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Design of Radio Cells

Objectives

The participant is able to

- design radio cells

Contents

1 Cell Selection/Reselection
1.1 Cell Selection
1.2 Cell Reselection

2 Handover
2.1 General Notes on Handover
2.2 Measurement Preprocessing
2.3 Handover Criteria
2.4 Handover detection algorithms
2.5 Target Cell List Compilation
2.6 Handover Signaling and Timer
2.7 Extended cell handover
2.8 Directed Retry

3 Exercises

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Design of Radio Cells

In textbooks on cellular mobile communications radio cells are idealized by regular hexagons which has been
proved to be a good model for explaining principle effects.

However, in reality cell borders do not have this simple geometric structure. The physical cell borders are
fixed on the one hand

· by the radio propagation conditions

and on the other hand

· by the algorithms which decide on changing from one serving base station to another one on the basis of
“link quality” measurements.

These algorithms are called:

· Cell Selection/Reselection (for the idle mode),

· Handover (for the connected mode)

and are described in detail in the following sections.

Though it is controlled by some parameters broadcasted from the BS to the MS, the cell selection/ reselection
algorithm itself is implemented in the MS. Therefore, it is specified in details by the GSM Recommendations
(especially GSM 03.22 and GSM 05.08).

In contrast, the handover decision algorithm is implemented in the BSS (assisted by downlink measurements
reported by the MS). Hence, some degree of freedom is left to the manufacturer to optimize the algorithm.

For this reason and because its very important to take the correct decision when the MS is in connected mode,
the focal point of this chapter is the handover algorithm.

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1Cell Selection/Reselection

As mentioned above, the cell selection/reselection algorithm is implemented in the MS. Because the algorithm
for a GSM phase 1 MSs differs from that of a phase 2 MSs, both variants are described (as far as there is a
difference).

1.1Cell Selection

Normal Cell Selection:

Measurements for normal cell selection

The MS takes 5 samples of the received level on each RF carrier which are averaged:

AV_RXLEV = 1/5 * (RXLEV1 + RXLEV2 + ... + RXLEV5)

These samples are spread evenly over a period of 3 - 5 s.

Criteria for cell selection

Based on these measurements one can estimate whether a cell will be an appropriate serving cell from the
radio propagation point of view, i.e. whether there will a sufficient “link quality”.

This is done by checking the criterion C1 > 0.

C1 = AV_RXLEV - RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN - Max( 0, MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P )

This means that the received downlink level has to be above a threshold (RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN).

To ensure a sufficient uplink received level even for MSs of low transmit power level P a further term is
included:

If P < MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH (the maximum allowed MS transmit power level to access the random access
channel), the C1 criterion is equivalent to

AV_RXLEV > RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN + ( MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P )

i.e. the received downlink level has to exceed the RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN by a certain margin to have a
reserve for the uplink in the case of a MS of a low power class.

Beside the C1 radio criterion there are some other criteria (administrative and traffic control) for a cell to be
suitable:

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Definition: A “Suitable Cell” is defined as a cell which

1. is part of the selected PLMN,

2. is unbarred (parameter CELL_BAR_ACCESS = 0),

3. has a parameter C1 > 0,

4. is not in a location area forbidden for national roaming.

To allow e.g. emergency calls the conditions for a serving cell are less restrictive:

Definition: An “Acceptable Cell” is defined as a cell which

1. is unbarred,

2. has a parameter C1 > 0.

The general strategy for cell selection is to find the “suitable cell” with the highest C1 (best estimated link
quality). If no suitable cell can be found, an “acceptable cell” is selected.

For phase 2 mobile stations there is an additional parameter called CELL_BAR_QUALIFY (values: 0, 1)
used to assign priorities to cells:

CELL_BAR_QUALIFY = 1 <=> low priority cell

CELL_BAR_QUALIFY = 0 <=> normal priority cell

First it is tried to select a suitable normal priority cell, if no such cell can be found, a suitable low priority cell
is selected.

The complete cell selection process is illustrated in the flow chart below.

Cell Selection with Stored BCCH Information

Optionally, the MS may store information on received level on BCCH carriers when switched off.

When switched on, the MS first performs measurements on these carriers. If cell selection for the
corresponding cells is not successful, normal cell selection is carried out.

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Cell Selection
Algorithm
(no BCCH Info)

measure all
carriers

sort by received
level

no low priority yes Camp on low

carriers in list
cell found priority cell

yes no
trial carrier: Selection of an
best level in list acceptable cell

no remove trial
BCCH
carrier from list

yes
decode BCCH

cell
no no
suitable cell in selected
PLMN
yes yes

try only carriers of

BCCH allocation

no suitable low try only normal

normal priority
priority cell found priority cells

yes
Camp on normal
priority cell

Fig. 1 Cell selection (no BCCH info stored)

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1.2Cell Reselection

While moving within the radio network in idle mode, another cell may be more appropriate to serve the MS.
Therefore, cell reselection may be performed.

Preconditions: The MS camps on a cell which is called serving cell in the following.

The following actions are performed by the MS to detect whether a cell reselection is necessary:

· Down Link Signaling Failure:

- downlink signaling failure counter DSC is initialized: DSC 0 = round(90 / BS_PA_MFRMS)

- decode message on paging sub-channel;

successful: if DSC + 1 > DSCo ® DSC = DSC

else ® DSC + 1

unsuccessful: DSC = DSC - 4

- DSC < 0 => downlink signaling failure;

· monitor all BCCH carriers given in the BCCH allocation (neighbor cells) of the serving cell,

· take at least 5 samples of the received level from the serving cell (on paging sub-channel) as well as from
the neighbor cells;

=> AV_RXLEV(serving cell) and AV_RXLEV (neighbor cell)

· decoding of full BCCH data of the serving cell at least every 30 sec;

· decoding of BCCH data of the 6 strongest neighbor cells at least every 5 min.

From the radio propagation point of view it is worth to select a new (neighbor) cell if the received level from
that neighbor cell exceeds the received level of the current serving cell. For phase 1 MSs this is expressed
using the C1 criterion defined in the paragraph above:

C1 (neighbor cell) > C1 (serving cell).

For the reselection process for phase 1 MSs the neighbor cells are ordered according to their C1-value.

For phase 2 MSs a modified path loss criterion, the so-called C2 criterion, is used which is described in the
following paragraph.

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Cell Reselection Criterion C2 for MS of Phase 2:

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The C2 criterion depends upon the value of a timer T:

A timer T is started in the MS for each cell in the list of the 6 strongest neighbor cells as soon as it is placed on
the list. T is reset to 0 if the cell is removed from the list.

C2 = C1 - CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET (for PENALTY_TIME = 31 and arbitrary T)

C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET - TEMPORARY_OFFSET

for T < PENALTY_TIME < 31

C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET else.

The C2 criterion is illustrated in the figure below.

Cell included in the

list of 6 strongest

C2
TEMPORARY_OFFSET CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET
C1

PENALTY_TIME T

Fig. 2 Illustration of the C2 criterion

A negative TEMPORARY_OFFSET reduces the priority of a cell in the list of strongest neighbor cells.

A positive CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET increases the priority of a cell in the list of strongest neighbor cells.

This mechanism may be applied in hierarchical cell structures to keep fast moving mobiles in the umbrella
cells and slow moving mobiles in the micro cells: When a mobile reaches the coverage area of a (neighbor)
micro cell given by the C1 criterion, this cell becomes effectively excluded from reselection during the
PENALTY_TIME.

A fast moving mobile is assumed to have left the coverage area of the micro cell before
PENALTY_TIME is reached and hence the micro cell is not selected. In contrast, a slow moving mobile is
assumed to be still within the coverage area of the micro cell when PENALTY_TIME has expired. Applying
the positive CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET, this cell is selected with preference.

This mechanism will be discussed in more detail when explaining the mobile speed sensitive handover in
Chapt. 5.2 (Hierarchical Cell Structures)

Triggers for Cell Reselection

Cell reselection is triggered by the following conditions:

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1. C1 < 0 for the serving cell for a period of 5 s

2. MS detects downlink signaling failure

3. Serving cell becomes barred

4.1 Phase 1 MS

C1 (serving cell) < C1 (suitable neighbor cell)

if the suitable neighbor cell is in the same location area

C1 (serving cell) + CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS < C1 (suitable neighbor cell)

if the suitable neighbor cell is in another location area

for a period of 5 sec.

4.2 Phase 2 MS

C2 (serving cell) < C2 (suitable neighbor cell)

if the suitable neighbor cell is in the same location area

C2 (serving cell) + CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS < C2 (suitable neighbor cell)

if the suitable neighbor cell is in another location area

for a period of 5 sec.

5. A random access attempt is unsuccessful even after the maximum number of repetitions.

For phase 2 there is the additional trigger:

6. A location update request has been rejected with cause “location area not allowed”.

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C1 Phase 1 MS direction of movement

BTS1 BTS2
high power class MS
low power class MS

BTS1 BTS2

CELL_RESELECT_
HYSTERESIS

(h) (l)
C1=0

Radius of Cell 2 (a) (b)

for selection Cell Reselection
(l) low power MS (a) no change of location area
(h) high power MS (b) change of location area

Fig. 3 Illustration of Cell Selection / Reselection

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Parameters for Cell Selection/Reselection

BCCH_ARFCN_NC(n) BA - BCCH Allocation

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

ADJC - BCCHFREQ 0...1023 1 -

Fig. 4

In each cell the absolute radio frequency number BCCH_ARFCN_NC(n) (coding as given in chapter 2) each
of its neighbor cell n has to be known. This information is broadcasted as the so called BCCH Allocation to all
MSs in the respective cell. On the corresponding frequencies the MSs take measurement samples of the
received level used for cell selection / reselection.

