GSM Systems

RF Network Design
 Introduction
The high level life cycle of the RF network planning process can be
summarised as follows :- :-
• To help the operator
to identify their RF Comparative • Issuing of search ring
design requirement Analysis • Cand. assessment
• Optional Site
• Site survey, design,
Realisation
approval
• Drive test (optional)
• Discuss and agree RF
design parameters, RF Design
assumptions and requirement
objectives with the
customer • Frequency plan
RF Design • Neighbour list
Implementation • RF OMC data
• Coverage requirement
• Optimisation
• Traffic requirement
• Various level of design RF Design
(ROM to detail RF
design)

Slide No.2
 Comparative Analysis
This is an optional step

This is intended to :-
:-
• Help an existing operator in building/expanding their network
• Help a new operator in identifying their RF network requirement, e.g.
where their network should be built

For the comparative analysis, we would need to :-

:-
• Identify all network that are competitors to the customer
• Design drive routes that take in the high density traffic areas of interest
• Include areas where the customer has no or poor service and the
competitors have service

Slide No.3
 Comparative Analysis
The result of the analysis should include :-
:-

For an existing operator

• All problems encountered in the customer’s network
• All areas where the customer has no service and a competitor does
• Recommendations for solving any coverage and quality problems

For a new operator

• Strengths and weaknesses in the competitors network
• Problem encountered in the competitors network

Slide No.4
 RF Network Design Inputs
The RF design inputs can be divided into :-
:-
• Coverage requirements
– Target coverage areas
– Service types for the target coverage areas. These should be marked
geographically
– Coverage area probability
– Penetration Loss of buildings and in-cars

• Capacity requirements
– Erlang per subscriber during the busy hour
– Quality of service for the air interface, in terms GoS
– Network capacity

• Growth plan - Coverage and Capacity

Slide No.5
 RF Network Design Inputs

• Available spectrum and frequency usage restriction, if any

• List of available, existing and/or friendly sites that should be included in
the RF design
• Limitation of the quantity of sites and radios, if any
• Quality of Network (C/I values)
• Related network features (FH, DTX, etc.)

Slide No.6
 RF Network Design
There are 2 parts to the RF network design to meet the :-
:-
• Capacity requirement
• Coverage requirement

For the RF Coverage Design

Digitised
CW Drive Databases Customer
Testing Requirements

RF
Propagation Coverage Link
Model Design Budget

Slide No.7
 CW Drive Testing
CW drive test can be used for the following purposes :-
:-
• Propagation model tuning
• Assessment of the suitability of candidate sites, from both coverage and
interference aspect

CW drive test process can be broken down to :-

:-

• Equipment required • Power setting

Test • Drive route planning
• BTS antenna selection
Preparation • Test site selection
• Channel selection

Propagation • Transmitter setup • Drive test

Test • Receiver setup • Transmitter dismantle

Data • Measurement averaging

Processing • Report generation

Slide No.8
 CW Drive Testing - Test Preparation
The test equipment required for the CW drive testing :-
:-
• Receiver with fast scanner
– Example : HP7475A, EXP2000 (LCC) etc.
– The receiver scanner rate should conform to the Lee Criteria of 36 to
50 sample per 40 wavelength

• CW Transmitter
– Example : Gator Transmitter (BVS), LMW Series Transmitter (CHASE),
TX-1500 (LCC) etc.

• Base Station test antenna

– DB806Y (Decibel-GSM900), 7640 (Jaybeam-GSM1800) etc.

• Accessories
– Including flexible coaxial cable/jumper, Power meter, extended power
cord, GPS, compass, altimeter

Slide No.9
 CW Drive Testing - Test Preparation
Base Station Antenna Selection

• The selection depends on the purpose of the test

• For propagation model tuning, an omni-directional antenna is preferred
• For candidate site testing or verification, the choice of antenna depends
on the type of BTS site that the test is trying to simulate.
– For Omni BTS :
– Omni antennas with similar vertical beamwidth
– For sectorised BTS
– Utilising the same type of antenna is preferred
– Omni antenna can also be used, together with the special feature in the
post processing software like CMA (LCC) where different antenna
pattern can be masked on over the measurement data from an omni
antenna

Slide No.10
 CW Drive Testing - Test Preparation
Test Site Selection

• For propagation model tuning, the test sites should be selected so that :-
– They are distributed within the clutter under study
– The height of the test site should be representative or typical for the
specific clutter
– Preferably not in hilly areas

• For candidate site testing/verification, the actual candidate site

configuration (height, location) should be used.

