Concept of Key Performance Indicators in

GSM (KPIs):
RF Optimizer makes frequent use of statistical data for routine optimization
activities. This raw data, which is actually based on counters, makes
optimization tasks quite cumbersome as counters are in thousands. So, to
make the tasks simpler, counters are appended into formulae, whereas, each
formula reflects a specific performance indicator. All major performance
indicators are categorized as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The KPIs
are actually the statistical measure of network quality and encompass all the
QoS parameters related to Network Accessibility, Service Accessibility, and
Network Retainability. Telenor Pakistan Management defines yearly KPI
targets in agreement with Regional RF Managers. Major KPIs include:

– Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR)

– Dropped Call Rate (DCR)
– Handover Success Rate (HSR)
– Minutes Per Drop (MPD)
– TCH Raw Blocking
– SDCCH Blocking

KPIs for Circuit Switched Traffic

The major KPIs for circuit switched traffic (voice) that need to be diligently
monitored include:

1. Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR)

CSSR is a measure of successful call attempts over total number of call
attempts. A call is affirmed to be successful if SDCCH is accessed, occupied
and then TCH is accessed successfully. CSSR is majorly affected due to
blocking (SDCCH/TCH) or due to operational issues.

2. Dropped Call Rate (DCR)

DCR is measure of dropped calls over total number of successfully set-up
calls. A call is affirmed to be dropped if TCH is dropped after assignment.
DCR is dependent on Radio Link Timeout (RLT), and Handover (HO) drops
from RF point of view.
RLT is a counter for loss of SACCH frames (max value: 32 SACCH Frames
for AMR (Adaptive mesh refinement) cells; 20 SACCH Frames for non-AMR
cells in TP Network). It decrements by value of 1 when one SACCH is lost and
increments by value of 2 if one SACCH is received. RLT value is affected due
to poor RF environment (Interference, low coverage).

Probability of increase in HO Drops is directly proportional to increase in HO

failures. These drops can be due to RF as well as due to Operational issues.
From RF point of view, neighbor plan should be optimal, frequency clashes
need to be removed in all neighboring cells, and all HO Control & Adjacency
Parameters need to be at optimal value. DCR can increase due to operational
issues as well.

3. Handover Success Rate (HSR/HOSR)

HSR is measure of successful handover attempts over total number of
handover attempts. HSR is categorized as Outgoing HSR (Out_HSR) and as
Incoming HSR (IN_HSR).
Out_HSR means the success rate of handovers from Source cell to Target
cells. IN_HSR means the success rate of handovers from Target cells to
Source Cell.

Out_HSR is dependent on Adjacency and HO Control Parameters. It can also

be affected due to TCH Blocking issues in the adjacent (neighboring) cells
leading to Blocked Handovers. IN_HSR is also dependent on Adjacency and
HO Control Parameters. It is affected by TCH blocking on Source cell as well.

4. Minutes Per Drop (MPD)

MPD is the average number of minutes after which a call gets dropped from the
network. For example if a certain cell
has an MPD of 60, it would imply that a call stays on that cell for 60 minutes on average,
before getting dropped. MPD is calculated by dividing total minutes of voice traffic
with the total number of TCH Drops.

5. TCH Raw Blocking

TCH Raw Blocking is measure of TCH Blocking during Call Setup.
It does not include TCH Blocking due to Incoming
Handover attempts, or TCH Blocking due to Incoming Directed Retry TCH
Seizure Attempts.
 6. SDCCH Blocking
SDCCH Blocking is measure of attempts for SDCCH seizure (confiscation=
removal=elimination) that could not be facilitated due to non-availability of SDCCH