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Guide for GSM Network

Performance Loss Evaluation
After Refarming
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Contents
Relationships Between Network Performance and Network Characteristics
KPI Performance Evaluation Methods
Macroscopic Evaluation Method EFL
Microscopic Evaluation Method Refined Network Architecture
Impact of Features
Experience Compensation

Refarming Cases

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Relationships Between Network Performance and

Network Characteristics
Before evaluating KPIs in refarming scenarios, we firstly introduce the relationships between network performance and network
characteristics:
1.
2.

Network
Characteristics

Macroscopic

Network performance is strongly

correlated with network
characteristics.
Influencing factors of network
characteristics are various and
interrelated, which increases the
complexity of performance
evaluation.

Overlapped Coverage
(impacting C/I and signal
level)

EFL
(impacting C/I)

Features

Microscopic

Traffic Density

Frequency
Reuse
Pattern
TCHH
(Frequency proportion
Resource/
Average
Site Type)

Combined use of

Average
Distance
Between
Sites

features leads to the

Cross
Coverage

Normal
Coverage

Week
Coverage

Insufficient
Coverage

difficulty in KPI
evaluation.

Network characteristics: In brief, it refers to topology and configuration of BTSs on the network, including frequency reuse pattern,
traffic density, distance between sites, height of sites, antenna direction, antenna down tilt, carrier configuration of cells and so on.
The more complex network characteristics is, the evaluation of C/I and coverage is more difficult and therefore KPI performance
evaluation is even more difficult. Combined use of features also increases the difficulty in KPI evaluation. As a result, the
accuracy of KPI performance evaluation is unlikely to be 100%but we will try our best to approach 100% as much as possible.

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Contents
Relationships Between Network Performance and Network Characteristics

KPI Performance Evaluation Methods

(1) Macroscopic Evaluation Method EFL

(2) Microscopic Evaluation Method Refining Network Architecture

(3) Impact of Features

(4) Experience Compensation

Refarming Cases

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(1) KPI Performance Macroscopic Evaluation Method

Effective Frequency Load (EFL)
Similar to CDMA network, GSM networks in big cities now become self-interference limited systems. In interference-limited
scenarios, the more the effective traffic loads per frequency band (EFL), the interference becomes more serious. Accordingly,
KPIs deteriorate.
Macroscopic
qualitative
evaluation in
preliminary
stage

Macroscopic evaluation: EFL changes C/I changes KPIs change

EFL = Equivalent traffic/Effective coverage scope/Number of available frequencies = Number of TRXs per area x Carrier Utilization Rate/Number

of available frequencies, where Carrier Utilization Rate = (Full-rate calls (Erl) + Half-rate calls (Erl)/2 + PS equivalent traffic)/Number of TRXs, PS
equivalent traffic = Average number of occupied PDCHs.

The following is an example for the impact of EFL on KPIs:

94 Available
Frequencies

Number
of
900MHz
Macro
Sites per
Area

Chengdu

4.729

6.34

89.94

51%

Hangzhou

6.699

4.39

88.2

Shijiangzhuang

3.744

7.314

Tianjin

3.482

6.02

Shijiangzhuang

Average
Number of
Number Number
Carrier
Frequencies
of
of TRXs Utilization
Occupied
Carriers per Area
Rate
by TCH
per Cell

EFL

Call Drop
Rate on TCH
per Cell
(Excluding
Handover)

Success Rate
of Radio
Handovers

68

0.67455

0.84%

97.90%

41.26%

63

0.57764

82.14

39%

71

0.451192

0.73%

99.10%

62.88

43.24%

66

0.411959

0.70%

99.20%

Chengdu

Hangzhou

Tianjin

EFL in Chengdu is highest, which leads to lowest C/I and worst network performance.

