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Usually you use a scanner and compare the best pilots in Ec/Io from the scanner against
that of the active set and monitored set from an active UE. If there is a stronger pilot from
a nearby cell that appears on the scanner but not on the UE, there is a possible missing
neighbor. One would then verify that the neighbor appears in defined neighbor list from
the OSS.
If they start talking about Open and Closed Loop PC, tell them you want Inner/Outer
Closed Loop PC. Inner loop power control is performed by the NodeB to set the transmit
power of the UE and BTS to compensate for signal variations due to fading or pathloss to
maintain the set SIR (occurs up to 1500 times per sec). Outer loop power control is
performed by the RNC to set the target SIR based on the required BER/BLER for the
requested services (occurs up to 100 times per sec).
5) In HSDPA, how does the network manage the throughput on the Radio Interface for a
user/ connection?
Modulation (16QAM, QPSK etc), Coding (convolution coding, fire codes etc), number of
codes allocated and scheduling (it's a shared resource)
6) Depending on the RF conditions, what can the network do to manage call quality?
AMR - for good conditions use codec will low redundancy/overhead; for
poor conditions use codec with lower bit rate requirement but higher overhead, stronger
coding and more redundancy.
They should say 12.2kbps but may be different if they start talking about AMR and the
different rates then the know more. Prod them to see if they know the
Spreading Factor(SF) used for the radio bearer, should be 128.
8) In Release '99, how does the network manage the throughput on the Radio Interface for
a user/connection?
This question is a little harder to ask, so you may need to work it differently a few times.
Perhaps leading questions could be: What parameter/configuration does
the networkchange on the air interface What you are trying to hear from the candidate is
that the network assigns a radio bearer with a channelization code with a
spreading factor that matches the requested service maximum bit rate.
9) If a UE is on a data call (CELL-DCH state) and there is in no activity for awhile what
would you expect to see occur?
Name the 4 RRC Connected Modes (states) and describe the characteristics of each.
Cell-FACH: UE listens to RACH channel (DL) and is allocated a FACH channel (UL). Small
amounts of UL/DL data can be transfers in this state. The RNC tracks the UE down to the
cell level and cell reselections are possible with the CELL UPDATE message.
Compressed mode is when the mobile goes into a slotted transmit mode whereby it opens
up an idle period (transmission gap) where it can monitor another carrier or technology
(GSM). The impact is that to maintain the same bit rate, it halves the SF, and therefore
increases power levelcausing higher interference to the network. If the SF cannot be
halved then the bit rate of the bearer decreases. If they seem knowledgably, ask them if
they know what messages and events trigger and configure compressed mode on/off. 2D
event for on, 2F for off. Messages would for configuration would be RADIO BEARER
RECONFIGURATION, TRANSPORT CHANNEL RECONFIGFURATION or PHYSICAL
CHANNEL RECONFIGURATION.
Ec/Io of best cell below a certain threshold (usually around -16 to -18 dB) or RSCP of best
cell below a certain threshold (usually around -100 dBm)
What would the call flow be for a Mobile Originated Call (major RRC messages)?
RRC Connect Request -> RRC Connection Setup -> RRC Setup Complete -> (SETUP,
authentication encyrption, TMSI reallocation etc) -> CALL PROCEEDING-> Radio Bearer
Setup -> Radio Bearer Setup Complete -> ALERT ->CONNECT -> CONNECT ACK -
>DISCONNECT -> RELEASE.
How would you find such cells from a planning tool and from a drive test tool?
Ignoring low signal conditions, if the best cell RSCP is greater than say -85dBm and there
are cells not in the active set but are strong enough to be in the active set then they are
candidate for pilot polluters. Looking at cells that have a high noise rise, high amount of
traffic compared to surrounding cells, may also indicate a pilot polluter. Areas with high
Signal strength for the (Active Set Size + 1) best pilot (like the 4th best pilot if AS size is 3).
In DTT, areas with poor Ec/Io but good RSCP, in the monitored set contains a cell with a
good Ec/Io but cannot enter the AS because it is full. Areas where scanner shows a
strong signal for a far away cell.
Many definitions: A cell that has a high signal strength at a location but is not part of the
active set. A cell that meets the criteria for addition into the Active Set but can not enter
because the active set is full.
For addition (Event 1a), candidate cell needs to have an Ec/Io value that is within a
T_ADD threshold of the primary/reference (usually the best) cell for a specify time
hysteresis. For removal (event 1b), cell needs to have Ec/Io lower than T_DROP margin for
a specific time hysteresis. For replacement (event 1c), cell needs to have an Ec/Io better
than the worst cell in the active set by the T_REPLACE and for a specific time hysteresis.
