GSM Training Document

GSM Basic Radio parameters
ZTE University
Objectives
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
Understand the meaning of various radio parameters

Grasp the setting of radio parameters
State the effect to radio network performance of various
kind of radio parameters
Content
Network identification parameters

System control parameters
Cell selection parameters
Network function parameters
Roles of identification parameters
Enable the MS to correctly identify the ID of the current

network
Enable the network to be real time informed of the correct

geographical location of the MS
Enable the MS to report correctly the adjacent cell

information during the conversation process
CELL GLOBAL IDENTITY (CGI)
Cell Global Identity (CGI)
It is used for identifying individual cells within an LA
3 Digits
MCC
2-3 Digits
Max 16 Bits
Max 16 bits
MNC
LAC
CI
LAI
Cell Global Identity
ROLES OF CGI
The CGI information is sent along the system broadcasting

information in every cell.
When the MS receives the system information, it will

extract the CGI information from it and determines whether
to camp on the cell according to the MCC and MNC
specified by the CGI.
It judges whether the current location area is changed,

then determines whether to take the location updating
process.
SETTING OF CGI
MCCMobile Country Code:
MNCMobile Network Code:
consists of 3 decimal digits, and the value range is the decimal

00 999.
LACLocation Area Code:

000 999.
The range is
1-65535.
CICell Identity:
The range is 0-65535.
BASE STATION IDENTITY CODE (BSIC)
Base Station Identity Code (BSIC)
It enables MSs to distinguish between

neighboring base stations
3 Bits
3 Bits
NCC
BCC
BSIC
NCC Network/ National Color Code
Value Range: 0~7
BCC Base Station Color Code
Value Range: 0~7
NCC and BCC ROLES
NCC:
In the connection mode (during conversation), the MS

must measure the signals in the adjacent cells and
report the result to the network. As each measurement
report sent by the MS can only contain the contents of
six cells, so it is necessary to control the MS so as to
only report the information of cells factually related to
the cell concerned. The high 3 bits (i.e. NCC) in the
BSIC serve this purpose.
BCC:
The BCC is used to identify different BS using the same

BCCH in the same GSMPLMN.
BSIC CONFIGURATION PRINCIPLE

A
In general, it is required that Cells A, B, C, D, E and

F use different BSIC when they have same BCCH
frequency. When the BSIC resources are not
enough, the cells close to each other may take the
priority to use different BSIC.
ROLES OF BSIC
Inform the MS the TSC used by the common signaling

channel of the cell.
As the BSIC takes part in the decoding process of the
random access channel (RACH), it can be used to prevent
the BS from mis-decoding the RACH, sent by the MS to
an adjacent cell, as the access channel of this cell.
When the MS is in the connection mode (during
conversation), it must measure the BCCH level of adjacent
cells broadcasting by BCCH and report the results to the
BS. In the uplink measurement report, MS must show
BSIC of this carrier it has measured to every frequency
point.
BA LIST (BCCH ADJACENT LIST)
Adjacent cell BCCH table

At most 32 adjacent cell
Carried by BCCH when MS is idle, by SACCH
when MS is dedicated
The MS will first search carriers from this table
and if none is found it will turns to find any of 30
carriers with highest levels.
Content

RANDOM ACCESS
Random access is the process that messages

being transmitted on RACH when a MS turns
from idle to dedicate mode. The main
parameters includes:
MAXRETRANS
Tx_Integer
AC
MAX RETRANS
When starting the immediate assignment process

(e.g, when MS needs location updating,
originating calls or responding to paging calls), the
MS will transmit the "channel request" message
over the RACH to the network. As the RACH is an
ALOHA channel, in order to enhance the MS
access success rate, the network allows the MS to
transmit multiple channel request messages
before receiving the immediate assignment
message. The numbers of maximum
retransmission (MAX RETRANS) are determined
by the network.
MAX RETRANS
The MAX RETRANS is often set in the following ways:

For areas (suburbs or rural areas) where the cell radius is more
than 3km and the traffic is smaller, the MAX RETRANS can be
set 11 (i.e. the MAX RETRANS is 7).
For areas (not bustling city blocks) where the cell radius is less
than 3km and the traffic is moderate, the MAX RETRANS can be
set 10i.e. the MAX RETRANS is 4).
For micro-cellular, its recommend that the MAX RETRANS be

For microcellular areas with very high traffic and cells with
apparent congestion, its recommend that the MAX RETRANS
be set 00i.e. the MAX RETRANS is 1).
Transmission Distribution Timeslots

(Tx_integer)
The Tx_integer parameter is the interval in timeslots at which
the MS continuously sends multiple channel request messages.
The parameter S is an intermediate variable in the access

algorithm, and is to be determined by the Tx_integer parameter
and the combination mode of the CCCH and SDCCH
Format of Tx_Integer
MS starts the first channel request message : {0, 1, ...,

MAX (Tx_integer, 8)-1}
The number of timeslots between any two adjacent
channel request messages {S, S+1, ..., S+Tx_integer-1}
The Tx_integer is a decimal number, which can be 3~12,
14, 16, 20, 25, 32 and 50 (default). The values of the
parameter S are shown as below:
CCH Combination Mode
Tx_integer
CCCH Not Shared with SDCCH
CCCH Shared with SDCCH
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
ACCESS CONTROL AC
The access levels are distributed as follows:
C 0C9: ordinary subscribers;

C11: used for PLMN management;
C12: used by the security department;
C13: public utilities e.g. water, gas;
C14: emergency service;
C15: PLMN staff.
SETTING OF AC
In the BS installation and commissioning process or in the

process of maintaining or testing some cells, the operator
can set C0C9 as 0 to forcedly forbid the access of
ordinary subscribers so as to reduce the unnecessary
effects on the installation or maintenance work.
In some cells with very high traffic, the congestion will
occur in busy hours. For example, the RACH conflict
happens frequently, the AGCH is overloaded and the Abis
interface flow is overloaded. The network operator can set
proper access control parametersC0C15to control
the traffic of some cells.
CCCH_CONF
The CCCH can be one or more physical channels. The

CCCH and SDCCH can share the same physical channel.
The combination mode of the common control channel in a
cell is determined by the CCCH_CONF
CCCH_CONF
Coding
0
1
10
100
110
Others
Meanings
CCCH use one basic physical channel, not shared with SDCCH
CCCH use one basic physical channel, shares with SDCCH
CCCH use two basic physical channels, not shared with SDCCH
CCCH use three basic physical channels, not shared with SDCCH
CCCH use 4 basic physical channels, not shared with SDCCH
CCCH message
blocks in one
BCCH
9
3
18
27
36
Reserved
CCCH_CONF
The CCCH_CONF is determined by the telecom

operation department according to the traffic
model of a cell.
If a cell has 1 TRX, we recommend that the CCCH

uses one basic physical channel and shares it with the
SDCCH
If a cell has 2 ~ 8 TRX, we recommend that the CCCH
uses one basic physical channel but does not share it
with the SDCCH.
AGBLK
Since the CCCH consists of the access grant

channel (AGCH) and paging channel (PCH), it is
necessary to set how many blocks of the CCCH
information blocks are reserved and dedicated to
the AGCH, the access grant reserve blocks
(AGBLK).
AGBLK is represented in decimal numerals, and
its value range is:
CCCH is not combined with SDCCH: 07.

CCCH is combined with SDCCH: 02.
AGBLK
SETTING AND IMPACT OF AGBLK
The AGBLK setting principle is: given that the AGCH is

not overloaded, try to reduce the parameter as much as
possible to shorten the time when the MS responds to
the paging and improve the quality of service of the
system.
The recommended value of AGBLK is usually 1 (when
the CCCH is combined with the SDCCH), 2 or 3 (when
the CCCH is not combined with the SDCCH).
BS-PA-MFRMS
According to the GSM specifications, every mobile

subscriber belongs to a paging group. the MS calculates
the paging group to which it belongs by its own IMSI.
In an actual network, the MS only "receives the contents
in the paging subchannel to which it belongs but ignores
the contents in other paging subchannels. (i.e. DRX
source).
The BS-PA-MFRMS refers to how many multi-frames are
used as a cycle of a paging subchannel. This parameter in
fact determines how many paging sub-channels are to be
divided from the paging channels of a cell.
BS-PA-MFRMS (2)
BS-PA-MFRMS is represented in decimal

numerals and its value range is 29, its unit is
multiframe 51 frames, its default value is 2
BS-PA-MFRMS
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Multiframes of the same

paging group that cycle
on the paging channel
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
PERIODIC UPDATING TIMER (T3212)
The frequency of periodic location update is

controlled via the network and the period length is
determined by the parameter T3212.
The T3212 is a decimal number, within the range
of 0~255, in the unit of six minutes (1/10 hours).
If the T3212 is set to 0, it means that the cell
needs no periodical location update.
NCCPERM
In the connection mode (during the conversation),

the MS will report the measured signals of the
adjacent cells to the BS, but each report may
contain at most 6 adjacent cells.
Therefore, let the MS only report the information of
the cells that may become the hand-over target
cells.
The above functions can be fulfilled by limiting the
MS to merely measure the cells whose NCC have
been specified. The NCCPERM lists the NCCs of
cells to be measured by the MS.
NCCPERM will affect handover
RADIO LINK TIMEOUT (RLT)
GSM specification stipulates that the MS must have a timer

(S), which is assigned with an initial value at the start of
the conversation, that is, the downlink radio link timeout
value.
Every time the MS fails to decode a correct SACCH
message when it should receive the SACCH, the S is
decreased by 1. On the contrary, every time the MS
receives a correct SACCH message, the S is increased by
2, but the S should not exceed the downlink radio link
timeout value. When the S reaches 0, the MS will report
the downlink radio link failure.
The radio link timeout is a decimal number, within the
range of 4 ~ 64, at the step of 4, defaulted to 16.
MBCR (1)
The parameter "multiband indication (MBCR)" is

used to notify the MS that it should report the
multiband adjacent cell contents.
The value is 0-3
MBCR (2)
0: Based on the signal strength of adjacent cells, the MS reports the
measurement results of 6 adjacent cells whose signals are the strongest,
whose NCC are known and allowed no matter in which band the adjacent
cells lie. The default value is 0
1: The MS should report the measurement result of one adjacent cell in

each band (not including the band used by the current service area) in the
adjacent table, whose signal is the strongest and whose NCC is already
known and allowed.
MBCR (3)
2: The MS should report the measurement results of two adjacent cells
in each band (not including the band used by the current service area)
in the adjacent table, whose signals are the strongest and whose NCC
are already known and allowed.
3: The MS should report the measurement results of three adjacent cells

Application of MBCR
Content

CELL SELECTION C1
When the MS is turned on, it will try to contact a

public GSM PLMN, so the MS will select a proper
cell and extract from the cell the control channel
parameters and prerequisite system messages.
This selection process is called cell selection.
The quality of radio channels is an important factor

in cell selection. The GSM Specifications defines
the path loss rule C1. For the so-called proper cell,
C1>0 must be ensured.
CELL SELECTION C1
C1 = RXLEV - RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN
- Max(MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P ,0)
where:
RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN is the minimum received level the

MS is allowed to access the network
MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH is the maximum power level of

the control channel (when MS sending on RACH);
RXLEV is average received level;
P is the maximum TX power of MS;
MAXX, YX; if X Y.
MAXX, YY; if Y X.
RxLevAccessMin
The RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN is a decimal number,

within the range of -110dBm ~ -47dBm
Default value is 0 (-110dBm).
RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN
Meaning
-47 dBm
> -48 dBm (level 63)
-46 dBm
-49 ~ -48 dBm (level 62)
...
...
-108 dBm
-109 ~ -108 dBm (level 2)
-109 dBm
-110 ~ -109 dBm (level 1)
-110 dBm
<-110 dBm (level 0)
Setting and Influence
For a cell with traffic overload, you can appropriately

increase the RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN
RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN value cannot be set to too high a

value. Otherwise, blind areas will be caused on the
borders of cells.
It is suggested that the RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN value

should not exceed -90 dBm.
CELL RESELECTION C2
Cell Reselection (C2) is a process when MS change its

service cell in idle mode.
When the MS selects a cell it will begin to measure the

signal levels of the BCCH TRX of its adjacent cells (at
most 6)
When given conditions are met, the MS will move from the
current cell into another one. This process is called cell
reselection.
CELL RESELECTION C2
When C2 Parameter Indicator (PI) indicates YESthe MS

will get parameters (CRO, TO and PT) , from BCCH, to be
used to calculate C2(channel quality criterion), which serves
as cell reselection norm. The equation is as follows:
C2C1CROHPTTTO, when PT 31
C2C1CRO
, when PT= 31
Where T is a timer. When a cell is recorded by MS as one

of the six strongest cells, timer starts counting, otherwise, T
is reset to zero.
PARAMETER INDICATOR (PI)
PI is used to notify the MS whether to use C2 as the cell

reselect parameter and whether the parameters calculating
C2 exist.
PI consists of 1 bit. 1means the MS should extract

parameters from the system message broadcasting in the
cell to calculate the C2 value, and use the C2 value as the
standard for cell reselect; 0 means the MS should use
parameter C1 as the standard for cell reselect (equivalent
to C2C1.
CRO, PT AND TO
The cell reselection initiated by the radio channel quality regards C2

as the standard. C2 is a parameter based on C1 plus some artificial
offset parameters.
The artificial influence is to encourage the MS to take the priority in
accessing to some cells or prevent it from accessing to others. These

methods are often used to balance the traffic in the network.
In addition to C1, there are three other factors influencing C2, namely:
CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET (CRO), TEMPORARY_OFFSET (TO)
and PENALTY_TIME (PT).
Format of CRO, PT and TO
The CRO is a decimal number, in dB, within the range

of 0 ~ 63, meaning 0 ~ 126 dB, at the step of 2 dB.
The TO is a decimal number, in dB, within the range of

0 ~ 7, meaning 0 ~ 70 dB, at the step of 10 dB, where
70 means infinite.
The PT is a decimal number, in seconds, within the

range of 0 ~ 31, meaning 20 ~ 620 seconds for 0 ~ 30,
and at the step of 20 seconds. The value of 31 is
reserved to change the direction of effect that the CRO
works on the C2 parameter.
C2 TYPICAL APPLICATIONS
For cells where the traffic is very heavy or the

channel quality is very low. the PT may be set 31,
making TO invalid, so C2=C1-CRO.
For cells where the traffic is moderate, the

recommended value for CRO is zero and PT=31,
thus causing C2=C1, i. e. no artificial impact will
be imposed.
For cells with light traffic, its recommended that CRO

be ranged from 0 to 20dB. The greater the CRO, the
more possible the cells will be reselected ,and vice
versa. Its also suggested that TO is equal or a little
higher than CRO. PT, whose main role is to avoid
frequent cell reselection by MS, is generally
recommended to be set at 20 seconds or 40 seconds.
CELL SELECTION HYSTERESIS (1)
When a MS reselects a cell, if the old cell and the target

cell are in different locations, then the MS must initiate a
location updating process after cell reselection.
Due to the fading features of the radio channel, the C2
values of two adjacent cells measured along their borders
will fluctuate greatly.
MS will frequently conduct the cell reselection, which will
not only increase the network signaling flow and lead to
low efficiency use of radio resources, but reduces the
access success rate of the system, as the MS cannot
respond to paging calls in the location updating process.
To minimize the influence of this issue, the GSM

specifications put forward a parameter called
ReselHysteresis,
The cell selection hysteresis is represented in

decimal numerals, its unit is dB, its range is 014,
its step length is 2dB, and its default value is 4.
CELL RESELECTION PRINCIPLE
If the MS calculates that the C2 value of an

adjacent cell (Same location area) surpasses the
C2 value of the serving cell and maintains for 5s
or longer, the MS will start cell reselection .
If the MS detects a cell that is not in the same
location area with the current cell, the calculated
C2 value surpasses the sum of the C2 value of the
current cell and the ReselHysteresis parameter
and if it remains for 5s or longer, the MS will start
the cell reselection .
The cell reselection caused by C2 should be
originated at least at the interval of 15s.
CELL BAR ACCESS (CBA)
In the system message broadcasting in each cell, there is a bit

information indicating whether to allow the MS to access to it, which
is called cell bar access (CBA). The parameter CBA is to indicate

whether the cell bar access is set in a cell.
The CBA bit is a parameter for the network operator to set. Usually
all the cells are allowed to be accessed by MS , so the bit is set
NO. However, in special cases, the telecom operator may want to
assign a certain cells for handover service only, then the bit can be
set YES.
Area A
BTS B
MS A
BTS C
CELL BAR QUALIFY (CBQ)
In areas where the cells overlay with each

other and differ in capacity, traffic and
functions, the telecom operator often hopes
that the MS can have priority in selecting
some cells, that is, the setting of cell priority.
This function is set by way of the parameter
"Cell Bar Qualify" (CBQ).
CELL BAR QUALIFY (CBQ) 2
C1 and C2 States with CBA and CBQ Configurations
CBQ
CBA
Cell Selection
Priority
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Normal
Barred
Low
Low
Cell Reselection
State
Normal
Barred
Normal
Normal
EXAMPLE OF CBQ SETTING
For some reasons, the traffic of Cells A and B is apparently higher

than that of other adjacent cells. To balance the traffic in the whole
area, you can set the priority of Cells A and B as low, and set the
priority of the rest cells as normal so that the traffic in the shade
area will be absorbed by adjacent cells. It must be noted that the
result of this setting is that the actual coverage of Cell A and Cell B
is narrowed. However, this is different from reducing the transmitting
power of Cell A and Cell B, the latter may cause blind areas of the
network coverage and the reduction of communication quality.
Content

LIMITn
According to GSM Specification 05.08, the BTS must

measure the interference levels of the upward links of all
the free channels for the purpose of providing basis for
managing and allocating radio resources.
Moreover, the BTS should analyze its measured results,
divide the interference levels into 5 grades and report them
to the BSC. The division of the 5 interference grades (i.e.
the so-called interference bands) is set by the operator
through the man-machine interface. The parameter
"Interference band border(LIMITn) determines the borders
of the 5 interference bands.
LIMITn
Value Range Specified dBm Level
0
<-110 dBm
1
-110 dBm ~ -109 dBm
2
-109 dBm ~ -108 dBm
61
62
-50 dBm ~ -49 dBm

-49 dBm ~ -48 dBm
Default: LIMIT14
LIMIT28
LIMIT315
LIMIT425
The division of the interference bands should be favorable in
describing the interference in the system. Generally the default values
are recommended. In the ordinary situations, the free channel
interference level is smaller, so the LIMIT14 value should be
smaller. When apparently large interference appears in the system,
you can properly increase the LIMIT1~4 values in order to know the
exact interference.
INTAVE
Due to the randomness of the radio channel

interference, the BTS must average the measured
uplink interference levels within the specified
period, and this average cycle is determined by
the INTAVE parameter.
This parameter is a decimal number, in SACCH
multi-frames, within the range of 1 ~ 31.
New Cause Indication (NECI)
The NECI is a decimal number, within the range of

0 ~ 1, with the meaning described as below:
When the NECI is 0, it means that the cell does not

support the access of half-rate services.
When the NECI is 1, it means that the cell supports the
access of half-rate services.
RE-ESTABLISHMENT ENABLE (RE)
For the drop calls caused by the radio link fault, the MS
can start the call reestablishment process to resume the
conversation, but the network is entitled to determine
whether the call reestablishment is allowed or not.
0=Yes, 1=No.
In some special circumstances, the drop call may occur

when the MS goes through a blind area during the
conversation. If the call reestablishment is allowed, the
mean drop call rate will be reduced. However, the call
reestablishment process will occupy a longer period of
time, most of the subscribers have hung up before the
reestablishment process is over, as a result, the call
reestablishment failed to achieve its purpose and wasted
many radio resources. We recommend that the call
reestablishment be not allowed in the network except for
some individual cells.
GSM Coverage problem & Solution

ZTE university
Objectives
To know different kinds of coverage problem, their

causes and solutions.
Contents
Overview of Coverage Problem

Main Causes of Coverage Problem & Solutions
Procedures of Handling Coverage Problem
Typical Cases
Overview of coverage problem
Weak coverage
Too small coverage range will cause high

call drop rate and a large number of
customer complaints.
Over coverage
Too large coverage will result in frequent

handovers, and mutual interference as
well, if its rather serious, and network
indicators will also be affected.
No-serving cell coverage
When cell reselection parameters and

handover scenarios are similar, or there
are 2 or more cells with similar signal
strength ,Pingpong handover is easy to be
caused during calls.
Contents

Typical Cases
Main causes of weak coverage

too small BTS power
too low antenna height
too small down-tilt
hardware problem
Weak coverage
Obstruction of buildings
Main causes of over coverage
poor antenna
performance
inappropriate down-tilt
too high antenna height
Causes of no-serving cell coverage

unreasonable planning
of antenna parameters
inappropriate type of antenna

too large or too small
carrier transmission power
shrunk coverage caused
by equipment problem
influence of changes
in radio environment
no-serving cell coverage
unreasonable setting
of handover parameters
unreasonable setting of
cell reselection parameters
Contents

Typical Cases

Check setting of problem BTS radio parameters
Check if strong interference source exists
Check hardware
Check antenna system
Analyze the local geographical environment to

see if site location and type of site are appropriate
Contents

Typical Cases
Poor coverage at cold storage warehouse
Problem description
Subscribers complained about the poor coverage around a cold storage

warehouse of animal foodstuff; it was difficult to detect signal even when
they were not far from the warehouse.
Problem analysis
According to subscribers complaint, we confirmed there was problem with

coverage around the warehouse. We found all radio parameters of the site
were set correct at OMCR. Statistical report showed that idle data of
interference band and UL/DL quality data distribution were normal.
Hardware operated normally, as shown in OMCR warning report.
Hardware engineers went to the site and checked the system of the BTS,
tested power amplifier's power and VSWR, they were all shown normal.
Connection between equipment was correct. Antenna azimuth and downtilt were all set reasonable.
Through DT on site, network engineers found that the signal strength of
the antenna main lobe was weak, while that of the side lobes was
stronger, so they tentatively confirmed the problem was due to antenna
fault.
Problem handling
After the antenna was replaced with a new one, the coverage improved
greatly, so did the speech quality.
Poor coverage of a BTS
Problem description
Subscribers complained about weak signal strength around a Food

Bureau (near a BTS).
Problem analysis
According to subscribers complaint, we confirmed there was

problem with the BTS' coverage. We found all radio parameters of
the site were set correct at OMCR. Statistical report showed that
idle data of interference band and UL/DL quality distribution were
normal. Hardware operated normally, as shown in OMCR warning
report.
Hardware engineers went to the site and checked the system of the
BTS, tested amplifier's power and VSWR, they were all shown
normal. Connection between equipment was correct. Antenna
azimuth and down-tilt were all set reasonable.
Through DT on site, network optimization engineers found that the
BTS coverage was in normal condition. While the Food Bureau,
where subscribers complained about the signal, was 4km away
from the BTS, and only indoor signal was weak (covered by Cell2).
Coverage shrinking after BTS starts operation
Problem description
After Cell3 of a BTS started to operate, its coverage range was

found shrunk. On highway 3km away from the BTS, where the BTS
tower was visible, MS could not detect Cell3s signal. MS could
receive signal when its around the BTS, and the signal level was
about -60dB.
Problem analysis
We checked in radio resource management centre and found

Cell3s static power class was set 2, which meant its static power
was reduced by 4dB, so we reset it to be 0. The next day, MS on
highway 3km away from the BTS could receive Cell3s signal, and
its level was -6070; and the signal level around the BTS was
strong, which was about -40dB.
we concluded that the cells coverage shrinking was caused by
wrong setting of static power control at OMCR.
High handover failure rate due to skip-zone

coverage
Problem description
Configuration of a mountain site was S11, and the local network was
single band GSM900. From indicator statistics of the past week, we found
handover success rate of Cell2 under the BTS kept very low, which was
around 80%, while TCH allocation failure rate was completely normal.
Problem analysis
First, we could exclude the possibility of hardware problem and

interference, because there were no TCH assignment failures, which
explained that MS could successfully occupy TCHs assigned to it by BSC;
from DT analysis, we could see when signal level was above -90dbm, no
call drops happened to MS, and speech quality was good, which could
prove that no serious interference existed. Through further analysis, we
found the target cell for handover was a bit far from Cell2; and probably
adjacent cell relations were not set right during assignment planning,
which resulted in isolated-island effect.
we could make area A and area B become adjacent cells to Cell2; while
Cell2 coverage at A and B was already very weak, so Cell2 should not be
adjacent cell to A and B .
After adjustment, handover success rate of Cell2 increased greatly, from
80% to 96%.

coverage
Cell1
Cell2
Questions for thinking
Which parameters can be adjusted to improve

coverage?
GSM/GPRS/EDGE Basic Principles

ZTE University
Objective
Learn GSM development history

Learn and master network structure of GSM system and
functions & principles of different portions
Learn and be familiar with GSM wireless channel and
protocol
Learn and be familiar with main service call process for
GSM
Content
Chap.1: GSM Overview

Chap.2: GSM Network Structure
Chap.3: Interfaces and Protocols
Chap.4: GSM Radio Channel
Chap.5: Basic Service and Signaling Process
Chap.6: Voice Processing and Key Radio
Technology
Chap.7: GPRS and EDGE
GSM Overview
This chapter mainly introduces some basic

information for GSM, including GSM development
history, supported service type, specification, and
system features.
GSM Basic Concepts
Services Supported by GSM System
GSM Specification
GSM Overview
This section introduces network structure of GSM

system and basic functions of various NEs.
GSM Area Division Concepts

GSM composition
Mobile Switching System (MSS)
Base Station Subsystem (BSS)
Operation & Maintenance Subsystem (OMS)
Mobile Station (MS)
GSM System Number
Relationship between Areas in GSM
GSM composition
PSTN
Um
Interfac
e
IBM
A
Interf
ace
IBM
MS
MS
BSS
MSS
GSM System Composition
Other
PLMN
The MSS consists of such entities as the mobile

switching center (MSC), home location register
(HLR), visitor location register (VLR), equipment
identity register (EIR), authentication center (AUC)
and short message center (SMC).
BSS serves as a bridge between the NSS and MS.

It performs wireless channel management and
wireless transceiving. The BSS includes the Base
Station Controller (BSC) and Base Transceiver
Station (BTS).

The OMS consists of two parts: Operation &
Maintenance Center System (OMC-S) and OMCRadio (OMC-R). The OMC-S serves the NSS, while
the OMC-R serves the BSS.
Mobile Station (MS)

The MS consists of mobile terminals and Subscriber
Identity Module (SIM) card.
GSM System Number
GSM system number contains:
Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number (MSISDN)

International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)
Mobile Subscriber Roaming Number (MSRN)
Handover Number
Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identification (TMSI)
Location Area Identification (LAI)
GERAN interfaces
This chapter introduces GERAN interfaces, User

plane/control plane protocol stack at PS and CS.
Interfaces
PS-Domain Protocol Stack
CS-Domain Protocol Stack
Interfaces
GSM interfaces
User plane protocol stack at PS domain
Control plane protocol stack at PS

domain
User plane protocol stack at CS domain
Control plane protocol stack at CS

domain
GSM Working Frequency Band
This section introduces GSM radio frame, channel

concept, division & function for different channels,
mapping combination mechanism between
channels.
Structure of GSM Radio Frame
Physical Channel and Logical Channel
System Messages

Currently, the GSM communication system works at
900MHz, extended 900MHz and 1800MHz.
1900MHz band is adopted in some countries.
There are five layers for structure of GSM radio frame, that
is, timeslot, TDMA frame, multiframe, super frame, and
hyper frame.
1 hyper frame = 2048 super frames =2715648 TDMA frame
1 hyper frame = 1326 TDMA frame (6.12s)

(=51 (26 frames) multi-frames or 26 (51 frames) multi-frames
1 (26 frames) multi-frame = 26 TDMA frame (120ms)
1 (51 frames) multi-frame = 51 TDMA frame (3036/13 ms)
TDMA Frame
Hierarchical frame structure in GSM system

GSM uses TDMA and FDMA technologies for physical
channel, as shown in the figure below.
Time
Frequency
Time
Frequency
System Messages
System message falls into 12 types: type1, 2, 2bis,
2ter, 3, 4, 5, 5bis, 5ter, 6, 7, 8.
Basic Service and Signaling Process
This section introduces GSM terminal start,

position register / update, service call and
handover service implementation and signaling
interaction process.
Mobile subscriber state

Location Update
Typical Call and Handover Process
Basic Signaling Process
The mobile subscriber has three states as follows:
MS starts, network does "Attach" marks on it

MS shutdowns, separated from network
MS Busy
Location Update
Location Update at Same MSC Office
LAI
BSC
1
2
MSC/VLR
1
3
LAI
M
S
Location update between different MSCs
MSC/VLR1
M
S
HLR
2
3
MSC/VLR2
Call process
Handover process

BT S
MS
BSC
M SC
CH REQ
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CRLOC UPD REQ

CC
ENCRY CM D
DT 1CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE COM
DICIPH M ODE COM
DT 1CIPH M ODE COM
DTAPLOC UPD ACCEPT
DT 1Clear CM D
DRCH REL
CH REL
DEACT SACCH
DISC
UA
DT 1Clear COM
RLSD
RLC
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
Location Update Process of MS

BTS
MS
BSC
M SC
CH REQ
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CH REL
DISC
UA
CRIM SI DETACH
DRCH REL
DEACT SACCH
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
IMSI Detach Process
CREF
BTS
MS
BSC
M SC
CH REQ
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CRCM SERV REQ

CC
ENCRY CM D
DT1CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE COM
DICIPH M ODE COM
DT1CIPH M ODE COM
DTAP:CM SERV ACCP

DTAP:SETUP
DTAP:CALL PROC
PHY CONT REQ
DT1:ASS REQ
PHY CONT CONF

CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
ASS CM D
SABM
Mobile-Originated Call and Called

Party On-hook Process
DRASS CM D
EST IND
UA
ASS COM
DIASS COM
DT1ASS COM
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DTAPAlerting
DTAPConnect
DTAPConnect ACK
DTAPDisconnect
DTAPRelease
DTAPRelease COM
DT1Clear CM D
CH REL
DISC
UA
DRCH REL
DEACT SACCH
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DT1Clear COM
RLSD
RLC
MS
BTS
PAG REQ
CH REQ
BSC
PAG CM D
M SC
UDTPAG
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CRPAG RES
CC
ENCRY CM D
DT1CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE COM
DICIPH M ODE COM
DT1CIPH M ODE COM
DTAP:SETUP
DTAP:CALL CONF
PHY CONT REQ
DT1:ASS REQ
PHY CONT CONF

CH ACT
Mobile-Terminated Call and Calling

CH ACT ACK
ASS CM D
SABM
DRASS CM D
EST IND
UA
ASS COM
DIASS COM
DT1ASS COM
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DTAPAlerting
DTAPConnect
DTAPConnect ACK
DTAPDisconnect
DTAPRelease
DTAPRelease COM
DT1Clear CM D
CH REL
DISC
UA
DRCH REL
DEACT SACCH
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DT1Clear COM
RLSD
RLC

MS
BTS1
BTS2
M EAS REP
BSC
M EAS RES
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
DRHO CM D
HO CM D
HO ACCESS
HO DET
PHY INFO
SABM
EST IND
UA
HO COM
DIHO COM
DT1HO PERF
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
Inter-cell Handover Process
M SC
key radio enhanced technologies
This section describes basic voice processing for

GSM, and several key radio enhanced
technologies.
Voice Processing
Frequency multiplexing
Adaptive equalizing
Diversity Receiving
Discontinuous Transmission (DTX)
Power Control
Timing Advance
Frequency Hopping Technology
Voice Processing
Voice Processing in the GSM System
Frequency multiplexing is the core concept of the cellular

mobile radio system. In a frequency multiplexing system,
users at different geographical locations (different cells)
can use channels of the same frequency at the same time
(see the figure above).
Adaptive equalizing
Equalizer can do equalizing at frequency domain
and time domain. GSM uses time domain
equalizing, enabling the better performance in
whole system.
Diversity Receiving
Diversity reception technology is commonly used in GSM.
Diversity consists of different forms: Space diversity,
frequency diversity, time diversity and polarity diversity.

