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Case Analysis ——

Handover

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0
References
z BSC Counter Reference(V900R008C12)

z BSS KPI Reference(V900R008C12)

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1
Objectives
z Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
‡ Understand the Measurement Points and Performance Index
of handover

‡ Analyze, locate and solve handover problems

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2
Contents
1. Handover Process Flow

2. Measurement Points and Performance Index of Handover

3. Analysis of Handover Problem

4. Handover Cases

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3
Handover Process Flow
MSC2
Search target
cell(7)
Handover MSC1
judgement(4)
Inter-MSC H.O
BSC1 CGI(6) (8)

H.O request(7)

BTS1 Channel active


(5) BSC2
Preprocessed MR
(3)
BTS2
BA2 table(1)

MS
MR(2)

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•BCCH frequencies of all adjacent cells in BA2 table are sent to MS on system
message.

•MS reports measurement report to BSC. It includes the BCCH , BSIC and signal
level of the adjacent cells and serving cells.

•When the measurement report is preprocessed, BSC identifies the CGI of all
adjacent cells through BCCH frequency and BSIC .

•BSC executes handover judgment flow such as basic cell ranking. Once a proper
target cell is found, the handover request message which includes the target cell
CGI will be sent to BSC.

•If the target cell is an internal cell, BSC send the “channel active” to the BTS.

•If the target cell is an external cell, both the CGI of the target cell and that of
service cell are sent to MSC via the handover required.

•By matching the CGI of the target cell, MSC searches the target cell. Once the
cell is found, MSC will confirm which BSC is belonged to, and send the handover
request message to this BSC.

•If there is no CGI of the target cell in local MSC, MSC will check “Adjacent
MSC Table" and search the target MSC, then send the handover request message
to that MSC.

4
Contents
1. Handover Process Flow

2. Measurement Points and Performance Index of


Handover

3. Analysis of Handover Problem

4. Handover Cases

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5
Measurement Points of Intra BSC Handover
MS BTS1(target) BSC BTS2 or BTS1(original) MS MSC

Measure Report from MS

CH300: Internal Intra-Cell Handover Requests


CH320: Incoming Internal Inter-Cell Handover Requests
Channel_Acive CH310: Outgoing Internal Inter-Cell Handover Requests
Channel_Active_Ack

Handover Command (Old FACCH)


CH301: Internal Intra-Cell Handover Commands
CH321: Incoming Internal Inter-Cell Handover Responses
Handover Access (New FACCH)
Handover_Detect (Incoming Internal Inter-Cell Handovers)
PHYINFO CH311: Outgoing Internal Inter-Cell Handover Commands
PHYINFO
First SABM
Establish_IND
UA

Handover Complete (New FACCH) CH303: Successful Internal Intra-Cell Handovers


CH323: Successful Incoming Internal Inter-Cell Handovers
CH313:Successful Outgoing Internal Inter-Cell Handover
Handover_Performed

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6
Performance Index of Intra BSC Handover (Cell)

RH303B:Internal Handover Success Ratio per Cell =

CH303: Successful Internal CH323: Successful Incoming


Intra-Cell Handovers + Internal Inter-Cell
Handovers
×100%
CH300: Internal Intra-Cell CH320:Incoming Internal
Handover Requests + Inter-Cell Handover
Requests

Internal Handover Success Ratio per Cell <= Intra-


Intra-BSC Radio Handover Success Rate

RH303C: Intra-BSC Radio Handover Success Rate =


CH303: Successful Internal CH323: Successful Incoming
Intra-Cell Handovers + Internal Inter-Cell
Handovers
×100%
CH301: Internal Intra-Cell CH321:Incoming Internal
Handover Commands+ Inter-Cell Handover
Responses

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Difference between " Internal Handover Success Ratio per Cell " and " Intra-
Intra-BSC
Radio Handover Success Rate " :

As viewed from formulas, both numerators are success times of handover, while
the denominators are different. While viewed from the measurement points of
the counter, intra-cell/inter-cell handovers requests >= intra-cell/inter-cell cell
handover commands or responses, so Internal Handover Success Ratio per Cell
<= Intra-
Intra-BSC Radio Handover Success Rate.
Rate

In practice:

z If "Internal Cell = "Intra


Internal Handover Success Ratio per Cell“ Intra--BSC Radio Handover Success
Rate this indicates that there is no problem with data, the unsuccessful
Rate",
handovers are caused by radio interfaces, and the radio reasons like
interference and coverage should be checked in the first place.

z If "Internal Cell < "Intra


Internal Handover Success Ratio per Cell“ Intra--BSC Radio Handover Success
Rate",
Rate this indicates that failures may exist in the process from
“Channel_Activate” to "HO-COMD", and there might be data problem or
congestion.

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Performance Index of Intra BSC Handover (BSC)
ZK3174: Internal Handover Success Ratio per BSC =

ZCH303:Successful Internal ZCH323: Successful Internal


Intra-Cell Handovers + Incoming Cell Handovers
per BSC per BSC
×100%
ZCH300: Internal Intra-Cell ZCH320: Internal Incoming Cell
Handover Requests + Handover Requests per
per BSC BSC

Internal Handover Success Ratio per BSC <=


Radio Handover Success Ratio per BSC

ZK3175: Radio Handover Success Ratio per BSC=

ZCH303:Successful Internal ZCH323: Successful Internal


Intra-Cell Handovers + Incoming Cell Handovers
per BSC per BSC
×100%
ZCH301:Internal Intra-Cell ZK3190:Internal Incoming
Handover Commands + Cell Handover
per BSC Commands per BSC
N
Internal Incoming Cell Handover Commands per BSC = ∑ Incoming Internal Inter - Cell Handover Responses
i=0

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8
Measurement Points of Inter-BSC Handover

MS BTS(Original) BSC(Original) MSC BSC(Target) BTS(Target) MS


Measurement Report
Measurement Report
Handover Required
CH330: Outgoing External Handover Request
Inter-Cell Handover Requests CH340:Incoming External Inter-Cell Handover Requests
Channel_Active
Channel_Active_ACK
Handover_Request_ACK
Handover Command CH341:Incoming External Inter-Cell Handover Responses
CH331:Outgoing External Inter-
Cell Handover Commands
Handover Access

