CHAP TER 1

INTRODUCTION TO UMTS
1.1 Background and Requirements

There are three different generations as far as mobile communication is concerned. The first
generation, 1G, is the name for the analogue or semi analogue (analogue radio path, but digital
switching) mobile networks established after the mid-1980s, such as NMT (Nordic Mobile
Telephone) and AMPS (American Mobile Phone System). These networks offered basic
services for the users, and the emphasis was on speech and services related matters. 1G network
were mainly national efforts and very often they were specified after the networks were
established. Due to this, the 1G networks were incompatible with each other. Mobile
communication was considered some kind of curiosity, and it added value service on top of the
fixed networks in those times.

As the need for mobile communication increased, also the need for a more global mobile
communication system increased. The international specification bodies started to specify what
the second generation, 2G; mobile communication system should look like. The emphasis on 2G
is/was on compatibility and international transparency; the system should be a global one and the
users of the system should be able to access it basically anywhere the service exists. Due to some
political reasons, the concept of globalization did not succeed completely and there were some
2G systems available on the market. Out of these, the commercial success story is/was GSM
(Global System for Mobile communications) and its adaptations: GSM has clearly exceeded all
the expectations set, both technically and commercially.

The third generation, 3G, is expected to complete the globalization process of the mobile
communication. Again there are national interests involved. Also some difficulties can be
foreseen. Several 3G solutions were standardized, such as UMTS (Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System), cdma2000, and UWC-136 (Universal Wireless Communication).

The 3G system UMTS is mostly be based on GSM technical solutions due to two reasons.
Firstly, the GSM as technology dominates the market, and secondly, investments made to GSM

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should be utilized as much as possible. Based on this, the specification bodies created a vision
about how mobile telecommunication will develop within the next decade.

Through this vision, some requirements for UMTS were short- listed as follows:

 The system to be developed must be fully specified (like GSM). The specifications generated
should be valid world-wide.
 The system must bring clear added value when comparing to the GSM in all aspects.
However, in the beginning phase(s) the system must be backward compatible at least with
GSM and ISDN.
 Multimedia and all of its components must be supported thro ughout the system.
 The radio access of the 3G must be generic.
 The services for the end users must be independent: Radio access and the network
infrastructure must not limit the services to be generated. That is, the technology platform is
one issue and the services using the platform totally another issue.

1.2 Evolution of UMTS

3G has a completely new way to approach the term service: all the services offered should be
independent from the technology platform. This really opens the windows for free, 3rd party
service development. There will be several services, and the majority of those will be based on
the Internet in one form or another. In addition, imaging (picture transfer) and video phoning will
be interesting services.

If there is a possibility (as well as requirements and license), the operator may move to a
completely new level in service offering. This phase introduces new wideband radio access
technology, which, in the beginning, roughly equals the bit rates the EDGE concept is able to
provide. The new radio access requires new network elements in the radio network: RNC (Radio
Network Controller) and BS (Base Station) The BS is referred to as Node B in the 3GPP
specifications.

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The new radio access introduced in this phase is, however, utilizing the frequency spectrum
more efficiently; the data flow and its bit rate is not dependent on time slots any more. When the
radio access method was planned, the packet type of traffic was especially considered.

1.3 Advantages of UMTS

UMTS has several advantages, for example:

Efficient use of the radio fre quency spectrum
Different technologies, which improve the spectrum usage, are easy to apply to CDMA. E.g. in
GSM, one physical channel is dedicated to one user for speech transmission. If discontinuous
transmission is applied, several timeslots of the physical channels are no used. These timeslots
cannot be used otherwise. In UMTS, the transmission of several mobile phones takes place on
the same frequency band at the same time. Therefore, each transmission imposes interference to
the transmissions of other mobile phones on the same carrier frequency band. UMTS supports
discontinuous transmission via the radio interface. Consequently, if mobile phones are silent,
when there is nothing to transmit, the interference level is reduced and therefore the radio
interface capacity increased. Another option allowed in UMTS is the multiplexing of packe t
switched traffic with circuit switched traffic. If there is no speech to transmit for a subscriber, the
silent times are used for packet switched traffic.

Limited frequency management

CDMA uses the same frequency in adjacent cells. There is no need for the FDMA/TDMA type
of frequency assignment that can sometimes be difficult. This is the main reason for increased
radio interface efficiency of WCDMA.

Low mobile station trans mit powe r

With advanced receiver technologies, CDMA can improve the reception performance. The
required transmit power of a CDMA mobile phone can be reduced as compared to TDMA
systems. In the FDD mode, where bursty transmission is avoided, the peak power can be kept
low. Continuous transmission also avoids the electromagnetic emission problems caused by
pulsed transmission to, for example, hearing aids and hospital equipment.

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Uplink and downlink resource utilization independent
Different bit rates for uplink and downlink can be allocated to each user. CDMA thus supports
asymmetric communications such as TCP/IP access.

Wide variety of data rates

The wide bandwidth of WCDMA enables the provision of higher transmission rates.
Additionally, it provides low and high rate services in the same band.

Improvement of multipath resolution

The wide bandwidth of WCDMA makes it possible to resolve more multipath components than
in 2nd generation CDMA, by using a so-called RAKE receiver. This assists in lowering the
transmit power required and lowers interference power at the same time. The result is further
improved spectrum efficiency.

Statistical multiplexing advantage

The wideband carrier of the WCDMA system allows more channels/users in one carrier. The
statistical multiplexing effect also increase the frequency usage efficiency. This efficiency drops
in narrowband systems with fast data communications, because the number of the users on one
carrier is limited.

