Product Name Product Version V100R001

Confidentiality Level Internal Use Total Pages: 19

Guide to CDMA1X Location Area Planning

(For internal use only)

Prepared by: Reviewed by: Reviewed by: Approved by:

CDMA Network Planning Department Li Yunzhi

Date: Date: Date: Date:

2002-08-26 2002-08-26 yyyy-mm-dd yyyy-mm-dd

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

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Revision Record
Date 2002-08-26 2002-09-06 2002-12-27 2003-06-18 2003-08-26 Revised version 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.4 Description Completion of first draft Modification Modification Modification Addition of some contents about short messages Author Jiang Jindi Li Yunzhi Jiang Jindi/Li Yunzhi Jiang Jindi Liu Jianguo

Table of Contents 1 Overview of LAC ............................................................................................................................ 2 2 Design Principle of LAC ................................................................................................................ 2 3 Correlation between LAC and Paging.......................................................................................... 5 3.1 Messages Delivered on Paging Channel .............................................................................. 5 3.2 Calculation of Flow on Paging Channel ................................................................................ 6 3.2.1 Paging Channel Occupancy of General Page Message ............................................ 8 3.2.2 Paging Channel Occupancy of Overhead Message................................................... 9 3.2.3 Extend Channel Assignment Messageand Order Message ..................................... 10 3.2.4 Paging Channel Occupancy of Data Burst Message ............................................... 10 3.2.5 Paging Channel Occupancy of _DONE Message and SCI Bit ................................. 11 3.3 LAC Size Determined by Paging Channel .......................................................................... 11 3.4 LAC Size in Case of Multiple Paging Channels .................................................................. 15 4 Relationship and Effect of LAC to/on Registration .................................................................. 15 4.1 Type of Registration Related to LAC ................................................................................... 15 4.2 Relationship between REG_ZONE and LAC ...................................................................... 16 4.3 LAC Size Determined by Registration ................................................................................. 17 5 Location Area Planning Parameters .......................................................................................... 17 5.1 Parameter Settings in BSC ................................................................................................. 17 5.2 Parameter Settings in MSC ................................................................................................. 18

Table of Table Description

Table 3-1 Type of message on paging channel .............................................................................. 5 Table 3-2 Data of paging channel ................................................................................................... 6

Table of Figure Description

Figure 2-1 Division of REG_ZONEs ............................................................................................... 4 Figure 3-1 Flow direction Chart of short message ....................................................................... 13 Figure 4-1 Relationship between LAC and REG_ZONE .............................................................. 16

Guide to CDMA1X Location Area Planning

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Guide to CDMA1X Location Area Planning

Keywords: Code division multiple access (CDMA), location area, paging, and registration. Abstract: This document gives a method of location area planning through the analysis of paging and registration. It also introduces the design principle of location area size under different conditions. Section 3.3 presents the reference configuration for the actual planning. Abbreviations: References:
References Name Author No. Release date Source Publisher (Fill in this column if the reference is not published by Huawei)

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1 Overview of LAC
The location area in CDMA1X system includes the LAC for paging and REG_ZONE for registration, while that in GSM system means location area code (LAC) only.. On the forward link, the CDMA system can page a mobile station (MS) within the LAC. On the reverse link, the MS can register because of different REG_ZONEs The following introduces the LAC and REG_ZONE. The LAC is an important concept in the CDMA technology. We divide the whole CDMA network into different service areas according to the location areas. If the Paging Request Message issued by the MSC contains the LAC, the BSC pages the MS in all cells of the location area. (One location area corresponds to a unique LAC, so LAC is also referred to as a location area hereunder). A LAC can have one or more cells. But there must not be too many cells. The more cells a LAC contains, the more Paging Request Messages and other messages on the common channel are delivered. If the number of cells exceeds a certain threshold, the paging channel is congested. Hence, the size of one LAC should be fully considered in the network planning. The MS updates its location information in the HLR by means of the registration message. There are many registration types. One of these registrations is caused by the location change of the MS and is called zone-based registration (REG_ZONE). One REG_ZONE can contain one or more cells. If the number of the reserved REG_ZONEs of the system is 1, the MS finds that the received REG_ZONE is different from the saved one after the MS moves to another REG_ZONE. In this case, the MS originates a registration message to update its location information. The CDMA protocol does not specify the relationship between REG_ZONE and LAC. If the MS does not register after it moves from one LAC to another, the Paging Request Message will be delivered in the original LAC, instead of the new one. Thus, the MSC fails to page the MS in the service area. This phenomenon is unacceptable. Hence, the LAC varies with REG_ZONE. REG_ZONE must be a subset of LAC. If REG_ZONE is too small, the MS registers frequently on the border of REG_ZONEs, decreasing the reverse capacity of the Access Channel . In this sense, the larger the REG_ZONE is, the better it is. On the other hand, REG_ZONE cannot be larger than a LAC. Unless otherwise specified, REG_ZONE should be as large as a LAC. This document describes how to design LAC and REG_ZONE through calculations and analyses.