Handover Detect
Handover Complete
Handover Complete
CH343:Successful Incoming External Inter-Cell Handovers
CH333:Successful Outgoing Clear Command (HO Successful)
External Inter-Cell Handovers
RF Channel Release
Clear Complete

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The key measurement points are as follows, same as those of intra BSC handover:
1. After sending "HO-REQUIRED", the original BSC measures "Attempted outgoing inter BSC inter cell
handovers".
2. After receiving "HO-REQUEST", the target BSC measures "Attempted incoming inter BSC handovers".
3. After sending "HO-REQUEST ACK", the target BSC measures "incoming inter BSC handovers".
4. After receiving "HO-Command" , the original BSC measures "outgoing inter BSC handovers".
5. After receiving "HO-Complete", the target BSC measures "Successful incoming inter BSC handover"
6. After receiving "Clear-COM" and the cause value is "HO-Successful", the original BSC measures
"Successful outgoing inter BSC inter cell handover".
The difference between "handover times" and "handover request times":
z Handover times - After "HO-COM" is received or "HO-REQ-ACK" is sent
z Handover request times - After "HO-REQUIRED" is sent or "HO-REQUEST" is received
Therefore, inter BSC inter cell radio handover success rate >= inter BSC inter cell handover success rate.

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Performance Index of Incoming External Inter-Cell
Handover(Cell)

TH343: Success Rate of Incoming External Inter-Cell Handovers=

CH343:Successful Incoming External Inter-Cell Handovers


×100%
CH340:Incoming External Inter-Cell Handover Requests

Success Rate of Incoming External Inter-


Inter-Cell Handovers <=
External Incoming Radio Handover Success Ratio per cell

RH303D: External Incoming Radio Handover Success Ratio per cell =

CH343:Successful Incoming External Inter-Cell Handovers


CH341:Incoming External Inter-Cell Handover Responses
×100%

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10
Performance Index of Incoming External Inter-Cell
Handover(BSC)

ZK3178: External Incoming Cell Handover Success Ratio per BSC =

ZCH343:Successful External Incoming Cell Handovers per BSC


×100%
ZCH340:External Incoming Cell Handover Requests per BSC

External Incoming Cell Handover Success Ratio per BSC <=


External Incoming Cell Radio Handover Success Ratio per BSC

ZK3179: External Incoming Cell Radio Handover Success Ratio per BSC=

ZCH343:Successful External Incoming Cell Handovers per BSC


×100%
ZK3191:External Incoming Cell Handover Commands per BSC

N
External Incoming Cell Handover Commands per BSC =∑ Incoming External Inter - Cell Handover Responses
i=0

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Performance Index of Outgoing External
Inter-Cell Handover(Cell)
TH333: Success Rate of Outgoing External Inter-Cell Handover =

CH333: Successful Outgoing External


Inter-Cell Handovers
×100%
CH330:Outgoing External Inter-Cell
Handover Requests

Success Rate of Outgoing External Inter-


Inter-Cell Handover <=
External Outgoing Radio Handover Success Ratio per cell

RH303E: External Outgoing Radio Handover Success Ratio per cell=

CH333: Successful Outgoing External


Inter-Cell Handovers
CH331:Outgoing External Inter- ×100%
Cell Handover Commands

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Performance Index of Outgoing External
Inter-Cell Handover(BSC)
ZK3176: External Outgoing Cell Handover Success Ratio per BSC =

ZCH333:Successful External Outgoing


Cell Handovers per BSC
×100%
ZCH330:External Outgoing Cell
Handover Requests per BSC

External Outgoing Cell Handover Success Ratio per BSC <=


External Outgoing Cell Radio Handover Success Ratio per BSC

ZK3177: External Outgoing Cell Radio Handover Success Ratio per BSC =

ZCH333:Successful External Outgoing


Cell Handovers per BSC
×100%
ZCH331:External Outgoing Cell
Handover Commands per BSC

N
External Outgoing Cell Handover Commands per BSC=∑ Outgoing External Inter - Cell Handover Commands
i =0

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13
Performance Indices of BSC Overall Handover

ZK3180: Handover Success Ratio per BSC =


[(ZCH313: Successful Internal Outgoing Cell Handovers per BSC+
ZCH333:Successful External Outgoing Cell Handovers per BSC )/
(ZCH310: Internal Outgoing Cell Handover Requests per BSC +
ZCH330:External Outgoing Cell Handover Requests per BSC )]*100%

Handover Success Ratio per BSC <=


Radio Handover Success Ratio per BSC

ZK3181: Radio Handover Success Ratio per BSC=

[(ZCH313:Successful Internal Outgoing Cell Handovers per BSC +


ZCH333:Successful External Outgoing Cell Handovers per BSC )/
(ZCH311:Internal Outgoing Cell Handover Commands per BSC +
ZCH331:External Outgoing Cell Handover Commands per BSC] *100%

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Measurement Points of Inter-MSC Handover

MS BSC-A MSC-A MSC-B VLR-B BSC-B MS


HO-Required Prepare_HO Allocate_HO_NUM

Send_HO_Report

Send_HO_Report_ACK
HO-Request
Prepare_HO_ACK HO-Request-ACK
IAI
HO-Command ACM
HO-Access
Process_Access_Signalling
HO-Complete
Send_End_Signal
Clear-Command
Clear-Complete
Send_End_Signal_ACK

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Note: Signaling flow of A interface and Abis interface of inter MSC handover is the same
as that of intra MSC handover, only the signaling between two MSC is particular for the
inter-MSC handover. As shown in above figure the signaling with "MAP" is of the MAP
layer, and signaling of A and Abis interfaces are omitted.