The DTX mode accomplishes two objectives: Lower the total
interference level in the air and save the transmitter power.
Speech Frame Transmission in DTX Mode
Power Control
Power control means to control the actual transmitting power (keep it
as low as possible) of MS or BS in radio propagation, so as to reduce
the power consumption of MS/BS and the interference of the entire
GSM network.
Power Control Process
Timing Advance
In the GSM, the MS requires three intervals between timeslots when
receiving or transmitting signals. See the figure below.
Uplink and Downlink Offset of TCH

Frequency hopping (FH) refers to hopping of the carrier frequency
within a wide frequency band according to a certain sequence.
Basic Structure of FH
section describes evolution of GSM

technologies
This section describes evolution of GSM

technologies: basic concept, network structure,
radio channel, and basic application of GPRS and
EDGE.
Definition and Feature

Inheritance and Evolution
GPRS Radio Channel
Radio Link and Media Access Control Flow
Terminal and Application
The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is the

packet data service introduced in GSM Phase2+.
The GPRS has the following features:
Seamless connection with IP network

High rate
Always online and flow charging
Mature technology
Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE) is a kind

of technology for transition of GSM to 3G.
The EDGE has the following features:
EDGE neither changes GSM or GPRS network structure nor

introduces new network element, but only upgrades the BSS.
EDGE does not change the GSM channel structure, multiframe
structure and coding structure.
EDGE supports two data transmission modes: packet service (nonreal time service) and circuit switching service (real time service).
EDGE adopts octal 8PSK modulation technology, supports 303%
of GMSK payload, and provides higher bit rate and spectral
efficiency.
Compared with GPRS, EDGE adopts new coding mode.
GPRS Radio Channel
This section introduces GPRS physical channel,

GPRS logic channel, mapping of logical channel
combination in the physical channel, and GPRS
channel coding.
This section introduces paging flow, TBF setup

flow, GPRS suspend/resume flow, and TBF
release flow.
The GPRS MSs fall into three categories: Type A,

B, and C.
GSM Handover Problems & Solutions

ZTE university
Objectives
To master different types of handover and their

signaling flows;
To master handover statistical signaling point and MR
tasks;
To know common handover problems and the handling
procedures.
Contents
Overview of handover
Flow of handover signaling
Handover statistics
Handover problem analysis
Aims of handovers
Why there are handovers?
To keep calls going on during movement;

To improve network service quality;
To decrease call drop rate;
To decrease congestion rate.
Handover classification
Intra-cell
Inter-MSC
Handover
classification
Inter-BSC
Intra-BSC
Contents
Handover statistics
Intra-cell handover
Air
BTS
BSC
nnel
a
h
C
Old
annel
h
C
New
TC
Signaling flow of intra-cell handover

MS
BTS
BSC
MSC
1Measurement Report(SACCH)
2Measurement Report
3Channel Activation
4Channel Activation Ack
5Assigment Command FACCH)
6SABM(FACCH)
7Establish Indication
8UA(FACCH)
9Assigment Complete(FACCH)
10Receiver Ready(FACCH)
11HO Performed
12RF Channel Release
13RF Channel Release Ack
Inter-cell handover within one BSC
Air
A
BTS
BSC
TC
BTS
Old Cell / BTS
New Cell / BTS
Signaling flow of inter-cell handover within one BSC

MS
Old BTS
BSC
New BTS
2Measurement Report
3Channel Activation
5HO Command
6HO Command(FACCH)
7HO Access(FACCH)
8HO Detect
9Physical info(FACCH)
10SABM(FACCH)
12UA(FACCH)
13HO Complete(FACCH)
15HO Complete
16HO Performed
MSC
Inter-BSC handover
New Cell / BTS
Air
BSC
BTS
TC
MSC
BTS
Old Cell / BTS
BSC
TC
VLR
Signaling flow of inter-BSC handover

MS
Old BTS
Old BSC
MSC
New BSC
New BTS
1HO_REQ
2HO_REQ
3Channel Activation
5HO_REQ_ACK
6HO Command
8HO Command
7HO Command
9HO Access(FACCH)
10HO Detect
12SABM(FACCH)
13UA(FACCH)
14HO ommand
15HO Command
16HO Command
17HO Command
Inter-MSC handover
New Cell / BTS
Air
BSC
BTS
BTS
Old Cell / BTS
BSC
TC
MSC
TC
MSC
VLR
VLR
Basic signaling flow of Inter-MSC handover

MS/BSS-A
BSS-B/MS
MSC-A
MSC-B
VLR-B
A-HO-REQUIRED
MAP-Prep-Handover req.
MAP-Allocate-Handover-Number req.
MAP-Send-Handover-Report req.
MAP-Send-Handover-Report resp.
A-HO-REQUEST
MAP-Prep-Handover resp.
A-HO-REQUEST-ACK
IAM
A-HO-COMMAND
A-CLR-CMD/COM
ACM
MAP-Process-Access-Sig req.
A-HO-DETECT
MAP-Send-End-Signal req.
A-HO-COMPLETE
ANSWER
End of call
RELEASE
MAP-Send-End-Signal resp.
Signaling flow of inter-MSC back-handover

MS/BSS-B
BSS-A/MS
MSC-A
MSC-B
VLR-B
A-HO-REQUIRED
MAP-Prep-Sub-Handover req.
A-HO-REQUEST
A-HO-REQUEST-ACK
MAP-Prep-Sub-Handover resp.
A-HO-COMMAND
A-CLR-CMD/COM
A-HO-DETECT
A-HO-COMPLETE
Release
Signaling flow of inter-MSC handover to a third MSC

MS/BSS
MSC-B
MSC-A
MSC-B
VLR-B
VLR-B
A-HO-REQUIRED
MAP-Prepare-Handover req.
MAP-Prepare-Handover resp.
IAM
MAP-Send-Handover-Rep. resp. (1)
ACM
MAP-Prep-Sub-Ho resp.
A-HO-COMMAND
A-HO-DETECT
MAP-Process-Access-Signalling req.
A-HO-COMPLETE
Answer
Release
A-CLR-CMD/COM
(end of call)
Release
Basic flow of handover signaling

Inter-cell handover
within BSC
There is no HO-Request message for intra-BSC handover; all

information is analyzed within BSC; Once a target cell in the
BSC fulfilling handover conditions is found, send Channel
activation message directly;
BSC reports CGI and handover cause of original cell and target
cell to MSC through HO-Request;
Inter-BSC handover
within MSC
After MSC finds target cell LAC, it sends HO-Request to the

BSC which the target cell belongs to;
Target BSC activates channel in target cell, and executes the
following flow.
MSC inquires REMOTLAC sheet (including LAC and

route address of adjacent MSC);
Inter-MSC handover
MSC sends Prepare-HO message to the target

MSC-B according to the route address;
According to the Prepare-HO message, target
MSC-B requests for Handover number from VLR-B,
then sends HO-Request message to BSC-B;
After the target BSC-B receives HO-Request ACK, it
sends Prepare-HO ACKmessage to the original
MSC, and executes the following flow.
Main differences between intra-BSC handover

and inter-BSC handover
MSC transmits HO-REQ message,
and CGI of original cell and target cell
MSC participates
or not
is carried in the message;
InterBSC
handover
As for inter-BSC handover, MSC
participates in it since HO-Request;

As for intra-BSC handover, HOCGI is carried
or not
Performed message is sent to MSC
only after the handover is

completed; MSC doesnt participate
before that;
For intra-BSC handover, CGI isnt
carried in any message, its handled
within BSC.
IntraBSC
handover
Flow of handover algorithm

MS
MSC
UL MR
Intra-MSC
handover
Confirmation of
adjacent cell CGI
Execution of
handover decision
Selection of
target cell
External cell?
No
Channel activation
Yes
Target MSC
HO request
Process of MR
Target BSC
HO request
BA2 sheet
BSC
HO request
BCCH
frequency
point, BSIC
and level
values of
the six
adjacent
cells (with
strongest
level) and
serving cell;
BTS
List of cells
under one LAC
Common timers at BSC
T3107
Suitable for: intra-cell handover

Start-up: BSC sends assignment command
Stop counting: when assignment completed or
assignment failure is received;
MS
BTS:TRX
BSC
CHANNEL ACTIVATE
CHANNEL ACTIVATE ACK
A1
ASSIGNMENT COMMAND
SET T3107
T3107
Timeout
A2
T3103
Suitable for: inter-cell handover

Start-up: BSC sends handover command
Stop counting: when handover completed or handover failure is
received;
MS
Old BTS:
New BTS
BSC
CHANNEL ACT
CHANNEL ACT ACK
A1
HANDOVER COMMAND
HANDOVER COMMAND
SET T3103
T3103
Timeout
A2
Contents
Handover statistics
MR cycle
MR is sent to BTS in SACCH UL direction;

When MS is in SDCCH, MR cycle is 470ms/time;
When MS is in TCH, MR cycle is 480ms/time.
26 multiframes of 4
TCHs
480ms
12TCH
1SACCH
12TCH
1 idle
Indicator definition of handover success rate

KPI name
Handover success rate
Indicator
definition
busy hour number of handover success times /busy hour total

number of handover request times*100%
V6.20 (C900060098+C900060102+C900060120+C900060094
+C900060096)*100/(C900060097+C900060213+C9000
60214+C900060215+C900060099+C900060100+C900
060101+C900060216+C900060119+C900060093+C900
060095)
Signaling statistical point of handover success
C900060098
BSC
BTS
C900060102
MSC
BSC
BTS
HO_COM
HO_ COM
A
HO_COM
A
BSC-controlled inter-cell incoming handover success
C900060120
MSC-controlled incoming handover success
C900060096
BSC
BSC
MSC
BTS
CLEAR_CMD
ASS_CMD
ASS_COM
Intra-cell handover success
No. of MSC-controlled outgoing handover success times
C900060094
MS
BTS(Src)
BTS(Target)
MEAS_RES
BSC
MEAS_RES
CHL_ACT
CHL_ACT_ACK
HO_CMD
HO_CMD
HO_ACCESS
HO DETECT
Phy Info
SABM
EST_IND
UA
HO_COM
HO_COM
HO_PERFORM
BSC-controlled inter-cell outgoing handover success
MSC
Signaling statistical point of handover request
C900060097
C900060213
BTS( Target)
BSC
BSC
BTS
Forced
Resource
release
Available
attempt
A
CHL_ACTIV_ACK
CHANNEL ACT
CHANNEL ACT ACK
BSC-controlled inter-cell incoming handover execution
C900060214
Execution of forced release
C900060215
BTS( Target)
BTS( Target)
BSC
Cell
Resource
queuing Available
A
BSC
Force
Resource
handover
Available
attempt
A
CHANNEL ACT
CHANNEL ACT
CHANNEL ACT ACK
CHANNEL ACT ACK
Execution of cell queuing
Execution of force handover
C900060099
C900060100
MSC
MSC
BSC
BSC
BTS
BTS
HO_REQ
HO_REQ
Forced release attempt,

resource available
CHL_ACTIV
CHL_ACTIV_ACK
A
CHL_ACTIV_ACK
HO_REQ_ACK
HO_REQ_ACK
MSC BSC-controlled incoming handover execution
CHL_ACTIV
C900060101
MSC
BSC
C900060119
BTS
BTS
HO_REQ
BSC
CHL_ ACTIV_ ACK
Cell queuing, resource available

A
CHL_ACTIV
ASSIGN_ CMD
CHL_ACTIV_ACK
HO_REQ_ACK
Execution of queuing
Execution of intra-cell handover
C900060216
C900060095
BTS( Target)
BSC
BTS
BSC
MSC
Force
Resource
handover
available
attempt
A
HO_CMD
CHANNEL ACT
HO_CMD
A
CHANNEL ACT ACK
No. of MSC-controlled outgoing handover execution times
C900060093
MS
BTS(Src)
MEAS_RES
BTS(Target)
BSC
MEAS_RES
CHL_ACT
CHL_ACT_ACK
HO_CMD
HO_CMD
HO_ACCESS
HO DETECT
Phy Info
SABM
EST_IND
UA
HO_COM
HO_COM
HO_PERFORM
No. of BSC-controlled inter-cell outgoing handover execution times
MSC
Handover-related measurement tasks

Handover
causes
measurement
Common
handover
measurement
Measurement
of adjacent
cell handover
Sub cell
statistical
measurement
Measure the frequency of MS handovers caused by various kinds of

reasons, so as to examine radio environment of a cell;
Measure the process of MS handover to inspect handover success or

failure and abnormal situations causing failures, so as to improve the
cells radio configuration and observe traffic dispersion, etc.;
Measure the number of times of incoming/outgoing handover

attempt/success/failure from/to certain cells, and number of times of
handover caused by different reasons, so as to get the handover
situations of the serving cell and its adjacent cells and to optimize their
radio configurations correspondingly;
Focus on traffic load of the second subcell.
Contents
Handover statistics
Analysis handover problems
Analysis of handover problems

Location method of handover problems
Common handover problems

Common
handover
problems
Handover
nonoccurrence
Possible
influences
Result in call drop;
Handover failure
Affect call quality and result in call

drop;
Frequent handover
Affect call quality, and increase

system load;
Handover hysteresis
Affect call quality and result in

call drop;
Discovery of handover problems

TOPN analysis
Traffic statistics
analysis
Customer complaints
Abnormal number of handover times
Call drop
Bad coverage
Handover to best cell
inhibited
DT/CQT tests
Poor speech quality

Slow handover
Handover problem
No handover
Meters at A interface
Handover failure
Frequent handover
Flow of handover problem checking

Too high TCH
handover failure rate
of a cell
Is radio
parameter setting
reasonable?
No
Adjust
parameters
Interference
exists?
Yes
Check &
eliminate
interference
Coverage
problem exists?
Yes
Improve
coverage
Any equipment
faults?
Yes
Any antenna
problems?
Yes
Complete
Eliminate
equipment
faults
Solve
antenna
problems
Location methods of handover problems
Analyze traffic statistics
Conduct handover statistics measurement, identify

problem range:
If just some cells fail to make handovers to the cell, check

handover data, check if co-channel and co-BSIC exist;
If the cell fails to take handovers from all other cells, check its
data.
Check warnings: single board malfunction,

transmission and clock malfunctions, etc.;
Check if radio parameters are set reasonably
If co-channel or co-BSIC exist among adjacent cells;

If handover parameters are set reasonably;
If data configuration of external cells is correct.
Interference checking
DT analysis
Signaling analysis: Um interfaceAbis interface A interface;
Hardware checking: like DCU, transceiver, clock generator, RF
connection lines between boards;
Antenna system checking
Coverage & interference

Antenna system
BTS software & hardware
transmission
BSC software & hardware
A interface malfunction
Busy target cell
Connection & adaptation to equipment from different suppliers
Coverage:
Poor coverage: due to influence from forest, complex

landforms, houses, indoor coverage, etc.;
Isolated site: no adjacent cells around;
Skip-zone coverage: no adjacent cells available due to
isolated-island effect;
Interference:
It makes MS unable to access in UL, or DL signal

receiving problem will be resulted.
Handover nonoccurance due to isolatedisland effect

Handover cant
happen due to
lack of adjacent
cells.
Non-adjacent
cell
adjacent cell N1
Serving cell
Non-adjacent
cell
adjacent cell N2
Non-adjacent
Adjacent cell N3
cell
Skip-zone
coverage leads to
isolated island.
Antenna system problems
Too large VSWR

Reversed installation of antenna
Non-standard antenna installation
Unreasonable azimuth, down-tilt
Below-standard antenna insulation
Twisted cables, loosened connectors and wrong
connections;
BTS software/hardware
Problems about :
Single board
Clock generator malfunction
Internal communication cable malfunction
BTS software malfunction
Transmission and BSC problems
Transmission fault
Unstable transmission
Too high transmission error rate
BSC hardware/software malfunctions
Clock generator malfunction: unconformity among clocks in

different BTSs due to clock generator malfunction;
Problem about single board
Wrong data configuration
Unreasonable setting of handover threshold
CGI, BCCH and BSIC values in external cell data sheet do not
match up to those in the corresponding BSC;
Wrong BSC signaling point in list of cell under a LAC in MSC; cochannel& co-BSIC adjacent cells exist.
Busy target cell
Abnormal handover due to lack of link resource, abnormal calls;
handover between equipment from different suppliers
Difference in signaling at interface A and interface E between ZTE

and other suppliers equipment, causing non-recognition or nonsupport problem, including speech version, handover code and
addressing mode (CGI or LAI) etc., which will result in handover
failure.
Typical case 1- frequency interference
Problem description:
Problem analysis
The data in performance report shows that Cell 1 under

a BTS suffers from low handover success rate.
Examine the problem cell, discover that 2 cells under a
BTS co-channel and co-BSIC, and close to each other,
which results in low handover success rate in the cell.
Problem handling
After adjustment of frequency point, handover success

rate obviously increases, and number of handover times
reduces.
180
120%
150
100%
120
80%
90
60%
60
40%
30
20%
0%
9-4
9-5
9-6
No. of HOReq.
9-7
9-8
No.
of HOsuccess
9-9
9-10
HO
success
(%)
rate
9-11
HO success rate
Number of HO Req./number of HO success
Changes of HO indicators before & after Frequency point adjustment
Typical case 2- clock malfunction
Problem description
For a newly-commissioned BTS, handover nonoccurrence appears

during DT: the MS occupies a channel in cell A; during DT from cell
A to cell B, cell B cant be observed in the adjacent cell list, and it
doesnt start normal handovers.
Problem analysis
Its a common network problem that handover nonoccurrence

appears in many cells;
Its a newly-commissioned BTS; handover parameters are as
default in the system;
Check adjacent cells relation, no problem found;
Observe from test MS, find out that adjacent cell frequency
appears in the adjacent cell, but BSIC cant be decoded.
Since adjacent cell is searched through BA2 table during a call, and
BA2 relies on BCCH and BSIC to confirm an adjacent cell, when the
adjacent cells BSIC is unobtainable, BSC is unable to locate it, thus
handover wont be started.
Problem analysis
Process of MS decodeing on DL channel
MS can show adjacent cell frequency point, but not BSIC. Its
suspected that adjacent cells SCH information cant be decoded
by MS due to clock or transmission fault.
Check clock and transmission
decode FCCH decode SCHSCH comprises MS frame

synchronous information and BSIC.
BTS adopts network clock

BSC traces superior clock
MSC traces superior GPS clock through long-distance satellite link
The long-distance satellite link is found unstable, which leads to

high error rate on the meter, and warning of clock deterioration
appears on MSC.
Problem handling
Decide that its handover problem

caused by poor clock quality.
Bring new GPS clock device and
adopt the local one, thoroughly
solve clock malfunction.
Problem of handover
nonoccurrence is solved.
Experience conclusion
If no high accuracy clock

available, clock in BTS can be
used; calibration of each BTS
must be made by using
frequency meter and LMT to
ensure that frequency deviation
meets precision requirement.
Typical case 3-HO parameter setting problem
Problem description
During DT at a BTS, we find slow handover problem is

common (>10S), which affects speech quality and even
causes call drops.
Problem: level of cell 2 is higher than that of cell 3 by
20dB, total handover time is 15s.
Problem analysis and handling
Slow handover seriously affects network quality. Make adjustment of

handover parameters accordingly:
Change adjacent cell handover threshold to improve timeliness of

handover trigger;
Adjust the whole networks handover window to be 2, so as to

accelerate handover speed;
Adjust the whole networks handover preprocess to 2, so as to

accelerate handover speed.
Parameter
Before
adjustment
After adjustment
Level threshold
(HOMARGINRXLEV)
30
28
Quality threshold
(HOMARGINRXQUAL)
30
26
Result
Test after adjustment shows that handover time is reduced to 5s; the slow
handover problem is solved and speech quality is improve.
Please simply illustrate effects on handover due to

changing T3103T3107.
Suggestions on parameter settings of handovers on

highway.
GSM Network Interference &

Solutions
ZTE university
Training goals
To know the classification of interference;

To master the analytical methods of interference
problem;
To master the flow of handling interference problem;
To know the analytical tool of interference problem;
To be able to handle common interference problems.
Contents
GSM Frequency Allocation

Phenomena & Classification of Interference
Flow of Handling Interference Problem
Analytical Methods of Interference Problem
Typical Cases
Frequenc
y band
UL
frequency
EGSM+G 880MHz
SM900
~915MHz
DCS1800
1710MHz~1
785MHz
DL
frequency
Duplex
interval
Band
width
Carrier
frequenc
y interval
925MHz~9
60MHz
45MHz
35MHz
200kHz
1805MHz~
1880MHz
95MHz
75MHz
200kHz
Contents

Typical Cases
Phenomena of Interference
Poor
speech
quality
On-and-off
speech
Call drop
Phenomena
Unable to
establish calls
Metallic noise
Classification of Interference
Internal
interference
Internal interference refers to unreasonable frequency planning
and equipment hardware faults, which could lead to decrease in
network service quality.
External interference
External interference refers to unknown signal source out of the
network, whose existence could seriously disturb the networks
signals and lead to decrease in service quality.
UL interference
DL interference
Internal Interference _Causes
Unreasonable frequency planning
Equipment faults
Skip-zone coverage
Internal
interference
Internal Interference
_due to unreasonable frequency planning
Unreasonable frequency planning :
Frequency and adjacent cell relation may be set

unreasonable in network planning because of planning
tools or human mistakes .
Interference will be reflected in too large DL_RxQuality,
MS unable to access into network, poor speech quality,
and call drop.
Check and confirm problem:
Use planning tool to check if co-channel exists; cochannel is easy to be detected if it does exist.
As for cells in boundary areas, we can block cochannel cells in the network; meanwhile, make tracing
test with DT devices at areas with emergence of large
DL_RxQuality. If co-channel interference does exist, the
DL_RxQuality value shall become smaller after the
blocking of co-channel cells, thus we can adjust the
cells frequencies to eliminate the interference.
Internal Interference _due to skip-zone

coverage
Interference caused by skip-zone coverage
If the actual cell coverage greatly exceeds requirement,

interference will be increased.
Incorrect setting of engineering and network
parameters may lead to skip-zone coverage.

coverage
Unreasonable setting of engineering parameters:
Wrong antenna type, down-tilt and azimuth may result

in over large cell coverage, which exceeds actual
coverage need;
Unreasonable setting of network parameters:
Network parameters include: minimum access level,

BTS transmission power, MS max transmission power,
handover thresholds, etc..Improper setting of these
parameters will result in skip-zone coverage problem
and interference as well.
Internal Interference _ due to equipment

fault
Interference caused by equipment fault:
Radio fault of BTS is mainly caused by defective UL

unit parts.
External Interference
Definition:
External interference refers to other interferences caused by

external factors, but not due to equipment fault or unreasonable
frequency planning.
Common external interferences:
due to wide-band repeater;

due to CDMA system (trailing signal);
due to signal jammer;
Characteristic:
Its hard to detect this kind of interference without

specific devices.
Contents

Typical Cases

Any new sites? If thorough change
of frequency parameters taken
recently?
Several
cells
Poor speech
quality due
to
interference
Confirm
interference
range
Interference
exists
One
TRX
Check
frequency,
change
frequency
points
One cell
Check
VSWR/antenna/divider/dupl
exer
Interference
exists
Interference
exists
Check and
change
TRX
Check
external
interference
Complete
Contents

Typical Cases
Analytical Methods of Interference

Problem
Analytical
Methods of
Interference
Problem
Statistical
analysis of
network
performance
indicators
Analysis of
parameter
Investigation
of hardware
Drive Test
and Dialing
checking
fault
Test
External
interference
test

- Statistical analysis of network performance
indicators
Statistical
analysis of network performance indicators
Statistics of interference band : When TCHs are in idle status, UL

noise/interference is constantly being measured BTS, and the
measurement result will be analyzed, and interference level will be
sent to BSC in 6 levels.
Statistics of handover due to UL/DL interference : We can judge

whether interference exists through statistics of handover caused by
UL/DL interference.
Collection of UL/DL RQ samples during speeches : RxQual is an

indicator to reflect speech quality, which is based on error rate and
falls into 8 grades (07).

indicators
Corresponding relation between RxQual

and Ber

- Analysis of parameter checking
Parameter
checking
Check
parameters
related to
transmitting
power
Check antenna
engineering
parameters
Check frequency
planning
parameters
Check
parameters
related to skipzone coverage

- Checking hardware fault
Checking
hardware fault
OMCR warning analysis

Checking latent equipment fault

- Checking latent equipment fault
Block the two

input ways of
TRX, observe
UL
interference
band; if its 0,
its proved
that TRX
hasnt
brought UL
interference.
Input the two

stimulations
of TRX
without
connecting
them to
power
amplifier,
observe UL
interference
band; if its
0, it means
external
interference
doesnt exist.
If serious UL
interference exists
even though there
is no stimulation
imposed on
power amplifier,
disconnect rack
top feeder cables,
if the interference
disappears, we
can infer that the
problem is caused
by external
factors.
Disconnect the
rack top feeder
cables, and
observe UL
interference
band; if the
interference
isnt fading at
all, then we can
conclude that
the problem is
with the divider
unit.

- Drive Test and Call Quality Test
Drive Test and Call Quality Test
Drive test can effectively detect the location

and degree of interference, which is
convenient for analyzing the cause of
interference.
In CQT, we can actually feel the speech

quality at areas being interfered, and we can
see call quality class on the test phone.

DT parameters:
C/I: co-channel carrier-to-interference ratio

25
20
15
C/I[dB]
10
5
0
0
RxQual
C/I[dB]
23
19
17
15
13
11

DT parameters:
SQISPEECH QUALITY INDEX is the comprehensive

description of BER, FER and HANDOVER EVENT by TEMS.

- Test of external interference
Confirm external interference with

SITEMASTER :
Test of UL interference;
Connect the input port of frequency-sweep

generator to the output port of divider to increase
the degree of sensitivity, as shown in the figure.

Confirm external interference with SITEMASTER :
persistent strong level exists within the bandwidth of

20MHz, we can conclude that serious UL interference
exists.

Confirm external interference with YBT250:
Make UL interference analysis of GSM 900M UL frequency

band with frequency scanning meter-NetTek Analyzer(TEK
company). The model we usually use is YBT250.
Connection method of YBT250:

One is to use its own test antenna ;
One is to obtain interference information through connection to
the output port of divider.

Connection method using YBT250 to test UL

interference:
CDU
Feeder
Antenna
YBT 250

Wave graph of UL interference tested by YBT250:
This output is the average value of the test results of

one minute, which shows the frequency and
strength of interference. Persistent observation is
needed to confirm if the interference continues.

Time scatter graph of UL interference tested by YBT250:

TEK frequency scanning meter features in three
dimensional recording of time, frequency and signal.The
vertical bold red lines in the graph represent the time
duration, signal level strength and frequency .
Colour
spectrum
=strengt
h
vertical
axis=time
horizontal
axis=frequency
Contents

Typical Cases
Typical case 1: Problem description
Since March 2005, an operator has received a lot of

complaints about poor speech quality; sometimes calls
even couldnt be setup; the caller could hear the
counterpart, but could not be heard.
Typical case 1: Problem analysis
At the
beginning we
thought it was
caused by
poor signal.
After on-site
test, we found
it wasnt
coverage
problem.
When the level

tested by MS was
-85dbm, UL call
problem
occurred, which
was displayed as
on-and-off
speech, silence,
metallic noise
and current noise,
so we concluded
that the problem
was caused by
interference.
Performanc
e statistics
at OMCR
showed that
the rank of
idle channel
interference
band was
high.
Confirmed the
problem was
caused by
interference
Typical case 1: Problem handling process

STEP1
Test UL interference with YBT250 connected to CDU. CDMA wave
form was strong when wave filter wasnt used, the peak value reached
about -35dbm (average about -60dbm), which was close to GSM UL
wave band and could cause UL interference to GSM network.

STEP1
In the three dimensional graph of interference tested by YBT250, the
CDMA wave form was strong and the wave form of GSM background
noise on the right was high in a long period of time.

STEP2
Use CDMA wave filter to eliminate CDMA
interference.
Common
CDU
CDMA wave
filter
Antenna
Feeder
YBT 250

STEP2
When CDMA wave filter was adopted, CDMA wave
form was obviously weakened, but it was still strong at
some certain point; the background noise in GSM
frequency band was also reduced.

STEP2
Because of CDMA wave filter, the UL interference in GSM
frequency band reduced greatly.

STEP3
With the aim to eliminate CDMA interference, adopt IRCDU
+CDMA wave filter.
IR CDU
YBT 250
CDMA wave
filter
Antenna

STEP3
Adoption of IRCDUCDMA wave filter can effectively
filter CDMA waves to below -104dbm. This kind of filtering
effect can help completely avoid CDMA network interfering
GSM UL network.

STEP3
Adoption of IRCDUCDMA wave filter can eliminate
CDMA wave form to a great extent; during the test period,
CDMA interference was almost eliminated.
Typical case 1: Summary
The interference source was from CDMA system.

Through comparisons of tests above, we can see after
IRCDU+CDMA wave filter was used, call quality
obviously improved.
How is interference resulted from

wrong setting of transmitting powerrelated parameters?
What is the flow of checking external
interference?
SDCCH Assignment Analysis

& Solutions
Zte university
Contents
Overview
Analysis of signaling and counters related to
immediate assignment
Radio parameters
Instructions on checking of SDCCH assignment
failure
Typical cases on SDCCH assignment
Definition of SDCCH
SDCCH: the Standalone Dedicated Control

Channel is used to transmit information like
channel assignment, which falls into the following
two types:
SDCCH/8: the standalone dedicated control channel;

SDCCH/4: the SDCCH that is combined with CCCH.
In brief, the following processes shall be taken into

consideration in the process of occupying SDCCH:
Location update, periodical location update;

IMSI attach/detach
Call setup
SMS
Signaling flow of immediate assignment
Counters related to SDCCH assignment &

corresponding signaling messages V3
Function:
C900060242
Number of
SDCCH
assignment
success
After BSC sends out the immediate assignment message (IMM_ASS),

this counter counts the number of successful MS accesses to the
corresponding SDCCH.
Sampling:
when BSC receives the correct EST_IND or the message of assignment
complete.
Function:
C900060243
Number of
SDCCH
assignment
failure
After BSC sends out the immediate assignment message (IMM_ASS),

this counter counts the number of failed MS accesses to the allocated
SDCCH.
Sampling:
when BSC receives the wrong EST_IND, or when T3101 expires.
SDCCH assignment success rate

KPI
SDCCH assignment success rate
Definition
Number of successful SDCCH assignments*100/(Number of successful

SDCCH assignments + Number of failed SDCCH assignments)
C11644*100%/( C11644+ C11645)
V2
Counter
formula
C900060242*100%/(C900060242+C900060243)
V3
V6.2
Difference: Random access success rate
Definition: Number of successful random

accesses / Number of random access
requests*100%
Number of random access requests
Definition: MS applies for a channel in the idle mode.

Trigger point: it counts the message of CHANNEL
REQUIRED received by BSC from MS. (A1)
Number of successful random accesses
Definition: BSC successfully assigns a dedicated

channel for MS.
Trigger point: it counts the message of IMMEDLATE
ASSIGNMENT sent from BSC to MS. (A2)
Contents
Overview
Radio parameters
failure
Analysis of Channel Request cause
Establishment Cause
Establishment Cause (continued)
Summary on Establishment Cause
Emergency call
Call re-establishment
Paging responseMTC
Mobile originating callMOC
Location update LOC
Other access causes
One-step access
LMU service
MBMS service
Channel Required
Channel Required
Request Reference
RARandom access reference: it continues to use the Cause and

Random Reference in the Channel Request.
Byte 3 and 4 (T1, T2, T3): receive the frame number(42432) of the
burst pulse.
Channel Required
Access Delay
The estimated TA
Physical Context
including Rxlev_UL
Immediate Assignment
Page Mode = same as before
Packet Response Type and Dedicated mode or TBF
Downlink assignment to mobile in Ready state: no meaning
TBF or dedicated mode: this message assigns a dedicated mode resource
PR Type: immediate assignment procedure for RR connection establishment
Channel Description
Type = SDCCH/8[0]
Timeslot Number: 1
Training Sequence Code: 0h
ARFCN: 104
Request Reference
Random Access:
Establish Cause: E0h = Originating call and TCH/F is needed, or originating call
and the network does not set NECI bit to 1
Random Reference: 12h
N32: 13h; N51: 1Fh; N26: 0Dh
Timing Advance: 1 = 0,6 km
Mobile allocation
Establish Indication
T represents the sub-channel number.
Information on layer3:
CM SERVICE REQUEST
LOCATION UPDATING REQUEST
IMSI DETACH
PAGING RESPONSE
CM RE-ESTABLISHMENT REQUEST
NOTIFICATION RESPONSE
IMMEDIATE SETUP
RR INITIALISATION REQUEST
CM SERVICE REQUEST
Originate call
Emergency call (Access statistics show that emergency
call is not included in MOC )
SMS
Supplementary service
Group call establishment
Voice broadcast call
Access counters
Basic measurement
Counter Number
Counter name
C900060001
Number of MTC access requests
C900060002
Number of MTC access successes
C900060131
Number of CM SERVICE REQ of MOC
C900060136
Number of MOC access requests
C900060137
Number of accesses due to paging response
C900060236
Number of MOC access successes
Access counters
Radio access measurement (I)

Counter Number
C901110001
C901110003
C901110006
C901110008
C901110009
C901110010
C901110011
C901110012
C901110013
C901110014
C901110015
C901110016
C901110017
C901110018
C901110019
Counter name
Number of invalid access requests
Number of successful process for MOC access
Number of successful process for MTC access
Number of call re-establishment access requests
Number of successful process for call reestablishment access
Number of call re-establishment access success
Number of emergency call access requests
Number of successful process for emergency call
access
Number of emergency call access success
Number of LOC access requests
Number of successful process for LOC access
Number of LOC access success
Number of access requests due to other causes
Number of successful process for other causes
access
Number of access success of other causes
Access counters
Radio access measurement (II)

C901110020
C901110022
Number of LMU Establishment access requests

Number of successful process for LMU Establishment
access
Number of LMU Establishment access success
C901110023
Number of accesses due to location update
C901110024
C901110031
Number of accesses due to CM SERVICE REQ

Number of Emergency Call (CM SERVICE REQ)
accesses
Number of SMS (CM SERVICE REQ ) accesses
Number of supplementary service (CM SERVICE REQ)
accesses
Number of accesses for LCS (CM SERVICE REQ )
accesses
Number of accesses due to call re-establishment
C901110032
Number of accesses due to IMSI de-activation
C901110033
Number of accesses due to other causes
C901110021
C901110026
C901110027
C901110028
C901110029
Contents
Overview
Radio parameters
failure
TxInteger
Before response to the previous channel request

is received, MS waits for a period of time at
random and sends the request again after
expiration. TxInteger is to decide the random
waiting time.
The interval (number of timeslots) from MS originating

the immediate assignment to the transmission of the
first channel request message is a random number
among { 0,1,,MaxT,8-1 }.
The interval (number of timeslots) between two
consecutive channel request is a random number
among {S,S+1,,S+T-1}.
TxInteger
TxInteger
Number of
timeslots (T)
T(Number of
timeslots
Of TxInteger)
(CCCH is NOT
combined with
(CCCH is
combined with
SDCCH)
SDCCH)
3, 8, 14,50
55
41
4, 9, 16
76
52
10
5,10,20
109
58
11
6,11,25
163
86
12
7,12,32
217
115
10
14
11
16
12
20
13
25
14
32
15
50
MaxRetrans
Because RACH is a ALOHA channel, in order to

improve MS access success rate, the network
allows MS to send several Channel Request
messages before it receives the Immediate Assign
message. The max number of Channel Requests
sent by MS is decided by MaxRetrans.
MaxRetrans
Max number of retransmission
TaAllowed
It represents the max TA allowed for access to the

cell.
It is used to filter out fake accesses.
RachAccessMin
New parameter for iBSC 6.20.100e

Used to filter out fake access, but not
recommended because it will affect the paging
performance.
Contents
Overview
Radio parameters
Instructions on checking of SDCCH
assignment failure
Explanation on common causes of SDCCH

assignment failure
MS frequently originates location update due to

poor downlink quality;
Improper setting of Tx-Integer;
High SD assignment failure rate due to LAPD
delay
Co-channel/co-BSIC interference
Uplink interference
Overshooting
Improper setting of Tx-Integer
The default of Tx-Integer is 14, which is also the

max value.
Usually, the one-way signaling transmission delay
at Abis interface is 60ms~100ms; there should be
a delay of about 240ms from MS originates
Channel Request till it receives Immediate Assign.
When the transmission link delay is long, while
TxInteger is set with a small value, it will result in
MS sending too many access requests. However,
MS only responds to the first Immediate Assign it
receives.
Flow chart of repeated assignment failure

M
B T S
B S C
Channel Request
Channel Required
Channel Active
TxInteger
Channel Active Ack

Channel Request(Re-Send
Channel Required
MS change
to SDCCH
Imm Assign(OK)
Imm Assign Cmd

