WCDMA Planning & Dimensioning

Network Engineering

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Contents

– Overview & Requirements

– Link budgets

– Planning for Coverage and Capacity

– Hardware Dimensioning

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Overview & Requirements

 WCDMA Planning & Dimensioning

– Overview & Requirements
– Link budgets
– Planning for Coverage and Capacity
– Hardware Dimensioning

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 Overview

Radio Planning Process

Use TEMS
Cellplanner and
digitized map

TRAFFIC AIR INTERFACE NOMINAL RADIO

MODELLING CELL PLAN NETWORK
DIMENSIONING DESIGN

•Site type
•Site Count
•Site to Site Distance
•Carrier Required
• Input Analysis Hardware dimensioning
• Mapping of Radio Access • Channel Elements
Bearer

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 Overview

Dimensioning Objective

 To dimension radio capacity with reasonable accuracy

before using planning tools
 To establish the parameters and assumptions to be used
throughout the project

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 Overview

Dimensioning Tools

 RNPT
 Link Budget Tool
 Noise Rise Calculator
 Radio Network Dimensioning Tool

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 Overview

Input Data

 Environment and Coverage

– Area to cover and coverage degree
– Channel Model for EbNos
– Propagation Model (Ok-Hata > 1km, Walfish < 1km)
 Service Characteristics
– Services and RABs
– Grade of Service
– UE Type

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 Overview

Input Data

 Subscriber Density and Subscriber Behaviour

– Number of Subs per area
– Traffic per Sub at Busy Hour
– Activity Factor for services
– Body Loss
 System Design Data
– Retransmissions
– Handover parameters
– Site Configuration
– Bandwidth (# carriers)
– Load

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 Overview

Traffic Profile
Traffic model in average Short term Medium term Long term
per user during BH after 1 year after 2-3 years after 4 to 6 years
Voice (mE) 8 to 30 10 to 30 10 to 30
Typical voice (mE) 15 to 20 15 to 20 15 to 20
Typical CS64 data (mE) 0,1 to 0,5 around 1 2 to 3
PS data (KByte/BH) 20 to 100 60 to 250 up to 500 to 600
Typical PS data(KB/BH) 40 to 60 100 to 150 200 to 300

 Average user in BH
– Voice/Video in mE
– PS in kB/BH
 UL/DL Asymmetry = 15-20%
 BH Traffic = 10-15% Daily Traffic

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Agenda – Day 1 Theory & Planning

 WCDMA Planning & Dimensioning

– Overview & Requirements
– Link budgets
– Planning for Coverage and Capacity
– Hardware Dimensioning

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 Link Budgets

Air Interface Dimensioning

Input Data Assume an
uplink loading

Calculate uplink Calculate uplink Calculate PCPICH, ref

capacity coverage/Lmax based on UL Lmax

Estimate sitecount Estimate sitecount Calculate PCCH, ref

for capacity for coverage

Calculate PDCH
No
Balanced?

Yes Calculate
DL Capacity

No DL Capacity
fulfill req.

Yes

Finished

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 Link Budgets

Link Budget Method - Overview

Uplink PS & CS traffic
Step 1 Lsa Step 2

Start
UL link budget CPICH link budget
Lsa or PCCH
too large
- Link budget margins
- HW configuration
- Cell border parameters Lsa or PDCH
too large Step 3 PCCH ,
Lsa Average DL
network load (Q)
DL link budget

PCCH, PDCH, Lsa,

Step 4

HSDPA dimensioning
- PHSDPA
- HSDPA cell average throughput
Done!
- HSDPA cell border throughput

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 Link Budgets

System Reference Point

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 Link Budgets

Eb/No vs BLER

A Eb/No = 1 dB

B Eb/No = 6 dB

A BER > B BER

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 Link Budgets

Log Normal Fade Margin

 Propagation models predict only mean values of signal strength
 Mean signal strength value fluctuates, the deviation of the local has a
nearly normal distribution in dB, compared to the predicted mean
 Probability that the real signal strength will exceed the predicted one
on the cell border is around 50%
 For higher coverage probability than 50% an additional margin has to be
added to the predicted required signal strength
 The LNF margin depends on:
 Radio channel properties (channel model)
 Area type (Clutter type) Area coverage %
Environment
 Required coverage confidence 75 85 90 95 98
 soft handover gain
Rural, Suburban –4.1 –1.7 0 2.3 4.6