zAfter receiving "HO-REQUIRED" of BSC-A (the request message includes CGI of the
original cell and target cell), if MSC-A finds that LAC of the target cell doesn’t belong to
this MSC, MSC-A will query the "REMOT LAC Table“ (including the LAC and route of the
adjacent MSC), and send "Prepare-HO" message to MSC-B according to the route. CGI
of the target cell and the indicator of whether to allocate the handover number are
included in this Prepare-HO message.

zAccording to the received "Prepare-HO" message, if the handover number needs


allocating, MSC-B will request the local VLR to allocate the handover number. If VLR has
the free handover number, the handover number will be sent to MSC-B through "Send-
HO-Report". If no handover number is needed, proceed to the next step.

zAfter SCCP link between MSC-B and BSC-B is established, MSC-B sends "HO-
REQUEST" to BSC-B. After that, BSC-B activates the target cell’s channel, and returns
"HO-REQUEST ACK" to MSC-B after receiving the channel activation acknowledgement.
According to this message, MSC-B sends "Prepare-HO ACK" to MSC-A.

zMSC-A establishes the route to MSC-B according to the handover number, and sends
"Initialize-Address" (IAI) to MSC-B to help the latter to identify which voice channel is
reserved for MS. While MSC-B returns "Address-Complete" (ACM) to MSC-A.

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Contents
1. Handover Process Flow

2. Measurement Points and Performance Index of Handover

3. Analysis of Handover Problem

4. Handover Cases

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Analysis of Handover Problem
z Types of handover problems

z Locating handover problem

z Causes of handover problem

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Types of Handover Problems
z Types - Possible Results
‡ No handover - Result in call drop

‡ Handover failure - Affect the conversation quality, and call drop

‡ Frequent handover - Affect the conversation quality and increase


load of the system

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Frequent handover: Handover in GSM is hard handover, it is meaning, before handover


to the new channel, MS must release the original channel firstly. So frequent handover
will result in word-loss in handover and break-make of conversation, thus affecting the
conversation quality.

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Method of Locating Handover Problem
z Traffic statistics analysis
‡ Handover Failure/Attempt/Success Measurement per BSC
‡ Incoming/Outgoing Internal/External Inter-Cell Handover Measurement per Cell
‡ GSM Cell to GSM Cell Incoming/Outgoing Handover Measurement
‡ Neighbor Cell Level Measurement per Cell

z View alarm
‡ Board fault, transmission, clock, etc.

z Drive test
z Signaling analysis
‡ Abis interface, A interface, E interface

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Causes of Handover Problem
z Coverage
z Interference
z Antenna and feeder system
z BTS hardware
z Transmission
z BSC hardware
z Data Configuration
z A interface
z Target cell congestion
z Cooperation with equipment of other manufacturers

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Causes of Handover Problem
Causes Types No H.O H.O Failure Frequent H.O
Coverage √ √ √

Interference √

Antenna and feeder system √

BTS hardware √

Transmission √

BSC hardware √

Data configuration √ √ √

A interface √ √ √

Target cell congestion √ √

H.O between equipment of √


different manufactures

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Problem in Coverage and Interference
‡ Coverage
„ Poor coverage: forest, complicated topography, building direction and
indoor coverage

„ Isolated site: no adjacent cell

„ Over shooting: island effect result in no adjacent cell

‡ Interference
„ MS can not access network or receive any signal.

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Island Effect Results in Handover Failure

There is no
adjacent cell, so
handover becomes Non-adjacent
impossible. Adjacent
cell
cell N1
Service cell
Non-adjacent
cell Adjacent
Cell N2

Non-adjacent Adjacent
cell Cell N3
Isolated island
resulting from
over shooting

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In isolated cell coverage area, when MS moves towards the cell edge, the signal
becomes weaker and weaker, and since there is no adjacent cell available around,
handover cannot be triggered, thus call drop will occur.

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Problem in Antenna and Feeder System
‡ High Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR)

‡ Antenna is not properly installed

‡ Antenna is not parallel

‡ The azimuth and downtilt are not correct

‡ Poor antenna isolation value

‡ RF cables, connectors are loose or incorrect

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Problem in BTS Hardware
‡ DDPU,DCOM, splitter/combiner failure

‡ TRX failure

‡ DTMU failure

‡ Clock failure

‡ Internal communication cable failure

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Problem in Transmission and BSC Hardware

z Transmission
‡ Transmission is not stable

‡ Serious BER in transmission

z Fault of BSC Hardware


‡ Clock board: the faulty clock board causes clock inconsistency
between base stations.

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For BTS clock, BSC clock, and MSC clock, the following standards are used to judge
whether they are out of synchronization:

MSC: △f/f (frequency deviation) ≤ 1E-8

BSC/BTS: △f/f (frequency deviation) ≤5E-8

Inaccurate clock will cause that MS cannot decode BSIC of the adjacent cell correctly.

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Problem in Data Configuration
‡ Unsuitable setting of handover hysteresis and handover priority.

‡ Unsuitable setting of P, N value of statistic time

‡ Unsuitable frequency and adjacent relationship configured in


BA1/BA2 table

‡ CGI, BCCH and BSIC in "External Cell Description Table" are


different from those in corresponding BSC.

‡ The DPC of BSC in MSC "LAI and GCI Table" is incorrect.

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For service cell: Outgoing inter cell handover will fail.

For illusory target cell: Incoming inter-cell handover will fail, and successful rate of
handover = successful rate of radio handover.

Notes:

zCI can not be configured as "FFFF".

z"Transmitting BS/MS Power Level": If the measurement report preprocess is


enabled, this parameter must be set to "Yes".

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Problem in A Interface and Target Cell
z A interface problem
‡ Basically, the insufficient link resource results in the abnormal
handover, as well as abnormal communication.

‡ Circuit pool numbers are different ,causing the handover failure.

z Target cell congestion


‡ The target cell is congested, which causes the handover failure.
Then the target cell should be expanded or reduce its traffic .

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Problem in Cooperation between manufactures

z Handover between equipment of different manufacturers


‡ The signalings at A interface, E interface of the opposite
equipment don’t matched with our equipment and can not be
recognized or supported, which causes the handover failure, such
as voice version, handover number, addressing mode (CGI or LAI).