Increased standby time from higher rate control channels

The wideband carrier can enhance the transmission of the control channels. The MS only listens
to the control channels part of the time, thereby increasing the standby time.

1.4 Motives for using WCDMA in UMTS

The UMTS specifications include 3rd generation mobile services platforms. Being able to
deliver wideband multimedia services is going to require a higher performance standard than the
current wireless standards. UMTS will smooth the progress of new wireless wideband

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multimedia applications, while fully supporting both packet and circuit switched
communications (e.g. Internet and traditional landline telephone). From the outset, UMTS has
been designed for high-speed data services and Internet based packet data offering up to 2 Mbps
in stationary or office environments and up to 384 Kbps in wide area or mobile environments.

In UMTS Release 99, there are two WCDMA modes:

• FDD mode
FDD stands for frequency division duplex. Two separate 5 MHz frequency bands are used – one
for uplink transmission and another one for downlink transmission.

• TDD mode
TDD stands for time division duplex. Hereby, one frequency band is used both for uplink and
downlink transmission. In the FDD mode a continuous transmission in one transmission
direction can take place. The TDD mode is more similar to GSM. Bursts are transmitted. The
reason for that is routed in the fact, that uplink and downlink transmission must be managed on
the same frequency bands at different times. The FDD mode is seen as a very good solution to
get coverage. The TDD mode is especially efficient, when there is asymmetric traffic. Because
of this and its bursty nature, it use is seen mainly in the pico and micro cell environment.
Both in the FDD and TDD mode, direct sequence CDMA is applied. The radio interface solution
is called Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), because 5 MHz carriers are used.

CONCLUSION:

The aim of this Chapter is to give the participant the introductory knowledge needed for
explaining how the UMTS network has evolved. Topics to be covered in this Chapter include
understanding the historic factors driving the system development and the evolution of the
mobile networks. Furthermore, the student should gain a basic understanding of the different
types of the air interface and list the key benefits of UMTS for the operator and the end user.

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CHAP TER 2
UMTS ARCHITECTURE
2.1 Introduction

A UMTS network can be visualized from different angles, such as from the point of view of the
user plane, control plane, or the function of each subsystem. In this module we will look at
UMTS from the latter angle, where the focus is on the different network elements within the
network.

The UMTS network architecture can be divided into three subsystems:

 Radio Access Network,
 Core Network including the network elements for service groups, and
 Network Management Subsystem.

Each subsystem can be further divided into separate technologies. For example, the RAN (Radio
Access Network) is compromised of different air interface technologies, such as GERAN (GSM
EDGE Radio Access Network), UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) and future
solutions such as WLAN, 1ExTREME and 4G.

The core network is today clearly divided into:

 Circuit Switched (CS) domain and the
 Packet Switched (PS) domain.

The network elements of the circuit switched domain are offering CS bearer services. They are
inherited from GSM: MSC, VLR and GMSC.

The packet switched domain is responsible to offer PS bearer services. Based on GPRS core
network elements, the PS bearer services are currently non-real time services. But standards are
on the way to enhance this infrastructure, so that also real-time services can be served via the PS

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domain transmission infrastructure. The CS and PS domains share some network elements.
These common CS and PS domain network elements are the HLR, AC, and EIR.

A set of service platforms was specified in GSM. These are now – in an enhanced version – also
available in UMTS. Network elements for service groups include CAMEL, text telephony,
location based services (LBS) network elements. As can be seen service provisioning is partly
located in the core network and contains all the service-enabling platforms that support the
multitude of 3G services that an operator can offer.

As shown in the figure below, the final subsystem must manage the whole network .

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 Figure 2.1 UMTS Architecture

The 3G/UMTS specifications stipulated that the new air interface and system capabilities should
reuse the existing 2G systems, such as GSM and GPRS. Therefore, it is envisaged that operators
can quickly rollout network once the equipment is available. The standards dictate the
configuration of the open interfaces and the function of each subsystem; however, the
implementation is vendor/operator specific. This has led into much more modular network
architecture than we find in today's GSM networks. Nokia fully supports open interfaces. The

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network elements are designed to be modular and are built in the manner that the functions can
mature and evolve from new developments.

2.2 The UMTS core network elements

The UMTS Release 99 core network is rooted in GSM. In this section, the functionalities of the
network entities of the circuit switched and packet switched domain are outlaid, as well as those
which are common to the circuit and packet switched domain. The figure below shows the
specified network elements.

Figure 2.2 the UMTS Core Network

2.3 Circuit Switched Domain network entities

The term “CS domain” refers to a set of network elements offering “CS type of connections” for
the transfer of user data in combination with the related signalling. What is a “CS type of
connection”? The 3GPP refers to CS type of connections, when network resources are dedicated

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to the user data transfer at the connection establishment process and released in the connection
release process.

In UMTS Release 99 the circuit switched domain evolved from the GSM CS core network
infrastructure. Three network entities are specified (see below).

2.3.1 Mobile services Switching Centre (MSC)

The MSC interfaces the radio access networks and the core network. Its tasks can be roughly
divided into exchange functionalities and mobility related functions.

 Exchange specific function:

Some functions come with a call set- up, maintenance, and release. These include number
analysis, trunk selection, signalling to other network elements for trunk management, call
supervision, and charging. It must be aware of priority calls, such as emergency calls, which
have to be served first, maybe even at the costs of other on-going calls, which are then
released. It must determine abnormal situations and release or block involved trunks. It has
its own resources, such as echo cancellers.

