GSM P&O-B-EN-Radio Network Optimization-09-WORD-201005

GBO_010_E1_0 Radio Network Optimization
Course Objectives:
 Understand what is network optimization
 Understand detailed network optimization flow
 Understand common KPIs for network evaluation
 Grasp common methods for solving network problems

Contents
1 Overview........................................................................................................................................................1
1.1 What Is Network Optimization............................................................................................................1
1.2 Why Do Network Optimization..........................................................................................................1
1.3 Network Optimization Work...............................................................................................................1
1.4 Network Optimization Categories.......................................................................................................2
2 Network Evaluation......................................................................................................................................5
2.1 Overview..............................................................................................................................................5
2.2 Key Indices..........................................................................................................................................5
2.3 Evaluation Contents.............................................................................................................................6
2.3.1 Network Coverage Evaluation.................................................................................................6
2.3.2 Voice Quality Evaluation..........................................................................................................7
2.3.3 Network Interference Evaluation.............................................................................................7
2.3.4 Network Layout Evaluation.....................................................................................................8
2.3.5 Resource Utilization Ratio Evaluation.....................................................................................9
2.3.6 Traffic Statistics and Test Indices.............................................................................................9
3 Network Optimization Flow......................................................................................................................11
3.1 Overview............................................................................................................................................11
3.2 Network Optimization Phases...........................................................................................................12
3.2.1 Requirement Analysis.............................................................................................................12
3.2.2 Optimization Preparations......................................................................................................14
3.2.3 Equipment Check...................................................................................................................15
3.2.4 Data Collection.......................................................................................................................15
3.2.5 Data Analysis..........................................................................................................................17
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3.2.6 Network Adjustment Scheme.................................................................................................19
3.2.7 Adjustment Result Verification...............................................................................................20
3.2.8 Project Acceptance and Summary..........................................................................................21
4 Daily Network Optimization......................................................................................................................23
4.1 Network Monitoring..........................................................................................................................23
4.1.1 Performance Data Overview..................................................................................................23
4.1.2 Statistics Report......................................................................................................................24
4.1.3 Other Monitoring Methods.....................................................................................................25
4.2 BSS Parameter Adjustment...............................................................................................................26
4.2.1 Network Identification Parameters.........................................................................................27
4.2.2 System Control Parameters....................................................................................................27
4.2.3 Cell Selection and Reselection Parameters............................................................................30
4.2.4 Network Function Parameters................................................................................................32
4.2.5 Some Counters........................................................................................................................32
4.3 RF Optimization................................................................................................................................34
4.3.1 Antenna Check........................................................................................................................34
4.3.2 Feeder Problems.....................................................................................................................36
4.3.3 Uplink/Downlink Interference Check....................................................................................36
4.3.4 Uplink/Downlink Balance Verification..................................................................................38
5 Common Network Optimization Problems..............................................................................................41
5.1 Coverage............................................................................................................................................41
5.1.1 Coverage Problem Symptoms................................................................................................41
5.1.2 Coverage Problem Troubleshooting.......................................................................................41
5.1.3 Coverage Problem Solutions..................................................................................................41
5.2 Interference........................................................................................................................................42
5.2.1 Interference Problem Symptoms............................................................................................42
5.2.2 Interference Problem Troubleshooting...................................................................................42

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5.2.3 Interference Problem Solutions..............................................................................................42
5.3 Congestion.........................................................................................................................................43
5.3.1 Congestion Problem Symptoms.............................................................................................43
5.3.2 Congestion Problem Troubleshooting....................................................................................43
5.3.3 Congestion Problem Solutions...............................................................................................44
5.4 Handover............................................................................................................................................45
5.4.1 Handover Problem Symptoms................................................................................................45
5.4.2 Handover Problem Troubleshooting and Solutions...............................................................45
5.5 Call Drop............................................................................................................................................47
5.5.1 Call Drop Problem Symptoms...............................................................................................47
5.5.2 Call Drop Problem Troubleshooting and Solutions...............................................................47
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1 Overview
This chapter explains what is network optimization, why to perform network

optimization, network optimization work and categories.
1.1 What Is Network Optimization

Network optimization means to perform parameter collection and data analysis for a
network, which is running or to be put to use, to find out factors influencing the
network quality and perform operations such as parameter adjustment to improve the
system performance. Network optimization can improve the system performance and
get the best service quality under the current system configuration, such as the best
coverage, the best signal strength, the best call quality, and the lowest call drop rate. It
also provides reasonable suggestions for future network maintenance and network
planning.
1.2 Why Do Network Optimization

The mobile communication network is a dynamic multi-dimensional system. Once
being put to use, the network will have changes in the following four aspects:
1. Terminal users (new call model, user distribution)
2. Network running environment (new buildings, roads, and vegetation)
3. Network structure (coverage range, system capacity)
4. Technology (new equipment, new standard, and new service)
Changes in any of the above aspect might cause the network performance to degrade,
and network optimization should be performed gradually with the network
development. Operators and manufacturers should work together to ensure excellent
network service for terminal users.
1.3 Network Optimization Work

Network optimization is performed during network planning, engineering construction,
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and daily maintenance. It is a necessary and effective approach to improve network
quality.
In the early stage of engineering construction and commissioning, network

optimization mainly involves network problem troubleshooting and network
adaptability adjustment, which are implemented by ZTE network optimization
personnel. After equipments are delivered to the operator, network optimization is
performed by maintenance personnel of the operator.
Network optimization has a close relationship with the commissioning and

maintenance work, with certain difference however. The commissioning and
maintenance work aims to ensure normal equipment running, while network
optimization aims for system optimization.
1.4 Network Optimization Categories

According to when the network optimization starts and relevant services, network
optimization usually falls into two categories: commissioning and maintenance
network optimization, and independent network optimization.
1. Commissioning and maintenance network optimization
It involves network establishment, network shift, and network capacity

expansion. This type of optimization can also be divided into two phases in
practical implementation:
2. Engineering network optimization
It is performed when a project is completed. The optimization can solve

problems left in the engineering construction and provide good technical indices
for the early network running, ensuring successful project acceptance.
3. Maintenance network optimization
It is performed some time after equipments are delivered to the local office.
Because technical indices are stable, the optimization might increase the
Customer’s Satisfaction Index (CSI), facilitating future project bidding.
4. Independent network optimization
This optimization is implemented when the network does not adopt ZTE
equipments but the network operator requires ZTE (as the third party) to
perform network quality evaluation, optimization adjustment, and planning
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1 Overview
supplementation. Usually, the network optimization is performed step by step,

on the premise of good network equipment, sufficient network capacity, and
appropriate network equipment configuration.
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2 Network Evaluation
Network evaluation is an important part of network optimization. This chapter

introduces the network evaluation concept and range, evaluation contents, and main
evaluation indices.
2.1 Overview
Network optimization is the global network adjustment performed during normal
system running. A complete system investigation must be made before the network
optimization. Relevant data are collected, such as users’ requirement, frequency
allocation, radio parameters, base station equipment, switch data, and system running
data. Objective evaluation should be made for the network planning, network running,
and potential network problems. All these make good preparations for further network
optimization.
The network evaluation and planning process involves network function definitions,
network analysis, network auditing, network security, and evaluation for network
Quality of Service (QoS). It guarantees to provide a safe and efficient network system
for users.
2.2 Key Indices

 Call drop rate
Call drop rate, proportion between the number of call drops and the number of
calls, is calculated according to data provided by counters. It includes the network
call drop rate and the cell call drop rate.
 Call establishment failure rate
Call establishment failure rate is the proportion between the number of call
establishment failures and the number of call requests. It is used to evaluate
whether it is easy to initiate a call.
 TCH allocation failure
This index is used to evaluate whether a call can be established easily when the
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cell’s capacity is not used up. It is different from the call establishment failure rate
in that MS can not access the expected channel.
 Congestion rate
This index indicates the difficulty of establishing a call due to cell’s capacity being
used up. The TCH (SDCCH) congestion rate is defined as the number of allocation
failures divided by the number of TCH (SDCCH) allocation requests.
 Handover failure rate
This index is used to evaluate network quality during handover. It is defined as the
number of handover failures divided by the number of handover requests.
 Erlang born by the cell
If a cell has no traffic, it indicates that the cell’s hardware is faulty; otherwise, if
the cell’s traffic is heavy, problems might exist in cell capacity. Heavy traffic
influences the TCH (SDCCH) congestion rate and might cause terminal users feel
the congestion phenomenon. A certain capacity redundancy is necessary for
handling burst events (such as a match). Moreover, the traffic also has some
indirect influences on the network performance. For example, if the cell’s traffic
suddenly decreases, it might indicate that the cell coverage area becomes smaller
due to antenna being blocked by new buildings or billboards.
 Equipment availability ratio
Equipment availability ratio, ratio of the number of cell’s available channels to the
number of actually configured channels, indicates software/hardware faults or
problems such channel being blocked due to incorrect operations.
2.3 Evaluation Contents
2.3.1 Network Coverage Evaluation
The index used to evaluate the network coverage is the absolute receiving level (Rx),
and the coverage level must satisfy the Carrier-to-Interference ratio (C/I) requirement
(co-frequency C/I  9 dB, the first adjacent frequency C/I  -9 dB):
The coverage rate is defined as follows:
Coverage rate = (number of Rx ≥ -95dBm )／number of samples × 100%
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1 Overview
2.3.2 Voice Quality Evaluation
The voice quality is evaluated based on the general Mean Option Score (MOS)
standard in communication system.
The MOS evaluation method includes the subjective MOS evaluation and the objective
MOS evaluation.
 Subjective MOS evaluation
Subjective MOS is based on ITU-T P.800 and P.830 specifications. Different

persons compare the original voice quality and the processed voice quality and
give MOS, and the final average value of all scores is the subjective MOS.
 Objective MOS evaluation
Objective MOS is based on the Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ)

method in ITU-T P.862specification. Voice quality is tested by specific instrument
(such as the Agilent VQT tester) or software.
Table 2.3 -1 describes the corresponding relationship between Bit Error Ratio (BER)
and MOS-based voice quality.
Table 2.3-1 Corresponding Relationship between MOS-Based Voice Quality and BER (GSM)
Voice Quality Score

