Title:

Date:

Page Number:

Drive Test Analysis

Created by: Approved by:

05/07/2006
Doc Ref.:

1/30

Alexandre Silva

UMTS-RN0-0005

Drive Test Analysis

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Contents
1 1.1 Measurements on a drive test............................................................................ 3 Radio measurements ......................................................................................... 4 1.1.1 Spectral measurements on UTRA carrier ........................................... 4 1.1.2 Measurements on common channels .................................................. 5 1.1.3 Measurements on dedicated channels ................................................. 8 Higher-layer measurements ............................................................................ 10 1.2.1 Transport channels ............................................................................ 10 1.2.2 User-data measurements ................................................................... 11 Load simulation .............................................................................................. 12 1.3.1 Uplink radio load 12 1.3.2 Downlink radio load.......................................................................... 13 Radio optimization based on drive tests ......................................................... 14 2.1 Call set-up failure............................................................................................ 15 2.1.1 Coverage problem ............................................................................. 16 2.1.2 Admission Control problem.............................................................. 17 2.1.3 Interference problem ......................................................................... 18 2.1.4 Active Set Management .................................................................... 19 Call drop 19 2.2.1 Coverage problem ............................................................................. 19 2.2.2 Interference problem ......................................................................... 22 2.2.3 Active Set Management problem...................................................... 22 1.1.4 RLC problem .................................................................................... 24 1.1.5 RL problem ....................................................................................... 25 Higher-layer performances on User plane ...................................................... 25 1.3.1 Offered bit-rate.................................................................................. 26 1.3.2 Transport Channel BLER.................................................................. 27 1.3.3 Performances for RLC AM............................................................... 27 Higher-layer performances on Control plane ................................................. 27

1.2

1.3

2.2

1.3

1.4

Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. 29

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1. Measurements on a drive test

In this section, we are listing the different measurements that could be taken on a drive test, while using either a 3G scanner or a trace mobile or both. The purpose of this document is not to tackle with implementation-specific measurements for commercial 3G scanners or trace mobiles. On a drive test, one tester can take following measurements: Radio measurements Higher-layer measurements (RLC and over)

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1.1

Radio measurements
The 3GPP25.215 and the 3GPP25.133 are specifying the UE measurement capabilities required in UMTS FDD.

3G scanner versus trace mobile

The main advantage of a 3G scanner is that the user can specify the UTRA carrier to monitor, whereas a trace mobile will only measure the various UTRA carriers at the cell selection without reporting this measurement to the system. Then, the user can specify the cells to monitor on a 3G scanner, whereas a trace mobile will only measure the various cells at the cell selection in idle mode and the active cells together with the declared neighboring cells in connected mode. A 3G scanner may also give some measurements onto the P-SCH and SSCH.

1.1.1

Spectral measurements on UTRA carrier

UTRA carrier RSSI

The UTRA carrier RSSI is the key measurement for the DL interference seen by the UE. From the 3GPP TS25.215, the Received Signal Strength Indicator is the wide-band received power within the relevant channel bandwidth. In wide-band systems, the spreading of the power by code channels do not ensure a perfectly homogeneous power level over the spectrum. The PAR (Peak to Average Ratio) gives an indication of the homogeneity of the power level over the 5MHz bandwidth. The higher the number of codes mixed the lower the PAR. From 3GPP TS25.133, the reporting range for UTRA carrier RSSI is from 100dBm to -25 dBm. The UTRA carrier RSSI mainly encompasses the intra- and inter-cell load on the UTRA carrier. But, interference due to adjacent channels or other radio transmitters are also included. The intra-cell contribution Iintra to the UTRA carrier RSSI can be extracted from the Transmitted Carrier Power measured at the Node B antenna connector and the path-loss measured by the drive test chain on the CPICH as: Iintra = Transmitted Carrier Power cell, Node B- Pathloss cell, UE
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In the same way, the contributions of the neighboring cells for which the CPICH can be demodulated can be analyzed.

1.1.2 Measurements on common channels

Cell detection
On one UMTS carrier, a cell is identified by its PSC (Primary Scrambling Code). There are 512 scrambling codes grouped into 64 groups of each 8 different scrambling codes. To detect a cell, the UE searches sequentially for: the universal 256-chip primary synchronization code, being identical for all cells and repeated at the beginning of each slot of the P-SCH. Once the peak is detected, the slot boundary is known. the largest peak from the secondary synchronization code word based on the slot boundary. The UE needs to check the 64 possible scrambling code group for the secondary synchronization code word, beginning at each of the 15 positions, since only the slot boundary is known and not the frame boundary. the current PSC in the identified scrambling code group by scanning the CPICH: the correlation peak obtained while descrambling the CPICH with the current PSC allows the detection of the PSC.

