Local Switching For Packet Abis PDF

RG25 (BSS) Network Engineering Information
Local Switching for Packet Abis

BSS21327
Andrzej Maciołek
Network Engineering
NWS LTE RA E2E Mgmt SA NE GSM&LTE Migration
February 2011
Please always use the latest version of the materials which can be found under the link:
https://sharenet-ims.inside.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/Open/410495798
For internal use only
2 © Nokia Siemens Networks Local Switching for Packet Abis / A. Maciołek / April 2010
BSS21327
Table of Contents
• Background Information
• Feature Details
• Impact on Planning and Dimensioning
• Feature Dependencies
• Database Parameters
• Performance Measurements
• Feature Impact Analysis and Verification

BSS21327
Dependency
Table
GSM800 GSM900 GSM1800 GSM1900 MSS MGW NetAct
- - - - - - OSS5.3
CD Set 3
BSC SGSN BTS Talk BTS BTS BTS BTS Flexi BTSplus
Family MetroSite UltraSite FlexiEDGE MultiRadio
S15 - N N N Y Y -
BSC3i EX4.1 EX4.1
(1000/2000
)
FlexiBSC

Background Information

• Normally, MS-to-MS calls are always transferred through all network elements of
the GERAN network, i.e. BTSs, BSCs, trans-coders and a core network
Abis Speech and signalling
E1/T1
MS1 BTS1 BSC1 TRAU1 MSC1 MSC2 TRAU2 BSC2 BTS2 MS2
• This is also the case for calls established between terminals served by the same
cell, co-sited cells or cells served by a common BSC
Calls and related signalling are
transferred through all network entities
Abis Speech and signalling
MS2
E1/T1
MS1 BTS1 BSC1 TRAU1 MSC1 MSC2 TRAU2 BSC2 BTS2

• According to statistics, in ‘isolated areas’, e.g. in remote towns and villages, even
up to 95% of calls is established locally
• As a result, it can be imagined that such calls would not be transferred to the
network elements beyond the BTS thus saving Abis resources
• Such the concept, known as local switching, is valid for speech data only =>
signalling data would be transferred ’traditionally’ to allow using existing features
=> otherwise, a completely new control plane concept had to be invented
• Local switching does not apply to PS calls as well because normally a PS call is
established ’non-locally’ between MS and a server (GGSN) and not between two
MSs
Abis
MS2
Speech Signalling
E1/T1
MS1 BTS1 BSC1 TRAU1 MSC1 MSC2 TRAU2 BSC2 BTS2

Up to BSS13
ED
• No solutions supporting local switching
BSS13
ED
• Solutions operating with the legacy E1/T1 Abis interface => new dedicated HW
(RGW, CGW) must be installed to support local switching:
– BSS21436/BSS30370 Local Switching for Satellite Abis/Terrestrial Abis
– Up to 8 E1/T1 links (16 E1/T1 links) or up to 60 TRXs (16 RGW) supported by RGW
(CGW)
Aggregating For locally switched
and switching calls only signalling is
local traffic conveyed to BSC
IP over Ethernet
IP over Ethernet Abis
E1 for satellite Abis
/T for satellite Abis
1 IP over TDM for
Abis IP over TDM for
terrestrial Abis E1/T1
terrestrial Abis
RGW
1 CGW
/T
E1
BSC TRAU MSC PSTN

RG25
(BSS)
• A completely new implementation fully relying on the packet
Abis is introduced without involving equipment of external
vendors:
– BSS21327 ”Local Switching for Packet Abis”

Feature Details

Feature Details
• In RG25 local switching means a possibility to transfer MS-to-MS voice calls
originated and terminated by the same BSC directly between involved BTSs
without going through the controlling BSC:
– Speech data is directly switched between the involved BTSs
– Signalling/PS data is transmitted through all network entities => there is no
impact of the local switching on conveying signalling/PS data
– Packet Abis is a must => legacy E1/T1 between BTS and BSC is not allowed with
the RG25 local switching
• There are two main configurations of the local switching:

– Intra-BCF local switching => two terminals are served by the same BTS (BCF)
=> the call can be switched internally by the BTS (BCF)
– Inter-BCF local switching => two terminals are served by different BCFs
belonging to the same BSS and to the same local switching area => the voice call
is directly transferred from one BTS (BCF) to another BTS (BCF) without involving
the BSC

Feature Details
• Intra-BCF local switching with the packet Abis over TDM
For locally switched Speech and signalling
Switching local
calls only signalling is
traffic
conveyed to BSC
Packet Abis over

TDM
BSC TRAU MSC
• Intra-BCF local switching with the packet Abis over Ethernet

Switching local For locally switched Speech and signalling
traffic calls only signalling is
conveyed to BSC
IP network
Packet Abis
over Ethernet
Packet Abis
over Ethernet
BSC TRAU MSC

Feature Details
• Inter-BCF local switching with the packet Abis over Ethernet
For locally switched Speech and signalling
Switching calls only signalling is
local traffic conveyed to BSC
IP network
Packet Abis
over Ethernet
Packet Abis
over Ethernet
BSC TRAU MSC
• Inter-BCF local switching with the packet Abis over TDM

Switching local traffic For locally switched Speech and signalling
and aggregating non- calls only signalling is
locally switched traffic conveyed to BSC
Packet Abis
over TDM
Packet Abis
over TDM
hub-BTS BSC TRAU MSC

Feature Details
Local Switching Area
(1/2)
• A locally switched voice call can be established in a so-called local
switching area
• The local switching area is built up of up to 16 sites including a hub-BTS
(packet Abis over TDM) and is identified by the packet Abis BCF group ID
(PABGID)
• Any two local switching areas must not overlap with each other, i.e. a site
cannot belong to any two local switching areas
• Speech data of locally switched calls is transported between the involved
sites without engaging a BSC
• Signalling/PS data is managed in a ‘traditional way’ irrespectively of the
local switching functionality

Feature Details
(2/2)
• In case of the intra-BCF local switching the area consists of a single
BCF only
• In case of the inter-BCF local switching the area consists of few BCFs,
out of which one must operate as a hub-BTS (packet Abis over TDM)
Each BCF
creates a LS
area PABGID = 0
Local switching areas with

inter-BCF local switching
PABGID = 0
Local switching area
PABGID = 0 with intra-BCF locally
PABGID = 0 PABGID = 0 switched calls only Local switching area
with inter-BCF locally
switched calls
Local switching areas with Up to 16 BTSs in the LS
intra-BCF local switching only area including hub-BTS PABGID = 2
PABGID = 1
PABGID = 3