Furthermore, the BCCH of neighbor cells has to be decoded by the MS (at least every 5 min) to know the
current values of the control parameters for the reselection algorithm.

SYS_ID - System Identifier

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSB SYSID BB900 - -

DCS1800
F2ONLY900
EXT900
GSMR
PCS1900

Fig. 5

Indicates the frequency band to be used by the BCCH channel.

Standard GSM band: BB900

DCS 1800 band: DCS1800

GSM extended band: F2ONLY900

GSM mixed band EXT900

GSM railway band GSMR

PCS 1900 band PCS1900

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CELL_BAR_ACCESS - Cell Barred for Access

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSO CELLBARR FALSE/TRUE - -

Fig. 6

A mobile station cannot camp on a barred cell, i.e. a barred cell is not selected by the cell selection/reselection
procedure. Mobile stations which camp on a cell while it becomes barred, initialize the reselection procedure
to find a new (unbarred) cell, i.e. traffic load is distributed to neighbor cells.

This means that e.g. neither a call nor a location update can start in a barred cell.

However, a cell barred for access is not barred for incoming handovers. To barr a cell completely, e.g. for
maintenance reasons also incoming handovers have to be avoided.

To reduce overload in a certain cell more moderately without distributing the overload to neighbor cells,
barring of access classes has to be used. Barring access for an access class does not trigger a cell reselection
for MSs of that class.

MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - Maximum allowed MS transmit power on random access channel

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSC MSTXPMAXC 0...31 1 2 dB

H

Fig. 7

The MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH field is coded as the binary representation of the power control level defined in
GSM rec. 05.05.
MS GSM900 Phase 1 MS GSM900 Phase 2 MS DCS1800
0 = 43 dBm 0 = 39 dBm 0 = 30 dBm
1 = 41 dBm 1 = 39 dBm 1 = 28 dBm
2 = 39 dBm 2 = 39 dBm 2 = 26 dBm
3 = 37 dBm 3 = 37 dBm 3 = 24 dBm
: : :
15 = 13 dBm 19 = 5 dBm 15 = 0 dBm
16 - 31 = 13 dBm 20 - 31 = 5 dBm 16 - 31 = 0 dBm
The transmit power level the MS uses for the access on the random access channel is given by the minimum of
two values:

· the output transmit power P of the MS

· the maximum allowed power for access within the respective cell
(given by MS_TXP WR_MAX_CCH).

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This parameter affects the

· the random access procedure

· the cell selection procedure.

Random access: If there is a collision of channel requests on the random access channel, the one with the
higher received level has a good chance to be decoded and to get a response by the BS.

Hence, MSs with higher output power are preferred. This imbalance can be avoided by choosing a low
maximum allowed transmit power.

Cell Selection: To be selected by the cell selection procedure, a cell has to fulfill the C1 criterion
C1 > 0 where

C1 = AV_RXLEV - RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN - Max( 0, MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P )

Choosing for example MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH = Pmin where Pmin is the output power level for the
minimum power class 5 (29 dBm), the C1 criterion reduces to

AV_RXLEV > RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN

for MSs of all power classes. Hence, the same idle mode cell border is seen by each mobile.

Choosing for example MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH = Pmax where Pmax is the output power level for the
maximum power class 1 (43 dBm), the C1 criterion reduces to

AV_RXLEV > RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN + ( MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P )

for MSs of all power classes. Hence, a larger cell radius is seen by a mobile of higher output power than by a
mobile of lower output power. On the other hand one can ensure by this mechanism that a certain uplink
received level is exceeded by each MS independent of its power class.

POWER_OFFSET - additional powerclass for class 3 DCS1800 MS

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSC PWROFS 0...3 1 2 dB

Fig. 8

The parameter POWER_OFFSET is only used by class 3 DCS1800 MS to calculate the C1-criterion described
as follows.

C1 = AV_RXLEV - RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN - Max(0,MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH + POWER_OFFSET- P)

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RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN - Minimum downlink received level for cell to be selected

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSB RXLEVAMI 0...63 1 1 dB

Fig. 9

The parameter RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN determines the cell border for an MS in idle mode by means of the C1
or C2 criterion, respectively.

Choosing a high value, reduces the risk of a handover immediately after call setup.

On the other hand the value has to be low enough to achieve a sufficient overlap between adjacent cells
(especially if they belong to different location areas). This is illustrated in the figure 3 for phase 1 MSs using
the C1 criterion for cell reselection. It has to be observed that the overlap may be different for mobiles of
different power classes (refer to MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH).

In any case RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN has to be above the MS receiver sensitivity level (-100 dBm for
DCS1800, -102 dBm for GSM handhelds, -104 dBm for other GSM MSs). Furthermore, it has to harmonize
with the handover thresholds (RXLEV_MIN, L_RXLEV_HO).

CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS - Hysteresis for reselection of a cell from another location area

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSB CELLRESH 0...7 1 2 dB

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Fig. 10

In idle mode the MS selects a new (neighbor) cell if the received level of the neighbor cell exceeds the
received level of the current cell in order to be served by the cell with the expected best link quality. However,
due to fading effects, the propagation conditions may change rapidly and therefore a reselection may occur
very frequently.

If the cells involved in the reselection process belong to the same location area, frequent cell reselection does
not have an effect on the network performance.

But if the the involved cells belong to different location area, the reselection of a new cell triggers a location
update procedure which causes signaling load (e.g. on the SDCCH) and involves all network elements.

To avoid unnecessary signaling load by forward and backward reselection due to fading, a hysteresis given by
the parameter CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS is introduced, i.e. a cell from another location area is
selected only if the corresponding received level exceeds the level of the current serving cell by the value of
this parameter. This is expressed in terms of the C1 (phase 1) or C2 (phase 2) criterion:

C1 (serving cell) + CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESES(serving) < C1 (suitable neighbor cell)

or

C2 (serving cell) + CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESES(serving) < C2 (suitable neighbor cell)

respectively.

The adjustment of CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESES should be a compromise between

- reduction of unnecessary location updates (high value) and
- selection of the cell with best receiption quality (low value).

Additional Phase 2 Parameters for Cell Selection/Reselection

CELL_BAR_QUALIFY

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSB CBQ 0...1 1 -

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Fig. 11

normal priority: 0

low priority: 1

Parameter used to assign a priority to a cell selection process. A suitable cell of low priority is only selected if
no suitable cell of normal priority can be found. This parameter can be used e.g. in hierarchical cell structures
that the MS initially selects an umbrella cell.

CELL_RESELCT_PARAM_IND_ - Phase 2 Reselection Parameter Indication

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSB CRESPARI 0...1 - -

Fig. 12

CELL_RESELECT_PARAM_IND=1:
The cell reselection parameters CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET, TEMPORARY_OFFSET and
PENALTY_TIME used for the C2 criterion as well as the parameter CELL_BAR_QUALIFY are broadcasted
on the BCCH. These parameters are taken into account by phase 2 MSs, but are ignored by phase 1 Mss.

CELL_RESELECT_PARAM_IND = 0:

The cell reselection parameters and CELL_BAR_QUALIFY are not broadcasted on the BCCH. A phase 2 MS
then uses the value 0 for all these parameters, i.e. C1 = C2.

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PENALTY_TIME - Time to apply a negative offset to C2 of a neighbor cell

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSB PENTIME 0...30 and 31: 1 20 sec

special meaning

Fig. 13

PENALTY_TIME < 31:

A timer T is started in the MS for each cell in the list of the 6 strongest neighbor cells as soon as it is placed on
the list. T is reset to 0 if the cell is removed from the list. During Penalty Time
(T < PENALTY_TIME) a negative TEMPORARY_OFFSET is applied to the C2 of the respective neighbor
cell

C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET - TEMPORARY_OFFSET

which is removed after Penalty Time (T > PENALTY_TIME):

C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET.

PENALTY_TIME = 31:
C2 = C1 - CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET.

For PENALTY_TIME = 31 the priority of a neighbor cell for reselection is permanently reduced.

TEMPORARY_OFFSET

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSB TEMPOFF 0...7 1 10 dB

7: infinity

Fig. 14

Subtracting TEMPORARY_OFFSET from CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET reduces the priority of a cell in the

list of strongest neighbor cells, i.e. during run time of the timer the corresponding neighbor cell is effectively
barred for cell reselection.

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CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSB CRESOFF 0...63 1 2 dB

Fig. 15

Adding CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET increases the priority of a cell in the list of strongest neighbor cells
when the timer has expired.

This mechanism may be applied in hierarchical cell structures to keep fast moving mobiles in the umbrella
cells and slow moving mobiles in the micro cells: When a mobile reaches the coverage area of a (neighbor)
micro cell, given by the C1 criterion, this cell becomes effectively excluded from reselection during the
PENALTY_TIME.

