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GSM&UMTS Network
Performance Research
Prepared by Department Date 2008-05-19
Yang Chunjie
Reviewed by Date
Reviewed by Date
>Approved
Date
by
Revision Record
Revision
Date Description Author
Version
Yang Chunjie
2008-05-19 V1.0 Draft completed
00119951
Adjust the sequence of
problem location and
add some suggestions of
adjusting the related
parameters affecting
Yang Chunjie
2008-06-02 V1.0 SDCCH congestion rate
00119951
according to the advices
of the experts in our
team and the experts of
network optimization
and planning.
References
Num Reference Author Date
ber
1 Guide to Optimization of SDCCH Wang Weiji, 2006-12-20
Congestion Rate Yang Haiquan
2 Baseline Specification of GSM BSS Wu Zhen 2007-04-09
Network KPI (SDCCH Congestion
Rate)
Contents
Abbreviations:
Abbreviation Full Spelling
1.1 Definition
The Huawei definition and formula of SDCCH congestion rate are as follows:
• Definition:
Ratio of failed SDCCH seizures due to busy SDCCH to the total requests for
the SDCCH
• Formula:
MS BTS BSC
Channel Request
Channel Required
A1
Channel ACT B1
The faults on BTS, BSC, and Abis interface, such as broken LAPD link, cause
the SDCCH congestion. The alarm "Excessive Loss of E1/T1 Signals in an Hour" also
causes the SDCCH congestion.
The heavy traffic and burst traffic cause the SDCCH congestion. Proper setting
of the number of SDCCHs and TCHs, and the SDCCH dynamic conversion function
can relieve the congestion.
The SDCCH congestion relates to the relevant parameters of the BSC such as
SDCCH Availability, LAC and T3101 (the timer used in the immediate assignment
procedure), and T3212 (the timer used for periodic updating). If these parameters are
set correctly, the SDCCH congestion can be relieved. In addition, if the assignment
procedure is set to Late Assignment, the time of the SDCCH being occupied
increases, which may lead to congestion.
Begin
Yes
Check whether the Check and clear the
hardware is faulty corresponding alarms
No
No
Yes
End
First, determine the level of the SDCCH congestion rate. If the congestion occurs
in a large area, check the traffic volume and the setting of T3212. Then, calculate the
SDCCH capacity to check whether it meets the system demand and whether the faults
exist on system-level equipment or transmission. If congestion occurs in only a few
cells, check the hardware, data configuration, and Um interface quality of the cell.
Faults on the TRX, BTS, and transmission may cause SDCCH congestion.
To see whether there are faults on the hardware, query the alarms of transmission,
board communication, CDU VSWR, and clock. In addition, query
transmission-related traffic counters such as the CRC frames received by the BTS on
the LAPD link in the LAPD performance measurement.
Query the traffic statistics to see whether the traffic volume on the SDCCH and
TCH are higher than the normal value. If the congestion is caused by excessive traffic
on the SDCCH, for multi-TRX BTSs, enable SDCCH dynamic allocation function or
increase the number of SDCCH channels to relieve the congestion. For cells with only
one TRX or without extra channels, enable the very early immediate assignment
procedure. In the very early immediate assignment procedure, the TCH channel is
immediately assigned when the SDCCH has no available resource during the
processing of access request. In this case, a TCH can be used as only one SDCCH,
which is a waste of the TCH resources. For the method of computing the capacity,
refer to the Guide to Capacity Planning.
Some counters related to the BSC6000 are listed in the following table.
Ca
use BSC-Level Cell-Level
s
TS3010: Traffic Volume of
Help of Performance Counter Signaling Channels (SDCCH)
Reference > BSC CS3010: MRs on Signaling
Tra Measurement > Access Channels (SDCCH)
ffic Measurement per BSC CS3023: Traffic Volume of Speech
Lo SDCCH Congestion Rate Service on SDCCH
ad (overflow) (%) CS3024: Traffic Volume of Short
ZK3004: Traffic Volume on Message Service on SDCCH
SDCCH per BSC CS3025: Traffic Volume of USSD
Service on SDCCH
All the services such as location updating, MS attach/detach, call setup, short
messages are performed on the Schiff a certain service causes burst traffic, the
SDCCH congestion may occur.