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(1) KPI Performance Macroscopic Evaluation Method

Refarming Scenarios
The network performance after refarming depends on the following factors:
(1) Decrease in frequency resources: Available frequencies decrease EFL increases/tight frequency reuse Interference is stronger Network performance is
worse
(2) Traffic migration scheme: Traffic migration Traffic density changes/Average site type decreases/TCHH proportion increases EFL changes Interference
changes Network performance changes
TCHH proportion changes:
In refarming scenarios, increasing TCHH proportion is commonly used for load sharing and affects the indicators MOS and HQI.
Traffic migration between 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands:
Traffic in refarming frequency band decreases EFL decreases Interference decreases Network performance is better
Traffic migration to UMTS/LTE network:
GSM traffic decreases EFL decreases Interference decreases Network performance is better
Site type/configuration changes:
The decrease in frequency resources leads to an increase in EFL and tightness in frequency reuse and a decrease in network performance. Therefore, certain networks after traffic
migration will reduce their configurations (or increase TCHH proportion, or migrate traffic to other frequency bands or other network modes) to decrease frequency reuse tightness, EFL
and interference.

(3) Distance between sites and terrain feature: They remain unchanged after refarming and therefore their impact on network performance can be ignored.
(4) Coverage scope:
Power-matching is necessary before and after refarming to ensure the consistency of coverage. However, coverage scope may experience changes under the following
circumstances which should be concerned in power-matching and preventive measures (increasing TRX modules and transmit power at the top of the BTS cabinet ) should

be taken.
A. When the UMTS 900 MHz is enabled and shares multicarrier modules with GSM network, the carrier power of GSM decreases and the coverage becomes worse.
B. Antenna changes (for example, decrease in antenna gains when a new frequency band is enabled) or GU antenna-sharing (involving combining and power loss).
C. Impact of GU antenna-sharing on the GSM network:
After refarming, if GU antenna-sharing scheme is used and GSM antenna parameters follow UMTS, GSM coverage cannot be optimized, which has negative impact on KPIs.

(5) Impact of small frequency spacing between GSM and UMTS networks on the GSM network:
In GU small frequency spacing scenario, when the UMTS is enabled it exerts extra interference on the GSM. The stronger the interference, the worse the GSM network
performance.

(6) Enabling the relevant features and functions (refer to gains of the features in sales guide) may affect KPIs.

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(2) KPI Performance Microscopic

Evaluation Method

This method
can be used
in bid
answering.

1. Refined evaluation: Based on the impact of network characteristics , obtain KPI 1

Frequency resource, average site type, frequency reuse pattern, traffic; coverage scope, distance
between sites, terrain feature...

2. Impact of features: Based on specifications for its impact on performance KPIs,

obtain KPI 2.
Power control, DTX, EICC, VAMOS, IBCA

Obtain
network

3. Experience compensation: Based on the live network experience, modify the KPI
changes.

KPIs

Live network KPIs, live network-based C/I changes, experience in delivered refarming projects

Degradation of KPIsAfter Refarming = (KPIsAfter Refarming KPIsBefore Refarming)/KPIsBefore Refarming

Description:
1.

Preestimate the KPIs before and after refarming respectively, and obtain the change tendency and change
amplitude of KPIs.

2.

On enhanced dual-band network, estimate the KPIs of the two frequency bands respectively, then obtain the
KPIs of the network based on the ratio of underlaid TRXs to overlaid TRXs.

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(2) Microscopic Evaluation Method Refined

Network Architecture
Microscopic KPI performance evaluation is mainly based on the following network

characteristics:
Frequency resources, average site type, frequency reuse pattern of BCCH/TCH;
Coverage scope, distance between sites, terrain feature, frequency band;
Traffic per channel, Percentage of half-rate calls, AMR penetration rate;
Based on data collection and analysis on the live network, perform KPI baseline fitting
according to the network characteristics and obtain KPI baseline values of similar
networks.
For details about the impact of relevant network characteristics on KPIs, see the
following parts of the slide.

In refarming scenarios, the following factors are likely to change:

(1)

Frequency resources decrease Frequency reuse pattern changes

Interference increases Network performance is worse

(2)

Traffic migration Traffic per channel changes Average site type decreases
Percentage of half-rate calls increases Interference changes Network
performance changes

(3)

Coverage scope changes (For details, see the relevant description in Page 6.)

(4)

Distance between sites and terrain feature: The two factors remain unchanged after
refarming and therefore their impact on network performance can be ignored.

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(2.1) Impact of Decreased Frequency Resources on C/I

Strongly Correlated to Refarming
Frequency resources decrease Tightness of frequency reuse pattern increases EFL and
FRLOAD increase C/I is lower Network performance is worse
The following figure shows the decreasing tendency of C/I based on the changes in frequency reuse pattern.

