3G to 2G IRAT Handover

T-Mobile FSC
UMTS Performance Team

1
 AGENDA

T-Mobile IRAT Policy

IRAT Handover Scope
IRAT Neighbor List Creation
IRAT Neighbor list planning and verification tools
Ericsson 3G to 2G Handover Algorithm
Nokia 3G to 2G Handover Algorithm
IRAT Scenarios
IRAT Parameter Recommendations

2
 T-Mobile IRAT Policy

IRAT should be used mainly for rescue mode handovers

and not for traffic steering due to its longer interruption
times and higher failure rates.
During the initial network launch, CS traffic should be
evenly divided between GSM and UMTS networks while
PS traffic should be mainly directed to the UMTS
network.
When the PS traffic volume increases and becomes
dominant, PS traffic should be directed to the UMTS
network and CS traffic should be directed to the GSM
network.
UE should be preferably cell-camping on UMTS because
of its superior data capability.
3
 Optimal IRAT Policy
Load and or PS data traffic volume
is low (< 20%)
Cell camping UE should camp on UMTS when
first powered on
UE should camp on UMTS with
"aggressive" cell-reselection
thresholds
The UMTS cell-camping area
allows to be expanded because
the load is low.
CS Voice Handover should be used mainly
handover for rescue reasons
Load-based handovers may be
used as a near term means to
steer voice traffic to some degree
but significant compromise in
efficiency and quality can be
expected.
Handover mechanism of the
following trigger-type should be
supported. These handover
mechanism should support both
from UMTS to GSM and from
GSM to UMTS:
coverage -based
quality-based
load based
service based
PS Data The cell change and PS HO should
handover/cell be supported as detailed in the
change 3GPP inter-system Mobility
Mechanisms
Load and or PS data traffic volume
is high (> 20%)
UE should camp on UMTS when
powered on
UE should camp on UMTS with
"fair" cell-reselection thresholds.
The UMTS cell-camping area
should be set back to normal
when the load is high
Handover should be used mainly
for rescue reasons
Load-based handovers may be
used as a near term means to
steer voice traffic to some degree
but significant compromise in
efficiency and quality can be
expected.
Handover mechanism of the
following trigger-type should be
supported. These handover
mechanism should support both
from UMTS to GSM and from
GSM to UMTS:
coverage -based
quality-based
load based
service based
The cell change and PS HO should
be supported as detailed in the 3GPP
inter-system Mobility Mechanisms
4
 IRAT Handover Scope

Offload the GSM speech traffic by utilizing UMTS

networks where available to carry CS traffic.

Keep UMTS capable UEs on UMTS coverage as long as

possible with an acceptable call quality.

Handover 3G UEs to GSM while leaving UMTS

coverage areas before call quality degradation.

2G to 3G reselection can be used for 3G UEs to select a

UMTS cell when back in UMTS coverage (reserved for
future discussion).

5
 3G to 2G Neighbor List Creation

STRATEGY

Create GSM neighbor lists for all UMTS cells in the network
irrespective of their location.

Optimize the GSM neighbor list in order to minimize the time taken
to make compressed mode measurements by UE.

Utilize existing 2G neighbor lists where possible to create 3G to 2G

neighbor pairs.

Use planning tools for validation checks on 2G neighbor lists

created from above step.

3 different solutions based on UMTS overlay configuration.

6
 3G to 2G Neighbor List Creation

Scenario 1 - 1:1 overlay with matched azimuths

UMTS site overlay with GSM site.

UMTS azimuths are within +/- 15 degrees of GSM

azimuths.

UMTS uses antennas with a horizontal beam width equal

to 65 or 90 degrees.

Recommended size is 11 neighbors with 8 from the

following procedure and 3 reserved for missing GSM
cells after validation checks.
7
 3G to 2G Neighbor List Creation
Scenario 1 - 1:1 overlay with matched azimuths

Identify the underlying GSM cell for the UMTS cell.

Add the underlying GSM cell to the top of the neighbor list.

Add the other 2 sectors of the co-located GSM site to this list with priority 2
and 3 .

Using GSM statistics, order the remaining 2G neighbors of the GSM cell as
per number of handover completions. Choose the top 5 neighbors and add
it to the bottom of the above created list

Validate the list using visual checks or planning tools to make sure none of
the obvious neighbors are missing.

Make sure that all required in-building GSM cells are included, otherwise
add them as necessary.

Extend the number of neighbors beyond 11 only if necessary to

accommodate any missing 2G neighbors. 8
 3G to 2G Neighbor List Creation
Scenario 2 - 1:1 overlay with mis-matched azimuths

UMTS site overlay with GSM site.

UMTS azimuths are more than +/- 15 degrees different from GSM
azimuths.

This solution can also be used for overlay sites with matched
azimuths that have a narrow horizontal beam width.