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29
Contents
1. Handover Process Flow

2. Measurement Points and Performance Index of Handover

3. Analysis of Handover Problem

4. Handover Cases

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Handover Case 1
z Fault Description
‡ A 1800 cell of a dual-band network (all the 1800 cells belong to one BSC),
the incoming handover success rate of intra-BSC and inter-BSC are low
from the beginning of the service, while the outgoing handover success
rate of intra-BSC and inter-BSC are normal.

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Handover Case 1
z Analysis
‡ Register the traffic statistics and analyze whether the low handover success
rate is due to the failure of handover from all cells to this cell or from
some few cells.
‡ If handover fails from some few cells to this cell, check the handover data
and confirm whether there is co-channel and co-BSIC problem.
‡ If handover fails from all other cells to this cell, check the data of this cell.
‡ If data problem is excluded, check the hardware carefully. Check the alarm
or perform drive test to locate uplink fault or downlink fault. Check step by
step and find out the cause.

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Handover Case 1
z Solution
‡ Register the incoming inter cell handover measurement function and find that the
successful rate of handover from all other cells to this cell is low, although it is not
always 0 percent. Via careful data checking, confirm that the data of this cell is
correct.
‡ Perform drive test and find that the downlink signal is normal but almost all
handovers to this cell are failure. But near the BTS, the handover is successful
occasionally, perhaps the problem is with the uplink signal.
‡ Check the uplink channel, antenna, DDPU, there are no problem. Change the TRX,
everything is normal.

z Conclusion
‡ The symptom is that the uplink and downlink at Um interface are unbalanced so
uplink voice quality is bad.

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Handover Case 2
z Fault Description
‡ A subscriber complains that the signal in a place on his way to office is
not good. Call drops occurs several times when he drives his car. The
phenomenon is that the conversation is suddenly interrupted. The
handset signal bar indicates no signal, and then normal again after
several seconds.

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34
Handover Case 2
z Analysis
‡ Neighbor cell relationship

‡ Isolated island effect

‡ Geographical factors of buildings and mountains result in the weak


signal

‡ The signal of a cell suddenly fades drastically due to buildings

‡ BTS equipment or intermittent transmission

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zThe following possibilities can lead to the problem that a call is dropped, that
there is no signal during call drop, and that the signal is recovered after several
seconds:
„The most common possibility is that there is no neighbor cell handover relation, so an MS
cannot be handed over to the neighbor cell, hence the call drops. After the call drops, the
MS re-selects a cell and resides in a good cell, so the signal is recovered.

„Isolated island caused by cross-coverage also leads to this problem. When a signal
exceeds the coverage, an MS uses the signal even when the MS is far away from the cell
that provides the signal, but at this time there is no cell that is a neighbor of the cell. When
the cell signal becomes weak, handover is impossible, leading to the call drop. After the
call drop, the MS re-selects a good cell and displays signal again.

„At that place, the signal is indeed too weak to maintain conversation due to geographical
factors of buildings and mountains. When an MS goes to that place, call drop occurs. After
the MS passes the place, the signal is recovered again. In the urban area where there are
many BTSs, this problem does not happen. In the suburb area where only one BTS is used
for coverage, this problem sometimes occurs.

„At that place, due to buildings, the signal of a cell suddenly fades drastically, and the MS
has not time to hand over, hence the call drop. After the call drop, the MS resides in a good
cell again.

„Signal is interrupted due to the BTS equipment or intermittent transmission.

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Handover Case 2
z Solution
‡ Via DT, it shows that the signal of several cells is D
strong and is -70 to -80 dBm, so it is unlikely that the 3

problem is caused by bad signal. A


2
‡ We obtain further information from the subscriber B
3
and know that the driver at that time drive very fast.
Therefore it supposed that this problem may occur
under high speed movement. Then perform drive test
again under high speed for several times and the call 1

drop recurs. C

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z The customer service technicians go to the site to perform drive test and discovers
that the road from south to north is covered by the signals from four cells, which are
cell1 (northward) of BTS C, cell 3 (southwestward) of BTS B, cell 2 (southeastward)
of BTS A, and cell 3 (southwestward) of BTS D.

z In the complained place the signal of several cells is strong and is -70 to -80 dBm. It
is unlikely that the problem is caused by bad signal. The drive test shows that the
handover relation is normal. The drive route is such that cell 1 of BTS C is first
occupied; then the vehicle drives northward and the MS can hand over to cell 3 of
BTS B and cell 2 of BTS A. As the vehicle drives on northward, the MS hands over
to cell 3 of BTS D. Multiple drive tests along the road show normal result and the
problem complained by the subscriber does not occur.

z To investigate the problem, we obtain further information from the subscriber and
know that the driver at that time drove very fast. Therefore we think this problem
may occur under high speed movement. We perform drive test again under high
speed for several times and the call drop recurs.

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Handover Cases 2
z Solution
‡ Cell 1 of BTS C is far away from cell 3 of BTS D and the
two cells are not defined as neighbor cells. Thus an D
isolated island is generated, handover cannot be 3

performed, and call drop arises. The special thing A


about this isolated island effect is that it occurs at high 2
B
speed. Therefore troubleshooting is difficult. 3

‡ After a neighbor relation is added, this problem is


solved. On the other hand, because this problem
occurs due to insufficient time to hand over, the
1
handover decision time is reduced so that the
C
handover can happen timely.

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z Cell 1 of BTS C provides coverage along the road and the signal reaches far
away. When a vehicle drives very fast, sometimes the MS has not time to
hand over to cell 3 of BTS B or cell 2 of BTS A. Cell 1 of BTS C is far away
from cell 3 of BTS D and the two cells are not defined as neighbor cells.
Thus an isolated island is generated, handover cannot be performed, and call
drop arises. The special thing about this isolated island effect is that it occurs
at high speed. Therefore troubleshooting is difficult.

z After a neighbor relation is added, this problem is solved. On the other hand,
because this problem occurs due to insufficient time to hand over, the
handover decision time is reduced so that the handover can happen timely.

