Huawei LTE KPIs and Troubleshooting

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.

LTE KPIs

RRC SR%

E-RAB Setup SR%

CSFB SR%

E-RAB Drop%

DL Traffic Volume(GB)

DL Cell Throughput
RRC SR%
• The RRC setup procedure is trigged by different reasons as identified by the EstablishmentCause field in the RRCConnctionRequest
message: Emergency , HighPriorityAccess , Mt-Access , Mo-Signaling

Formula RRC Setup Success Rate = { L.RRC.ConnReq.Succ / L.RRC.ConnReq.Att } * 100

RRC SR%: Reason of failure

The symptoms of an RRC connection setup failure on the eNB are as follows:

 After delivering the RRC Connection Setup message, the eNB fails to receive the RRC Connection Setup Complete
message.

 The eNB sends the RRC Connection Reject message to indicate that the eNB is faulty.

The reasons of RRC connection failure are composed of three families:

1. Resoure Family

2. Reject Family

3. No Reply Family
RRC SR%: Reason of failure
1. Resource Family

The number of RRC connection failures due to resource allocation failures, they are summed up into:

 PUCCH resource failures due to the full capacity of the channel.(Physical Uplink Common Channel)

 SRS”Sounding Reference Signal” : the eNB cannot estimate the UL channel quality and cannot proceed an UL
frequency selective scheduling.(Channel that carry the reference signal)

 User Specification: each cell carries 600 RRC connected UE (limitation of UE Number).

 RRC IDLE: for all users so we have no limitation for RRC number

 RRC CONNECTED: the maximum number of users who can camp on the cell is 600, which means for example the user
number 601 cannot access to the cell.
RRC SR%: Reason of failure

2. Reject Family

As mentioned before, the eNB will send RRC Connection Reject message if it fails to receive the RRC Connection Setup
Complete message. The RRC connection reject message due to:

 Flow Control: UE sends data (out of standard) that the eNB cannot understand.

Theoretically, the UE must transmit the packets by respecting the same data rates adapted by the eNB.

 Forbidden Acknowledgement: The UE is located at a distance greater than the cell radius.

 MME overload.
RRC SR%: Reason of failure

3. No Reply Family

We are exposed to have a failure in RRC connection setup due to bad radio condition. The UE cannot hear the RRC
Connection Setup Complete message because of site overshooting or the site depends only on RSRP without taking into
consideration the quality of the site (RSRQ).
To avoid all these problems, we have to set timers that control the waiting time of RRC Connection Setup Complete and set
a threshold for the UEs trying to access the network and if they exceed this threshold they must wait a certain time before
reestablishing the connection. We can also decrease the transmitted power if the site overshoots. Moreover, we can check
the IDLE Mode parameters (Cell Selection and Cell Reselection to avoid RRC connection failures.
RRC SR% : Counters name and description
Counter Name
L.RRC.SetupFail.ResFail
L.RRC.SetupFail.ResFail.PUCCH
L.RRC.SetupFail.ResFail.SRS
L.RRC.SetupFail.ResFail.UserSpec
L.RRC.SetupFail.ResFail.Other
L.RRC.SetupFail.Rej
L.RRC.SetupFail.Rej.FlowCtrl
L.RRC.SetupFail.Rej.ForbidAc
L.RRC.SetupFail.Rej.MMEOverload
L.RRC.SetupFail.Rej.Other
L.RRC.SetupFail.NoReply
Counter Description
No.of RRC Connection Failures Due to Resource Allocation Failures
No.of RRC Connection Failures Due to PUCCH Resource Allocation Failures
No.of RRC Connection Failures Due to sounding reference signal Resource Allocation Failures
No.of RRC Connection Failures Due to Limitation of UE Number Specification
No.of RRC Connection Failures Due to Other Resource Allocation Failures
No.of RRC Connection Reject messages Sent to UEs in a Cell
No.of RRC Connection Reject Due to Flow Control
No.of RRC Connection Reject Due to the Distance between UEs Access the Cell Out of the Coverage Area
No.of RRC Connection Reject Due to MME Overload
No.of RRC Connection Reject Due to Other Causes
No.of RRC Connection Failures Due to No Responses from UE
RRC SR%: Recommended Actions
 Troubleshooting

 Check alarms.(H/W , TX) Start T300 Timer

•
and Stop if UE
VSWR alarm.
• RF unit maintenance alarm. receive
• Cell Unavailable. RRCConnectionSetu
• RF out of service. p or
• CPRI or BBU alarms. RRCConnectionReje
ct
 Check TA.
 Check S1 availability.
 Check NBRs.
Start RRC Connection
Setup Complete Waiting
Timer
 Actions

