parameters
Overload configuration change
Other parameter modification
6.28.1 BSS PREREQUISITE

CHECKS
SANITY CHECKS
Should be done at least one month before the foreseen event :
Verification of the state of the different BSC: no BSC boards should be in a faulty
state
Recommended values are applied
Dimensioning rules are respected
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NETWORK:
Each BSC is fully operational and a switchover should be done, LapD load balancing over
TMU, LapD loadsharing, Location Area (LA) sizing,, TCH congestion (this is particularly
important in case of concentric cell use), Call Drop rate, HandOver failure rate (and
neighbouring reciprocity).
CHECKS CORRELATED WITH THE SPECIAL EVENT

The Nortel Recommendation is that these checks be done a few hours before the special
event.
LIMITATION OF THE OAM ACTIVITIES

The Operation, Administration and Maintenance shall be minimum. So:
all Call Traces and Call Path Traces shall be stopped/discarded

Observations should be limited; temporization for permanent observation should be
set to at least 30 minutes
Freeze of the network operation: No reparenting activity or NRP should be
performed during the critical period
Moreover, no modification of the network during the special event (such as command files,
OMC commands, ) shall be done.
LIMITATION OF THE SIGNALIZATION TOWARDS THE BSC
Periodic location updates should be limited on the BSS side (recommended value
for timerPeriodicUpdateMS = 60)
Operator advertising using SMS should be avoided
If a degradation of the QoS is acceptable during the corresponding critical period:
o
o
o
o
Paging repetition at NSS side should be reduced / suppressed,

Notification of voice mail through SMS should be limited / deactivated
Authentication procedures should be limited / deactivated at NSS level
Ciphering should be limited at NSS level
6.28.2 BSS: SUGGESTIONS FOR PARAMETERS TO BE MODIFIED

FOR THE SPECIAL EVENT
It is suggested that the following parameters be modified before the special event and set
back to the previous value afterwards (when the amount of traffic is back to a normal level):
These parameters are split into 3 categories.
The modification of parameters of the 1st category does not lead to any service
interruption. These modifications may be done very quickly and a few hours before
the event.
Parameters of the 2 nd category are only applied if it can be done without service
interruption (refer to chapter ALGORITHM PARAMETERS).
Modification of parameters of the 3 rd category is optional and only applicable on
networks in which queuing is already activated. It requires a quite long preparation
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and should be decided at least three months before the special event. It does not
lead to service interruption.
Parameters to modify:
abisSpy = not in progress

unknownCellWarning = disabled
interBscDirectedRetry = not allowed
intraBscDirectedRetry = not allowed
Multipaging timer on Abis interface = 200 ms
maxNumberRetransmission = 1
bscCapacityLoadReduction feature is not available for BSC3000, but dedicated
overload mechanism for BSC3000 exist (see chapterBSC3000 Overload
Management)
6.28.3 NSS LEVEL

DMS PREPARATION
Note: the recommendations in this Chapter should also be followed after the exceptional
event.
COMPUTING MODULE (CM)

The Computing Module (CM) of the DMS is protected by a highly efficient overload
mechanism. This mechanism allows the DMS to stand a significant overload.
In order to maintain the craftspersons capability to access the DMS in the expected overload
situation, it is suggested that verification is made to ensure that at least the 2 MAP terminals
as well as the ETAS modems are declared as guaranteed background task for the CPU. This
is done by setting for these devices in table TERMDEV the GUAR field to Y. A maximum of 5
devices can be declared in this way. Refer to NTP 411-3001-451 Customer Service Data
Schema Vol 3.
LINK PERIPHERAL PROCESSOR (LPP)

The behaviour of the LPP under heavy traffic conditions can be improved by optimizing the
allocation of BSSAP instances to LIU7s. It should be checked that the following
recommendations are followed.
Context
Table GSMSSI defines the subsystem instances of the BSSAP local subsystem. These
instances reside on an LIU7 and serve SCCP Class 2 connections between the BSS and the
DMS-MSC.
Table GSMSSI allows the customer to associate BSSAP instances with LIU7s.
BSSAP instances are used only for A-interface messaging. They can be datafilled on any LIU7
in the MSC. Also, there is no restriction that an A-interface LIU7 must have a BSSAP datafilled
against it. However, datafilling the BSSAPs in a non-optimal manner can negatively impact
the DMS-MSCs performance under heavy messaging conditions.
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Further information about table GSMSSI and the BSSAP instances can be obtained in The
CCS7 Application Guide, NTP #411-2231-310. This document includes a datafill example for
GSMSSI.
Recommendations
The recommendation is that all customers apply the following guidelines:
BSSAP instances in table GSMSSI should only be defined against LIU7s which
have an inservice link to a BSC.
Each A-interface linkset should at least have one BSSAP instance assigned to it.
The remaining instances (total of 32) should be spread out among the remaining
A-interface LIU7s. Priority should be given to the highest traffic linksets.
SS7 LINK
Underprovisioned SS7 links can result in link congestion, which potentially inhibit mobile call
processing. It is therefore recommended to audit the link provisioning in the network before the
special event. During the busy hour the mean link occupancy should not exceed 40%. The
expected subscriber growth in the network has to be taken into account. This check should be
done about 4 months before the special event in order to allow potential HW extensions.
LAC DATAFILL
The Location Area Code (LAC) is a configurable parameter on the BSS and on the NSS (table
LAC). If the values are not the same, Mobile location updates on the MSC will fail. This will
result in all mobiles to repeat the locationupdate attempt. The resulting high signaling load can
decrease stability of the LPP due to the increased signaling traffic. It is therefore highly
recommended to verify that the LAC values on BSS and NSS match up before the special
event.
BSC PROTECTION
Reduction of the signaling load on the BSC optimizes its behavior in a high traffic situation.
This chapter proposes actions in the NSS, which will help to decrease the signaling load on
the BSC.
SMS VOICEMAIL NOTIFICATION

Most of the GSM networks use voicemail notification via SMS. SMS traffic is real-time cost
intensive on the BSC processors. Furthermore, in a high traffic situation with degraded QoS,
the Voicemail traffic is expected to significantly increase. The operator should consider to
deactivate the notification of voicemails via SMS. Under very high load the notified subscribers
will not be able to consult their voicemails anyway, due to the high blocking rate at the Air
interface. The deactivation should be done either on the VMS or on the SMSC.
AUTHENTICATION
Authentication in GSM aims at ensuring that only mobiles with an official SIM card can access
the network. Reducing authentication reduces the signaling on the BSS. The operator should
consider to disable the optional authentication activities in the network. This can be done by
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modifying parameter AUTH_CONTROL_PARM in table OFCVAR. To configure to a minimum
activity the parameter has to be set as follows
GSM09: AUTH_CONTROL_PARM = NORM_0 PER_0 ATT_0 MO_0 MT_0
IMPACT
It should be noted that even with this minimum setting the authentication procedure will be
executed at the first Attach or Inter-VLR-location update of a mobile at the MSC. This implies
that a reasonable degree of security is reached. The default value of NORM_20 PER_20
ATT_20 MO_20 MT_20 configures that every 20th call, location update and attach will trigger
the authentication procedure. The above described minimum value results in only the first
location update (inter-VLR or attach) to trigger authentication.
The parameter allows to individually set authentication rates for normal (NORM), periodic
(PER) location updates location, Attachs (ATT), mobile originated (MO) and mobile terminated
(MT) calls.
PAGE RETRY
The Paging message sent to the BSC is highly costly in terms of BSC CPU processing. After a
timer expires without a response from a mobile, the DMS sends a second Paging message.
Monitoring of live networks has shown that only an insignificant portion of the second paging
message is successfully responded by a mobile. Due to this it is recommended to deactivate
the paging retry. This is done by setting the parameter GSM_PAGE_RETRY in table
GSMVAR to 0.
CIPHERING
Ciphering guarantees confidentiality of GSM communications on the radio interface.
Deactivating Ciphering reduces the signaling on the BSC. The operator should consider
whether the deactivation of ciphering is acceptable during the special event. To deactivate, the
officeparameter GMSC_CIPHERING in table OFCENG of the MSC has to be set to OFF.
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6.29. ENGINEERING LIMITS WITH BSC OVERLOAD CONTROL

MECHANISM
The main objective of the BSC overload control mechanism (introduced in V12) is to maintain
BSC robustness during a traffic overload period.
The BSC controls achieve this by filtering of Mobile Originated calls, Mobile Terminated calls,
Location Updates, Handover or Random Access Channel messages. This results in a Quality
of Service degradation when the overload is reached (through an increasing Call Attempts
reject rate), as illustrated below:
Mean CPU occupancy
Offered traffic
100 %
OAM & internal process
CPU call processing

limit (ex: 70%)
Carried traffic
CPU engineering
limit (ex: 55%)
QoS decrease
BSC overload control
mechanism is triggered
BSCs maximum
throughput with
the highest QoS
Mean Call Attempts
6.29.1 CPU ENGINEERING LIMIT MEANING

The CPU Engineering limit is defined as the limit of mean CPU occupancy (used for Call
Processing only) not to be exceeded in order to maintain the highest Quality Of Service.
When exceeding this engineering limit, the probability that the Quality of Service is degraded
due to the triggering of the overload control mechanism cannot be neglected.
The following set of CPU Engineering limits is based on lab performance reports and
validated in the field. Below these limits, no QoS degradation has been observed.
BSC2G Board
CPU engineering limits
MPU & BFIP
55 %
SICD
60 %
BSCB
60 %
OMU - SUP- SWC
90 %
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6.29.2 CPU CALL PROCESSING LIMIT MEANING

The CPU Call Processing limit is defined as the limit of mean CPU occupancy (used for Call
Processing only) not to be exceeded by the different boards, regardless of Quality of Service.
The overload control mechanism acts to keep the mean Call Processing CPU occupancy due
to the traffic below this limit.
The remaining x% is reserved for other processes required for OAM signaling and internal
processes. The following set of CPU Call Processing limit is based on field experience and
lab performance reports.
BSC2G Board
CPU call processing limits
MPU & BFIP
70 %
SICD
70 %
BSCB
70 %
OMU - SUP- SWC
100 %
The monitored average TMU1-SBC processor load should keep below 70%.
The monitored average TMU1-PMC processor load should keep below 85%.
The monitored average TMU2-SBC processor load should keep below 80%.
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6.30. POWER CONTROL COMPENSATION IN INTERZONE

HANDOVER
This chapter deals with the theoretical behaviour of the power control during interzone
handovers for the 3 concerned cell types (concentric cell, dualcoupling cell, dualband cell) and
for each Power Control algorithm (step by step, one shot).
For this study, 3 phases are defined:
Phase 1: the MS is handled by a TDMA belonging to the band0/outerzone and the

TX power is stable
Phase 2: the MS is handed over toward a TDMA belonging to the
band1/innerzone; the power control is not running
Phase 3: the power control is started and the power becomes stable
6.30.1 DUALBAND CELL

STEP BY STEP ALGORITHM
In this example, we suppose that BS transceivers have the same maximum power in each
band. The studied case is the RxLev_DL but the RxLev_UL is similar.
interZone handover
RxLev DL
biZonePowerOffset
SACCH
BS Pwr Att
SACCH
Band 0
Band 1
There is no power compensation during the handover: the initial power after a handover
doesnt take into account the difference of radio propagation between the two bands. So, there
is a signal drop (approximately biZonePowerOffset).
However the condition on level for the Interzone handover ensures that the signal drop has no
effect.
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The Step by step algorithm keeps the RxLev_DL in the interval L_RXLEV_DL_P,
U_RXLEV_DL_P. Thus the attenuation on BS power decreases in order to compensate the
signal drop.
CONCLUSION
The Step by step algorithm compensates the signal drop.
Note: If the initial attenuation (in level) after the handover is less than biZonePowerOffset, the
definitive power compensation is reduced.
ONE SHOT ALGORITHM

ONE SHOT APPLIED TO THE BS POWER
The BS transceivers have the same maximum power in each band.
DL_TxPwr_BandX dB are attenuations resulting from the one shot algorithm.
Interzone handover toward Band1: there is no power compensation on the HO, e.g. the initial
power after a handover doesnt take into account the difference of radio propagation between
the two bands. So, there is a signal drop (approximately biZonePowerOffset).
Band1 after the Power control:
RxLev DL_Band1 = RxLev DL _Band0 - biZonePowerOffset + K_DL *
Bizone_power_offset / VAL_PWRLEV_TO_DB
(with VAL_PWRLEV_TO_DB = 2)
Note: if the DL_TxPwr_Band0 (dB) is lower than K_DL * biZonePowerOffset, the power
compensation is reduced.
Example:
Bizone_power_offset = 3 level (6 dB)
Bad quality without frequency hopping: K_DL = 0.5, RxLev DL_Band1 - RxLev
DL_Band0 = -3 + 0.5*3/2 = -3 level (-6 dB)
Good quality with frequency hopping: K_DL = 0.9, RxLev DL_Band1 - RxLev
DL_Band0 = -3 + 0.9*3/2 = -1 level (-2 dB)
ONE SHOT APPLIED TO THE MS POWER

There is an MS transceiver maximum output power for each band:
Pm0 (max transmitting MS power in band0) depends on the MS_classmark in

Band0 and on the network parameter MS_TXPWR_MAX.
Pm1 (max transmitting MS power in band1) depends on the MS_classmark in
Band1 and on the network parameter MS_TXPWR_MAX_BAND1.
DPMS = Pm0 - Pm1.