2 Design Principle of LAC

To page the MS easily, the coverage of the CDMA network is divided into several location areas, including LACs and REG_ZONEs. The size of location area is a key factor in the CDMA system. Hence, the division of location area is very important to network planning. The division of location area must comply with the principle of minimum load of paging channel. In this way, the utilization of the paging channel is high, and the BSC can page the MS efficiently. If the location area is too small, the MS registers

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frequently with the decrease of reverse capacity,and access success ratio. Excessively small location area brings no benefit to the network operator. The sizes of the LAC and REG_ZONE are conflict. On the one hand, the paging channel load determines the maximum size of the LAC. On the other hand, the access channel load caused by location updates in edge cells determines the minimum size of the reg_zone The LAC should be planned in accordance with the following principles: (1) The LAC cannot be too large. The maximum value of LAC is determined by the rate of the paging channel of the paging channel. If the LAC is too large, the same paging message is sent in many cells, increasing the paging channel load and the signaling flow over the Abis interface. The calculation of LAC size is related to the paging strategies of different operators. For the specific calculation, see Calculation of LAC Size. Usually, one LAC must contain no more than 100 sector carriers. At the initial stage of network construction, one LAC can contain more than 100 sector carriers because the traffic is low. However, it is necessary to monitor the paging channel load and the traffic increase for a long time. Some statisticals items of the paging channel are included in Version C03. Since REG_ZONE is a subset of LAC, REG_ZONE is also determined by the capacity of the paging channel. (2) The REG_ZONE in the LAC can neither be too small. The minimum value of REG_ZONE is determined by the capacity of the access channel.. Unlike the GSM, the LAC in the CDMA only applies to the paging. The registration uses REG_ZONE. The CDMA protocol does not specify the relationship between the LAC and REG_ZONE. In order to page the MS, the REG_ZONE should be a subset of the LAC. Unless otherwise specified, REG_ZONE should be as large as LAC. If REG_ZONE is the same as LAC the LAC cannot be too small. Otherwise, registration occurs frequently. That does little good to the paging. However, more messages need to be processed. In this case, the load of the access channel and the whole system increases, or even the access rate and access success ratio of the system are greatly affected. Hence, a REG_ZONE should be as large as possible (that is, the LAC should be as large as possible) if the paging channel load is acceptable. The maximum number of REG_ZONEs reserved in the MS (TOTAL_ZONES in the System Parameters Message should be set to 1. Otherwise, the MS fails to originate the location update message in time after it moves to another REG_ZONE. For details about the relationship between the LAC and Registration, see the analysis in Section 4, Relationship and Effect of LAC to/on Registration. (3) The LAC division should be in accordance with the geographical distribution and behaviors of mobile subscribers so that fewer location updates take place at the edge of the location area. At the junction of the suburb and urban, where the coverage is discontinuous, the MS might fail to perform the location update when a periodic location update timer expires. After the timer expires, the system deactivates the MS. After the MS enters the urban, if the REG_ZONE of the urban is different from the one of the suburb, the MS might fail to perform the location update in time. In this case, the MS might receive signals outside the service area. Hence, an individual REG_ZONE is assigned to the suburb (county). That is, each county can use an individual REG_ZONE different from that of the urban. In this way, the above problem is resolved. As for the LAC, plan the urban and suburb into the same LAC, if necessary. Of course, it is preferred that the LAC and REG_ZONE should be consistent. See the figure below.

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Figure 2-1 Division of REG_ZONEs Additionally, if there are two or more LACs in a big city with a heavy traffic, the topographical factors, such as hill or river in the city can be considered as the edge of the LACs to lessen the overlapping of different cells in these LACs. If there are no such topographical factors, avoid dividing LACs along streets, or areas with heavy traffic, such as malls. It is required that the edge of LACs should not be parallel or perpendicular to streets. Instead, it should be on a slant. At the junction of the urban and suburb areas, the edge of LACs is placed at the sparsely-located BTSs, instead of the junction with dense traffic, to avoid frequent location updates. (4) One LAC should belong to one MSC or BSC only. A CDMA network operator uses one MSCID to identify one MSC. The MSCID consists of the SID and NID. The REG_ZONE is a part of the area identified by the SID and NID, and it cannot be larger than that area. Hence, one LAC cannot belong to more than one MSC. When a LAC belongs to more than one BSC, the paging message is delivered to several BSCs. As a result, the signaling flow increases and the signaling processing becomes more difficult. Hence, we recommend that one LAC should belong to only one BSC.