BER Listening Attention Level (MOS)
(QOS) (MOS)
Users can hear clearly without paying much attention
0 < 0.2% 5
on listening
1 0.2% - 0.4% 4 Users can hear by paying some attention on listening
Users can hear by paying medium-level attention on
2 0.4% - 0.8% 3
listening
3 0.8% - 1.6% 2 Users can hear by fixing attention on listening
4 1.6% - 3.2% 2 Users can hear by fixing attention on listening
Users can not hear even paying much attention on
5 3.2% - 6.4% 1
listening
6.4% - Users can not hear even paying much attention on
6 1
12.8% listening
2.3.3 Network Interference Evaluation
Usually, many factors, such as the network layout, repeater distribution, and landform,
should be considered in radio network interference evaluation. The evaluation is
performed through drive test and traffic statistics analysis.
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Interference influences the call quality, causing call disconnection or call drop. There
are two types of interference: intra-network interference and external interference. The
intra-network interference is due to cross-cell coverage or inappropriate frequency
planning, which can be solved by modifying frequency planning parameters. The
external interference can be eliminated by modifying the frequency planning or
clearing the spectrum.
The signal interference directly influences the signal noise floor and the call quality,
and can be easily detected from the drive test. Therefore, the following index value
should be considered for evaluation in the drive test:
The percentage of data (of which the voice quality (QoS) is 1) in the total drive test
data (of which the receiving level is high ( -80 dBm))
2.3.4 Network Layout Evaluation
The following factors should be considered in network layout evaluation:
 Comprehensive network scale
 Coverage area type
 Landform
 Service cell indices
 Network structure
 Site address/traffic density
 Indoor coverage strategy
Operations in the following three aspects should be performed in evaluating the

network layout:
 Checking whether the site topological structure satisfies the cellular structure
Divide the area into subareas according to the landform, each subarea taking a site
as the center. Measure distances between the six surrounding sites and the center to
calculate the average inter-site distance and the average cell coverage radius L.
Take L as the reference to draw the standard cellular structure. If the adjacent site
deviates from the standard cell position by 1/4 of the cell radius, then the network
layout is considered as inappropriate.
Evaluation of the entire network is performed based on the above mentioned.
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1 Overview
 Checking the antenna height in the main coverage layer
Get the average value of the antenna height in the main coverage layer. If a site’s
antenna is 15% lower or higher than the average value, then the network layout is
considered as inappropriate.
 Comparing the ratio of too busy cells and the ratio of too idle cells
Perform traffic statistics during busy hour. Make record when a too busy cell or a
too idle cell is counted. If a network is having high ratio of too busy cells or too
idle cells, it is considered having inappropriate network layout.
2.3.5 Resource Utilization Ratio Evaluation
Neither the forward/backward traffic in network planning nor the forward/backward

traffic in traffic statistics can evaluate the network objectively. The resource utilization
ratio can reflect the ratio of actual network operating resource to the total resource
planned, which makes the network investment to have the maximum cost-
effectiveness.
The evaluation process is as follows:
Get the network scale in the network planning scheme, get the actual busy-hour
forward/backward traffic from the traffic statistics query result, and then perform
division for ERLs of the two capacities to get the network resource utilization ratio.
2.3.6 Traffic Statistics and Test Indices
Traffic statistics and test indices are important indices that reflect the radio network
performance.
 Voice service evaluation
Voice service can be compared either through measurement or through traffic

statistics analysis. Table 2.3 -2 gives the test evaluation indices for voice service.
Table 2.3-2 Voice Service Evaluation Indices
Index Definition
Access failure rate Number of access failures / number of call attempts  100%
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Number of call drops / number of call establishment successes 

Call drop rate
100%
Number of handover successes / number of handover requests 
Handover success rate
100%
Number of location update successes / number of location update
Location update success rate
requests  100%
Voice intermittence rate Number of intermittent calls / number of connected calls  100%
Unidirectional call rate Number of unidirectional calls / number of connected calls  100%
Echo and background noise (number of noises + number of echoes) / number of connected calls 
rate 100%
Cross-talk rate Number of cross-talks / number of connected calls  100%
Access time
 Data service evaluation
The GSM-based data service network is GPRS network, which takes the test
indices for evaluation and can be realized by ping, HTTP, and FTP.
Table 2.3-3 Data Service Test Evaluation Indices
Index Recommended Value

FTP average download rate (kbps) 16
FTP average upload rate (kbps0 32
Forward/backward transmission delay 20 s
Ping success ratio 90%
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3 Network Optimization Flow
3.1 Overview
The network optimization flow includes system investigation and evaluation, location
and analysis, and optimization adjustment. Each phase in the network optimization
must be performed on the basis of scientific methods and technologies. Figure 3.1 -1
shows the entire network optimization flow.
Radio Network Optimization Flow
Equipment Optimization
Customer Project Manager Test Engineer Acceptance Group Output
Engineer Engineer
Start
Network
Customer
Preparation optimization
requirement
project plan
Equipment
check
Network Data
planning report, collection Data
evaluation analysis and
report problem
locating
No Network
Optimization No optimization
scheme
adjustment
establishment
and review scheme
Network
Implementing optimization
optimization adjustment
record
Optimization
verification
and test
Satisfying
requirement?
Yes
Optimization Network
scheme optimization
establishment report
and review
Project passes
acceptance?
Project
Project
summary
summary
report
End
Figure 3.1-1 Network Optimization Flow
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3.2 Network Optimization Phases
As shown in Figure 3.1 -1, a complete network optimization should have at least the
following phases:
 Requirement analysis
 Optimization preparation
 Equipment check
 Data collection
 Data analysis
 Network adjustment scheme
 Project acceptance and summary
3.2.1 Requirement Analysis
The customer requirement analysis aims to decide the customer’s requirement for
network indices by gathering enough information through communication with the
customer. Figure 3.2 -2 shows the requirement analysis flow.
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1 Overview
Preparation
Communicating with
customers, querying
customers’
requirements Communicating
with customers
Customers’ No
requirements are
reasonable?
Agreement is
Yes No reached
Yes
Summarizing
customers’
requirements
No Confirming
requirements with
customers
Yes
Outputting customer
requirement report
End
Figure 3.2-2 Requirement Analysis Flow
The customer requirement analysis is the basis of network optimization, involving the
following aspects:
 Understanding the customer’s network situation, including coverage, voice

quality, radio indices, landform, population distribution, and main traffic hotspot area
 Understanding the customer’s network problems to be solved
 Understanding network indices expected by the customer and the completion time
 Deciding detailed test route with the office personnel
 Deciding tasks that need the office’s cooperation
Through communication between project group and customer, submit the requirement
analysis report based on the above analysis. Ensure that the requirements are complete
and there are sufficient resources. In this phase, the project acceptance standard must
13
be settled in the written form. The project can be started with both parties’ consent and
sufficient resource.
3.2.2 Optimization Preparations
The network optimization is performed according to the customer’s requirement:

deciding the optimization object and resource requirement based on grasped data and
contract requirement, and providing implantation method, plan, and detailed flow.
1. Deciding network optimization object
The optimization object is to obtain expected network indices within expected

optimization time according to the customer’s requirement. The network
optimization project principal should decide all optimization objects in this phase
and arrange corresponding optimization flows.
2. Requirement refinement
Ensure the following before starting engineering construction:
 Data collection (time segment, personnel)
 Deciding vehicles and routes for the drive test
 Providing the test resource required (such as SIM card )
 Which test operations are required and allowed (such as carrier blocking,
frequency modification)
 How to implement the optimization scheme
3. Basic data and equipment preparation
 Relevant data preparation
According to the customer’s requirement, obtain the planning and

optimization report, electronic map, and site data, and perform analysis for the
site data and relevant network indices.
 Equipment preparation
According to the customer’s requirement and network problems, prepare

