ZGO-01-01-005

Re-establishment
Feature Guide

Call

ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

Version

Date

Author

Reviewer
GU

V1.0

2013/03/12

Li Zhengren

Notes

Commercial

System Supporting

Not open to the third party

Dept.

2013 ZTE Corporation. All rights reserved.

ZTE CONFIDENTIAL: This document contains proprietary information of ZTE and is not to be disclosed or used
without the prior written permission of ZTE.
Due to update and improvement of ZTE products and technologies, information in this document is subjected to
change without notice.

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ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Feature Attribute ............................................................................................... 4

2
2.1
2.2
2.3

Overview ............................................................................................................ 4
Feature Introduction ............................................................................................. 4
License Control .................................................................................................... 5
Correlation with Other Features ........................................................................... 5

Technical Description ....................................................................................... 5

4
4.1
4.2
4.2.1
4.2.2
4.2.3

Parameters and Configurations ....................................................................... 7

Parameter List ..................................................................................................... 7
Parameter Configuration ...................................................................................... 8
Call Re-establishment Allowed............................................................................. 8
MAX value of MS Radio link timeout .................................................................... 8
MAX value of BSS Radio link timeout .................................................................. 9

5
5.1
5.2

Related Counters and Alarms ........................................................................ 10

Related Counters ............................................................................................... 10
Related Alarms .................................................................................................. 10

6
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.3.1
6.4
6.5

Engineering Guide .......................................................................................... 10

Application Scenario .......................................................................................... 10
Configuration Description ................................................................................... 10
Feature Validation .............................................................................................. 12
Call Reestablishment ......................................................................................... 12
Feature Turn off ................................................................................................. 13
Network Impact .................................................................................................. 14

Abbreviation .................................................................................................... 14

Reference Document....................................................................................... 15

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ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

FIGURES
Figure 6-1 Cell re-establishment Allowed ...........................................................................11
Figure 6-2 MAX value of Radio Link Timeout .....................................................................12
Figure 6-3 Cell re-establishment not Allowed .....................................................................13

TABLES
Table 3-1 Flow Chart of Call Re-establishment ................................................................... 7
Table 4-1 Parameter List ....................................................................................................... 7
Table 4-2 Call Re-establishment Allowed ............................................................................ 8
Table 4-3 MAX value of MS Radio link timeout ................................................................... 8
Table 4-4 MAX value of BSS Radio link timeout ................................................................. 9
Table 5-1 Counters list .......................................................................................................10

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ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

Feature Attribute
BSC Version: [ZXG10-iBSC GSM (V6.30.102)]
BTS Version: [Not related with BTS hardware platform]
Property: [Optional]
Related Network Element:
NE Name

Related or Not

MS

BTS

BSC

MSC

MGW

SGSN

GGSN

HLR

Special Requirements

Dependent Function: [None]

Exclusive Function: [None]
Note: [None]

Overview

2.1

Feature Introduction
Call re-establishment procedure refers to a connection recovery after MS fails in
radio link. This procedure may occur in a new cell or a new location. Whether to
make a call re-establishment attempt depends on the call status, whether call
re-establishment is allowed in this cell, C1 of the cell selected is above 0 and this cell

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ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

is not barred. SMS and supplementary services which are independent of call
service are not allowed to have call re-establishment.
A link might be cut off because of transmission loss due to sudden interference or
obstacles caused by high buildings. MS can initiate call re-establishment to recover
the call. But this process may take some time. Users may abandon the call. So it is
generally not recommended to activate call re-establishment.
On the other hand, call re-establishment plays a very useful part in some scenarios such
as tunnels and elevators.

2.2

License Control
None license control for this feature in UR12 Release.

2.3

Correlation with Other Features

None.

Technical Description
In wireless environment, a communication link may abruptly break off by means of
tremendous propagation loss which attribute to the obstruction of bridge, building as
well as tunnel and some stuff like that. Adopting call re-establishment mechanism,
MS could resume to the call , taking advantage of a cell which the MS staying in or
another cell. Whats more, call re-establishment will improve QoS of network to
some extent.
Call re-establishment
The information whether call re-establishment is allowed is carried in cells system
message where the call re-establishment parameters are included. The system
message is delivered to MS. MS then analyzes this system message to get the

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ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

parameters, which helps to judge whether MS can initiate call re-establishment in

this cell. Figure 3-1 shows the entire flow of call re-establishment.
Primarily, NE with wireless link failure will be perceived by call re-establishment,
then two procedures are established.