A fast moving mobile is assumed to have left the coverage area of the micro cell before PENALTY_TIME is
reached and hence the micro cell is not selected. In contrast, a slow moving mobile is assumed to be still
within the coverage area of the micro cell when PENALTY_TIME has expired. Applying the positive
CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET, this cell is selected with preference.

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2Handover

2.1General Notes on Handover

The handover algorithm is the most important algorithm in cellular mobile communications.

Its main objectives are:

· maintenance of connection in case of cell change (movement)

· channel change in case of severe disturbance (interference)

· design of cell borders and radio network structure

Steps of the Handover Process

The handover process can be divided into several sub-processes listed in the table below together with the
network elements involved within the respective process.

No. Sub-process Involved Network Element

1. Measurements
- „link quality“ serving cell MS, BTS
- received level neighbor cells MS

2. Measurement Preprocessing BTS

3. Neighbor cell book-keeping BTS

4. Handover Decision BTS

5. Target Cell Generation BTS

6. Target Cell Evaluation

- intra BSS handover BSC
- inter BSS handover MSC

7. Selection of new channel BSC

8. Handover execution MS, BTS, BSC, MSC

Fig. 16

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Types of Handover

Different types of handover can be distinguished with respect to the changed region: a cell, a BSS area or an
MSC area. These are illustrated in the figure below. The different types of handover can enabled or disabled
by several flags

1. Intracell Handover
2. Intra-BSS Handover
3. Intra-MSC Handover BSC 1a
4. Inter-MSC Handover 2

4
BSC 2 1 MSC 1

3
MSC 2

BSC 1b

Fig. 17 Types of Handover

Handover Causes

Two criteria groups of different handover causes are defined:

· Radio Criteria - received quality (too low/bit error rate too high) inter-/intracell HO
- received level (too low) intercell HO
- MS-BS distance (too high) intercell HO
- better cell (power budget: relative received level) intercell HO

· Network Criteria - serv. cell congestion > directed retry for call setup intercell HO
- MS-BS distance (too high/low in extended cells) intracell HO
- received level or MS-BS distance
(too low/high in concentric cells) intracell HO

The first three causes are known as mandatory or imperative causes, i.e. if one of these causes occurs, a hand-
over is necessary to maintain the call. This may happen because the MS is leaving the coverage area of the
serving cell (intercell handover) or because there is a strong interferer using the same channel in another cell
(intracell handover).

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The fourth cause is an optional one, i.e. the link quality in the serving cell is sufficiently good, but there are
neighbor cells with better received level. Though its not necessary for the link quality of this specific call,
there is a benefit for overall network performance to handover the call to the better cell: A call in the better
cell causes less interference. Especially, if power control is applied. Since to achieve the same received level
in the better cell, a smaller transmit power can be used in this cell.
In a well planned radio network “better cell” should be the overwhelming handover cause. Hence, the
locations of a “better cell” handover determine the cell “boundaries”.

The fifth cause is named forced handover because it is triggered by the BSC due to a congestion situation, and
not due to radio conditions on the link. This handover (direcred retry) is performed from a SDCCH in the
congested cell to a TCH in a neighbour cell during call setup.
The last two causes are intracell handovers in special cell configurations:
- In extended cells handovers are feasible from single to double timeslots and vice versa.
- In a concentric cell handovers are performed between the inner and complete area.

These handover causes can be enabled/disabled separately by corresponding flags.

Flags to enable/disable handover types and causes due to radio criteria

The flags to enable/disable the different handover types and causes are listed in the table below.

They are administered in the object HAND.

Specification Name DB Name Meaning

EN_INTER_HO INTERCH Flag to enable/disable all handover types and causes except
for intracell handover.

EN_INTRA_HO INTRACH Flag to enable/disable intracell handover.

EN_BSS_INTER_HO LOTERCH Flag to enable/disable a BSS internal intercell handover, i.e.

if disabled, the handover is handled as an inter BSS handover
even if the first cell in the target cell list belongs to the same
BSS as the serving cell.

EN_BSS_INTRA_HO LOTRACH Flag to enable/disable a BSS internal intracell handover, i.e.

if disabled, the handover is handled as an inter BSS handover
and the MSC is involved.

EN_RXQUAL_HO RXQUALHO Flag to enable/disable intercell handover due to quality.

EN_RXLEV_HO RXLEVHO Flag to enable/disable intercell handover due to level.

EN_DIST_HO DISTHO Flag to enable/disable intercell handover due to distance.

EN_PBGT_HO PBGTHO Flag to enable/disable better cell (power budget) handover.

Fig. 18

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Comments:

· Enabling BSS internal handover has the following advantages:

- reduction of signaling load on the A-interface

- reduction of processing load in the MSC

- faster handover execution.

Consequences:

- BSS internal handover should be enabled,

- BSS regions should be adapted to traffic flows to reduce the inter-BSS handover rate.

· Normally, intracell handover should be enabled to allow a handover from a channel with high interference
to another one with less interference within the same cell. However, if random frequency hopping (see
chapt. 6.2) is applied, it may be reasonable to disable intracell handover since interference is
approximately the same on all channels and no improvement can be achieved by intracell handover.

· If distance handover is disabled, an MS could largely exceed the planned cell boundaries in the case of
favorable radio conditions at the serving cell without causing a handover. As a consequence,
neighboring cells may suffer from excessive interference produced by this MS. Furthermore, there is a
risk that link quality decreases very suddenly (turn around a corner), i.e. there is the risk of a call drop.
Hence, distance handover should be switched on.

· If power budget handover is disabled, no handovers with cause “better cell” are generated. Nevertheless,
power budget is calculated and evaluated for the ranking of neighbor cells within the target cell list which
also has to be compiled for mandatory handovers (Ch. 4.2.4).

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2.2Measurement Preprocessing

Measurement Values:

The following parameters are measured and calculated each SACCH multiframe (0.48 s):

RXQUAL:

It is defined according to GSM TS 05.08 as function of the bit error rate (BER) before channel decoding:
RXQUAL = 0 : BER < 0.2% assumed value: 0.14%
RXQUAL = 1 : 0.2% < BER < 0.4% assumed value: 0.28%
RXQUAL = 2 : 0.4% < BER < 0.8% assumed value: 0.57%
RXQUAL = 3 : 0.8% < BER < 1.6% assumed value: 1.13%
RXQUAL = 4 : 1.6% < BER < 3.2% assumed value: 2.26%
RXQUAL = 5 : 3.2% < BER < 6.4% assumed value: 4.53%
RXQUAL = 6 : 6.4% < BER < 12.8% assumed value: 9.05%
RXQUAL = 7 : 12.8% < BER assumed value: 18.01%

The RXQUAL values are measured on the dedicated channel for the uplink as well as for the downlink for
each TDMA frame (100 frames) within an SACCH multiframe. The measured RXQUAL values are averaged
over the respective SACCH period using the assumed values of the table above. The resulting RXQUAL value
is the one used within the handover algorithm in the way described below.

RXLEV:

The received level is measured on the dedicated channel for the uplink as well as for the downlink for each
TDMA frame (100 frames) within an SACCH multiframe. The measured level values in [dBm] are averaged
over the respective SACCH period. The average value is mapped on an RXLEV value using the table below
(refer to GSM TS 05.08):

RXLEV = 0: RXLEV £ -110 dBm

RXLEV = 1: -110 dBm < RXLEV £ -109 dBm
RXLEV = 2: -109 dBm < RXLEV £ -108 dBm

RXLEV = 62: -49 dBm < RXLEV £ -48 dBm

RXLEV = 63: RXLEV > -48 dBm

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RXLEV_NCELL(n):

The mobile measures the level received on the BCCH frequency of each neighbor cell n. The mapping is as for
RXLEV above.

MS_BS_DIST:

The distance MS_BS_DIST between the MS and BS is calculated from the timing advance (TA) value
measured by the BS and is coded as follows:

MS_BS_DIST = 0, 1, ... 35. Distance[Km]

Aspects of of Discontinuous Transmission

When Voice Activity Detection (VAD) and Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) is applied not all TDMA
frames within a SACCH multiframe may be transmitted. Hence, RXQUAL and RXLEV measurement values
(SUB values) for the corresponding SACCH frames are less reliable than those for that SACCH with no
silence period (FULL values). Therefore SUB and FULL values have to be distinguished within measurement
preprocessing (see below).