In this case, check whether the abnormity of Channel Requests, Successful
Immediate Assignments or Successful SDCCH Seizures is caused by the service of
location updating, MOC, paging, or short message. Note that you should check the
history traffic statistics when querying these traffic counters to see whether they
fluctuate during a certain period.
The traffic counters related to the SDCCH request and seizure are listed in the
following table. By analyzing these counters, you can find out the reason why
congestion occurs in the network or cell.
If the SDCCH congestion is caused by certain burst services such as location
updating and short messages, use the following methods according to the specific
configuration of the BTSs.
a. For the BTS with multiple TRXs, enable the SDCCH dynamic allocation
function or increase the number of SDCCH channels.
b. For the cell with only one TRX or without extra channels, enable the
immediate assignment procedure. In the immediate assignment procedure,
the TCH is immediately assigned when the SDCCH has no available
resource during the processing of access request.
c. Increase the number of TRXs.
It is difficult to avoid the SDCCH congestion caused by network burst services;
however, you can take some relief measures such as increasing the number of
SDCCHs or enabling the SDCCH dynamic conversion function.
Some counters related to burst services of the BSC6000 are listed in the following
table.
Cause
BSC Cell-Level
s
A3030A: Call Setup Indications (MOC Non SMS)
(SDCCH)
A3030B: Call Setup Indications (MOC SMS)
(SDCCH)
A3030C: Call Setup Indications (MTC) (SDCCH)
Troub
A3030D: Call Setup Indications (Emergency Call)
leshoo
(SDCCH)
ting None
A3030E: Call Setup Indications (Call
Burst .
Re-establishment) (SDCCH)
Traffi
A3030F: Call Setup Indications (Location
c
Updating) (SDCCH)
A3030G: Call Setup Indications (IMSI Detach)
(SDCCH)
A3030H: Call Setup Indications (PS Service)
(SDCCH)
2011-06-28 HUAWEI Confidential Page10, Total18
The SDCCH congestion relates to the parameter settings of the BSC. If the
parameters are set correctly, the SDCCH congestion can be relieved.
1. LAC planning: The LAC setting is very important to the network performance.
If the LAC is too great, the signaling flow increases during the paging in the BTSs
within the LA, and thus the network load increases. If the LAC is too small, the
number of MS location updating increases, and thus the signaling flow of the system
increases, which may lead to the SDCCH congestion. Therefore, proper planning of
LA can reduce the SDCCH congestion. SDCCH Congesiton Caused by Improper
Configuration of LAC
2. SDCCH dynamic allocation: Enabling the SDCCH dynamic allocation
function reduces the SDCCH congestion, but also decreases the utilization of the TCH
resources. To prevent this problem, set the relevant counters according to the actual
situations.
3. Set relevant timers such as T3101 and T3212 properly.
Setting the T3101 to a small value can effectively reduce the congestion caused
by double SDCCH allocation. If the T3101 is set to an over-great value, the signaling
resources are occupied for a long period, which leads to a waste of resources. To
optimize the utilization of the signaling resources, set T3101 to a small value,
especially when enabling the queuing function.
Setting T3212 to a great value can decrease the SDCCH load caused by
periodical location updating. If the T3212 is too great, the MS possibly sends no
request for location updating. In this case, the MS is identified as implicit off-line, and
the system displays "The subscriber you dial is power off" even though the called MS
is on.