equipments required for drive test and relevant tests.
4. Optimization plan
Decide the optimization group personnel and required resources, make the
14
1 Overview
optimization progress arrangement, and confirm the work plan with the local ZTE
office and the customer.
3.2.3 Equipment Check
In this phase, check the equipment before the network optimization is performed, to get
a comprehensive understanding of the current network running condition. It ensures
normal equipment running and the entire network performance by troubleshooting
equipment faults.
In normal running state, the equipment fault can be detected by system alarm
information. However, the invalid running state or low-efficiency running state (such
as incorrect antenna installation direction, feeder connection error) not due to
equipment fault can not be detected from direct observation. This can be solved by
checking the equipment, including the following aspects:
 Checking the site board fault: checking the carrier, CMM, combiner, divider, and
PA; checking whether the connectors between boards are loosened; checking
whether cables are damaged.
 Checking the antenna feeder fault: checking whether there is any combiner
SWR alarm or divider LNA alarm, and whether the antenna is connected
inversely.
 Checking the transmission fault
 Checking the clock deviation
 Checking whether the power supply system is unstable
 Checking whether the working environment is normal
 Checking whether the BSC/OMCR fault exists
3.2.4 Data Collection
Comprehensive data collection provides necessary support for fault location. At

present, data comes from the following aspects:
 System running data
It is extracted from OMCR, including system statistics data such as call records
and traffic statistics data, data obtained through measurement and statistics
provided by the switch equipment, and dynamic data generated during the system
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running. The data category details are listed as follows:
 Inter-office trunk group traffic load statistics, number of calls of each trunk
group, busy-hour traffic, ratio of outgoing calls, and ratio of incoming calls.
 Ratio of perfect channels and fault statistics.
 Cell’s average/busy-hour traffic, average/busy-hour traffic per channel, dual-

band network traffic distribution.
 Cell’s busy-hour call completion rate, SDCCH busy-hour congestion rate, TCH
busy-hour congestion rate.
 Cell’s busy-hour SDCCH/TCH allocation/assignment success rate.
 Cell’s busy-hour call drop rate, traffic call drop ratio, and call drop reason
distribution.
 Number of cell handovers, handover success rate, ratio of handover to original

channel after handover failure, ratio of call drop due to handover failure,
number (ratio) of BSC-controlled handovers, number (ratio) of MSC-controlled
handovers,, cell outgoing/incoming handover success rate, intra-cell handover
success rate, dual-band network handover data.
 Cell’s Time Advance (TA) distribution.
 Cell’s interference situation, RXLEV and RXQUAL distributions.
 The worst cell.
 Traffic hotspot area situation.
 On-site test data
Usually, there are two types of test: Drive Test (DT) and Call Quality Test (CQT).
 DT: DT is performed along specific route by the testing instrument, testing MS,
satellite positioning system, and testing vehicles, to test indoor/outdoor air
interface and voice quality. The test route, test time segment, test content, and
test method are decided according to the test object.
 CQT: Similar to DT, the test time segment, test address, test content, and test
method are decided according to the test object. For some typical equipment
problems, CQT is performed carrier by carrier and timeslot by timeslot.
 Signaling trace data
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1 Overview
With the signaling trace function of OMCR, all signaling data of A-interface and
Abis interface can be traced and then converted to file structure that can be
recognized by the signaling analysis and processing software MA10. MA10
provides convenient functions of analyzing signaling and locating network
problems.
 User complaint data
Through the Customer Service Center, user complaint data are collected and
categorized, facilitating fault analysis and locating with the help of traffic statistics
data and drive test data.
 Problems reflected by customer
 The number of base stations in the system, the number of radio channels of
each site.
 Definitions of parameters related to base station, such as the system frequency

allocation, LAC allocation, cell definition, and cross-cell handover between
adjacent sites (cross-office handover).
 Definitions of paging cell, paging parameters, and relevant counters.
 Number of users of the system.
3.2.5 Data Analysis
Data analysis is based on the data collection result and aims to find out network
problems and locate problem reasons. Data from different sources have different
characteristics, causing different analysis methods.
The following describes analysis methods for data from different sources.
 The GSM system provides perfect traffic statistics functions. Abnormal traffic
statistics directly reflects the network problem, which helps finding out
problems in time. When analyzing the network performance, the traffic statistics
data of a certain time segment or a certain day is not sufficient. Usually, the
average value of one week’s busy-hour traffic statistics data is used for network
performance analysis. Moreover, it often requires comprehensive analysis of
multiple indices to locate a problem. For example, if the congestion problem
occurs in a cell, it is often simply diagnosed that the problem is due to heavy
traffic and capacity expansion is required. However, many other reasons such as
17
the carrier fault might cause the congestion. Therefore, to solve the congestion
problem, check the cell’s channel utilization ratio first, check whether there is
any carrier or timeslot that can not be used based on the cell’s alarm
information, and establish the measurement task to decide which carrier or
timeslot can not be used.
 The drive test data indicates the network downlink signal level and quality
distributions. It directly reflects the network service quality, such as whether
there exists cross-cell coverage or coverage hole, whether the call quality is
good, whether there exists call drop, interference, or handover problem. It is also
used to check the correctness of engineering parameters, such as the site’s
longitude and latitude, and the antenna azimuth. The shortcoming of drive test
data is that it can not reflect the uplink signal situation.
 Signaling trace and analysis is an effective and importance tool used to solve
network problems. The signaling information helps analyze the system running
and locates the fault.
 User complaint data is an important source of collecting network problems. It

should be noticed that mobile users are not professional personnel, and their
fault descriptions might be inaccurate, for example, summarizing the
intermittent call phenomenon due to interference as the unidirectional call
problem. Therefore, on-site investigation and test are necessary for accurately
deciding the problem.
 Customers are often professional personnel and are familiar with their network,
thus from problem data reflected by customer, we can find out problems
concerned by the customer. It is a convenient way to find out problem, locate
problem, and solve problem.
Data analysis is a complex process. Usually, several factors should be considered to

solve one problem, such factors including traffic statistics data, DT/CQT data, user
complaint data, and signaling trace data. Also, radio/engineering parameters (such as
frequency, adjacent cell relationship, and handover parameters) should be checked to
analyze and locate the network problems.
3.2.6 Network Adjustment Scheme
This phase includes three stages: establishing the network adjustment scheme,
reviewing the network adjustment scheme, and implementing the network adjustment
18
1 Overview
scheme. It provides relevant handling measures after data collection and data analysis
are completed.
1. Establishing network adjustment scheme
The network adjustment scheme is based on the actual collected data and the
problem locating result. Because the network is a global system, any local
optimization might influence other parts and cause new problems. Full
consideration should be given for the network adjustment, especially in adjusting
RF parameters such as the frequency, antenna azimuth, antenna downtilt, and
antenna height. Risk evaluation should be performed in addition to considering the
scheme’s practicability and operation convenience. The following items should be
considered:
 The risk control scheme should be prepared to adjust the network risk to the
minimum extent.
 Avoid frequency network adjustment.
 The local test scheme should be prepared.
 The rapid retrogression scheme should be prepared.
 Establish appropriate optimization implementation steps.
 Perform current network data backup.
 Arrange appropriate time segment for adjustment implementation, such as the

low-traffic or non-traffic time segment.
 Make communications with customers ahead of time and obtain written

consent to the adjustment from customers.
2. Reviewing network adjustment scheme
After the network adjustment scheme is established, it must be reviewed by

experts and customers before being implemented.
 For adjustment within a single site, submit the network adjustment note to
higher-ups and customers for review and obtain their approval.
 For adjustment within a small area, submit the network adjustment note to
experts to confirm the adjustment is applicable, and then submit it to customers
to obtain their approval.
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 For adjustment like global network parameter adjustment within a large area
such as the entire BSC or MSC, submit the formal network adjustment report to
experts for review and then submit it to customers to obtain their approval.
3. Implementing network adjustment scheme
The network adjustment scheme implementation should follow the principle of

global adjustment first and important adjustment first. The adjustment process and
implementation result should be recorded in detail.
During the network adjustment process, engineering parameters and some radio
parameters (such as frequency points and adjacent cell relationship) have global
influences on the network. A good network planning and optimization in radio
parameters can greatly improve the network quality, solving problems such as
coverage hole, isolated island, cross-cell coverage, co-frequency/adjacent-
frequency interference, and no response to paging. It also avoids the call drop due
to radio link failure, low call completion rate, and effectively realizes traffic
equalization according to the cell’s main service range.
During the network adjustment process, communicate with the project manager
and technical personnel from the customer immediately in case of any change
occurring to the network adjustment scheme.
3.2.7 Adjustment Result Verification
After the network adjustment is completed, verify the implementation result by various
methods to check whether it realizes the expected effect. Usually, the following two
methods are used to verify the adjustment result:
 Collect performance reports and compare performance data before and after the
adjustment is implemented. To guarantee accurateness of the verification, select
the same network environment and the same time segment for performance data
collection.
 Perform some necessary tests such as the drive test and compare the test result
before and after the adjustment is implemented. To guarantee accurateness of the
test, select the same test environment and the same test time segment.
According to the comparison of network performance data, decide whether network

problems are solved and whether the network performance satisfies the customer’s
requirement. If not, return to the data collection phase to perform the network
20
1 Overview
optimization process again.
3.2.8 Project Acceptance and Summary
1. Network optimization report
Network optimization report records the measures taken in the network

optimization process and the optimization result (the comparison of performance
indices and CSI before and after the optimization is implemented). It is the basis of
project acceptance.
The network optimization report’s content should be complete and accurate, with
analysis of the network running situation and network problems before the
optimization is implemented as well as how to improve relevant network indices
through the optimization. If necessary, it should also explain why some indices can
not be improved and what measures should be taken in future maintenance to solve
such problems.
The network optimization report should be approved by the customer.
2. Project acceptance
After the network optimization is completed, acceptance test should be performed

for network performance indices by technical personnel from the customer. The
test content such as test route, test point, and calling mode are set according to the
requirement analysis and the contract.
The project acceptance must be approved by the customer. After the customer
signs to approve of the project acceptance, the network optimization is completed.
3. Project summary
After the network optimization is completed, relevant technical training should be

given for maintenance personnel to ensure that they can performance maintenance
operations independently in the future. Also, network parameters and typical
maintenance cases should be kept for future reference.
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4 Daily Network Optimization
This chapter explains the daily network optimization work, including the following
three aspects:
 Networking monitoring
 Network parameter adjustment
 RF optimization
4.1 Network Monitoring