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(5) If multiple carriers are configured, the carriers in the same sector should be planned in the same LAC. The table of LAC&CELL in the MSC only have cell /sector IDs, but no carrier ID. In the CELL table of the BSC, the LACODE is configured on basis of the cell/sector. Therefore, different carriers in the same sector should be in the same LAC. The REG_ZONE in the SPM table of the BSC is configured according to the carrier. However, the REG_ZONE of different carriers should also be the same. With the HASH function, the paging message is delivered only on the paging channel after the HASH function, instead of those of all carriers, even if each carrier is configured with a paging channel. But the broadcast message is an exception. The broadcast message contains the broadcast address, so it is delivered on the paging channels of all carriers.

3 Correlation between LAC and Paging

This document analyzes the correlation between LAC and paging, as well as the delivery mechanism of the Paging Request Message from the viewpoint of the physical capacity of the paging channel,.9600 or 4800 bps In the engineering application, the on-site engineers can ignore the analysis, but directly apply the conclusion drawn in the last paragraph of this section. The Cell Identifier List in the Paging Request Message delivered by the MSC contains two types of location, namely, cell list and LAC list. When the Cell Identifier List contains the cell list, the BSC delivers the General Page Message (GPM) according to the cell list. When the Cell Identifier List contains the LAC list, the BSC delivers the GPM in one or more LACs. If the LAC is too large, excessive messages are delivered on the paging channel, resulting in the congestion. Therefore, the LAC should be designed in accordance with the capacity of the paging channel.

3.1 Messages Delivered on Paging Channel

The messages delivered on the paging channel mainly include the following: Table 3-1 Type of message on paging channel
Message name System Parameters Message Access Parameters Message CDMA Channel List Message Order Message Channel Assignment Message Data Burst Message Authentication Challenge Message SSD Update Message Extended System Parameters Message Status Request Message Service Redirection Message General Page Message Global Service Redirection Message

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The following are the common messages: 1. General Page Message 2. Overhead Message 3. Channel Assignment Message 4. Order Message 5. Data Burst Message for SMS Currently, the other messages listed in the table are seldom delivered on the paging channel. With the development of services, messages seizing large bandwidth on the paging channel, such as the broadcast short messages, should be mainly considered.

3.2 Calculation of Flow on Paging Channel

As described in 3.1, the flow on the paging channel depends on the size and delivery mechanisms of different messages. At present, only some data is available. Most data needs to be collected and calculated based on the network applications. For the convenience of calculation, we assume some data, such as subscriber distribution model and short message model, on basis of the available data. The assumed data will be corrected from time to time to agree with the practice. In practice, the specific value of such data can be modified according to the actual situation. We first give some data of the paging channel in Table 3-2, and then classify and analyze various messages to learn their effect on the LAC Table 3-2 Data of paging channel

Code a b c

Name capacity of paging channel Maximum utilization

Value 9600 bps or 4800bps 0.9

Remarks Select one according to the practical application 10% is used to process the burst flow through the paging channel Supposing 75% MSs respond to the first paging and 25% respond to the second one, then MSs responding to the third paging can be ignored. The given value is based on the traffic model designed by the Zhengzhou Planning Design Institute (S111 BTS) An estimated value is given. It is modified according to the actual situation. The given value is based on the traffic model designed by the Zhengzhou Planning Design Institute. It is the average throughput of all subscribers.

Paging strategy (average number of pagings/subscribers)

1.25

Reverse throughput of sector carrier

94kbps

e f

Number of pagings of a subscriber for one hour Average throughput of subscriber

0.3

78.36bps

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Guide to CDMA1X Location Area Planning Number of subscribers of sector carrier 1,229

Internal use The given value is based on the traffic model designed by the Zhengzhou Planning Design Institute. There are 1106 voice-only subscribers and 113 voice-data subscribers.

g (N a )

h i j k l

Number of sector carriers in oneLAC Length of General Page Message Total length of overhead message Length of System Parameters Message Length of Access Parameters Message

N 128 bits 908bits 272bits k+l+m+n+o The runtime value of the current network is given and modified little. The given value includes the authentication data and does not need to be modified. The length is related to the number of neighbor cells. The given value is based on 12 neighbor cells. (It increases or decreases by 12 bits every time a neighbor cell is added or deleted) The given value is based on one CDMA_FREQ. (it