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UL_TxPwr_BandX dBm are absolute powers resulting from one shot algorithm.
There is no power compensation on the HO: the initial power after a handover doesnt take
into account the difference of radio propagation between the two bands. So, there is a signal
drop (approximately biZonePowerOffset).
Band1 after the Power control:
RxLev UL_Band1 = RxLev UL _Band0 - biZonePowerOffset + (K_UL *
biZonePowerOffset - (1-K_UL) * DPMS ) / VAL_PWRLEV_TO_DB
(with VAL_PWRLEV_TO_DB = 2)
Example:
Bizone_power_offset = 3 level (6 dB)
DPMS = 3 dB
Bad quality without frequency hopping: K_UL = 0.5, RxLev UL_Band1 RxLevUL_Band0 = -3 + (0.5*3 - 0.5*3) / 2 = -3 level (-6 dB)
Good quality with frequency hopping: K_UL = 0.9, RxLev UL_Band1 RxLevUL_Band0 = -3 + (0.9*3 - 0.1*3) / 2 = -2 level (-4 dB)
CONCLUSION
The definitive power compensation with the One shot algorithm is reduced especially when the
frequency hopping is not used. However the condition on level for the Interzone handover
ensures that the compensation is not indispensable.
In comparable conditions, the difference of level (resulting from the Power control) between
the two bands of a Dual Band cell always exist. It is not tied to the handover example.
6.30.2 CONCENTRIC CELL

ONE SHOT ALGORITHM
The BSC knows the BS maximum output TX power in each zone, so the attenuation is
compensated during an Interzone handover.
RxLev DL_Zone1 = RxLev DL _Zone0 - (1-K_DL )*DP BS ) /VAL_PWRLEV_TO_DB
RxLev UL_Zone1 = RxLev UL _Zone0 (with VAL_PWRLEV_TO_DB = 2)
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Example: DPBS = 15dB
Bad quality without frequency hopping: K_DL = 0.5, RxLev DL_Zone1 - RxLev
DL_Zone0 = - 0.5*15/2 = -3.7 level (-6 dB)
Good quality with frequency hopping: K_DL = 0.9, RxLev DL_Zone1 - RxLev
DL_Zone0 = - 0.1*15/2 = -0.7 level (-0 dB)
6.30.3 DUALCOUPLING CELL

ONE SHOT ALGORITHM
The BS maximum output TX power is the same in each zone (DP BS ), but the difference
comes from different coupling losses (downlink) which have the same effect than a difference
of radio propagation.
The power is not compensated during an Interzone handover. The Power control result is
nearly the same in the two zones.
RxLev DL_Zone1 = RxLev DL _Zone0 - Bizone_power_offset + K DL *
Bizone_power_offset / VAL_PWRLEV_TO_DB
RxLev UL_Zone1 = RxLev UL _Zone0 (with VAL_PWRLEV_TO_DB = 2)
Example:
Coupling D (loss about1dB) and H2D (loss about 4dB)
Bizone_power_offset = 3dB = 1.5 level
Bad quality without frequency hopping: K_DL = 0.5, RxLev DL_Zone1 - RxLev
DL_Zone0 = - 1.5 + 0.5*1.5/2 = -1.1 level (-2 dB)
Good quality with frequency hopping: K_DL = 0.9, RxLev DL_Zone1 - RxLev
DL_Zone0 = - 1.5 + 0.9*1.5/2 = -0.8 level (-0 dB)
The One shot associated with Dual coupling cells has a good behavior.
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6.31. GSM PAGING REPETITION PROCESS TUNING

The paging repetition process is designed to improve the paging answering performances of a
network (repetition normally take place at a LAC level). Paging messages broadcasted to
locate a mobile are systematically repeated in order to maximize the probability of answering,
and the repetition is performed eventhough the mobile answers from the first paging message.
This repetition depends on some parameters but also the configuration of the cells
broadcasting the paging messages.
The paging repetition process can be tuned to avoid in specific cases repeating too much
paging messages and thus decrease the number of paging messages queued or discarded.
6.31.1 PAGING PARAMETERS

BSS PARAMETERS
On the BSS side many parameters have an influence on the paging and the paging repetition
process:
noOfBlocksForAccessGrant: it defines the number of blocks reserved to transmit

Immediate Assignment messages among the PCH-AGCH blocks of a multiframe.
It should be set to 0 if no SMS-CB is activated or in case of SMS-CB with
combined BCCH, and set to 1 if SMS-CB is activated without combined BCCH.
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging: it defines the periodicity of a paging group
occurrence (paging group A for instance). The unit is the multiframe, and it should
be set to 6 in rural environments and to 2 or 4 in urban environments.
nbOfRepeat: defines the number of times a paging message will be repeated by
the BTS. By setting this parameter to 3 one ensure to maximize the probability of
paging answering even in bad radio conditions.
delayBetweenRetrans: defines the number of occurrences between 2 repetitions
of the same paging group. It should be set to 0 in order to avoid double allocation.
retransDuration: defines the maximum time allocated to broadcast a paging
message. It should be set according to the following inequality retransDuration
(delayBetweenRetrans + 1) X nbOfRepeat.
The combination of these parameters allow to delay or speed up the broadcasting for a group
of mobile and maximize the probability of reception of a paging message, but also to decrease
the number of re-emission of paging messages if the radio conditions allow it.
NSS PARAMETERS
On the NSS side, only one parameter may be taken into account, GSM_PAGING_RETRY
which allows to repeat the Paging Command message on the A interface.
It is possible to choose between paging repetition at a BSS or a NSS level: one can prefer
NSS paging repetition or be dependent on an other vendor NSS paging repetition. In this case
BSS paging repetition parameters should be set accordingly.
NSS repetition can bring some improvements, as described in chapter Field examples: NSS
paging repetition tuning.
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TDMA CONFIGURATION
Depending on if the CCCH is combined or not on the cell, the number of frames dedicated to
the paging are different: it goes from 3 CCCH occurrences in the combined case to 9
occurences. The TDMA configuration can drastically reduce the number of free channels
available for paging messages and thus should be taken into account for the number of
repetition.
See also chapter Consequences of the TDMA Model.
6.31.2 FIELD EXAMPLES: BSS PAGING REPETITION TUNING

The optimal way to optimize the number of repetition on a network (BSS side) is to proceed to
a step by step analysis of the number of paging messages successfully sent at the first
attempt, successfully sent at the following attempts, and all the paging messages discarded.
LAC
Traffic (Erl)
Page now
Page 1w
Page 2w
Page more
Paging discarded
10000
305
8011
132
422
17500
401
12550
91
18000
500
17625
437
7205
18100
441
16397
358
1182
18500
422
16118
174
1364
With this example we can see that 3 LACs show a large number of discarded paging
messages. At this step we can not determine if those discarded messages have been
successfully sent previously or not (the repetition take place eventhough the mobile already
answer).
The first step will be to audit the type of the BTS and the TDMA configuration. In case the
CCCH is combined to the BCCH, a reconfiguration should be plan.
Then the number of repetition on the NSS side should be taken into account, and set to 0 if it
is not the case (in this particular case the GSM_PAGING_RETRY was already set to 0)
Finally the BSS parameters could be checked and compared to the recommended values (and
especially the noOfMultiframeBetweenPaging that depends on the environment), before trying
to tune the nbOfRepeat, and the retransDuration.
If good radio conditions are met on the cell, one could try to decrease the nbOfRepeat very
cautiously, and subsequently the retransDuration which is correlated.
Parameter
Septembers value
Januarys value
1&5
nbOfRepeat
retransDuration
10
delayBetweenRetrans
The number of repetition has been set to 0, and the restransmission duration down to 3. Other
parameters were still at recommended value.
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In that particular case, the decrease was done because good radio conditions were met. We
can observe a very good improvement on the number of paging messages discarded, without
affecting the QoS (traffic and paging success).
Traffic (Erl)
Sum of Page now
Page 1w
Page 2w
Page more
Paging discarded
10000
LAC
337
1808577
1671
10200
246
990583
1693
14
17500
469
2378638
3463
14
18000
396
1265792
6449
87
18100
392
3605562
37715
278
18200
634
3270930
25417
384
17
18500
399
1711766
1837
From a BSS tuning point of view, the nbOfRepeat has a major influence on the paging queue.
Modifying this parameter is a good way to optimize the number of paging messages, as long
as good radio conditions are met.
6.31.3 FIELD EXAMPLES: NSS PAGING REPETITION TUNING

1800
1.60%
Action 1
1600
Action 2
1400
1.40%
1.20%
1200
1.00%
1000
0.80%
800
0.60%
600
3/
3/
3/
8
3/
9
3/
10
3/
System Call Drop

Rate(Include C1164/17)
3/
3/
2/
2/
2/
0.00%
3/
0
28
0.20%
3/
200
27
0.40%
26
400
Call Drop(Include C1164/17)
That field example shows the good impact of NSS Timers tuning on the Call Drop ratio.
Action 1 corresponds to a reduction of timers T305 and T308 from 30 to 1second and Action 2
corresponds to a reduction of timer T102 from 5 to 30 seconds.
(T305: started when a DISCONNECT message without progress indication is sent and
stopped when the network has received a RELEASE or DISCONNECT message; T308:
started when a RELEASE message is sent and stopped when the network has received a
RELEASE_COMPLETE or a RELEASE message; T102: used by MSCA when a
HANDOVER_COMMAND message is sent and stopped when a HANDOVER_COMPLETE
message is received)
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6.32. AMR FIELD FEEDBACK

AMR is the new feature introduced in release v14.3 in order to:
Increase voice quality in degraded radio conditions,

Increase radio capacity due to robustness of Full Rate AMR and introduction of
Half Rate channels.
The principle of this feature is described in chapter AMR - ADAPTATIVE MULTI RATE FR/HR,
and this chapter try to quantify the gain of AMR regarding the two objectives listed above.
Note: most of the findings in terms of monitoring and feature optimization are based on the
experience gained during the VO activity and the rollout phase that followed. As the Legacy
L1m was activated for most of these testings, we recommend and support today the AMR
feature with this L1m algorithm enabled.
6.32.1 NSS INTERACTION

MULTIPLE VOCODER AT MSC SIDE
Field tests have raised in some cases an issue on handovers from one channel type to
another channel type.
This issue was due to a MSC parameter belonging to OFCVAR table :
multiple_vocoder_support. This parameter was positioned on on_no_changes and that
prevented the MSC to be able to change the channel type if the target cell of another BSC did
not support the channel mode of the originating cell.
This behavior was fixed by setting multiple_vocoder_support to "on_with_changes" thus
handovers from AMR HR channels could go to EFR.
CHOSEN CHANNEL BETWEEN MSC AND BSS

Another issue was raised concerning the following parameters located on the signallingPoint
object of the BSS that have to be set to TRUE:
chosenChannelAsscomp
chosenChannelHoReq
chosenChannelHoPerf
Indeed, the GSM specifications (3GPP TS 48.008) precise that the chosen channel shall be
included in the message between the BSS and the MSC (ASSIGNEMENT COMPLETE,
HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOLEDGE, HANDOVER PERFORMED) at least when the
channel rate/type choice was done by the BSS.
Issues have been noticed on the field with other vendor Core network when those parameters
are not properly set, in this case in particular it was impossible to establish half rate calls.
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6.32.2 AMR THEORETICAL PERFORMANCES

The following figures show theoretical AMR FR and HR performances vs. EFR. They are
usually expressed in terms of MOS or DMOS vs. C/I. A new voice quality indicator has been
defined, the TEPMOS, which is recommended for AMR calls.
VOICE QUALITY INDICATORS

MOS and DMOS
MOS or DMOS are subjective notes given by people who compare the quality of the original
(ACR tests) or a reference signal (DCR tests) and the signal at the output of the coder.
MOS and DMOS are always a value between 1 and 5: a value equal to 1 means that the
listening is unintelligible and a value equal to 5 means that the two signals are the same
(which is never the case). One estimate that a value higher than 4 corresponds to an excellent
voice quality. A good quality corresponds to a MOS higher than 3.5 and a fair quality is higher
than 3-3.2.
TEPMOS
TEPMOS stands for theoretical extrapolated PMOS. It is theoretical because it is based on
simulations in order to translate FER to PMOS values. It is extrapolated, because TEPMOS
weight usage of each one of different AMR codecs PMOS in order to establish AMR
TEPMOS.
AMR FULL RATE

The figure below shows the performances recorded for the best AMR Full Rate codec mode
for each C/I, with the corresponding performance of EFR (and also FR in car noise conditions)
and the related AMR performance requirement (curve Sel. Requir.)
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The figure shows that the combination of all 8 AMR FR codec modes allows to:
provide a robust quality down to 4 dB C/I in Clean Speech, which means up to 6

dB improvement compared to EFR,
provide a robust quality down to 4 dB C/I in Background Noise, which means also
significant improvement compared to EFR and GSM FR.
In other terms also, capacity can be increased by operating a tighter frequency reuse pattern
or by operating a higher fractional load, which is equivalent in the two cases to a higher
number of Erl/km2/frequency.
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AMR HALF RATE

Here one compares the performances recorded for the best AMR Half Rate codec mode for
each C/I, with the corresponding performance of EFR, GSM FR and HR speech codecs and
the related AMR performance requirement (curve Sel.Requir.)
This figure shows that the combination of all 6 AMR HR codec modes allows to:
provide a good quality down to 16 dB C/I in Clean Speech, always significantly

better than the GSM FR and GSM HR,
provide good performances in Background Noise down to 16-13 dB C/I, equivalent
to GSM FR otherwise.
It means that AMR HR offers the possibility to have in good radio conditions a capacity
increase in term of Erlang (two users can be mapped on the same TS instead of one) keeping
comparable quality of a FR speech.
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QUALITY PERCEPTION SYNTHESIS

The above graph shows the different AMR FR codec performances taken individually in terms
of PMOS for a given propagation profile (TU3iFH). The AMR Link Adaptation principle will
consist in choosing according to the radio conditions (C/I measured) the appropriate codec in
order to provide the best PMOS quality. The below graph provides a simplified view of the
voice quality perception (Excellent to Bad quality) between the EFR (12k2 fixed codec) with
the AMR FR and AMR HR Link adaptation.
C/I
16 dB
13 dB
3 (0.8%<BER<1.6%)
RxQual
4 (1.6%<BER<3.2%) 5 (3.2%<BER<6.4%)
Excellent
EFR Quality
7 dB
10 dB
Good
6 (6.4%<BER<12.8%)
Fair
Excellent
FR-AMR (LA) Quality
Excellent
HR-AMR (LA) Quality
Good
Good
4 dB
Fair
1 dB
7 (BER>12.8%)
Poor to Bad
Fair
Poor to Bad
Poor to Bad
SACCH FER
1%
3%
20%
50%
FACCH FER
1%
3%
20%
50%
It is interesting to see that:
down to the limit of acceptable SACCH/FACCH BLER (20%), HR and EFR

provide the same level of voice quality (Poor to Bad), slightly better though for
EFR. This has driven us in our recommendation of maximizing HR penetration in
areas where RLT is not the limiting factor
above the 20% of SACCH/FACCH BLER, voice quality for AMR-FR is still fair
which may lead to potential drop calls while the speech is still fair from a user
perspective. This has driven in our recommendation to extend the radio link
timeout timer in order to compensate somehow the user behavior in places where
the coverage or low C/I are the limiting factors
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6.32.3 AMR ENGINEERING STUDIES

DEFINITIONS
ENGINEERING TESTS CHARACTERISTICS
DL results are only presented

DL collected traces are given by two TEMS T62u mobiles which are ran in parallel,
one set to AMR mode and the other to EFR mode connected to same PC
Both mobile were connected to same and external antenna
All engineering tests presented in this document were done at night during
maintenance window
2 hours tests were done in order to collect maximum samples as possible in a
wide range of radio conditions
Cells were bared to avoid having other users than test mobiles in victim cell
Both incoming and outgoing HO for EFR and AMR calls were disabled
DTX was de-activated
A VQ server was called and used as a speech player with a continuous
sequence of speech for DL measurements
Different adaptation codec tables were used to compare adaptation thresholds on
performances
ADAPTATION CODEC SET TABLE