Feature Details
Hub-BTS
(1/3)
• Hub-BTS is a mandatory network element of the local switching with the
inter-BTS local switching and packet Abis over TDM
• The hub-BTS is a fully equipped BTS acting also as a site of the local
switching area with the IP forwarding functionalities
• The following IP forwarding functionalities are supported by the hub-BTS:
– Aggregating IP packets arriving from BTSs of the local switching area and
forwarding them outside to a BSC (non-locally switched calls) or inside to other
BTSs of the local switching area (locally switched calls)
– Receiving IP packets from the BSC and forwarding them to the BTSs of the
local switching area (non-locally switched calls)
– Handling IP packets from the BSC if they are dedicated for the hub-BTS
• The hub-BTS is not required in a configuration for the intra-BTS local
switching or with the packet Abis over Ethernet

Feature Details
Hub-BTS
(2/3)
• A hub-BTS is connected to a BSC with the packet Abis over TDM
• The same interface type, i.e. TDM, must be used between BTSs of a given
local switching area and the hub-BTS => mixture of the Ethernet/TDM
links is not allowed
• The hub-BTS connected to the BSC/BTSs stores a routing table, i.e. a list
of IP addresses assigned to BCFs of the local switching area and their
corresponding ML-PPP bundles => the routing table is created according
to the content of the SCF (Site Commissioning File) file sent by a BSC to
the hub-BTS

Feature Details
Hub-BTS
(3/3)
• Hub-BTS configuration with the packet Abis over TDM
• Up to 8 HDLC links can 192.168.0.103 ML-PPP(4) SCF file loaded
to the hub-BTS
be configured in a Synchronisation
recovery
192.168.0.101 ML-PPP(3)
by the BSC
192.168.0.100 ML-PPP(2)
single ML-PPP bundle ML-PPP bundle
ML-PPP bundle
• Up to 68 HDLC links
HDLC(1)
(due to memory ML-PPP
HDLC(2)
HDLC(1)
ML-PPP HDLC(1)
HDLC(5) (1) (3)
limitations) can be HDLC(3)
HDLC(3) HDLC(3)
configured in total for all BTS1

Packet Abis over TDM 192.168.0.101
ML-PPP bundles (in a BSC
Packet Abis hub-BTS
over TDM Grooming @ BTS2 => BTS2 and
hub-BTS) 192.168.0.y 192.168.0.102
BTS3 connected to the hub-BTS
ML
on a single E1/T1 interface, but
• Up to 16 ML-PPP
HD
-P
HD
Each E1/T1 line is mapped with direct ML-PPP bundles
LC
PP -PPP
LC
to a HDLC link
(6
bundles can be served
M (4)
(2
bu
M (2)
)
L
Few HDLC links are Pa
)
ML-PPP bundle
L-
nd
by the hub-BTS bundled in a single ML- ck
PP
le
et
PPP bundle
P H
Ab ML-PPP
• Up to 8 E1/T1 lines HDLC(6) (4) HDLC(6)
HD
is
ov
DL
L C(
er
terminated at a hub-
C(
6)
TSLx TSLx
2)
TD
… HDLC(2)
BTS2 BTS3
BTS call 1
M
…
192.168.0.100 192.168.0.103
TSLy TSLy

Feature Details
Local Switching with Packet Abis over
Ethernet
• In case of the packet Abis over Ethernet each BTS (BCF) of the local
switching area has a list of other BCFs located in the same local switching
area and IP addresses associated with the particular BCFs
• The hub-BTS is not needed as each local BCF is aware of other local
BCFs belonging to the same local switching area according to the list

Feature Details
Local Switching with Packet Abis over
Ethernet
• Local switching area configuration with the packet Abis over Ethernet
BTS2 192.168.0.100*
Packet Abis over

Ethernet
Packet Abis over
Ethernet
call 1
call 2
call 2
IP network call 3
call 3 BTS1
192.168.0.101
cal
BSC l1
Pac
192.168.0.y ket
A
Eth bis o
er n v
et er
White-list of BCF IDs BTS2

and IP addresses 192.168.0.100
exchanged inside LSA
Synchronisation
BTS1 192.168.0.101 recovery
*
* - CS U-plane IP addresses

Feature Details
Lawful
Interception
• The operator may request to intercept also locally switched calls
• A BSC contains a database with up to 150 000 records with MSISDN
numbers of subscribers to be intercepted
• During the local call detection procedure the BSC sniffs the MSISDN of
the MS originating or terminating the call from the DTAP signalling
messages
• If the match is found in the database the locally switched call is to be
intercepted:
– The local switching is disabled for the call being established or…
– … the call is locally switched (to maintain the same user perception in terms of
the end-to-end speech delay), but copies of the locally switched speech frames
are sent to MSC via BSC and TCSM/MGW
• => the behaviour depends on the BSS database parameter settings (see
slide 55)

Feature Details
TrFO with Local Switching
(1/4)
• In general, TrFO (Trans-coder Free Operation) is a functionality allowing for
transmission of speech frames between MSs without trans-coding at MGW
when the same codec type is used by MSs at both connection ends
• The differences between the TrFO and TFO* (Tandem Free Operation) are:
– TrFO employs an out-of-band signalling whereas the TFO operates with an in-band
signalling (some bits in speech frames are stolen to convey signalling)
– TrFO is executed with the A over IP and trans-coding done at MGW (core side)
whereas TFO runs when trans-coding is done at TCSM (BSS side)
– A call setup is completed after the codec negotiation by TrFO is finished => extra
delay (to be measured in tests) in a call setup procedure is expected; the codec
negotiation by TFO is started just after the call setup is completed => no extra
delays
– With TrFO only radio codec + header bits are transmitted => bandwidth savings;
with TFO also G.711 bits are transmitted on the MSB (Most Significant Bits) bits =>
no bandwidth savings
• For more details please refer to NEI BSS21341 ”A over IP”
* - see BSS14 NEI slides ”AMR Wideband & TFO” (BSS20960, BSS21118)
https://sharenet-ims.inside.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/Download/409226619

Feature Details
(2/4)
• Due to the fact that local switching calls are established directly between
the BTSs without involving trans-coders the TrFO operation is the only
option for the locally switched calls, i.e. there is no room for trans-coding
functionalities in the local switching transmission chain
• TrFO negotiation is done between the involved BCSUs (not in MGW)
• Therefore, the same speech codec type and the same active codec set
(in case of AMR) must be applied to both connection ends to successfully
establish a locally switched call
• The following speech codec types are supported with the local switching:
EFR, FR, HR, AMR-NB FR, AMR-NB HR and AMR-WB
• The same codec type must be used in DL and UL directions
• Link adaptation (in case of AMR) is done considering radio conditions at
both connection ends => the worse radio conditions forces the use of
more robust codec mode

