Channel Switching

WCDMA RAN

User Description and Engineering Guidelines

E
 Copyright

© Ericsson AB 2003 and 2004 – All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer

The contents of this document are subject to revision without notice due to
continued progress in methodology, design, and manufacturing.

Ericsson shall have no liability for any error or damages of any kind resulting
from the use of this document.

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Channel Switching

Contents

1 Introduction 1
1.1 Scope 1
1.2 Target Groups 1
1.3 Revision Information 1

2 Overview 2

3 Capabilities 3

4 Function Description 3
4.1 Triggering Channel Switching 4
4.2 UE States in Connected Mode 4
4.2.1 CELL_DCH 4
4.2.2 CELL_FACH 4
4.3 Single RAB State Transitions 5
4.3.1 CELL_DCH to CELL_FACH 6
4.3.2 CELL_FACH to CELL_DCH 64/64kbps 7
4.3.3 CELL_FACH to Idle Mode 7
4.3.4 Dedicated to Dedicated Single RAB 7
4.4 Multi-RAB State 8
4.5 Channel Switching Algorithms 8
4.5.1 Common to Dedicated Evaluation 9
4.5.2 Dedicated to Common Evaluation 10
4.5.3 Common to Idle Evaluation 11
4.5.4 Coverage Triggered Downswitch Evaluation 11
4.5.5 Dedicated to Dedicated Upswitch Evaluation 12
4.5.6 Multi-RAB Downswitch Evaluation 13

5 Engineering Guidelines 14
5.1 Common to Dedicated Evaluation 14
5.2 Dedicated to Common Evaluation 14
5.3 Dedicated to Dedicated switching 15

6 Parameters 16
6.1 Descriptions 16
6.2 Values and Ranges 17

7 Glossary 18

Reference List 19

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

Channel Switching

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Channel Switching

1 Introduction

Interactive RAB traffic causes large variations in the offered traffic over time
for a particular user. The packet switched Interactive RAB traffic transferred
through the WCDMA RAN is mainly generated by web browsing, E-mail, and
file transfer. Web browsing, in particular, causes large variations in the traffic
stream. After a web page has been downloaded and the user is reading the
page, there is very little data to transfer. This changes once the user requests
a new web page. Consequently, it is not efficient to reserve resources for
a dedicated channel continuously. The purpose of Channel Switching is to
optimize the use of the radio resources by dynamically changing the physical
resources allocated to the interactive RAB users.

1.1 Scope
This document provides a high-level description of Channel Switching.
Capabilities of the feature are explained. The document contains explanations
of algorithms and the logic of Channel Switching. The document also contains
parameter information related to the feature.

Information about Performance Management is not included in this document,

see Reference [7]. Abbreviations and terms are explained in Reference [4].

1.2 Target Groups

This document is mainly written for operators and is an important starting point
for those who want to understand the feature in greater detail. It assumes a
basic knowledge of traffic classes and the channel structure in WCDMA.

The document can also be used as a base for training.

1.3 Revision Information

The revision history for this instruction is listed in Table 1 on page 2.

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16 1

Channel Switching

Table 1 Revision History

Revision Release
Date
D 2004–06–16
C 2003–10–12
B 2003–05–28
A 2002–02–01
Reason for Revision
downswitchPwrMargin, reportHystere-
sis, upswitchPwrMargin, coverageTimer,
inactivityTimer and upswitchTimer
defined as parameters instead of system
constants.
Engineering guidelines included
Version for P2.1.
Main additions (state transitions) from revision
A P2.0:
• CELL_DCH 64/64 to CELL_DCH 64/128
• CELL_DCH 64/128 to CELL_DCH 64/384
• CELL_DCH 64/384 to CELL_DCH 64/128
• CELL_DCH 64/384 to CELL_DCH 64/64
• CELL_DCH 64/128 to CELL_DCH 64/64
This is a new document.
Version for P2.0

2 Overview

The purpose of the Channel Switching feature is to change the physical

resources allocated to the UE dynamically, according to the amount of data that
needs to be transmitted in uplink and downlink. Channel Switching is achieved
by switching the interactive RAB users between different transport channel
types. The functionality switches interactive RAB users to common transport
channels whenever a user has little data to send or receive. This makes it
possible for more users to share the radio resources than in a circuit switched
scenario. When the traffic handled by the UE increases, the user is switched to
a dedicated transport channel again, if there are resources available.