Recommended size is 14 neighbors with 11 neighbors from the

following procedure and 3 reserved for any missing neighbors after
validation checks.

9
 3G to 2G Neighbor List Creation
Scenario 2 - 1:1 overlay with mis-matched azimuths

Add all 3 sectors of the co-located GSM site to the top of the 3G -> 2G
neighbor list.

Identify the two closest co-located GSM sectors for the UMTS cell.

Using GSM statistics, order the combined 2G neighbor list of these 2 GSM
sectors as per number of handover completions. Choose the top 8
neighbors and add it to the bottom of the above created list.

Validate the list using visual checks or planning tools to make sure none of
the obvious neighbors are missing.

Make sure that all required in-building GSM cells are included, otherwise
add them as necessary.

Extend the number of neighbors beyond 14 only if necessary to

accommodate any missing 2G neighbors.

10
 3G to 2G Neighbor List Creation
Scenario 3 UMTS site without overlay

UMTS site without a co-located GSM site.

Create neighbor list from scratch using visual checks or

planning tools as for a new site.

Recommended size is 11 neighbors.

Extend the number of neighbors beyond 11 only if

necessary to accommodate any missing 2G neighbors.

11
 3G to 2G Neighbor List Planning
and Verification Tools
The FSC RF Engineering team has created some tools that helps the
engineers to check statistics, parameter settings, co-located cells,
missing GSM neighbors and more.

Under the GSM area the following features can be used to collect and
plan GSM neighbors for UMTS cells:
New Site Performance Tool
Cell Configuration

The GSM neighbor list existing auditing features for UMTS cells are:
Co-located UTRAN and GSM cells
Missing co-located GSM neighbors
Missing GSM neighbors (coming soon)

The following slides present some snapshots of the tool. This tool can
be accessed at the following link:
<http://rf.eng.t-mobile.com/reports/reports.aspx>
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 FSC RF Engineering Tool
Reports Menu
The following picture shows the FSC RF Engineering tool Reports Menu
window.

13
 FSC RF Engineering Tool
Cell Configuration feature
The cell configuration option allows the user to check the configuration and
defined neighbors of the GSM cell.

14
 FSC RF Engineering Tool
New Site Performance Tool feature
This feature provides statistical information for the cell performance. It also has
a specific section for handover attempts that can help to prioritize the
neighbors

15
 FSC RF Engineering Tool
Co-located UTRAN and GSM cells feature
The cell configuration option allows the user to check which UMTS cells are co-
located on GSM cells and what cell is that.

16
 FSC RF Engineering Tool
Missing co-located GSM neighbors feature
This feature allows the engineer to check if there are any missing co-located
cells in the GSM neighbors that have been defined for the UMTS cell.

17
Ericsson 3G to 2G Handover
Algorithm

18
 IRAT Feature Activation Parameters

C_GsmHoAllowed: IRAT handover is

only attempted if this parameter is set
to Allowed for the current UeRc state.
This is a constant hard coded value.

FddGsmHoSupp : This should be set to

TRUE to enable IRAT functionality.

19
IRAT Interaction with Inter Frequency Handover
hoType: set per Cell. Indicates if IRAT Handover or Inter-Frequency HO or None shall be
evaluated in case both Inter RAT and Inter-Frequency neighboring cells have been
configured.

If all cells in the Active Set have hoType = None, neither Inter-Frequency nor Inter-
RAT handover will be attempted.
If at least one cell in Active Set has hoType = GSM-Preferred and no cell has hoType
= IF-Preferred, IRAT handover will be attempted.
If at least one cell in Active Set have hoType = IF-Preferred, Inter-Frequency
handover will be attempted.

defaultHoType: Parameter set per carrier per DRNC. Indicates hoType for external cells.
If not defined then IRAT is preferred.

Recommendation:
Set hotype = GSM-Preferred for all cells at the edge of the network and around
coverage holes.
When we have more than 1 carrier set hotype = GSM-Preferred for UMTS cells at the
edge of coverage and set hoType = IF-Preferred for other cells within the core. This
strategy can be reviewed when we have more than 1 carrier.

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 3G to 2G Handover Procedure

Event criteria is triggered for connection quality

monitoring based on
CPICH EcNo in DL
CPICH RSCP in DL
UE TX power in UL

Event based GSM Measurements reporting

Identification of target cell

Inter-System HO execution
21
 Event based connection quality monitoring

Connection quality is monitored on DL using CPICH RSCP and CPICH

Ec/No
Connection quality is monitored on UL using UE Tx power.
Connection quality is checked in the following priority order: first downlink
CPICH Ec/No, then downlink CPICH RSCP, then uplink Ue TX power. The
measurement quantity is then set automatically depending on the check
result.
If at least one of the conditions (Rscp, Ec/No or UE Tx power) is bad, then
RNC starts an IRAT handover attempt (if hoType = GSM-Preferred).
If all the 3 conditions become good, then the IRAT handover attempt will be
aborted.
The DL Ec/No measurement can be disabled by setting
TimeToTrigger2dEcno = 5000.
The DL Rscp measurement can be disabled by setting
TimeToTrigger2dRscp = 5000.
The UL UE Tx measurement can be disabled by setting
txPowerConnQualMonEnabled = False.