RAKE measurements
The RAKE receiver performs the multi-path combining at the mobile side. The 3GPP definitions for measurements are always after RAKE recombining. It does not make sense to analyze each path for radio optimization for following reasons: The RAKE coefficients are not configurable The RAKE algorithm is proprietary Multi-path profile changes from one test to the other

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CPICH measurements
The CPICH is emitted continuously with a fixed power level, so that it serves for the cell evaluation and downlink channel estimation at the UE. The reference point for the CPICH measurements is the antenna connector of the UE, even though the RAKE receiver combines measurements. The CPICH measurements are the key radio measurements for cell optimization.

CPICH RSCP
The CPICH RSCP is the key measurement for DL coverage. The CPICH RSCP is an RXLEV measurement. This measurement is for: Cell re-/selection UL open loop power control

From the 3GPP TS25.215, the CPICH RSCP (Received Signal Code Power) is the received power on one code measured on CPICH. From the 3GPP TS25.133, the reporting range is for CPICH RSCP is from 115dBm to -25 dBm. As a rule of thumb, one can say (for dense urban): -108dBm CPICH RSCP < -105dBm Uncertain CS64 coverage on unloaded network -105dBm CPICH RSCP < -98dBm Uncertain CS64 coverage on 50%UL-loaded network -98dBm CPICH RSCP < -85dBm CS64 coverage on 50%UL-loaded network for outdoors -85dBm CPICH RSCP < -70dBm CS64 coverage on 50%UL-loaded network for in-car -70dBm CPICH RSCP < -62dBm CS64 coverage on 50%UL-loaded network for indoor daylight -62dBm CPICH RSCP CS64 coverage on 50%UL-loaded network for indoor first-wall

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Downlink path-loss
The path-loss measured on the CPICH is defined as: Pathloss = CPICH TX Power - CPICH RSCP With a typical value of 33dBm for the CPICH TX power, the range for path loss is then 58dB to 148dB. One should be careful with the figures for the path-loss, since this definition does not correspond to the pure radio loss. 3GPP Pathloss = CPICH TX power @ NB antenna connector CPICH RSCP @ UE antenna connector Pure Radio Loss = CPICH TX power @ NB antenna output CPICH Rx power @ UE antenna input 3GPP Pathloss = Pure Radio Loss + feeder losses - NB antenna gain + UE antenna gain With typical values of feeder losses (3dB), NB antenna gain (17dBi) and UE antenna gain (0dBi), 3GPP Pathloss = Pure Radio Loss 14dB and the range for radio loss is then 72dB to 162dB.

CPICH EC/I0
The CPICH EC/I0 is the key measurement for radio optimization for CDMA. The CPICH EC/I0 measures the soft radio capacity. This measurement is for: Cell re-/selection Radio admission control DL open-loop power control Soft HO and inter-frequency Hard HO

From the 3GPP TS25.215, the CPICH EC/I0 is the received energy per chip divided by the power density in the band. The EC/I0 is identical to RSCP/RSSI. From the 3GPP TS25.133, the reporting range for CPICH EC/I0 is from 24dB to 0dB. The typical distribution of the CPICH EC/I0 highly depends on the cell load. Requirements in term of CPICH EC/I0 depends on: The non-limitation in UL and DL coverage The number of cells that can be recombined
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 The mobile sensitivity As a rule of thumb, one can say: -15dB CPICH EC/I0 -18dB Preferred situation is more than 1 active RL -12dB CPICH EC/I0 -15dB Good value for 60%-loaded network -8dB CPICH EC/I0 -12dB Preferred situation is not more than 1 active RL CPICH EC/I0 -8dB Only 1 active RL for high-quality best server

1.1.3

Measurements on dedicated channels

Per definition, a 3G scanner does not perform measurements on dedicated channels.

