3G RF Optimisation Basics: Robert Joyce

3G RF Optimisation Basics
Robert Joyce
January 2005
AIRCOM International 2005

WCDMA Basics
Frequency Reuse
Scrambling Codes
Signal Strength/Quality Measurements in WCDMA
Soft/Softer Handover
Pilot Pollution
Missing Neighbours
January 2005

UK 3G Spectrum Allocations
FDD Uplink FDD Downlink TDD

Licence Operator From (MHz) To (MHz) From (MHz) To (MHz) From (MHz) To (MHz) Total (MHz)
A Hutchison 3G 1920.0 1934.9 2110.3 2124.9 1914.9 1920.0 2x15 + 5 = 35
B Vodafone 1944.9 1959.7 2134.9 2149.7 N/A N/A 2x14.8 = 29.6
C O2 1934.9 1944.9 2124.9 2134.9 1909.9 1914.9 2x10 + 5 = 25
D T-Mobile 1959.7 1969.7 2149.7 2159.7 1899.9 1904.9 2x10 + 5 = 25
E Orange 1969.7 1979.7 2159.7 2169.7 1904.9 1909.9 2x10 + 5 = 25
TDD FDD Uplink FDD Downlink
1910 1920 1935 1945 1960 1970 19802110 2125 2135 2150 2160
1905 1915
Licence A - Hutchison 3G Licence D - T-Mobile

Licence B - Vodafone Licence E - Orange
Licence C - O2
January 2005

Frequency Reuse
Initially operators have been launching with just a single carrier
Vodafone NZ Network will initially be FDD only
Vodafone will launch using only the FDD carrier (F1 =10588)
All launch cells will use F1 & therefore Vodafone NZs 3G network
will have a frequency reuse of 1
Frequency
UARFCN (MHz)
FDD Uplink F1 9638 1927.6
F2
F3
FDD Downlink F1 10588 2117.6

F2
F3
January 2005

Scrambling Codes & CPICH
CPICH
The Common Pilot Indication Channel (CPICH) is broadcast from

every cell
It carries no information and can be thought of as a beacon
constantly transmitting the Scrambling Code of the cell
It is this beacon that is used by the phone for its cell measurements
for network acquisition and handover purposes (Ec, Ec/Io).
January 2005

3G Coverage Measurements
The majority of 3G coverage measurements are based upon
measurements of the CPICH
Golden Rule: If the UE cant see the CPICH the UE cant see the
cell.
Initial 3G network optimisation will be performed purely from CPICH
measurements
Three key related measurements for 3G optimisation are
Ec - The Received Signal Level of a particular CPICH (dBm)

Io - The Total Received Power (dBm)
Ec/Io - The CPICH Quality (The ratio of the above two values)
January 2005

Total Received Power Io
Io
In a WCDMA network the User Equipment (UE) may receive signals

from many cells whether in handover or not
Io* = The sum total of all of these signals + any background noise (dBm)
*Note: Sometimes Io is referred to as No, RSSI or ISSI
January 2005

Received Power of a CPICH Ec
Ec1 Ec2
Using the properties of SCs the UE is able to extract the respective

CPICH levels from the sites received
Ec* = The Received Power of a Particular CPICH (dBm)
*Note: Sometimes Ec is referred to as RSCP

January 2005

The CPICH Quality (Ec/Io)
Ec1 Ec2
From the previous two measures we can calculate a signal quality for
each CPICH (SC) received
Ec/Io = Ec - Io (dB)
*Note: Sometimes Ec/Io is referred to as Ec/No

January 2005

Example
Ec/Io1=-5dB Ec/Io2 =-10dB
Io=-80dBm
From the above three measurements we can calculate for each pilot
the Ec level for that particular pilot
Ec1 = -80 - 5 = -85dBm
Ec2 = -80 - 10 = -90dBm
January 2005

Ec, Io and Ec/Io Measurement
All commercial scanners and test UEs are capable of making Ec, Io and
Ec/Io measurements
It is these measurements that are used for cover analysis and basic
optimisation
January 2005

3G Scanners
Many types of 3G scanners on the market
Agilents 3G Scanner & Nitros Software
Anritsus ML8720B 3G scanner
DTI Seagull (Dual band 3G/2G) scanner
From experience the Anritsu scanner is the better of the all three with
a higher sampling rate and greater flexibility
However DTI scanner has added benefit of 2G scanning, ideal for 3G-
2G neighbour optimisation as well as 2G optimisation
January 2005