The EnodeB is started T300 when the UE sends RRCConnectionRequest and end when UE received the RRC
T300 RRCConnectionSetup or RRCConnectionReject . Change From 1000ms to 1500ms. LST UETIMERCONST
RRC SR% :Recommended Actions

Indicates the number of trials that UE can retry to make RRC Request(threshold for an RRC
connection penalty). Change From 10 to 5.
RRC Connection Punish Threshold
LST GLOBALPROCSWITCH

Timer that is started after UE finished all his trials of retrying to make RRC Request and all Fail(UE has to
T302 wait a certain time T302 to initiate a request again).Change From 4s to 16s. LST RRCCONNSTATETIMER

Timer is Started from eNodeB at RRC Setup and end at RRC Connection Setup
RRC Connection Setup Complete Waiting Timer Complete(Indicates the timer for the eNodeB to wait for a RRC Connection
Setup Complete). Change to 15s. LST ENODEBCONNSTATETIMER

If Cell is Suffering from Overshooting Problem we Should Decrease Power.

Decrease LST PDSCHCFG to get RS and PB
Power/QrxLevelmin LST CELLDLPCPDSCHPA to get PA
LST CELLSEL and LST CELLRESEL
RRC SR%
 KPIs Performance After Change RRC Timers

 Improvement at RRC SR% Due to Change at RRC Timers.

RRC SR% : Idle Mode
Selection
 SrxLev > 0
 Squal > 0 SrxLev = QrxLevMeas – ( QrxLevMin + QrxLevMinOffset ) - Pcompensation
Squal = QqualMeas – ( QqualMin + QqualMinOffset )

Reselection QrxLevMin , QrxLevMinOffset , QqualMin , QqualMinOffset LST CELLSEL

QrxLevMin , SIntraSearch ,
• SrxLev = QrxLevMin + S-IntraSearch Or S-NonIntraSearch
SNonIntraSearch , QqualMin , SIntraQ
• Squal = QqualMin + S-IntraQ Or S-NonIntraQ
, SNonIntraQ LST CELLRESEL
Measurement

• R_n = Qmeas_n – CellQOffset CellQOffset LST EUTRANINTRAFREQNCNCELL

• R_s = Qmeas_s + CellQHyst CellQHyst LST CELLRESEL
Rank

• Same Priority Mn – CellQoffset - QoffsetFreq > Ms + Qhyst

ThreshXHigh , ThreshXLow
• High Priority Mn > Qrxlevmin + ThreshXHigh
LST EUTRANINTERFREQ
• Low Priority Ms < Qrxlevmin + ThrshServLow & Mn > Qrxlevmin + ThreshXLow
Trigger
E-RAB Setup SR%

• This KPI can be used to evaluate the ERAB setup success rate of all services in a cell or a cluster.
• The E-RAB Setup Success rate in a cell directly represents a capability of the cell to provide E-RAB Connection Setup for Users.

Formula • E RAB Setup Success Rate = { L.E-RAB.SuccEst / L.E-RAB.Att Est } * 100

carried on SRB
0 To Transfer
First UL NAS
Message
carried on SRB
1

To Know UE Capability , QCI

, Max Throughput , Security
Context
carried on SRB
2 , DRB Setup
E RAB Setup SR%: Reason of failure
The reasons of ERAB setup failure are summed up:
 No Reply and MME : The UE is located in bad radio conditions (UE doesn’t hear the message)
 TNL: Transmission Problem(Problem over Transport layer).
 RNL: Radio Problem(Problem over Radio Network layer).
 Insufficient PUCCH resources
 SRS Problem: the eNB cannot estimate the UL channel quality and cannot proceed an UL frequency selective
scheduling
 X2 AP: ERAB request and HO request are sent at the same time so we will have HO failure.
 Security mode Failure: Failures Due to Security Mode Configuration Failures
 SRBReset: RLC PDU(Packet data unit) for an SRB has been retransmitted for the MAX No.of Times
E-RAB Setup SR% : Counters name and description
Counter Name
L.E-RAB.FailEst.NoReply
L.E-RAB.FailEst.MME
L.E-RAB.FailEst.TNL
L.E-RAB.FailEst.RNL
L.E-RAB.FailEst.NoRadioRes
L.E-RAB.FailEst.NoRadioRes.SRS
L.E-RAB.FailEst.NoRadioRes.PUCCH
L.E-RAB.FailEst.SecurModeFail
L.E-RAB.FailEst.SRBReset
L.E-RAB.FailEst.X2AP
Counter Description
No.of E-RAB Setup Failures Due to no Responses from the UE
No.of E-RAB Setup Failures Triggered by the MME
No.of E-RAB Setup Failures Due to Faults at the Transport Network Layer
No.of E-RAB Setup Failures Due to Faults at the Radio Network Layer
No.of E-RAB Setup Failures Due to Insufficient radio resources
No.of E-RAB Setup Failures Due to Insufficient SRS resources
No.of E-RAB Setup Failures Due to Insufficient PUCCH resources
No.of E-RAB Setup Failures Due to Security Mode Configuration Failures
No.of E-RAB Setup Failures because RLC PDU for an SRB has been retransmitted for the MAX No.of Times
No.of E-RAB Setup Failures Due to Conflict s with X2AP Related Procedures
E RAB Setup SR%: Recommended Actions
 Troubleshooting