The link adaptation consists in adapting the best codec to speech frames according to the
link quality estimated by both entities. Each codec mode, whether used in Uplink or Downlink,
and whether used for FR or for HR channel, corresponds to one couple of threshold and
hysteresis. The value for these couples depends also on a set of factors: MS speed, FH or no
FH, propagation profile. Finally, all these parameters associated to the choice of the codecs
are compiled into a table called amrAdaptationSet table. It is composed of 4 subtables each
dedicated to a combination of channel type and link direction. In order to optimize the
adaptation, NORTEL has implemented 3 sets of pre-defined tables (optimistic, pessimistic and
typical
settings)
plus
one
set
of
tables
which
is
user-defined.
The
parametersamrDlFrAdaptationSet,
amrDlHrAdaptationSet,
amrUlFrAdaptationSet,
amrUlHrAdaptationSet allow the operator to define an amrAdaptationSet table independently
for FR and HR mode and for DL and UL. Moreover, this allows more flexibility in the
amrAdaptationSet table management since updating the optimized tables requires a change in
the Bsc Data Config.
LCAUTION! Please note that all values expressed in the tables hereunder are in dB.
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TYPICAL TABLE (not modifiable)
5k9 to 4k75
6k7 to 5k9
FR thresholds
10k2 to 6k7
12k2 to 10k2
FR hysteresis
5k9 to 4k75
7k4 to 6k7
HR hysteresis
slow MS no FH
8
10
12,5
17,5
2,5
12,5
14
19
3,5
downlink
uplink
fast MS ideal FH
SFH 900
< 4 FH
no FH
(>= 4 freq)
TU3
2,5
3,5
2,5
4
4
5
4
5,5
6,5
7,5
6,5
7,5
12,5
12,5
12,5
13,5
1,5
2
1,5
2
10
10,5
10
11
12
12,5
12
12,5
17
17,5
17
16,5
2
2
2
3
OPTIMISTIC TABLE (not modifiable)
5k9 to 4k75
6k7 to 5k9
FR thresholds
10k2 to 6k7
12k2 to 10k2
FR hysteresis
5k9 to 4k75
7k4 to 6k7
HR hysteresis
slow MS no FH
5,5
6,5
10
15
3,5
9,5
10,5
15,5
3,5
uplink
downlink
fast MS ideal FH
SFH 900
< 4 FH
no FH
(>= 4 freq)
TU3
2
2,5
2
4
3,5
4
3,5
4,5
5,5
6,5
5,5
7
12
11,5
12
12
1,5
2
1,5
2
8,5
9
8,5
10,5
10,5
10,5
10,5
12
15,5
15,5
15,5
17
3
3
3
2
PESSIMISTIC TABLE (not modifiable)
5k9 to 4k75
6k7 to 5k9
FR thresholds
10k2 to 6k7
12k2 to 10k2
FR hysteresis
5k9 to 4k75
7k4 to 6k7
HR hysteresis
slow MS no FH
11
12,5
16
20,5
3
14,5
15
19
4,5
uplink
downlink
fast MS ideal FH
SFH 900
< 4 FH
no FH
(>= 4 freq)
TU3
6
7
6
5
6,5
8
6,5
6
9,5
11
9,5
8,5
14
16
14
13,5
2
2
2
3
13
13,5
13
12,5
13,5
14
13,5
13
18,5
19
18,5
18
2,5
2,5
2,5
3
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AMR OPTIMIZED TABLE (customized)
5k9 to 4k75
6k7 to 5k9
FR thresholds
10k2 to 6k7
12k2 to 10k2
FR hysteresis
5k9 to 4k75
7k4 to 6k7
HR hysteresis
slow MS no FH
5,5
6,5
10
19,5
1,5
12,5
14
18
2
downlink
uplink
fast MS ideal FH
SFH 900
< 4 FH
no FH
(>= 4 freq)
TU3
2
2,5
2
4
3,5
4
3,5
4,5
5,5
6,5
5,5
7
14
16
14
17,5
1,5
2
1,5
2
10
10,5
10
12,5
13,5
14
13,5
17
18,5
19
18,5
19
2,5
2,5
3
3
AMR 10k2 ONLY TABLE (customized)
5k9 to 4k75
6k7 to 5k9
FR thresholds
10k2 to 6k7
12k2 to 10k2
FR hysteresis
5k9 to 4k75
7k4 to 6k7
HR hysteresis
slow MS no FH
0
0
0
19,5
0
12,5
14
18
2
downlink
uplink
fast MS ideal FH
SFH 900
< 4 FH
no FH
(>= 4 freq)
TU3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
14
16
14
17,5
0
0
0
0
10
10,5
10
12,5
13,5
14
13,5
17
18,5
19
18,5
19
2,5
2,5
2,5
3
LCAUTION!
In the case of the customized tables defined via the BSC Data config, values are to be entered
in dB. For example the threshold to switch from a 12k2 codec to a 10k2 codec in the case of
a slow MS non hopping in the table above should be 39 in the BSC Data config to express a
C/I of 19,5 dB.
RATSCCH CODING SPECIFICITY

When an Assignment Command or a Handover Command message is sent from the BSC to
the BTS in order to provide all AMR L1m and codec mode adaptation informations the
hysteresis described in the adaptation codec table is coded on 4 bits, hence can take values
from [0 to 7.5] dB with steps of 0.5 dB.
Now when the Active Codec Set has to be modified via a RATSCCH message, the coding of
that hysteresis becomes:
Bit
Value
34 32
001
31
30
29 28
27 20
ICM
ACS
19 18
HYSTc
17 12
11 6
50
THRESH3
THRESH2
THRESH1
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One can see that in this case the hysteresis is coded only on 2 bits (as recommended by the
GSM Rec 05.09) thus can only take 4 different values, that are:
Set value at the OMC-R
Coded value in the RATSCCH
Corresponding value
0 / 0,5 / 1 / 1,5
00
1 dB
2 / 2,5
01
2 dB
3 / 3,5
10
3 dB
4 / more than 4
11
4 dB
Please note that this case is only applicable in downlink AND for a change of Active Codec
Set via a RATSCCH message (refer to RATSCCH management).
Consequently, if one wants to use the customized values in the amrAdaptationSet table
(parameter amrXXYYAdaptationSet = 3) it is recommended to set cunningly the related
downlink hysteresis in the customized AMR adaptation table,that is to say in order to respect
the only 4 values that hysteresis can take via a RATSCCH message.
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AMR VERSUS EFR

AMR FR VS EFR IN BCCH LAYER IN INTERFERENCE LIMITED
ENVIRONMENT
The purpose of this test was to characterize AMR performances in a degraded radio
environment to show AMR codec performance on the BCCH layer, but it also included
comparative results with EFR performance with different adaptation sets.
Same BCCH frequency was set for 2 neighboring cells in order to create interference to the
victim cell, and the Pessimistic default table has been compared with a customized table
proposed by the operator.
Observations:
AMR gain is critically dependant on voice quality target. A trade-off capacity-voice

quality is found. The lower the voice quality target, the higher is capacity increase
available. This capacity increase could be obtained by increasing network
frequency load.
In very good radio conditions, e.g. more than 14 dB, lower codecs present worse
performances than 10k2 FR
Adapting to lower codecs in a higher C/I tends to slightly decrease voice quality
but going faster to lower codec in bad radio conditions improve the voice quality
performance in bad radio conditions.
Note: higher gain is found in AMR in frequency hopping layer than in non-hopping BCCH
layer, and frequency diversity adds an extra gain to lower codec robustness.
AMR HR VS EFR IN BCCH LAYER IN INTERFERENCE LIMITED

ENVIRONMENT
The purpose of this test was to evaluate AMR HR performances and to compare them with
EFR. Calls were established in very good radio conditions and algorithms to intracell HO from
HR to FR were set impossible to be triggered (setting amrHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh
target to 4k75 AMR HR).
Observations:
Test results show how AMR HR presents a very good performance with regard to
EFR in good radio conditions. Degradation could be quantified from 3.7 to 3.5
TEPMOS which is neglected by human ear. Moreover, when radio conditions are
degraded, AMR HR performance keeps a good performance and even at 3
TEPMOS voice quality target can presents a better performance than EFR
This test shows that it would be perfectly possible, when radio conditions allow it,
to maximize AMR HR penetration and obtain interesting performance comparable
to EFR with the benefit of more resource availability thanks to HR usage.
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AMR FR VS EFR IN COVERAGE LIMITED ENVIRONMENT

The purpose of this test was to evaluate the coverage enhancement with AMR feature and to
compare its performance with EFR calls.
Radio Link TimeOut timer was extended to 64 to allow increasing coverage as much as
possible. One mobile was set in AMR FR only mode while another was logged on EFR mode
only. Calls were dragged on a coverage limited areas to the limits of the cell. Intercell
handovers were disabled to hold them in serving cell. Low ranges of RxLev signal samples
were obtained. No interferences are found since tests were done during maintenance window
and no traffic was detected at this hour.
RxLev measurements are suitable for performance comparison since no interference were
found in coverage limited environment.
Observations:
More than 3 dB coverage gain can be obtained using low AMR codecs in low
signal strengths.
EXECUTIVE RESULTS
In summary of these tests:
there is definitely a trade-off between AMR gain versus voice quality. This will be
up to the operator to define it
PMOS target for voice quality impacts critically AMR gain
Adaptation codec set table impacts voice quality and AMR gain
Low codec usage in good radio condition degrades voice quality
AMR FR could achieve a gain of 3-3.5 dB on BCCH layer
AMR FR could achieve a gain of 3.5-4 dB on frequency hopping layer
AMR FR could achieve a gain of 3-4 dB on coverage could be obtained
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AMR HR presents a comparable voice quality compared to EFR
6.32.4 HALF RATE PENETRATION ANALYSIS

AMR penetration is a trade-off between quality target for HR users and capacity required. The
more voice quality the operator is ready to sacrifice, i.e. the lower the C/I thresholds is set to
handover from HR to FR, the more HR capacity would be.
HR penetration depends on different AMR HR related parameters: adaptation table, HR to FR
codec target and HR direct allocation.
HALF RATE DIRECT ALLOCATION

Even if intracell handover from FR to HR and from HR to FR are found to be efficient, it is
important to avoid doing more intracell handovers than necessary. This is why it is important to
set HR direct allocation RxLev target to the correct figure to avoid that a call in very good radio
conditions is allocated in FR since it will be sent to HR immediately after because of radio
conditions.
In order to set these parameters in UL and in DL (amrDirectAllocRxLevUL,
amrDirectAllocRxLevDL), a Call Path Trace analysis could be done based on the distribution
of the amrHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh vs. RxLev, bearing in mind also that codec requests
depends also on the table that is being used.
HALF RATE SETTINGS

AMR adaptation tables are the main/critical parameter to define HR penetration.
Adaptation table thresholds define radio condition where adaptation from AMR FR to AMR HR
and AMR HR to AMR FR occurs. Optimistic table defines low C/I (degraded radio conditions)
in order to handover from HR to FR and also a low target to handover from AMR FR to HR.
Thus, HR penetration is favored. When pessimistic tables are set, C/I to handover from HR to
FR are high, so quickly after radio is degraded, FR is requested.
AMR adaptation table and HR to FR intracell handover target are highly related since once
both parameters are defined, a target C/I is established and thus, radio conditions where HR is
used are set, e.g. in DL, it is the same to set a pessimistic table with a HR to FR target to 5k9
than a typical table with a target 6k7.
Two main parameters are related to HR to FR handover: Adaptation table and
amrHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh while main parameter for FR to HR is the adaptation table:
Parameters like n and p from the (n,p) voting algorithm are found to have a limited
impact on intracell HO ratio. In order to maximize overlap, it is recommended to
set nCapacityFRRequestedCodec to 100% of P and nHRRequestedCodec to 50%
of pRequestedCodec
The intracell codec target for HO from FR to HR is hardcoded and set to 12k2 FR
codec. Therefore, this threshold is fully defined by the choice of adaptation table.
It is important to check that thresholds for intracell HO HR to FR and FR to HR are correctly

set in order to avoid ping-pong handover. It should be check that C/I threshold to adapt from
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HR to FR is lower than FR to HR and a good overlapped zone is found in order to avoid ping
pong intracell HO due to wrong parameter settings.
The figure below is a typical example of a correct setting to guarantee a good overlap for DL
intracell handover:
HR to FR
FR to HR
6k7 HR
17 dB C/I
12k2 FR
20,5 dB C/I
BS
As AMR HR penetration is a trade-off between radio conditions and voice quality, it is highly
dependent on environment since if high interference is found, penetration is only obtained if
voice quality is highly jeopardized. Handovering to FR mode too early because parameter are
too constraining would provide benefit of HR capacity. On the other hand, handovering to FR
mode too late jeopardizes user voice quality as lower codecs might be used too long in lower
C/I ranges.
Using pessimistic table threshold and 7,4 HR as amrHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh, intracell
HO HR to FR is done as soon as possible when radio conditions starts to be degraded.
Normally this case brings a low HR penetration, around 20 to 25% HR penetration (highly
dependent on radio/environment conditions). Increase of HR penetration is obtained setting a
lower codec for HR to FR intracell handover (30 to 35% HR penetration can be expected). A
more aggressive strategy is to change adaptation set to more optimistic thresholds which
would bring a higher HR penetration (50 to 55% HR penetration can be expected).
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HALF RATE MAXIMIZATION ANALYSIS

Considering the graph of speech MOS vs C/I, one can see that AMR-HR with link adaptation
is in theory slightly worse than EFR. AMR-HR provides fair quality down to 9dB while EFR can
go down to 7 dB for the same quality. But both, AMR-HR and EFR are quite poor below 7dB
while FACCH and SACCH performance are in a range where the BLER is not very good but
still can be handled. This would show that an AMR-HR and EFR user would have roughly the
same behavior at cell edge, either will drop or will attempt to release the calls as the quality
will degrade.
In urban area, where the limiting factor is not necessarily the coverage but the C/I, it has been
tested to maximize the HR penetration in order to analyze the drop performance.
From a drop performance perspective, AMR FR only has degraded the statistics;
but introducing the link adaptation using the full-set of lower codecs did for sure
bring a improvement in terms of voice quality. As soon as HR has been activated
with a setting maximizing its penetration to a level of 80%, the drop indicator did
go downward to a level similar to what it was before.
From a voice quality perspective, there has been no real improvement here as the
objective was to lower down the drop rate.
From a blocking view, HR maximized did improve the blocking rate for call
initiation and handovers.
Maximizing HR in the urban area could definitely reduced the drop performance to the level it
was in EFR only and brought big improvement in terms of resource availability related to traffic
mobility
In order to maximize that HR penetration, one can either:
Reduce at maximum the level for the direct allocation in HR

favor FR to HR intra cell handover by setting nFRRequestedCodec to 1
avoid HR to FR intracell handover by setting amrHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh
to 4k75
Of course, these settings are not standard and the maximization of HR could be loosen by
changing these parameters along with the intracell ping-pong protection Concerning the
adaptation table, it is recommended to use the customized one as HR becomes poor very
quickly for low C/I lower.
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6.32.5 AMR USER BEHAVIOUR EFFECT

