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Optimization Guideline
1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 8
Cluster Optimization
RF Optimization
PM
Cluster
SSV
Optimization
Person In
Person In
Charge
Charge
ZXPOS CNT is an advanced wireless network air interface test tool. It is used
for trouble shooting, evaluation, optimization, and maintenance of the mobile
network. This tool integrates the professional and final-user senses and feelings,
completely tests and analyzes the self-network and that of the competitors, and
provides precise measurement means for various network KPIs.
Support LTE test services including Ping, FTP, HTTP, and TCP/UDP data service
test
Support tests of new techniques and new service quickly with continuous research
innovation capability to meet test requirements on new techniques of operators
2.2.2 CNA
ZXPOS CNA provides network oriented data processing and analysis report on
network optimization. ZXPOS CNA also provides multi-service QoS analysis for
multi-network quality evaluation.
2.2.3 NETMAX
ZXPOS NETMAX is an advanced tools and the first choice for analyzing and
locating the network faults based on large quantities of Measurement Report
(MR) and Call Detail Trace (CDT). The workload of drive test and analysis can
be largely reduced due to its call recurrence and intelligence analysis,
Locate the subscribers with complaint; trace and analyze the signaling during the
call.
2.2.4 CNP
CNP is main tool for LTE network planning and simulation, the main functions
include:
Support GIS
The sites in a cluster should not too many and the overlap between clusters is
needed. The definition of cluster should be confirmed by customer and ZTE
together.
Launched Optimization
Network Commercial
Pre-Launch Optimization
Cluster Optimization
Single Site Verification
Network Construction
Installation & Commissioning & Test
Network Design
Site Survey
2 Cluster Optimization
The objective of Soft Launch Optimization is to assure that no Punch List items
exists in the System. The Punch List is the list that consists of all defects
identified during the respective Preliminary Acceptance Test, during the period
prior to Final Acceptance. When all items on the respective Punch List have
been resolved in the System, a Final Acceptance Certificate will be issued.
The network quality, capacity and coverage are related to the interference level
of the system. It is necessary to measure radio frequency and assess the
interference level in the given LTE band.
Radio frequency verification must get permission of the operator and local
Telecommunication Administration. Radio frequency verification contains two
phases. The first phase is before the network construction, during site survey to
verify if there is interference at the site location, which will be carried out in the
spectrum that operator has available for this carrier and measure the band
designated by the operator. The second phase is after the network is on-line,
and radio frequency verifying is used to locate interference source.
The check items involved in the SSV can be classified into several categories,
for example, the equipment related problems, the engineering related problems,
the configuration related problems, etc. Typical problems are presented in the
following table. These problems should be solved before the service related
SSV test can be performed, to be more specific, these tests include coverage
test, VoIP, FTP, Ping,etc.
The SSV process is mainly based on stationary check and drive test, and the
former means performing desktop check on items according to configuration
data, or walking around the site using test UEs. For the stationary check,
needed materials are as the following list:
These materials might also be used in drive test verification of the site.
Before Single Site Verification, the critical and major level alarms for sites should
be eliminated. Most part of configuration related items can be fulfilled by
stationary check, whether the transmission bandwidth and center frequency
configuration can match the design requirement, whether the cell is in state of
reserved or barred, etc. The verification of some other items can also be
stationary as compared to drive test method. For example, the UL/DL frequency
assignment, the Physical Cell Identifier, the TAC of cells can be identified by
using a test UE with engineering mode, but these items can also be verified by
drive test. The drive test can be used to identify problems related to coverage,
handover, service accessibility and data throughput, which in turn will drill down
to problems related to engineering and configuration faults, such as feeders,
insufficient transmission bandwidth configuration, etc.
As a result of Single Site Verification, SSV report is the main output. Besides,
adjustment suggestions for the site should be proposed by SSV engineers for
implementation.
Preparation Output
Engineer
Parameters
Initial Coverage Test Adjusting Report
Radio Parameters
Adjusting Report
Problems Analysis
Cluster
Optimization
Report
Optimization Suggestion
No
If acceptable?
Executions Yes
End
Verification
No If problems
solved?
Yes
Submit Report
Generally the ratio of on-air eNodeB of one cluster is over 80%, the cluster
optimization can be executed. The prior cluster can be arranged to optimize first.
After the optimization suggestion is adopted, a new test schedule will be made
to do justify if it is effective.
Before cluster optimization, the system parameters should be imported into the
OMC, such as eNodeB ID, Cell ID, TAC, Neighbor List, etc.
7 Document Preparation
The soft-launch optimization is normally based on both drive test and friendly
user feedback. As a supplementary data source, the signaling tracing is needed
to help troubleshooting some inner system problems.
Although in this stage, traffic statistics from trial users are not too much, the
KPIs report generated from soft-launched network should still be helpful to
analyze the problems. At the same time, some optimization aiding tools based
on OMC statistics can be put into use too, which may also be helpful at the early
age of the commercial network.
As main inputs for this optimization stage, OMC statistics and customer
complaints are to be used with higher priority than drive test and walk test data,
because after the commercial launch, traffic in the network has become
sufficient for providing detailed statistics on each KPI. The end to end
performance monitoring result can also help in this stage of optimization, for
example, for problem drilling down, trouble shooting, KPIs comparison, and cell
traffic load.
The output from this optimization stage would be daily and weekly KPI reports,
and also monthly performance test report through drive test. Typical or critical
trouble shooting reports made in this stage are documented and reported as
well.
4 CLUSTER OPTIMIZATION
During the single-cell coverage analysis, you will use the LTE COVER LINE and
PCI RSRP functions provided by CNA. (or other DT analysis tool)
Figure 4-2 CNA PCI RSRP
Problem Description
You will find the following problems when you are checking the antenna
connection sequence:
Antenna connection to wrong cell cause that the terminal conducts handover
between two cells of the same schema, thus impacting SINR.
During the test, you need to solve this kind of problem if any.