Service provision is another task, performed by an exchange – e.g. supplementary service

such as call waiting indication. Charging Data Records (CDRs) are generated in the
exchange. Operation and maintenance interfaces exist, so that a remote network management
centre can be informed about exchange‟s performance, alarms, and change the configuration
setting.

 Mobile communication specific functions

These functions include
- Mobility management (e.g. SRNC, Serving Radio Network Controller, re-location)
- Connection management with mobile specific services (tele- and supplementary services
- Interaction with connected Radio Network Controllers.

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2.3.2 Gateway Mobile services Switching Centre (GMSC)

Similar to the MSC, the GMSC is an exchange, optimised for CS mobile related services. Being
an exchange, it owns the same exchange specific functions as an MSC. Its mobile
communication specific functions differ from the MSC. It is responsible for interrogation of
HLRs. The interrogation process supplies the GMSC with the Mobile Station Roaming Number
(MSRN). In case of a mobile terminating call, the MSRN is the “telephone number” of the MSC,
which is locally serving the mobile phone.

2.3.3 Visitor Location Register

A mobile phone is roaming in the supply area of an MSC, which is controlled by a Visitor
Location Register (VLR). When the MS enters the VLR supply area, it is automatically in a new
location area. The mobile station starts the location update/registration process. It gets registered
in the VLR, which also holds the information of the mobile phone‟s current location. If the MS is
the first time in the supply area of the VLR, interaction with the HLR is required to get data
required for authentication as well as the subscription profile. If the location update request takes
place within a VLR supply area, an interaction with the HLR is only required, when the VLR has
no longer valid data to perform the authentication procedure. Given the subscriber profile in the
VLR, the VLR is also involved in the call set-up process. It holds the relevant information for
authorization. Data, which is stored in the VLR include the International Mobile Subscriber
Identity (IMSI), the Mobile Station International ISDN number (MSISDN), the Temporary
Mobile Station Identity (TMSI), if applicable, the last known location area (LAI), etc.

2.3.4 GSM evolutional notes on the core network

Part of the mobility management has been moved from the core network to the UTRAN,
compared to how it is implemented in GSM. As an example, handovers between RNCs are now
handled by the UTRAN, but in GSM the MSC is involved in handovers between BSCs.

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The security features are enhanced compared to GSM. This will mean new ciphering algorithms
and data integrity to support mutual authentication. The ciphering execution is moved to the
RNC of the UTRAN.

The speech handling (transcoding) function will be done by the UMTS core network. The speech
codec in will be AMR (Adaptive MultiRate). (In GSM, this task is taken care of by the
Transcoder, which is logically belonging to the BSS.)

A new platform for implementation and handling services has been standardized. This platform
is called CAMEL and will be available both for UMTS and GSM. In UMTS there is a new
interface between 3G-SGSN and SCP (Service Control Point), which is planned to enable
sending notifications about mobility management and session management procedures to the
CAMEL service environment. Also, charging operations can be performed via this interface, for
example to support prepaid subscriptions.

2.4 Network entities common to the circuit and packet switched Domain

The CS and PS domain entities share three network elements.

2.4.1 Home Location Register (HLR)

The HLR is a database, which holds the:

 Semi-permanent subscriber profile and the
 Temporary location information to support roaming.

The circuit switched network elements MSC and GMS are connected to the HLR via the
interfaces C and D, while the packet switched network elements SGSN and GGSN are connected
to it via the interfaces Gr and Gc. MSC and SGSN are serving the UE locally. They have to
interact with the HLR to retrieve information necessary for service provisioning. GMSC and
GGSN require location information to route mobile terminated call to the serving MSC and
SGSN.

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2.4.2 Authentication Centre (AuC)

The AuC is connected only with the HLR via the non-standardized interface H. The HLR
requests data for authentication and cipher setting from the AuC. The HLR can store this data,
and makes it available to the VLR and SGSN on demand.
The data delivered from the AuC is used for:
 Mutual authentication of the SIM-card (via IMSI) and the serving PLMN
 Delivering a key to check the communication integrity over the radio path between the user
equipment and the VPLMN
 Ciphering over the radio path between the user equipment and the RNC.

2.4.3 Equipment Identity Register (EIR)

This optional database is used to verify the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)
numbers. The EIR is organized in three lists:
 Black list,
 Grey list, and
 White list

The black list holds IMEIs, which are forbidden in the PLMN. The grey list holds IMEIs under
supervision by law enforcement agencies, and the white list holds IMEIs, which are allowed to
access the PLMN
A mobile phone can be also classified as to be unknown in the EIR. The interface F connects the
EIR with the VLR, while the Gf interface links it with the SGSN.

2.5 Packet Switched Domain network entities

The term “PS domain” refers to a set of network elements offering “PS type of connections” for
the transfer of user data in combination with the related signalling. What is a “PS type of

13
connection”? The 3GPP refers to PS type of connections, when user data is organized and
transferred in packets. Hereby, each packet can be routed independently.

In UMTS Release 99 the packet switched domain evolved from the GPRS core network
infrastructure. Four network entities are specified:

2.5.1 Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN)

The SGSN constitutes an interface between the radio access network and the core network. It is
responsible to perform all necessary functions to handle packet switched services to and from the
mobile phone. Its tasks include:

 Network Access Control

Authentication is one aspect of network access control. Hereby, the network is checking the
validity of the subscriber‟s USIM and the USIM is checking the validity of the network
(SGSN). Only if both sides determine a successful authentication, network services can be
used.

Then the subscriber is requesting a service, the Authorization process makes sure, that the
subscriber is allowed to use the requested service. Please note, that the services, the
subscriber is authorized to use may depend on his location.