AMR has been implemented to give a better voice quality robustness against radio condition
degradation via lower codec usage. Thus, when radio is degraded voice quality is still
acceptable for human perception.
On the other hand, signaling channels have traditionally given better performance than voice
channels since they are transmitted in a more robust channel and because retransmission are
allowed. Erroneous packets are more critical for voice quality degradation than signaling,
which can be retransmitted a certain time until call is released before it is considered lost, i.e.
via RLT counter.
Signaling has been found to be, in some specific cases, more constraining than AMR low
codecs. This means that in some cases, while signaling is not correctly received and thus RLT
counter is decreasing due to radio conditions, AMR low codecs are able to still give a fair voice
quality. This effect impacts critically GSM networks KPI since user behavior becomes key
factor. In the same radio degraded condition where signaling is not correctly received (or even
before for EFR user!), an EFR user would realize its voice quality becoming poor, hangs up,
release the call. This release would be pegged as a normal clearing of call from a counter
perspective. On the other hand, AMR users do not realize of this radio condition degradation
since AMR low codecs allow a fair voice quality at low C/I. AMR user drags the communication
until RLT counter reaches 0 or when it tries to hang up, one of the links is lost. This effect has
been found to increase call drop ratio from GSM networks.
Good Radio Conditions
AMR
EFR
EFR
AMR
Very Good
Voice Quality
Very Good
Voice Quality
Very Bad Radio Conditions
EFR
AMR
Good Voice Quality
Signalling Channels
Traffic Channels
Bad Voice Quality

User Hangs Up
Correct Released call
No Call Drop
Signalling channels risks to be lost

User keeps talking since VQ is good
Call drop is increased
LCAUTION!
Thus, from a counter perspective, this kind of tricky situation is seen as a dropped call in AMR,
while it is being pegged as a normal clearing for a EFR user.
This problem is intrinsic to AMR standards. While waiting for AMR standard to be improved,
one of the work-around is to increase radioLinkTimeout which maximize probability to recover
radio conditions without degradation of AMR user perception or leave enough time to clear
properly the call when it starts to be very poor in terms of voice quality.
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T200 with RLT drops have found to be related. It can happen that a user which realizes radio
condition has been degraded tries to hang up when one of the links is lost. This will provoke
that network start its procedure to release the call but it is never correctly released since one
of the links messages are never correctly released. Thus, T200 drops are pegged. It has been
found that when RLT is increased, RLT drops are decreased while T200 drops are slightly
increased.
In order to validate somehow this effect, EFR and AMR tests have been performed in
coverage limited zone. Some monitoring findings supported also that phenomena.
Two mobiles were running in parallel in a coverage limited zone. Both mobiles were running in
a car moving at 50km/h connected to a single external antenna. Without user behavior
intervention, both calls end at the same time. RLT (SACCH performance) is independent from
speech codecs, EFR and AMR call ends at the same time.
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6.32.6 VOICE QUALITY ANALYSIS

AMR improves voice quality. Figures below show FER evolution depending on speech codec.
U p lin k F E R e v o lu tio n
2 .2 5 %
2 .0 0 %
1 .7 5 %
AMR power control benefit: 0.5%
1 .5 0 %
1 .2 5 %
AMR link adaptation benefit: 0.5%
1 .0 0 %
High half rate

voice quality
0 .7 5 %
F E R U L S ta n d a rd F R
FER U L AMR FR
0 .5 0 %
FER U L AMR HR
3 1 -M a r
2 9 -M a r
2 7 -M a r
2 5 -M a r
2 3 -M a r
1 6 -M a r
1 4 -M a r
1 2 -M a r
1 0 -M a r
8 -M a r
6 -M a r
4 -M a r
2 -M a r
2 9 -F e b
2 7 -F e b
2 5 -F e b
3 -F e b
1 -F e b
3 0 -J a n
0 .0 0 %
2 8 -J a n
0 .2 5 %
AMR FR FER is significantly lower than EFR FER

EFR FER is also improved due to AMR L1m power control aggressiveness
AMR HR FER is very low since it uses robust codecs and it is used in very good
radio quality
When AMR HR is activated, AMR FR FER increases since AMR FR is used in
worst radio conditions than AMR HR
When AMR HR is activated, less interferences are found since AMR HR uses half
time radio resources and thus, EFR FER slightly improves.
USE OF TEPMOS TO ESTIMATE VOICE QUALITY IN AMR ONLY

The TEPMOS indicator has been successfully validated for AMR traffic with the proposed link
adaptation tables. The indicator provides a very good match versus the pMOS as calculated
through the standardized PESQ algorithm. The chart below shows the validation for AMR-FR
in TU3 with the typical table.
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Note that the voice degradation caused by frame losses on the terrestrial links or by the
perturbations induced during handovers is not captured by the indicator.
The TEPMOS enables to measure the impact of AMR tuning on the user perceived voice
quality in various configurations and thus to find ore optimal QoS tradeoff: choice of the
adaptation table, AMR-HR allocation triggers, AMR based on traffic, Interference
cancellation...
However with EFR, the indicator is less accurate. One reason is that the TEPMOS relies
mainly on the weighted FER per AMR codec mode. In AMR each codec mode is used in a
limited C/I range. For EFR the same encoding is used over the whole working range limiting
the accuracy. A second reason is that with EFR, class 2 bits are not protected. Thus the frame
erasure rate with EFR does not reflect the voice quality degradation occurring when a speech
frame is correct (class 1 bit OK) and some class 2 bits are erroneous. With AMR-FR however
there are no class 2 bit defined. Thus the FER or the TEPMOS reflect more accurately the
perceived voice quality with AMR.
Nortel recommends thus using the TEPMOS with EFR cautiously. Variations in EFR TEPMOS
are representative of different voice quality perception enabling comparison between cells or
TDMA with EFR traffic. However EFR and AMR TEPMOS shall not be used to compare the
voice quality between the two modes.
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6.32.7 AMR MONITORING

The purpose of this AMR monitoring section is to provide the reader with observation findings
made during the VO and onwards on different live networks.
From a tuning and optimization perspective, the AMR feature is not as straightforward as
another feature mainly because of the known limitations of the standards, some erratic mobile
issues and the dependency with the terrain and user profile.
Nevertheless, with all the efforts made on the optimization in several challenging clusters, it is
possible today to provide general guidelines for the tuning and optimization of the feature
according to the environment and customers objectives.
Most of the results and trends presented hereafter are based on the monitoring made on
different live areas. Each area having specific characteristics in terms of:
Design and engineering strategy

Spectrum available
Current traffic profile (numbers, mobility, offered services)
Field morphology
AMR mobile penetration
For these above reasons, there is no comparison and absolute trends to be considered here
when deploying AMR feature. The purpose of this section is to provide some guidelines in
terms of monitoring observation and what are the contributors of the changes that could be
observed.
The performances of the AMR feature were evaluated regarding newly dedicated counters:
TCH resource: AMR FR and HR allocation, assignment, resource usage,

connection duration
Handover: AMR FR and HR HO required, executed, completed and failures
Drops: AMR FR and HR drops per cause radio, LAPD or Others
L1M: AMR level, quality, power control, C/I
Additional counters related to AMR specific mechanisms such as the codec
distribution, FER, RATSCCH failures etc
There is also a huge set of already existing counters that are being pegged whether or not the
call is in FR, EFR or AMR. All these counters are mostly related to the allocation and the
handovers procedures. For more details on these counters, please refer to [R29].
OVERALL FINDINGS
After having successfully tested all the procedures and the specific algorithms related to the
AMR feature throughout numerous testing in lab and live, AMR have been deployed
progressively on live areas under different environments:
rural areas with low density of urbanized areas where coverage was the limiting
factor
suburban areas with spot of dense traffic and where the interference was definitely
the constraining factor
urban to dense urban areas where interference and coverage (indoor) limitations
are mainly the constraining factors. Traffic was also a important constraint.
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With the AMR activation over different clusters, it has been proven that all the usual indicators
like the resource allocation, the call establishment, the blocking were performing within
standard ranges with the exception for the call drop indicator.
Many efforts have then been deployed to address this drop call concern. Nortel has been
through the testing of different timers impact (T200, NY1, RLT, and T3103) and the changing
of some key elements in the AMR algorithm with always the objective to isolate potential
software issues. None of them did bring huge improvements in reducing the drop call
performance though but many findings were interesting and kept for future settings (TDMA
priority, timer T3103 extension, RLT extension). In parallel to these efforts, several papers
were submitted by different providers and customers to the GERAN meeting indicating
potential issues with actual AMR performance vs signaling performance, i.e. the improved
lower codec rates provide voice robustness in areas where signaling channel fails to perform
reliably (SACCH and FACCH). Call are being dropped while voice quality is still acceptable.
Beside this, we have also observed some differences between EFR and AMR mobiles in their
estimation of RxQual under severe interference and DTX situations which may, in some
cases, lead to some delays in the decision of handovers.
Even if the main driver of all the AMR monitoring activities is the drop call performance for
which the variations will depend upon the environment, the mobile penetration and the traffic
mobility, the feature has proven many benefits in terms of coverage, voice quality and
capacity.
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COVERAGE LIMITED AREAS

OBSERVATION
In this type of environment, RLT drop contribution is usually much higher because calls are
being dragged at cell edges and the overlap between neighboring sites is less important than
in urban areas. The T200 drops can be also higher than usual but in a lesser extent than the
RLT. T3103 drops are less significant than areas where the overlap is more dense since they
are directly related to users mobility.
In such rural area, RLT drops (and T200 with a less extent) represent more than 45% of the
drops while T3103 represents less than 25%. Activating AMR increase the dropped calls with
two main contributors, the RLT and the T3103.
Extend the DL RLT timer and keep the UL to its original value would lead to a reduction of the
drop contribution on RLT cause. The timer extent cannot fully compensate the robustness of
the codecs vs. SACCH performance when C/N becomes critical.
HR activation does not brig any improvement in the drop performance. In an area where the
limiting factor is the coverage and not the traffic, there is no real benefit to have HR activated
unless necessary. The excess of T3107 drops is not necessary here.
RECOMMENDATION
In coverage limited areas with low traffic (rural areas) Nortel recommend to avoid using as
much as possible the low codecs in order not to experience any user behavior effect. Usage
of the optimistic table or a customized table avoiding at least the 4k75 codec is necessary.
The DL RLT (radioLinkTimeout) should be increased subsequently to a minimum of 32
SACCH periods. To a certain extent it could be interesting to customize if possible a 10k2
only table for such environment and keep the RLT to 32 as the 10k2 is bringing a 1-2 dB
coverage gain vs EFR.
Concerning HR, one should look at the real traffic carried on a cell level to decide whether or
not capacity is required. In a general manner, HR should be disabled in such environment as it
does not bring any extra benefit. T3107 drops would then be avoided.
From a handover perspective, it is recommended to change the timer T3103 (t3103) to a value
of 9 seconds in order to offer a wider window of good completion of the procedure at cell edge
where the quality might be poorer.
INTERFERENCE LIMITED AREAS

OBSERVATION
In this kind of environment, T3103 drops are dominant; it represents more than 45% of the
drops, while RLT is around 25%. This ratio remains the same before and after AMR activation
as RLT drops can also be a consequence of T3103 increase: a handover that fails and come
back to its original channel in worst radio conditions than before may drop on RLT.
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The activation of HR in this environment does not affect the overall drop indicator. The T3107
increase is due to the substantial increase of intra cell handover that occur when HR is
activated. That activation usually show some improvement of the T3103 as some intercell HO
can occur now in better radio conditions. However, the slight improvement of the T3103 drops
is compensated by an increase of T3107 which makes the overall drop not being modified.
RECOMMENDATION
In urbanized environment, potentially facing spots of interference, it is advisable to enable the
legacy HO in order to perform HO on Quality criteria (RxQual) instead of CMR (AMR
algorithm).
For the same reasons, it is also recommended to have a window of decision for the rescue HO
short enough to react for signal degradation. It has been observed in some specific situations
and interfered areas differences in the RxQual estimation between EFR and AMR mobiles.
If the volume of handover is higher after AMR activation:
Make sure that the allocation priority threshold (allocPriorityThreshold) is well set
on the target cells
Extend the T3103 timers (t3103). Usually set to 5s, when this timer is set to 9s, it
has been observed some improvement on the HO failures
It is also advisable to make sure that TDMA priorities are well set (frAMRPriority &
hrAMRPriority). As the allocation in AMR does not take directly the level of interference in the
resource classification, a higher priority on hopping TDMA can be set for AMR allocations in
order to favor hopping layers.
In such environment, it has also been observed that increasing the HR usage may decrease
the drop rate to normal values as from a MOS perspective, HR and EFR are similar in low C/I
ranges. The gain in such conditions is not on the coverage but on the capacity.
CODEC 10K2 ONLY

