Dimensioning of SDCCH for USSDC 1 (7)

USSDC
Dimensioning
The SDCCH Capacity Utilisation
1.3.2001
Version 1.0
 Dimensioning of SDCCH for USSDC 2 (7)

1. SCOPE........................................................................................................................................................................................3

2. SDCCH USAGE.........................................................................................................................................................................3

3. ASSUMPTIONS........................................................................................................................................................................3
3.1 TRAFFIC ESTIMATION: ................................................................................................................................................................3
3.2 QUALITY OF SERVICE................................................................................................................................................................3
3.3 CONFIGURATION ........................................................................................................................................................................3
4. SDCCH CONFIGURATIONS.................................................................................................................................................4
4.1 COMBINED CONTROL CHANNEL...................................................................................................................................................4
4.2 NON-COMBINED CONTROL CHANNELS...........................................................................................................................................5
5. SDCCH TRAFFIC CALCULATION......................................................................................................................................5
5.1 TRAFFIC CALCULATION (MO, MT)..............................................................................................................................................5
5.2 LOCATION UPDATE (LU)...........................................................................................................................................................6
5.3 SHORT MESSAGES (SMS)...........................................................................................................................................................6
5.4 IMSI (ATTACH/DETACH)............................................................................................................................................................6
5.5 USSDC TRAFFIC ...................................................................................................................................................................6
6. REQUIRED NUMBER OF SDCCHS ....................................................................................................................................6
6.1 POSSIBLE SDCCH CONFIGURATION............................................................................................................................................7
7. USSDC TRAFFIC EFFECT ON BSC, MSC AND HLR.......................................................................................................7

8. CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................................................7
 Dimensioning of SDCCH for USSDC 3 (7)

1. SCOPE

The aim of this document is to briefly present an example of SDCCH dimensioning and
configure the network such that implementations of new services wouldn't degrade its
perfomance. An example to estimate the exact capacity of SDCCH capacity is presented as
well.

2. SDCCH USAGE

The SDCCH usage is in 4 cases: Call set up (includes MOC, MTC, SMS, SS), Emergency
Calls, Call reestablishments and Other reasons (Location Updates, of IMSI attach/detach)

3. ASSUMPTIONS

SDCCH used for call assignment/establishment or SDCCH reservation time = (7 s/Call

including ciphering and authentication) i.e. all for type of calls

3.1 Traffic estimation:

Subscriber usage during busy hour = 90 seconds/subscriber/busy hour

Number of SMSs = 0.1 SMS call rate per subscriber/24 hours

Number of IMSI (attach/detach) = 0,1 IMSI detach per call during busy hour

Location updates = 1 location update per call in 60 min.

USSD traffic estimation: e.g.

Application Subscriber Usage Subscriber penetration

[%]
Chat 300sec/day 5
Stock Quote 20sec/day 3
Prepay Card Notification 10/month 10

3.2 Quality of Service

Allowed Blocking probability for Calls = 2%

Allowed Blocking probability for SDDCH = 1%

3.3 Configuration

That is Initial configuration is considered to be 2 TRXs per cell.

 Dimensioning of SDCCH for USSDC 4 (7)

4. SDCCH CONFIGURATIONS

In the Air interface there are 8 radio timeslots per TRX, TSL0 - TSL7. A logical SDCCH channel
can physically be located in a number of locations (TSLs) as defined in the GSM
recommendations.
TSL0 of the BCCH TRX is always reserved for the broadcast channels and the common control
channels. Additionally it can be configured to carry dedicated control channels, like SDCCH.
However, SDCCH channels can be located in any other TSL as well.
In the following two sub-sections there are explained the two options how to define SDCCH
capacity: 1) Combined control channels or 2) Non-combined control channels.

4.1 Combined Control Channel

When combined control channel configuration is used the both common control channels as well as the
dedicated control channels are transmitted on TSL0 of the BCCH TRX of the cell.
The frame structure for this TSL0, in the downlink, is:
FCCH + SCH + BCCH + PCH + AGCH + SDCCH/4 + SACCH/4
Additional SDCCH capacity may be assigned to any timeslot of any transceiver (reducing capacity of
TCHs).
Possible control channel configurations for a cell1:

BCCH TRX
TSL0: TSL 1-7:
Broadcast channels + Common control SDCCH/8
channels + SDCCH/4 + SACCH/4

Other TRXs
TSL 0-7:
SDCCH/8 + SACCH/8

1It should be noted that in Nokia BTS the maximum SDCCH configuration is 12 SDCCH sub-
channels per TRX (one SDCCH/4 plus one SDCCH/8). This limits the maximum capacity of
SDCCH sub-channels to max (12, 12 + (n-1) * 8 * nbr of TRX) per a cell.
 Dimensioning of SDCCH for USSDC 5 (7)

