Network Quality

Technology for executives,

Moscow - 13 September 2004
Author: Morten Raaum
Presenter: Hans Myhre
Network Quality,
as perceived by customer

● Coverage
● Capacity
● Speech quality
● Services quality
● Customer care..
GSM in the field
BTS To BSC / MSC

To BSC / MSC

BTS

Handover

Handover
BTS

To BSC / MSC

To BSC / MSC BTS

 Some practical experiences..
● No network access (= no ‘Telenor’ in the display)
– Lack of coverage
– Network overload situation (users barred from access)
– Network failure.
● 3 beeps/3-tone beeps at call setup
– Blocking/error situations somewhere in the network
– User error (e.g. non-existent number)
● Poor speech quality
– Marginal coverage
– Interference between base stations
● Dropped call
– Poor quality of radio link
– Blocking in target cell (moving mobile, handover situation)
– Network failure (transmission)

The mobile is the weakest link in the chain:

Mass production units – Internal antenna – Increased
software and processing complexity
GSM in the field
BTS To BSC / MSC

To BSC / MSC

BTS
No traffic channels
available

Handover

Handover to
non-optimal cell BTS
Poor speech
quality

To BSC / MSC

Dropped call
To BSC / MSC BTS
How is Network Quality
monitored by the operator?
● Coverage
– Measurements by technical staff. Test telephone +
laptop.
– Measurements by remotely controlled test systems
(installed in bus, taxi etc).
– Customer complaints and performance stats as input.
● Capacity
– Network Maintenance Center / Operations center
– The network counts # of events (pos./neg.)
Post processing in Performance Management tool.
– Tools for prognosis on capacity needs vs. required
quality of the network (Grade of Service)
How is Network Quality
monitored by the operator?
● Speech quality
– The network counts Dropped calls and to some extent
report on speech quality
– Measurements by remotely controlled test systems /
tech.staff.

● Services quality
– Services are built up by combining equipment and
software
– External tools needed to ensure quality of delivery
• Correct content / Response time
• 3rd party content delivery
• 3rd party Service Level Agreements (SLA)
 Capacity and quality
– a trade off at a given funding
 Capacity in the GSM radio
network
● Base station with antennas connected in a mast
– BTS contains a number of TRX based on the need for capacity.

Tx
DOWNLINK
Rx
Rx
UPLINK
Tx
TRX TRX

TRX

BTS cabinet
Radio network capacity
● Building blocks for capacity at the base stations: TRX
– 8 channels that are used for signalling (SMS, suppl.services etc) and speech/data.

● Call duration -> Erlang

– 1 Erlang = 1 hour of speech for 1 user
– Call duration 90 sec: 90s / 3600s = 0,025 Erl = 25 mErl
– I.e. 1 Erlang: 40 calls of 90 seconds each. (1 Erl = 40 x 25 mErl)

● Theoretical capacity: Erlang’s model and chosen Grade of Service.

– GoS (%) Number of call attempts that may meet blocking in a busy hour.
• Typical values used: 2-5%

– Example, GoS=2%
– 1 TRX 7 speech channels 2.9 Erlang 41%
– 2 TRX 15 speech channels 9.0 Erlang 60%
– 3 TRX 22 speech channels 14.9 Erlang 68%
– 4 TRX 30 speech channels 21.9 Erlang 73%
Radio network capacity

● Base station configuration example:

● 3 TRXes, Omni directional cell

– 1 cell with 3 TRX, GoS=2%:
• Capacity = 14.9 Erl
• 90 sec call duration (25mErl)
• 14.9 / 0.025 = 596 calls in a busy hour
(theoretical max!)

TRX TRX TRX

BTS

● If we accept higher blocking figures we can carry more

traffic with less customer satisfaction.
5% GoS used in this example => 17.1 Erl capacity => 684
calls (+15%)
Radio network capacity

● Base station configuration

example:

● 3 TRXes, Sectorised 1/1/1.

– 3 cells with 1 TRX each:
• Capacity = 3 x 2,9 Erl = 8,7 Erl
• 90 sec call duration
• 8,7 / 0,025 = 348 calls in a busy hour

TRX TRX TRX

BTS

● If we accept higher blocking figures we can carry more traffic with

less customer satisfaction.
5% GoS used in this example => 11.1 Erl capacity => 444 calls
(+28%)
Frequency planning
Re-use of GSM channels is
necessary. In this example a
frequency is re-used in every
12th cell => reuse factor 12
 Resource: Frequency
●
spectrum
Spectrum size strongly affect base station roll out.
● Re-use of GSM channels is necessary. 1 TRX use 1 GSM channel