OBSERVATION
With todays AMR performances and according to customer objectives, there are no real
benefits to activate AMR in rural environments (or coverage limited areas). However,
implementing the 10k2 only is a trade-off between the drop call control and the slight gain in
voice quality at cell edges.
It can be seen from a drop distribution perspective that an area is coverage limited as the RLT
contribution is much higher than T3103. Activating AMR FR would increase the drop rate in a
network where the AMR mobile penetration is very important.
By changing the AMR adaptation table in such a way to limit the codec usage to only 10k2, the
drop rate would clearly decrease. Removing totally HR improve further the drop indicator to a
value very close to the EFR period prior to the AMR activation.
It can be observed that in rural areas, running AMR with 10k2 only adaptation table and no HR
does bring down the drop ratio to a certain extent to standard level. The 10k2 codec gain of
2dB in coverage can still be obtained. The DL RLT extended to 32 SACCH or more may not in
all cases compensate the signaling weakness vs the robusteness of the 10k2 at cell edges
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RECOMMENDATION
Setting the AMR table to 10k2only usage requires customizing the table at BSC level (class1
change = planned outage).
Another solution would be to set the optimistic table or Nortel customized table that is detailed
above.
On cell basis, HR should be totally avoided unless necessary but with pessimistic settings
(see Nortel customized table)
RLT should be also kept to 32 in such configuration.
ISOLATED AREAS
OBSERVATION
AMR has been deployed in a cluster of sites totally or partially isolated one to each other.
In the particular case where AMR is deployed in a cluster of sites totally or partially isolated
one to each other, whether or not the area is urbanized and the level of traffic significant, the
majority of the drops will be on RLT as calls are being dragged away or indoor without
candidates (or very few).
If the radio constraints are more due to C/N here, RLT has to be extended to 32 in order to
compensate the robusteness.of the codecs at the border of cells, and it is better to activate an
optimistic table.
HR can be reasonably activated if necessary as the RF conditions are clean.
So in this particular case, one can observe:
The overall drop level do not change before and after AMR activation
RLT drops represent more than 40% of the drop contribution
T200 drops represent more than 22% of the drops which is probably a
consequence of the coverage lack with releases of calls made in limited radio
conditions
HR traffic penetration is close to 55%
T3107 drops are quite important
T3103 drops are low as there is no real inter-site HO. The only ones being intercell
intra site HO where overlapping should be OK.
RECOMMENDATION
As in coverage limited or rural areas, Nortel would recommend to avoid using as much as
possible the low codecs in order not to experience any user behavior effect with AMR. A
usage of the optimistic table or a customized table avoiding at least the 4.75 codec is
necessary.
The RLT in the downlink (user perception) should be increased subsequently to a minimum of
32 SACCH period.
Concerning HR, one should look at the real traffic carried on a cell level to decide whether or
not capacity is required.
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If HR is activated, a pessimistic HR table should be implemented in order to limit somehow the
HR penetration in order not to have too much T3107 contribution and keep a fair voice quality
level. If more penetration is required, there are numerous settings that could be done from the
direct allocation, to the ping-pong protection, the change of a table or the triggering of intracell
HO thresholds.
In such environment where inter-site HOs are limited, there are no real recommendations in
terms of the intercell settings. The majority of HOs will occur intra-site where normally the
overlap between cells is reasonable.
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6.33. IMPACT OF AUTOMATIC HANDOVER ADAPTATION

ACTIVATION
The Automatic Handover Adaptation feature adapts handover parameters to radio
environment of each call; taking into account mobile speed and frequency hopping with
BSCe3 (this BSS feature is available from V14.3). The objective is to minimize call drops and
bad quality transients.
The feature also has a power control adaptation mechanism in addition to the power budget
handover adaptation.
For a good understanding of this feature, please refer to the Automatic handover adaptation
chapter, or to the Functional Note TF1216 : Automatic handover adaptation ([R17])
6.33.1 RELATED PARAMETERS

All the parameters directly related to this feature are described in the Automatic Handover
Adaptation Parameters chapter, but one should also take into account the following
parameters to monitor an impact of the feature on an existing network.
Parameter
Description
selfAdaptActivation
Use for activate the Automatic Handover adaptation
servingfactorOffset
This attribute defines the offset linked to the serving cell, used to decrease the HO margin
neighDisfavorOffset
This attribute modifies the offset linked to the neighbouring cell, used to increase the HO marging
rxLevHreqave
Number of signal strength measurements performed on a serving cell, used to compute arithmetic
strength averages in handover and power control algorithms
rxNCellHreqave
Number of measurement results used in the PBGT algorithm to compute the average neighboring
signal strength
rxLevHreqaveBeg
Number of measurement reports used in short averaging algorithm on current cell for signal strength
arithmetic average
Number of measurement results used in short averaging algorithm to compute the average
neighboring signal strength
rxQualHreqave
Number of arithmetic averages taken into account to compute the weighted average bit error rate in
handover and power control algorithms. Each is calculated from rxQualHreqave bit error rate (BER)
measurements on a radio link
rxQualAveBeg
This attribute defines the number of quality measures used by the power control mechanism, in
case of hopping TS or fast MS
hoMargin
Margin to use for PBGT handovers to avoid subsequent handover, in PBGT formula
hoMarginBeg
Margin to be added to hoMargin until rxLevHreqave for short averaging algorithm in order to
compensate the lack of measurements
runHandOver
Number of Measurement Results messages that must be received before the handover algorithm in
a cell is triggered
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6.33.2 DEPLOYMENT OPTIMIZATION AND MONITORING

The expected gains when deploying Automatic Handover Adaptation feature are:
Reduce Overall RF Drops

Improve HO Drops and HO Failures
RLT drops and BER improvement due to automatic power control effects
Reduced time at max power due to better efficiency in power control
Hereunder is an example of activation of AHA that shows those improvements.
FIRST ACTIVATION
Activation parameters setting:
Parameter
Value
selfAdaptActivation
enabled
servingfactorOffset
neighDisfavorOffset
rxLevHreqave
rxNCellHreqave
rxLevHreqaveBeg
rxQualHreqave
rxQualAveBeg
hoMargin
hoMarginBeg
runHandOver
That activation has proven some good results, mainly on RF drops and Minute Of Usage, but
also on HO repartition, as shown below:
RF Drop per Erlang Evolution
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Handover Distribution
As explained in the feature description the algorithm helps in the Urban areas by making
intelligent decisions for Power Budget handovers and reducing interference by more reactive
adjustment in attenuation.
In coverage limited environment the advantage is highly mitigated. In order to capture the
benefits from the feature in the Suburban and Rural areas through reducing rescue
handovers; appropriate recommendations should be applied (see chapter Final recommended
setting).
Hereunde are the general conclusions about AHA activation:
RF MoU/Drop improvement follows more closely the reduction in drop due to

handovers. BSCs with good coverage and having interference issues definitely
showed improvement in drops.
BSCs with good ratio of hopping radios and having reduction in BER showed some
considerable improvement in RLT drops. These were areas where the UL BER
had shown consistent improvement after the feature activation
BSCs with very low ratio of hopping Sectors OR even with high ratio of hopping
sectors showed NO considerable improvement in drops if they are coverage
limited OR less RF overlap.
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FINE TUNING
FREQUENCY HOPPING CASE
The power Budget handover adaptation in the frequency hopping case ( > 3 SFH per sector)
uses servingfactorOffset to favor the server as suppose to the neighbor in two of the four
cases. So the setting of -2 for servingFactorOffset means it will actually favor the server OR
in other words disfavor the neighbor greatly. The neighDisfavorOffset is already applied at 2
dB such that the two cases where you have enough measurements of your server the
effective HOMargin (eff) will be 8 dB when you have not enough measurements in the
neighbor and 6 dB when you have enough measurements in the server as well as from the
neighbor. In the expectation of making better and more handovers decisions on PBGT in
these two case the HOMargin (eff) should be reduced by 2 dB in both these cases in order not
to disfavor the neighbor by effectively HOMargin of 6 OR 4 by tuning the
servingFactorOffset from -2 to 0.
Note: experience results presented in this part are done with 8 SFH per sector.
Handover QoS
NON FREQUENCY HOPPING CASE

The power Budget handover adaptation in the non-frequency hopping case ( < 4 SFH per
sector) does not use servingFactorOffset to favor the server as suppose to the neighbor. This
case uses the neighborDisfavorOffset and so the HOMargin (eff) remains at 6 and 4 dB for
cases with server having enough measurements. However, the other two cases where the
neighbor is disfavored when the server is not having enough measurements seems to be very
high with the intial settings; HOMargin (eff) ( 4 + 4 = 8 dB). It was recommended to change the
HOMargin (eff) by tuning hoMarginBeg from 4 dB to 2 dB to get effective margin of 6 dB.
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Handover QoS
FINAL RECOMMENDED SETTING

The table below provides the recommended setting to take advantage of AHA activation
depending on the area characteristics:
Parameter
Urban area
Suburban area
Rural area
selfAdaptActivation
enabled
enabled
enabled
servingfactorOffset
neighDisfavorOffset
rxLevHreqave
rxNCellHreqave
rxLevHreqaveBeg
rxQualHreqave
rxQualAveBeg
hoMargin
hoMarginBeg
runHandOver
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6.34. HANDOVER FOR TRAFFIC REASONS ACTIVATION

GUIDELINE
The purpose of this guideline is to define a default activation of the feature Handovers for
traffic reasons over the whole BSC. This proposal includes also the usage of the feature
Handover decision according to adjacent cell priorities and load and the default activation of
directed retry. We remind that HoTraffic must be favoured for traffic reason instead of using
the feature Directed Retry, which is a solution only for occasional cases of congestion.
For a better understanding please refer to the following Functional Notes and chapters:
[R12] Handover for traffic reasons: TF132

[R13] Handover decision according to adjacent cell priorities and load TF716
Handover decision according to adjacent cell priorities and load (from V12)
The objectives of a BSC deployment of that feature would be:
to reduce current TCH blocking wherever it happens on normal origination and

during HO phase
to anticipate unexpected TCH blocking in order to improve traffic carried on
originating and ongoing calls
to facilitate feature activation process by generalising the settings on the whole
BSC
6.34.1 ALGORITHMS AND PARAMETERS DEFINITION

As the Directed Retry handover is intended to re-direct TCH Allocation on a loaded cell to an
other cell, the traffic handovers objective is to leverage resources blocking when one cell is
overloaded by redirecting the most appropriate calls in progress to neighbour cells with a
PBGT handover procedure.
OVERLOAD CRITERION
The overload criterion is defined on a cell basis and can take two expressions according to the
operators choice :
If queuing is not activated the number of available TCHs is lower than the defined
threshold,
If queuing is activated: the number of queued TCH requests is greater than the
defined threshold.
That mechanism is decribed in the chapter Congestion determination.

When overload occurs, the BTS sends, on request from the BSC, HO indications including the
list of candidate neighbors n for which the following expression is fullfilled:
EXP2Traffic(n) = Pbgt(n) - [hoMargin(n) - hoMarginTrafficOffset(n)]
Refer also to the chapter General formulas.

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RELATED PARAMETERS
Parameter
Description
hoTraffic (bsc)
enable the traffic HO feature at BSC level
hoTraffic (bts)
enable the traffic HO feature at BTS level
level strength margin added to compute the neighbor eligibility in case of traffic HO
(refer to EXP2Traffic)
minimum number of free TCHs which triggers the beginning of the TCH congestion
phase and the beginning of the traffic overload condition
number of free TCHs which triggers the end of the TCH congestion phase and the end
of the traffic overload condition
list of couples of causes (HOInitialCause and HONonEssentialCause) to prevent

possible HO ping pong due to traffic HO
timer associated to the anti ping pong feature
offsetLoad
level strength offset added to compute the neighbor eligibility depending on its state of
congestion (refer to EXP4)
Furthermore and as described in the chapter Expected effects and recommended parameters,
queuing and directed retry parameters have to be set properly. As a reminder:
Queuing activation: please refer to chapters Queuing and TCH Allocation

Management Parameters
Directed retry: please refer to chapters Directed Retry Handover and Directed
Retry Handover Parameters
FEATURE INTERWORKING
In order to avoid blocking the originating calls on congested cells, directed retry with default
settings should be enabled, and to avoid a return from non congested to congested cell after
HO traffic activation two features should be used:
prevent ping-pong effect by applying a protection timer for all incoming

relations onto the congested cell
prevent a snow ball effect by using the load status conditions through the
usage of the offset load parameter in :
EXP4(n) = EXP2(n) [offsetLoad(n) * stateLoad(n)]
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6.34.2 EXPECTED EFFECTS AND RECOMMENDED PARAMETERS

Lets consider a cell A passing through different states of congestion and the HO interactions
in its neighborhood.
Normal phase
Overload phase
Normal phase
Cell A
Cell A
Cell A
Normal HO (PBGT, Qual, Lev, )

Traffic HO
Prevented HO on load condition
Non congested cell

Congested cell
In a normal phase incoming HO toward cell A can be alarm HO, PBGT HO, or traffic HO
coming from congested neighbor cells.
As the congestion state is reached on cell A, depending on the cell load state and the
associated parameter, some procedures are engaged to try to set back the cell to a non
congested state:
traffic HO are activated from cell A to its non congested neighbor cells, i.e. PBGT
HO with a smaller margin
traffic HO are disfavored toward congested cell thanks to Handover decision
according to adjacent cell priorities and load feature
HO toward cell A are also disfavored
When the cell A succeed in balancing the excess of traffic it reaches again a non congested
cell and the normal procedures are applicable again.
PARAMETER TUNING
As described hereabove the expected behaviour takes benefit from the Handover for traffic
reasons feature that allows to balance calls in good radio conditions toward neighbor cells via
a traffic HO, from the directed retry HO that balance TCH assignment to neighbor cells, and
from the Handover decision according to adjacent cell priorities and load feature that prevents
from oading the cell with unnecessary incoming HO.
Directed retry parameters settings are summarized in the following chapter 4.5.5 and
hoMarginTrafficOffset and offsetLoad parameters tuning is explained hereunder.
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Cell A congested
Cell B non congested
Offset load
One can observe on the above figure that using traffic HO is likely to simulate an increase in
the non congested neighbor cell coverage of hoMarginTrafficOffset dB. In order to prevent
outgoing traffic HO from A to B to come back on A an offsetLoad value equal to
hoMarginTrafficOffset is recommended. In that case any attempt of HO from traffic extended
B cell coverage to A would be discarded.
offsetLoad hoMarginTrafficOffset
Furthermore, the correct setting of the anti ping pong feature sould harden that behaviour for
the PBGT HO from B to A.
LCAUTION!
The following exceptions should be applied:
Timer protection should not be set from cells like: indoor, microcells, special
coverage, or any relation with HOmarginPBGT < 0
Offset load should not be set from cells like: indoor, microcells, special coverage,
or any relation with HOmarginPBGT < 0
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RECOMMENDED PARAMETERS
CONGESTION DETECTION
Parameter
Recommended value
10 % of potential ressources for circuit calls including preemptable PDTCH
20 % of potential ressources for circuit calls including preemptable PDTCH
Note: potential ressources for circuit calls including preemptable PDTCH cans be deduced
from the following metric
(C1700 max value (tchFrAveragedAvailableMax) - AllocPriorityThreshold)
HANDOVER FOR TRAFFIC REASONS ACTIVATION

Parameter
Recommended value
hoTraffic (bsc)
enabled
hoTraffic (bts)
enabled
6 dB
Note: HoMarginTrafficOffset should be tune such as the resulting margin should be equivalent
to the one for rescue HO. This margin can be increase case by case for cell with important
congestion. At on stage it is preferable to add capacity.
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HANDOVER DECISION ACCORDING TO ADJACENT CELL PRIORITIES

AND LOAD ACTIVATION
Parameter
Recommended value
offsetLoad
GENERAL PROTECTION AGAINST HO PINGPONG

Parameter
Recommended value
(all, PBGT)
at least 20s
DIRECTED RETRY HANDOVER ACTIVATION

Parameter
Recommended value
bts
allowed
allowed
allowed
allowed
modeModifyMandatory
used
directedRetry
- 80 dBm
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6.35. DISABLING AMR BASED ON TRAFFIC IN V15.1.1