Feature Details
(3/4)
• The only supported AMR-NB codec modes are 4.75, 5.9, 7.4 and 12.2 kbps
(the ”Config-NB-Code-1” codec modes configuration):
– If other codec modes are configured at the connection ends the TrFO is not
possible => the establishment of the locally switched call is not possible
– TrFO is possible on a locally switched call with AMR-NB codec modes operating in
FR at one connection end and in HR mode at another connection end as long as
4.75, 5.9 and 7.4 kbps codec modes are on-air => AMR packing/unpacking can
work with the locally switched calls
• Before a locally switched call is established between two MSs served by
BTS(s) of the local switching area, BCSUs serving the involved BTSs
exchange information on supported speech codec types based on MS
preference and BTS capability:
– If a common codec type is found, then the local switching is possible
– If a common codec type is not found, then the call is established without local
switching

Feature Details
MS1BTS1 (AMR MS2BTS2 (AMR
TrFO with Local Switching FR) HR)
(4/4) ACS: 4.75, 5.9, 7.4, 12.2 ACS: 4.75, 5.9, 7.4
MS1MS2
encoding
common ACS: 4.75, 5.9, 7.4
local switching ok FR-HR matching
MS1 MS2BTS2 (AMR

MS1BTS1 (EFR)
FR, EFR)
BTS1
EFR ACS: 4.75, 5.9, 7.4, 12.2
decoding IP network
MS1MS2
EFR
Codec type optimisation with the
BSC local switching ok channel mode modify procedure, i.e.
MS2 AMR changed to EFR
BTS2 max. 12.65* kbps + IP overhead
MS2BTS2 (AMR
* - AMR-WB source bit rate of the least robust codec mode MS1BTS1 (EFR)
HR)
EFR ACS: 4.75, 5.9, 7.4
An operator must configure the same

MS1 does not MS1MS2
AMR codec mode sets in all BTSs of the support AMR
not found
local switching area local switching nok
Load conditions forces
use of AMR-HR

Feature Details
Congestion
Control
• In principle, the congestion control mechanisms for the local switching act in the
same way as in a ‘classical’ packet Abis network as described in the NEI for Packet
Abis
• The BTSBSC connections are monitored for the congestion => locally switched
calls are not taken into account in BU (Bandwidth Utilisation)/PL (Packet Loss)
evaluation
• PL evaluation is done based on PS/CS traffic exchanged with the BSC
• Local switching with the packet Abis over TDM: a hub-BTS can indicate a
congestion situation to a BSC on the hub-BTSBSC interface:
– The BSC replies to all local BTSs => the congestion control mechanisms affect all the
local BTSs even if some of them do not really experience a congestion situation =>
voice quality is compromised in the whole local switching area
• Local switching with the packet Abis over Ethernet: any local BTS can indicate a
congestion situation
• The TX queues handling is done as described in the NEI for Packet Abis with the
only difference:
– C- and M-plane packets forwarded to the local BTSs are never dropped
Feature Details
Handovers
(1/3)
• Intra-cell HO => 3 cases are distinguished:
– Between TRXs belonging to the same cell represented by the BTS object =>
local switching is supported after the HO
– Between TRXs represented by different BTS objects, but belonging to the same
cell represented by the SEG and BCF object => local switching is supported
after the HO
– Between TRXs represented by different BTS and BCF objects, but belonging to
the same cell represented by the SEG object (multi-BCF) => local switching is
supported after the HO if the BCFs belong to the same local switching area
intra-cell HO inside BTS intra-cell HO inside BCF intra-cell HO between BCFs
local switching NOT local switching NOT local switching NOT released if
released released BCFs are in the same LS area
SEG-1 BTS-1 BCF-1 SEG-1 BTS-1 BCF-1

BTS-1 BCF-1
BTS-2 BCF-1 BTS-2 BCF-2
Feature Details
Handovers
(2/3)
• Inter-cell internal BSC HO:
– Local switching is supported after the HO if the cells belong to the same local
switching area
• Inter-cell external HO:
– Local switching is released after the HO
inter-cell HO between BCFs

local switching NOT released if inter-cell HO between BCFs
BCFs are in the same LS area local switching released
SEG-1 BTS-1 BCF-2 BCF-1 BCF-1

BTS-1 BCF-1
BTS-2 BCF-3

Feature Details
Handovers
(3/3)
• When selecting a target channel, if possible, a BSC selects a channel of
the same type and codec (in case of AMR) as used in a source channel
• Local switching is signalled to the target cell by sending the new local
switching IE in the CHANNEL ACTIVATION message
• Also the new IP address and the UDP port number of the target cell are
signalled in the CHANNEL ACTIVATION message

Feature Details
Local Switching
Release
• Local switching is released in the following cases:
– External inter-cell HO (inter-cell HO between cells belonging to different BCSs)
– Internal inter-cell HO to a cell configured in a different local switching area
– Intra-cell HO to a BCF configured in a different local switching area (multi-BCF)
– Supplementary services are activated during an on-going call (call holding,
multi-party connection, explicit call transfer and cellular text telephone modem)
even if the services refer to subscribers from the same local switching area
– Codec mismatch after any handover was completed
• => the call continues with speech frames transferred to MSC via BSC and
TCSM/MGW
• => the call never becomes locally switched again if local switching once
released
Local switching release may cause audible effects on voice quality due to an
additional delay, especially in the case with the satellite backhaul
Feature Details
Application Scenarios
(1/3)
• Connection of small/medium and isolated towns/villages to a GSM network, which
are not reachable with landline transmission (microwave link difficult or not possible
at all) and the only alternative is a satellite Abis
• Voice traffic is a dominant service and majority of calls is established locally
Savings on satellite Lower load on

links due to lower Ethernet link
Abis utilisation towards BSC
Isolated area – small/medium town

BTS BTS
BTS
IP network
BTS
BTS hub-BTS BSC BTS
BTS
Packet Abis over TDM Packet Abis over Ethernet BTS
BTS Local switching area Local switching area BTS

Feature Details
(2/3)
• Serving large traffic generated mostly among subscribers located, e.g. in the same
office, campus or area
• Local switching areas typically consisting of a single site
Local switching area
Traffic switched Lower load on

locally in a site Lower load on TDM Ethernet link
link towards BSC towards BSC
Traffic switched
locally in a site
BTS
BTS IP network
The case is justified if it leads
to a reduction of PCM lines!
BSC
BTS Packet Abis over TDM Packet Abis over Ethernet

BTS
Local switching area Local switching area

Feature Details
(3/3)
• Increasing PS capacity on the Abis interface serving an isolated area, especially
over satellite, without the need to extend Abis capacity => locally switched traffic
does not require Abis resources => the released Abis resources can be utilised in a
different way, e.g. to increase bandwidth for PS services
• The majority of calls is established locally
Locally established Locally switched calls
PS traffic generated by
calls are switched are not put to Abis =>
subscribers increases
by the hub-BTS more room for PS calls
BTS
BTS
BTS hub-BTS BSC
BTS
BTS Local switching area