Channel Switching is applied only to interactive RAB packet data traffic. This
traffic has little or no quality of service attributes that apply. It belongs to
the Interactive and Background Quality of Service classes, which have no
guaranteed bit rates and no packet delay requirements. When there are
sufficient resources available, the interactive RAB user receives high bit rates
but when the system is heavily loaded and there are not many resources
available, the bit rates offered may be lower. An interactive RAB user may not
be given any bandwidth at all, since there are no guarantees.

2 76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Channel Switching

Channel Switching handles switching between transport channels, and the

logical channels are not affected. In WCDMA/UMTS, interactive RAB packet
data can be sent on both dedicated and common transport channels. When
large amounts of data are being sent or received, a dedicated transport channel
is used. The supported bit rates are 64/64, 64/128, and 64/384 kbit/s. For small
amounts of data a common transport channel may be used. In this case, a
maximum of 32 kbit/s is shared between the users in a cell.

3 Capabilities

Channel Switching optimizes the use of the resources by ordering the UE

to different sub-states in cell connected mode, between different bit rates
within CELL_DCH sub-state depending on the traffic volume, available radio
resources, coverage, and mobility. Efficient use of dedicated radio resources is
supported by switching UEs to common channels when the traffic volume is low.

4 Function Description

A UE that is switched on can be in either Idle mode or Connected mode. In Idle

mode, the UE is not known in the WCDMA RAN and cannot send or receive
any user data. In Connected mode, the user is known in the WCDMA RAN and
sending and receiving user data is possible.

The Channel Switching function consists of two main parts: evaluation and
execution.

Channel Switching evaluation is responsible for running the RNC internal

switching algorithm, receiving measurement reports from the UE, and initiating a
Channel Switching execution when the criteria for a channel switch are fulfilled.

Channel Switching execution is responsible for allocating the needed RNC

resources and releasing those resources not required for the new configuration.
It also handles signaling to the UE and required RNCs and RBSs, and orders
the change of the evaluation algorithms to the Channel Switching evaluation
part when the transition to the new state is concluded.

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16 3

Channel Switching

4.1 Triggering Channel Switching

Channel switches are triggered upon input from either the Channel Switching
Algorithms, Congestion Control, Admission Control, or Soft and Softer
Handover. For more information about Congestion and Admission Control
functions, see Reference [2]. For more information about Soft and Softer
Handover, see Reference [5]. The Section 4.5 Channel Switching Algorithms
on page 8 describes the Channel Switching Algorithms that are used as inputs
for channel switching.

Soft Handover can initiate channel switching when it fails to add a radio link,
i.e if admission is denied when adding an radio link and there is transmission
ongoing on either 64/128kbps or 64/384kbps rate, a downswitch is triggered
(from 64/384 to 64/64 or from 64/128 to 64/64 kbps) by Soft Handover
functionality.

Admission Control can initiate channel switching of an individual UE from

dedicated to dedicated transport channel (from 64/384 to 64/128 or from 64/128
to 64/64) when resources needs to be freed up for new users.

In case of Single RAB interactive, Congestion Control can initiate channel

switching of an individual UE from dedicated to common transport channel
when needed to solve a congestion situation.

4.2 UE States in Connected Mode

The UE in Connected Mode can be in either CELL_DCH (Dedicated State) or in
CELL_FACH (Common State). Those states are associated with the transport
channel on which the user data is sent.

4.2.1 CELL_DCH
The Dedicated state is characterized by the allocation of Dedicated Transport
Channels (DCH) to the UE. Dedicated Control Channels (DCCH) are used for
control signaling and Dedicated Traffic Channels (DTCH) are used for user
data transmission. The logical channels, DCCH and DTCH, are mapped onto
the DCHs and further multiplexed onto Dedicated Physical Channels. These
physical channels use closed-loop power control, which makes them well suited
for high bit rate traffic. In release P2.1, 64/64kbps (UL/DL), 64/128 kbps, and
64/384 kbps channels are available for user data. For Multi-RABs, 64/64 kbps
data rate is supported for interactive RAB traffic.