SACCH Multiframe Occupancy

DTX not applied: 100 slots not idle

DTX applied (silence periode): 12 slots not idle

idle slot speech burst SACCH burst Silence description burst

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Measurement Values for Handover (Summary)

Measurement Range Measurement Type Description

RXLEV_DL_FULL 0 - 63 Received signal level on TCH/SDCCH (full set of TDMA

frames) downlink

RXLEV_DL_SUB 0 - 63 Received signal level on TCH (subset of TDMA frames)

downlink

RXQUAL_DL_FULL 0-7 Received signal quality on TCH/SDCCH (full set of TDMA

frames downlink

RXQUAL_DL_SUB 0-7 Received signal level on TCH (subset of TDMA frames)

downlink

RXLEV_NCELL(1..6) 0 - 63 Received signal level on BCCH of up to 6 neighbor cells

(downlink)

BCCH_FREQ_NCELL_(1...6) 0 - 31 BCCH RF channel number of up to 6 neighbor cells

(downlink)

BSIC_NCELL (1...6) 0 - 63 Base Station Identity Code of up to 6 neighbor cells

(downlink)

RXLEV_UL_FULL 0 - 63 Received signal level on TCH/SDCCH (full set of TDMA

frames) uplink

RXLEV_UL_SUB 0 - 63 Received signal quality on TCH (subset of TDMA frames)

uplink

RXQUAL_UL_FULL 0-7 Received signal quality on TCH/SDCCH (full set of TDMA

frames) uplink

RXQUAL_UL_SUB 0-7 Received signal quality on TCH (subset of TDMA frames)

uplink

MS_BS_DIST 0 - 35 Absolute MS-BS distance [km]

DTX_UL 0.-.2 DTX can/shall/shall not used on uplink

DTX_DL TRUE/ DTX used/not used on downlink

FALSE

Fig. 19

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Illustration of Measurement Preprocessing

The measured (and reported) data per SACCH multiframe are preprocessed within the BTS using a gliding
average window. The size of the window can be set separately for RXQUAL, RXLEV, DIST and PBGT. The
measured RXLEV_FULL/SUB or RXQUAL_FULL/SUB values are put into the gliding window with a
multiplicity (weight) given by the parameter W_LEV_HO or W_QUAL_HO, respectively. This is illustrated
in the figure below.

DTX enabled: Averaging of RXLEV

Example: Average of RXLEV with a gliding window of size A_LEV_HO = 4

and a weight factor of the full values of W_LEV_HO = 2.

average value = 27

Gliding Window

32 27 27 23 29 29 21

Measurement Values each

28 31 32 27 23 29 21 SACCH Multiframe (0.48 s)

RXLEV_SUB (weight 1) RXLEV_FULL (weight 2)

Fig. 20 Illustration of weighting and averaging of measurement values

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Parameters for Measurement Preprocessing

The parameters for measurement preprocessing for handover are administered in the object HAND and are
listed in the table below.

Specification Name DB Name Range Meaning

HOAVQUAL 1-31 Averaging window size for RXQUAL values,

A_QUAL_HO AQUALHO used for handover decisions due to RXQUAL

HOAVQUAL 1-3 Weighting factor for RXQUAL_FULL values

W_QUAL_HO WQUALHO

HOAVLEV 1-31 Averaging window size for RXLEV values, used

A_LEV_HO ALEVHO for handover decisions due to RXLEV

HOAVLEV 1-3 Weighting factor for RXLEV_FULL values

W_LEV_HO WLEVHO

A_DIST_HO HOAVDIST 1-31 Averaging window size for Timing Advance

values used for handover decisions due to
distance.

A_PBGT_HO HOAVPWRB 1-31 Averaging window size used for power budget
calculation.

Fig. 21

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Comments:

Range of W_XX: 1, 2, 3; as default value 3 is recommended.

· Range of A_XX: 1...31, Step Size: 1

· The adjustment of the averaging size mainly depends upon rate of change of the radio propagation
conditions.

Example:

- path loss (change of 3 dB at a distance of 2000m): ® MS movement of ~400 m

- long term fading change of 6 dB: ® MS movement of ~5...100 m

- short term fading: ® MS movement of ~0.15 m

Hence, at the cell border the main variation of received level is due to long and short term fading. Within
one SACCH multiframes an MS moves

0.5 m for MS speed = 1 m/s = 3.6 km/h

5.0 m for MS speed = 10 m/s = 36 km/h

Using an averaging window size of 10 SACCH frames, short term fading is averaged for pedestrians (as
well as for “fast” moving MSs).

Long term fading is partly averaged for fast moving MSs (the degree of average depends on the exact
speed and the correlation length of long term fading, whereas there is nearly no averaging of long term
fading for pedestrians.

The setting of the averaging window size has to be a compromise between a fast decision and a reliable
decision.

Therefore it is recommended to use a larger window size for the optional handover (better cell) to do not
cause a lot of unnecessary handovers and a smaller window size for the mandatory handover causes
(quality, level, distance) to be able to react quickly on a sudden decrease of link quality.

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2.3Handover Criteria

Evaluation of handover criteria is based on:

· Up- and downlink measurements of level and quality
· The absolute MS-BS distance
· The power budget criterion of up to 32 neighbour cells
· BSC-trigger to answer with a handover request

Two types of handover may occur:

· Intercell HO requests the allocation of a dedicated channel outside the serving cell
· Intracell HO requests the allocation of another dedicated channel within the serving cell

GSM distinguishes three classes of handover criteria:

· Power budget HO as ‘normal criterion’
· All other TCH-causes as ‘alarm- or imperative criteria’
· Forced HO triggered by the BSC (see chapter 4.2.8)

On TCHs it is possible that the condition for more than one handover cause is fulfilled. Therefore it is
necessary to rank the evaluation of handover causes. On SDCCH where only one cause is evaluated, no
ranking is necessary.

Static ranking is performed according a priority list.

Priority Handover Cause HO type HO class evaluated on

1 Extended Cell Handover intracell imperative TCH

2 Concentric Cell Handover intracell imperative TCH

3 Quality Intercell Handover intercell imperative TCH

4 Level Handover intercell imperative TCH

5 Distance Handover intercell imperative TCH

6 Power Budget Handover intercell normal TCH

7 Quality Intracell Handover intracell imperative TCH

- Forced Handover intercell forced SDCCH

Fig. 22 Handover Causes Priorities

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Handover criteria evaluation - static ranking

evaluate HO
criterion
priority 1

N
HO
detected

Y
evaluate HO
criterion
priority 2

N
HO
detected

Y
evaluate HO
criterion
priority 3

N
HO
detected

Y until evaluation
of HO criterion 7

Fig. 23

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Handover criteria evaluation - dynamic ranking

In some cases it is necessary to rank priorities dynamically:

In case a Extended cell HO (single/double timeslot) or an Concentric Cell HO (inner/complete area) was
requested but could not be performed due to lack of resources, evaluation of these criteria is skipped the next
time to make evaluation of other HO criteria possible (e.g. Quality, Level etc.).

In case the following HO-attempt is also unsuccessful or no other HO can be detected then the skipped priority
is enabled again for the next try. BTS toggles.

The following flow chart shows in principle the dynamic ranking mechanism of Extended Cell HO /
Concentric Cell HO:

skip evaluation Y
of HO criterion
(skip_flag set)
N

reset skip_flag

HO N
condition
fulfilled

set skip_flag

HO detected

Fig. 24

Dynamic ranking of HO evaluation is also performed in case of Quality inter-/intracell HO

(see chapter 2.4 Handover detection algorithms)

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2.4Handover detection algorithms

The standard handover algorithm for radio criteria uses the decision criteria listed in the table below where the
order of processing within the overall handover algorithm is used (see fig.23).
These criteria will be modified for a speed sensitive handover used within hierarchical cells (refer to Chapt.
5.2).

Handover Causes Decision Criteria

Intercell HO due to Quality 1. RXQUAL_XX > L_RXQUAL_XX_H

2. RXLEV_XX < L_RXLEV_XX_IH

3. XX_TXPWR = Min ( XX_TXPWR_MAX, P )

HO due to Level 1. RXLEV_XX < L_RXLEV_XX_H

2. XX_TXPWR = Min ( XX_TXPWR_MAX, P )

HO due to Distance 1. MS_BS_DIST > MS_RANGE_MAX

HO due to Power Budget 1. RXLEV_NCELL(n) > RXLEV_MIN(n)

+ Max ( 0, MS_TXPWR_MAX(n) - P )

2. PBGT(n) > HO_MARGIN(n)

Intracell HO due to Quality 1. RXQUAL_XX > L_RXQUAL_XX_H

2. RXLEV_XX > L_RXLEV_XX_IH

Fig. 25

Notes:
· XX: used as variable for both UL (uplink) and DL (downlink)
· MS_TXPWR_MAX: maximum allowed transmit power of the MS in the serving cell,
· MS_TXPWR_MAX(n): maximum allowed transmit power of the MS in the adjacent cell “n“
· P [dBm]: the maximum power capability of the MS (power class)
· An intercell handover due quality or level is only performed if the transmit power of the MS or BS
respectively is on its maximum.

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Dynamic ranking of Quality inter-/ intracell handover

When criteria for Quality Intercell HO are evaluated it is first checked if any Quality handover shall be
performed (averaged UL/DL measurements show a high signal quality value). Then the criterion of Quality
Intracell handover is evaluated. It’s obvious that Quality Intercell HO is detected when the criterion of Quality
Intracell HO is not given.

In case a Quality Intracell HO was requested but could not be performed (HO_FAILS) than Quality Intercell
HO is tried the next time (if criterion is still given). When this Intercell HO attempt also fails then BTS toggles
back and tries again an Intracell HO.

To initiate a Quality Intercell HO after an unsuccessful Quality Intracell HO attempt, a skip_flag is used. This
skip_flag is set after an Intracell HO attempt and is processed in case of Quality Intercell detection.

When the criterion of Quality HO is given and the skip_flag for Intracell HO is not set, it is possible to
perform a Quality Intracell HO if the condition is fulfilled. In this case the evaluation of handover criteria is
resumed with the next priority level.

