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Contents
4 Test Methods.................................................................... 30
5 Remarks About the Signaling Analysis of the TCH Call Drop
Rate.................................................................................... 30
6 Cases for TCH Call Drop Rate Optimization.........................33
6.1 Case 1: Call Drop Due to Interference................................................................................................33
6.2 Case 2: Call Drop Due to Imbalance Between Uplink and Downlink................................................34
6.3 Case 3: Call Drop Due to Repeater Problem.......................................................................................34
6.4 Case 4: Call Drop Due to Coverage....................................................................................................35
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
Figures
Revision Record
Date Revision Version Change Description Author
2008-6-28 0.8 Draft completed. Su Shi
2008-7-26 1.0 The document is modified according Su Shi
to review comments.
References
S Document Name Author Date
N
Acronym Expansion
TCH Traffic Channel
MS Mobile Station
BSC Base Station Controller
KPI Key Performance Indicator
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
1.1 Meaning
The TCH call drop rate refers to the ratio of call drops to successful TCH seizures
after the BSC successfully assigns TCHs to MSs. The TCH call drop rate can be
measured from the following aspects:
TCH call drop rate (including handover)
TCH call drop rate (excluding handover)
The TCH call drop rate, one of the most significant KPIs for telecom operators, is
related to retainability. It indicates the probability of call drops due to various
reasons after MSs access TCHs. A too high TCH call drop rate adversely affects
the user's experience.
x 100%
TCH call drop rate (excluding handover) = Number of call drops on TCH/Number
of successful TCH seizures (TCH) x 100%
Through the analysis of each pair of formulas, you can find out that the TCH call
drop rate (including handover) is lower than the TCH call drop rate (excluding
handover) irrespective of the BSC model (BSC32 or BSC6000). The following
takes the formulas for the BSC32 as an example. The number of call drops on TCH
is small during the very early assignment procedure. Therefore, the difference
between the numerator of the formula for the TCH call drop rate (including
handover) and that of the formula for the TCH call drop rate (excluding handover)
can be omitted. Including the TCH seizures in the case of handovers, the
denominator of the formula for the TCH call drop rate (including handover) is
greater than the denominator of the formula for the TCH call drop rate (excluding
handover). Therefore, the result of the formula for the TCH call drop rate
(including handover) is smaller than that of the formula for the TCH call drop rate
(excluding handover).
For details, refer to the GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Baseline.
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
SABM: Set Asynchronous Balanced Mode. A message which establishes the signalling link over the air interface.
UA : Unnumbered Acknowledgment. A message sent from the MS to the BSS to acknowledge release of radio resources
when a call is being cleared.
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
The meanings of the measurement points in the these figures are as follows:
TCH-SUCC-A: indicates the number of successful TCH seizures.
TCH-SUCC-B: indicates the number of successful incoming internal inter-cell handovers
plus the number of successful internal intra-cell handovers.
ACT :activation
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
to No.
Figure 1.5 shows the procedures for analyzing high TCH call drop rate.
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
Figure 1.5 Procedures for analyzing high TCH call drop rate
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
The following sections describe the solutions to high TCH call drop rates.
The traffic measurement counters and KPIs in this document are the same
as those in the BSC6000V9R8C01B051 version.
You can check whether hardware is faulty by viewing BTS alarms or viewing
the hardware state on the Site Device Panel of the LMT. Table 1.1 lists the
major BSC alarms related to hardware failures.
In addition, you can locate the fault by checking the traffic measurement
related to hardware failures.
In addition, you can locate the fault by checking the traffic measurement
related to transmission failures.
drops are likely to occur because of low signal level or bad voice quality.
17. T200 and N200
If the parameters T200 FACCH/F, T200 FACCH/H, N200 of FACCH/Full
rate, and N200 of FACCH/Half rate are set to small values, data links are
disconnected too early. Thus, all drops are likely to occur. If call drops occur
because of T200 expiry, you can increase the values of T200 and N200
properly.
18. Neighboring cell relations
If the neighboring cells configured in the BA2 table are incomplete, call
drops are likely to occur in the case of no suitable neighboring cell for
handover and progressive deterioration in the voice quality. Neighboring cell
relations should be configured completely on the basis of the drive test data
and electronic map (for example, Nastar) to minimize the call drops due to
no available neighboring cells.
19. MAIO
If frequency hopping (FH) is applied in a cell and the MAIO is set
inappropriately (for example, different TRXs serving the same cell have the
same MAIO), frequency collision may occur during FH. Thus, the TCH call
drop rate increases.