Other important tasks of network access control are the collection of Charging Data Records
(CDR) and Operator Determined Barring.

 Mobility Management
Similar to the MSC, the SGSN is responsible for the mobility management, which includes
procedures like routing area update and paging.

 Packet Routing and Transfer

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 Its tasks include the classical packet switching aspects, such as relaying, routing, address
translation, encapsulation, and tunneling. In contrast to the 2G-SGSN, a 3G-SGSN is not
responsible for ciphering and user data compression.

2.5.2 Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)

The GGSN constitutes the interface between the PLNM and external packet data networks
(PDN). Similar to the SGSN, it is responsible for the PS service provisioning. Its tasks include
 Network Access Control
Two main network access control tasks are performed with a GGSN: It is responsible for
screening, i.e. the operator can determine, which type of packets is allowed to be transmitted
via a GGSN. Some manufacturers have outsourced this function into a separate firewall. The
GGSN is also responsible for charging data generation.

 Mobility Management
The mobility management tasks include HLR inquiries in case of a mobile terminated call.

 Packet Routing and Transfer

Packets have to be routed. The GGSN is responsible to relay them from one link to another,
determine the next route with the help of routing tables. The GTP protocol is used between
the GGSN and SGSN/RNC.

The user data is encapsulated to be transparently transmitted between the GGSN and RNC. This
is called tunneling.

2.5.3 Border Gateway Function (BG)

Roaming is possible for packet switched services. Hereby, user data and signalling information is
transmitted between the two PLMN via the interface Gp. The data has to pass border gateways
(BG) in each PLMN. The BG interfaces the PLMN and external, inter-PLMN backbone

15
networks. Based on the roaming agreement between two operators, border gateways can perform
mutual authentication of each other before a secure connection is established between them and
data flows pass via them.

2.5.4 Charging Gateway Function (CGF)

Both SGSN and GGSN generate Charging Data Records (CDR). The CDRs routed via the CGF
to the billing system. The interface Ga is used between SGSN/GGSN and CGF. It is responsible
to:
 Manage reliable CDRs
 Act as intermediate storage for CDRs
 Pre-processing of CDRs before forwarding them to the billing centre.

CONCLUSION:

The aim of this Chapter is to give the student the conceptual knowledge needed for explaining
the UMTS-network architecture. Topics to be covered in this module include visualizing the
whole network and identifying the elements of each subsystem. UMTS Architecture is same as
GSM Architecture with some modification of name and technology.

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CHAP TER3
INTRODUCTION TO UMTS HANDOVER MANAGEMENT
3.1 Introduction

The basic reason behind a handover is the same as in the GSM system; the Air interface
connection does not fulfill several criteria set for it and thus either the User Equipment or the
RAN initiate actions in order to improve the connection. In WCDMA, the handover with GSM-
like meaning is used in context of Circuit Switched calls. In the case of Packet Switched calls the
handovers are made when neither the network nor the UE has any packet transfer activity. The
handover types in WCDMA, however, are different from the ones present in the GSM systems.

There are two main types of handover in WCDMA these being soft and hard. Their difference is
that in the case of soft handover, the “old” radio link connection is maintained when the “new”
radio link connection is gained. The “old” radio link connection may or may not be dropped.
Thus, in case of soft handover, the UE may have several radio link connections active
simultaneously. In case of hard handover the “old” radio link connection is released before the
UE accesses the network through the “new” radio link connection.

These handover types have differences to each other but the common nominator for all of them
is handover criteria (why the handover should be performed) and the logic how the need for the
handover is investigated. Roughly, the criteria for the handover are based on the same items as in
GSM.

3.2 Handover Decision Making Mechanism

During the connection the UE continuously measures some items (blue text) concerning the
neighbouring cells and reports the status of these items to the network up to the RNC. These
items are measured from the neighbouring Cells PICHs. The RNC checks whether the values
indicated in the measurement reports trigger any criteria set. If they trigger, the new BTS is
added to the Active Set.

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 Figure 3.1 Handover Decision Making Mechanism

 Hand Over Failure reasons:

 Low signal strength or bad quality on target cell.

 Hardware problems in target cell
 Interference in target cell
 What to do when handover failure happen?
 Find out who was serving cell
 Find out who was target cell from layer 3 message ( HO Command )
 It can happen UL or DL related problem in target cell, which can be further
 analyze by using Layer 3 signaling

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3.3 Soft Handover

Figure 3.2 WCDMA Soft Handover – Principle

Soft Handover is performed between two Cells belonging to different BSs but not necessarily to
the same RNC. The source and target Cell of the soft handover have the same frequency. In case
of a Circuit Switched call the terminal is actually performing Soft Handovers all the time if the
radio network environment has small cells.

3.4 Softer Handover

Figure 3.3 WCDMA Softer Handover – Principle

In Softer Handover the BS transmits through one sector but receives from both of the sectors. In
this case the UE has active uplink radio connections with the network through two cells
populating the same BS.

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3.5 Hard / Inter-frequency Handover

Figure 3.4 WCDMA Hard Handover – Principle

The WCDMA Hard Handover is a „GSM- like‟ Handover made between two WCDMA
frequencies. In case of hard handover, the connection through the old cell is cleared and the
connection with the radio network continues through the new cell. Hard Handover is not
recommended unless there is a desperate need: this Handover type increases interference easily.

3.6 Hard / Inter-frequency Handover

Figure 3.5 Hard / Intra- frequency Handover

This type of handover is performed if the Iur interface is not available. For example, Between the
RNCs coming from two manufacturers.