Channel Active
Channel Active Ack
Imm Assign(Fail)
Imm Assign Cmd
Lapd
Delay
LAPD delay
Possible causes of LAPD delay
Application of LAPD 1:4 multiplexing will lead to the situation that

several BCCH TRXs are multiplexed on one LAPD, which will
cause heavy flow on the LAPD and hence delay.
Heavy flow on LAPD leads to delay. For example, improper LAC
division will lead to large amount of paging and hence LAPD flow
control.
Transmission equipment fault leads to loss of messages on LAPD
or long LAPD delay. These phenomena are often accompanied
with SDCCH assignment failure.
The transmission equipments own delay, such as the delay
caused by satellite transmission at Abis interface.
Impact of PS service: PS service is more sensitive to network delay.
Any LAPD delay will leads to re-transmission of PS service
message, which increases the flow on LAPD and causes longer
LAPD delay, then a malicious circle will be resulted.
Co-channel & co-BSIC
Two cells have same BCCH and same BSIC
The Channel Request sent by MS is received by two

cells and they assign SDCCH at the same time, but MS
can only accept one SDCCH, therefore, one of the two
cells will inevitably experience SDCCH assignment
failure.
For RACH coding, first add in 6bit color code, which is
obtained through taking mod2 of 6bit BSIC and 6bit
parity checking code. Therefore, co-BCCH and co-BSIC
may cause the BTS to incorrectly decode MS access
bursts to other sites, which will lead to SDCCH
assignment failure
Co-channel & co-BSIC
Two cells have same BSIC and the TCH Arfcn of one cell
is same as the BCCH Arfcn in the other cell.
The handover access request occurring on the TCH timeslot is

received as Channel Request by the other cell, which thereafter
performs assignment. This certainly leads to SDCCH assignment
failure.
Its stipulated in protocols that the MS-started handover access
information and the random access request share the same format,
which is AB frame; the difference is that the handover access
information content (RA) in one handover started by MS is the
same, and the FN is in consecution.
Signaling related to this problem displays that the RA is the same,
TA is in consistence and FN in consecution. Its confirmed that all
the large amount and consecutive Channel Requests are fake
accesses caused by handovers between co-channel cells.
Overshooting
If the coverage of cell is too large, the DL Rxqual at the cell

margin will be poor. In this case, BTS can receive Channel
Request sent by MS, but MS can not receive Immediate
Assign sent by BTS, for BTS is more sensitive than MS,
If the coverage of cell is too large, the cell may share
channel and BSIC with the cell which is far away.
Solution to overshooting:
Adjust the engineering parameters of antenna to limit the cell

coverage.
TA_allowed can effectively decrease SDCCH assignment failures
caused by overshooting. The side effect it brings is that the distant
MS is not able to access network. Therefore, the threshold of
TA_allowed shall be set a bit higher than the cells actual coverage.
Besides, we should take into account the transmission distance of
repeater when calculating the cell coverage range.
Uplink Interference --- Fake Access
BTS receiving sensitivity is -112dbm~-125dbm. If the random access signal

strength received by BTS is lower than BTS sensitivity, it usually is confirmed to
be interference. The interference can be decoded as random access, which is
called as fake access, and will definitely lead to SDCCH assignment failure.
Another feature of fake access is that TA is larger than that needed for the actual
coverage range.
Solution: TA_allowed
Note:
RachAccessMin is not recommended to use

As for TA-allowed, the corresponding name used by Nortel is RNDACCTIMADVTHRESHOLD,
whose description is as follows: adjust the parameter according to the cells actual coverage range.
Fake RACH request can be filtered out through setting proper threshold, therefore unnecessary
SDCCH assignment can be avoided. Test results prove that if TA-allowed is set 35Km for cells with
small coverage radius, fake RACH (the system demodulate the noise into RACH pulse by mistake)
accounts for almost 30% of all RACH requests. After rndAccTimAdvThreshold is changed to 2, fake
RACH is totally filtered out.
Frequent location update started by MS
If MS needs to make location update, while the

radio environment is poor, it will retransmit
Channel Request with the cause of location
update again and again, but it can never receive
Immediate Assign message.
The frequent location update will cause
fluctuations in SDCCH assignment indicators.
Frequent location update started by MS

Number of SDCCH
Number of SDCCH SDCCH assignment
assignment
assignment failures
success rate
successes
Reference
indicators
Number of
(MOC+MT
Number of Number of Number of Number of
SDCCH
(MOC+MT
C)
MOC access MOC access MTC access MTC access occupation
C)
assignment
requests
successes
requests
successes attempts (for
proportion
success rate
assignment)
Troubleshooting instructions
Check TxInteger of the problem cell, along with LAPD

delay observed from signaling.
Check whether the LAPD link of BCCH TRX in the problem
cell is multiplexed with that of other cells.
Check whether any of the adjacent cells have same Arfcn
and BSIC with the problem cell.
Check whether the value of counter number of access
attempts due to other causes is big. If so, and the counter
number of access successes due to other causes is zero,
it is possible that handover access on other TCH TRXs
are decoded as channel request by the problem cell.
Error Report with Channel Number 0x88 is available in the
mplog file.
Troubleshooting instructions
Check SDCCH allocation KPIs and transmission

alarms.
If SDCCH &TCH assignment indicators are all bad,
the problem shall be related to radio environment.
Analyze signaling and check if Channel Request
with large TA, if so, fake access exist and
TA_allowed restriction can be used.
Contents
Overview
Radio parameters
failure
LAPD delayCase 1: Large amount of

paging
Problem description: Its found through performance

analysis that ZTE BSC3 has low SD assignment success
rate, which is only about 60% on late busy hours.
Problem analysis:
Its observed that all the cells are experiencing high SD assignment
failure rate, so impact from radio parameters is excluded.
Indicators of other BSCs are normal; the SD assignment success
rate is low in only BSC3 and the Siemens BSC, both of which are
under MSC7.
The paging success rate in MSC7 is also very low; as the traffic
volume increases, the amount of paging increases as well.
LAPD delayCase 1: Large amount of

paging
Adjustment measure:
Add one LAC under MSC7. After the adjustment, the SD assignment
success rate of BSC3 returns to normal, reaching above 95.
BSC3 SDCCH
100000
100%
80000
90%
60000
80%
40000
70%
20000
60%
50%
310
311
SDCCH
312
313
314
SDCCH
315
SD
LAPD delayCase 2: Satellite transmission
Problem description: 4BTSs are under BSC01, but

belong to different peripheral modules. The SD
assignment failure rate of the 4BTSs reaches as
high as 50%.
The time stamp shows that it takes an average of
0.58s to successfully activate a channel.
LAPD delayCase 2: Satellite transmission
How to confirm that two Channel Requests are

started by the same call attempt?
They should have the same Establish Cause;

The same Access Delay;
The frame number interval corresponds to the setting of
TxInteger:
Calculation formula: FNT1*26*51+((T3-T2)mod 26)*51+T3
LAPD delayCase 3: Transmission equipment fault
Problem description: Massive SDCCH assignment

failures occur in 3 cells of a site, accompanied
with lots of SDCCH allocation failures.
Problem analysis: SDCCH allocation failure
usually means transmission equipment fault.
After checking mpLog printing, there are lots of LAPD

Errors.
Also There are a lot of transmission alarms.

A cells ordinary SDCCH assignment failure rate remains at around
20% and hits 30% in busy hour. However, other KPIs(such as TCH
assignment failure rate, handover success rate) are all good.
Problem analysis: After analyzing the cells signaling, we find there
usually are Channel Request messages appearing in couples in the
cell (with the same TA and cause). The Imm Assignment
corresponding to the first Channel Request was successful, but the
one corresponding to the second Channel Request failed.
Problem analysis:
Tx-Integer=12, which means channel request

retransmission interval is 109~128
FN of the first Channel Request is 964; that of the second

Channel Request is 1086; there is a difference of 124 frames.
Its confirmed that the two Channel Requests are sent by the
same MS.
Solution: change Tx-Integer to be 14. After the

adjustment, the SDCCH assignment failure rate drops
to below 10%.
Access of interference signalCase 1: TA

exceeding the actual coverage range
Problem description: the SDCCH assignment

success rate in a cell is very poor.
Time
Alias
2007-4-26 19:15
2007-4-26 19:30
2007-4-26 19:45
2007-4-26 20:00
Cell A
Cell A
Cell A
Cell A
11644(Number of
SDCCH Assignment
Success)
191
190
177
192
11645(Number of
SDCCH Assignment
Failure)
15
24
33
26
Access of noisy signalCase 1: TA exceeding the

actual range
Problem analysis: analyze ABIS signaling; the TA of

failed random access Immediate Assign failure is as
follows; the neighboring sites are near each other ,
with a distance less than 1 Km.
Serial No.
TA
Cause
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
35
36
35
34
32
30
27
27
27
0
24
10
2
0
0
1
MOC
MTC
MOC
MTC
MOC
MTC
MTC
MTC
MTC
MOC
MOC
MOC
MOC
MOC
MOC
LAC update
Corresponding time stamp for sending Immediate

Assign
06-08-55.375
06-08-55.562
06-08-55.984
06-08-56.578
06-09-11.640
06-09-24.546
06-09-38.031
06-09-38.578
06-09-39.109
06-09-57.171
06-09-57.828
06-11-15.406
06-12-12.781
06-12-52.671
06-12-53.218
06-15-13.140
Access of noisy signalCase 2: the Rxlev

lower than BTS sensitivity
Problem description: A cells SDCCH assignment

failure rate keeps high, but the TCH assignment
rate is acceptable.
SDCCH
assign
successful
number
14479
SDCCH
assign
failure
number
4490
TCH
SDCCH
TCH assign
Assignment
TCH assign
assign
failure
Success
failure rate
failure rate
number
Number
23.63
4678
122
2.54
Access of noisy signalCase 2: the Rxlev

lower than BTS sensitivity
Problem analysis: The Physical Context carried by

Channel Required message reports the Rxlev of random
accesses, in which we find lots of Channel Request
messages whose Rxlev is -135dbm(0x87).
Co-BCCH & co-BSIC Overshooting
Problem description: the SDCCH assignment failure rate

in many cells exceeds 25%.
Process procedure:
After all the hardware is changed, the problem still exists.

Through signaling trace we find that the co- BCCH/co-BSIC
signals received when TA=20 lead to SDCCH assignment failure.
Based on the above finding, re-plan the BSIC of more than 10
cells in the network. After the re-planning, coverage of the cells
returns to normal.
Solution:
Temporary solution: the CMM of cells with high reset failure rate
enables the clock to reset, which lead to synchronous malposition
of SDCCH timeslot.
Ultimate solution: to avoid co-channel/co-BSIC.
Co-Channel & co-BSICHandover
Problem description: a cell experiences a sudden

increase of SDCCH assignment failure rate in
busy hour; the TCH assignment indicators are
good.
Cell ID
Pmdatatime
SDCCH assign
failure rate
TCH assign
faliure rate
Cell A
19:00-20:00
15.85
0.68
Cell A
21:00-22:00
12.78
0.71
Cell A
20:00-21:00
11.27
1.36
Co-Channel & co-BSICHandover
Problem analysis: Through signaling trace, we find that there is a

large number of continuous random accesses; these Channel
Requests have the same RA, TA, and consecutive frame numbers.
Solution: After checking frequency planning, we find there are cochannel & co-BSIC cells which are located 14km away from the BTS.
After re-planning of frequency, the problem disappears.
Weak coverage
The SDCCH assignment failure rate in a cell reaches

58% in busy hour, and TCH assignment failure rate
56%; handover success rate in only 20%.
Network performance statistics of fore-and-aft days
display that the TCH assignment failure rate, call drop
rate and handover failure rate have remained high.
UserLabel
Cell A
Handover
SDCCH assign
success rate(%) failure rate
20
58.67
TCH assign
failure rate
56.19
Weak coverage
Problem analysis:
DT result shows that the problem cell not only experiences weak
coverage, but also overshooting and co-channel interference.
Signaling trace shows a large number of abnormal accesses of
consecutive Channel Requests with TA =63.
Consecutive LOC update request
Problem description: some sites at LAC boundaries and suburb

experience sudden increase of SDCCH assignment failure rate, which
moves in no certain pattern; while other indicators of the cell are quite
normal.
Problem analysis:
The basic measurement data shows that LOC access attempts and
failures count for a large proportion of the SDCCH assignment failures.
Consecutive LAC update access request
Problem analysis:
Signaling analysis shows that MS continuously starts Channel

Requests with cause of LAC update, which all end in failure.
GSM Radio network planning principle
ZTE University
Objectives
Describe the contents of information collection

State capacity planning
State coverage planning
Describe steps to notices of site survey
Master frequency planning and anti-interference
technology
Contents
Network planning information collection

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Site layout & Survey
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
Overview
Information Collection
Mobile
service forecast
Subscriber forecast, distribution
Network
equipment &
operation profile
MSC,BSC,BTS
Traffic statistic, quality
City
planning
City type, map

Population
Economic development plan
Road and transport condition
Analysis and survey

Radio
propagation survey
Geographic environment
Plantation
Network
traffic distribution
Industrial, commercial, residential

area
Coverage
and quality analysis
Coverage and quality (DT)

Statistic of A, Abis and OMCR
Interference analysis
Frequency allocation
Frequency scanning test
Requirement analysis
Frequency
Limited
Coverage
frequency
Available
bandwidth
Frequency
resources
Coverage
Redundancy
KPI
and other
Traffic
requirements
distributing
Coverage
size
Traffic Model
Capacity
traffic
distributing
Traffic and
system
capacity
Data traffic
Other
configuration
model
Voice traffic
Site
Propagation
environment
model
Electronic
map exists ?
Summary
Network planning information collecting

template
1. What is necessary information?
2. What is supplementary info?
Inadequate
info
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
Basic concepts
Traffic volume
Traffic model
Erland
Call loss rate
Erlang B table
Erlang B table
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
2%
0.020
0.223
0.602
1.092
1.657
2.276
2.935
3.627
4.345
5.084
5.842
6.615
7.402
8.200
9.010
9.828
10.656
11.491
12.333
13.182
14.036
14.896
15.761
16.631
17.505
5%
0.053
0.381
0.899
1.525
2.218
2.960
3.738
4.543
5.370
6.216
7.076
7.950
8.835
9.730
10.633
11.544
12.461
13.335
14.315
15.249
16.189
17.132
18.080
19.030
19.985
Capacity Planning
Capacity Planning Procedures

1
Capacity information Traffic distribution

collection
analysis
Confirm subscriber
number
Traffic distribution
ratio
Site type and

number
Site numbers and

configuration
Site layout
Site distribution and

their latitude and
longitude
Network scale
Reach target of
capacity planning
Information collection
Network type: GSM900, DCS1800, dual-band network or

WLL network
System capacity requirement. No of subscriber and the
traffic?
Traffic model of the voice service?
Equipment type: V2/V3? Model? Indoor or outdoor? DPCT
applied in V3 or not?
Data service required? EDGE TRX? Data service
penetration rate? Traffic model of data service?
Frequency resource range ? Is there frequency that are
prohibited? Maximum site configuration ?
Forecast and investigation traffic density and define traffic
distribution ratio.
Traffic density distribution
Traffic distribution analysis is to categorize the planning

area into areas of different service levels based on
forecast and survey of traffic density distribution
how many phases and what is the ratio of
5
7%
subscribers in each phase
4
11%
1
41%
3
15%
what is the planning area range and the

traffic distributing ratio in DU/MU/SU/RU.
Provide existing sites and their

2
26%
configuration and performance statistics

report data
Service level by radio propagation environment

Area
Topographic features
Dense
urban
Average height of surrounding buildings is more than 30 metres (over 10 storey)

and average distance between buildings is 10-20 metres. Usually the buildings
are crowded around the site with the height of 10-20 stories and the ambient
roads are not considerably wide.
urban
Average height of surrounding buildings is about 15-30 metres (5-9 storey) and
average distance between buildings is 10-20 metres. The buildings are evenly
distributed around the site. Mostly are below 9 stories and some are over 9
stories and the ambient roads are not considerably wide.
suburb
distributed around the site. Mostly are 3-4 stories and some are over 4 stories.
Roads around are wide.
rural
Average height of surrounding buildings is below 10 metres. They are dispersed

and mainly are 1-2 storey high. There are spacious space between.
Service level by service distribution area
Area
Distribution Features
Dense
urban
Traffic is heavy with high data service

rate, mainly for data service
development
Mean
urban
Suburb
Rural
Traffic is relatively heavy and date

rate should be comparatively high.
Data service is required
Traffic is low and only low-speed
data service
Traffic is quite low. Site is for
coverage purpose and data service
quality are not ensured.
Both radio propagation

environment and service
distribution factors should all
be taken into consideration.
Number of BTS sites-1
No. of BTS for capacity limited area

Maximum site type by frequency reuse pattern
Traffic per site by traffic model, Erlang-B table
Total number of BTS: Total traffic / single site
traffic
No. of BTS for coverage limited area

Total area / single site coverage (according to service
level)
Cell traffic = Cell coverage * traffic density
TCH number (Erlang-B table)
SDCCH number
TRX number
Site type and number
Network Scale
Coverage Planning
Traffic &
distribution
Site configuration
& number
Capacity per site
Site configuration
Start
Frequency reuse
pattern
Channel planning
& data service
Capacity of each cell
Erlang B table
Frequency resources
Maximum
Site type
Traffic model
No of SDCCH
Suppose SDCCH average process time is 3sLocation updating

process is 9s,BHCA=2
The traffic of SDCCH per subscriber is:
(32 + 9) / 3600 = 0.0042 Erlang
4SDCCH call loss=2% can support 1.092Erlang
(1.092 / 0.0042 = 260sub) 0.025 Erlang = 6.5Erlang
look up in Erlang-Bcall loss=2% 6.5Erlang need 12TCH(2TRX)
Look up in Erlang-Bcall loss=2%21.6Erlang need 30

TCH(4TRX)
SDCCH configuration
TRX
Channel
SDCCH type
SDCCH
TCH
TCH traffic
(GOS=2%)
SDCCH/8
2.28
16
SDCCH/8
14
8.2
24
2*SDCCH/8
16
21
14.9
32
2*SDCCH/8
16
29
21
40
2*SDCCH/8
16
37
28.3
48
2*SDCCH/8
16
45
35.6
56
3*SDCCH/8
24
52
43.1
64
3*SDCCH/8
24
60
49.6
72
3*SDCCH/8
24
68
57.2
10
80
4*SDCCH/8
32
75
64.9
LA planning
LA border
Paging capacity in LA
Paging capacity calculation
Influence by Short message
LA border
Avoid dense city with high traffic area

Avoid area with high mobility of subscribers
Cross the road slantwise
Consider traffic expansion
Paging capacity
IMSI/TMSI
Second paginglocal pagingglobal paging
Paging group
(BS-AG-BLK-RES)
(BS_PA_MFRAMS)
Paging blocks/ per second =9-AGB/0.2354
Paging number / per paging block : B = 2 or 4
Paging numbers per secondP

P =9-AGB/0.2354 * B
Suppose
Average time of call60sie:1/60Erl
Traffic of LAT
75of MS response first paging25 of MS response
second paging
Paging congestion when 50% of maximum paging.
T*30%/(1/60)*1.25 = P*50% = 59.47*3600*50%
Influence by short message
3/per sub/per day

30% retransmit
Convergence factor:0.12
Subscriber in LA:100000
SM number in busy hour
10000030.12(1+30%)=46800
Consider holiday case: 8 times
Summary
Capacity
Planning
Network
Scale
Coverage
Planning
Capacity planning is
just an initial plan,
Add or reduce sites
based on radio
coverage planning
and analysis.
a repeated, gradual
process helping to
decide site number
and type.
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
Coverage Planning flow
Network
parameter
Set parameters
Link budget
Coverage radius
estimate
Allowable max path

loss
Estimated
coverage radius of
each site
Site layout &

coverage emulation
Information of site
distribution ,
latitude & longitude
of sites
Network scale
Target of coverage
Confirm network parameters

1
Network parameter
Network category: GSM900,DCS1800, dual-band or WLL network?

Equipment type: V2 or V3? Model? Indoor or outdoor? Apply DPCT in
V3? DPCT ratio?
Carrier Transmission power is 40W60W80W? Are data service
required? EDGE carrier frequency
Antenna model: antenna gains, horizontal and vertical beam width,
antenna downtilt, polarization mode and electrical downtilt etc.
Antenna parameter: antenna available height, directional angle and
downtilt.
Apply tower top amplifier?
Feeder type: 7/8 feeder or 15/8 feeder?
Maximum site configuration is? Are there special requirements toward
configuration of combining and distribution unit?
What is KPI? What is level and area coverage rate? Which new
technology will be adopted in V3 site, DDT? IRC? or FWDR?
Link budget
2
Link Budget
Definition:
Link budget is the calculation of loss and gains on one

communication link.
Target:
Maximum power of the site, avoid invalid downlink

coverage, reduce interference and system noise.
Allowable maximum indoor & outdoor path loss of uplink

and downlink
Uplink
Downlink
Link budget
Fading margin
Antenna gain
Feeder loss
Penetration loss
Transmission
loss
Site sensitivity
PA
MS power
Body loss
Link budget
Template
Margin reservation
Network Type & Equipment

Transmission power and reception
sensitivity of MS/BTS
Fast fading margin
CDU type
Interference margin
Slow fading margin

Link Budget
Losses
Path loss
Body loss
Vegetation
loss
Building penetration
loss
Feeder and
connector loss
Combiner and
splitter loss
Gains
Site antenna gain
MS antenna gain
TMA gain
Link budget-Equipments
MS transmission power is showed as follows
Power
class
GSM 900
Nominal
Maximum output
power
DCS 1800
Nominal
Maximum output
power
PCS 1900
Nominal
Maximum output
power
1 W (30 dBm)
1 W (30 dBm)
8 W (39 dBm)
0.25 W (24 dBm)
0.25 W (24 dBm)
5 W (37 dBm)
4 W (36 dBm)
2 W (33 dBm)
2 W (33 dBm)
0.8 W (29 dBm)
Series
Reception
sensibility
Biggest site
-112 dBm
S18/18/18
-112 dBm
S12/12/12
43 dBm
-110 dBm
S2/2/2 or O6
40W
46 dBm
-110 dBm
S12/12/12
GMSK
80W
49 dBm
-110 dBm
S6/6/6
8PSK
30W
44.78 dBm
-110 dBm
S12/12/12
(EDGE)
GMSK
60W
47.7 dBm
-110 dBm
S12/12/12
OB06
GMSK
40W
46 dBm
-110 dBm
S6/6/6
BS30
GMSK
40W
46 dBm
-110 dBm
S2/2/2
GMSK
40W
46 dBm
-110 dBm
S2/2/2
GMSK
80W
49 dBm
-112 dBm
S1/1/1
B8018
BTS
V3
B8112
M8202
BTS
V2
BS21
Modulation
Transmission power
GMSK
60 W
47.78 dBm
8PSK
31 W
45 dBm
GMSK
60 W
47.78 dBm
8PSK
31 W
45 dBm
GMSK
30 W
44.78 dBm
8PSK
20 W
GMSK
Link budget-Loss
Path loss
Body loss
Vehicle loss
Plantation loss
Building penetration loss
Feeder and connector
loss
Combining and
distributing unit loss
Link budget-Loss
Path loss
Body loss
Radio wave loss caused by the transmission distance.

Voice service, body loss 3 dB
Data service, 0dB.
Vehicle loss
Usually it is 8~10dB.
Link budget-Loss
Plantation loss
Inside the forest, the loss of 900MHz is 0.2dB/m; the

loss of 1800MHz is 0.3dB/m
Through forest or diffraction, the loss is 20dB/dec
Forest around the antenna and the antenna is lower
than the forest, around 10dB
Averagely its 10 20 dBrelying on building material

and thickness.
Link budget-Loss
Feeder cable loss
Type
lossdB/100m
900M
1800/1900M
1/2 soft jumper
7.22
11.3
7/8 feeder
3.89
6.15
15/8 feeder
2.34
3.84
Link budget-Loss
Combiner & Splitter loss

Unit (900M)
Insertion loss
CDUG
4.4dB
CEUG
3.5dB
CENG
5.3dB
CENG/2
5.3dB
ECDU
0.9-1.0dB
Unit(1800M)
Insertion loss
CDUD
4.6dB
CEUD
3.6dB
CEND
5.5dB
CEND/2
5.5dB
ECDU
0.9-1.0dB
Link budget-Gain
BTS Antenna gain
MS antenna gain
usually is 0
remarkspecial attention
Area
Antenna gain
dBi
urban
15.5
suburb
15.5~17
rural
17~18
Antenna may be indoor,
Express way or
long & narrow
valley
18~21
outside door or on the roof.
Hills and
highland
17~18
should be paid to antenna gain
in MS in GSM WLL network
So antenna gain and height
should be checked, which

will affect coverage greatly.
TMA gain
Link budget-Margin
Fast fading & deterioration storage
walking2.0--5.0dB
fast moving0dB
In GSM system, fast fading for voice and data service is
supposed to be 3dB.
Interference margin
The interference margin is generally supposed to be

3dB.
Link budget-Margin
Slow fading (shadow fading) margin
shadow fading is based on
standard deviation
margin coverage probability.
slow fading standard deviation is related to propagation

condition. In cities, its about 8~10 dB, while in suburbs
or rural areas68dB.
Marginal coverage
probability(%)
70
75
80
85
90
95
98
Slow fading margin/dB
0.53
0.68
0.85
1.04
1.29
1.65
2.06
Link budget
Parameter
Symbol
MS transmitting power
Body loss
Building loss
MS reception sensibility
MS antenna gain
Path loss difference
TMA gain
between uplink and
Diversity gain
Feeder loss
Combiner/divider unit
loss
Fast fading margin
Slow fading margin
Noise margin
Path loss indoor
M=A-B-C-D+E+F+G-H-I-JK-L
Path loss outdoor
N=M+C
downlink is 3-5dB
Estimate coverage radius

3
Coverage
radius estimate
Max allowable loss
Maximum allowable path loss
Propagation model
Okumura-Hata model
Cost231-Hata model
Universal model
Cost231-Walfish-Ikegami model
Estimate
coverage
radius
Propagation model selection
Site layout & emulation

4
Site layout &

coverage emulation
Electronic map
Planning area size
Planning site number
Link budget
radius estimate
Input
****
Output
Site
distribution
Distribution map
Distribution info
Latitude & longitude
Site layout &

coverage emulation
Electronic map
Planning map
Antenna height/direction angle

Antenna selection
Propagation model
Link budget
Existing network data
Input
****
Output
Coverage &
emulation
Site distribution map

Site coverage effect map
Height info map
Existing network coverage map
Coverage probability statistics table
Summary
5
Network scale
Capacity
planning
Network
scale
Coverage
planning
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
Site layout & survey procedure
coverage planning
+ capacity planning
=>
network scale
Distribute site on Mapinfo
Based on theoretic location of
or PLANET/EET E-map,
sites, make sites survey.
decide site theoretic
Confirm site location, site type &
location, latitude &
location, antenna type, height,
longitude and other para of
direction angle, downtilt, CDU,
sites
TTA and feeder etc.
Site survey
Optical measurement
Construction environment and natural
environment
Frequency spectrum measurement
Electromagnetism environment
Site investigate
Installation condition of antenna and equipment
Power and transmission supply
Preparation
Try to collect materials relating to the project

include
Engineering files, background information,

existing network situation, map and
configuration list
Get tools ready
Digital cameral, GPS satellite receiver,

compass, ruler and PC.
Site layout & survey
When select site location, take the following aspects into

consideration
Previous Network condition

Population distribution and habits
City layout and distribution
Main streets and traffic volume
Natural environment such as Hills, lakes, rivers and coastline
Growing trend
Principles of site selection

population
Select high traffic area and

dense population area
Customer mobility trend

Surrounding environment
Signaling transmission
quality
Careful select high hills, radar,

radio station, gas station, forest
and power plant
Main principles to select sites
Site should be at the best place of regular mesh with deviation less than a
quarter of the site radius.
Select existing facilities for cost saving and period reduction purpose on the
premise that it doesnt affect site distribution.
City edge or High-altitude hills(100 m or 300 m higher than city construction) in
suburbs are not supposed to be sites, as first to control coverage scope,
second to make construction and maintenance easier.
Newly-constructed sites should better be at place where transportation is
convenient, commercial power supply available, safe environment and take
less farmland.
Avoid construct sites near high power radio transmitter, radar station or other
interference sources.
Better far from forest to avoid fast fading of received signaling.
Pay attention to the effect of signaling reflection and dispersion when in hills,
steep slopes, dense lake area, mountainous region and high metallic buildings.
When in cities, utilize the height of the building to realize division of network
hiberarchy
There are less sites in the initial stage of network construction, so good
coverage of key areas should be guaranteed.
Antenna and feeder
TMA
Feeder
To increase
receiving sensitivity of
BTS
Antenna
CDU
Height, direction
Frequency range,
gain
Polarization
3dB beam width
Down tilt
Feeder design
Antenna selection
Site in city
Select directional antenna with horizontal 3dB bandwidth of 60

65
City site
Select medium gain antenna of about 15dBi
Best to select antenna with electrical tiltdown of 36
Recommend dual-polarized antenna
Site in suburb
Select
Suburb
site 90
direction antenna with horizontal 3dB bandwidth of 65or
Generally select medium or high gain antenna 15~18dBi

Preset downtilt or not based on actual condition
Select dual polarized or vertical polarized antenna
Antenna selection
Site in rural area
Select directional antenna of 90120or omni antenna

High gain of directional antenna 1618dBi
City site
Generally dont select downtilt antenna. For high sites, zero filling
antenna is the best choice.
Vertical polarized antenna is recommended
Road site
Select narrow-beam, high
Suburb
site antenna, omni antenna or
gain directional antenna. 8-shape

deformation omni antenna based on
actual condition
Generally dont select downtilt antenna because road site has
higher requirements to coverage distance.
Vertical polarized antenna is recommended.
Principle for antenna height
Antenna of different cell of the same site can be different

due to installation conveniences or cell planning
requirements.
For flat urban area, height of antenna is around 25m.
For suburbs, antenna height can be elevated to 40m.
Antenna can not be too high
Reduce coverage level near the antenna especially for omni

antenna
Easy cause problems affecting network quality like over coverage,
co-channel interference or adjacent-channel interference.
Principle for Antenna direction
Try to keep the direction of three-sector site same in urban

area.
Antenna main lobe should direct at dense traffic area
Main lobe deviate from co-frequency cell to control
interference effectively.
Overlapping depth of urban adjacent sectors should not
exceed 10%.
Overlapping area for suburb and country adjacent cells
shouldnt be too deep and the antenna angle between two
adjacent sector of the same site should not less than 90
degree
Antenna main lobe of dense city area should avoid
pointing straight to the street in case over coverage
because of wave guide effect.
Principles of antenna tiltdown
Antenna tiltdown is the basic method to enhance

frequency reuse ability.
Control coverage and reduce interference
Electrical or mechanical tiltdown.
Mechanical tiltdown angle < 15
Space diversity distance
Distance between two receiving antenna is 1218when

antenna is diversified by space.
Generally distance between diversity antenna is 0.11 times
of the antenna height.
To achieve the same effect, distance of vertical diversity
must be 5 to 6 times of horizontal diversity.
To reduce the interaction of the two antennas, horizontal
distance of diversity antenna should be over 3 m
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
Coverage emulation
Electronic map
Planning area
Latitude & longitude of sites
Antenna height & direction angel Coverage
Antenna model
emulation
Link budget
Input
****
Output
Sites distribution map
Height information map
Existing network
coverage map
Coverage rate statistics

table
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
GSM working frequency band
GSM900
Uplink890 915 MHz
Downlink 935 960 MHz
duplex separation is 45MHz
carrier frequency separation is
200KHz
EGSM
Uplink880 890 MHz
200KHz
DCS1800
Uplink1710 1785 MHz
200KHz
ARFCN
P-GSM900
Fl (n) = 890 + 0.2n MHz
Fu (n) = Fl(n) + 45 MHz 1 n
124
n stands for ARFCN
E-GSM900
Fl (n) = 890 + 0.2(n-1024) 975
n 1023
Fu (n) = Fl(n) + 45 MHz 0 n
124
DCS1800
Fl (n) = 1710.2 + 0.2(n-512) MHz
Fu (n) = Fl(n) + 95 MHz 512 n
885
Basic Concept
Frequency Reuse Cluster

Frequency Reuse Factor
Frequency Reuse Distance
C/I and C/A
Frequency reuse distance
The following equation is used to estimate frequency reuse

distance:
D= 3N * R
D frequency reuse distance
R cell radius
N - frequency reuse factor.
Definition of C/I and C/A
Co-channel Interference C/I

C/I refers to the interference of another cell using the
same frequency to the current cell. The ratio of carrier

to interference is called C/I.
GSM specification regulates that C/I >9dB. In
implementing, it requires C/I>12dB.
Adjacent channel interference C/A

C/A refers to interference of adjacent channel to the
current channel. The ratio is called C/A. The GSM
specification regulates that C/A>-9dB.
Calculation of C/I
Where, Pown_cell is the signal strength of current

cell; Pi_BCCH is BCCH signal strength of interfering
cell i measured by MS.
Frequency reuse pattern

Ordinary (group) frequency reuse: 43, 33 and
more close 26 and 13.
MRP: different layers adopt different frequency reuse
patterns.
Concentric: the Underlay and Overlay adopt different
frequency reuse patterns respectively.
43multiplex
A1
A2
A1
A2
B1
A3
B1
B2
D1
D2
B3
A1
A2
B2
C2
D3
C2
B1
A1
A2
D2
B2
B3
A2
C3
C
(dB)
I
24
10 log
(8) 4 2(7.2) 4
18dB
A1
D3
C1
C2
A3
B1
C3
D1
B3
A1
D3
C1
A3
B2
D1
D2
B3
A2
C3
D1
D2
A1
D3
C1
A3
B1
A3
A3
B1
18dB>12dB
33multiplex
A1
A2
A3
B1
B2
A1
A2
B2
A1
A3
B1
C2
B3
C1
C2
B3
B1
A3
B1
B2
B3
C2
C3
C3
A3
2(7) 4
13.3dB
B1
B2
A3
C
(dB )
I
10 log
A1
A2
A1
A2
C1
C2
C1
B3
C1
A3
B2
A1
C3
A3
A2
C3
A2
A1
A2
C1
B3
C1
13.3dB>12dB
24
2(5.57) 4
Multiple reuse patternMRP
BCCH can use 43 or higher reuse coefficient to

ensure the BCCH quality, while the TCH will use
relatively dense reuse mode.
The division of BCCH and TCH layer frequency
bands reduces the planning workload and
facilitate the layered planning.
Reserve some frequency for the micro cell.
Simplify the configuration of BA tables
The relative independence of the BCCH and TCH
layers facilitates the maintenance and expansion
of each layer.
MRP
Bandwidth=6 MHz
BCCH FRF=12
TCH1 FRF=9
TCH2
FRF=6 For Microcell
FRF: Frequency reuse factor
MRP
BCCH
TCH1
TCH2
TCH3
43
33
23
13
Application of MRP
China mobile: MRP