• For proposed greenfield sites, a “cherry-picker” will be used.

Slide No.11
 CW Drive Testing - Test Preparation
Frequency Channel Selection
• The necessary number of channels need to be identified from the
channels available
– With input from the customer
• The channels used should be free from occupation
– From the guard bands
– Other free channels according to the up-to-date frequency plan

• The channels selected will need to be verified by conducting a pre-test

drive
– It should always precede the actual CW drive test to verify the exact
free frequency to be used
– It should cover the same route of the actual propagation test
– A field strength plot is generated on the collected data to confirm the
channel suitability
Slide No.12
 CW Drive Testing - Test Preparation

Transmit Power Setting

• For propagation model tuning, the maximum transmit power is used

• For candidate site testing, the transmit power of the test transmitter is
determined using the actual BTS link budget to simulate the coverage
• On sites with existing antenna system, it is recommended that the
transmit power to be reduced to avoid interference or inter-modulation to
other networks.
• The amount of reduction is subject to the possibility if separating the test
antenna from the existing antennas

Slide No.13
 CW Drive Testing - Test Preparation
Drive Route Determination
• The drive route of the data collection is planned prior to the drive test
using a detail road map
– Eliminate duplicate route to reduce the testing time
• For propagation model tuning, each clutter is tested individually and the
drive route for each test site is planned to map the clutter under-study for
the respective sites.
• It is important to collect a statistically significant amount of data, typically
a minimum of 300 to 400 data points are required for each clutter
category
• The data should be evenly distributed with respect to distance from the
transmitter
• In practice, the actual drive route will be modified according to the latest
development which was not shown on the map. The actual drive route
taken should be marked on a map for record purposes
Slide No.14
 CW Drive Testing - Propagation Test
Transmitter Equipment Setup
• Test antenna location
– Free from any nearby obstacle, to ensure free propagation in both
horizontal and vertical dimension
– For sites with existing antennas, precaution should be taken to avoid
possible interference and/or inter-modulation

• Transmitter installation

• A complete set of 360º photographs of the test location (at the test height)
and the antenna setup should be taken for record
Slide No.15
 CW Drive Testing - Propagation Test
Scanning Receiver Setup - HP 7475A Receiver Example

HP 7475A Receiver

Slide No.16
 CW Drive Testing - Propagation Test
Scanning Receiver Setup
• The scanning rate of the receiver should always be set to allow at least
36 sample per 40 wavelength to average out the Rayleigh Fading effect.
For example: scanning rate = 100 sample/s
test frequency = 1800 MHz
therefore, to achieve 36 sample/40 wavelength, the max. speed is =
40 × 0.1667
= 18.52 m / s = 66.67 km / h
36/100
• It is recommended that :-
– Beside scanning the test channel, the neighbouring cells is also
monitored. This information can be used to check the coverage overlap
and potential interference
– Check the field strength reading close to the test antenna before
starting the test, it should approach the scanning receiver saturation
Slide No.17
 CW Drive Testing - Propagation Test
Drive Test
• Initiate a file to record the measurement with an agreed naming
convention
• Maintain the drive test vehicle speed according to the pre-set scanning
rate
• Follow the pre-plan drive route as closely as possible
• Insert marker wherever necessary during the test to indicate special
locations such as perceived hot spot, potential interferer etc.
• Monitor the GPS signal and field strength level throughout the test, any
extraordinary reading should be inspected before resuming the test

Dismantling Equipment
• It is recommended to re-confirm the transmit power (as the pre-set value)
before dismantling the transmitter setup

Slide No.18
 Measurement Data Processing
Data Averaging
• This can be done during the drive testing or during the data processing
stage, depending on the scanner receiver and the associated post-
processing software
• The bin size of the distance averaging depends on the size of the human
made structure in the test environment

Report Generation
• For propagation model tuning, the measurement data is exported into the
planning tool (e.g. Asset)
• Plots can also be generated using the processing tool or using MapInfo
• During the export of the measurement data, it is important to take care of
the coordinate system used, a conversion is necessary if different
coordinate systems are used

Slide No.19
 Propagation Model
COST 231 - Hata propagation model

Lu (dB) = 46.3 + 33.9 log(f) - 13.82 log(Hb) - a(Hm) + [44.9 - 6.55 log(Hb)] log(d) + Cm

where
a(Hm) = [1.1*log(f) - 0.7]*Hm - [1.56*log(f) -0.8]

