CELL SELECTION RESELECTION K S Madanpuri

madanpuri_ks@yahoo.com

Cell selection/reselection are processes, which are performed by a GSM mobile station in idle mode. The MS uses the cell selection algorithm to look for a cell (of the chosen PLMN) where it can camp on ("camping on a cell"). If the MS looses coverage of that cell (caused for example by moving out of the cell) it will look for the most suitable alternative cell (of the selected PLMN) and it will camp on that cell. This is called cell reselection.

In case of normal cell selection the MS has no prior knowledge on which GSM 900 or DCS 1800 frequencies are BCCH carriers. Therefore the MS has to search in the beginning all RF carriers of the corresponding system (124 carriers for P-GSM, 174 carriers for E-GSM and 374 carriers for DCS 1800), and has to measure the signal strength on each RF carrier. The MS takes 5 measurement samples per RF carrier which are averaged AV_RXLEV = 1/5 x (RXLEV1 + RXLEV2 + ... + RXLEV5) A multi band MS searches all carriers within its band of operation. The number of carriers searched corresponds to the sum of carriers on each band of operation.

Based on these measurements samples over a period of 3 to 5 seconds the MS can estimate whether a cell will be an appropriate serving cell from the radio propagation point of view, i.e. whether there will be a sufficient link quality : C1 Criterion for Cell Selection C1 = AV_RXLEV - RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN - max (0, MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P )

RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN: minimum received level at the MS required for access to the system MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH: maximum allowed MS transmit power on RACH
P is the maximum RF output power of the MS, usually 33dBm for a handheld GSM900 and 30dBm for a handheld GSM1800 MS. Often the latter term in C1 equals 0 and equation can be simplified to; C1 = A = AV_RXLEV RX_ACCESS_MIN

For example, if the minimum allowed level to gain access to a cell is 100dBm and the received average level at the cell s BCCH frequency is -80 dBm, MS calculates C1 as +20 for that particular cell. MS camps to the cell with the highest C1 value. There is an exception to the standard procedure described above. When MS evaluates C1 values for cells belonging to a different Location Area (LA), it subtracts a parameter called CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS from the C1 value, which means that those cells are given a negative offset.

The reason for this is that changing LA requires a Location Update (LU) procedure that consumes network signaling capacity. Thus, by assigning a negative offset to C1, unnecessary LUs caused by slow fading can be reduced. MS receives information of the cell dependent CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS values through BCCH. During cell selection procedure the MS will select only those cells which have C1 > 0.

C1 Examples For a system where the minimum access level is -104 then

C1 has a minimum value of 0, but you will sometimes see a minimum of 1 this is due to the mobile functionality since a value of 0 actually would mean NO signal and no detection should have occurred.

screen 3.1 on pocket TEMS C1/c31 18-26 displayed. cell reselection hystresis =6 is displayed

Suitable Cell

Beside the C1 radio criterion there are some other criteria (administrative and traffic control) for a cell to be suitable: A Suitable Cell is defined as a cell which is part of the selected PLMN, is unbarred (parameter CELL_BAR_ACCESS = 0), has a value C1 > 0, is not in a location area forbidden for national roaming To allow e.g. emergency calls the conditions for a serving cell are less restrictive:

An Acceptable Cell is defined as a cell which is unbarred, has a parameter C1 > 0.

The general strategy for cell selection is to find the suitable cell with the highest C1 (best estimated link quality). If no suitable cell can be found, an acceptable cell is selected.

Cell Selection with Stored BCCH Information

Optionally, the MS may store information on received level on BCCH carriers when switched off. When switched on, the MS first performs measurements on these carriers. If cell selection for the corresponding cells is not successful, normal cell selection is carried out.

Phase 2: Cell reselection criterion C2 is defined as C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET TEMPORARY_OFFSET

If CELL RESELECT PARAM IND = TRUE then If the counter T < PENALTY TIME C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET - TEMPORARY OFFSET If the counter T >= PENALTY TIME C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET
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If the neighbour is the last serving cell T = PENALTY TIME and C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET
The timer T is started separately for each cell in the list of the six strongest cells immediately after it is placed on the list.. MS camps in the cell with the highest C2

value.