Wireless link failure is perceived by MS firstly:

When MS had detected wireless link failure, MS would send re-establishment
request on selected cell(original cell or new cell) . And previous channel resources
are released by BSC when BSS-side timers timeout occurs.
Wireless link failure is perceived by BSS firstly:
When BSS had detected wireless link failure, BTS transmits a failure information to
BSC. Then BSC releases original wireless resources, simultaneously BSS will
activate timer-T3109 to wait for re-establishment. After that, by the time detecting
wireless failure, MS is able to choose proper neighbor cell to transmit channel
request. In the chapter of 24008-4.5.1.6 of 3GPP protocol, it shows that The
network is unable to initiate call re-establishment, thus call re-establishment
initializes from MS. As a consequence, only if MS detects wireless failure,
re-establishment successes; and if BSC detects wireless failure firstly, it will ask
MSC to cancel request when T3190 overtimes. In order to use re-establishment, it is
necessary to guarantee that the maximum of timer wireless failure in BSS
outnumbers the maximum of timer wireless failure in MS.
MS uses the BA (Frequency Assignment) table associated with neighbor cells
SACCH to measure electrical level value from service cell and neighbor cell. The
average vale in 5 seconds is deemed as threshold value, which is used to choose a
cell with the highest received electrical level as destination cell of re-establishment.
On the frequency point, MS will try to decode BCCH data block system information,
when the cell is not prohibited and C1 greater than zero as well as re-establishment,
the cell is chosen. Otherwise, the second highest cell is chosen to retry procedure
above.

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ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

One thing need to be noticed that, in the term of re-establishment, MS cannot return
to idle model, therefore if MS choose a different-location cell as re-establishment
destination cell, then Location update doesnt exert.
Call re-establishment includes accessing procedure as well as re-provision
procedure. A signaling of call re-establishment flow chart is shown following.

Table 3-1

Flow Chart of Call Re-establishment

MS

BTS

BSC

MSC

Radio Link Failure

Channel Request
(1)
CL3 RE-EST REQ
(2)
CiPher Mode CMD
(3)

CiPher Mode CMP (4)

ASS REQ (5)

ASS CMP (6)

Status Enquiry
(7)
Status
(8)

4
4.1

Parameters and Configurations

Parameter List
Table 4-1 Parameter List
SN

Name

CallReestablish

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Figure

Figure 6-1

ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

4.2
4.2.1

MsRadioLKTmOut

Figure 6-2

BsRadioLKTmOut

Figure 6-2

Parameter Configuration
Call Re-establishment Allowed
Table 4-2

Call Re-establishment Allowed

Name

CallReestablish
A link might be cut off because of transmission loss due to
sudden interference or obstacles caused by high buildings. MS
can initiate call re-establishment to recover the call. But the
network can decide whether to allow the re-establishment or

Description

not. This function is realized by setting the parameter

CallReestablish.
This parameter, one of the network functionality parameters, is
broadcasted to MS via RIL3_RR SYSTEM INFORMATION
TYPE1, 2, 2bis, 3 and 4.

Managed

cell

object

4.2.2

Threshold

[0,1]

Unit

None

Default Value

0:not allowed

MAX value of MS Radio link timeout

Table 4-3

MAX value of MS Radio link timeout

Name

MsRadioLKTmOut

Abbreviation

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ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

This parameter is the maximum value of radio link counter S at

Ms side, transmitted on BCCH or SACCH by BSS.
Radio link counter S is used to evaluate radio linkd failure.
Description

When MS can't decode SACCH message (BFI=1), S

decrements; when MS successfully receives SACCH message
(BFI=0), S increases by 2. If S is decreased to 0, it indicates
radio link fault, call shall be reestablished or released.

Managed

cell

object

4.2.3

Value range

0 ~ 15

Unit

NA

Default Value

15

MAX value of BSS Radio link timeout

Table 4-4

MAX value of BSS Radio link timeout

Full Name

BsRadioLKTmOut

Abbreviation

This parameter is the maximum value of radio link counter S at

Description

BSS side, transmitted on PBCCH by BSS under the leading of

packet system message 2.