What is the typical maximum active set size and what needs to be consider when setting
this?
3 to 4 cells, the larger the active set size the more likely it is that Iub link efficiency is
reduced (more than one resource for a single connection due to SHO)
In the Link Budget, what is a Shadow Fade Margin for and what factors does it depend
on?
The shadow fade margin is dependent on the targetpercentage area coverage, the
propagation model, and the standard deviation of the lognormal shadowing (usually the
same as the model's standard deviation if the fast fading effects are removed). The
Shadow Fade Margin is a added margin placed in the link budget such that a guaranteed
level of service can be offered "in the worst case"
What is the major difference in link budgets between UMTS and GSM/TDMA?
What is the major difference in link budgets between UMTS and GSM/TDMA?
In UMTS you generally have a link budget for each service (voice, data, video etc), in GSM
you usually only use 1 for voice. Each service has a different Eb/No target. In UMTS you
have to consider the target traffic load you will have and add a noise-rise margin, in GSM
you may have a slight interference margin but not normally related to traffic. In UMTS
some services (like voice) will show up as uplink limited but other services (like HSDPA,
384kbps service) will show as downlink limited. In UMTS you usually have to consider
that all users use the same power from the BTS therefore the more number of users the
lower the maximum power available per user (maximum power per connection) which is a
starting point in the link budget.
Active Set: the set of cells with which the UE is currently connected/communicating with;
DriveTT usually show them as SC or Pilots but they are actually cells; Monitored Set:
Cells that the UE has detected and is monitoring and are known to the network, they
either don't meet the criteria or the active set is full; Detected Set - Cells that the UE has
detected but are not known to the network as yet (missing neighbor likely).
Explain the different Handover types in UMTS
Ans: Soft(er) Handover: connected to more than one cell on the same frequency, softer
occurs when 2 cells in the active set belong to same Node-B; Intra-frequency Hard
Handover: Occurs when Ue moves from one cell in one RNC to a cell in another RNC and
the RNCs do not have an Iur link between each other; Inter-Frequency Hard Handover:
when UE changes from one frequency to another frequency (usually due to traffic layer
management or Quality reasons);Inter-technology (iRAT) Hard Handover: Handover from
UMTS to GSM (v.v.) usually at the edge of UMTS service area but also due to quality
reasons.
Explain the concept of Cell Breathing. How is the accounted for in the link Budget?
Explain the concept of Cell Breathing. How is the accounted for in the link Budget?
Ans: Io or No (the interference part of Ec/Io and Eb/No) increase as the traffic on the
network increases since everyone is using the same frequency. Therefore as Io or No
increases the UE or BTS needs to use more power to maintain the same Eb/No or Ec/Io.
When the power required is more than the maximum power allowed, the connection
cannot be made. Users at the cell edge are usually the first to lose service, hence the
service area of a cell shrinks. As traffic decreases the reverse happens and the service
area increases. They should say that it is accounted for in the Noise Rise Margin found in
the Link Budget.
Answer: Scrambling Code makes it possible for the UE to distinguish the transmissions
from different cells/NodeBs. Bonus if he knows there are 512 primary scrambling codes
and that the are broken up to 64 groups of 8 codes each.
Answer: Channelization codes are used for spreading and dispreading of the signals,
they also create the "channels" making it possible to distinguish between
users/connections/channels. Bonus if they know that they have an associated Spreading
Factor and are allocated depending on the bandwidth required by the service.
What does channelization codes do and function?
Question: What does channelization codes do and function?
Answer: Channelization codes are used for spreading and despreading of the signals, they
also create the "channels" making it possible to distinguish between
users/connections/channels. Bonus if they know that they have an associated Spreading
Factor and are allocated depending on the bandwidth required by the service.
Question: Explain Ec/Io and RSCP; on what channel are they measured on?
Question: Explain Ec/Io and RSCP; on what channel are they measured on?
Answer: Ec/Io = energy of carrier over all noise. RSCP = Receive Signal Code Power. In
FDD mode (what we normally deal with) they are measured on the CPICH (pilot). Bonus if
they know that Io is the sum of all interference: thermal/bg noise + interferers + own cell
and is wideband. Bonus if they understand that RSCP is actually measured AFTER
despreading (i.e. narrowband)
Explain Ec/Io and RSCP; on what channel are they measured on?
Question: Explain Ec/Io and RSCP; on what channel are they measured on?