The criterion C2 is applied in hierarchical cell structures to keep fast moving MS in an upper layer and slow moving MS in micro cells. It is assumed that a fast moving MS passes through the micro cell before PENALTY_TIME is reached. This efficiently prevents unnecessary LUs and thus saves network signaling capacity. As in the case of C1, MS receives the C2 parameter information through BCCH. A parameter called CELL_RESELECT_PARAM_IND informs MS about which reselection criterion (C1 or C2) is used in the cell. It is broadcast on the BCCH.
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The following actions are performed by the MS to detect whether or not a cell reselection is necessary: Detection of a Downlink Signaling Failure:
The downlink signaling failure counter DSC is a counter running in the MS. The starting value of this counter is called DSC0 and is set by the MS to the following value:

DSC0 = round(90 / BS_PA_MFRMS) The value of BS_PA_MFRMS is broadcasted in the system informations on the BCCH of the serving cell. Each BS_PA_MFRMS, the MS attempts to decode the messages on its paging sub-channel. Depending on whether or not this decoding is successful, the value of the downlink signaling failure counter DSC is modified in the following way :

successful decoding: if DSC new + 1 > DSC0 unsuccessful decoding:

DSC new = DSC old + 1 DSC new = DSC old DSC new = DSC old 4

If DSC < 0 the MS has detected a downlink signaling failure.

Minimum decoding

Monitoring of all BCCH carriers given in the BCCH allocation (neighbor cells) of the serving cell Taking at least 5 samples of the received level from the serving cell (on paging sub-channel) as well as from the neighbor cells => AV_RXLEV(serving cell) and AV_RXLEV (neighbor cell) Decoding of full BCCH data of the serving cell at least every 30 sec Decoding of BCCH data of the 6 strongest neighbor cells at least every 5 minutes

From the radio propagation point of view it is worth to select a new (neighbor) cell if the received level from that neighbor cell exceeds the received level of the current serving cell. For phase 1 MS this is expressed using the C1 criterion C1 (neighbor cell) > C1 (serving cell).

For phase 2 MS a modified path loss criterion, the C2 criterion, is used.The C2 criterion depends on the value of a timer T, which is called PENALTY_TIMER.The timer T is started in the MS for each cell in the list of the 6 strongest neighbor cells as soon as it is placed on the list. Timer T is reset to 0 if the cell is removed from the list. During penalty time: C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET - TEMPORARY_OFFSET After penalty time: C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET

For penalty time = 31 the whole time: C2 = C1 - CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET, TEMPORARY_OFFSET, and PENALTY_TIME are cell reselection parameters which are broadcasted on the BCCH of the cell in the system informations if CELL_RESLECT_PARAM_IND (Cell Reselection Parameter Indication) is set to 1.

A negative TEMPORARY_OFFSET reduces the priority of a cell in the list of strongest neighbor cells. A positive CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET increases the priority of a cell in the list of strongest neighbor cells.

This mechanism may be applied in hierarchical cell structures to keep fast moving mobiles in the umbrella cells and slow moving mobiles in the micro cells: When a mobile reaches the coverage area of a (neighbor) micro cell given by the C1 criterion, this cell becomes effectively excluded from reselection during the PENALTY_TIME. A fast moving mobile is assumed to have left the coverage area of the micro cell before PENALTY_TIME is reached and hence the micro cell is not selected. In contrast a slow moving mobile is assumed to be still within the coverage area of the micro cell when PENALTY_TIME has expired. Applying the positive CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET, this cell is selected with preference.

Triggers for Cell Reselection

Cell reselection is triggered by the following conditions: 1. C1 < 0 for the serving cell for a period of 5 s 2. MS detects a downlink signaling failure 3. Serving cell becomes barred Phase 1 MS C1 (serving cell) < C1 (suitable neighbor cell) if the suitable neighbor cell is in the same location area C1 (serving cell) + CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS < C1 (suitable neighbor cell) if the suitable neighbor cell is in another location area for a period of 5 sec.

Phase 2 MS C2 (serving cell) < C2 (suitable neighbor cell) if the suitable neighbor cell is in the same location area C2 (serving cell) + CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS < C2 (suitable neighbor cell) if the suitable neighbor cell is in another location area for a period of 5 sec. A random access attempt is unsuccessful even after the maximum number of repetitions. For phase 2 there is the additional trigger: A location update request has been rejected with cause location area not allowed .

PARAMETERS SETTING
BA (BCCH) - BCCH Allocation broadcasted on BCCH In each cell the absolute radio frequency carrier number BCCH_ARFCN_NC(n) of each of its neighbor cell n has to be known. This information is broadcasted as the so-called BCCH Allocation to all MS in the respective cell. On the corresponding frequencies the MS take measurement samples of the received level used for cell selection / reselection. Furthermore, the BCCH of neighbor cells has to be decoded by the MS (at least every 5 min) to know the current values of the control parameters for the reselection algorithm.