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Handover Cases 3
z Fault Description
‡ This case occurs during the drive test at a new site.

‡ Even when the receive level of serving cell B is higher than the receive level
of neighboring cell M, handover is triggered from cell B to cell M.

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38
Handover Cases 3
z Analysis

‡ The possible causes of the handover from a cell with a higher level to a cell
with a lower level cell are as follows:
1. The PBGT handover threshold for traffic adjustment is lower than 64.
2. The handover is emergency handover due to the heavy load or low quali
ty of the original cell with the higher level.
3. The priority of the cell with the higher level is lower than the priority of t
he cell with the lower level.

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39
Handover Cases 3
z Solution

‡ Analyze the drive test data and find that the downlink receive quality and l
evel of the serving cell are normal. Thus, the handover is not associated wit
h the downlink receive quality and level.

‡ Check the data configurations and find that the handover due to heavy loa
d is disabled. Thus, the handover is not due to heavy load.

‡ Check the BSC parameter configurations. The result shows that the thresho
ld for the PBGT handover from cell B to cell M is 68 and that the handover
hysteresis is 4. Thus, the handover is not PBGT handover.

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40
Handover Cases 3
z Solution
‡ Check the priority settings of the cells. The result shows that cell B is at level 2 on l
ayer 3 and that cell M is at level 1 on layer 3. Check the inter-layer
handover threshold and hysteresis. The result shows that the inter-
layer handover threshold is 20 and that the inter-
layer handover hysteresis is 5. Thus, when the receive level of cell B is higher than -
85 dBm, handover is initiated from cell B to cell M.

‡ Modify the priority level of cell B to level 1. In this way, the cells are at the same pr
iority level. The handover problem is solved.

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page41

41
Handover Cases 4
z Fault Description
‡ Suburb of city A, Huawei BTS3012 M-2 cell, incoming handover success
rate lower than 70%, number of incoming handover failures at busy
hours greater than 35.

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42
Handover Cases 4
z Analysis
‡ The hardware such as clock board is checked and no problem is found.
‡ Register the traffic measurement of the cell incoming handover, it is found that
most of the handover failures occur from the external N-1 cell of the BTS of
company S.
‡ The field drive test shows that in times of handover failure, there occurs a neighbor
frequency in the neighbor cell frequency list. It is suspect that the handover failures
are caused by downlink inter-frequency interference.
‡ We trace and analyze the handover failure signaling and finds that sometimes the
handover failures occur when the MS receives the handover command and sends
access pulses to the target cell and sometimes the handover failures occur when
the MS reports the SABM frame.

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43
Handover Cases 4
z Solution
‡ Therefore the conclusion is that the MS fails to correctly decode the
physical message due to the downlink inter-frequency interference, or
the MS fails to receive the UA frame from the target cell, resulting in
handover failure.

‡ The cell frequency is planned again and is changed from 113 to 121. The
problem is solved.

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page44

Signaling tracing is very helpful if there are problems in cooperation with other
manufacturers’ equipment.

44
Handover Cases 4
z Handling Suggestions
‡ The BTS hardware alarms are checked.
‡ The cell incoming handover traffic measurement is registered.
‡ Drive test to trace the signaling.
‡ The cell frequency is modified.
‡ The traffic measurement is checked and it is confirmed that the number of
incoming handover failures decreases and the incoming handover success rate
reaches 92%.

z Suggestion and Summary


‡ The downlink interference is not represented in the interference band and the
range affected by the partial downlink interference is small. We may miss the
faulty place during the drive test due to selection of the drive route. It is desirable
to perform careful drive test on the abnormal cells.

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page45

45
Handover Cases 5
z Fault Description

‡ BSC6000 has very low HO attempt & during many drive test no HO at all.
KPI indicate that there is very low HO attempt with good success rate.

‡ From Drive test using TEMS, we found out “Missing Neighbor Detection”
message appears in neighbor list when MS still try to make HO to serving cell.
And also “T200 Expired” appears.

‡ The figure below and the corresponding KPI statistics table is presented as
below.

Corresponding
KPI Statistics Table

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page46

46
Handover Cases 5

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page47

47
Handover Cases 5
z Analysis

‡ Neighbors cell configuration is incorrect

‡ Data configuration has some problem, such as “NCC Permitted”

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48
Handover Cases 5
z Solution
‡ Compared with other BSC, found out the handover attempts are less than
other BSCs even under the same condition.
‡ Checked the neighbor cell configuration, for some cells, there were some
neighboring cells missing, but after adding, the problem still existed.
‡ Checked "NCC permitted" , we found that the configuration in the problem
BSC is set to be 1111000, that is, enabling NCC 4~7 handover while
disabling NCC0~3, but the neighboring cells' NCC is 0~3.
‡ Changed “NCC Permitted” to be 11111111, the problem is solved.

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page49

To solve the problem of low handover attempts, we firstly compared the handover times with
other BSCs under the same scenario and found out the attempts are less than other BSCs even
under the same condition, in addition, we also checked the neighbor cell configuration to see
whether there are enough neighbors to ensure the handover proper and prompt, for some cells,
there were some neighboring cells missing, but after adding, the problem still existed, and we
checked the parameters, found out There is a parameter "NCC permitted" relative to the low
handover times, the definition of this parameter is as follows:
NCC permitted
Range: 0 allowed~7 allowed
Default: 1111111
Description: Network color code permitted. The value 1 stands for permitted and 0 for forbidden.
This parameter is sent in system information 2 and 6. When the cell's NCC is consistent with the
value of NCC permitted, then this cell will be measured by MS. And MS will report the
measurement report to BTS. This parameter consists of one byte (8bit). Each bit is corresponding
to an NCC (0~7) and the last bit is corresponding to NCC 0. If bit N is 0, then MS will not
measure the cell level with NCC being N.
Note:As MS cannot report the adjacent cell information where NCC is set to 0, the incorrect
setting of this parameter will cause MS to be unable to hand over during conversation. See
Protocol 0508.
This parameter can be used to make MS 's measurements on some adjacent cells optionally.
We found that the configuration in the problem BSC is set to be 1111000, that is, enabling NCC
4~7 handover, but from the feedback, the neighboring cells' NCC is 0~3.