4.2 Non-combined Control Channels

When non-combined control channel configuration is used TSL0 of the BCCH TRX always
carries the common control channel and some (one or more) other TSL has to be defined for
dedicated control channels.
The non-combined configuration provides extra capacity for PCH, AGCH, SDCCH, and
SACCH. The capacity of AGCH and PCH is tripled from 3 to 9 sub-channels and, in case where
one SDCCH/8 is configured, the capacity of SDCCH and SACCH is doubled from 4 to 8 sub-
channels compared to the combined control channel configuration.
TSL 0 is being utilised for only for common control channels, and some other TSL has to be
configured for SDCCH and SACCH usage, hence the name non-combined configuration. Then
the frame structures are:
TSL0: FCCH + SCH + BCCH + PCH + AGCH
TSL 1-7: SDCCH/8 + SACCH/8

Possible control channel configurations for a cell :

2

BCCH TRX
TSL0: TSL 1-7:
Broadcast channels + SDCCH/8 + SACCH/8
Common control
channels

Other TRXs
TSL 0-7:
SDCCH/8 + SACCH/8

5. SDCCH TRAFFIC CALCULATION

5.1 Traffic calculation (MO, MT)

Traffic per subscriber = 90s/3600s = 0.025 Erl = 25mErl/subsciber

According to Erlang B table, 2TRXs configuration per cell gives 9.01 Erl/cell of traffic.

If 25mErl/subscriber

2It should be noted that in Nokia BTS the maximum SDCCH configuration is 12 SDCCH sub-
channels (one SDCCH/4 plus one SDCCH/8) per TRX. This limits the maximum capacity of
SDCCH sub-channels to max (12, 12 + (n-1) * 8 * nbr of TRX) per a cell.
 Dimensioning of SDCCH for USSDC 6 (7)

Therefore 9.01 ERL will be enough for 9.01Erl/cell/0.025Erl/subscriber= 360.4 subscribers.

9.01Erl => 360 subscribers/cell.

SDDCH traffic for 360 subscribers

SDCCH reservations time 7 sec?
SDCCH traffic per subscriber = 7s / 3600 sec = 1.94 mErl

And therefore SDDCH traffic for 360 calls (subs) = 360 calls/cell *1.94 mErl/Call = 0.699
Erl/Cell

5.2 Location Update (LU)

Location update in 60 minutes,

SDCCH reservation for location update = 7sec
SDCCH traffic for reservation time per call = 1.94mErl

Therefore SDCCH traffic for 360 subs = 360 calls/cell *1.94 mErl/Call = 0.699 Erl/Cell

5.3 Short Messages (SMs)

SDCCH traffic = 0.1 * 360 calls/Cell * 1.94mErl/Call * 1/24 = 2.91 mErl

5.4 IMSI (attach/detach)

SDCCH traffic = 0.1 * 360 calls/Cell * 1.94mErl/Call = 69.84 mErl

5.5 USSDC Traffic

For example:

CHAT traffic = 0.05*360* 300/86400 = 0.0625 Erl

Stock Quote = 0.03*360 * 20/86400 = 0.0025 Erl

Prepay Card = 0.3*360 * 10/2592000 = 0.0042 Erl

SDCCH traffic = 0.0692 Erl

Total SDCCH traffic = 0.699 + 0.699 + 0.00291 + 0.006984 + 0.0626 + 0.0025 Erl/Cell + 0.0042
Erl/Cell

Total SDCCH traffic = 1.5995 Erl/Cell

6. REQUIRED NUMBER OF SDCCHS

The numbers of SDCCHs is 6 SDCCHs

 Dimensioning of SDCCH for USSDC 7 (7)

By using the Erlang B-table and assuming Blocking probability 1% (usually set below 1%, for
example 0,2%), 1.5995 Erl/Cell ⇒ 6 channels

In this case, results show that it is not possible to use a combined channel structure for such
configuration (2 TRXs/Cell). Even If the location update is done only once in six hours, the
needed SDCCH capacity would be 0,95745 Erl/Cell => 5channels. The combine structure is still
not possible.

6.1 Possible SDCCH configuration

Therefore a non-combined structure would be used instead providing one less TCH out of
15TCHs.

7. USSDC TRAFFIC EFFECT ON BSC, MSC AND HLR

BSC
MSC
HLR

8. CONCLUSION

Knowledge of the exact network configuration and the BSS parameter implementation would be
of great importance on a cell basis. The perfomance of SDCCH and CCCHs would be worth
looking at cell by cell using cell doctor scripts. One can get near exact traffic estimations,
availlability of extra capacity or cells whose capacity limits are exceeding. This might be a
tedious job and very difficult to manage. However, if well done and having a configuration
database, it might be easy to keep track of all the configurations and change requests.