 Check alarms.(H/W , TX)

• VSWR alarm.
• RF unit maintenance alarm.
• Cell Unavailable.
• RF out of service.
• CPRI or BBU alarms.

 Check TA.
 Check S1 availability.
 Check NBRs.

 Actions

LST CELLRESEL
Sintra and Snonintra Search Change Threshold for non intra freq measurements(2dB) from 5 to 10
Change Threshold for intra freq measurements(2dB) from 25 to 30
E RAB Setup SR%: Recommended Actions

Decrease If Cell is Suffering from Overshooting Problem we Should Decrease Power.

LST PDSCHCFG to get RS and PB
Power/QrxLevelmin
LST CELLDLPCPDSCHPA to get PA
LST CELLSEL and LST CELLRESEL

If this parameter is set to a small value, excessive polling PDUs are sent. In addition, the
SRB1, SRB2 and DRP number of ARQ retransmissions reaches its maximum due to consecutive PDU
retransmissions, and therefore the RRC connection is reestablished. If this parameter is set to
a large value, status reports cannot be sent promptly Change From 40ms to 100ms.
LST SRBRLCPDCPCFG & LST RLCPDCPPARAGROUP
CSFB SR%

Circuit Switch Fallback

One of the major design choices of LTE was to focus on the development of a packet-based core and access network
infrastructure. The circuit-switched core network and dedicated telephony features of GSM and UMTS radio access
networks have not been adapted for LTE. This design reduces the overall complexity of the network. Here, a clear trend
toward IP and voice services over IP is well ongoing in Egypt. But we have to offer traditional circuit-switched services
over an IP connection (in case of not using the VoIP services) because for a user, it should be invisible if the service is
offered over the circuit-switched part of the GSM or UMTS network or the packet-switched IP-based LTE network. Also,
.should be seamlessly handed over to GSM or UMTS if the user leaves the LTE coverage area. In other words, the IP-based
voice call must be converted to a circuit-switched voice call on the fly as otherwise the overall user experience will be
unsatisfactory. So we implement the CSFB solution to meet this criterion. The SGs interface can be used to deliver paging
messages that inform the mobile device of an incoming call. The call itself, however, is not delivered over the LTE interface
and the UE has to fall back to a GSM or UMTS network where a circuit-switched connection is then established for the
call. This method of delivering voice calls is therefore referred to as CS (circuit-switched) fallback and is executed as
follows.
CSFB SR%

Circuit Switch Fallback

 Check UTRANNFREQ : to make sure that 3G bands (Downlink Frequency) added.

• F1: 10762

• F2:10787

• M1:3087

• M2: 3066

 Check UCELL Over 3G Site.

 Check UTRANNCELL: to make sure that External NBR sites added.
 Check UTRANRANSHARE: to make sure that Co-site added
 Check UTRANGERAN: to check 2G
CSFB SR% : UTRANNFREQ/UCell
 Make sure that Frequency Priority for
Connected mode = 6

LST UTRANNFREQ

LST UCELL
CSFB SR% : UTRANRANSHARE

LST UTRANRANSHARE
CSFB SR% : UTRANNCELL

LST UTRANCELL
E-RAB Drop%
• This KPI can be used to evaluate the call drop rate of all services in a cell or a cluster.
• MME Send E-RAB Normal Or Abnormal Release based on the Causes.
• Normal Release for Detach , User Inactivity , CSFB , Om-Intervention , HO , IRAT Redirection.