When the criterion of Quality HO is given and the skip_flag for Intracell HO is set, an unsuccessful Intracell
HO has been performed before. The dynamic ranking mechanism forces an Intercell HO instead of the
previous Intracell HO by skipping the evaluation for Quality Intracell HO condition. The skip_flag is reset
again to make a future Intracell HO evaluation possible in case this Intercell HO attempt also fails. BTS
toggles between intracell and intercell handover.

Limitation of Intracell HO repetition

The BTS is informed by the BSC that a number of consecutive and successful Intra Cell HO over the same
connection have been performed. Any further subsequent Intracell HO has to be disabled for a defined period
of time, but if criteria are given during penalisation time a Intercell HO may be tried instead. The O&M flag
‘Enable_Limitation_Intracell_HO’ is used to enable/disable this feature.

Parameters for Intracell handover limitation

Specification Name Object DB Name Range Step Size Unit

Enable_Limitation_Intracell_HO HAND ELIMITCH TRUE/FALSE - -

Max_Intracell_HO HAND MAIRACHO 1 .. 15 1 -

Timer_No_Intracell_HO HAND TINOIERCHO 1 .. 254 1 1 sec

Fig. 26

This attribute ‘Max_Inracell_HO’ specifies the maximum number of consecutive successful quality intracell
handovers which are permitted in the same BTS for a single connection. The next intracell HO is suspended
when the threshold Max_Intracell_HO+1 is reached, until the ‘Timer_No_Intracell_HO’ expires.

The following flow charts (fig. 27-28) show in principle the evaluation of Quality HO criterion (incl dynamic
ranking mechanism of Quality inter-/ intracell HO and limitation of intracell HO repetition).

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Dynamic ranking of quality inter- / intracell handover

N
max. power

Condition for N
Quality HO
fulfil ed
Y

N
skip Intracell HO
(skip_flag set)

Y
Intracell HO Y
condition fulfilled

reset skip_flag

Quality Intercell
HO detected

Fig. 27

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Dynamic ranking of quality inter- / intracell handover & limitation of intracell HO repetition

limit. of N
intracell HO rep:
penalisation time
active
Y

set skip_flag

Y
skip Intracell HO
(skip_flag set)

N
Intracell HO
condition fulfilled

set skip_flag

Quality Intracell
HO detected

Fig. 28

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Power Budget:

PBGT(n) = RXLEV_NCELL(n) - ( RXLEV_DL + PWR_C_D )

+ Min( MS_TXPWR_MAX, P ) - Min( MS_TXPWR_MAX(n), P )

> HO_MARGIN(n)

RXLEV_DL: averaged value of the measured downlink level in the serving cell,

PWR_C_D: BS_TXPWR_MAX [dBm] - BS_TXPWR [dBm]

averaged difference between the maximum downlink RF power

BS_TXPWR_MAX and the actual downlink power BS_TXPWR due to power control
in the serving cell.

RXLEV_NCELL(n): averaged value of the measured downlink level of the adjacent cell “n”

HO_MARGIN(n): handover margin; if path loss with respect to the serving cell exceeds the path
loss with respect to the adjacent cell “n” by this margin, the adjacent cell is
considered as the (much) better cell.

Loss(serving) - Loss(adjacent) =

= BS_TXPWR - RXLEV_DL - ( BS_TXPWR_MAX(n) - RXLEV_NCELL(n) )

= RXLEV_NCELL(n) - ( RXLEV_DL + PWR_C_D )

+ BS_TXPWR_MAX - BS_TXPWR_MAX(n)

Assumption:

BS_TXPWR_MAX - BS_TXPWR_MAX(n) = MS_TXPWR_MAX - MS_TXPWR_MAX(n)

· if the link budget of the serving cell is designed for MSs of P = MS_TXPWR_MAX and

· if the link budget of the adjacent cell “n” is designed for MSs of P = MS_TXPWR_MAX(n)

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Back handover prevention

Back-handover (due to power budget) prevention is triggered by BSC by including the old cell and the
previous handover cause (GSM 08.08 Cause) in the Channel activation message. A timer is started in BTS and
until the timer for the specified cell expires,
- no handover condition due to Power Budget will be evaluated for this cell
- this cell is excluded from the target cell list in case of any other handover request due to Power
Budget

The O&M flag ‘Enable_No_Back_HO’ is used to enable/disable this feature.

Back handovers due to imperative criteria are not affected by this mechanism.

Parameters for Back handover prevention

Specification Name Object DB Name Range Step Size Unit

Enable_No_Back_HO HAND NOBAKHO TRUE/FALSE - -

Timer_Inhibit_Back_HO ADJC TINHBAKHO 1 .. 254 1 1 sec

Fig. 29

General Information Flow

B TS B SC

C e ll A
H O C o n d In d ( B ,C , D )

C e ll B C h a n A c t iv i n B ( C e l l A , H O - c a u s e )

In c a s e o f P B G T - H O :
C e l l A i s n o t in c l u d e d
in T C L

Fig. 30

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Parameters of Handover Decision

Specification Name DB Name Range Meaning

/ Object

L_RXQUAL_DL_H HOLTHQUDL 0...7 Thresholds for downlink/uplink quality. If

L_RXQUAL_UL_H HOLTHQUUL RXQUAL is above these thresholds, the
received level is low and the transmit power
/ HAND has reached its maximum, a quality intercell
handover is initiated.

L_RXLEV_DL_H HOLTHLVDL 0...63 Thresholds for downlink/uplink level. If

L_RXLEV_UL_H HOLTHLVUL RXLEV is below these thresholds and the
transmit power has reached its maximum a
/ HAND level handover is initiated.

L_RXLEV_DL_IH HOTDLINT 0...63 If the quality falls below a threshold, but the
L_RXLEV_UL_IH HOTULINT received level is high, higher than
L_RXLEV_XX_IH, an intracell handover is
/ HAND initiated.

MS_RANGE_MAX HOTMSRM 0...35 Km If the measured timing advance value is above

this threshold, a distance handover is initiated
/ HAND in a standard cell.

MS_RANGE_MAX_EXT HOTMSRME 35...100 Km If the measured timing advance value is above

this threshold, a distance handover is initiated
/ HAND in an extended cell.

MS_TXPWR_MAX MSTXPMAX 2...15 GSM Maximum TXPWR an MS is allowed to used

0...15 DCS in the serving cell
/ BTSB * 2 dB 2 = 39 dBm, 15 = 13 dBm (GSM)
0 = 30 dBm, 15 = 0 dBm (DCS)

MS_TXPWR_MAX (n) MSTXPMAXCL 2...15 GSM Maximum TXPWR an MS is allowed to use

0...15 DCS in the neighbor cell n
/ ADJC * 2 dB 2 = 39 dBm, 15 = 13 dBm (GSM)
0 = 30 dBm, 15 = 0 dBm (DCS)

RXLEV_MIN(n) RXLEVMIN 0...63 The level received from a neighbor cell n has
to exceed this threshold
/ ADJC
- to initiate a better cell handover to that
neighbor cell
- to include this cell in the target cell list for
a mandatory handover

- HO_MARGIN(n) HOM 0...48 The path loss difference between serving and
/ ADJC - 24...+ 24 adjacent cell has to exceed this margin for a
dB better cell handover.

Fig. 31

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Handover Regions

RXQUAL L_RXLEV_XX_IH

7
Intercell HO Intracell HO
due to quality due to quality

L_RXQUAL_XX_H

Intercell HO no handover
due to level action due to
quality or level

RXLEV
0 63

L_RXLEV_XX_H

Fig. 32 Regions of handover defined by quality and level thresholds

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For adjusting the handover thresholds one has to distinguish two scenarios:

A. Noise Limited Scenario:

Large cells (in rural area) with low traffic load: received level at the cell border not much above the
receiver limit sensitivity level.

B. Interference Limited Scenario:

“Small” cells (in urban area) with high traffic load: received level at cell border significantly exceeds the
receiver sensitivity level, but C/I not much above the reference interference sensitivity.

In any case intercell handover due to quality should be avoided as far as possible, i.e.

· set L_RXQUAL_XX_H to highest value for acceptable speech quality,

· set L_RXLEV_XX_IH to a appropriate value so that in case of low RXQUAL an intracell handover is
initiated for the locations within the cell area defined by the other thresholds.

Scenario A:

Main handover criterion is the level criterion and L_RXLEV_XX_H has to be set to a value just some dBs
above the receiver limit sensitivity level.

Furthermore, there should be a hysteresis between the threshold RXLEV_MIN for incoming handover and the
corresponding one for outgoing handover L_RXLEV_XX_H to avoid a lot of unnecessary forward and
backward handover:

RXLEV_MIN - L_RXLEV_XX_H = level hysteresis > 0.

The order of magnitude for the level hysteresis is given by the standard deviation of the long term fading, i.e.
RXLEV_MIN > L_RXLEV_XX_H + 4 ... 10 dB.

Scenario B:

In this scenario the better cell criterion should be the main handover criterion, since

· it is the most suitable criterion for designing well defined cell borders,

· it guarantees that the mobile is served by the cell with (nearly) the lowest path loss and therefore offers the
greatest potential for power control to reduce interference.
To avoid a lot of unnecessary forward and backward power budget handover caused by long term fading
fluctuations of the received levels from the respective BTSs, a hysteresis has to be introduced:
HO_MARGIN(cell1 -> cell2) + HO_MARGIN(cell2 -> cell1) = power budget hysteresis > 0.
Usually, the handover margin is chosen symmetrically; its value should be a compromise between ideal power
budget handover (low value) and a low rate of forward and backward handovers (high value)
By choosing unsymmetric values for the handover margin, one can adapt the cell area to the traffic load, e.g.
increasing HO_MARGIN(cell1 -> cell2) while keeping the power budget hysteresis constant (i.e. reducing
HO_MARGIN(cell2 -> cell1) by the same amount), increases the effective area of cell 1 while reducing that of
cell 2).