Uplink UE TX power
The UE TX power is the key measurement to analyze UL coverage. It is the only uplink measurement that is available at the UE side. It is defined in the 3GPP TS25.215 as the total UE transmitted power on one carrier at the UE antenna connector. From the 3GPP TS25.133, the reporting range for UE transmitted power is from -50 dBm to 33 dBm. But, the Power Class of the UE bounds the upper limit (defined in 3GPP TS25.101). Power Class 1 2 3 4 Maximum TX power +33 dBm +27 dBm +24 dBm +21 dBm

Test mobiles in R1 and R2 were Power class 3 only. UE Tx power = PDPCCH,UL+ PDPDCH,UL PDPCCH,UL = (D/C)2 x PDPDCH,UL C and D are parameterized, D being fixed at 15
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As a rule of thumb, one can say: 16dBm UE TX power < 24dBm (shadowing and fading) 9dBm UE TX power < 16dBm (in-car penetration) 0dBm UE TX power < 9dBm (indoor day-light) UE TX power < -10dBm(deep indoor)

-10dBm UE TX power < 0dBm (indoor first-wall)

Downlink Signal-to-Interference Ratio

The Signal-to-Interference ratio is not standardized for the UE. This internal measurement should be used in the DL outer-loop power control. The SIR target for DL is defined through UE-proprietary algorithms to achieve the BLER Quality Value assigned by the UTRAN (see Downlink Transport Channel BLER). Therefore, one should be cautious when analyzing such measurements in a mobile trace, since various definitions are possible.

Metrics for synchronization

The UE Rx-Tx time difference, the CFN-SFN observed time difference and the SFN-SFN observed time difference are concerning synchronization issue at the UE side over the radio interface. The SFN-SFN observed time difference is for identifying time difference between two cells. The CFN-SFN observed time difference is for handover timing purposes to identify active cell and neighbor cell time difference. The UE RX-TX time difference is used for RL set up purposes to compensate propagation delay of DL and UL in order to get TPC commands on DL with the right timing for the UL power control.

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1.2
1.2.1

Higher-layer measurements
Transport channels

Downlink BLER
The Transport Channel block error rate (BLER) is based on evaluating the CRC of each transport block associated with the measured transport channel after RL combination (performed by the Rake receiver). It is computed as the ratio between the number of received transport blocks resulting in a CRC error and the number of received transport blocks over the measurement period. Transport channel BLER value shall be calculated from a time window with following size: if periodical reporting mode is specified by the UTRAN, the size should be equal to the IE Reporting interval in mentioned SIB11 or 12 (see 3GPP TS 25.331) otherwise, this is an internal measurement at the UE side and the window size is freely designed The Transport channel BLER reporting range is from 0 to 1. The BLER Quality value is a target indicated by the UTRAN at the RRC CONNECTION SETUP and at the RADIO BEARER SETUP for the initiated service. Therefore, the follow-up of the BLER helps assessing whether the UE is performing according to the quality requirements or not. If the BLER is lower than the targeted Quality value, the QoS offered by the UTRAN is sufficient, as far as the data integrity is concerned. If the BLER is higher than the targeted Quality value, the radio interface is not able to satisfy the required QoS. This could be due to: Shortage of power to be dedicated to the UE on DL Power limitations due to radio parameter settings Power limitations due to high traffic on DL

High interference level on DL Poor performances of the DL outer-loop power control

Logically, the Transport channel BLER and the SIR are bound through the DL outer-loop power control, which is a mobile-proprietary algorithm.
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Poor performances could be following: Bad or slow convergence

RLC statistics
Three RLC modes are available for Radio Bearers: Transparent, Unacknowledged and Acknowledged. For all RLC modes, statistics can be done on traffic volume and data rate. In the RLC Acknowledged Mode, several algorithms manage packet retransmission, mainly: Transmission and reception windows Polling and Status signaling Transmitted but not acknowledged PDU (UL) Retransmitted PDU (UL) Received erroneous PDU (DL) Window follow-up (UL and DL)

In the RLC Acknowledged Mode, following measurements can be done:

1.2.2
TCP statistics

User-data measurements

Mostly used assessments are the FTP throughput and the PING roundtrip time.

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1.3

Load
We are not dealing with stress of network elements to determine critical load in terms of processing capacity. Radio load consists only in interference on radio interface. Therefore, no signaling or data processing is generated. Radio load is critical for W-CDMA systems.

1.3.1

Uplink radio load

The main concern on uplink is to figure out the increase of the interference level due to the traffic available on the cell. The interference level can be expressed as the noise rise in dB and depends on the cell load in % of the pole capacity. Cell load, XUL , is in term of % of pole capacity and impacts the noise rise as follows: NoiseRise = -10log (1- XUL) Following reference values can be used: Cell load 50% 75% Noise Rise 3dB 6dB

N oise rise a s a function of the Cell loa d

45
No ise Ris e in dB

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00% 100.00%

Cell Loa d

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1.3.2

Downlink radio load

The limiting factor on downlink will be the maximum TX power for the Node B. Therefore, the power usage on DL is expressed as the percentage of the maximum TX power for the cell.