Formula • E-RAB Drop = { L.E-RAB.AbnormRel / L.E-RAB.Rel } * 100

Normal and
Abnormal
Release
Counters based
on the Causes
E RAB Drop%: Reason of failure
The reasons of Call Drop are summed up as follows:
 Radio Problems: If abnormal releases are counted into ERAB.AbnormRel.Radio counter, the call drop is caused by the radio
interface problem on the wireless network side.
 DRB: the DRB cannot carry data packets
 SRB: the SRB cannot carry signaling messages.
 UL Synchronization: there is no synchronization between eNB and UE.
 No Reply: the UE doesn’t hear the message
A call drop with the cause value being radio is caused by the reason that the RLC retransmissions reach the maximum timer,
out of synchronization occurs or signaling messages exchange fails due to weak coverage, UL interference or UE faults
 
 Handover Problems: a call drop with cause value being handover failure is caused by an abnormal release due to a failure in
handover out of the serving cell.
 Transport Problems: Call drops can be caused by transport layer problems, transmission problem between the eNB and the
MME (disrupted S1 Link).
 Congestion Problems: congestion of radio resources (Shortage) on the eNB for example max number of active UE is reached.
We can offload traffic from the serving cell to its neighbors.
 MME Problems: A call drop is caused by an abnormal release initiated by the EPC.
E-RAB Drop%:Counters name and description
Counter Name
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.Cong
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.eNBTot
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.HOFailure
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.HOOut
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.MME
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.Radio
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.Radio.DRBReset
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.Radio.SRBReset
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.Radio.ULSyncFail
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.Radio.UuNoReply
L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.TNL
Counter Description
No.of Abnormal Release
No.of Abnormal Release Due to Congestion
No.of Abnormal Release at enodeb
No.of Abnormal Release Due to HO Failure
No.of Abnormal Release Due to HOOut (UE Success to make HO but eNodeb Consider it Abnormal)
No.of MME Triggered Abnormal Release of Activated E-RABs “ Different Mechanism “
No.of Abnormal Release Due to Radio
No.of Abnormal Release because RLC PDU for an DRB has been retransmitted for the MAX No.of
Times
No.of Abnormal Release because RLC PDU for an SRB has been retransmitted for the MAX No.of
Times
No.of Abnormal Release Due to ULSyncFail between UE and enodeB
No.of Abnormal Release Due to No Response from UE
No.of Abnormal Release Due to Faults at the Transport Network Layer
E-RAB Drop%: Recommended actions
 Actions
UePollRetransmitTimer
ENodeBPollRetransmitTimer
If this parameter is set to a small value, excessive polling PDUs are sent. In addition, the
number of ARQ retransmissions reaches its maximum due to consecutive PDU
retransmissions, and therefore the RRC connection is reestablished. If this parameter is set to
a large value, status reports cannot be sent promptly Change From 40ms to 100ms.
LST SRBRLCPDCPCFG & LST RLCPDCPPARAGROUP

A smaller value of this parameter results in a higher probability that UEs enter the out-of-synchronization
state when they should not and, therefore, a larger number of random access procedures triggered for
maintaining uplink synchronization and more occupied resources for random access. A larger value of this
UL Sync Timer
parameter results in fewer prompt changes of UE status from uplink-synchronized to out-of-synchronization,
more power consumption of UEs, and more occupied PUCCH and SRS resources Change From 180ms to
300ms.
LST RRCCONNSTATETIMER

N310 : Indicates the maximum number of successive "out of sync“

N310 , N311 N311 : Indicates the maximum number of successive "in sync“ LST UETIMERCONST

Indicates the trigger quantity of inter-RAT events A1 and A2. Change From RSRP to BOTH.
InterRAT A1A2 Measurement LST INTERRATHOCOMM
Trgger Quantity Change RSRQ value InterRatHoA1ThdRsrq & InterRatHoA2ThdRsrq
LST INTERRATHOCOMMGROUP
E-RAB Drop%
 KPIs Performance After DRX Trial and InterRAT A1A2 Measurement Trigger Quantity

DRX Trial InterRAT Trial

 Improvement at E-RAB Drop% Due to Change InterRAT A1A2 Measurement Trigger Quantity From RSRP to BOTH.
DL Cell Throughput
Formula Cell DL Average Throughput (Mbps) = [L.Thrp.bits.DL]*1000/(1000*1000*[L.Thrp.Time.Cell.DL.HighPrecision])