22
 Concept of Filtering, Weighting and Offsets
The measured values are filtered by the UE before comparison with the event
criteria.
The filtering is performed according to the following formula:
Fn = (1a) Fn-1 + a Mn
Fn is the updated filtered measurement result
Fn-1 is the old filtered measurement result
Mn is the latest received measurement result from physical layer measurements
a = ^(k/2), where k is the parameter received in the IE "Filter coefficient". When K=1, a=0.707 and k=2, a=0.5

A weighting factor is used to include active set cells other than the best cell in
evaluation criteria for reporting events.
The measured value after weighting will be
N
W 10 Log M i (1 W ) 10 LogM Best
A

i 1
Mi is a measurement result of a cell in the active set
NA is the number of cells in the current active set
MBest is the measurement result of the cell in the active set with the highest measurement result
W is the weighting factor
Further detail on the weighting can be found in 3GPP TS 25.331: "RRC Protocol Specification".
A weighting factor of 0 (FSC recommended value) enables the evaluation based
only on the best cell in the active set.
By applying an offset, the UE sends a MEASUREMENT REPORT message back
to the SRNC as if the measured value is offset higher (positive offset) or offset
lower (negative offset) than reality. The parameter individualOffset can be used for
this purpose.
Improper use of non-zero offset value may result in instability and unequal cell
borders. FSC recommended value for individualOffset = 0.
23
Concept of Event 2d and 2f reporting

24
 Event 2d/2f: CPICH EcNo in DL
Event 2d is used to evaluate if a connection quality is bad.
Event 2f is used to evaluate if the connection quality is good.
usedFreqThresh2dEcno: indicates threshold to trigger event 2d for Ec/No.
hysteresis2d : Hysteresis used for event 2d.
timeToTrigger2dEcno : Interval time between detection of event 2d and sending
of the measurement report, when the measurement quantity is Ec/No.
usedFreqRelThresh2fEcno :Relative threshold for event 2f for Ec/No.
hysteresis2f : Hysteresis used for event 2f.
timeToTrigger2fEcno: Interval time between detection of event 2f and sending of
the measurement report, when the measurement quantity is Ec/No
filtercoefficient2 : coefficient used to filter measured values before comparing to
event criteria.
usedFreqW2d: weighting factor for event 2d.
usedFreqW2f : weighting factor for event 2f.

25
 Event 2d/2f: CPICH RSCP in DL
Event 2d is used to evaluate if a connection quality is bad.
Event 2f is used to evaluate if the connection quality is good.
usedFreqThresh2dRscp: indicates threshold to trigger event 2d for RSCP.
hysteresis2d : Hysteresis used for event 2d.
timeToTrigger2dRscp : Interval time between detection of event 2d and sending
of the measurement report, when the measurement quantity is RSCP.
usedFreqRelThresh2fRscp :Relative threshold for event 2f for RSCP.
hysteresis2f : Hysteresis used for event 2f.
timeToTrigger2fRscp: Interval time between detection of event 2f and sending of
the measurement report, when the measurement quantity is RSCP.
filtercoefficient2 : coefficient used to filter measured values before comparing to
event criteria.
usedFreqW2d: weighting factor for event 2d.
usedFreqW2f : weighting factor for event 2f

26
Event 6d/6b: UE Tx power exceeds maximum
value
Event 6d is used to evaluate if a connection quality is bad.
Event 6b is used to evaluate if the connection quality is good.
There is no threshold to trigger event 6d. The UE Tx power is compared
to its maximum transmit power P_max in order to trigger IRAT
measurements.
txPowerConnQualMonEnabled: Enables or disables the connection quality
monitoring based on UE Tx power.
ueTxPowerThresh6b: The threshold used for trigger event 6b when UE TX
power becomes less than an absolute threshold.
timeToTrigger6d: Interval time between detection of event 6d and sending of the
measurement report.
timeTrigg6b: Interval time between detection of event 6b and sending of the
measurement report.
filterCoeff6 : Coefficient for layer 3 filtering before UE internal measurement
reporting evaluation.

27
Active Set Update Effect on connection quality
monitoring
The parameters hoType, usedFreqThresh2dEcno and
usedFreqThresh2dRscp are the only cell based IRAT parameters.

All other IRAT related parameters are RNC-based and will have the
same value for all cells.

If the value of 2d threshold changes as a result of an Active Set

update for the Ec/No or the Rscp measurement, due to different
settings of the cell parameter usedFreqThresh2dEcno or
usedFreqThresh2dRscp, the corresponding measurements using
event 2d and event 2f must be modified with the new thresholds.