Compared with other daily network optimization items, the network monitoring is
performed all the time. It is realized through the network running performance report.
4.1.1 Performance Data Overview
GSM system running statistics is performed by a large amount of counters. Each

counter is related to an event of a network unit in BSS, in other words, a specific event
will trigger the corresponding counter to increment. Through counting the number of
occurring times of an event within an observation period, the corresponding network
running statistics is obtained, and fault troubleshooting can be performed on the basis
of OMCR counters’ values.
Counters are usually categorized according to the communication process. The

following lists some important communication processes that influence the network
performance:
 CCCH
 Radio resource allocation
 Channel mode
 Dedicated channel allocation
 Handover
 Channel release
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 Channel establishment
The following lists some network units that are mostly concerned in network
monitoring:
 Abis interface
 A-interface
 BSC
 Cell
 Adjacent cell list
For the above processes and units, GSM system defines many measurement points and
counters. With these counters, a series of formulas are defined to calculate indices such
as the call drop rate, congestion rate, handover success rate, and paging success rate, to
provide the network running statistics report.
4.1.2 Statistics Report
Nearly all events are recorded by counters. However, to accurately reflect the network
running situation, the original data recorded in counters should be processed to obtain
the network performance report. There are two types of statistics report:
 Busy-hour (network busy-hour and system busy-hour) statistics report
The busy hour includes the network busy hour and the system busy hour. The
network busy hour is decided by NSS traffic statistics while the system busy hour
refers to traffic peak hour of the statistics object (for example, the cell busy hour)
or the system load peak hour.
 Whole-day monitoring statistics report
Quality indices in the report directly connect the network performance with the
customer’s satisfaction of service quality, facilitating understanding and application.
The following lists some common quality indices used in the report:
 Call drop
 Handover
 Call difficulty (congestion, interference)
 Network access (large coverage, indoor coverage)
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1 Overview
 Voice quality
Problems in any aspect will cause the network service quality to degrade. Generally
speaking, there are two types of reasons that might cause the network quality to
degrade:
 Hardware fault: such as faulty board or service interruption at local equipment.

Alarm information will be displayed on OMCR interface for such faults, and
maintenance personnel can locate the fault and troubleshoot it immediately.
 Software fault: system is running but it is partly unstable or not in the best state. It
is often caused by problems such as interference, incomplete adjacent cell
definitions, or unstable PCM running state, which results in increased call drop rate
and decreased call completion rate.
Usually, the software fault can be solved through the following three approaches:
 Compare the network observation result and the set threshold
First set a group of thresholds. Once it is found that some network units’ values
exceed the standard range (for example, the call drop rate is 5%), set these network
units as the optimization objects and perform further analysis and troubleshooting.
 Compare dynamic changes
If the network is running stably, there should not be large changes in observed
indices. Once it is found that some local network performance degrades suddenly,
for example, the call drop rate rapidly increases from 1% to 3%, measures should
be taken to solve the problem. Such problems can be filtered by presetting the
threshold for performance change.
 N worst cells
During the daily network optimization, perform troubleshooting for some worst
cells in each phase to improve the performance of the entire network.
4.1.3 Other Monitoring Methods
In addition to the network performance report, the following methods are also used to
monitor the network situation.
 Network test
The network test, together with the network performance report, helps understand
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the network running details. Usually, there are two test methods: DT and CQT,
which are used to monitor the network running situation in specific route or area.
Different from the network performance report, the network test can perform
monitoring at specific physical locations.
 Users’ feeling:
Some potential network quality problems can be found through the customer
complaint record,
 Network environment monitoring:
For changes in the geographical environment within the service cell, the following
two cases should be noticed:
 Signals are blocked by new buildings.
 Electromagnetic equipments exist around the signal source, causing strong

interference on the network.
4.2 BSS Parameter Adjustment

The GSM system is a complex system. According to the physical structure, it consists
of three parts: Network Subsystem (NSS), Base Station Subsystem (BSS), and Mobile
Station (MS). According to the signaling structure, it consists of Map interface, A-
interface, Abis interface, and Um interface. All these entities and interfaces have a
large amount of configuration parameters and performance parameters, of which some
parameters are determined when the equipment is commissioned. However, a lot of
parameters should be set and adjusted according to actual requirements and actual
network running situation. The GSM network optimization is actually the process of
setting and adjusting these parameters.
Radio resource parameters mainly include:
 Network identification parameters, which are used to identify the MS and the
network.
 System control parameters, which mainly are system configuration parameters,

influencing the service bearer capacity and the signaling flow.
 Cell selection parameters, which are related to cell selection and cell reselection.
 Network function parameters, which are related to various system functions.
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1 Overview
4.2.1 Network Identification Parameters
The GSM system is a global system. Within a country, the GSM network, location
area, base station, and cell each has a unique ID. In this way:
 MS can correctly identify the current network and access the network expected by
the user.
 The network can locate the exact geographical position of MS to satisfy various
service requests that take MS as the end point.
 MS can report the adjacent cell condition to network during the call process and
perform handover, if necessary, to ensure a continuous call process.
Network identification parameters include Cell Global Identification (CGI) and Base
Station Identity Code (BSIC).
Figure 4.2 -3 shows the composition of CGI.
Figure 4.2-3 CGI Composition
Usually, Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MNC), and Cell
Identification (CI) are not changed. The Local Area Code (LAC) setting is related to
the frequency of location update and paging signaling flow, and its value depends on
the actual network situation. It should also be noticed that the LAC in cell parameters
must be consistent with the LAC defined in the switch.
BSIC consists of Base transceiver station Color Code (BCC) and Network Color Code
(NCC). BSIC is used to identify different base stations with the same BCCH. In a GSM
network, if base stations with the same BCCH and BSIC are close to each other, it
might cause frequent handover and assignment, and such phenomenon should be
avoided.
4.2.2 System Control Parameters
This section introduces some common used system control parameters.
 IMSI attachment/detachment allowed (ATTACH DETACH ALLOWED)
This parameter is contained in the control channel description of the information

27
unit and is transmitted in system message 3. It is often set as 1, making the network
not to handle calls that takes the power-off MS as the called party. This helps save
the network resource.
 Common channel configuration (CCCH CONF)
This parameter is configured according to the cell’s actual traffic model.
 Number of access-granted reserved blocks (BS AG BLKS RES)
After the parameter CCCH CONF is determined, this parameter is used to set the
ratio of AGCH occupation and PCH occupation on CCCH. On the premise that
AGCH is not overloaded, reduce this parameter’s value to guarantee that PCH has
sufficient capacity to make MS receive the paging message as early as possible.
 Number of paging channel multiframes (BS PA MFRMS)
With the increase of this parameter’s value, the number of the cell’s paging sub-
channels increases, the number of users of each paging sub-channel decreases, and
the paging channel’s bearer capability increases. However, the total system
capacity does not increase. In actual configuration, this parameter should be set as
small as possible, on the premise of ensuring the paging channel is not overloaded.
Because any paging message in the same location area must be transmitted
simultaneously in all cells in the location area, the paging channel capacity of each
cell (i.e. the number of paging sub-channels in each cell) in the location area
should be the same or similar.
 Periodical location update timer (T3212)
Periodical location update is an important method to associate the MS and the

network. The shorter T3212’s interval is, the better the network performance is, but
it might cause increase in the network signaling flow and shortened MS standby
time. T3212 setting is based on the network resource utilization. In area with heavy
traffic and large signaling flow, T3212 can be set to be a large value. It should be
noticed that T3212’s value must be less than the period of query, which is
performed by the user whose ID is IMSI attached in VLR.
 Radio link timeout (Radio Link Timeout)
This parameter influences the call disconnection rate and the radio resource
utilization ratio. It depends on the actual network situation.
 Permitted network color code (NCC PERMITTED)
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1 Overview
This parameter gives the NCC collection of cells to be tested by MS. Only cell
with the NCC that belongs to the collection can be the handover destination cell.
 Maximum retransmission times (MAX RETRANS)
After MS initiates the immediate assignment process, to guarantee the access