4.2.2 CELL_FACH
In the Common state, the UE is able to transmit control signals and data
packets on the common transport channel Random Access Channel (RACH)
in the uplink direction and in the FACH for downlink direction. A DCCH or a
Common Control Channel (CCCH) is used for control signaling. A DTCH is

4 76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Channel Switching

used for user data transmission. The logical channels, DCCH, CCCH, and
DTCH are mapped onto the RACH and the FACH. These channels are suitable
for carrying common control information and are shared by all users in the cell.
A maximum of 32 kbit/s is available for user data transmission. Thereafter, the
transport channel, RACH, is mapped onto the Physical RACH and the FACH
onto the Secondary Common Control Physical Channel (S-CCPCH), which
use open-loop power control.

4.3 Single RAB State Transitions

Channel Switching is activated in Connected Mode and handles switching
between the different states or to the Idle mode. Switching between dedicated
and common states is handled by WCDMA RAN without the involvement of the
Core Network. The conditions for performing channel switching are monitored
by measurements in the UE and in the WCDMA RAN.

Channel Switching determines for each interactive RAB whether it is appropriate

to switch the UE Connected state, by using Channel type switching or Channel
Rate Switching. The measurements to be done in the UE in common state
are specified in the system information broadcast on the BCCH, but are also
ordered by the WCDMA RAN. The orders from the WCDMA RAN override
system information.

When the UE is only handling a single RAB, the possible state transitions
triggered by Channel Switching Algorithms are shown in the Figure 1 on page 6.

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16 5

Channel Switching

Connected Mode
Dedicated State
Cell_DCH 64/384 kbps

Cell_DCH 64/128 kbps

Cell_DCH 64/64 kbps

Common State (CELL_FACH)

RACH/FACH
RACH/FACH

Idle
Idle Mode
Mode
U 00 00243A

Figure 1 Single RAB State Transitions

4.3.1 CELL_DCH to CELL_FACH

The common transport channels FACH and RACH, can be used to transport
low bit rate user data. These channels lack closed-loop power control and are
shared between all users in a cell. They are therefore suitable for low rate
transmission, involving control information and small amounts of user data.

Switching from dedicated to common transport channels when the traffic

volume is low makes better use of dedicated radio resources by optimizing the
capability of the used bearers. It allows other users to take advantage of the
remaining power. In addition, it usually takes a while before a DCH is set up,
so small files can sometimes be sent faster over unloaded common transport
channels than over dedicated transport channels.

This switching is initiated by the SRNC and is triggered by the Channel

Switching Dedicated to Common Evaluation Algorithm based on measurements
made by the SRNC, for more information see the Section 4.5.2 Dedicated to
Common Evaluation on page 10.

If the UE during the transition from CELL_DCH to CELL_FACH sends

CELL_UPDATE in a cell not owned by the SRNC, the UE will be released with
the cause “Directed Signalling Connection Re-establishment”.

6 76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Channel Switching

4.3.2 CELL_FACH to CELL_DCH 64/64kbps

The Dedicated Channel (DCH) is well suited for high bit rate traffic, since it is
reserved for one user and provides closed-loop power control. High user bit
rates create a lot of interference and power control is essential to keep the
interference on an acceptable level.

When the traffic volume increases, the user is switched from a common to a
dedicated transport channel if there are resources available. The dedicated
transport channel provides the user with higher data rates. In addition, it is
important to keep the common transport channels free from everything but
control information and small portions of user data. Switching to a dedicated
transport channel is done when the amount of user data to transfer is large.
The use of a common transport channel would negatively affect the throughput
of other users.

This switching is triggered by the Channel Switching Common to Dedicated

Evaluation Algorithm based on measurements made by the SRNC or the UE,
for more information see the Section 4.5.1 Common to Dedicated Evaluation on
page 9.

4.3.3 CELL_FACH to Idle Mode

A UE on a common channel can be switched down to Idle mode if it shows no
activity during a certain time interval. In this way, resources are made free and
the power consumption for the UE is decreased, since the UE does not have to
monitor the FACH for long periods of time.

This switching is triggered by the Channel Switching Common to Idle Evaluation

Algorithm based on measurements made by the SRNC. The timer is used to
release UEs that has been inactive too long.

4.3.4 Dedicated to Dedicated Single RAB

A UE in a dedicated state can be switched up to another dedicated state if
it shows more activity than the current dedicated state can handle during a
certain time interval, or can be switched down, if the power used is high.