Frequency bandwidth: 7.2MHz
AFN:6095
Divide 36 carrier frequencies into 4 group as per
12/9/8/7
Channel
type
Logic channel
TCH1 service
channel
TCH2 service
channel
TC3 service
channel
Channel
number
60 61 62 63 64 65
66 67 68 69 70 71
72 73 74 75 76 77
78 79 80
81 82 83 84 85
86 87 88
89 90 91 92
93 94 95
Application of MRP
66
76
62
64
70
60
68
73
67
75
63
65
71
61
72
78
74
69
92
94
89
91
93
78
80
1) BCCH 4 3
2) TCH1 3 3
90
91
79
72
77
75
90
82
92
83
86
85
83
81
94
89
93
4) TCH3 2 3
84
81
85
84
82
86
3) TCH2 2 3
Concentric
2 2
2
2 2 2 2
2
2
2 2
2
2 2
2
Concentric
The coverage of Underlay is the same as that of ordinary

cell, while the Overlay use small transmitting power and
thus has smaller coverage.
The frequency reuse factor of overlay differs from that of
underlay.
The BCCH and SDCCH are used by Underlay, in which
the call will be set up.
The absorbing of traffic by overlay is limited by traffic layout and coverage. It will increase the capacity by 10-30%
A brand new switching algorithm should be added.
Intelligent Concentric IUO
2 2 2 2
2
2 2 2 2
2
2
2
2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2
2
2
2
2
IUO
IUO has the same network structure as ordinary

concentric, consisting of Overlay and Underlay.
Underlay and Overlay of IUO both use the same
transmitting power.
IUO adopts a handover algorithm based on C/I
Its very suitable for absorbing traffic inside building.
Comparison
Concentric
Overlay smaller
transmitting power
Handover based on
power or TA
Overlay coverage is
fixed but not reasonable
Absorb limited traffic
Handover algorithm is
easy
IUO
U/O same transmitting

power
Handover algorithm
based on C/I
Overlay coverage is
fixed and reasonable
Absorb more traffic
complicated
TCH frequency plan
The frequency in same site can not be reused

In same cell, the frequency distance between BCCH and
TCH is at least 400khz
Frequency can not be reused in its directly adjacent sites if
it is not 1*3 pattern
Opposite cells should not be co-channel and avoid
adjacent channel.
High hill in the middle shall not be considered as
neighboring sites while broad water in the middle shall be
considered as neighboring sites.
Avoid to set same BSIC to BCCH with same frequency
Neighboring cell configuration
Centered on the cell, at most two-circle cells

can be neighbor cells
Neighboring cells shall not be more than 32.
Modify unreasonable neighboring cells
according to drive test.
Handover cells shall not be co-channel.
Avoid one way neighboring relationships
Avoid two neighboring cells with the same
BCCH and the same BSIC.
Attention
Reserve frequencies for

Test in propagation,
Replacement frequency in the interference test,
Micro cell frequency in hot spot area.
Generally BCCH should use higher continuous frequencies.
Allocate frequency based on different areas.
Allocate frequency for sites in different areas such as urban,
suburb and rural.
Focus should be put on cities to avoid interference.
Make planning in urban areas before suburbs and rural areas.
Divide urban area into small areas if there are many sites.
Check manually after frequency assignment via automatic frequency
planning.
Anti-interference technique
Dynamic power control (DPC)

Discontinuous transmit (DTX)
Diversity receiving
FH technique
DTX encodes the voice at 13kbit/s during the

voice active period, it encodes the comfort
noise at 500bit/s during the quiet period.
DTX
DTX contributes very little to the interference

during the quiet period, its power can be
regarded as 0 (inactive state).
Suppose the DTX active factor is , then the
gain
C / I (dB) 10 log CI 10 log CI 10 log
From the figure we

can see that, in the
dynamic power
control situation,
when the interfering
MS is only at the
cell borders, the
BTS can work with
the maximum
transmitting power.
A1
A1
A2
A2
A3
A1
A2
A1
A2
A3
A2
A3
A1
A3
A2
A1
A1
A2
A3
A3
A3
DPC
Obviously, the interfering MS location is a

probability. This case is especially apparent in
the frequency hopping situation.
Suppose the DPC factor is p:
C / I (dB) 10 log
C
pI
10 log CI 10 log p
FH
Frequency hopping is to avoid external

interference. In other words, it is to prevent or
greatly reduce co-channel interference and
frequency selective fading effect by
converting frequencies to an extent that
interference cannot catch up with.
Baseband and synthesized FH
Parameters
HSNhopping sequence number

MAIOmobile assignment index offset
Function
The advantage of the frequency hopping is the so-called

effect of Frequency Diversity and Interference Diversity.
The former actually expands the network coverage scope,
and the latter improves the network capacity.
Frequency diversity gain
For static or slow moving MS. about 6.5dB gain can

be provided.
For fast moving MS, the difference of two connected
bursts of a channel in time and place is enough to
make them uncorrelated to Rayleigh change, that is,
they are almost not subject to the influence of the
same fading, at this time, the slow hopping can
provide very little frequency diversity gain.
Gain=1.5-6.5dB
Interference diversity gain

Interfering cell
Hopping set MA
{ f 1 , f 2 , f 3 ,..., f n }
TRX numberm (mn)
In consideration of the above figure, suppose the MS talks by

using fk at the time t, in this case, the probability of the
interfered cell fk is
p Cnm11 / Cnm m / n
C / I (dB) 10 log
C
C
n
10 log
10 log
pI
I
m
1*3FHDPCDTX
Most densely reuse pattern

BCCH (4*3)
Combined with antiinterference technology
Generallyonly use 50%
of the whole available
frequency
A1
A1
A2
A2
A3
A1
A2
A1
A2
A1
A2
A3
A1
A3
A2
C/I= 9.43 dB
A3
A1
A2
A3
A3
A3
1*3FHDPCDTX
Compared to 43 multiplex, the 13 multiplex brings about the

interference degradation:
CIR 43- CIR 13 =18 - 9.43 8.57 dB
13hopping, 50% frequency load brings about the interference

diversity gain:
10log10(2/1) = 3dB
Suppose the frequency hopping length is 12 frequency points, then

the frequency diversity gain is about 2dB
Suppose the DTX active factor is 0.5, then the gain is:
-10log10(0.5) = 3dB
Suppose the DPC factor is 0.9, then the gain is: -10log10(0.9)
=0.5dB
The total gain is: 3+2+3+0.5=8.5dB
Summary
GSM Network Planning
Info
collection
Radio
network
Capacity
planning
Coverage
planning
Site layout
& survey
Frequency
planning
Case Analysis on GSM Network

Optimization
ZTE University
Contents
Call Drop
Handover
Congestion
Coverage
Paging
Interference
Allocation Failure
Severe call drops caused by the illegal user
Description:
2 cells of the GSM network in XX had severe call drop

problem, about dozens of times per hour in the day time.
Cause Analysis & Procedure:

According to the 24-hour performance statistics, most
of the call drops were in the daytime. While very few of
them were in the night. So the engineer suspected that
the problem was related with the user behavior.

After tracing the Abis interface signaling, we found:
(1) The handsets with the call drop problem all used the same
IMEI number.
(2) The dialed numbers were all the emergency number: 112;
(3) The call drop occurred about 10s after the call was
connected. After the call drop, the user continued to dial 112
again and again.
Based on the above factors, we made the judgment: the call drop
was caused by the user himself. For example, the workers in a
factrory were testing the batteries of handsets, and they took out the
battery while the call was still going on. So if we disable the
emergency call function of the cell, the user will try to use another
operator's network. After the operation, we found that the amount of
call drops in the cell was greatly reduced. After we enabled the
emergency call function later, the call drop problem didn't occur any
more, becasue the user selected another operator's network.
Summary:
By analyzing the Abis signaling file, we can make

judgement about the call drop problem and find out the
regularity of the problem. The network performance
index and user experience may be harmed when the
network resource is occupied by some illeagle user.
We can find out the illeagle user by signal tracing or
analyzing the CDR from the switching side.
Call drops caused by handover failure of the

handset
Description:
After the equipment been swapped to the GSM

network, one subscriber complained that under the
mobile environment, his call was automatically hanged
up within one minute after connection. The subscriber's
handset is HS-D907 and it worked normally under the
MOT equipment network before the swap. Another
subscriber complained that when he made a call by HSD907 on the highway, the call was frequently hanged up
about dozens of seonds after connection. In addition,
the subscriber said the handset never had the above
problem in other places.

handset
The engineer traced the Abis interface MM signaling from the

switching side.
When the XX handset is the calling party, it enters the
Conversation state after receiving "connect Ack". Several seconds
later, the BSSAP entity sends a "cbclearcmdEvent" message to the
handset, and the handset automatically hangs up.
When the XX handset is the called party, it enters the Conversation
state after receiving "connect Ack". Several seconds later, the
BSSAP entity also sends a "cbclearcmdEvent" message to the
handset, and the handset automatically hangs up.
According to the signaling tracing analysis, the core network makes
the judgement that the connection is actively released by the
wireless side. The releasing reason is 1, and the meaning of this
value is:
1=Radio interface failure(1)

handset
The engineer traced the Abis interface signaling

from the OMCR side.
After tracing the signaling in the 900/1800 area of Cell 3

and conducting call trace by MA10 software, we found
that the handset released the channels after the
handover failure, and the handovers were all
simultaneous handovers
During the conversation, every time when the handover
command was initiated, the handset pointed to "full rate
or half rate version 3", then the handover was failed.

handset
After comparing the version with the BSC voice

version, the core network engineer found that the
preferred full rate voice version for the wireless
side was version 2, while the switching side only
supported voice version 1 and 3, voice version 2
was not selected.
Steps:
In "Configure the relation between BSC and trunk

group", the engineer added the TFRV2 to the property
of all trunk groups of the 79 and 80 BSC from the
switching side. After that, the automatic hang up never
happened again during the dialing test.

handset
Under the AMR mode, the HS-D907 handset misunderstands the
encrypted fields in the handover command, so the handover will be
failed. Once the encrypted fields contain non-encription information,
the handset will report invalid mandatory filed, then the handover is
failed, and the call drop occurs.
Contents
Call Drop
Handover
Congestion
Coverage
Paging
Interference
Allocation Failure
Slow handover caused by improper handover

parameters
Description:
During the drive test, the engineer found that the handover
from the Negotiation Building (covered by the 1800 network)
to the Hongyan Primary School (covered by the 900 network)
was too slow.
The testing vehicle moved from the north to the south, and
the MS occupied the Cell5 (CI10355BCCH700) of the
Negotiation Building for conversation. When the vehicle
moved on, the MS gradually entered the coverage of G1 cell
of Hongyan Primary School (CI11551, BCCH115), and
the level of the serving cell gradually turned to be -86db and
became lower and lower. From the table, we can see that the
level of the G1 cell was -50db, but the serving cell was not
switched to the G1 cell of the school. So the level turned to
be worse, and the quality also became worse.

parameters
Tmicro timer
The 900 network and the 1800 network were set to be

on the same layer, and the Tmicro timer was set to be
8S. So when the handset occupied the cell 5 of the
Negotiation Building under the 1800 network, it could
not be switched to the 900 network at the same layer
within 8S after it sent the PBGT handover request. And
after 8S, since the frame error rate became higher, the
device couldn't decode the corresponding neighbor cell.
In order to solve the problem of slow PBGT handover
from the 1800 network to the 900 network, we need to
reduce the value of the Tmicro timer.

parameters
Pre-processing Parameter
Description: The survey report contains the large amount (message

amount) of Abis interface information. Preprocess of the survey report
can be transferred to BTS to reduce the burden of Abis interface link.
After preprocess, BTS averages the survey data of MS by its own, and
reports to BSC in a lower frequency. Average reporting period can be
two, three or four SACCH multi-frames (480 ms). That is, the
frequency decreases from the original twice/s to once/2 s, so the
message amount of Abis interface decreases. However, the decrease
of message amount still depends on whether the message length
before preprocess is same as that after preprocess. This parameter
determines whether to execute pre-processing or not, and it also
determines the period of pre-processing.
Reducing the period of pre-processing will greatly impact the
handover. It will speed up the handover, as well as increase the times
of handover.
When the pre-processing period is 3, the average window is 4, and the
P/N value is 2/3, the handover decision will take 9S. When the preprocessing is turned off , the average window is 6, and the P/N value
is 3/4, the handover decision will take 4.5S.

parameters
The related parameters may be

adjusted as follows:
Parameters
Original
Value
Adjustment value
Tmicro
8s
5s
Pre-processing window

parameters
Summary:
After the adjustment of related parameters, the problem

of slow handover from the Negotiation Building to the
Hongyan Primary School was solved.
Accoring to the site conditions, we can adjust the preprocessing parameter, the decision window and the
Tmicro timer to ensure the prompt handover and
prevent the call drop.
Inter-MSC Trunk Congestion Leading to Low

Handover Success Rate
Description:
One network uses dual bands, 900M is our equipment

and 1800 M is Nokia. Recently one IBSC was
commissioned, kept under the new MSC. Performance
statistics shows that handover success rate of this IBSC
is low, specifically, its outgoing handovers are basically
normal, and its incoming handover success rate is low.
Based on the handover statistics of the cells in this
IBSC with low handover success rate, most failures
happen during handovers from Nokia 1800M to 900M of
our company.

Based on the observation and performance statistics of our

MSC, the handover failures causes are mainly
mchMapCauseErr_M.
From the failure observation of the core network, we found
that when the failure occurs, the MSC-B has already sent
MAPPrepHO Rsp containing the handover number to
the MSC-A. The MSC-A should send IAM to the MSC-B
according to the handover number, then MSC-B send the
ACM to the MSC-A to indixate that the inter-office trunk is
ready. And then the MSC-A will send HO Cmd to the BSC to
inform the BSC to initiate the handover.
At this time, if MSC-A, due to some reasons, such as trunk
congestion, can not send the IAM message, the MAP
interface timer will time out and release MAP. MSC-A will not
send HO Cmd message, and the handover fails.

Based on the field test, the inter-MSC trunk

between our MSC and Nokia MSC are congested,
and the traffic volume of each line is more than 0.9
Erl.
Thus, it can be concluded that the low inter-MSC

handover success rate is caused by the trunk
congestion from Nokia MSC to our MSC, leading to
acquisition failure of inter-MSC trunk and then handover
failure.
We perform the capacity expansion of the interMSC trunk, and the traffic volume of every line is
reduced and IBSC6 handover success rate
becomes normal.
Contents
Call Drop
Handover
Congestion
Coverage
Paging
Interference
Allocation Failure
SDCCH congestion caused by group sending

SMS
Description:
As shown from the performance report, one site has

heavy congestion on the SDCCH channel. But the TCH
traffic volume of the site is not high and the site is not at
the bordering sections of several location areas. We
think the SDCCH congestion may be caused by the
huge amount of SMS.
SDCCH congestion caused by group sending

SMS
At first, we tried the signaling tracing. And the result

showed that most of the CM service requests are SMS.
Then we conducted CALL TRACE. After we conducted CALL
TRACE for two continuous requests, we found both of them
were initiated by the IMSI:460028703084110, and the
interval between the two requests was very short. So we
thought the IMSI was group-sending the SMS.
According to the signaling trace, the cell has initiated 4536
requests (including the calling/called request, the SMS
request and data service request) in total during the traced
period. The amount of SMS requests was 3454 (including
3125 SMS requests initiated by that IMSI), and the amount of
location update request was 247.
So we were sure that the SDCCH congestion was caused by
the group sending of SMS from the IMSI number.
Serious SD congestion caused by core

network module problem
Description
About one third of the cells on 2 iBSC of the XX site had

serious SDCCH congestion. The cell-level statistics
shows that nearly one third of the cells have serious
congestion for all the time. The rate of successful
paging was decreased from 80% to 50%.

Troubleshooting process
According to our analysis, the data configuration of the cell

was normal, the alarming of the BSC was normal, and the
CPU usage was normal. Compared with the core network,
the data of the cell was OK. And the load on the A interface
was not increased.
After checking the basic CS measurement of the cell, we
found the amount of calling /called attempts was small, and
most of the attempts were about location update.
After analyzing the signaling of the cell, we found that a lot of
location updates were failed. The handset didin't receive
responses after sending the identity response. After the
T3120 timer timed out,the channel was released. During this
period, the SD channel was occupied for about 20s.
In mormal location update, the handset will receive the
response from the network in about 100ms after it sends the
identity response:

In mormal location update, the handset will receive the

response from the network in about 100ms after it
sends the identity response:
Since the failed location update occupied the SD
channel for long time, serious congestion occurred on
the SD channel. Due to the 3210 Timer on the
handset timed out, the failed location update occupied
the channel for 20s.
After the handset sent the location update request,
there were ID request and ID response between the
core network and the handset. It means the SCCP
layer is OK, but the core network didn't respond to the
handset.

Conclusion
After troubleshooting, the core network found two

modules were in problems. After the supporting A5/1
encryption algorithms of all the cells were disabled by
the wireless side, the SD congestion was temporarily
settled. And the congestion problem did not happen
after the algorithms was enabled again.
Contents
Call Drop
Handover
Congestion
Coverage
Paging
Interference
Allocation Failure
Handling the shrinking of BTS coverage
Description:
According to the statement from the network

optimization engineer of China Unicom in ZhouKou, the
coverage of ZTE's BTSs in some counties shrinked
after certain period of operation, thus some originally
covered areas became coverage holes or areas with
weak coverage. This situation has great impact
especially for the sub-urban areas, since the sub-urban
areas had more omni-directional BTSs, and the
distances between the BTSs in sub-urban areas are
wider. The shrinked coverage can easily lead to
coverage holes. Therefore, the operator may frequently
receive complaint from the subscriber that the signal in
some area becomes weak.
Handling the shrinking of BTS coverage
According to the subscriber's complaint, we conducted

drive test for the BTS with serious problem of shrinked
coverage. According to our analysis on the drive test
data, the coverage of some BTSs indeed shrinked,
especially for those BTSs that had been commissioned
for long time.
Problem 1: The coverage of the BTS in

FuCaoLou shrinked badly
Description
From the table of project parameters, we found that the

BTSs in FuCaoLou Town of Taikang County were 40W
omni-directional stations with the height of 50m. This kind of
BTS generally can cover a distance of 4 km. According to the
above figure, we can see that the coverage of the BTS
(frequency point 124) in FuCaoLou is too small. The
receiving level of the handset decrerases to 85dBm when
the handset is 1 km away from the BTS.
Cause analysis
We found that the BTS in FuCaoLou had been

commissioned for more than 2 years. However, the dust filter
of the cabinet had never been cleaned during the period.
Since lots of dusts were accumulated on the dust filter, the
ventilation and cooling function of the fan on the cabinet was
greatly affected, thus the working of the carrier, power
amplifier and combiner were affected.
Problem 2: The BTS in Wulikou has different

coverage in different direction
Description
From the Rxlev chart, we can see that the BTS in

Wulikou has different coverage in different direction.
The coverage to the east is very samll, about 1 km,
while the coverage to the north-easte reaches 5 km.
Cause analysis
There are 2 platforms on the tower of the BTS. This site

is shared by the BTSs of CDMA network and GSM
network. The CDMA network was commissioned earlier,
it uses the upper platform, then the omni-directrional
antennas of the GSM network were placed on the lower
platform. So some omni-directrional antennas were
obstructed by the iron tower, and the coverage in that
direction is smaller.
Coverage became weaker due to repeater

frequency is inconsistent
Description:
A subscriber from Shao Yang city complained that due to the

unstable signals at ShenJiaCun, he couldn't make a call untill
he climed to the top of his building.
According to our test at the site, the strength of the signal

from the repeater is -90dbm and the signal disappears
randomly. After several times of dialing test, we confirmed
the reported problem.
From the BTS side, we found the equipment was working
normally. After querying, we found that the data of the
repeater were not updated after the BTS was changed from
omni-directional to directional. Then the repeater didn't work,
and the signal strength became weak.
After we changed the frequency of the repeater to be the
frequency of the signal source, the problem was solved.
Contents
Call Drop
Handover
Congestion
Coverage
Paging
Interference
Allocation Failure
"The subscriber is not in the service area"

caused by large CRO value
Description:
Some subscribers complained that the signal was very

weak near the BTS. For most of the handsets, the
signal strength was only 2 grids when the handset was
500 m away from the BTS. The maintenance engineer
said, the signal strength displayed on the handset was
normal, but when the subscriber was called, the calling
party got the response "the subscriber is not in the
service area".


According to our analysis, the above problem of subscriber not in the
service area was caused by "no response to paging". The possible
causes are as follows:
1 The system was congested or over-loaded
If the MSC, the Abis interface signaling link, the BSC, the TRX or the
wireless interface is overloaded, "no response to paging" may occur.
2 The cell was interferred by radio signal
If the cell is interferred by strong radio signal for a long time, "no
response to paging" may occur.
3 The communication equiment is failed or working unsteadily
If the LAPD link, the uplink or downlink signal from the BTS is poor, "no
response to paging" may occur.
If the handset has some problem itself, "no response to paging" may
occur, and there will also be problems when the handset is the calling
party.

4 The BSC has data configuration error
It mainly refers to that the "Cell Module Information Table"
is in error. The content of the table should be in consistency
with all the modules of the BSC.
5 The handset was executing other processes, so it didn't
respond to the paging
It's a coincidence that a new call is inintiated when the
location update, SMS, call releasing process is not
completed. This kind of "no response to paging" cannot be
avoided in the GSM system. In this case, the calling party
only needs to redial the number later.
6 The subscriber is indeed not in the service area or the
handset is power-off
In this case, "The subscriber is not in the service area" is
the correct response from the GSM.

For the complaint of the signal was very weak near the BTS, the
engineer suspected that the RF system and antenna feeder system
had problems. But no problem was found when the engineer checked
the hardwares of the BTS, the RF connection cable and the antenna
feeder system. And the signal was not improved when the engineer
adjusted the pitch angles of the antenna. Then the engineer tested the
handset and found that the serving cell used by the handset belonged
to the neighbor BTS in area B. The signal strength of the serving cell
was only -85dBm, but the CRO was set to be 40. So it is very easy for
the subscriber to select this BTS. Then the level of the serving cell was
too low, it was easy to cause "The subscriber is not in the service
area" . After the CRO setting was changed from the background, the
problem was solved.
Generally, the CRO value should not be too large, especially for the
sub-urban areas. Because the signal received by the MS is depending
on the actually received level. If the two cells around the MS have
similar C2 value and the actually received levels are quite different, it is
very easy to cause cell reselection, thus lead to the problem of
unstable signal when the MS is in idle state.

caused by cross-location-area cell reselection
Description:
The subscribers in one office building complained that

they often received the response " the subscriber is
powered off" or "the subscriber isnot in the service area"
when the signal on the handset of the called party was
very good.

The office buiding is a high-rise building. Most of

the complaint are from the subscribers on the 10th
floor to 13th floor. According to the observation at
11th floor, the level received by the test handset is
-70dbm to -90dbm. However, the handset
detected multiple frequencies, including 900M and
1800M. And the signal strengths of different
frequencies were quite similar. There were many
900M frequence points taht belonged to different
location area. The handset frequently reselected
the cell in idle state.

Cell reselection is needed in the following conditions:+

(1) Great loss of radio path occurs on the current registered
cell (C1<=0);
(2) The downlink of current registered cell failed;
(3) The current registered cell is blocked;
(4) According to C2, another cell in the same location area is
better than the current registered cell; Or according to CRH,
a cell in another location area in the selected netrwork is
better than the current regitered cell.
(5) The handset has not accessed the current regidtered cell
successfully after the random access times reached the
maximum number broadcasted on the BCCH.

When the handset is in idle state, it frequently reselects the cell.

If the cell reselection is crossing different location areas, a
location update will be initiated. After times of dialing tests, we
found that "the subscriber is not in the service area" may occur if
the handset frequently conducts the location update.
According to the dialing test, some 900M frequence points are

from a BTS that is in different location area. So there are two
location areas for the 900M nertwork. Added by the location
area of the 1800M network, the office building receives signals
from 3 different location areas. So the cross-location-area cell
reselection frequently occurs on the handset. The number of
complaints were significatntly reduced after we requested the
operator to adjust the downtilt angle of the 900M BTS antenna,
since the office building cannot receive the signals from that
BTS.
Contents
Call Drop
Handover
Congestion
Coverage
Paging
Interference
Allocation Failure
Interference caused by Excessive Strong

Back Signals of the Directional Antenna
Description:
During the drive test performed in one GSM network

optimization process, it was found that the area which
was more than one kilometer away from the site (S122)
and should be covered by cell 3 received stronger
signals from cell 1. Cell 1 signals brought severe
interference to other sites.


1
The engineers first walked 100 meters away from the site, circled
the BTS tower to test the signals with the MS. and the signals of all
directions were found normal.
2
The engineers walked one kilometer away from the site and
performed the test. It was found that the areas which should be
covered by cell 3, was covered by cell 1, and the signals from cell 1
were about 5 dB stronger than that of cell 3.
3
The engineers first suspected that the jumper connection of the
antenna system was wrong, and cross connection might exist. They
checked the jumper and no problem was found.
4
The engineers checked the jumpers of the antenna and found no
problem. This problem will not affect the transmission of the TRX and
the VSWR, which can not located by SITEMASTER.
5
Therefore the engineers suspected that the directivity of the
directional antenna of one cell is poor, and the back signals are not
shielded. Because the site is space diversity, change the TRX/Main
antenna with the diversity receiving antenna.

Then it showed that the directivity of the antenna was poor,

the back signals of the antenna were not shielded, which
led to the great transmission strength of the opposite
coverage direction of the cell.
Because this cell was one TRX cell, and the power did not
deteriorated through using the combiner. Therefore the
areas which should be covered by cell 1 received better
signals from cell 1.
The antennas of cell 1 had 3 degree depression angle and
the test near the site did not show. The areas which should
be covered by cell 2 were not severely affected, because
the TRX of cell 2 is blocked from that of cell 3 by the tower.
Bad KPI of the Cell Caused by External

Interference
Description:
In one project, cells such as KBL029 had very poor

voice quality, high call drop rate and high handover
failure rate. KPIs were as follows:
KBL used PGSM as BCCH (105-124), and TCH used

EGSM 1*3 frequency hopping (975-995). Based on
TRX measurement, idle interference band of these cells
were distributed on TCH TRX instead of BCCH TRX,
assignment failed and most were on TCH TRX.

Interference
It was decided that the cells with strong interference

were the cells marked in red in the following figure:

Interference
Therefore the interference existed in the red areas, and the

interference is only on the TCH TRX that used the EGSM. The
engineers were required to performe a scanning test

Interference
The result shown that the EGSM frequency used

by ET was strongly interfered externally and the
interference power level was about -8 dB.
The scanning result was submitted to ET, and the
government confirmed that it was caused by the
military troops of one country and therefore the
problem could not be solved.
Contents
Call Drop
Handover
Congestion
Coverage
Paging
Interference
Allocation Failure
Long delay in receiving the "recharging is

successful" message
Description
One subscriber complained that he had to wait for a

long time to receive the "recharging is successful".

successful" message
Signaling of the core network: the core network releases the CC

connection after sending the short message, then it sends the short
mesage, and after sending the short mesage, it releases the RR
connection.

successful" message
Even if the handset has hanged up, the core network will continue to send
the message. After receiving the clear request 12s later, it will release the
connection. If the sending of short message is failed, the core network will
resend the "recharging is successful" when the handset is in Idle state.

successful" message
Cause for the failure of sending the message

for the first time
From the signaling of the Abis interface, we found that

after receiving the "release complete" message for 10s,
the handset sent a "release indication" message to
clear the connection. So the sending of "recharging is
successful" was failed.
The handset cleared the connection 10s after receiving
the "release complete", because the T3240 timer of the
handset was timed out then.

successful" message
Judging form the process, we can see the handset

will receive the "recharging is successful" if it
receives the CP-DATA message within 10s.
The engineer recorded the signaling of the
recharging process again. According to the air
interface signaling, it takes10s in total for the BTS
to send the "recharging is successful" to the
handset in 11 steps.

successful" message
T3240 was started when the handset released the

connection. And it was stopped when the handset
received the CP-DATA messagem T3240. In the
signaling, the interval between receiving " release
complete" and "release indication" was 10s, that
means the timer was not stopped.
There are two possible reasons.
One is that the BTS had not send the CP-DATA

message to the handset in time.
The other one is that the handset may have some
problem itself, that it didn't stop the T3240 timer after it
received the CP-DATA message.

successful" message
Conclusion
Based on the above analysis, if the handset actively hangs

up after the recharging, it cannot receive the CP-DATA
message within the time specified by the T3240 timer, and it
will release the connection, so it will not receive "the
recharging is successful" message. According to the
subscriber behavior, most subscribers hang up the handset
after they hear "the recharging is successful". So the first
time of sending the message is failed.
So there are two solutions for this problem:
One is to shorten the message of recharging success, so as

to let the total time of message sending + link creation be
less than the value of T3240.
The other one is to change the time for sending the message.
The core network will send "the recharging is successful" to
the handset when the handset is in idle state after the
recharging.
Antenna System
ZTE University
Objective
By the end of this course, you will be able:
To Understand the concept of dipole

To state GSM antenna specifications
To comprehend the principle of antenna selection
Content
Antenna overview
Antenna specifications
Principle of antenna selection
Radio Waves
A form of electromagnetic radiation typically

generated as disturbances sent out by
oscillating charges on a transmitting antenna
Blah blah
blah bl ah
Definition
An Antenna is any
device used to
collect or radiate
Electromagnetic
Waves
Antenna for mobile communication
Linear antennas are

used:
Monopole (Slab)
Dipole Elements
Array of dipoles
Single Monopole
Patch Antenna
Base Tranceiver
Station Antenna
Mobile Phones
Antenna basic structure
Antenna are generally

composed of stacked of dipole
bundling their radiated power
to form a desired antenna
pattern in vertical plains
around the antenna
Depending on the gain desired

that wants to be achieved
several of those diploes can
be arranged on top of one
another
Generation of radio waves

DIPOLES
Wavelength
1/4 Wavelength
1/2 Wavelength
1/4 Wavelength
1/2 Wavelength
Dipole
1800MHz 166mm
900MHz 333mm
Half wave dipole
1 dipole
Multiple dipole matrix
Received Power1mW
Received Power4 mW
GAIN= 10log(4mW/1mW) = 6dBd
Isotropic antenna
Antenna
(Overlook
Omnidirectional array
Received power1mW
Sector antenna
Received power8mW
Gain=10log(8mW/1mW) = 9dBi
dBd and dBi
Ideal radiating dot source

(lossless radiator)
2.15dB
0dBd = 2.15dBi
Dipole
dBd and dBi
Content
Antenna overview
Antenna electrical properties
Operating Frequency Band

Input impedance
VSWR
Polarization
Gain
Radiation Pattern
Horizontal/Vertical beamwidth
Downtilt
Front/back ratio
Sidelobe suppression and null filling
Power capability
3rd order Intermodulation
Insulation
GSM antenna frequency range
Type
GSM 900
GSM 1800
GSM Dual Band
Frequency Range
890
1710
890
1710
960 MHz
1880 MHz
960 MHz
1880 MHz
Optimum 1/2 wavelength

for dipole at 925MHz
at
890
MHz
at
960
MHz
Antenna
Dipole
BANDWIDTH = 960 - 890 = 70MHz
Impedance
Standard Value: 50
Antenna
Cable
50 ohms
50 ohms
Voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR)
Forward: 10W
50 ohms
Backward: 0.5W
80
ohms
Return Loss 10log(10/0.5) = 13dB

VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio)
9.5 W
Calculation of VSWR
VSWR1.5
= (VSWR-1)/(VSWR+1)
RetureLoss = -20lg
Bandwidth
3dB Beamwidth
10dB Beamwidth
Peak - 3dB
60 (eg)
Peak
Peak - 3dB
Peak - 10dB
120
(eg)
Peak
Peak - 10dB
3dBm horizontal beamwidth
Directional Antenna65/90/105/120
Omni360
Omni-directional
Directional
3dBm vertical beamwidth

Omni-directional
Directional
Antenna structure types

Omni-directional
Directional
Polarization
Vertical
+ 45degree slant
Horizontal
- 45degree slant
Space diversity
Polarization diversity
V/H (Vertical/Horizontal)
Slant (+/- 45)
Types of antenna
Linear Polarization,vertical
X Polarization, 45
Antenna down tilt
Mechanical down tilt

Fixed electronic down tilt
Adjustable electronic down tilt
Mechanical down tile
It is achieved by physically
tilting the antenna out of the
perpendicular by using down
tilt kit
PROS: Cost efficient and
flexible
CON: Has no effect on the
side-lobe characteristics of the
antenna
Electrical down tilt

Input Signal
Electrical downtilt can be fixed or adjustable
Fixed is tuned by the manufacturer
Adjustable allows adjustment in a certain level on the rear of the
antenna
Down tilt
Non down tilt
Electronic downtilt
Mechanical
downtilt
Antenna tilt development
FRONT-TO-BACK Ratio
Ratio of maximum mainlobe to maximum

sidelobe
Back power
F/B = 10 log(FP/BP)
Front power
typically 25dB
Upper sidelobe suppression and null fill
Intermodulation
It occurs when two signals of a different frequency mix in a

non-linear device
It can be a problem at any site that has two or more

transmitters
It can be caused by a transmitter of the same system or by a

transmitter in another site that is co-sited or has a site in the
neighborhood
IMD@243dBm
f1, f2, 2f1-f2, 2f2-f1
913 MHz
936 MHz
959 MHz
982 MHz
Isolation
10log(1000mW/1mW) = 30dB
1000mW ( 1W)
1mW
Antenna mechanical properties
Size
Weight
Radome material
Appearance and color
Working temperature
Storage temperature
Windload
Connector types
Package Size
Lightning Protection
Dimension
LWH
Lengthconnected with vertical bandwidth and gain

Widthconnected with horizontal bandwidth
Heightconnected with techniques adopted
Weight
A factor that can affect transport and

deployment
Radome materials
PVC, Fiberglass
Anti-temperature, water-proof antiagingweather resistant
Color
Good-looking
Environment-protecting
Temperature range
Operation and storage
Typical range-40C
+70C
Connector type
7/16DINNSMA
Female/male
Mast
Mast diameter 4590mm
Lightning protection
Direct Ground
Antenna types
By frequency band: GSM900, GSM1800,

GSM900/1800
By polarization: Vertical, Horizontal, 45 linear
polarization, circle polarization
By pattern:
Omni-directional, directional
By down-tilt: Non, mechanical, electronic
adjustment, remote control
By function:
Transmission, receiver,
transceiver
Feeder cable
7/8 Main feeder
Jumper cable
1/2 JUMPER CABLE
Connector
7/16DIN-FDIN CONNECTOR
7/16DIN-MDIN & N CONNECTOR
Lightning arrestor
Rf port 2
Grounding
Accessories
Trimming Tool or Hand Tool Kit

Clamp
Earthing Kit
Wall Glands
Hoisting Stocking
Universal Ground Bar
Antenna system
Antenna
7/16 Din Connector
1/2 Clamp
1/2 Jumper
Tower Top
Amplifier
7/8 Cable
7/8 Cable
Grounding
Machine house
1/2 Jumper
EMP
Grounding clip
Grounding bar
Cabinet
Content
Antenna overview
Radio propagation in cities
Environment features:
Densely deployed BTSsmall coverage area

Decrease over coverage and interference, increase
frequency reuse factor
Antenna selection in cities
Polarization
Direction
Dual-polarization (Installation space)

Directional antenna (Frequency reuse factor)
3dB bandwidth
60~65(Control coverage)
Gain
15-16dBi
Tilt down angle
Fixed electrical tilt down
Radio propagation in suburb/rural area
Loosely deployed BTS

light traffic
large coverage
Antenna selection in suburb/rural area

Polarization
Both dual-polarized and vertical
Direction
directional
3dB bandwidth
90105
Gain
16-18dBi directional
or 911dBi omni
Tilt down angle
Mechanical tilt down; 50m high; null fill
Radio propagation in road/highway environment
Low traffic
Fast moving
subscribers
Focus on coverage.
Strip coverage
Two sectors
Omni-cell when pass
towns or tourist site
Antenna selection for highway
Polarization
Direction
Narrow beamwidth directional
3dB
bandwidth
30
Gain
18dBi22dBi
Tilt down
angle
No tilt down
Radio propagation in mountainous environment
Block by mountains
Big propagation loss
Difficult to cover
Antenna selection in mountainous area
Polarization
Direction
Omni or directional
3dB bandwidth
Big 3db verticle bandwidth
Gain
Omni (9-11dBi
Directional (15-18dBi
Tilt down angle
Null fill & electrical tilt down

ZTE University
Objective

protocol
GSM
Content

Technology
GSM Overview

system features.
GSM Basic Concepts
GSM Specification
GSM Overview


GSM composition
Mobile Station (MS)
GSM System Number
GSM composition
PSTN
Um
Interfac
e
IBM
A
Interf
ace
IBM
MS
MS
BSS
MSS
Other
PLMN


Station (BTS).