success rate, it is allowed to send multiple channel request messages before the
immediate assignment message is received. The larger this parameter’s value, the
higher the call attempt success rate and the call completion rate, but the channel
load of RACH, CCCH, and SDCCH also increase. Thus appropriately setting this
parameter is an important approach of efficiently utilizing network radio resource
and increasing the call completion rate.
 Number of distributed timeslots transmitted (TX INTEGER)
To reduce the times of bursts when MS accesses RACH channel and increase the
RACH channel efficiency, the MS access algorithm is defined in GSM
specifications. This algorithm adopts three parameters:
 Number of distributed timeslots transmitted (T)
 Maximum number of retransmission times (M)
 Parameter S, which is related to parameter T and channel combination
With the increase of TX INTEGER, the range of interval between MS’s sending
channel request messages increases, and the number of RACH conflicts decreases.
With the increase of S, the number of interval months between MS’s sending
channel request messages increases, and the number of RACH conflicts decreases.
If the value of TX INTEGER is too large, it might cause the network access
performance to degrade, thus this parameter setting also depends on the actual
network situation.
 Cell access barred (CBA)
In some special cases, if only incoming handover is expected for a cell, set the
CBA parameter as 1.
 Waiting time (T3122)
After MS receives the immediate assignment rejection message, it can initiate a

new call request only after a period of time specified by T3122. On the premise of
ensuring CCCH not overloaded, set T3122’s value as small as possible, and
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usually the value is 10 s ~ 15 s. In area with heavy traffic, T3122’s value can be set
as 15 s ~ 25 s.
 Multi-band indication (MULTIBAND REPORTING)
This parameter is used to notify MS that the multi-band adjacent cell’s information
should be reported.
4.2.3 Cell Selection and Reselection Parameters
After MS is powered on, it selects an appropriate cell and extracts control channel
parameters and other system messages. In GSM specifications, the path loss rule
parameter C1 is defined. Under this rule, an appropriate cell must satisfy the condition
C1 > 0. C1 is calculated by MS, with the following formula:
C1 = RXLEV - RXLEV ACCESS MIN – Max (MS TXPWR MAX CCH-P, 0)
After MS selects a cell, if it finds another appropriate cell, then it shifts from the
current cell to the appropriate cell, this process is called cell reselection. The cell
reselection adopts the signal quality rule C2, with the following calculation formulas:
C2 = C1 + CRO – TO  H (PT – T) PT <> 31
C2 = C1 - CRO PT = 31
The following describes the cell selection and cell reselection parameters:
 Cell reselection hysteresis (CELL RECELECTION HESTERESIS)
To avoid frequent cell reselections between two cells at different positions, it is

required that the adjacent cell’s signal level must be higher than the current cell’s
signal level, and MS initiates the cell reselection after the adjacent cell’s signal
level is higher than this parameter’s value.
Set this parameter with a large value in the following two cases:
 In area where the signaling flow is large
 In area where the overlapped coverage area of two cells at different positions is
large Generally, it is not advised to set this parameter to be 0.
 Maximum power level of control channel (MS TXPWR MAX CCH)
This parameter represents the transmission power of MS. It is transmitted on

SACCH. There are two header bytes on SACCH, one representing the power
control byte and the other representing the time advance. MS extracts the power
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1 Overview
control byte and takes the specified power as its output power.
 Minimum access level allowed (RXLEV ACCESS MIN)
If MS accesses the network when the receiving signal level is very low, the
communication quality will be very poor. To avoid such phenomenon, it is
specified in GSM system that when MS accesses the network, the access level
must be higher than a threshold, that is, RXLEV ACCESS MIN. This parameter is
very important for service equalization and network optimization.
 Attached reselection parameter indication (ACS)
This parameter is used to notify MS whether C2 is used in the cell reselection

process and where parameters related to C2 can be obtained.
 Cell reselection indication (PI)
This parameter is used to notify MS whether C2 is used as cell reselection

parameters and calculate whether C2 parameters exist.
 Cell Bar Qualify (CBQ)
This parameter is used to set the cell priority.
 Cell reselection offset (CRO)
This parameter can be set with a large value, which artificially assigns a cell with a
higher reselection priority.
 Temporary offset (TO)
This parameter represents a temporary offset for C2. It only functions within a
period of time, which depends on the value of parameter PT.
 Penalty time (PT)
This parameter represents the timer used when MS (in idle state) calculates C2.
Whether PT is 31 decides the influence of CRO on C2.
4.2.4 Network Function Parameters
Many functions are enhanced in GSM system, such as Frequency Hopping (FH),
Discontinuous Transmission (DTX), and call reestablishment. Each function has
corresponding parameters, which can be adjusted to improve the network performance
and service quality.
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The following describes some common parameters related to network functions:
 Power control indication (PWRC)
To monitor the radio link quality and perform power control, MS and base station
must have the measurement function. The parameter PWRC decides the
measurement mode.
 Discontinuous Transmission (DTX)
This parameter decides that no signal is transmitted during voice intermittence in

the call process. DTX might influence the voice quality, but it can effectively
reduce interference and save power loss for MS.
 New establishment cause indication (NECI)
This parameter notifies MS whether the half-rate service is supported in the area.
 Call reestablishment allowed (RE)
In specific environment, call disconnection occurs when MS passes through a blind

spot, then the call is reestablished, which might take a long time. Usually, the
called party has already hung up the phone before the call is reestablished, thus the
call reestablishment is meaningless and wastes radio resource. Therefore, it is
advised not to reestablish the call except for some particular cases.
4.2.5 Some Counters
This section introduces some BSC counters related to radio resource allocation.
Optimizing these parameters helps efficiently utilize the limited resource.
 T3101
This counter records the duration of the immediate assignment process. During the
immediate assignment process, T3101 is started when BSC sends the channel
activation message CHANNEL_ACTIVATE to BTS, and is reset when BSC
receives the channel establishment indication message ESTABLISH INDICATION
from BTS. It should be noticed that this parameter’s value should be larger than
the maximum attempt time for establishing the data link layer (L2).
 T3103
T3103 is started when BSC sends the handover command message. T3103 is
stopped in the following two cases:
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1 Overview
 When BSC receives the HANDOVER COMPLETE message from MS on the

new channel
 When BSC receives the HANDOVER FAILURE message from MS on the old
channel.
The value of T3103 should be less than T8, and the maximum handover duration is
about 5 seconds. Usually, it is advised to set T3103 to be 5 seconds.
 T3107
This parameter is used to restrict the duration of executing the TCH assignment
instruction. It suits for TCH assignment for intra-cell handover and call. T3107 is
started when BSC sends the RIL3_RR ASSIGNMENT COMMAND message to
MS. T3107 is stopped when BSC receives the RIL3_RR ASSIGNMENT
COMPLETE message or the RIL3_RR ASSIGNMENT FAILURE message.
The value of T3107 must be larger than the following value:
Maximum transmission time of assignment command + T3124 + Maximum time

of attempting to establish data link multiframe mode
 T3109
This counter is used to restrict the SACCH release time. T3109 is started when
BSC sends the RIL3_RR CHANNEL RELEASE to MS. T3109 is stopped when
BSC receives the RELEASE INDICATION message from BTS (when BTS
receives the DISC frame from MS).
The value of T3109 must be larger than that of T100. The sum of T3111’s value
and T3109’s value must be larger than the radio link timeout value, and the sum
should also be larger than the value calculated by the BTS radio link timeout
algorithm.
 T3111
After the service channel is released, a certain delay is left before RF channel is
deactivated. The delay is used for possible repetitive channel de-connections. If A-
interface connection does not need to be released, then T3111 is started when BSC
receives the RELEASE INDICATION message from MS. If A-interface
connection needs to be released, then T3111 is started when BSC receives the
BSSAP CLEAR COMMAND message from MSC.
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4.3 RF Optimization
Good RF performance guarantees reliable mobile communication network service. In
area with low site density (distance between sites > 2 km) such as the country,
problems like coverage range and traffic density should be considered. In area with
high site density, the interference problem should be considered.
4.3.1 Antenna Check
 Antenna azimuth
The actual antenna azimuth might be different from the designed azimuth, which is
due to the following reasons:
 The antenna azimuth is adjusted to avoid that the antenna main lobe is blocked
by the roof or surrounding obstacles.
 There is electromagnetic field source nearby, which causes inaccurate rhumb,

resulting in the antenna azimuth deviation.
If the antenna azimuth adjustment is necessary, then the antenna azimuth in

network planning should also be updated. If the antenna azimuth deviation is
caused by inaccurate rhumb, then calibrate the azimuth.
 Antenna downtilt
The antenna downtilt has two types: mechanical downtilt and electrical downtilt.
If the mechanical downtilt is too large, it will cause the antenna pattern distortion,
and it is advised that the downtilt should not exceed 15.
For electrical downtilt, the following two problems should be avoided:
 The electrical downtilt is too large, which might cause coverage hole.
 The electrical downtilt is too small, which might cause co-frequency/adjacent-

frequency interference.
 Antenna height
The antenna can not be too high. For sites with high antennas which aim to
increase the coverage range in the early stage of network construction, the antenna
height should be reduced when network expansion is performed.
The buffer should be set between the heavy-traffic area and the low-traffic area to
avoid burst due to antenna height. The buffer is used to make the cell radius in the
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1 Overview
entire radio area to turn from small to large, which controls the interference within
a certain range.
The site coverage and handover information can be obtained from the on-site drive
test, and such information might not be directly reflected at OMCR. For example,
the call drop rate of sector 3 at a site reaches 6.7%, and the information at OMCR
indicates that the call drop is due to RF problems. After performing the on-site
drive test, it is found that the site antenna is too high, which causes cross-cell
coverage and the isolated island effect.
 Antenna isolation
The antenna isolation is defined as the signal attenuation from one antenna port to
another antenna port. When GSM 900, GSM 1800, and dual-band (GSM 900 and
GSM 1800) antennas are installed on the same platform, the horizontal antenna
isolation should be larger than 20 mm. To avoid unnecessary signals entering the
receiver, both the isolation between the two transmitting antennas and the isolation
between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna should be larger than
30 dB.
When the diversity reception antenna is adopted, it is difficult to realize the