• 1 Radio Frame = 10 Sub-Frame

Downlink Throughput • 1 Sub-frame = 2 Time-slots
Calculation • 1 Time-slot = 0.5 ms (i.e 1 Sub-frame = 1 ms)
• 1 Time-slot = 7 Modulation Symbols (when normal CP length is used)
• 1 Modulation Symbols = 6 bits; if 64 QAM is used as modulation scheme

Radio resource is manage in LTE as resource grid

- 1 Resource Block (RB) = 12 Sub-carriers
 Assume 10 MHz channel bandwidth (50 RBs), normal CP

Therefore, number of bits in a sub-frame = 50RBs x 12 sub-carriers x 2 slots x 7

modulation symbols x 6 bits = 50400 bits

 Hence, data rate = 50400 bits / 1 ms = 50.4 Mbps

 If 2x2 MIMO is used, then the peak data rate would be 2 x 50.4 Mbps = 100.8 Mbps.
 If 3/4 coding is used to protect the data, we still get 0.75 x 100 Mbps = 75 Mbps as
data rate.
DL Cell Throughput
Parameter id Parameter name Setting Discription
Meaning: Indicates the DL bandwidth of the cell, which is based on the number of resource blocks (RBs). The value
dlbandwidth DOWNLINK BANDWIDTH CELL_BW_N25 indicates a cell bandwidth of 25 RBs. The value CELL_BW_N50 indicates a cell bandwidth of 50 RBs.
LST CELL
Meaning: Indicates the UL bandwidth of the cell, which is based on the number of resource blocks (RBs). The value
ulbandwidth UPLINK BANDWIDTH CELL_BW_N25 indicates a cell bandwidth of 25 RBs. The value CELL_BW_N50 indicates a cell bandwidth of 50 RBs.
LST CELL
Meaning: Indicates the transmission and reception mode of the cell i.e MIMO configuration of cell GUI Value Range:
CELL TRANSMISSION 1T1R, 1T2R, 2T2R, 2T4R, 4T4R, 8T8R
txrxmode AND RECEPTION MODE
LST CELL
If the parameter value is too small, the cell supports dynamic adjustment on the number of OFDM symbols occupied by
PDCCH Initial Symbol the PDCCH but may impact the downlink throughput. If the parameter value is too large, the cell does not support
InitPdcchSymNum Number dynamic adjustment of the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the PDCCH, which impacts the downlink throughput.
LST CELLPDCCHALGO
Meaning: Indicates the length of the DL cyclic prefix of a cell. A DL cyclic prefix can be a common or extended cyclic
DOWNLINK CYCLIC prefix. An extended cyclic prefix is generally used in a complex environment with a strong multi-path effect and long
dlcyclicprefix delay. Recommended Value: Normal CP
PREFIX LENGTH
LST CELL
Meaning: Indicates the target UE transmit power for the PUCCH expected by the eNodeB on condition that normal
demodulation can be performed. Impact on Radio Network Performance: If this parameter value is too large, the
P0NominalPUCCH P0 nominal PUCCH interference to neighboring cells increases and the overall network throughput decreases. If this parameter value is too
small, the interference to neighboring cells decreases and the throughput of the local cell also decreases.
LST CELLULPCCOMM
Meaning: Indicates the nominal P0 value of the PUSCH. It is used in UL power control. Impact on Radio Network
Performance: If this parameter value is too large, the interference to neighboring cells increases and the overall network
P0NominalPUSCH P0 nominal PUSCH throughput decreases. If this parameter value is too small, the interference to neighboring cells decreases and the
throughput of the local cell also decreases
LST CELLULPCCOMM
DL Cell Throughput
• Incorrect CPRI Interface Configuration
Alarms • CPRI Bandwidth Not enough
• RF Unit VSWR Threshold Crossed

The eNB needs knowledge of the SINR conditions of downlink transmission to a UE in order to select the
most efficient MCS/PRB combination for a selected UE at any point in time.
Radio Analysis
Channel Quality Index (CQI):
 Is a feedback mechanism from UE to eNB.
 Informs eNB of current channel conditions as seen at UE.
 CQI 1-6 map to QPSK
 CQI 7-9 map to 16QAM
 CQI 10-15 map to 64QAM

Rank Indicator (RI)

 Is a feedback mechanism from UE to eNB.
 Informs eNB whether UE can successfully decode RS from 1 or 2 (or more) antennas.
 Rank 1: Tx Diversity (transmission mode 2, tm2).
 Rank 2: MIMO (Open Loop Spatial Multiplexing (transmission mode 3, tm3).

PCI Clashes
If we have UL Interference
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