● Example, Malaysia:
– 24.8 MHz => 124 GSM channels
– # of TRX per cell: >6. Good capacity per base station (xx Erlang).
● Example, Russia:
– 4 MHz => 20 GSM channels
– Maximum ~1,5 TRX per cell = a denser base station network will be needed
for serving increasing traffic (xx Erlang)
● Good radio/frequency planning and use of “smart” features enables a tight re-
use of GSM channels
– Power control
• Mobile and BTS adjust their output power as low as possible, adjustment 2 times per sec.
– Discontinuous Transmission (DTX)
• Mobile and BTS only transmit when user actually speak. (User benefit: less power consumption)
– Frequency hopping
• Mobile and BTS jump from GSM channel to GSM channel (480ms), less affected by interference.
Spectrum vs. investments
Capacity case
● Malaysia case..
– 6TRX/cell= 34,6 Erl/cell
– 900TRX, 150 cells and 50 BTS needed

Area= 50km2
● Russia case..
Population= 1 M
– 1,5 TRX/cell= 5,8 Erl/cell
Subscribers= 346k
– 1343TRX, 895 cells and 299 BTS needed
15 mErl/sub
Traffic= 5190 Erl
● We need 6 times as many sites for
capacity reason!

For illustration purpose only – the conclusions and calculations are simplified
Spectrum vs. investments
-basestation equipment cost only

Malaysia case.. Russia c ase..

Units Capex Units Capex Area= 50km2
Population= 1 M
BTS 50 2 100 000 300 9 000 000 Subscribers= 346k
Traffic= 5190 Erl
TRX 750 4 500 000 150 900 000
Sum 6 600 000 9 900 000
50 %

● Equipment prices, Malaysia

– BTS 1/1/1 + ext.cab 42.000$
– TRX 6.000$

● Equipment prices, Russia

– BTS 1/1/1 30.000$
– TRX 6.000$

For illustration purpose only – the conclusions and calculations are highly simplified
Transmission, BSC and software cost left out.
Network Quality,
some KPIs
● Minutes per dropped call
– Summary of all traffic minutes divided by number of dropped calls
during a period of time (e.g. Week/month)
– Typical values: 50-150 minutes.

● Blocking/Congestion
– Call attempts that meet blocking, all resources are occupied.
– The network is dimensioned to meet a certain traffic level in the
busy hour.
Typical dimensioning values (GoS): 2 - 5 %
Typical values measured in the networks: 0 - 50+ %
 Network Quality, some KPIs
Network Utilisation
Ce ll utilization

160

140

120

100
Utilization (%)

80

60

40

20

0
%

%
About 22% of the cells in the network are utilised > theoretical max =
1

7
10

13

16

19

22

26

29

32

35

38

41

44

47

50

53

57

60

63

66

69

72

75

78

81

84

88

91

94

97

0
10
customers experience more blocking than acceptable in these
Cell utilization cells!
distribution
 Benchmarking
Report

Technical KPIs ..................

..................
..................

Technical
Financial
KPIs Market
HR
Technical

Access network OSS Core network OSS

Events
Events
& alarms
& alarms

MSC

BTS BSC MSC MSC PSTN

MSC
Network Quality,
challenges
● How to measure customer perceived quality?
– Unmanned active measurement units.
● New and advanced services
– Fast development and deployment of new services.
– Increased complexity, both for network and mobile.
● 3.party content providers
– Timeout... Not available...
– Service Level Agreements. How do you know what is delivered?
– New and advanced measurement systems for test&monitoring.
● Roaming
– How well are we able to keep foreign roamers in our network – and how
are our roamers abroad doing?
– Advanced measurement systems (signalling) for test&monitoring.
Environment

Base station location:

Aim to minimise the

effect of masts and
antennas on the local
environment.
Trøndelag theatre
Tree-mounted
antenna..
Antenna
Vindern
Typical antenna-
installation in a
city environment
Mini-BTS mounted
on a pole by the
fjord
Thank you for your attention!
Additional slides

Telenor Mobile, Operations&Technology

Morten Raaum
 Base stations in Kaliningrad

500.000 inhabitants
19 base stations
Which cell covers where in
Kaliningrad?
 CAPEX reporting,
Enterprise Reporting input Telenor mHorizon Form

form CAPEX MH-CAPEX

Company Code Company Name Period Transaction type Period Currency Date Time
201 Budget 112 15.03.2002 10:05:28

Capex GSM/GPRS (YTD)

CAPEX GSM/GPRS - BSS K43201
CAPEX GSM/GPRS - Core Network K43202
CAPEX GSM/GPRS - Transmission K43203
Total Capex GSM/GPRS K43200 0

Capex UMTS (YTD)

CAPEX UMTS - RAN K43221
CAPEX UMTS - Core Network K43222
CAPEX UMTS - Transmission K43223
Total Capex UMTS K43220 0