Handovers in WCDMA
Various handover types exist in WCDMA
Those between WCDMA sites (intra-system HO)

Those between WCDMA and GSM (inter-system HO)
January 2005

Handovers in WCDMA - Softer HO
Softer handover occurs between sectors of the same site
January 2005

Handovers in WCDMA - Soft HO
Soft handover occurs between sectors of the different sites
For both softer and soft it is the Ec/Io levels used to determine whether
a cell should be added or removed from the active set
January 2005

Handovers - Inter frequency HO
Inter frequency handover occurs between two WCDMA carriers
Will be used once operator deploys its second carrier, for microcell
layer or capacity purposes
January 2005

Handovers - Inter system HO
Inter system handover occurs between 3G and 2G sites
As with all handovers, accurate adjacencies will be required
3G 2G
January 2005

Optimisation Basics
Coverage Optimisation
Neighbour Optimisation
Pilot Pollution Optimisation
SHO Optimisation
January 2005

As with 2G if the coverage is inadequate then the call quality will be
inadequate
Therefore this first stage in 3G optimisation is ensuring adequate
coverage
Link budgets should be used to determine both the planning targets
and the drive survey level targets
Note that the planning and drive survey level targets will be different
January 2005

Given below are example target drive survey Ec levels for the
different 3G services
Environment
Service Dense Urban Urban/Suburban Rail Road Rural Indoor
Deep Indoor - 95% Deep Indoor - 95% Indoor Window - 95% Indoor Window - 95% Outdoor - 90% 95%
12.2k Speech -71.0 -81.0 -88.0 -95.0 -102.0 -102.0
64k CSD -72.0 -82.0 -90.0 -96.0 -103.0 -102.0
64k PSD -73.0 -82.0 -90.0 -97.0 -103.0 -103.0
64k CSD Videophone -71.0 -80.0 -88.0 -94.0 -101.0 -101.0
144k CSD -69.0 -79.0 -86.0 -93.0 -100.0 -99.0
144k PSD -70.0 -79.0 -87.0 -94.0 -100.0 -100.0
384k CSD -65.0 -75.0 -84.0 -90.0 -95.0 -95.0
384k PSD -66.0 -76.0 -84.0 -90.0 -96.0 -96.0
These levels are the levels that should be achieved at the roof of the
vehicle
If these levels are not achieved then inbuilding coverage will be poor
Further optimisation with lower coverage levels is very difficult
Solutions: Downtilt, Azimuth, New Site
January 2005

Missing Neighbours was and still is the biggest cause of poor
performance in most commercial 3G networks
The majority of call drops in early cluster are due to missing
neighbours.
It is therefore essential that the initial neighbour list is thorough, ideally
with neighbours ranked in order of importance
In 3G the UE must be on the best cell at all times otherwise it will
drop the call this is not the case in 2G
3G/2G neighbour lists must also be comprehensive, incorrect 3G/2G
neighbour lists will lead to dropped calls when moving from 3G to 2G
and poor 3G re-selection performance when on 2G
January 2005

3G/3G Neighbour Optimisation
We declare a 3G missing neighbour as a a cell not declared as
neighbour of the best active cell although it is eligible to be added in
the active set.
EcNoMISSING_ N EcNoBEST M arginMISSING_ N

A practical margin of 5dB is recommended as an initial window
anything bigger and the neighbour lists become too large
Solution: 3G Scanner Survey, Actix Analysis, Neighbours Added
January 2005

2G/3G Neighbour Optimisation
2G/3G neighbour optimisation will require the use of both 3G and 2G
drive survey equipment
Dualband scanner files can quickly be processed to pair up the best
3G cells with the best 2G cells for every sample along the drive
survey.
January 2005

As more and more 3G sites are integrated, the pilot pollution within the
network will increase
With >4 pilots of a similar level it can be very difficult to establish even
a voice call
The higher the data rate the more susceptible the service is to pilot
pollution (bad Ec/Io).
Whilst 3G voice requires an Ec/Io of above -15dB, 384kbps will
required Ec/Io levels of -9dB or higher !!
Pilot pollution should not be confused with poor coverage, where there
is poor coverage, there is generally pilot pollution/bad Ec/Io
January 2005