Maximum output power

Other mobiles

Others traffic

Trace Mobile traffic Trace mobile

OD settings

dBm

dB related Activity factor to CPICH (% time)

CPICH P-SCH S-SCH PCCPCH (BCH) SCCPCH (FACH, PCH) AICH PICH Total power (common channels) MAX cell power (total power for 60% cell load) (OCNS = 60%cell load - CCH)

33,0 28,0 28,0 31,0 31,0 24,0 28,0 37,3 43,0 40,8 38,2 dBm 31,0 37,0 39,0

-5 -5 -2 -2 -9 -5

1 0,05 0,05 0,9 1 1 1

MAX DL power for AMR MAX DL power for CS64 MAX DL power for PS128

Total cell power 41,2 42,3 43,0

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2 Radio optimization based on drive tests

The analysis of drive test measurements allows the detection and eventually the localization of radio problems over the coverage area. Generally, radio problems are sorted into: Coverage issues Mobility-management issues Best-server issues Interference issues

In this section, we are analyzing following aspects: Call set-up failure Call drop Higher-layer performances

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2.1

Call set-up failure

Here, we only consider call set-up failures that are due to the radio. Following call set-up failures are not considered: Invalid USIM Unavailability of the network (CN, UTRAN, transport) Investigations on call set-up problems should go through the following list: Coverage problem Admission Control problem Interference problem Active Set Management problem

Following questions should drive the investigations: Are the CPICH measurements for the selected cell at normal values with regard to the path loss? What is the load status of this cell at the Call set-up? At which stage of the call set-up did the procedure fail?
UE

Node B

RNC

CN

RRC connection request

DCCH Radio Link set-up

Initiate AAL2 Iub data connection for DCCH RRC connection setup RRC connection setup complete

Initial NAS message transfer Authentication Procedure Security mode command Synchronised Radio Link reconfiguration
Initiate AAL2 Iub data connection for DTCH RB setup request RB setup complete RAB Assignment Response Iu UP initialisation RAB assignment request

Uu

Iub

Iu

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2.1.1

Coverage problem
Call set-up may fail because of Coverage limitation when: The RACH message can not be sent: the RRC CONNECTION REQUEST can not be addressed (UL, PRACH power settings) The UE can not serve the power required after the UL Open-Loop Power Control The UE does not receive the Paging message for MTC (DL, PICH and S-CCPCH power settings) In case of repeated errors, further investigations must be driven, respectively on: RRC CONNECTION REQUEST sending can be checked at the mobile side Path loss on DL can be assessed based on scanner or mobile measurements (CPICH RSCP). This should be done on the UEselected cell. Then, the UL Open-loop power result can be checked. Reception of PAGING notification can be checked at the mobile side UL and DL MAPL for call set-up In case of errors repeated over an area, further investigations must be driven, especially on: Feeder installation for RX diversity for UL limitation Feeder losses Antenna azimuth PRACH , PICH, S-CCPCH power setting RACH parameters

UL MAPL for call set-up

When establishing the DPCCH, the proprietary SRNC calculation for initial DPCCH power will require from the UE a given power level for the DL DPCCH, which should be lower than the maximum Tx power of the UE power class. DPCCH_Initial_power = (CPICH_TX_power - CPICH_RSCP) + (UL_SIR_target 10log(UL_SF=256)) 97 AND DPCCH_Initial_power < UE_Max_Tx_Power

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Following default values are given as indications for R2: UL_SIR_target UL_SF UE_MaxTxPower CPICH_TX_power (on a per-service basis, DCCH: 2dB) (on a per-service basis, DCCH: 256) (on a per-mobile basis: 24dBm) (on a per-cell basis: 33dBm)

DL MAPL for call set-up

When establishing the DL DPCCH, the proprietary SRNC calculation for initial DPCCH power will require from the Node B a given power level for the DL DPCCH, which should be lower than the maximum allowed Tx power on DPCCH. DPCCH _ initial _ power = DL_SIRTarget m 1 Pt CPICH ,i 0.4 10 Margin / 10 CPICH_Ec Iom,i SFm

AND DPCCH_Initial_power < MaximumDLpower+CPICH_Tx_power Following default values are given as indications for R2: UE_MaxTxPower DL_SIR_target DL_SF Margin MaxDLpower (on a per-mobile basis:24dBm) (on a per-service basis,DCCH:5dB) (on a per-service basis,DCCH:256) (on a per-service basis,0dB) (on a per-service basis,DCCH:-2dB)