184 bits

Length of Neighbor List Message

212 bits

Length of CDMA Channel List Message

72 bits

increases by 11 bits every time a CDMA_FREQ is added)

o p q r s t

Length of Extended System Parameters Message interval between two overhead message send events Length of Extended Channel Assignment Message Length of Order Message Data Burst Message (short message service) Length of short General Page Message (only general field)

168 bits

15 240bits 88bits (7x + 438) bits 72 bits

The runtime value of the current network is given and modified little. It is designed according to the system.unit :80ms The address field includes an IMSI. The address field includes an IMSI. The value is modified according to the actual situation. The runtime value of the current network is given and modified little.

Notes to the values of some items in the above table:

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1. The message length is calculated according to the message delivered by the current system. 2. The length of Neighbor List Message in the above table is based on 12 neighbor cells. The length of Neighbor List Message increases by 12 bits every time a neighbor cell is added. From the above analysis, this item has a minor effect on the LAC. 3. Paging strategy: It is based on the analysis of the statistical data. 4. d, e, f, and g in the above table are obtained according to the traffic model designed by the Zhengzhou Planning Design Institute. When the traffic model changes, such data should be modified accordingly. The following are some other parameters involved in the analysis. Currently, we only give the estimated values of these parameters. They need to be corrected and improved on basis of large amounts of statistical data obtained from the practical network. 1. For voice-data mixed subscribers, the behavior of the voice service is the same as that of voice-only subscribers, and n do , the number of mobile originated calls (MOC), is 0.1/hour and the number of received pagings is 0, when the data service is busy. 2. It is assumed that the ratio (E) of the number of received short messages of each subscriber to the number of received pagings is 1, and the short messages with length below the threshold count 50% (G=50%). The threshold in the current system is 64 bytes. 3. The average length of of a short message below threshold is 25 bytes. 4. It is assumed that the ratio of mobile originated call to mobile terminated call(MTC)is 1:1. In CDMA1X Location Area Planning and Tool for Calculating Capacity of Paging Channel, the input parameter ratio of MTC is a statistical value, usually 40% or so, and can be roughly derived from the measurement items of the MSC. The calculation formula is as follows: Ratio of MTC= MTC attempts/(MTC attempts + MOC attempts) For the meanings of MTC attempts Performance_Onlinehelp_20031013(MSC).chm. and MOC attempts, see

5. It is assumed that the Channel Assignment Message is sent once for one call, on average. In response to the Paging Response Message, Origination Message, and Data Burst Message, the average number (N1) of successive acknowledge command send events is 2. The Order Message contain registration rejected and accepted. In view of the minor percentage of refused registrations in normal cases, only the accepted registrations are considered here. It is assumed that the number (N2) of registrations originated by a subscriber in an hour is 3 and the number (N3) of responses of the BSC to the registration message of the MS is 1. 6. Some other messages, such as voice mail system (VMS) message and broadcast short message, are not considered for the time being.

3.2.1 Paging Channel Occupancy of General Page Message

When it is necessary to call an MS or any special messaging service is required, such as SMS or VMS, the BTS uses the General Page Message to page the MS. For a Data Burst Message, the MSC judges whether the length of the short message sent from the message center (MC) is larger than a specified value. If so, the MSC originates a Paging Request Message to the BSC, and then create a dedicated

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channel to send the short message. The delivery of a common paging message is the same case. When the length of the short message to be sent is smaller than the specified value, the Data Burst Message is directly delivered on the paging channel. If the ratio of the number of short messages of a subscriber to the number of pagings is E and the short messages with length above the threshold account for G, then the number of pagings is g*e*(1+EG). Ogp, the paging channel occupancy of General Page Message, relative to the utilization 90% of the paging channel, is calculated according to the following formula:

O gp =

g e (1EG) c h i 3600 a b

From the above formula, Ogp is linear with the number of pagings. If E equals 1 and G equals 50%, the above formula is:

O gp =

g e (1 + 0.5) c i h 1229 0.3 1.5 1.25 128 h = = 0.002845h 3600 9600 0.9 3600 a b

If short messages are ignored, then the formula is:

O gp =

g e c i h 1229 0.3 1.25 128 h = = 0.00189h 3600 9600 0.9 3600 a b

3.2.2 Paging Channel Occupancy of Overhead Message

The overhead messages that must be delivered on the paging channel include 1. System Parameters Message 2. Access parameters message 3. CDMA channel list message 4. Extended neighbor list message 5. Extended System Parameters Message If the system supports quick paging, the extended CDMA channel list message is delivered. But this message can be ignored because the paging channel occupancy of the General Page Message also changes in this case. If an overhead message is delivered on the paging channel every p slots, Ooh, the paging channel occupancy of the overhead message is calculated from the formula below:

