GSM/EDGE RAN - BR line

Feature description
BR10.0

FD10550: Different level thresholds for

RACH access and HO access
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The same text in German:

Wichtiger Hinweis zur Produktsicherheit
In elektrischen Anlagen stehen zwangslufig bestimmte Teile der Gerte unter Spannung. Einige Teile knnen auch eine hohe Betriebstemperatur aufweisen.
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Deshalb wird vorausgesetzt, dass nur geschultes und qualifiziertes Personal die
Anlagen installiert und wartet.
Das System entspricht den Anforderungen der EN 60950 / IEC 60950. Angeschlossene
Gerte mssen die zutreffenden Sicherheitsbestimmungen erfllen.

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Table of Contents
This document has 13 pages.
Reason for update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1
1.1
1.2

Introduction to the feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

In general. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2
2.1
2.2

Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Software requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Hardware requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3
3.1
3.2
3.3

Functional description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Functional overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Functional split . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Functional details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

System impacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

5
5.1

User interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

6
6.1

Activating and configuring the feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Setting the thresholds for RACH access and handover access . . . . . . 12

Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
A Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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List of Tables
Table 1

Parameters for different level thresholds for RACH access and handover
access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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Reason for update

Reason for update

Issue history
Issue
number

Date of issue

Reason for update

01

07/2008

First issue for new release

02

11/2008

Minor editorial changes

Details

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Reason for update

FD10550: Different level thresholds for RACH access

and HO access

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FD10550: Different level thresholds for RACH access

and HO access

Introduction to the feature

1 Introduction to the feature

1.1

In general
This feature provides two different thresholds for discrimination between valid access
bursts and noise (no burst, empty timeslot) at the receiving BTS: one for access bursts
on the random access channel (RACH) and the other one for access bursts on a traffic
channel (TCH/FACCH), mainly occuring as initial access to the target BTS in case of an
inter-cell handover.
Up to now there was only one common threshold for both use cases causing a tradeoff
between these cases. This feature allows to handle signal-noise discrimination for
RACH access bursts and TCH access bursts received by the BTS separately and independently.
The thresholds can be configured by the network operator via O&M parameters.

1.2

Benefits
With this feature it is now possible to set up optimal threshold values for discrimination
of access bursts on RACH and on TCHs as well (with only one threshold for both cases
before, it was necessary to find a compromise for the threshold value). Thus phantom
RACH access bursts can be avoided efficiently while TCH access bursts (e.g. to access
the target cell / BTS in case of inter-cell handover) are accepted even in case of low
receive power level. As a consequence the RACH load in the BTS and the rejection of
inter-cell handovers (or even call drops) can be kept low simultaneously.

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Requirements

FD10550: Different level thresholds for RACH access

and HO access

2 Requirements
2.1

Software requirements
This feature does not require any new or additional software.

2.2

Hardware requirements
The BTSs belong to the present BTS familiy (comprising BS-240/241, BS-240/241II,
BS-240XS, BS-240XL, BS-240XL II, BS-288, BS-40/41, BS-40 II, BS-82 II eMicro).

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Functional description

3 Functional description
3.1

Functional overview
In the BTS a threshold for the received power level is used to discriminate between a
received valid access burst and received noise. If the received power level exceeds the
threshold, the received signal is treated as a valid burst, otherwise the timeslot is
declared empty. Access bursts can be sent by an MS and received by the BTS on different channels:
On the random access channel (RACH).
This situation occurs when the MS requests radio resources from the BTS.
On a traffic channel (TCH/FACCH).
This situation occurs when the MS accesses the target cell / BTS in case of an intercell handover or when a listener of a VGCS call becomes the talker.
For each of the two cases an own threshold attribute is provided allowing separate and
independent signal-noise discrimination.

3.2

Functional split
The different level thresholds for RACH access and handover access functionality is
executed by the BTS exclusively.
The BSC administers the database for the parameters of the feature.

