PCFAIL & PSFAIL RESOLUTION

BTS Field & Radio HLS, MTN Nigeria

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Content Introduction Signaling Access Signaling Connection Setup Possible Causes of High PCFAIL PCFAIL Resolution Steps Possible Causes of High PSFAIL PSFAIL Resolution Steps PC&SFAIL Long Term Resolution Steps MTN Nigeria Case Study Recommendations Conclusion
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Introduction

PCFAIL and PSFAIL are statistical counters that assist in the determination of the integrity of RF access system; which include Antenna system & Transceiver units. High count suggests an abnormality in RF quality of the affected cell. This ultimately causes drop in CSSR-(call setup success rate), and hence degraded Quality of Service, QoS. Measure of QoS is directly related to Customer Experience.

If QoS is degraded, revenue loss becomes inevitable as Customers are deprived quality access to utilize the services of the network.
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Signaling Access
CCALLS incremented at every attempt to allocate an SDCCH in a cell regardless of whether the allocation succeeded or failed. The attempts are made at signalling connection set up, at handover and at assignment. CMSESTAB incremented once the signalling link between the MS and MSC is established, this is defined by an SCCP CONNECTION CONFIRMED message received from the MSC or a HANDOVER COMPLETE or a HANDOVER PERFORMED message sent to the MSC. CCONGS A signaling congestion counter which is incremented when an allocation attempt fails due to no idle SDCCH channels. CFAIL CCALLS-CESMSTAB-CCONGS CESTIMMASS Number of SDCCH establishment failure due to time-out after sending Immediate Assignment, timer T3101 expired. CESTIMASS is incremented after the expiration of T3101 timer. The timer start counting once the IMMEDIATE ASSIGNMENT COMMAND is sent to the MS from the BSC. And stop once the BSC received ESTABLISH INDICATION form the BTS.

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Signaling Connection Setup

MS

Um interface
Channel Request

BTS Abis interface

BSC

A interface

MSC

RR(RACH)

T3120 +

Channel Required Channel Activation Channel Activation ACK

CCALLS, CCONGS

ANY OTHER FAILURE WITHIN THIS RANGE IS CFAIL

Immediate Assign Command

(L2 - UI)
RR(AGCH) T3120 Immediate Assignment
(SDCCH ID)

T3101 +

T3101 expires

RR(SDCCH)

T303 + CM SERV REQ (L2-SABM) EST IND<CM SERV REQ> L2 - UA T3101 CR(COMPL - L3 - INFO) <CM SERV REQ>
(CKSN,MS ID,SER type,CLmk)

RR(SDCCH)

CC

CMSESTAB

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Possible Causes of High PCFAIL

PCFAIL: Represents a failure on the control channel. Major Contributors: Inconsistent cell RF configuration Timing advance and coverage footprint overshooting Inconsistent cell neighbor relation definition High downlink and uplink interference MAIO alarm Antenna system fault affecting the BCCH carrier TX path e.g. Feeder line fault giving rise to high VSWR and lost RX path; faulty antenna Antenna Feeder swap Direct external or co-channel interference on the BCCH channel Signaling instability on the core or from Transport medium (Abis path intermittent failure or LAPD congestion). Faulty Transceiver Unit, with or without visible fault indication. Wrong port termination on diplexer unit.

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Possible Causes of High PCFAIL ---contd

Every sector has two Antenna system connection represented as jumpers originating from the output of the transceiver units; DRU,DTRU,QTRU,GRFU,MRFU etc and are expected to be properly terminated on the antenna with minimal reflection-Voltage standing wave ratio).

The broadcast channel- BCCH of each cell occupy the first Transceiver, hence the first TX path on the sector by default, while the second Tx path is available for traffic. PCFAIL also occurs when the TX path (Transceiver & antenna system) housing the BCCH carrier and other system information does not have proper termination on the external antenna largely due to reflection on the antenna system or bad transmitter on the transceiver unit. Direct external/co-channel interference on the BCCH channel also affect the PCFAIL count, this however depend on the degree of severity of interference coming from a direct neighbor cell
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PCFAIL Resolution Steps: -Short Term Resolution Steps Short Term Resolution Steps Cells with high PCFAIL to be pulled by NQA or RF Optimization from FACTS RF Optimization team to carry out the basic test of forcing the BCCH to an alternate TX path and monitoring the effect on performance RF Optimization/Switch /RHLS team to confirm consistency of cell data including Timing Advance and neighbor relation definition, Escalation sent out to Field Operations to carry out necessary onsite test and corrections Physical Antenna System optimization including antenna down tilt and azimuth/elevation correction to be carried out by RF Optimization
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PCFAIL Resolution Steps: On Site Checks On site Checks Ensure Jumper cable termination on Diplexer unit conform with the port arrangement on diplexer unit- note Diplexer unit is frequency dependent Carry out an Antenna system sweep to confirm integrity of the antenna path and carry out DTF to locate fault point along a faulty antenna path Replace faulty component (s) along a faulty antenna path Replace faulty DRU/transceiver on the affected TX path