PARAMETERS SETTING
Object ADJC DB Name Range Step Size 1 Unit

BCCHFREQ 0...1023

PARAMETERS SETTING
CELL_BAR_ACCESS - Cell Barred for Access A mobile station cannot camp on a barred cell, i.e. a barred cell is not selected by the cell selection/reselection procedure. Mobile stations which camp on a cell while it becomes barred initialize the reselection procedure to find a new (unbarred) cell, i.e. traffic load is distributed to neighbor cells. This means that e.g. neither a call nor a location update can start in a barred cell. However, a cell barred for access is not barred for incoming handovers. To barr a cell completely, e.g. for maintenance reasons also incoming handovers have to be avoided. To reduce overload in a certain cell more moderately without distributing the overload to neighbor cells, barring of access classes has to be used. Barring access for an access class does not trigger a cell reselection for MSs of that class.

Object BTS

DB Name CELLBARR

Range FALSE/TRUE

RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN - Minimum Downlink Received Level for Cell to be selected The parameter RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN determines the cell border for a MS in idle mode by means of the C1 or C2 criterion respectively. Choosing a high value reduces the risk of a handover immediately after call setup. On the other hand the value has to be low enough to achieve a sufficient overlap between adjacent cells (especially if they belong to different location areas). It has to be observed that the overlap may be different for mobiles of different power classes (refer to MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH). In any case RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN has to be above the MS receiver sensitivity level (100 dBm for DCS1800, -102 dBm for GSM handhelds, -104 dBm for other GSM MS).

Furthermore, it has to harmonize with the handover thresholds (RXLEV_MIN, L_RXLEV_HO). Object DB Name Range BTS RXLEVAMI 0...63 RXLEV Step Size 1 Unit

MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - Maximum allowed MS Transmit Power on RACH The transmit power level the MS uses for the access on the Random Access Channel is given by the minimum of two values: the maximum possible transmit power of the MS (given by the power class P of the MS) the maximum allowed power for access within the respective cell (given by MS_TXP WR_MAX_CCH).

This parameter affects the the random access procedure the cell selection procedure. Random access: If there is a collision of channel requests on the random access channel, the one with the higher received level has a good chance to be decoded and to get a response by the BTS. Hence MS with higher output power are preferred. This imbalance can be avoided by choosing a low maximum allowed transmit power.

PARAMETERS SETTING
Cell Selection: To be selected by the cell selection procedure, a cell has to fulfill the C1 criterion C1 > 0 where C1 = AV_RXLEV - RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN - Max(0, MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P ) Choosing for example MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH = Pmin where Pmin is the output power level for the minimum power class 5 (29 dBm), the C1 criterion reduces to AV_RXLEV > RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN for MSs of all power classes. Hence the same idle mode cell border is seen by each mobile.

Choosing for example MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH = Pmax where Pmax is the output power level for the maximum power class 1 (43 dBm), the C1 criterion reduces to AV_RXLEV > RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN + ( MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P ) for MSs of all power classes. Hence, a larger cell radius is seen by a mobile of higher output power than by a mobile of lower output power. On the other hand one can ensure by this mechanism that a certain uplink received level is exceeded by each MS independent of its power class. Object DB Name BTS MSTXPMAXCH Range Step Size 0...31 1 Unit 2 dB

MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - Maximum allowed MS transmit power on RACH default: 2 MS GSM900 Phase 1 0 := 43 dBm 1 := 41 dBm 2 := 39 dBm 3 := 37 dBm ... ... ... 19 := 5 dBm 15 := 0 dBm 15 := 13dBm MS GSM900 Phase 2 0 := 39 dBm 1 := 39 dBm 2 := 39 dBm 3 := 37 dBm 0 := 30 dBm 1 := 28 dBm 2 := 26 dBm 3 := 24 dBm MS DCS1800

16-31 := 13 dBm 20-31 := 5 dBm 16-31 := 0 dBm

POWER_OFFSET - Additional Parameter for Class 3 DCS1800 MS The parameter POWER_OFFSET is only used by class 3 DCS1800 MS to calculate the C1-criterion described as follows. C1 = AV_RXLEV - RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN Max(0,MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH + POWER_OFFSET- P). Object DB Name BTS PWROFS Range 0...3 Step Size 1 Unit 2 dB

CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS - Hysteresis for Reselection of a Cell from another Location Area In idle mode the MS selects a new (neighbor) cell if the received level of the neighbor cell exceeds the received level of the current cell in order to be served by the cell with the expected best link quality. However, due to fading effects, the propagation conditions may change rapidly and therefore a reselection may occur very frequently. If the cells involved in the reselection process belong to the same location area, frequent cell reselection does not have an effect on the network performance. But if the involved cells belong to different location area, the reselection of a new cell triggers a location update procedure, which causes signaling load (e.g. on the SDCCH) and involves all network elements.