For medium sized city, suburban centres with moderate tree density
Cm = 0 dB

For metropolitan centres

Cm = 3 dB

The propagation model applies with condition :-

:-
• Frequency of operation (f) : 1500 - 2000 MHz
• Base station height (Hb) : 30 - 200 m
• Mobile height (Hm) : 1 - 10 m
• Distance (d) : 1 - 20 km
Slide No.20
 Propagation Model
Hata Model
Lu (dB) = 69.55 + 26.16 log(f) - 13.82 log(Hb) - a(Hm) + [44.9 - 6.55 log(Hb)] log(d)

For medium-small city

a(Hm) = [1.1 log(f) -0.7] Hm - [1.56 log(f) -0.8]

For large city

a(Hm) = 8.29 [log(1.54 Hm)]2 - 1.1 for f <= 200 MHz
a(Hm) = 3.2 [log(11.75 Hm)]2 - 4.97 for f >= 400 MHz

For Suburban
Lsu (dB) = Lu - 2 [log(f/28)]2 - 5.4
For Rural (Quasi-open)
Lrqo (dB) = Lu - 4.78 [log(f)]2 + 18.33 log(f) - 35.94
For Rural (Open area)
Lrqo (dB) = Lu - 4.78 [log(f)]2 + 18.33 log(f) - 40.94
Slide No.21
 Propagation Model
Hata Model

The propagation model applies with condition :-

:-
• Frequency of operation (f) : 150 - 1000 MHz
• Base station height (Hb) : 30 - 200 m
• Mobile height (Hm) : 1 - 10 m
• Distance (d) : 1 - 20 km

Slide No.22
 Propagation Model
Standard Macrocell Model for Asset

Lp (dB) = K1 + K2 log(d) + K3 Hm + K4 log(Hm) + K5 log(Heff)

+ K6 log(Heff) log(d) + K7 Diffraction + Clutter factor

where Lp, Diffraction, Clutter factor are in dB

d, Hm, Heff are in m

• It is based on the Okumura-Hata empirical model, with a number of

additional features to enhance its flexibility
• Known to be valid for frequencies from 150MHz to 2GHz
• Applies in condition :-
– Base station height : 30 - 200 m
– Mobile height : 1 - 10 m
– Distance : 1 - 20 km
• An optional second intercept and slope (K1, K2) for the creation of a two-
piece model with the slope changing at the specified breakpoint distance.

Slide No.23
 Link Budget
Link Budget Element of a GSM Network

BTS Antenna Gain Max. Path Loss Fade Margin

LNA
(optional) Penetration Loss

Feeder Loss MS Antenna Gain,

Body and Cable Loss

ACE Diversity
Loss Gain
Mobile Transmit Mobile Receiver
Power Sensitivity
BTS Transmit BTS Receiver
Power Sensitivity

Slide No.24
 Link Budget
BTS Transmit Power
• Maximum transmit power
• GSM900 and 1800 networks use radios with 46dBm maximum transmit
power

ACE Loss
• Includes all diplexers, combiners and connectors.
• Depends on the ACE configuration
• The ACE configuration depends on the number of TRXs and combiners
used

No of Network ACE Configuration Downlink ACE

TRXs Loss (dB)
1 or 2 GSM900 2 antennas per cell, diplexer 1.0
1 or 2 GSM1800 2 antennas per cell, diplexer 1.2
3 or 4 GSM900 2 antennas per cell, diplexer + hybrid combiner 4.4
3 or 4 GSM1800 2 antennas per cell, diplexer + hybrid combiner 4.4

Slide No.25
 Link Budget

Mobile Receiver Sensitivity

• The sensitivity of GSM900 and GSM1800 mobile = -102 dBm
• The following should be noted :-
– The sensitivity level is not sufficient to achieve
RXQUAL of 4 without frequency hopping
RXQUAL of 5 with frequency hopping
• A mobile receiver that moves at 50km/h averages the fading, but a static
one will be under more severe fading influences. Therefore :-
– If the quality of a static mobile needs to be considered, then a quality
margin of approximately 4 - 5 dB is used
– The mobile sensitivity would be -97 or -98 dBm

Slide No.26
 Link Budget
Mobile Transmit Power
• GSM900 : Typical mobile class 4 (2W)
• GSM1800 : Typical mobile class 1 (1W)