Mobile Station (MS)

GSM System Number

Handover Number
GERAN interfaces

Interfaces
Interfaces
GSM interfaces

domain

domain

channels.
System Messages

hyper frame.

TDMA Frame

Time
Frequency
Time
Frequency
System Messages
2ter, 3, 4, 5, 5bis, 5ter, 6, 7, 8.


Location Update

MS Busy
Location Update
LAI
BSC
1
2
MSC/VLR
1
3
LAI
M
S
MSC/VLR1
M
S
HLR
2
3
MSC/VLR2
Call process
Handover process

BT S
MS
BSC
M SC
CH REQ
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CRLOC UPD REQ

CC
ENCRY CM D
DT 1CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE COM
DICIPH M ODE COM
DT 1CIPH M ODE COM
DTAPLOC UPD ACCEPT
DT 1Clear CM D
DRCH REL
CH REL
DEACT SACCH
DISC
UA
DT 1Clear COM
RLSD
RLC
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK

BTS
MS
BSC
M SC
CH REQ
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CH REL
DISC
UA
CRIM SI DETACH
DRCH REL
DEACT SACCH
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
IMSI Detach Process
CREF
BTS
MS
BSC
M SC
CH REQ
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CRCM SERV REQ

CC
ENCRY CM D
DT1CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE COM
DICIPH M ODE COM
DT1CIPH M ODE COM
DTAP:CM SERV ACCP

DTAP:SETUP
DTAP:CALL PROC
PHY CONT REQ
DT1:ASS REQ
PHY CONT CONF

CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
ASS CM D
SABM

DRASS CM D
EST IND
UA
ASS COM
DIASS COM
DT1ASS COM
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DTAPAlerting
DTAPConnect
DTAPConnect ACK
DTAPDisconnect
DTAPRelease
DTAPRelease COM
DT1Clear CM D
CH REL
DISC
UA
DRCH REL
DEACT SACCH
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DT1Clear COM
RLSD
RLC
MS
BTS
PAG REQ
CH REQ
BSC
PAG CM D
M SC
UDTPAG
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CRPAG RES
CC
ENCRY CM D
DT1CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE COM
DICIPH M ODE COM
DT1CIPH M ODE COM
DTAP:SETUP
DTAP:CALL CONF
PHY CONT REQ
DT1:ASS REQ
PHY CONT CONF

CH ACT

CH ACT ACK
ASS CM D
SABM
DRASS CM D
EST IND
UA
ASS COM
DIASS COM
DT1ASS COM
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DTAPAlerting
DTAPConnect
DTAPConnect ACK
DTAPDisconnect
DTAPRelease
DTAPRelease COM
DT1Clear CM D
CH REL
DISC
UA
DRCH REL
DEACT SACCH
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DT1Clear COM
RLSD
RLC

MS
BTS1
BTS2
M EAS REP
BSC
M EAS RES
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
DRHO CM D
HO CM D
HO ACCESS
HO DET
PHY INFO
SABM
EST IND
UA
HO COM
DIHO COM
DT1HO PERF
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
M SC

technologies.
Voice Processing
Adaptive equalizing
Diversity Receiving
Power Control
Timing Advance
Voice Processing

Adaptive equalizing
whole system.
Diversity Receiving

Power Control
GSM network.
Timing Advance


technologies

EDGE.

GPRS Radio Channel


High rate
Mature technology


efficiency.
GPRS Radio Channel

channel coding.

release flow.

B, and C.
GSM Network optimization overview
Objectives
State network optimization flow and the Content

Master common network optimization problems analysis
and solution
Understand Dual-Band Network and its peculiar
problems and solutions
Contents
Overview of radio network optimization

Introduction of network performance evaluation
Flow of Radio Network Optimization
Routine network optimization tasks
Common network optimization problems
Dual-Band network optimization
Network Optimization Concept

Purpose
Object
Improve system performance
Maximize service quality under existing

system configuration
The upcoming network

Network in operation
Maximize benefit of existing network
Suggestion of network future

maintenance and planning
Network
Optimization
Data
Collection
Data
Analysi
s
Confirm
Reason
Make
Solution
Solution
Implement
Why Optimization
End-user changes
New calling model
Subscriber distribution change
Environment change
New Building,Road,Vegetation
Cause of Network
Optimization
Network structure changes

Coverage , Capacity
Application of
New Technology
New Equipment
New Standard
Network Optimization Position

Position in mobile communication
Relation with Maintenance
Specific working flow of mobile

networks
Throughout network planning,
implementation and daily
maintenance
Closed-loop management of network
quality
Necessary and effective approach of
Improving network operation quality
Maintenance is the foundation of

network optimization
Network optimization is the
further development based on
maintenance
Maintenance focus on equipment,
Network optimization focus on
network,
Maintenance work is the network
value-keeping process
Optimization is the network
value-added process
Network optimization category

Commission and maintenance optimization
Engineering network
optimization
Maintenance network
optimization
Network
optimization
category
Independence Optimization
ZTE equipments were not

used in network optimization,
but network operator wants
us (as the third party) to do
network quality evaluation,
optimization adjustment,
complementary planning,
etc.
Content

Introduction of network performance
evaluation
Concept
Object
Network in
operation
Network
Evaluation
Means
Check and analyze:

Collection customers
complain,
frequency allocation
radio parameter,
BTS equipment
MSC data
System performance data
Objectives
Output reasonable and

objective evaluation
network planning quality,
network running condition,
network operation question,
the hidden danger,
network investment
utilization factor
Network performance KPI

Drop call rate
TCH/SDCCH congestion rate

TCH allocation success rate
KPI
Radio coverage
Traffic
Channel available rate
Voice quality
Optimization
Network evaluation content

Network
test
evaluation
Network
layout
evaluation
Resource
utilization
evaluation
Performance
evaluation
Voice
quality
evaluation
Through DT and CQT test, simulate users calling process. Reflect

the users feeling of communication
Network size, types of coverage, the feature / topographic

distribution, network architecture, site / Traffic density, indoor coverage
strategy
By traffic statistic, export Traffic, calculate the utilization of network

resources. Reflect the capacity of network
Analyze network KPI and output optimization suggestion
Evaluate voice quality by MOS
Contents

Detailed Flow
2
Require
analysis
Preparation
Equipment
Data
check
collection
Data
analysis
Network status: coverage, voice qualityradio KPI,
topographic and geographic feature, population

distribution, traffic hot spot
The most important problem of existing network
Expected performance KPI and dead line
Working interface with operator
Adjust
plan
Result
verify
Summary
acceptance
Preparation
Analysis Framework
1
Require
preparation
analysis
Goals
Equipment Data
collection
check
Data
analysis
Detail
requirement
Expectations indicators
Further detail
Estimate time
operator
Special requests
requirement
Adjust
Result
Summary
plan
verifies
acceptance
Prepare data &

equipment
History P&O report
Digital map
Site information
Network Index
DT and related test equipment
Equipment check
Analysis Framework
1
Require
analysis
preparation Equipment Data

check
collection
Data
analysis
Checking object
BTS hardware fault

Antenna and feeding cable
Clock problem
Unstable power supply system
Working environment condition
BSC/OMCR
fault
Adjust
Result
Summary
plan
verifies
acceptance
Avoid the
Hardware
problems to affect
overall network
performance
Data collection
Analysis Framework
1
Require
analysis
Preparation Equipment Data

check
collection
Adjust
Result
Summary
analysis
plan
verify
acceptance
service condition
System
performance data
test data
Subscriber
complaints
Signaling trace
The
Data
Current
Field
data directly related to call processing of

mobile system in MSC
Data analysis
Analysis Framework
2
Require
Preparation
analysis
Traffic
statistics
Longer
period
data
Comprehensive
analysis of
relative KPI
Equipment
Data
Data
check
collection
analysis
Drive test
Reflect
downlink
signal
situation
Adjust
Result
Summary
plan
verify
acceptance
Signaling data
Analysis coordination
between system entity

Provide essential clue
for network failure
Subscriber
complaints
The
nonprofessional data
Need confirmation
again
Adjust optimization plan

Analysis Framework
2
Require
analysis
Equipment Data
preparation check
collection
Make plan
Risk control
Avoid frequent
adjustment
Partial experiment plan
Quickly rollback plan
Implementation step
Backup
Reasonable time
Agreement from operator
Data
analysis
Adjust
plan
by the
expert and
operator
Confirm feasible
solution
Summary
acceptance
Implementation
Check plan
Audit
Result
verify
Detailed record
optimization
process and
results
Verify result
Analysis Framework
1
Require
analysis
preparation
Equipment
check
Data
collection
Performance
Comparison
Compare
and
analyze the data
before and after
adjustment
Data
analysis
Adjust
plan
Result
verify
Comparison of
test
Compare DT result.
Compare CQT result.
At the same test
period and route
Summary
acceptance
Summary and acceptance

Analysis Framework
2
Require
analysis
preparation
Equipment
check
Optimization
report
The
work done
The achievement
obtained
Data
collection
Data
analysis
Project
acceptance
Accept
on
standard
Operator involved
Signed by
operator
Adjust
plan
Result
verify
Project
summary
Knowledge
transfer
Job evaluation
Document
backup
Summary
acceptance
Contents

Routine network optimization
Three kind of routine work
RF
Optimization
Network monitor
Performance statistics
Several important counters
Several key network element
CCCH
Radio resource
assignment
Channel
mode
Dedicated channel
assignment
Handover
Channel release
Channel establish
Abis
Some specific event can
trigger corresponding counter
to do add 1 for counting,
through the observation of
counters in a specific period of
time, We can know the
network running status
interface
A interface
BSC
cell
Neighbor cell list
Network monitor
Statistics report table
Concept
Network performance statistics report come from the

calculation of counters.
Statistical report reflect faults and solution
Quality KPI
Drop
call
Handover
Cant call (block,
interference...)
Network access (large
coverage, indoor
coverage...)
Voice quality
Hard faultFailed board or partial failure of

equipment. Generally hard faults can generate
obvious warning information on OMC-R
Soft faultSystem still running, but
part of system is unstable or not in the
best status
Network monitor
Other monitor methods
DT and
CQT
Subscrib
er feeling
and
customer
complaints
Environment
New
building
External
interference
BSS parameter adjustment

Identify MS and network
Radio
parameter
The parameters related to cell
selection and cell re-selection,
which will affect coverage
Cell selection and re-selection parameters
The parameters related to

system configuration. Which
will Influence the service load
and signaling flow of the
system (capacity)
The parameters that

provide various system
functions
CGI
BSIC
BSICNCC&BCC
Network
identification
parameters
Selection and reselection

parameters
System control
parameters
Radio
parameter
Network function
parameters
System
control
Network identification
parameters
parameters
IMSI attach detach

Common control channel configuration (CCCH
CONF)
Access allowed reserved blocks (BS AG BLKS
RES)
Paging channel multiplexing frames (BS PA
MFRMS)
Periodic location update timer (T3212
Radio Link Timeout
Permitted network color code NCC
PERMITTED
Maximum retransmission times (MAX RETRANS)
Transmission distributed timeslots TX
INTEGER
Cell access barringCBA
Wait timeT3122
Multi-band indication MULTIBNAD
Radio
Selection and
reselection
parameters
parameter Network function parameters

System control
Radio
parameters
parameter
Network function
parameters
Selection and reselection
Additional re-selection
parameters
parameter indication (ACS)
Reselection parameter indication (PI)
Cell barring qualifying CBQ
Cell reselection offset CRO
Temporary offset TO
Penalty time PT
Cell reselection hysteresis (CRH)
Maximum power level of the control
channel MS TXPWR MAX CCH
Allowed access minimum receiving
RXLEV ACCESS MIN
parameters
parameters
Radio
System control
parameters
parameter
Selection and
Network function
reselection
parameters
parameters
Power control indication (PWRC

discontinuous transmission
DTX
New establishment cause
indication (NECI
Call reestablishment allowance
RE

T3101
Waitting
timer used in immediate
assignment process.
T3103Intra-BSC
T3111 Timer
handover timer to hold TCH

both in original and target
cells
between channel release

and RF deactivation.
Some
BSC timers
T3109used limit
SACCH release time in

case of a radio link
timeout.
T3107used to
restrict
the TCH assignment time
RF Optimization
Antenna check
Feeder cable check
Azimuth
Cross connection
Tiltdown angle
VSWR high
Height
Connector loose
Isolation
Signal leakage
RF
Optimization
Check balance
of UP/DOWN link
Check interference
of UP/DOWN link
RF Optimization
Antenna check
Feeder cable check

RF
Optimization
Check interference
Check balance
of UP/DOWN link
of UP/DOWN link
Uplink Interference
Downlink
Check the ratio of un-decoded
Interference
RACH and uplink signal quality
Cell coverage test
handover to determine internal or
Adjacent channel scan
external uplink interference.
Co-channel interference
Repeated change frequency
Check idle channel interference

band
Frequency scanner
detection
RF Optimization
Feeder check
Antenna check
RF
Check balance
Optimization
of UP/DOWN link
Check interference
of UP/DOWN link
Preparation information
Field data
Link budget used in radio
collection
design
BTS functions : DPC,DTX
Cell main parameter

BTS debugging report
Abis signaling trace by

OMCR
Signaling analysis by MA10,
retain measurement report
message
Contents

Common Network Optimization Problem
coverage
Call drop
interference
handover
congestion
Coverage
1
Common phenomenon
Blind spot
Overshooting
Sector cell
Overlaps
Coverage
2
Investigation
Power
Control
Measure
Rx_LEV
Measure
Drop
Call
Measure
Neighbo
r Cell
Measure
Undefin
ed
neighbor
cell
(lonely
island)
Cell
Cell
handover
perform
out
ance
measure
measure
Locate
reason
Coverage
3
Problem solution
Adjust network
parameter
Add new
site
Coverage
solution
Adjust
antenna
and feeder
Increase power
of TRX,MHA
Interference
1
Common phenomenon
Bad voice
quality
High call
drop rate
Ping-pong
handover
Handover
failure
Interference
2
Investigation
Handover failure but reestablish

Also fail
Interference
3
Solution
Increase
the
distance
of cochannel
or
adjacent
channel
cell
Reduce
BTS
power
Adjust
Avoid
antenna
external
height
interference azimuth
frequency
down
tilt
Use
frequency
Adjust
Narrow
frequency beamwidth hopping,
DTX,
plan
antenna
DPC
Solution
Congestion
1
Common phenomenon
Incoming
handover
failure
Difficult to originate
a call
Low calling
success rate
Congestion
2
Investigation
SDCCH congestion
Unreasona Unreaso
ble access nable
LAC
parameter
Small
T3212
SDCCH
frequency
interferen
ce
SDCCH
number
Wrong
LAC
setting
Investigation
TCH congestion
Check equipment hardware
Check TCH Congestion rate
Too
many
SM
Locate
reason
Congestion
3
Solution
TCH congestion
Adjust
antenna
height,
direction,
down tilt
Change
BTS
power
Adjust cell
access,
reselection
and
handover
parameter
Open
half rate
function
Open
trafficbased
handover
,
direction
al retry
function
Expand
TRX or
add new
site
solution
Congestion
3
Solution
SDCCH congestion
Check cell
CRH of
LAC
boundary
Rational
division of
LAC
increase
T3212
Increase
SDCCH
Check
LAC
setting
Adjust cell
access
parameter
Check
frequency
interference
solution
Handover
1
Common phenomenon
Frequent
handove
r
HO failure
Unreasonable
or HO slow
Proportion of out/in HO
Handover
2
Investigation and
solution
Hardware
Very high HO
failure rate
Neighbor cell
Same
frequency
and same BSIC for
nearby cells
Lonely
island
Congestion and
transmission fault
Neighbor
cell high
Bad radio
environment
Interference
load
Neighbor
cell TRX
fault
coverage
No
enough
overlap area
between source
cell and target cell
Neighbor
cell
transmission fault
Neighbor
Work out
cell
setting check
hardware problem Define neighbor

cell for lonely
island
Work out
neighbor
cell problem
Improve
radio
environment
Improve
coverage
Handover
2
Investigation and
solution
6
Antenna
problem
Repeater
problem
transmitting Repeater only

antennas of same enlarged part of
cell cover scope is frequency of a cell.
different.
Two
Check
antenna
condition,
Adjust
or replace
Repeater
Parameter setting
problem
HO aarameters
unreasonable or
mismatch
Check
and adjust
HO parameters
10
LAC Not defined

in MSC
Check MSC
REMOTELAC
table
Complete
LAC
info in MSC
Signaling link
Heavy load
A interface
signaling load
congestion, lead
HO signaling lost
Expansion
Call drop
1
Three type
Radio link timeout
MS can not decode

SACCH result in RLT
timeout and dropped
calls.
Handover call drop
HO timer timeout
MS is unable to
access the target
channel, and can
not return to the
original channel as
well.
LAPD call drop
Equipment failure
cause the call
dropped, Such as
LAPD link break
and so on
Call drop
3
Investigation and
solution
Coverage
Blind
spot
Poor indoor
coverage
overshooting
Adjust
radio para.
Adjust engineer
para.
Solve hardware
problem
Handover
Interference
Antenna and
feeder
Transmission
Unreasonable
co-channel
Feeder mistake
parameters.
The transmission
interference
connection
Neighbor cell not
break, Interrupt,
Adjacent channel Azimuth and
complete
high BER
interference
downtilt inconsistent
Same BCCH/ BSIC
Antenna, feeder
Traffic Congestion
damage, leak water
Clock asynchronous
para.
Adjust engineering para. Analysis traffic
statistics
or frequency plan
Balanced traffic
Calibration Clock Open DTXFHDPC Examination
alarm
Solve equipment
On-stie check
problems
Adjust
Observation
transmission and
board alarm
Transmission path
checks
Call drop
3
Investigation and
solution
7
Unreasonable
radio para.
RLT
,Min-AccMin, Minimum
level of RACH,
RACH busy
threshold.
check
and
adjust radio
parameters
Other reasons
such as
inconsistent
software
version
Upgrade
software
Contents

Concept
GSM900/1800 umbrella-like cell macro
GSM1800 macro
1800 micro
P-cell
GSM900 macro
900 micro
P-cell
A lot of cells are
available for choice.
Ideal dual-band network

Traffic is not balance
Dual-band network unique problem
Frequent HO and
Frequent location
reselection
update
Ideal dual-band network
MS roaming in two band network
MS can seamless handover between two band network
Traffic balance in the dual-band network
Avoid frequent re-election and normal location update
Avoid frequent unnecessary handover between dual-band

network
The basic principle

Selection principle
MS idle: Select the 1800 cell first
MS busy: Remain in the layer
where the call is originated,

and avoid unnecessary
Traffic balance principle
Automatic traffic
balance technology
based on dynamic
priority to prevent
Traffic management
traffic congestion.
principle
handover between layers.
900 networks and 1,800 networks in different

layer
Layer principle
1800 layer
900 layer
Traffic control principle
The efficient use of

resources
Traffic Balance
While covered by dualband cells ,try to reduce

the frequent handover
and location update,
reduce network signaling
flow
Balance the traffic in

dual-band network
The main optimization method

Adjust cell radio parameters
Adjust cell engineering parameters

BTS
transmit power
Antenna
height, azimuth and
selection C1CBACBQ
Cell
re-selection C2
Dual-band
downtilt
Antenna
Cell
type
handover
PBGT handover control
Handover priority
Objective
Through
modifying the signal level of dual band cells in the same position,
change priority and direction of cell selection, reselection and handover.
Balance traffic of dual band cells.
Application of Cell Selection

MS select 1800 network first, set the 1800 cell to a
normal priority cell
CBQ = 0CBA = 0
Set the 900 cell to a low priority cell

CBQ = 1CBA = 0
900M cellCBQ = 1CBA = 0C1=15
1800M cellCBQ = 0CBA = 0C1=10
Power on the MS to make cell selection
Application of Cell Selection
MS Reselects the 1800 network, set a large

offset for the 1800 cell and a small offset for
the 900 cell.
Cell re-selection in the idle mode
900M cellC1=15C2=5
1800M cellC1=10C2=20
Bar Inter-layer PBGT Handover
Multi-path fading
can cause a
large number of
PBGT handover
80% handover is
PBGT, it must be
barred.
1800 cell
PBGT
handover
900 cell
Other optimization policies

Directed retry between
different bands
Different layer use different

handover priority
Automatic traffic balance
policy based on dynamic
Other policies
Fast fading handoff

algorithm
priority
Traffic-based handover
Set handover protection

time
GSM Radio network planning principle
ZTE University
Objectives
Describe the contents of information collection

State capacity planning
State coverage planning
Describe steps to notices of site survey
Master frequency planning and anti-interference
technology
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
Overview
Information Collection
Mobile
service forecast
Subscriber forecast, distribution
Network
equipment &
operation profile
MSC,BSC,BTS
Traffic statistic, quality
City
planning
City type, map

Population
Economic development plan
Road and transport condition
Analysis and survey

Radio
propagation survey
Geographic environment
Plantation
Network
traffic distribution
Industrial, commercial, residential

area
Coverage
and quality analysis
Coverage and quality (DT)

Statistic of A, Abis and OMCR
Interference analysis
Frequency allocation
Frequency scanning test
Frequency
Limited
Coverage
frequency
Available
bandwidth
Frequency
resources
Coverage
Redundancy
KPI
and other
Traffic
requirements
distributing
Coverage
size
Traffic Model
Capacity
traffic
distributing
Traffic and
system
capacity
Data traffic
Other
configuration
model
Voice traffic
Site
Propagation
environment
model
Electronic
map exists ?
Summary
Network planning information collecting

template
1. What is necessary information?
2. What is supplementary info?
Inadequate
info
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
Basic concepts
Traffic volume
Traffic model
Erland
Call loss rate
Erlang B table
Erlang B table
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
2%
0.020
0.223
0.602
1.092
1.657
2.276
2.935
3.627
4.345
5.084
5.842
6.615
7.402
8.200
9.010
9.828
10.656
11.491
12.333
13.182
14.036
14.896
15.761
16.631
17.505
5%
0.053
0.381
0.899
1.525
2.218
2.960
3.738
4.543
5.370
6.216
7.076
7.950
8.835
9.730
10.633
11.544
12.461
13.335
14.315
15.249
16.189
17.132
18.080
19.030
19.985
Capacity Planning
Capacity Planning Procedures

1
Capacity information Traffic distribution

collection
analysis
Confirm subscriber
number
ratio
Site type and

number
Site numbers and

configuration
Site layout
Site distribution and

their latitude and
longitude
Network scale
Reach target of
capacity planning
Information collection
Network type: GSM900, DCS1800, dual-band network or

WLL network
System capacity requirement. No of subscriber and the
traffic?
Traffic model of the voice service?
Equipment type: V3/SDR? Model? Indoor or outdoor?
DPCT applied in V3 or not?
Data service required? EDGE TRX? Data service
penetration rate? Traffic model of data service?
Frequency resource range ? Is there frequency that are
prohibited? Maximum site configuration ?
Forecast and investigation traffic density and define traffic
distribution ratio.
Traffic density distribution
Traffic distribution analysis is to categorize the planning

area into areas of different service levels based on
forecast and survey of traffic density distribution
how many phases and what is the ratio of
5
7%
subscribers in each phase
4
11%
1
41%
3
15%
what is the planning area range and the

traffic distributing ratio in DU/MU/SU/RU.
Provide existing sites and their

2
26%
configuration and performance statistics

report data
Service level by radio propagation environment

Area
Topographic features
Dense
urban
Average height of surrounding buildings is more than 30 metres (over 10 storey)

and average distance between buildings is 10-20 metres. Usually the buildings
are crowded around the site with the height of 10-20 stories and the ambient
roads are not considerably wide.
urban
distributed around the site. Mostly are below 9 stories and some are over 9
stories and the ambient roads are not considerably wide.
suburb
distributed around the site. Mostly are 3-4 stories and some are over 4 stories.
Roads around are wide.
rural
Average height of surrounding buildings is below 10 metres. They are dispersed

and mainly are 1-2 storey high. There are spacious space between.
Service level by service distribution area
Area
Distribution Features
Dense
urban
Traffic is heavy with high data service

rate, mainly for data service
development
Mean
urban
Suburb
Rural
Traffic is relatively heavy and date

rate should be comparatively high.
Data service is required
Traffic is low and only low-speed
data service
Traffic is quite low. Site is for
coverage purpose and data service
quality are not ensured.
Both radio propagation

environment and service
distribution factors should all
be taken into consideration.
No. of BTS for capacity limited area

Maximum site type by frequency reuse pattern
Traffic per site by traffic model, Erlang-B table
Total number of BTS: Total traffic / single site
traffic
No. of BTS for coverage limited area

Total area / single site coverage (according to service
level)
Cell traffic = Cell coverage * traffic density
TCH number (Erlang-B table)
SDCCH number
TRX number
Site type and number
Network Scale
Coverage Planning
Traffic &
distribution
Site configuration
& number
Capacity per site
Site configuration
Start
Frequency reuse
pattern
Channel planning
& data service
Capacity of each cell
Erlang B table
Frequency resources
Maximum
Site type
Traffic model
No of SDCCH
Suppose SDCCH average process time is 3sLocation updating

process is 9s,BHCA=2
The traffic of SDCCH per subscriber is:
(32 + 9) / 3600 = 0.0042 Erlang
look up in Erlang-Bcall loss=2% 6.5Erlang need 12TCH(2TRX)
Look up in Erlang-Bcall loss=2%21.6Erlang need 30

TCH(4TRX)
SDCCH configuration
TRX
Channel
SDCCH type
SDCCH
TCH
TCH traffic
(GOS=2%)
SDCCH/8
2.28
16
SDCCH/8
14
8.2
24
2*SDCCH/8
16
21
14.9
32
2*SDCCH/8
16
29
21
40
2*SDCCH/8
16
37
28.3
48
2*SDCCH/8
16
45
35.6
56
3*SDCCH/8
24
52
43.1
64
3*SDCCH/8
24
60
49.6
72
3*SDCCH/8
24
68
57.2
10
80
4*SDCCH/8
32
75
64.9
LA planning
LA border
Paging capacity in LA
Influence by Short message
LA border
Avoid dense city with high traffic area

Avoid area with high mobility of subscribers
Cross the road slantwise
Consider traffic expansion
Paging capacity
IMSI/TMSI
Second paginglocal pagingglobal paging
Paging group
(BS-AG-BLK-RES)
(BS_PA_MFRAMS)
Paging blocks/ per second =9-AGB/0.2354
Paging number / per paging block : B = 2 or 4
Paging numbers per secondP

P =9-AGB/0.2354 * B
Suppose
Average time of call60sie:1/60Erl
Traffic of LAT
75of MS response first paging25 of MS response
second paging
Paging congestion when 50% of maximum paging.
T*30%/(1/60)*1.25 = P*50% = 59.47*3600*50%
Influence by short message
3/per sub/per day

30% retransmit
Convergence factor:0.12
Subscriber in LA:100000
SM number in busy hour
10000030.12(1+30%)=46800
Consider holiday case: 8 times
Summary
Capacity
Planning
Network
Scale
Coverage
Planning
just an initial plan,
Add or reduce sites
based on radio
coverage planning
and analysis.
a repeated, gradual
process helping to
decide site number
and type.
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
Coverage Planning flow
Network
parameter
Set parameters
Link budget
Coverage radius
estimate
Allowable max path

loss
Estimated
coverage radius of
each site
Site layout &

coverage emulation
Information of site
distribution ,
of sites
Network scale
Target of coverage
Confirm network parameters

1
Network parameter
Network category: GSM900,DCS1800, dual-band or WLL network?

Equipment type: V3/SDR? Model? Indoor or outdoor?
Carrier Transmission power is 40W60W80W? Are data service
required? EDGE carrier frequency
Antenna model: antenna gains, horizontal and vertical beam width,
antenna downtilt, polarization mode and electrical downtilt etc.
Antenna parameter: antenna available height, directional angle and
downtilt.
Apply tower top amplifier?
Feeder type: 7/8 feeder or 15/8 feeder?
Maximum site configuration is? Are there special requirements toward
configuration of combining and distribution unit?
What is KPI? What is level and area coverage rate?
Link budget
2
Link Budget
Definition:
Link budget is the calculation of loss and gains on one

communication link.
Target:
Maximum power of the site, avoid invalid downlink

coverage, reduce interference and system noise.
Allowable maximum indoor & outdoor path loss of uplink

and downlink
Uplink
Downlink
Link budget
Fading margin
Antenna gain
Feeder loss
Penetration loss
Transmission
loss
Site sensitivity
PA
MS power
Body loss
Link budget
Margin reservation
Network Type & Equipment

Transmission power and reception
sensitivity of MS/BTS
Fast fading margin
Interference margin
Slow fading margin

Link Budget
Losses
Path loss
Body loss
Vegetation
loss
Building penetration
loss
Feeder and
connector loss
Combiner and
splitter loss
Gains
Site antenna gain
MS antenna gain
TMA gain
MS transmission power is showed as follows
Power
class
GSM 900
Nominal
Maximum output
power
DCS 1800 Nominal Maximum

output power
1 W (30 dBm)
8 W (39 dBm)
0.25 W (24 dBm)
5 W (37 dBm)
4 W (36 dBm)
2 W (33 dBm)
0.8 W (29 dBm)
Series
B8018
BTS
V3
B8112
M8202
Modulation
Transmission power
GMSK
60 W
47.78 dBm
8PSK
31 W
45 dBm
GMSK
60 W
47.78 dBm
8PSK
31 W
45 dBm
GMSK
30 W
44.78 dBm
8PSK
20 W
43 dBm
Reception
sensibility
Biggest site
-112 dBm
S18/18/18
-112 dBm
S12/12/12
-110 dBm
S2/2/2 or O6
Link budget-Loss
Path loss
Body loss
Vehicle loss
Plantation loss
Feeder and connector
loss
Combining and
distributing unit loss
Link budget-Loss
Path loss
Body loss
Radio wave loss caused by the transmission distance.

