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Radio Frequency Optimization Notes

Tips and trick on network optimization

February 14, 2021 · 4G Optimization, Idle Mode Behaviour

Idle Mode Behavior in LTE – Part 2

Now that the UE has successfully selected a cell where to

perform the initial attachment, the UE begins to decode the
System Information Blocks (SIB). The information gathered
from the SIB provides the UE with all the necessary input it
needs to move and stay in the cell with the best condition
possible. This process is called cell reselection.

LT E Layering

I work in a very unusual network. This network only has 3

carriers (frequencies) in a particular band. How the UE is
choosing between the frequencies where to camp on? We
can complicate things even further; chances are that the
network you are working has several LTE frequencies, in
many bands, plus an UMTS and/or a GSM legacy network.
How the UE is able to manage the mobility between all? In
LTE a layering concept is used to tell the UE where it has to
camp (yes, LTE network has layers, like onions… and ogres)

Absolute Priorities Example

Once minimum condition is met (defined by qRxLevMin),
the absolute priority has the most importance in cell
reselection. Absolute priority is delivered through the
System Information Blocks or SIB:

On SIB3 the priority of the serving cell is delivered.

On SIB5 inter-frequency priority.
On SIB6 UMTS priority.
And on SIB7 is delivered the priority for GSM cells.

When priority is broadcast through SIB is referred as

common priority as is intended for all the traffic, but there
is another priority that is UE specific. The UE specific
priority is sent through the RRC Connection Release
message to a single UE. This priority is also referred as
dedicated priority. Parameters for establishing absolute
priority are cellReselPriority in Huawei and cellReSelPrio in
Nokia.

In absolute priorities, 7 has the highest priority while 0 is

the lowest. Different RAT must have a different priority
number, that means they cannot have overlapping priorities.
In an intra-cell reselection the priority is omitted by the UE,
but for inter frequency or inter RAT reselection the UE will
use priority in evaluation.

Intra-Frequency Reselection
On intra-frequency reselection there are two thresholds
that establishes when does the UE have to start measure
for other cells. These thresholds are defined by parameters
S-intraSearch and S-intraSearchQ.

Intra-frequency reselection
criteria

Srxlev and Squal parameters are the same used in cell

selection (you can check this parameters in my previous
blog Idle Mode Behavior in LTE – Part 1). S-intraSearchQ is
not mandatory and some vendors uses switches to activate
it or deactivate it. In Huawei you can do it through
parameter SIntraSearchCfgInd, but in Nokia there is not that
option available.
If you think that I have just copy the same image from the
handover post, you are very right. There are some changes
thou. Here the hysteresis is over the serving cell and the
offset is over the neighbor (on handover is the way around).
But the concept is exactly the same. Note that in order that
this evaluation takes place the intra-frequency reselection
criteria equation has to be true.

So in order to a UE to re-select to another cell the rxlev of

the serving cell (plus a histeresys) has to be less than the
rxlev of the neighbor (minus an offset) during a time
defined in the Eutra reselection timer.

Another thing to mention is that both serving cell and

neighbor measurements are in dBm (RSRP) and hysteresis
and offset are in dB. Again the name of the parameters
might be a little different from vendor to vendor: in Huawei
the offset applied to the neighbor is CellQoffset while in
Nokia is called intrFrNCListqOffsetCell; the reselection
timer is called in Nokia interTResEut and in Huawei
TreselEutran. A common set for this timer is 1 (second).

Inter-Frequency / Inter-RAT measurement criteria

Only inter-frequency / inter-RAT neighbors with higher

priority are constantly measured by the UE. But with
neighbors with lower priority the UE will measure them if:
 Inter-frequency / inter-RAT
measurement criteria

Srxlev and Squal parameters are the same used in cell

selection (you can check this parameters in my previous
blog Idle Mode Behavior in LTE – Part 1)

Higher priority reselection criteria

What happened if the target cell has a higher priority?

Srxlev has to be higher than thresX-High during the time

specified in the Eutra reselection timer. Parameter thresX-
High specifies the threshold used by the UE when
reselecting towards a higher priority frequency X than the
current serving frequency. In Nokia this parameter is
utraFrqThrH and in Huawei ThreshXHigh and is normally set
to 4 (8 dB).

Conclusions

Idle mode behavior is complex, but is one of the basics of

any mobile telecommunications standard. If your coverage
is well designed and your idle mode tune is very likely that
you end with a high performance network. There are many
more things to optimize, but Idle mode has to be the most
important one.

Cheers!

Diego Goncalves Kovadloff

References:

USIM Detailed Information. Universal Mobile

Telecommunications System (UMTS); LTE; Characteristics of
the Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) application
(3GPP TS 31.102 version 12.5.0 Release 12)

LTE – The UMTS Long Term Evolution: From Theory to

Practice Stefania Sesia, Issam Toufik and Matthew Baker.
2009 John Wiley & Sons.

← Idle Mode Behavior in LTE – Part 1

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