diversity reception if distance between the two receiving antennas of the cell is less
than 1 m. Besides, the following problems should be noticed:
 Some transceiving antennas are not parallel.
 The transmitting antenna points to the receiving antenna.
 High iron pole stands near some transceiving antennas.
All these problems might cause signal being blocked and reflected, which results
in interference. Thus such problems should be avoided by checking antenna.
4.3.2 Feeder Problems
 The feeder is connected inversely.
The network quality will be greatly influenced if antenna feeder is connected

inversely. It causes high call drop rate and low handover success rate at relevant
sites. Moreover, if the transmitting antenna is connected inversely, co-
frequency/adjacent frequency interference on multiple sites will occur.
 The feeder SWR is too large.
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SWR is one of the important indices of antenna feeder system. If the downlink
antenna feeder’s SWR is too high, the downlink signal attenuation is large, and in
the worst case, the returned power might damage the power amplification module.
Usually, the antenna feeder is tested by SiteMaster.
Most SWR problems are caused by water entering the feeder or the connector
between antenna and feeder. Therefore, connectors should be tightly wrapped and
the loophole on the antenna should be opened.
 Connectors between feeders are loosened or feeder signal is leaked.
It should be noticed that the antenna feeder can not work normally even if SWR is
normal. The following problems should also be avoided, which might cause signal
leakage:
 The connector between antenna and feeder or between feeders is loosened.
 The shielding layer of iron-core jumper is damaged.
4.3.3 Uplink/Downlink Interference Check
1. Uplink interference check
The uplink interference can be checked through the following methods:
 Decide whether the uplink interference is inside the system or outside the
system by analyzing the following two indices:
 The average un-decoded RACH-burst signal level
 The change range of handover ratio due to uplink signal quality

degradation
 Perform test by replacing frequency points repetitively.
 Check the receiving level on idle channels. If the receiving level is high, it
indicates that uplink interference might exist.
 Use the frequency-sweep meter to perform frequency sweep.
2. Downlink interference check
 Cell coverage range test
This test helps decide whether there is any isolated island or coverage shadow
in the service area. All these phenomena will cause problems in RF design, and
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1 Overview
MS can not get the best service cell, resulting in signal quality degradation.
The following lists some methods to solve such problems:
 If feeders are cross-connected, correct the feeder position.
 If the antenna azimuth/downtilt is set inappropriately, adjust the

azimuth/downtilt according to actual conditions.
 If parameters related to cell access, cell reselection, and handover are set
inappropriately, readjust these parameters according to actual conditions.
 Adjacent frequency sweep
Use the testing MS or frequency-sweep meter to test the C/I in area with poor
signal quality to decide whether the interference is due to adjacent-frequency
interference. If the adjacent frequency C/I is less than -9 dB, then the service
cell might be in the adjacent-frequency interference state. Use the cell coverage
prediction software to find out the adjacent cell that might cause the adjacent-
frequency interference on the service cell (i.e. the faulty cell). Block the
adjacent cell temporarily and perform the adjacent-frequency C/I test for the
service cell, if the interference is lessened, then the interference source can be
located. Use the following methods to solve the adjacent-frequency
interference problem:
 Adjust the antenna pitch angle for the interference-source cell and the
faulty cell.
 Reduce the transmission power of the interference-source site.
 Adjust frequencies.
To prevent new problems due to local network adjustment, perform relevant

test and observation after each adjustment.
 Co-frequency interference check and elimination
The co-frequency interference check is similar to the adjacent-frequency

interference check: the interfered area is located through testing the field
intensity. If the interference source can not be located through the coverage
prediction software, then block the service cell and then perform coverage test
for the faulty cell. If no abnormal signal is detected, then it can be diagnosed
that the interference is due to cross-modulation.
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4.3.4 Uplink/Downlink Balance Verification
The purpose of uplink/downlink balance verification is to calculate the actual link loss
according to the on-site measurement result, and compare the result with the link
budget in RF design, to find out extra uplink/downlink loss. The extra loss might be
due to the following two reasons:
 Poor antenna installation or bad antenna performance, which causes the diversity
receiving gain less than the design requirement.
 Hardware fault in the coupling system or the transceiver.
1. Preliminary information for link balance analysis
In addition to on-site tests, the following information should also be obtained:
 Link budget used in the radio design scheme
 Special functions activated: such as power control, voice activation, and DTX
 Main parameters of the cell
 Acceptance report of the base station installation
 Commissioning test report of the base station
2. On-site data collection
It mainly involves signaling trace at Abis interface, which can be implemented

through the Abis interface signaling trace function in OMCR, to record and save
relevant signaling data.
To make the analysis result more accurate, it is advised to disable the

forward/backward power control functions of relevant cells before recording
signaling.
If the power control function can not be disabled due to some restrictions, use the
following method to make necessary supplementation in later data processing:
For each measurement report from the base station or MS, assume the transmission
power change is X dB under the influence of power control, then after
supplementation is made, the signal receiving level should be: RxLev(c) =
RxLev(t) + X
3. Data analysis
The signaling analyzer MA10 is used for data analysis. To reduce the amount of
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1 Overview
data, filter layer-2 messages and paging messages when analyzing the link balance.
It should be noticed that the Message Report (MR) message should be kept.
4. Problem handling
Usually, reasons for the uplink/downlink unbalance fall into the two categories:
 Equipment is faulty
In this case, solve relevant problems according to the fault reason.
 Equipment is normal
If uplink is limited, use the tower amplifier, or if conditions permit, reduce the
base station’s transmission power or install the Low Noise Amplifier (LNA)
at the receiving end.
If downlink is limited, increase the base station’s transmission power. If the

transmission power value is already the maximum, optimize the combiner
connection mode in the coupling system, or if conditions permit, increase the
number of antennas.
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5 Common Network Optimization Problems
This chapter explains five types of common problems encountered in network

optimization: coverage, interference, congestion, handover, and call drop.
5.1 Coverage
5.1.1 Coverage Problem Symptoms
Signal blind zone: The signal strength is weak, there is no main cell. The site’s
coverage areas are not overlapped and obstacles might exist, causing the signal
coverage hole.
Cross-cell coverage: In the actual network, signals of sites at high places can be
propagated far along the highland, which causes the isolated island phenomenon.
Excessive overlapping: It might cause too many unnecessary handovers and C/I
degradation.
Fan-shaped cell: It might cause uneven traffic and large overlapped coverage area.
5.1.2 Coverage Problem Troubleshooting
The following operations can be performed for coverage problem troubleshooting:
 Power control measurement;
 Receiving level measurement;
 Cell performance measurement / inter-cell handover measurement;
 Call drop measurement;
 Observe whether the average level of undefined adjacent cell is too high and
whether the number of isolated islands is too many;
 Outgoing handover measurement.
5.1.3 Coverage Problem Solutions
The following methods can be used to solve coverage problems:
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 Adjusting network parameters
 Adjusting antenna feeder parameters
 Using large-power TRX, EDU, and tower amplifier
 Adding sites
5.2 Interference
5.2.1 Interference Problem Symptoms
The following problems might be caused by interference:
 Voice quality becomes poor.
 The number of handovers increases, the number of handover failures increases, the
ping-pong handover might occur.
 The call drop rate increases.
5.2.2 Interference Problem Troubleshooting
The following methods can be used for interference problem troubleshooting:
 Analyzing the occurrence rule of the interference band in traffic statistics;
 Receiving level measurement;
 Measuring the ratio of handover due to poor quality;
 Call drop measurement;
 If handover fails and the handover reestablishment also failures, observe whether
the number of handover reestablishment is too large;
 Checking interfered routes and signal quality distribution through actual drive test;
 Finding out interference frequency points through the spectrum analyzer;
 Enabling FH, DTX, and power control functions;
 Troubleshooting equipment problems.
5.2.3 Interference Problem Solutions
For interference inside the network, the following methods can be used to solve the
problem:
42
1 Overview
 Adding distance between corresponding co-frequency (adjacent-frequency) cells;
 Reducing the site’s transmission power;
 Adjusting the antenna height, azimuth, and downtilt;
 Avoiding external interference frequency points;
 Using narrow-beam antenna;
 Optimizing the frequency configuration;
 Adopting anti-interference technologies such as power control, DTX, and FH;
 Eliminating the intermodulation interference.
For external interference, if the above methods do not function after the interference
source is located, adjust the interference source frequency and location. If necessary,
close the interference source.
5.3 Congestion
5.3.1 Congestion Problem Symptoms
The following problems might be caused by congestion:
 It is difficult to initiate a call.
 The incoming handover failure rate is high.
 The call success rate is low.
5.3.2 Congestion Problem Troubleshooting
The troubleshooting for TCH congestion problems is comparatively simple. If all

carriers work normally, observe the TCH congestion rate in the performance report.
The troubleshooting for SDCCH congestion problems is a little complex. Check