Voice service, body loss 3 dB
Data service, 0dB.
Vehicle loss
Usually it is 8~10dB.
Link budget-Loss
Plantation loss
Inside the forest, the loss of 900MHz is 0.2dB/m; the

loss of 1800MHz is 0.3dB/m
Through forest or diffraction, the loss is 20dB/dec
Forest around the antenna and the antenna is lower
than the forest, around 10dB
Averagely its 10 20 dBrelying on building material

and thickness.
Link budget-Loss
Feeder cable loss
Type
lossdB/100m
900M
1800/1900M
1/2 soft jumper
7.22
11.3
7/8 feeder
3.89
6.15
15/8 feeder
2.34
3.84
Link budget-Loss
Combiner & Splitter loss

Unit (900M)
Insertion loss
CDUG
4.4dB
CEUG
3.5dB
CENG
5.3dB
CENG/2
5.3dB
ECDU
0.9-1.0dB
Unit(1800M)
Insertion loss
CDUD
4.6dB
CEUD
3.6dB
CEND
5.5dB
CEND/2
5.5dB
ECDU
0.9-1.0dB
Link budget-Gain
BTS Antenna gain
MS antenna gain
usually is 0
remarkspecial attention
Area
Antenna gain
dBi
urban
15.5
suburb
15.5~17
rural
17~18
Antenna may be indoor,
Express way or
long & narrow
valley
18~21
outside door or on the roof.
Hills and
highland
17~18
should be paid to antenna gain
in MS in GSM WLL network
So antenna gain and height
should be checked, which

will affect coverage greatly.
TMA gain
Link budget-Margin
Fast fading & deterioration storage
walking2.0--5.0dB
fast moving0dB
In GSM system, fast fading for voice and data service is
supposed to be 3dB.
Interference margin
The interference margin is generally supposed to be

3dB.
Link budget-Margin
Slow fading (shadow fading) margin
shadow fading is based on
standard deviation
margin coverage probability.
slow fading standard deviation is related to propagation

condition. In cities, its about 8~10 dB, while in suburbs
or rural areas68dB.
Marginal coverage
probability(%)
70
75
80
85
90
95
98
Slow fading margin/dB
0.53
0.68
0.85
1.04
1.29
1.65
2.06
Link budget
Parameter
Symbol
MS transmitting power
Body loss
Building loss
MS reception sensibility
MS antenna gain
Path loss difference
TMA gain
between uplink and
Diversity gain
Feeder loss
Combiner/divider unit
loss
Fast fading margin
Slow fading margin
Noise margin
Path loss indoor
M=A-B-C-D+E+F+G-H-I-JK-L
Path loss outdoor
N=M+C
downlink is 3-5dB
Estimate coverage radius

3
Coverage
radius estimate
Max allowable loss
Maximum allowable path loss
Propagation model
Okumura-Hata model
Cost231-Hata model
Universal model
Cost231-Walfish-Ikegami model
Estimate
coverage
radius
Propagation model selection
Site layout & emulation

4
Site layout &

coverage emulation
Electronic map
Planning area size
Planning site number
Link budget
radius estimate
Input
****
Output
Site
distribution
Distribution map
Distribution info
Latitude & longitude
Site layout &

coverage emulation
Electronic map
Planning map
Antenna height/direction angle

Antenna selection
Propagation model
Link budget
Input
****
Output
Coverage &
emulation
Site distribution map

Height info map
Existing network coverage map
Coverage probability statistics table
Summary
5
Network scale
Capacity
planning
Network
scale
Coverage
planning
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
Site layout & survey procedure
coverage planning
+ capacity planning
=>
network scale
Distribute site on Mapinfo
Based on theoretic location of
or PLANET/EET E-map,
sites, make sites survey.
decide site theoretic
Confirm site location, site type &
location, latitude &
location, antenna type, height,
longitude and other para of
direction angle, downtilt, CDU,
sites
TTA and feeder etc.
Site survey
Optical measurement
Construction environment and natural
environment
Frequency spectrum measurement
Electromagnetism environment
Site investigate
Installation condition of antenna and equipment
Power and transmission supply
Preparation
Try to collect materials relating to the project

include
Engineering files, background information,

existing network situation, map and
configuration list
Get tools ready
Digital cameral, GPS satellite receiver,

compass, ruler and PC.
Site layout & survey
When select site location, take the following aspects into

consideration
Previous Network condition

Population distribution and habits
City layout and distribution
Main streets and traffic volume
Natural environment such as Hills, lakes, rivers and coastline
Growing trend
Principles of site selection

population
Select high traffic area and

dense population area
Customer mobility trend

Surrounding environment
Signaling transmission
quality
Careful select high hills, radar,

radio station, gas station, forest
and power plant
Main principles to select sites
Site should be at the best place of regular mesh with deviation less than a
quarter of the site radius.
Select existing facilities for cost saving and period reduction purpose on the
premise that it doesnt affect site distribution.
City edge or High-altitude hills(100 m or 300 m higher than city construction) in
suburbs are not supposed to be sites, as first to control coverage scope,
second to make construction and maintenance easier.
Newly-constructed sites should better be at place where transportation is
convenient, commercial power supply available, safe environment and take
less farmland.
Avoid construct sites near high power radio transmitter, radar station or other
interference sources.
Better far from forest to avoid fast fading of received signaling.
Pay attention to the effect of signaling reflection and dispersion when in hills,
steep slopes, dense lake area, mountainous region and high metallic buildings.
When in cities, utilize the height of the building to realize division of network
hiberarchy
There are less sites in the initial stage of network construction, so good
coverage of key areas should be guaranteed.
Antenna and feeder
TMA
Feeder
To increase
receiving sensitivity of
BTS
Antenna
CDU
Height, direction
Frequency range,
gain
Polarization
3dB beam width
Down tilt
Feeder design
Antenna selection
Site in city
Select directional antenna with horizontal 3dB bandwidth of 60

65
City site
Select medium gain antenna of about 15dBi
Best to select antenna with electrical tiltdown of 36
Recommend dual-polarized antenna
Site in suburb
Select
Suburb
site 90
direction antenna with horizontal 3dB bandwidth of 65or
Generally select medium or high gain antenna 15~18dBi

Preset downtilt or not based on actual condition
Select dual polarized or vertical polarized antenna
Antenna selection
Site in rural area
Select directional antenna of 90120or omni antenna

High gain of directional antenna 1618dBi
City site
Generally dont select downtilt antenna. For high sites, zero filling
antenna is the best choice.
Vertical polarized antenna is recommended
Road site
Select narrow-beam, high
Suburb
site antenna, omni antenna or
gain directional antenna. 8-shape

deformation omni antenna based on
actual condition
Generally dont select downtilt antenna because road site has
higher requirements to coverage distance.
Vertical polarized antenna is recommended.
Principle for antenna height
Antenna of different cell of the same site can be different

due to installation conveniences or cell planning
requirements.
For flat urban area, height of antenna is around 25m.
For suburbs, antenna height can be elevated to 40m.
Antenna can not be too high
Reduce coverage level near the antenna especially for omni

antenna
Easy cause problems affecting network quality like over coverage,
co-channel interference or adjacent-channel interference.
Principle for Antenna direction
Try to keep the direction of three-sector site same in urban

area.
Antenna main lobe should direct at dense traffic area
Main lobe deviate from co-frequency cell to control
interference effectively.
Overlapping depth of urban adjacent sectors should not
exceed 10%.
Overlapping area for suburb and country adjacent cells
shouldnt be too deep and the antenna angle between two
adjacent sector of the same site should not less than 90
degree
Antenna main lobe of dense city area should avoid
pointing straight to the street in case over coverage
because of wave guide effect.
Principles of antenna tiltdown
Antenna tiltdown is the basic method to enhance

frequency reuse ability.
Control coverage and reduce interference
Electrical or mechanical tiltdown.
Mechanical tiltdown angle < 15
Space diversity distance
Distance between two receiving antenna is 1218when

antenna is diversified by space.
Generally distance between diversity antenna is 0.11 times
of the antenna height.
To achieve the same effect, distance of vertical diversity
must be 5 to 6 times of horizontal diversity.
To reduce the interaction of the two antennas, horizontal
distance of diversity antenna should be over 3 m
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
Coverage emulation
Electronic map
Planning area
Latitude & longitude of sites
Antenna height & direction angel Coverage
Antenna model
emulation
Link budget
Input
****
Output
Sites distribution map
Height information map
Existing network
coverage map
Coverage rate statistics

table
Contents

Capacity Planning
Coverage Planning
Coverage Emulation
Frequency Planning
GSM working frequency band
GSM900
Uplink890 915 MHz
200KHz
EGSM
Uplink880 890 MHz
200KHz
DCS1800
Uplink1710 1785 MHz
200KHz
ARFCN
P-GSM900
Fl (n) = 890 + 0.2n MHz
Fu (n) = Fl(n) + 45 MHz 1 n
124
n stands for ARFCN
E-GSM900
Fl (n) = 890 + 0.2(n-1024) 975
n 1023
Fu (n) = Fl(n) + 45 MHz 0 n
124
DCS1800
Fl (n) = 1710.2 + 0.2(n-512) MHz
Fu (n) = Fl(n) + 95 MHz 512 n
885
Basic Concept
Frequency Reuse Cluster

Frequency Reuse Factor
Frequency Reuse Distance
C/I and C/A
Frequency reuse distance
The following equation is used to estimate frequency reuse

distance:
D= 3N * R
D frequency reuse distance
R cell radius
N - frequency reuse factor.
Definition of C/I and C/A
Co-channel Interference C/I

C/I refers to the interference of another cell using the
same frequency to the current cell. The ratio of carrier

to interference is called C/I.
GSM specification regulates that C/I >9dB. In
implementing, it requires C/I>12dB.
Adjacent channel interference C/A

C/A refers to interference of adjacent channel to the
current channel. The ratio is called C/A. The GSM
specification regulates that C/A>-9dB.
Calculation of C/I
Where, Pown_cell is the signal strength of current

cell; Pi_BCCH is BCCH signal strength of interfering
cell i measured by MS.
Frequency reuse pattern

Ordinary (group) frequency reuse: 43, 33 and
more close 26 and 13.
MRP: different layers adopt different frequency reuse
patterns.
Concentric: the Underlay and Overlay adopt different
frequency reuse patterns respectively.
43multiplex
A1
A2
A1
A2
B1
A3
B1
B2
D1
D2
B3
A1
A2
B2
C2
D3
C2
B1
A1
A2
D2
B2
B3
A2
C3
C
(dB)
I
24
10 log
(8) 4 2(7.2) 4
18dB
A1
D3
C1
C2
A3
B1
C3
D1
B3
A1
D3
C1
A3
B2
D1
D2
B3
A2
C3
D1
D2
A1
D3
C1
A3
B1
A3
A3
B1
18dB>12dB
33multiplex
A1
A2
A3
B1
B2
A1
A2
B2
A1
A3
B1
C2
B3
C1
C2
B3
B1
A3
B1
B2
B3
C2
C3
C3
A3
2(7) 4
13.3dB
B1
B2
A3
C
(dB )
I
10 log
A1
A2
A1
A2
C1
C2
C1
B3
C1
A3
B2
A1
C3
A3
A2
C3
A2
A1
A2
C1
B3
C1
13.3dB>12dB
24
2(5.57) 4
Multiple reuse patternMRP
BCCH can use 43 or higher reuse coefficient to

ensure the BCCH quality, while the TCH will use
relatively dense reuse mode.
The division of BCCH and TCH layer frequency
bands reduces the planning workload and
facilitate the layered planning.
Reserve some frequency for the micro cell.
Simplify the configuration of BA tables
The relative independence of the BCCH and TCH
layers facilitates the maintenance and expansion
of each layer.
MRP
Bandwidth=6 MHz
BCCH FRF=12
TCH1 FRF=9
TCH2
FRF=6 For Microcell
FRF: Frequency reuse factor
MRP
BCCH
TCH1
TCH2
TCH3
43
33
23
13
Application of MRP
China mobile: MRP

Frequency bandwidth: 7.2MHz
AFN:6095
Divide 36 carrier frequencies into 4 group as per
12/9/8/7
Channel
type
Logic channel
TCH1 service
channel
TCH2 service
channel
TC3 service
channel
Channel
number
60 61 62 63 64 65
66 67 68 69 70 71
72 73 74 75 76 77
78 79 80
81 82 83 84 85
86 87 88
89 90 91 92
93 94 95
Application of MRP
66
76
62
64
70
60
68
73
67
75
63
65
71
61
72
78
74
69
92
94
89
91
93
78
80
1) BCCH 4 3
2) TCH1 3 3
90
91
79
72
77
75
90
82
92
83
86
85
83
81
94
89
93
4) TCH3 2 3
84
81
85
84
82
86
3) TCH2 2 3
Concentric
2 2
2
2 2 2 2
2
2
2 2
2
2 2
2
Concentric
The coverage of Underlay is the same as that of ordinary

cell, while the Overlay use small transmitting power and
thus has smaller coverage.
The frequency reuse factor of overlay differs from that of
underlay.
The BCCH and SDCCH are used by Underlay, in which
the call will be set up.
The absorbing of traffic by overlay is limited by traffic layout and coverage. It will increase the capacity by 10-30%
A brand new switching algorithm should be added.
Intelligent Concentric IUO
2 2 2 2
2
2 2 2 2
2
2
2
2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2
2
2
2
2
IUO
IUO has the same network structure as ordinary

concentric, consisting of Overlay and Underlay.
Underlay and Overlay of IUO both use the same
transmitting power.
IUO adopts a handover algorithm based on C/I
Its very suitable for absorbing traffic inside building.
Comparison
Concentric
Overlay smaller
transmitting power
Handover based on
power or TA
Overlay coverage is
fixed but not reasonable
Absorb limited traffic
easy
IUO
U/O same transmitting

power
Handover algorithm
based on C/I
Overlay coverage is
fixed and reasonable
Absorb more traffic
complicated
TCH frequency plan
The frequency in same site can not be reused

In same cell, the frequency distance between BCCH and
TCH is at least 400khz
Frequency can not be reused in its directly adjacent sites if
it is not 1*3 pattern
Opposite cells should not be co-channel and avoid
adjacent channel.
High hill in the middle shall not be considered as
neighboring sites while broad water in the middle shall be
considered as neighboring sites.
Avoid to set same BSIC to BCCH with same frequency
Neighboring cell configuration
Centered on the cell, at most two-circle cells

can be neighbor cells
Neighboring cells shall not be more than 32.
Modify unreasonable neighboring cells
according to drive test.
Handover cells shall not be co-channel.
Avoid one way neighboring relationships
Avoid two neighboring cells with the same
BCCH and the same BSIC.
Attention
Reserve frequencies for

Test in propagation,
Replacement frequency in the interference test,
Micro cell frequency in hot spot area.
Generally BCCH should use higher continuous frequencies.
Allocate frequency based on different areas.
Allocate frequency for sites in different areas such as urban,
suburb and rural.
Focus should be put on cities to avoid interference.
Make planning in urban areas before suburbs and rural areas.
Divide urban area into small areas if there are many sites.
Check manually after frequency assignment via automatic frequency
planning.
Anti-interference technique

Diversity receiving
FH technique
DTX encodes the voice at 13kbit/s during the

voice active period, it encodes the comfort
noise at 500bit/s during the quiet period.
DTX
DTX contributes very little to the interference

during the quiet period, its power can be
regarded as 0 (inactive state).
Suppose the DTX active factor is , then the
gain
C / I (dB) 10 log CI 10 log CI 10 log
From the figure we

can see that, in the
dynamic power
control situation,
when the interfering
MS is only at the
cell borders, the
BTS can work with
the maximum
transmitting power.
A1
A1
A2
A2
A3
A1
A2
A1
A2
A3
A2
A3
A1
A3
A2
A1
A1
A2
A3
A3
A3
DPC
Obviously, the interfering MS location is a

probability. This case is especially apparent in
the frequency hopping situation.
Suppose the DPC factor is p:
C / I (dB) 10 log
C
pI
10 log CI 10 log p
FH
Frequency hopping is to avoid external

interference. In other words, it is to prevent or
greatly reduce co-channel interference and
frequency selective fading effect by
converting frequencies to an extent that
interference cannot catch up with.
Baseband and synthesized FH
Parameters
HSNhopping sequence number

MAIOmobile assignment index offset
Function
The advantage of the frequency hopping is the so-called

effect of Frequency Diversity and Interference Diversity.
The former actually expands the network coverage scope,
and the latter improves the network capacity.
Frequency diversity gain
For static or slow moving MS. about 6.5dB gain can

be provided.
For fast moving MS, the difference of two connected
bursts of a channel in time and place is enough to
make them uncorrelated to Rayleigh change, that is,
they are almost not subject to the influence of the
same fading, at this time, the slow hopping can
provide very little frequency diversity gain.
Gain=1.5-6.5dB
Interference diversity gain

Interfering cell
Hopping set MA
{ f 1 , f 2 , f 3 ,..., f n }
TRX numberm (mn)
In consideration of the above figure, suppose the MS talks by

using fk at the time t, in this case, the probability of the
interfered cell fk is
p Cnm11 / Cnm m / n
C / I (dB) 10 log
C
C
n
10 log
10 log
pI
I
m
1*3FHDPCDTX
Most densely reuse pattern

BCCH (4*3)
Combined with antiinterference technology
Generallyonly use 50%
of the whole available
frequency
A1
A1
A2
A2
A3
A1
A2
A1
A2
A1
A2
A3
A1
A3
A2
C/I= 9.43 dB
A3
A1
A2
A3
A3
A3
1*3FHDPCDTX
Compared to 43 multiplex, the 13 multiplex brings about the

interference degradation:
CIR 43- CIR 13 =18 - 9.43 8.57 dB
13hopping, 50% frequency load brings about the interference

diversity gain:
10log10(2/1) = 3dB
Suppose the frequency hopping length is 12 frequency points, then

the frequency diversity gain is about 2dB
Suppose the DTX active factor is 0.5, then the gain is:
-10log10(0.5) = 3dB
Suppose the DPC factor is 0.9, then the gain is: -10log10(0.9)
=0.5dB
The total gain is: 3+2+3+0.5=8.5dB
Summary
GSM Network Planning
Info
collection
Radio
network
Capacity
planning
Coverage
planning
Site layout
& survey
Frequency
planning
GSM Signaling System
Objectives
Know GSM system signaling model

State various types of GSM protocol messages
Understand GSM system basic signaling procedure
Content
GSM System Signaling Model

GSM protocol message
Basic Signaling Procedure
GSM Interface
Um
Abis
GGSN
SGSN
BTS
HLR/AUC
BTS
Qx
Gb
EIR
SMC
OMC
BTS
NSMU
FSMU TRAU
BSC
BTS
MSC/VLR/GMSC
Ater
PSTN / PLMN /
PSPDN / ISDN
GSM system signaling model adopts the lowest three

layer of OSI seven layer protocol model, from low to
high:
Application layer
Link layer/Network layer

Physical layer
Physical Layer
The physical layer provides error protection

transmission. It defines the electric parameters of
transmission.
In ZTE-GSM digital mobile communication
systems, The physical layer of Um interface
between MS and BTS is Radio link. Abis interface
physical layer adopts 75-ohm coaxial cable or
120-ohm symmetrical twisted pair whose rate is
2Mbit/s.
Data Link Layer
The data link layer major functions: frame

transmissionerror-free transmission and realize
end-to-end bits transfer between two connective
entities. Open maintenance and close the
connection of two connective entities.
The link layer protocol used by the GSM system at
the radio interface is the LAPDm protocol (Dm
channel link access procedure). The data link
layer of Abis interface between BTS and BSC is
LAPD (D channel link access procedure).
Application Layer
Application Layer
CC
CM
MM
SS
SMS
RR
Application Layer
Radio Resources (RR) management handles the

establishment, maintenance and release of physical
channels. Its major functions are performed by BSC. Part
of functions are performed by BTS.
Mobility Management (MM) deals with the mobile stations
register and the identify of the mobile subscriber, The
function are performed by MSC.
The CM Layer is composed of three functional entities:
Call Control (CC), deals with the functions to establish
maintenance and release the callShort Message Service
support (SMS) and Supplementary Service support (SS).
GSM protocol
Public Switched
Telephone Network
(PSTN)
Mobile
Switching
Centre
(MSC)
MAP/TCAP + ISUP/TUP
ISUP/TUP
Mobile
Switching
Centre
(MSC)
DTAP + BSSMAP
A interface
Base
Station
Controller
(BSC)
BTSM
A-bis interface
MAP/TCAP
Authentication
Centre
(AUC)
Home
Location
Register
(HLR)
Visitor
Location
Register
(VLR)
Equipment
ID
Register
(EIR)
To other VLR
MAP/TCAP
MAP/TCAP
Base
Transceiver
Station
(BTS)
))
GSM Protocol Architecture

MS
BSC
BTS
CM
(CM)
(CM)
(CM)
MSC
DTAP
CM
MM
(MM)
(MM)
(RR)
(RR)
RR
(MM)
RR
RR'
BTSM
BTSM
Sig. layer 2
(LAPDm)
Sig. layer 2
(LAPDm)
Sig. layer 2
(LAPD)
Sig. layer 2
(LAPD)
Layer 1 (air)
Layer 1 (air) Sig. layer 1
Sig. layer 1
Um Interface
Abis Interface
DTAP Direct Transfer Application Part

BSSMAP BSS Management Application Part
CM Call Management
MM Mobile Management
RR Radio Resource Management
BTSM BTS Management
(CM+MM)
BSSMAP
MM
BSSMAP
I
S
MAP U
TCAP P
SCCP
SCCP
SCCP
MTP
MTP
MTP
A Interface
SCCP Signalling Connection Control Part

MAP Mobile Application Part
TCAP Transaction Capability Application Part
ISUP ISDN User Part
MTP Message Transfer Part
Inter-MSC
Interface
Content

Um interface protocol stack
Um interface
CM
MM
RR
RR
LAPDm
LAPDm
Layer1
Layer1
MS
BTS
LAPDm frame format
The address field contains the service

access point identifier (SAPI).
SAPI = 0 represents the signaling link

SAPI = 3 represents the short message link
In the control field,
N (S) represents the sending serial number

N (R) represents the receiving serial number
Address
SAPI
Control
N(S)
Information
N(R)
Operation mode
Acknowledged mode: Requires the confirmation

from the receiver. This mode provides a whole set
of control mechanism for error recovering and flow
control, the establishment mechanism and release
mechanism for multi-frame operations.
Unacknowledged mode: The receiver is not
required to send a confirmation upon reception of
a UI frame. This operation mode does not provide
flow control or error recovering mechanism.
RR messages
Type
Message
Channel establishment message
Immediate assignment
Immediate assignment reject
Ciphering message
Ciphering mode command

Ciphering mode complete
Handover command
Handover complete
Handover message
Handover failure
Handover access
Channel release message
Channel release
Paging message
Paging request
Paging response
System info
System info:18
MM messages
Type
Message
IMSI detach indication

Registration messages
Location updating accept
Location updating reject

Location updating request
Authentication reject
Authentication request
Authentication response
Security messages
Identity request
Identity response
TMSI reallocation command
TMSI reallocation complete
CM service accept
Connection-management messages
CM service reject
CM service request
CC messages
Type
Message
Alerting
Call confirmed
Call establishment messages
Call proceeding
Connect
Disconnect
Call clearing messages
Release
Release complete
Congestion control notify
Miscellaneous messages
Start DTMF
Stop DTMF
Abis Interface Protocol stack
Abis interface
RR
BTSM
BTSM
LAPD
LAPD
Layer1
Layer1
BTS
BSC
LAPD Protocol
1
flag
SAPI
TEI
Address
Control
N(S)
0-260
Information
FCS
flag
N(R)
SAPI = 0 represents the signaling link,
SAPI = 62 represents the O&M link, and
SAPI = 63 represents the management link of the LapD layer.
A interface protocol stack

CM
A interface
BSC
RR
MM
BSSAP
BSSAP
SCCP
SCCP
MTP3
MTP3
MTP2
MTP2
Layer1
Layer1
MSC
Relationship between SCCP and OSI model

HLR
INAP
OMAP
Layer 7
TCAP
46
ISP
VLR
MAP
BSSAP
SCCP
Layer3
MTP-3
Layer2
MTP-2
Layer1
MTP-1
ISUP
TUP
BSSAP
MSC
MS
BSS
CC
CC
DTAP
MM
MM
RR
BSSAP
DTAP
BSSMAP
RR
BSSAP
BSSMAP
DTAP
Distribution
Distribution
SCCP
SCCP
MTP
MTP
BSSMAP
RR
LAPDm
LAPDm
L1
L1
DTAP
SCCP message
CR Connection request
CC Connection confirm
CREF Connection refused
RLSD
Released
RLC
Release complete
DT1
Data form 1
UDT
Unit data
UDTS Unit data service
BSSMAP Message -1
Assignment messages (setup of traffic channels)
Assignment request
Assignment complete
Assignment failure
Handover messages
Handover request
Handover required
Handover request ack.
Handover command
MS)
Handover complete
Handover failure
Handover performed
Handover candidate enquiry
handed
Handover candidate response

Handover required reject
Handover detect
(to BSC: request for handover to that BSC)

(to MSC: inter BSC/MSC handover required)
(to MSC: acknowledge of handover request)
(to BSC: contains new radio channel/BTS for the
(to MSC: commanded handover successful)
(to MSC: commanded handover unsuccessful)
(to MSC: BSC has performed internal handover)
(to BSC: MSC requests list of MS that could be
over to another cell)
(to MSC: answer to handover candidate enquiry)
(to BSC: required handover unsuccessful)
(to MSC: commanded handover successful)
BSSMAP Message -2
Release messages
(release of traffic channel)

(control of layer 2 SAPI n on the radio interface)
General messages
Clear command
Clear complete
Clear request
SAPI n clear command
SAPI n clear complete
SAPI n reject
Reset
Reset acknowledge
Overload
Trace invocation
Reset circuit
(initialisation of BSS or MSC due to failure)

(processor or CCCH overload)
(start production of trace record
(initialisation of single circuit due to failure)
Terrestrial resource messages
Block
BTS)
Blocking acknowledge
Unblock
Unblocking acknowledge
(management of circuits/time slots between MSC and
BSSMAP Message -2
Radio resource messages
Resource request
(available radio channels in
BSS cells)
Resource indication
Paging
(paging of MS)
Cipher mode command
(start encryption)
Classmark update
(change of MS power class)
Cipher mode complete
Queuing indication
(indicates delay in
assignment of tch)
Content

Mobile Originating Call Establishment Procedure -1

MS
BTS
MSC
BSC
CH REQ(1)
CH RQD(2)
CH ACT(3)
CH ACT ACK(4)
IMM ASS CMD(5)
IMM ASS(6)
SABM(7)
EST IND(8)
UA(10)
CM SERV REQ(9)
AUTH REQ(11)
AUTH REQ(12)
AUTH RSP(13)
AUTH RSP(14)
CIPH MODE CMD(15)
CIPH MODE CMD(16)
CIPH MODE CMD(17)

CIPH MODE CMP(18)
CIPH MODE CMP(19)

MS
BTS
MSC
BSC
TMSI REALL CMD(20)

TMSI REALL CMD(21)
TMSI REALL CMP(22)
TMSI REALL CMP(23)
SETUP(24)
SETUP(25)
CALL PRO(26)
CALL PROCEEDING(27)
ASSIGN REQ(28)
CH ACT(29)
CH ACT ACK(30)
ASSIGNMENT COMMAND(31)
SABM(32)
EST IND(33)
UA(34)
ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE(35)
ASSIGN CMP(36)
RF CH REL(37)
RF CH REL ACK(38)

MS
MSC
BSC
BTS
ALERTING(39)
ALERTING(40)
CONNECT(41)
CONNECT(42)
CONNECT ACK(43)
CONNECT ACK(44)
MEAS REPORT(45)
MEAS REPORT(46)
DISCONNECT(47)
DISCONNECT(48)
RELEASE(49)
RELEASE(50)
RELEASE COMPLETE(51)
RELEASE CMP(52)
CLEAR CMD(53)
CHANNEL RELEASE(54)
DEACT SACCH(55)
DISC(56)
UA(57)
REL IND(58)
RF CH REL(59)
RF CH REL ACK(60)
CLEAR CMP(61)
SCCP REL(62)
SCCP REL ACK(63)
Mobile Terminating Call Establishment Procedure -1

MS
BTS
PAGING RQT(3)
CH REQ(4)
MSC
BSC
PAGING CMD(2)
PAGING CMD(1)
CH RQD(5)
CH ACT(6)
CH ACT ACK(7)
IMM ASS CMD(8)
IMM ASS(9)
SABM(10)
EST IND(11)
UA(13)
PAGE RSP(12)
AUTH REQ(14)
AUTH REQ(15)
AUTH RSP(16)
AUTH RSP(17)
CIPH MODE CMD(18)
CIPH MODE CMD(19)
CIPH MODE CMD(20)

CIPH MODE CMP(21)
CIPH MODE CMP(22)

MS
BTS
MSC
BSC
TMSI REALL CMD(23)

TMSI REALL CMD(24)
TMSI REALL CMP(25)
TMSI REALL CMP(26)
SETUP(27)
SETUP(28)
CALL CONFIRMED(29)
CALL CONF(30)
ASSIGN REQ(31)
CH ACT(32)
CH ACT ACK(33)
SABM(35)
EST IND(36)
UA(37)
ASSIGN CMP(39)
RF CH REL(40)
RF CH REL ACK(41)

MS
MSC
BSC
BTS
ALERTING(42)
ALERTING(43)
CONNECT(44)
CONNECT(45)
CONNECT ACK(46)
CONNECT ACK(47)
MEAS REPORT(48)
MEAS REPORT(49)
DISCONNECT(50)
DISCONNECT(51)
RELEASE(52)
RELEASE(53)
RELEASE COMPLETE(54)
RELEASE CMP(55)
CLEAR CMD(56)
CHANNEL RELEASE(57)
DEACT SACCH(58)
DISC(59)
UA(60)
REL IND(61)
RF CH REL(62)
RF CH REL ACK(63)
CLEAR CMP(64)
SCCP REL(65)
SCCP REL ACK(66)
Location Update Procedure -1

MS
BTS
MSC
BSC
CH REQ(1)
CH RQD(2)
CH ACT(3)
CH ACT ACK(4)
IMM ASS CMD(5)
IMM ASS(6)
SABM(7)
EST IND(8)
UA(10)
LOC UPDATE REQ(9)

IDENTITY REQ(11)
IDENTITY REQ(12)
IDENTITY RSP(13)
IDENTITY RSP(14)
AUTH REQ(15)
AUTH REQ(16)
AUTH RSP(17)
AUTH RSP(18)
CIPH MODE CMD(19)
CIPH MODE CMD(20)
CIPH MODE CMD(21)
CIPH MODE CMP(22)
CIPH MODE CMP(23)
Location Update Procedure -2

MS
BTS
MSC
BSC
LOC UPDATE ACC(24)

LOC UPDATE ACCEPT(25)
TMSI REALL
CMP(26)
TMSI REALL CMP(27)
CLEAR CMD(28)
CHANNEL RELEASE(29)
DEACT SACCH(30)
DISC(31)
UA(32)
REL IND(33)
RF CH REL(34)
RF CH REL ACK(35)
CLEAR CMP(36)
SCCP REL(37)
SCCP REL ACK(38)
Intra Cell Handover Procedure

MS
BTS
BSC
MSC
MEASURE REPORT(1)
MEASURE REPORT(2)
CH ACT(3)
CH ACT ACK(4)
SABM(6)
EST IND(7)
UA(8)
RECEIVE READY(10)
HO PERFORMED(11)
RF CH REL(12)
RF CH REL ACK(13)
Intra BSC Handover Procedure

MS
BTS1
BSC
BTS2
MEAS REPORT(1)
MEAS REPORT(2)
CH ACT(3)
CH ACT ACK(4)
HO CMD(5)
HO CMD(6)
HO ACCESS(7)
HO DETECT(8)
PHYSICAL INFO(9)
SABM(10)
EST IND(11)
UA(12)
HO CMP(13)
RECEIVER READY(14)
HO CMP(15
HO PERFORMED(16)
RF CH REL(17)
RF CH REL ACK(18)
MSC
Inter BSC Handover Procedure

MS
BSC1
BTS1
MEAS REPORT(1)
BTS2
MSC
BSC2
MEAS REPORT(2)
HO REQUIRED(3)
HO REQ(4)
CH ACT(5)
CH ACT ACK(6)
HO REQ ACK(7)
HO CMD(8)
HO CMD(9)
HO ACCESS(10)
HO DETECT(11)
HO DETECT(12)
PHYSICAL INFO(13)
SABM(14)
EST IND(15)
UA(16)
HO CMP(17)
RECEIVER READY(18)
HO CMP(19)
HO CMP(20)
CLEAR COMMAND(21)
RF CH REL(22)
RF CH REL ACK(23)
CLEAR COMPLETE(24)
Call Re-establishment Procedure

MS
BTS
MSC
BSC
CONN FAIL IND(1)
CLEAR REQ(2)
CLEAR CMD(3)
CLEAR CMP(4)
CHANNEL REQ(5)
CM RE-EST REQ(6)
CIPH MODE CMD(7)
CIPH MODE CMP(8)
ASS REQ(9)
ASS CMP(10)
STATUS ENQUIRY(11)
STATUS(12)
Directed Retry Procedure

MS
BTS1
BSC
MSC
BTS2
MS
CH REQ(1)
CH RQD(2)
CH ACT(3)
CH ACT ACK(4)
IMM ASS CMD(5)
SABM(6)
EST IND(8)
UA(7)
CR(9)
CC(10)
CM SERVICE ACCEPTED(11)
SETUP(12)
CALL PROCEEDING(13)
ASS REQ(14)
CHANNEL ACT(15)
CHANNEL ACT ACK(16)
HANDOVER COMMAND(17)
HO ACCESS(18)
HO DETECT(19)
PHY INFO(20)
SABM(21)
EST IND(22)
UA(23)
HO CMP(24)
ASS CMP(25)
Short Message Procedure On SDCCH When MS Is

Calling -1
MS
BTS
MSC
BSC
CH REQ(1)
CH RQD(2)
CH ACT(3)
CH ACT ACK(4)
IMM ASS CMD(5)

SABM(6)
EST IND(8)
UA(7)
CM SERV REQ(9)
CC(10)
AUTH REQ(11)
AUTH RSP(12)
SABM(SAPI3)(13)
EST IND(SAPI3)(15)
UA(14)
CIPH MODE CMD(16)
CIPH MODE CMP(17)

CP DATA(18)
CP ACK(19)

Calling -2
MS
BTS
MSC
BSC
CP DATA(20)
CP ACK(21)
CLEAR CMD(22)
CHANNEL RELEASE(23)
DEACT SACCH(24)
DISC(25)
UA(26)
REL IND(27)
RF CH REL(28)
RF CH REL ACK(29)
CLEAR CMP(30)
SCCP REL(31)
SCCP REL ACK(32)

Called -1
MS
BTS
MSC
BSC
PAGING CMD(1)
PAGING CMD(2)
CH REQ(3)
CH RQD(4)
CH ACT(5)
CH ACT ACK(6)
IMM ASS CMD(7)

SABM(8)
EST IND(9)
UA(10)
CM SERV REQ(11)
CC(12)
AUTH REQ(13)
AUTH RSP(14)
CIPH MODE CMD(15)
CIPH MODE CMP(16)
CP DATA(17)
EST REQ(SAPI3)(18)
SABM(19)
UA(20)
EST CMP(SAPI3)(21)

Called -2
MS
BTS
BSC
MSC
CP DATA(22)
CP ACK(23)
CP DATA(24)
CP ACK(25)
CLEAR CMD(26)
CHANNEL RELEASE(27)
DEACT SACCH(28)
DISC(29)
UA(31)
REL IND(30)
RF CH REL(32)
RF CH REL ACK(33)
CLEAR CMP(34)
SCCP REL(35)
SCCP REL ACK(36)
Short Message Procedure On SACCH When

MS Is Calling
MS
BTS
BSC
ACTIVE CALL
CM SERVICE REQ1
CM SERVICE ACC(2)
SABM(SAPI3)(3)
EST IND(SAPI3)(5)
UA(4)
CP DATA(6)
CP ACK(7)
CP DATA(8)
CP ACK(9)
ACTIVE CALL
MSC
Short Message Procedure On SACCH When

MS Is Called
MS
BTS
MSC
BSC
ACTIVE CALL
CP DATA(1)
EST REQ(SAPI3)(2)
SABM(3)
UA(4)
EST CNF(SAPI3)(5)
CP DATA(6)
CP ACK(7)
CP DATA(8)
CP ACK(9)
ACTIVE CALL
Summary of radio network planning

ZTE University
Objectives
Describe the contents and flow of site survey

State the basic principle of site selection
Master the using of site survey tools
Contents
Site survey summary