2.1.2

Admission Control problem

Call set-up may fail because of Admission Control limitation when: DL radio resources are overloaded UL radio resources are overloaded (RAC issue) (RAC issue) (RAC issue)

Node B processing resources are overloaded RNC resources are overloaded

Transport resources are overloaded (CAC issue - tbc) (CAC issue - tbc) RAC issue can be assessed by monitoring NBAP messages for RADIO LINK SETUP FAILURE with the associated cause. UL and DL radio overload can be due to: High cell load due to user traffic for UL a/o DL

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 OCNS activation for DL Interference problem for UL a/o DL

2.1.3

Interference problem
Interference problems may be due to: Surrounding cells of the operating UTRAN Other radio sources than the operating UTRAN Call set-up failure may be due to Interference problem when the RAC rejects the call, while the effective cell load is not at maximum: The RTWP on UL in Node B measurements are high but with a small number of users, i.e. not only cell users are contributing to the noise rise. The RSSI on DL is higher than the Transmitted Carrier Power on DL of the detected cells decreased by the Path Loss seen on CPICH for each detected cell.

Intra-network interference
Intra-network interference can be analyzed with the help of the scanner on DL. See Pilot pollution See Missing adjacencies in the neighboring cell list

External interference
Specific investigations with a spectrum analyzer have to be performed for interference coming from other radio sources than the operating UTRAN. This becomes a Spectrum Clearance issue. Two kinds of problems may then be distinguished: Interference that is due to out-of-band emissions from other transmitters. In this case, filters must be set at the interfering transmitter. Interference that is due parasite transmitters that should not transmit in this band. In this case, parasite emissions must be stopped in the UMTS band.

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2.1.4

Active Set Management

The mobile can not synchronize on the Radio Link due to high pollution

2.2

Call drop
Here, we only consider call drops that are due to the radio. Following call drops are not considered: Mobile auto-reset, power-off, etc. CN-generated reasons (to be analyzed in RANAP IU RELEASE) Failure in transport network Possible reasons for radio call-drop are: Coverage problem Interference problem Active Set Management problem RLC unrecoverable error RL failure Following questions should drive the investigations: Are the CPICH measurements for the Active Cells and the UE TX power at normal values with regard to the path loss seen on the cells? What are the last messages that the UE sent or received? (CELL UPDATE, MEASUREMENT REPORT, ACTIVE SET UPDATE) What are the last BLER measurements from the UE?

2.2.1

Coverage problem
Call drop may be due to Coverage limitation when: The UE TX power reached the maximum value at the end of the call (UL limitation) The UE SIR or the UE Rx power or the UE BLER on DL did not reach its target value at the end of the call (DL limitation)

See Call set-up failure, Coverage problem

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On unloaded networks
On unloaded networks, coverage problem on UL a/o DL reveals RNP defects a/o tradeoffs (propagation model, database accuracy, calibration settings, etc.) or errors in RNP implementation. Path loss on DL can be assessed based on scanner measurements (CPICH RSCP). This should be done on the cells of the Active Set only. In case of errors repeated over an area, further investigations must be driven, especially on: Feeder installation for RX diversity for UL limitation Feeder losses Antenna azimuth CPICH power setting

On radio-loaded networks
On loaded networks, coverage problems may be linked to radio limitations on DL. Indeed, the cell may not be able to serve the power required by the Radio Link if the cell is already emitting at full power. Cell TX power can be assessed based on Node B measurements on DL Transmitted carrier power.

Drop Calls examples with explanation

As all sites are co-channel, if the RF is present, it will be used (for better or worse). Therefore, it is imperative that each sector is carefully RF controlled. Ideally each serves its intended area but not beyond. Controlling and managing the RF environment is central to optimization.
Problem COVERAGE: Best server CPICH RSCP below required level Maps - Best RSCP Scanner/Mobile - Tx Power Mobile (note that high mobile power can mean either coverage or interference problem) - Best SC regarding CPICH Ec/Io - Best CPICH Ec/Io Scanner/Mobile - RSSI CPICH from Scanner - Best SC regarding CPICH Ec/Io Scanner/Mobile - Best RSCP 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, () Scanner - Tx Power Mobile Solution Check antennas and feeders are OK, with nothing obscuring view of antenna, like block building, rooftop effect or any radiating object nearby the antenna pattern radiation, consider reducing the antenna down-tilt to improve coverage. As a last resort, increase pilot power. If Ec/Io lower than -9 db (network without load), the bestserver RSCP is at expected levels, and the RSSI is high, need to reduce Interference from other cells. Check Best RSCP 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, () in order to decide which cells to remove from the interference area. Can the azimuth of other cells be changed to reduce number

