LTE-parameter-Optimization

10/14/2014

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER
HANDOVER INTRA E-UTRAN (X2)

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER
HANDOVER EVENTS

Event Type
Event A1
Event A2
Event A3
Event A4
Event A5
Event B1
Event B2

Description
Serving becomes better than threshold
Serving becomes worse than threshold
Neighbour becomes offset better than serving
Neighbour becomes better than threshold
Serving becomes worse than threshold1 and neighbour becomes better than threshold2
Inter RAT neighbour becomes better than threshold
Serving becomes worse than threshold1 and inter RAT neighbour becomes better than threshold2

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER
HANDOVER EVENTS A1

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER
HANDOVER EVENTS A2

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER
HANDOVER EVENTS A3

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER
HANDOVER EVENTS A4

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER
HANDOVER EVENTS A5

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER
HANDOVER EVENTS B1

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER
HANDOVER EVENTS B2

10

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER
Speed dependent scaling of measurement parameters

11

LTE MEASUREMENT
HANDOVER

12

Automatic Neighbor Relation (ANR)

LTE is the first cellular standard to take advantage of self-organizing network (SON)
functionality

One of the first SON features to be defined was automatic neighbor relation (ANR)

Over the past few years, this has become a challenging and time consuming task
not only because of new technology deployments such as LTE, but also due to
provisioning 2G (GSM, CDMA) and 3G (WCDMA, HSPA, 1xEV-DO) cells

Back to basics

Physical cell ID (PCI), which identifies a cell that is served by an eNB

The PCI is derived from the primary and secondary synchronization signal

There are, in total, 504 unique PCIs being used throughout the entire LTE network.
That relatively small number results in PCI reuse at some point

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the standardization body behind
LTE, has specified additional identities to retain the ability to uniquely identify an
eNB (and its associated cells) in an operators LTE network

ECI (E-UTRAN Cell Identifier, ECGI- E-UTRAN Cell Global Identifier) are some of
them.

All these identitiesPCI, ECI, and ECGIplay an important role in the definition
and execution of ANR functionality

ANR-SIB

Neighbor list is actually information acquired while reading system information in
the form of SIBs.

For LTE, these SIBs are primarily Type 4 and 5.

Other SIBs provide neighbor list information for legacy radio access technologies,
short RAT.

SIB Type 4 lists the LTE intra-frequency neighbor cellscells on the same carrier
frequency, but with a different cell identity.

SIB Type 5 provides neighboring LTE cells on a different frequency band (interfrequency)

Why do we need Neighbors? How are they derived??

The initial list of cells provided by SIBs 4 and 5 are based on simulations performed
with network planning tools.

The coverage prediction models used by these software tools by nature simulate
real-life conditions and therefore leave room for error, as conditions and the
environment may change.

However, a missing neighbor in the neighbor relation table (NRT) is a common
reason for call and connection drops due to failed handovers.

Handovers are network controlledthat is, the network decides about the target
cell.

An up-to-date NRT is therefore essential for successful handover

Carriers are required to perform drive tests to optimize neighbor lists manually for
all technologies during the operational phase of a network. With the anticipated
massive deployment of small cells, including picocells and femtocells, as part of
heterogeneous networks (HetNets), this task will become even more challenging if
not impossible. An automated way to determine neighbor relations is absolutely
essential from an operational point of view, especially for LTE

ANR procedure and device support

ANR procedure and device support

In the general ANR procedure, the eNB instructs the LTE terminal to take quality
measurements of neighboring cells on a periodic basison the same frequency,
for instance.

While doing so, the device may detect a PCI that is not listed in the neighbor list.

When sending the measurement report to the network, the device uses the cell
identity to indicate the cell it is reporting, including the newly detected cell with a
PCI of 27.

After receiving the measurement report, the eNB instructs the terminal to report
the ECGI, while reading the BCCH of that cell.

In the next step, the UE reports the example ECGI of 46, which the eNB will use to
update its neighbor relation table (NRT).

This table contains for each cell the neighbor relation (NR), determined by the
target cell identifier (TCI), which comprises ECGI and PCI

Attributes of TCI

For each TCI, three attributes will be set: no remove, no handover, and no X2.

The first (no remove command) stipulates that the eNB shall not remove this cell
from the NRT.

The second (no handover command) stipulates that no handover shall be
initiated to this cell.

The Third (no X2 command) excludes the establishment of the logical X2
interface to this identified cell and its serving eNB.

The operation and maintenance (OAM) center controls the listed attributes. It is
the only authority that can delete entries from the NRT

ANR procedure and device support

ANR enables intra-frequency and inter-frequency neighbor cell detection for LTE.

For Inter-frequency, the network needs to inform the device about which frequencies
to measure.

It also requires the scheduling of measurement gaps, which enables the terminal to
retune its receiver to the instructed frequencies and take the required signal quality
measurements.

This is the reason why long DRX( Discontinous reception) cycle required for ANR.

After the device reports the newly detected PCI, the network also will instruct it to
report its ECGI. As previously discussed, the ECGI consists of the ECI and the PLMN
identity. Both IDs are transmitted within SIB Type 1, which has a fixed periodicity in LTE
of 80 ms. Standard measurement gaps do not provide enough time to successfully
detect and decode SIB Type 1 for the newly detected cell. Only the long DRX cycle
permits the device to derive the PLMN identity as well as the ECI, enabling the ECGI
report back to the network

FGI (Feature Group Indicator) bits 17 to 19 determine if the device can perform
periodical measurements for intra-LTE (intra- and inter-frequency; bit 17, 18) or for
inter-RAT (bit 19),i,.e., 3G/WCDMA

ANR procedure and device support