O oh =

j/(0.08p) 12.5 j = ab p ab

In the formula, the length of neighbor list message is related to the number of neighbor cells. Here the analysis is based on 12 neighbor cells. The length of neighbor list message can be modified according to the actual situation. If the BTS sends an overhead message every 15 timeslots and a equals 9600 bps, then Ooh is 8.76%. If a equals 4800bps, then Ooh is 17.52%. Ooh, independent of the LAC, is basically a constant in the CDMA system.

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3.2.3 Extend Channel Assignment Message and Order Message

During a call setup, the BTS sends a Channel Assignment Message to the MS. The Order Message is used to refuse or accept a registration, or used by the BTS to acknowledge the Origination Message, Paging Response Message and Data Burst Message (short message). It is assumed that the Channel Assignment Message is sent once for one call (a mobile originated call or mobile terminated call, with a ratio of mobile originated calls to mobile terminated calls being 1:1). In response to the Paging Response Message, Origination Message, and Data Burst Message, the response command is successively sent for N1 times. The Order Message can accept or refuse a registration. In view of the minor percentage of refused registrations in normal cases, only the accepted registrations are considered here. If the number of registrations originated by a subscriber in an hour is N2 and the number of responses of the BSC to the registration message of the MS is N3, then Oco, the paging channel occupancy of the Channel Assignment Message and Order Message is calculated according to the formula below: 2 g e (q + N1r)g e E N1 rg N2N3r + n do Nd (q + N1r) O co = 3600 a b In the above formula, n do is the number of busy hour calls originated by a data subscriber, and Nd is the number of voice-data subscribers of a sector carrier. For the meanings of other symbols, see Table 3-2. For the voice-data subscribers, the behavior of the voice service is the same as that of voice-only subscribers. Assume that n do , the number of mobile originated calls, is 0.1/hour and the number of received pagings is 0, when the data service is busy. If N1 is 2, N2 is 3, N3 is 1, and E is 1, then Oco, the paging channel occupancy of the Channel Assignment Message and Order Message is as follows:
O co = 2 1229 0.30.1 123 (240 + 288)1229 0.3 2 881229 3 1 88 = 0.02254 3600 9600 0.9

Obviously, the paging channel occupancy of the Channel Assignment Message and Order Message is low, and the Channel Assignment Message and Order Message related to the data service only account for a little portion of the whole system.

3.2.4 Paging Channel Occupancy of Data Burst Message

For a Data Burst Message, the MSC judges whether the length of the short message sent from the MC is larger than a specified value. If so, the MSC originates a Paging Request Message to the BSC, and then create a dedicated channel to send the short message. The delivery of a common paging message is the same case. We have discussed the Data Burst Message in the paging channel occupancy of general paging message. But now we only consider the Data Burst Message delivered on the paging channel. When the number of bytes to be sent, including the overhead bytes, is less than a specified value, the Data Burst Message is delivered on the paging channel. If the ratio of the number of short messages of a subscriber to the number of pagings is E and the short messages with length above the threshold accounts for G, then the number of short messages delivered on the paging channel is g*e*h*(1G)*E. O db , the paging channel occupancy of Data Burst Message, is calculated according to the following formula:

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O db =

g e h (1 G) E c s 3600 a b

Supposing G is 50%, E is 1, and the average number of bytes of a short message with length below the threshold is 25, we can obtain s = 608bits. Further, we obtain

O db as follow:

O db = 1229 0.3 h 0.5 1 1.25 608 = 0.0045h 3600 9600 0.9

3.2.5 Paging Channel Occupancy of _DONE Message and SCI Bit
The _DONE message is a short General Page Message with a field indicating that all messages within the timeslots are sent out. In usual cases, the BTS sends a _DONE message after sending all messages scheduled by the timeslots. Suppose there is a short General Page Message (GPM) in each timeslot. The SCI bit is inserted into each half-frame. In this way, Ods, the paging channel occupancy of short GPM and SCI bit is calculated according to the following formula:

O ds =

(1/0.08) t + 1 (1/0.01) 12.5 t + 100 = a b a b

With reference to the data in Table 3-2, we can obtain the paging channel occupancy of _DONE message and SCI bit.

O ds =

(1/0.08) 72 + 1/0.01 = 0.104 + 0.012 = 0.116 9600 0.9 9600 0.9

In the above calculation result, the paging channel occupancy of _DONE message is 10.4% and that of SCI bit is 1.2%. Ods, is also independent of the LAC and is a constant.