QUALITY: Best CPICH Ec/Io below required level

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QUALITY/CAPACI TY: Active set too large, Soft handovers area too high and too many handovers along routes

- Number of link in the AS Mobile - Number of link in the AS simulated Scanner - Best SC regarding CPICH Ec/Io Scanner/Mobile - Number of link in the AS Excel Graph (desired values for Urban environments will be 10 to 20% of soft HO areas)

of servers in that area? Can neighbouring cells be downtilted? Avoid facing sectors shooting against each other. (Generally this will correspond also to areas with low Ec/Io, but not always). Check that the cell best server areas are confined, not excessive, but big enough to guarantee a small overlap between cells in order to allow the soft handover. Can the azimuth of neighbouring cells be changed? Balance coverage levels with other cells using down-tilts? Optimizing capacity will be important when traffic grows. AS < 4 pilots, for 5dB window (ReportingRange) relative to the best Ec/Io should be used to calculate the number of cell in the active set.

Site with coverage far beyond desired area Cell appears in neighbour list of cells beyond the area desired

Based on IS-95 experience, the best performing networks are those that are designed for three-way hand-off or less. - Best SC regarding CPICH Ec/Io Scanner Typical of high sites. Ensure electrical down-tilt is sufficient. - Best RSCP SC Scanner Increase combined down-tilt, but not below 10 to 12o (depending on antenna type). Be aware that once off the - Best SC regarding CPICH Ec/Io Scanner main lobe of the antenna, increasing tilting will be unlikely to reduce interference, hence consider maintaining tilt to - Best RSCP SC Scanner cover desired area. Can antennas be lowered? As a last resort, reduce pilot power; however be aware that this will also reduce inbuilding coverage of the cell: hence reduce power just sufficiently to keep the cell out of active sets or raise Ec/No values. - Number of link in the AS Mobile Check azimuths between co-site cells: where possible - Number of link in the AS simulated maintain the azimuth between cells to 100-120o for 3 sectors Scanner site. Check antennas have unobstructed views, including at - Best SC regarding CPICH Ec/Io Scanner roof edges to minimise scatter. If the correct cell is not used in soft handovers, the Ec/No and BLER will degrade and Ue_Tx_Power will increase in Mobile Plots. Tuning neighbour lists is a major aspect of optimisation. Check ACTIX options to find quickly missing neighbour cells between Mobile and Scanner measurements.

CAPACITY: Cells from the same site appear at similar coverage levels Call Performance: Neighbour Lists

Check correct values for parameters: Compare also: ReportingRangeEvent1A_1B_1C and - Best SC regarding CPICH Ec/Io Scanner HysteresisEvent1A_1B_1C. - Best SC regarding CPICH Ec/Io Mobile Check Active Set Management problems, mainly: The UE is sending repetitive MEASUREMENT REPORT without getting an ACTIVE SET UPDATE; The UE can not manage as many radio links as present in the Active Set (e.g. in case of Rake limitations)-PILOT POLLUTION.

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For AMR, any areas where the voice Call Performance: Voice/PS performance quality degrades or the call drops happen should be noted and analysed.

Check BLER Exit Criterias: - Voice AMR 12.2: BLER<2% - PS 64/384: DL- BLER<2% and Throughput>345 kb/s UL- BLER<2% and Throughput>57 kb/s

For PS, it should note areas where the throughput of the application reduces and Check Call Drops Reasons and related parameters. For radio identify any parameter or RF related issues optimization solutions please refer to Quality problems. that may be causing this. Analyse also: - BLER Mobile - BLER Statistics

2.2.2

Interference problem
Call drop may be due to Interference problem when: The UE TX power reached the maximum value at the end of the call (UL limitation) but the path loss should allow the service coverage The UE SIR or the UE Rx power or the UE BLER on DL did not reach its target value at the end of the call (DL limitation) but the path loss should allow the service coverage

See Call set-up failure, Interference problem

2.2.3

Active Set Management problem

Call drop may be due to Active Set Management problem when: The UE is polluted by cells that could enter the Active Set but that are not monitored The UE is sending repetitive MEASUREMENT REPORT without getting an ACTIVE SET UPDATE The UE is adding a cell to the Active Set that is too low (e.g. in case of radio resurgence) The UE can not manage as many radio links as present in the Active Set (e.g. in case of Rake limitations) The UE has lost the synchronization between UL and DL (event 6f, 6g on UE RX-TX time difference) In case of repeated errors, further investigations must be driven, respectively on: Pilot pollution and Missing adjacencies in the neighboring cell list