Urban –3.9 –0.9 1.1 4.1 7.2

Urban Indoor –3.8 0.6 3.4 7.5 12.1

Dense Urban Indoor –3.8 1.1 4.3 9 14.3

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 Link Budgets

Uplink Dimensioning

Max path loss due to propagation

Cell range and cell area can be calculated

The number of sites required for meeting

coverage requirement can be found

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 Link Budgets

Uplink Link Budget

Lpmax = PUE - SUL – BPC-BIUL-BLNF-LBL-LCPL-LBPL-Ga-LJ

where
is the maximum path loss due to propagation in the air. The cell range
Lpmax
can be calculated based upon this figure [dB].
is the maximum UE output power, 21 or 24 [dBm].
PUE
is the UL sensitivity. Depends on the RAB and channel model [dBm].
SUL is the noise rise [dB].
is the log-normal fading margin [dB].
BIUL
is the power control margin, dependent on channel model
BLNF [dB]. is the body loss [dB].
is the car penetration loss [dB].
BPC
is the building penetration loss [dB].
LBL is the sum of RBS antenna gain and UE antenna gain
[dBi]. is the jumpers loss [dB].
LCPL

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LBPL
 Link Budgets

UL System Sensitivity

SUL = SRBS + LF = Nt + Nf + 10logRinfo + Eb/N0 + LF [dBm]

is the RBS sensitivity. When an ASC is used, it is measured at the ASC port,
SRBS
without ASC at the RBS
Eb/N0 is the bit energy divided by noise spectral density [dB]

Nt is the thermal noise power density (.174 dBm/Hz),

Nf is the noise figure (a typical cell planning value 2.3 dB with and 3.3 dB without ASC),
Rinfo is the information bit rate [bps].

LF is the feeder loss [dB]. The feeder loss becomes zero in uplink calculations for installations with
ASC.

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 Link Budgets

UL Noise Rise
BIUL - Noise Rise is referred as the increase in receiver noise
floor when a system is more loaded.

12

10

Interference increase I
8

where Q is the uplink system 4

loading 2

[dB]
0
E.g. 20%=0,97dB, 50%=3dB 0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9
Load

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 Link Budgets

Calculating Cell Range

 Maximum Pathloss (Okumura-Hata)
Lpath = A - 13.82log(ha) + (44.9 - 6.55log(ha))logR - a(hm)
[dB]
Where the following A values are valid for 2050 MHz:
A = 155.1 in urban areas ha base station
antenna height [m
= 135.8
147.9 in rural areasand semi–open areas hm
suburban R distance from height
UE antenna transmitter
[m] [km]
= 125.4 in open areas a(1.5) = 0

 Range
R = 10,
where:  = [Lpath - A + 13.82logHb]/[44.9 -
6.55logHb]

 Use Walfish Ikegami if cell range <1km

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 Link Budgets

Calculating Site Distances

9
3 3R 2 Area  3R2 3
Area  2 8 Area 
3R 2 2
R R
R

Site to Site 3R Site to Site 32 R Site to Site 3R

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 Link Budgets

Site Count for Capacity

Suppose
Q = 20 % = MSpeech / Mpole Speech
 MSpeech = 20%*95= 19 simultaneous users or channels
 Erlang B, 2% GoS 19 channels give 12.3 Erl. offered
traffic.
 12.3/30 mE = 411 users (actual users in the network)
per cell
 Divide total user by user per cell to get no. of cells
needed.

