Network-Assisted Cell Change (NACC)

In a cellular system, it is common for mobiles to move from cell to cell while an active data connection is in progress. In GPRS, this happens with a cell reselection during which there is a short break in communication. Service outage dampens user experience. It can be of the order of a few seconds, certainly a bad thing for real-time or streaming services. Network Assisted Cell Change (NACC) was introduced in Release 4 to mitigate this problem. NACC is a general procedure in the mobile station side and consists of 2 independent procedures: One procedure that can assist the Mobile Station in packet transfer mode with the neighbor cell System information that is required for initial packet access after a cell change One procedure in which mobile station notifies the network when it is determined to change the cell and delays the cell re-selection (Cell Change Notification procedure) to let the network respond with neighbor cell system information

The main purpose of NACC is that MS is able to request BSC to send the target cells SYSINFO during the cell reselection. The network may send GSM neighbor cell system information to a mobile station in packet transfer mode or MAC-Shared state. The MS will store this information for 30 seconds and during that period the information can be used for initial access in the neighbor cell.

The main Advantages of NACC are: According to the System Information, the MS accelerates the packet service access in the target cell reduces the period of packet service disruption during a cell reselection

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In the NACC, the network can send neighbor cell system information to an MS. The MS can then use this system information when making the initial access to a new cell after the cell change. This way, the MS does not need to spend some time in the new cell receiving the system information, and the typical break in the ongoing service decreases from seconds to a few hundreds of milliseconds. Network Assisted Cell Change (NACC) function reduces the service outage time at cell reselection. NACC allows support to be given to the mobile stations as system information for the target cell before the mobile station performs the cell reselection. In order to be able to provide NACC, a functional unit handling the handover of a mobile station from a source cell to a target cell needs a certain set of system information messages of the target cell. 3GPP specifies a RAN Information Management (RIM) procedure that allows delivery of information between Radio Access Network (RAN) nodes transparently to the core network. However, RIM procedures are routed via the core network, and incurring of additional load and thus increasing the risk of congestion of the interface between the radio system and the network system should be carefully avoided. NACC Signaling flow The signaling flow of NACC can be seen below:

The Mobile Station will enter into the CCN Mode and, if the mobile station during the RR connection is unable to monitor the system information broadcast on BCCH (Broadcast control channel) or PBCCH (Packet Broadcast Control Channel), the mobile station shall acquire the system information broadcast in the serving cell. The mobile station shall not attempt a packet access or accept a packet downlink assignment before those requirements are fulfilled.

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System Information on PBCCH If PBCCH (Packet Broadcast Control Channel) is present, then mobile station shall receive the PACKET SYSTEM INFORMATION (PSI) messages broadcast on PBCCH. The mobile station shall perform a complete acquisition of PBCCH message. The mobile station shall not perform packet access in the selected cell, or enter the packet transfer mode or the MAC-Shared state, until it has: acquired the PACKET SYSTEM INFORMATION TYPE 1 (PSI1) message; acquired a consistent set of PSI2 messages; and made at least one attempt to receive the complete set of PSI messages on PBCCH.

System information on BCCH If PBCCH is not present in the serving cell, the mobile station shall receive the SYSTEM INFORMATION (SI) messages broadcast on BCCH (Broadcast Control Channel). The mobile station shall perform a complete acquisition of BCCH messages. The mobile station shall not perform packet access in the selected cell, or enter the packet transfer mode, until it has: acquired the SYSTEM INFORMATION TYPE 3 (SI3), SI13 and, if present, SI1 messages;

made at least one attempt to receive other SI messages that may be scheduled within one TC cycle on BCCH

Network Controlled Cell reselection (NCCR)

Network-controlled cell reselection (NCCR) is a feature that speeds up the cell reselection process commanding the MS to send measurement reports to the BSC, and giving the network full control of the procedure. The Network Controlled Cell Reselection (NCCR) allows more efficient resource allocation based on power budget, intersystem, quality and load. Target cell to which the cell reselection is done, can be selected by the MS itself or by the network. This is indicated by the parameter NETWORK_CONTROL_ORDER. The meaning of the different parameter values is specified as follows: NC0 (Network Control Order 0) o Normal MS control Page 3 of 6

o NC1 o o o NC2 o o o

The MS shall perform autonomous cell re-selection. MS control with measurement reports The MS shall send measurement reports to the network The MS shall perform autonomous cell re-selection. Network control The MS shall send measurement reports to the network The MS shall only perform autonomous cell re-selection when the reselection is triggered by a downlink signaling failure or a random access failure or if the cell is barred or the C1 criterion falls below zero. The MS shall only determine whether the cell is barred once camped on the cell.