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 Reason for the non-reception of ACTIVE SET UPDATE from the RNC MEASUREMENT REPORT are not received at the RNC ACTIVE SET UPDATE are not received at the UE Maximum numbers of RL a/o Node B in AS are reached RAC on target cell rejects the RL establishment

Time-to-trigger and Hysteresis, Antenna tilt to cancel resurgence UE radio capabilities and maximum AS size

Missing adjacencies in a cell neighborhood

The UE is evaluating the radio quality of neighboring cells to detect potential cells to add to the Active Set. The UE does not report measurements on other cells that may be detectable but only on the list of neighboring cells signaled by the S-RNC. The list of neighboring cells is compiled at the S-RNC and transmitted to the UE in RRC MEASUREMENT CONTROL messages. The compilation of this list is proprietary. It mainly consists in assembling the different sets of neighboring-cell lists for all the cells of the Active Set. The operator parameterizes the neighboring-cell list for each cell. The first computed list is inherited from the RNP, which runs proprietary algorithms to list neighboring cells. These lists may be not optimized due to used algorithms or due to inappropriate methods for neighborhood follow-up in deployment/densification phases. Drive tests may help detecting missing adjacencies on a live network. Criteria for Event 1A 10Log(MNew) Wx10Log(MBest)+(1-W)x10Log(MI) -(R1a+H1a) MNew : measurement on the cell entering the reporting range Mi : measurement on a cell in the active set NA: number of cells in the current active set MBest: measurement result of the strongest cell in the active set R1a : reporting range for the event 1a H1a : hysteresis parameter for the event 1a Criteria for Event 1B 10Log(MOld) Wx10Log(MBest)+(1-W)x10Log(MI)-(R1b +H1b) MOld : measurement on the cell leaving the reporting range Mi : measurement on a cell in the active set
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NA: number of cells in the current active set MBest: measurement result of the strongest cell in the active set R1b : reporting range for the event 1b H1b : hysteresis parameter for the event 1b Criteria for Event 1C 10Log(MNew) 10Log(MI) + H1c MNew : measurement on the cell leaving the reporting range Mi : measurement on a cell in the active set H1c : hysteresis parameter for the event 1c

Pilot pollution
Soft handover is working well, when: Radio links have a non-negligible life time and no Ping-Pong overloads the signaling, Radio links can be recombined in an effective manner at the Rake receiver.

A polluter transmitter is a transmitter that checks all criteria to enter in active-set but which is not admitted due to the active-set limit size. One can distinguish different levels of criticality for pilot pollution: A non-potential candidate cell for soft handover A potential candidate cell for soft handover but with poor performance A potential candidate cell for soft handover but not declared in the neighboring cell list

To limit pilot pollution, further investigations must be driven, especially on: Antenna azimuth and tilt CPICH power setting Cell maximum TX power Neighboring-cell list and Monitored Set

2.2.4

RLC problem
The Radio Link Control protocol can engender call drops, when errors in this protocol can not be recovered. Errors do only concern the Acknowledged Mode. In an error case, the UE drops the call and sends

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a RRC CELL UPDATE message on the RACH with the cause RLC unrecoverable error. Possible deadlocks in RLC AM are: Not acknowledged PDU in the Sending Window (UL) Not received error-free PDU in the Receiving Window (DL) Not received Status Not received Polling result

2.2.5

RL problem
The Radio Link maintenance can engender call drops, when unrecoverable RL failures occur. In a failure case on DL, the UE drops the call and sends a RRC CELL UPDATE message on the RACH with the cause RL failure. RL failures are described in 3GPP TS25.331. They consist in L1 synchronization loss. In CELL_DCH State, after receiving N313 consecutive "out of sync" indications from L1 for the established DPCCH physical channel, the UE starts T313. If N315 successive "in sync" indications from L1 are received before T313 expiry, the RL failure is recovered and T313 is stopped. Otherwise, this is a RL failure. L1 reports "out of sync" if one of these criteria is fulfilled: The UE estimates the DPCCH quality over the previous 160ms period to be worse than a threshold Qout The 20 most recently received transport blocks with a non-zero length CRC have been received with incorrect CRC. In addition, over the previous 160ms, all transport blocks with a non-zero length CRC have been received with incorrect CRC.