The following dedicated to dedicated transport channel switching alternatives

are possible:

1 CELL_DCH 64/384 to CELL_DCH 64/128: This switching is triggered by the

Channel Switching Coverage Triggered Downswitch Evaluation Algorithm.
The UE is switched to a dedicated channel with different spreading factor

2 CELL_DCH 64/128 to CELL_DCH 64/64: This switching is triggered by the

Channel Switching Coverage Triggered Downswitch Evaluation Algorithm.
The UE is switched to a dedicated channel with different spreading factor

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16 7

Channel Switching

3 CELL_DCH 64/128 to CELL_DCH 64/384: This switching is triggered by the

Channel Switching Dedicated to Dedicated Upswitch Evaluation Algorithm.
The UE is switched to a dedicated channel with different spreading factor

4 CELL_DCH 64/64 to CELL_DCH 64/128: This switching is triggered by the

Channel Switching Dedicated to Dedicated Upswitch Evaluation Algorithm.
The UE is switched to a dedicated channel with different spreading factor

4.4 Multi-RAB State

In P2.1 release, both the WCDMA RAN and the UE are able to handle a
Multi-RAB that consists of one conversational circuit switch RAB 12.2 kbps
(RAB Speech) plus an interactive packet switch 64/64 kbps simultaneously in
one Radio Connection.

A UE in a Multi-RAB DCH Speech+PS64/64 state can be switched down to

Single RAB DCH Speech, in this case a RAB release is performed and it is not
the scope of this document to describe this transition, for more information see
Reference [3]. A UE in a Single RAB DCH Speech state can be switched up to
Multi-RAB DCH Speech+PS64/64 state. In this case that transition correspond
to a RAB establishment and as mentioned before it is not the scope of this
document to describe this transition, for more information see Reference [3].

4.5 Channel Switching Algorithms

The purpose of the Channel Switching Algorithms is to determine for each
interactive RAB whether it is necessary to switch a UE from one transport
channel to another, for example, from a common transport channel FACH to a
dedicated transport channel. Channel switching selects a transport channel with
a user bit rate corresponding to the needed bandwidth of the data transmission.

The Channel Switching algorithm group consists of the following sub-algorithms:

• Common to Dedicated Evaluation

• Dedicated to Common Evaluation

• Common to Idle Evaluation

• Coverage Triggered Downswitch Evaluation

• Dedicated to Dedicated Upswitch Evaluation

• Multi-RAB Downswitch Evaluation

The Channel Switching Algorithms receive measurements from either the

UE or the RNC, depending on the behavior of the uplink and downlink,
respectively. The Channel Switching Algorithms may have both event triggered
measurements, meaning that measurement reports are sent only when

8 76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Channel Switching

necessary, this means that the actual measurements are processed before
reporting, and time driven measurements.

The Channel Switching Algorithms use buffer load, throughput, and transmitted
code power as input to the algorithms.

1 Buffer load: The buffer load is defined as the minimum of the Radio Link
Control (RLC) transmission window and the sum of bytes in the SDU
buffers and retransmission buffers of some of the RLC instances (each
interactive RAB connection consists of five RLC instances).

2 Throughput: Uplink throughput is defined as the number of bits received

to the RLC layer from the MAC layer. Downlink throughput is defined as
the number of bits transmitted from the RLC layer to the MAC layer. The
RLC instances to be considered for the buffer load and throughput measure
depends on the UE state and the algorithm using the measure.

3 Transmitted Code Power: Transmitted code power is defined as the

downlink power of the pilot bits of the DPCCH field.

Not all Channel Switching algorithms are active in every state. An algorithm
corresponding to a certain state is started once the state is entered successfully
and stopped when a new state has been entered successfully.

4.5.1 Common to Dedicated Evaluation

The Common to Dedicated Evaluation algorithm monitors whether a switch

from the common transport channels FACH/RACH to a higher bit rate dedicated
transport channel is required, due to a large amount of user data buffered in the
RNC or the UE.

The evaluation algorithm is activated at the entry of the common state, and it
uses RLC buffer loads in both the uplink and the downlink as input.