The setting of RACH Min.Access Level may cause SDCCH congestion. If this
parameter is set too small, the interference signal access increases and excessive
SDCCH requests are initiated, thus leading to the SDCCH congestion. If the
parameter is set too great, call failures may occur though there are signals. Therefore,
2011-06-28 HUAWEI Confidential Page11, Total18
set the parameter according to the actual BTS sensitivity, the lowest MS access level
and the interference.
5. In the assignment procedure, if the late assignment is enabled, the calling MS
always occupies the SDCCH during the period of waiting for the called party to pick
up the phone. Therefore, the time of the SDCCH occupation increases and other MSs
may fail to request the SDCCH, thus leading to the SDCCH congestion.
6. The setting of RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN also causes the SDCCH congestion. If
the RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN is set too small, the number of MSs that access the
network increases. When the MS requests MOC or location updating, the SDCCH
congestion may occur.
7. The setting of MS MAX Retrans also causes the SDCCH congestion. To
increase the paging success rate, MS MAX Retrans is increased. The BSC may
assign multiple SDCCHs to a single MS. Thus, the SDCCH congestion rate increases.
8. Improper setting of power also causes the SDCCH congestion. If the power of
the main BCCH is set normal but the power of the TCH on the non-main BCCH TRX
is set too small, a power difference band forms. When an MS requests the SDCCH
successfully in the power difference band, the TCH cannot be occupied and the time
of the SDCCH occupation increases, thus leading to congestion. For details, see
section 5.1 "Congestion Caused by Improper Configuration of Power"
four and five. Then check the frequency planning of the network. Find out the faulty
cell, and modify the frequency planning to eliminate the interference. For
intra-network interference, perform drive tests. Check the actual distribution of
signals to determine whether the interference exists. Then, modify the antenna
planning or frequency planning.
For detailed methods of checking interference, refer to the G-Guide to Eliminate
Interference.
The following tables lists some KPIs related to the BSC6000 interference.
Cause BSC-Level TRX-Level
Interference band measurement per TRX
AS4200A:Mean Number of SDCCHs in
Interference Band 1
AS4200B: Mean Number of SDCCHs in
Interference Band 2
Interfe AS4200C: Mean Number of SDCCHs in
None.
rence Interference Band 3
AS4200D: Mean Number of SDCCHs in
Interference Band 4
AS4200E: Mean Number of SDCCHs in
Interference Band 5
S4350D: Radio Link Failures (SDCCH)
4 Test Method
The SDCCH congestion rate is one of the KPIs, which can be obtained through
the registration or reporting of the related KPIs. Generally, SDCCH congestion rate is
not measured through drive tests because of the limited samples, incomplete test
routes, and the irregular occurrence of the congestion in areas with low traffic.
At present, the vendors and mobile operators use different formulas to calculate
the SDCCH congestion rate, thus leading to different values of this counter. In actual
measurement, you should register the specific counters and use an appropriate
formula to calculate the value of the counter.
[Cause Analysis]
The possible reason is that the output power of TRX1 is small and is not detected
by the BTS3001C.Most MSs are not assigned a TCH of TRX1 successfully except
those close to the BTS. This causes the SDCCH to be occupied for a long time, thus
leading to the SDCCH congestion.
Handling Procedure
a. Block the TCHs of TRX1, and the SDCCH counters are normal.
b. Use a power meter to measure the output power of TRX1 and TRX0. The result
shows that the output power of TRX1 is very small but that of TRX0 is normal.
c. Replace the BTS and all counters are normal.
5.2 SDCCH Congesiton Caused by Improper Configuration of LAC
Description
Handling Procedure
1. Query the counters of TCHs and SDCCHs and find that the traffic on TCH is
not high with each cell less than 3 Erl. The number of SDCCH seizure requests is
large, even reaching 3,032 times during busy hours. The traffic volume is up to 1.86
Erl, and the congestion rate is up to 4.91%.