Problem Analysis
Analyze the test data and check whether the main coverage direction of current
cell is also covered by another cell. If yes, there may exist wrong antenna
connection.
If the LTE system shares the same antenna & feeder system with other system,
you should analyze the problem by considering both the LTE and other system
test data.
Solution
Study Case
Problem Description
Problem Analysis
Find out the cell with overshot signals based on the test data and by using the
PCI coverage analysis function provided by CNA.
Solution
To solve the overshooting problem, adjust the antenna azimuth and RS power.
At the same time, pay attention to the coverage of this cell on other roads, and
how the terminal conducts handover between current cell and other cell. This is
because the adjustment of antenna azimuth and RS power in current area may
impact the coverage and handover of other area.
Overshooting problem is found in the cell FE3 (PCI 125) in the teaching building
of Guangzhou Medical University. The engineer adjusts the antenna azimuth
and RS power in this cell, and finally solve this problem.
Figure 4-6 Cell Coverage Before and After the Azimuth & RS Power Adjustment
4.1.3 Checking the Coverage of Antenna Side Lobe and Back Lobe
Problem Description
Strong coverage is found on the direction of antenna side lobe and back lobe. It
leads to pilot frequency pollution, poor SINR and abnormal handover.
Problem Analysis
Find out the cell which has strong coverage at the direction of antenna side lobe
and back lobe by analyzing the test data and using the PCI coverage analysis
function provided by CNA. This problem is usually caused by reflection, wrong
feeder connection, wrong version file and wrong antenna.
Solution
Case
In the Arts Building of Guangzhou Foreign Language College, the coverage area
of cell FE1 (PCI 138) is found overlapped with the cell FE3 (PCI 140). This is
due to reflection of cell FE3 (PCI 140).
Figure 4-7 Overlapped Coverage Caused by Reflection
Problem Description
Sometimes, no measurement value can be obtained for a cell in the test area.
On this occasion, you need to check all unused cells based on the test data and
try to find out whether this problem is caused by coverage or cell.
Problem Analysis
Find out the zero-coverage cell by analyzing the test data and using the PCI
RSRP function provided by CNA.
Alternatively, you can find out the zero-coverage area by exporting PCI and
RSRP of all main serving cells and their neighboring cells into an excel, and
check this parameters in the excel. Compare the PCIs in this excel with the PCIs
of the whole test area. The cell without PCI can be considered as the cell with
zero coverage.
Solution
Case
The cells with zero coverage are listed in the table below:
4.2.1 Overview
Location deviation between sites defined in network planning and actual sites
The actual antenna height, azimuth, inclination, and type are different what is
specified in the network planning, and thus the actual network coverage cannot
meet customer's requirement. These problems can be solved by future network
optimization, but great project cost is also involved.
RAN environment
RAN environment may change where the network construction is different from
original construction plan, or overshooting/pilot frequency pollution appears due
to complicated road type and signal reflection. In this case, engineers should
adjust the antenna azimuth and inclination angle so as to avoid signal reflection
and reduce the transmission distance of signals.
Coverage area, new sites and site relocation will bring new requirements on
network coverage.
Weak coverage refers to the situation where signal is not strong enough to
guarantee a stable network and required network performance.
The area whose RSRP is less than -110dBm is considered as a weak coverage
area.
Perform the following steps to find out weak coverage area based on DT test
data:
In the CNA, find Server Cell RSRP under the sub-node Measurement of MS1
from navigation tree on the left, right-click Server Cell RSRP and select View In
Map from the short-cut menu, or click and drag Server Cell RSRP into the map
window on the right.
Find Dynamic Link under the MS1 node from the navigation tree on the left,
right-click it to select Add from the short-cut menu.
Figure 4-10 Weak Coverage Area Analysis -2
In the pop-up dialog box, select LTE-SC Link and click Apply. Wait until the
success message is displayed.
From the toolbar, click and select LTE-SC Link from the drop-down list.
The GPS dotted line is selected.
Check the line connection of server cell and RSRP legends, and you can find
signal intensity of your desired area.
Add new sites, RRU long-distance connection and cell long-distance connection.
Problem Description
In the cell PCI48, the RSRP of an area is found lower than -110dBm.
Problem Analysis
As shown in the figure below, yellow arrow indicates the coverage effect of cell
PCI43, blue arrow indicates the coverage area effect of cell PCI48, and red
arrow indicates the cell PCI12. The coverage effect in PCI48 and PCI12 is not
so good because most signals are blocked by buildings, and poor coverage of
PCI43 is due to inner road coverage and green belt coverage.
Solution
Problem Description
Problem Analysis
As shown in Figure 4-17, the section 1 is covered by the cell PCI30 and PCI18,
but the coverage effect in this section is quite weak.
Figure 4-17 Weak Coverage Analysis in Cell PCI30 -1
As shown in Figure 4-18, the antenna azimuth for the cell PCI30 is proper. If you
find that there is no obstacle between cell PCI30 and section 1, you can adjust
the antenna azimuth about 30 degrees so as to increase the coverage effect for
section 1.
Solution
Check whether there is any obstacle at 120 degree of cell PCI30. If not, adjust
the antenna azimuth about 30 degrees clockwise.
Lower the antenna tilting about 2 degrees for cell PCI18 so as to reduce its
interference on section 1. Afterwards, conduct drive test for the coverage area of
cell PCI18 so as to check whether this adjustment impacts the coveage area for
other sections.
SINR (signal to interference plus noise ratio) indicates the ratio between
strength of received transmission signals and strength of received interference
signals (including noises and interference).
PDCCH SINR = RS power of best serving cell / interference from the coverage
cell
SINR requirements vary with operators and network construction stages. China
Mobile requires that SINR of 95% cells should be larger than -3dB. In actual
projects, we will conduct network optimization to guarantee that SINR of 1%
cells in a project is less than -3dB, and SINR of 5% cells in a project is less than
0dB
Perform the following steps to find a cell of low SINR based on the DT test data:
In the CNA, find Server Cell RSRP under the sub-node Measurement of MS1
from navigation tree on the left, right-click Server Cell RSRP and select View In
Map from the short-cut menu, or click and drag Server Cell RSRP into the map
window on the right.
