4 Immediate Assignment

About This Chapter

This topic describes immediate assignment including its internal BSC signaling procedure and
abnormal cases.
4.1 Immediate Assignment Procedure
The purpose of immediate assignment is to establish a Radio Resource (RR) connection between
an MS and the network on the Um interface. The immediate assignment procedure is initiated
by the MS.
4.2 Internal BSC Signaling Procedure of Immediate Assignment
This topic describes the internal BSC signaling procedure of immediate assignment.
4.3 Abnormal Immediate Assignment Cases
This topic describes the abnormal immediate assignment cases.
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4.1 Immediate Assignment Procedure
The purpose of immediate assignment is to establish a Radio Resource (RR) connection between
an MS and the network on the Um interface. The immediate assignment procedure is initiated
by the MS.
Figure 4-1 shows the immediate assignment procedure.
Figure 4-1 Immediate assignment procedure
Channel Request(1)
RACH
Channel Required(2)
Channel Activation(3)
MS BTS BSC
Channel Activation Acknowledge(4)
Immediate Assignment Command(5)
AGCH
Start T3101
SABM(6)
main DCCH
UA(7)
main DCCH
Establish Indication(8)
Stop T3101
1. The MS sends the BTS a Channel Request message on the RACH.
The Channel Request message contains the Establish Cause and Random Reference
parameters. It has eight bits. Bits 3 to 6 indicate the access cause, and bit 5 to 2 carry the
identifier. Based on a Channel Request message, a maximum of 32 MSs are discriminated.
The UA response messages on the Um interface are used to discriminate more MSs.
2. The BTS sends the BSC a Channel Required message.
The Channel Required message contains the Request Reference and Access Delay
parameters. The Request Reference parameter contains the random access reference value
and the absolute frame number of the received access burst. The Access Delay is the delay
of the access burst.
3. Upon receiving the Channel Required message, the BSC assigns a signaling channel and
sends the BTS a Channel Activation message to activate a radio channel. The Channel
Activation message carries the activation type, channel mode, level, and TA.
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4. Upon receiving the Channel Activation message, if the channel type is correct, BTS2 turns
on the power amplifier on the specified channel to receive information in the uplink
direction and sends a Channel Activation Acknowledge message to the BSC.
5. The BSC sends through the BTS to the MS an Immediate Assignment Command message.
The Immediate Assignment Command message is sent on the AGCH. It carries the
Immediate Assignment Extend message and the assignment information of two MSs. The
Immediate Assignment Command message has the following information elements:
l Dedicated mode or TBF
The Dedicated mode or TBF information element requests the MS to decode the rest of
the message to an Immediate Assignment message or to allocate a Temporary Block
Flow.
l Page Mode
The Paging Mode information element controls the action of the MSs in a paging group.
l Channel Description
The Channel Description information element describes an assigned channel and the
corresponding SACCH. It carries the Channel Type, TDMA offset, timeslot, and
absolute RF channel number.
l Request Reference
The Request Reference information element contains the random access reference value
and the absolute frame number of the received access burst. The Access Delay is the
delay of the access burst.
l Time Advance
This Time Advance information element provides the initial timing advance value.
NOTE
If the BSC has no available channels, it sends the MS an Immediate Assignment Reject message
or an Immediate Assignment Extend Reject message.
l After receiving the Immediate Assignment Reject message, the MS starts timer T3122 upon
receiving one of the last three channel requests. Before timer T3122 expires, the MS is not
permitted to access the network nor initiate access attempts except emergency calls in the
same cell. It returns to idle mode and waits on the paging channel.
l If the Immediate Assignment Reject message is received for the first time, the MS starts timer
T3126. Timer T3126 starts when the number of Channel Request messages sent by the MS
reaches the maximum value. When timer T3126 expires, the immediate assignment
procedure fails.
6. The MS sends an SABM frame on the main DCCH.
The SABM is a frame in the LAPDm protocol at the data link layer. It is the first frame to
establish a multiple frame acknowledged mode.
The messages on the Um interface come in two types, signaling messages and short
messages. They are identified by the Service Access Point Identifier (SAPI). The service
access point is the point at which the data link layer provides services to layer 3. SAPI 0
supports the transfer of signaling, and SAPI 3 supports the transfer of short messages. In
the GSM network, an SABM frame carries a signaling message, the layer 3 service request
message. The layer 3 service request message contains the identity of MS and indicates
which service MS is requesting. The layer 3 service request messages are categorized into
CM service requests, location update requests, IMSI detach, and paging responses. These
messages contain the IMSI, detailed access cause, and classmarks.