3.3

Functional details
The BTS does not know if and when an MS will send an access burst to the BTS. The
BTS gets this information just in time when it receives and detects the access burst on
the relevant channel. Therefor it is necessary to discriminate actual bursts from noise
which is done via thresholds.
The following effects of the thresholds are desired for the two principle use cases:

Signal-noise discrimination regarding access bursts on RACH:

A high dBm value for the RACH threshold efficiently prevents from phantom RACH
access bursts even in networks with high RACH interference figures and allows only
sufficient signal levels which guarantees a certain QoS level in uplink direction. All
RACH signals lower than the specified value are related with empty timeslots.
Signal-noise discrimination regarding access bursts on TCH/FACCH:
A low dBm value for the TCH/FACCH threshold ensures a high uplink sensitivity of
the BTS for incoming handover messages on the TCH/FACCH and for ASCI uplink
access bursts. This supports a low handover failure rate and also keeps the rejection
of ASCI uplink requests on a low level.

The description above shows that the threshold requirements for RACH access bursts
and TCH access bursts are different and that only separate threshold attributes allow to
set up optimum thresholds for each case. Thus phantom RACH access bursts can be
avoided efficiently while TCH access bursts are accepted even in case of low receive
power level.

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FD10550: Different level thresholds for RACH access

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4 System impacts
The different level thresholds for RACH access and handover access feature is related
to inter-cell handovers, radio channel allocation and VGCS calls (Voice Group Call
Service, one kind of ASCI calls). The functional range of these areas are neither reduced
nor extended, but drops of calls or access failures are decreased.

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User interface

5 User interface
The different level thresholds for RACH access and handover access feature can be
configured by network operators.
The parameter administration can be done via LMT (for BSC or BTSE), Radio Commander or O&M ToolSet.

5.1

Parameters
Table 1 shows the parameters implemented for the different level thresholds for RACH
access and handover access feature.

Short name

Long name

Description

Default

Range

Parameters of the BTS Managed Object

FACHBT

RACHBT

Table 1

fachBusyThreshold

rachBusyThreshold

Threshold for the received signal

level (RXLEV) during handover
access and ASCI uplink access. An
access burst signal is assumed as
valid (not noise), if the receive level
exceeds this threshold.

109 [dBm]

Threshold for the received signal

level (RXLEV) during RACH access.
An access burst signal is assumed
as valid (not noise), if the receive
level exceeds this threshold.

109 [dBm]

0 ... 127
[dBm]
( step size:
1 dBm)

0 ... 127
[dBm]
( step size:
1 dBm)

Parameters for different level thresholds for RACH access and handover access
The FACHBT is introduced in BR10.0, RACHBT already existed in BR9.0 but its usage
is restricted for BR10.0 (RACHBT in BR9.0 comprised also the use case handover
access and ASCI uplink access, now shifted to the FACHBT attribute).

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Activating and configuring the feature

FD10550: Different level thresholds for RACH access

and HO access

6 Activating and configuring the feature

This chapter provides the procedure to configure the different level thresholds for RACH
access and handover access feature.

6.1

Setting the thresholds for RACH access and handover

access
Two different thresholds are provided for discrimination between valid access bursts
and noise (no burst, empty timeslot) at the receiving BTS: one for access bursts on the
random access channel (RACH) and the other one for access bursts on a traffic channel
(TCH/FACCH).

g If the RACHBT values for BTSs have already been set in BR 9.0 and a BTSM
software update to BR10.0 is performed afterwards, the FACHBT values (not
provided for BR9.0) are automatically set to the current RACHBT values.
1

Set the threshold parameters

BSC1: b SET BTS

eBSC: b SET BTS

Set the following attributes:

FACHBT (fachBusyThreshold)
This attribute determines the threshold for the received signal level (RXLEV) during
handover access and ASCI uplink access. An access burst signal is assumed as
valid (not noise), if the receive level exceeds this threshold.
RACHBT (rachBusyThreshold)
This attribute determines the threshold for the received signal level (RXLEV) during
handover access and ASCI uplink access. An access burst signal is assumed as
valid (not noise), if the receive level exceeds this threshold.
END

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Abbreviations

7 Abbreviations
AZ
ASCI

advanced speech call item

BSC

base station controller

BTS

base transceiver station

DL
FACCH
HO

downlink
fast associated control channel
handover

LMT

local maintenance terminal

MMI

man machine interface

MOC

managed object class

MS
O&M
RACH
TCH
UL
VGCS

mobile station
operation and maintenance
random access channel
traffic channel
uplink
voice group call service

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