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 Link Budgets

UL Load & Simultaneous Users

M=Q * Mpole

where
Q is air interface load relative to the pole capacity
is maximum number of simultaneous users for this service;
Mpole
given per cell for all site configurations.
M is number of simultaneous users for this service (calculated
from the traffic data: user profile, service rate, number of
users

Recommended maximum uplink load: Q = 60–70%

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 Link Budgets

Calculating Mpole

1
M pol   11 F     1 
e    

( Eb / I0 )PG
10( Eb / I0 ) /10
  10 10

R chip
RInfo

 C/I target of the RAB

Chip rate (=3.84 Mcps) [cps]
Rchip
Information bit rate for the RAB
Rinfo
[ Processing Gain
b Interference ratio other/own cell
p
s
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 Link Budgets

Balancing Coverage and Capacity

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 Link Budgets

Downlink Dimensioning
 Transmitter (RBS) is in a single point, Receivers (Terminals) are
distributed in the cell
 DL coverage and capacity are not only dependent on the number
of terminals, but also on their distribution in a cell and their
relative position towards other cells

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 Link Budgets

Downlink Link Budget

Lpmax = PTX,ref – SUE – BPC – BIDL – BLNF – LBL – LCPL – LBPL +Ga – LJ

is the maximum path loss due to propagation in the air [dB].

Lpmax
is the transmitter power at the system reference point [dBm]
PTX,ref is the UE sensitivity [dBm]
is the power control margin [dB]
SUE
is the log-normal fading margin [dB]
BPC is the noise rise or the downlink interference margin [dB]
is the body loss [dB]
BLNF
is the car penetration loss [dB]
BIDL is the building penetration loss [dB]
is the sum of RBS antenna gain and UE antenna gain [dBi]
LBL
is the jumper loss [dB]
LCPL
•Above
LBPL equation can be used as the link budget both for
Ga
dedicated (DCH) and common channels (CCH)
LJ

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 Link Budgets

UE Sensitivity
 for the dedicated channels
SUE = Nt + Nf + 10logRinfo + Eb/N0
Eb/N0 is the bit energy divided by noise spectral density [dB]. Downlink
Eb/N0 values depend on the RAB and the channel model.
Nt is the thermal noise power density (.174 dBm/Hz),
is the noise figure (a typical cell planning value is 7 dB),
Nf is the information bit rate [cps].
Ri
nfo
 for CPICH
SUE, CPICH = Nt + Nf + 10logRchip + Ec/N0

Rchip is the system chip rate 3.84 Mcps

Ec/N0 is the chip energy divided by noise spectral density [dB]

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 Link Budgets

Downlink Power Limits

Nominal total output power at top of TMA

Ensure sufficient power is left for mobility

The powers of the common channels are set relative to the

CPICH output power.

Limits to max CPICH and DCH ensure sufficient capacity

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 Link Budgets

Downlink Noise Rise

opposed to the uplink, the downlink noise rise depends on the
output power of the transmitter and the location of the users

α c is the non-orthogonality factor at the cell border,

is the average ratio between the received inter-cell

and intra-cell interference at the cell border
By combining above equation wit h , the downlink noise
rise BIDL can be seen as a function of the average CCH power,
cell range by means of Lsa, and the load:

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 Link Budgets

Downlink CPICH Link Budget

 in order to estimate the coverage for an acceptable CPICH
power it is necessary to set up a separate CPICH link budget

Lpmax = PCPICH – SUE – BIDL – BLNF, HHO – LBL – LCPL – LBPL + Ga –

 lognormal fading margin BLNF does not take into consideration

gain due to soft handover
 There is no power control margin BPC , common channels are
not subject to power control
 average total output power at the system reference point is set
to be equal to 75%-90% of the nominal total output power at the
system reference point
CPICH is transmitting continuously therefore the peak and
average powers are equal

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 Link Budgets

Downlink Capacity

Downlink capacity is given as the number of simultaneous users

per cell M.

See latest Dimensioning Guideline for Values

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 Link Budgets

Downlink Balancing
Input Data Assume an
uplink loading

Calculate uplink Calculate uplink Calculate PCPICH, ref

capacity coverage/Lmax based on UL Lmax

Estimate sitecount Estimate sitecount Calculate PCCH, ref

for capacity for coverage

Calculate PDCH
No
Balanced?

Yes Calculate
DL Capacity

No DL Capacity
fulfill req.

Yes

Finished

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 Link Budgets

HSDPA Dimensioning

 Average cell throughput

– What is the expected average HSDPA capacity?
 Cell border throughput
– What is the expected HSDPA cell border throughput?