Some other messages, such as voice mail system (VMS) message and broadcast short message, are not considered for the time being because they are seldom used. As services change, these messages are increasingly used. By then, it is necessary to re-analyze the capacity of the paging channel. With the development of services, more and more messages are delivered on the common channel. When broadcast short messages and other services to be broadcast on the paging channel increase, one paging channel cannot meet the requirement and an additional paging channel is required. In this case, the impact of the additional paging channel on the traffic channels should be fully considered.

3.3 LAC Size Determined by Paging Channel

From the above analysis, we can draw the following conclusions:

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1. The paging channel occupancy consists of the following five parts: Occupancy of General Page Message Occupancy of overhead message Occupancy of Extend Channel Assignment Message and Order Message Occupancy of Data Burst Message Occupancy of short GPM and SCI bit 2. The flow of short GPM & SCI bit, overhead message, and Extend Channel Assignment Message& Order Message is independent of the LAC size. Analyze the parameters of these messages according to the values given above. 3. Only GPM and short messages (Data Burst Message) affect the LAC planning. The system sends short messages in the following ways: 1) Point-to-point mode, which includes the following three ways: a) The system delivers the Data Burst Message on the paging channel directly in the whole LAC., b) The system first originates a Paging Request Message to locate the MS and then delivers the Data Burst Message on the paging channel. c) The system first originates a Paging Request Message to locate the MS and then delivers the Data Burst Message on the dedicated channel (traffic channel). The threshold set on the MSC determines the use of mode b) or mode c). For example, the threshold is set to 64 bytes. If the short message is longer than 64 bytes, it is delivered on the traffic channel after the MS is located. Otherwise, the Data Burst Message is delivered on the paging channel after the MS is located. These three send modes make different paging channel occupancies. They should be considered in calculation. For details, see CDMA1X Location Area Planning and Tool for Calculating Capacity of Paging Channel. 2) Multipoint mode (group transit mode of point-to-point short message) The Multipoint mode is based on the group transit mode of point-to-point short message. For the specific send modes, see a), b), and c). According to the discussion results about the short message problem in Tibet, the system must not be busy, and the frequency of sending short message and the length are restricted, if the short message is delivered in the Multipoint mode. 3) Broadcast mode Currently the system supports the broadcast message in the multi-slotted mode. The corresponding MC version is also available. But the test has not been completed, yet.

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4) Flow direction of short message

MC K short messages /second

MSC

K short messages /second BSC

LACM

Cell

Figure 3-1 Flow direction of short message As shown in Figure 3-1, short messages travel from the MC through the MSC to the BSC. Then the BSC delivers them to the LAC and cells in different send modes, and finally to the MS. K is the rate or the frequency of sending a short message through the A interface when it is sent from the MSC to the BSC. It is a statistical average. Since the send modes are different, the rate between the receiving end and transmitting end of different messages (General Page Message and Data Burst Message) is different, too. In the system performance measurement of MC, there is an item to measure the transmit rate from the MC to the MSC. For the specific measurement item, consult the MC engineer. The MSC has no such mechanism for short message resending. The MSC records the state of the MS and state of the short message, and then notifies the MC of these states. The MC determines whether to resend a short message or not. In this way, the rate of a short message from the MC to the MSC is the same as that from the MSC to the BSC. The total paging channel occupancy is expressed by the following formula:

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Total paging channel occupancy =Ogp occupancy of general page channel + and Order Message + Odb occupancy of Data Burst Message + short GPM and SCI bit, that is to say,

Ooh

occupancy of overhead message +Oco occupancy of extended assignment message

Ods occupancy of

O all = O gp + O oh + O co + O db + Ods <= 1

When the rate of the paging channel is a = 9600 bpsecond, the allowable maximum utilization of the paging channel is b = 0.9, and the other symbols are set as in Table 3-2, we can obtain the following:

