HANDOVER PROCESS

BSSPAR
 HANDOVER PROCESS Causes
Uplink Quality AV_RXQUAL_UL_HO QUALITY
QUALITY
&
&
Downlink Quality AV_RXQUAL_DL_HO INTERFERENCE
INTERFERENCE

Uplink Level AV_RXLEV_UL_HO THRESHOLD

LEVEL
LEVEL COMPARISON
Downlink Level AV_RXLEV_DL_HO
MS
MS SPEED
SPEED
MS Speed AV_MS_SPEED

Timing Advance AV_RANGE_HO DISTANCE

DISTANCE

RAPID
RAPID FIELD
FIELD DROP
DROP
Adjacent Cells AV_RXLEV_NCELL(n) IMPERATIVE
CHANNEL
CHANNEL ADMINISTRATION
ADMINISTRATION HO

DIRECTED
DIRECTED RETRY
RETRY
Others:
Intelligent Underlay Overlay
POWER
POWER BUDGET
BUDGET
Traffic Reason PERIODIC
CHECKS
………. UMBRELLA
UMBRELLA
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Handover Decision

Handover process may be triggered by

• Quality, field strength or distance values

fall below/exceed their threshold

• Periodic checks

• Power budget HO

• Umbrella HO
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Handover Priority
• Handover priority
1. Uplink and downlink Interference
2. Uplink quality
3. Downlink quality
4. Uplink level
5. Downlink level
6. Distance
7. Rapid Field Drop
8. Slow moving MS
9. Better cell i.e. Periodic check (Power Budget HO or Umbrella HO)
10. PC: Lower quality/level thresholds (UL/DL)
11. PC: Upper quality/level thresholds (UL/DL)
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Target Cell Selection (1)
Best candidates :
intra BSC HO max 16 cells under the same BSC as the source cell
Only for Adjacent
Cell of the inter BSC HO numberOfPreferredCells
same BSC

Load check of Candidates by btsLoadThreshold (0..100%)

1.
If overloaded priority decreased by hoLoadFactor (0...7)

2. Comparison of priorities of Candidates (hoLevelPriority (0..7))

If two or more Adjacent cells with equal priorities

3.
-> Ranking based on radio properties
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Target Cell Selection (2)

All cells have equal priority One cell has higher priority because of some reaso

cell a b c cell a b c

Rx_Level -75 -80 -83 Rx_Level -75 -80 -83

1. Load overl. overl. n.overl. 1. Load n./overl. n.overl. n.overl.
hoLoadFactor 1 1 1 hoLoadFactor 2 1 1
2. Priority 3 3 3 2. Priority 4 3 3
New Priority 2 2 3 New Priority 4/2 3 3

3. Rx_Level -75 -80 3. Rx_Level -75 -80 -83

=> cell list c , a ,b => cell list a,b,c (if cell a is not overload)
=> cell list b,c,a
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Handover Algorithms
In all Handover cases (in imperative HO only requirement)

1. AV_RXLEV_NCELL(n) > rxLevMinCell(n) + Max (0, A)

A = msTxPwrMax(n) - P P = MS Classmark

Except for Umbrella Handover

1’. AV_RXLEV_NCELL(n) > hoLevelUmbrella(n)

The additional condition

2. PBGT > hoMarginPBGT(n)

PBGT = (msTxPwrMax - AV_RXLEV_DL - (btsTxPwrMax -
BTS_TXPWR)) - (msTxPwrMax(n) - AV_RXLEV_NCELL(n))

2’. AV_RXLEV_NCELL(n) > AV_RXLEV_DL + (btsTxPwrMax -

BTS_TXPWR) + hoMarginLev/Qual(n)

If enableHoMarginLevQual = Y
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Power Budget Handover (1)
Equations 1 and 2 are used

Serving Cell: Best Adjacent Cell:

AV_RXLEV_DL = -90 dBm AV_RXLEV_NCELL(n) = -80 dBm

msTxPwrMax = 33 dBm (= 2W) rxLevMinCell(n) = -99 dBm
btsTxPwrMax = 42 dBm (= 16 W) msTxPwrMax(n) = 33 dBm (= 2W)
BTS_TX_PWR = 42 dBm = (16 W) btsTxPwrMax = 42 dBm (= 16 W)
hoMarginPBGT(n) = 6 dB

1. AV_RXLEV_NCELL(n) > rxLevMinCell(n) + Max (0, msTxPwrMax(n) - msTxPwrMax)

-80 dBm > -99 dBm + (33 dBm - 33 dBm) = -99 dBm

2. PBGT = (msTxPwrMax - AV_RXLEV_DL - (btsTxPwrMax -

BTS_TXPWR)) - (msTxPwrMax(n) - AV_RXLEV_NCELL(n))
PBGT = (33 dBm - -90 dBm - (42 dBm - 42 dBm)) - (33 dBm - -80 dBm)
= 10 dB
10 dB > 6 dB OK !!!!
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Power Budget Handover (2)