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RXLEV_MIN(n) should be set to a value so that RXLEV_NCELL(n) > RXLEV_MIN(n) for almost all
locations where PBGT(n) > HO_MARGIN(n), i.e. a better cell handover is really initiated if the power budget
condition is fulfilled.

This means that there should be an overlap of the outgoing power budget area of one cell and the incoming
RXLEV_MIN area of the neighbor cell n.

Furthermore, as for scenario A, there should be a level hysteresis between RXLEV_MIN and
L_RXLEV_XX_H.

This is illustrated for an ideal situation without long term fading in the figure below:

RXLEV_MIN L_RXLEV_XX_H

BTS1 BTS2

BTS3
ideal power
budget cell
border

Fig. 33 Cell borders defined by handover thresholds.

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L_RXLEV_XX_IH (inter / intracell quality HO)

BTS

RXLEV_MIN (incoming HO)

L_RXLEV_XX_H (outgoing level HO)

receiver limit sensitivity

Fig. 34 Relation between handover level thresholds

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2.5Target Cell List Compilation

The target cell compilation proceeds in several steps:

- Definition of Neighbor Cells (Maximum Number = 32) by CI_NCELL(n):

CI_NCELL(n) = Location Area Code (LAC) + Cell Identifier (CI) of Neighbor Cell n
The selection of neighbor cells affects handover traffic flow. The number of target cells should be kept
to a minimum:

- geographical neighbor cells if there is a traffic flow from the serving cell into these cells

- eventually some alternative cells if there is a congestion in the preferred direct neighbor cell

- MS needs the BCCH frequency for each neighbor cell n:

Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number of BCCH: ARFCN_NCELL(n)

- MS reports to BTS level measured on a certain ARFCN(n) together with

- Relative BCCH frequency number BCCH_FREQ_NCELL(n) (see fig. 36)

- Decoded Base Station Identity Code BSIC(n)

Neighbor Cells n1 and n2 using the same BCCH frequency ARFCN(n1) = ARFCN(n2)
need different Base Station Identity Codes !!!
BSIC = NCC +BCC
NCC: National Color Code (3 bits)
BCC: Base Station Color Code (3 bits), has to be chosen by the network operator in
accordance with rule given above.

Example

Neighbor Cell ARFCN_NCELL BSIC BCCH_FREQ_NCELL

1 4 01 0

2 4 02 0

3 11 01 1

4 18 01 2

5 25 01 3

6 32 03 4

7 39 02 5

8 39 04 5

BCCH_FREQ_NCELL(n) and BSIC(n) ® CI_NCELL(n)uniquely !

Fig. 35

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Illustration of Measurement Reporting and Neighbor Cell Book-Keeping Process

Measurement Report by MS
reporting of the strongest cells with known and
allowed BSIC;
maximum: 6 cells

BSIC BCCH_FREQ_ RXLEV_NCELL(n)

NCELL
01 1 48
02 0 37
03 4 36
04 5 29
01 2 27

Book-Keeping at BS each SACCH-

Multiframe

Neighbour Cell ARFCN BSIC BCCH_FREQ_ RXLEV_NCELL(n)

NCELL
1 4 01 0 0
2 4 02 0 37
3 11 01 1 48
4 18 01 2 27
5 25 01 3 0
6 32 03 4 36
7 39 02 5 0
8 39 04 5 29
For not reported neighbor cells
RXLEV_NCELL is set to 0

Fig. 36

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Parameters for Target Cell Generation Process

The parameters for measurement reporting and target cell generation are summarized in the table below.

Specification Name DB Name / Range Meaning

Object

CI_NELL CELLGLID / 4 CHAR Global cell identifier of the adjacent cell consisting of
MCC + MNC + ADJC + 4 CHAR mobile country code, mobile network code, location
LAC + CI + 1...65535 area identifier and cell identity
+ 0...65535

ARFCN_NCELL BCCHFREQ 0...1023 Absolute radio frequency channel number of the

/ ADJC BCCH frequency of the neighbor cell.

BSIC = BSIC 0...7 + Base station identity code consisting of national color
NCC + BCC / ADJC 0...7 code and base station color code. Neighbor cell
measurement are identified using the BSIC and the
relative frequency number of the BCCH.

PLMN_ PLMNP 0...255 The MS includes only received level values of those
PERMITTED / BTSB 8 bits cells within the measurement report which are defined
as cells of a permitted PLMN.
A PLMN with NCC = n - 1 is permitted if bit n of
PLMNP is set to 1.

Fig. 37

Uniqueness of neighbor cell measurements:

BSIC (n1) ¹ BSIC (n2)

for adjavent cells n1 and n2 with

ARFCN(N1) = ARFCN(n2)

Fig. 38

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Generation of the Target Cell List

The target cell list is generated when a handover cause is detected.

The maximum number of cells to be included in the target cell list is given by the parameter
N_CELL (Parameter NCELL in object HAND, Range: 0 ... 15).

Order criterion for handover candidate cells within the Target Cell List:

PRIO_NCELL(n) = PBGT(n) - HO_MARGIN(n)

PBGT(n): averaged value of the power budget (comp. Chapt. 4.2.1, 4.2.2)

Conditions for neighbor cells to be included in the target cell list:

· for Quality, Level and Distance Intercell Handover:

RXLEV_NCELL(n) > RXLEV_MIN(n) + MAX(0, MS_TXPWR_MAX(n) - P)

· for Power Budget Handover:

RXLEV_NCELL(n) > RXLEV_MIN(n) + MAX(0, MS_TXPWR_MAX(n) - P)

& PBGT(n) - HO_MARGIN(n) > 0

Evaluation of Target Cell List

Intracell Handover:
HO Condition Indication message with cause Intracell HO without target cell list is sent from the BTS to the
BSC.
BSC selects new channel for the call within the same BTS.

Intercell Handover
HO Condition Indication message with cause and target cell list is sent from the BTS to the BSC. If the first
cell within the target cell list is within its BSS area, the BSC selects a channel at the corresponding BTS. If no
channel is available at that BTS, the next cell within the target cell is tried. If the first target cell (or the ones
tried in further steps) does not belong to the own BSS area, a Handover Required message is sent to the MSC.
This message contains a reduced target cell list (without the cells tried internally). This is illustrated in the
following figure:

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Illustrated of Target Cell Evaluation

BTS BSC MSC

Handover yes
Detection
HO Cond Ind
- cause
- target cell
list

no next cell
Handover available
Failure
yes

next cell yes

external
HO Required
- cause
no - reduced target cell list

select
channel

yes channel
Channel available
Activation
no

try
next cell

Fig. 39

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2.6Handover Signaling and Timer

MS BTS BSC MSC BSS

serving serving target
Measurements
Measurements

HO Cond Ind
HO Required
T_HAND_REQ HO Request
T7

HO Request Ack
HO Command
HO Command
HO Command
T8
HO Cond Ind
HO Required
HO Access
HO Access

T3124 HO Detect

Physical Info
NY1 T3105
HO Complete

Physical Info

HO Failure
HO Complete
Clear Command
Channel Release
Channel Release

messages for successful handover, e.g. HO Required

messages at timer expiry, e.g. HO Failure

Fig. 40

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Parameter and Timer for Handover Signaling

T_HAND_REQ

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

HAND - THORQST 0...31 1 2 * SACCH multiframe

Fig. 41

Purpose: minimum time for HANDOVER CONDITION INDICATION messages for the same
connection

Start: sending of HANDOVER CONDITION INDICATION by BTS

Stop: - HANDOVER COMMAND received

- reason for handover has disappeared
- communication with MS is lost
- transaction has ended, call cleared
- Action repetition of HANDOVER CONDITION INDICATION
expiry:

Default: 4

T7

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BSC BSCT BSCT7 unit * (0...255) 1 HLFSEC = 0.5 sec

MS100 = 100 msec
SEC5 = 5 sec

Fig. 42

Purpose: minimum time for HANDOVER REQUIRED messages for the same connection

Start: sending of HANDOVER REQUIRED by BSC

Stop: - HANDOVER COMMAND received

- reason for handover has disappeared
- communication with MS is lost
- transaction has ended, call cleared
- Action repetition of HANDOVER REQUIRED
expiry:

Default: HLFSEC-4

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T8

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BSC BSCT BSCT8 unit * (0...255) 1 HLFSEC = 0.5 sec

MS100 = 100 msec
SEC5 = 5 sec

Fig. 43

Purpose: keep the old channel sufficient long to be able to return to it, and to release the channels if
the MS is lost

Start: receiption of HANDOVER COMMAND at BSC

Stop: receiption of CLEAR COMMAND from MSC or HANDOVER FAILURE from MS at BTS
Action expiry: release of old channels

Default: HLFSEC-20

T3124 - MS Timer, not adjustable by parameter,

Purpose: detect the lack of answer from the network at handover access.