Previously to V15.1.1, if hrCellLoadStart > 0, then HR calls can be allocated as long as the
RxLev criterion is matched.
To achieve such a behavior in V15.1.1, since AMR based on traffic is automatically activated,
it is necessary to set the parameters as following:
filteredTrafficCoefficient = 1
hrCellLoadStart = 1 (range [0 to 100])
hrCellLoadEnd = 0 (range [0 to 100])
With this values, the V15.1 like behaviour should be reached after nb_of_inService_DRX*10
seconds.
Note: the behaviour with this configuration is based on a theoretical study of the AMR based
on traffic algorithm.
To prevent HR allocation, it is necessary to set the parameters as following :
hrCellLoadStart = 0 (range [0 to 100])

amrDirectAllocRxLevUL or amrDirectAllocRxLevDL = more than -48 dBm
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6.36. NETWORK SYNCHRONIZATION ENGINEERING PLANNING

METHODOLOGIES
6.36.1 TSC PLANNING
TSC (Training Sequence Code) is a fixed bit pattern which is known by both the MS and the
BTS. It is used to train the MS in predicting and correcting the signal distortions (due to
Doppler and multipath effects) in the demodulation process.
TSC planning, i.e. BCC planning with Nortels implementation, is complementary to frequency
planning. One major drawback of synchronization is the TSC collision due to alignment of TSC
between one burst and an interferer at same frequency.
Burst synchronization between interferer (cochannel or adjacent) and victim:
Reduces the performances of the channel equalizer both in uplink and in downlink
(in average by 1 dB compared to non-synchronized TSC collision)
Decreases interference diversity gain (in average by 1 dB).
As shown in the table below, an example table, the loss of performances can reach 2.9 dB
when interferer and victim share the same TSC:
Synchronized collision on TSC 7 is dramatic for the current burst which will be certainly lost.
Traditional BCC planning, generally done with the help of automatic tools, aims at avoiding
BSIC / BCCH conflicts only, which consists in simply avoiding TSC collisions on BCCH
frequencies. Such planning generally leads to share BCC between neighbors.
If traditional non-hopping frequency reuse patterns are used and bandwidth is sufficient, the
previous BCC planning can avoid TSC collisions. Generally, in fixed frequency allocation,
neighbors never share same frequency, neither on BCCH nor TCH. So less TSC collisions will
occur. But, when frequency hopping applies, cochannel collisions occur between neighbors
depending on the HSN / MAIO allocation strategy. Consequently, the BCC planning algorithm
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must allocate TSC as a function of the cochannel interference level between cells. Doing so,
TSC collisions will still exist but will occur in less interfered locations.
TSC is defined by baseColourCode parameter, which also defines BSIC (Base Station Identity
Code).
6.36.2 COLLISION PROBABILITY

PROBABILITY OF COLLISION
METHOD OF CALCULATION
Cell x1, HSN1= 9

MAIO1= 0
FN1 = 150
MA list = 38 Freq
F24
F30
F4
F33
F25
F26
F26
F19
collision
Cell x2, HSN2= 10
MAIO2= 26
FN2 = 1450
MA list = 38 Freq
F22
F16
F22
F5
F2
F26
F37
F36
Duration : d
Probability of collision calculation

The collision probability depends on up to 8 parameters which are :
HSN1 and HSN2 : range = 63.

MAIO1 and MAIO2 : range = Nb of frequencies of MA list.
FN1 and FN2 : range = 2715647 (hyperframe).
Nb of frequencies of MA list1 and Nb of frequencies of MA list2.
The more TDMA, the more the average collision probability will tend to its limit = 1 / Nb. Freq.
It leads also to ad hoc plans limitation, for which the Collision probability is constant. No
change in the parameters of the hopping law (HSN, FN) will bring any difference to the
collision probability, for all the MAIO are used by all the TDMA (ad-hoc frequency plan implies
number of TDMA is equal to the number of hopping frequencies).
HSN / MAIO SETTING

In case of time synchronized network using frequency hopping, HSN / MAIO setting rules can
be adapted and optimized.
HSN and MAIO are used to generate a pseudo random change of MAI in the list of
frequencies to hop on at the beginning of each new radio frame.
When network is not synchronized or only clock synchronized, the beginning of each frame is
independent site per site, so the change in MAI occurs randomly. Furthermore, frame number
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being also independent site per site, the frequency finally used to carry the frame appears
randomly chosen in time, from BTS to BTS. Since, there is time synchronization inside BTS,
intelligent HSN / MAIO settings are datafilled in order to avoid cochannel and adjacent
interference inside the site.
However, when network is time synchronised, some control on timeslots number and frame
number is made available to operator. Consequently, intelligent HSN / MAIO setting is no
more limited to a BTS and the corresponding radio site, but can be applied to any couple of
cells.
HSN / MAIO planning rules can be reviewed to reduce the probability of cochannel and
adjacent interference between risky cells. Risky cells are couple of cells with potentially high
overlapping and when allocated in cochannel or adjacent, generate low C/I and C/A.
Generally, risky cells are identified thanks to interference matrix.
The benefit of such a feature will be important locally when interference coming from
neighboring cells become greater then potential interference inside a site.
FN OFFSET PLANNING
In a synchronized network without a FN Offset planning, the same types of bursts and
channels (FCH, SCH, BCCH, SDCCH, SACCH, and CCCH) will occur simultaneously on
different BTS.
Using NW synchronization and a FN Offset planning for all neighbors of each optimized cell
could bring an improvement on collision probability, an improvement to handovers reactivity
and a reduction on interference level on SACCH channels by avoiding (or lowering) the
simultaneous SACCH transmissions between interfering cells.
SACCH IMPACT
In a synchronized network without a FN Offset planning, the SACCH transmission will be
simultaneous and, as SACCH channel is always transmitted regardless of the voice activity, it
will not benefit from the discontinuous transmission (DTX) mechanism at all, since it is always
transmitted. The consequence of this fact is a higher interference level on SACCH channels
than on TCH channels.
In a synchronized network with an intelligent FN Offset planning, the simultaneous SACCH
transmissions of interfering cells can be avoided (or lowered) and thus the interference level
on SACCH channels can be significantly reduced.
BSIC DECODING REACTIVITY

FN Offset has an important role on BSIC decoding reactivity. According to the GSM standard,
a mobile should attempt to demodulate SCH on the BCCH carrier of as many neighbor cells
as possible, and read the BSIC as often as possible for neighboring cell information and at
least once every 10 seconds in dedicated mode or for cell selection or reselection in idle
mode.
In a synchronized network without a FN Offset planning, the SCH transmission of neighbor
cells will be simultaneous and a mobile will need much more time for BSIC reading. Thus, a
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mobile will read the BSIC of a smaller number of neighbors if FN Offset is not correctly
planned.
In a synchronized network with an intelligent FN Offset planning, the simultaneous SCH
transmission of neighbor cells can be significantly reduced. In this case, a mobile could read
the BSIC of a greater number of neighbors in the window of 10 seconds. It has to be
underlined that in this case an intelligent scheduling for BSIC refreshing has a very significant
impact.
Finally, it has to be mentioned that the BSIC searching and decoding speed in active mode
depends on the type of TCH channel used by mobiles. During a 26 TDMA frames period, a
mobile has only one idle frame for searching and decoding the BSIC of neighbor cells when
using a FR TCH channel, whereas it has 12 idle frames when using a HR TCH channel.
Consequently, for a synchronized network, the impact of an intelligent FN Offset planning on
the BSIC searching and decoding speed in active mode is more significant for the mobiles
using FR TCH channels than for the mobiles using HR TCH channels.
Neighbor relationships and the Interference Matrix are used as input data for the SCH Color
allocation (see [R34])
FN OFFSET PLANNING
Nortel uses the planning of new parameters, SCH Color, SACCH Color and N Color to obtain
the final FN Offset planning in order to avoid a simultaneous SCH transmission of the neighbor
cells of a certain cell:
FN Offset = SACCH Color * 51 + SCH Color * 52 + N * 13 * 51 (for synchronized networks
with HR traffic)
or
FN Offset = SACCH Color * 51 + SCH Color * 52 + N * 26 * 51 (for synchronized networks
without HR traffic)
where:
SACCH Color = 0,1,212 (with HR traffic) or 0,1,225 (without HR traffic)

SCH Color = 0,1,250
N = 0,1,2...123
The following relationships exist between two cells:
o
o
( FN Offset) modulo 13(26) = [13(26) - ( SACCH Color)]modulo 13(26)

( FN Offset) modulo 51 = SCH Color
Therefore, as detailed in this chapter, for an intelligent FN Offset planning, Nortel uses the
new parameters:
SCH Color exclusively for obtaining the final FN Offset planning in order to avoid a
simultaneous SCH transmission between neighbor cells and increase BSIC
decoding reactivity.
SACCH Color exclusively for obtaining the final FN Offset planning in order to
avoid a simultaneous SACCH transmission between interfering cells.
Additional with HSN, MAIO, the collision probability between two non co-site cells
can be modified by a parameter N which would change FNoffset without modifying
SACCH or SCH probability
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Neighbor relationships and the Interference Matrix are used as input data for the SCH Color,
SACCH Color and N Color allocation.
6.36.3 INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION

Network synchronization should allow to optimizing receiver performances in both Uplink
(maximizing the gain on interference cancellation algorithms) and Downlink (with the
introduction of SAIC mobiles).
UPLINK (INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION)

Since V9-V10, Nortels proprietary algorithm of uplink interference cancellation requires BTS
equipped with antenna diversity.
It can work with or without frequency hopping and it can remove any kind of interferer that has
some spatial or temporal coherence (co-channel, adjacent channel, CDMA signal leaking in
the PCS band, TV transmitter, etc...).
The number of simultaneous interferers is a limiting factor to the good working of the feature.
The feature removes the stronger interference signal and proves to be more efficient when the
ratio (Stronger Interferer / Sum of all interferers) is high. Theoretical gain values are
summarized bellow:
1 interferer
Synchronous interferers
Asynchronous interferers
8dB
4.5dB
5 interferers
1dB
0.5dB
Potential gains with interference cancellation feature
The algorithm uses the window of 26 bits of the TSC in the normal bursts.
The table above shows that the gain is higher in case of synchronous interferers. If the
stronger interferer uses the same TSC than the useful signal, then, the useful signal will be
degraded as well (TSC collision).
The TSC collision problem doesnt happen if, comparing to the victim burst, the interferer burst
has a delay greater than 5 symbols. This is the assumption taken for the non synchronized
case.
DOWNLINK (SAIC MOBILES)

In the same way as for the uplink, SAIC (Single Antenna Interference Cancellation) mobiles
may limit the interferences impact in downlink.
SAIC mobiles are the DARP (Downlink Advanced Receiver Performance) phase 1 mobiles.
One antenna downlink algorithm, based on signal processing in the mobiles takes benefit at
the burst level by improving the C/I ratio up to 9 dB gain in first adjacent interferences and up
to 2 dB for co channel interferences. Unlike uplink interference cancellation, the benefit of this
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feature at the network level depends on the penetration of these mobiles. At 75% penetration,
1 dB improvement on C/I can be achieved.
Moreover, in non-interfered conditions, these algorithms do not degrade the performances.
The real benefit on the network will actually depend on the mobiles performances and their
penetration on the market.
Since performances are dependent on SAIC mobiles penetration, there is a way to part the
requests associated with a mobile type (SAIC or not) on some of the TDMA rather than others
in case of TCH allocation. Each TDMA is affected with a property (DARPPh1Priority) that
shares the TDMA of a cell in 2 pools:
TDMA handling preferably SAIC mobiles requests.

TDMA handling preferably non SAIC mobiles requests.
The BSC radio allocator is modified to include this new type of priority to be combined with all
already existing priorities. The BSC chooses the radio TS using the following order:
SAIC :
o
For a SAIC type of request, whatever the type of request (FR, AMR FR,
AMR HR, DATA) BSC allocates the MS on a high priority DARPPh1
resource unless there is no free TCH (that copes with the request) in the
high priority DARPPh1 pool of resources. For AMR HR request, if there is
any hole in the high priority DARPPh1 pool of resources, this one is
selected otherwise BSC looks for an available full TS in the high priority
DARPPh1 pool of resources. If there is neither available hole nor available
full TS in the high priority DARPPh1 pool of resources, BSC looks for first
an available hole in the low priority DARPPh1 pool of resources, then an
available full TS in this pool of resources.
For a non SAIC type of request, whatever the type of request (FR, AMR
FR, AMR HR, DATA) BSC allocates the MS on a low priority DARPPh1
resource unless there is no free TCH in the low priority DARPPh1 pool of
resources. For AMR HR request, if there is any hole in the low priority
DARPPh1 pool of resources, this one is selected otherwise BSC looks for
an available full TS in the low priority DARPPh1 pool of resources. If there
is neither available hole nor available full TS in the low priority DARPPh1
pool of resources, BSC looks for first an available hole in the high priority
DARPPh1 pool of resources, then an available full TS in this pool of
resources.
Interference level,
TDMA priority,
TDMA number (from the smallest to the biggest: 0 to n),
TS number (from the biggest to the smallest: TS7 to TS0).
Note: For radio resource allocation only SDCCH requests are not differentiated depending if
the mobile requesting is SAIC capable or not.
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7.
APPENDIX A: MAIN EXCHANGE PROCEDURES

AT BSC LEVEL
7.1.
ESTABLISHMENT PROCEDURE
SABME: frame to set asynchronous balanced mode (initiate a link for numbered information
transfer).
UA: unnumbered aknowledge
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7.2.
CHANNEL MODE PROCEDURE
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7.3.
DEDICATED CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT
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7.4.
INTRACELL HANDOVER PROCEDURE
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7.5.
INTRABSS HANDOVER PROCEDURE
From BTS 1 to BTS 2
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7.6.
INTERBSS HANDOVER PROCEDURE
BTS 1 (from BSC 1) to BTS 2 (from BSC 2)
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7.7.
RESOURCE RELEASE PROCEDURE (EXAMPLE)
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7.8.
SACCH DEACTIVATION PROCEDURE
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7.9.
MOBILE TERMINATING CALL
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7.10. MOBILE ORIGINATING CALL
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8.
APPENDIX B: ERLANG TABLE