Preparation of site survey
Working flow of site survey
Data audit and documents output
Site survey tools
Site survey instances
Function
Provide basic data for planning and imitation;

Make planning more reasonable and reduce risk;
Reduce the cost of network
Goals
Know the feature of field, landform and

subscribers, estimate the subscriber number and
traffic
Integrate coverage, traffic density, site condition
and cost
Output BTS site type, site location , distribution
and antenna configuration which satisfying
customers requirements.
Make site survey of each site and prepare three
candidate sites for substitution
Working flow
Requirement
analysis
Site survey
plan
preparation
Execution
Single site record
Collection and
check
Right
data ?
Y
Output
Site survey
report
Site survey
report
Contents
Site survey summary

Site survey tools
Target of network (coverage and capacity)

Customers suggestion on site type (micro cell,
repeater, indoor coverage etc.)
Existing network situation of coverage area (site
distribution of other operators)
Working interface with customers
Schedule and resource of site survey
Output of requirements analysis
Collect and analyze all the requirements form

customer, combined with network planning and
site survey documents. Output report of
requirements analysis.
Tools
necessary
Not
necessary
Tools
Function
GPS
Altitude, latitude and longitude of BTS
Compass
direction and environment
Digital camera
photo the environment of site
ruler
For measurement
vehicle
One vehicle for each team
map
Digital map, scan map, paper map
Range finder
Measure distance
telescope
Increase sight scope
test equipment
Test the coverage of site
Site survey plan
According to the project and requirements report,

make detail site survey plan, including goal,
organization, personnel, tools, schedule and
outputs.
Contents
Site survey summary

Data process and documents output
Site survey tools
Site survey flow

Site initial
information
Site adjust
start
Not suitable
Site location
selection
Information
collection and
analyzing
Cell parameters
design
end
Site survey
record table
Site initial information
Latitude and longitude of sites from planning

Site location provided by operators
The location of old substitute sites
Sites of other operators
Principle of site selection

No.
Common principle for site selection
Site should be in the ideal position of honeycomb structure
The BTS density should match the traffic density
The height of BTS should lower then the highest building and higher then
the average building
Avoid high buildings or potential blocking constructions, which may affect

the coverage
Avoid radio station, radar or other strong interference equipments
Avoid choose the top of hill or woods
Necessary condition for site building
Select the equipment rooms with little expansion cost or buildings with
less rent
Try to select the existing telecom station, micro wave station, so to reuse
the power supply
10
The feasibility, cost and performance should be considered before the

microwave is used as transmission
11
Dual band sites should be at same site in urban area
Information collection and analysis
Traffic distribution survey
Traffic distribution in serving area

Economy level, average income and consumption
habits.
Forecast subscriber increase trend
Radio propagation environment survey
Location information of BTS (longitude, latitude, altitude)

Description of the overall environment
Description of barriers
Cell parameter design
BTS type
Site configuration
Antenna parameters
Antenna height
Azimuth
Tilt down angle
Site survey record table
Altitude, longitude and precision of GPS

Geographic description of BTS
Important area
Direction
Transmission system
Repeater basic information
Co-site description
Picture of site
Contents
Site survey summary

Site survey tools
After the site survey, all the documents should be

collected by team leader, who will pass them to
network planning technical manager
After check and audit, Network planning manager
will pass these documents to project manager.
Check and audit
Check and audit from technical view, make sure

the site survey result is true, accurate, reasonable
and feasible:
Fill up <Radio network site survey report>

If there is any questions about sites, communicate with
customers and put it into MOU.
If the environments is not good for sites, suggestion
must be given to customers for improvement.
Output report
After gather and audit, provide the following

information in the final report
BTS site survey reportChinese, English

Coverage area list
BTS site information list
Contents
Site survey summary

Site survey tools
GPS
Main indices
Receive sensitivity
Navigation
Physical index
Power
Keys on panel
Power key
Turn page
Input
Exit
GPS
Basic operate
power on, light, shut down

Automatic location
Location and navigation operation
Navigation on route
GPS
Notes for longitude/latitude measurement
GPS needs 3 satellites for location

The measurement mode is WGS84
The angle unit is degree
Try close to site to measure
Deviation compared with digital map
The precision of digital map

GPS measurement deviation
The test spot is not same as planned
Compass
Main function
Direction and tilt down angle

Landform measurement: include orientation, slope
degree, fix level
Vertical angle
Structure
Magnetic needle
Horizontal dial
Vertical dial
Aim board
Viewfinder
1viewfinder
2Aim board
3Magnetic needle
4Horizontal
dial
5Vertical dial
6Vertical scale indicator
7Vertical level organ
8batholith level organ
9Magnetic needle fix helix
10thimble 11lever
12Glass cover
13Box and needle round board
Compass
Antenna direction
Stand under the antenna or tower with instrument in

hand
Make the upper cover face you, aim board point to
antenna
Wait for the needle stop, the degree of the needle N
pole is the direction of antenna.
Antenna tiltdown
Keep the compass close to the character surface of

antenna, and keep the bleb in the middle for some time
Read the degree, which represent the tiltdown angle of
this character surface.
Contents
Site survey summary

Site survey tools
Unreasonable location
BTS site close to high voltage cable
Wrong: One BTS is close to a high voltage cable,

antenna is at the same level as power cable and the
distance to power cable is no more than 10 meters.
Right: move the BTS 50 meters away from the power
cable for safety
BTS is on the hill in urban
In order to cover a city, a BTS is built on a hill with 300

meters high.
As the BTS is so high that all the MS in this city can
receive the signal, which make other BTS traffic idle,
This site is congestion, and cause many MS fail to call.
Unreasonable planning
Less BTS sites in dense urban area
Total 29 frequencies available for one city, so only 5

sites were build.
Limited by frequency resources, there is no large
capacity sites which cant satisfy the traffic requirement.
Solution: Another 8 new BTS sites were built to fit the
large traffic.
Antenna System
ZTE University
Objective
By the end of this course, you will be able:
To Understand the concept of dipole

To state GSM antenna specifications
To comprehend the principle of antenna selection
Content
Antenna overview
Radio Waves
A form of electromagnetic radiation typically

generated as disturbances sent out by
oscillating charges on a transmitting antenna
Blah blah
blah bl ah
Definition
An Antenna is any
device used to
collect or radiate
Electromagnetic
Waves
Antenna for mobile communication
Linear antennas are

used:
Monopole (Slab)
Dipole Elements
Array of dipoles
Single Monopole
Patch Antenna
Base Tranceiver
Station Antenna
Mobile Phones
Antenna basic structure
Antenna are generally

composed of stacked of dipole
bundling their radiated power
to form a desired antenna
pattern in vertical plains
around the antenna
Depending on the gain desired

that wants to be achieved
several of those diploes can
be arranged on top of one
another
Generation of radio waves

DIPOLES
Wavelength
1/4 Wavelength
1/2 Wavelength
1/4 Wavelength
1/2 Wavelength
Dipole
1800MHz 166mm
900MHz 333mm
Half wave dipole
1 dipole
Multiple dipole matrix
Received Power1mW
Received Power4 mW
GAIN= 10log(4mW/1mW) = 6dBd
Isotropic antenna
Antenna
(Overlook
Omnidirectional array
Received power1mW
Sector antenna
Received power8mW
Gain=10log(8mW/1mW) = 9dBi
dBd and dBi
Ideal radiating dot source

(lossless radiator)
2.15dB
0dBd = 2.15dBi
Dipole
dBd and dBi
Content
Antenna overview
Antenna electrical properties
Operating Frequency Band

Input impedance
VSWR
Polarization
Gain
Radiation Pattern
Horizontal/Vertical beamwidth
Downtilt
Front/back ratio
Sidelobe suppression and null filling
Power capability
3rd order Intermodulation
Insulation
Type
GSM 900
GSM 1800
GSM Dual Band
Frequency Range
890
1710
890
1710
960 MHz
1880 MHz
960 MHz
1880 MHz
Optimum 1/2 wavelength

for dipole at 925MHz
at
890
MHz
at
960
MHz
Antenna
Dipole
BANDWIDTH = 960 - 890 = 70MHz
Impedance
Standard Value: 50
Antenna
Cable
50 ohms
50 ohms
Voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR)
Forward: 10W
50 ohms
Backward: 0.5W
80
ohms
Return Loss 10log(10/0.5) = 13dB

VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio)
9.5 W
Calculation of VSWR
VSWR1.5
= (VSWR-1)/(VSWR+1)
RetureLoss = -20lg
Bandwidth
3dB Beamwidth
10dB Beamwidth
Peak - 3dB
60 (eg)
Peak
Peak - 3dB
Peak - 10dB
120
(eg)
Peak
Peak - 10dB
3dBm horizontal beamwidth
Directional Antenna65/90/105/120
Omni360
Omni-directional
Directional
3dBm vertical beamwidth

Omni-directional
Directional
Antenna structure types

Omni-directional
Directional
Polarization
Vertical
+ 45degree slant
Horizontal
- 45degree slant
Space diversity
Polarization diversity
V/H (Vertical/Horizontal)
Slant (+/- 45)
Types of antenna
Linear Polarization,vertical
X Polarization, 45
Antenna down tilt
Mechanical down tilt

Fixed electronic down tilt
Adjustable electronic down tilt
Mechanical down tile
It is achieved by physically
tilting the antenna out of the
perpendicular by using down
tilt kit
PROS: Cost efficient and
flexible
CON: Has no effect on the
side-lobe characteristics of the
antenna
Electrical down tilt

Input Signal
Electrical downtilt can be fixed or adjustable
Fixed is tuned by the manufacturer
Adjustable allows adjustment in a certain level on the rear of the
antenna
Down tilt
Non down tilt
Electronic downtilt
Mechanical
downtilt
Antenna tilt development
FRONT-TO-BACK Ratio
Ratio of maximum mainlobe to maximum

sidelobe
Back power
F/B = 10 log(FP/BP)
Front power
typically 25dB
Intermodulation
It occurs when two signals of a different frequency mix in a

non-linear device
It can be a problem at any site that has two or more

transmitters
It can be caused by a transmitter of the same system or by a

transmitter in another site that is co-sited or has a site in the
neighborhood
IMD@243dBm
f1, f2, 2f1-f2, 2f2-f1
913 MHz
936 MHz
959 MHz
982 MHz
Isolation
10log(1000mW/1mW) = 30dB
1000mW ( 1W)
1mW
Antenna mechanical properties
Size
Weight
Radome material
Appearance and color
Working temperature
Storage temperature
Windload
Connector types
Package Size
Lightning Protection
Dimension
LWH
Lengthconnected with vertical bandwidth and gain

Widthconnected with horizontal bandwidth
Heightconnected with techniques adopted
Weight
A factor that can affect transport and

deployment
Radome materials
PVC, Fiberglass
Anti-temperature, water-proof antiagingweather resistant
Color
Good-looking
Environment-protecting
Temperature range
Operation and storage
Typical range-40C
+70C
Connector type
7/16DINNSMA
Female/male
Mast
Mast diameter 4590mm
Lightning protection
Direct Ground
Antenna types
By frequency band: GSM900, GSM1800,

GSM900/1800
By polarization: Vertical, Horizontal, 45 linear
polarization, circle polarization
By pattern:
Omni-directional, directional
By down-tilt: Non, mechanical, electronic
adjustment, remote control
By function:
Transmission, receiver,
transceiver
Feeder cable
7/8 Main feeder
Jumper cable
1/2 JUMPER CABLE
Connector
7/16DIN-FDIN CONNECTOR
7/16DIN-MDIN & N CONNECTOR
Lightning arrestor
Rf port 2
Grounding
Accessories
Trimming Tool or Hand Tool Kit

Clamp
Earthing Kit
Wall Glands
Hoisting Stocking
Universal Ground Bar
Antenna system
Antenna
7/16 Din Connector
1/2 Clamp
1/2 Jumper
Tower Top
Amplifier
7/8 Cable
7/8 Cable
Grounding
Machine house
1/2 Jumper
EMP
Grounding clip
Grounding bar
Cabinet
Content
Antenna overview
Radio propagation in cities
Densely deployed BTSsmall coverage area

Decrease over coverage and interference, increase
frequency reuse factor
Antenna selection in cities
Polarization
Direction
Dual-polarization (Installation space)

Directional antenna (Frequency reuse factor)
3dB bandwidth
60~65(Control coverage)
Gain
15-16dBi
Tilt down angle
Fixed electrical tilt down
Radio propagation in suburb/rural area
Loosely deployed BTS

light traffic
large coverage
Antenna selection in suburb/rural area

Polarization
Direction
directional
3dB bandwidth
90105
Gain
16-18dBi directional
or 911dBi omni
Tilt down angle
Mechanical tilt down; 50m high; null fill
Radio propagation in road/highway environment
Low traffic
Fast moving
subscribers
Focus on coverage.
Strip coverage
Two sectors
Omni-cell when pass
towns or tourist site
Antenna selection for highway
Polarization
Direction
Narrow beamwidth directional
3dB
bandwidth
30
Gain
18dBi22dBi
Tilt down
angle
No tilt down
Radio propagation in mountainous environment
Block by mountains
Big propagation loss
Difficult to cover
Antenna selection in mountainous area
Polarization
Direction
Omni or directional
3dB bandwidth
Big 3db verticle bandwidth
Gain
Omni (9-11dBi
Directional (15-18dBi
Tilt down angle
Null fill & electrical tilt down
GSM Basic Radio parameters

ZTE University
Objectives
Understand the meaning of various radio parameters

Grasp the setting of radio parameters
State the effect to radio network performance of various
kind of radio parameters
Content

Roles of identification parameters
Enable the MS to correctly identify the ID of the current

network
Enable the network to be real time informed of the correct

geographical location of the MS
Enable the MS to report correctly the adjacent cell

information during the conversation process
CELL GLOBAL IDENTITY (CGI)
Cell Global Identity (CGI)
It is used for identifying individual cells within an LA
3 Digits
MCC
2-3 Digits
Max 16 Bits
Max 16 bits
MNC
LAC
CI
LAI
Cell Global Identity
ROLES OF CGI
The CGI information is sent along the system broadcasting

information in every cell.
When the MS receives the system information, it will

extract the CGI information from it and determines whether
to camp on the cell according to the MCC and MNC
specified by the CGI.
It judges whether the current location area is changed,

then determines whether to take the location updating
process.
SETTING OF CGI
MCCMobile Country Code:
MNCMobile Network Code:

00 999.
LACLocation Area Code:

000 999.
The range is
1-65535.
CICell Identity:
The range is 0-65535.
BASE STATION IDENTITY CODE (BSIC)
Base Station Identity Code (BSIC)
It enables MSs to distinguish between

neighboring base stations
3 Bits
3 Bits
NCC
BCC
BSIC
NCC Network/ National Color Code
Value Range: 0~7
BCC Base Station Color Code
Value Range: 0~7
NCC and BCC ROLES
NCC:
In the connection mode (during conversation), the MS

must measure the signals in the adjacent cells and
report the result to the network. As each measurement
report sent by the MS can only contain the contents of
six cells, so it is necessary to control the MS so as to
only report the information of cells factually related to
the cell concerned. The high 3 bits (i.e. NCC) in the
BSIC serve this purpose.
BCC:
The BCC is used to identify different BS using the same

BCCH in the same GSMPLMN.
BSIC CONFIGURATION PRINCIPLE

A
In general, it is required that Cells A, B, C, D, E and

F use different BSIC when they have same BCCH
frequency. When the BSIC resources are not
enough, the cells close to each other may take the
priority to use different BSIC.
ROLES OF BSIC
Inform the MS the TSC used by the common signaling

channel of the cell.
As the BSIC takes part in the decoding process of the
random access channel (RACH), it can be used to prevent
the BS from mis-decoding the RACH, sent by the MS to
an adjacent cell, as the access channel of this cell.
When the MS is in the connection mode (during
conversation), it must measure the BCCH level of adjacent
cells broadcasting by BCCH and report the results to the
BS. In the uplink measurement report, MS must show
BSIC of this carrier it has measured to every frequency
point.
BA LIST (BCCH ADJACENT LIST)
Adjacent cell BCCH table

At most 32 adjacent cell
Carried by BCCH when MS is idle, by SACCH
when MS is dedicated
The MS will first search carriers from this table
and if none is found it will turns to find any of 30
carriers with highest levels.
Content

RANDOM ACCESS
Random access is the process that messages

being transmitted on RACH when a MS turns
from idle to dedicate mode. The main
parameters includes:
MAXRETRANS
Tx_Integer
AC
MAX RETRANS
When starting the immediate assignment process

(e.g, when MS needs location updating,
originating calls or responding to paging calls), the
MS will transmit the "channel request" message
over the RACH to the network. As the RACH is an
ALOHA channel, in order to enhance the MS
access success rate, the network allows the MS to
transmit multiple channel request messages
before receiving the immediate assignment
message. The numbers of maximum
retransmission (MAX RETRANS) are determined
by the network.
MAX RETRANS
The MAX RETRANS is often set in the following ways:

For areas (suburbs or rural areas) where the cell radius is more
than 3km and the traffic is smaller, the MAX RETRANS can be
set 11 (i.e. the MAX RETRANS is 7).
For areas (not bustling city blocks) where the cell radius is less
than 3km and the traffic is moderate, the MAX RETRANS can be
For micro-cellular, its recommend that the MAX RETRANS be

For microcellular areas with very high traffic and cells with
apparent congestion, its recommend that the MAX RETRANS
be set 00i.e. the MAX RETRANS is 1).
Transmission Distribution Timeslots

(Tx_integer)
The Tx_integer parameter is the interval in timeslots at which
the MS continuously sends multiple channel request messages.
The parameter S is an intermediate variable in the access

algorithm, and is to be determined by the Tx_integer parameter
and the combination mode of the CCCH and SDCCH
Format of Tx_Integer
MS starts the first channel request message : {0, 1, ...,

MAX (Tx_integer, 8)-1}
The number of timeslots between any two adjacent
channel request messages {S, S+1, ..., S+Tx_integer-1}
The Tx_integer is a decimal number, which can be 3~12,
14, 16, 20, 25, 32 and 50 (default). The values of the
parameter S are shown as below:
CCH Combination Mode
Tx_integer
CCCH Not Shared with SDCCH
CCCH Shared with SDCCH
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
ACCESS CONTROL AC
The access levels are distributed as follows:
C 0C9: ordinary subscribers;

C11: used for PLMN management;
C12: used by the security department;
C13: public utilities e.g. water, gas;
C14: emergency service;
C15: PLMN staff.
SETTING OF AC
In the BS installation and commissioning process or in the

process of maintaining or testing some cells, the operator
can set C0C9 as 0 to forcedly forbid the access of
ordinary subscribers so as to reduce the unnecessary
effects on the installation or maintenance work.
In some cells with very high traffic, the congestion will
occur in busy hours. For example, the RACH conflict
happens frequently, the AGCH is overloaded and the Abis
interface flow is overloaded. The network operator can set
proper access control parametersC0C15to control
the traffic of some cells.
CCCH_CONF
The CCCH can be one or more physical channels. The

CCCH and SDCCH can share the same physical channel.
The combination mode of the common control channel in a
cell is determined by the CCCH_CONF
CCCH_CONF
Coding
0
1
10
100
110
Others
Meanings
CCCH use one basic physical channel, not shared with SDCCH
CCCH use one basic physical channel, shares with SDCCH
CCCH use two basic physical channels, not shared with SDCCH
CCCH use three basic physical channels, not shared with SDCCH
CCCH use 4 basic physical channels, not shared with SDCCH
CCCH message
blocks in one
BCCH
9
3
18
27
36
Reserved
CCCH_CONF
The CCCH_CONF is determined by the telecom

operation department according to the traffic
model of a cell.
If a cell has 1 TRX, we recommend that the CCCH

uses one basic physical channel and shares it with the
SDCCH
If a cell has 2 ~ 8 TRX, we recommend that the CCCH
uses one basic physical channel but does not share it
with the SDCCH.
AGBLK
Since the CCCH consists of the access grant

channel (AGCH) and paging channel (PCH), it is
necessary to set how many blocks of the CCCH
information blocks are reserved and dedicated to
the AGCH, the access grant reserve blocks
(AGBLK).
AGBLK is represented in decimal numerals, and
its value range is:
CCCH is not combined with SDCCH: 07.

CCCH is combined with SDCCH: 02.
AGBLK
SETTING AND IMPACT OF AGBLK
The AGBLK setting principle is: given that the AGCH is

not overloaded, try to reduce the parameter as much as
possible to shorten the time when the MS responds to
the paging and improve the quality of service of the
system.
The recommended value of AGBLK is usually 1 (when
the CCCH is combined with the SDCCH), 2 or 3 (when
the CCCH is not combined with the SDCCH).
BS-PA-MFRMS
According to the GSM specifications, every mobile

subscriber belongs to a paging group. the MS calculates
the paging group to which it belongs by its own IMSI.
In an actual network, the MS only "receives the contents
in the paging subchannel to which it belongs but ignores
the contents in other paging subchannels. (i.e. DRX
source).
The BS-PA-MFRMS refers to how many multi-frames are
used as a cycle of a paging subchannel. This parameter in
fact determines how many paging sub-channels are to be
divided from the paging channels of a cell.
BS-PA-MFRMS (2)
BS-PA-MFRMS is represented in decimal

numerals and its value range is 29, its unit is
multiframe 51 frames, its default value is 2
BS-PA-MFRMS
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Multiframes of the same

paging group that cycle
on the paging channel
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
PERIODIC UPDATING TIMER (T3212)
The frequency of periodic location update is

controlled via the network and the period length is
determined by the parameter T3212.
The T3212 is a decimal number, within the range
of 0~255, in the unit of six minutes (1/10 hours).
If the T3212 is set to 0, it means that the cell
needs no periodical location update.
NCCPERM
In the connection mode (during the conversation),

the MS will report the measured signals of the
adjacent cells to the BS, but each report may
contain at most 6 adjacent cells.
Therefore, let the MS only report the information of
the cells that may become the hand-over target
cells.
The above functions can be fulfilled by limiting the
MS to merely measure the cells whose NCC have
been specified. The NCCPERM lists the NCCs of
cells to be measured by the MS.
NCCPERM will affect handover
RADIO LINK TIMEOUT (RLT)
GSM specification stipulates that the MS must have a timer

(S), which is assigned with an initial value at the start of
the conversation, that is, the downlink radio link timeout
value.
Every time the MS fails to decode a correct SACCH
message when it should receive the SACCH, the S is
decreased by 1. On the contrary, every time the MS
receives a correct SACCH message, the S is increased by
2, but the S should not exceed the downlink radio link
timeout value. When the S reaches 0, the MS will report
the downlink radio link failure.
The radio link timeout is a decimal number, within the
range of 4 ~ 64, at the step of 4, defaulted to 16.
MBCR (1)
The parameter "multiband indication (MBCR)" is

used to notify the MS that it should report the
multiband adjacent cell contents.
The value is 0-3
MBCR (2)
0: Based on the signal strength of adjacent cells, the MS reports the
measurement results of 6 adjacent cells whose signals are the strongest,
whose NCC are known and allowed no matter in which band the adjacent
cells lie. The default value is 0
1: The MS should report the measurement result of one adjacent cell in

each band (not including the band used by the current service area) in the
adjacent table, whose signal is the strongest and whose NCC is already
known and allowed.
MBCR (3)
2: The MS should report the measurement results of two adjacent cells
3: The MS should report the measurement results of three adjacent cells

Application of MBCR
Content

CELL SELECTION C1
When the MS is turned on, it will try to contact a

public GSM PLMN, so the MS will select a proper
cell and extract from the cell the control channel
parameters and prerequisite system messages.
This selection process is called cell selection.
The quality of radio channels is an important factor

in cell selection. The GSM Specifications defines
the path loss rule C1. For the so-called proper cell,
C1>0 must be ensured.
CELL SELECTION C1
C1 = RXLEV - RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN
- Max(MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P ,0)
where:
RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN is the minimum received level the

MS is allowed to access the network
MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH is the maximum power level of

the control channel (when MS sending on RACH);
RXLEV is average received level;
P is the maximum TX power of MS;
MAXX, YX; if X Y.
MAXX, YY; if Y X.
RxLevAccessMin
The RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN is a decimal number,

within the range of -110dBm ~ -47dBm
Default value is 0 (-110dBm).
RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN
Meaning
-47 dBm
> -48 dBm (level 63)
-46 dBm
-49 ~ -48 dBm (level 62)
...
...
-108 dBm
-109 ~ -108 dBm (level 2)
-109 dBm
-110 ~ -109 dBm (level 1)
-110 dBm
<-110 dBm (level 0)
Setting and Influence
For a cell with traffic overload, you can appropriately

increase the RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN
RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN value cannot be set to too high a

value. Otherwise, blind areas will be caused on the
borders of cells.
It is suggested that the RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN value

should not exceed -90 dBm.
CELL RESELECTION C2
Cell Reselection (C2) is a process when MS change its

service cell in idle mode.
When the MS selects a cell it will begin to measure the

signal levels of the BCCH TRX of its adjacent cells (at
most 6)
When given conditions are met, the MS will move from the
current cell into another one. This process is called cell
reselection.
CELL RESELECTION C2
When C2 Parameter Indicator (PI) indicates YESthe MS

will get parameters (CRO, TO and PT) , from BCCH, to be
used to calculate C2(channel quality criterion), which serves
as cell reselection norm. The equation is as follows:
C2C1CROHPTTTO, when PT 31
C2C1CRO
, when PT= 31
Where T is a timer. When a cell is recorded by MS as one

of the six strongest cells, timer starts counting, otherwise, T
is reset to zero.
PARAMETER INDICATOR (PI)
PI is used to notify the MS whether to use C2 as the cell

reselect parameter and whether the parameters calculating
C2 exist.
PI consists of 1 bit. 1means the MS should extract

parameters from the system message broadcasting in the
cell to calculate the C2 value, and use the C2 value as the
standard for cell reselect; 0 means the MS should use
parameter C1 as the standard for cell reselect (equivalent
to C2C1.
CRO, PT AND TO
The cell reselection initiated by the radio channel quality regards C2

as the standard. C2 is a parameter based on C1 plus some artificial
offset parameters.
The artificial influence is to encourage the MS to take the priority in
accessing to some cells or prevent it from accessing to others. These

methods are often used to balance the traffic in the network.
In addition to C1, there are three other factors influencing C2, namely:
CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET (CRO), TEMPORARY_OFFSET (TO)
and PENALTY_TIME (PT).
Format of CRO, PT and TO
The CRO is a decimal number, in dB, within the range

of 0 ~ 63, meaning 0 ~ 126 dB, at the step of 2 dB.
The TO is a decimal number, in dB, within the range of

0 ~ 7, meaning 0 ~ 70 dB, at the step of 10 dB, where
70 means infinite.
The PT is a decimal number, in seconds, within the

range of 0 ~ 31, meaning 20 ~ 620 seconds for 0 ~ 30,
and at the step of 20 seconds. The value of 31 is
reserved to change the direction of effect that the CRO
works on the C2 parameter.
For cells where the traffic is very heavy or the

channel quality is very low. the PT may be set 31,
making TO invalid, so C2=C1-CRO.
For cells where the traffic is moderate, the

recommended value for CRO is zero and PT=31,
thus causing C2=C1, i. e. no artificial impact will
be imposed.
For cells with light traffic, its recommended that CRO

be ranged from 0 to 20dB. The greater the CRO, the
more possible the cells will be reselected ,and vice
versa. Its also suggested that TO is equal or a little
higher than CRO. PT, whose main role is to avoid
frequent cell reselection by MS, is generally
recommended to be set at 20 seconds or 40 seconds.
When a MS reselects a cell, if the old cell and the target

cell are in different locations, then the MS must initiate a
location updating process after cell reselection.
Due to the fading features of the radio channel, the C2
values of two adjacent cells measured along their borders
will fluctuate greatly.
MS will frequently conduct the cell reselection, which will
not only increase the network signaling flow and lead to
low efficiency use of radio resources, but reduces the
access success rate of the system, as the MS cannot
respond to paging calls in the location updating process.
To minimize the influence of this issue, the GSM

specifications put forward a parameter called
ReselHysteresis,
The cell selection hysteresis is represented in

decimal numerals, its unit is dB, its range is 014,
its step length is 2dB, and its default value is 4.
CELL RESELECTION PRINCIPLE
If the MS calculates that the C2 value of an

adjacent cell (Same location area) surpasses the
C2 value of the serving cell and maintains for 5s
or longer, the MS will start cell reselection .
If the MS detects a cell that is not in the same
location area with the current cell, the calculated
C2 value surpasses the sum of the C2 value of the
current cell and the ReselHysteresis parameter
and if it remains for 5s or longer, the MS will start
the cell reselection .
The cell reselection caused by C2 should be
originated at least at the interval of 15s.
In the system message broadcasting in each cell, there is a bit

information indicating whether to allow the MS to access to it, which
is called cell bar access (CBA). The parameter CBA is to indicate

whether the cell bar access is set in a cell.
The CBA bit is a parameter for the network operator to set. Usually
all the cells are allowed to be accessed by MS , so the bit is set
NO. However, in special cases, the telecom operator may want to
assign a certain cells for handover service only, then the bit can be
set YES.
Area A
BTS B
MS A
BTS C
CELL BAR QUALIFY (CBQ)
In areas where the cells overlay with each

other and differ in capacity, traffic and
functions, the telecom operator often hopes
that the MS can have priority in selecting
some cells, that is, the setting of cell priority.
This function is set by way of the parameter
"Cell Bar Qualify" (CBQ).
CELL BAR QUALIFY (CBQ) 2
C1 and C2 States with CBA and CBQ Configurations
CBQ
CBA
Cell Selection
Priority
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Normal
Barred
Low
Low
Cell Reselection
State
Normal
Barred
Normal
Normal
EXAMPLE OF CBQ SETTING
For some reasons, the traffic of Cells A and B is apparently higher

than that of other adjacent cells. To balance the traffic in the whole
area, you can set the priority of Cells A and B as low, and set the
priority of the rest cells as normal so that the traffic in the shade
area will be absorbed by adjacent cells. It must be noted that the
result of this setting is that the actual coverage of Cell A and Cell B
is narrowed. However, this is different from reducing the transmitting
power of Cell A and Cell B, the latter may cause blind areas of the
network coverage and the reduction of communication quality.
Content

LIMITn
According to GSM Specification 05.08, the BTS must

measure the interference levels of the upward links of all
the free channels for the purpose of providing basis for
managing and allocating radio resources.
Moreover, the BTS should analyze its measured results,
divide the interference levels into 5 grades and report them
to the BSC. The division of the 5 interference grades (i.e.
the so-called interference bands) is set by the operator
through the man-machine interface. The parameter
"Interference band border(LIMITn) determines the borders
of the 5 interference bands.
LIMITn
Value Range Specified dBm Level
0
<-110 dBm
1
-110 dBm ~ -109 dBm
2
-109 dBm ~ -108 dBm
61
62
-50 dBm ~ -49 dBm

-49 dBm ~ -48 dBm
Default: LIMIT14
LIMIT28
LIMIT315
LIMIT425
The division of the interference bands should be favorable in
describing the interference in the system. Generally the default values
are recommended. In the ordinary situations, the free channel
interference level is smaller, so the LIMIT14 value should be
smaller. When apparently large interference appears in the system,
you can properly increase the LIMIT1~4 values in order to know the
exact interference.
INTAVE
Due to the randomness of the radio channel

interference, the BTS must average the measured
uplink interference levels within the specified
period, and this average cycle is determined by
the INTAVE parameter.
This parameter is a decimal number, in SACCH
multi-frames, within the range of 1 ~ 31.
New Cause Indication (NECI)
The NECI is a decimal number, within the range of

0 ~ 1, with the meaning described as below:
When the NECI is 0, it means that the cell does not

support the access of half-rate services.
When the NECI is 1, it means that the cell supports the
access of half-rate services.
RE-ESTABLISHMENT ENABLE (RE)
For the drop calls caused by the radio link fault, the MS
can start the call reestablishment process to resume the
conversation, but the network is entitled to determine
whether the call reestablishment is allowed or not.
0=Yes, 1=No.
In some special circumstances, the drop call may occur

when the MS goes through a blind area during the
conversation. If the call reestablishment is allowed, the
mean drop call rate will be reduced. However, the call
reestablishment process will occupy a longer period of
time, most of the subscribers have hung up before the
reestablishment process is over, as a result, the call
reestablishment failed to achieve its purpose and wasted
many radio resources. We recommend that the call
reestablishment be not allowed in the network except for
some individual cells.
GSM Coverage problem & Solution

ZTE university
Objectives
To know different kinds of coverage problem, their

causes and solutions.
Contents

Typical Cases
Overview of coverage problem
Weak coverage
Too small coverage range will cause high

call drop rate and a large number of
customer complaints.
Over coverage
Too large coverage will result in frequent

handovers, and mutual interference as
well, if its rather serious, and network
indicators will also be affected.
No-serving cell coverage
When cell reselection parameters and

handover scenarios are similar, or there
are 2 or more cells with similar signal
strength ,Pingpong handover is easy to be
caused during calls.
Contents

Typical Cases
Main causes of weak coverage

too small BTS power
too low antenna height
too small down-tilt
hardware problem
Weak coverage
Obstruction of buildings
Main causes of over coverage
poor antenna
performance
inappropriate down-tilt
too high antenna height
Causes of no-serving cell coverage

unreasonable planning
of antenna parameters
inappropriate type of antenna

too large or too small
carrier transmission power
shrunk coverage caused
by equipment problem
influence of changes
in radio environment
no-serving cell coverage
unreasonable setting
of handover parameters
unreasonable setting of
cell reselection parameters
Contents

Typical Cases

Check setting of problem BTS radio parameters
Check if strong interference source exists
Check hardware
Check antenna system
Analyze the local geographical environment to

see if site location and type of site are appropriate
Contents

Typical Cases
Problem description
Subscribers complained about the poor coverage around a cold storage

warehouse of animal foodstuff; it was difficult to detect signal even when
they were not far from the warehouse.
Problem analysis
According to subscribers complaint, we confirmed there was problem with

coverage around the warehouse. We found all radio parameters of the site
were set correct at OMCR. Statistical report showed that idle data of
interference band and UL/DL quality data distribution were normal.
Hardware operated normally, as shown in OMCR warning report.
Hardware engineers went to the site and checked the system of the BTS,
tested power amplifier's power and VSWR, they were all shown normal.
Connection between equipment was correct. Antenna azimuth and downtilt were all set reasonable.
Through DT on site, network engineers found that the signal strength of
the antenna main lobe was weak, while that of the side lobes was
stronger, so they tentatively confirmed the problem was due to antenna
fault.
Problem handling
After the antenna was replaced with a new one, the coverage improved
greatly, so did the speech quality.
Poor coverage of a BTS
Problem description
Subscribers complained about weak signal strength around a Food

Bureau (near a BTS).
Problem analysis
According to subscribers complaint, we confirmed there was

problem with the BTS' coverage. We found all radio parameters of
the site were set correct at OMCR. Statistical report showed that
idle data of interference band and UL/DL quality distribution were
normal. Hardware operated normally, as shown in OMCR warning
report.
Hardware engineers went to the site and checked the system of the
BTS, tested amplifier's power and VSWR, they were all shown
normal. Connection between equipment was correct. Antenna
azimuth and down-tilt were all set reasonable.
Through DT on site, network optimization engineers found that the
BTS coverage was in normal condition. While the Food Bureau,
where subscribers complained about the signal, was 4km away
from the BTS, and only indoor signal was weak (covered by Cell2).
Coverage shrinking after BTS starts operation
Problem description
After Cell3 of a BTS started to operate, its coverage range was

found shrunk. On highway 3km away from the BTS, where the BTS
tower was visible, MS could not detect Cell3s signal. MS could
receive signal when its around the BTS, and the signal level was
about -60dB.
Problem analysis
We checked in radio resource management centre and found

Cell3s static power class was set 2, which meant its static power
was reduced by 4dB, so we reset it to be 0. The next day, MS on
highway 3km away from the BTS could receive Cell3s signal, and
its level was -6070; and the signal level around the BTS was
strong, which was about -40dB.
we concluded that the cells coverage shrinking was caused by
wrong setting of static power control at OMCR.

coverage
Problem description
Configuration of a mountain site was S11, and the local network was
single band GSM900. From indicator statistics of the past week, we found
handover success rate of Cell2 under the BTS kept very low, which was
around 80%, while TCH allocation failure rate was completely normal.
Problem analysis
First, we could exclude the possibility of hardware problem and

interference, because there were no TCH assignment failures, which
explained that MS could successfully occupy TCHs assigned to it by BSC;
from DT analysis, we could see when signal level was above -90dbm, no
call drops happened to MS, and speech quality was good, which could
prove that no serious interference existed. Through further analysis, we
found the target cell for handover was a bit far from Cell2; and probably
adjacent cell relations were not set right during assignment planning,
which resulted in isolated-island effect.
we could make area A and area B become adjacent cells to Cell2; while
Cell2 coverage at A and B was already very weak, so Cell2 should not be
adjacent cell to A and B .
After adjustment, handover success rate of Cell2 increased greatly, from
80% to 96%.

coverage
Cell1
Cell2
Which parameters can be adjusted to improve

coverage?