Figure 4-20 Low SINR Cell Analysis -1
Find Dynamic Link under the MS1 node from the navigation tree on the left,
right-click it to select Add from the short-cut menu.
In the pop-up dialog box, select LTE-SC Link and click Apply. Wait until the
success message is displayed.
From the toolbar, click and select LTE-SC Link from the drop-down list.
The GPS dotted line is selected.
Check the line connection of server cell and RSRP legends, and you can find
out the signal intensity of your desired area.
Figure 4-24 Low SINR Cell Analysis - 5
Avoid handovers and overlapped coverage between cells of the same network
schema.
Low SINR in Cell PCI150 and Cell PCI144 Caused by Handover Failure
Problem Description
The test UE fails to finish the handover from cell PCI150 to cell PCI144.
Problem Analysis
eNodeB does not make judgement after the test UE sends out the measurement
report for cell PCI150. Two seconds later the test UE triggers RRC re-
establishment but is rejected. However, the neighboring cell relationship
configuraiton is proved to be correct.
Solution
Make an offset of 3dB when the test UE conducts handover from cell PCI150 to
cell PCI144.
Figure 4-27 Handover Success after Adjustment
At least two cells are found covering a continuous coverage area, and the
coverage effect from these cells meets network performance requirements. On
this occasion, this coverage area is regarded as an overlapped coverage area.
Perform the following steps to find a cell of low SINR based on the DT test data:
In the CNA, find Server Cell RSRP under the sub-node Measurement of MS1
from navigation tree on the left, right-click Server Cell RSRP and select View In
Map from the short-cut menu, or click and drag Server Cell RSRP into the map
window on the right.
Find Dynamic Link under the MS1 node from the navigation tree on the left,
right-click it to select Add from the short-cut menu.
In the pop-up dialog box, select LTE-SC Link and click Apply. Wait until the
success message is displayed.
Figure 4-30 Overlapped Coverage Analysis -3
From the toolbar, click and choose LTE-Cover Link > LTE All Cover
from the drop-down list. The CNA will conduct coverage analysis for all cells.
If you choose LTE-Cover Link > LTE Cell Cover from the drop-down list and
select a cell, the CNA will conduct coverage analysis for this selected cell.
Check the coverage area of your desired cell based on RSRP analysis.
Adjust RS power.
Combine two cells when the angle between antennas for these two cells is too
small.
Problem Description
Problem Analysis
The coverage of cell PCI160 and that cell PCI150 is overlapped in section 1,
and ping-pong handover is also found in this section. The coverage of cell
PCI150 and that of cell PCI144 is also overlapped.
Figure 4-33 Overlapped Coverage Analysis
Solution
RSRP_number >= 4
Perform the following steps to find a cell of low SINR based on the DT test data:
In the CNA, find Server Cell RSRP under the sub-node Measurement of MS1
from navigation tree on the left, right-click Server Cell RSRP and select View In
Map from the short-cut menu, or click and drag Server Cell RSRP into the map
window on the right.
In the Label Select dialog box, select Server Cell PCI and click OK.
You can also find the area with pilot frequency pollution by checking call drops
and handover failure through CNA/CNT.
To eliminate pilot frequency pollution, you need to determine a cell and use it to
provide main strong pilot frequency. To enable a cell to provide main strong pilot
frequency:
Adjust RS power.
Problem Description
SINR of the section covered by cell PCI113 and cell PCI134 is quite low.
Problem Analysis
As shown below, when the UE conducts handover from cell PCI113 to cell
PCI149, two measurement reports have not been judged. The section shown
below is covered by the third cell, and pilot frequency pollution is also found in
this section.
Figure 4-39 Pilot Frequency Pollution Analysis
Solution
Ping-pong handover
Handover latency
Handover failure
After all required statistics in this table is complete, you need to work out the
following information accordingly:
Handover results
Figure 4-41 Handover Results
Red curve and circle shown in this figure indicates that the handover failed.
Missed matching of neighboring cell refers to the situation that the target
handover cell in the measurement report sent out by the UE cannot be found in
the neighboring cell list configured for the system. Missed matching of
neighboring cells usually lead to low downloading traffic, low SINR, RRC re-
establishment and call drops.
When the missed matching of neighboring cells exists, you will find that:
The UE does not receive any response from the system after it sends out the
measurement report.
You need to analyze the handover failure and the measurement reports sent out
by the UE.
If the UE sends out the measurement report but does not receive response from
the system, you can find the signaling tracing statistics as shown below:
Comply with the workflow shown below to conduct the analysis on missed
matching of neighboring cells:
Figure 4-43 Workflow of Analysis on Missed Matching of Neighboring Cells
Obtain the neighboring cell list Check the neighboring cell list
from the signalling of RRC for the cell in the RRC
Connection Reconfiguration Connection Reconfiguration
signalling for this cell
Configure the
neighboring cell
relationship and
conduct the
verification test
You need to find out the signaling which indicates that no response is made for
the measurement report based on the DT test data.
You need to obtain the PCI of target handover cell based on the measurement
report.
You need to obtain the neighboring cell list for the serving cell based on the test
data.
If no PCI of the target handover cell can be found in the neighboring cell list, it
indicates that the missed matching of neighboring cell exists.
Problem Description
In the signaling shown below, many measurement reports are sent out but no
response is received.
Problem Analysis
The content of the first measurement report and that of the second
measurement report are the same:
Figure 4-45 Analysis on Missed Matching of Neighboring Cells -1
In this neighboring cell list, you can find cell PCI19 but not the cell PCI20. It
indicates that cell PCI20 has not been configured as the neighboring cell for cell
PCI72, and thus handover between these two cells fails.