Class GSM 900 (Watt/dBm) GSM 1800 (Watt/dBm)

1 - 1 / 30
2 8 / 39 0.25 / 24
3 5 / 37 4 / 36
4 2 / 33 -
5 0.8 / 29 -

LNA (Optional)
• To improve the performance of the uplink
• Should be located close to the antenna to :-
– Improve the system noise figure
– Compensate the feeder losses

Slide No.27
 Mast Head Amplifier

Achieves quality impovement and cell expansion by improving

receive sensitivity at the antenna
The Mast Head Amplifier is installed in the receive path, close to the
antenna
It compensates for the cable loss between antenna and BTS, for the
uplink path, allowing higher BTS transmit powers while retaining
path balance.
Only effective in uplink-
uplink-limited cells

Slide No.28
 Link Budget
Diversity Gain
• Two common techniques used :-
– Space
– Polarisation
• Reduce the effect of multipath fading on the uplink
• Common value of 3 to 4.5 dB being used

BTS Receiver Sensitivity

• Depends on the type of propagation environment model used, most
commonly used TU50 model
• BTS2000 :-
– Receiver Sensitivity for GSM900 = -107 dBm
– Receiver Sensitivity for GSM1800 = -108 dBm

Slide No.29
 Link Budget
Feeder Loss
• Depends on the feeder type and feeder length
• The selection of the feeder type would depends on the feeder length, I.e.
to try to limit to feeder loss to 2 - 3 dB.

BTS Antenna Gain

• Antenna gain has a direct relationship to the cell size
• The selection of the antenna type depends on :-
– The morphology classes of the targeted area and coverage
requirements
– Zoning and Local authority regulations/limitations
• Common antenna types used :-
– 65º, 90º, omni-directional antennas with different gains

Slide No.30
 Link Budget
Slow Fading Margin
• To reserve extra signal power to overcome potential slow fading.
• Depends on the requirement of coverage probability and the standard
deviation of the fading
• A design can take into consideration :-
– both outdoor and in-building coverage, which utilises a combined
standard deviation for indoor and outdoor (Default value = 9dB)
– Only outdoor coverage (Default vendor value = 7dB)
– Pathloss slope used, 45dB/dec (Dense Urban), 42dB/dec (Urban),
38dB/dec (Suburban) and 33dB/dec (Rural)
Cell Area Combined (outdoor & Outdoor slow fade margin
Coverage indoor) slow fade margin (dB)
Probability (dB)
(%) DU U SU RU DU U SU RU
85 2 3 3 4 1 1 2 2
90 5 6 6 6 3 3 4 4
95 9 9 9 10 6 6 7 7

Slide No.31
 Link Budget
Penetration Loss
• Penetration loss depends on the building structure and material
• Penetration loss is included for in-building link budget
• Typical value used for Asia-Pacific environment (if country specific
information is not available) :-
– Dense Urban : 20 dB
– Urban : 18 dB
– Suburban : 15 dB
– Rural : 9 dB

Body Loss
• Typical value of 2dB body loss is used

MS Antenna Gain
• A typical mobile antenna gain of 2.2 dBi is used

Slide No.32
 Link Budget
Link Budget Example (GSM900)

UPLINK DOWNLINK
MS Transmit Power 33 dBm BTS Transmit Power 46 dBm
Cable Loss 0 dB ACE Loss Z
MS Antenna Gain 2.2 dBi Feeder Loss 2 dB
Body Loss 2 dB LNA Gain 0 dB
Penetration Loss W BTS Antenna Gain 18 dBi
Slow Fade Margin X Max. Path Loss Y
Max. Path Loss Y Slow Fade Margin X
BTS Antenna Gain 18 dBi Penetration Loss W
LNA Gain 0 dB Body Loss 2 dB
Feeder Loss 2 dB MS Antenna Gain 2.2 dBi
ACE Loss 0 dB Cable Loss 0 dB
Diversity Gain 4 dB Diversity Gain 0 dB
BTS Receiver Sensitivity -107 dBm MS Receiver Sensitivity -102 dBm

Slide No.33
 Antenna
Antenna Selection

• Gain
• Beamwidths in horizontal and vertical radiated planes
• VSWR
• Frequency range
• Nominal impedance
• Radiated pattern (beamshape) in horizontal and vertical planes
• Downtilt available (electrical, mechanical)
• Polarisation
• Connector types (DIN, N)
• Height, weight, windload and physical dimensions