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NOTE
The main DCCH is the primary signaling channel and is generally the SDCCH, FACCH, and
SACCH.
7. The BTS responds with a UA frame on the main DCCH.
The UA frame is an unnumbered acknowledge frame of the LAPDm protocol at the data
link layer. It confirms the SABM frame.
When the Channel Request messages sent by two MSs have the same contents, the two
MSs may be assigned the same dedicated channel. Upon receiving the SABM frame, the
BTS sends the MS a UA frame that contains the same information as the received SABM
frame. If the IMSI contained in the SABM frame is different from that in the UA frame,
the MS leaves this channel and starts another access attempt. If the IMSI contained in the
SABM frame is the same as that in the UA frame, the MS stays on the assigned channel.
8. The BTS sends the BSC an Establish Indication message.
This Establish Indication message indicates the establishment of a radio connection in
multi-frame mode and contains parameters Link Identifier and L3 Information. The Link
Identifier parameter identifies the signaling channel type and the message priority of SAPI
and SAPI 0. The L3 Information parameter is a complete L3 message.
4.2 Internal BSC Signaling Procedure of Immediate
Assignment
This topic describes the internal BSC signaling procedure of immediate assignment.
l Upon receiving the Channel Required message from the BTS, the BSC assigns a signaling
channel according to the specified channel type and channel algorithm.
l During random access, upon receiving the Establish Indication message from the BTS, the
BSC sends the MSC a CM Service Request message that carries the target CGI based on
the MCC, MNC, LAC, and CI parameters in the Cell Attributes window.
4.3 Abnormal Immediate Assignment Cases
This topic describes the abnormal immediate assignment cases.
4.3.1 Failure in Receiving an Establish Indication Message After Channel Activation
This topic describes the fault, probable causes, and handling suggestions.
4.3.2 BSC Sending an Immediate Assignment Reject Message
This topic describes the fault, probable causes, and handling suggestions.
4.3.1 Failure in Receiving an Establish Indication Message After
Channel Activation
This topic describes the fault, probable causes, and handling suggestions.
Fault
The BSC sends the MS an Immediate Assignment Command message but does not receive an
Establish Indication message from the BTS.
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Probable Causes
The probable causes are as follows:
1. The design of the MS does not comply with the protocols. The MS sends the Channel
Request message for many times and the BSS assigns and activates multiple signaling
channels.
2. Even when the BSS is functional, the MS may send several Channel Request messages
during one RR connection attempt. The BSS activates multiple signaling channels, but the
MS uses only one of them. The BSC cannot receive the Establish Indication messages from
other channels and therefore releases the channel after timer T3101 expires. If the number
of slots for spread transmission (Tx-integer) is set properly, the reason may be that the BTS
receives the uplink signals correctly but the MS cannot receive the downlink signals.
Meanwhile, as indicated in the signaling tracing on the Um interface on the MS side, the
BSC does not receive a response message from the BTS after sending a Channel Request
message.
3. The Tx-integer and the CCCH are not set correctly. The settings of the Tx-integer and the
CCCH affect the interval at which an MS resends the Channel Request messages.
Handling Suggestions
l Use another MS to determine whether the problem lies in the MS itself.
l Check whether the received level and received quality on the uplink and downlink are
normal. If the MS is near the BTS, but the received level and received quality is low, check
whether the antenna system, MS antenna, and MS battery are functional.
l Check whether the Tx-integer and the CCCH are set correctly.
4.3.2 BSC Sending an Immediate Assignment Reject Message
This topic describes the fault, probable causes, and handling suggestions.
Fault
Upon receiving the Channel Required message, the BSC sends the MS an Immediate Assignment
Reject message.
Probable Causes
The probable causes are as follows:
1. The BSC finds no suitable signaling channel, that is, a SDCCH or a TCH, to assign to the
MS. This is because that the channels are busy or blocked.
2. Upon receiving a Channel Activation message, the BTS sends the BSC many Channel
Activation Negative Acknowledge messages.
Handling Suggestions
l Check whether the channels are busy or blocked and whether the TRXs are functional. Add
TRXs to the BTS, modify the access threshold, and enable the directed retry.
l Check whether the channel states on the BSC and the BTS are the same. If not, you can
infer that the transmission on the Abis interface is unstable. Check also the BTS boards.
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