Figure 4-48 Analysis on Missed Matching of Neighboring Cells -4
Solution
In the figure below, you can find that the UE can conduct handover when
moving through these two cells and SINR restores to normal value.
Wrong matching of neighboring cells refers to the situation that two cells of the
same PCI are configured as neighboring cell for main serving cell, or PCI of
neighboring cell is the same as that of main serving cell.
The handover fails frequently after the measurement report is sent out.
At least two cells in the measurement list are of the same PCI.
You can check the downloading rate and handover quantity through GIS. Ping-
pong handover exists when:
The UE conducts handover for more than three times in the handover belt.
Figure 4-50 Ping-Pong Handover
Comply with the following workflow to solve the ping-pong handover problem:
Eliminate ping-pong
handover problem
Problem Description
In the area shown below, traffic is quite low and the UE conducts handover
frequently.
Figure 4-52 Analysis on Ping-Pong Handover Problem
Problem Analysis
More than 15 times of ping-pong handover take place when the UE moves
between cell PCI161 and cell PCI 150. Ping-pong handover leads to low SINR
and low traffic.
Lower the antenna tilting 3 degrees in both cell PCI161 and cell PCI150.
After the adjustment of antenna downtilt, traffic and SINR in these two cells
restores, and ping-pong handover disappears.
Handover latency here refers to the handover latency on control plane. The
latency starts at the time the UE receives the RRC Connection Reconfiguration
message, and ends at the time when the UE reports the MSG3 message.
The handover latency is considered to be quite large when it is larger than the
latency value set by the network operator.
The signaling on control plane during the handover goes through two stages:
Comply with the workflow shown below to solve the handover latency problem:
Figure 4-53 Signaling Process of Handover on Control Plane
End
You can try to solve the handover latency problem by using following methods.
However, methods listed here are applicable to frequent sending of MSG1
message but not the reception of downlink RAR.
Obtain your desired data by using proper test devices and test terminals which
can help to obtain the signaling.
If the UE has received MSG1 and the system has sent out MSG2, there may be
something wrong with the uplink. In this case, you can adjust engineering
parameters, RS power, PCI, initial CCE convergence degree.
For clear idea of troubleshooting methods for handover latency, see solutions
listed below:
Handover failure starts from the time the RRC Connection Reconfiguration
message is sent out, and ends at the time the RRC reconnection is triggered.
You can analyze this problem by using different measurement indexes, such as
RSRP and SINR.
4.3.5.2 How to Find Handover Failure
As shown below, the UE fails to finish the handover usually due to overtime
handover.
Comply with the workflow shown below to solve the handover failure problem:
Y Troubleshoot the
Check neighboring cells neighboring cell
problem
N
Check whether there is Y Troubleshoot the
any problem with MGS1
MSG1 problem
transmission
N
Check whether the Y Modify the value of
threshold of synchronous related parameters
detection is too small
N
Y
Check whether T304 works Modify the value of
overtime T304
End
If RSRP, SINR and RAR reception are abnormal, it indicates that the handover
failure is caused by poor downlink coverage and non-synchronization between
UE and target cell. On this occasion, you need to improve the network coverage
effect.
During the neighboring cell check, what you have to do is to check whether
there exist cells of the same PCI.
Problem Description
Problem Analysis
Solution
4.4.1 Overview
Main objectives of LTE network improvement include faster data rate, short
latency, lower cost and larger system capacity and coverage.
During the LTE network optimization period, you usually need to solve the
following problems:
Write down problem description and check results and send this problem report
to R&D engineers.
Y
Are the parameters of serving Modify the value of abnormal
cell meet requirements parameter
Y
Submit problem report to the
Is the transmission abnormal
customer and ask help for solving
transmission problem
Export traffic data from the DT test data, and filter out all cells whose maximum
traffic is less than 5M.
Table 4-7 Parameter Table for Cells Whose Maximum Traffic is Less than 5M
PDCP DL PDU Traffic
Index PCI RSRP SINR
(Mbit/s)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
4.4.3.1 Area 1
Problem Description
When the UE is conducting handover from cell PCI149 to cell PCI134, it sends
out measurement report but does not receive any response. It triggers RRC
connection re-establishment in target handover cell but is refused. Therefore, it
triggers the re-establishment of a new service.
Problem Analysis
After the check of neighboring cell configuration, no wrong configuration is found.
However, cell PCI147 and cell PCI149 pose pilot frequency pollution over area 1,
thus leading to low SINR, handover failure and low bitrate.
Solution
Lower the power of cell PCI147 and cell PCI149 from 12 to 9, and increase the
power of cell PCI134 from 9 to 12.
After the adjustment, when the UE moves through this area, it conducts
handover between cell PCI 86<—> cell PCI 134<—> cell PCI 133<—> cell PCI
113. Cell PCI147 and cell PCI149 pose no coverage on this area. Also, SINR is
raised to 10dB, and handover and rate restore to normal status.
4.4.3.2 Area 2
Problem Description
Problem Analysis
Solution
To solve the ping-pong handover problem, you need to eliminate cell PCI64's
coverage on this area. Therefore, lower the antenna inclination angle in this cell
3 degrees, or reduce the RS power in this cell.
After the adjustment, ping-pong handover and call drops disappear, and traffic
also restores.
4.4.4 Analyzing the Cell with the Average Downloading Rate Ranging from
5M to 10M
Table 4-8 Cells Whose Average Traffic Ranges from 5M to 10M
SN PCI Average PDCP Traffic (Mbps) Date
1 64 0.07 2012/7/16
2 149 0.51 2012/7/16
3 61 3.65 2012/7/16
4 139 3.67 2012/7/16
5 134 4.56 2012/7/16
6 82 5.85 2012/7/16
7 114 5.91 2012/7/16
8 88 6.26 2012/7/16
9 2 8.47 2012/7/16
10 37 8.94 2012/7/16
11 94 9.11 2012/7/16
12 140 9.42 2012/7/16
13 121 9.42 2012/7/16
Figure 4-64 Cells Whose Average Traffic Ranges from 5M to 10M
4.4.4.1 Area 1
See 4.4.3.1.