When the RLC buffer load in the uplink exceeds the threshold value set by the
parameter ulRlcBufUpswitch, a measurement report is sent. An upswitch
request is issued upon reception of the measurement report. A request is
also issued when the RLC buffer load in the downlink exceeds the threshold
value set by the parameter dlRlcBufUpswitch. Channel Switching execution
thereafter performs the upswitch when permission is given from Admission
Control. Only one radio link is set up, since it is the responsibility of Soft and
Softer Handover to add radio links after switching is complete.

Channel Switching execution does not report back to the evaluation algorithm
if the upswitch fails. When a measurement report is sent to the Common
to Dedicated Evaluation, a timer is started in the measurement filter. While
this timer is active, no measurement reports may be sent for this particular
interactive RAB. When the timer expires and any of the switching criteria are
still met, a measurement report is sent again; this must be repeated as long
as the switching criteria are met, so that upon failure of a channel switch new
requests are made.

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16 9

Channel Switching

The common to dedicated switching function always tries to allocate a

64/64kbps dedicated transport channel.

For information related to the performance of the algorithm which is useful to

supervise on a live system on a long term basis, see Reference [7].

4.5.2 Dedicated to Common Evaluation

The Dedicated to Common Evaluation algorithm monitors whether a switch from
a dedicated transport channel to the common transport channels FACH/RACH
is required, due to a decrease in transmitted user data.

The evaluation is activated once the dedicated state is entered and it uses
throughput measurements, performed in the SRNC, in both the uplink and
downlink for both control and user data as input.

When the throughput on both the uplink and downlink is below the
threshold value set by the parameter downswitchThreshold, the timer
downswitchTimer starts. If the throughput increases above a second
threshold set by the parameter downswitchTimerThreshold before the
timer expires, the timer is stopped and no switch is issued, this is done for
stability reasons, which prevents switches back and forth at momentary dips in
throughput, as shown in the Figure 2 on page 10.

UL/DL throughput
(kbps)

downswitch
TimerThreshold

downswitch
Threshold

Time
1 2 3 4 (ms)

U 00 00244

Figure 2

As indicated in theFigure 2 on page 10 in (1) the throughput decreases below

the downswitch threshold and the timer starts. In (2) the throughput increases
and exceeds the upper threshold and the timer stops. In (3) the throughput
decreases again and the downswitch threshold is crossed, which starts
the timer. Finally, in (4) the timer expires and a switching request from the
Dedicated to the Common state is issued. The evaluation is restarted when the
switch request is issued to Channel Switching execution. This is necessary in
order to handle failing downswitches. If the downswitch fails, a new request is
issued upon expiration of the timer.

10 76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Channel Switching

When the UE is ordered to switch to the common state, no target cell is

specified. This means that the UE selects a cell and performs a cell update
procedure. If the UE during this transition from CELL_DCH to CELL_FACH
send the CELL_UPDATE in a cell not owned by the SRNC, the UE will be
released with cause “Sirected Signalling Connection Re-establishment”.

For information about the performance of the algorithm, which is useful for
supervising a live system on a long term basis, see Reference [7].

4.5.3 Common to Idle Evaluation

The Common to Idle Evaluation algorithm monitors whether a switch from the
common transport channels FACH/RACH to Idle mode is required, due to a lack
of transmission of user data during a certain time interval.

The Common to Idle Evaluation releases UEs with no activity in order to free
resources and decrease the power consumption of the UE, since the UE does
not have to monitor the FACH for long periods of time.

The algorithm is activated at the entry of the CELL_FACH state. Uplink and
downlink throughputs are monitored and the algorithm requests a switch to Idle
mode if uplink and downlink throughput is zero during 2 minutes. The request is
issued to the Signaling Connection Handling function, which handles the further
processing of the transition to Idle mode. Signaling Connection Handling issues
an Iu release request to the Core Network, which in turn decides whether the
connection should be released.

For information about the performance of the algorithm, which is useful for
supervising a live system on a long term basis, see Reference [7].