Feature Details
Benefit
s
• Reduction of Abis transmission costs (OPEX) in an operator’s network:
– Potential savings particularly significant in case of satellite links, which are very
expensive
– Possibility of deploying coverage for remote communities with low ARPU at a reasonable
price where the only option is to use the Abis satellite links
– Option to introduce new features or expand capacity of base stations without expanding
the backhaul
• Improved speech quality by:
– Shorter transmission delays, especially in case of a satellite backhaul
– No trans-coding due to removal of trans-coders from the transmission path => trans-
coder free operation (TrFO) is applied
• Bandwidth savings on A interface, but only with the A over IP with trans-coder (TC)
in media gateway (MGW)
Transmission is the main priority for operators in emerging markets. Transmission costs
from a BTS to a BSC, either over satellite or terrestrial leased line, makes up a large
percentage of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a GSM site.

Impact on Planning and Dimensioning

Impact on Planning and Dimensioning (1/11)
Summary
Interfac Realisation Connection Savings
e
Packet Abis There are savings – see the next slides
Abis over TDM/Eth BTSBSC
BSCTCSM ”Empty” speech frames are transmitted to keep the connection

Ater TDM alive => no savings
BSCMGW
Only SID frames are sent to MGW every 160 ms for AMR-NB and
BSCMGW AMR-WB and every 480 ms for remaining codec types to keep the
connection alive => there are savings – see slide 49
IP flows are transmitted to keep the connection alive => no
savings:
over IP
 SID frames are sent to MGW every 160 ms for AMR-NB and
A TCSMMGW AMR-WB and every 480 ms for remaining codec types
 NoData frames for AMR-NB and AMR-WB and speech frames
with the BFI (Bad Frame Indicator) set are sent for the remaining
codec types
”Empty” speech frames are transmitted to keep the connection

TDM TCSMMGW alive => no savings
Local switching aims at bandwidth savings on Abis! The savings on other interfaces should be
considered as a nice side-effect, but not as a reason for the feature introduction!

Packet Abis Calculator for Local
Switching
• The Packet Abis Calculator (the Local Switching sheet) can be used to
evaluate the local switching in terms of:
– the Abis bandwidth utilisation
– the required number of E1 lines (packet Abis over TDM variant) between a hub-
BTS and BSC (inter-site local switching)..
– …or between BTS and BSC (intra-site local switching) for different percentages of
locally switched calls
• The next slides contain work instructions, i.e. step-by-step description how to
use the tool, and examples of calculation results for different modes of local
switching and packet Abis realisations (over Ethernet or TDM)

Inputs
Impact on Planning and Dimensioning (3/11) 8) Specify the voice and
codec distribution
1) Select the LS mode: inter-site

with packet Abis over Eth (LS 9) Press Calculate
over Eth), over TDM (LS over
TDM), intra-site with packet
Abis over Eth (ISS over Eth),
over TDM (ISS over TDM)
2) Decide on the number of site

configurations that are
foreseen for the LS area – they
are created immediately for
providing further input
3) Select the configuration

representing the hub-BTS (only
in case of inter-site LS over
TDM)
4) Specify the percentage of

locally switched calls
5) Specify the number of sites for

each configuration; for the
configuration representing the
hub-BTS only a single site can
be specified (the value is hard-
coded); the number of sites
over all configurations cannot
exceed 16
6) Specify the number of TRXs for

each site configuration
7) Specify other parameters for each site
configuration, in the load mode a user can
type in directly the amount of traffic in Erlangs
irrespective the voice distribution input
Outputs – Inter-
Local Switching for Packet Abis Site Local
Impact on Planning and Dimensioning (4/11) Switching
1) Total amount of traffic served
per site and by all sites of the
given site configuration
2) Required bandwidth per site

of a local switching area
towards BSC and the
required number of E1s (in
case of packet Abis over
TDM) towards the hub-BTS
(inter-site local switching)
6) If the required number of E1

lines in the hub-BTS (packet
Abis over TDM) exceeds 8 a
warning is issued – such the
configuration of the inter-site
local switching is not feasible
3) Total bandwidth 4) Total bandwidth

required towards BSC 4) The required number of E1 lines 5) The required number of E1 lines
required towards BSC
from all sites without towards BSC for all sites without towards BSC for all sites with
from all sites with inter-
inter-site local switching inter-site local switching (in case inter-site local switching (in case
site local switching
of packet Abis over TDM) of packet Abis over TDM)
Outputs – Intra-
Local Switching for Packet Abis Site Local
Impact on Planning and Dimensioning (5/11) Switching

towards a BSC and the
TDM) towards the BSC
without intra-site local
switching

towards a BSC and the
TDM) towards the BSC with
intra-site local switching
3) Application of intra-site local

switching is recommended if
the number of E1 lines
towards BSC is reduced (in
TDM)
4) With a single E1 line towards

BSC (in case of packet Abis
over TDM) application of the
intra-site local switching
makes no sense

Inter-Site Local Switching with Packet Abis over
Ethernet
- without local switching
- with local switching
Assumptions:
• Estimated bandwidth refers to required bandwidth
between BTSs and a BSC
• For 2/2/2 and 4/4/4 16 BTSs in a local switching
area, for 8/8/8 8 BTSs in a local switching area (to
save computation time)
• Up to 30% HR, no PS data

Ethernet
Locally switched calls are switched
outside the IP network managed by Locally switched calls are
an ISP => bandwidth savings seen switched between ports of the
L2 switch SFP* link in FIYA/FIQA
in the IP network provided by the switch without affecting the IP
ISP => savings in € network provided by the ISP
L2 switch
Local BTS Local BTS
SFP link in FIYA/FIQA

Edge node
ISP ISP
Local BTS Local BTS
L2 switch IP network SFP link in FIYA/FIQA
IP network
Edge node Edge node 1GB Ethernet switch
L2 switch Local BTS
Local BTS
Edge node supporting fibre optic
BSC
SFP link in FIYA/FIQA
L2 switch
Local BTS Only non-locally switched Local BTS

calls are transferred by the IP Examples of network architecture
network provided by the ISP for local switching
Local switching area Local switching area
To achieve bandwidth and OPEX savings in Ethernet network provided by an ISP

locally switched calls must be switched outside the network managed by the ISP
* - the small form-factor pluggable (SFP) is a hot-pluggable transceiver; it can be used in L2/L3 equipment to support fibre optic links
TDM

- max number of sites in a LS area
Assumptions:
With the increasing penetration of LS calls the size of

the local switching area can be increased to the upper
limit of 8 E1 lines served by the hub-BTS

Intra-Site Local Switching with Packet Abis over
Ethernet
Assumptions:
• Estimated bandwidth refers to required bandwidth
between a BTS and a BSC

Intra-Site Local Switching with Packet Abis over
TDM
intra-site local switching intra-site local switching

not applicable – there is no not applicable – there is no
room for E1 lines reduction room for E1 lines reduction

Application of intra-site local switching
- with local switching (TDM) makes sense for certain LS calls
penetrations and site configurations
Assumptions:
With the increasing penetration of LS calls the number of

E1 lines between a BTS and a BSC can be reduced from,
e.g. 2 to 1. For the taken assumptions this is possible
starting with the 7/7/7 TRX configuration in a site.

