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Radio Access Parameters (RANPAR)

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The information in this document is subject to change without notice and describes only the product defined in the introduction of this documentation. This document is intended for the use of Nokia's customers only for the purposes of the agreement under which the document is submitted, and no part of it may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or means without the prior written permission of Nokia. The document has been prepared to be used by professional and properiy trained personnel, and the customer assumes full responsibility when using it. Nokia welcomes customer comments as part of the process of continuous development and improvement of the documentation. The information or statements given in this document concerning the suitability, capacity, or performance of the mentioned hardware or software products cannot be considered binding but shall be defined in the agreement made between Nokia and the customer. However, Nokia has made all reasonable efforts to ensure that the instructions contained in the document are adequate and free of material errors and omissions. Nokia will, if necessary, explain issues which may not be covered by the document. Nokia's liability for any errors in the document is limited to the documentary correction of errors. NOKIA WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE IN ANY EVENT FOR ERRORS IN THIS DOCUMENT OR FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL (INCLUDING MONETARY LOSSES), that might arise from the use of this document or the information in it. This document and the product it describes are considered protected by copyright according to the applicable laws. NOKIA logo is a registered trademark of Nokia Oyj. Other product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks of their respective companies, and they are mentioned for identification purposes only. Copyright Nokia Oyj 2001. All rights reserved.

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Summary of changes
Issue Change

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Contents
1 2 2.1 3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 4 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 5 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 6 6.1 6.2 6.3 7 7.1 7.2 7.3 8 9 9.1 9.2 9.3 Scope Radio Resource Management Introduction Functional split of radio resource management Telecom Parameters Overview Initial Cell Search System Information in idle mode Cell selection & reselection Cell Access Restrictions Location Management Connection Establishment Load control Planned load Cell load information Preventive load control Overload control Admission Control Radio access bearer service request Quality requirements ofthe radio bearer Power increase estimates Admission decision Establishment of a real time radio access bearer Establishment of a non-real time radio access bearer Diversity branch Hard handover Release of radio link or radio access bearer Packet scheduler MS-specific part of packet scheduler Cell-specific part of packet scheduler Channel selection Handover Control Functionality of intra-frequency handover Functionality of inter-frequency handover Functionality of inter-system handover Compressed mode Power control Open loop power control Power control for downlink common physical channels Fast closed loop power control

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7 8 10 12 12 13 13 15 19 20 21 24 25 27 28 28 29 30 31 32 34 38 40 40 41 41 42 42 44 48 51 53 66 73 81 83 85 87 88

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9.4 10 11

Outer loop power control Resource manager Configuration management objects _.._

91 94 96

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Scope
The material contained within this document provides an explanation of the Radio Access Network (RAN) Parameters within software release 1.5. The document is intended for radio planning and optimisation engineers to gain a better understanding of the different features and parameters available within the Nokia RAN implementation. The structure of the document is: RRM Introduction Telecom Parameters Load Control Admission Control Packet Scheduler Power Control Handover Control Resource Manager

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Radio Resource Management Introduction

The goal of radio resource management (RRM) is to ensure that the capacity is used as efficiently as possible. To achieve this, the absolute minimum of capacity needed to satisfy the service requirements of a particular user should be allocated. As a direct consequence of this conservative approach, as many users as possible will get the amount of capacity and quality they request; nothing more, nothing less. Radio resource management is designed to optimise the use of the radio resources available in the WCDMA radio access network. It does this by monitoring how the resources are used and by continuously making adjustments in order to optimise the use. The radio resources are defined in terms of transmission power, logical codes and bandwidth.

Radio resource management makes sure that the radio access network offers high capacity, maintains the planned coverage area and the required quality of service (QoS). At the planning stage, the capacity of the network is dimensioned according to the expected need. The network planners strike a balance between the coverage, capacity and quality that the network is to offer in a particular place. Coverage, capacity and quality are mutually dependent. In other words, when one of these factors undergoes a change, the other factors are automatically affected. The amount of physical and logical resources is fixed. This is because the maximum transmission power of the Node B's, the amount of logical resources (codes) and the bandwidth are all fixed. The operator can trade quality against coverage, capacity against quality, and so on, but the amount of resources does not change, it is only redistributed.

Link Quality

Cell Capacity Iw n H w Y *gm

1 f

KR R M

vpSHHiv

M Cell Coverage
f

. 1

Figure: Radio resource management guarantees capacity, coverage and quality.

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Cell Coverage

The coverage of the cell is determined by the transmission power with which the Node B's pilot signal is transmitted. Consequently, the coverage is easily adjustable. Now, despite the fact that the size of a cell could in principle shrink and grow depending on the required bit rates and quality, the cell coverage is normally determined by network planning. Allowing cell sizes to fluctuate according to the capacity demands would, of course, be impractical. Theoretically, however, the coverage of a WCDMA cell would vary with the uplink load, a process known as cell breathing, if it were not for the continuous countermeasures taken by radio resource management. The bit rates and the link quality, on the other hand, are adjusted according to the situation.

Cell Capacity

The capacity, or bit rate, that a particular Node B can offer is dependent on the maximum transmission power of the Node B. Transmission power is an equally limiting factor in the uplink.

Cell Quality

The quality of a transmission is defined in the number of errors it contains; the less errors there are, the higher the quality is. With error encoding schemes, the WCDMA RAN cannot only cope with less-than-perfect transmissions, but it also continuously receives indications regarding the quality of the transmissions. The required quality, on the other hand, is specified when a particular service is initiated; some services only tolerate very low error ratios whereas other services are less sensitive.

If there is enough capacity to meet the service requirements, then the system is able to increase the bit rates (if requested) of the users in the cell. There is no point in increasing the link quality beyond a certain level; the UE indicates to the NodeB when the reception is good. Offering too high quality would cause unnecessary interference to other users in the same cell and to other cells, too. WCDMA RAN goes to great lengths to ensure that the capacity needed for a particular service is minimised. The most important methods include macro diversity combining, outer loop power control and follow-up of the load. If the requested bit rates and the associated quality of service requirements exceed the available capacity, then the system has to renegotiate the bit rates and/or the quality requirements of the users in the cell. Radio resource management is a continuous balancing act between competing forces: the user requests, on one hand, and the available resources, on the other.

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2.1

Functional split of radio resource management

The task of radio resource management is to optimise the use of the available physical and logical resources in order to provide as much capacity as possible to the users. This is achieved through the concerted effort of a number of closely intertwined radio resource management algorithms. The algorithms can be divided into cell-based and connection-based algorithms on the basis of their different purposes. However, this distinction should not be taken to suggest that there is a clear-cut division between the radio resource algorithms. It has to be stressed that the radio resource algorithms are closely interdependent, and therefore are best considered a functional whole.

Cell-based algorithms Cell-based algorithms are, as the name implies, occupied with the resources of a particular cell. Nevertheless, load measurements encompass interference from neighbour cells. This is necessary since measures taken in a particular cell inevitably have repercussions in its neighbour cells. In their calculations, the cellbased algorithms therefore process data from the cells in the active set as well as from their neighbour cells.

Admission control (AC)

Admission control decides whether a request to establish a radio access bearer (RAB) is admitted in the RAN or not. Admission control is used to maintain stability and to achieve high traffic capacity of the RAN. The AC algorithm is executed when radio access bearer is set up or the bearer is modified. AC is also involved in all kinds of handovers.

Packet scheduler (PS)

The packet scheduler functionality is a part of the radio resource management functionality of the RAN. The packet scheduler allocates the momentaneous free capacity to packet data users. This is done after circuit-switched real time services have been allocated capacity, and within the limits of predefined load thresholds. Based on radio interface interference information, traffic volume measurement reports from UE (uplink) and received data in the RNC buffers (downlink), the packet scheduler will allocate radio resources for the radio access bearer (RAB).

Load control (LC)

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Load control guards the radio resources so that the radio interface is not overloaded and remains stable. Load control can be divided into two different parts: preventive load control and overload control. The load control functionality is done through measuring both uplink and downlink interference. Nokia Node B's are capable of measuring interference with very high accuracy, down to a fraction of a decibel. Load control provides load measurements for the Node B under one RNC periodically.

Resource Manager (RM)

The resource manager is responsible for the management of the logical radio resources of the RNC in cooperation with the admission control and the packet scheduler. The resource manager also manages the code tree and is responsible forthe actual allocation of digital signal processing (DSP).

Connection-based algorithms Handover and power control are called connection-based algorithms, as they only step into action when a connection between the UE and the Node B is initiated.

Handover Control (HC)

Handover control manages the mobility of the user, fluidly setting up and releasing radio links as needed when the user moves around in the network. Handover control, including macro diversity combining, ensures that the UE is connected to the optimal cell(s) in order to keep interference in check.

Power Control (PC)

Power control monitors the quality of the connections and adjusts the transmission powers of the UE and the Node B several hundreds of times per second. Power control provides protection against fast fading and shadowing. Power control ensures that the absolute minimum transmission powers needed to support the quality requirements are used. Lower transmission powers translate into less interference.

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Telecom Parameters
The telecom parameters fall outside the functional blocks of Radio Resource Management, however these parameters will require careful planning to ensure optimum system working. The areas covered by the Telecom Parameters are: Initial Cell Search System Information in idle mode Cell Selection Cell Reselection Access Restriction Location Management Connection Establishment

3.1 Overview
When a UE is switched on, a public land mobile network (PLMN) is selected and the UE searches for a suitable cell in which to camp on. The UE shall scan all RF channels in the UTRA band according to its capabilities. On each carrier, the UE searches for the "strongest" cell according to the initial cell search procedure. Once found a cell the UE reads the Master Information Block (MIB) on the cells' BCH/P-CCPCH to find the celi's PLMN. The PLMN search is ended when the Home PLMN has been found. When camped on a cell, the UE shall regularly search for a better cell according to the cell re-selection criteria. If a better cell is found, that cell is selected.

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During the cell search, the UE searches for a cell and determines the downlink scrambling code and frame synchronisation of that cell. The cell search is typically carried out in three steps: Step 1: Slot synchronisation During the first step of the cell search procedure the UE uses the SCH's primary synchronisation code to acquire slot synchronisation to a cell. This is typically done with a single matched filter (or any similar device) matched to the primary synchronisation code, which is common to all cells. The slot timing of the cell can be obtained by detecting peaks in the matched filter output. Step 2: Frame synchronisation and code-group identification During the second step of the cell search procedure, the UE uses the SCH's secondary synchronisation code to find frame synchronisation and identify the code group of the cell found in the first step. This is done by correlating the received signal with all possible secondary synchronisation code sequences, and identifying the maximum correlation value. Since the cyclic shifts of the sequences are unique the code group as well as the frame synchronisation is determined. Step 3: Scrambling-code identification During the third and last step ofthe cell search procedure, the UE determines the exact primary scrambling code used by the found cell. The primary scrambling code is typically identified through symbol-by-symbol correlation over the CPICH with all codes within the code group identified in the second step. After the primary scrambling code has been identified, the Primary CCPCH can be detected and the system- and cell specific BCH information can be read. If the UE has received information about which scrambling codes to search for, steps 2 and 3 above are simplified.

3.3 System Information in idle mode

In idle mode, the UE obtains information pertaining to the network from system information messages, which are regularly broadcast on the Broadcast Channel (BCH). This allows the retrieval of system and cell specific information that enables the UE to gain access to the network and perform idle mode tasks such as cell selection and reselection. The system information is organised as a tree. A master information block (MIB) provides references and scheduling information to a number of system information blocks (SIB) in a cell. The system information blocks contain the actual system information.

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MIB

SIB1

SIB 2

SIB 7

SIB 12

Figure: System Information Blocks Within the MIB and SIBs are value tag identifiers used to indicate if the information contained within the information block has changed. SIBs that have a value tag are referred with a value tag in MIB. This allows the UE to store just the MIB value tag. If the MIB value tag changes, the UE checks the SIB value tags listed in the MIB. If any value tag of a SIB, which the UE is using, has been changed, the UE shall store the scheduling information valid for that SIB. Not all system information blocks have a value tag, for these SIB the UE shall start an expiration timer when the system information block is read. When the timer expires, the information carried in the system information block is considered to be invalid. The UE must acquire the system information block before the system information can be used.

Different SIBs may be given different priorities, which are used by the scheduling algorithm in the RNC to give precedence to certain SIBs. The SIB priorities can be modified by the parameter Priority for SIB#.

The actual system information blocks (SIBs) shall be prioritised by default according to the following principles: 1. The UE uses the information received in System information block 7 before uplink transmission in order to make a transmit power estimate.

2. The UE must acquire System information block 5 rapidly after performing cell reselection in order to be able to make uplink access and receive paging messages. 3. The UE must acquire System information block 2 rapidly, when changing from a dedicated channel to common channels. Even if it is not always

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necessary to acquire this SIB, when performing cell re-selection, it is important for the UE to recognise rapidly if the URA has changed. 4. The UE must acquire System information block 1 rapidly, when powering on to be able to identify the PLMN and to determine a change in CN level mobility areas. However, it is not always necessary to acquire this SIB, when performing cell re-selection. 5. The UE must acquire System information block 3 after performing cell reselection in order to be able to make cell reselection to another cell. 6. The UE must acquire System information block 11 after power on and after cell reselection in idle mode in order to acquire neighbour cell lists for neighbour cell monitoring and potential cell re-selection. 7. The UE must acquire System information block 12 after transition from CELL_DCH to CELL_FACH state and after cell reselection in connected mode in order to acquire neighbour cell lists for neighbour cell monitoring and potential cell re-selection. 8. The UE must acquire System information block 18 to get knowledge of the PLMN identity of the neighbour cells to be considered for cell reselection. The information in SIB18 refers to SIB11/SIB12. The priority of SIB18 shouldn't be higher than what is defined for SIB11 ans SIB12.

3.4 Cell selection & reselection

The objective of the cell selection procedures is to quickly find a suitable cell to camp on. To speed up this process, when switched on or when returning from "out of coverage", the UE will start with the stored information from a previous network contact, if the UE is unable to find any of those cells the Initial cell search will be initiated. A cell is classified "suitable" if it fulfils the cell selection criterion S, which defines the minimum quality level for accessing a cell: Srxlev > 0 AND Squal > 0 Where: Squal = Qqualmeas - Qqualmin Srxlev = Qrxlevmeas - Qrxievmin- Pcompensation

The S criterion is configurable with a number of definable parameters, allowing the quality threshold to be defined on a cell by cell basis. [Qualmin, Qrxievmin 6t UetxPowerMaxPRA CH)

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3.4.1 Cell Re-selection

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The goal of the cell re-selection procedure is to always camp on the most optimum cell. When camped normally, the UE will monitor the system information and perform the neighbour cell measurements for the cell reselection evaluation procedure. The cell reselection evaluation process, i.e. the process to find whether a better cell exist is performed by the UE and controlled by a number of parameters. If Hierarchical Cell Structure (HCS) is not used, neighbour measurements for intra-frequency and inter-frequency measurements and interRAT measurements are performed when:

Region 1
2

Condition Squal > Sintrasearch

Simersearch < sWal * Sin,rasearch

Neighbour cells to be measured None

Intra-frequency cells

3 4

SsearchRATlv < Squal < Sintersearch Squal < SsearchRATm

Intra- and inter-frequency cells Intra-, inter-frequency and inter-RAT cells

Table: Neighbour Cell Measurements when HCS is not used.

Cell Reselection Criteria For those cells that fulfil the S criteria they are then ranked by the UE according to the R criterion:

s=Qmeas.s+0/7/Sfs
OoffSet

Rn = Qmeas.n "

Figure: Cell Resection Criteria.

The cell ranking is twofold; firstly the ranking of the WCDMA cells are ranked according to the CPICH RSCP and the GSM cell against RSSI. If there is not a suitable GSM cell to perform reselection then the WCDMA cells are ranked according to the CPICH Ec/No to identify a suitable intra-frequency or interfrequency neighbour.

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First ranking of all the cells based on CPICH RSCP (WCDMA) and RSSI (GSM)
. ' . ' . . .

Rs CPICH RSCP/GSM RSSI + Qhystl Rn= CPlCH_RSCP(n) or RXLEV(n) - offsetl

Yes

Rn higher In GSM cell

Cell re-selection toGSM Second ranking only for WCDMA cells based on CPICH Ec/No Rs = CPICH Ec/No + Ohyst2 Rn= CPICH Ec/No ~<_offset2

Cell re-selection to WCDMA cell of highest R value

Figure: Cell Resection Criteria.

3.4.2

Hierarchical Cell Structures

The radio access network may be designed using hierarchical cell structures. An example of hierarchical cell structure is shown below. The numbers in the picture describe different layers in the hierarchy. The highest hierarchical layer, i.e. typically smallest cell size, has the higher priority.