Slide No.34
 Antenna
The antenna selection process

• Identify system specifications such as polarisation, impedance and

bandwidth

• Select the azimuth or horizontal plane pattern to obtain the needed

coverage

• Select the elevation or vertical plane pattern to be as narrow as possible,

consistent with practical limitations of size, weight and cost

• Check other parameters such as cost, power rating, size, weight,

mounting capabilities, wind loading, connector types, aesthetics and
reliability to ensure that they meet system requirements

Slide No.35
 Antenna
System Specification
• Impedance and frequency bandwidth is normally associated with the
communication system used
• The polarisation would depends on if polarisation diversity is used

Horizontal Plane Pattern

• Three categories for the horizontal plane pattern :-
– Omnidirectional
– Sectored (directional)
– Narrow beam (highly directional)

Elevation Plane Pattern

• Choosing the antenna with the smallest elevation plane beamwidth will
give maximum gain. However, beamwidth and size are inversely related
• Electrical down tilt
• Null filling

Slide No.36
 Antenna
Example
• 90º vs 60º horizontal beamwidth
– Bore sight gain vs performance at sector cross over
– Indoor : 90º antenna gives a more circular coverage
• Vertical Beamwidth
– Wider vertical beamwidth, better RF performance in rolling terrain
• Excessive Multipath Environment
– Reduce horizontal and vertical beamwidth
• Long Bridge over Water
– Very high gain antennas with extremely narrow beamwidth

Slide No.37
 Receive Diversity
Diversity schemes provide two or more inputs at the receiver so that
the fading phenomena among the inputs are less correlated
Types of Receive Antenna Diversity
• Space diversity
• Polarisation diversity
Space Diversity
• Two receive antenna separated physically by a distance, d
• The separation, d, varies with the antenna height
h
η= ,η = f( ρ )
d
where h = antenna height
d = antenna separation distance
ρ = correlation coefficient of 2 signals received

• For practical limitation, the diversity antenna distance for :-

– GSM900 : approximately 3 m
– GSM1800 : approximately 1.5 m
Slide No.38
 Nominal RF Design

Link Budget
Propagation Coverage Traffic
model requirements requirements
Maximum
path loss
Nominal RF
Site radius Design • Recalculate the site
(coverage) radius using the
Typical site • Standard hexagon site number of sites from
layout the traffic requirement
configuration • Friendly, candidate sites • Repeat the nominal
• Transmit Power • Initial site survey inputs RF design
• Antenna configuration Coverage site
(type, height, azimuth) count
• Site type (sector, omni)

Traffic site Traffic > Cov.

Traffic Nominal site
requirements count Cov. > Traffic count

Slide No.39
 Nominal RF Design
Calculation of cell radius
• A typical cell radius is calculated for each clutter environment
• This cell radius is used as a guide for the site distance in the respective
clutter environment
• The actual site distance could varies due to local terrain

Inputs for the cell radius calculation :-

:-
• Maximum pathloss (from the link budget)
• Typical site configuration (for each clutter environment)
• Propagation model

Example (GSM1800) :-
:-
• Maximum Pathloss = 138 dB • Standard COST231 model
• Typical Site Configuration (Urban) • Mobile Height = 1.5 m
– Antenna Height = 30 m
– EiRP = 56 dBm

Slide No.40
 Nominal RF Design
COST231--Hata model (Urban)
COST231
Lu (dB) = 46.3 + 33.9 log(f) - 13.82 log(Hb) - a(Hm) + [44.9 - 6.55 log(Hb)] log(d)
a(Hm) = 0.0432
Rearranging the equation and substituting the value given :-
35.22 Log(d) = 136.24 - 0.0432 - 138
d = 0.889 km

• The cell radius is calculated without using any terrain/clutter information

– A margin is taken to take into consideration of diffraction and
implementation margin
– A clutter offset (for each clutter type) can be applied
• In a standard 3 sector hexagon site configuration, the relationship
between the cell radius and site distance is :-
Site Distance = 1.5 x Maximum Cell Radius

Slide No.41
 Nominal RF Design
There are different level of nominal RF design :-
:-
• Only using the cell radius/site distance calculated and placing ideal
hexagon cell layout
• Using the combination of the calculated cell radius and the
existing/friendly sites from the customer