49
Handover Cases 5
z Suggestions and Summary:

‡ “NCC Permitted” parameter is an important parameter to impact on


handover but always been neglected, and if the similar phenomenon
happened, this is a clue to solve this problem.

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50
Handover Cases 6
z Fault Description
‡ A GSM network, where one MSC is attached with two BSC, is all
configured with Huawei equipment. When the two BSC are cutovered,
the successful handover rate from BSC1 to BSC2 is 0, but the opposite is
normal. Intra-BSC1 and intra-BSC2 handover are normal.

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51
Handover Cases 6
z Analysis
‡ Register “outgoing inter-cell handover measurement function” of
BSC1 and “incoming inter-cell handover measurement function” of
BSC2.

‡ Check the data related to handover of BSC1 and BSC2.

‡ Analyze signaling of handover failure.

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page52

52
Handover Cases 6
z Solution
‡ Check all data of inter-BSC handover: external cell description data table,
BA2 table, CGI of MSC. No problem is found.

‡ Trace A interface message of BSC1 and BSC2. After BSC1 sends "HO-
REQUIRED", BSC2 has not received "HO-REQUEST" message, but opposite
is normal.

‡ The path of data search: MSC goes to "LAI and GCI Table" according to
the CGI of the target cell in "HO-REQUIRED" message, and sends HO
request to the correct BSC base on the description of the DPC of the cell
given in the table.

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53
Handover Cases 6
z Solution
‡ The HO-REQUEST message, which should have been sent to BSC2, is sent
to BSC1. It is DPC error. After correction, the problem is solved.

z Conclusion
‡ For the data of inter-BSC handover, besides checking whether CGI at MSC
side is consistent with that of opposite and BSC, check whether the DPC is
correct. MSC look up target DPC based on the CGI of the target cell.
When the DPC is incorrect, "HO-REQUEST" will be sent to wrong BSC.

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54
Handover Cases 7
z Fault Description
‡ After all BTSs of a certain BSC32 are swapped to the BSC6000, the PBGT handover
proportion decreases from the average value 60% to 40%. The number of bad
quality handovers increase. It thinks that the problem is caused by the interference
and coverage.

‡ Note:

„ The PBGT handover proportion is one of the key indexes that the operator uses to
evaluate the network coverage quality.

„ PBGT Handover Proportion = PBGT Handover Requests/Total Handover Requests

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55
Handover Cases 7
z Analysis
‡ The possible causes of the decrease in the PBGT handover proportion
are as follows:
„ The number of other handovers with a higher priority than that of the
PBGT handover increases. The possible causes are the interference or
coverage problems.
„ The data configurations of PBGT handover change, thus causing an
increase in the condition of the PBGT handover and a decrease in the
number of PBGT handover attempts.
„ 16-bit value affects the priorities of many neighbor cells with good
levels.

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page56

(1) The PBGT handover algorithm is used to find a cell that meets the
following conditions on a real-time basis and determine whether to perform a
handover:

The cell has less path loss.

The level of the neighbor cell is higher than the threshold for the local cell.

The cell meets the system requirements.

PBGT Handover Proportion = PBGT Handover Requests/Total Handover


Requests

(2) The possible causes of the decrease in the PBGT handover proportion are
as follows:

The number of other handovers with a higher priority than that of the
PBGT handover increases. The possible causes are the interference or coverage
problems.

The system parameters that the PBGT handover requires change, thus
causing an increase in the number of requirements for the PBGT handover and a
decrease in the number of PBGT handover attempts.

(3) The requirements of the PBGT handover are as follows:

The PBGT handover is implemented only between the cells with the same
56
layer and same level.
Handover Cases 7
z Solution
‡ The problem may be caused by interference and coverage. Check the related traffic measurement.
The traffic indexes of the interference band before and after the swap are low. The BTS hardware is
operational.

‡ Check the parameters related to the PBGT handover, PBGT Handover Threshold and Decision Time.
The parameters of other handovers with higher priories than PBGT handover are proper.

‡ Check the settings of the 16-bit priority. The inter-layer handover threshold and
hysteresis are greatly different from those configured on the original BSC. For the
existing network, the initial threshold is set to 25 and the hysteresis is set to 3. For the
original BSC, the initial threshold is set to 40 and the hysteresis is set to 1.

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page57

(1) The problem may be caused by interference and coverage. Check the related traffic
measurement. The interference handover proportion before the swap is low. The traffic indexes of
the interference band before and after the swap are low. The BTS hardware is operational.
The OMC data shows that not all parameters are mapped according to the original network during
the swap from the BSC32 to the BSC6000. All BTSs are configured according to the initial template
of the BSC6000.

(2) Check the parameters related to the PBGT handover, PBGT Handover Threshold and
Decision Time. The parameters of the handovers with higher priories than PBGT handover are
proper.

(3) Check the settings of the 16-bit priority. The inter-layer handover threshold and hysteresis
are greatly different from those configured on the original BSC. For the existing network, the initial
threshold is set to 25 and the hysteresis is set to 3. For the original BSC, the initial threshold is set to
40 and the hysteresis is set to 1.

If the following conditions are met, the priority of the neighbor cell is lower than that of the local
cell. Even the level of the neighbor cell is higher than that of the local cell, the PBGT handover fails
to be triggered.

The threshold for the receiving level is set to 25.

The level of the neighbor cell is lower than the value of threshold + hysteresis.

The level of the local cell is not lower than the value of threshold - hysteresis.

In addition, the sites covered by the BSC are located in the suburb areas. There is a great probability
that the receiving level of these sites is 25. Therefore, the settings of 16-bit priority have great
impacts on the PBGT handover.

After the threshold is set to 40 and the hysteresis is set to 1 in batches on the BSC, the PBGT
handover proportion increases to 55%-60%, which is close to the original BSC index value.