Figure: Example of Hierarchical Cell Structure

The operator can control the use of HCS by the use of the following management parameters UseOfHCSan HCS_PRIO.

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3.4.3

Cell Re-selection when HCS is operational

When HCS is used, it is also possible to further restrict the range of the measured cells, considering only the cells at higher priority level HCS_PRIO. If HCS is used, then when to perform intra-frequency and inter-frequency measurements is based on the following criteria and parameters:

Region 4 5

Condition Squal > SlimitSegrchRAT SsearchRAT< Squal <= SlimitSearchRAT

Neighbour cells to be measured No inter-RAT cells Inter-RAT cells with higher or equal HCS priority All inter-RAT cells

Srxlev < SHCSRAT & Squal < SsearchRAT

Table: Neighbour Cell Measurements when HCS is used. Moreover, the UE speed may be taken into account. When a the number of reselections during a time period TCRmax exceeds the value NCR given in the system information, the UE is considered in high-mobility state. In this case the measurements are performed on the cells that have equal or lower HCS_PRI0 than the serving cell. If the number of reselection during TCRmax no longer exceeds NCR, the UE leaves the high-mobility state after a time period TCRmaxHyst. Parameters for measurement control are indicated in the system information.

Cell Reselection Criteria When HCS is used, an additional criterion H is used to identify target cells on a different layer. During the quality estimation of those cells, a temporary offset applies for a given penalty time. If the quality requirement H is fulfilled, the cells belonging to the higher priority level are inciuded for cell re-selection and ranked according to the criterion R:
s ^meas's

Qhcs.

H = Q mM _.-Otes n -TO n * Ln
Where: TOn = TEMP_OFFSET, * \N{PENALTY_TIMEn - Tn) if HCS PRIO, = HCS PRIOs if HCS_ PRIO, o HCS_PRIOs W(x) = 0 for x < 0 W(x) = 1 for x >= 0

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The are then ranked according to the R criteria specified above, with the extension ofthe TEMP_OFFSETn and PENALTY_TIMEn: R S =Qmeass+0/iySf s Rn = Q m e a s , n - o f f s e f s > n - - T O n * (1-Ln)

The cell with higher value R in the ranking list is chosen as new cell if all the criteria described above are fulfilled during a time interval Treselection.

3.5 Cell Access Restrictions

There are two mechanisms, which allow cell access to be restricted. The first mechanism uses indication of cell status and special reservations for control of cell selection and re-selection procedures. The second mechanism, referred to as Access Control, allows the prevention of selected classes of users from sending initial access messages. Cell status and cell reservations Cell status and cell reservations are indicated within the Cell Access Restriction Information Element in the System Information Message and controlled by the parameters Cellbarred, Tbarredft Cell_Reserved. - Cell Barred. In some cases (e.g. due to traffic load or maintenance reasons) it may be necessary to temporarily prevent the normal access in a cell. An UE shall not camp on a barred cell for normal services, but may camp on this cell for limited service if no other suitable cell is available. - Cell Reserved for operator use. This status can be implemented on newly deployed cells during the integration and testing phase allowing tests to be performed without being disturbed by normal traffic. For normal users, the UE shall behave as ifthe cell is barred

Access Control All UEs are members of one out of ten randomly allocated mobile populations, defined as Access Classes 0 to 9. The population number is stored in the SIM/USIM. In addition, mobiles may be members of one or more out of 5 special categories (Access Classes 11 to 15), also held in the SIM/USIM. These are allocated to specific high priority users as follows. (The enumeration is not meant as a priority sequence):

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Class 15 14 13 12 11 PLMN Staff; Emergency Services; Public Utilities (e.g. water/gas suppliers) Security Services; For PLMN Use.

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The UE shall ignore Access Class related cell access restrictions when selecting a cell to camp on, however the Access Class restrictions shall be checked by the UE before sending an RRC CONNECTION REQUEST message when entering Connected Mode from UTRAN Idle mode. By default all cells will have Access Class AC0..AC15 "not barred" by configuring the operator definable parameter ACBarredList

3.6 Location Management

Within the WCDMA network 4 levels of location identity are defined, theses are used by the circuit switched domain, packet switched domain and the UTRAN to support the mobility management functions required within the system: 1. 2. 3. 4. Location Area (LA) in CN Circuit Switched (CS) domain Routing Area (RA) in CN Packet Switched (PS) domain UTRAN registration area (URA) in RAN (RNC) Cell area

When in Circuit Switched (CS) Idle mode the core network (CN) knows the locations of a UE within the accuracy of LA. When in PS Idle mode, CN knows the locations of a UE with the accuracy of LA/RA. In connected mode (CS-connected or PS-connected) the UE is known to a cell level or URA level by the RNC. Location Area A location Area consists of one cell or more cells with a maximum size of an MSC/VLR area. The Location Area Identifier (LAI) is composed of the following elements: Mobile Country Code [MCC) identifies the country in which the PLMN is located. Mobile Network Code [MNC) is a code identifying the PLMN in that country; Location Area Code [LAQ identifying a location area within a PLMN.

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Routing Area

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A Routing Area (RA) is a subset of a Location Area (LA) and is used only by the PS core network domain, the Routing Area Identifier (RAI) is composed of the following elements: A valid Location Area Identity (LAI). Routing Area Code [RAC) identifying a routing area within a location area.

UTRAN Registration Area A URA is an area known only in the UTRAN. Each cell in the network is assigned at least one URA identifier [URAid). Cells can be assigned more than one URA identifier, this leading to the possibility of overlapping URA areas. The URA consists of a number of cells belonging to one RNC and are used to avoid high amounts of cell updates in situation of high mobility when the UE is in Cell_PCH state.

Cell Area A cell is the smallest entity in the UTRAN, it is known only in the UTRAN. The parameter used to define cell identifier is CID.

3.7 Connection Establishment

Establishment of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection between the UE and RNC allows a dialog between the RNC and the UE and further allows a dialog between CN and UE. The initiation ofthe RRC connection establishment procedure can be triggered by the UE or by a paging request from the core network. The RRC connection establishment procedure is always originated by the UE. Before establishing an RRC connection, the UE is in idle mode. After the RRC connection has been established, the UE is in connected mode.

3.7.1

Paging

The UE may use discontinuous reception (DRX) in idle mode to reduce power consumption. In discontinuous transmission, the UE only monitors one page indicator (PI) in one paging occasion per DRX cycle. The DRX cycle is an individual time interval between the monitoring paging occasions for a specific UE. The maximum DRX cycle is the time interval for the longest possible DRX cycle in a

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cell. The UE may be attached to the circuit switched and packet switched core networks with different CN-domain-specific DRX cycle lengths. The DRX cycle lengths are modifiable with the parameter CNDRXLength. The UE stores each domain-specific DRX cycle length for each CN domain it is attached to and uses the shortest of those DRX cycle lengths. If the CN sends a specific DRX cycle length cofficint, RAN uses it in the paging message. The RNC checks whether the paged UE is engaged in an ongoing radio resource control (RRC) connection. If there is no connection, the RNC starts the idle mode paging procedure using Paging type 1. If the UE does, the connected mode paging procedure is applied. RNC sends a paging message (RRC: PAGING TYPE 2) to an RRC-connected UE through the existing RRC connection if the UE is in CELL_DCH or CELL_FACH state. If the UE is in CELL_PCH or URA_PCH state, the RNC originates the paging procedure (RRC: PAGING TYPE1).

RRC connection Setup

The RRC connection is always started by the UE. The access to the network is performed using the physical random-access procedure, explained below: 1. The UE derives the available uplink access slots and randomly select one. The access slots availability is determined by the parameter AllowedRACHSubChannels. 2. The UE then randomly selects a signature from the set of available signatures, determined by the parameter AllowedPreambleSignature. 3. The Preamble Retransmission counter with the UE is set to its maximum, determined by RACH_tx_Max. 4. The UE then calculates the power of the initial preamble. 5. The UE then transmits the preamble using the selected uplink access slot, signature, and preamble transmission power. 6. If no positive or negative acquisition indicator corresponding to the selected signature is detected in the downlink. The UE Randomly selects a new signature from the set of available signatures and increases the Preamble Power by Po werRampStepPRA CHpreamble. 7. The UE decrease the Preamble Retransmission Counter by one. 8. If the Preamble Retransmission Counter > 0 then the UE repeats from step 5. Otherwise the UE exits the physical random access procedure.
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9. If a negative acquisition indicator corresponding to the selected signature is detected the UE exits the physical random access procedure. 10. If a positive acquisition indicator corresponding to the selected signature is detected then the UE transmits the random access message three or four uplink access slots after the uplink access slot of the last transmitted preamble. The transmission power of the control part of the random access message is set by the parameter PowerOffsetLastPreamblePRACHmessage and is higher than the power of the last transmitted preamble.

Downlink / B _ S

AA
Preamble n MeSSage part

Uplink/UE.

Preamble 1

Figure: Random Access Procedure

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Load control
Load control (LC) involves setting thresholds for the load during radio network planning as well as managing the load in practice. Load control continuously feeds information about the cell load to the other radio resource management algorithms. In this way, load control helps to avoid overload situations and to ensure that the system remains stable. Should an overload situation occur, radio resource management is designed to quickly return the system back to the normal load. For these reasons, load control can be divided into two parts: preventive load control overload control

Load control collaborates closely with the packet scheduler and admission control; so closely, in fact, that they should be regarded as a functional whole from a load control point of view.

Load change info Load status

x\v--

LC

NRT load

PS

Figure: Load Control interaction with AC and PS

A fundamental difference between real time services and non-real time services exists in RAN. First of all, real time services pose stricter requirements on the network. Consequently real time services always take precedence. However, it is not possible to cater only to users of real time services; the reason is that, from a radio resource management perspective, the load caused by real time users is hard to control. In order to be able to manage the radio resources, a safety margin must be left, representing the difference between the total capacity and the capacity used by real time services. However, obviously the safety margin represents a slice of capacity that, ideally, should be used, too. In WCDMA RAN this is accomplished by filling the safety margin with packet traffic; this is done on a best-effort basis with no guarantees as to the quality of service.
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4.1

Planned load
Typically the users in a certain area will simultaneously use a mix of services with real-time (RT) and non-real time (NRT) requirements. Real-time bearers obviously pose stricter requirements on the network; the data has to be delivered continuously and there is little time to correct possible faults. Consequently the error ratio has to be low. A voice call is a typical real-time service; when the service is set up the core network and radio access network negotiate the quality of service requirements of the radio access bearer to be used for the service, including bit rate and error ratios. Because of the stringent quality of service (QoS) requirements, it is difficult to control real-time services. Also real time services tend to be monitored by the users, who will notice deterioration in the service. By comparison, a user is not likely to notice if a non-real time service experiences momentary deterioration, or is briefly cut off.

Real-time bearers, together with interference from neighbour cells and background noise constitute the part that is difficult to control; this part is referred to as non-controllable load and can be defined as comprising RT users, users from other cells and noise.

Non-real time bearers, exclusively packet traffic, on the other hand, are highly flexible. Packet traffic, i.e. NRT users, are referred to as controllable load. To be on the safe side, the capacity allocated to real-time services must be on the conservative side. Therefore, separate thresholds for controllable and noncontrollable load are defined through radio network planning. The threshold for controllable load always exceeds that for non-controllable load.

The threshold for non-controllable load is defined using the RNP parameters; PrxTarget [fox UL) and PtxTarget [fox DL). In the case of UL, PrxTarget is set relative to the system noise, PrxNoise, which is defined as the noise level at the Node B receiver when there is no load (i.e. just thermal noise and noise from other systems). The non-controllable load threshold in the UL is defined by adding an offset, PrxOffset, to the non-controllable threshold.

In the DL, PtxTarget and PtxOffset axz used to define the non-controllable and controllable threshold in a similar way. This time however, PtxTarget represents an absolute DL transmission power. The figure below illustrates how these thresholds are set in relation to each other.

These load thresholds also define the boundaries for the different load states in a cell: Normal, Preventive and Overload. Whilst the total measured cell load, PrxTotal / PtxTotal, is below the noncontrollable threshold, PrxTarget / PtxTarget, the cell is in Normal Load State where PS and AC can operate normally and all admissions are permitted.

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When the cell load exceeds this threshold, the cell moves into Preventive Load State, which necessitates different actions from AC and PS in relation to admitting RTand NRT users respectively. Above the controllable load threshold, PrxTarget+PrxOffset / PtxTarget+PtxOffset, has been exceeded the cell is in Overload State. In this state AC and PS take more severe actions designed to bring the cell back into a stable state as soon as possible.

PrxTarget+PrxOffset PtxTarget+PtxOffset PrxTarget / PtxTarget

PrxTotal / PtxTotal

I l controllable load I time non-controllable load

Figure: Load Distribution in a WCDMA cell

Most services will generate asymmetrie load to the network, that is, require significantly higher bit rates in the downlink than in the uplink. Because ofthis, all load-related measurements and estimations have to be made separately for the uplink and the downlink.

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4.2

Cell load information

In WCDMA RAN, the most important thing is to control the level of interference in the network. Each Node B periodically reports the interference levels in its cells to the RNC. The frequency of the reports is defined with the Radio resource indication period parameter [RRIndPeriod). In the uplink, the Node B can straightforwardly measure the interference [PrxTotal). In the downlink, the transmitted power [PtxTotal) of the Node B represents the interference. Load control calculates the uplink (PrxNc) and downlink (PtxNc) interference calculated by non-controllable load separately using the following equations:

Uplink non-controllable load:

PrxNC = PrxTotal - PrxNRT

Downlink non-controllable load:

PtxNC = PtxTotal - PtxNRT

These values are used by admission control during the admission decision process.

In addition, the load on the random access channel (RACH) has to be taken into account. The RACH channel gives a good indication of how big the imminent load is, that is, what the load situation will look like in a few seconds time. Mobile stations (UE) use the RACH channel to establish an RRC connection; specifically an UE does this by sending a RACH preamble. Initialiy this is done with a low transmission power; unless the preamble is detected the UE successively ramps up the power until the system acknowiedges receipt of the preamble. RACH load measurements encompass the number of: received RACH preambles decoded RACH messages successfully decoded RACH messages

The periodicity of sending these RACH load reports can be set using the RNP pa ra meter, RACHIoadlndicationPeriod

Load control estimates imminent changes in the load, that is, changes which have not yet taken effect but which are certain to occur. In practical terms this means radio access bearers (RAB) that are in the process of being set up. Calculating the uplink and downlink power changes caused by a prospective bearer is a complex process. The power changes are estimated separately in the uplink PrxRTinactive and downlink PtxRTinactive.

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In addition, load control receives information about the average radio link downlink transmission power measured in the WCDMA Node B, PtxAverage.

Load control can either take place periodically or occasionally. Periodic measurements are reported, at the intervals set by the operator, to the packet scheduler and admission control. In connection with the establishment of new radio access bearers, load control estimates the amount of interference that the new bearer would cause, and delivers the estimates to admission control.

4.3

Preventive load control

Preventive load control is activated when the cell load exceeds the targets for received [PrxTarget and transmitted [PtxTarget^ power. These targets define the optimal operating point for the cell load. Preventive load control is actually carried out by packet scheduler and admission control, specifically this involves blocking new calls and freezing the bit rates of NRT RABs in the cell.

4.4

Overload control
Overload control is needed when the load in the cell has exceeded the upper threshold:

PrxTotal > PrxTarget+PrxOffset (uplink)

PtxTotal > PtxTarget+PtxOffset (downlink)

Due to the design of the system overload situations should be rare in WCDMA RAN. If, despite this, an overload situation were to occur, admission control reacts by denying access to further bearers and the packet scheduler by successively reducing the bit rates. Admission control can also reduce the bit rate of existing RT RABs by renegotiating the quality of service requirements of the services they use. By changing the AMR speech codec for voice calls, for example, it may be possible to free up enough capacity.

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Admission Control
The task of admission control (AC) is twofold: to ensure that the WCDMA RAN remains stable and to achieve high traffic capacity. In many respects the tasks of achieving high traffic capacity and controlling the load are contradictory. Offering the maximum amount of capacity necessarily means staying close to the capability limit. Due to the design of WCDMA RAN, and with the help of the other radio resource management algorithms, admission control can succeed at both of these tasks.

Admission control allows or prevents the demand for capacity to be increased. If it did not exercise such tight control, the stability of the network could be compromised very quickly and overload situations would be common. Due to the design of admission control and the other radio resource management algorithms, overload situations are rare.