PS384 - Pilot Pollution Areas
DL_PS384 is much more sensitive to pilot pollution or overlaps than

lower bit-rates. Optimising pilot pollution for PS128 is already a
challenge, for 384 might be an unrealistic target.
Comparison of required EcIo:
Service Voice PS64 PS128 PS384

Min EcIo -15 -13 -13 -9.5
Even with good Ec levels, some areas will never provide reliable
PS384 simply due to cell overlaps. It seems unclear whether a mature
network may ever provide a full 384 footprint.
Conclusion: 384 requires an optimised network
January 2005

Required EcIo
GPRS Attach Success Rate vs Serving CPICH Ec/Io
120%
100%
80%
60%
GPRS Attach Success Rate
40%
20%
0%
-19 -18 -17 -16 -15 -14 -13 -12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5
-20%
Serving Cell CPICH Ec/Io (dB)
January 2005

PS384 - required EcIo
DL Application Throughput vs. Serving Cell CPICH Ec/Io

300
DL Application Throughput (kbps)
250
200
Mean DL Application Throughput
Mode DL Application Throughput

150
DL Application Throughput (Last Value)
100
50
0
-14 -12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0
Serving Cell CPICH Ec/Io (dB)
January 2005

To avoid confusing areas of poor coverage with areas of pilot pollution
we can define an area of pilot pollution as somewhere where
Best server CPICH_Ec >= Ec target (dBm)
And
Best server CPICH EcNo < Ec/Io target (dB)
The Ec target is the target coverage = -100dBm

The current recommended Ec/Io target = -10dB
Actix is able to identify areas of pilot pollution and display the locations
on a map
January 2005

There are various means of reducing pilot pollution
New Sites: Additional sites may reduce pilot pollution by bringing
dominance to an area (before optimising for pilot pollution, always
check that a new site is not about to be brought on air in the locality)
Antenna Downtilts: By adjusting tilts on the best servers, or worst
interferers, pilot pollution can be removed
Solution: 3G Scanner Survey, Analysis, Downtilts, New Sites?
January 2005

Handover Optimisation
Softer, Soft, Inter-frequency & system HOs have all been optimised on
Nokias trial and other customers networks
Therefore initial HO Optimisation should not require any changes to the
UTRAN parameters .
Instead initial HO optimisation will involve studying how much HO occurs
in the network and where this HO occurs.
For 3G/3G HO, Actix is able to display areas where Softer & Soft HO is
occurring and calculate the percentage of a drive route in SHO
Typically we should be aiming for a SHO area of less that 40%
Optimisation of SHO area should be performed using downtilt and
azimuth changes
Solution: 3G Scanner Survey, Analysis, Downtilt and Azimuth
changes
January 2005

Optimisation Basics
SHO Optimisation
Everything is based around Ec/Io, to improve this we need to

Increase Ec (improve the best server(s))
Reduce Io (reduce pilots not eligible for the active set)
Get all neighbours optimised
In call drive runs should only take place once Radio Optimisation is
complete
January 2005

Overview of Vodafone New Zealand
Optimisation Process
January 2005

OrangeUK 3G Optimisation Process
This section will cover the following;
Overview of Vodafone New Zealand 3G Optimisation Process

Key Performance Indicators
Analysis Tools & Processes
Next Steps
January 2005

Overview of Vodafone NZs 3G Optimisation Process
A
Based upon the 3G

1 hour prior to every cluster A.1
Drive test 3G Opt eng must CDF = Cell Definition File
obtain CDF dump from OSS eng
Optimisation Process CDF file

obtainable ?
A.2
No
Check with Nokia

Can drive test
proceed ?
A.3
flowcharts agreed between Yes

Opt manager
Yes
3G Opt eng obtains Alarm A.4
Aircom/Nokia and report and cell availability

report from OSS eng
Vodafone New Zealand Check with Nokia

Yes High number A.5
of alarm ?
Opt manager
No
No
Can drive test Yes High cell Check with Nokia
A.6 A.7
proceed ? availability ? Opt manager
Yes Yes Can drive test

No A.9
Drive test starts A.8 start ?
No
Optimization Stage 1 A.10
(Optimize RF condition)
Can OMC solve
the problem < 4 A.11 Can OMC solve
No hours? B the problem < 4 A.12 No
hours?
Yes
Yes
OMC works on A.13 Stage 1 No
A.14
solving the alarm completed? A OMC works on A.15
Increasing cell
Yes availability
Is the problem Yes Optimization Stage 2 A.17

