paging discard is probably due to congestion.

Congestion will mostly occur:

1- in the BSC itself
2- on the Abis signalling link
3- on the PCH (air interface)

1- in the BSC itself

reduce the number of LACs being handled by this BSC. Usually, 1 BSC = 1 or 2 LAC.

2- on the Abis signalling link

increase the signalling capacity: instead of using 4 signalling links (= 4 RSL) per abis TS, use only 2.

3- on the PCH (air interface)

increase the number of PCH blocks, e.g reduce the parameter AG_BLKS_RES to a lower value. If it was =4, put it to
3. But check your AGCH congestion, because what you are doing is giving more capacity to PCH by reducing the
AGCH capacity.
If it doesn't work, then you have to reduce your number of cells per LAC.

Paging Success Rate[edit]

Paging Success by far is the most complex KPI to deal with as the process of paging touches almost all the nodes in
GSM system and is influenced by performance of each of them. That’s the reason why this write up on paging looks
too interwoven and cross refers to too many things. But the plus point with paging is by the time paging success rate
in a network gets improved; almost all the other KPIs too stand improved. In response to an incoming call, the MSC
initiates the paging process by broadcasting a "paging request" message on the paging sub channel (IMSI or TMSI of
the MS and its Paging Group) and starts timer T3113. A "paging message" consists of the mobile identity (IMSI or
TMSI) of the MS being paged and its "paging group number". A Paging Request Message may include more than
one MS identification. The maximum number of paged MS per message is 4 when using "TMSI" for identification of
the MS (maximum number of paged MS per message is 2 when using IMSI). The BSC receives this page and
processes the paging request and schedules it for transmission on the PCH at appropriate time. The MS on its part
will analyse the paging messages (and immediate assignment messages) sent on the paging sub channel
corresponding to its paging group. Upon receipt of a "paging request" message, MS will initiate within 0.7s an
immediate assignment procedure. Upon receipt of a page at the MS, the MS responds by transmitting a channel
request on the RACH. BSS in response to the received "channel request", will process it and immediately assign the
MS a SDCCH (immediate assignment / assignment reject; done over AGCH). MS Paging response- After receiving
the immediate assignment command, MS switches to the assigned "SDCCH" and transmits a "Paging Response".
The establishment of the main signalling link is then initiated with information field containing the "PAGING
RESPONSE" message and the "paging response" is sent to the MSC. Upon receipt of the "Paging Response" MSC
stops the timer T3113. If the timer T3113 expires and a "Paging Response"message has not been received, the MSC
may repeat the "Paging Request" message and start T3113 all over again. The number of successive paging attempt
is a network dependent choice.

One control channel Multi Frame is made of 51 TDMA frames with a time duration of 235 ms. Each 51 TDMA frame
Multi Frame will have 9 Common Control Channel (CCCH) blocks. Each of these 9 CCCH block is made of 4 TDMA
frames. Each CCCH block can carry Paging Messages for 2 MS if IMSI based paging is used or 4 MS if TMSI based
paging is used. Thus the paging capacity for one 51 TDMA frame Multi Frame will be 9(number of CCCH blocks
available per Multi Frame) * 4 (when TMSI based paging is used) = 36 mobiles per 235 ms or 9*2 = 18 mobiles per
235 ms when IMSI based paging is used. Thus the paging capacity of a cell is 153 mobiles per second when TMSI
based paging are used and 68 mobiles per second when IMSI based paging are used. This means we can improve
 the "paging bandwidth" for a cell (if there are too many "paging discards at the cell level") by using TMSI based
paging rather than IMSI based (at the expense of increased processor load at the BSC and MSC). When the rate of
"paging load" at the BTS becomes higher than what the BTS is able to handle (paging capacity of BTS), BTS will start
discarding pages (check for high "page discard" stats at the cell level). Once an MS deciphers its paging group, in an
idle mode, it will tune in and check for an incoming page only during broadcast time for its paging group (so further
the paging groups are places across multiple 51 frame multi frames, less frequently it will tune in to check for an
incoming page and longer will be its battery life. But the problem in this case for a cell with high paging load is

Immediate Assignment Success Rate[edit]

T1313

Random Access Success Rate[edit]

Random Access Channel (RACH) is used by the MS on the "uplink" to request for allocation of an SDCCH. This
request from the MS on the uplink could either be as a page response (MS being paged by the BSS in response to
an incoming call) or due to user trying to access the network to establish a call. Availability of SDCCH at the BTS will
not have any impact on the Random Access Success. In the transceiver, the timeslot handler in charge of the RACH
channel listens for access burst from mobiles (on the time-slot that transmits BCCH). These bursts contain a check
sequence (8 bits) that is used to determine if the message is valid.