28
 Event 3a - GSM Measurement Reporting
When the connection quality is bad, measurements on GSM cells are activated.
The UE is configured to report measurements according to event 3a.
Ongoing IRAT measurements might need to be modified as a result of an Active Set update. If the
GSM monitored set is changed, the new GSM monitored set must be sent to the Ue
When an IRAT handover attempted is started, the same measurement quantity that triggered the
bad quality is used.
If connection quality trigger is
CPICH Ec/No
event 3a is triggered when
the estimated quality < usedFreqThresh2dEcno + utranRelThresh3aEcno - hysteresis3a/2
and
measured GSM carrier RSSI > gsmThresh3a, for at least TimeToTrigger3a
CPICH RSCP
event 3a is triggered when
the estimated quality < usedFreqThresh2dRscp + utranRelThresh3aRscp - hysteresis3a/2
and
measured GSM carrier RSSI > gsmThresh3a, for at least TimeToTrigger3a
UE Tx power
event 3a is triggered when
the estimated quality < usedFreqThresh2dRscp + utranRelThresh3aRscp +
utranRelThreshRscp - hysteresis3a/2
and
measured GSM carrier RSSI > gsmThresh3a, for at least TimeToTrigger3a

29
Concept of Event 3a reporting

30
 Event 3a Parameter definitions
utranRelThresh3aEcno: Relative threshold for event 3a versus event 2d
when the 2d measurement quantity is CPICH Ec/No.
utranRelThresh3aRscp: Relative threshold for event 3a versus event 2d
when the 2d measurement quantity is CPICH RSCP.
timeToTrigger3a: Time between detection of event 3a and sending of the
measurement report.
Hysteresis3a: Hysteresis used for event 3a.
gsmThresh3a: Threshold for event 3a (the estimated quality of the currently
used UTRAN RAN frequency is below a certain threshold and the estimated
quality of the GSM system is above a certain threshold) for GSM.
individual offset: The offset is added to the measured quantity before the UE
evaluates whether an event has occurred. Improper use of non-default
values may result in instability and unequal cell borders. Recommended
value is 0 for network launch.
maxGsmMonSubset: Maximum number of GSM cells that the UE will
measure on. It is recommended to keep this value to the default = 32.
utranFilterCoefficient3: Coefficient for layer 3 filtering of UTRAN quality
before inter-RAT reporting evaluation.
utranW3a: Weighting factor for event 3a for UTRAN.

31
 GSM Measurements Cancellation
When the UE is measuring for IRAT Handover, the evaluation is stopped in
case
the UeRC state does not allow the evaluation to continue (e.g. due to rate
connection switching)

the GSM Monitored Set becomes empty at Active Set update

the connection quality becomes good, i.e. if an event 2f or event 6b or both occur
before event 3a occurs.

32
 Identification of Target Cell
If the RNC receives a second event 3a MEASUREMENT REPORT while it
is already processing one, the new report is buffered.

RNC uses the measurement report from event 3a and orders the GSM cells
according to their GSM quality measure.

It discards all cells whose GSM Carrier RSSI is below GsmThresh3a, and
cells that are not BSIC verified.

RNC chooses the GSM cell with the best RSSI as the target cell for IRAT
handover.

If the IRAT handover to the target cell fails, and if there are soft handover
reports buffered, RNC uses these to perform soft handover.

If the IRAT handover fails, and there is a buffered 3a measurement report,

RNC uses this buffered report to find a new GSM target for handover.

33
 Identification of Target Cell Contd.

If the IRAT handover fails with cause "Relocation Preparation

Failure" or Handover/CellChange from Utran Failure and there is
more than one GSM cell in the 3a measurement report, repeated
attempts shall be made for these cells in quality order based on the
following parameters.

gsmAmountPropRepeat: Maximum number of repeated attempts (not

including the first attempt) of GSM cells for handover based on the
same measurement report.

gsmPropRepeatInterval: Minimum time interval between proposals of

the same GSM cell for handover based on the same measurement
report.

If the IRAT handover failure cause is Other, then the IRAT

algorithm will be terminated and the UE stays on UMTS.

34
Nokia 3G to 2G Handover
Algorithm

35
 IRAT Feature Activation Parameters

GsmHandoverAMR: determines whether an IRAT handover to

GSM is allowed for circuit-switched voice services.

GsmHandoverCS: determines whether an IRAT handover to GSM

is allowed for circuit-switched data services.