A
Interface
• The maximum bandwidth saving on the A interface over IP (BSCMGW)
is a sum of bandwidth savings of local switching areas connected to a
MGW:
BWsavings  A   BWsavings  lsa 

lsa
• lsa – local switching area => BW(lsa) – bandwidth saving of the local switching area lsa connected to the MGW
• A – A interface => BW(A) – bandwidth saving on the A interface
The maximum bandwidth savings on the A interface are reached when traffic
distributions in local switching areas are identical. In practice, this assumption may
not be satisfied, so the actual savings may be lower.

Feature Dependencies

Packet Abis (RG20,
BSS21321)
• Packet Abis over Ethernet or Packet Abis over TDM is a prerequisite for the local
switching feature
DTM
• If an MS with an on-going locally switched call requests a DTM connection, an

intra-cell HO is done to a packet territory (both CS and PS parts), but the local
switching is maintained on the CS part after the handover
• The same holds for the DTM connection requested by SGSN to the MS with the
on-going locally switched call => the local switching is maintained
• The local switching is also maintained in case of BSC or PCU initiated intra-cell
and internal inter-cell HOs causing the DTM reallocation
• The local switching is also maintained when the DTM is released => an intra-cell
HO is done to the CS territory

Other
Dependencies
• For the capability of the local call detection the User-User Signalling
(UUS) core feature (TS 22.087) must be activated

Database Parameters

Database Parameters
New
New parameters
parameters
(1/2)
packetAbisBcfGroupId Packet Abis BCF Group ID
object: BCF The parameter defines the identifier of the BCF group. The BCF group delimits a group of BTSs
unit: none (BCFs) among which local switching is possible, i.e. among all BTSs (BCFs) having the same value
of the identifier assigned. The maximum number of BTSs (BCFs) in the BCF group is 16. There are
range: 0..3000 two special settings: PABGID = 65535 to indicate that local switching is not in use for the BCF and
step: 1 PABGID = 0 to indicate that only intra-BCF local switching is possible for the BCF, i.e. the LS area
default: 65535 contains that specific BCF only. The first valid BCF group value indicating a real LS area, i.e. a
group of BCFs among which local switching is possible, is 1.
MML commands: EFC, EFM, EFO
Note: If more BCFs are configured with the PABGID set to the special values 0 or 65535, this does
MML abbreviated name: PABGID not mean that they belong to the same LS area. The parameter is valid only if the Abis interface
connection type (AICT) is other than Legacy Abis.
N/A List of Subscribers to Intercept
object: N/A A list containing MSISDN numbers of subscribers to be intercepted in a core network is provided to a
unit: none BSC by an operator. Up to 150000 numbers can be saved to the BSC.
range: N/A
step: N/A
default: N/A
MML commands: N/A
MML abbreviated name: N/A
MML commands (examples):

Database Parameters
New parameters
(2/2)
lsEnabledInterceptedCalls Local Switching Enabled for Intercepted Calls
object: BSC The parameter defines whether the local switching should be disabled or enabled for calls under the
unit: none lawful interception. If the parameter is set to false, the calls to be intercepted are not locally switched
even if possible, i.e. they go through the whole transmission path via BSC, TRAU/MGW and MSC. If
range: [true, false] the parameter is set true, the calls to be intercepted are locally switched (if possible), but copies of
step: none locally switched speech frames are sent to the MSC via BSC and TRAU/MGW.
default: false
MML commands: EEM, EEO
MML abbreviated name: LSEIC
abisInterfaceConnectionType Abis Interface Connection Type
object: BCF The new setting is used for a BTS (BCF) connected through the packet Abis over TDM to a BSC.
unit: none The BTS acts in this case as a hub-BTS for the inter-BTS local switching for the packet Abis over
TDM. The new setting is applicable to the hub-BTSBSC connection only.
range: [Packet Abis Over TDM, Packet Abis
Over Ethernet, Legacy Abis, Packet Abis over If the local switching area is defined for a group of BTSs (BCFs) connected through the packet Abis
TDM (Hub BTS)] over TDM, the Abis interface connection type parameter should be set to “Packet Abis over TDM
(Hub BTS)” for the BTS acting as the hub-BTS. In this case the PABGID parameter must be
step: none specified for the hub-BTS.
default: Legacy Abis If only the intra-BTS (intra-BCF) local switching is enabled for a BTS connected through the packet
MML commands: EFC, EFM, EFO Abis over TDM, there is no need to configure a hub-BTS and the Abis interface connection type
MML abbreviated name: AICT parameter should be set to “Packet Abis over TDM”.
If the Abis Interface Connection Type parameter is set either to Packet Abis over TDM or to Packet
Abis over TDM (Hub BTS) the HDLC parameters must be specified
MML commands (examples):

Performance Measurements

New counters
(1/9)
Counter name Description
001274: Number of successful mobile originated speech calls, which have established a locally switched speech
MO_LS_CALL_SUCC path.
(1 Traffic Measurement) Trigger event:
When local switching establishment is successful for mobile originated calls.
001275: Number of successful mobile terminated speech calls, which have established a locally switched speech
MT_LS_CALL_SUCC path.
When local switching establishment is successful for mobile terminated calls.
Use case:
To observe ratio of calls established locally – aggregated over the local switching area (trf_1002)
 MO _ LS _ CALL _ SUCC   MT _ LS _ CALL _ SUCC
BTS ( lsa ) BTS ( lsa )
trf_1002  100
 SUCC_TCH_SEIZ_CALL_ATTEMPT
BTS ( lsa )
…or per BTS (with the distinction of MOC (moc_1000) and MTC (mtc_1000) calls established locally):
MO _ LS _ CALL _ SUCC
moc_1000  100
SUCC_TCH_SEIZ_CALL_ATTEMPT
MT _ LS _ CALL _ SUCC
mtc_1000  100