Frequency reuse pattern: 6x3 5x3 4x3 3x3 2x3

Note: Y (on the vertical axis) is the percentage of C/I lower than x (on the horizontal axis).

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(2.1) Relationship Between C/I, RxQuality, BER and

Network Performance
The bit error rate or bit error ratio (BER) is the number of bit errors divided by the total number of transferred bits
during a studied time interval. The BER can be considered as an approximate estimate of the bit error probability
for a long time interval.
RxQuality is used to evaluate the call quality by calculating the BER in radio communication. It can be obtained
in traffic measurement statistics.
The following table shows that if C/I becomes lower, BER and RxQuality are affected and further KPI changes.
C/I
[dB]

BER Range (%)

RxQuality [Reported Values

Specified by 3GPP TS]

Impact on KPI

23

BER < 0.2 %

RXQUAL_0

19

0.2 % < BER < 0.4 %

RXQUAL_1

lower RxQuality is

17

0.4 % < BER < 0.8 %

RXQUAL_2

higher KPI is better.

15

0.8 % < BER < 1.6 %

RXQUAL_3

13

1.6 % < BER < 3.2 %

RXQUAL_4

Base on data

11

3.2 % < BER < 6.4 %

RXQUAL_5

collection and analysis

6.4 % < BER < 12.8 %

RXQUAL_6

on the live network,

RXQUAL_7

C/I is higher BER is

perform KPI baseline

fitting and obtain the

Figure 1 shows that BER improvement is

correlation between

12.8 % < BER

based on the increase in C/I.

C/I and KPI of similar

networks.

Correlation between C/I with BER, RxQuality and KPI

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(2.2) Impact on TCHH Proportion changes Correlated to

Refarming
Owing to the decrease in frequency resources, the frequency planning is inconvenient.
Therefore, TRX configuration of the GSM network is reduced. To prevent system
capacity being limited, TCHH proportion is increased. The full-rate transmission rate of

Um interfaces is 16 kbit/s, while HR supports 8 kbit/s which deteriorates user

experience, the MOS scores, and HQI.

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(2.3) Impact of Distance Between Sites

Cell 1 (F1)

Cell 1 (F1)

Cell 2 (F2)

Cell 4 (F2)

Cell 2 (F2)

Cell 3 (F1)

Cell 5 (F2)

Cell 3 (F1)

The distance between sites is unlikely to change after refarming. Therefore, it seldom deteriorates the network performance. Due to the difference in

distance between sites, the absolute values of KPIs are different.

Distance between sites decreases Overlapped coverage scope increases (interfered cells may increase) C/I decreases
Network performance is worse

In the preceding figure, cells 4 and 5 are added and use the frequency F2. Cell 2 uses the frequency F1. Assuming that the height and downtilt
of the antenna remain unchanged, the overlapped coverage between cells 1 and 3 remains unchanged but interfered cells increase.
Therefore, if the height and downtilt of antenna remain unchanged, the distance between sites decreases, the number of cells within the

overlapped coverage scope increases. Accordingly, the uplink of the current cell is interfered by the uplink of neighboring cells and the
network performance deteriorates.

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(3) Impact of Features

Functions and Features Changes(XX->YY)

BSC Version
Huawei III Power Control
DTX
ICC/EICC
TFO
MCPA
IBCA
VAMOS
GU Antenna Sharing
GU 3.8 MHz

Any mature and usable feature is tested and verified in relevant

V900R012

scenarios and released in official documents such as sales

Used
Unused
Unused
Unused
Unused
Unused
Unused
Unused
Unused

guide. The procedure for evaluating network KPIs based on the

impact of features are as follows:
Step 1: Obtain the application scenarios of the feature and
specifications for its impact on performance KPIs in different
scenarios by referring to the relevant released documents.
Step 2: Evaluate whether the feature should be enabled and the
impact on network performance when it is enabled.
Step 3: Based on KPI 1 and the impact of features, obtain KPI 2.