The SDCCH is occupied in the following situations.
a. Transmitting the signaling before call setup
b. Transmitting the signaling of handover
c. Transmitting the signaling of location update in idle mode
3. Normally, the traffic volume on the TCH is 2.79 Erl (the number of available
TCHs is 6).The number of TCH seizure requests (including handovers) is 318, which
is within the normal range. The number of TCH handover requests is 146, which is
also within the normal range. Therefore, the congestion may be caused by frequent
location updates.
4. Check the LAC of this BTS and find that it is 0500. The LACs of the cells
near this BTS are 0520. Change the LAC of this BTS into 0520. During busy hours,
the number of SDCCH seizure requests becomes 298, the congestion rate becomes 0,
and the traffic volume becomes 0.27 Erl.
1. Plan the LAC according to the geographical locations and habits of the MSs to
minimize the location updates at the edge of a Lifer example, the traffic volume is
high in urban areas. If there are more than two LAs, the mountains, rivers, or other
natural resources should be set as the boundary of the LA to minimize coverage
overlapping of different cells in two neighboring Lassie there is no mountain or river,
2011-06-28 HUAWEI Confidential Page14, Total18
the streets or the place with heavy traffic (for example malls) should not be set as the
boundary of the LA. Generally, the boundary of the LA should not be parallel or
vertical to the streets but beveled to the streets. Generally, in rural-urban fringe zone,
the boundary of an LA should be set in the area with least traffic instead of in the area
with high traffic to avoid frequent location updates. The value of LAC should not be
set too great or too small. It is recommended that the number of TRXs be not more
than 300.
2. When changing the LAC, note that the cells cannot have the same CGI. If the
LAC is changed on the BSS side, the LAC should be changed on the MSC side
accordingly.
The SDCCH congestion rate can be obtained through the analysis of the traffic
statistics. Therefore, if the SDCCH congestion rate on site is too high, send a
feedback about the relevant traffic statistics to the headquarters.
The information that needs to be sent is shown as follows:
1. The configuration files (.DAT files) of the faulty cell or BSC, and the version
number of the BSC software and BTS software;
2. The alarm logs of the faulty cell;
3. The RSL tracing data of the faulty cell;
4. The interference measurement report of the faulty cell (TRX-level);
5. The list of the cells with high SDCCH congestion rate, and the traffic statistics
(cell-level) of the faulty cell (including the congestion rate, signaling
availability and traffic volume)
Handover Procedure
(SDCCH)
A3030A: Call Setup AS4300D: Mean Uplink
Indications (MOC Non Level during Radio Link
SMS) (SDCCH) Failure (SDCCH)
A3030B: Call Setup AS4320D: Mean Downlink
Indications (MOC SMS) Level during Radio Link
(SDCCH) Failure (SDCCH)
A3030C: Call Setup AS4200A:Mean Number of
Indications (MTC) SDCCHs in Interference
(SDCCH) Band 1
A3030D: Call Setup AS4200B: Mean Number
Indications (Emergency of SDCCHs in Interference
Call) (SDCCH) Band 2
A3030E: Call Setup AS4200C: Mean Number
Indications (Call of SDCCHs in Interference
Re-establishment) (SDCCH) Band 3
A3030F: Call Setup AS4200D: Mean Number
Indications (Location of SDCCHs in Interference
Updating) (SDCCH) Band 4
A3030G: Call Setup AS4200E: Mean Number
Indications (IMSI Detach) of SDCCHs in Interference
(SDCCH) Band 5
A3030H: Call Setup
Indications (PS Service)
(SDCCH)
A3030I: Call Setup
Indications (SS) (SDCCH)
A3030J: Call Setup
Indications (LCS) (SDCCH)
A3030K: Call Setup
Indications (Others)
(SDCCH)
H3500: Outgoing Inter-RAT
Inter-Cell Handover
Requests (SDCCH)
(Excluding Directed Retry)
H3510: Outgoing Inter-RAT
Inter-Cell Handover
Commands (SDCCH)
(Excluding Directed Retry)
H3240: Number of
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