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3.7 Inter - System Handover

Figure 3.6 WCDMA Inter -System Handover

Because of the possible co-existence of the different radio accesses in the 3G network, the UE
should be able to fluently change the radio access technology when required. In order to present
this kind of situation, the 3G Specifications identify the combination of WCDMA and GSM as
one source for Inter –System Handovers. This has already been taken into account in WCDMA
frame structures.

The possibility to perform an Inter-System Handover is enabled in the WCDMA by a special

functioning mode, Slotted Mode. When the UE uses Uu interface in Slotted Mode, the contents
of the Uu interface frame is “compressed” a bit in order to open a time window through which
the UE is able to peek and decode the GSM BCCH information.

Additionally, both the WCDMA RAN and GSM BSS must be able to send each other‟s identity
information on the BCCH and BCH channels so that the UE is able to perform the decoding
properly.

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CONCLUSION:

The aim of this Chapter is to give the student the conceptual knowledge needed for explaining
how traffic management is visualized in a UMTS network. Topics to be covered in this Chapter
include understanding the different types of Hand over occur during the call. In GSM all
handover is called Hard Handover. While in UMTS Handover is defined based on the site and
the sector of the same site and different site.

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CHAP TER 4
RF AND LOS SURVEY
4.1 RF SURVEY PROCEDURE:

 Collect data from office and ask the coordinator about Type of Survey (e.g. in filler / New
Town / Other).

 Collect Site details e.g. Site Name, Taluka & District etc., Site Coordinates (Lat/Long) &
Far End details.

 Check your complete Survey Kit –

1. GPS (Global Positioning System)

2. Binocular

3. Compass

4. Digital Camera with Data cable

5. Measurement Tape

6. Blank Survey Form

4.1.1 NEW TOWN SURVEY:

 Feed the coordinates of the Site in your GPS and click GOTO option. It will show the
bearing and distance of your site from your current position.

 The given coordinate may not be correct, find the correct town by the discussion with
local persons.

 Now after reaching the Site follow these steps-

1. Take the hotspots of whole town (approximately 30-35 depending upon officials
requirement) as well as all main roads connected to that Town(4-5 each road).

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 2. Look for the 3 Options feasible from RF & LOS point of view.

3. In case of unavailability of all the options in the centre shift the options but take
only those from where all sectors have proper clutter (e.g. residence /shops /roads
etc.).

4. Write down the details of each option.

 Choose the highest building or Water Tank to take p hotos (12 photos at 30 degree each
starting from 0-330), normal and zoom photographs of all the far ends.

 Draw the layout of the Town showing all the options, major landmarks (GP/Shopping
centre /Temple /Masque /Bank /School /Main chowk) & roads.

 Decide the GSM Antenna height.

4.1.2 ANTENNA RADIATION HEIGHT & TILT:

 Highway/Railway Coverage cell‟s Antenna height should be at 40m with 2 degree

Mechanical tilt.

 Single site town facing cell‟s Antenna Height should be 30m with 2 degree Mechanical
tilt.

 Existing town, coverage filling sites cell‟s Antenna height should be at 21m with 4
degree Mechanical Tilt.

 Existing town, Capacity sites cell‟s Antenna height should be at 21 meters or less than
that depends on surrounding sites foot print and carrying traffic loading.( Tilt will be 4
degree Mechanical )

 In short, three height categories 21m, 30m and 40m depends of type of cells and its
objective.

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4.1.3 ANTENNA TYPE:

 Highway and Railway Cell: 30 degree H-Plane, 7.5 to 10 degree V-Plan and 21 dBi
Gain without Electric tilt. (if this type of antenna not available then 65 H, 8 V and 18 dBi
Antenna cab be proposed, this is best for highway also as may be parallel to
road/highway some small towns or tourist places can be cover ).

 Single Town/ Coverage infill/ Capacity Cell: 64 degree H-Plane, 7.5 to 10 degree V-
Plan and 18 dBi Gain without Electric tilt.

4.1.4 IN-FILLER (CITY) SITE:

 Reach at the given coordinate position and choose the Optimal Location of Sites. This
may depend on so many factors likes:

 Target area clutter type

 Size of Target area

 Requirement of Indoor coverage penetration

 Hot spots locations

 Availability of suitable land or buildings

 Structure suitability of building

 Major entry and exist roads & railways

 Specific some event locations like festive or tourist place

 Future development of target town

 Surrounding existing network foot print and their traffic handing capacity

 Signal Propagation behavior depends on typical clutter and terrain type

 After deciding the suitable location note down the following details:

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  Options coordinate.

 Orientations of all the 3 sectors.

 Terrace layout and place, suitable to build the Tower, also check for the space for BTS.

 Details of each option (as in New Town).

 Photographs (as in New Town).

 Transmission part is also same as in New Town.

 Show the sector orientations in layout by Arrow.

 Here the tower height will be different from New Town.

 You can propose RTT, Pole, Parapet or Wall mount, depending upon the clutter type and
building heights surrounding that area.

 Calculation of Total Tower height must be AGL (Above Ground Level).

 AGL height = Building height + Tower height.

One Floor of the building is considered as 3m (4m for ground floor in case of commercial
building)

4.2 TRANSMISSION (LOS) SURVEY:

 Select the ROUTE option in GPS and feed the coordinates of Near End & Far End and
Activate the route.

 Start following the LOS line shown on GPS.

 Take the route data (Obstruction height/Tree/Building/Chimney/Other Tower/Water

Tank etc.) at every 500m. It also depends upon the terrain, if there is high variation in
terrain or obstruction height then takes the detail of that point also even if it is very near
to your previous point taken.