4.5.4 Coverage Triggered Downswitch Evaluation

The Coverage Triggered Downswitch Evaluation algorithm monitors whether a
switch to a lower rate dedicated channel is required due to coverage reasons.
The goal is to minimize dropping due to bad link quality. When downlink
transmitted code power increases to close to its maximum, there is a risk
that the link quality can not be maintained. In this situation, a user should be
switched down to a lower rate to decrease the needed downlink transmitted
code power. The function will control that no user is using a rate in an area
where there is risk for no coverage of that particular rate. It is therefore
important that the downlink maximum transmitted code power (DlMaxPower) is
tuned for each rate, so that its desired coverage is achieved

The algorithm monitors the downlink transmitted code power of all legs in
the active set and the code power is then filtered by each RBS in the active
set. A downswitch request is issued when all handover legs use a power
above the power alarm threshold, shown in Figure 3 on page 12. The power
alarm threshold is defined by the parameter downswitchPwrMargin. If the
transmitted downlink code power falls below the power alarm threshold with
a margin given by the parameter reportHysteres is during one second

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16 11

Channel Switching

after the request is issued, the request will be cancelled and no downswitch is
executed. The reason for this hyteresis is to prevent the algorithm to cancel the
downswitch due to small, momentary dips in transmitted downlink code power.

This evaluation algorithm is started at the entry of the CELL_DCH 64/384 state
and CELL_DCH 64/128 state.

For information related to the performance of the algorithm which is useful to

supervise on a live system on a long term basis, see Reference [7].

Transmitted downlink code power

P code

dlMaxPwr

downswitchPowerMargin
Power alarm
threshold
reportHystersis

coverageTimer (1 s)

Figure 3 Coverage triggered downswitch

4.5.5 Dedicated to Dedicated Upswitch Evaluation

The Dedicated to Dedicated Upswitch Evaluation algorithm monitors whether a
switch to the next higher rate dedicated channel is possible and desired.

The algorithm monitors downlink throughput and transmitted code power. If

the downlink throughput is high (i.e. indicates the need of an upswitch), the
transmitted code is checked to determine if the power consumption of the
current rate is low enough to maintain the increase in transmitted code power
from an upswitch. A channel switch request to the next higher bit rate Radio
Bearer is issued in the following situations:

• The downlink throughput increases above 90% of the maximum user

bandwidth of current rate (64 or 128 kbps) and

• The transmitted code power consumption on the current rate is below the
power upswitch threshold shown in Figure 4 on page 13.

The upswitch request is executed by the Channel Switching function through

Admission Control, granting admission for each leg in the active set.

12 76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Channel Switching

The power upswitch threshold is defined from the power alarm threshold
(described in Section 4.5.4 Coverage Triggered Downswitch Evaluation on page
11) through the parameter upswitchPwrMargin and the estimated power
increase, as shown in Figure 4 on page 13. The estimated power increase is
based on the relative rate difference between the current and next higher rate.
For an upswitch from 64 to 128 kbps, the estimated power increase is 2.9 dB
and for the 128 to 384 kbps upswitch, the estimated power increase is 4.7 dB.

For information about the performance of the algorithm, which is useful for
supervising a live system on a long term basis, see Reference [7].
P code

dlMaxPwr
Power alarm threshold

Estimated power increase

upswitchPowerMargin
Power up-switch
threshold
reportHystersis

upswitchTimer (1 s)
Transmitted downlink code power
t

Figure 4 Coverage Testing before upswitch

4.5.6 Multi-RAB Downswitch Evaluation

The Multi-RAB Downswitch Evaluation algorithm will trigger a RAB release so

that a UE at the beginning in state Multi-RAB DCH Speech+PS64/64 ends up
in the Single RAB DCH Speech state.

This algorithm uses throughput measurements performed in the SRNC in both

directions, UL and DL, for user data as input.

The algorithm receives throughput measurement reports every 500 ms from

both UL and DL traffic. When the throughput on both the UL and DL is equal to
zero, a timer called downswitchTimerMrab starts. The timer is stopped when
the throughput either in the UL or DL increase again.

When the timer expires, the algorithm sends a request for releasing the
interactive RAB PS64/64 and the downswitchTimerMrab timer is restarted
and monitored again whether the throughput increases above zero. This is
necessary for stability.

For information about the performance of the algorithm, which is useful for
supervising a live system on a long term basis, see Reference [7].

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16 13

Channel Switching

5 Engineering Guidelines

Optimization of channel switching is a trade-off between user throughput and

system capacity. For example, the time a user stays on DCH can be increased
so that a short period without traffic doe not lead to a downswitch to FACH. This
improves the user throughput since transmission can be started immediately
after the short period without transmission. However, since the user then also
holds the resources associated to a DCH for a longer time, the system capacity
will decrease. When optimizing the parameter setting of channel switching it
is also very important to consider all different kinds of traffic and all different
kinds of mobiles in the network since both traffic and mobile behavior can differ
significantly.

