Handover Parameters (Part 1 of 3)

Lauro
22 Feb 2012 8:17 PM
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There are three ways of optimizing handovers in LTE:
a) Via the modification of the parameters a3offset and hysteresisa3
b) By changing the parameter timetotriggereventa3
c) Via the modification of the parameter filtercoefficient for event a3.
These set of blogs will dealt with parameter setting for Periodic Reporting of Event A3
only. The intention is to deal with each of the cases mentioned above, one at a time.
Hence, this blog will concentrate in case a).
Definitions:
Event A3 is defined as a triggering event when a neighbour cell becomes an offset
better than the serving cell. The UE creates a measurement report, populates the
triggering details and sends the message to the serving cell. The parameters that define
the trigger include:

a3offset: This parameter can be found in 3GPP 36.331. It configures the RRC IE
a3-Offset included in the IE reportConfigEUTRA in the
MeasurementConfiguration IE. The value sent over the RRC interface is twice
the value configured, that is, the UE has to divide the received value by 2.The
role of the offset in Event A3 is to make the serving cell look better than its
current measurement in comparison to the neighbor.
Hysteresisa3: The role of the hysteresis in Event A3 is to make the measured
neighbor look worse than measured to ensure it is really stronger before the UE
decides to send a measurement report to initiate a handover.

timetoTriggera3: The role of ttt in Event A3 is to avoid a ping-pong effect.

CellIndividualoffsetEutran: This parameter is applied individually to each

neighbor cell with load management purposes. The higher the value allocated to
a neighbor cell, the more attractive it will be. This parameter can only be used if
the neighbor list is broadcast in SIB4 or in an RRC connection reconfiguration.

Based on the picture above, event A3 will trigger when:

RSRP(target) > RSRS(Serving) +a3offset + hysteresisa3 cellindividualoffsetEutran
And this condition is valid for timetotriggera3.
At the expiration of timetotriggera3, if the UE does not receive an RRC connection
reconfiguration message (handover command) from the eNodeB, then it will start a
timer called reportingintervala3. At the expiration of this timer, if the conditions for
event A3 are still met and the eNodeB has not responded, then another measurement
report will be sent to the eNodeB. This process will continue until the eNodeB responds
or until a number of measurement reports given by the parameter reportingamount
have been sent.
Examples:
The table below assumes that cellindividualoffsetEutran is not used and shows when
the eventa3offset is triggered and when the UE ceases sending measurement reports.

As it can be seen from the table, eventa3 triggers at a3offset+hysteresisa3

However!!! After the first measurement result, subsequent measurement results can be
sent if the RSRP of the neighbor cell is only a3offset-hysterisisa3 dB stronger! Hence,
weaker neighbors could be reported in the measurements sent by the UE (this case is
very rare but it exists in real systems).
Therefore, it is recommended to follow the optimization rules:
a) a3offset should always be larger than hysteresisa3 if we want UE to handover to
cells with an RSRP at least equal to the RSRP value of its serving cell.
b) Ensuring a3offset > hysteresisa3 avoids ping-pongs
c) The higher the value of a3offset+hysteresisa3 the more we drag the calls to
neighboring cells. This is very useful where we have coverage holes (not a one to one
deployment scenario on top of 3G cells)
d) The smaller the value of a3offset+hysteresisa3 the faster we release the calls to
neighboring cells. This is useful in those scenarios where a large number of LTE cells
exists in a given geographical area.
e) The higher the value of a3offset+hysteresisa3 the more difficult we make it for calls
do handover to other cells.
Remember, eventa3 triggers at a3offset+hysteresisa3. Subsequent message reports
are sent when the RSRP of the neighbor cell is a3offset-hysteresisa3 (See figure
below).

In our next blog, we will discuss the parameter timetotriggera3, which is another tool for
optimizing handovers in LTE.

Handover Parameters (Part 2 of 3)

Lauro
2 Mar 2012 5:45 PM
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TimetoTrigger Event a3
As explained in part 1 of these blogs, if the RSRP of a neighbor cell is a3offset+
hysteresisa3 dB stronger than the serving cell for a time period equal to
timetotriggera3 then the UE sends the first measurement report to the eNodeB
indicating that eventa3 has occurred. timetotriggera3 typical values are [0, 40, 64, 80,
100, 128, 160, 256, 320, 480, 512, 640, 1024, 1280, 2560, 5120] milliseconds.
Clearly, the utilization of timetotriggera3 is highly dependent on the parameters
a3offset and hysteresisa3. However, some general troubleshooting guidelines are
provided here to minimize ping pong effects.