Maintaining the stability of the network translates into ensuring that the demand for capacity does not outstrip the amount of capacity on offer. A UE can never begin to use a service before the consequences that it would have on the load in the cells of the active set have been estimated, and approved, by admission control. The load increase, which the establishment of a new bearer would cause, is estimated separately for the uplink and the downlink. Simply put, admission control grants or rejects prospective radio access bearers (RAB) access to the network. Related to this, admission control is also involved in all kinds of handovers, as they represent a scenario much like that of adding a new connection or service. By keeping the load in check, it also ensures that the planned coverage is maintained and that the quality of existing connections is not compromised.

The figure below illustrates how Admission control interacts with all the other radio resource management algorithms.

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lu

(y
RAB setup/modify/release request

Resource Manager Radio resource information Code allocation Transport resource allocation

Load Control Producing of load information

Figure: Interaction between admission control and other RRM algorithms

The key to achieving high traffic capacity in the network while maintaining stability lies in differentiating between different kinds of load. In WCDMA RAN, different load thresholds are set for non-controllable and controllable load; the controllable load constitutes the margin of manoeuvrability as the bit rates of non-real time services can be increased and decreased as needed. The packet scheduler is responsible for this part.

5.1

Radio access bearer service request

The process of setting up a new radio access bearer (RAB) begins when either the UE or the Core Network (CN) signals that a service requiring a radio access bearer has been requested. Initialiy the UE and the CN negotiate the parameters of the prospective radio access bearer, and once agreed upon, the radio access bearer service request is forwarded to admission control via a RAB Assignment Request message. This message contains all the attributes that define the RAB to be setup.

On receipt of a radio access bearer request, admission control analyses the request and derives the bit rate and quality requirements of the radio access bearer. On the basis of this information admission control can estimate the load that the radio access bearer would cause if established. Specifically, on the basis of the parameters relevant to bit rate, admission control generates the needed transport format combinations in order to determine the actual physical layer bit rate. If the prospective RAB is going to be one out of many used by the UE, admission control also determines the physical layer parameters to be used for
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multiplexing the different bearers onto a coded composite transport channel (CCTrCH). Once the bit rate of the bearer has been established, admission control can calculate the processing gain.

In order to maintain stability, it is imperative that the new radio access bearer does not increase the load beyond the levels defined during radio network planning. Calculations not only take the load situation of the access cell into consideration, but also that of neighbour cells. This is necessary, as each cell constitutes a source of interference to its neighbour cells. Clearly, besides parameters set during radio network planning, admission control needs information about the current load state in the network. Load control and packet scheduler continuously feed information about the momentaneous load to admission control. The exchange of information is mutual; after a new RAB has been set up admission control feeds load change information backto load control. Specifically, admission control estimates the non-controllable power increase. Likewise, any change in the load caused by the reconfiguration of existing RABs is signalled to load control.

5.2

Quality requirements ofthe radio bearer

The RAB Assignment Request message contains all the attributes that define the RAB to be set-up, including the SDU error ratio (or Residual BER if this is not present). Admission control uses these error ratios to calculate the block error ratio (BLR) target. The RLC mode and whether or not retransmissions are allowed affect the BLR target. Once the BLR target ofthe RAB has been established, admission control looks up the corresponding Eb/No value for the connection. The Eb/No varies depending on the channel coding, the maximum user bit rate, and whether or not diversity reception is employed. The parameter EbNoSetldentifier \s used to specify the type of diversity used. 1 = 2-way diversity 2 = no diversity 3 = 4-way diversity With the Eb/No, admission control calculates the initial target signal-tointerference ratio (SIR) and the minimum and maximum SIR limits for a particular type of connection. The SIR target is used by outer loop power control to adjust the power ofthe Node B and the UE.

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5.3 Power increase estimates

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A mobile station is prevented from accessing the network before its impact on the load of the active set cells has been estimated (and approved) by admission control. To achieve this admission control must estimate the power increase that a prospective bearer would cause. Due to the potential asymmetry of 3G services, this power increase is estimated separately for both uplink and downlink. To be able to estimate the power increase in a particular direction, admission control needs to know the physical bit rate ofthe bearer, the type and amount of channel coding, as well as the quality requirements. On the basis of these parameters, admission control constructs the required transport format(s), which define exactly how a transport channel is processed at the physical layer.

5.3.1

Uplink Power Increase Estimation

Whilst the total RX power (total received wideband interference), PrxTotal, and the individual code power for each radio link (RL) can be measured by the Node B, the increase in uplink power that would be created by the admission of a new RT RAB, is based on a theoretical model using known parameters such as bit rate, target Eb/No etc. This estimated load increase, AL, is then mapped to a physical non-controllable Rx power increase, APrx_NC, via a load vs power curve, as illustrated in the figure below.

Figure - Estimation of APrx_NC based on power vs load curve analysis

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5.3.2 Downlink Power Increase Estimation

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In the downlink no load curve is used to estimate the increase in power due to a new user. The total power increase estimation for a new user is defined as; APtx NC = APtxnPW + P 'rt; _ Mnactive Instead the power increase estimation is calculated by defining the power increase associated with a reference RAB (or service) and multiplying this value by a normalising factor based on the ratio of the bit rates and target Eb/Nos of the reference and requested RABs. The reference service is voice, AMR 12.2 kbps, and is defined using the following parameters; Parameter DLreferenceBitRate Value 12.2 kbps Description Bit rate ofthe reference service Value is log10 of the BLR value The Tx power increase caused by the admission of the reference RAB is estimated to be CPICH CPICHtoRefRABoffset

DLreference TargetBLER -2.2 CPICHtoRefRABoffset 5dB

The power increase due to the new requested RT RAB, APtx_NC, is then estimated to be; APtxnew = Ptxref x {{(Eb/N0)new x Bit Ratenew} / {(Eb/N0)refx DLreferenceBitRate}}

where Ptxref=
(PCPICH

/ CPICHtoRefRABoffset

PCPICH is the CPICH transmit power set by PtxPrimaryCPICH'parameter (Eb/N0)ref is obtained from DL ReferenceTargetBLER Bit Ratenew is a RAB attribute (Eb/N0)new is obtained from the RAB attributes provided in the RAB Assignment request message This is an estimation of the power that will be used on the radio link supporting the new RAB. However, the DL power of a single RAB is limited by the parameters, PtxDPCHMax and PtxDPCHMin, which define the absolute maximum and minimum power levels that can be used on a DL DPCH, with respect to the cells maximum transmit power, PcelLMax. In accordance with this requirement, AC does not admit any new RT RABs where APtx_NC is either greater than PcelLMax + PtxDPCHMax ox below PcelLMax + PtxDPCHMin. The value of APtx_NC used in the admission decision is thus; Max [PcelLMax + PtxDPCHMin, Min(APtxnew, PcelLMax + PtxDPCHMax))

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Parameter PtxDPCHMax Value -3dB below the maximum BTS output power (40dBm) assuming 43dBm max BTS power -28dB below the maximum BTS output power (l5dBm) assuming 43dBm max BTS power Condition

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Upper limit ofthe total power dynamic range of a DPCH Lower limit ofthe total power dynamic range of a DPCH

PtxDPCHMin

The power increase estimation for the DL, APtx_NC, also includes a component, Ptx_rtinactiVe, which represents the total amount of power already allocated to inactive RT users (i.e. those users for which the radio bearer (RB) is still in establishment phase). This is calculated in a similar way for all the inactive RT users.

5.4

Admission decision
Once the UL and DL power increase estimations of the prospective radio access bearer have been established, admission control is ready to accept or reject the radio access bearer. The decision to admit a new bearer is always made by the controlling RNC. In order to make this admission decision, admission control compares the new estimates for the total non-controllable powers, for UL and DL, against predefined thresholds. As part of this process admission control utilise the following measured quantities;

Average total wideband UL received power, Prx_Total Average total DL transmit power, Ptx_Total Non-controllable UL power, Prx_NC = PrxJTotal - Prx_NRT Non-controllable DL power, Ptx_NC = Ptxjotal - Ptx_NRT

The total UL, PrxJTotal, and DL, Ptxjotal, powers are measured by the Node B and provided to Load control every RRIIndicationPeriod. Prx_NRT and Ptx_NRT and the total powers allocated to NRT users for the UL and DL respectively, which are provided by PS. LC then calculates the latest values for Prx_NC and Ptx_NC and forwards these to admission control. The admission decision process used by admission control depends on whether the requested RAB is for call set-up or for handover (i.e. branch addition). In the case of RAB set-up, the threshold comparison is made for UL and DL and both must be satisfied in order for the RAB to be admitted. For handovers, the

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assumption is that the addition of a new branch does not increase the UE Tx UL power, and so only the DL threshold comparison has to be satisfied. During radio network planning, threshold values for controllable and noncontrollable load respectively, both for the uplink and the downlink, are set on a cell basis. Uplink The uplink thresholds for controllable and non-controllable load are defined using the following parameters; PrxTarget defines the target for the total received wideband interference power in a cell. PrxTarget is set relative to the system noise, Prx_Noiseand defines the threshold for the Preventive Load State. Admission control uses PrxTarget as the threshold for non-controllable load. PrxNoise defines the noise level in the Node B receiver when there is no load (i.e. thermal noise + noise figure) PrxOffset defines the extra margin above PrxTarget within which admission control is still able to admit new RABs. PrxTarget + PrxOffset defines the threshold for Overload State. Once this overload threshold is exceeded no further admissions are possible.

PrxTarget

Figure - UL Load Curve ft Load Thresholds

Downlink In the downlink, admission decision thresholds are defined using the following parameters;

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PtxTarget is the absolute DL transmission power level which defines the threshold for Preventive State in the DL PtxOffset defines the extra margin above PtxTarget within which admission control is still able to admit new RABs. PtxTarget + PtxOffset defines the threshold for Overload State. Both of these values need to be set in accordance with the behaviour of the DL Tx power curve and the maximum cell power, PcelLMax.

PtxTarget

Figure - DL Tx Power Curve Et Load Thresholds Since non-controllable load is very hard to control, the admission control has to be all the more stringent as regards this kind of load, which is caused by real-time bearers. Admission control compares the values for non-controllable load increase and total load, against the load thresholds using the following equations; Uplink Prx_NC + APrx_NC < Prxjarget PrxJTotal < PrxJTarget + Prx_Offset Downlink Ptx_NC + APtx_NC < PtxJTarget Ptxjotal < PtxJTarget + Ptx_Offset

Assuming both of these conditions are met, for both UL and DL, admission control will admit a new RT RAB for call set-up. If the RAB request is for handover (i.e. new branch addition) only the DL criteria need be satisfied.

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If the target level for non-controllable load, be it in the uplink or the downlink, has been exceeded, admission control rejects at least those bearers which would trigger an immediate load increase. However, bearers with non-real time services, which would only cause controllable load, can be granted access more freely. The reason is that the bit rate allocated to packet traffic can be managed easily; the bit rate can even be reduced to zero if needed. The figures illustrate the admission control decision process for the UL. A similar process occurs in the DL using PtxJTarget and PtxJDffset.

Prx_Target + PrxJJffset Prx_Target

]-APrx_NC

V PrxTotal

Casel Prx_NC + APrx_NC< Prxjarget PrxTotal < Prxjarget. B S

Case II Prx_iMC + APrx_NC < Prxjarget Prxjarget < PrxTotal < PrxJargetJ_5

RT RAB admitted (as well as NRT)

RT RAB admitted

Figure - UL Admission Control Decision Examples

FTxJTarget PrxJJffset j

Prx_Target 1 } APrx_NC

> Prx_NC > Prx_NC

Casel Prx_NC + APrx_NC < Prxjarget PrxTotal > Prxjarget

Case IV Prx_NC + APrx_NC > Prxjarget

RT RAB denied (as well as NRT)

RT RAB denied (NRT also denied)

Figure- UL Admission Control Decision Examples If the estimated load proves too great, admission control rejects the request by sending a faiiure indication to the core network. The core network can subsequently forward this information to the end user in order to initiate service modification negotiation. Since packet data is controllable traffic and has comparatively lax quality requirements, it is all the easier for a non-real time (NRT) RAB to be granted access to the network.

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However, sometimes a request for a RAB has to be rejected even if the load is within acceptable limits, that is, there is the required amount of free transmission power and so on. This is the case when the logical resources of the Node B have been exhausted; there may be a temporary lack of channelisation codes, for example, or the transmission capacity on the lub and lur interfaces can have an effect on the bearer acceptance procedure. The resource manager (RM) provides this information to the admission control. In the case of NRT RAB, admission control monitors the reports of RACH load sent by load control; ifthe RACH load is excessive admission control rejects the NRT RAB request.

In situations of heavy load, different UE and, consequently, their RABs, may be given preferential treatment as the 3G network architecture makes it possible to assign subscriber-specific priorities. Finally, no matter what the load situation looks like at a given moment, emergency calls always have to be granted access to the RAN.

The nature of the admitted RAB, specifically whether it is a real time (RT) or NRT RAB, determines the actions that follow the admission decision.

5.5

Establishment of a real time radio access bearer

Once admission control has decided to admit a new RT RAB, physical resources need to be allocated. Downlink As part ofthis process admission control is responsible for determining the initial, as well as minimum and maximum, transmission powers for the radio link to be used in the downlink. Downlink power allocation is always performed when a radio link is established or reconfigured. Sometimes the UE already has one or more active bearers from before, and the physical resources of these bearers can be modified to accommodate the new dedicated transport channel. In calculating the appropriate power limits, admission control also takes, for example, physical layer multiplexing needs into account when necessary, as this affects the amount of power needed. The downlink transmission power parameters are sent to the base stations in the active set by the CRNC. The initial DL transmission power for the RL is calculated based on several factors including Eb/No, bit rate, chip rate, CPICH power, UE measured Ec/lo and the orthogonality factor(a). Once this initial DL power value has been calculated, the maximum and minimum power levels must be determined.

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These values are obtained by comparing the initial DL power with the values for the absolute maximum and minimum code channel DPCH powers. These values are defined using the parameters; PtxDPCHMax - defines the absolute maximum for DL DPCH transmission power (maximum transmit output power of code channel), default = -3dB (below the max Node B output power) PtxDPCHMin - defines the absolute minimum for DL DPCH transmission power (minimum transmit output power of code channel), default = -28dB (below the max Node B output power) PtxDPCHMax and PtxDPCHMin effectively define the dynamic range for the Node B power control. Since one radio link (RL) can have more than one code channel, the maximum and minimum powers are calculated by multiplying PtxDPCHMax and PtxDPCHMin by the number of code channels for a particular RL., NDPCH. The maximum DL power for a RL is then defined by;

Ox,max~ ""IN(

nlmax0

Ptx/ef,

Ndpch-

Ptx_DPCH_max)

The minimum DL power, Ptx_min. is calculated by applying an offset from Ptx The offset being defined by parameter, PCrangeDL

*.tx,mm ~ MAX

\ ftxmax

rtx

mnge

,Ndpch

' *tx_DPCH _min J

Uplink As regards the uplink, the situation is a bit different. The transmission power of the UE is inherently limited. Also, the UE is mobile and, thanks to handover control, is automatically connected to the optimal base station(s). This guarantees that the transmission powers are kept as low as possible; the transmission power is adjusted 1500 times per second. If the UE already has radio links, the averaged transmission value of those links is used for the new radio link. In call set-up, the initial UL power for the RL is calculated by the UE and is given by;

DPCCHJnitiaLpower = DPCCH_Power__offset - CPICH_RSCP

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Admission control calculates the value of the offset, DPCCH_Power_offset, to be used on the dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH). The initial power to be used on the DPCCH, in turn, equals DPPCH offset minus the received signal code power (RSCP) ofthe common pilot channel (CPICH). Also related to uplink power allocation, the values of Maximum UE transmission power on DPCH (UEtxPowerMaxDPCH) and Maximum UE transmission power on PRACH (UEtxPowerMaxPRACH) are set during radio network planning. If the initial UL power calculated exceeds the maximum value, UEtxPowerMaxDPCH, the UE shall re-scale to the total transmit power so that it is equal to the maximum allowed power. In a multiple-RAB scenario, the radio link is dimensioned to accommodate all RABs at their peak rates simultaneously.

5.6

Establishment of a non-real time radio access bearer

As regards the establishment of a NRT RAB, the procedure is quite different. There is no need to allocate physical resources right away, because there is no way of knowing when the NRT radio bearer (RB) will actually be needed. Instead, the packet scheduler selects the appropriate downlink transport channel type (dedicated or common) when the actual transport capacity is needed. If a dedicated channel is selected, the packet scheduler allocates the logical resources of the base station and the downlink transmission power. Admission control provides the packet scheduler with the radio bearer information. Admission control also specifies the values of a number of parameters that govern how retransmission functions; retransmission is a natural consequence of using packet-switched connections with acknowledged mode.