Slide No.42
 Nominal RF Design
The site distance also depends on the required capacity
• In most mobile network, the traffic density is highest within the CBD area
and major routes/intersections
• The cell radius would need to be reduce in this area to meet the traffic
requirements

If the total sites for the traffic requirement is more than the sites
required for coverage, the nominal RF design is repeated using the
number of sites from the traffic requirement
• Recalculating the cell radius for the high traffic density areas
• The calculation steps are :-
– Calculate the area to be covered per site
– Calculate the maximum cell radius
– Calculate the site distance

Slide No.43
 Site Realisation

vendor Objective vendor Add sites to

survey schedule

vendor Link objective to

sites
Cust / vendor Site Survey
Site
Identification
process
Prioritise objective RF Design
vendor

No
Other sites
vendor Yes
Planning High priority No Site Package available for
meeting objectives with objective ?
forwarded to Cust
linked sites
Cust / vendor
Cust / vendor Accepted
Yes
Implementation Rejected
Prioritise sites

Slide No.44
 Site Realisation
All parties Produce
Release of Suitable Y Candidates Y Arranged Y
Caravan agreed at Final RF
Search Ring Candidates? Approved? Caravan Design
N N
N
Problem Next
identifying candidate Caravan next
candidate candidate
N Exhausted
candidates
N Exhausted
Y candidates
Discuss Driveby, RF
alternative with suggest possible
customer alternative
Y

N Candidate Y
approved?

N N
Issue design Cell split Additional sites
change required required
Y Y

Slide No.45
 Site Realisation
Search Ring Form
• Site ID
• Site Name
• Latitude/Longitude
• Project name
• Issue Number and date
• Ground height
• Clutter environment
• Preliminary configuration
• Number of sector
• Azimuth
• Antenna type
• Antenna height
• Search ring radius
• Search ring objective
• Attachment
• Location map
Slide No.46 • Approvals
 Site Realisation
Candidate Assessment Report
• Includes all suitable candidates for the search ring
• For each candidates :-
– Location (latitude/longitude)
– Location map showing the relative location of the candidates and also
the search ring
– Candidate information (height, owner etc)
– Photographs (360º set, rooftop, access, building)
– Possible antenna mounting position
– Possible base station equipment location
– Information for any existing antennas
– Planning reports/comments (restrictions, possibilities of approval etc.)

Slide No.47
 Site Realisation

Final RF Configuration Form

• Base Station configuration
– Azimuth
– Antenna height
– Antenna type
– Down tilt
– Antenna location
– Feeder type and length
– BTS type
– Transmit power
– Transceiver configuration

Slide No.48
 Site Realisation
The suitability of a candidate site is determine based on the coverage
that the candidate will provide (against the design coverage) and the
interference that the candidate site will cause
• Antenna selection
– Type : omni, directional (options of various beamwidth)
– Type : Cross-polarised, vertical polarised
– Downtilt : fixed, variable
– Gain (low, medium, high)
• Antenna installation
– Clear of any local clutters, obstructions
– d ≥ 2D2/λ, where D is the maximum antenna dimension
– Obstacles within the surrounding region can dramatically distort RF
radiation pattern
– Position antenna such that at least the main lobe is un-obstructed
– 1:3 rule of thumb for antenna height vs distance to roof top parapet

Slide No.49
 Site Realisation
• Antenna installation
– Omni-directional antenna
– Normally mounted at the highest point possible
– If it is side mounted, the antenna pattern will be distorted due to tower RF
wave reflection and shadowing
– Directional antenna
– For the new cross-polarised antenna, all the 3 antennas can be mounted
on a single pole
– Wall Mounting
– Ideal perpendicular to wall surface
– Avoid metal building structural objects
– Corner Mounting
– Maximum 15º from perpendicular direction to avoid distortion

Slide No.50
 Site Realisation
• Collocating with other antennas
– Spurious emission
– Cause rx desensitization (noise floor increase)
– Level should be 10dB below thermal noise floor
– IMP3
– Cause by rx LNA non-linearity
– IMP3 level 10dB below thermal noise floor
– Receiver overload
– Total received power drive amplifier into non-linear gain region
– Total rx power 5dB below 1dB compression point of rx amplifier
– Use vertical separation if possible (provide better decoupling)