Rules:
a) If a3offset+ hysteresisa3 is relatively large (i.e.: 6dB or stronger), then a value of
timetotriggera3 under 100 ms is acceptable.
Explanation: Since the RSRP of the neighbor cell is already stronger than the value of
the source cell, the time to trigger should not be large.
b) If a3offset+ hysteresisa3 is relatively small (i.e.: 2dB), then a value of
timetotriggera3 should be around 320 to 640 ms.
Explanation: Since the RSRP of the neighbor cell is not much stronger than the value of
the source cell, the time to trigger should not large to ensure the value remains the
same for a long period of time.
c)

If a3offset = hysteresisa3, see b)

d)

If a3offset > hysteresisa3, see a)

e)

If a3offset < hysteresisa3, see a)

However, these recommendations depend much on the speed of the mobile and the
coverage scenarios.
The value allocated to timetotriggera3, hence, depends on:

Parameter setting of a3offset and hysteresisa3,

Morphology (dense urban, urban, suburban, rural)

Speed of UE in the cells (freeways and or suburban roads).

So far, we have discussed two methods for optimizing event A3. In out next blog we will
talk about the benefits of optimizing another parameter called, filtercoefficient for event
A3 that will allow us to eliminate some of the effects of fast fading in the UE
measurements.

Handover Parameters (Part 3 of 3)

Lauro
9 Mar 2012 4:37 PM
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Filter Coefficient for Event a3

Once the UE is configured to do measurements, the UE starts measuring reference signals from
the serving cell and any neighbors it detects. The next question is whether the UE should look at
just the current measurement value, or if the recent history of measurements should be
considered. LTE, like other wireless technologies, takes the approach of filtering the currently
measured value with recent history. Since the UE is doing the measurement, the network conveys
the filtering requirements to the UE in an RRC Connection reconfiguration message.
The UE filters the measured result, before using for evaluation of reporting criteria or for
measurement reporting, by the following formula:

where

Mn is the latest received measurement result from the physical layer;

Fn is the updated filtered measurement result, that is used for evaluation of reporting
criteria or for measurement reporting;

Fn-1 is the old filtered measurement result, where F0 is set to M1 when the first
measurement result from the physical layer is received; and

a = 1 / 2(k/4), where k is the filterCoefficent for the corresponding measurement quantity

received by the quantityConfig.

Then, the UE adapts the filter such that the time characteristics of the filter are preserved at
different input rates, observing that the filterCoefficent k assumes a sample rate equal to 200 ms.
The parameter a defines the weight given to current value and (1-a) (i.e., the remaining weight
is given to the last filtered value). For example, if filter coefficient k = 4, then a = ^(4/4) =1/2.
This means that new measurement has half the weight and the last filtered measurement gets the
other half of the weight.
Example of Filter coefficient values are:

Case 1: value k = 8 , a = , Fn = Old + New

Case 2: value k = 4, a = , Fn = Old + New

Optimization Rules:
a) A high value of the parameter filtercoefficient will provide higher weight to old
measurements (more stringent filter)(the opposite is true)
b) The higher the values of filtercoefficient the higher the chances of eliminating fast fading
effects on the measurement reports

1. This eliminates reporting a cell which RSRP was suddenly changed due to multipath or
fast fading
2. Which in turns eliminates the chances to handover to a cell which RSRP was strong for
some milliseconds
3. Therefore reducing the chances for Ping-Pong effects
c) A value of 8 is typically used in the network although a value of 16 might also be used in
dense urban areas.

IRAT Reselection - Optimization Hints (LTE to 1xEV-DO and 1xEV-DO to LTE)

Lauro
14 Mar 2012 2:56 PM
Comments 0
Optimization of IRAT reselection is very critical in idle mode. If the parameters governing
this reselection are set incorrectly, ping-pong could result (the UE in idle mode goes to
1xEV-DO and the UE in 1xEV-DO in dormant goes back to LTE and so on).
LTE to 1xEV-DO:
Parameters:

qRxLevmin (in SIB3) defines the minimum RSRP values measured by the UE in
a cell to be able to get unrestricted coverage-based service in that cell.
sIntraSearch, when added to the qRxLevmin value, will set the threshold for the
UE to decide if it has to do intra-frequency cell measurements for potential cell
reselection. If the current measured RSRP value for the cell is greater than the
threshold set up by the sIntraSearch parameter, then the UE is not required to do
intra-frequency measurements. If the current value of RSRP measured by the UE
drops below the line, then the UE is required to do intra-frequency
measurements for potential cell reselection.

sNonIntraSearch is similar in nature to sIntraSearch except that it dictates when

the UE has to do inter-frequency measurements for cell reselection purposes.
Note that, when inter-frequency measurements are done, the UE will still
continue to do intra-frequency measurements as well.