4.4.4.2 Area 2
As shown above, when the UE conducts handover between cell PCI11 and cell
PCI21, it sends out measurement report but eNodeB does not receive this report,
or UE does not receive the handover judgment sent by eNodeB, thus leading to
handover failure, service re-establishment and low rate.
Problem Analysis
Area 2 is covered by cell PCI11, cell PCI21, cell PCI28 and cell PCI69, and
RSRP here is about -101dB. The cell PCI is about one kilometer away from this
area, namely its signal overshoot to this area. Also, cell PCI11 and cell PCI21
are not neighboring cells. Therefore, when the UE moves through cell PCI11, it
cannot receive handover judgment for handover to cell PCI21 from eNodeB
although it has sent the measurement report.
Solution
Lower the tilting in cell PCI11, or configure neighboring cell relationship for cell
PCI11 and cell PCI21.
4.4.4.3 Area 3
Problem Description
When the UE is making phone calls or using data service in cell PCI25, it
detects strong RSRP from cell PCI68, so it triggers handover from PCI25 to
PCI68. However, the handover fails, service re-establishment is refused and no
traffic can be found in this area for a period of time.
Problem Analysis
After the UE receives measurement judgment from eNodeB, it sends back the
Handover Reconfiguration Completion message. RS power in cell PCI68
disappear suddenly and the handover fails. The problem may be caused by cell
breakdown.
Solution
4.4.4.4 Area 4
Problem Description
When the UE conducts handover from PCI27 to PCI39, handover fails. Call
drops, service re-establishment and low rate are also found in this area.
Problem Analysis
The cell PCI29 covers the Information Building 3. However, the antenna of this
cell is installed in the center of building roof, thus leading to weak coverage over
this area.
Solution
4.4.4.5 Area 5
Problem Description
When the UE moves from cell PCI53 to PCI61, the UE sends out a lot of
handover requests to eNodeB, but does not receive any handover judgment.
Problem Analysis
There are residential buildings between cell PCI53 and PCI61, and there is a
high-rise crossroad in area 5. On this occasion, signals from PCI53 fade away
quickly at the turning corner.
Solution
Lower the RS power of cell PCI53 from 12dBm to 9dBm, and raise the RS
power of cell PCI61 from 6dBm to 9dBm. Moreover, increase neighboring cell
offset by 3dB.
Figure 4-69 shows the cause analysis procedure for call failures.
Start
Troubleshoot an
Authentication and
authentication and
encryption failure
encryption problem
Troubleshoot an E-RAB
E-RAB setup failure
setup problem
Troubleshoot an
abnormal problem
End
1. Using such drive test data analyzers as TEMS Discovery or ZXPOS CNA-FDD LTE,
determine the exact time when a radio access failure occurs, and then retrieve the
pilot information and signaling procedure before and after this failure occurs.
2. Align the time of the UE collected signaling with that of the STS signaling trace, and
then find the exact time of problem occurrence using the STS signaling trace tool.
3. Check whether any hardware alarm or notification is raised for the problematic cell
through the OMC, when a radio access failure occurs.
5. Analyze and solve the radio access problem by following the specific
troubleshooting procedure, including RRC connection establishment, authentication
and encryption, E-RAB connection establishment, and equipment fault.
UE sent No UE abnormal
?
Preamble? problem
Yes
Yes
No Adjust PDCCH
UE received RA
reasons? parameters
Yes
Yes
No Adjust UL open
eNodeB received loop power control
RRC request
? parameters
Yes
Yes
eNodeB received No
setup complete Adjust UL open
loop power control
message?
parameters
Yes
End
Cell reselection parameter misconfiguration: The call is not originated from the best
cell due to cell reselection time delay.
Traffic congestion
Equipment fault
It is highly likely that an RRC connection establishment failure may occur due to
the following factors:
Equipment fault
To ensure that the UE can reselect a preferable cell for originating the call, optimize
the cell reselection parameters of the problematic cell.
Modify such random access and power allocation parameters as PRACH, PCCH,
PDCCH, PDSCH, and Msg3 power offset, whenever necessary.
Can you explain why the eNodeB fails to receive the RRC Connection Request
message that is sent from the UE?
If the RSRP is relatively low in the downlink, you can infer that it may be caused by
a coverage problem.
If the RSRP is not too low (-105 dBm or more) in the downlink, you can infer that it
may be caused by an RACH problem.
After receiving the RRC Connection Request message from the UE, the
eNodeB sends the RRC Connection Setup message, but the UE fails to
receive the RRC Connection Setup message. This problem may usually be
caused by these potential factors:
Poor coverage
If this problem is caused by poor coverage, ZTE recommends you enhance the
coverage if conditions permit. For example, you can add certain sites or optimize
the antenna and feeder system. If conditions do not permit, ZTE recommends you
improve the RS power and adjust the corresponding power allocation parameters.
After receiving RRC Connection Request message, the eNodeB delivers the
RRC Connection Reject message to the UE. When finding the RRC
Connection Reject message, you need to check the specific cause value:
When receiving the RRC Connection Setup message, the UE fails to deliver
the RRC Connection Setup Complete message. If the signals in the downlink
are normal, you can infer that this problem may be caused by a handset fault.
When the UE delivers the RRC Connection Setup Complete message, the
eNodeB fails to receive the RRC Connection Setup Complete message. There
is a very small probability that this problem will occur because the transmit
power of the UE will be increased through the initial uplink power control.
Temporarily, no good solution is readily available to this problem.
UE MME
AUTHENTICATION REQUEST
Start T3460
IDENTITY REQUEST
Start T3470
AUTHENTICATION REQUEST
Stop T3418 Start T3460
AUTHENTICATION RESPONSE
Stop T3460
Illegal subscriber
During the authentication procedure, the UE checks the SQN parameter carried
in the Authentication Request message that is sent from the MME. When
finding incorrect SQN information, the UE delivers the Authentication Failure
message that carries the cause value (Synch Failure) to the MME, as shown in
Figure 4-72.