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PCFAIL Resolution Steps:

-Coverage Control with Timing Advance Tuning and Other RF Parameters Tuning Coverage Control with Timing Advance Tuning Although, physical tuning (antenna down tilt and antenna height control) is the best way to control coverage, to reduce the impact of overstretched cell coverage (distant Mobiles trying to access the network) and over shooting cells, the following Coverage and MS access Control Parameters can be investigated and tuned appropriately in cells with high PCFAIL. TALIM Timing Advance Limit for handover. Urgency detection parameter. TALIM determines the maximum timing advance that the MS is recommended to use in the cell. If the measured and averaged timing advance value is equal to or greater than TALIM, the cell must be abandoned urgently if there exists a neighboring cell that can take over the connection. If no such cell exists no action is taken. MAXTA Maximum Timing Advance before an MS is considered lost. If the measured timing advance value for an access burst is equal to or greater than MAXTA, then the connection set-up signaling is terminated by the system. If the measured and averaged timing advance value for an ongoing call is equal or greater than MAXTA, the call is released.
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PCFAIL Resolution Steps:

-Coverage Control with Timing Advance Tuning, Other RF Parameters Tuning Other RF Parameters Tuning Other RF parameters changes that can be carried out to improve PCFAIL KPI include the following: Neighbour relations audit and additions where necessary BCCHNO changes on close neighbor cells with co-channel interference Standardization of hopping frequency set on 900 UL cells MAIO and HSN changes on 900 UL and 1800 OL where inconsistencies are discovered SDCCH re-dimensioning, including movement of majority of SDCCH per cell from CHGR1 to CHGR0 to increase chances of call setup success LAYER adjustments IRC feature should be implemented for improvement in uplink quality Correction of discrepancies including outer cell MSC definitions if there is any ACCMIN with values of100 or more can be changed to 96 for cells in dense urban, with CRO=2 for better cell reselection. Other cells in rural areas shooting into the city can have their ACCMIN changed to 98, with CRO=1 or 2, depending on the CFAIL count of the cell

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PSFAIL FORMULA - TCH SEIZURE ATTEMPTS & SUCCESS

1. TASSALL Incremented at first attempt to change a connection from a signalling channel to traffic channel for speech or data, If the assignment attempt is unsuccessful, independent of reason, the counter is incremented for the cell where the mobile station was tuned to an SDCCH or TCH used for signalling. The counter is initiated by reception of an ASSIGNMENT REQUEST or HANDOVER REQUEST (cause = directed retry). 2. TCASSAL Incremented for the same conditions as the TASSAL counter if the attempt was successful. The TCASSAL' counter is incremented for the target cell. The counter is incremented at the ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE (to the MSC) HANDOVER COMPLETE (to the MSC)

PCFAIL Resolution Steps

PCFAIL SHORT TERM RESOLUTION QUICK GUIDE
START

:
Confirm from RF Optimization , NQA or FACTS

No

Identify affected cell/cells

Yes
RF Optimization force the BCCH to the alternate TX path

Performance improvement?

No

RF Optimization to confirm cell RF parameters including TA, cell baring and neighbor relation definitions and fine tune appropriately; Physical optimization and down tilt to also be considered Field Operations to confirm right site configuration/reload IDB

Yes

No
Performance improvement?

Field Operations to verify the integrity of the Transceiver Diplexer Physical cable connections/terminations Antenna path with Antenna System Sweep Replace any faulty component Clear all BTS internal alarms

Yes

Escalate to RHLS

No
Performance improvement?

Yes

END

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PSFAIL FORMULA - TCH SEIZURE ATTEMPTS & SUCCESS

SFAIL

Failure to change connection from a signalling channel to a traffic channel SFAIL = TASSALL TCASSAL PSFAIL= 100*SFAIL/TASSALL

Possible Causes of High PSFAIL Issues that can cause T3101 to expires
PSFAIL: Represents TCH assignment failure rate. Major Contributors: Overload of AGCH (Access grant channel) False Access :- When a Channel Request message is received by the system, an SDCCH is allocated by sending an Immediate Assignment message. If it happens that the channel request was caused by radio disturbances, no more messages are received from the non-existing MS and the system waits a certain time before performing a disconnection. Uplink and Downlink interference. Direct external or co-channel interference on the TCH channel Unusable Transmission path for traffic channel (LAPD congestion, intermittent A-bis failure). Swap sector on the Over Lay, OL, for Multi Band Cells. High RF Reflection on the antenna system (VSWR). Faulty Transceiver unit, without visible fault indication. Inconsistencies on IDB/Antenna system combination configuration BTS internal alarms Faulty Antenna

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PSFAIL Resolution Steps:

-Short Term Resolution Steps

In PSFAIL, unlike PCFAIL, traffic is visible on the affected cell, however it will result in Traffic channel congestion as insufficient TX carrier is detected which will eventually affect CSSR negatively.