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(4) Experience Compensation/Correction Factors

This evaluation method typically reflects the performance of similar networks which, however, may be different
from the live network performance. The reasons is as follows:
(1) Different networks have different characteristics such as the terrain feature, average distance between
sites in the whole network and actual distance between sites in each subnetwork. This may decrease the
accuracy in the preestimated KPIs before refarming.
(2) Difference in capability of network optimization may lead to KPIs difference even in similar network
scenarios.
The following information can be used to correct the preestimated KPIs before refarming:
Live network KPIs before refarming
It is better to provide the live network KPIs before refarming. If there is a large difference between the preestimated KPIs before refarming
and the live network KPIs, calculate the absolute values of KPIs after refarming based on the live network KPIs and the preestimated KPIs
before refarming changing amplitude. (Note: In refarming scenarios, it is better to promise the changing amplitude of KPIs instead of the
absolute value of KPIs. This is because the absolute value of the live network KPIs may change because traffic may increase during the
period between GSM migration and bid answering.)

Simulation results based on C/I of the live network before and after refarming (using relevant engineering
parameters and digital maps)
The C/I values on the similar networks are discrete. Based on the concrete C/I value on the live network, KPI baseline values on the similar
networks can be changed to adapt to the live network.

Experience in delivered refarming projects can be learned.

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Contents
Relationships Between Network Performance and Network Characteristics
KPI Performance Evaluation Methods
(1) Macroscopic Evaluation Method EFL
(2) Microscopic Evaluation Method Refined Network Architecture
(3) Impact of Features
(4) Experience Compensation

Refarming Cases

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Case 1: French SFR Refarming Project (in Rural Area)

Spectrum information: Before refarming: Frequency band: 900 MHz Bandwidth: 9.8 MHz;

After refarming: Frequency band: 900 MHz Bandwidth: 5.6 MHz

Product version: SRAN 3.0; Module type: MRRU
Refarming Project Implementation Process:
1.

Replan the frequency on the original NSN network (NSN still uses the 9.8 MHz bandwidth, and the TRXs to be reduced use the 4.2
MHz bandwidth which will be given away to UMTS 900MHz.)

2.

Migrate the GSM 900 MHz to Huawei equipment. Disable some of the GSM carriers and enable the UMTS 900 MHz carriers (The
frequency bandwidth on the GSM network is reduced to 5.6 MHz).

GSM 900MHz Configuration Reduction Scheme (Average frequency reuse changes from 49/2.87 = 17 to 29/2.52 = 11.5.)
Before Refarming

After Refarming

Number
of
Sectors

Number of
TRXs

Average Site
Type

Number
of
Sectors

Number of
TRXs

Average Site
Type

93

267

S2.87

93

234

S2.52

Comparison of KPIs Before and After Refarming (Decrease in Frequency Resources, Tight Frequency Reuse, Increase in

Interference, Decrease in Call Drop Rate)

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Case 2: AIS Refarming Project in Thailand (Distance

Between Sites in HYI Urban Area - 500 m)
Spectrum information: Before refarming: Frequency band: 900 MHz Bandwidth: 17.5 MHz;

After refarming: Frequency band: 900 MHz Bandwidth: 12.5 MHz

Refarming Project Implementation Process:

GSM 1800 MHz migration + capacity expansion (March 27, 2011 April 12, 2011)

Migrate traffic from 900 MHz to 1800 MHz frequency bands (Continuous implementation starts from April 17, 2011; A small quantity of
traffic has been migrated after 1800 MHz migration.)

Refarming GSM 900 MHz (Implemented on NSN equipment and completed on May 4, 2011. The GSM 900 MHz still uses the 17.5 MHz
frequency bandwidth. The TRXs to be reduced use the 5 MHz frequency bandwidth which will be given to the UMTS 900 MHz.)

Remove 5 MHz frequency bandwidth on the 900 MHz frequency band and reduce the configuration of GSM 900 MHz (Implemented on
NSN equipment and completed on May 8, 2011.)

GSM 900 MHz Configuration Reduction Scheme Before and After Refarming (FrLoad increases from 20% to 25%.)
Before Refarming
Frequency
Bandwidth
17.5 MHz

Frequency
Reuse Pattern
BCCH:9*3
TCH:5*3

After Refarming
Average
Site Type

Frequency
Bandwidth

S5

12.5 MHz

Frequency
Reuse Pattern
BCCH:7*3
TCH:4*3

Average Site
Type

Proportion of
Migrated Traffic

S4

About 6%

Comparison of KPIs on the GSM 900 MHz Network Before and After Refarming

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Thank you
www.huawei.com

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