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PCH <NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=id0
3634> signalling (paging) will be sent over the whole location area (LA). This means that
one paging message over the A interface is 'copied' to all Abis links going to the CCCH
<NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=id0
4450> TRX of cells in the same location area. Optimal LA size is a balance between PCH
load and Location Updates (LU). If the LA size is too large, paging channels and capacity
will be saturated due to limited LAPD <NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=id0
3977> Abis or radio interface CCCH paging capacity. On the other hand, with large
location areas there will be a smaller number of location updates (LU) performed and
vice versa.
The same applies to paging coming via the Gs- and Gb-interfaces: the MSC sends the
paging message to the SGSN with the LA info and the SGSN defines it to a more
accurate area: cell, routing area (RA), LA or BSS. If within the SGSN area there are cells
that do not support GPRS services, the SGSN will group these cells under a 'null RA'.
The SGSN will perform the paging procedure described above within both the RA(s)
derived from the location information and the 'null RA'.
The number of CCCHs depends on channel structure as follows:
COMBINED: for a small cell, 2 TRXs/cell, 3 CCCHs in every signalling multiframe
(51 TDMA, 235 ms)
NONCOMBINED: for a large cell, 3 TRXs/cell, 9 CCCHs in every signalling
multiframe (51 TDMA, 235 ms), used if GPRS is enabled in the cell.
Note
This is a kind of 'rule of thumb' of today, assuming not very heavy SMS traffic.
The parameters which affect CCCH capacity on a cell basis are the following:
Number of blocks reserved to AGCH (BS_AG_BLKS_RES); once this parameter is
specified, PCH is calculated; the parameter range is 0 to 7 and value zero is not
recommended.
Number of multiframes between paging (BS_PA_MFRMS); this specifies how many
multiframes will go until the given paging group is re-paged; the parameter range is 2 to
9 and the recommended value is 5.
The paging method is also set in MSC TMSI <NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=id0
4513> or IMSI <NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=id0
4476> . TMSI is more commonly used, due to bigger capacity (4/page group). Here we
assume that all the radio interface capacity is used, thus all extra paging will be ignored.
Below there are two extreme cases in terms of how high or low the paging capacity is
over the radio interface. These examples are theoretical ones and the intention is to show
the range of variation caused by different CCCH parameterisations.
Table: Extreme case 1: theoretical maximum (maximum paging capacity in radio
interface, TMSI4 in use, for example 4 TMSIs in each paging)
COMBINED
( 2TRXs/cell)
3
2
1
MAX
total CCCH
PCH
AGCH <NED?
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1_260104&identifier=gene
ral_glossary&edition=7&la
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a&pointer=id011202>
Pages per hour
122.553
NONCOMBINED
( 3 TRXs/cell)
9
8
1
490.212
COMBINED
(2 TRXs/cell)
3
1
2
15.319
NONCOMBINED
( 3 TRXs/cell)
9
2
7
30.638
In the following there are some recommended parameters and LA sizes which match the
BSC nominal call model as specified in DX 200 BSC Nominal Capacity and
Dimensioning <NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=eu
s2ebxxsxx.nsa2-p249-9405> . The paging capacity is presented for four different cell
configurations: 2+2+2, 4+4+4, 6+6+6 and 12+12+12.
Note
Here we assume the BSC nominal call model with only 0.1 SMS call rate per
subs/hour.
The parameter NumberOfMultiframesBetweenPaging value is 5 here. It means that the
same paging group will be re-paged after 5*235 ms=1,175 sec. This will ensure longer
MS battery lifetime, because the MS has to listen quite seldom to a CCCH channel in a
serving cell. One must ensure that the paging load does not exceed the physical limits in
radio/Abis interfaces. These could be practical values provided that the SMS paging
amount in the BSC call model would be less - for example 0.1 SMS call rate subscribers
per hour, which would reduce the paging load.
The LA size for medium size cells (4+4+4) configuration could then be 276 TRXs.
Table: Parameter values for the given LA size
Total number of subscribers
TRXs in LA
Cell configuration
CCCH channel structure
total CCCH
typical PCH
typical AGCH
NumberOfMultiframesBetweenPaging
Max. Pages per hour (in Air)
Pages per hour with BSC nominal call
mix
Note
Here we assume the BSC nominal call model with only 0.1 SMS call rate per
subs/hour.
29 586
Blocking rate
30%
30%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
MS location probability
2%
2%
6%
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%
disturbances on the physical 2 Mbit/s line may cause more delays which lowers
the capacity
The average AS7 transmit buffer occupancy should be close to 0 or at most, for
optimal use of the link capacity, just a few messages (so that there is always one
message waiting for transmission), i.e. the buffer is used mainly for temporary
storage of the transmitted messages waiting for acknowledgement and for
occasional bursts of messages. If, instead of this, we assumed a high average
buffer occupancy, it would also mean that signalling messages would generally
experience long delays while they wait for transmission in the buffer. Generally,
the transmit buffer size of the AS7 and its occupancy level need not be considered
in dimensioning, as the capacity of the buffer is sufficient to handle any burst of
messages that is still within the capacity of the Abis signalling link and maximum
delays considered
Based on these previous factors and measurements made on the Abis link, the
maximum average signalling traffic load should not exceed 8 kbit/s (1000
bytes/sec). There is a risk of AS7 overflow if the load is more than 1200 bytes/sec
One of the most common messages sent on the highest loaded Abis link (i.e. BCCH
<NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=id0
4445> TRX link) is the paging message.