Start: sending of first HANDOVER ACCESS by MS

Stop: receiption of PHYSICAL INFORMATION by MS

Action expiry: deactivation of new channel, reactivation of old channel, send HANDOVER FAILURE

Default: 675 msec for SCCH - 320 msec else

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T3105

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTST T3105 unit * (0...255) 1 MS10 = 10 msec

Fig. 44

Purpose: period for repetition of PHYSICAL INFORMATION

Start: sending of PHYSICAL INFORMATION by BTS

Stop: receiption of correctly decoded signaling or TCH frame on new channel from MS at BTS

Action expiry: repetition of PHYSICAL INFORMATION;

if the maximum number of repetitions has been reached: release of new channel

Default: MS10-10

NY1

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BTS BTSC NY1 0...254 1 -

Fig. 45

NY1 is the maximum number of repetitions of the physical information by the BTS.
Default: 20

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Prevention of handover failure repetition

To prevent handover repetition after consecutive HO failures to the same cell a Handover Failure Indication
message is received from the BSC. A timer is started and until expiry of the timer the defined cell is excluded
from the target cell list for any kind of handover .

The penalisation time is defined by the O&M parameter ‘Timer_Inhibit_Failure_HO’, the number of permitted
HO failures is defined by the O&M parameter ‘Max_Failure_HO’. The O&M flag
‘Enable_No_Failure_Rep_HO’ is used to enable/disable this feature.

Parameters for Intracell handover limitation

Specification Name Object DB Name Range Step Size Unit

Enable_No_Failure_Rep_HO HAND NOFREPHO TRUE/FALSE - -

Max_Failure_HO HAND MAXFAILHO 1 .. 15 1 -

Timer_Inhibit_Failure_HO ADJC TINHFAIHO 1 .. 254 1 1 sec

Fig. 46

General Information Flow

BTS BSC

C e ll A
H O C o n d In d ( B , C , D )
H O F a i l u r e ( c e ll B )
H O C o n d In d ( B , C , D )
H O F a i l u r e ( c e ll B )

a ft e r M A X F A IL H O
H O F a il u r e I n d ( B ) c o n s e c u t iv e H O
C e l l B is n o t
in c l u d e d i n T C L
f a il u r e s o n t h e
fo r a d e fin e d s a m e a d j a c e n t c e lls
p e r io d o f t im e H O C o n d In d ( C , D )

Fig. 47

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2.7Extended cell handover

Maximum propagation delay within one timeslot allows a maximum BS-MS distance of 35 km. In “extended
cells“ the operator can configure TCHs optionally as double timeslot channels where two subsequent timeslots
are used for transmission to provide a coverage farther than 35km .

Extended Cell Handover is the intracell handover between a single timeslot channel and a double timeslot
channel and vice versa. Handover detection is based on comparison of actual BS-MS distance with a threshold
(O&M parameter).

Extended Cell handover can be enabled/disabled via O&M flag ‘ENABLE_EXTENDED_CELL_HO’ only if
ther are double and single timeslots configured in the cell.

Parameters for extended cell handover

Specification Name Object DB Name Range Step Size Unit

ENABLE_EXTENDED_CELL_H HAND EXTCHO TRUE/FALSE - -

O

HO_MS_TA_MAX HAND HOMSTAM 0 .. 34 1 km

HO_MARGIN_TA HAND HOMRGTA 0 .. 35 1 km

Fig. 48

A single-to-double handover is detected when the actual BS-MS distance exceeds the threshold
‘HO_MS_TA_MAX’ (handover alarm distance_near_far); a double-to-single handover is detected when the
actual BS-MS distance falls below the threshold minus a hysteresis factor ‘HO_MARGIN_TA’ (handover
alarm distance_far_near).

Following conditions must be fulfilled for a extended cell handover:

· ENABLE_EXTENDED_CELL_HO = TRUE
· skip_flag = not set (see dynamic ranking)

the following additional condition must be fulfilled for a single to double timeslot handover:
· actual BS-MS distance > HO_MS_TA_MAX

or the following additional condition must be fulfilled for a double to single timeslot handover:
· actual BS-MS distance < HOMSTAM - HOMRGTA

( no double to single HO will be performed in case of HOMSTAM - HOMRGTA < 0 )

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2.8Directed Retry

Directed retry is the transition (handover) from a SDCCH in one cell to a TCH in another cell during call setup
because of unavailability of an empty TCH within the first cell.

Directed retry is a means to control the traffic distribution between cells and to avoid a call rejection because
of congestion in one cell. If Queueing of ASS REQs is not supported within a BSC Directed retry is merely
triggered by the BSC by sending a Forced HO Request message to the BTS which has to respond with a
"initiated" Intercell HO Cond. Indic. message.

It can happen that the Intercell HO Cond. Indic. message does contain only an empty target cell list (If
triggered by a Forced HO Request message the BTS has to send a Intercell HO Cond. Indic. message even if
no suitable neighbour cell exists - in this case the target cell list is empty!). In this case a TCH can not be
assigned and the BSC shall not send a HO RQD message to the MSC of course but shall send an ASS
FAILURE (cause "no radio resource available").

If the target cell list contains cells from inside and outside the BSC area and if e.g. the first and second cell is
inside, the third outside and the fourth inside the BSC area than the Directed retry attempts shall be carried out
as BSC controlled Directed retries to the first and second one. If these Directed retries are not possible for any
reason (e.g. no empty TCH) than the third attempt and all following attempts (independently whether the
fourth and the following cells lie in- or outside the BSC area) shall be executed as MSC controlled Directed
retry.

If in case of a MSC controlled handover the MS cannot access the new cell and the MSC receives a HO
FAILURE (cause "radio interface failure, reversion to old channel") from the old BSS, it can happen that the
MSC generally releases this SDCCH connection by sending a CLEAR CMD message (cause "radio interface
failure, reversion to old channel") to the BSC independantly.

If the MSC does not support Directed retry HO´s the BSC may perform BSC controlled Directed retries
(approximately 75% of all Directed retries) only. In this case the EN_INTER_SDCCH_HO flag in the BSC
shall be set to "disabled" and the BSC has to check the target cell list of Intercell HO_Cond_Ind messages
belonging to a SDCCH connection. All cell identifiers not belonging to the BSC area shall be skipped and if
there remain cell identifiers belonging to the BSC area the corresponding HO shall be performed to strongest
(if impossible to the second strongest, third strongest etc.) remaining cell. If the target cell list does not contain
a remaining or any cell identifier of the same BSC area, this Intercell HO Cond. Indic. message shall be
discarded and the BSC shall release this SDCCH connection (Sending of an ASS FAILURE with cause "no
radio resource available").

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Flowchart of directed retry

BSC assigns a
SDCCH in BTS
(Imm_Ass_Cmd.)

Assignment_REQ
from MSC

yes Assign
TCH in BTS TCH
available
no
BSC sends to BTS
Forced_HO_Request

BTS sends to BSC

Intercell_HO_Cond_Ind
with target cell list

no BSC sends to MSC no TCH

suitable cell
Assignment_Failure possible
in list
yes
BSC assigns TCH
cell within yes internally and sends
BSC area Assignmend_Complete
to MSC
no
BSC sends to MSC
HO_Required
cause ‘directed retry’

MSC sends to
target BSC
HO_Request

Fig. 49

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HO algorithm/generation of the target cell list

The BTS has to send the Intercell HO Cond. Indic. messages toward the BSC. Please note that for Directed
retry the sending of an Intercell HO Cond. Indic. message for a SDCCH may only be triggered by a BTS
external event: The BSC sends a Forced HO Request because of "no TCH available".

If an Intercell HO Cond. Indic. message is to be sent, the target cell list shall contain all neighbour cells with:

RXLEV > RXLEV_MIN + Max(0, MS_TXPWR_MAX-P) + FHO_RXLEV_MIN_OFFSET

in the order of decreasing values of (PBGT - HO_MARGIN <=> 0). Additional parameters specific to speed
sensitive HO shall be taken into account for the ranking of the target cells. Even if no suitable neighbour cell
exist, the BTS shall send an Intercell HO Cond. Indic. message. In this case the target cell list ("Cell Identif.
List Pref. IE") shall be empty! The cause of the Intercell HO Cond. Indic. message shall be FORCED.
FHO_RXLEV_MIN_OFFSET is a cell specific O&M-parameter to select only target cells for forced HO
which the MS can access without any problems. It is a result of radio planning for each individual cell. It
allows to influence the amount of Forced HO´s failed because of empty target cell list, the amount of HO
attempts back to the "old" cell and the success rate of HO ACCESSes to the target cell

Prevention of "back-HO´s"

A major general problem of forced HO (Directed retry is one sort of forced HO!) is the probability of HO due
to PBGT back to the "old" (congested) cell. Its drawbacks are:

1. increased load at the Abis-interface because of periodic sending of Intercell HO_Cond_Ind messages in
intervalls of T7
2. increased load at the A-interface in case of inter-BSC-HO because of the same reason
3. additional processor capacity in BSC (and MSC) is required for HO trials for which it is known in advance
that they are useless
4. the load in the congested cell will not be reduced for a certain time, but it will be kept at a permanent high
level

For the Channel Activation message a new optional information element "Cell Identifier List (no target)" is
defined. This information element contains the cell identifier (CI) of a cell from which a handover request
(intra- or inter-BSC) because of forced HO was received. If this information element exists in the Channel
Activation message, the BTS

· shall not trigger a (TCH-)HO due to PBGT for the time Tbho if the PBGT condition is fulfilled for the
indicated cell only and
· shall not include the indicated CI’s in the target cell list in this case for the time Tbho (i.e. for the
condition HO due QUAL/LEV/DIST the indicated cell identifier may be part of the target cell list)

Tbho is a timer that limits the mentioned prohibitions. It has to be set by O&M command.