26
  After reaching your Far End check for the Existing Tower height and spaces for
mounting the MW towards the Near End.

 Give only minimum height both sides but take care that the first Fresonal Zone must be
very clear.

 If your Far End is visible from Near End then you need not to follow all the above steps,
check only the last step.

4.2.1 TOWER HEIGHT:

 If site is GBT then tower height should be 40m or subject to Transmission requirement

 In case of roof top, in existing town for coverage motivated sites should keep Antenna
radiation center at 21m and capacity driven sites can be at 21 or less the n that depends on
traffic off loading target to minimize over reaching

4.2.2 MW HEIGHT CALCULATION:

 Microwave height depends upon Fresonal zone, through which the waves travel carrying
the voice and data signals. This zone must not be disturbed while deciding MW height.

Fresonal zone=N*17.3√(d1*d2/Fd)
Where N=no of Fresonal zones
F=frequency used by the operator
(e.g.7Ghz, 15 GHz, 18 GHz or 23 GHz)
d=distance between Near End and Far End
d1=distance from near end to maximum obstructing object
d2=d-d1

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Fresonal Zone:

Figure 4.1 Fresonal Zone

4.2.3 TYPES OF TOWER:

 GBT (Ground Based Tower)

Height- 30m/ 40m/ 50m/ 60m/ 70m/ 80m.

 RTT (Roof Top Tower)

Height- 9m/ 12m/ 15m/ 18m/ 21m/ 24m.

 RTP (Roof Top Pole)

Height- 3m/ 4.5m/ 6m.

 Parapet- GSM antenna will be mounted on parapet.

 Wall mount- GSM antenna will be mounted on Building Wall.

28
CONCLUSION:

The aim of this Chapter is Using RF Survey; know the actual idea about new site set up, know
the requirement of the site set up in particular area and also know whether existing site and its
requirement in particular location. Using LOS Survey; know that from which far end site the
near end site gets MW link.

29
CHAP TER 5
PHYSICAL AUDIT PROCEDURE
5.1 Introduction

The objective of this Chapter is to provide the good understanding of types of survey and there
detail description so that the customer objective can be fulfilled. This guideline can be changed
based on customer concern to meet site objective.

5.1.1 Why Physical audit?

•To check actual lat long where site exist it may be differ from planned lat long.
•To check radiation height of antenna.
•To check orientation and tilt of antenna.
•To check Installed BTS type.
•To check Tower Type.
•To check antenna beam is blocked or not.
•To check Feeder cable is connected to antenna / BTS.
It is always better practice to do Physical Audit before starting SCFT. Physical
Audit is a part of SCFT for this project.

5.1.2 Equipment Needs:

1. Hand GPS
2. Magnetic Compass
3. Measure Tape
4. Camera / Mobile phone with minimum 2.0 MP camera

30
5.1.3 Antenna Type

Single Band Antenna Dual Band Antenna Tri Band Antenna

Figure 5.1 Antenna type

5.1.4 BTS Classification (NODE B):

 Type 1:
1. Classical : Not connected with mast or pole. BTS is connected with
Antenna using feeder wire.
2. RRH : Connected with pole or mast. There is a jumper wire which
Connect antenna and BTS.
 Type 2:
1. Outdoor case OR shelter : In this BTS is in case(grill) and we can see it
2. Indoor : In this we can‟t see BTS. It is packed AC
Connection is also provided

5.1.5 Photos need to be taken:

 Building Photo
 BTS Photo
 Antenna photo with Tilt for all sectors
 Antenna photo with mast for all sectors
 Mast Photo (Site photo)
 Miscellaneous photo(if antenna got blocked by some obstacles )

31
 Figure 5.2 Building Photo Figure 5.3 BTS Photo

 Antenna Photo with Tilt for all sectors :

Fig5.4 Sec1 with Tilt Fig5.5 Sec2 with Tilt Fig5.6 Sec3 with Tilt

 Antenna photo with mast for all sectors :

Figure 5.7 Sec1 Figure 5.8 Sec2 Figure 5.9 Sec3

32
 Figure 5.10 Mast photo ( 6M RTP )

5.2 What is difference between Electrical tilt and Mechanical tilt?

 In urban area mostly now a day Electrical tilt used, and reason is when you give tilt
using E tilt , font and back lobe both get tilted which reduce interference in network, and
also shape of Main lobe doesn‟t get change only size become small.

 In case of Mechanical tilt, if you give tilt then font lobe will get tilted and back lobe will
up tilted which might create interference to other cells, and also shape of main lobe will
get wide which again create interference in network so that‟s why such antenna can be
use in rural or highway kind o sites where intra site distance is high and those kind of
area are not much sensitive to interference

CONCLUSION:

The aim of this Chapter is to check the equipment installed at site is working properly or not.
And Site is Set up at given location with given orientation or not. Also check the types of
equipment installed due to what reason.

33
CHAP TER 6
DRIVE TEST
6.1 DRIVE TEST USING TEMS:

Drive Test is useful for Site Survey of particular Site. Using Drive Test we know about how
much distance from site the network coverage is coming, hand off between sector of same site is
occur or not, clarity of video call & voice call, Data Speed near site etc. For drive Test we use
TEMS software. This software provides flexibility for Site Survey.