57
Handover Cases 7
z Suggestion and Summary

‡ When analyzing the handover traffic measurement, the impacts of the


factors in the handover algorithm on the handover priority and handover
triggering conditions should be taken into account.

‡ The mapping of all parameters at the cell level is essential to the BSC
swap. If parameters are not configured according to the original network,
the network indexes may be affected. There are multiple parameters at
the cell level.

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page58

(1) When analyzing the handover traffic measurement, you need to


take the impacts of the factors in the handover algorithm on the handover
priority and handover triggering conditions into consideration.

(2) The mapping of all parameters at the cell level is essential to the
BSC swap. If parameters are not configured according to the original
network, the network indexes may be affected. There are multiple
parameters at the cell level. Therefore, the workload of analyzing and
checking the parameters is large if the indexes related to the traffic
measurement have problems.

58
Handover Cases 8
z Fault Description
‡ Huawei BTSs belong to Huawei BSC independently are inserted into a GSM900
network. After the cutover, the user complains that Huawei BTS handover is not
good and that the BSC outgoing handover success rate is below 85%. The drive test
shows that the serving cell is Huawei cell A and that then drive toward cell B. The
receiving level of cell A is -80 dBm (no downlink power control), while the receiving
level of the neighbor cell B of another BSC is -60 dBm. Handover does not happen
until MS passes across the cell B.

No Huawei BSC
Huawei BSC
No handover for
a long time?

-80dBm -60dBm

Huawei
Cell A Cell B

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59
Handover Cases 8
z Analysis

‡ The reason that the receiving level of the neighbor cell is strong enough
to prevent handover is as follows:

„ The BA2 table has the BCCH frequency of cell B but the handover data,
including parameters such as external cell CGI, BCCH, BSIC, and
"whether share MSC", are wrong, and "minimum downlink power of
the handover candidate cell" is high.

„ Congestion of cell B results in no handover.

„ Other parameters are set incorrectly, resulting in no handover.

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60
Handover Cases 8
z Solution
‡ Drive test shows that handover does not happen. To verify reasonableness of the
data, test MS is used to perform the forced handover. Handover succeeds.

‡ The traffic statistic of the no-Huawei BSCs is checked and confirm that there is no
congestion in the target cell B.

‡ Via drive test, it is found that all the new cells of Huawei BSC have this problem. It is
suspected that the problem is caused by a common parameter.

‡ The traffic measurement is analyzed and it is found that no PBGT handover happens
in the new BSC, while only edge handover happens when the edge handover
condition is satisfied, resulting in serious handover delay.

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61
Handover Cases 8
z Solution
‡ One of PBGT handover condition is target cell must be the first position in the
16bit criterion.If “Co-BSC/MSC Adj” is set to YES, the cells that do not share
BSC/MSC are sorted at the last positions. Therefore the PBGT handover of the BSC
outgoing handover does not happen. After “Co-BSC/MSC Adj” is set to NO, the
problem persists.
‡ The data is further checked and it is found that the default parameter
configuration shows that internal cells of Huawei BSC are "layer 3, priority 1" and
the external cells are "layer 3, priority 2". Because PBGT handover only happens at
the same layer and the same priority, the default configuration does not trigger
PBGT handover.
‡ After changing all internal cells priority of Huawei BSC from 1 to 2, it shows that
PBGT handover happens by analyzing the traffic measurement. Drive test shows
that BSC outgoing handover is not delayed.

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62
Handover Cases 8
z Suggestion and Summary
‡ Note that the following two default parameters need to be modified in
the BTS and BSC insertion plan
1. Set “Co-BSC/MSC Adj” to NO

2. If there is no requirement for traffic balance, set the layer and priority of the
internal cells and external cells to the same layer and the same priority.

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63
Handover Cases 9
z Fault Description
‡ The drive test of a network in an office shows that in the drive test in a
county, there is a strange phenomenon: when the receiving level of the
current serving cell (cell A) is as high as –45 dBm, the call still hands over
to a cell (cell B) with low level of –78 dBm. Viewed from geographical
location, this place should not be covered by cell B. The frequency
planning of the network is tight frequency reuse. Therefore the
conversation quality becomes worse after handover.
Handover occur from
high level to low
level!

-45dBm -78dBm

Cell A Cell B

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64
Handover Cases 9
z Analysis
‡ There are the following reasons that can lead to handover from a
high-level cell to a low-level cell.
„ To adjust the traffic, the PBGT handover threshold is set to a value less than 64.

„ When emergent handover occurs, such as BQ handover (Because the uplink quality
is bad for interference, BQ handover occurs).

„ Though the downlink signal level of the current cell is strong, the uplink signal level
is weak and already reaches the handover threshold.

„ The layer and priority of the low-level cell is higher than those of the high-level cell.

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page65

65
Handover Cases 9
z Solution
1. Check BSC data configuration

„ It is found that the [PBGT HO Threshold]=70 and [Inter-cell HO


Hysteresis]=3. Therefore the handover is not a PBGT handover.

2. The drive test data shows that when a handover is triggered, both the
downlink receiving quality and the downlink receiving level of MS in the
serving cell are good.

„ This excludes handover caused by downlink receiving quality and level.

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66
Handover Cases 9
z Solution
3. Check the cell priority
„ It is found that cell B is at layer 3 with priority 1 while cell A is at layer 3 with
priority 2. [Inter-layer HO Threshold]=25 and [Inter-layer HO Thysteresis]=5.
„ Therefore when the receiving level of cell B is greater than –80 dBm, handover is
triggered. The handover is a better cell handover from a cell in a high receiving
level to a cell in a low receiving level.
„ In the initial data configuration, the BSC internal cells are designed at layer 3 with
priority 1 and the external cells are at layer 3 with priority 2. The engineer ever
changed data during routine maintenance.
„ The priority of cell A is changed to 1, and the priority of cell B is changed to 2, the
handover becomes normal.