GsmHandoverRtPS: determines whether an IRAT handover (cell

change) to GSM/GPRS is allowed for real-time packet-switched data
services in CELL_DCH state of connected mode

GsmHandoverNrtPS: determines whether an inter-system

handover (cell change) to GSM/GPRS is allowed for non real-time
packet-switched data services in CELL_DCH state of connected
mode

36
IRAT Interaction with Inter Frequency Handover
If a UMTS cell has both IRAT and Inter frequency neighbors, the RNC determines the
priorities between inter-frequency and -system handovers on the basis of Service
Handover IE value.
The RNC receives the Service Handover IE from the core network in the RAB
ASSIGNMENT REQUEST or RELOCATION REQUEST (RANAP) message.
Should be handed over to GSM:
Handover to GSM has priority over the inter-frequency handover. In this case the RNC shall
not start inter-frequency measurements until the inter-system (GSM) measurements are
completed.
Should not be handed over to GSM:
Inter-frequency handover has priority over the handover to GSM. In this case the RNC shall
not start the GSM measurements until the inter-frequency measurements are completed.
Shall not be handed over to GSM:
Inter-frequency handover has priority over the handover to GSM. In this case the RNC shall
not start GSM measurements or handover to GSM even if no neighboring cell is good
enough for the quality and/or coverage reason inter-frequency handover. This means that the
RNC does not initiate handover to GSM for the UE unless the RABs with this indication have
first been released with the normal release procedures.
If the RNC does not receive the Service Handover IE from the core network, inter-
frequency handover has priority over inter-system handover as a default value.

37
 3G to 2G Handover Procedure

Event criteria is triggered based on

CPICH EcNo in DL
CPICH RSCP in DL
UE TX power in UL
Other available criteria to trigger IRAT measurements
are
BTS Downlink radio link power exceeds threshold
UL dedicated traffic channel quality deterioration report triggered
by Outer Loop Power Control
Recommendation is to enable IRAT handover based on Cpich
Ec/No, Cpich Rscp and UE Tx power for network launch.
Periodic GSM Measurements reporting
Identification of target cell
Inter-System HO execution
38
 Event based measurement triggering

FSC recommendation is to limit IRAT measurements triggering to CPICH RSCP,

CPICH Ec/No and UE Tx power for UMTS network launch.
Low CPICH RSCP or Low CPICH Ec/No compared to pre-defined thresholds trigger
event 1F.
Event 1E is triggered when CPICH RSCP or CPICH Ec/No becomes better than the
defined thresholds.
Event 6A is triggered when the UE Tx power becomes greater than a pre-defined
threshold.
Event 6B is triggered when the UE Tx power decreases compared to the pre-defined
threshold.
The handover cause, which has triggered first has the highest priority. RNC does not
stop or modify ongoing GSM measurements and handover decision procedures if
another handover cause is triggered during the handover procedures.
In case of low CPICH RSCP or low CPICH Ec/No, RNC starts GSM measurements
only when event 1F is triggered for all cells in the active set.
The RNC does not break off ongoing inter-system measurements if it receives event
1E or event 6B triggered measurement reports from the UE during the IRAT Handover
process

39
 Concept of events 1F and 1E
CM NO NO NO NO NO YES
Cell A OK OK 1F OK 1F 1F
Cell B OK OK OK OK OK 1F
Cell C OK 1F 1F OK 1F 1F

Ec/No
Cell A

Cell B

Cell C

HHOEcNoCancel

HHOEcNoThreshold

HHOEcNoTimeHysteresis
HHOEcNoCancelTime

Cell C meets the threshold Cell A triggers Cell A triggers

for event 1F but not for
event 1F event 1F
HHOEcNoTimeHysteresis Cell A triggers
Cell C triggers Cell B triggers 40
event 1E
event 1F event 1F
Parameter definitions for low measured CPICH
EcNo in DL
GSMcauseCPICHEcNo: indicates whether IRAT handover to GSM based on low
measured Ec/No is enabled.

HHOEcNoThreshold: indicates EcNo value to trigger event 1F.

HHOEcNoTimeHysteresis: time period during which the CPICH Ec/No of the

active set cell must stay worse than the threshold HHoEcNoThreshold before
the UE can trigger reporting event 1F.

HHOEcNoCancel: EcNo value to trigger event 1E.

(HHOEcNoCancel> HHOEcNoThreshold)

HHOEcNoCancelTime, determines the time period during which the CPICH

Ec/No of the active set cell must stay better than the threshold
HHoEcNoCancel before the UE can trigger reporting event 1E.

EcNoFilterCoefficient, controls the higher layer filtering of physical layer CPICH

EcNo measurements before the event evaluation and reporting is performed by
the UE.
41
Parameter definitions for low measured CPICH
RSCP in DL
GSMcauseCPICHrscp, indicates if HO to GSM due to low CPICH RSCP is
enabled.

HHORscpThreshold, indicates RSCP value to trigger event 1F.

HHORscpTimeHysteresis, time period during which the CPICH RSCP of the

active set cell must stay worse than the threshold HHoRscpThreshold before
the UE can trigger reporting event 1F.

HHORscpCancel, RSCP value to trigger event 1E.