If a HO is necessary the target BSC has to generate the Channel Activation message. The target BSC shall
insert the Cell Identifier List (no target) IE into this message

The BSC shall derive the CI for the Cell Identifier List (no target) IE from the stored context in case of intra
BSC HO or from the mandatory Cell Identifier (serving) IE of the HO REQ message in case of inter BSC HO
with cause "Directed retry".

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EN_FORCED_HO

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BSC BSCB ENFORCHO ENABLE - -

DISABLE

Fig. 50

This BSC specific O&M flag allows to enable/disable the sending of Forced HO Request messages for running
SDCCH connections (e.g. queued or not queued ASS REQ´s which do not find an empty TCH). It is used to
enable/disable Directed retry. This flag should be set to "disable" by an operator if in a network the MSC
which the BSS is connected to or other adjacent BSSs do not support the prevention of "back-HO".

EN_INTER_SDCCH_HO

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

BSC BSCB EISDCCHHO ENABLE - -

DISABLE

Fig. 51

This BSC specific O&M flag allows to enable/disable inter BSC SDCCH-HOs (i.e. SDCCH-SDCCH-HO and
Directed retry). It simply prevents the sending of HO RQD messages for SDCCH connections to the MSC. If it
is set to "disable" the BSC shall skip all cell identifiers of the target cell list of the Intercell HO Cond. Ind.
message which belong to another BSC area.

The flag should be set to "disable" if the MSC does not support Directed retry.

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FHO_RXLEV_MIN_OFFSET

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

ADJC - FHORLMO 0...24 1 1 dB

Fig. 52

FHO_RXLEV_MIN_OFFSET ("RXLEV_MIN offset for forced-handover") is a cell specific O&M-parameter

used within the BTS to select only target cells for forced HO which the MS can access without any problems.
It is a result of radio planning for each individual cell. It allows to influence the amount of Forced HO´s failed
because of empty target cell list, the amount of HO attempts back to the "old" cell and the success rate of HO
ACCESSes to the target cell.

Default: 6

Tbho

Object Package DB Name Range Step Size Unit

ADJC - TIMERFHO 1...320 1 10 sec

Fig. 53

Tbho (bho=back handover) is a neighbour cell specific O&M parameter. It is the value of a timer running in
the BTS that controls the duration how long a former serving cell from which forced HO was performed to the
new serving cell may not be considered in the HO decision algorithm of the new seving cell and may not be
contained in the target cell list. It is started at the reception of a Channel Activation message containing a Cell
Identifier (no target) IE.

Default: 12

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3Exercises

Exercise 1: Cell reselection

Consider a static (not moving) MS of power class 3 camping on cell 1 in idle mode.

The MS monitors the BCCH of cell 1 and cell 2 and measures the following levels:

AV_RXLEV = 26 in cell 1

AV_RXLEV = 20 in cell 2

The following parameters are set:

Cell 1: MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH = 39 dBm

RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN = 20
CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS = 4dB

Cell 2: MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH = 33 dBm

RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN = 14

Does the MS perform a cell reselection

a) if it is a phase 1 MS and cell 1 and cell 2 belong to one location areas

b) if it is a phase 1 MS and cell 1 and cell 2 belong to different location areas

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Exercise 2: Handover Decision

Consider of output power P = 39 dBm in connected mode served by cell 1. In cell 1 the following handover
parameter are valid (consider only the downlink in the following):

A_QUAL_HO = 7 L_RXQUAL_DL_H = 5
A_LEV_HO = 7 L_RXLEV_DL_H = 10
A_PBGT_HO = 8 L_RXLEV_DL_IH = 13
W_QUAL_HO = 3
W_LEV_HO = 3 MS_TXPWR_MAX = 39

Furthermore, cell 1 has the following adjacent cells:

Parameters for adjacent cells.

adjacent cell parameter cell 2 cell 3

ARFCN_NCELL 35 13
BSIC 00 00
MS_TXPWR_MAX 37 39
RXLEV_MIN 16 16
HO_MARGIN 6 dB ?

The measurement reports for the last 8 SACCH frames have contained the following values:

Measurement values: F: FULL, S: SUB

SACCH frame 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

RXQUAL_SERV 3S 4S 4F 4F 6F 4S 5S 7F
RXLEV_SERV 21 S 16 S 15 F 16 F 12 F 16 S 14 S 10 F

BCCH_FREQ_NCELL/ 0/ 0/ 0/ 0/ 0/ 0/ 0/ 0/
BSIC 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
RXLEV_NCELL 14 15 16 17 17 18 19 20

BCCH_FREQ_NCELL/ 1/ 1/ 1/ 1/ 1/ 1/ 1/ 1/
BSIC 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
RXLEV_NCELL 15 16 17 18 18 19 20 21

Due to DL power control the BTS transmit power level is reduced by the following values:

PWR_C_D 8 8 8 6 6 6 4 2

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a) Which cell corresponds to BCCH_FREQ_NCELL = 0 ?

b) What are average values for

- RXLEV_DL
- RXQUAL_DL
- PBGT (® cell 2), PBGT (® cell 3)?

c) Is cell 2 included within the target cell list for a handover?

d) Which value for HO_MARGIN (cell 1 ® cell 3) is required to allow a better cell handover to cell 3?

e) Assume that a better cell handover to cell 3 occurs. Some seconds after the handover the received level
form cell1 has increased by 6 dB, while the received level from the new serving cell 3 remains constant. To
which HO_MARGIN (cell 3 ® cell 1) has to be set to prevent a „back-handover“ to cell?

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Solutions

Exercise 1: Cell reselection

For a phase 1 MS the following conditions for cell reselection have to be fulfilled:

for (a) own location area

C1 (cell 2) > C1 (cell 1)

C1 (cell 2) > C1 (cell 1) + CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS

for (b) different location areas

The C1 value is given by

C1 = AV_RXLEV - ACCESS_MIN - Max (0, MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P)

i.e. for this scenario one has (power class 3 = 37 dBm):

C1 (cell 1) = 26 - 20 - Max (0, 39-37) = 4

C1 (cell 2) = 20 - 14 - Max (0, 33-37) = 6

If cell 1 and cell 2 belong to the same location area, cell reselection takes place. If they belong to
different location areas and if CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS > 2 dB, no cell reselection takes
place.

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Exercise 2: Handover Decision

a) The cell with BCCH_FREQ_NCELL = 0 is the lowest ARFCN of the bcch frequencies (among the
neighbor cells of cell 1), i.e. cell 3.

b) The averaging windows for RXLEV and RXQUAL of the serving cell contain 7 values. Since the weight
for full values is three, the value of frame 8 is taken with multiplicity 3; frame 7 and 6 is taken with
multiplicity 1. The remaining 2 values for the averging window are take from the full value of frame 5.
Therefore one has:
- AV_RXQUAL = 1/7 * (3 * 7 + 5 + 4 + 2 * 6) = 6
- AV_RXLEV = 1/7 * (3 * 10 + 14 + 16 + 2 * 12) = 12

For calculation of the power budget the values of SACCH frame 1...8 are averaged without taking into
account multiplicities. The power budget is given by the following formula:

PBGT(n) = RXLEV_NCELL(n) - (RXLEV_DL + PWR_C_D)

+ Min(MS_TXPWR_MAX, P) - Min(MS_TXPWR_MAX(n), P)

For the average values one has:

Min (MS_TXPWR_MAX, P) - Min (MS_TXPWR_MAX (cell 2), P) = 2

Min (MS_TXPWR_MAX, P) - Min (MS_TXPWR_MAX (cell 3), P) = 0

RXLEV_DL + PWR_C_D = 15 + 6 = 21

RXLEV_NCELL (cell 2) = 18
RXLEV_NCELL (cell 3) = 17

=>

PBGT (cell 2) = 18 - 21 + 2 = - 1
PBGT (cell 3) = 17 - 21 + 0 = - 4

c) Although one has AV_RXQUAL > L_RXQUAL_DL_H no quality handover is initiated:

- no intracell handover since AV_RXLEV < L_RXLEV_DL_IH
- no intercell handover since the BTS transmit power is not at its maximum.
Furthermore, no level handover is initiated.
Since for a power budget handover the target cell list only contains cells with PBGT (n) >
HO_MARGIN(n) - which is not fulfilled by cell 2 - cell 2 is not included in the target cell list.

d) To allow a better cell handover to cell 3, the HO_MARGIN (cell1 ® cell 3) has to be set to - 5 or a lower
value.

e) PBGT (cell 3 ® cell 1) = - PBGT (cell 1 ® cell 3) + 6 dB improvement of cell1 = 10 dB hence to prevent a
power budget handover from cell 3 to cell1, HO_MARGIN (cell 1® cell 3) has to be set to 10 dB or higher

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