The table below presents the number of Erlang that are expected with regards to the number
of TCH channels on a given cell and considering a blocking rate of 0,01 %. The computation
follows the Erlang B law.
Additionally, this table gives the number of Erlang expected depending on the AMR Half Rate
penetration.
LCAUTION!
The expected number of Erlang with regards to the AMR HR penetration has been calculated
based on an estimation of the gain in capactiy provided by AMR HR. It should not be
considered as contractual but as a good approximation of the expected gain.
% Blocking
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
0%
25 %
50 %
75 %
100 %
0,021
0,021
0,022
0,023
0,027
0,223
0,230
0,247
0,284
0,365
0,602
0,630
0,698
0,849
1,177
1,092
1,158
1,324
1,688
2,482
1,657
1,783
2,097
2,787
4,294
2,276
2,483
3,000
4,138
6,621
2,935
3,208
3,882
5,299
8,377
3,627
3,972
4,814
6,502
10,152
4,345
4,767
5,786
7,732
11,922
10
5,084
5,589
6,794
8,982
13,669
11
5,842
6,434
7,833
10,245
15,385
12
6,615
7,299
8,899
11,516
17,056
13
7,401
8,182
9,991
12,790
18,677
14
8,200
9,082
11,106
14,065
20,241
15
9,010
9,978
12,114
15,360
22,004
16
9,829
10,885
13,119
16,655
23,747
17
10,656
11,800
14,119
17,946
25,468
18
11,491
12,724
15,112
19,234
27,164
19
12,333
13,656
16,099
20,516
28,834
20
13,181
14,594
17,077
21,791
30,473
21
14,036
15,540
18,046
23,059
32,082
24,579
34,075
AMR HR penetration
Number of TCH
22
14,896
16,525
19,272
23
15,761
17,520
20,517
26,118
36,081
24
16,631
18,524
21,783
27,678
38,102
25
17,504
19,536
23,068
29,257
40,135
26
18,383
20,558
24,374
30,857
42,182
27
19,265
21,587
25,698
32,474
44,240
28
20,150
22,624
27,041
34,112
46,310
29
21,040
23,669
28,403
35,767
48,391
30
21,932
24,643
29,596
37,200
50,467
31
22,827
25,617
30,791
38,629
52,551
32
23,725
26,593
31,989
40,058
54,645
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33
24,626
27,569
33,191
41,485
56,748
34
25,529
28,545
34,394
42,908
58,857
35
26,435
29,521
35,600
44,329
60,975
36
27,343
30,498
36,808
45,748
63,100
37
28,254
31,534
37,988
47,248
65,077
38
29,166
32,574
39,169
48,750
67,051
39
30,081
33,618
40,349
50,255
69,023
40
30,997
34,664
41,528
51,761
70,990
41
31,916
35,714
42,708
53,269
72,954
42
32,836
36,768
43,886
54,779
74,914
43
33,758
37,825
45,065
56,290
76,870
44
34,682
38,886
46,242
57,803
78,822
45
35,607
39,815
47,306
59,197
80,555
46
36,534
40,741
48,364
60,585
82,272
47
37,462
41,662
49,414
61,968
83,973
48
38,392
42,580
50,458
63,346
85,658
87,327
49
39,323
43,493
51,494
64,719
50
40,255
44,402
52,523
66,085
88,979
51
41,189
45,308
53,546
67,447
90,616
52
42,124
46,426
54,862
68,982
92,628
53
43,060
47,549
56,184
70,519
94,640
54
43,997
48,678
57,513
72,059
96,654
55
44,936
49,812
58,847
73,600
98,667
56
45,876
50,951
60,187
75,144
100,682
57
46,816
52,095
61,533
76,690
102,697
58
47,758
53,245
62,886
78,237
104,712
59
48,700
54,399
64,243
79,786
106,726
60
49,644
55,344
65,345
81,124
108,458
61
50,589
56,285
66,443
82,456
110,181
62
51,534
57,224
67,537
83,782
111,893
63
52,480
58,158
68,626
85,101
113,592
64
53,428
59,091
69,711
86,414
115,282
65
54,376
60,019
70,792
87,720
116,961
118,865
66
55,325
61,029
71,867
89,092
67
56,275
62,039
72,937
90,459
120,765
68
57,226
63,048
74,003
91,822
122,664
69
58,177
64,057
75,065
93,181
124,559
94,536
126,452
70
59,129
65,065
76,122
71
60,082
66,073
77,174
95,886
128,341
72
61,035
67,080
78,222
97,232
130,227
73
61,990
68,087
79,266
98,574
132,109
74
62,945
69,258
80,665
100,154
134,307
75
63,901
70,434
82,071
101,738
136,512
76
64,857
71,614
83,482
103,323
138,723
77
65,813
72,798
84,900
104,912
140,939
78
66,771
73,987
86,325
106,504
143,163
79
67,729
75,179
87,755
108,098
145,392
80
68,688
76,377
89,192
109,696
147,628
81
69,647
77,340
90,276
111,137
149,435
82
70,607
78,300
91,358
112,578
151,237
83
71,568
79,258
92,434
114,017
153,032
84
72,529
80,215
93,508
115,455
154,822
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85
73,490
81,169
94,578
116,890
156,606
86
74,452
82,120
95,644
118,324
158,384
87
75,415
83,069
96,706
119,756
160,156
88
76,378
84,016
97,764
121,187
161,922
89
77,342
85,131
99,178
122,918
164,140
90
78,306
86,247
100,596
124,654
166,362
91
79,270
87,365
102,020
126,396
168,590
92
80,235
88,485
103,448
128,144
170,823
93
81,201
89,607
104,882
129,899
173,062
94
82,167
90,732
106,322
131,659
175,307
95
83,133
91,857
107,765
133,424
177,556
96
84,100
92,944
108,975
134,758
179,493
97
85,067
94,033
110,184
136,088
181,428
98
86,035
95,122
111,393
137,415
183,361
99
87,003
96,212
112,601
138,736
185,291
100
87,972
97,303
113,809
140,053
187,220
101
88,941
98,395
115,017
141,366
189,146
102
89,910
99,487
116,223
142,675
191,070
103
90,880
100,581
117,429
143,979
192,993
104
91,850
101,704
118,717
145,583
195,088
147,190
197,185
105
92,820
102,828
120,005
106
93,791
103,955
121,295
148,800
199,284
107
94,763
105,083
122,587
150,412
201,385
108
95,734
106,212
123,880
152,025
203,487
109
96,706
107,342
125,173
153,640
205,590
110
97,678
108,474
126,467
155,257
207,694
111
98,651
109,568
127,684
156,717
209,642
112
99,624
110,663
128,900
158,177
211,588
113
100,597
111,758
130,115
159,634
213,531
114
101,571
112,854
131,331
161,091
215,473
115
102,545
113,951
132,546
162,547
217,414
116
103,519
115,047
133,760
164,001
219,352
117
104,493
116,145
134,974
165,454
221,289
118
105,468
117,244
136,187
166,906
223,224
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9.
ABBREVIATIONS & DEFINITIONS
9.1.
ABBREVIATIONS
For other abbreviations, refer to [R3].
AMNU
Advanced Management Unit
AMR
Adaptative Multi-Rate
AMR-HR
Adaptative Multi-Rate Half Rate
AMR-FR
Adaptative Multi-Rate Full Rate
BCC
Base station Colour Code

Last three bits of BSIC code. The BCC is used to identify one of the cells
sharing the same BCCH frequency. Neighouring cells may, or may not, have
different BCC.
BCCH
Broadcast Control CHannel

Common mobile logical channel used for broadcasting system information
on the radio interface
BCF
Base Common Function
BDA
BSC application database

This database contains all the information objects describing the BSS.
BDE
OMC-R operations database

This database contains all the information objects describing the BSS under
OMCR management control, and the objects required to manage OMC-R
functionalities
BER
Bit Error Rate

Method of measuring the quality of radio link transmission
A ratio of the number of digital errors received in a specified period to the
total number of bits received in the same period. Usually expressed as a
negative exponent, i.e:
10-6 means one bit error in 106 bits of transmission, or one in a million
BIFP
Base Interface Front-end Processor

Set of BSC functional units managing the interface with BTS
BSC
Base Station Controller
BSCB
BTS Signalling Concentration Board

Board which concentrates 12 LAPD signalling channels between BSC and
BTS into 3 channels
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BSIC
Base Station Identity Code

Code used to identify a base station which allows mobile stations to
distinguish the cells sharing the same BCCH frequency. A BSIC is defined
by an (NCC, BCC) combination
BSS
Base Station Subsystem

Radio Cellular Network radio subsystem made up of Base Station
Controllers, one or more remote TransCoder Units and one or more Base
Transceiver Stations
BTS
Base Transceiver Station
CA
Cell Allocation
Radio frequency channel allocated to a cell
CBCH
Cell Broadcast CHannel

Logical channel used inside a cell to broadcast short messages in
unacknowledged mode
CC
Call Control
Sublevel of layer 3 on the radio interface charged with managing call
processing
CCCH
Common Control CHannel

Common bidirectional mobile control channel, used for transmitting
signalling information on the radio interface
CCH
Control Channel
Common or dedicated control channel
CGI
Cell Global Identifier

Global identifier of a mobile network cell. The CGI contains the Location
Area Code (LAC), Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code
(MNC) and the cell identifier in the location area
CMC
Codec Mode Command
CPU
Central Processing Unit

Slave BSC processing unit
CPU-MPU/BIFP
Central BSC processing unit handling MPU and BIFP functions
dB
Decibel
Measurement unit of relative power level defined as 10 log10 (P1/P2) where
P1 and P2 are the power levels.
dBm
Power in dB relative to 1 mW
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DCCH
Dedicated Control CHannel
Dedicated radio signalling channel with one SDCCH + one SACCH

DLNA
Duplexer Low Noise Amplifier

Amplifier installed between BTS and the antenna
DMOS
Digital Mean Opinion Score
DRX
Driver and Receiver Unit

Signal processing unit for radio transmission and reception.
DTX
Discontinuous Transmission
EFR
Enhanced Full Rate vocoder
EIRP
Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power
eMLPP
enhanced Multi Level Precedence and Preemption
FACCH
Fast Associated Control CHannel

Dedicated signalling channel (Um interface)
FCCH
Frequency Correction CHannel

Common frequency synchronization channel
FCH
Frequency CHannel
Common frequency synchronization channel
FER
Frame Erasure Rate
FH
Frequency Hopping
FN
Frame Number
FP
Frame Processor
FR
Full Rate TCH
GSM
Global System for Mobile Communications
GSM 900
Radio Cellular Network standard adapted for the 900 MHz frequency band.
GSM 1800
GSM 1900
HO
HandOver: automatic call transfer between two radio channels
HR
Half Rate TCH
HSN
Hopping Sequence Number
ICM
Iinitial Codec Mode
L1M
Processor functional unit handling BTS radio measurements
LAC
Location Area Code

Code used to identify a location area in the GSM network
LAI
Location Area Identity

Geographic identity of a group of cells used to locate a mobile station
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LB
Link Budget
LNA
Low Noise Amplifier, part of DLNA system
MA
Mobile Allocation
MAI
Mobile Allocation Index
MAIO
Mobile Allocation Index Offset
MCC
Mobile Country Code
MTBF
Minimum Time Between Failure
MEU
Masthead Electronics Unit

Mini-masthead electronics cabinet. Remote amplifier located between BTS
and the antenna
MHz
MegaHertz
MMU
Mass Memory Unit (BSC)
MOS
Mean Opinion Score
MPU
Main Processor Unit (BSC)

Set of BSC functional units charged mainly with call processing functions
MNC
Mobile Network Code
Mp
Measurement processing
MRC
Maximum Radio Combiner
MS
Mobile Station
MSC
Mobile Services Switching Center
MCL
Minimum Coupling Loss
MTBF
Mathematical Time Between Failure

It is a mathematical time expectancy between two successive parts of
equipment or unit failure
NCC
Network Colour Code

First three bits of the BSIC code. Each country is assigned a list of NCC.
NMC
Network Management Centre
NSS
Network and Switching SubSystem

Radio Cellular Network subsystem including an MSC, main HLR, VLR, EIR
and AUC
NS/EP
National Security and Emergency Preparedness
OMC
Operation and Maintenance Centre for the radio subsystem
OMC-R
Operation and Maintenance Centre - Radio
OMC-S
Operation and Maintenance Centre - Switching
OMU
Central BSC Operation & Maintenance Unit
OSS
Operation SubSystem
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Radio Cellular Network operations subsystem including the OMC-R and
OMC-S
PA
Power Amplifier
PBGT
Power Budget
PC
Power Control
PCH
Paging CHannel
Common subscriber radio paging channel
PLMN
Public Land Mobile Network
PMOS
Pseudo Mean Opinion Score
PSTN
Public Switched Telephone Network
PURQ-AC
Public Use Reservation for Queuing All Calls
RACH
Random Access CHannel

Common mobile logical channel, reserved for random access requests
transmitted by mobile stations on the radio interface.
RF
Radio Frequency
RLC
Radio Link Counter
RX
BTS receiver
RXLEV
Received signal Level
RXQUAL
Received signal Quality
SACCH
Slow Associated Control CHannel

Slow logical control channel associated with a traffic channel during a
communication
SCH
Synchronization CHannel
Common time division synchronization channel
SDCCH
Standalone Dedicated Control CHannel

Dedicated radio signalling channel temporarily allocated during call set up.
There are 2 types of SDCCH: SDCCH/8 and SDCCH/4, on which the logical
channels are grouped by 8 and by 4 respectively and combined with CCH
SFH
Slow Frequency Hopping
SFH mobile
mobile using an hopping channel
Non SFH mobile
mobile using a non hopping channel
SICD
Serial Interface Controller LAPD
BSC board controller for Abis and Ater Interface

SNR
Signal to Noise Ratio
SPU
Signal Processing Unit
SUP
SUPervision unit
Functional BSC monitoring unit
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SWC
SWitching matrix Controller (BSC 6000)
TA
Timing Advance
Alignment process designed to compensate propagation time between a
mobile and base station
TCH
Traffic CHannel
Radio traffic channel
TCH/F
Traffic CHannel/Full rate
TCH/H
Traffic CHannel/Half rate
TDMA
Time Division Multiple Access

Abbreviation used to designate a transmission frame on the radio interface,
divided into eight time slots (TS) or channels
TEPMOS
Theoretical Extrapolated Pseudo Mean Opinion Score
TMU
Traffic Management Unit
TRX
Transmission/reception subsystem of the BTS
TS
Time Slot
TSCB
Transcoder Signalling Concentration Board (BSC)

Board which concentrates LAPD signalling channels between BSC and TCU
into a single channel
TX
BTS transmitter
WPS
Wireless Priority Service
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9.2.
DEFINITIONS
CODEC MODE
Codec mode is used to designate one of the 8 AMR vocoder and identified using its rate
(12k2, 10k2, 7.95, 7k4, 6k7, 5k9, 5k15, 4k75) give in kbps.
CONCENTRIC CELL
Two concentric geographical zones delimited by distance and level criteria (outer zone and
inner zone).
Innerzone
traffic
channels
Outerzone
BCCH and
signalling
channels
DUAL BAND CELL