Threshservinglow when added to qrxlevmin indicates the best cell reception

level (RSRP) used in reselection evaluation towards 1xEV-DO. That is, if the
RSRP measured is below this threshold, the UE is in conditions to reselect to
1xEV-DO if other conditions are also met (See below). The value sent over the
RRC interface is half the value configured (the UE then multiplies the received
value by 2)

ThreshXLowHRPD represents the minimum level the Ec/Io of the 1xEV-DO pilot
must have so that the UE decides to reselect 1xEV-DO rather than LTE.

Treselectioncdmahrpd is the time that the RSRP of the best cell must be under
Threshservinglow and the measured Ec/Io of the 1xEV-DO pilot must be above
ThreshXLowHRPD so that the UE decides to reselect 1xEV-DO.

Step 1: The UE is in idle mode in LTE. It starts measuring:

a) LTE neighbors when:
RSRP of best cell < Qrxlevmin (SIB3)+ Sintrasearch
Example: Qrxlevmin = -120 dBm
Sintrasearch = 62 dB
Then, the UE starts measuring RSRP of neighboring cells in LTE in the same frequency
band.
b) 1xEV-DO neighbors when:
RSRP of best cell < Qrxlevmin (SIB3)+ SNonintrasearch
Example: Qrxlevmin (SIB3)= -120 dBm

Sintrasearch = 14 dB
Then, the UE starts measuring RSRP of neighboring cells in LTE in the same frequency
band AND the pilot Ec/Io of 1xEV-DO candidates.
Step 2: The UE camp on to a 1xEV-DO cell if the following conditions are met (See
figure below):
RSRP of best cell in LTE (dBm) < Qrxlevmin (SIB3)+ThreshServingLow (dBm)
AND
Ec/Io of Pilot in 1xEV-DO (dB) > ThreshXLowHRPD (dB)
For a time given by the parameter treselectioncdmahrpd
Example: If ThreshServingLow = 4 dB, threshXLowHRPD = -7 dB and
treselectioncdmahrpd = 5 seconds, then the UE will go to 1xEV-DO (assuming it
could not find another LTE cell) if the
RSRP of the serving cell < Qrxlevmin(SIB3) +ThreshServingLow = -120dBm+4dB=116 dBm
And the Ec/Io of Pilot in 1xEV-DO (dB) > ThreshXLowHRPD (dB) = -7dB
And this conditions hold for 5 seconds.

1xEV-DO to LTE:

A user will come back from 1xEV-DO to LTE if the

RSRP of the candidate cell (dBm) > Qrxlevmin (SIB1)(dBm) Qrxlevminoffset(dB)
Example: If Qrxlevmin (SIB1) = -120dBm and Qrxlevminoffset = 14dB, then, the UE
will camp back onto LTE if the RSRP of the candidate cell is at least -106 dBm.
Optimization rules:
a) In order to avoid ping pong:
Qrxlevmin (SIB1)(dBm) Qrxlevminoffset(dB) > Qrxlevmin
(SIB3)+ThreshServingLow (dBm)
The difference has to be at least, say, 8 dB. Note that the larger the difference, the
less likely the UE will go back to DO.
b) The bigger Qrxlevmin(SIB3) +ThreshServingLow, the quicker the UE is sent to 1xEVDO to camp on to that system
c) The lower Qrxlevmin(SIB3) +ThreshServingLow, the more the UE is retained in LTE
in idle mode.

d) Border cells must have different configured values than core cells.

Voice Support in LTE

Lauro
9 Nov 2011 4:53 PM
Comments 0
The deployment of LTE in the USA and throughout the world will require several strategies to
support voice. The most common approaches are listed briefly below...
Option 1: Dual radio
In this option, voice is carried in 3G/2G networks via a dual radio. That is, data is carried
typically via LTE while voice is carried via UMTS/GSM or 1xRTT. This option is commonly
used in LTE networks interworking with 3GPP2 types of system. The main drawback is the
battery life of UEs but network operators might prefer it over other methods because no
additional investments are required in the EPC of LTE.
Option 2: Voice over LTE Using Generic Access (VoLGA)
In the case of VoLGA, the LTE E-UTRAN and EPC transparently let the call setup signaling and
other signaling, as well as voice traffic, pass through so that the UE and a legacy CS network can
communicate for the voice call. The IMS is not required by VoLGA. However, in this case,
certain modifications to the EPC are required for communication with 2G/3G systems. This
solution will not be very common.
Option 3: Circuit Switch Fall Back (CSFB).
CS Fallback relies on the presence of a 2G or 3G voice network overlaying the coverage of the
LTE network, which would be the case in most initial LTE deployments. In CS Fallback, users
requiring voice services are directed to the 2G/3G network, leaving the LTE network for highspeed data services and other packet-oriented applications. This has the advantage of reducing
the complexity (and therefore the cost) of early LTE deployments, since IMS or similar voice
solutions would not be required initially. While UE is instructed to use 2G/3G for circuit
switched voice calls, the ongoing data services perform Inter-Radio Access Technology (IRAT)
handover to 2G/3G. Although this solution is generic, CSFB from LTE to 3GPP2 types of
technology will not be common.
Option 4: Voice over IMS