 Decided by:
– Signal Attenuation, Lsa
– Power left for HSDPA

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 Link Budgets

HS-DSCH power calculation

 Treated as true best effort in dimensioning

– Will take whatever power that is left in RBS after common
channels and dedicated channels has taken their part
– No ”headroom” is needed

Power
Max cell power
HS-DSCH power
Admission control threshold

DCH power
HS-SCCH power
CCH power
time

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 Link Budgets

HS-DSCH power calculation (2)

 PHS-DSCH calculated as:

RBS power at Power needed by Power needed for

Tx reference point DCH RABs (PS & CS) A-DCH on DL

PHS DSCH  Ptot ,ref  PCCH P DCH  PHS SCCH 

PADCH
Common Channel High-Speed Shared Control Channel power
Power (CPICH, BCH, etc.)

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Planning for Coverage & Capacity

 WCDMA Planning & Dimensioning

– Overview & Requirements
– Link budgets
– Planning for Coverage and Capacity
– Hardware Dimensioning

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 Coverage&Capacity

Air Interface Dimensioning Objective

 Calculate traffic carried per cell (cell load)

 Determine site configuration (sectors, carriers)
 Determine number of sites required

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 Coverage&Capacity

Air Dimensioning Methods

variable load fixed site dimensioning fix load dimensioning

•Objective: •Objective •Objective

- to find minimum nr of sites - to find capacity/cell - to find minimum nr of sites
•Inputs Constants: - to find traffic/cell - to find capacity/cell
- offered NW traffic - to make sure coverage is supported •Inputs Constants:
- area coverage •Inputs Constants: - load
- one configuration - number of sites - system traffic
- RBS configuration

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 Coverage&Capacity

Assumptions
 Propagation Model
– Simple flat earth and compensation factor for environment
 Traffic Model
– Homogeneous distribution, hence max capacity/cell can be calculated
– Disadvantage in reality, hotspot areas and some high rate users at
cell edge = more DL consumption
 Interference
– Hard Blocking: once interference limit hit, no further users admitted
– Reality: Soft Blocking with admission/congestion control depending
on UL interference and DL power
– Multiple Carriers
 Full utilisation and pooling within cell assumed
 No Adjacent channel interference assumed
– Hexagonal cells and equidistant sites, therefore off grid effects
ignored (higher CCH/DCH, pilot pollution, which decrease capacity)

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 Coverage&Capacity

Packet Data Parameters

 Throughput
– Depends on protocol, file size, retransmissions, downswitch time
– Payload/Hold time
 Peak Factor
– Channel utilisation factor
– Due to bursty nature of traffic , not possible to utilise entire traffic
channel
– Up to 70% assumed, hence a factor of 1.4 added to compensate
 Activity Factor
– % time user on average is transmitting on DCH
 Periods of silence if no data to transmit
 Depends on application
 Eg. PS128 www = 70%, PS128 ftp = 85%
– In air interface, this means that more users can simultaneously
connect = gain due to DTX (increases Mpole)
– In hardware dimensioning, CEs are reserved if users are not
transmitting, so more are required to support this gain

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 Coverage&Capacity

Other considerations

 Soft Handover Factor

– % time users are in soft handover
– Depends on number of cells in active set (3 ~ 30%)
– Included in pole capacity for Air interface dimensioning
– Softer Handover not considered in Hardware
dimensioning

 Air Interface
– UL and DL are separate links so treated separately
 Hardware
– Users consume hardware in both UL and DL regardless of
activity
– Hence elements are calculated for Max Traffic (UL, DL)

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Hardware Dimensioning

 WCDMA Planning & Dimensioning

– Overview & Requirements
– Link budgets
– Planning for Coverage and Capacity
– Hardware Dimensioning

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 HW Dimensioning

Nobe B Dimensioning Objectives

 Find number of Channel Element kits (RAXB and TXB)

per site

 Channel Element is the required baseband processing

capacity to handle one Speech connection
– TxB handles CRC, channel coding, interleaving,
spreading, rate matching
– RaxB handles demodulation, rake receiving,
despreading, de-interleaving, decoding, CRC evaluation

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 HW Dimensioning

How Channel Elements work

 Each time a DCH allocated, HW resources consumed in

UL and DL (even if one link is under utilised)
 If HW limit exceeded, Admission/Congestion Control
 If user is not transmitting (in PS case), HW still reserved
until switchdown occurs. Hence more CEs need to be
allowed for this reservation scheme.

