Adaptive PCC Anchoring

Unlike CA-group-based PCC anchoring, adaptive PCC anchoring involves candidate PCCs for which only
frequency-level information is configured. Therefore, the eNodeB can determine the PCell only after
receiving A4 or A5 measurement reports from the CA UE.
Figure 3-23 shows the adaptive PCC anchoring procedure.
Figure 3-23 Adaptive PCC anchoring

1. The eNodeB checks whether the current serving carrier (for example, carrier 1) has the highest
PCC priority (specified by the PccFreqCfg.PreferredPccPriority parameter) among the carriers
identified by PccDlEarfcn in PccFreqCfg managed objects (MOs).
• If carrier 1 has the highest PCC priority, the eNodeB retains the cell on carrier 1 as the PCell
for the UE and does not perform further PCC anchoring.
 • If carrier 1 does not have the highest PCC priority, the eNodeB treats higher-priority carriers
as candidate PCCs for the UE, arranges them in descending order of PCC priority, and goes
to the next step.
2. If the UE is capable of working at the top-priority candidate PCC (for example, carrier 2), the
eNodeB delivers the A4 or A5 measurement configuration, instructing the UE to measure carrier 2.
The A4 or A5 measurement configuration varies depending on
the IntraRatHoComm.InterFreqHoA4TrigQuan parameter setting. This parameter has the
following values:
• RSRP: The A4 or A5 measurement configuration includes only an RSRP configuration. The
RSRP threshold for CA is specified by the PccFreqCfg.PccA4RsrpThd parameter.
• RSRQ: The A4 or A5 measurement configuration includes only an RSRQ configuration. The
RSRQ threshold for CA is specified by the PccFreqCfg.PccA4RsrqThd parameter.
• BOTH: The A4 or A5 measurement configuration includes both RSRP and RSRQ
configurations. The UE sends an A4 or A5 measurement report to the eNodeB when either
the measured RSRP or RSRQ exceeds the specified threshold for CA.
If the UE is incapable of working at carrier 2, the eNodeB skips to the next-priority candidate PCC.
3. After the eNodeB receives an A4 or A5 measurement report containing a cell on carrier 2, the
eNodeB hands the UE over to the cell.
If the eNodeB does not receive such a report or if the handover to the cell fails, the eNodeB deletes the
A4 or A5 measurement configuration and evaluates the next-priority candidate PCC in the same way. If
no cells on the candidate PCCs meet the conditions for triggering event A4 or A5 or no inter-frequency
handover is successful, the eNodeB terminates the PCC anchoring procedure and the cell on carrier 1
eventually serves the UE as its PCell.

NOTE:
• If a candidate PCC is not accompanied by candidate SCCs, the eNodeB does not deliver A4 or A5
measurement configurations related to this candidate PCC.
• In an inter-eNodeB case, configuration checks on neighboring eNodeBs are not applicable. After the
CA UE is handed over to a new PCell, CA does not work if CA configurations are absent or incorrect
in the target eNodeB or if a data link fails to be set up between the new PCell and SCells.