5.7

Diversity branch
When a new RAB is set up, it only includes one radio link (in RAN1.5). However, in WCDMA RAN an UE will more often than not be connected to two or, at a maximum, three cells (or sectors). This is because advanced digital signal processing allows the transmitting elements in the network to use comparatively weak signals, which are compared at the receiving end (for more information, see macro diversity combining). Thus, an entrant RAB will through normal handover control procedures almost immediately add diversity branches - radio links - to the active set. The original downlink admission decision is valid for all diversity branches. This is because the UE is already transmitting, and the required transmission powers actually decrease as the result of adding a diversity branch. Diversity branches should always be added when requested, since otherwise the UE may be forced to rapidly increase its uplink transmission power in the target

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cell. This is the case if the UE starts to move away from the base station and its requests for the addition of diversity branches are rejected.

In the case of adding diversity branches, the CRNC is responsible for transmitting the required radio interface parameters to the target RNC

5.8

Hard handover
Admission decisions regarding hard handovers are very similar to that of admitting a new RAB into the network. The admission decision is done by admission control ofthe target RNC. Admission control ofthe source RNC signals the radio access bearer attributes (including bit rate and quality requirements) and radio interface timing parameters to admission control ofthe target RNC.

5.9

Release of radio link or radio access bearer

The release of one or more radio links or of a RAB does not require any further actions by the radio resource algorithms. In other words, there is no such thing as load decrease estimates; the decreased load is automatically reflected in the periodical load reports sent by load control and the packet scheduler.

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Packet scheduler
Packet scheduler ensures that, on the one hand, the total capacity can be utilised and, on the other, the load stays within certain bounds. To be able to accomplish this task, the response time of the packet scheduler to changing conditions has to be extremely short. The service requirements of non-real time bearers have to be comparatively lax; there is no guarantee as regards the quality of service. Instead, the packet scheduler allocates capacity to non-real time bearers on a so-called best effort basis.

Packet scheduling principles The packet scheduler is divided into two parts, representing two mutually complementing viewpoints: a cell-specific part and an MS-specific part. Packet scheduler allocates a slice of the momentaneous free capacity to each non-real time radio access bearer (NRT RAB) at a frequency defined by the Scheduling period SchedulingPeriod parameter. Obviously, as more capacity is allocated in the cell, the load increases. Also, the capacity used in a certain cell amounts to interference in the neighbour cells. What is more, in WCDMA RAN it is not unusual for an UE to be in soft handover, that is, connected to more than one cell simultaneously. Clearly, the load of all the cells in the active set has to be taken into account if the service is to be reliable. Packet scheduling is done in each cell of the active set separately by the cell-specific part. The MS-specific part acts as the controlling entity that allocates the capacity according to the most heavily loaded cell in the active set.

6.1

MS-specific part of packet scheduler

Traffic volume measurement reports The packet scheduler only allocates bit rates on a need basis. The need, in turn, is indicated in the traffic volume measurement reports that it receives. The reporting behaviour is dependent on the allocated resources and on the RRC state. This is logical as, for instance, CELL_FACH state indicates that the MS can only send small amounts of data (on a common transport channel).

The basic process is very similar for uplink and downlink traffic. Data that is about to be transmitted is buffered for a short period of time. Packet scheduler increases the resources according to the amount of data to be transmitted, within the limits
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set by admission control. It should be noted that no monitoring of the RLC buffer is performed if a high bit rate DCH already has been allocated. By the same logic, an UE cannot be shifted from CELL_FACH state to CELL_DCH state if the buffer only contains pure control signalling data; this is explicitly disallowed.

When the UE is in soft handover, the threshold of the active set cell with the strictest threshold is used.

Uplink The reporting criteria to be used are signalled to the UE in an RRC: MEASUREMENT CONTROL message when the radio bearer is set up or when one or more radio bearer parameters are modified. The amount of buffered data is monitored for UEs which have NRT RABs and which are either in CELL_DCH or CELL_FACH state. The UE monitors the amount of data in the RLC buffer. Only a small amount of data can be sent on the common channels, partly because they are shared between many users, partly because they are inefficint. In the uplink, the RACH channel is the only common transport channel. If the RLC buffer exceeds the threshold set by Uplink traffic volume measurement low threshold TrafVolThresholdULLow, a traffic volume measurement report is created. It is possible for the UE to be in CELL_DCH state without having a DCH allocated; this is the case, for example, when the UE only has a signalling link for the transfer of higher layer signalling allocated. The UE monitors the RLC buffer even if it has a DCH allocated, provided that it is a low bit rate one. If the RLC buffer exceeds the threshold set by Uplink traffic volume measurement high threshold TrafVolThresholdULHigh, a traffic volume measurement report is sent.

Downlink In the downlink it is the RNC MAC entity that monitors the RLC buffer. Specifically, it is the MAC-c entity if the UE is in CELL_FACH state and the MAC-d entity when the UE is in CELL_DCH state. The reporting criteria to be used are signalled to the entity when it is initialized or when the parameters are changed. The reporting behaviour is dependent on the allocated resources and on the RRC state: As in the uplink, only small amounts of data can be sent on the common channels. In the downlink, the FACH channel is the only common transport channel. If the RLC buffer exceeds the threshold set by Downlink traffic volume measurement low threshold TrafVolThresholdDLLow, MAC-c sends a traffic volume measurement report as an RNC-internal message. When the UE only has a signalling link for the transfer of higher layer signalling allocated. MAC-d sends a traffic volume measurement report when there is data in the RLC buffer. The UE monitors the RLC buffer even if it has a DCH allocated, provided that it is a low bit rate one. If the RLC buffer exceeds the threshold set by Downlink traffic volume measurement high threshold TrarVolThresholdDLHigh, MAC-d sends a traffic volume measurement report as an RNC-internal message.

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3 R NA G APR

In the uplink as well as in the downlink, the number of traffic volume measurement reports is controlled with pending-time-after-trigger and time-totrigger parameters. Pending-time-after-trigger means that once a report has been sent, another one cannot be sent within the period defined by the parameter. Time-to-trigger, on the other hand, means that once a reporting event has been triggered the report is put on hold and is only sent if the condition is still fulfilled when the timer expires. The periods can be set differently in the uplink and the downlink. The respective parameters are:

Uplink traffic volume measurement TrafVolPendingTimeUL

pending

time

after

trigger

Downlink traffic volume measurement pending time after trigger TratVolPendingTimeDL

Uplink traffic volume TrafVolTime To TriggerUL

measurement

time

to

trigger

Downlink traffic volume TrafVolTime To Trigger DL

measurement

time

to

trigger

UE radio access capabilities There is no point in allocating a higher bit rate than the UE can process. Before a traffic volume measurement report is sent to the RNC, the MS-specific part of the packet scheduler checks that the requested capacity is within the bounds defined by the transport and physical channel capabilities of the UE. The radio access capabilities of an UE are defined in terms of the bit rates it supports, the types of channel coding that can be used, and the number of simultaneous transport channels it can handle

6.2

Cell-specific part of packet scheduler

The packet scheduler relies on information from the other radio resource management algorithms in order to be able to allocate capacity to non-real time radio access bearers (NRT RAB). Obviously, the amount of free capacity is dependent on the momentaneous load. Packet scheduler is closely connected to load control (LC) and admission control (AC). Load control provides detailed information about the load in a particular cell at regular intervals. This includes information about interference levels in the cell, the power level at which the Node B is transmitting and non-controllable load. In addition, load control

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provides estimates of the power increase that will result from RABs that are in the process of being set up.

As new NRT RABs are admitted, admission control feeds information about the bearers to packet scheduler. This includes information about the bearer class, the traffic handling priority, the transport format set as well as information about the radio access capabilities of the UE. Packet scheduler is also informed of any changes to established bearers, as this has an effect on the free capacity of the system.

The gathering of load information and the subsequent scheduling of packet traffic are done periodically, according to the value specified by the Scheduling period SchedulingPeriod parameter. The scheduling period indicates the intervals for which packet traffic is allocated and, consequently, the fastest reaction time of packet scheduler. Normally, the scheduling period parameter will match the radio resource indication period.

Once the packet scheduler has made the allocation decisions it feeds information about the load caused by packet traffic back to load control. Thus, packet scheduler, load control and admission control continuously exchange information in order to find the optimal balance in terms of service quality and capacity.

Capacity requests The UE and the RNC request capacity from the packet scheduler only when they have data to send. The need for capacity is indicated in a traffic volume measurement report, which is sent to the packet scheduler. The packet scheduler treats received traffic volume measurement reports as capacity requests. Capacity requests are handled by the cell-specific part of the packet scheduler. If there is enough free capacity to satisfy the requests of all non-real time radio access bearers (NRT RAB), this is done. Those capacity requests that cannot be granted immediately, called unscheduled capacity requests, are queued.

It should be noted that, inherently, if a capacity request is granted, then the data will be sent using a dedicated channel. If the amount of data is small, it can in some cases be sent on a common channel, provided that the common channel in question is not overloaded. If it is possible to use a common channel, no capacity request is generated in the first place.

When a capacity request is moved to the queue, packet scheduler begins by checking whether a capacity request from the NRT RAB in question is already queued for processing. If there is not, then the capacity request is added to the queue. Ifthere is, the original capacity request and the new one are compared. If the capacity requests are functionally identical, that is, request the same bit rate, the new capacity request is deleted (and the original one left intact). If the original and the new capacity request differ, two scenarios are possible; either the

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NRT RAB has a low bit rate and requests a higher bit rate, or it has a high bit rate and requests a lower one. In both cases, the original capacity request is repiaced with the new one. Importantly, the order of the capacity request in the queue does not change; in other words the new capacity request jumps the queue.

There is a time limit to how long capacity requests can stay in the queue, separately defined for uplink and downlink capacity requests. The parameters in question are:

laximum uplink capacity request queuing time CrQueuingTimeUL

Maximum downlink capacity request queuing time CrQueuingTimeDL

The values of these parameters should be set according to the corresponding values of Uplink traffic volume measurement pending time after trigger TrafVolPendingTimeUL and Downlink traffic volume measurement pending time after trigger TrafVolPendingTimeDL

The operator can determine how packet scheduler handles capacity requests. Specifically, there are three different ways in which queued capacity requests can be sorted. Different sorting methods can be specified for uplink and downlink capacity requests with the parameters Uplink capacity request handling policy CrHandlingPolicyUL and Downlink capacity request handling policy CrHandlingPolicyDL respectively.

Capacity requests can be sorted in terms of:

Arrival time

Arrival time and bearer class (default)

Arrival time, bearer class and traffic handling priority

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Power budget for packet scheduling Simply put, calculating the momentaneous power budget for packet scheduling is a matter of measuring the total load in the cell and subtracting it from the predefined load threshold of that cell. However, it is also necessary to take inactive bearers into account, since these can become active at any time.

Bit rate allocation Once the packet scheduler has received one or more capacity requests and calculated the amount of capacity that is available to controllable load, it starts to allocate bit rates. Capacity requests are queued according to a number of rules defined during radio network planning, and will accordingly be queued for longer or shorter amounts of time before being processed, but once selected for processing all capacity requests are treated equal. The bit rate allocation algorithm considers the load in the network. When the load in the system is at a normal operating point new and upgrade capacity requests will be granted. When the system is in preventive state the NRT packet will remain the same. If the load is within the overload state the NRT loading of the system is brought back to normal condition by decreasing the service offered to the NRT users.
Bit rate allocation algorithm )
- -1 -

Calculate PrxAllowed

YES ^

PrxTotal < PrxTarget

-NO-

PrxTotal < YES- - PrxTarget + PrxOffset

NO
Increase loading Decrease loading

Allocate bit rates

end

Figure: Bitrate Allocation Algorithm

Increase Loading For each cell, there is a minimum bit rate to be used in the uplink and the downlink. In the uplink the value is determined with the Initial and minimum

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allowed bit rate in uplink MinAllowedBitRateUL parameter. The corresponding parameter for the downlink is Minimum allowed bit rate in downlink MinAllowedBitRateDL The values typically differ considerably, as most packet traffic follows a request-response pattern; this is the case, for example, when a user browses the Internet, which consists of sending short requests for a certain amount of data to a resource, receiving and analysing it for some time before requesting the next amount of data. Obviously, allocating the minimum bit rate to all requests will, at times, exceed the available capacity. The capacity requests that are rejected remain in the queue and are likely to be allocated bit rates in the next scheduling period. The bit rate allocated to a particular RAB is not dependent only on the amount of free capacity. The maximum bit rate of a RAB is defined when it is established and sets the upper limit for that particular RAB Decrease Loading In an overload situation, that is, when the load exceeds the level represented by the target plus the offset, the packet scheduler has to reduce the bit rates of NRT RABs in order to decrease the load. The bit rates of NRT RABs of the background class are reduced first; services using this kind of bearer are not sensitive to interruptions or momentary service deterioration. The bit rates are not decreased beyond the values set by the Initial and minimum allowed bit rate in uplink (MinAllowedBitRateUL) and Initial and minimum allowed bit rate in downlink (MinAllowedBitRateDL). Next, the bit rates of NRT RABs of the interactive class are reduced. The choice of bearer is, for both classes, random.

If it turns out that the reduction of the bit rates of all NRT RABs is not enough, the NRT RABs are successively moved from dedicated channels to common channels, starting with background class bearers and continuing with interactive class bearers. Again, the choice of a bearer within a class is random.

6.3

Channel selection
Once the instantaneous bit rate for a non-real time bearer has been determined, a channel has to be chosen for transporting the data. The choice stands between common (FACH/RACH) and dedicated (DCH) channels. Also, UE has to be in UTRAN connected mode; this means that there is a signalling connection between the UE and the radio access network (RAN).

There are four radio resource control (RRC) states: CelLDCH, CelLFACH, CelLPCH and URA_PCH; of these only CelLDCH and CelLFACH can be used to transfer packet data.

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UTRAN Connected Mode URA PCH

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Release RRC Establish RRC Connection Connection

Release RRC Connection

Idle Mode

Figure: RRC states and state transitions To economise resources, dedicated channels are not maintained during periods of inactivity. As soon as the flow of data is halted, an inactivity timer starts counting. The operator specifies the inactivity timer for each bit rate in the uplink and downlink. An UE that remains inactive is progressively moved from CELL_FACH state to CELL_PCH and, finally, to URA_PCH state. Each of these states requires less activity on the part of the UE than the former. If the UE remains inactive long enough the RRC connection is released and the UE is, once again, in idle mode.

One of the most important factors for channel type selection is the amount of data to be transferred. If the UE has a real time radio access bearer (RT RAB), it is automatically in Cell_DCH state and the data can be sent through that channel. Depending on the bit rate, a non-real time radio access bearer (NRT RAB) may require the use of a dedicated channel. However, it takes a lot of signalling to set up a DCH channel; this can be avoided ifthe data is sent on a common channel.

However, common channels do not have a feedback channel and consequently fast power control cannot be used. This has a negative effect on the interference in the network, and must be taken into account when the channel type is selected. The load of the common channels also has to be taken into account. Channel selection is controlled with the following parameters:

Maximum allowed total data amount on FACH [FacnDataAllowedTotal)

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Margin for FACH load [FachLoadMarginCCH) for downlink channel

3G R N A ARR

type

selection

Threshold for FACH load [FachLoadThresholdCCH)

for

downlink

channel

type

selection

Margin for RACH load [RaehLoadMarginCCH)

for

downlink

channel

type

selection

Threshold for RACH load [RachLoadThresholdCCH)

for

downlink

channel

type

selection

Threshold for total downlink transmission power for downlink channel type selection [PtxThresholdCCH)

Margin for total downlink transmission power for downlink channel type selection [PtxMarginCCH)

When a NRT RB needs to be set up for an UE in idle mode, the RRC state is selected on the basis of the amount of data to be transferred. Technicaily speaking, the transition from idle mode to connected mode always happens via the CELL_DCH state, as shown in figure RRC states and state transitions). Nevertheless, the UE can be switched to CELL_FACH mode through explicit signalling immediately upon entering connected mode.

By design, DCH channels are always paired in the uplink and downlink directions in WCDMA RAN. For example, ifthe user requests a high downlink bit rate, which requires the use of a dedicated channel, a low bit rate uplink dedicated channel has to be allocated, even if there is no uplink user data to be sent. However, the bit rate allocated to the DCH channels can vary. For example, downloading a large multimedia file requires a downlink DCH channel with a high bit rate. This could be matched by a low bit rate DCH channel in the uplink. In such a scenario the uplink channel would be used for sending acknowledgements and control data and referred to as a "return channel".

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Handover Control
Introduction to handover control The purpose of handover control is to manage the mobility aspect of an RRC connection. This means keeping track of mobile stations (UE) as they move around in the network, and ensuring that their connections are uninterrupted and meet the negotiated Quality of Service (QoS) requirements.

In order to keep the power of its signal constant, an UE must raise its transmission power as it moves further away from the WCDMA Node B. To minimise transmission powers, and consequently interference, the UE should at all times be connected to the strongest cell. In this way, handover control is directly related to power control, which is the algorithm that keeps transmission powers in check. Handover control and power control, in turn, are both part of radio resource management.

Handover types in RN1.5

The table below summarizes the different handover types in RN1.5.

Handover type | Intra-frequency Mnter-fre^uency^ [Inter-system Soft Hard Evaluated by Compressed mode needed Yes Yes Mobile No Yes No Yes Network Yes No Yes Network GeneralTeatrel Yes Yes

No

Table: Handover types in RN1.5 Handover type

Radio access network (RAN) supports intra-frequency, inter-frequency and intersystem handover procedures. In an intra-frequency handover the UE shifts between cells using the same carrier frequency. Inter-frequency handovers differ from this in that the cells use different carrier frequencies. Inter-system handover means that the cells use different radio access technologies (RAT), and consequently different frequencies, too. A handover between a GSM cell and a WCDMA cell is, for example, a typical inter-system handover.

Intra-frequency soft and hard handovers and inter-frequency handovers are general features in the RAN, whereas inter-system handover is an optional feature.

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Handovers are divided into soft and hard handovers. In soft handovers, the UE is simultaneously connected to more than one WCDMA Node B, which all use the same carrier frequency. In soft handover, the UE is not disconnected at all instead it simply drops one out of two or more radio links, which remain active. Inter-frequency and inter-system handovers are always hard handovers. Hard handovers cause a very short disconnection of real-time bearers (for example speech connections fall into this category), as the UE switches to another frequency or between GSM and WCDMA cells.

The table below illustrates the relationships between intra- and inter-Node B and RNC handovers in different handover types.

Handover type

BTS BTS x

Intra-RNC

Inter-RNC

Softer handover x

Table: Handover types according to shifts between the Node B's and RNCs. Handover type

Neighbour cell definitions When the UE is in connected mode, the RNC follows it on a cell level. Once it knows in which cell the UE is located, the RNC checks information about all the neighbouring cells and transmits the data back to the UE. The RNC updates continuously the neighbour cell lists in order to reflect the changing neighbourhood of a moving mobile station in connected mode. The neighbouring cells are defined on a cell-by-cell basis, that is, each cell can have its own set of neighbouring cells. The neighbour cell parameters are defined on a neighbouring cell-by-cell basis for each handover type (intra-, inter-frequency and intersystem) separately by attaching a specified parameter set to a specified neighbour cell. The parameter set defines the handover path from the serving cell to the neighbour cell in question.

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Intra-frequency handovers can be soft or hard. The vast majority of intrafrequency handovers in the WCDMA radio access network are soft. The following sections describe the algorithms involved in intra-frequency soft and hard handover. Functionality of soft handover The handover decision algorithm of the RNC for intra-frequency handover is based on the event triggered measurement reports. When in active mode, the mobile station continuously measures the common pilot channel (CPICH) of the serving and neighbouring cells (indicated by the RNC) on the current carrier frequency. The measurement quantity is CPICH Ec/No; in other words, the received energy per chip as divided by the power density in the band, and measured on the primary CPICH. The UE compares the measurement results with handover thresholds, which have been provided by the RNC, and sends a measurement report to the RNC when the handover thresholds are fulfilled.

Based on the measurement report, the RNC orders the mobile station to add, replace or remove cells from its active set, that is, the set of cells participating in soft handover. The maximum is three cells, in other words, the RNC limits the number of active radio connections the UE can have simultaneously. The handover decision algorithm of the RNC is fairly straightforward for soft (and softer) handover: the algorithm accepts nearly everything the mobile station suggests according to the measurement reporting events.

The handover control of the RNC contains the following measurement reporting events and mechanisms for modifying measurement reporting behaviour:

reporting event 1A: a cell (primary CPICH) enters the reporting range

reporting event 1B: a cell (primary CPICH) leaves the reporting range

reporting event 1C: a non-active cell (primary CPICH) becomes better than the active cell (primary CPICH)

event triggered periodic intra-frequency measurement reporting

time-to-trigger mechanism for modifying measurement reporting behaviour

cell individual offsets for modifying measurement reporting behaviour

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mechanism for forbidding a neighbouring cell to affect the reporting range

reporting event 6F: the UE Rx-Tx time difference for a cell inciuded in the active set becomes larger than the absolute threshold

reporting event 6G: the UE Rx-Tx time difference for a cell inciuded in the active set becomes smaller than the absolute threshold.

7.1.1

Reporting event 1A: a cell enters the reporting range

Reporting event 1A is used for adding cells in the active set. The UE sends a measurement report when a cell enters the reporting range as defined by the following formula:

10 LogMew>W 10 Log VM2. + (1-W) 10

LogMBesf-(R-HJ2)

Equation: Formula for calculating the UE measurement report on event 1A.

The variables in the formula are defined as follows:

Table: Variables for measurement report on event 1A. Variable Description

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arabi
^New

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Description s a measurement result of a cell in the active set s the number of cells in the current active set _ _ _ _ _ _ _ s the Active Set Weighting Cofficint parameter sent from RNC to MS s the Addition Window parameter sent from RNC to MS

IM
Best

Event 1A can be controlled with an addition timer. If a time-to-trigger value is used, the UE only sends a measurement report if the cell continuously stays within the reporting range for the given time period.

Reporting event 1A is controlled with the following parameters:

Active Set Weighting Cofficint [ActiveSetvVeig/jtingCoefficieni)

Addition Time (AdditionTime)

Addition Window (AdditionWindow).

7.1.2

Reporting event 1B: a cell enters the reporting range

Reporting event 1B is used for deleting cells in the active set. The UE sends a measurement report when a cell enters the reporting range as defined by the following formula:

_.jj

\Q-LogMad ZW-IQ -Logl 2 M \ +

(l-W)-10-LogMBesf-(R+Hlbn)

Equation: Formula for calculating the UE measurement report on event 1B.

The variables in the formula are defined as follows:

Table: Variables for measurement report on event 1B. Variable Description

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Ie

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Description is the measurement result of the cell leaving the reporting range is a measurement result of a cell in the active set is the measurement result of the strongest cell in the active set is the Active Set Weighting Cofficint parameter sent from RNC to MS is the Drop Window parameter sent from RNC to MS is th e hysteresis, which is zero tor the event 1B

Meest

W R
Hib

Event 1B can be controlled with a drop timer. Ifthe timer is used, the UE only sends a measurement report if the weakening cell continuously stays below the reporting range for the given time period. Reporting event 1B is controlled with the following parameters:

Active Set Weighting Cofficint [ActiveSetWeightingCoefficienfi

Drop Time [DropTim)

Drop Window [DropWindow)

7.1.3

Reporting event 1C: a non-active cell becomes better than an active cell

Reporting event 1C is used for replacing cells in the active set. The UE sends a measurement report when the number of cells in the active set is equal to the Maximum Active Set Size (MaxActiveSetSize) parameter and a cell that is not inciuded in the active set becomes better than a cell in the active set as defined by the following formula:
l H a - MlnAS- H, 2 1c

Equation: Formula for calculating the UE measurement report on event 1C

The variables in the formula are defined as follows:

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VaralT" d
\ MNew KAS_

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Description is the measurement result of the cell not inciuded in the active set is the measurement result of a cell in the active set is the Replacement Window parameter sent from RNC to MS

H1c

In the following figure, cells 1, 2 and 3 are in the active set, but cell 4 is not (yet) in the active set.

Measurement quantity CPICH Ec/No

Reporting event 1C

Time

Figure: A cell that is not in the active set becomes better than a cell in a full active set.

Event 1C can be controlled with a replacement timer. If the timer is used, the UE only sends a measurement report if the measurement result of the new cell (not inciuded in the active set) continuously stays within triggering condition for the given time period. The new cell leaves the triggering condition as defined by the following formula:
New InAS

Ac -7

Equation: Formula for calculating the UE measurement report on event 1C Reporting event 1C is controlled with the following parameters:

Maximum Active Set Size (MaxActiveSetSize)

Replacement Time (ReplacementTime)

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Replacement Window (ReplacementWindow).

3G RANPAR

7.1.4

Event triggered periodic intra-frequency measurement reporting

When a cell enters the reporting range and triggers event 1A or 1C, the UE transmits a measurement report message to the RNC in order to update the active set. The RNC may be unable to add the cell to the active set due to capacity shortage, for example. If the reported cell is not added to the active set, the UE continues reporting by changing to periodical measurement reporting. This is illustrated in the following figure. During periodical reporting, the UE transmits measurement report messages to the RAN at predefined intervals. The reports include information on the active and monitored cells in the reporting range.

Measurement quantity C P I C H Ec/No

Time

Figure: Periodic reporting triggered by event 1A.

Event-triggered periodic measurement reporting is terminated either when there are no more monitored cell(s) within the reporting range or when the RNC has updated the active set so that it includes the optimal cells. The reporting period is controlled with the following parameters:

Addition Reporting Interval [AdditionReportinglnterval)

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Replacement Reporting Interval [ReplacementReportingfnterval)

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7.1.5

Time-to-trigger mechanism for modifying measurement reporting behaviour

A time-to-trigger parameter can be connected with reporting events 1A, 1B, 1C and periodic reporting. When the time-to-trigger mechanism is applied, the report is triggered only after the conditions for the event have existed for the specified time. In the following example, cell 3 enters the reporting range (event 1A), but it is not reported until is has been within the range for the time indicated by the Addition Time (AdditionTime) parameter.

Measurement quantity CPICH Ec/No

Figure: Time-to-trigger limits the number of measurement reports. The value of the time-to-trigger is controlled separately for each event with the following parameters:

Addition Time [AdditionTime)

Drop Time [DropTime]

Replacement Time [ReplacementTime]

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7.1.6

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Individual offsets for modifying measurement reporting behaviour

The individual offset mechanism can be used to change the reporting of an individual cell, and as a result, to move the cell border. For each cell that is monitored, an offset value can be defined which the UE adds to the measurement result (CPICH Ec/No) of the neighbour cell before it compares the Ec/No value with the reporting criteria. The offset can be either positive or negative.

In the following example, an offset is added to the measurement result of cell 3, and the dotted curve is used in evaluating if an event occurs. Measurement reports from UE to the RNC are therefore triggered when the cell including the corresponding offset (the dotted curve) leaves and enters the reporting range.

When positive offset is used, as in the following example, the UE sends measurement reports as if the cell (common pilot channel) is offset x dB better than what it really is. Therefore, cell 3 is inciuded in the active set earlier than would have been the case without the positive offset. The cell in question may reside in an area where it often becomes good very quickly (due to street corners, for instance).
Measurement quantity CPICH Ec/No

Reporting event 1B

Reporting event 1A

Time

Figure: A positive offset is applied to cell 3 before event evaluation in the UE.

Individual offsets can be controlled with the following parameter:

CPICH Ec/No Offset [IntraFreqNcellEcNoOffsei)

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7.1.7

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Mechanism for forbidding a neighbouring cell to affect the reporting range

The Addition Window [Addition Window) and Drop Window [DropWindow) parameters affect the reporting events 1A and 1B. The reporting range (addition/drop window) is normally defined to the best cell, but it is also possible to forbid a specific cell to affect the reporting range. The neighbour cell parameter Disable Effect on Reporting Range [IntraFreqNcellDERR) indicates whether the neighbouring cell is forbidden to affect the reporting range calculation (addition/drop window) when it is in the active set.

For example, in the following figure, cell 3 is forbidden to affect the reporting range, because it is very unstable in a specific area.

Measurement quantity CPICH Ec/No

Figure: Cell 3 is forbidden to affect the reporting range. The mechanism for excluding cells from the reporting range is controlled with the following parameter:

Disable Effect on Reporting Range [IntraFreqNcellDERR).

7.1.8

Reporting event 6F
The UE sends a measurement report message when the UE Rx-Tx time difference for a cell inciuded in the active set becomes larger than the absolute threshold defined by the parameter Upper Rx-Tx TD Threshold (UpperRxTxTimeDiff). The RNC uses the reported UE Rx-Tx time difference value to adjust the DL DPCH airinterface timing (frame and chip offsets on NBAP interface) ofthe radio link (cell) which triggered the reporting event 6F. The RNC adjusts the DL DPCH airinterface timing by replacing the old radio link (which triggered the reporting event) by a new radio link (with renewed frame and chip offsets) in the same active set cell. Reporting event 6F is controlled with the following parameter:

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Upper Rx-Tx TD Threshold [UpperRxTxTimeDiff)

7.1.9

Reporting event 6G

The UE sends a measurement report message when the UE Rx-Tx time difference for a cell inciuded in the active set becomes smaller than the absolute threshold defined by the parameter Lower Rx-Tx TD Threshold (LowerRxTxTimeDiff). The RNC uses the reported UE Rx-Tx time difference value to adjust the DL DPCH airinterface timing (frame and chip offsets on NBAP interface) ofthe radio link (cell) which triggered the reporting event 6G. The RNC adjusts the DL DPCH airinterface timing by replacing the old radio link (which triggered the reporting event) by a new radio link (with renewed frame and chip offsets) in the same active set cell Reporting event 6G is controlled with the following parameter:

Lower Rx-Tx TD Threshold [LowerRxTxTimeDiff).

7.1.10

Function in abnormal conditions

This section describes the functioning ofthe RNC in case of an unsuccessful soft handover and a radio link faiiure. In abnormal conditions, RNC may release the RRC connection to avoid excessive uplink interference. If the conditions for RRC connection release and intra-frequency hard handover are met simultaneously, hard handover has the higher priority. A branch addition procedure may fail because, for example:

Admission control rejects the handover branch addition request due to the present downlink (radio resource) load condition in the target cell

The WCDMA Node B is unable to allocate the requested channel resources, and thus the radio link setup or addition procedure fails

The resource manager is unable to allocate the requested downlink spreading code for the new handover branch in the target cell

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AAL 2 setup fails for the new handover branch, in other words, the transport resource manager is unable to allocate and activate the transport (lub) resources.

The RNC may also release the RRC connection if a soft handover branch addition procedure fails. The RNC thus avoids excessive uplink interference caused by fast closed loop power control that is no longer optimal (that is, the UE is not linked with the strongest cell anymore), when the requested handover branch would be the strongest branch.

RRC connection release (excluding emergency calls) can be allowed with the Enable RRC Connection Release [EnableRRCRelease) parameter in situations when the fast closed loop power control is no longer optimal. If release is allowed, the RNC decides on releasing the RRC connection based on the CPICH Ec/No of the serving cell, the CPICH Ec/No of the neighbouring cell and the control parameters Release Margin for Average Ec/No [ReleaseMarginAverageEcNo) and Release Margin for Peak Ec/No [ReleaseMarginPeakEcN).

The measurement results ofthe neighbouring cell must satisfy one ofthe following equations before a connection release is possible:

AveEcNoDownlink + ReleaseMarginforAveEc/No(n) < AveEcNoNcell(n) or

EcNoDownlink + ReleaseMarginforPeakEc/No(n) < EcNoNcell(n)

The RNC calculates the averaged values from a specified number of periodic intrafrequency measurement reports. Averaging is controlled with the CPICH Ec/No Averaging Window [EcNoAveragingWindow) parameter.

Radio link faiiure The parameters related to handling a radio link faiiure are:

CPICH Ec/No Averaging Window [EcNoAveragingWindow)

Enable RRC Connection Release [EnableRRCRelease)

Release Margin for Average Ec/No [ReleaseMarginAverageEcNo)

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Release Margin for Peak Ec/No [ReleaseMarginPeakEcN)

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When the RNC receives a radio link faiiure message, it starts a branch deletion procedure. As a response, the UE may start sending the reporting event 1A, which starts a branch addition procedure. Ifthe branch addition procedure fails, the RNC may release the RRC connection. The conditions for releasing the RRC connection are the same as in unsuccessful handover, see the previous section Unsuccessful soft handover.

7.1.11

Functionality of intra-frequency hard handover

Intra-frequency hard handover decisions made by the RNC are based on the relevant control parameters and on the event triggered periodic intra-frequency measurement results, which are usually applied to soft handover.