whether the following problems exist:
 Access parameters are set inappropriately;
 There are too many location updates due to inappropriate LAC allocation;
 T3212 is set too small, which might cause too many periodical location updates;
 Frequency interference exists on SDCCH;
43
 With sufficient TRXs, the number of channels configured for SDCCH is not
enough;
 Although cells are in the same LAC and not on the LAC’s edge, but the cell’s LAC
is different from that of surrounding cells.
 There are too many short messages.
5.3.3 Congestion Problem Solutions
The following methods can be used to solve TCH congestion problems:
 Adjusting the antenna height and downtilt;
 Modifying the transmission power of MS and base station;
 Adjusting settings of access parameters, reselection parameters, and handover

parameters for some cells;
 Enabling the half-rate service function;
 Enabling the load handover (i.e. handover due to cell’s load) and directed retry
functions;
 Expanding carrier capacity or adding new sites.
The following methods can be used to solve SDCCH congestion problems:
 Checking the cell reselection parameter settings (such as CRH) for cells related to
the LAC’s edge;
 Allocating LAC appropriately;
 Increase the value of T3212;
 Modifying the configuration to add SDCCH channels;
 Checking whether the cell’s LAC and surrounding cells’ LACs are set correctly,
and checking whether they are consistent with LACs set at MSC.
 Adjusting access parameters, such as tx_integer, max_retran, and T3122.
 Checking frequency interference
If serious RF interference exists at the SDCCH frequency point, both the number
of invalid call attempts and the number of SDCCH RF losses increase. On the
other hand, because MS frequently occupies SDCCH or the SDCCH occupation
duration increases, SDCCH congestion might occur. This problem can be solved
44
1 Overview
by modifying the frequency plan or performing SDCCH changeover.
5.4 Handover
5.4.1 Handover Problem Symptoms
The following lists some common symptoms of handover problems:
 Handover failure or handover delay, which causes degraded voice quality or even
call drop;
 Frequent handover, which causes degraded voice quality and increased system
signaling load;
 Inappropriate ratio between outgoing handover and incoming handover, which

causes traffic distribution problems.
5.4.2 Handover Problem Troubleshooting and Solutions
 Hardware problem
If the handover failure rate is too high, use other running statistics indices and
traffic analysis to locate the hardware fault and solve the problem in time. Perform
on-site check if necessary.
 Adjacent cell relationship problem
Check the adjacent cell relationship in the following two cases:
 Base stations with the same BCCH and BSIC are close to each other.
 The isolated island phenomenon exists.
 Adjacent-cell channel resource shortage or transmission fault
There is no available radio resource due to the high load of adjacent cell. The
adjacent cell transmission fault includes high Bit Error Ratio (BER) or
transmission transient interruption. Check congestion situation and transmission
alarm in the adjacent cell to see whether there are a large amount of error codes or
transient alarms. Handle these problems according to actual conditions.
 Adverse radio environment:
Adverse radio environment might cause MS unable to receive handover command

from the source cell or unable to occupy channels assigned by the destination cell.
45
Such problems can be solved by improving the radio environment.
 Coverage problem
The source cell and the destination cell do not have enough overlapped coverage
area, which might cause the destination cell’s TCH unable to be occupied. This
problem can be solved by increasing the overlapped coverage area.
 Interference problem:
The destination cell’s TCH can not be occupied due to interference. Refer to
Interference for troubleshooting details.
 Antenna problem:
The antenna is barred or the two transmitting antennas in the same cell have
different coverage areas. Check the antenna installation to solve the problem.
 Repeater problem:
The repeater’s selected frequency has poor quality, only some frequencies are
amplified. This problem should be solved according to actual conditions.
 Parameter setting problem:
Parameters are set inappropriately. For example, T3103 is set too small, which
might cause the destination cell’s channel unable to be occupied; in adjacent cell
parameters, the destination cell’s LAC or CI are set incorrectly, which might cause
high handover failure rate.
 Incomplete definition of MSC’s LAC table
For example, the REMOTELAC table of MSC is incompletely defined or

incorrectly defined, but the MAC edge cell is defined at BSS, thus handover fails.
 High signaling link load:
If the load of A-interface is too large, congestion will occur, and no timeslot
resource will be available for intra-MSC handover or inter-MSC handover. In such
cases, perform capacity expansion for the trunk link to solve the problem.
46
1 Overview
5.5 Call Drop
5.5.1 Call Drop Problem Symptoms
There are two types of call drops:
 SDCCH call drop
It occurs during the period when BSC has allocated SDCCH to MS and TCH
allocation has not succeeded yet.
 TCH call drop
It is abnormal call drop occurring after BSC successfully allocates TCH to MS.
Usually, call drop is caused by the following reasons:
 Radio link fault: call drop occurs during the communication process, messages can
not be received normally.
 Handover problem: call drop occurs during the handover process, T3103 is
timeout, MS can not occupy the destination cell’s channel and can not return to the
original channel.
 System fault: call drop occurs due to various possible system faults such as
equipment fault.
5.5.2 Call Drop Problem Troubleshooting and Solutions
1. Call drop due to coverage problem
 Fault causes
 Inconsecutive coverage (coverage hole)
 Poor indoor coverage
 Cross-cell coverage (isolated island)
 Coverage area too small
 Fault diagnosis
According to users’ complaint, locate the area with insufficient coverage, perform
drive test within a large area, observe the signal level, and check whether handover
is normal and call drop occurs. Check the call drop rate within BSC through traffic
statistics in OMCR, find out cells having high call drop rate. The following lists
47
some traffic statistics tasks and indices:
 Power control measurement: whether the average uplink/downlink signal

strength is too low.
 Receiving level measurement: whether the ratio of receiving level being low is
too large.
 Cell performance measurement/inter-cell handover measurement: the signal

level when handover is initiated is too low, the average receiving level is too
low.
 Call drop measurement: the signal level when call drop occurs is too low, the
TA value is abnormal before call drop occurs.
 Defined adjacent cell performance measurement: MS reports the cell’s

adjacent relationship table, which contains statistics of defined adjacent cells.
It can be used to locate which adjacent cell’s average signal level is too low.
 Undefined adjacent cell performance measurement: whether there is any

undefined adjacent cell of which the average signal level is too high.
 Power control measurement: whether the maximum distance (TA value)

between MS and BTS is abnormal in several consecutive time segments.
 Solution
 Find out areas with insufficient coverage. Increase the maximum transmission
power of the base station, or modify the antenna azimuth, downtilt, and height,
to improve the coverage. If necessary, add base stations to form consecutive
coverage. In areas, such as the tunnel, big department store, underground
parking lots, where the coverage problem is caused by landform, adopt micro
cells to improve the coverage.
 To guarantee indoor call quality, the signal strength must be strong enough. It
can be realized by increasing the maximum transmission power of the base
station, or modifying the antenna azimuth, downtilt, and height. If the indoor
call quality can not be improved by the above methods, add new base stations
or apply the indoor distribution system.
 For cross-cell coverage cells, supplement the cell missed in the adjacent cell
relationship, to reduce call drops due to no available appropriate cells. The
cross-cell coverage problem can be removed by decreasing the antenna
48
1 Overview
downtilt.
 Remove hardware faults. Perform the drive test to see whether the small
coverage area is caused by hardware fault. If the call drop rate increases
suddenly but other indices at the site are normal, check whether adjacent cells
are normal (the downlink might be faulty, such as TRX fault, diversity unit
fault, and antenna fault; the uplink fault might cause the original cell’s
outgoing handover failure rate a bit higher.).
2. Call drop due to handover problem
 Fault causes
 Parameters are set inappropriately
For example, the signal level in the intersected area of two cells is set very low,
the signal level of the candidate cell for handover is set too low, or the
handover threshold is set too small. With such parameter settings, if the
adjacent cell’s level is a bit higher than the service cell’s level, MS will
perform incoming handover to the adjacent cell; after the handover succeeds, if
the current cell’s level decreases, call drop will occur since there is no
appropriate cell for handover.
 Adjacent cells are not complete
Incomplete adjacent cell definitions might cause MS to keep the call within the
current cell, and call drop will occur due to MS unable to find an appropriate
cell with enough signal strength.
 Among adjacent cells, there are cells with the same BCCH and the same BSIC.
 Traffic congestion
If traffic is not equalized, it might cause handover failure due to the destination
site having no channel for handover, which results in call drop.
 Clock’s out of synchronization, frequency deviation exceeding the standard

range, and handover failure.
 The counter is timeout.
 Fault diagnosis
Through the traffic statistics, check whether there is any cell that has the following
problems:
49
 The handover success rate is low
 Both the handover and the handover reestablishment fail, and the number of
handover reestablishment is too large
 The call drop rate is high
Handover might be caused by the following reasons:
 Uplink/downlink receiving level
 Uplink/downlink receiving quality
 Power Budget (PBGT)
 Directed call attempt
 Traffic
Observe the alarms, check whether there is any clock alarm related to BTS, and
check whether the BTS clock is in normal running state. Calibrate the BTS clock if
necessary. Perform the drive test to check whether there is any handover problem.
Optimize the handover to reduce the call drop rate. The following lists some traffic
statistics indices that should be noticed:
 Inter-cell handover performance measurement: both the handover and the

handover reestablishment fail, and the number of handover reestablishment is
too large.
 Inter-cell handover performance measurement: the number of handover is too

large, and the number of handover reestablishments is also too large.
 Undefined adjacent cell performance measurement: both the undefined

adjacent cell’s signal level and the number of measurement reports exceed the
standard range.
 Outgoing handover performance measurement: the outgoing handover success

rate is low (from a certain cell). Find out the cell to which the outgoing
handover is performed, and check the cell to locate the fault.
 Incoming handover success rate is low: the opposite cell’s handover

parameters are not set appropriately.
 TCH performance measurement: the number of handovers and the number of