Figure 6.1 Drive Test in Car

34
6.1.1 Drive Test Equipments

1. TEMS Handset (complete with Charger, Headset, Data Cable) and USB Hub

2. Laptop (installed TEMS Investigation) and Adapter

3. GPS (Ext Antenna and Data Cable)

4. ATEN (Serial to USB)

5. Scanner for WCDMA (Ext Antenna GPS and RF, Data Cable)

6. Inverter and Terminal

7. Battery and Charger

Figure 6.2 Position of that equipment in the car

35
Figure 6.3 Flow chart of Drive Test

36
6.1.2 What is the motivation behind GSM Air Interface drive testing?

 GSM Drive testing is traditional and best way to verify network performance
 For New Sites or Existing sites.
 Drive testing can be asked for various objectives like
o Coverage verification
o New site Performance Verification and Field optimization
o Network Problem trouble shooting like Drop calls, Handover failure, Poor
Coverage patches, Poor RX Quality patches, etc
o Benchmarking Drive test to find out Coverage and Quality comparison against
competitors networks

6.1.3 How to do Coverage verification Drive test?

 Best way to do it by putting TEMS Phone in Idle mode and drive across targeted routes
 In Idle mode, MS will measure BCCH TRX‟s Time slot 0 and TS 0 transmit always full
power which is consider as real foot print of BCCH ( which is call as Cell foot print ) and
such RX LEVEL is RX LEVEL Full because TIMESTOL 0 doesn‟t have DTX and POWER
CONTROL
 But when you do Dedicate mode Drive testing then TCH TRX has most of the time DTX ON
and POWER Control too so that RX LEVEL Measurement is RX LEVEL SUB which is not
genuine Cell foot print.
o DTX: Discontinues Transmission Mode

6.1.4 What is the information need to be collected and carry before to

Start any Drive testing work?

 We go for Drive test, we need to collect all require information for site or group of sites(
cluster ) like

o Site Master Database, which has Antenna parameters like Azimuth, antenna tilts,
Antenna Type, Height, Tilt, Azimuth( Physical Verification and Optimization)
 Digital Maps for DT

37
  Frequency Plan for Sites including BCCH and Hopping ( Frequency
 Optimization and Interference detection)
 Neighbor List so we can compare who is missing for addition or unnecessary
 defined for removal ( Neighbor Optimization)
 Complete tools like DT Kits, Camera, Compass, etc
 Rigger with require tool for Physical optimization changes
 If any major complaints or input from RF Optimization team or DT coordinators
 Drive test desired route if any specific
 Drive test Cell file for reference so when we do Drive test at least we can co
 related what is happening and which cell is serving

6.1.5 Key features of TEMS

 Supports simultaneous use of two GSM phones

 Intuitive user interface

 Flexible mounting solution adjusts to most any Vehicle.

 Integrated GPS – no external boxes required

 Freeze functionality to pause the display while collection continues.

 Removable compact storage for log files

 Quick and easy presentation views, including GPRS information

 Auto-dialing scripting from the display

 Audio alarms for safety during drive tests

 Auto On/Auto Off controlled by vehicle ignition

38
6.2 SITE SURVEY:

 TEMS software is use for Site Survey. There are various versions of TEMS. Now a day
version 10.0.5 is mostly used.

 Software like TOMOGRAPH, NETBIN, ZYXCL, DRAGNET etc. are available for Site
Survey.

6.2.1 What need to be check when you reach to any new sites for Drive
Test?

 When we reach to site, 1st thing need to be done is Sites Antenna physical parameter
verification
 If any antenna parameter is wrongly implemented like Azimuth or Tilt then there is no
use of doing drive test
 Once Antenna parameter check and all are as per require or planed, then we
 can start call testing , handover testing and area coverage verification
 Drive testing can be done with various testing scenario but widely done as per below:
o Call testing cell wise to understand performance of cell and each TRX
o Inter cell between same site handover testing
o Inter cell between different sites for handover testing
o Coverage verification drive till you get -95 dBm RX Level Full in idle
o mode
o Frequency Plan check BCCH and Hopping
o C/I Verification
o RX Quality Sub in Dedicated mode
 During Drive test some time you might face, Call drop , Handover fail, Block call, etc.
and in that‟s case we need to do some analysis and you have find out who is service cell
when we had such problem

6.2.2 What value of C/I( Co Ch ) and C/A (Adj ch) interference is

Desired in network?
 As per the GSM C/I => 9 dB and C/A => -9 dB

39
 Normally in BCCH Frequency it should be C/I => 12 dB and C/A => -6 dB for safer side as
BCCH is carrying cell signaling like BCCH, SCH, FCH , PCH and AGCH so it has to be
clean and its foot print of cell
 Normally in TCH TRX Frequency it should be C/I => 12 is better and C/I => -6 is better but
if you use RF Hopping then you may go down up to C/I => 9 dB and C/A=> -9 dB
 Sometime with enough frequency in RF Hopping and AMR( Adaptive multi rate ) you can
even go down up to C/I => 6 dB and C/A => -9 dB

6.2.3 What are the major causes behind bad quality during the call?

Major cause behind Poor RX Quality is Interference and call can suffer interference
Due to various reasons like
 Current serving cell RX Level( C )is poor so C is very close to Interference ( I )
 Due to Missing neighbor, Call is dragging on current poor servicing cell and after
sometime it will suffer Interference
 Due to closely reuse of Co_Ch, even Mobile is closer to Cell sites but interference ( I ) is
very strong which might reduce C/I margin
 Hardware issues, and due that Receiver can lose sensitivity so it‟s become more sensitive
to Interference
 Sometime Target cell is strong but doesn‟t have free capacity to take handover so call
will drag in serving cell and it will suffer interference
There might be more reason behind bad quality ….