Answer: Ec/Io = energy of carrier over all noise. RSCP = Receive Signal Code Power. In
FDD mode (what we normally deal with) they are measured on the CPICH (pilot). Bonus if
they know that Io is the sum of all interference: thermal/bg noise + interferers + own cell
and is wideband. Bonus if they understand that RSCP is actually measured AFTER
despreading (i.e. narrowband)
Explain Ec/Io and RSCP; on what channel are they measured on?
Question: Explain Ec/Io and RSCP; on what channel are they measured on?
Answer: Ec/Io = energy of carrier over all noise. RSCP = Receive Signal Code Power. In
FDD mode (what we normally deal with) they are measured on the CPICH (pilot). Bonus if
they know that Io is the sum of all interference: thermal/bg noise + interferers + own cell
and is wideband. Bonus if they understand that RSCP is actually measured AFTER
despreading (i.e. narrowband)
Explain Inner and Outer loop power control and who controls them.
If they start talking about Open and Closed Loop PC, tell them you want Inner/Outer
Closed Loop PC. Inner looppower control is performed by the NodeB to set the
transmitpower of the UE and BTS to compensate for signal variations due to fading or
pathloss to maintain the set SIR (occurs up to 1500 times per sec). Outer
loop power control is performed by the RNC to set the target SIR based on the required
BER/BLER for the requested services (occurs up to 100 times per sec).
1. What are the three services offered by GSM? Explain each of them briefly.
GSM PLMN Services
Bearer Services
Thse services give the subscriber the capacity required to transmit appropriate signals b/w
certain access points(i.e., user-network interfaces).
Teleservices
These services provide the subscriber with necessary capabilities including
terminal equipment
functions to communicate with other subscribers.
Supplementary Services
These services modify or supplement basic telecommunicationsservices. These services are
offered together or in association with basic telecommunications services
Also HSN (hopping sequence number), ranges from 0 to 63 . if we use HSN as, for example
4 it means that for MAIO 0, the sequence starts from frequency A and repeats frequencies
in following manner.
For MAIO 0 and HSN 4
A,F,K,D,I,B,G,L,E,J,C,H,A,F
Training Sequence Code, this optional parameter specifies the Training Sequence Code of
the radio channel. The TSC is part of the 'Normal Bursts' which are used for all channel
types except RACH,SCH and FCCH. The TSC for the BCCH must correspond to the BCC
(part of the BSIC sent on the SCH, so that the MS can derive the TSC of the BCCH from the
SCH. This is necessary for the correct selection and decoding of the BCCH bursts, especially
if within a limited geographical area a frequency is used several times. If no value is
entered for the parameter TSC the BCC is automatically selected.
Q:What are the reason of TCH Drop due to bad quality Uplink
Ans:
Probable reasons for poor Uplink Quality
1. Poor Frequency plan (TCH)
2. Interference in UL
3. Overshoot of neighboring cells.
4. Poor Level on the UL.
5. Fault in TCH TRX
6. Codec issues.
7. Transmission related issues.
8. Boosters/Repeater related issues.
9. External interferences Restricted area/Electronics equipment Factory/Jammers.
6. Codec Issues
a. AMR related quality issues.
b. AMR related parameter settings. Check if the Codec (AMR/Non-AMR) settings are OK.
c. Check if the BTS s/w version is OK & supports the codec.
d. If the problem is with many sites in a BSC then that BSCs parameter file needs to be
checked/updated.
7. Transmission related issues.
a. Check the BSC ET availability & Quality profile .
b. Check the TCSM ET availability and quality,.
c. Check the QOS
8. Boosters/Repeater related issues.
a. Check for repeaters and/or booster installations. Check for spillage of the repeater
signals in areas not intended to be covered.
b. If repeaters are a problem( you will know once you switch off the repeater for a short
duration), adjust the gain of repeater
c. Adjust the repeater antenna & orient it to closest serving cell. DO NOT latch a repeater
with a DISTANT dominant cell.
9. External Interferences
a. If you suspect external interference on single TRX, lock the TRX & see if the problem
persists. If the problem is resolved then the TRX or its implementation is at fault.
b. If you suspect external interference on the entire site, Lock the site & scan the area
served by the site for potential interferers. Somebody may be transmitting the same
frequencies in the serving area of affected site.
c. Workaround: If you indeed found an interferer over which you have no control, try
allocating a different frequency (beyond 2 MHz). Theres a high probability that the
frequency which is being severely interfered now will no longer be interfered after
frequency change.
Discontinuous reception
Another method used to conserve power at the mobile station is discontinuous reception.