2.3

Higher-layer performances on User plane

The offered end-user QoS should also be monitored upon drive-tests. However, one should separate Application Optimization from Radio Optimization. Indeed, the assessment of the QoS offered by the UTRAN should only restrict to QoS that the UTRAN can actually offer, this mean RAB QoS. Optimization of end-user QoS should be driven next and if the subjective end-user QoS is not sufficient, following changes could apply: Modify the Application settings for a better use of the RAB

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 If it not sufficient, higher the RAB QoS requirements. This will trigger further Radio Optimization with the new RAB implementation The RAB QoS is described in 3GPP TS23.107 with following attributes: Maximum bit-rate (kbps) Guaranteed bit-rate (kbps) SDU error ratio a/o Residual bit error ratio Delivery order (y/n) Maximum SDU size (octets) Delivery of erroneous SDU (y/n/-) Transfer delay (ms) Traffic handling priority Allocation/Retention Priority Following attributes are taken into account for the choice of the Radio Bearer: Maximum bit-rate for PS and Guaranteed bit-rate for CS SDU error ratio a/o Residual bit error ratio for RB BLER for CS RLC mode is Transparent for CS and Acknowledged for PS (inorder delivery, max SDU size, delivery of erroneous SDU) Therefore, the monitoring of the QoS offered by the UTRAN relies on: Offered bit-rate Transport Channel BLER Performances for RLC AM (Acknowledged Mode)

2.3.1

Offered bit-rate
For CS services, the offered bit-rate can only be the requested one. The bit-rate is guaranteed. For PS services, the UTRAN can apply service downgrade, if the RAC can not admit the requested bit-rate. The downgrade is then reconsider at each Cell-FACHCell-DCH transition. Once a bit-rate is attributed, a channel with the corresponding bandwidth is allocated over the radio interface.

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2.3.2

Transport Channel BLER

For CS services, the Transport Channel BLER is the Frame Error Rate for the service, since no retransmission is allowed. For PS services, the Transport Channel BLER is a tradeoff between the effort in terms of bandwidth to support retransmission and the effort in terms of radio to limit errors.

2.3.3

Performances for RLC AM

For PS services, the RLC performances in terms of retransmission rate and delay impact the higher-layer QoS.

2.4

Higher-layer performances on Control plane

For the proper working of the Telecom procedures, minimal performances on Control plane are required, especially in terms of delay. But, the delay introduced for the Telecom procedures definitely impacts the end-user perception of the network quality, especially at the Call set-up. Performances in terms of delay on the Control Plane depend on: The buffering and the processing times in the nodes The quality offered by the Transport Network The quality offered by the Radio Links for signaling This is on this last item that the Radio Optimization can bring improvement. The quality offered by the Radio Links can be mainly monitored through: Access to common channels Offered bit-rate Transport Channel BLER Performances for RLC AM (Acknowledged Mode) Radio optimization is done in the same way as for traffic channels. End-user assessment will rely on Procedure times, such as: Attach time Paging time Call set-up time (MOC, MTC, MTM) Time for PDP context establishment
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Other Procedure Times, such as the time for SHO completion, may only impact call set-up failure rate and call drop rate from an end-user point of view. Other Procedure Times, such as the Detach time, may only impact the network performances from an operator point of view. Events for the definition of the time interval are often specific for each operator and related to commitments.

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Title:

Date:

Page Number:

Drive Test Analysis

Created by: Approved by:

05/07/2006
Doc Ref.:

29/30

Alexandre Silva

UMTS-RN0-0005

Abbreviations
AM AS BLER CAC CFN CN CPICH CRC DL DPCCH DPDCH FTP HO MAPL MOC MTC MTM NB NBAP OCNS PDU PSC QoS RAB RAC RANAP RLC RNP RRC RSCP RSSI RTWP SCH SFN SIR SRNC TPC TX UE UL UTRA Acknowledged Mode Active Set Block Error Rate Connection Admission Control Connection Frame Number Core Network Common Pilot Channel Cyclic Redundancy Check Downlink Dedicated Physical Control Channel Dedicated Physical Data Channel File Transfer Protocol Handover Maximum Allowable Path Loss Mobile Originating Call Mobile Terminating Call Mobile To Mobile Node B Node B Application Protocol Orthogonal Channel Noise Simulation Protocol Data Unit Primary Scrambling Code Quality of Service Radio Access Bearer Radio Admission Control RAN Application Protocol Radio Link Control Radio Network Planning Radio Resource Control Received Signal Code Power Received Signal Strength Indicator Received Total Wide-band Power Synchronization Channel (Primary: P-SCH, Secondary: S-SCH) Sequence Frame Number Signal to Interference Ratio Serving RNC Transmit Power Command Transmitted User Equipment Uplink UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access

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END OF DOCUMENT

Drivetel Servios e Projectos de Telecomunicaes Lda Confidential Document