RESET o The MS shall return to the broadcast parameters. Only sent on PCCCH or PACCH.

In NC0, cell reselection is controlled by MS alone in both MM (Mobility Management) Ready and MM Standby states whether MS is in Packet Idle Mode or Packet Transfer Mode. When there is NCCR in the network cell reselection for MSs in MM Ready state are controlled by the network. When MS go back to MM Stand-By state, cell reselection is done by MS as in NC0. NCCR support is indicated by setting the Network Control Order to NC2. PBCCH is not needed for NCCR. NCCR can be enabled for Release97 mobiles onward. Handover procedure, where cell resources are reserved in the target cell before ordering MS cell change is not provided for packet switched services in 3GPP release 4. NCCR Benefits Benefits that Network Controlled Cell Reselection introduces: o o o o Efficient allocation of resources. Cell attractiveness can be defined neighbor cell specifically also taking into account each neighbor cells capacities Quality criterion allows NCCR when the serving cell quality drops even if the signal level is good Quality Control may trigger NCCR. It means that EQoS can trigger NCCR to make cell selection Service based NCCR is possible

NCCR Signaling Flow The signaling flow of NCCR can be seen below:

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A set of measurement reporting parameters NETWORK_CONTROL_ORDER, NC_REPORTING_PERIOD(s) And Optional parameters REPORT_TYPE, MULTIBAND_REPORTING, SERVING_BAND_REPORTING, XXX_MULTIRAT_REPORTING, XXX_REPORTING_OFFSET, XXX_REPORTING_THRESHOLD (XXX indicates frequency band or radio access technologies), FDD_REPORTING_THRESHOLD_2, REP_PRIORITY, REPORTING_RATE, INVALID_BSIC_REPORTING, SCALE_ORD, FDD_REP_QUANT, Qsearch_P and 3G_SEARCH_PRIO is broadcasted on PBCCH or on BCCH if PBCCH does not exist. This set of parameters may also be sent individually to an MS on PCCCH (Packet Common Control Channel) or PACCH (Packet Associated Control Channel) in: A PACKET MEASUREMENT ORDER message, in which case it overrides the NC (Network Control Order) parameters broadcast in the serving cell. These individual parameters are only valid in the serving cell. A PACKET CELL CHANGE ORDER message, in which case it overrides the NC parameters broadcast in the target cell. These individual parameters are only valid in the target cell.

The individual parameters are valid until the RESET command is sent to the MS. Measurements made during previous reporting periods shall always be discarded. The start of the first reporting period may be random. After each reporting period, the MS shall send a measurement report to BSS. The MS shall then discard any previous measurement report, which it has not been able to send. The parameter REPORT_TYPE indicates if the MS shall use Packet Measurement Report (normal reporting) or Packet Enhanced Measurement Report (enhanced reporting).

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The measurement report shall contain: RXLEV (Received Signal Level) for the serving cell received signal level for the non-serving cells BSIC_SEEN (Base Station Identity Code , only for Enhanced Measurement Reporting)

In the case of Packet Transfer mode or MAC-Shared state with the NC_REPORTING_PERIOD_T = 0.48 s. The MS shall report a new strongest GSM cell in the measurement report at the latest 5 s after a new strongest cell. Cell re-selection in NCCR A cell re-selection command may be sent from the network to an MS. When the MS receives the command, it shall re-select the cell according to the included cell description and change the network control mode according to the command. The command may include re-selection of another radio access technology/mode. If an MS receives a cell re-selection command towards a GSM cell to which it is not synchronized, the MS shall indicate a packet cell change failure

Conclusion
Using the NCCR, the MS still needs to decode all the system information when accessing the new cell. Service outage can be further reduced if the process of system information decoding is speeded up. This is possible if network-assisted cell change (NACC) feature is implemented together with NCCR. NACC reduces cell reselection delay by: Providing the MS in data transfer mode via the actual serving cell with a part of the system information (SI), or packet system information (PSI) for a faster resumption of data transfer on the new cell. Supporting the packet PSI status procedure, where the MS indicates to the network which PSI related to the target cell has already been acquired on the serving cell, so that the network may provide the terminal with just the missing data

When the NCCR and NACC are used together, a typical break in the ongoing service decreases from seconds to a few hundreds of milliseconds, thus improving end-user perception quality and allowing mobile users a seamless transition from one cell to another in data transfer mode.

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