Alexander
Alexander K.
IT consultant at Investment banking

Have a look at your formula first, identify the counters involved. Then analyze them one by one (or in related pairs). Often
vendors (ericsson I mean LOL) put alot of loosely coupled stuff into single formula/KPI. Analyze first, repeated and global page
attempts separately - that gives a better clue sometimes over the integrated KPI formula


Waqar
Waqar A.
Senior Manager-Core network at Roshan

Complicated subject- Lots to do with Radio tunning- Here are some suggestions from core end;

1:Paging criteria- IMSI/TMSI

2:Paging time(Attempts): x
3: Paging interval:Y sec
4:Garbage DB removal(redundent LAC Defination)
5: IMSI Detach timer adjustment with BSS periodic LoUP
6: 1 LAC in multiple BSCs
7: Coverage strength,overshooting/interference control
8: Big LACs having lower PSR- Exceeding 60k sub/LAC

1,2 & 3 shall be adjusted with coordination of Radio team.


Alexander
Alexander K.
IT consultant at Investment banking

MSRN allocation shall be checked also - in case of failure that causes no paging issues.


Prashant
Prashant R.
Core Network Engineer at Ericsson

Hi Waqar: please give some suggestion/clarity about these points as mentioned by you:

1:Paging criteria- IMSI/TMSI

we use TMSI for 1st attempt & IMSI for last

2:Paging time(Attempts): x
2 times

3: Paging interval:Y sec

8-8 sec

4:Garbage DB removal(redundent LAC Defination)

we don't use redundent LAC Defination in our N/W, but how does it impact PSR?

5: IMSI Detach timer adjustment with BSS periodic LoUP

MSC - 6 hours, BSC- 2 hours

6: 1 LAC in multiple BSCs

you mean multiple BSCs should share 1 LAC or not ?

7: Coverage strength,overshooting/interference control

what can we do about this point from Code side ?

8: Big LACs having lower PSR- Exceeding 60k sub/LAC

you mean sub/LAC should not be more than 60k


Waqar
Waqar A.
Senior Manager-Core network at Roshan

1,2,3 has to be consulted with Radio team- They shall give plan how much PCH/SDCCH resouces are available and what shall be
the strategy. Normally in any good radio network paging control is implemented as TMSI TMSI & IMSI with 3 attempt and 6 sec
interval. Redundent LAC defination will cause additional paging request which will overload Paging resouces on radio causing
failure consequently low PSR% IMSI Detach timer shall be 2hr+10. Multiple BSC share one LAC will cause many LoUp
resuting low psr. Coverage,overshooting and interferece control can be control on Radio level discuss with your radio team.
 Recommended Sub per LAC is 60k. Big LAC will also decrease PSR- LAC splitting is required-but it has to be discussed with
Radio again to see all + & -.


William
William P.
Back Office CORE Engineer

If its NSN Do you have prepaging features on(paging started early on PSI/PRN)? Do you have paging enhancement on? Do you
have timers set so full paging takes place within 15seconds total(which is the time frame for answer of PRN in MSS)?
Acceptable value interval in lac is usually 220ms with 2 repagings TMSI&IMSI etc. Also we had a very strict SMS retry scheme
which affected our statistics as we had moved from one SMSC to another, which had a higher retry attempt schema, so statistics
were worse. Also out of curiosity what is your average callset up time?


Karthik
Karthik S.
Senior Manager- Technology at Aircel

Paging Success is the response received from BSS to a Paging command from a MSC/VLR. PSR improvement is a very long
project. I agree with Alexander, Waqar and William on their observations.
1. I agree with William Porter that the biggest contributor for PSR failures is SMS Retries and USSD post call notifications
(prepaid). I have observed the same in an operator in India.
2. In an ideal scenario, The LAC boundaries should be defined in an optimal way based on the type of traffic,for example, on a
busy highway, it is not advisable to have multiple LACs as this would result in frequent Handovers and Multiple Location
Updates. When a paging attempt happens in this scenario, the chances of a response are rare as the traffic is usually moving. In an
Urban Scenario, Mutilple BSCs can be part of a same LAC. The most practical way of improving PSR is by re-defining LAC
boundaries, i.e put all under performing Cell Sites in a single LAC.
3. You can opt for prepaging solutions, where availability, state and reachability of IMSI is checked before paging can occur.
4. You can opt for Gs based paging methods if your percentage of Data Subscribers is high.
5. You can tweak around with the Implicit Detach and Periodic Location Update Timers like how Waqar suggested.
6. Lastly, there is no better solution than improving/enhancing the Radio Coverage.
I presume that Signaling Loads between BSC and MSCs, MSC and HLRs, MSRN distribution are all configured properly and
within optimal limits.


BRIJESH
BRIJESH M.
Senior Specialist at Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd

Yes i agree with above comments:

In MSS/MSC you can play with Paging timer and number of Paging attempts:
3+1 Paging and 300 Milliseconds gives best result.
In RAN part better coverage and handover optimization may increase PSR.
And if data active subscribers are higher in number then Gs interface can also help.

Jigyasa
Jigyasa R.
Core Engineer at Nokia Siemens Networks

Give HLR purge to IMSIs against cause code 314(in NSN MSS) for UNIDENTIFIED SUBSCRIBER this increases PSR.