The handover decision is based on the downlink Ec/No of the serving cell (EcNoDownlink), downlink Ec/No ofthe neighbour cell (EcNoNcell) and handover margins which are used as a threshold to prevent repetitive hard handovers between cells. The measurement results of the neighbour cell must satisfy one of the following two equations before the intra-frequency hard handover is possible:

AveEcNoDownlink + HHOMarginForAverageEcNo(n) < AveEcNoNcell(n) or

EcNoDownlink + HHOMarginForPeakEcNo(n) < EcNoNcell(n)

The RNC calculates the averaged power level values from a specified number of periodical intra-frequency measurement reports. Averaging is controlled with the CPICH Ec/No Averaging Window. The maximum allowed difference between the averaged or peak CPICH power level of the neighbouring cell (n) and that of the best active set cell is defined with a parameter in situations when the RNC is not able to perform an inter-RNC soft handover between these cells. Ifthe difference in the averaged or peak values exceeds the value of the relevant parameter, the RNC performs an intra-frequency hard handover in order to avoid excessive uplink interference due to fast closed loop power control that is no longer optimal. Intra-frequency hard handover is controlled with the following parameters:

CPICH Ec/No Averaging Window [EcNoAveragingWindow)

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HHO Margin for Average Ec/No [HHOMarginAverageEcNo)

HHO Margin for Peak Ec/No [HHOMarginPeakEcNo)

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7.2 Functionality of inter-frequency handover

Inter-frequency handovers are needed in order to support the use of different carrier frequencies in the network. Unlike intra-frequency handovers, interfrequency handovers are network-evaluated (NEHO), and the reporting is always periodical, never event-triggered. This is because an UE only starts to make measurements on other frequencies if it is ordered to do it by the RNC.

The UE has to support compressed mode in order for inter-frequency handovers to be possible.

The RNC makes the handover decision on the basis of periodical inter-frequency measurement reports received from the mobile station and relevant control parameters. The RNC orders the mobile station to start the periodical reporting of inter-frequency measurement results only when an inter-frequency handover is needed. The measurement object information (cells and frequencies) for the interfrequency measurement is determined by the RNC. The RNC supports the following reason inter-frequency handovers for both real time (RT) and non-real time (NRT) radio bearers:

Inter-frequency handover due to Uplink DCH quality

Inter-frequency handover due to UE transmission power

Inter-frequency handover due to pilot channel RSCP

inter-frequency handover due to Downlink DPCH power

inter-frequency handover due to CPICH Ec/No.

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7.2.1

Inter-frequency handover due to Uplink DCH quality

The UE has a connection with a number of attributes as regards the bit rate and the quality. The quality is constantly monitored, and the power is constantly adjusted according to the quality estimates. Specifically, the number of errors is checked and the required signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) is adjusted accordingly. Ifthe outer loop power control notices that the quality on the uplink dedicated channel continues to be poor despite the SIR having reached its maximum allowed value, it sends a quality deterioration report to handover control.

The Quality deterioration report from UL OLPC controller [EnableULQualDetRep) parameter determines whether or not uplink quality can trigger a report.

The IFHO caused by UL DCH Quality [fFHOcauseUplinkQuafittf parameter, in turn, determines whether an uplink quality deterioration report can trigger an inter-frequency handover or not.

The uplink outer loop power control continues to send quality deterioration reports periodically to handover control until the uplink SIR target decreases below the maximum value. Also, some hysteresis is introduced with the UL quality derioration reporting threshold [ULQualDetRepThreshola) ; this parameter specifies the number of seconds the quality has to fall short of the quality target before a report is triggered.

7.2.2

Inter-frequency handover due to UE transmission power

Sometimes the UE will hit its maximum transmission power before the signal-tointerference (SIR) hits its maximum value. When this happens, the RNC notices that the quality in the uplink direction is insufficint to meet the quality requirements of the connection, and increases the SIR target, within allowed limits. The increased SIR automatically translates into a request for increased UE transmission power. The IFHO caused by UE TX Power [IFHOcauseTxPwrUL) parameter determines whether UE transmission power can trigger reports or not. A report is triggered when a threshold is exceeded; the thresholds, in turn, can be set on a servicespecific basis. Thus, it is possible to define different thresholds for real time and non-real time services, for circuit-switched and packet-switched, and so on. Finally, the bit rate on the uplink dedicated channel must not exceed the value defined by the Maximum Allowed UL User Bitrate in HHO

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[HHoMaxAllowedBitrateUL] parameter. When the UE transmission power exceeds the reporting threshold (event 6A), the UE sends a measurement report to the RNC, and the RNC starts the periodical inter-frequency measurement as described in Measurement procedure.

7.2.3

Inter-frequency handover due to pilot channel RSCP

The transmission power of the pilot channel effectively determines the radius of a cell. The coverage of a cell is defined during radio network planning and not adjusted dynamically; in other words, the pilot channel transmission power is constant. The UE monitors the pilot channels of the Node B's in the active set. If the received signal code power (RSCP) of an Node B's in the active set fall short of the value defined by the CPICH RSCP HHO Threshold [HHoRscpThreshold) parameter, the UE sends a report (event 1F). Ifthe CPICH RSCP of all NodeBs in the active set fall below the threshold, the RNC starts inter-frequency measurement as described in Measurement procedure.

7.2.4

Handover decision procedure

A coverage reason inter-frequency handover is possible when the signal ofthe best neighbour cell satisfies the following conditions:

AVE_EcNo_NCELL (n) > InterFreqNcellMinEcNo (n) The average Ec/No of the common pilot channel (CPICH) of the neighbour cell has to exceed the required minimum, defined by the Minimum CPICH Ec/No for IFHO [InterFreqNcellMinEcNo) pa ra meter.

CPICH_POWER - AVE_CPICH RSCP > CPICH_POWER_NCELL (n) AVE_RSCP_NCELL (n) + InterFreqNcellPlossMargin (n) When the average RSCP of the CPICH is subtracted from the transmission power of the CPICH in the best active set cell and the neighbour cell, there should be a difference (ifthere is not, a handover will not improve the situation). The Pathloss Margin for IFHO (InterFreqNcellPlossMargin) (n) parameter ensures that the difference is big enough to make the handover beneficial. Averaged values are calculated directly from the measured dB and dBm values, linear averaging is not used in this case.

Regarding averaging values, the RNC calculates them directly from the measured dB and dBm values, linear averaging is not used in this case. The sliding averaging window is controlled with the Measurement Averaging Window [interFreqMeasAveWindow) parameter. The RNC starts averaging already from the first measurement sample, that is, the RNC calculates the averaged values from those measurement samples, which are available until the number of

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samples is adequate to calculate averaged values over the whole averaging window.

7.2.5

Inter-frequency handover due to Downlink DPCH power

The Node B measures and averages the downlink code power of each radio link separately and reports the averaged measurement results to the controlling RNC at regular intervals with an RRC: RADIO LINK MEASUREMENT REPORT message. The base station measures the downlink code power from the pilot bits of the dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH). In case of an inter-RNC soft handover, the drifting RNC forwards the measurement results to the serving RNC in the RNSAP: DEDICATED MEASUREMENT REPORT message. The reporting period is controlled with the Radio link measurement reporting period [RLMeasRepPerioa) parameter. Both of these reports can trigger off interfrequency measurements when the downlink transmission power ofthe radio link approaches its maximum allowed power level.

The RNC starts the inter-frequency measurement procedure ifthe measured downlink code power of a single radio link satisfies the following equation: DL_CODE_PWR - PowerOffsetDLdpcchPilot >= CPICH_POWER + MAX DL DPCH TXPWR + DL DPCH TXPWR THRESHOLD

The variables in the formula are defined as follows:

Variable CPICH POWER MAX DL DPCH TXPWR

Y -.-.-

indicates the transmission power of the primary CPICH of an active set cell indicates the maximum transmission power level a base station can use on the DPCH, expressed as a relative value (dB) with respect to the primary CPICH power (dBm). Is coniroiied with the following inter-frequency measurement control parameters, depending on the service type: DL DPCH TX Power Threshold for RT PS (InterFreqDLTxPwrThrRtPS) for real time packet switched services. DL DPCH TX Power Threshold for NRT PS (InterFreqDLTxPwrThrNrtPS) for non-real time packet switched services DL DPCH TX Power Threshold for CS (InterFreqDLTxPwrThrCS) for circuit switched data services

DL DPCH TXPWR THRESHOLD

srvcs

The IFHO caused by DL DPCH TX Power [IFHOcauseTxPwrDL) parameter determines whether an inter-frequency handover caused by downlink DPCH power is enabled. What is more, the allocated user bit rate must not exceed the limit defined by the Maximum Allowed DL User Bitrate in HHO [HfioMaxAllowedBitrateDL) pa ra meter.

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7.2.6

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Inter-frequency handover due to common pilot channel CPICH Ec/No

The IFHO caused by CPICH Ec/No [IFHOcauseCPICHEcNo) parameter indicates whether an inter-frequency handover caused by low measured absolute CPICH Ec/No of the serving cell (or cells participating in soft handover) is enabled. When inter-frequency handover is enabled, the RNC sets up the intra-frequency measurement reporting events 1E and 1F in order to monitor the absolute CPICH Ec/No value. The intra frequency measurement reporting criteria is controlled by the following parameters:

CPICH Ec/No Filter Cofficint [EcNoFilterCoefficieni)

CPICH Ec/No HHO Cancellation [HHoEcNoCancel)

CPICH Ec/No HHO Cancellation Time [HHoEcNoCancelTime)

CPICH Ec/No HHO Threshold [HHoEcNoThresholo]

CPICH Ec/No HHO Time Hysteresis [HHoEcNoTimeHysteresis)

If the measured CPICH Ec/No value of an active set cell becomes worse than the absolute threshold defined by the CPICH Ec/No HHO Threshold [HhoEcNoThreshold) parameter, the UE sends the event 1F triggered intrafrequency measurement report to the RNC. When the measured CPICH Ec/No value of all active set cells has become worse than the reporting threshold, the RNC starts the inter-frequency measurement.

7.2.7

Handover decision procedure

The measurement results of the best neighbouring cell must satisfy the following equations before the quality reason inter-frequency handover is possible:

AVE_RSCP_NCELL (n) > AdjiMinRSCP (n) + max( 0, AdjiTxPwrDPCH (n) - P_MAX)

AVE_EcNo_NCELL (n) > AVE_CPICH EcNo + AdjiEcNoMargin(n)

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In the above equations, AVE_RSCP_NCELL (n) and AVE_EcNo_NCELL are the averaged CPICH Ec/No and RSCP values ofthe best (according to CPICH Ec/No) neighbouring cell (n).

AVE_CPICH_EcNo is the averaged CPICH Ec/No of the best active set cell.

The parameter Minimum CPICH RSCP for IFHO [Adj/'MinRSCP)[x)) determines the minimum required CPICH RSCP (dBm) level in the best neighbouring cell (n).

The parameter CPICH Ec/No Margin for IFHO [AdjiEcNoMargin) (n) determines the margin (dB) by which the CPICH Ec/No ofthe best neighbouring cell (n) must exceed the CPICH Ec/No of the best active set cell before the inter-frequency handover is possible. The neighbour cell parameter AdjiTxPwrDPCH[x\) indicates the maximum transmission power level (dBm) an UE can use on the DPCH. P_MAX indicates the maximum RF output power capability of the UE (dBm).

The parameter Neighbour Cell Search Period [InterFreqNcellSearchPeriod) determines the period starting from inter-frequency measurement setup during which an inter-frequency handover is not possible. After the period has expired, the RNC evaluates the radio link properties of the best neighbour cell after every inter-frequency measurement report. The RNC performs the inter-frequency handover to a best neighbouring (target) cell as soon as the best neighbouring cell meets the required radio link properties.

Regarding averaging values, the RNC calculates them directly from the measured dB and dBm values, linear averaging is not used in this case. The sliding averaging window is controlled with the Measurement Averaging Window [interFreqMeasAveWindow) parameter. The RNC starts averaging already from the first measurement sample, that is, the RNC calculates the averaged values from those measurement samples which are available until the number of samples is adequate to calculate averaged values over the whole averaging window.

7.2.8

Measurement procedure
Because 3G handsets are typically equipped with a single receiver, interfrequency handovers always require that compressed mode is used. Because compressed mode adds to the interference cause by the UE its use should be kept to a minimum. In order to make sure that inter-frequency measurements cause as little interference as possible it is necessary to control the measurement procedure, including as well as the time. The measurement procedure, the scenario of which

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is presented in the picture below, is governed by a number of parameters set during radio network planning. These parameters are:

Measurement Reporting Interval [InterFreqMeasRepInterval) determines the reporting interval.

Neighbour Cell Search Period [InterFreqNcellSearchPerioa) determines the number of reports that have to be sent before a handover can take place. This allows the UE to detect and report all signals from which to choose the best one.

Maximum Measurement Period [InterFreqMaxMeasPerioo) determines the maximum number of reports allowed during a measurement. If the maximum is reached and it still is not possible to perform a handover, the measurement is terminated.

4.

Minimum Measurement Interval [InterFreqMinMeasInterval) determines the minimum interval between an unsuccessful measurement or handover procedure and the beginning of the following measurement procedure related to the same RRC connection.

5.

Minimum Interval Between HOs [InterFreqMinHoInterval) determines the minimum interval between a successful inter-frequency handover and the following inter-frequency handover attempt related to the same RRC connection.

If the measurement results indicate that there is a good candidate on the target frequency, the RNC initiates the handover attempt. If the RNC finds a valid neighbour cell, there is no reason to measure exhaustively, that is measure the signals from all neighbour cells (spread out over a number of frequencies). On the other hand, if none of the neighbour cells proved good enough according to the first inter-frequency measurement, the RNC goes on measuring until it finds a viable target cell. This procedure continues until the entire set of inter-frequency neighbour cells has been exhausted. The maximum measurement period which is allowed for each carrier frequency is controlled by the parameter Maximum Measurement Period [InterFreqMaxMeasPerioo).

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Inter-system handovers allow WCDMA and GSM networks to complement each other in terms of quality, capacity and coverage. As a consequence, 3G mobile stations (UE) have to support at least these two radio access technologies (RAT). Handovers work quite differently for circuit-switched and packet-switched services respectively, but in both cases it is possible to hand over the connection either way, that is, from WCDMA to GSM or from GSM to WCDMA. Both types are network-initiated.

Circuit-switched connections are handed over much in the same way as IFHO. Inter-system handover of packet-switched services between WCDMA and GSM/GPRS is based on the cell reselection procedure. The RRC state that the UE is in dictates the type of cell reselection procedure used. If the UE is in CELL_DCH state, the cell reselection from WCDMA to GSM/GPRS is network-initiated. In CELL_PCH and URA_PCH states, the mobile station initiates the cell reselection procedure. By design cell reselection from WCDMA to GSM/GPRS is not possible in CELL_FACH state, in order to conserve FACH capacity. The RNC sees cell reselection from GSM/GPRS to WCDMA as an RRC connection establishment, and the mobile-initiated cell reselection from WCDMA to GSM/GPRS as an lu connection release.

Once the RNC has decided to attempt an ISHO from WCDMA to GSM, it initiates an inter-system relocation procedure in order to allocate radio resources from the target GSM BSS. If the resource allocation is successful, the RNC orders the mobile station to make an inter-system handover from UTRAN to GSM.

In the case of a network-initiated cell reselection from WCDMA to GSM/GPRS, the RNC sends a cell change command to the UE, which then is responsible for actually transferring the existing packet-switched connection to the target GSM/GPRS network.

Unless the mobile station is equipped with dual receivers it can only be tuned to one frequency at a time. Therefore, compressed mode must be used at the physical layer of the radio interface to allow the UE to make the required intersystem (GSM) measurements while maintaining its existing connection.

The RNC supports the following inter-system handovers for both real time (RT) and non-real time (NRT) radio bearers:

inter-system handover (or cell reselection) to GSM due to uplink DCH quality

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inter-system handover due to UE transmission power

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inter-system handover due to pilot channel RSCP

inter-system handover due to downlink DPCH power

inter-system handover due to common pilot channel CPICH Ec/No

7.3.1

Inter-system handover due to uplink DCH quality

Quality deterioration report from the uplink outer loop power control can be used to trigger off inter-system (GSM) measurements if the serving cell (or cells participating in soft handover) has GSM neighbour cells. The uplink outer loop power control sends the quality deterioration report to the handover control, if the uplink quality stays constantly worse than the BER/BLER target although the uplink SIR target has reached the maximum value (UE has reached either its maximum Tx power capability or the maximum allowed transmission power level on the DPCH).

The reporting criteria ofthe quality deterioration report is controlled with the following RNP parameters:

Quality deterioration report from UL OLPC controller [EnableULQualDetRep) indicates whether the uplink outer loop PC can send a quality deterioration report to the handover control in situations when the quality stays worse than the BER/BLER target despite of the maximum uplink SIR target.