ZTE University
Objective

protocol
GSM
Content

Technology
GSM Overview

system features.
GSM Basic Concepts
GSM Specification
GSM Overview


GSM composition
Mobile Station (MS)
GSM System Number
GSM composition
PSTN
Um
Interfac
e
IBM
A
Interf
ace
IBM
MS
MS
BSS
MSS
Other
PLMN


Station (BTS).

Mobile Station (MS)

GSM System Number

Handover Number
GERAN interfaces

Interfaces
Interfaces
GSM interfaces

domain

domain

channels.
System Messages

hyper frame.

TDMA Frame

Time
Frequency
Time
Frequency
System Messages
2ter, 3, 4, 5, 5bis, 5ter, 6, 7, 8.


Location Update

MS Busy
Location Update
LAI
BSC
1
2
MSC/VLR
1
3
LAI
M
S
MSC/VLR1
M
S
HLR
2
3
MSC/VLR2
Call process
Handover process

BT S
MS
BSC
M SC
CH REQ
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CRLOC UPD REQ

CC
ENCRY CM D
DT 1CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE COM
DICIPH M ODE COM
DT 1CIPH M ODE COM
DTAPLOC UPD ACCEPT
DT 1Clear CM D
DRCH REL
CH REL
DEACT SACCH
DISC
UA
DT 1Clear COM
RLSD
RLC
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK

BTS
MS
BSC
M SC
CH REQ
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CH REL
DISC
UA
CRIM SI DETACH
DRCH REL
DEACT SACCH
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
IMSI Detach Process
CREF
BTS
MS
BSC
M SC
CH REQ
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CRCM SERV REQ

CC
ENCRY CM D
DT1CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE COM
DICIPH M ODE COM
DT1CIPH M ODE COM
DTAP:CM SERV ACCP

DTAP:SETUP
DTAP:CALL PROC
PHY CONT REQ
DT1:ASS REQ
PHY CONT CONF

CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
ASS CM D
SABM

DRASS CM D
EST IND
UA
ASS COM
DIASS COM
DT1ASS COM
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DTAPAlerting
DTAPConnect
DTAPConnect ACK
DTAPDisconnect
DTAPRelease
DTAPRelease COM
DT1Clear CM D
CH REL
DISC
UA
DRCH REL
DEACT SACCH
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DT1Clear COM
RLSD
RLC
MS
BTS
PAG REQ
CH REQ
BSC
PAG CM D
M SC
UDTPAG
CH RQD
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
IM M ASS
SABM
IM M ASS CM D
EST IND
UA
CRPAG RES
CC
ENCRY CM D
DT1CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE CM D
CIPH M ODE COM
DICIPH M ODE COM
DT1CIPH M ODE COM
DTAP:SETUP
DTAP:CALL CONF
PHY CONT REQ
DT1:ASS REQ
PHY CONT CONF

CH ACT

CH ACT ACK
ASS CM D
SABM
DRASS CM D
EST IND
UA
ASS COM
DIASS COM
DT1ASS COM
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DTAPAlerting
DTAPConnect
DTAPConnect ACK
DTAPDisconnect
DTAPRelease
DTAPRelease COM
DT1Clear CM D
CH REL
DISC
UA
DRCH REL
DEACT SACCH
REL IND
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
DT1Clear COM
RLSD
RLC

MS
BTS1
BTS2
M EAS REP
BSC
M EAS RES
CH ACT
CH ACT ACK
DRHO CM D
HO CM D
HO ACCESS
HO DET
PHY INFO
SABM
EST IND
UA
HO COM
DIHO COM
DT1HO PERF
RF CH REL
RF CH REL ACK
M SC

technologies.
Voice Processing
Adaptive equalizing
Diversity Receiving
Power Control
Timing Advance
Voice Processing

Adaptive equalizing
whole system.
Diversity Receiving

Power Control
GSM network.
Timing Advance


technologies

EDGE.

GPRS Radio Channel


High rate
Mature technology


efficiency.
GPRS Radio Channel

channel coding.

release flow.

B, and C.
GSM Handover Problems & Solutions

ZTE university
Objectives
To master different types of handover and their

signaling flows;
To master handover statistical signaling point and MR
tasks;
To know common handover problems and the handling
procedures.
Contents
Handover statistics
Aims of handovers
Why there are handovers?
To keep calls going on during movement;

To improve network service quality;
To decrease call drop rate;
To decrease congestion rate.
Handover classification
Intra-cell
Inter-MSC
Handover
classification
Inter-BSC
Intra-BSC
Contents
Handover statistics
Intra-cell handover
Air
BTS
BSC
nnel
a
h
C
Old
annel
h
C
New
TC
Signaling flow of intra-cell handover

MS
BTS
BSC
MSC
2Measurement Report
3Channel Activation
5Assigment Command FACCH)
6SABM(FACCH)
8UA(FACCH)
9Assigment Complete(FACCH)
11HO Performed
Inter-cell handover within one BSC
Air
A
BTS
BSC
TC
BTS
Old Cell / BTS
New Cell / BTS
Signaling flow of inter-cell handover within one BSC

MS
Old BTS
BSC
New BTS
2Measurement Report
3Channel Activation
5HO Command
6HO Command(FACCH)
7HO Access(FACCH)
8HO Detect
10SABM(FACCH)
12UA(FACCH)
13HO Complete(FACCH)
15HO Complete
16HO Performed
MSC
Inter-BSC handover
New Cell / BTS
Air
BSC
BTS
TC
MSC
BTS
Old Cell / BTS
BSC
TC
VLR
Signaling flow of inter-BSC handover

MS
Old BTS
Old BSC
MSC
New BSC
New BTS
1HO_REQ
2HO_REQ
3Channel Activation
5HO_REQ_ACK
6HO Command
8HO Command
7HO Command
9HO Access(FACCH)
10HO Detect
12SABM(FACCH)
13UA(FACCH)
14HO ommand
15HO Command
16HO Command
17HO Command
Inter-MSC handover
New Cell / BTS
Air
BSC
BTS
BTS
Old Cell / BTS
BSC
TC
MSC
TC
MSC
VLR
VLR
Basic signaling flow of Inter-MSC handover

MS/BSS-A
BSS-B/MS
MSC-A
MSC-B
VLR-B
A-HO-REQUIRED
MAP-Prep-Handover req.
MAP-Send-Handover-Report resp.
A-HO-REQUEST
MAP-Prep-Handover resp.
A-HO-REQUEST-ACK
IAM
A-HO-COMMAND
A-CLR-CMD/COM
ACM
MAP-Process-Access-Sig req.
A-HO-DETECT
A-HO-COMPLETE
ANSWER
End of call
RELEASE
Signaling flow of inter-MSC back-handover

MS/BSS-B
BSS-A/MS
MSC-A
MSC-B
VLR-B
A-HO-REQUIRED
A-HO-REQUEST
A-HO-REQUEST-ACK
MAP-Prep-Sub-Handover resp.
A-HO-COMMAND
A-CLR-CMD/COM
A-HO-DETECT
A-HO-COMPLETE
Release
Signaling flow of inter-MSC handover to a third MSC

MS/BSS
MSC-B
MSC-A
MSC-B
VLR-B
VLR-B
A-HO-REQUIRED
MAP-Prepare-Handover req.
MAP-Prepare-Handover resp.
IAM
MAP-Send-Handover-Rep. resp. (1)
ACM
MAP-Prep-Sub-Ho resp.
A-HO-COMMAND
A-HO-DETECT
MAP-Process-Access-Signalling req.
A-HO-COMPLETE
Answer
Release
A-CLR-CMD/COM
(end of call)
Release

Inter-cell handover
within BSC
There is no HO-Request message for intra-BSC handover; all

information is analyzed within BSC; Once a target cell in the
BSC fulfilling handover conditions is found, send Channel
activation message directly;
BSC reports CGI and handover cause of original cell and target
cell to MSC through HO-Request;
Inter-BSC handover
within MSC
After MSC finds target cell LAC, it sends HO-Request to the

BSC which the target cell belongs to;
Target BSC activates channel in target cell, and executes the
following flow.
MSC inquires REMOTLAC sheet (including LAC and

route address of adjacent MSC);
Inter-MSC handover
MSC sends Prepare-HO message to the target

MSC-B according to the route address;
According to the Prepare-HO message, target
MSC-B requests for Handover number from VLR-B,
then sends HO-Request message to BSC-B;
After the target BSC-B receives HO-Request ACK, it
sends Prepare-HO ACKmessage to the original
MSC, and executes the following flow.
Main differences between intra-BSC handover

and inter-BSC handover
MSC transmits HO-REQ message,
and CGI of original cell and target cell
MSC participates
or not
is carried in the message;
InterBSC
handover
As for inter-BSC handover, MSC
participates in it since HO-Request;

As for intra-BSC handover, HOCGI is carried
or not
Performed message is sent to MSC
only after the handover is

completed; MSC doesnt participate
before that;
For intra-BSC handover, CGI isnt
carried in any message, its handled
within BSC.
IntraBSC
handover
Flow of handover algorithm

MS
MSC
UL MR
Intra-MSC
handover
Confirmation of
adjacent cell CGI
Execution of
handover decision
Selection of
target cell
External cell?
No
Channel activation
Yes
Target MSC
HO request
Process of MR
Target BSC
HO request
BA2 sheet
BSC
HO request
BCCH
frequency
point, BSIC
and level
values of
the six
adjacent
cells (with
strongest
level) and
serving cell;
BTS
List of cells
under one LAC
T3107
Suitable for: intra-cell handover

Start-up: BSC sends assignment command
Stop counting: when assignment completed or
assignment failure is received;
MS
BTS:TRX
BSC
CHANNEL ACTIVATE
CHANNEL ACTIVATE ACK
A1
ASSIGNMENT COMMAND
SET T3107
T3107
Timeout
A2
T3103
Suitable for: inter-cell handover

Start-up: BSC sends handover command
Stop counting: when handover completed or handover failure is
received;
MS
Old BTS:
New BTS
BSC
CHANNEL ACT
CHANNEL ACT ACK
A1
HANDOVER COMMAND
HANDOVER COMMAND
SET T3103
T3103
Timeout
A2
Contents
Handover statistics
MR cycle
MR is sent to BTS in SACCH UL direction;

When MS is in SDCCH, MR cycle is 470ms/time;
When MS is in TCH, MR cycle is 480ms/time.
26 multiframes of 4
TCHs
480ms
12TCH
1SACCH
12TCH
1 idle
Indicator definition of handover success rate

KPI name
Indicator
definition
busy hour number of handover success times /busy hour total

number of handover request times*100%
V6.20 (C900060098+C900060102+C900060120+C900060094
+C900060096)*100/(C900060097+C900060213+C9000
60214+C900060215+C900060099+C900060100+C900
060101+C900060216+C900060119+C900060093+C900
060095)
C900060098
BSC
BTS
C900060102
MSC
BSC
BTS
HO_COM
HO_ COM
A
HO_COM
A
BSC-controlled inter-cell incoming handover success
C900060120
MSC-controlled incoming handover success
C900060096
BSC
BSC
MSC
BTS
CLEAR_CMD
ASS_CMD
ASS_COM
Intra-cell handover success
No. of MSC-controlled outgoing handover success times
C900060094
MS
BTS(Src)
BTS(Target)
MEAS_RES
BSC
MEAS_RES
CHL_ACT
CHL_ACT_ACK
HO_CMD
HO_CMD
HO_ACCESS
HO DETECT
Phy Info
SABM
EST_IND
UA
HO_COM
HO_COM
HO_PERFORM
BSC-controlled inter-cell outgoing handover success
MSC
C900060097
C900060213
BTS( Target)
BSC
BSC
BTS
Forced
Resource
release
Available
attempt
A
CHL_ACTIV_ACK
CHANNEL ACT
CHANNEL ACT ACK
BSC-controlled inter-cell incoming handover execution
C900060214
C900060215
BTS( Target)
BTS( Target)
BSC
Cell
Resource
queuing Available
A
BSC
Force
Resource
handover
Available
attempt
A
CHANNEL ACT
CHANNEL ACT
CHANNEL ACT ACK
CHANNEL ACT ACK
Execution of cell queuing
C900060099
C900060100
MSC
MSC
BSC
BSC
BTS
BTS
HO_REQ
HO_REQ
Forced release attempt,

resource available
CHL_ACTIV
CHL_ACTIV_ACK
A
CHL_ACTIV_ACK
HO_REQ_ACK
HO_REQ_ACK
MSC BSC-controlled incoming handover execution
CHL_ACTIV
C900060101
MSC
BSC
C900060119
BTS
BTS
HO_REQ
BSC
CHL_ ACTIV_ ACK
Cell queuing, resource available

A
CHL_ACTIV
ASSIGN_ CMD
CHL_ACTIV_ACK
HO_REQ_ACK
Execution of queuing
Execution of intra-cell handover
C900060216
C900060095
BTS( Target)
BSC
BTS
BSC
MSC
Force
Resource
handover
available
attempt
A
HO_CMD
CHANNEL ACT
HO_CMD
A
CHANNEL ACT ACK
No. of MSC-controlled outgoing handover execution times
C900060093
MS
BTS(Src)
MEAS_RES
BTS(Target)
BSC
MEAS_RES
CHL_ACT
CHL_ACT_ACK
HO_CMD
HO_CMD
HO_ACCESS
HO DETECT
Phy Info
SABM
EST_IND
UA
HO_COM
HO_COM
HO_PERFORM
No. of BSC-controlled inter-cell outgoing handover execution times
MSC
Handover-related measurement tasks

Handover
causes
measurement
Common
handover
measurement
Measurement
of adjacent
cell handover
Sub cell
statistical
measurement
Measure the frequency of MS handovers caused by various kinds of

reasons, so as to examine radio environment of a cell;
Measure the process of MS handover to inspect handover success or

failure and abnormal situations causing failures, so as to improve the
cells radio configuration and observe traffic dispersion, etc.;
Measure the number of times of incoming/outgoing handover

attempt/success/failure from/to certain cells, and number of times of
handover caused by different reasons, so as to get the handover
situations of the serving cell and its adjacent cells and to optimize their
radio configurations correspondingly;
Focus on traffic load of the second subcell.
Contents
Handover statistics
Analysis handover problems

Location method of handover problems
Common handover problems

Common
handover
problems
Handover
nonoccurrence
Possible
influences
Result in call drop;
Handover failure
Affect call quality and result in call

drop;
Frequent handover
Affect call quality, and increase

system load;
Handover hysteresis
Affect call quality and result in

call drop;
Discovery of handover problems

TOPN analysis
Traffic statistics
analysis
Customer complaints
Abnormal number of handover times
Call drop
Bad coverage
Handover to best cell
inhibited
DT/CQT tests
Poor speech quality

Slow handover
Handover problem
No handover
Meters at A interface
Handover failure
Frequent handover
Flow of handover problem checking

Too high TCH
handover failure rate
of a cell
Is radio
parameter setting
reasonable?
No
Adjust
parameters
Interference
exists?
Yes
Check &
eliminate
interference
Coverage
problem exists?
Yes
Improve
coverage
Any equipment
faults?
Yes
Any antenna
problems?
Yes
Complete
Eliminate
equipment
faults
Solve
antenna
problems
Analyze traffic statistics
Conduct handover statistics measurement, identify

problem range:
If just some cells fail to make handovers to the cell, check

handover data, check if co-channel and co-BSIC exist;
If the cell fails to take handovers from all other cells, check its
data.
Check warnings: single board malfunction,

transmission and clock malfunctions, etc.;
Check if radio parameters are set reasonably
If co-channel or co-BSIC exist among adjacent cells;

If handover parameters are set reasonably;
If data configuration of external cells is correct.
Interference checking
DT analysis
Signaling analysis: Um interfaceAbis interface A interface;
Hardware checking: like DCU, transceiver, clock generator, RF
connection lines between boards;
Antenna system checking

Antenna system
BTS software & hardware
transmission
BSC software & hardware
Busy target cell
Connection & adaptation to equipment from different suppliers
Coverage:
Poor coverage: due to influence from forest, complex

landforms, houses, indoor coverage, etc.;
Isolated site: no adjacent cells around;
Skip-zone coverage: no adjacent cells available due to
isolated-island effect;
Interference:
It makes MS unable to access in UL, or DL signal

receiving problem will be resulted.
Handover nonoccurance due to isolatedisland effect

Handover cant
happen due to
lack of adjacent
cells.
Non-adjacent
cell
adjacent cell N1
Serving cell
Non-adjacent
cell
adjacent cell N2
Non-adjacent
Adjacent cell N3
cell
Skip-zone
coverage leads to
isolated island.
Antenna system problems
Too large VSWR

Reversed installation of antenna
Non-standard antenna installation
Unreasonable azimuth, down-tilt
Below-standard antenna insulation
Twisted cables, loosened connectors and wrong
connections;
BTS software/hardware
Problems about :
Single board
Clock generator malfunction
Internal communication cable malfunction
BTS software malfunction
Transmission and BSC problems
Transmission fault
Unstable transmission
Too high transmission error rate
BSC hardware/software malfunctions
Clock generator malfunction: unconformity among clocks in

different BTSs due to clock generator malfunction;
Problem about single board
Wrong data configuration
Unreasonable setting of handover threshold
CGI, BCCH and BSIC values in external cell data sheet do not
match up to those in the corresponding BSC;
Wrong BSC signaling point in list of cell under a LAC in MSC; cochannel& co-BSIC adjacent cells exist.
Busy target cell
handover between equipment from different suppliers
Difference in signaling at interface A and interface E between ZTE

and other suppliers equipment, causing non-recognition or nonsupport problem, including speech version, handover code and
addressing mode (CGI or LAI) etc., which will result in handover
failure.
Problem analysis
The data in performance report shows that Cell 1 under

a BTS suffers from low handover success rate.
Examine the problem cell, discover that 2 cells under a
BTS co-channel and co-BSIC, and close to each other,
which results in low handover success rate in the cell.
Problem handling
After adjustment of frequency point, handover success

rate obviously increases, and number of handover times
reduces.
180
120%
150
100%
120
80%
90
60%
60
40%
30
20%
0%
9-4
9-5
9-6
No. of HOReq.
9-7
9-8
No.
of HOsuccess
9-9
9-10
HO
success
(%)
rate
9-11
HO success rate
Number of HO Req./number of HO success
Changes of HO indicators before & after Frequency point adjustment
Problem description
For a newly-commissioned BTS, handover nonoccurrence appears

during DT: the MS occupies a channel in cell A; during DT from cell
A to cell B, cell B cant be observed in the adjacent cell list, and it
doesnt start normal handovers.
Problem analysis
Its a common network problem that handover nonoccurrence

appears in many cells;
Its a newly-commissioned BTS; handover parameters are as
default in the system;
Check adjacent cells relation, no problem found;
Observe from test MS, find out that adjacent cell frequency
appears in the adjacent cell, but BSIC cant be decoded.
Since adjacent cell is searched through BA2 table during a call, and
BA2 relies on BCCH and BSIC to confirm an adjacent cell, when the
adjacent cells BSIC is unobtainable, BSC is unable to locate it, thus
handover wont be started.
Problem analysis
Process of MS decodeing on DL channel
MS can show adjacent cell frequency point, but not BSIC. Its
suspected that adjacent cells SCH information cant be decoded
by MS due to clock or transmission fault.
Check clock and transmission
decode FCCH decode SCHSCH comprises MS frame

synchronous information and BSIC.
BTS adopts network clock

BSC traces superior clock
MSC traces superior GPS clock through long-distance satellite link
The long-distance satellite link is found unstable, which leads to

high error rate on the meter, and warning of clock deterioration
appears on MSC.
Problem handling
Decide that its handover problem

caused by poor clock quality.
Bring new GPS clock device and
adopt the local one, thoroughly
solve clock malfunction.
Problem of handover
nonoccurrence is solved.
Experience conclusion
If no high accuracy clock

available, clock in BTS can be
used; calibration of each BTS
must be made by using
frequency meter and LMT to
ensure that frequency deviation
meets precision requirement.
Problem description
During DT at a BTS, we find slow handover problem is

common (>10S), which affects speech quality and even
causes call drops.
Problem: level of cell 2 is higher than that of cell 3 by
20dB, total handover time is 15s.
Problem analysis and handling
Slow handover seriously affects network quality. Make adjustment of

handover parameters accordingly:
Change adjacent cell handover threshold to improve timeliness of

handover trigger;
Adjust the whole networks handover window to be 2, so as to

accelerate handover speed;
Adjust the whole networks handover preprocess to 2, so as to

accelerate handover speed.
Parameter
Before
adjustment
After adjustment
Level threshold
(HOMARGINRXLEV)
30
28
Quality threshold
(HOMARGINRXQUAL)
30
26
Result
Test after adjustment shows that handover time is reduced to 5s; the slow
handover problem is solved and speech quality is improve.
Please simply illustrate effects on handover due to

changing T3103T3107.
Suggestions on parameter settings of handovers on

highway.
GSM Network Interference &

Solutions
ZTE university
Training goals
To know the classification of interference;

To master the analytical methods of interference
problem;
To master the flow of handling interference problem;
To know the analytical tool of interference problem;
To be able to handle common interference problems.
Contents

Typical Cases
Frequenc
y band
UL
frequency
EGSM+G 880MHz
SM900
~915MHz
DCS1800
1710MHz~1
785MHz
DL
frequency
Duplex
interval
Band
width
Carrier
frequenc
y interval
925MHz~9
60MHz
45MHz
35MHz
200kHz
1805MHz~
1880MHz
95MHz
75MHz
200kHz
Contents

Typical Cases
Phenomena of Interference
Poor
speech
quality
On-and-off
speech
Call drop
Phenomena
Unable to
establish calls
Metallic noise
Classification of Interference
Internal
interference
Internal interference refers to unreasonable frequency planning
and equipment hardware faults, which could lead to decrease in
network service quality.
External interference
External interference refers to unknown signal source out of the
network, whose existence could seriously disturb the networks
signals and lead to decrease in service quality.
UL interference
DL interference
Internal Interference _Causes
Unreasonable frequency planning
Equipment faults
Skip-zone coverage
Internal
interference
Unreasonable frequency planning :
Frequency and adjacent cell relation may be set

unreasonable in network planning because of planning
tools or human mistakes .
Interference will be reflected in too large DL_RxQuality,
MS unable to access into network, poor speech quality,
and call drop.
Check and confirm problem:
Use planning tool to check if co-channel exists; cochannel is easy to be detected if it does exist.
As for cells in boundary areas, we can block cochannel cells in the network; meanwhile, make tracing
test with DT devices at areas with emergence of large
DL_RxQuality. If co-channel interference does exist, the
DL_RxQuality value shall become smaller after the
blocking of co-channel cells, thus we can adjust the
cells frequencies to eliminate the interference.

coverage
Interference caused by skip-zone coverage
If the actual cell coverage greatly exceeds requirement,

interference will be increased.
Incorrect setting of engineering and network
parameters may lead to skip-zone coverage.

coverage
Unreasonable setting of engineering parameters:
Wrong antenna type, down-tilt and azimuth may result

in over large cell coverage, which exceeds actual
coverage need;
Unreasonable setting of network parameters:
Network parameters include: minimum access level,

BTS transmission power, MS max transmission power,
handover thresholds, etc..Improper setting of these
parameters will result in skip-zone coverage problem
and interference as well.
Internal Interference _ due to equipment

fault
Interference caused by equipment fault:
Radio fault of BTS is mainly caused by defective UL

unit parts.
External Interference
Definition:
External interference refers to other interferences caused by

external factors, but not due to equipment fault or unreasonable
frequency planning.
Common external interferences:
due to wide-band repeater;

due to CDMA system (trailing signal);
due to signal jammer;
Characteristic:
Its hard to detect this kind of interference without

specific devices.
Contents

Typical Cases

Any new sites? If thorough change
of frequency parameters taken
recently?
Several
cells
Poor speech
quality due
to
interference
Confirm
interference
range
Interference
exists
One
TRX
Check
frequency,
change
frequency
points
One cell
Check
VSWR/antenna/divider/dupl
exer
Interference
exists
Interference
exists
Check and
change
TRX
Check
external
interference
Complete
Contents

Typical Cases
Analytical Methods of Interference

Problem
Analytical
Methods of
Interference
Problem
Statistical
analysis of
network
performance
indicators
Analysis of
parameter
Investigation
of hardware
Drive Test
and Dialing
checking
fault
Test
External
interference
test

indicators
Statistical
analysis of network performance indicators
Statistics of interference band : When TCHs are in idle status, UL

noise/interference is constantly being measured BTS, and the
measurement result will be analyzed, and interference level will be
sent to BSC in 6 levels.
Statistics of handover due to UL/DL interference : We can judge

whether interference exists through statistics of handover caused by
UL/DL interference.
Collection of UL/DL RQ samples during speeches : RxQual is an

indicator to reflect speech quality, which is based on error rate and
falls into 8 grades (07).

indicators
Corresponding relation between RxQual

and Ber

- Analysis of parameter checking
Parameter
checking
Check
parameters
related to
transmitting
power
Check antenna
engineering
parameters
Check frequency
planning
parameters
Check
parameters
related to skipzone coverage

- Checking hardware fault
Checking
hardware fault
OMCR warning analysis

Checking latent equipment fault

- Checking latent equipment fault
Block the two

input ways of
TRX, observe
UL
interference
band; if its 0,
its proved
that TRX
hasnt
brought UL
interference.
Input the two

stimulations
of TRX
without
connecting
them to
power
amplifier,
observe UL
interference
band; if its
0, it means
external
interference
doesnt exist.
If serious UL
interference exists
even though there
is no stimulation
imposed on
power amplifier,
disconnect rack
top feeder cables,
if the interference
disappears, we
can infer that the
problem is caused
by external
factors.
Disconnect the
rack top feeder
cables, and
observe UL
interference
band; if the
interference
isnt fading at
all, then we can
conclude that
the problem is
with the divider
unit.

Drive Test and Call Quality Test
Drive test can effectively detect the location

and degree of interference, which is
convenient for analyzing the cause of
interference.
In CQT, we can actually feel the speech

quality at areas being interfered, and we can
see call quality class on the test phone.

DT parameters:
C/I: co-channel carrier-to-interference ratio

25
20
15
C/I[dB]
10
5
0
0
RxQual
C/I[dB]
23
19
17
15
13
11

DT parameters:
SQISPEECH QUALITY INDEX is the comprehensive

description of BER, FER and HANDOVER EVENT by TEMS.

Confirm external interference with

SITEMASTER :
Test of UL interference;
Connect the input port of frequency-sweep

generator to the output port of divider to increase
the degree of sensitivity, as shown in the figure.

Confirm external interference with SITEMASTER :
persistent strong level exists within the bandwidth of

20MHz, we can conclude that serious UL interference
exists.

Confirm external interference with YBT250:
Make UL interference analysis of GSM 900M UL frequency

band with frequency scanning meter-NetTek Analyzer(TEK
company). The model we usually use is YBT250.
Connection method of YBT250:

One is to use its own test antenna ;
One is to obtain interference information through connection to
the output port of divider.

Connection method using YBT250 to test UL

interference:
CDU
Feeder
Antenna
YBT 250

Wave graph of UL interference tested by YBT250:
This output is the average value of the test results of

one minute, which shows the frequency and
strength of interference. Persistent observation is
needed to confirm if the interference continues.

Time scatter graph of UL interference tested by YBT250:

TEK frequency scanning meter features in three
dimensional recording of time, frequency and signal.The
vertical bold red lines in the graph represent the time
duration, signal level strength and frequency .
Colour
spectrum
=strengt
h
vertical
axis=time
horizontal
axis=frequency
Contents

Typical Cases
Typical case 1: Problem description
Since March 2005, an operator has received a lot of

complaints about poor speech quality; sometimes calls
even couldnt be setup; the caller could hear the
counterpart, but could not be heard.
Typical case 1: Problem analysis
At the
beginning we
thought it was
caused by
poor signal.
After on-site
test, we found
it wasnt
coverage
problem.
When the level

tested by MS was
-85dbm, UL call
problem
occurred, which
was displayed as
on-and-off
speech, silence,
metallic noise
and current noise,
so we concluded
that the problem
was caused by
interference.
Performanc
e statistics
at OMCR
showed that
the rank of
idle channel
interference
band was
high.
Confirmed the
problem was
caused by
interference

STEP1
Test UL interference with YBT250 connected to CDU. CDMA wave
form was strong when wave filter wasnt used, the peak value reached
about -35dbm (average about -60dbm), which was close to GSM UL
wave band and could cause UL interference to GSM network.

STEP1
In the three dimensional graph of interference tested by YBT250, the
CDMA wave form was strong and the wave form of GSM background
noise on the right was high in a long period of time.

STEP2
Use CDMA wave filter to eliminate CDMA
interference.
Common
CDU
CDMA wave
filter
Antenna
Feeder
YBT 250

STEP2
When CDMA wave filter was adopted, CDMA wave
form was obviously weakened, but it was still strong at
some certain point; the background noise in GSM
frequency band was also reduced.

STEP2
Because of CDMA wave filter, the UL interference in GSM
frequency band reduced greatly.

STEP3
With the aim to eliminate CDMA interference, adopt IRCDU
+CDMA wave filter.
IR CDU
YBT 250
CDMA wave
filter
Antenna

STEP3
Adoption of IRCDUCDMA wave filter can effectively
filter CDMA waves to below -104dbm. This kind of filtering
effect can help completely avoid CDMA network interfering
GSM UL network.

STEP3
Adoption of IRCDUCDMA wave filter can eliminate
CDMA wave form to a great extent; during the test period,
CDMA interference was almost eliminated.
Typical case 1: Summary
The interference source was from CDMA system.

Through comparisons of tests above, we can see after
IRCDU+CDMA wave filter was used, call quality
obviously improved.
How is interference resulted from

wrong setting of transmitting powerrelated parameters?
What is the flow of checking external
interference?

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GSM Basic Radio parameters

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

Understand the meaning of various radio parameters

Network identification parameters

Roles of identification parameters

Enable the MS to correctly identify the ID of the current

Enable the network to be real time informed of the correct

Enable the MS to report correctly the adjacent cell

CELL GLOBAL IDENTITY (CGI)

Cell Global Identity (CGI)

It is used for identifying individual cells within an LA

The CGI information is sent along the system broadcasting

When the MS receives the system information, it will

It judges whether the current location area is changed,

MCCMobile Country Code:

MNCMobile Network Code:

consists of 3 decimal digits, and the value range is the decimal

LACLocation Area Code:

consists of 3 decimal digits, and the value range is the decimal

The range is 0-65535.

BASE STATION IDENTITY CODE (BSIC)

Base Station Identity Code (BSIC)

It enables MSs to distinguish between

NCC Network/ National Color Code

Value Range: 0~7

BCC Base Station Color Code

Value Range: 0~7

NCC and BCC ROLES

In the connection mode (during conversation), the MS

The BCC is used to identify different BS using the same

BSIC CONFIGURATION PRINCIPLE

In general, it is required that Cells A, B, C, D, E and

Inform the MS the TSC used by the common signaling

BA LIST (BCCH ADJACENT LIST)

Adjacent cell BCCH table

Network identification parameters

Random access is the process that messages

When starting the immediate assignment process

The MAX RETRANS is often set in the following ways:

For micro-cellular, its recommend that the MAX RETRANS be

Transmission Distribution Timeslots

The parameter S is an intermediate variable in the access

MS starts the first channel request message : {0, 1, ...,

CCCH Not Shared with SDCCH

CCCH Shared with SDCCH

The access levels are distributed as follows:

C 0C9: ordinary subscribers;

In the BS installation and commissioning process or in the

The CCCH can be one or more physical channels. The

The CCCH_CONF is determined by the telecom

If a cell has 1 TRX, we recommend that the CCCH

Since the CCCH consists of the access grant

CCCH is not combined with SDCCH: 07.

SETTING AND IMPACT OF AGBLK

The AGBLK setting principle is: given that the AGCH is

According to the GSM specifications, every mobile

BS-PA-MFRMS is represented in decimal

Multiframes of the same

PERIODIC UPDATING TIMER (T3212)

The frequency of periodic location update is

In the connection mode (during the conversation),

RADIO LINK TIMEOUT (RLT)

GSM specification stipulates that the MS must have a timer