Each group of TRXs is dedicated to a frequency band (900 and 1800 MHz for example) with
different radio propagation condition; the frequency band used for the largest zone (outer) is
the one used by the mono-band MS already existing in the network, since a mono-band MS
must still be able to decode the common channels.
Outerzone
Innerzone / band1 band0
DCS (or GSM)
traffic channels
GSM (or DCS)

BCCH and
signalling
channels
DUAL COUPLING CELL

Each group of TRXs is dedicated to a frequency band and the two groups of TRXs are
combined with coupling systems with different losses, resulting in different coverage areas
with the same TX transmission power.
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Outerzone
Innerzone
H2D
H4D
BCCH and
signalling
channels
traffic
channels
ERLANG
Unit of telecommunications traffic intensity.
The number of erlangs represents the average number of resources or circuits occupied
during the peak traffic hour.
FREQUENCY LOAD
Defines the load of a frequency hopping pattern and is evaluated as below:
fl = Nb of hopping TRX in the cell / Nb of frequencies in the hopping law
FREQUENCY HOPPING: AD-HOC

The Ad-Hoc frequency hopping does not reproduce a pattern all over the network. Frequency
planning is done (HSN, MAIO, MA lists) according to the interference matrix. The particularity
is that the number of hopping TRX = the number of hopping frequencies in most of the cases.
FREQUENCY HOPPING PATTERNS: 1X1

This frequency pattern is used in case of frequency hopping. Each hopping TRX of 1*1 cell,
uses all frequencies of the frequency law:
f1,f2,f3,f4
f1,f2,f3,f4
f1,f2,f3,f4
FREQUENCY HOPPING PATTERNS: 1X3

This frequency pattern is used in case of frequency hopping. Each hopping TRX of 1*3 cell,
uses 1/3 frequencies of the frequency law:
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f1,f2,f3
f7,f8,f9
f4,f5,f6
MULTIZONE CELL
Used in order to refer following kinds of cell:
concentric cell (see above)

heterogeneous coupling cell (see above)
dual-band cell (see above)
RADIO INTERFACE
Interface between the mobile station (MS) and the BTS.
SPEECH FRAME
Corresponds to 20 ms of speech on the radio interface and theTRAU interface.
TIMING ADVANCE
Delay used to compensate propagation time between mobile and base station.
UM-INTERFACE
See Radio interface
WPS CALL
Call which has priority level set in the Assignment Request or Handover Request between 2
and 6 (3GPP TS 48.008)
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10. INDEX
All the parameters listed in the chapter ALGORITHM PARAMETERS are listed and indexed
here below:
accessClassCongestion, 257
adjacent cell umbrella ref, 271
allocPriorityTable, 257
allocPriorityThreshold, 258
allocPriorityTimers, 259
allocWaitThreshold, 260
allOtherCasesPriority, 260
amrAdaptationSet, 328, 329, 330
amrDirectAllocIntRxLevDL, 336
amrDirectAllocIntRxLevUL, 336
amrDirectAllocRxLevDL, 335
amrDirectAllocRxLevUL, 335
amrFRIntercellCodecMThresh, 336
amrFRIntracellCodecMThresh, 337
amrHRIntercellCodecMThresh, 337
amrHRtoFRIntracellCodecMThresh, 337
amriRxLevDLH, 338
amriRxLevULH, 338
amrReserved2, 339
answerPagingPriority, 261
assignRequestPriority, 261
averagingPeriod, 282
baseColourCode, 344
bCCHFrequency_adjacentCellHandover, 308
bCCHFrequency_adjacentCellReselection, 308
bCCHFrequency_bts, 309
biZonePowerOffset_adjacentCellHandover, 274
biZonePowerOffset_handoverControl, 275
bscHopReconfUse, 298
bscMSAccessClassBarringFunction, 262
bscQueueingOption, 262
bsMsmtProcessingMode, 249
bsPowerControl, 249
bssMapT1, 286
bssMapT12, 286
bssMapT13, 286
bssMapT19, 287
bssMapT20, 287
bssMapT4, 287
bssMapT7, 288
bssMapT8, 288
bssMapTchoke, 288
bssSccpConnEst, 289
bsTxPwrMax, 249
bts Time Between HO configuration, 224
btsHopReconfRestart, 298
btsIsHopping, 299
btsMSAccessClassBarringFunction, 263
btsSMSynchroMode, 343
btsThresholdHopReconf, 299
callClearing, 245
callReestablishment, 212
callReestablishmentPriority, 263
capacityTimeRejection, 325
cellAllocation, 300
cellBarQualify, 264
cellBarred, 264
cellDeletionCount, 220
cellDtxDownLink, 312
cellReselectHysteresis, 207
cellReselectOffset, 208
cellReselInd, 208
cellType_adjacentCellHandover, 243
cellType_bts, 243
channelType, 264
coderPoolConfiguration, 331
concentAlgoExtMsRange, 276
concentAlgoExtRxLev, 277
concentAlgoIntMsRange, 276
concentAlgoIntRxLev, 277
concentric cell, 278
dARPPh1Priority, 344
data mode 14.4 kbit/s, 313
data non transparent mode_bts, 313
data non transparent mode_signalingPoint, 313
data transparent mode_bts, 314
data transparent mode_signalingPoint, 314
Data14_4OnNoHoppingTs, 313
delayBetweenRetrans, 293
directedRetry, 271
directedRetryModeUsed, 272
directedRetryPrio, 267
distHreqt, 222
distWtsList, 222
dtxMode, 312
early classmark sending, 306
emergencyCallPriority, 265
enhancedTRAUFrameIndication, 317
enhCellTieringConfiguration, 318
estimatedSiteLoad, 305
extended cell, 245
fhsRef, 301
fnOffset, 343
forced handover algo, 224
frAMRPriority, 332
frPowerControlTargetMode, 334
gprsNetworkModeOperation, 345
gsmToUmtsReselection, 323
handOver from signalling channel, 225
hoMargin, 225
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hoMarginAMR, 341
hoMarginBeg, 226
hoMarginDist, 226
hoMarginRxLev, 227
hoMarginRxQual, 227
hoMarginTiering, 318
hoMarginTrafficOffset, 228
hoPingpongCombination, 228
hoPingpongTimeRejection, 229
hoppingSequenceNumber, 301
hoSecondBestCellConfiguration, 230
hoTraffic_bsc, 230
hoTraffic_bts, 230
hrAMRPriority, 333
hrCellLoadEnd, 330
hrCellLoadStart, 330
hrPowerControlTargetMode, 333
incomingHandOver, 231
interBscDirectedRetry, 272
interBscDirectedRetryFromCell, 272
interCellHOExtPriority, 265
interCellHOIntPriority, 266
interferenceType, 318
interferer cancel algo usage, 316
intraBscDirectedRetry, 273
intraBscDirectedRetryFromCell, 273
intraCell, 237
intraCellHOIntPriority, 266
intraCellQueueing, 267
intraCellSDCCH, 237
lRxLevDLH, 240
lRxLevDLP, 250
lRxLevULH, 240
lRxLevULP, 250
lRxQualDLH, 241
lRxQualDLP, 251
lRxQualULH, 241
lRxQualULP, 251
maio, 302
masterBtsSmId, 344
maxNumberRetransmission, 293
measurementProcAlgorithm, 314
microCellCaptureTimer, 244
microCellStability, 244
minNbOfTDMA, 267
minTimeQualityIntraCellHO, 325
missDistWt, 223
missRxLevWt, 217
missRxQualWt, 215
mobileAllocation, 303
modeModifyMandatory, 273
msBtsDistanceInterCell, 246
msRangeMax, 246
msTxPwrCCH, 208
msTxPwrMax, 231
msTxPwrMax2ndBand, 252
msTxPwrMaxCell, 232
multi band reporting, 306
nbLargeReuseDataChannels, 319
nbOfRepeat, 294
nCapacityFRRequestedCodec, 339
neighDisfavorOffset, 327
new power control algorithm, 252
nFRRequestedCodec, 340
nHRRequestedCodec, 340
noOfBlocksForAccessGrant, 294
noOfMultiframesBetweenPaging, 295
notAllowedAccessClasses, 268
numberOfPwciSamples, 319
numberOfSlotsSpreadTrans, 296
numberOfTCHFreeBeforeCongestion, 268
numberOfTCHFreeToEndCongestion, 269
numberOfTCHQueuedBeforeCongestion, 269
numberOfTCHQueuedToEndCongestion, 269
offsetLoad, 233
offsetPriority, 233
otherServicesPriority, 270
pagingOnCell, 297
pcmErrorCorrection, 317
penaltyTime, 209
powerBudgetInterCell, 234
powerControlIndicator, 253
powerIncrStepSizeDL, 253
powerIncrStepSizeUL, 253
powerRedStepSizeDL, 254
powerRedStepSizeUL, 254
pRequestedCodec, 340
preSynchroTimingAdvance, 247
priority, 270
processorLoadSupConf, 305
pwciHreqave, 320
radChanSelIntThreshold, 283
radioAllocator, 331
radioLinkTimeout, 212
radResSupBusyTimer, 285
radResSupervision, 285
radResSupFreeTimer, 285
retransDuration, 297
rlf1, 213
rlf2, 214
rlf3, 214
rndAccTimAdvThreshold, 247
runCallClear, 248
runHandOver, 234
runPwrControl, 255
rxLevAccessMin, 210
rxLevDLIH, 238
rxLevDLPBGT, 242
rxLevHreqave, 217
rxLevHreqaveBeg, 218
rxLevHreqt, 218
rxLevMinCell, 235
rxLevNCellHreqaveBeg, 221
rxLevULIH, 238
rxLevWtsList, 219
rxNCellHreqave, 221
rxQualAveBeg, 327
rxQualDLIH, 239
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rxQualHreqave, 215
rxQualHreqt, 216
rxQualULIH, 239
rxQualWtsList, 216
selfAdaptActivation, 326
selfTuningObs, 320
servingfactorOffset, 326
siteGsmFctList, 315
small to large zone HO priority, 279
smsCB, 322
speechMode_bts, 321
speechMode_signallingPoint, 321
standard indicator AdjC_adjacentCellHandover,
307
standard indicator
AdjC_adjacentCellReselection, 307
standardIndicator, 309
synchronized, 236
t3101, 289
t3103, 290
t3107, 290
t3109, 291
t3111, 291
t3122, 292
temporaryOffset, 211
thresholdInterference, 284
timeBetweenHOConfiguration, 236
timerPeriodicUpdateMS, 292
tnOffset, 343
trafficPCMAllocationPriority, 304
transceiver equipment
class_transceiverEquipment, 279
transceiver equipment class_transceiverZone,
280
transceiverZone, 280
uMTSAccessMinLevel, 323
uMTSReselectionARFCN, 324
uMTSReselectionOffset, 324
uMTSSearchLevel, 324
uplinkPowerControl, 255
uRxLevDLP, 255
uRxLevULP, 256
uRxQualDLP, 256
uRxQualULP, 256
wPSManagement, 342
wPSQueueStepRotation, 342
zone Tx power max reduction, 281
zoneFrequencyHopping, 304
zoneFrequencyThreshold, 304
Z END OF DOCUMENT Y
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V15.1.

1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide bPUG

Copyright 2004 Nortel Networks, All Rights Reserved

V15.1.1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide - bPUG

V15.1.1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide - bPUG

System release: GSM/BSS V14

V15.1.1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide - bPUG

System release: GSM/BSS V12

V15.1.1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide - bPUG

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT .........................................................................................................13

RELATED DOCUMENTS ............................................................................................................17

between V15.1 and V15.1.1..........................................................................................15

APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS ........................................................................................................17

CLASSIFICATION OF BSS PARAMETERS ..............................................................................19

PARAMETERS INFORMATIONS ..................................................................................................19

V15.1.1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide - bPUG

Radio resource control at cell level ...............................................................................30

SELECTION, RESELECTION ALGORITHMS..................................................................................43

Mp_1: Measurement processing (run by the BTS) .......................................................47

DIRECT TCH ALLOCATION AND HANDOVER ALGORITHMS .........................................................52

Selection or reselection between cells of current Location Area (Sel_1) .....................43

MEASUREMENT PROCESSING ..................................................................................................47

CONCENTRIC/DUALCOUPLING/DUALBAND CELL HANDOVER (HO_3).........................................63

Rescue Handover .........................................................................................................67

V15.1.1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide - bPUG

HANDOVER ALGORITHMS ON THE MOBILE SIDE ........................................................................94

Dual Band Handling ................................................................................................... 148

INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION ............................................................................................ 153

Cabinet power description.......................................................................................... 143

SYSTEM INFORMATION MESSAGES RELATED FEATURES ........................................................ 148

BSC12000 Overload Management ............................................................................ 136

CABINET OUTPUT POWER SETTING ...................................................................................... 143

Frequency hopping principles .................................................................................... 129

BSC OVERLOAD MANAGEMENT MECHANISMS....................................................................... 136

Paging command Process (Pag) ............................................................................... 118

FREQUENCY HOPPING ......................................................................................................... 129

TCH Allocation and Priority ........................................................................................ 100

PCH AND RACH CHANNEL CONTROL ................................................................................... 118

Step by step Power Control (Pc_1)...............................................................................95

TCH ALLOCATION MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................... 100

Automatic handover adaptation ....................................................................................88

Customer/service provider benefits ........................................................................... 155

PCM ERROR CORRECTION .................................................................................................. 156

V15.1.1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide - bPUG

CELLULAR TELEPHONE TEXT MODEM (TTY) ......................................................................... 158

NETWORK SYNCHRONIZATION .............................................................................................. 204

SATELLITE ABIS INTERFACE .................................................................................................. 202

Basics and specific terninology.................................................................................. 169

WPS - WIRELESS PRIORITY SERVICE ................................................................................... 196

GSM to UMTS cell reselection ................................................................................... 165

BSC/TCU 3000 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 168

MOBILITY 2G - 3G RESELECTION.......................................................................................... 165

SMS-CELL BROADCAST....................................................................................................... 162

TTY principle .............................................................................................................. 158

LOCATION SERVICES............................................................................................................ 161

Feature principle ........................................................................................................ 156

Global description ...................................................................................................... 204

ALGORITHM PARAMETERS .................................................................................................. 206

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 206

V15.1.1 BSS (Access) Parameters User Guide - bPUG

TCH ALLOCATION MANAGEMENT PARAMETERS .................................................................... 257

ENGINEERING ISSUE ............................................................................................................. 346

GSM/GPRS TS SHARING: PRIORITY HANDLING AND QUEUING ............................................. 346

LAYER 1 MANAGEMENT: CHANGES BETWEEN V1 AND V2 ...................................................... 349