UE MME
AUTHENTICATION REQUEST
Start T3460
Perform
re-synch
with HSS
AUTHENTICATION REQUEST
Stop T3420 Start T3460
AUTHENTICATION RESPONSE
Stop T3460
Illegal subscriber
Equipment fault
Based on the drive test data, the initial E-RAB connection establishment
success rate is measured from the time when the UE sends out the PDN
Connectivity Request message to the time when the UE returns the Activate
Default EPS Bearer Context Accept message.
Weak signals
UE/MME rejects
Parameter misconfiguration
Corner effect
Equipment faults
4.5.4.1 Weak Signals
A weak signal or blind spot can become a very critical factor for the UE to get
access to the E-UTRAN, especially when the UE is put in mobility or the radio
environment is sharply changed. When the UE is put in mobility, especially the
RSRP is smaller than -110 dBm or the SINR is smaller than -3 dB (meaning that
the UE is stationed in a high path loss or low SNR coverage area), the Samsung
UE fails to demodulate signals and thereby experiences a radio access failure.
When the UE is motionlessly stationed in an isolated area (meaning that the
RSRP is smaller than -120 dBm), the UE can successfully get access to the LTE
network.
Poor coverage
If a poor coverage problem occurs in the uplink, the eNodeB cannot receive or
demodulate the response message received from the UE. In this case, you
can check the RSSI to see if it is caused by radio interference in the uplink.
If a poor coverage problem occurs in the uplink, you need to check whether
radio interference is present in the uplink.
If a poor coverage problem occurs in the downlink, you need to eliminate the
malfunctioning demodulation factors:
Optimizing the RF
In the case of a quick signal change, the location update of the stationed cell cannot
be implemented until the E-RAB connection is already established. As a result, the
E-RAB connection establishment can only be completed in a weak-signal cell, and
thereby causing a devastating failure.
The reject is resulted from the security mode of the NAS layer.
When the MME delivers the Attach Reject message, the cause value may
include:
Network failure
ESM failure
For more information about the UE/MME rejects during the radio access
procedure, please refer to the corresponding message description guide.
If an MME reject problem occurs, you need to check the STS signaling trace data
on the eNodeB side to see if it is caused by a poor coverage or S1 link failure
problem. If not, you need to hand this problem to the core network technical
support team.
When a radio access failure occurs, we need to first compare the parameters of
a well-functioning cell to those of a mal-functioning cell to see if they are
consistently configured. If not, check whether such a failure is caused by
parameter misconfiguration. In normal cases, it is recommended to enable the
intra-frequency measurement and cell reselection. To solve this problem, ZTE
recommends you configure scenario-specific parameters as required.
4.5.4.4 Corner Effect
The corner effect is present when the original cell experiences a fast signal
decrease but the target cell experiences a fast signal increase. For example, the
signal of the original cell may be sharply decreased by 10 dB within one second.
On the contrary, the signal of the target cell may be sharply increased by 10 dB
within one second.
Adjusting the antenna or RS power to make the target cell bypass the corner effect,
meaning that the cell reselection should be completed prior to the corner effect
Adjusting the antenna of the serving cell to avoid a fast signal change caused by
the corner effect, and thus decreasing the call failure rate
Due to the isolated island effect, the UE in the isolated cell cannot make outgoing
handover;
Coverage holes exist at the intersected area of two adjacent cells, UE loses
coverage during the call;
Shadow fading effect caused by high buildings, this results in weak coverage area
or areas with rapid signal fluctuation.
Check the hardware problems, especially the power output of serving cell and
neighbor cells, make sure that there is no cell shrink caused by PA problems.
Signal sudden drop in corner or shadow area, which results in handover failure and
call drop.
Add space isolation or Tx/Rx filter to reduce interference from other systems.
These recommended values are shown for reference only. The values of all
system accessibility indicators should be dependent on the agreed-upon
project/contract configuration information.
Start
Performing the
OMM-level traffic
statistics analysis
Checking whether
performance statistics
indicators can meet the
requirements
Y
Analyzing the
problematic
cells
End
1. Check whether the OMM-level performance statistics indicators can meet the
requirements. If yes, this procedure is closed.
5. If the problem still persists, follow the cycle until you can verify that OMM-level
performance statistics indicators can meet the requirements.
Start
Performing cell-level
traffic statistics
analysis
Y
N
Analyzing the specified cause
value t identify the root cause
Working out a
solution and
implementing it
End
1. Check whether the cell-level performance statistics indicators cannot meet the
requirements. If not, this procedure is closed.
2. If yes, analyze the specified cause value to identify the root cause of the problem.
4. Check the new results of cell-level performance statistics indicators to see if they
can meet the requirements. If yes, this procedure is closed.
5. If the problem still persists, follow the cycle until you can verify that cell-level
performance statistics indicators can meet the requirements.
RRCConnectionRequest
1
RRCConnectionSetup
2
RRCConnectionSetupComplete
3
RRCConnectionReject
4
RRCConnectionSetupComplete
5
Table 5-4 Major Sampling Points in the RRC Connection Establishment Procedure
Sampling
Description
Point
The eNodeB receives the RRC Connection Request message from the
1
UE.
2 The eNodeB sends the RRC Connection Setup message to the UE.
The eNodeB receives the RRC Connection Setup Complete message
3
from the UE.
4 The eNodeB sends the RRC Connection Reject message to the UE.
By counting the RRC Connection Request messages and the RRC Connection
Setup Complete messages, the RRC connection establishment Success Rate
indicator can be calculated as follows:
Timeout
Other Reason
After receiving the RRC Connection Request message from the UE, the eNodeB
sends the RRC Connection Reject message.
Timeout
After delivering the RRC Connection Setup message, the eNodeB does not
receive the RRC Connection Setup Complete message from the UE.