New counters
(2/9)
001276: Number of unsuccessful establishments of locally switched calls due to different speech codec types on
LS_ESTAB_UNSUCC_DUE_ local call peers
CODEC Trigger event:
(1 Traffic Measurement) Updated after a TCH allocation, when local switching cannot be established because of mismatch
between chosen codec and codec used by peer.
Use case:
To observe ratio of calls not established locally due to codec mismatch between the involved terminals
localised in the local switching area – aggregated over the local switching area:
 LS_ESTAB_U NSUCC_DUE_CODEC
BTS ( lsa )
Calls _ not _ est _ locally _ codec _ mismatch[%]  100
 SUCC_TCH_SEIZ_CALL_ATTEMPT
BTS ( lsa )
…or per BTS (csf_1000):

LS_ESTAB_U NSUCC_DUE_CODEC
csf_1000  100

New counters
(3/9)
001277: Number of releases of local switching due to an inter-cell handover outside a LS Area
LS_REL_DUE_INTER_HO_OUT_LS Trigger event:
(1 Traffic Measurement) When the inter-cell handover is triggered outside the LS area for a locally switched call. This is updated
before a handover command is sent to mobile.
Use case:
To observe ratio of local switching releases due to inter-cell HO outside the local switching area –
aggregated over the local switching area (dcr_1000):
 LS_REL _ DUE_INTER_HO_OUT_LS
BTS ( lsa )
dcr_1000  100
…or per BTS

LS_REL _ DUE_INTER_HO_OUT_LS
LS _ released_i nternal_HO _ BTS [%]  100
MO _ LS _ CALL _ SUCC  MT _ LS _ CALL _ SUCC

New counters
(4/9)
001278: Number of releases of local switching due to an external handover

LS_REL_DUE_EXTERNAL_HO Trigger event:
(1 Traffic Measurement) When an inter-BSC handover is triggered for a locally switched call. This is updated before a handover
command is sent to mobile.
Use case:
To observe ratio of local switching releases due to external HO (to another BSC) – aggregated over the
local switching area (dcr_1001)
 LS_REL _ DUE_EXTERNAL_HO
BTS ( lsa )
dcr_1001  100
…or per BTS

LS_REL _ DUE_EXTERNAL _ HO
LS_release d_external_HO _ BTS [%]  100
MO _ LS _ CALL _ SUCC  MT _ LS _ CALL _ SUCC

New counters
(5/9)
001279: Number of releases of local switching due to establishment of supplementary services, which require
LS_REL_DUE_SUPPL_SERV_ESTAB speech path control of an MSC
When local-switching is released due to the start of supplementary services.
Use case:
To observe ratio of local switching releases due to establishment of supplementary services –
aggregated over the local switching area (dcr_1002):
dcr_1002 
 LS_REL _ DUE_SUPPL _ SERV_ESTAB
BTS ( lsa )
 100

New counters The new measurement ‘132 Local Switching Traffic’ monitors
CS U-plane RTP and UDP packets for each BTS configured
(6/9) in a LS area. The object level is a LS peer BCF.
132000: Number of DL RTP packets containing TRAU frames of the CS U-plane, which have been successfully
CS_U_PLN_RTP_PACKT_REC_LSBTS received from a LS peer BCF, including packets received on time, too late and too early.
(132 Local Switching Traffic) Trigger event:
Each time the DL RTP packet containing the TRAU frame of the CS U-plane from the LS peer BCF is
received at a base station regardless it is received on time, too early or too late.
132001: Number of DL RTP packets containing TRAU frames of the CS U-plane, which are missing or lost.
CS_U_PLN_RTP_PACKT_LOST_LSBTS Trigger event:
(132 Local Switching Traffic) Each time the next sequence number is missing from the RTP packet received from a peer BTS. If the
gap in the RTP sequence numbers is smaller than a threshold value (100), then the counter is
incremented by the amount of missing RTP packets. If the gap in the RTP sequence numbers is greater
than or equal to the threshold value (100), then it is interpreted as a jump in the RTP sequence number.
Use case:
To measure packet loss rate of locally switched calls in DL from a peer BTS
LS _ DL _ packet _ loss _ rate [%] 
CS_U_PLN_RTP_PACKT_L OST_LSBTS
 100
CS_U_PLN_RTP_PACKT_R EC_LSBTS  CS_U_PLN_RTP_PACKT_L OST_LSBTS

132002: Number of DL RTP packets containing TRAU frames of the CS U-plane received from a LS peer BCF
CS_U_PLN_RTP_TOO_LATE_LSBTS too late according to the timestamp of the RTP packet.
Updated when the RTP packet arrives but a processing window of the packet already elapsed.
132003: Number of DL RTP packets containing TRAU frames of the CS U-plane received from a LS peer BCF
CS_U_PLN_RTP_TOO_EARLY_LSBTS too early according to the timestamp of the RTP packet.
Updated when the RTP packet arrives but there is no room in the de-jitter buffer to process the packet.
Use case:
To measure packet loss rate for locally switched calls from a peer BTS due to improper configuration a
de-jitter buffer in DL
LS _ DL _ packet _ loss _ rate _ due _ to _ dejitter [%] 
CS_U_PLN_RTP_TOO_LAT E_LSBTS  CS_U_PLN_RTP_TOO_EARLY_LSBTS
 100
CS_U_PLN_RTP_PACKT_R EC_LSBTS

132004: Number of UL RTP packets containing TRAU frames of the CS U-plane sent to a LS peer BCF
CS_U_PLN_RTP_PACKT_SENT_LSBTS Trigger event:
(132 Local Switching Traffic) Each time the UL RTP packet containing the TRAU frame of the CS U-plane is sent to another LS peer
BCF.
132005: Number of DL UDP packets containing NSN (a proprietary format) multiplexed RTP packets (p-RTP) of
CS_U_PLN_UDP_PACKT_REC_LSBTS the CS U-plane successfully received at a BCF from a LS peer BCF.
Each time the DL p-RTP packet of the CS U-plane from the LS peer BCF is received at a base station.
132007: Number of DL octets received at a BCF from a LS peer BCF within UDP packets containing NSN
CS_U_PLN_UDP_OCTET_REC_LSBTS multiplexed RTP packets (p-RTP) of the CS U-plane. Framing characters are included. Unit is kB.
Each time the DL octet of the CS U-plane from the LS peer BCF is received at a base station.
Use case:
To measure the average UDP packet size in DL of locally switched calls in kB
CS_U_PLN_UDP_OCTET_REC_LSBTS
LS _ DL _ UDP _ packet _ size [ kB] 
CS_U_PLN_UDP_PACKT_R EC_LSBTS