The most complete solution for voice support over IP is IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem). This
solution requires the deployment all the elements of IMS. With this solution, voice call
continuity is guaranteed.
Option 5: Voice over LTE (VoLTE)
With VoLTE, Voice is carried over IP. However, VoLTE re-uses the basic IMS functionalities
defined by 3GPP and creates a set of minimum features for ease of implementation of VoIP. That
is, the implementation of VoLTE requires only the deployment of a minimum set of features for
an IMS-based VoIP solution. This saves cost and infrastructure as compared to the case of IMS
deployment.
Option 6: Single Radio Voice Call Continuity
SR-VCC is the initial flavor of Voice Call Continuity (VCC). The purpose of VCC is to allow
call continuity between the CS and IMS domains. It is therefore possible to do VoIP using the
IMS and still handover the ongoing call to the CS domain and vice-versa. Unfortunately, the
VCC solutions have some stringent requirements, among them is the requirement for a dualmode handset with a Radio Frequency (RF) front-end that must be on two different Radio Access
Technology (RAT) types/frequencies simultaneously. This ability allows the UE to make a
decision about domain change when the signal strength of one technology is below a given
threshold. Single Radio VCC, as the name suggests, simplifies the mobile device by removing
this requirement. In its initial standardized form, SR-VCC supports only unidirectional IMS-toCS domain handovers.
The table below summarizes the possible scenarios where a UE is traversing an LTE network
with islands of coverage of LT

Event A3 Parameters Setting

Lauro
2 Nov 2011 8:35 PM
Comments 0
The most important parameters involved in event a3 reporting are listed below:
-

eventA3offset
hysteresis
timeToTrigger
sMeasure
cellIndividualOffset
triggerQuantity
reportAmount

reportInterval
filterCoefficientRsrp

LTE R8 uses hard handover. Therefore, one of the main optimization concerns is to avoid ping
pongs between cells. Ping pongs significantly reduce user throughput and increases signaling in
the E-UTRAN (in the case of X2 handovers) and in the EPC (in the event of an S1 handover).
The table below shows an example with three different combinations for the parameters
eventA3offset and hysteresis.

Assuming a cellindividualoffset = 0, then:

Event a3 will trigger when
RSRPsource + eventa3offset +hysteresis <= RSRPtarget + hysteresis
Event a3 will not be further valid when
RSRPsource + eventa3offset +hysteresis > RSRPtarget + hysteresis

Under these circumstances:

a)

CASE 1:

a. Event a3 will trigger when the RSRP of the target cell is 2dB stronger than the RSRP
of the serving cell
b. The UE will cease sending measurement reports when the RSRP of the target cell is
less than 2dB stronger than the RSRP of the serving cell
b)

CASE 2:

a. Event a3 will trigger when the RSRP of the target cell is 2dB stronger than the RSRP
of the serving cell
b. The UE will cease sending measurement reports when the RSRP of the target cell is
weaker than the RSRP of the serving cell

c)

CASE 3:

a. Event a3 will trigger when the RSRP of the target cell is 2dB stronger than the RSRP
of the serving cell
b. The UE will cease sending measurement reports when the RSRP of the target cell is
-2dB or weaker than the RSRP of the serving cell
Clearly, case 3 could be counterproductive since a candidate can be reported to the source cell
when the target is weaker than the source cell!!
A healthier approach is to provide a value of say, 3dB to a3offset and a value of 1 dB to the
hysteresis parameter (for core cells). This will ensure that the target cell is at least 4 dB to trigger
the event a3 and the handset will not report a candidate when the target is not at least 2dB
stronger than the source cell (assuming that the number of measurement reports given by
reportamount haven't expired).
Also, in order to ensure that the target cell is strong enough than the source cell for a good
amount of time, the parameter timetotrigger should be set to values of 480, 512 or 640
miliseconds. However, a drive test is recommended before and after these parameters have been
modified along with the creation of counter reports for X2 and S1 handovers.