UL quality derioration reporting threshold [ULQualDetRepThreshola) determines the period during which the quality must constantly stay worse than the BER/BLER target (despite of the maximum uplink SIR target) before the uplink outer loop PC may send a quality deterioration report.

The uplink outer loop PC repeats the quality deterioration reports to the handover control periodically until the uplink SIR target decreases below the maximum value. The parameter GSM HO caused by UL DCH Quality [GSMcauseUplinkQuality) indicates whether an inter-system handover to GSM caused by Uplink DCH quality is enabled. In case of RT data connection (CS or PS), also the maximum allocated user bitrate on the uplink DPCH must be lower than or equal to the

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bitrate threshold, which is controlled with the parameter Maximum Allowed UL User Bitrate in HHO [HHoMaxAllowedBitrateUL], before the RNC may start the measurement due to Uplink DCH quality. When the inter-system handover/measurement is enabled, the RNC starts the inter-system (GSM) measurement as described in Measurement procedure.

The RNC makes the handover decision on the basis of periodical inter-system measurement reports received from the mobile station and relevant control parameters, as described in Handover decision procedure.

7.3.2

Inter-system handover due to UE transmission power

If the serving cell (or cells participating in soft handover) has GSM neighbour cells, event triggered UE transmission power measurement report can be used to trigger off inter-system (GSM) measurements when the transmission power ofthe UE approaches either its maximum RF output power capability or the maximum transmission power level the UE can use on the DPCH.

The RNP parameter GSM HO caused by UE TX Power [GSMcauseTxPwrUL) indicates whether an inter-system handover to GSM caused by UE transmission power is enabled. In addition, the maximum allocated user bitrate on the uplink DPCH must be lower than or equal to the bitrate threshold which is controlled with RNP parameter Maximum Allowed UL User Bitrate in HHO [HHoMaxAllowedBitrateUL), before the RNC may start the inter-system (GSM) measurement due to UE transmission power. When the inter-system handover/measurement is enabled, the RNC starts an UE internal measurement in order to monitor the UE transmission power level.

Ifthe UE transmission power becomes greater than the reporting threshold (event 6A), the UE sends the measurement report to the RNC, and the RNC starts the inter-system (GSM) measurements.

7.3.3

Inter-system handover due to pilot channel RSCP

The transmission power of the pilot channel effectively determines the radius of a cell. The UE monitors the pilot channels of the Node Bs in the active set. If the received signal code power (RSCP) of a Node Bs in the active set fails short of the value defined by the CPICH RSCP HHO Threshold [HHoRscpThreshold) parameter, the UE sends a report (event 1F). If the CPICH RSCP of all Node Bs in the active set fall below the threshold, the RNC starts inter-system measurement as described in Measurement procedure.

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The RNC makes the handover decision on the basis of periodical inter-system measurement reports received from the mobile station and relevant control parameters, as described in Handover decision procedure

7.3.4

Inter-system handover due to downlink DPCH power

The Node B measures and averages the downlink code power of each radio link separately and reports the averaged measurement results to the controlling RNC at regular intervals with an RRC: RADIO LINK MEASUREMENT REPORT message. The base station measures the downlink code power from the pilot bits of the dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH). In case of an inter-RNC soft handover, the drifting RNC forwards the measurement results to the serving RNC in the RNSAP: DEDICATED MEASUREMENT REPORT message. The reporting period is controlled with the Radio link measurement reporting period [RLMeasRepPeriod) parameter. Both of these reports can trigger off inter-system measurements when the downlink transmission power of the radio link approaches its maximum allowed power level.

The RNC starts the inter-system measurement procedure ifthe measured downlink code power of a single radio link satisfies the following equation: DL_CODE_PWR - PowerOffsetDLdpcchPilot >= CPICH_POWER + MAX DL DPCH TXPWR + DL DPCH TXPWR THRESHOLD

The variables in the formula are defined as follows:

Variable Description
Description indicates th: ,, ion power of thepih .f an active set cell

;MAX DL_DPCH TXPWR

indicates the maximum transmission power level a base station can use on the DPCH. expressed as a relative value (dB) with respect to the primary CPICH power (dBm). is coniroiled with the following inter-system measurement control parameters, depending on the service type:

DL DPCH TX Power Threshold for RT PS (GsmDLTxP-.rThrl.tPS) for real time packet switched services.; DL DPCH TX Power Threshold for NRT PS (GsmDLTxPwrThrNrtPS) for non-real time packet switched services

DL DPCH TX Power Threshold for CS (GsmDLTxPwrThrCS) for circuit switched data services

!DL DPCH TXPWR THRESHOLD

DL DPCH TX Power Threshold for AMR (GsmDLTxPwrThrAMR) for circuit switched voice services

The GSM HO caused by DL DPCH TX Power [GSMcauseTxPwrDL) parameter determines whether an inter-system handover caused by downlink DPCH power is enabled. What is more, the allocated user bit rate must not exceed the limit defined by the Maximum Allowed DL User Bitrate in HHO [HfioMaxAJIowedBitrateDL) pa ra m ete r.

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7.3.5

Inter-system handover due to common pilot channel CPICH Ec/No

The GSM HO caused by CPICH Ec/No [GSMcauseCPICHEcN) parameter indicates whether an inter-system handover caused by low measured absolute CPICH Ec/No ofthe serving cell (or cells participating in soft handover) is enabled. When intersystem handover is enabled, the RNC sets up the intra-frequency measurement reporting events 1E and 1F in order to monitor the absolute CPICH Ec/No value. The intra-frequency measurement reporting criteria is controlled by the following parameters:

Measurement Reporting Interval [GsmMeasRepInterval) determines the measurement reporting interval for periodical inter-system (GSM) measurements.

GSM Neighbour Cell Search Period [GsmNcellSearchPeriod) determines the number of periodical inter-system (GSM) measurement reports, starting from the first report after the measurement setup, during which a handover to GSM is not possible. This period allows the UE to find and report all potential GSM neighbour cells before the handover decision.

Maximum Measurement Period [GsmMaxMeasPeriod) defines the maximum allowed duration of the measurement by means of the maximum number of periodical inter-system (GSM) measurement reports during the measurement. Ifthe RNC is not able to execute the handover to GSM, it shall stop the GSM measurement after the UE has sent the predefined number of measurement reports to the RNC.

Minimum Measurement Interval [GsmMinMeasInterval) determines the minimum interval between an unsuccessful inter-system (GSM) measurement or handover procedure and the following GSM measurement procedure related to the same RRC connection. Repetitive GSM measurements are disabled when the value ofthe parameter is zero.

Minimum Interval Between HOs [GsmMinHoInterval) determines the minimum interval between a successful inter-system handover from GSM to UTRAN and the following inter-system handover attempt back to GSM related to the same RRC connection. A return handover back to GSM is disabled when the value of the parameter is zero.

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If the measured CPICH Ec/No value of an active set cell becomes worse than the absolute threshold defined by the CPICH Ec/No HHO Threshold [HhoEcNoThreshola) parameter, the UE sends the event 1F triggered intrafrequency measurement report to the RNC. When the measured CPICH Ec/No value of all active set cells has become worse than the reporting threshold, the RNC starts the inter-system measurement.

7.3.6

Handover decision procedure

The measurement results of the GSM neighbour cell must satisfy the following equation before the inter-system handover or cell change to GSM/GPRS is possible:

AVE_RXLEV_NCELL(n) > AdjgRxLevMinHO (n) + max( 0, AdjgTxPwrMaxTCH (n) P MAX)

Regarding averaging values, the RNC calculates them directly from the measured dB and dBm values, linear averaging is not used in this case. The sliding averaging window is controlled with the parameter Measurement Averaging Window [GsmMeasAveWindow). The RNC starts averaging already from the first measurement sample, that is, the RNC calculates the averaged values from those measurement samples, which are available until the number of samples is adequate to calculate averaged values over the whole averaging window.

In the above equation, AVE_RXLEV_NCELL(n) is the averaged GSM carrier RSSI value of the GSM neighbour cell (n).

For a handover to be possible, averaged RSSI value ofthe GSM neighbour cell (n) must exceed the minimum required RSSI (dBm) level the determined by the Minimum RX Level for Coverage [AdjgRxLevMinHO) (n) parameter. Maximum UE TX Power on TCH [AdjgTxPwrMaxTCH) (n) indicates the maximum transmission power an UE may use in the GSM neighbour cell (n). P_MAX indicates the maximum RF output power capability of the UE (dBm). The result of the equation indicates whether a handover is worthwhile or not. Unless the differences between the source and target cells is big enough a handover will not improve the situation. In the case of circuit-switched services, the RNC shall always verify the BSIC of the target cell before it executes an inter-system handover. This allows the UE to synchronise to the GSM cell before the handover, and also to verify the identification if two or more neighbouring GSM cells have the same BCCH Frequency. As regards packet-switched services, the RNC does not verify the BSIC of the target cell before the execution of the inter-system cell change to GSM/GPRS unless two or more neighbouring GSM cells have the same BCCH Frequency.
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7.3.7

Measurement procedure
The measurement procedure is governed by a number of parameters set during radio network planning. These parameters are:

1.

Measurement Reporting Interval [GsmMeasRepInterval) determines the measurement reporting interval for periodical inter-system (GSM) measurements.

2.

GSM Neighbour Cell Search Period [GsmNcellSearchPeriod) determines the number of periodical inter-system (GSM) measurement reports, starting from the first report after the measurement setup, during which a handover to GSM is not possible. This period allows the UE to find and report all potential GSM neighbour cells before the handover decision.

3.

Maximum Measurement Period [GsmMaxMeasPeriod) defines the maximum allowed duration of the measurement by means of the maximum number of periodical inter-system (GSM) measurement reports during the measurement. Ifthe RNC is not able to execute the handover to GSM, it shall stop the GSM measurement after the UE has sent the predefined number of measurement reports to the RNC.

Minimum Measurement Interval [GsmMinMeasInterval) determines the minimum interval between an unsuccessful inter-system (GSM) measurement or handover procedure and the following GSM measurement procedure related to the same RRC connection. Repetitive GSM measurements are disabled when the value ofthe parameter is zero.

Minimum Interval Between HOs [GsmMinHoInterval) determines the minimum interval between a successful inter-system handover from GSM to UTRAN and the following inter-system handover attempt back to GSM related to the same RRC connection. A return handover back to GSM is disabled when the value of the parameter is zero.

If the measurement results indicate that there is a good candidate on the GSM frequency, the RNC initiates the handover attempt. If the RNC finds a valid neighbour cell, there is no reason to measure exhaustively, that is measure the signals from all neighbour cells (spread out over a number of frequencies). On the other hand, if none of the neighbour cells proved good enough according to the first inter-system measurement, the RNC goes on measuring until it finds a viable

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target cell. This procedure continues until the entire set of inter-system neighbour cells has been exhausted. The maximum allowed inter-system measurement period is controlled by the parameter Maximum Measurement Period (GsmMaxMeasPerioa).

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Compressed mode
If 3G handsets were equipped with dual receivers and the required processing power, it would be possible to receive and process signals on multiple frequencies simultaneously, for example to check the signal of a target Node B in an imminent inter-frequency handover. However, it is equally possible to perform this function, that is, frequency measurements, with a single receiver. The task, then, is to maintain a connection on certain frequency while performing measurements on another frequency. The connection (for example, a voice call) must not be inadvertently affected by the frequency measurements. The capability of the UE to operate in compressed mode in uplink and in downlink is given from the UE capabilities.

As far as compressed mode is concerned it makes no difference whether the handover is of the inter-frequency or the inter-system kind. Both of these handovers require a change of frequency. Compressed mode gets its name from the fact that the data is compressed in time in order to free up slots for interfrequency measurements. The fact that less slots than normal are available for the transmission of data in most cases does not affect the bit rate of the connection, depending on the method used. Three different methods are used to achieve this:

Halving the spreading factor: This temporarily doubles the physical channel data rate in the radio channel. The same amount of data can be sent in half the time it would normally take. Halving the spreading factor does not affect the bit rate.

Puncturing: Puncturing refers to the process of reducing the physical layer channel bit amount with special dynamic rate matching algorithm. Puncturing does not affect the bit rate.

Higher layer scheduling: This means that the user data rate transmitted in the dedicated channel is reduced. A transport format combination set for the lower bit rate has to be constructed.

The network decides what frames are compressed, and the frames are compressed according to predefined slot formats. Compressed frames can occur periodically or on demand. The type of measurement determines how many frames need to be

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compressed and how many times the process has to be repeated. Transmission gaps can be placed at different positions within one or more frames depending on the purpose..
#TGPRC TG pattern 1 TG pattern 21 TG pattern 1 TG pattern 2| TG pattern 1 TG pattern 2

Transmission 2

Figure: Example of transmission gaps created with compressed mode.

The command to start compressed mode comes from handover control. Out of all radio resource algorithms handover control is the one that in the most direct way needs compressed mode, in order to be able to make inter-frequency measurements while the UE is in active state connection. The ability to perform inter-frequency and inter-system handovers is, however, important to radio resource management as a whole. The reason is that inter-frequency and intersystem handovers allow radio resource management to manage the load in an intelligent way, for example by handing over voice call-only users to GSM, thus freeing up capacity for packet traffic in WCDMA RAN.

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Power control
The purpose of power control is to maintain the quality of a connection using as little radio resources as possible. It is the task of power control to, at the same time, allow access to as many users as possible while keeping the interference caused by these users at a minimum. Every mobile station (UE) accessing the network generates a signal which, from the point of view of the Node B, increases interference in the system. At the same time, the capacity of a WCDMA system is proportional to the level of interference in the system; the less interference there is, the more capacity the system can offer. Thus, fast and accurate power control is of the utmost importance, particularly in the uplink. Without it, a single overpowered UE could block a whole cell.

Interference in the radio path is a limiting factor in WCDMA radio access and also the most difficult thing to control. Power control adjusts the transmission power of the UE in the uplink and of the Node B in the downlink. In order for a Node B receiver to be able to recover the signal emitted by an UE, there must a difference in power between said signal and the interference level. In the context of power control a value called Signal-to-Interference Ratio (SIR) is used to represent this power difference.

The optimum strategy in terms of maximising capacity is to equalise the received power per bit of all UEs at all times. Thus, the power control algorithms in the RNC and in the Node B aim at balancing the transmission power of all transmitting elements against each other. Part ofthis balancing process is coping with the near-far problem, which is illustrated in figure Near-far problem in WCDMA radio access network. The near-far problem refers to the fact that UEs move around in the cell and find themselves at varying distances from the Node B at different points in time. The further away from the Node B an UE is, the more power it has to use; thus, the power has to be adjusted continuously. What is more, the Node B should receive equally strong signals from all UEs at all times despite the continuously varying distances. The signals from the three UEs in figure Near-far problem in WCDMA radio access network should always be equally strong (P1=P2=P3) at the receiving end, although the distances between the UEs and the Node B differ (D1*D2*D3). The UEs and the Node Bs should always use the lowest possible transmission power.

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MS

Dl
\

Figure: Near-far problem in WCDMA radio access network

The SIR is independently adjusted for each connection based on the estimated quality of the connection. The task of the Node B is to keep the SIR as close as possible to the target SIR set by the RNC. In other words, the Node B and the UE immediately respond to fluctuations in signal and interference levels. In this way power control provides protection against large changes in shadowing (changes in signal strength due to obstacles in the radio path).

The task of power control is to keep the transmission powers used for a connection, both by the UE and the Node B, at a minimum. The minimum amount of power needed is dependent on the quality requirements of the radio access bearer (RAB), set by admission control.

Transmission power is closely connected to interference, which in turn determines the capacity that the system can offer. Consequently, in order to make sure that the capacity remains high, accurate and fast power control is needed in WCDMA radio access networks.

Power control uses the following functions to adjust the transmission power both in the uplink and downlink direction:

open loop power control (RACH)

fast closed loop power control (inner loop power control) (DCH/CPCH/DSCH)

outer loop power control (DCH/CPCH)

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MS

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Open Loop Power Control (Initial Access)

Closed Loop Power Control <4 Outer Loop Power Control

Figure: Power control loops in WCDMA

9.1

Open loop power control

Uplink open loop power control is controlled by UE.

In WCDMA, the radio resource control (RRC) connection setup procedure is always initiated by the UE. This is true for mobile-terminating calls (MTC), too, in which case the network pages the UE, telling it to establish a connection to the network. To do this, the UE must first perform a so-called random access procedure. This procedure, the random access procedure, has to be performed whenever the UE wants to access the network, for example, on call setup, on initial radio bearer setup/reconfiguration or on location update.