Muthusamy
Muthusamy K.
Core engineer at Mobily

Hi friends anybody having idea about improving LUSR in ericsson??? what are all the points to be noted?? pls suggest urgent..


Abdul Rafaye
Abdul Rafaye F.
Looking for a new Role As CS Core Network Consultant

if troubleshooting from core side then check the paging policy and the paging times ..


arezu
arezu K.
CS/PS CORE ENGINEER at Mobile Telecommunication Company

old parameter in my network:

1:Paging criteria- IMSI/TMSI :we use TMSI then IMSI
2:Paging time: 2 times
3: Paging interval:6-5 sec

we change paging control to 3 time ,TMSI .TMSI,IMSI and paging interval 6-6-6 sec.
The result is that :We've had an increase in PSR, but a sharp decline in CSR by cause code 166 in huawei(network error) and we
have to return to the old state to solve the problem.


Sreenivas
Sreenivas M.
NSS Engineer at Alcatel Lucent Managed Soltuions

Major Issues due to which PSR degrades

1. Improper Paging / LU (Location Update) related parameter setting.

2. O&M issue i.e Outages.
 3. Lower RACH success rate.
4. Air Interface Issues like Interference, SDCCH Congestion, etc.
5. Footprints.
6. Paging overload on BSC i.e. paging capacity of BSC compared with the actual paging.
7. Congestion on A-bis interface i.e. Paging command from BSC is delivered to BTS via A-bis.

Below are points cross verify these points which help you to increase PSR

1. Paging / LU timers setting, like Paging Timers in MSC must longer than Paging Timer in BSC (prolonging 1st and repeated
page) and also paging strategy (local vs global), or repeated page on/off.
2. LAC optimization.
3. Paging / LU related parameter setting like increasing paging capacity through uncombined BCCH, changing Access grant and
MFRMS (multiframe) parameters.
4. Address Coverage issues.
5. Check Discard/Paging queue on cell level.


arezu
arezu K.
CS/PS CORE ENGINEER at Mobile Telecommunication Company

It should be noted that to avoid network error cause code (166) , the total paging intervals must be less than call setup timer.


Bülent
Bülent Ö.
Technical Director @ Huawei Tech. Co.Ltd.

Hi in E// network T3212 was decreased from 60 to 40. then BTDM+GTDM in MSC was decreased 360+30 to 240+6
consecutively.In first 6 hour PSR decreased nearly 50% percent.Anybody have idea about the root cause of problem at first
glance ?
Core Vendor : E// Wireless Vendor : H//


Sławomir
Sławomir S.
Consultant

based on experience with NSN page interval is important from core side


Anand
Anand S.
CS-Core Engineer at Nokia Siemens Networks
 check the total no time of times in paging methods --
normally we define first TMSI based then IMSI base ....reduce the no of attempts if required..
Thanks .


Aleksandr
Aleksandr V.
Expert: FLM start-up and 2G/3G Optimization at Tcell, Part of TeliaSonera

Hi,
We have global report that includes KPIs from 6 different companies.
We are the only who has HUAWEI Core and the worst Paging Success Rate value compare to other companies (86% vs 95%-
98% in other operators).
I rised this question to HUAWEI support but as per their recommendations a network with Paging Success Rate > 85% is a good
network.
At the same time I found that as per Ericsson recommendation (posted in one document in 2008) the threshold for Paging
Success Rate (first attempt) shall be higher then 84% and for the repieted page it shall be higher then 88%. Also in this documnet
mentioned that the World Best KPI is 95.99%
Could you tell me what is the PSR in your network and what do you think about 95%-98% that reported by other companies. Is it
realistic figure?

P.S. The formula for Pasing Success Rate (HUAWEI) in our Network is: {100}*{[Number of First Paging Responses from A
Interface]+[Number of Repeated Paging Responses from A Interface]} / {[Number of First Pagings to A Interface]}

P.P.S I got the formula (Core built on Ericsson equipment) for Paging Success Rate from one company (as per their report the
PSR in their network is more then 96%): {100}*{<NPAG1RESUCC>+<NPAG2RESUCC>} /
{<NPAG1GLTOT>+<NPAG1LOTOT>}


arezu
arezu K.
CS/PS CORE ENGINEER at Mobile Telecommunication Company

ALEKSANDR :network with 85% PSR isn' t a good network.

our paging succ. rate in best LAC is 97 and in LAC include road and rural is 91%.
our Net is HUAWEI .


Rahul
Rahul T.
Packet Core Engineer at NSN - Nokia Solutions and Networks

In Ericsson SGSN, you can improve the PSR by enabling Smart Paging feature.


Ranto Narivo Solofo
 Ranto Narivo Solofo R.
RF Engineer

Increased Timer T3101 (bss side) can improve it if you don't like decrease T3113 in Core Side


Deepak
Deepak M.
NSS Engineer at NSN - Nokia Solutions and Networks

Hi All, How can we increase LU SR in NSN N/W?