• Trigger
– Periodic Check ( hoPeriodPBGT )
• Candidate Selection
– Equation 1 & 2 used
– Priority and Load Considered
• Typically used between cells of the same "Layer"

Parameter Value
hoPeriodPBGT 1 ... 63 (SACCH Period)
enablePwrBudgetHandover Y/N

rxLevMinCell(n) -110 … -47 dBm

msTxPwrMax(n) 5 … 43 dBm
hoMarginPBGT(n) -24 … 24 dB
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Handover due to Level
• Trigger
– Threshold Comparison ( hoThresholdsLevUL/DL (px - nx) )
• Candidate Selection
– Equation 1 used
– Equation 2 used if enableHoMarginLevQual = N
– Equation 2' with hoMarginLev used if enableHoMarginLevQual = Y
– Priority and Load Considered

Parameter Value
hoThresholdLevUL/DL -110 … -47
px 1 … 32
nx 1 … 32

rxLevMinCell(n) -110 … -47 dBm

msTxPwrMax(n) 5 … 43 dBm
hoMarginLev(n) -24 … 24 dB
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Handover due to Quality

• Trigger
– Threshold Comparison ( hoThresholdsQualUL/DL (px - nx) )
• Candidate Selection
– Equation 1 used
– Equation 2 used if enableHoMarginLevQual = N
– Equation 2' with hoMarginQual used if enableHoMarginLevQual = Y
– Priority and Load Considered
Parameter Value
hoThresholdQualUL/DL 0…7
px 1 … 32
nx 1 … 32

rxLevMinCell(n) -110 … -47 dBm

msTxPwrMax(n) 5 … 43 dBm
hoMarginQual(n) -24 … 24 dB
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Handover due to Level or Quality

Equations 1 and 2’ are used if parameter enableHoMarginLevQual is set “Yes”

hoMarginLev = 4 dB
hoMarginQual = 0 dB Handover Attempt

A
Threshold (Lev)
2 dB

=> Handover (Level) is unsuccesfull, 2 dB < 4 dB

=> Handover (Qual) is successfull, 2 dB > 0 dB
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Handover due to Interference (1)

• Trigger : Threshold Comparison

– Threshold Comparison for Quality ( hoThresholdsQualUL/DL (px - nx) )
– Threshold Comparison for Level ( hoThresholdsInterferenceUL/DL (px - nx) )
• Candidate Selection
– Priority InterCell / Intracell selected at BSC independently UL / DL
– Priority Inter • Priority Intra
• Quality HO if Any Target Intra Cell HO
• Otherwise Intra Cell HO

Parameter Value
hoThresholdInterferenceUL/DL -110 … -47
px 1 … 32
nx 1 … 32
enableIntraHoInterfUL/DL Y/N

hoPreferenceOrderInterfUL/DL INTER / INTRA

BSC
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Handover due to Interference (2)

Equations 1 and 2’ are used if parameter enableHandoverMarginQual is set “Yes”

hoThresholdQual =4
hoThresholdInterferenceDL = -90 dBm
hoPreferenceOrderInterfDL = intra Handover Attempt

Threshold (Lev) A
-90 dBm
B 0
- Field strength higher than threshold
- Bad quality
=> interference 5
=> intra cell handover !!
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Imperative Handover (Distance)

• The Handover is considered to be imperative:

– Handover due to Distance
– Order to empty a cell ( from O&M )
– Directed Retry and IDR

Distance Process Distance Process ---> msDistanceBehaviour (0,1..60,255) in BSC

• 0 : Release immediately
• 1 - 60 : Release after certain time 1 - 60 s, try handover during that time
• 255 : No release

Parameter Value
enableMsDistanceProcess Y/N
msDistanceHoThresholdParam 0 … 63
px 1 … 32
nx 1 … 32

msDistanceBehaviour 0, 1 … 60, 255 BSC

Intra-Segment HO
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Practical Examples
a

1. Adjacent Channel in Adjacent Cell

- 9dB

• C Ia = - 9 dB b

• In practice after -6 dB -> interferencies + quality goes down to 4-5

• hoMarginLev > -6 dB -> Ping-Pong !!

2. Cell with Very Large Coverage Area A X

• x x •
• MS switched off in cell A and
transferred to area of cell X
• MS switched on in new place 20 km
-> MS tries first old channel + neighbours
• MS camped on cell A which is not in neighbour list of cell X
-> do not listen BCCH of cell X -> no HOs to cell X !!!
 HANDOVER PROCESS
Timers
• Minimum time between consecutive handovers related to the same
connections
– MinIntBetweenHoReq
• Minimum time between handover attempts after a failure
– MinIntBetweenUnsuccHoAttempt
– Applied differently in Intercell / Intracell handovers
• Additional Guard Periods are used for Back-handovers
– Quality
– Distance
– Traffic reason
– Interference

Parameter Value
minIntBetweenUnsuccHoAttempt 0 ... 30 (seconds)
minIntBetweenHoReq 0 ... 30 (seconds)
 Handover Diagram

HO due to Qual/Lev HO due to Qual