A.16
solved ? (Optimize Neighbour list)
Yes Is the problem
A.18
C solved ?
No
No
No
Stage 2 A Postpone the drive test A.21
A.20
completed? to next day or until
Postpone the drive test A.19
Problem solved
to next day or until Yes
Problem solved
Optimization Stage 3 A.22
(Optimize Call Performance)
Stage 3 No
A.23
completed? A
Yes
January 2005
KPI measurement A.24
and reporting
Overview of Vodafone NZs 3G Optimisation Process
Yes
Based upon the 3G Drive test starts A.8
Optimisation Process Optimization Stage 1 A.10

(Optimize RF condition)
flowcharts agreed between

Aircom/Nokia and B
Vodafone New Zealand

Stage 1 No
Stage 1 & 2 cover the

A.14
completed? A
basic RF Optimisation Yes
A.17
Optimization Stage 2
steps described earlier (Optimize Neighbour list)
Only once these steps are C
completed is it worth Stage 2

No
A
moving onto Stage 3 Call completed?
A.20
Yes
Performance Optimisation Optimization Stage 3 A.22
(Optimize Call Performance)
Stage 3 No
A.23
completed? A
Yes
KPI measurement A.24

January 2005

Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
In order to benchmark the performance of a 3G network a basic set of
KPI targets are required
The Vodafone NZ 3G KPI targets fall into two categories, RF KPIs and
in-call KPIs
The Vodafone RF KPIs are very simple and concise but focus on the
key RF requirements of Ec (RSCP), Ec/Io and SHO area
The In Call or End To End (E2E) KPIs are somewhat more complex
January 2005

Vodafone RF KPIs
The RF targets are defined in terms of: -
RSCP of the Common Pilot Channel
-89 dBm in >= 95% of bins for dense urban
-94 dBm >= 95% of bins for urban
-99 dBm >= 95% of bins for suburban
-104 dBm >= 90% of bins for rural
Ec/Io of Common Pilot Channel in unloaded network

Ec/Io >= 10 dB in >= 95% of bins for DU, U, SU
Ec/Io >= 10 dB in >= 90% of bins for Rural
Ec/Io of Common Pilot Channel in loaded network
Ec/Io >= 14 dB in >= 95% of bins for DU, U, SU
Ec/Io >= 14 dB in >= 90% of bins for Rural
Test case to be agreed
SHO Overhead: 30-40%
This Kpi will be measured according to the formula below:
# _ Bins _ 1 _ Cell _ in _ Active_ Set 1+# _ Bins _ 2 _ Cells_ in _ Active_ Set 2+# _ Bins _ 3 _ Cells_ in _ Active_ Set 3
# _ Bins _ 1 _ Cell _ in _ Active_ Set+# _ Bins _ 2 _ Cells_ in _ Active_ Set+# _ Bins _ 3 _ Cells_ in _ Active_ Set
January 2005

RF Optimisation
Basic RF analysis checking the following
SHO Optimisation.
First stage is to run the KPI reports, then follows this with more
detailed analysis.
If the route meets the RF KPIs theres no point doing further analysis
January 2005

Actix RF KPI Report
Run the basic RF KPI report check the KPIs
January 2005

Basic Sites on air analysis
For each cell in the cluster check that
coverage is seen for the sites expected to
be on air
Check correct SC is radiating in the
expected direction (crossed feeders?)
Highlight those sites not seen on air and
any suspected crossed feeders
But make sure your cell refs data is
accurate !!!
January 2005

Coverage (Ec) Analysis
If KPI Report indicates good Ec - no further Ec analysis required !
Otherwise analyse !!
Solution: Tilts, azimuths, new sites
January 2005

If downtilts are to be made to any sectors, then additional neighbours
should not be added to/or for these cells as they may not be
necessary after downtilts
Actix should be used to generate Missing Neighbour Report from
Scanner data
Remember until the cluster is complete, additional neighbours will
come and go
January 2005

3G/3G Neighbour Optimisation (2)
sc neighbour count
3G Neighbour lists can be generated 8 9 165
automatically by the Actix 8 232 52
8 496 40
The tool runs through every point in the 8 344 34
8 154 18
survey comparing the Ec/Io values of the 8 386 12
SCs seen generating a neighbour list like 8 10 11
8 362 11
the one given 8 145 10
The number of missing neighbours found 8
8
114
256
8
5
will be dependent on the quality of the initial 8 488 5
8 360 4
neighbour list 8 376 4
Dont be scared of adding neighbours !! 8
8
346
50
3
1
8 218 1
8 490 1
8 66 1
8 152 1
8 48 1
8 378 1
8 401 1
9 8 114
9 362 37
9 10 10
January 2005