(HHORscpCancel> HHORscpThreshold)

HHORscpCancelTime, determines the time period during which the CPICH

RSCP of the active set cell must stay better than the threshold
HHoRscpCancel before the UE can trigger reporting event 1E.

HHORscpFilterCoefficient, controls the higher layer filtering of physical layer

CPICH RSCP measurements before the event evaluation and reporting is
performed by the UE.
42
 Parameter Definitions for high UE Tx power
GSMcauseTxPwrUL: indicates if HO to GSM due to UE Tx power is enabled.

HHoMaxAllowedBitrateUL: defines the bit rate threshold that the maximum allocated
user bit rate in the uplink DPCH may not exceed, so that the GSM handover is
possible due to high uplink DPCH power level.

GsmUETxPwrThrAMR: UE TX power threshold for CS Voice connection.

GsmUETxPwrThrCS: UE TX power threshold for CS data connection.

GsmUETxPwrThrNrtPS: UE TX pwr threshold for a non real time PS data connection.

GsmUETxPwrThrRtPS: UE TX pwr threshold for a real time PS data connection.

GsmUETxPwrThrTimeHyst, determines the time period during which the UE transmission

power must stay below the transmission power threshold before the UE calls off the
handover cause (event 6B).

GsmUETxPwrFilterCoeff, controls the higher layer filtering of physical layer UE Tx pwr

measurements before the event evaluation and reporting is performed by the UE

The power thresholds are relative to the max TX power level a UE can use on the
DPCH in the cell (or the max RF output power capability of the UE, whichever is
lower). 43
 BTS DL radio link power exceeds threshold
The base station (BTS) measures and averages the downlink code power of each radio
link separately and reports the averaged measurement results to the controlling RNC.
These measurement reports can trigger IRAT handover to GSM when the downlink
transmission power of the radio link approaches its maximum allowed power level.
The RNC starts measurements on GSM cells if the DPCH TX power of a single radio link
exceeds the threshold.

GSMcauseTxPwrDL: indicates if HO to GSM due to high DL DPCH TX pwr is enabled

HHoMaxAllowedBitrateDL: defines the bit rate threshold that the maximum allocated user bit rate
on the downlink DPCH may not exceed, so that the GSM handover is possible due to high
downlink DPCH power level

GsmDLTxPwrThrAMR: DL DPCH TX pwr threshold for CS Voice connection.

GsmDLTxPwrThrCS: DL DPCH TX pwr threshold for CS data connection.

GsmDLTxPwrThrNrtPS: DL DPCH TX pwr threshold for a non real time PS data connection

GsmDLTxPwrThrRtPS: DL DPCH TX pwr threshold for a real time PS data connection

RLMeasRepPeriod: defines the reporting period of the Radio link measurements.

The DL DPCH TX power threshold is relative to the allocated maximum

transmission power of the DPCH 44
UL Quality deterioration report triggered by Outer
Loop Power Control
The uplink outer loop power control sends the quality deterioration report to the handover
control, if the uplink quality stays constantly worse than BLER target although the uplink
SIR target has reached the maximum value (the UE has reached either its maximum Tx
power capability or the maximum allowed transmission power level on the DPCH).
This quality deterioration report from the uplink outer loop power control can be used to
trigger off inter-system handover to GSM.
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.
Handover control does not interrupt an ongoing inter-system (GSM) measurement
procedure even if the uplink outer loop PC stops sending the quality deterioration
reports.

GSMcauseUplinkQuality: indicates whether an IRAT handover to GSM caused by Uplink DCH quality is enabled.

HHoMaxAllowedBitrateUL: defines the bit rate threshold that the maximum allocated user bit rate in the uplink
DPCH may not exceed, so that the GSM handover is possible due to high uplink DPCH power level

EnableULQualDetRep: indicates whether the uplink outer loop PC can send a quality deterioration report to handover
control when the quality stays worse than the BER/BLER target despite of the maximum uplink SIR target.

ULQualDetRepThreshold: the period during which the quality must constantly stay worse than the BER/BLER target
before the uplink outer loop PC may send a quality deterioration report.

45
 Periodic GSM Measurements Reporting
UE makes measurements on GSM neighbors using compressed mode.
The RNC makes the handover decision on the basis of the periodical inter-system
measurement reports received from the UE. GSMMeasRepInterval defines the
reporting interval for these reports.
UE measures all possible GSM neighbors during GSMNcellSearchPeriod, during
which no handover decision is made.
GSMMeasRepInterval: determines the measurement reporting interval for periodical GSM
measurements.

GSMNcellSearchPeriod: determines the number of periodical 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 neighbor cells before the
handover decision.

GsmMaxMeasPeriod: determine the max allowed duration of the GSM measurement. If the RNC is
not able to execute the handover to GSM within this time, it stops the GSM measurement.