Short Term Resolution Steps Cells with high PSFAIL to be pulled by NQA or RF Optimization from FACTS RF Optimization to carry out a basic test of blocking each Trx per time on the affected cell and monitor the effect on the cells PSFAIL performance. Improved performance means a physical site problem. Else, RF Optimization to confirm cell RF parameters and optimize. Escalation sent out to Field service personnel to carry out necessary on-site test and corrections for cells with physical site problems
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PSFAIL Resolution Steps:

-On Site Checks Required

On site Checks Required Confirm there are no Sector/Jumper swap in the termination on the diplexer unit and the Antenna. Carry out Antenna system sweep on the Traffic TX path to isolate Reflection Swap DRUs temporary with an unaffected sector to check if the fault will move along. Monitoring will take like 2hrs) If POINT 3 above is TRUE then Replace the DRU/transceiver on the affected TX path Ensure RBS is cleared of all traffic affecting alarms at least. Ideal is to ensure all internal alarms are cleared
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PSFAIL Resolution Steps

PSFAIL SHORT TERM RESOLUTION QUICK GUIDE
START :
Confirm from RF Optimization , NQA or FACTS

No

Identify affected cell/cells

Yes

RF Optimization block one TRX per time (2 hrs) and check effect on performance

No
Check cell RF parameters and carry out RF optimization on affected cells Performance Improvement?

Yes
Check physical antenna system connection and the IDB Configuration for consistency

Inconsistency discovered?

Yes

Recreate IDB and correct inconsistency

No No
Performance improvement?

From the PSFAIL pattern Confirm if there are no Sector/Jumper swap in the termination on the diplexer unit and the Antenna.

Yes

Correct sector swap

Yes
Swapped sectors?

No
Field Support to verify the integrity of the Transceiver Diplexer Physical cable connections/terminations Antenna path with Antenna System Sweep Clear all BTS internal alarms Replace any faulty component

Performance improvement?

No

Yes
END

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Escalate to RHLS

PC&SFAIL Long Term Resolution Steps

In the drive to make MTNN a network that is consistently void of high PCFAIL and PSFAIL, the following activities are recommended on a regular basis: Constant monitoring and reporting of the values of these KPIs and other necessary ones including CSSR, PCONG, PDROP by NQA. Consistent frequency planning and tuning. RF P&O regular routine optimization work. Physical optimization and antenna down tilt where necessary. Timely and consistent site intervention where and when necessary by Field Operations. Consistent BTS routine maintenance to ensure BTS is always free of internal alarms. Field Operation personnel can refer to fault code list for the interpretation, root cause and recommended resolution steps for any alarm.

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MTN Nigeria Case Study

In 2009, a specific project to combat high PCFAIL and PSFAIL on MTN Nigeria Network was initiated and championed by BTS Field and Radio High Level Support unit. Trial was done with selected cells in March 2009, which revealed the unique contributors. After analysis, setup of In-house team to implement the project was recommended and was approved by the management. In-house Team: 1). BTS Field and Radio High Level Support Unit (3 Staff) This unit initiated and coordinated the project. They also provided the necessary second line support for the resolutions, on a site by site basis. 2). 8 New Field Support Engineers, FSE, (hired and trained). These were responsible for site checks, identification of site issues and the resolution. They supervised the jobs done by the rigging service providers. 3). Few RF Planning & Optimization Engineers. They carried out cell optimization functions External team members Independent rigging service provider (2 contractors). The project ran between March and July 2009 Preliminary report, covers results achieved from March 3, 2009 to July 15, 2009
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MTN Nigeria Case Study:

-Achievements

Achievements PC&S FAIL Resolution Project impacted positively on the following counters and across the regions: i). Reduction in PCFAIL (percentage common channel failure) ii). Reduction in PSFAIL (percentage Call setup failure) iii). Reduction in PCONG iv). Reduction in PDROP v). Improvement in CSSR (call setup success rate)

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Recommendations
Recommendations
A similar special team to resolve the present high PC and PSFAIL situation is equally recommended. This will ensure concentrated attention and guarantee a speedy short term resolution A regular report on the status of these KPIs should be pulled and sent to all stakeholders with the Optimization team responsible for keeping these KPIs below the threshold Field Operations should ensure a regular site routine maintenance to keep BTS free of internal alarms Internal alarm report should be pulled and sent out regularly to all stakeholders to know the status of internal alarms on the network as this can be a great contributor to poor QoS performance on the network
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Conclusion
Conclusion The issue of PCFAIL and PSFAIL on the network and its impact on CSSR has generated a lot of concerns for MTNs Network in its drive to improve the quality of the network. To this end, time, human and financial resources need to be continuously deployed to combat this issue. With regular monitoring, optimization routine and field routine maintenance, PCFAIL and PSFAIL can be regularly maintained below the threshold and the promised quality service delivered to our subscribers.

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Appreciation

Thank You!

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