20. Disconnect Handover Protect Timer
This parameter is a software parameter of the BSC. After receiving a
DISCONNECT message from an MS, the BSC cannot hand over the MS
within the period specified by this parameter. Therefore, the following case
can be avoided: After being handed over to the target cell, the MS cannot
be put on hook because it does not receive a release acknowledgement
message. You are advised to set this parameter properly.
21. TR1N
This parameter should be set on the MSC side. It is used to avoid the
retransmission of short messages. When this parameter is set to a too great
value, the MSC does not send a CLEAR CMD message if the MS receives
a short message during link disconnection. As a result, the MS sends the
BTS a DISC message to disconnect layer 2 connection. After receiving the
DISC message, the BTS sends a REL_IND message to the BSC. Then, the
BSC sends a CLEAR REQ message to the MSC and the number of call
drops is incremented by one.
22. Software Parameter 13 and MAX TA
When the parameter Software Parameter 13 is enabled and the parameter MAX
TA is set to a too small value, the channel is released when the TA of a call exceeds
the MAX TA. In this case, call drops occur. It is recommended that the
parameter Software Parameter 13 should not be enabled.
23. Directly Magnifier Site Flag
If a BTS is installed with repeaters, the handover between repeaters can only
be asynchronous because the distance between repeaters is long. If
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
synchronous handovers are performed, the handovers may fail and thus many
call drops occur. Therefore, when a BTS is installed with repeaters, the
parameter Directly Magnifier Site Flag should be set to Yes to avoid
synchronous handovers between cells under the same BTS.
You can check whether the data configuration is correct by viewing the
traffic measurement results.
The following table lists the traffic measurement counters related to
repeaters.
If a coverage problem exists, you can solve the problem through the
following methods: adjusting the tilt of the antenna, increasing the transmit
power, adding repeaters, or changing the combining mode. For details,
refer to the GSM BSS Network Performance KPI (Coverage) Optimization
Manual.
4 Test Methods
The TCH call drop rate is one of retainability KPIs, which can be obtained
through registration of or reporting of the related traffic measurement
counters. In addition, the TCH call drop rate is one of key drive test
counters and it can be obtained through drive tests.
At present, the formula for the TCH call drop rate varies with device
manufacturer and with telecom operator, thus affecting the value of the
TCH call drop rate. During actual tests, you should register the specific
counters and use an appropriate formula to calculate the value of the TCH
call drop rate.
Trace the RSL signaling on the Abis interface. Then, generate the signaling
tracing file on the LMT or through the Signal Analyze Tool. Obtain the
CONN_FAIL and ERROR_INC signaling from the file. Then, right-click a
piece of signaling and choose Call Trace from the shortcut menu, as
shown in the following figure.
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
Then, right-click the signaling of a call and choose Show Chart from the
shortcut menu, as shown in the following figure.
From the following figure, you can view such information as the uplink and
downlink receive level of the serving cell, uplink and downlink signal quality
of the serving cell, downlink receive level of neighboring cells, TA, MS
power, and BTS power. Based on the information, you can find out the
causes of call drops, such as insufficient downlink coverage and
interference.
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
GSM BSS Network KPI (TCH Call Drop Rate) Optimization Manual INTERNAL
The tracing result (as shown in the previous figure) shows that the uplink
signal level is much lower than the downlink signal level. Therefore, call
drops occur.
port of cell 3, cell 2, and cell 1 is –27 dBm, –40 dBm, and –60 dBm
respectively, and the signal strength is consistent with the interference
level. The traffic volume in daytime is greater than that at night, and thus
the probability of intermodulation is high. It can be concluded that the 904.14
MHz frequency is the interference source. When a spectrum analyzer is
used to perform drive tests, the interference source cannot be located.
When tests are performed on a rooftop, it is found that the interference is
generated by a small antenna of a repeater. If the signal from the antenna
is blocked, all the test results are normal. Therefore, the interference signal
is generated by the antenna.
You can adjust the handover parameters to reduce call drops in the
following ways:
1. If there is no frequent audio discontinuity or ping-pong handover, set the
parameters properly so that PBGT handovers can be easily performed,
thus minimizing the interference and reducing the call drop rate.
2. Set the emergency handover threshold properly so that emergency
handovers are triggered before call drops occur.
If the TCH call drop rate is high and technical support is required, fill in the
following form.