132006: Number of UL UDP packets containing NSN (a proprietary format) multiplexed RTP packets (p-RTP) of
CS_U_PLN_UDP_PACKT_SENT_LSBTS CS U-plane sent from a BCF to a LS peer BCF.
Each time the UL p-RTP packet of the CS U-plane is sent to another LS peer BCF.
132008: Number of UL octets sent from a BCF to a LS peer BCF within UDP packets containing NSN multiplexed
CS_U_PLN_UDP_OCTET_SENT_LSBTS RTP packets (p-RTP) of the CS U-plane. Framing characters are included. Unit is kB
Each time the UL octet of the CS U-plane is sent from a BCF to another LS peer BCF.
Use case:
To measure the average UDP packet size in UL of locally switched calls in kB
CS_U_PLN_UDP_OCTET_SENT_LSBTS
LS _ DL _ UDP _ packet _ size [ kB] 
CS_U_PLN_UDP_PACKT_S ENT_LSBTS

Feature Impact Analysis & Verification

Feature Impact Analysis & Verification (1/6)
Feature impact How to measure?
Feature works on a Counters:

configured local switching  001274 (MO_LS_CALL_SUCC) and
area.
 001275 (MT_LS_CALL_SUCC)
Both counters should have non-zero values after a sufficiently long observation period, e.g.
Local switching area includes one day. These are absolute values not giving information on rate of calls established locally.
cells, among which the locally This disadvantage is reconciled by the KPI shown below.
switched calls are frequently
established. KPIs:
 Percentage of calls established locally (aggregated over the local switching area):
In each cell a significant trf_1002
portion of calls (incoming and
outgoing) should be
established locally.  Percentage of incoming (MTC) and outgoing (MOC) calls established locally (measured on
the level of the BTS belonging to the local switching area)
mtc_1000
moc_1000
The low percentage of locally switched calls may indicate that the local switching area is
incorrectly designed, i.e. it may not include cells between which locally switched calls are
frequently established.

Codec types/modes are Counters:

aligned in cells of a local  001276 (LS_ESTAB_UNSUCC_DUE_CODEC)
switching area, so TrFO can
work efficiently, i.e. a If codec types are aligned among cells of the local switching area, the counter should have a
common codec type can be small value. This is an absolute value not giving information on rate of calls not established
found between to MSs locally due to codec type mismatch. This disadvantage is reconciled by the KPI shown below.
establishing a locally KPIs:
switched call.  Percentage of calls not established locally due to codec mismatch (aggregated over the
local switching area):
If the common codec type is
not found the call is Calls _ not _ est _ locally _ codec _ mismatch [%]
established normally without
local switching.  Percentage of calls not established locally due to codec mismatch (measured on the level
of the BTS belonging to the local switching area):
Also the KPIs presented on csf_1000
the previous slide
demonstrates a lower rate of
calls established locally,  The high percentage may indicate that codec types in cells of the local switching area are
although the local switching not aligned and, as a result, TrFO works inefficiently. In an ideal case the percentage should
area is correctly designed. be low (near zero). This KPI may also indicate the need for corrections in ACSs of BTSs
belonging to the local switching area if AMR codec type is in use and the percentage is high.

During internal HOs within a Counters:

local switching area a locally  001277 (LS_REL_DUE_INTER_HO_OUT_LS)
switched call is maintained.
 001278 (LS_REL_DUE_EXTERNAL_HO)
If internal HOs are mostly done between cells of the same local switching area, the counter
If a local switching area is should have a small value. This is an absolute value not giving information on rate of local
incorrectly designed, i.e. it switching releases due to an internal HO to a cell outside the local switching area. This
does not contain cells disadvantage is reconciled by the KPI shown below.
between which handovers
are frequently done, a local KPIs:
switching is released  Percentage of local switching releases during internal/external HOs (aggregated over the
The local switching can also local switching area):
be released during the dcr_1000 dcr_1001
internal HO if TrFO cannot be
established, i.e. supported
codec types in cells of a local  Percentage of local switching releases during internal/external HOs (measured on the level
switching area mismatch of the local switching area):
LS _ released_i nternal_HO _ BTS [%] LS _ released_external_HO _ BTS [%]
The high percentage indicates that the local switching area is not properly designed, i.e. it
does not contain cells between which HOs are frequently performed. These KPIs are inputs
for re-planning of the local switching area. If a local switching area is correctly designed the
percentages should be low.

If during a locally switched Counters:

call a supplementary service  001279 (LS_REL_DUE_SUPPL_SERV_ESTAB)
is established the local
switching is released. KPIs:
The local switching feature is  Percentage of local switching releases due to a supplementary service setup (measured on
designated for basic peer-to- the level of the local switching area):
peer voice calls without
supplementary services. Calls_rele ased_supl [%]

Quality of locally switched Counters:

calls should be monitored.  132000 (CS_U_PLN_RTP_PACKT_REC_LSBTS)
The high packet loss rate  132001 (CS_U_PLN_RTP_PACKT_LOST_LSBTS)
may indicate network
congestion in its part serving KPIs:
a local switching area.  Packet loss rate in DL for locally switched calls
However, the network
congestion may not
LS _ DL _ packet _ loss _ rate [%]
necessarily take place on a
route to a BSC at the same
time.
Length of a de-jitter buffer Counters:

impacts PDV (Packet Delay  132002 (CS_U_PLN_RTP_TOO_LATE_LSBTS)
Variation). If the buffer is too
short, the PDV goes down,  132003 (CS_U_PLN_RTP_TOO_EARLY_LSBTS)
but the incoming packets KPIs:
may be rejected, because  Packet loss rate in DL for locally switched calls due to de-jitter buffer
there is no room in the buffer.
If it is too long, then all
incoming packets can be
LS _ DL _ packet _ loss _ rate _ due _ to _ dejitter [%]
served, but the PDV
increases. Both cases lead to  The KPI may be useful to optimise the length of the de-jitter buffer to minimise the PDV.
quality degradation.

Locally switched calls are KPIs:

multiplexed (if originated and  Average UDP packet size in DL of locally switched calls in kB
terminated by the same local
BTSs) in a part of a network LS _ DL _ UDP _ packet _ size [kB ]
serving a local switching
area. The higher is the
multiplexing factor (the larger  Average UDP packet size in UL in the local switching area in kB
is a packet size), the greater
are bandwidth savings. LS _ UL _ UDP _ packet _ size [kB ]

References
• Local Switching for Packet Abis, BSS21327, BSC S15, Requirements
Specification, v.1.0.1, Timo Olkkonen, Outi Rissanen, Jarno Filipoff, Hannu
Makkonen
• Local Switching for Packet Abis, BSS21327, System Feature Specification, v.1.2.1,
Sergio Parolari
• Local Switching for Packet Abis, BSS21327, BSC S15, Implementation
Specification, v.0.0.1, Manoj R Nair, Sharath K
• Feature Description: BSS21436 Local Switching for Satellite Abis, BSS30370 Local
Switching for Terrestrial Abis
• 3GPP TS 48.008 version 8.7.0 Release 8 – Digital cellular telecommunications
system (Phase 2+); Mobile Switching Centre - Base Station system (MSC-BSS)
interface; Layer 3 specification