GsmMinMeasInterval: determines the min interval between an unsuccessful IRAT measurement or

handover procedure, and the following GSM measurement procedure related to the same RRC
connection. Repetitive GSM measurements are disabled when the value of the parameter is zero

GsmMinHoInterval: determines the minimum interval between a successful handover from GSM to
UTRAN and the following IRAT handover attempt back to GSM related to the same RRC
connection.

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 Concept of GSM Measurements Reporting

1. GSMMeasRepInterval
2. GSMNcellSearchPeriod
3. GsmMaxMeasPeriod
4. GsmMinMeasInterval

47
 Identification of Target Cell
After the search period has expired, RNC evaluates the radio link properties of the
best GSM neighbor cells after every measurement report.
The RNC initiates a handover attempt to the best GSM neighbor (target) cell as soon
as the best GSM neighbor cell satisfies the required radio link properties.
If there are several GSM cells which satisfy the required radio link properties, the
RNC ranks the potential GSM cells according to the priority levels and selects the
highest ranked GSM cell to be the target cell.
A cell is ranked higher than another cell if it has a higher priority level even though its
signal strength condition is worse.
Signal strength conditions have effect only between cells which have the same
priority level.
FSC Recommendation is to datafill all GSM neighbors for each UMTS cell with
same priority so that the IRAT target is found based on signal strength
conditions. Exception to this rule should be used only on a as required basis
after network launch.
In the case of CS, RNC requests BSIC verification before IRAT handover to enable
the UE to synchronize on the target cell, as well as to identify the target when there is
more than one GSM cell with the same BCCH frequency.
In case of PS, RNC requests BSIC verification only when there is more than one
GSM cell with same BCCH frequency.

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 Identification of Target Cell Contd
The RNC initiates a handover attempt to the best GSM neighbor (target) cell
as soon as the best GSM neighbor cell satisfies the required radio link
properties.
AVE_RXLEV_NCELL(n) > AdjgRxLevMinHO (n) + max( 0, AdjgTxPwrMaxTCH (n) - P_MAX )
AVE_RXLEV_NCELL(n) is the averaged GSM carrier RSSI value of the GSM neighbor cell (n)
P_MAX indicates the maximum RF output power capability of the UE (dBm) in GSM
AdjgTxPwrMaxTCH indicates the maximum transmission power (dBm) a UE may use in the GSM neighbor cell (n)

AdjgRxLevMinHO : minimum required RSSI (dBm) level which the averaged RSSI value
of the GSM neighbor cell (n) must exceed before the inter-RAT handover is possible.

AdjgTxPwrMaxTCH: the maximum transmission power (dBm) a UE may use in the GSM
neighbor cell.

GsmMeasAveWindow : maximum number of periodical GSM measurement reports

(maximum size of the sliding averaging window) from which the RNC calculates the
averaged GSM RSSI values for the handover decision algorithm.

AdjgPriorityCoverage : The priority level of a GSM neighbor cell is controlled by this

parameter.

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 IRAT Scenarios
Based on mobile user behavior and their location in the UMTS network two criteria have
been identified that can be used to define IRAT scenarios:

Speed (Highway or Outdoor)

This refers to how fast the UE is moving through the UMTS network. At these speeds
the UE has minimum time to execute an IRAT handover once the UMTS coverage
degrades. Therefore, the time to trigger the event has to be low.

User location (Network Core or Edge)

This case corresponds to the physical location of the UE in the UMTS network. For
users around the Edge of coverage, that have a higher probability of leaving the
UMTS coverage, the RSCP and Ec/No thresholds to trigger GSM measurements can
be set to higher levels to trigger the handover sooner.
For those users in the core area, that are experiencing some degradation in the
service it is more probable that their RF condition may recover. Thus, it is advisable
to trigger the compressed mode a little later at lower levels of Ec/No and RSCP
(without compromising the quality and retainability of the call) in order to maintain the
call on UMTS as long as possible.

50
 IRAT Scenarios
Scenarios based on combination of both criteria

Highway at Network Edge

Highway at Network Core
Outdoor at Network Edge
Outdoor at Network Core

T-Mobile USA will be deploying UMTS services using Ericsson and Nokia
equipment. Each vendor provides different set of parameters and
granularity. Therefore, not all scenarios may be applicable for both of them.
The following summarizes the achievable scenarios for each vendor:

Nokia IRAT scenarios: Ericsson IRAT scenarios:

Highway at Network Edge Network Edge
Highway at Network Core Network Core
Outdoor at Network Edge
Outdoor at Network Core

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 IRAT Scenario Matrix

Edge of network Core of network

Highway Less Time To Trigger Less Time To Trigger

Higher Thresholds Lower Thresholds
Outdoor More Time To Trigger More Time To trigger
Higher Thresholds Lower Thresholds

52
 IRAT Scenarios

Highway at Network Edge

This scenario refers to the case where a UE is leaving the UMTS coverage
area at high speeds. At these speeds the UE has minimal time to execute
an IRAT handover once trigger conditions are met. Thus, the time to trigger
the event has to be low (fast). For users located in the network edge, it is
advisable that compressed mode measurements are triggered sooner at
higher RSCP and Ec/No levels, so as to give the UE enough time to
perform the handover evaluation before a call is dropped.