Managed
object

cell

Value range

0 ~ 15

Unit

NA

Default Value

15

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ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

Related Counters and Alarms

5.1

Related Counters
Table 5-1

Counters list

Counter ID

5.2

Name

C901110008

Number of call re-establishment access attempts

C901110009

Number of call re-establishment access success for processes

C901110010

Number of call re-establishment access success

Related Alarms
This feature has no related alarms.

6
6.1

Engineering Guide
Application Scenario
This feature enables MS to initiate call re-establishment process to save part of a call
in case there is sudden decline of serving signal or radio link failure. This feature is
not recommended in regions where channel resource is not abundant.

6.2

Configuration Description
To activate this feature, the criterion to judge the radio link failure should be set as 1,
namely the error rate of SACCH is regarded as the criterion. The maximum value of
BSSs radio link fault counter should be bigger than that of MSs.

10

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ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

1. Configure resource tree window, double click GSM Logical Configuration Cell
Information Configuration GSM Cell Configuration. Then double click the cell in
the cell list in the right window, and set Cell re-establishment Allowed in new website.
Figure 6-1

Cell re-establishment Allowed

2.Configure resource tree window, double click GSM Logical Configuration Cell
Information Configuration GSM Cell Configuration. Then double click the cell in the
cell list in the right window, and set MAX value of MS Radio Link Timeout and
value of BSS Radio Link Timeout

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MAX

in new website.

11

ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

Figure 6-2

6.3
6.3.1

MAX value of Radio Link Timeout

Feature Validation
Call Reestablishment
Test Item

Call Reestablishment

Precondition

1.

check CN is healthy;

2.

check BSC is healthy,;

3.

check SDR is healthy;

4.

check default cell configuration and parameters in

BSC;

Test Steps

5.

MS are ready;

6.

ensure good radio environment;

1.

Open the RSLCS and BSSAP signaling windows

using BSC Signal Trace to record signaling;

2.

Set Call re-establishment allowed as YES in GSM

cell configuration;

3.

12

Set the MAX value of MS Radio link timeout as 4 in

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ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

GSM cell configuration;

4.

MS makes a call in cell A.

5.

Move MS far away from the BTS, make the radio

quality and level drop, when the MS request another
channel to re-establish, go back to close to the BTS
make the receive quality normal;

Anticipative Result

1.

The call could be established in step 4;

2.

When the MS require call reestablish , the BSC

allocate another TCH for MS, the call reestablish
successfully;

3.

In step 5, the Establish Indication message including

the CM REESTABLISHMENT REQUEST;

6.4

Test Result

1.

Parameters Setting

Default parameters

Call re-establish successfully

Feature Turn off

Configure resource tree window, double click GSM Logical Configuration Cell
Information Configuration GSM Cell Configuration. Then double click the cell in the
cell list in the right window, and set Cell re-establishment Allowed in new website.
Figure 6-3

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Cell re-establishment not Allowed

13

ZGO-01-01-005 Call Re-establishment

6.5

Network Impact
This feature can reduce the call drop rate to some extent and improve user
experience.
Impact on network element:
This feature imposes no impact on BSC or BTS capacity. Generally, a call
re-establishment procedure may take 4s to 20s, but most users abandon the call
because they cannot wait for this procedure to complete. In these cases, it is evident
that call re-establishment does not play its role but consumes much radio resource
instead. This feature is not recommended in regions where channel resource is not
abundant.

Abbreviation
Abbreviations

14

Full Characteristics

BCCH

Broadcast Control Channel

BSS

Base Station Subsystem

BSC

Base Station Controller

BTS

Base Transceiver Station

CS

Circuit Switch

EDGE

Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution

GSM

Global System for Mobile communications

PS

Packet Switch

PDTCH

Packet Data Traffic Channe1

SDCCH

Stand-alone Dedicated Control Channel

TCH

Traffic Channel

SACCH

Slow Associated Control Channel

BA

BCCH Allocation

NE

Network Element

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Reference Document
ZXG10 iBSC (V6.30.10) Base Station Controller Performance Counter Reference
ZXG10 iBSC (V6.30.10) Base Station Controller Radio Parameter Reference

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