The random access procedure is performed for two purposes. First of all, it is how the UE requests that radio resources be allocated to it and, secondly, it is used in order to synchronise the uplink transmission to the Node B. Depending on the current load in the cell and the load increase that would result if the UE got the resources it asked for (estimated by admission control and load control), the system grants or rejects the request. If successful, the request results in the establishment of a physical connection, a radio link, between the UE and the Node B.

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Before it initiates the random access procedure, the UE has to determine how much power it should use in the uplink. If an UE used a fixed power level for the random access procedure, and it happened to be close to the Node B that it tried to contact, it could easily block out messages from UEs further away. The UE should use the lowest possible transmission power at all times, like any other transmitting element in a WCDMA network.

As the situation in the network can change at any time as far as cell load, interference level, and so on, are concerned, the UE needs to be informed about the current situation in order to be able to determine how much power it should use to access the network. The network uses the broadcast channel (BCH), mapped onto the primary common control physical channel (PCCPCH), to broadcast this information. The UE monitors the BCH channel continuously while in idle mode and, when allowed, in connected mode. From the primary CCPCH the UE also receives the synchronisation information that it needs, that is, which random access channel (RACH) slots are available, as well as the scrambling code to be used.

The common pilot channel (CPICH) does not carry any transport channel, instead it repeatedly transmits a pilot pattern consisting only of "1"s. The transmission power of the CPICH is broadcast on the BCH. By monitoring the CPICH, and knowing the power with which it was transmitted, the UE can determine the path loss. This gives the UE an indication of how much weaker its own signal will become while travelling to the Node B. The BCH also broadcasts the required received C/l at the Node B in order for it to be able to detect and decode the preamble. This is defined with the parameter PRACHRequiredReceivedCI. In addition, the BCH continuously broadcasts information about the interference level (UL interference) in the cell. Of these values, Transmission power of the primary CPICH channel PtxPrimaryCPICHand UL required Carrier to Interference ratio are determined by radio network planning, whereas UL interference is measured at the WCDMA Node B.

Using the above-mentioned parameters, the UE calculates the initial transmission power to be used according to the following equation:

PreambleJnitiaLPower = PtxPrimaryCPICH - CPICH_RSCP + UL interference + PRACHRequiredRecievedCI.

The random access message is sent on the common uplink RACH, carried by the physical random access channel (PRACH). The initial signal sent is called a preamble. If the UE does not receive an acquisition indication from the Node B, telling the UE that its signal has been detected, it increases the transmission power and sends the preamble again. This cycle is repeated until the Node B detects the signal and acknowiedges it on the acquisition indication channel (AICH). The value of the Power ramp step on PRACH preamble
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PowerRampStepPRACHpreamble parameter is determined by radio network planning, as is the Power offset last preamble and PRACH message PowerOffsetLastPreamblePRACHmessage parameter, which refers to the power offset between the last transmitted preamble and the control part of the PRACH message.

After the initial transmission and synchronisation procedures have been carried out, fast closed loop power control starts. However, before it switches to fast closed loop power control, the UE has to calculate the initial transmission power to be used on the uplink dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH). This is done according to the following equation:

DPCCHJnitiaLPower = DPCCH_Power_Offset - CPICH_RSCP

DPCCH_Power_Offset is provided to the UE by admission control (located in RNC).

9.2

Power control for downlink common physical channels

There are seven downlink common physical channels:

Primary Common Control Physical Channel (P-CCPCH), which carries BCH transport channel. The transmission power of the PCCPCH is relative to the CPICH and determined by the parameter PtxPrimaryCCPCH.

Secondary Common Control Physical Channel (S-CCPCH), which carries FACH and PCH transport channels. The transmission power ofthe SCCPCH is set relative to the CPICH, but based on bitrate; PtxSecCCPCH

Primary SCH, which carries the Primary Synchronisation Code. The transmission power ofthe P-SCH is relative to the CPICH and determined by the parameter PtxPrimarySCH

Secondary SCH, which carries the Secondary Synchronisation Code. The transmission power ofthe S-SCH is relative to the CPICH and determined by the parameter PtxSecSCH

Acquisition Indicator Channel (AICH), which carries the acquisition indicators. The transmission power ofthe AICH is relative to the CPICH and determined by the parameter PtxAICH

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Page Indicator Channel (PICH), which carries the paging indicators. The transmission power ofthe PICH is relative to the CPICH and determined by the parameter PTxPICH.

Primary Common Pilot Channel (P-CPICH), which carries the common pilots. The transmission power ofthe CPICH defines the actual cell size and is determined by the parameter PtxPrimaryCPICH.

The transmission power ofthe downlink common physical channels is determined during radio network planning.

9.3

Fast closed loop power control

Fast closed loop power control is located in the Node B and in the UE.

Uplink fast closed loop power control starts as soon as physical layer synchronisation on dedicated physical channels has been achieved. Fast closed loop power control controls the transmission power of the dedicated physical channels. In fast closed loop power control, the Node B and the UE continuously compare the SIR of the received signal to the target SIR value for that particular connection. On the basis of this comparison, the Node B/UE tells the UE/ Node B to either increase or decrease its transmission power. There are two algorithms that can be used to adjust the transmission power of the UE. The optimum power control step size depends on the speed at which the UE is travelling, as this affects the signal to a great extent. Which of the two algorithms is to be used is determined during radio network planning with the Power control algorithm for combining downlink TPC commands PowerControlAlgorithm parameter.

In WCDMA radio access network, the duration of one frame is 10 milliseconds, and each frame consists of 15 slots. Power control can vary the transmission power from one slot to the next. Thus, power control can vary the transmission power at a maximum rate of 1500 times per second, providing very fast response to changes in reception.

When algorithm 1, the default algorithm, is used, fast closed loop power control functions as follows:
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Uplink The basic operation of the uplink fast closed loop power control is the following:

1. The Node B measures the received SIR of the uplink DPCCH every transmitter power control cycle. One transmitter power control cycle is 0.667 ms, which is the same as one slot period. Slot by slot, the measured SIR value is compared to the SIR target value.

If the measured SIR value is higher than the target value, the transmit power control (TPC) command is "0", that is, the UE is ordered to decrease the transmission power by 1 dB. If the measured SIR value is lower than the target value, the TPC command is " 1 " , that is, the UE is ordered to increase the transmission power by 1 dB.

3. The Node B inserts the TPC command into the next slot of the downlink DPCCH.

On the basis of the TPC bits that it receives, the UE either decreases or increases the transmission power ofthe dedicated physical channel . The UE adjusts the power for every slot (0.667 ms).

Downlink The basic operation of the downlink fast closed loop power control is the following:

1. The UE measures the received SIR of the downlink DPCCH every transmitter power control cycle. One transmitter power control cycle is 0.667 ms, which is the same as one slot period. Slot by slot, the measured SIR value is compared to the SIR target value.

If the measured SIR value is higher than the target value, the transmitter power control (TPC) command is "0", that is, the Node B is ordered to decrease the transmission power by 1 dB. If the measured SIR value is lower than the target value, the TPC command is " 1 " , that is, the Node B is ordered to increase the transmission power by 1 dB.

3. The UE inserts the TPC command into the next slot of the uplink DPCCH.

4.

On the basis of the received TPC bits it receives and according to an algorithm, the Node B either decreases or increases the transmission

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power of the dedicated physical channel . The Node B adjusts the power for every slot (0.667 ms).

When algorithm 2 is used, the UE does not adjust its transmission power on a slot-by-slot basis. Instead, the UE collects and analyses five consecutive slots at a time. Specifically, the UE checks whether it received the same TPC command in all five slots (for example, five "0"s). If this is the case, the UE executes the TPC command; otherwise the transmission power is not changed. In other words, when this type of power control is used the transmission power is adjusted 300 times per second.

Because the radio environment may change at any time, the target SIR value used in fast loop power control has to be adjusted continuously. This is done by outer loop power control. Admission control (AC) determines the initial uplink SIR target value, quality target, minimum and maximum values of the SIR target as well as the radio link minimum and maximum initial downlink transmission power that is allowed at the maximum bit rate of DPDCH.

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9.4

Outer loop power control

When a connection is set up or modified, admission control determines the quality requirements ofthe connection on the basis ofthe radio access attributes. In the end, all of the calculations result in a single value, the signal-tointerference ratio (SIR). Admission control signals the SIR target, and how much it is allowed to fluctuate, to outer loop power control, which in turn is signalled to fast closed loop power control.

By adjusting the target SIR, and, consequently, the transmission power levels used in the system, outer loop power control aims at providing the required quality: no more, no less. Too high quality would waste system capacity; the goal is to use the absolute minimum of power possible. For these reasons, outer loop power control is sometimes referred to as quality loop power control.

A user will often use a number of services, some with real time requirements, some without. Often enough, the services will be mapped to different bearers, each with a number of attributes as regards the requested quality. However, before transmission the data is actually multiplexed onto a single radio link, which is dimensioned to accommodate all the bearers at their peak bit rates simultaneously. Clearly, radio resource management has to cater to the service with the most stringent quality requirements; the appropriate action will be calculated on the basis of the requirements of that service. Admission control calculates the quality requirements when a new RAB is granted access, and forwards the parameters to power control, which is responsible to verifying that the quality of the connection stays within the defined limits. Outer loop power control adjusts the target SIR in the WCDMA Node B according to the needs of the individual radio link and aims at constant quality, defined in terms of a certain target bit error ratio (BER) or block error ratio (BLR). Specifically, admission control sets the following values:

Radio link-specific values:

The initial value of uplink SIR target for outer loop PC

Upper and lower limits for the uplink SIR target

Radio access bearer-specific values:

The RAB specific planned uplink Eb/No both for uplink and downlink

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The block error ratio (BLR) or bit error ratio (BER) targets both for uplink and downlink

Uplink outer loop power control In uplink outer loop power control, the RNC monitors the link quality after Macro Diversity Combining (MDC) and adjusts the new SIR target accordingly for the fast closed loop power control in the WCDMA Node B. The quality target is set by admission control. The SIR target is independently adjusted for each RRC connection based on the estimated quality of the connection. The uplink outer loop power control algorithm is located in the RNC.

The uplink outer loop power control (OLPC) is divided into two parts, an uplink OLPC controller and a number of related uplink OLPC entities. When a new RRC connection is set up, the OLPC controller creates one OLPC entity for each transport channel - and, consequently, dedicated channel - of the connection. There can only be one RRC connection per UE, regardless of the number of radio access bearers it uses. At setup, the OLPC controller signals the OLPC entityspecific parameters such as BLER/BER target, reporting period and activity state to the OLPC entity. The OLPC controller also sets a threshold for reporting SIR changes; unless a SIR change does not exceed the threshold it is not forwarded to the OLPC controller. For obvious reasons, the quality estimates are made after macro diversity selection combining, and are therefore implemented in the RNC.

RNC

UL Outer Loop PC
UL Outer Loop PC Controller ___*-?*

UL Outer Loop PC Entity # 1 ,

UL Outer Loop PC Entity #N

Figure: Outer loop power control entities There can only be one active OLPC entity per RRC connection; the active OLPC entity forwards the SIR change to the OLPC controller. At RAB setup OLPC entity for the DCH with the highest target SIR is selected. Later the OLPC controller selects the active OLPC entity on the basis of activity reports forwarded by all

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OLPC entities; the OLPC entity with the biggest SIR up command is selected as the active one.

The OLPC controller adjusts the SIR target according to the report and forwards the new SIR target to the Node Bs in the active set. If the quality of the connection deteriorates, and the condition persists, the SIR target will quickly reach its maximum allowed value. If the OLPC controller keeps receiving only SIR up commands after the SIR target has already reached its maximum, it has to take action. To avoid unnecessary action, a default delay of five seconds, as specified by the UL quality deterioration reporting threshold parameter ULQualDetRepThreshold, is used.

In response to a quality deterioration report, the radio access bearer attributes can either be renegotiated or, alternatively, the connection can be handed over to an other carrier frequency or system by means of an inter-frequency or intersystem handover respectively. The uplink OLPC repeats the quality deterioration reports to handover control periodically until the uplink SIR target decreases below the maximum value.

Downlink outer loop power control The UE takes care of the downlink outer loop power control. The RNC signals the target error ratio, defined in terms of BLR, of each transport channel to the UE. The UE monitors the error ratio and tells the Node B to adjust the transmission power accordingly.

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10

Resource manager
The resource manager manages the logical radio resources of the RNC in cooperation with admission Control (AC) and the packet scheduler (PS). Load control provides information regarding the Node B-specific radio resource load separately for the uplink and the downlink. When the resource manager receives a request for resources, be it from admission control or the packet scheduler, it allocates an uplink scrambling code and downlink spreading code(s).

Channelisation and scrambling codes Traditionally, users in radio access networks have been separated by means of time slots (time division multiple access) or frequencies (frequency division multiple access). WCDMA, or wideband code division multiple access, uses codes instead of time slots and frequencies to separate the users from each other. Because the users are separated by codes, a logical resource, rather than temporally or in frequency space, the users can transmit their data simultaneously and the receiver will still be able to separate the data streams from each other.

There are two types of codes used in WCDMA RAN: scrambling codes and, channelisation codes. Channelisation codes are used for spreading purposes, and the length of the code is exactly one symbol. That is, if the spreading factor is 128, for example, each symbol is coded into 128 chips, which is the length of the code. After spreading the data is scrambled with the help of a scrambling code; scrambling does not add any data, instead a logic operator is applied to the spread data. Channelisation codes and scrambling codes are used for separation purposes.

Codes in simultaneous use have to be orthogonal. Orthogonality is a measurement of the degree of difference between two codes. It is easy to check whether two codes of equal length are orthogonal or not. First, the codes are multiplied over the total length ofthe code. Next, the results ofthe multiplications are added. If the sum is zero the codes are said to be orthogonal.

Code tree management In WCDMA RAN, the users can transmit simultaneously, provided that they use orthogonal codes. This is a strict requirement; the fact that the codes are

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orthogonal means that the transmissions do not interfere with each other. Orthogonality, then, guarantees good channel separation.

Q0)=( Q0)=d,1,1,D Q0)=a,i) (ki)=(i,1,-1,-D C(0)=(1) Layer 0 Q2)=(l,-1,1,-1) Q(l)=(l,-1) Layer (3)=(l, -1,-1,1) Layer 2 Layer 3 Ql)=( Q2)=( Q3)=( C<4)=( Q5)=( Q6)=( C<7)=(

Figure: Code Tree

The codes are maintained with a code tree, as presented in the figure above. The codes have to be orthogonal, and this explains the complexity of code management in WCDMA RAN. When a code of a certain length, somewhere in the code tree, is taken into use it automatically invalidates the rest of the codes in the same branch. The entire branch of codes to which the allocated code belongs is invalidated, that is, shorter as well as longer codes. Two requirements stem from this fact. Firstly, the code selection algorithm must choose the best code on the basis of the codes that are already in use. Secondly, it must be possible to optimise the code tree on the fly. New connections are established continually, requiring codes of different lengths. At the same time other connections are released, freeing up codes. Over time this constant allocation and release of codes will lead to the tree becoming defragmented, that is, no longer optimised. Lessthan-optimal allocation unnecessarily ties up a great number of codes by blocking an entire branch. Code tree optimisation is controlled by the following: The parameter CodeTreeOptimisation indicates if rearrangement can be applied to a specific cell. The parameter CodeTreeOptTimer defines the timer value that triggers code tree optimisation, if it is not triggered otherwise. The parameter CodeTreeUsage defines the minimum usage of code tree before rearrangement is applied to a specific cell. The parameter MaxCodeReleases defines the maximum amount of code release actions allowed in a code tree before rearrangement is applied to this code tree.

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11

Configuration management objects

Each parameters is located within a managed object within the Nokia RAN (RNC, WBTS, WCEL, ADJ.HOPx, FMCx) . The managed object specifies the level and location ofthe parameter. For example a parameter within the group ADJx will be a parameter associated with an adjacent cell. The structure of the managed objects is given within the figure below:

Figure: Logical structure ofthe RNW database objects

Where:

Radio Network Controller = RNC WCDMA Base Station = WBTS WCDMA Cell = WCEL Adjacency for WCDMA Cell = ADJ ADJS = object for intra-frequency Adjacency 96(97)
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ADJI = object for inter-frequency Adjacency ADJG = object for inter-system Adjacency Handover Path = HOP HOPS = object for intra-frequency Handover Path. HOPI = object for inter-frequency Handover Path HOPG = object for inter-system Handover Path

Frequency Measurement Control = FMC FMCS = object for intra-frequency Frequency Measurement Control FMCI = object for inter-frequency Frequency Measurement Control FMCG = object for inter-system Frequency Measurement Control

Radio Network Connection Configuration = COCO

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