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67
Handover Cases 10
z Fault Description
‡ Huawei mini BTSs and NT BTSs are in mixtured networking, that is to say,
few Huawei BTSs are located in a great many NT BTSs.
‡ One day the customer complains that during a drive test, handing over
from a Huawei mini BTS to a neighbor cell (NT BTS) is very difficulty, and
that the handover request is not sent even when the receiving level of the
neighbor cell (NT BTS) is much stronger than that of the serving cell
(Huawei mini BTS). Sometimes handover does not happen until the call
drop.
‡ All the cells are in the same layer and the same priority. [Co-BSC/MSC Adj]
is YES. [Inter-layer HO Threshold]=25, and [Inter-layer HO Thysteresis]=3.

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68
Handover Cases 10
z Analysis
‡ Firstly, suspected that the problem of failure to send handover request is
caused by improper neighbor cell relationship of the serving cell or by
incorrect frequencies in the BA1 table and BA2 table.

„ The check result shows that the neighbor cell relationship is right and that
the frequencies are correct.

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69
Handover Cases 10
z Analysis
‡ Secondly, Since [Co-BSC/MSC Adj] is set to YES, compare the 16bit value
between serving cell and neighbor cell.

Rx_Lev In the same 14th bit 13th ~ 12th bit 10th ~5th bit
BSC
>= –88 dBm
Serving Cell / 0 00 0
< –88 dBm
Serving Cell / 1 00 0
>= –82 dBm
Neighbor Cell Yes 0 00 0
>= –82 dBm
Neighbor Cell No 0 01 0
< –82 dBm
Neighbor Cell Yes or No 1 00 0
①. All the cells are in the same layer and the same priority, and in the same MSC.
②. [Co-BSC/MSC Adj] is YES
③. [Inter-layer HO Threshold]=25(-85dBm), and [Inter-layer HO Thysteresis]=3dB

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page70

Since Co-BSC/MSC Adj is set to YES, of the 16bit sequence number,

①.If the serving cell level >= inter-layer handover threshold–hysteresis, which is >=–88 dBm, bit14 is 0, bits
5~10 of the serving cell are the same as those of the neighbor cell, so bits 12, 13 and 14 are all 0.

②.If the serving cell level < inter-layer handover threshold–hysteresis, which is < –88 dBm, bit14 is 1, bits 5~10
of the serving cell are the same as those of the neighbor cell, so bits 12 and 13 are 0, and bit 14 is 1.

③.If neighbor cell level >= inter-layer handover threshold + hysteresis, which is >= –82 dBm, bit 14 is 0, bits
5~10 of the internal cells are the same as those of the serving cell, so bits 12, 13, and 14 of the internal cells
are all 0, while bits 5~10 of the external cells are the same as those of the serving cell, so bit 12 is 1, and bits
13 and 14 are 0.

④.If neighbor cell level < inter-layer handover threshold + hysteresis, which is < –82 dBm, bit 14 is 1, bits 5~10,
12, and 13 are all 0, for both internal cells and external cells.

⑤.The actual situation is, when the level of the serving cell is higher than –88 dBm, all the most significant bits of
the serving cell are 0. For cells of different BSC, even when the level of the serving cell is higher than –82
dBm, bit 14 is 0. But because bit 12 is 1, the cells of different BSC are still sorted after the serving cell and no
normal handover can be initiated (including edge handover, PBGT handover, and inter-layer inter-priority
handover). In other words, when Co-BSC/MSC Adj is YES and the vicinity of Huawei BTS is BTSs of
different BSCs, if the level of the serving cell is not lower than –88 dBm, handover is very difficult to initiate.

⑥.When the level of the serving cell is lower than –88 dBm, bit 14 of the serving cell is 1, bits 5~10, 12, and 13
are 0. If the receiving level of a neighbor cell of different BSC is lower than –82 dBm, bit 14 is 1, bits 5~10,
12, and 13 are 0. In this case all the cells are sorted by the level. If the receiving level of a neighbor cell of
different BSC is higher than –82 dBm, bit 14 is 0 and the cell is sorted at the front. That is, if the vicinity of
Huawei BTS is BTSs of different BSCs, when the level of the serving cell is lower than –88 dBm, no matter if
the level of the neighbor cells is greater than –82 dBm, the cells can be correctly sorted and can initiate normal
handover.

⑦.Therefore, if a Huawei BTS is randomly distributed among other BSCs and the vicinity is BTSs of other BSCs,
it is recommended to set Co-BSC/MSC Adj to NO.

70
Handover Cases 10
z Analysis
‡ Thirdly, the geographical environment around the mini BTS is complex and
P/N = 5/4s, respectively.

‡ These values are large. Therefore sometimes when the MS receiving level is
lower than –88 dBm, the level decreases so rapidly due to the complex
terrain that call drop happens before handover succeeds.

‡ Therefore P/N are changed to 3/2s, respectively. In this case, handover is


triggered very quickly at low level.

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71
Handover Cases 10
z Solution
‡ The handover performance measurement is registered and it is found
that the cell has handover request and that the handover success rate is
high.
‡ The BSC incoming and outgoing handover performance measurement is
registered and handover happens normally between the cell and a NT
cell.
‡ Drive test shows that when serving cell is Huawei mini BTS and the
serving level is below –80 dBm, handover does not happen even when
the signal of the neighbor cell is much stronger than that of the serving
cell. But when the signal of the serving cell is –90 dBm, sometimes
handover happens and succeeds, sometimes due to terrain reason, the
level decreases so rapidly that handover does not happen in time and
result in call drop at last.

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72
Handover Cases 10
z Solution
‡ It is confirmed that all the neighbor cells have configured in the BA1/BA2
table and the corresponding frequency is correct.
‡ The handover-related parameter setting of the cell is configured to be
the same as that of other cells. The parameters that affect inter-BSC cell
handover are mainly checked and it is found that [Co-BSC/MSC Adj] is set
to YES and that P/N time of the edge handover and PBGT handover are
5s/4s, respectively.
‡ The [Co-BSC/MSC Adj] is modified to NO and the P/N time of the edge
handover and PBGT handover are changed to 3s/2s, respectively.
‡ DT shows that handover happens when the MS receiving level is high.

Copyright © 2009 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Page73

73
Thank you
www.huawei.com

74

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