5.1 Common to Dedicated Evaluation

Optimization of the upswitch from common to dedicated channels can be done
by adjusting the ulRlCBufUpswitch parameter. This parameter determines
how much data that has to be in the uplink RLC buffer before an upswitch from
FACH to DCH is issued.

When setting this parameter it is important to consider how much of the TCP
signalling that should be done on common and how much signalling that should
be done on DCH. For example, when a UE is used for web browsing, uplink
traffic is started by a short DNS message. If ulRlcBufUpswitch is set to a
value smaller than the size of the DNS look-up message, an upswitch to DCH
will be issued by the very first signalling from the UE which decreases the
response time. On the other hand, a low setting of this parameter could make
signalling from other applications trigger an upswitch when the UE is used as
a modem to a laptop.

5.2 Dedicated to Common Evaluation

Optimization of the downswitch from dedicated to common channels is a
direct trade-off between resource utilization and user throughput. The goal
is to achieve a parameter setting that correctly estimates when transmission
for a user has ended in order to release assigned resources as fast as
possbile. The behavior of this algorithm is determined by the setting
of the downswitchThreshold, downswitchTimerThreshold and
downswitchTimer parameters.

The downswitchThreshold and downswitchTimerThreshold

parameters in combination determines how the radio access network should
behave in the end of a TCP transmission. In general, when e.g a FTP download
is over, throughput rapidly decreases to 0 kbps and then does not increase
again until a new TCP transmission is started. Therefore, the default setting of
these parameters is 0 kbps.

14 76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Channel Switching

However, the setting of this parameter is strongly dependent on the

characteristics of the TCP traffic. If, for example, a UE is used as a
modem connected to a laptop it can very well be the case that applications
on the laptop creates a low rate background traffic. The combined TCP
traffic caused by e.g. a FTP download and the bockground traffic could
make it neccesary to set a higher value ofdownswitchThreshold and
downswitchTimerThreshold.This is to avoid that a TCP transmission —
that after transmitting with a throughput close to 384 kbps during the FTP
download goes down to the e.g. 4 kbps created by the background traffic —
holds the resources associated to the 384 rate unneccessarily long.

The downswitchTimer defines the time a user will stay on DCH with low
throughput before being switched down to FACH. If this timer is set long, the
probability that a user is switched down to FACH during short periods of
inactivity decreases. This improves the user throughput, but also increases
resource utilization and thereby decreases system capacity. It is therefore not
recommended that this timer is used for generally improving user throughput.
There are however traffic cases that can be improved by a slightly increased
timer setting. For example, FTP transmissions can be split into several TCP
transmissions. If the UE (or the laptop when the mobileis used as modem) uses
this for FTP transmissions the user perception of the FTP transmission can be
improved by a small increase of this timer. It should however be remembered
that this then is done on the cost of system capacity.

5.3 Dedicated to Dedicated switching

A WCDMA Radio Access Network is in general planned to provide full coverage
only for the 64/64 kbps rate dedicated channel. Therefore, coverage testing
before upswitch and coverage triggered downswitch are ways to secure the
link quality for the user.

The actual coverage of each rate is given by the dlMaxPower (see, Reference
[2]) for each rate. This means that by adjusting the dlMaxPower for a certain
rate, the coverage for that rate can be increased or decreased.

When adjusting the dlMaxPower for the different rates some restrictions apply.
For the coverage testing before upswitch, the dlMaxPwr shown inFigure 4 on
page 13 is the dlMaxPower of the current rate. This means that when coverage
is tested before an upswitch, this is done towards the maximum allowed
downlink code power of the current rate. Consequently, the dlMaxPower of a
higher rate cannot be set lower than the max power of the lower rate. If this is
done, the coverage tester functionality could fail and it could happen that the
link quality cannot be maintained after an upswitch have been granted.

The average amount of transmitted code power is not only dependent

on the used transmission rate and attenuation to the UE, but also on the
blerQualityTarget parameters, further explained in Reference [3]. By setting
these parameters, average link quality can be traded for decreased resource
consumption (i.e. transmitted code power). It is however then also impoertant
to notice that with decreased average link quality, user throughput will be

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16 15

Channel Switching

decreased. From user throughput point of view it is therefore proposed that the
blerQualityTarget is kept to a low vale (e.g. 1%).