Slide No.51
 Site Realisation
• Antenna downtilt
θ = arctan(h/2R) + BWv/2 (equation 1)
θ = 180 - 2* arctan(R/h) (equation 2)

where R = cell radius

h = antenna height
BWv = antenna vertical beamwidth

Arctan(h/2R)

desired Interfering

R R

Arctan(h/R)

desired
R
Slide No.52
 Site Realisation
• Antenna downtilt reduces the interference to neighbouring cells and
enhance the weak spots in the cell
• Equation 1 is used to control extreme interference, reduces the
interference at the neighbouring cell (d=2R) by 3dB
• Equation 2 is used to improve interference, preserving the coverage at
the edge of the cell (d=R)

• RF feeder run :-
– Proposed route
– Feeder length
– Feeder type

Slide No.53
 Traffic Engineering

Spectrum Reuse factor

Available

Traffic
Requirement
Maximum number of
TRX per cell

Channel No of TCH Subscriber

Traffic offered
loading available supported

Slide No.54
 Traffic Engineering
Traffic Requirement
The Erlang per subscriber (during busy hour) is given by :-
:-
BHCA × Average call holding time( s )
Erlang / sub =
3600

where BHCA = Busy hour call attempt

Average call holding time = Duration of time (s) for an average call

Grade of Service (GoS)

• GoS is expressed as the percentage of call attempts that are blocked
during peak traffic
• Most cellular systems are designed to a blocking rate of 1% to 5% during
busy hour
• Outside busy hour, the blocking rate is much lower

Slide No.55
 Traffic Engineering
Frequency Reuse
• In designing a frequency reuse plan, it is necessary to develop a regular
pattern on which to assign frequencies
• The hexagon is chosen because it most closely approximated the
coverage produced by an omni or sector site
• Common reuse factor : 4/12, 7/21

Slide No.56
 Traffic Engineering
Distance to Cell Radius and C/I
• The reuse cluster size, N and the D/R ratio are related by :-
D
= 3N
R
where D is the distance separation between cell centers and R is the cell
radius
• As N decreases, the D/R ratio becomes smaller and the C/I ratio goes
down, interference increases
• As the number of sector increases, the number of potential interferers
decreases. For example, using a 3 sector configuration reduces the
number of first tier interferers from 6 to 2
• In GSM conventional frequency planning, the 4/12 reuse pattern is
typical. Using the inverse 3.5 exponent law, a mean C/I ratio of ~18dB
would be found at the edge of the cell
• Advance frequency planning techniques further reduces the reuse factor

Slide No.57
 Traffic Engineering
Example :-
:-
• Available spectrum = 10 MHz
– Available channels : 48 channels

Design 1
• Proposed Reuse factor = 4/12
– Channels required per TRX layer : 12
– Number of TRX : 4

Design 2
• Proposed reuse factor for BCCH = 4/12
• Proposed reuse factor for remaining TRX = 3/9
• Number of channels for BCCH layer = 12
• Remaining channels = 36
• Number of channels for non-BCCH layer = 9
• Number of non-BCCH layers = 4
• Total number of TRX = 5
Slide No.58
 Traffic Engineering
Channel Loading
• As the number of TRX increases, the control channels required increases
accordingly
• The following channel loading is used for conventional GSM network
• For services such as cell broadcast, additional control channels might be
required

Number of TRX Control Channels Number of TCH

1 Combined BCCH/SDCCH 7
2 Combined BCCH/SDCCH 15
3 1 BCCH, 1 SDCCH 22
4 1 BCCH, 1 SDCCH 30
5 1 BCCH, 2 SDCCH 37
6 1 BCCH, 2 SDCCH 45
7 1 BCCH, 3 SDCCH 52
8 1 BCCH, 3 SDCCH 60

Slide No.59
 Traffic Engineering
After determining the number of TCH available and the traffic
requirements, the traffic offered is calculated using the Erlang B table
• For example, for a 2% GoS and 3 TRX configuration, the traffic offered is
14.9 Erlang
• If the traffic per subscriber is 35mE/subscriber, then the total subscribers
supported per sector = 425