Other Capex related to mobile

operations (YTD)
CAPEX Services K43231
CAPEX IT K43232
CAPEX Misc. other mobile K43233
Total other Capex related to mobile operations K43230 0

Total Capex related to mobile

operations (YTD) K43250 0

Capex related to non-mobile business areas (YTD) K43260

Total CAPEX (YTD) K43240 0

Technical indicators,
Enterprise Reporting input
form Telenor mHorizon

Network & Traffic

Form
MH-NETTRAF_01

Company Code
Company Name Period TransactionCurrency
type Last periodDate Time
31 VimpelCom 203 Actual USD 000´s 202 23.04.2002 11:49:25

GS M CORE NETWORK
Number of MSC (cum.)
MSC CPU load > 65 %
Availability, IN
Availability, VMS
Availability, SMSC
GS M RADIO ACCESS NETWORK
Number of Cell Sites (cum.)
Total number of cells
Total number of TRX
Call Setup Success Rate
Congestion, number of cells with > 5% congestion
Call minutes per dropped call (MDP)
Theoretical capacity of radio network
Busy hour traffic, for all cells accumulated
TRANS MISS ION
BSC-BTS transmission lines, % own lines
Core network transmission lines, % own lines
COVERAGE
Coverage population GSM/G PRS (%)
Coverage geography GSM/G PRS (%)
Coverage population UMTS(%)
Coverage geography UMTS (%)
Technical information as
defined in
Enterprise Reporting (1)
GSM CORE NETWORK
Number of MSC (cum.)
MSC CPU load > 65 %
Availability, IN
Availability, VMS
Availability, SMSC
TRANSMISSION
BSC-BTS transmission lines,
% own lines
Core network transmission lines,
% own lines
COVERAGE
Coverage population GSM/GPRS
(%)
Coverage geography GSM/GPRS
(%)
Coverage population UMTS(%)
Coverage geography UMTS (%)
No. of mobile switches in the network
% of MSCs in the network with CPU load > 65% in Busy Hour. (Central
Processing Unit)
% Up-time vs max possible time pr period (Intelligent Network nodes)
% Up-time vs max possible time pr period (Voice Mail System)
% Up-time vs max possible time pr period (SMS Centre)
Relationship between: Number of own transmission links/legs used for
BSC-BTS connections vs. total no of transmission links BSC-BTS (own
+leased lines).
Relationship between: Number of own transmission links/legs used for core
network connections vs. total no of transmission links in the core network
(own +leased lines).
Core network transmission links:
BSC - Core, Inter-Core, Core – POI (Point of Interconnect)
Percentage of population in the licensed area that is covered by the carrier’s
network
Geographical area covered by the network as a percentage of the licensed
area
Percentage of population in the licensed area that is covered by the carrier’s
network
Geographical area covered by the network as a percentage of the licensed
area
Technical information as
defined in
Enterprise Reporting (2)
GSM RADIO ACCESS NETWORK
Number of Cell Sites (cum.) Total number of sites with GSM radio equipment at the end of the period. A
site location with 900 and 1800 equipment counts as one.
Total number of cells Total number of cells in the GSM network.

Total number of TRX Total number of TRX in the GSM network

Call Setup Success Rate
Congestion, number of cells with >
5% congestion
Call minutes per dropped call
(MDP)
Theoretical capacity of radio
network
Busy hour traffic, for all cells
accumulated
Using data for 3 busiest hours of last week of period (as for K41240):
(Call setup attempts – Unsuccessful setups) / Call setup attempts.
Calculation based on counters from the BSS network (i.e. Successful call
setup = TCH seizure. TCH->TCH handovers excluded). Unsuccessful
setups => RF-failures, network failures, blocking…
Number of cells reporting >5% congestion on traffic channels during last
week of period.
Using data for whole last week of period:
= (Accumulated Erlang traffic per cell)*60/ No. of dropped calls
OR = (Accumulated call minutes for all cells)/No. of dropped calls
Using Erlang B formula:
Calculate the theoretical capacity of the total radio network by summing
Erlang figures (theoretical capacity at planned GoS) of each cell. Capacity
figure to be calculated at end of last week of period. (E.g. 1 cell with 2 TRX
= 14 TCH at 3%GoS=> 8.8 Erlang)
Using last week of period:
Sum of individual Busy Hour traffic (Erlang) for each cell in the radio
network.
Use mean value of 3 busiest hours as Busy Hour traffic per cell (3 different
days in the week).
 GSM network overview
TRX
RF TRX
TRX
TRX

MW
BTS
TRX
TRX
TRX
CW
BTS
TRX
TRX
TRX
TRX BTS
BTS
LL
TRX
TRX

BTS

GSM
Access BSC
network
TCE
BSC
MSC VLR

Fixed BSC
network HLR
VLR
PSTN MSC MSC BSC
POI
GSM Core network VLR