Highway at Network Core

This scenario corresponds to the case where a UE is moving at high speeds
within the core of UMTS coverage. Due to the user high speed the UE
should initiate GSM measurements without delay once the trigger conditions
are met. Therefore, the time to trigger can be set to a low value, so that the
threshold conditions will have to be met only for a short time. Because the
UE is in the core of the UMTS network, it is advisable to trigger the
compressed mode later at lower levels of Ec/No and RSCP (without
compromising the quality and retainability of the call) in order to maintain
the call on UMTS as long as possible.

53
 IRAT Scenarios

Outdoor at Network Edge

This scenario refers to the case where a UE is moving around the network
edge with relatively low speeds. At low speeds the UE has some extra time
to trigger measurements and execute an IRAT handover compared to the
highway case. Hence, the same RSCP and Ec/No threshold for Highway at
Network Edge can be used but allowing a longer time to start compressed
mode. In this case more samples are considered for the trigger decision.

Outdoor at Network Core

This scenario depicts the case where a UE is moving in the network core
with relatively low speeds. At low speeds the UE has some extra time to
trigger measurements and execute an IRAT handover compared to the
highway case. While being in the network core, a call should be maintain as
long as possible in UMTS without compromising its quality and retainability.
Therefore, lower RSCP and Ec/No threshold can be used to trigger
compressed mode a little later giving an opportunity to the UE to recover
from a relative bad quality condition.

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Nokia IRAT Scenarios Parameter Settings
Highway at Network Edge
HHoEcNoThreshold = -12 dB HHOEcNoCancel = -9 dB
HHoEcNoTimeHysteresis = 100 ms HHOEcNoCancelTime = 1280 ms
HHoRscpThreshold = -98 dBm HHORscpCancel = -95 dBm
HHoRscpTimeHysteresis = 100 ms HHORscpCancelTime = 1280 ms

Highway at Network Core

HHoEcNoThreshold = -14 dB HHOEcNoCancel = -11 dB
HHoEcNoTimeHysteresis = 100 ms HHOEcNoCancelTime = 1280 ms
HHoRscpThreshold = -100 dBm HHORscpCancel = -97 dBm
HHoRscpTimeHysteresis = 100 ms HHORscpCancelTime = 1280 ms

Outdoor at Network Edge

HHoEcNoThreshold = -12 dB HHOEcNoCancel = -9 dB
HHoEcNoTimeHysteresis = 320 ms HHOEcNoCancelTime = 1280 ms
HHoRscpThreshold = -98 dBm HHORscpCancel = -95 dBm
HHoRscpTimeHysteresis = 320 ms HHORscpCancelTime = 1280 ms

Outdoor at Network Core

HHoEcNoThreshold = -14 dB HHOEcNoCancel = -11 dB
HHoEcNoTimeHysteresis = 320 ms HHOEcNoCancelTime = 1280 ms
HHoRscpThreshold = -100 dBm HHORscpCancel = -97 dBm
HHoRscpTimeHysteresis = 320 ms HHORscpCancelTime = 1280 ms
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Note: all these parameters are configurable at cell level and can be grouped in templates.
Ericsson IRAT Scenarios Parameter Settings
Network Edge
usedFreqThresh2dEcno = -12 dB usedFreqRelThresh2fEcno = 3 dB
timeToTrigger2dEcno = 200 ms timeToTrigger2fEcno = 1280 ms
usedFreqThresh2dRscp = -98 dBm usedFreqRelThresh2fRscp = 3 dB
timeToTrigger2dRscp = 320 ms timeToTrigger2fRscp = 1280 ms
Hysteresis2d = 0 dB
utranRelThresh3aEcno = -1 dB
utranRelThresh3aRscp = -3 dB
Hysteresis3a = 0 dB
timeToTrigger3a = 100 ms

Network Core
usedFreqThresh2dEcno = -14 dB usedFreqRelThresh2fEcno = 3 dB
timeToTrigger2dEcno = 200 ms timeToTrigger2fEcno = 1280 ms
usedFreqThresh2dRscp = -100 dBm usedFreqRelThresh2fRscp = 3 dB
timeToTrigger2dRscp = 320 ms timeToTrigger2fRscp = 1280 ms
Hysteresis2d = 0 dB
utranRelThresh3aEcno = -1 dB
utranRelThresh3aRscp = -3 dB
Hysteresis3a = 0 dB
timeToTrigger3a = 100 ms

Note: Only usedFreqThresh2dEcno and usedFreqThresh2dRscp are configurable at cell level

56
while all other parameters are RNC level. Not allowing enough flexibility to define more
scenarios within same RNC.