5.1.4.1.3 Timeout
The UE fails to receive the RRC Connection Setup message from the eNodeB.
For more information on how to solve this problem, see section 4.5.2 "RRC
Connection Establishment Failures”.
The initial E-RAB connection establishment success rate is the sum of all QCI-
based service success rates. This indicator represents the service acceptability
of the eNodeB or the UE.
UE EUTRAN MME
InitialContextSetupRequest
1
RRCConnectionReconfigration
2
RRCConnectionReconfigrationComplete
3
InitialContextSetupResponse
4
RRCConnectionReconfigrationComplete
5
InitialContextSetupFailure
6
InitialContextSetupRequest
InitialContextSetupFailure
7
Uu Interface Failure
Security Failure
Parameter Error
Other Reason
Uu Interface Failure
This failure occurs because the timer is timing out when the eNodeB waits for the
RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message from the UE.
Security Failure
Parameter Error
Other Reason
Other reasons must be analyzed and located through a drive test or a similar test
because you cannot obtain any specific cause value based on performance
statistics results.
The cell availability is the ratio of the in-service time to the counted time. The in-
service time refers to the timer interval between the cell setup success and the
cell deletion. This indicator represents how well the cells work under the eNodeB,
which can provide a solid foundation for analyzing system failure or performance.
By counting the in-service time of the cell on the eNodeB side, the cell
availability indicator can be calculated as follows:
The E-RAB block rate is the sum of all QCI-based service failure rates due to
limited resources. This indicator represents the service acceptability of the
eNodeB or the UE, in terms of resource usage.
eNB MME
eNB MME
5.2 Handover Performance Optimization
5.2.1 Handover Flow
5.2.1.1 Handover Flow Diagram
Figure 5-7 Handover Process Diagram
Source Destination
UE EPC
eNB eNB
1. MeasurementControl
( RRCConnection
Reconfiguration
)
Packet data Packet data
UL allocation( PDCCH(
2 . Measurement Report
3 . HO Request
4 . HO Request Ack
Deliver buffered
packets to _eNB
T
6 . SN Status Transfer
Buffer packets
from S_eNB
7. Random Access Preamble
Path Switch
10 . Release Resource
Flush DL Buffer
Release
Resource
s
Measurement Control
Measurement Report
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Measure Report, the UE reports the cells falling within the handover margin
according to the measure control messages.
HO Request
At the receipt of the measurement report, the source eNB requests to the
destination eNB for resources and configuration information. Please note that,
interaction within the eNB is enough for handover within an eNB. For handover
between eNBs, X2 or S1 interface should be used, with X2 preferred.
HO Request Ack
The source eNB sends the acknowledgement message of the destination eNB
and reconfiguration message which contains the measurement control of the
destination eNB to the UE, and notify the UE that the destination eNB is ready
for connection.
SN Status Transfer
The Source eNB delivers the buffered packets of the UE service to the
destination eNB.
Release Resource
When the UE connected successfully, the destination eNB notifies the source
eNB to delete the context information (flush DL buffer) on the UE.
5.2.1.2 Classification of Handover
Based on the actual application situations, handover can be done within one
eNB, over the X2 interface or the S1 interface. The section below introduces
these handover modes separately. All of the handover methods below are
introduced given that the UE is already connected and measurement
configuration is acquired.
The Handover within an eNB is relatively simple. Since the handover source and
destination are in a same eNB, then it is determined just inside the eNB and
does not have to request to EPC for data path switch.
UE eNB
Measurement Report
MSG1
(Random Access Preamble)
RAR
(Random Access Response)
This is used for establishing handover between neighbor cells that are
connected with the X2 interface. Upon receiving the measurement report, the
source eNB delivers handover request to the target eNB through the X2
interface (step 3 in Figure below), sends handover command to the UE after
getting the acknowledgement from target eNB (step 4 in Figure below)and
meanwhile it sends SNStatus Transfer the message which contains the data
packet buffer and buffer number and other information to target eNB. After the
UE connected to the target eNB, the target eNB will send path switch request to
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EPC with the purpose of notifying the EPC to transfer the UE service to the
target eNB. X2 handover is in preference to S1 handover.
Destination
UE Source eNB EPC
eNB
Measurement Report
X2AP HandoverRequest
X2AP
HandoverRequestAcknowled
ge
RRCConnectionReconfigurati
on
(HO Command) X2AP SNStatusTransfer
RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete
(HO Confirm)
MSG1
(Random Access Preamble)
RAR
(Random Access Response)
S1AP PathSwitchRequest
S1AP
PathSwitchRequestAcknowled
ge
X2AP UEContextRelease
The handover over S1 interface takes places between neighbor cells when there
is not X2 link and not in the case of handover inside eNB. The basic flow is
identical to that of the X2 handover, with the only difference that all interactive
signaling are transferred over the S2 interface in EPC, which has a slightly
longer delay than X2 handover.
Figure 5-10 S1 Handover Signaling Process Diagram
Destination
UE Source eNB EPC
eNB
Measurement Report
S1AP HandoverRequest
S1AP HandoverRequest
S1AP
HandoverRequestAcknowled
S1AP ge
HandoverRequestAcknowled
RrcConnectionReconfiguratio ge
n
(HO Command) S1AP_EnbStatusTransferMs
g
RrcConnectionReconfigurationComplete
(HO Confirm)
MSG1
(Random Access Preamble)
RAR
(Random Access Response)
S1AP MMEStatusTransfer
S1AP HandoverNotify
S1AP
UEContextReleaseCommand
S1AP
UEContextReleaseComplete
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5.2.2 Handover Performance KPI
Please refer to “ZXSDR UniRAN (V3.10.20) Performance Counter Reference” and “ZXSDR
UniRAN (V3.10.20) Performance Index Reference” for the detail formulas and counters
5.2.3.1.2 RF Optimization
When any exception occurs, we should check whether the eNB and the
transmission work properly. If positive, analyze the handover process.