To avoid unnecessary signaling load by forward and backward reselection due to fading, a hysteresis given by the parameter CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS is introduced, i.e. a cell from another location area is selected only if the corresponding received level exceeds the level of the current serving cell by the value of this parameter. This is expressed in terms of the C1 (phase 1) or C2 (phase 2) criterion: C1 (serving cell) + CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESES(serving) < C1 (suitable neighbor cell) or C2 (serving cell) + CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESES(serving) < C2 (suitable neighbor cell) respectively. The adjustment of CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESES should be a compromise between reduction of unnecessary location updates (high value) and selection of the cell with best reception quality (low value).

Object

DB Name

Range

Step Size

Unit

BTS

CELLRESH

0...7

2 dB

CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS - Hysteresis for reselection of a cell from another location area default: 2

CELL_RESELCT_PARAM_IND_ - Phase 2 Reselection Parameter Indication CELL_RESELECT_PARAM_IND=1: The cell reselection parameters CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET, TEMPORARY_OFFSET and PENALTY_TIME used for the C2 criterion as well as the parameter CELL_BAR_QUALIFY are broadcasted on the BCCH. These parameters are taken into account by phase 2 MS, but are ignored by phase 1 MS. CELL_RESELECT_PARAM_IND = 0: The cell reselection parameters and CELL_BAR_QUALIFY are not broadcasted on the BCCH. A phase 2 MS then uses the value 0 for all these parameters, i.e. C1 = C2.

Object DB Name BTS CRESPARI

Range 0...1

CELL_RESELCT_PARAM_IND_ - Phase 2 Reselection Parameter Indication default: 1

CELL_BAR_QUALIFY Parameter is used to assign a priority to a cell selection process. A suitable cell of low priority is only selected if no suitable cell of normal priority can be found. This parameter can be used e.g. in hierarchical cell structures that the MS initially selects an umbrella cell. Object DB BTS CBQ Name 0...1 Range 1

default: 0

PENALTY_TIME - Time to Apply a Negative Offset to C2 of a Neighbor Cell PENALTY_TIME < 31: A timer T is started in the MS for each cell in the list of the 6 strongest neighbor cells as soon as it is placed on the list. T is reset to 0 if the cell is removed from the list. During Penalty Time (T < PENALTY_TIME) a negative TEMPORARY_OFFSET is applied to the C2 of the respective neighbor cell C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET - TEMPORARY_OFFSET which is removed after Penalty Time (T > PENALTY_TIME): C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET. PENALTY_TIME = 31: C2 = C1 - CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET. For PENALTY_TIME = 31 the priority of a neighbor cell for reselection is permanently reduced.

Object

Range

Step Size

Unit

BTS

0...30 and 31

20 sec

PENALTY_TIME - Time to apply a negative offset to C2 of a neighbor cell default: 5

TEMPORARY_OFFSET Subtracting TEMPORARY_OFFSET from CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET reduces the priority of a cell in the list of strongest neighbor cells, i.e. during run time of the timer the corresponding neighbor cell is effectively barred for cell reselection. Object DB Name BTS TEMPOFF Range Step Size 0...7 1 Unit 10 dB 7: infinity TEMPORARY_OFFSET default: 1

CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET Adding CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET increases the priority of a cell in the list of strongest neighbor cells when the timer has expired. This mechanism may be applied in hierarchical cell structures to keep fast moving mobiles in the umbrella cells and slow moving mobiles in the micro cells: When a mobile reaches the coverage area of a (neighbor) micro cell, given by the C1 criterion, this cell becomes effectively excluded from reselection during the PENALTY_TIME. A fast moving mobile is assumed to have left the coverage area of the micro cell before PENALTY_TIME is reached and hence the micro cell is not selected. In contrast, a slow moving mobile is assumed to be still within the coverage area of the micro cell when PENALTY_TIME has expired. Applying the positive CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET, this cell is selected with preference.

Object DB Name Range BTS CRESOFF 0...63

Step Size 1

Unit 2 dB

CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET default: 1

CELL SELECTION RESELECTION

THE END

K S Madanpuri D G M (GSM & AN) BRBRAITT Jabalpur