O oh + O co + O ds = 0.0896 + 0.02254 + 0.116 = 0.228

O gp + O db <= 0.772
That is, 0.002845h + 0.0045h [ 0.772 0.007345h [0.772 Hence, h [ 105 (number of sector carriers) In the above formula, the occupancy of General Page Message accounts for 29.87%, and that of the Data Burst Message accounts for 47.25%. If the threshold above which a Data Burst Message is sent on the traffic channel is lowered, the number of sector carriers in the LAC increases. Meanwhile, the paging channel occupancy of General Page Message also increases, but that of Data Burst Message decreases. In the following cases, the number of sector carriers one LAC can contain is listed below: 1. The rate of paging channel is 9600 bps, and short messages are not considered. When the rate of the paging channel is 9600 bps, one LAC can contain 272 sector carriers. 2. The rate of paging channel is 9600 bps, and short messages are considered. When the rate of the paging channel is 9600 bps, one LAC can contain 105 sector carriers. (The value is determined by the frequency of sending a short message and length of the short message. In this case, the voice service and short message service coexist.) 3. The rate of the paging channel is 4800 bps and short messages are not considered. When the rate of the paging channel is 4800 bps, one LAC can contain 98 sector carriers. 4. The rate of the paging channel is 4800 bps and short messages are considered. When the rate of the paging channel is 4800 bps, one LAC can contain 37 sector carriers. (The value is determined by the frequency of sending a short message and length of the short message. In this case, the voice service and short message service coexist.) For the specific calculation, see CDMA1X Location Area Planning and Tool for Calculating Capacity of Paging Channel.

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3.4 LAC Size in Case of Multiple Paging Channels

There are different configurations for multiple carriers: Only one of the carriers is configured with a paging channel Each carrier is configured with a paging channel. When only one carrier in a sector is configured with a paging channel, the calculation of LAC size is the same as that when there is a single carrier in a sector. For the calculation result (number of sector carriers), see 3.3. When multiple paging channels are configured in a sector, there are two cases: 1) If a paging message without the HASH function is directly delivered on all paging channels, the calculation of LAC size is the same as that when there is a single carrier. For the calculation result (number of sector carriers), see 3.3. 2) If the paging message is delivered to the specified paging channel in a sector by means of the HASH function, the paging message is distributed on different paging channels. The traffic flow of the paging message on each paging channel is 1/n (n is the number of paging channels) of that in the case of a single carrier. If a sector in one LAC contains different carriers, the load of the paging channel in the sector containing the fewest carriers is the highest. In this case, the calculation of the LAC size should be subject to the paging channel with the highest load. Hence, it is preferred that those sectors containing the same or similar number of carriers should be planned in the same LAC.

4 Relationship and Effect of LAC to/on Registration

4.1 Type of Registration Related to LAC
There are 10 registration types: Power-on registration Power-down registration Timer-based registration Distance-based registration Zone-based registration Parameter-change registration Ordered registration Implicit registration Traffic-channel registration User zone registration The first nine registration types are given in IS95. Among them, only the distance-based registration, zone-based registration and user zone registration are related to the location, and the other registrations are independent of the location. The distance-based registration happens when the distance between the BTS that the MS currently lies in and the BTS that the MS registers in last time exceeds a threshold. It is independent of the LAC. The user zone registration happens when the MS selects an active user zone. The user zone is used to distinguish the grade of service (GOS) in different areas only

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when the MS requires tiered services. Since the user zone registration is not used currently, we can ignore its relationship to the LAC. Hence, we only need to consider the zone-based registration of these registrations that are related to the LAC.

4.2 Relationship between REG_ZONE and LAC

The zone-based registration is an autonomous registration method in which the MS registers when it enters a zone that is not in the mobile stations zone list. One REG_ZONE can contain one or more sector carriers. One REG_ZONE must belong to one NID, that is to say, one NID can contain one or more REG_ZONEs. REG_ZONE is uniquely identified by SID/NID/ZONEID. TOTAL_ZONEs is the total number of REG_ZONEs reserved for the MS. If TOTAL_ZONEs is 0, the zone-based registration is disabled. If TOTAL_ZONEs is 1, the MS registers about 10 seconds after it moves from one zone (ZONE 1) to another zone (ZONE 2). If TOTAL_ZONEs is larger than 1, in some cases, the MS may fail to register when it moves from one zone to another zone.

Figure 4-1 Relationship between LAC and REG_ZONE As the diagram on the left in Figure 4-1 shows, if one REG_ZONE straddles two LACs, the MS does not register when it moves from LAC1 to LAC2. At this time, the BSC is unable to page the MS. In the diagram on the right, when the MS moves in the LAC1 from ZONE1 to ZONE2, the BSC can always page the MS. When the MS moves from ZONE2 to ZONE3, the MS also registers. Hence, if ZONE is a subset of LAC, the MS can be paged. However, it is unnecessary to configure multiple zones in one LAC. Hence, the LAC and REG_ZONE should be of the same size (the same coverage area) when designed. It is recommended that the LAC and REG that represent the same area uses the same number. A LAC is represented by a 16-bit number, while a REG_ZONE is represented by a 12-bit number. Hence, when the value of a LAC is less than the maximum of a 12-bit number, the LAC should be completely consistent with the

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REG_ZONE. When the value of a LAC is more than the maximum of a 12-bit number, take the last bits of the LAC as REG_ZONE. See the following examples. LAC: 123, REG_ZONE: 123 LAC: 16384, REG_ZONE: 384 Note: The numbers in the above examples are all decimal ones.)