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 HW Dimensioning

Ericsson CE Advantages

 CEs pooled per site (gain approx 10%)

 No additional CEs needed for Softer Handover (up to
20% supported)
 No additional CEs needed for signaling (CCH)
channels
(sufficient capacity supported on boards)
 Fewer CEs needed for high bit rate services compared to
other vendors
 Scalable, can buy UL and DL independently

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 HW Dimensioning

CE Mapping/Ladder

RAB data CE UL for R1 CE UL for R2 CE DL

rate

12.2 kbps 1 1 1
(Speech)

64 kbps 2 4 2

128 kbps 4 8 4

384 kbps 8 16 8

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 HW Dimensioning

RBS Capacity

R1 Max board R2 Max board R1 Max site R2 Max site

capacity capacity capacity capacity

CEs UL 16 128 256 768

CEs DL 256 384 512 768

 Ensures NodeB HW does not become limiting factor for

capacity
 Software key enables/disables more CEs

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 HW Dimensioning

CE Dimensioning Process
CS Traffic PS
Inputs

Calculate Voice/CS Calculate

Erlangs per site Simultaneous PS subs
per site

Apply Kaufman- Apply Activity Factor

CE Mapping and
Roberts Algorithm depending on bearer
GoS

Calculate Peak and Calculate Best Effort

CE Mapping
Average CS Loading PS Loading

Calculate CE
Requirement (UL,
DL)

SHO Factor
CEs per NodeB

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 HW Dimensioning

CE Dimensioning Steps

 Step1 – Conversational Requirement

– Determine A = Erlangs per site per service
– Enter GOS, CE ladder, Ai in KR Tool
– CEpk = Total Bandwidth in KR Tool
– CEav = sum (Offered Traffic * CEFactor*(1-GOS)) for each
service
 Because GOS is very small, can leave this out
 CEav = A1CE1 + A2 CE2 + .. AnCEn

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 HW Dimensioning

CE Dimensioning Steps (2)

 Step2 – Interactive Requirement

– Calculate simultaneous users for UL and DL
 (M ul,dl = (1+Retx)*Abps/Rmax))
– Set M = Max (Mul, Mdl)
– Calculate no. CEs required for interactive
 Separately for UL and DL and per RB
 CEps = M*CEfactor/AF

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 HW Dimensioning

Mixing Conversational and Best

Effort
CE_peak

CE_be
Occupied CE

CE_av

CE used by
circuit switched
traffic

Time

CE = Max (CE_peak, CE_av + CE_be)

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 HW Dimensioning

CE Dimensioning Steps (3)

 Step 3 - Determine CEs and boards per site

– CE = SHO* max(CEpk, CEave+CEbe)
– Separate for UL and DL
– Calculate no. RaxB, TxB kits
 depends on RBS release and configuration

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 HW Dimensioning

Handling Multiple Services

 Erlang B
– Blocking occurs when max resources allocated
– Good for single service
– Over dimensioning occurs if multiple services considered
because peaks of different services are unlikely to coincide

 Statistical Multiplexing (ATM Theory)

– CEs and Air Interface are a pooled resource, hence can
be used by different services at different times
– Results in a statistical gain, less total resources required
– Only applicable to CS services (assumes channel
reservation)

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 HW Dimensioning

Statistical Multiplexing

1,  1, C B1
1

… C

Transmission link
N,  N, C
BN
N

 Different traffic classes use link in sharing mode

 Uses Marcov chains (Multidimensional arrays) determine
probability of blocking
 Complex computations

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 HW Dimensioning

Statistical Multiplexing

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 HW Dimensioning

Kauffman-Roberts Calculator

 Determines peak and average resource requirements

(CE and load) for multiple CS services
 Inputs: GOS, Effective Bandwidth (CE), Erlangs per
service
 Process: start from 1 CE and calculate blocking
probability for each service. Increase CE count until GOS
met.
 Output: Peak (and average) CE requirement.

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 HW Dimensioning

Thank you

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