The paging channel, used by the base station to signal an incoming call, is structured into
sub-channels. Each mobile station needs to listen only to its own sub-channel. In the
time between successive paging sub-channels, the mobile can go into sleep mode, when
almost no power is used.
All of this increases battery life considerably when compared to analog
When the frequency hopping is used, the frequency of a hopping logical channel is
changed about 217 times in a second. The frequency of the idle time slots changes
according to the same sequence.
In a case of the random hopping, this means that the measured idle channel
interference is likely to be the same for all the TRXs that use the same MA-list. If
the interference is averaged over more than one SACCH frame, the averaging effect is even
stronger. However, normally the interferers are mobiles located in interfering cells. In this
case, there are probably differences in the measured idle channel interferences
between different time slots in the cell. This happens, because the interfering mobiles
are only transmitting during the time slot that has been allocated to them. This is
illustrated in Figure 7-5.
If the cyclic hopping sequence is used, there might occur differences onthe measured
idle channel interference levels between the TRXs on the same time slot as explained
in the following section.
Ans: The relation of downlink FER and RXQUAL was measured during a FH trial. The
relation is clearly different in the hopping case compared to the non-hopping case. The
distributions of FER in each RXQUAL class are presented in Figure 7-1 and Figure 7-2.
One clear observation can be made; in the non-hopping case there are significant amount
of samples indicating deteriorated quality (FER>10%) in RXQUAL class 5 while in the
hopping case the significant quality deterioration (FER>10%) happens in RXQUAL class 6.
Thus, it may be concluded that in the frequency hopping networks significant quality
deterioration starts at RXQUAL class 6 while in non-hopping networkthis happens at
RXQUAL class 5.
This improvement of FER means that the higher RXQUAL values may be allowed in a
frequency hopping network. RXQUAL thresholds are used in the handover
and power control decisions. Because of the improvement in the relative reception
performance on the RXQUAL classes 4-6, the RXQUAL thresholds affecting handover
and power control decisions should be set higher in a network using frequency
hopping network. In a frequency hopping network RXQUAL classes 0-5 are indicating
good quality.
Typically, the share of the RXQUAL classes 6 and 7 may increase after FH is switched
on, even if no other changes have been made. This may seem to be surprising since it is
expected that frequency hopping improves thenetwork quality. However, in most cases the
quality is actually improved, but the improvement is more visible in the call success ratio.
The improved tolerance against interference and low field strength in FH network means
that it is less likely that the decoding of SACCH frames fails causing increment in the
radio link timeout counter. Thus, it is less likely that a call is dropped because of the
radio link timeout. Instead, the calls generating high RXQUAL samples tend to stay on.
This may lead to increase in the share of RXQUAL 6-7. However, at the same time the call
success rate is significantly improved.
In the Figure 7-3, there are presented some trial results of a DL RXQUAL distribution with
different frequency allocation reuse patterns. As can be seen from the figures, the tighter
the reuse becomes, the less samples fall in qualityclass 0 and more samples fall in
quality classes 1-6. Theres bigger difference in downlink than in uplink direction.
This difference is a consequence of interference and frequency diversities that affect the
frequency hopping network. Because of these effects, the interference or low signal
strength tend to occur randomly, while in a non-hopping network it is probable that
interference or low field strength will affect several consecutive bursts making it harder for
the error correction to actually correct errors. The successful error correction leads to less
erased frames and thus improves the FER.
Ans:
FER= Number of erased blocks\ total no of blocks *100
It is the right measure of voice quality.
FER is performed on speech& signaling frames
FER------- 0 to 4%, GOOD.
2 to 15% , slightly degraded
Greater than 15%, useless
Ans:
Frequency Hopping Parameters
Hopping Sequence Number (HSN): Determines the hopping order used in the cell. It is
possible to assign 64 different HSNs. Setting HSN = 0 provides cyclic hopping sequence
and HSN = 1 to 63 provide various pseudo-random hopping sequences.
Mobile Allocation Index Offset (MAIO): Determines inside the hopping sequence,
which frequency the mobile starts do transmit on. The value of MAIO ranges between 0 to
(N-1) where N is the number of frequencies defined in the MA list. Presently MAIO is set
on per carrier basis.
Motorola system allows to define the hopping system on a per timeslot basis. So different
hopping configurations are allowed for different timeslots. This is very useful for
interference averaging and to randomize the distribution of errors.
Ans: Freq hopping implement will enable more aggressive freq reuse pattern, that leads
to better spectrum efficiency.
It can add more transceiver in the existing sites , while maintaing the net work quality/
Freq hopping compressing the available spectrum to make room for extra capacity