The length of the paging message (including FCS <NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=id0
3570> and flags) is about 21 bytes. According to the BSC nominal load and call mix,
about 60% of all capacity can be given to the paging messages; the average paging
message count/sec/link is thus 0,6*1000/21 = 29, which roughly equals 100 000 pages
per hour (16 kbit/s), which is sufficient, for example, for the nominal BSC call model.
For a 64 kbit/s link the same general principles apply. The maximum recommended
average signalling traffic is 4000 bytes/sec and the paging message count as calculated
above is maximum 60/sec/link, which equals to 410 000 pages per hour (64 kbit/s).
The number of paging messages is different depending on call mix and configuration. If
the reference call mix is not suitable then the limits to be considered are the earlier
mentioned 1000 bytes/s (16 kbit/s LAPD) and 4000 bytes/s (64 kbit/s LAPD) per Abis
link.
Note
These values are for individual links only and they should not be used to estimate the
total or even the BCSU capacity without taking other dimensioning rules into
account.
CCS7
When estimating the need of signalling links, it is recommended that one signalling link
load should not overrun 0,2 Erl (erlang, the unit of measure of carried traffic intensity). In
satellite links the signalling link load should be under 0,06 Erl.
Location Area Definition and CCCH Parameters <NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=eu
s2ebxxsxx.nsa3-p297-13845>
Back to Planning of basic GSM radio network parameters <NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=eu
s2ebxxsxx.nsa3-p288-13176>
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=id0
8914> should be noted separately.
The BSC2i traffic handling capacity is stated in High Capacity Base Station Controller,
BSC2i, BSCi <NED?
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6ebxxsxx.nsca-apr1721455212> with the following circuit switched reference call mix. A
similar traffic handling capacity for GSM/EDGE BSC3i is stated in High Capacity Base
Station Controller, BSC3i (ETSI/ANSI) <NED?
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=en&coverage=global&encoding=xhtml_1_0&component=data&item=data&pointer=epr
6ebxxsxx.nsva-dec1211635362> . In the example below we assume that the BSC is
defined to one location area.
In the CS case, for example, the nominal BSC paging load for BSC2i would be (note that
both MT calls and MT SMSs create pages):
91 000 * 0.3 (MT) + 120 000 * 0.8 (SMS MT) = 123 300 + re-paging 0.63 * 123 300 =
200 979 pagings per hour provided that all cells are paged in that BSC and there is only
one LA defined per BSC. Here the load is on each Abis link of a BCCH TRX on the same
LA.
The nominal BSC2i RACH load (MO, MT, SMS, LUs) would be for example:
91 000 (MO, MT) + 2 * 91 000 (LU) + 0.1 * 91 000 (IMSI detach) + 123 300 (SMS) =
405 400 RACHs per hour. This is the total load per BSC which can be divided by the
number of cells when calculating the number of RACHs per BCCH-TRX Abis.
In the CS case, for example, the nominal BSC paging load for BSC3i would be (note that
both MT calls and MT SMSs create pages):
117 000 * 0.3 (MT) + 157 000 * 0.8 (SMS MT) = 160 700 + re-paging 0.63 * 160 700 =
261 941 pagings per hour.
The nominal BSC3i RACH load (MO, MT, SMS, LUs) would be for example:
117 000 (MO, MT) + 2 * 117 000 (LU) + 0.1 * 117 000 (IMSI detach) + 160 700 (SMS)
= 523 400 RACHs per hour.
With this reference call mix the BSC processor load still remains in the safe area. The
maximum 60 % CPU load is the target for dimensioning. This gives enough margin for
peak load situations as well as for new software releases.
Some call mix is needed in order to get the main performance figures (Erlangs, BHCAs)
with maximum allowed processor load. With a different call mix the BHCA value, for
example, varies a lot due to the fact that in this kind of complex system like GSM there
are many other transactions, in addition to calls, which load the system.
Roughly it can be said that the Erlangs per air channel are the largest contribution to the
BSC processor load; the next largest are the number of call procedures (call set-up,
clearing), SMSs and location updates (LUR, IMSI Attach are similar), and lastly all
different types of handovers. By saying that Erlangs as such are significant we mean that
there is a load in the system even though there is one call with indefinite length on each
channel without having any HOs, LURs, etc.
More information on BSS (BSC) Traffic Handling Capacity, Network Planning and
Overload Protection: