Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Document No.

Product Secret level

version
Documentation Center of Research
Management Department
3.2 Confidential
Product name: GSM BSC 22 pages in total

Market Technology Guide to

GSM BSC Handover Decision
Algorithm
Document Version No.: V1.0
(For Internal Use Only)

Written by: Chen Yinghao Date: 2001/08/04

Reviewed Date: yyyy/mm/dd
by:
Reviewed Date: yyyy/mm/dd
by:
Approved Date: yyyy/mm/dd
by:

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

All Rights Reserved
 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm

Opinions and Conclusion of the Comprehensive

Review
Review time:
Review place:
Convening departments:
Roles of participants Participants Attendance
Product manager
Version manager
Manager of the System Department
Market technology manager
Production manager
Manager of the Project Management Section
Product engineering management of the General Technology Team
Product representative (Marketing R&D Coordination Department)
Product Marketing Department
Technical support manager
Telecom design
Pricing
Package configuration
International marketing

Conclusion of the review:

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm

Revision History??Date Revised

Date Revised Description Author
version
2001/08/04 1.00 First draft finished Chen Yinghao

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm

Table of Contents

1 About This Document....................................................................................................................5

1.1 Objective...............................................................................................................................6
1.2 Range ...................................................................................................................................6
1.3 Document Management .......................................................................................................6
1.4 Document Obtaining.............................................................................................................6
2 Overview ........................................................................................................................................6
3 Architecture ...................................................................................................................................6
4 Huawei II Handover Decision Algorithm.....................................................................................9
4.1 Sequencing............................................................................................................................9
4.1.1 Basic Cell Sequencing................................................................................................9
4.1.2 Network Characteristic Adjustment ..........................................................................10
4.2 Layering and Hierarchy of the Cell ......................................................................................10
4.3 Emergency Handover.........................................................................................................11
4.3.1 TA Handover............................................................................................................11
4.3.2 Bad Quality Handover (BQ Handover) ....................................................................12
4.3.3 Handover Due to Rapid Fall of Level.......................................................................13
4.3.4 Interference Handover .............................................................................................13
4.4 Normal Handover ...............................................................................................................15
4.4.1 PBGT Handover.......................................................................................................15
4.4.2 Border Handover .....................................................................................................16
4.5 Performance Handover ......................................................................................................17
4.5.1 Overload Handover..................................................................................................17
4.5.2 Layered/Hierarchical Handover ...............................................................................19
4.5.3 Handover of Fast Moving Microcells .......................................................................20
4.6 Others.................................................................................................................................21
4.6.1 IUO Cell Handover...................................................................................................21
4.6.2 Optimization of Initial Transmission Power after Handover.....................................21
5 Analysis of Competitors.............................................................................................................22

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm

Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision

Algorithm

Key words: handover, preprocessing of the measurement report

Abstract: This document introduces the design plan and data configuration of the
handover decision algorithm to personnel of the marketing, commercial and planning
departments etc. in respect of the preprocessing of the measurement report, overload
handover, IC (Intelligent Concentric) cell handover and speed sensitivity handover, and
so on.
Abbreviations:
ETSI: (European Telecommunications Standard Institute)
GSM: (Global System for Mobile communication)
MSC : (Mobile Serve switching Center)
BSC: (Base Station Controller)
BTS: (Base Transceiver Station)
MS: (Mobile Station)
OMC: (Operation and Maintenance Center)
RR: (Radio Resource)
BTSM: (BTS Management)
TCH : (Traffic Channel)
SDCCH : (Standalone Dedicated Control Channel)
OMAP: (Operation and Maintenance Application Part)
MR: (Measurement Report)

1 About This Document

The Market Technology Guide is primarily a guide for marketing and network design,
which is used in coordination with the Configuration Manual of the product. The
Configuration Manual is provided for the users openly while the Market Technology
Guide is only for internal use. It is used to guide the marketing action and is the essential
part of the technology provided for the marketing department by the R&D department.
The guide provides a detailed description of the development background, technical
characteristics, structure, functions or characteristics that can be provided, technical
parameters, rack structure, configuration principles and compatibility with other versions.
It also presents the actual situation and technology limitation of the product. The Market
Technology Guide is updated in time with the development of the product (the first draft
should be provided at the piloting stage and the final draft should be provided during
market release. Future updating of the document is discriminated based on the
document version number and the date of being authorized).

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm

1.1 Objective
The Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm is for internal use only. Its
objective is to guide the marketing and selling action of GSM BSS 3.2. It is the essential
part of technology provided for the marketing department by the BSC R&D department,
which presents the actual situation and technology limitation of the GSM BSS 3.2
handover decision algorithm.

1.2 Range
Application range of the document: personnel related to the marketing, commercial and
planning department etc.

1.3 Document Management

This document is completed and maintained periodically by PDT and reviewed by
concerned personnel of the marketing, commercial and customer service departments.
The marketing technical materials management platform is responsible for appraising
and typing out the document. Therefore, it is signed and released by the Market
Technology Department. This document is confidential, please follow security regulations
when using it.

1.4 Document Obtaining

The electronic version of the document can be obtained from the marketing technical
materials management platform.

2 Overview
Huawei has developed the first and second generation (Huawei I and Huawei II)
algorithm of the handover decision successively. Huawei II handover decision algorithm
is most prevalent online at present, which is also recommended by Huawei. All the
characteristics of the handover decision algorithm described in this document are based
on Huawei II handover decision.

Huawei II BSC handover decision algorithm is a kind of functional software in the GSM-
BSS system. The handover decision algorithm is used to decide when to perform
subscriber handover and how to select the target cell of the handover.

3 Architecture
The following diagram shows the position of the handover decision algorithm module in
the BSS system. The data to be configured in the handover decision algorithm are
obtained from OMC through the DB module of BSC; the timing task used in the handover
decision is obtained from the bottom of BSC LAPD software ; and the input data in the
handover decision are obtained from the module of measurement report preprocessing.
The module of measurement report preprocessing can function either in BTS or in BSC,
which depends on the data configuration. Please refer to Market Technology Guide to
Measurement Report Preprocessing for more details. The handover module will

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
calculate the input date and export the handover command to the call protocol
processing functional module and then it will be dealt with there.
Since the load of the preprocessing, handover and power control of the measurement
report on the MPU processor is rather large, the functions of the measurement report
preprocessing module, power control module and the handover module are shifted
downward to the LAPD board. Based on the actual measurement, the loading capability
of the host MPU can be increased by over 40% under heavy traffic after the three
functional modules have been shifted downward to LAPD.

BTS BSC
FUC L3 module
OMC
preprocessed MR

Power control BSSOMAP DB

preprocessing of Preprocess
the measurement
ing of the preprocessed
report
measuremen MR HO
t report module
Power
control
MR after
Baseband preprocessing
RR
Unit

Figure 1 Position of handover decision algorithm in the system

Huawei handover algorithm is mainly composed of two parts: cell sequencing and
handover decision. The cell sequencing is further divided into the basic cell sequencing
and network characteristic adjustment. And the handover decision can be further divided
into forced handover decision, directed retry decision, handover candidate query
decision, emergency handover decision, normal handover decision and the performance
handover decision, in which the emergency handover decision, normal handover
decision and the performance handover decision are the essential part. The architecture
of Huawei handover decision algorithm is shown in the following diagram:

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm

Initialization
HO Penalty of data needed
processing in handover
decision

Basic cell Second task

sequencing processing of
handover
Network decision
characteristic
adjustment

HO decision

handover
command to the
call processing
module Call control
HO result
processing

Figure 2 Structure of Huawei II handover decision algorithm

Huawei II handover decision algorithm mainly includes the following handover functions:
(1) Emergency handover function
It includes the Bad Quality handover (BQ handover), timing advance handover (TA
handover), handover due to rapid fall of level and the interference handover.
(2) Performance handover
It includes the overload handover, layered and hierarchical handover and velocity
sensitivity handover.
(3) Normal handover
It includes the border handover and power budget handover (PBGT handover).
(4) Other types of handover
Other types of handover are IUO cell handover, directed retry, forced handover,
extended cell handover and candidate query handover etc.

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm

4 Huawei II Handover Decision Algorithm

4.1 Sequencing
The cell sequencing includes two parts: the basic cell sequencing and network
characteristic adjustment.

4.1.1 Basic Cell Sequencing

The basic cell sequencing of Huawei II handover algorithm is designed with the M rule
and K rule based on level comparison instead of the L rule based on path loss. Through
the M rule and K rule, the service cell and all adjacent cells can be sequenced based on
their levels. In this way, a list of cell candidates based on different levels can be obtained.
The detailed information of the M and K rule is as follows:
M rule:
It is used to determine whether the downlink receiving level of the adjacent cell is higher
than the minim receiving level. Moreover, the balance compensation of the
uplink/downlink will be taken into consideration. Only those cells with levels higher than
the lowest receiving level (i.e. RXLEV > MSRXMIN + MAX (0, Pa), in which Pa =
MS_TXPWR_MAX - P) are allowed to enter the cell candidate list.
RXLEV is the MS receiving level of the cell;
MSRXMIN is the lowest receiving level of MS required by the cell;
MS_TXPWR_MAX is the maximum transmission power of the mobile phone allowed by
BSS;
P is the maximum transmission power that can be reached by the mobile phone itself.
K rule:
K_rank (n) = RXLEV (n) - RXLEV (o) - K_BIAS (o, n)
K_BIAS (n) = RXSUFF (n) - (RXSUFF (o) - KOFFSET - KHYST)
With KOFFSET (offset) and KHYST (hysteresis) removed, the calculation formula of K
sequencing is as follows:
K_rank (n) = (RXLEV (n) – RXSUFF (n)) - (RXLEV (o) – RXSUFF (o))
In the formula, (RXLEV (n) – RXSUFF (n)) indicates the degree by which the receiving
level of the adjacent cell RXLEV (n) is higher than the threshold of lowest receiving level
RXSUFF (n) of the adjacent cell. While (RXLEV (o) – RXSUFF (o)) indicates the degree
by which the receiving level of the service cell RXLEV (o) is higher than the threshold of
the lowest level of the service cell RXSUFF (o). The difference between the two values
determines the position of an adjacent cell in the cell candidate list.
The M rule used by Huawei is consistent with that of Ericsson. The difference between
the K rule and that of Ericsson is: the value of K_BIAS (o) of Huawei II handover
algorithm is 0, i.e. the sequencing is based only on the absolute value of each level
instead of the "degree of suitability" of the level.

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
4.1.2 Network Characteristic Adjustment

The network characteristic adjustment means to use network information other than the
degree of level to determine the position of each cell in the cell candidate queue, thus
provide the final cell candidate list for the handover decision.
1) Adjustment based on the load of the cell. The cell with the lower load has higher
priority.

2) Adjustment based on whether the cells share BSC/MSC. Those cells within the same
BSC or M SC have higher priorities.
3) Adjustment based on the hierarchical setting of the cell. The cell at lower layer or
hierarchy has higher priority.
In the three adjustments listed above, the second one is the particular handover decision
algorithm of Huawei.
Through the basic cell sequencing and structure adjustment of the network characteristic,
a generalized optimum cell list can be obtained . That is to say, no matter what has
triggered the handover, the cells ranked first after being cut down according to the
handover cause are optimum cells derived from a certain rule.

4.2 Layering and Hierarchy of the Cell

Network layering is an indispensable function to be provided, since both the coverage
and hot spot traffic involve in it. Generally, the macro cell is a solution for the coverage
problem; while the micro cell is a solution for the problem of traffic in hotspot areas.
The design of Huawei hierarchical network is based on a basic framework of 4-layer
network. The four layers are the Umbrella, Macro, Micro and Pico layer. Generally, in the
dual-frequency network, the 900 higher-layer station is set as Umbrella; 900 backbone
layer as Macro; 1800 backbone layer as Micro; and 900/1800 microcell as Pico.
Moreover, the priorities of the 900/1800 frequency band can be differentiated based on
the cell levels. Every layer is designed with 16 priorities. In this way, the network can be
divided into different layers during network planning and lower layers will have higher
priorities. At the same layer, each 900 and 1800 cell can be set with a different priority
according to the requirements of network planning. Those marked with lower numbers
have higher priorities. Compared with the product of other manufacturers, Huawei 4-
layer/16-priority network is characteristic of flexible networking and clear network
structure. The setting of layer/priority is embodied in data configuration.

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm

Umbrella Layer 4
Cell GSM 900

GSM 900 GSM 900 GSM 900

Macro Cell Layer 3
GSM 1800 GSM 1800 GSM 1800

GSM900 GSM900 GSM900 GSM900 GSM900

Micro Cell Layer 2
GSM1800 GSM1800 GSM1800 GSM1800 GSM1800

GSM900 GSM900 GSM900 GSM900

Pico Cell Layer 1
GSM1800 GSM1800 GSM1800 GSM1800

Figure 3 Structure of Huawei dual-frequency network

4.3 Emergency Handover

4.3.1 TA Handover

The timing advance can be taken as a standard for restricting the size of the cell. BSC
will decide whether the current TA value of MS has exceeded the defined maximum TA
threshold of TALIM (Timing Advanced LIMit). If the value has been exceeded, it will
initiate an emergency handover caused by exorbitant TA value. TA is ranging between 0
and 63 steps, in which every unit step is 553.5m and 63 steps=35km. If the service cell
meets the conditions for TA emergency handover, the original cell will be given penalty
after successful handover. This can avoid the subscriber being handed over again to that
cell due to other causes.
The following table is the configuration of data related to TA emergency handover:

Table 1 Configuration of data related to TA emergency handover

Data table Data item Meaning Range and unit Suggeste

d value
Handover/emergen Emergency TA The emergency handover is triggered when 0 to 63 31
cy handover data handover threshold the timing advance is larger than this value. Unit: bit period
table
Handover/filter data TA filter length It indicates the number of values to be taken 1 to 32, not unit 6
table forward in average processing of the timing
advance during the process of average
processing of the measurement report.
Handover/penalty Timing adv. HO It indicates time of penalty on the original 0 to 60 10
data table penalty dur.(s) service cell after emergency handover Unit: second
caused by timing advance.
Handover/penalty Timing adv. HO It is the penalty value of signal intensity on 0 to 63 63
data table strength penalty the original service cell, which avoids the Unit: level value
“ping-pong” handover after emergency
handover caused by timing advance. It is only

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
valid within the penalty duration of timing
advance handover.

4.3.2 Bad Quality Handover (BQ Handover)

The transmission quality of the link is measured with BER (Bit Error Ratio). BSC
measures the quality of the wireless link based on the quality level in the measurement
report. The following table shows the correspondence between the quality level and the
actual bit error ratio.

Table 2 Bit error ratio in correspondence with the quality level

Quality level Actual range of BER Supposed value Calculated value
(dtqu)
0 Less than 0. 2% 0.14% 14
1 0.2% to 0.4% 0.28% 28
2 0.4% to 0.8% 0.57% 57
3 0.8% to 1.6% 1.13% 113
4 1.6% to 3.2% 2.26% 226
5 3.2% to 6.4% 4.53% 453
6 6.4% to 12.8% 9.05% 905
7 Greater than 18.10% 1,810
12.8%

The increase of BER may be caused by too low signal power or channel interference.
When the receiving quality of the service cell is lower than the BQ handover threshold,
the network should start the handover algorithm to trigger BQ handover so that the
mobile station can maintain certain communication quality. If the service meets the
condition of BQ emergency handover, penalty will be given to the original cell after
successful handover. This can avoid the subscriber being handed over again to that cell
due to other causes.
The following table is the data configuration of the BQ emergency handover:

Table 3 Data configuration of the BQ emergency handover

Data table Data item Meaning Range and unit Suggest
ed value
Handover/emergen Emergency HO UL It indicates the threshold of the receiving 0 to 70, corresponding 60
cy handover data qual. threshold quality of the up link that triggers emergency to: RQ (quality level 0
table handover. to 7×10)
Unit: none
Handover/emergen Emergency HO DL It indicates the threshold of the receiving 0 to 70, corresponding 60
cy handover data qual. threshold quality of the down link that triggers to: RQ (quality level 0
table emergency handover. to 7×10)
Unit: none
Handover/filter data S/D signal quality filter It indicates the number of values to be taken 1 to 32 6
table length forward in average processing of the Unit: none
voice/data channel quality during the process
of average processing of the measurement
report.
Handover/filter data SC signal quality filter It indicates the number of values to be taken 1 to 32 3
table length forward in average processing of the Unit: none
signaling channel quality during the process
of average processing of the measurement
report.
Handover/penalty Bad qual. HO penalty It indicates time of penalty on the original 0 to 60 10
data table duration(s) service cell after emergency handover Unit: second
caused by bad quality.
Handover/penalty Bad quality HO strength It is the penalty value of signal intensity on 0 to 63 63

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
data table penalty the original service cell, which avoids the Unit: level value
“ping-pong” handover after emergency
handover caused by bad quality. It is only
valid during the duration of penalty of bad
quality handover.

4.3.3 Handover Due to Rapid Fall of Level

Fast response is needed for rapid signals falling. Since average filtering and P/N
decision have been applied in the border handover and PBGT handover etc., the
sensitivity to short-term and rapid fall of level is rather low. Therefore, FIR (finite impact
response) filtering of the original receiving level signal is adopted to ensure quick
response to short-term fast falling level according to the falling slope of the original
receiving level signal.
There are two methods of selecting the target cell for the handover due to rapid fall of the
level. To use the optimum cell obtained from the normal handover decision flow directly
or obtain the target cell with the associated cell strategy. The adjacent cell whose level
increases rapidly when the receiving level of the service cell falls rapidly is called the
associated cell of the handover due to rapid fall of the level of the service cell. The
associated cell can be obtained either through the parameter setting or from the
calculation of the level queue of the adjacent cell reported in the measurement report. At
present, the optimum cell obtained from the normal handover decision flow is taken as
the target cell of the handover due to rapid fall of the level. In the future, target cell can
be obtained by adopting the associated cell policy.
Since the parameter setting of the algorithm of the handover due to rapid fall of the level
is rather complex, the experience value is difficult to be obtained. Therefore, this function
is deactivated normally.
The following table shows the data configuration of the handover due to rapid fall of the
level:

Table 4 Data configuration of the handover due to rapid fall of the level
Data table Data item Meaning Range and unit Suggest
ed value
Handover/handove RXLEV drop HO It indicates whether to use the algorithm of Yes, No No
r control data table algorithm allowed emergency handover due to rapid fall of the
receiving level. This algorithm can only be
used after appropriate conditions have been
selected. It is normally deactivated. It will not
be started in any case when the transmission
of the original measurement report is set as
“No”.
Handover/emergen Filter parameter: A1 They are used in the configuration of the 0 to 20 10
cy handover data to A8 filter . Together with filter parameter B, they Unit: none
table form the 9 parameters of a filter.
Handover/emergen Filter parameter B It is used in the configuration of the filter . 0 to 255 0
cy handover data Refer to the explanation of filter parameter A1 Unit: none
table to A8.

4.3.4 Interference Handover

When the receiving level of the service cell is suitable but the receiving quality has
deteriorated to a certain degree, interference handover will be triggered to make the
mobile station maintain certain communication quality. The difference between the
interference handover and the bad quality handover that in the case of interference

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
handover, the quality has not deteriorated to affect the conversation and the receiving
level is still high.
When interference handover is triggered, the quality of the channel being used by the
service cell is only interfered slightly and the conversation can still go on. Moreover, the
receiving level of the service cell is rather high, at that timethe interference to other
channels within the service cell may slight, then the intra-cell handover can be
considered.
Actually, Huawei interference handover algorithm simplified that of Ericsson. Whether the
interference handover is triggered depends on quality threshold (Qual_Thr) and level
threshold (Lev_Thr). On the occasion of RxLev > Lev_Thr and RxQual > Qual_Thr, the
interference handover will be triggered as shown in the following diagram. The parts in
gray in the diagram are areas where the interference handover is triggered.

Receiveing
quality
(dtqu)

Qual_Thr

Lev_Thr
0 Receiveing
level(dBm)

Figure 4 Huawei interference handover area

The following table shows the data configuration of the interference handover:

Table 5 Data configuration of interference handover

Data table Data item Meaning Range and unit Suggest
ed value
Handover/emergen Intf. HO UL quality It indicates the quality threshold of the up 0 to 70, corresponding 40
cy handover data threshold link of the interference handover. When the to: RQ (quality level 0
table current value of quality is over this threshold, to 7×10)
it means the quality condition of the Unit: none
interference handover has been met.
Handover/emergen Intf. HO DL quality It indicates the quality threshold of the down 0 to 70, corresponding 40
cy handover data threshold link of the interference handover. When the to: RQ (quality level 0
table current value of quality is over this threshold, to 7×10)
it means the quality condition of the Unit: none
interference handover has been met.
Handover/emergen Intf. HO UL Rx It indicates the receiving power threshold of 0 to 63 31
cy handover data PWR threshold the up link of the interference handover. Unit: level value
table When the current receiving power is over
this threshold, it means the receiving power
condition of the interference handover has
been met.
Handover/emergen Intf. HO DL Rx It indicates the receiving power threshold of 0 to 63 31
cy handover data PWR threshold the down link of the interference handover. Unit: level value
table When the current receiving power is over
this threshold, it means the receiving power

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
condition of the interference handover has
been met.

4.4 Normal Handover

4.4.1 PBGT Handover

The PBGT handover is also called the better cell handover, which is based on the path
loss. PBGT handover algorithm searches in real time whether there exists a cell with
lower path loss and meeting some system requirements and decide whether to carry out
handover. The difference between this algorithm and other handover algorithms is that
the handover triggering condition is based on path loss rather than the receiving power.
The rule of the PBGT handover triggering is: the PBGT handover is triggered when the
path loss of the adjacent cell is a certain threshold lower than the path loss of the service
cell and it conforms to the P/N rule within a certain statistics time.
More specifically, the condition of PBGT (n) > PGBT_Ho_Margin (n) is met in P times of
N times of statistics.
In the above formula, P, N and PBGT_Ho_Margin (n) are set at the data management
console; while PBGT (n) is calculated based on the parameter set at the data
management console and the information obtained from the measurement report
reported by BTS.
The calculating method of PBGT (n) is as follows:
PBGT (n) = (Min (MS_TXPWR_MAX, P) - RXLEV_DL - PWR_C_D)
- (Min (MS_TXPWR_MAX (n), P) - RXLEV_NCELL (n))
The meaning of each parameter is as follows:
MS_TXPWR_MAX: maximum MS transmission power permitted by the service cell
MS_TXPWR_MAX (n): maximum MS transmission power permitted by the adjacent cell
(n)
RXLEV_DL: downlink receiving power of the service cell
RXLEV_NCELL (n): downlink receiving power of the adjacent cell (n)
PWR_C_D: difference between the maximum downlink transmission power of the
service cell due to power control and the actual downlink transmission power of the
service cell.
P: maximum transmission power capability of MS
Huawei PBGT handover algorithm can only be enabled in the cells at the same layer and
level, since the layer and level are transformed to priorities uniformly. The handover is
also possible between cells at the same layer but different levels. Therefore, to avoid the
ping-pong handover between PBGT and the layered and hierarchical handover, PBGT
can only be carried out between cells at the same layer and level.

The following table shows the data configuration of the PBGT handover:

Table 6 PBGT handover data configuration

Data table Data item Meaning Range and unit Suggest

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
ed value
Handover/handove PBGT HO Whether to use the PBGT handover Yes, No Yes
r control data table algorithm allowed algorithm
Handover/adjacnet PBGT HO This parameter indicates the PBGT 0 to 127 68
cell relation table threshold handover of the adjacent cell can only be Unit: level value
triggered in the condition of path loss of the
adjacent cell < path loss of the service cell -
PBGT handover threshold+64. (the degree
of good quality of the adjacent cell
compared with the service cell) During the
initiationization, it is suggested to take 127
as the value of the parameter. In actual
application, it can be set according to
requirements. Generally, the value should
be more than or equal to 67.
The number obtained from the detraction of
the value by 63 is PGBT_Ho_Margin (n)
given in the formula.
Handover/normal PBGT It indicates the time range in which the path Range: 1 to 16 3
handover data measurement loss of the adjacent cell is measured, which Unit: second
table time(s) is used to decide whether to trigger the
PBGT handover, i.e. N in P/N mentioned
above.
Handover/normal PBGT duration(s) It indicates the duration in which the Range: 1 to 16 2
handover data adjacent cell has to meet the condition of Unit: second
table PBGT handover within the statistics time of
the PBGT handover during the PBGT
handover decision, i.e. P in P/N mentioned
above.

4.4.2 Border Handover

The border handover is a kind of remedy handover based on the level. When the border
handover is triggered, the level of the target cell is required to be higher than that of the
serve cell. Moreover, the difference between them should be larger than a hysteresis
value (inter-cell handover hysteresis) at least.
The rule of border handover triggering : the border handover is triggered when the
receiving level of the service cell is lower than the border handover threshold and
conforms to the P/N rule within a certain statistics time so that the mobile station can
maintain a certain communication quality.
The following table shows the data configuration of the border handover:

Table 7 Data configuration of the border handover

Data table Data item Meaning Range and unit Suggest
ed value
Handover/normal Uplink Rxlev border The border handover is triggered after the Range: 0 to 63 13
handover data HO threshold receiving level of the uplink keeps up lower Unit: level value
table than this value for a while within a certain
statistic time.
Handover/normal DL Rxlev border The border handover is triggered after the Range: 0 to 63 13
handover data HO threshold receiving level of the downlink keeps up Unit: level value
table lower than this value for a while within a
certain statistic time.
Handover/normal Border HO It indicates the time in which the receiving Range: 1 to 16 5
handover data measurement time level of the up link/down link is measured so Unit: second
table as to decide whether it is border handover,
i.e. N in P/N mentioned above.
Handover/normal Border HO duration It indicates the duration to be met in which Range: 1 to 16 4
handover data the receiving level of the up link/down link is Unit: second
table lower than their respective border handover

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
threshold within the statistics time of the
border handover during the border handover
decision, i.e. P in P/N mentioned above.
Handover/adjacent Inter-layer It indicates the handover hysterisis between Range: 0 to 63 5
cell relation table handover adjacent cells at the same layer. This Unit: level value
hysteresis parameter is set to reduce the “ping-pong”
effect. It is symmetrically distributed in the
service cell and the candidate cell. The value
is invalid for cells at different layers.

4.5 Performance Handover

4.5.1 Overload Handover

In the network, some cells are overloaded, while the overlapped up-layer cells and
adjacent cells are underloaded. To balance the load among the cells, overload handover
needs to be adopted. The overload handover transfers some traffic of overloaded cells to
underloaded cells, and prevent the traffic of adjacent cell from being handed over to that
cell.
The overload handover can be carried out between cells at different layers. However,
loading sharing is only permitted in the same BSC.
The load sharing is realized by increasing the border handover threshold. In this way; the
border handover threshold will shrink towards the center of the serving cell gradually so
that the traffic at the border of the cell is switched over to the adjacent underloaded cells.
The degree of traffic load of the cell is determined through the comparison between the
cell flow of each cell (i.e. TCH seizure ratio) and the preset threshold. If the flow of a
certain cell is higher than the heavy threshold of the traffic load (threshold of overload
handover starting), the traffic load of the cell will be considered to be heavy and the
overload handover algorithm needs to be started; if the flow of a certain cell is lower
than the light threshold of the traffic load (receiving threshold of overload handover), the
traffic load of the cell will be considered to be light and the cell can receive the traffic
from the cell with heavier traffic load.
The overload handover may trigger many handovers. Therefore, the load on the system
CPU (i.e. flow level of the system) should be considered before the overload handover is
triggered. In addition, to avoid too many subscribers are handed over in one time, the
overload handover should be performed gradually. That is to say, the border handover
threshold is increased based on a certain step (CLS_RAMP) and period (CLS_PERIOD)
which stops after the bandwidth of the overload handover (CLS_OFFSET) has been
increased. It is shown in the following diagram.

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Normal HO boundary
Overload HO area

cell A cell B

CONF_HO_RXLEV+CLSOFFSET CONF_HO_RXLEV
CONF_HO_RXLEV+CLSRAMP

Figure 5 Overload handover area

When the station is rather small, the overload handover may lead to the ping-pong effect
of the load. However, the ping-pong effect of the load can be avoided basically through
rational parameter setting. Moreover, enhancing the overload handover algorithm can be
considered.
The following table shows the data configuration of the overload handover:

Table 8 Overload handover data configuration

Data table Data item Meaning Range and unit Suggest
ed value
Handover/handov load handover Determine whether to perform the overload Yes, No No
er control data allowed handover. Load sharing may decrease the
table failure rate of the channel assignment
caused by cell congestion. In this way, the
distribution of the service in each cell can be
more homogeneous, the congestion rate of
the cell can be decreased and the
performance of the network can be
increased accordingly. It is only used in the
same module or cells at the same layer for
TCH. Generally, this algorithm is used only
when adequate conditions have been
selected.
Handover/overloa Load HO flow level The overload handover is only permitted Range: 0, 8 to 11; 10
d handover data threshold when the system flow (signaling flow) is values corresponding
table lower than this threshold. Handover above to it include: 0, 70, 80,
this threshold can lead to unpredictable 90 and 95
situations occurring to the system. Unit: system flow level
Therefore, this value should not be set too
high.
Handover/overloa Load HO start Overload handover will be started when the Range: 0 to 7; 5
d handover data threshold load of the cell exceeds this threshold. That percentages
table is to say, it will be started when TCHs within corresponding to it
the cell reach their corresponding include: 0, 50, 60, 70,
percentage. 75, 80, 85 and 90
Unit: cell load level
Handover/overloa Load HO Rx The subscribers can be received from other Range: 0 to 7; 2
d handover data threshold cells due to overload handover when the percentages
table cell load is lower than this threshold. More corresponding to it
specifically, when TCHs within the cell are include: 0, 50, 60, 70,
lower than the percentage, the cell will be 75, 80, 85 and 90
allowed to receive the subscribers handed Unit: cell load level

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
over from other cells due to load pressure.
Handover/overloa Load HO bandwidth The setting of this value is related to the Range: 0 to 63 25
d handover data border handover threshold. As the threshold Unit: level value
table permitting the start of the overload handover,
the border handover threshold indicates that
the overload handover (i.e. CLS_OFFSET)is
only available to those subscribers whose
receiving level for the service cell falls within
the range of {border handover threshold,
border handover threshold + overload
handover bandwidth}.
Handover/overloa Graded load HO When a certain cell meets overload Range: 1 to 60 10
d handover data cycle handover conditionsoverload handover, the Unit: second
table MS with this cell as the service cell will
transmit handover requests simultaneously.
This may lead to the abrupt growth of the
load on the processor. Sometimes call drop
may caused due to the target cell
congestion. Therefore, the hierarchical
overload handover algorithm is applied to
control the amount of the handover. This
period refers to the time needed by the
handover of every level of , i.e.
CLS_PERIOD.
Handover/overloa Graded load HO In the hierarchical overload handover, , the Range: 1 to 63 5
d handover data step width of a step (i.e. CLS_RAMP) increased Unit: level value
table in the overload handover area with each
handover from the handover threshold.

4.5.2 Layered/Hierarchical Handover

The objective of demultiplexing the GSM network hierarchically is to guide the traffic
volume flexibly to adapt to requirements of different networking modes.
In layered and hierarchical handover, if there is a cell with higher priority complying with
the P/N rule and the signal strength of it is higher than a threshold (inter-layer handover
threshold), then the service cell shall be handed over to the cell with higher priority, even
through it can provide good services. The layered/hierarchical handover can introduce
MS to the cell with higher priority so as to distribute the traffic more reasonably.
The following table shows the data configuration of the layered and hierarchical
handover:

Table 9 Data configuration for layered and hierarchical handover

Data table Data item Meaning Range and unit Suggest
ed value
Handover/cell Layer of th cell The network designed by Huawei has four Range: 1 to 4, which 3
description data basic layers: Umbrella, Macro, Micro and are corresponding to
table Pico cells. 16 priorities can be set at each the Pico layer, Micro
layer, which provides the carrier with plenty layer, Macro layer and
of spaces for network planning. In these four the Umbrella layer
layers, the Macro layer acts as the backbone respectively.
900 layer, Micro as the backbone 1800 Unit: layer
layer, while PICO as the microcell layer of
900 and 1800.
Handover/cell Cell priority Refer to the descriptions of “layer in which Range: 1 to 16 2
description data the cell is located”. It is used to control the Unit: level
table handover priority of the cells at the same
layer. Generally, the priorities of cells at the
same layer are set as the same value.
Handover/cell Inter-layer It refers to the threshold of the receiving level Range: 0 to 63 25
description data handover threshold of the target cell during handover of cells at Unit: level value

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
table different layers or of different priorities. No
matter it is the service cell or the adjacent
cell, when the receiving signal level is higher
than this threshold, the handover will be
performed as that of cells at the same layer.
Otherwise, the cells will be sequenced
according to the values of the receiving
signal levels. Inter-layer handover
threshold+inter-layer handover
hysteresis<expectant stable down link signal
strength (or expectant stable state signal
strength) (power control parameter).
Handover/cell Inter layer It refers to the hysteresis during handover of Range: 0 to 63 3
description data handover cells at different layers or of different Unit: level value
table hysteresis priorities, which is used to restrict the ping-
pong handover between the layers. Inter-
layer handover threshold+inter-layer
handover hysteresis<expectant stable down
link signal strength (or expectant stable state
signal strength) (power control parameter).
(It should be noted here that: for the service
cell, inter-layer handover threshold-inter-
layer handover hystereris<expectant stable
up link signal strength. For the adjacent cell,
inter-layer handover threshold+inter-layer
handover hystereris>expectant stable down
link signal strength)
Handover/normal Inter-layer HO It indicates the time of sequencing statistics Range: 1 to 16 5
handover data measurement time of those cell options if there exist cells with Unit: second
table higher priority than that of the current service
cell, i.e. N in P/N mentioned above.
Handover/normal Inter-layer HO In a whole section of statistics time, if a high- Range: 1 to 16 4
handover data duration priority cell has always been ranking first in Unit: second
table the cell options, it can be judged as the
optimum cell, i.e. P in P/N mentioned above.

4.5.3 Handover of Fast Moving Microcells

The handover based on the relative speed of the mobile station can reduce the times of
handover and the call drop ratio.
If the mobile station moves fast in a microcell, hand it over to the macrocell; then the fast
mobile station registered in the macrocell will enter the microcell and impose time
penalty on it. In this way, the fast mobile station will stay in the macrocell.
In conclusion, the two principles for the handover of fast mobile microcell are as follows:
Principle 1: if the mobile station moves fast in contrast with the microcell network,
transfer it to the macrocell network.
Principle 2: to avoid the fast mobile station registered in the macrocell from entering the
microcell network, impose time penalty on the microcell.
At present, the products of Huawei do not support the monitoring of MS speed through
the hardware. Instead, BSC is responsible for estimating whether MS moves fast based
on a certain algorithm. When the time in which MS stays in a certain cell is shorter than
a certain threshold (fast moving time threshold), it is considered that the MS moves
faster in contrast with the cell. To avoid deviation, P/N statistics can be performed to
several cells. If the MS meets the conditions for fast moving, it should be transferred to
the macrocell. For MS registered in the macrocell, “timer + penalty” is adopted, i.e.
imposing penalty on the receiving level of the microcell before the time out of the speed
sensitivity timer of a certain adjacent cell to reduce the position of this microcell in the
cell sequencing.

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The algorithm of fast moving microcell handover can only be used for accumulated
decision of whether MS moves fast in the same module within BSC. If the MS moves to
another module, a new decision has to be made.
The following table shows the data configuration of the fast moving microcell handover:

Table 10 Data configuration of fast moving microcell handover

Data table Data item Meaning Range and unit Suggest
ed value
Handover/handove Fast-moving HO It is used to determine whether to use this Yes, No No
r control data table algorithm allowed algorithm to process the fast moving MS. It
can be used to hand over the fast moving
MS to the macrocell so as to reduce the
times of handover. It is suggested to be used
in special areas only (such as highways) to
reduce the load on the CPU. Generally, this
algorithm is used only when adequate
conditions have been selected.
Handover/fast Fast-moving cell Count the numbers of MSs to see whether it Range: 1 to 10 3
moving handover meas. number complies with the overall number (P) of the Unit: piece
data table cells. If the value is too large, it may lead to
abrupt growth of the system flow. If it is too
small,it may cause incorrectness in judging
the fast moving MS.
Handover/fast Fast-moving cell It is the total number of the cells (N) by Range: 1 to 10 52
moving handover actual number which MS passes actually. That is to say, Unit: piece
data table when there have been N MSs passing fast in
P cells recently, the algorithm of fast moving
microcell handover will be started.
Handover/fast Fast-moving time It is the time threshold (2r/v) determined Range: 0 to 255 30 to 60
moving handover threshold based on the radius (r) and the moving Unit: second
data table speed (v). If the time which MS passed the
cell is lower than this threshold, it can be
concluded that the MS has passed the cell
fast.
Handover/cell Speed penalty It is the value of level penalty on the adjacent Range: 0 to 63 30
description data value microcell when MS moves fast. It is only Unit: level value
table permitted that the upper-layer cell impose
penalty on the lower-layer cell. There is no
penalty for cells at the same layer. This
parameter is only valid within the speed
penalty time.
Handover/cell Speed penalty It indicates the penalty on the adjacent Range: 0 to 255 40
description data duration lower-layer cell of the fast moving MS is Unit: second
table valid in this period of time.

4.6 Others

4.6.1 IUO Cell Handover

As the technical resolution for marginal network, IUO cell handover is applied in wide
coverage communication. Refer to Market Technology Guide to IUO handover for more
details.

4.6.2 Optimization of Initial Transmission Power after Handover

If MS is very close to the base station during handover, the maximum transmitting power
permitted by the system may not be adopted when MS is accessing the new channel.

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
Although the power control enables the transmittingn power of the mobile station to be
reduced to an appropriate level, the peak value of the RF power may cause disturbance
of the uplink in the wireless network after the handover. That may also shorten the life of
the battery. Therefore, the initial transmitting power of the new channel accessed in the
handover shall be optimized.

5 Analysis of Competitors
The most prominent advantage of Huawei handover algorithm over its competitors’ is the
complete categories. Huawei provides all kinds of algorithms available, which have
difference in specific applications. The following table is the comparison of six
manufacturers.. The item marked with “√” indicates the manufacturer enjoys advantage
in that aspect.

Table 11 Comparison between algorithms of some manufacturers

Nokia Ericsson Motorola Alcatel Siemens Huawei
Algorithm structure √①
Preprocessing of the measurement report √②
Layering and hierarchy of the cell
Basic sequencing of the cell √③
Network characteristics adjustment √④
TA handover √⑤
BQ handover
Handover due to rapid fall of the level √ √⑥
Interference handover √⑦
PBGT handover √⑧
Border handover
Overload handover √ √⑨
Speed sensitivity handover √⑩
Layered/hierarchical handover
IUO handover √⑾

Note:
1. The structure of Nokia handover is to trigger the handover before performing
sequencing, which increases the efficiency.
2. The preprocessing of the measurement report of Nokia is more comprehensive. .
3. The M, K and L rule of the basic sequencing of the cell provided by Ericsson is rather
complete.
4. In respect of the network characteristics adjustment, Huawei has put forward some
options of its own characteristics (such as sharing BSC/MSC adjustment) based on
networking practices.
5.The extended cell has been put forward in the TA handover of Nokia. In addition,
different processing measures are provided in solving too large TA.
6. Huawei enjoys advantages in the filtering measure aimed at rapid fall of the level.
However, it is not so good as that of Motorola on the aspect of selecting the target cell.

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 Market Technology Guide to Handover Decision Algorithm
7. There is few difference between these manufacturers in this respect. However, the
definition of the interference handover area by Ericsson is more reasonable.
8. There is few difference between these manufacturers in this respect. However,
Motorola adopts “PBGT+timer”, making the traffic load sharing possible.
9. The overload handover algorithm of Huawei is basically similar to that of Ericsson.
10. Nokia plays a leading position in this aspect by providing solution that supports the
monitoring of the moving speed of MS through the hardware.

11. Huawei has applied the IUO

handover in wide coverage
communication.

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