For a uniform traffic distribution network, the number of sites required

for the traffic requirement is :-
:-

Total subscribers
Total sites =
Subscriber supported per site

Slide No.60
 Traffic Engineering
Erlang B Table
N 1% 1.20% 1.50% 2% 3% 5% 7% 10% 15% 20% 30% 40% 50%
1 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.03 0.05 0.1 0.11 0.18 0.25 0.43 0.67 1
2 0.15 0.17 0.19 0.22 0.28 0.38 0.5 0.6 0.8 1 1.45 2 2.73
3 0.46 0.49 0.54 0.6 0.72 0.9 1.1 1.27 1.6 1.93 2.63 3.48 4.59
4 0.87 0.92 0.99 1.09 1.26 1.52 1.8 2.05 2.5 2.95 3.89 5.02 6.5
5 1.36 1.43 1.52 1.66 1.88 2.22 2.5 2.88 3.45 4.01 5.19 6.6 8.44
6 1.91 2 2.11 2.28 2.54 2.96 3.3 3.76 4.44 5.11 6.51 8.19 10.4
7 2.5 2.6 2.74 2.94 3.25 3.74 4.1 4.67 5.46 6.23 7.86 9.8 12.4
8 3.13 3.25 3.4 3.63 3.99 4.54 5 5.6 6.5 7.37 9.21 11.4 14.3
9 3.78 3.92 4.09 4.34 4.75 5.37 5.9 6.55 7.55 8.52 10.6 13 16.3
10 4.46 4.61 4.81 5.08 5.53 6.22 6.8 7.51 8.62 9.68 12 14.7 18.3
11 5.16 5.32 5.54 5.84 6.33 7.08 7.7 8.49 9.69 10.9 13.3 16.3 20.3
12 5.88 6.05 6.29 6.61 7.14 7.95 8.6 9.47 10.8 12 14.7 18 22.2
13 6.61 6.8 7.05 7.4 7.97 8.83 9.5 10.5 11.9 13.2 16.1 19.6 24.2
14 7.35 7.56 7.82 8.2 8.8 9.73 10.5 11.5 13 14.4 17.5 21.2 26.2
15 8.11 8.33 8.61 9.01 9.65 10.6 11.4 12.5 14.1 15.6 18.9 22.9 28.2
16 8.88 9.11 9.41 9.83 10.5 11.5 12.4 13.5 15.2 16.8 20.3 24.5 30.2
17 9.65 9.89 10.2 10.7 11.4 12.5 13.4 14.5 16.3 18 21.7 26.2 32.2
18 10.4 10.7 11 11.5 12.2 13.4 14.3 15.5 17.4 19.2 23.1 27.8 34.2
19 11.2 11.5 11.8 12.3 13.1 14.3 15.3 16.6 18.5 20.4 24.5 29.5 36.2
20 12 12.3 12.7 13.2 14.0 15.2 16.3 17.6 19.6 21.6 25.9 31.2 38.2
21 12.8 13.1 13.5 14 14.9 16.2 17.3 18.7 20.8 22.8 27.3 32.8 40.2
22 13.7 14 14.3 14.9 15.8 17.1 18.2 19.7 21.9 24.1 28.7 34.5 42.1
23 14.5 14.8 15.2 15.8 16.7 18.1 19.2 20.7 23 25.3 30.1 36.1 44.1

Slide No.61
 Traffic Engineering - Example

Given Traffic distribution

• Supporting up to 10,000 startup sub
• GOS : 2% (0.02)
• Traffic/subs : 25 mErlang(0.025 Erlang) NORTH
(40%)

Solutions
SOUTH
A = function(GOS, #TCH) - refer Erlang B table (60%)

B = A x # Sector
Radio Network Capacity = B/Erlang per Sub

Slide No.62
 Traffic Engineering - Example

BTS Count with Respective TRX Configuration For Traffic Regions

Region Clutter BTS No of Radio Network Capacity

Configuration BTS Capacity Forecast
1 North Dense 1/1/1 4
Urban
Urban 1/1/1 6 4,351 4,000
Suburban 1/1 3
Rural 1 1
2 South Dense 1/1/1 5
Urban
Urban 1/1/1 10 5,998 6,000
Suburban 1/1 2
Rural 1 2
Total 33 10,349 10,000

Slide No.63
 Traffic Engineering
If a traffic map is provided, the traffic engineering is done together
with the coverage design

After the individual sites are located, the estimated number of

subscribers in each sector is calculated by :- :-
• Calculating the physical area covered by each sector
• Multiply it by the average subscriber density per unit area in that region
• The overlap areas between the sectors should be included in each sector
because either sector is theoretically capable of serving the area

The number of channels required is then determined by :- :-

• Calculating the total Erlangs by multiplying the area covered by the
average load generated per subscriber during busy hour
• Determine the required number of TCH and then the required number of
TRXs
• If the number of TRXs required exceeded the number of TRXs supported
by the available spectrum, additional sites will be required

Slide No.64