4.3 LAC Size Determined by Registration

From the above analysis, we learn that the LAC and REG_ZONE should be of the same size. Hence, the REG_ZONE size determined by the registration is actually the LAC size. From the angle of registration, the larger the REG_ZONE size is, the better it is. Thus, the REG_ZONE size should be set to the maximum determined by the paging channel. For the specific calculation result, see 3.3, LAC Size Determined by Paging Channel

5 Location Area Planning Parameters

5.1 Parameter Settings in BSC
There are some parameters related to LAC in the MSC and the BSC. When the network is put into operation, check the correlation between these parameters, and the specific settings. Here we give the LAC-related parameters. The specific settings are subject to Guide to CDMA1X BSS Network Planning Parameter Configuration. I. LAC
LACODE (location area code) is in CELL table in the database. Modify the LAC of a cell or the whole BSC by using the command MOD LACODEOL. But remember to modify the corresponding data in the Location Area Cell table of the MSC after the modification of the LAC. The LACODE modification command in the BSC is an offline one. It is necessary to restart the BSC after the modification. For example, use the following command to modify the LACODE of the sector carrier where the CELL ID is 140 and the PN is 100: MOD LACODEOL: CELLID=140, PN=100, LACODE=6; Path of command: Base station controller management configuration management cell channel configuration offline modification of local LACODE

II. REG_ZONE and TOTAL_ZONEs

REG_ZONE and TOTAL_ZONEs are in the System Parameters Message table in the database. Modify the REG_ZONE of a sector carrier by using the command MOD SYSPARAMSG on the Airbridge. For example, use the following command to modify

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as 6 the REG_ZONE of the sector carrier where the CELL ID is 140, the SECTOR ID is 0 and the CARRIER ID is 11: MOD SYSPARAMSG: CELLID=140, SECTORID=0, CARRIERID=11, REGZN=6, TOTALZN=1; When modifying the REG_ZONE, remember that the REG_ZONE should be consistent with the LACODE of the same sector carrier, and that TOTAL_ZONEs should be set to 1. (If TOTAL_ZONEs is set to 1, the value of ZONE_TIMER will not take effect. Path of command: Base station controller management configuration management System Parameters Message configuration modification of System Parameters Message

III. REG_PRD
REG_PRD is in the System Parameters Message table in the database. Modify the length of the periodic location update timer in a sector carrier by using the command MOD SYSPARAMSG on the Airbridge. The length of the timer is usually set to 1/4 ~ 1/3 of the subscriber deactivation time in the VLR. Note that the length of the periodic location update timers in one LAC should be the same. Path of command: Base station controller management configuration management System Parameters Message configuration modification of System Parameters Message

IV. Paging parameter

PAGE_CHAN (number of paging channels) is in the System Parameters Message table. PRAT (rate of paging channel) in the sync channel message table, 0 representing 9600 bps and 1 representing 4800 bps

5.2 Parameter Settings in MSC

1. Subscriber deactivation time in the VLR configuration table Note that the subscriber deactivation time should be greater than REG_PRD in the BSC. Currently, it is three to four times the REG_PRD. In this way, the MS is not deactivated even when the MS fails to register because of the poor radio environment. 2. Number of paging resend events Bit 4 Bit 6 of MAP parameter 2 in the software parameter table of the MSC represent the number of paging resend events. Currently, the number of paging resend events is set to 2. 3. Paging resend interval The paging resend interval is set usually set to 5 seconds. The calculation formula is as follows: Paging resend interval = 4.72 + (1.28 * 2^Slot Cycle Index)

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The interval is related to the slot cycle index. When the slot cycle index is 0, the paging resend interval can be set to 5 seconds. When the slot cycle index is 1, the interval can be set to 7 seconds. Enter and type the following command at the operation & maintenance console: MOD TIMER: PID=56, TSEQ=0, TIMER=7, VAL=10, NOTES="xxxxx"; In the command, the value after VAL= is the timer length. Set the timer length according to the actual requirement. Fill any descriptive words after NOTES=.

Attachment: CDMA1X Location Area Planning and Tool for Calculating Capacity of Paging Channel V1.04.xls

CDMA1X Location Area Planning and Tool for Calculating Capacity of Paging Channel v1.04.xls

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