6.2.4 How to Use TEMS?

 Following window is necessary to open during Drive Test:

1. WCDMA Radio Parameter.

2. HSDPA analysis (MS1).

3. HSUPA analysis (MS1).

4. GSM current channel.

40
 5. WCDMA service/Active set.

6. Events.

7. Map info.

8. WCDMA Rel-99.

6.2.5 Drive Test Activities:

1. Anti clockwise & Clockwise drive around site.

2. MOC (Mobile Originate Call).

3. MTC (Mobile Terminate Call).

4. SMS from MS1 to MS2.

5. Voice call from MS1 to MS2.

6. Video call from MS1 to MS2.

7. FTP test.

8. Data with call.

9. Hand off Measurement.

6.2.6 Practical issues Found During Drive Test:

 During Drive Test of Site Number GNR-011 located in Gandhinagar and GBT SEC -
10CW located in Gandhidham, there is a problem of cable swap between Sector-x and
Sector-y. So there is coverage of Sector-x in Sector- y and coverage of Sector-y in Sector-
x. We are able to find this problem with the help of the TEMS software.

 During Drive Test of Site Number GNR-036 located in Gandhinagar, call drop occurred
when user moving from one sector to another sector of same site. So that problem

41
 indicates that between 3 sectors hand off is not define. So hand off must define between
sectors for solving the problem of call drop.
 Another problem of at this site is that when call from MS1 to MS2 there is a message
“CALL ATTEMPT RETRY” due to poor coverage of 3G in all sectors.

 Also problem is that from GNR-036 site to GNR- 034 site hand off was occur but in
reverse manner hand off is not occur. So that means bi-directional hand off for GNR- 034
is not defined.

 For one site POG-001 we increased mechanical tilt for reducing overshoot problem.

 One very important concept of hard hand off we experienced, this is also known as
IRAT. In this problem we experienced that call hand over from 3G to 2G.

CONCLUSION:

The motive of this Chapter is useful for checking network coverage at site. Also Using Drive
Test one can know about the Internet speed, Types of handover is occur at the particular site or
not, Message quality etc. Also Using Drive Test one can get the idea about how much tilt is
given to the antenna based on user requirement.

42
REFERENCES

1. Nokia systra manual

2. Nokia systra 3G manual
3. Teleysia Training manual
4. Introduction to UMTS training manual
5. RF and TX survey manual
6. Physical audit manual
7. 3G Drive Test Learning manual

43
APPENDIX

Appendix I Abbreviations

3G 3rd generation
AMR Adaptive MultiRate
AUC Authentication Centre
ADCE Adjacency
AGCH Access Grant Channel
ARFCN Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number
AIS Alarm Indication Signal
BC Broadcast Channel
BCCH Broadcast Control Channel
BCF Base Control Function
BCH Broadcast Channel
BCSU BSC Signaling Unit
BER Bit Error Rate
BGW Billing Gateway
BS Base Station
BSC Base Station Controller
BSIC Base Transceiver Station Identity Code
BSS Base Station System
BTS Base Transceiver Station
CBCH Cell Broadcast Channel (Not a standard logical channel)
CS Circuit Switched
CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
CI Cell Identity
CSPDN Circuit Switched Public Data Networks
CC Country Code, Call Control
CCH Common control channels

44
DT Drive Test
DCCH Dedicated channels
DCN Data Communication Network
DCS Digital Cellular System
EIR Equipment Identity Register
FDMA Frequency Division Multiple Access
FACCH Fast associated control channel
FACCH/F Full rate Fast Associated Control Channel
FACCH/H Half rate Fast Associated Control Channel
FCCH Frequency Control Channel
GBT Ground Based Tower
GPS Global Positioning System
GPRS General Packet Radio Service
GSA GSM System Area
GSM Global System for Mobile Communication
GSM PLMN GSM Public Land Mobile Network
HLR Home Location Register
HO Handover
HSN Hopping Sequence Number
IDN Integrated Digital Networks
IMEI International Mobile Equipment Identity
IMSI International Mobile Subscriber Identity
IP Internet Protocol
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
LAC Location Area Code
LAN Local Area Network
MCC Mobile Country Code (of the visited country)
MNC Mobile Network Code (of the serving PLMN)
MOC Mobile Originated Call
MNP Mobile Number Portability
MS Mobile Station

45
MSC Mobile switching center
MSIN Mobile Subscriber Identification Number
MSRN Mobile Station Roaming Number
MTC Mobile Terminated Call
NMS Network Management Subsystem
NSS Network and Switching Subsystem
O&M Operation and Maintenance
OMC Operation and Maintenance Centre
OMU Operation and Maintenance Unit
OSI Open System Interconnection
OSS Operation and Support System
PCH Paging channel
PCM Pulse Code Modulation
PDN Public Data Networks
PLMN Public Land Mobile Network
PSPDN Packet Switched Public Data Network
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
QoS Quality of Service
RACH Random access channel
RAND Random Number (authentication)
RBS Radio Base Station
RF Radio Frequency
SDCCH Stand-alone dedicated control channel
SGSN The Serving GPRS Support Node
SIM Subscriber Identity Module
SMS Short Message Service
SMS-GMSC Short Message Service, Gateway MSC
SMS-IWMSC Short Message Service Inter Working MSC
SN Subscriber Number
SACCH Slow associated control channel
TC Transcoder

46
TCH Traffic control channels
TDMA Time Division Multiple Access
TEI Terminal Equipment Identity
TMN Telecommunications Management Network
TMSI Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity
TRC Transcoder Controller
TRX Transceiver
TSL Time Slot
VLR Visitor Location Register

47