6 Parameters

These parameters can be set by the operator in the RNC. For more information,
range and default values, see Reference [9] and Reference [10].

6.1 Descriptions
dlRlcBufUpswitch Downlink threshold for channel switching from common
to dedicated substate for single RAB. If this parameter
is set to 0, upswitch from CELL_FACH toCELL_DCH
will never occur due to RLC buffer load.

ulRlcBufUpswitch Uplink threshold for channel switching from common to

dedicated substate.

down- Threshold for channel switching from dedicated to

switchThreshold common substate.

down- Timer threshold to achieve hysteresis for channel

switchTimerThresh- switching from dedicated to common substate.
old

downswitchTimer Time during which throughput has to be low in order to

trigger a downswitch (dedicated to common substate).
If the timer value is set to 0, channel switching from
CELL_DCH to CELL_FACH is disabled.

This parameter is valid for interactive single RAB.

down- Time, without data transmission, after which a

switchTimerMrab multi-RAB connection is transferred from DCH
Speech+PS64/64 to DCH Speech.

downswitchPwr- Margin, in relation to maximum allowed code power,

Margin which indicates a high power usage.

reportHysteresis Reporting hysteresis of the code power measurements

in the node B

upswitchPwrMar- Upswitch (DCH to DCH) power marging.

gin

16 76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Channel Switching

coverageTimer Time during which the power is allowed to be high

before a downswitch (DCH to DCH) is issued.

inactivityTimer Timer for sending of IU RELEASE REQUEST msg to

CN for Ue in state CELL_FACH.

upswitchTimer Time during which the bandwidth utilisation is allowed

to be high before a upswitch request is issued.

6.2 Values and Ranges

Table 2 on page 17 shows the values and ranges of the parameters mentioned
in this document.

Table 2 WCDMA RAN Channel Switching Parameters

Parameter Name Default Value Range Resolution Unit
Value
dlRlcBufUpswitch 500 0..2000 100 bytes
ulRlcBufUpswitch 256 8; 16; 32; 64; 128; - bytes
256; 512; 1024;
2048; 3072; 4096;
6144; 8192
downswitchThreshold 0 0..32 1 kbps
downswitchTimerThreshold 0 0..64 1 kbps
downswitchTimer 10 0..1000 5 100 ms
[1] [0..100] [0.5] [s]
downswitchTimerMrab 60 0..180 1 0.5 s
[30] [0..90] [0.5] [s]
downswitchPwrMargin 2 0 ... 20 1 0.5 dB
[1] [0 ... 10] [0.5] [dB]
reportHysteresis 6 0 ... 20 1 0.5 dB
[3] [0 ... 10] [0.5] [dB]
upswitchPwrMargin 6 0 ... 20 1 0.5 dB
[3] [0 ... 10] [0.5] [dB]
coverageTimer 10 0 ... 100 1 100 ms
[1] [0 ... 10] [0.1] [s]
inactivityTimer 30 1 ... 1440 1 1s
[30] [1 ... 1440] [1] [s]
upswitchTimer 10 1 .. 100 1 100 ms
[1] [0 ... 10] [0.1] [s]

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16 17

Channel Switching

For recommended parameter settings, please seeReference [11]

7 Glossary

All acronyms and terms used in this document are listed in the Reference [4].

18 76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16

 Reference List

Reference List

The following is a list of the documents mentioned in this document:

[1] Physical Channels and Mapping of Transport Channels onto Physical

Channels (FDD), 3GPP TS 25.211

[2] Capacity Management, 73/1551-HSD10102/1

[3] Connection Handling, 72/1551-HSD 101 02/1

[4] Glossary of Terms , 2/003 22-HSD 101 02/1

[5] Handover, 75/1551-HSD10102/1

[6] Idle Mode Behavior, 71/1551-HSD 101 02/1

[7] Performance Management, 111/1551-HSD 101 02/1

[8] Power Control, 74/1551-HSD 101 02/1

[9] Radio Network Parameters, 84/1551-HSD 101 02/1

[10] Timers, 77/1551-HSD 101 02/1

[11] Radio Network Parameters , 84/1551-HSD10102/1

76/1551-HSD 101 02/1 Uen D 2004-06-16 19