Backup

Feature Details
ML-PPP in Local Switching with Packet Abis over
TDM
• ML-PPP (Multi-Link Point-to-Point) layer 2 protocol is used to transport speech
data in the packet Abis over TDM variant:
– Inside a local switching area between two BTSs of a local switching area through a hub-
BTS for locally switched calls (inter-site local switching) => BTS1hub-BTSBTS2
– Between a BTS and a BSC through a hub-BTS for non-locally switched calls (intra-site
local switching) => BTS1hub-BTSBSC
– Between a BTS and a BSC for non-locally switched calls (intra-site local switching) =>
BTS1BSC
• Signalling data and PS traffic is always transmitted by the ML-PPP protocol to/from
the BSC irrespective of the local switching functionality
• As the maximum number of BTSs connected to the hub-BTS is 15 the maximum
number of ML-PPP bundles going through the hub-BTS is 16:
– Maximum 15 ML-PPP bundles to connect the hub-BTS with the local BTSs
– … + 1 ML-PPP bundle to connect the hub-BTS to the BSC
• There is a constant mapping between destination IP addresses contained in the IP
packets arriving at the hub-BTS and the ML-PPP bundles connecting the hub-BTS
with BTSs
Feature Details
Local Call Detection & Setup –
Phase 1
• Detection of a local call is based on sniffing/manipulation of the DTAP (Direct Transfer
Application Part) messages by a BSC:
– DTAP is used to transfer call control and mobility management messages between the MSC
and the MS at call setup
– Normally, the DTAP information in these messages is not interpreted by the BSS
• To check whether a call being established is a candidate for the local switching the
following steps are performed:
– BSC inserts a call identifier of an MS originating a call to the User-User IE (part of the DTAP
signalling)
– The call identifier is saved to the BSC lookup table
– The manipulated DTAP signalling is forwarded to MSC
– If the MS originating the call tries to establish the call with an MS served by the same BSC the
manipulated DTAP signalling containing the call identifier arrives back from the MSC at the
BSC
– BSC sniffs the call identifier from the manipulated DTAP signalling and compares it with call
identifiers saved to the BSC lookup table to check the connection being established was
started through the same BSC => if so, the local switching is possible
• At this point the call is not yet established => the local switching is to be tried out
Feature Details
Phase 2
• The MSs may be served by the same or different BCSUs
• The BCSUs serving the MSs make an exchange of lists of codec types they
support (FR, EFR, HR, AMR HR, AMR FR, AMR WB):
– RRM tries to allocate a common codec type to both connection ends, e.g. AMR
HRAMR HR, AMR HRAMR FR with the same source bit rate => the local
switching is possible
– Common codec type not found by the RRM => the local switching is not possible
and both connection ends operate with their preferred codec types
– The TrFO (Transcoder Free Operation) mechanism is responsible for the selection
of the common codec type (see the next slides)
• The BCSUs serving the MSs make an exchange of IP addresses of BTSs and
radio channel UDP ports, on which the TCH channel should be established:
– At this moment it is checked if the BTSs belong to the same local switching area =>
if this is a case, then the call is finally established with the local switching,
otherwise the call is connected without the local switching

Feature Details
Summary
BSC id BCSU counter*
index
insert MS1 call identifier to User-User
call identifier IE of DTAP protocol and save the call if the terminating MS is
identifier to BSC lookup table to be served by the same
BSC as the originating
MS the MSC sends the
BSC forward the manipulated manipulated DTAP back
BSC DTAP to MSC to the same BSC
lookup
call setup table
MS1 TRAU MSC
BTS1 BCSU1
call setup BCSU2
MS2
BTS2 if the match is found it sniff the call identifier from
Local switching area ID means MS1 tries to DTAP and, if present,
connect with the MS2 compare it with the call
served by the same BSC identifiers stored in the
BSC lookup table
BCSU1 and BCSU2
start establishment of remove the call identifier
local switching… from User-User IE (DTAP)
* - counter is incremented each time a new call is established to distinguish the calls established in the same BSC
Feature Details
Summary
BCSUs exchange information on

the supported codec types and
try to find a common codec type
the BCSUs exchange the IP
BSC addresses and radio channel
BSC UDP port numbers
lookup
table
MS1 TRAU MSC
BTS1 BCSU1
BCSU2
MS2
if the common codec type is
BTS2 found and both BTSs belong to
Local switching area ID the same local switching area the
call is finally switched locally

Feature Details
(3/3)
• In case of the packet Abis over Ethernet all BTSs of the local switching area must
belong to the same VLAN (Virtual LAN) network (apart from belonging to the same
local switching area)
• C/U-plane and M-plane can be handled by the same VLAN ID (no separation
between C/U- and M-planes) or separate VLAN IDs (general restriction of the
packet Abis feature)
192.168.0.108 192.168.0.106
Packet Abis over
PABGID = 2 IP network Ethernet
192.168.0.102
VLAN id = 11
VLAN id = 12
Packet Abis over BSC
Ethernet 192.168.0.101
192.168.0.107 C/U-plane
M-plane


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RG25 (BSS) Network Engineering Information

Local Switching for Packet Abis

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

• There are two main configurations of the local switching:

For internal use only

Packet Abis over

BSC TRAU MSC

• Intra-BCF local switching with the packet Abis over Ethernet

BSC TRAU MSC

BSC TRAU MSC

• Inter-BCF local switching with the packet Abis over TDM

hub-BTS BSC TRAU MSC

For internal use only

Local switching areas with

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

configured in total for all BTS1

For internal use only

For internal use only

Packet Abis over

White-list of BCF IDs BTS2

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

MS1 MS2BTS2 (AMR

An operator must configure the same

For internal use only

SEG-1 BTS-1 BCF-1 SEG-1 BTS-1 BCF-1

inter-cell HO between BCFs

SEG-1 BTS-1 BCF-2 BCF-1 BCF-1

For internal use only

For internal use only

Savings on satellite Lower load on

Isolated area – small/medium town

BTS hub-BTS BSC BTS

Packet Abis over TDM Packet Abis over Ethernet BTS

BTS Local switching area Local switching area BTS

For internal use only

Local switching area

Traffic switched Lower load on

BTS Packet Abis over TDM Packet Abis over Ethernet

For internal use only

BTS hub-BTS BSC

BTS Local switching area

For internal use only

For internal use only

For internal use only

BSCTCSM ”Empty” speech frames are transmitted to keep the connection

”Empty” speech frames are transmitted to keep the connection

For internal use only

For internal use only

1) Select the LS mode: inter-site

2) Decide on the number of site