Pilot Pollution (Ec/Io) Analysis
Run Pilot Pollution query to display areas of pilot pollution on map
January 2005

Pilot Pollution (Ec/Io) Analysis
Identify worst Pilot Polluters on map
Solution: tilts, azimuths, new site?
January 2005

SHO Analysis
KPI report will indicate % of route in SHO
Aim for SHO < 40%
Run RE SHO query to display areas on a map - is this due to distant
sites, is it in important high traffic areas?
Solution: Tilts, Azimuths
January 2005

Cell Adjacency Planner - CAP
3G 2G Adjacencies
January 2005

Cell Adjacency Planner - CAP
3G 3G adjacencies
January 2005

3G/3G Neighbour Optimisation (3)
January 2005

Stage 3: In Call Optimisation
Only once the RF Optimisation is complete should In Call analysis be
undertaken
In call analysis will also pick up
Coverage Problems
Pilot Pollution Problems
Missing Neighbours
SHO problems
However if the RF Optimisation has been done correctly, none of the
above should be seen at Stage 3 !
In Call Optimisation will be similar to RF Optimisation
Run In Call KPI report
Analyse any problems seen
January 2005

Stage 3: Run Call KPIs Report
Run RE Call KPI report
Identify problem areas, Call Setup Success, Call Drop etc.
January 2005

Stage 3: Detailed In call analysis
Detailed in call analysis
Look for the basics first, Ec, Ec/Io, missing neighbours etc.
Only then delve into the detailed L3 message flows.
January 2005

Process Summary
Stage 0 Cluster Preparation - plots, site checks, neighbour checks
etc.
Stage 1&2 RF optimisation, Ec, Ec/Io, Missing Neighbours, SHO

Area
Stage 3 In Call Analysis (Speech, Video, PS, ISHO etc) will be the
subject of a further training session once Actix Reports in place.
CLUSTER ACCEPTANCE !!
Any questions: robert.joyce@aircom.com.sg
January 2005

3G RF Optimisation Basics: Robert Joyce

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3G RF Optimisation Basics

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

FDD Uplink FDD Downlink TDD

TDD FDD Uplink FDD Downlink

Licence A - Hutchison 3G Licence D - T-Mobile

AIRCOM International 2005

FDD Downlink F1 10588 2117.6

AIRCOM International 2005

The Common Pilot Indication Channel (CPICH) is broadcast from

AIRCOM International 2005

Ec - The Received Signal Level of a particular CPICH (dBm)

AIRCOM International 2005

In a WCDMA network the User Equipment (UE) may receive signals

*Note: Sometimes Io is referred to as No, RSSI or ISSI

AIRCOM International 2005

Using the properties of SCs the UE is able to extract the respective

Ec* = The Received Power of a Particular CPICH (dBm)

*Note: Sometimes Ec is referred to as RSCP

AIRCOM International 2005

*Note: Sometimes Ec/Io is referred to as Ec/No

AIRCOM International 2005

Ec/Io1=-5dB Ec/Io2 =-10dB

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

Those between WCDMA sites (intra-system HO)

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

EcNoMISSING_ N EcNoBEST M arginMISSING_ N

Solution: 3G Scanner Survey, Actix Analysis, Neighbours Added

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

DL_PS384 is much more sensitive to pilot pollution or overlaps than

Service Voice PS64 PS128 PS384

AIRCOM International 2005

GPRS Attach Success Rate vs Serving CPICH Ec/Io

AIRCOM International 2005

DL Application Throughput vs. Serving Cell CPICH Ec/Io

Mode DL Application Throughput

AIRCOM International 2005

The Ec target is the target coverage = -100dBm

AIRCOM International 2005

Solution: 3G Scanner Survey, Analysis, Downtilts, New Sites?

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

Everything is based around Ec/Io, to improve this we need to

AIRCOM International 2005

AIRCOM International 2005

This section will cover the following;

Overview of Vodafone New Zealand 3G Optimisation Process

AIRCOM International 2005

Based upon the 3G

Optimisation Process CDF file

Check with Nokia