TCH occupation successes are out of proportion (>3), the number of
50
1 Overview
handovers is too large.
 Solution
 Check parameters that might influence the handover, including layer setting,
various handover threshold, various handover hysteresis, handover statistics
time, handover duration, minimum access level of the candidate cell for
handover.
 If traffic is not equalized, adjust the antenna downtilt and azimuth to control
the cell coverage area, or adjust network parameters, such as CRO, to make
MS to stay in the idle cell. Also, setting the layer priority can make MS to
handover to the idle cell. Besides, traffic can be equalized by load handover
(i.e. handover due to cell’s load) or carrier expansion.
 For BTS with clock problems, calibrate the BTS clock.
3. Call drop due to interference
 Fault causes
Interferences include co-frequency interference, adjacent-frequency interference,

and cross-modulation interference. When MS receives strong co-
frequency/adjacent-frequency interference signal in the service cell, BER becomes
higher, which causes that MS fails to accurately demodulate the adjacent cell’s
BSIC or the measurement report from MS can not be accurately received. The
interference threshold is the co-frequency C/I  9 dB and the adjacent-frequency
C/I  -9 dB. When the interference value exceeds the threshold, the call quality
becomes poor, causing the call drop to occur.
 Fault diagnosis
The interference might be inside the network or from external, and it exists in
uplink/downlink signal. Use the following methods to check interference:
 Traffic statistics
 According to users’ complaint, perform the drive test in area where

interference might exist, to check downlink interference. Check whether there
is any place where the receiving signal level is strong but the call quality is
poor. Use the testing MS to lock frequency and perform the dialing test, to
check whether interference exists at a certain frequency point.
51
 Check whether frequency planning is appropriate.
 Adjusting frequency points where interference might exist.
 Eliminating interference caused by equipment problems
 If the above methods can not solve the interference problem, use the
frequency-sweep meter to perform frequency sweep to locate the interference
source.
 Solution
For interference outside the network, contact the local telecommunication

committee to solve the problem.
To avoid interference inside the network, adopt the following methods:
 According to actual conditions, adjust relevant cells’ transmission power and

antenna downtilt, or adjust the frequency planning parameters.
 Adopt DTX, FH, power control, and diversity technologies to reduce the
interference.
 Eliminating interference caused by equipment problems (such as carrier

board’s self-oscillation and antenna intermodulation interference).
4. Call drop due to unbalance between uplink and downlink (caused by problems
related to antenna feeder, tower amplifier, and power amplifier).
 Fault causes
 The cell’s antenna feeders are connected inversely.
 Single-polarized antenna is adopted, and one cell has two antennas with
different pitch angles, which might cause the call drop. Call drop also occurs if
the two antennas’ azimuths are inappropriate.
 Antenna feeder problems, such as antenna feeder is damaged or connectors

have bad contact, might cause the transmission power and the receiving
sensitivity to decrease, which results in the call drop problem. Test SWR to
check whether antenna feeder is normal.
 Fault diagnosis and solution
 Check whether there is any alarm related to the combiner, CDU, tower
amplifier, and SWR.
52
1 Overview
 Check whether all boards at BTS are normal from the remote maintenance
terminal. Analyze through the traffic statistics whether the uplink and
downlink are unbalanced.
 Trace Abis interface through OMCR or the signaling analyzer MA10, observe
whether uplink/downlink signals are balanced in the measurement report.
 Perform the drive test and the dialing test. Check whether the service cell’s
BCCH frequency is consistent with that in the network planning; in other
words, check whether the cell’s transmitting antenna is installed correctly.
 Ensure the following items:
The antenna azimuth and pitch angle satisfy the design requirement;
Antenna feeders and jumpers are connected correctly;
The antenna feeder connector has good contact;
The antenna feeder is not damaged;
The SWR is normal.
 Check whether the call drop is due to unbalance between uplink and downlink,
which are caused by hardware problems. If hardware is faulty, replace the
faulty part, or close normal carriers and perform the dialing test for the carrier
which is doubted to be faulty, to locate the fault. Once the faulty part is
located, replace it immediately; if the normal spare part is unavailable, block
the faulty part to avoid the call drop problem that might influence normal
network running.
5. Call drop due to transmission fault
Call drop may be caused by poor transmission quality at Abis interface link or A-
interface link. The following lists some methods for solving the call drop problem
in this case:
 Observe the transmission and alarms related to boards (TC board fault, A-
interface PCM out-of-syn alarm, LAPD link break, power amplifier board
alarm, and TRX board alarm). According to the alarm data, analyze whether
there is any transient interruption at transmission or any faulty board (such as
damaged carrier board or bad contact)
 Check the transmission channel, BER, and 2 Mbps connector. Ensure that the
53
equipment is grounded appropriately.
 Observe the traffic statistics to check whether the high call drop rate is due to
transmission problems.
6. Call drop due to inappropriate radio parameter settings
Ensure relevant parameter settings are appropriate, such as the radio link failure
counter, minimum receiving signal level of MS, minimum receiving signal level of
RACH, and RACH busy threshold.
7. Call drop due to other reasons
Call drop might also be caused by software version inconsistency, which causes
the number of call drops and the call drop rate to increase.
54

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GBO_010_E1_0 Radio Network Optimization

 Understand detailed network optimization flow

 Understand common KPIs for network evaluation

 Grasp common methods for solving network problems

1.1 What Is Network Optimization............................................................................................................1

1.2 Why Do Network Optimization..........................................................................................................1

1.3 Network Optimization Work...............................................................................................................1

1.4 Network Optimization Categories.......................................................................................................2

2.2 Key Indices..........................................................................................................................................5

2.3 Evaluation Contents.............................................................................................................................6

2.3.1 Network Coverage Evaluation.................................................................................................6

2.3.2 Voice Quality Evaluation..........................................................................................................7

2.3.3 Network Interference Evaluation.............................................................................................7

2.3.4 Network Layout Evaluation.....................................................................................................8

2.3.5 Resource Utilization Ratio Evaluation.....................................................................................9

2.3.6 Traffic Statistics and Test Indices.............................................................................................9

3 Network Optimization Flow......................................................................................................................11

3.2 Network Optimization Phases...........................................................................................................12

3.2.1 Requirement Analysis.............................................................................................................12

3.2.2 Optimization Preparations......................................................................................................14

3.2.3 Equipment Check...................................................................................................................15

3.2.4 Data Collection.......................................................................................................................15

3.2.5 Data Analysis..........................................................................................................................17

3.2.7 Adjustment Result Verification...............................................................................................20

3.2.8 Project Acceptance and Summary..........................................................................................21

4 Daily Network Optimization......................................................................................................................23

4.1 Network Monitoring..........................................................................................................................23

4.1.1 Performance Data Overview..................................................................................................23

4.1.2 Statistics Report......................................................................................................................24

4.1.3 Other Monitoring Methods.....................................................................................................25

4.2 BSS Parameter Adjustment...............................................................................................................26

4.2.1 Network Identification Parameters.........................................................................................27

4.2.2 System Control Parameters....................................................................................................27

4.2.3 Cell Selection and Reselection Parameters............................................................................30

4.2.4 Network Function Parameters................................................................................................32

4.2.5 Some Counters........................................................................................................................32

4.3.1 Antenna Check........................................................................................................................34

4.3.2 Feeder Problems.....................................................................................................................36

4.3.3 Uplink/Downlink Interference Check....................................................................................36

4.3.4 Uplink/Downlink Balance Verification..................................................................................38

5 Common Network Optimization Problems..............................................................................................41

5.1.1 Coverage Problem Symptoms................................................................................................41

5.1.2 Coverage Problem Troubleshooting.......................................................................................41

5.1.3 Coverage Problem Solutions..................................................................................................41

5.2.1 Interference Problem Symptoms............................................................................................42

5.2.2 Interference Problem Troubleshooting...................................................................................42

5.3.1 Congestion Problem Symptoms.............................................................................................43

5.3.2 Congestion Problem Troubleshooting....................................................................................43

5.3.3 Congestion Problem Solutions...............................................................................................44

5.4.1 Handover Problem Symptoms................................................................................................45

5.4.2 Handover Problem Troubleshooting and Solutions...............................................................45

5.5 Call Drop............................................................................................................................................47

5.5.1 Call Drop Problem Symptoms...............................................................................................47

5.5.2 Call Drop Problem Troubleshooting and Solutions...............................................................47

This chapter explains what is network optimization, why to perform network

1.1 What Is Network Optimization

1.2 Why Do Network Optimization

1. Terminal users (new call model, user distribution)

2. Network running environment (new buildings, roads, and vegetation)

3. Network structure (coverage range, system capacity)

4. Technology (new equipment, new standard, and new service)

1.3 Network Optimization Work

In the early stage of engineering construction and commissioning, network