During the handover process, perform the following steps to analyze the
exceptions:
The following figure shows the overall process flow diagram of the handover
problem analysis. When a certain process has problem, we can check the
corresponding process step to solve it out.
Figure 5-11 Process of Analyzing Handover Problem
Measurement
Report
Is handover
No command
received?
Flow 1
Yes
Is MSG1 sent
No
sucessfully?
Flow 2
Yes
Is RAR
No
received?
Flow 3
Yes
Send
reconfiguration
complete
( MSG3(
End
This problem often occurs at field and it is relatively difficult to be located and
solved. Check the following figure for the analysis process of it.
The eNB has not received the measurement report (can be checked through the
background signaling tracing):
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For field test, it is suggest that the coverage of RSRP at handover point is
greater than -120dBm and SINR no less than -5dB.
i. Confirm if the destination cell is missing neighbor cell, which is relatively easy
to be checked out from the background, just by checking the background
signaling tracing information to see if the eNB sends handover request to the
destination cell after receiving the measurement report. It can also be
determined from the foreground. When access to or handover to the source
eNB, there should be a PCI carried by the UE measurement report in the
neighbor list in the field “MeasObjectToAddModList” of the reconfiguration
command. If negative, it is the problem of neighbor missing. If it is confirmed
that the problem is caused by neighbor list missing, add neighbor cell.
ii. If the measurement report is received after neighbor cell is configured, the
source eNB will send the handover request to the destination eNB over the
X2 or S1 interface (if no X2 association is configured). Now it is necessary to
check whether the destination eNB has not sent HO request
acknowledgement to the source eNB, or HANDOVER PREPARATION
FAILURE signaling is returned. In this case, the source eNB will not send the
handover command to the UE either.
Now we need to locate the problem from the following three aspects:
Destination eNB status exception may cause no response from the destination
eNB.
Flow 1
Is it neighbor
No
missing?
Is the coverage of the
tested point
Check if any reasonable?
Solve the problem Yes
problem in target
of target eNB
eNB status, Yes
abnormality and Yes
admission
transmission
parameter and
transmission? Is there uplink Optimize neighbor
interference ? cell
No Yes
No
Is the problem
No
solved?
Yes
End
ZTE Confidential Proprietary © 2010 ZTE Corporation. All rights reserved. 109
preferentially. If coverage cannot be adjusted easily, adjust handover
parameters.
Flow 2
Is the coverage of
testing point
reasonable?
Yes
Is there
interference in
No uplink of cell?
Yes
Check and
remove the
interference
Optimize the
coverage and/or
handover
parameters
Is the problem
No
solved?
Yes
End
For the exceptional RAR received the wireless environment of the testing point
need to be checked. The process to solve this kind of problem is similar as
optimizing coverage first. If coverage optimization is not feasible, adjust
handover parameter.
Optimize coverage
and handover
parameter
No
Is the problem
solved?
Yes
End
ZTE Confidential Proprietary © 2010 ZTE Corporation. All rights reserved. 111
5.3 E-RAB Drops Performance Optimization
(C373210381+C373210391+C373210431+C373210441+C373210451+C37321
0511+C373210521+C373505354)/(C373210200+C373210206+C373210212+C
373210218+C373210224+C373210230+C373210236+C373210242+C3732102
48+C373210254+C373210260+C373210266+C373210272+C373210278+C37
3210284+C373210290+C373210296+C373210302+C373210461+C373240809
+C373240810+C373240811+C373240812+C373240813+C373240814+C3732
40815+C373240816+C373240817)*100%
5.3.4 E-RAB Drop Counters
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User Inactivity The action is requested due to user inactivity on all E-RABs e.g. S1
is requested to be released in order to optimise the radio resources.
Radio Connection With UE Lost The action is requested due to loosing the radio connection to the
UE.
Load Balancing TAU Required The action is requested for all load balancing and offload cases in
the MME.
CS Fallback triggered The action is due to a CS fallback that has been triggered
UE Not Available for PS Service The action is requested due to a Cell Change Order that has been
triggered.
In case of CS fallback to GERAN, it indicates that either the target
GERAN cell or the UE has no DTM capability.
Radio resources not available No requested radio resources are available
Invalid QoS combination The action was failed because of invalid QoS combination.
Inter-RAT Redirection The release is requested due to inter-RAT redirection.
Failure in the Radio Interface Radio interface procedure has failed
Procedure
Interaction with other procedure The action is due to an ongoing interaction with another procedure
Unknown E-RAB ID The action failed because the E-RAB ID is unknown in the eNB
Multiple E-RAB ID Instances The action failed because multiple instance of the same E-RAB had
been provided to the eNB
Encryption and/or integrity The eNB is unable to support any of the encryption and/or integrity
protection algorithms not supported protection algorithms supported by the UE.
S1 Intra system Handover triggered The action is due to a S1 intra system handover that has been
triggered.
S1 Inter system Handover triggered The action is due to a S1 inter system handover that has been
triggered.
X2 Handover triggered The action is due to an X2 handover that has been triggered.
Redirection towards 1xRTT The release is requested due to redirection towards a 1xRTT
system.
Not supported QCI Value The E-RAB setup failed because the requested QCI is not
supported.
Invalid CSG Id The CSG ID provided to the target eNB was found invalid.
Description
The E-RAB drop rate high usually happens at the initial stage of the network
construction or after swap/upgrade/cutover:
2. Usually at the same time the HO SR and E-RAB setup SR are also poor
Analysis
1. Weak coverage
2. Neighbor missing
5. DL/UL Interference
ZTE Confidential Proprietary © 2010 ZTE Corporation. All rights reserved. 115
Analysis step of OMC KPI:
Description
In a stable network ,the high drop rate will not in whole network, usually just for
certain sites:
Analysis
1. Is the site a new on-air site? Or there are new on-air site near this site?(parameter
check)
5.3.8 Conclusion
Large-scale or BBU-
Y based call drops? N
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