3.

2 Algorithm

3.2.1 SQI UL

For narrowband codecs the algorithm in the base station calculates a value from -40 to
+50 dBQ. The top value depends on the speech codec that is used since the different
codecs have different basic speech quality. The following are the top values for the
different codec types:

 HR: 17 dBQ

 FR: 21 dBQ

 EFR: 30 dBQ

 AMR HR: 28 dBQ

 AMR FR: 30 dBQ.

The SQI value is calculated after the BTS has received 120 valid speech frames from the
mobile (non valid speech frames are frames received during uplink DTX engagement, so
called silent description frames). This means that if DTX is not used a new SQI value will
be reported with an interval of approximately two and a half seconds for each ongoing
call in the cell.

If however DTX is used the interval between new SQI values will increase substantially.
This will also be seen in the STS counters which will show a lower value of total amount
of traffic within each category. This is because the amount of traffic is based on
measured speech which will decrease by the use of DTX, i.e. the comfort noise periods
will not be counted as traffic.

For AMR WB the SQI calculation is made over 400 valid speech frames. The valid range
of the FER value in this algorithm is between 0 and 1, where the extremes 0 indicates no
frame erasures, and 1 indicates that all 400 frames were erased.

The highest value possible to achieve for AMR WB is 4.08 and that is with codec mode
12.65 and FER = 0.

In the BSC the SQI values are divided into the three categories “Good”, “Acceptable” and
“Bad”. The thresholds that classifies the SQI values into these three categories are 13.5
dBQ and 22.5 dBQ, i.e. everything below 13.5 dBQ is “Bad”, everything between 13.5
and 22.5 dBQ is “Acceptable” and everything above 22.5 dBQ is “Good”. The thresholds
have been determined through listening tests and can not be changed. Note that the SQI
value for narrowband codecs are sent from the BTS is without decimals. For AMR WB the
thresholds between the categories are at 3.0 and 3.5.

3.2.2 SQI DL

The SQI DL values are based on DL quality measurements made by the EMR reporting
capable MS and reported in the EMR message (ie BEP values and NBR_RCVD_BLOCKS).
The SQI DL values are calculated in the BTS, and has for narrowband codecs a range of –
40 to +50 dBQ. For AMR WB the same algorithm as for UL is used, so after 400 frames a
value between 1.0 and 5.0 is calculated. DTX is taken into consideration as for SQI UL,
and the values are divided into the same categories and with the same, hardcoded
thresholds.

3.2.3 FER UL and DL

FER UL and FER DL is calculated per connection using the values NBR_RCVD_BLOCKS_UL
and NBR_RCVD_BLOCKS_DL respectively.

The value range for NBR_RCVD_BLOCKS is 0–24. When 4 valid NBR_RCVD_BLOCKS have
been received, then FER is obtained by:

4
FER(UL) = 96 - �+� NBR_RCVD_BLOCKS_UL(n)
n-1

and the same for downlink:

4
FER(DL) = 96 - �+� NBR_RCVD_BLOCKS_DL(n)
n-1

i.e. a summary in absolute number of frames over the last four reporting periods. If DTX
has been used during a reporting period, the NBR_RCVD_BLOCKS information from that
period is discarded. FER DL is based on messages from EMR capable mobiles.