FREQUENCY HOPPING

Frequency

Call is transmitted through several

frequencies in order to
average the interference (interference diversity)
minimise the impact of fading (frequency diversity)

F1
F2
F3

Time

Fading
Slow
Slow fading
fading

Fast
Fast fading
fading

Mobile station

Base station
distance

-70

dBm

dBm

-90

-110

The Benefits of Frequency

Hopping
1. Frequency diversity; Compensates the
frequency selective fast fading
Signal
Level

F1
F2
F3

MS Location

Distance

Bursts sent on frequency F2 are degraded or lost, but the initial signal may
still be reconstructed from the bursts on frequencies F1 and F3.

The Benefits of Frequency

Hopping
2. Interference diversity; the interference is
averaged over multiple users

Interference

No hopping

Interference

F1

With hopping

F1
F3

F1

F1

F2

MS_1 MS_2

F3

MS_3

F2 F3

MS_1

average

F2
F2 F
3

MS_2

MS_3

Converting Quality to Capacity

Field strenght
Serving carrier
worst
interference

interference
margin

average
strongest
interference

average
weakest
interference
no FH

FH with
improved
quality

FH with tighter
frequency
reuse

BB-FH

F1(+ BCCH)

TRX-1

F2
TRX-3

Dig.

PSTN
MSC

MS does not see

any difference

Frequency

F3
F1
F2
F3

RF

BSC
TCSM

Time

RF-FH

TRX-1

F1, F2, F3

TRX-2

BCCH

Dig.

RF

General Parameters
btsIsHopping

CA

= Cell Allocation

BB (BaseBand Hopping)
MA = Mobile Allocation
RF (Radio Frequency
Hopping)
MAIO
= Mobile Allocation Index Off
HSN = Hopping Sequence Number
N (No Hopping)

Baseband Hopping
hoppingSequenceNumber1 (TS 0) 0 ... 63
(0 = cyclic, 1 ... 63 = pseudorandom)
hoppingSequenceNumber2 (TS 1 ... 7) 0 ... 63
(0 = cyclic, 1 ... 63 = pseudorandom)

BB hopping management
BCCH
BCCHtimeslot,
timeslot,does
doesnot
nothop.
hop.
RTSL-0 RTSL-1 RTSL-2 RTSL-3 RTSL-4 RTSL-5 RTSL-6

RTSL-7

TRX-1

BCCH

f1

TRX-2

f2

TRX-3

f3

TRX-4

f4

Timeslot
Timeslot00of
ofTRXs
TRXs2-4
2-4hop
hopover
overMA(f2,f3,f4).
MA(f2,f3,f4).
This
hopping
group
uses
HSN-1
This hopping group uses HSN-1

All
Alltimeslots
timeslots1-7
1-7hop
hopover
overMA(f1,f2,f3,f4).
MA(f1,f2,f3,f4).
This
hopping
group
uses
HSN-2
This hopping group uses HSN-2

TDMA frame:

MAI :
0

TRX-1 / f1
TRX-2 / f2
TRX-3 / f3

TCH-1 (MAIO 0)
TCH-2 (MAIO 1)

TCH-3 (MAIO 2)

MA list

f1

f2

f3

MAI

MAI = (S + MAIO) modulo N

S = calculated on frame basis by MS and BTS
using GSM hopping algorithm and
MA/HSN/FN parameters
N = length of MA list

RF ( Synthesized Hopping) (from 3rd generation BTS onward)

mobileAllocationList 1 ... GSM: 1..124 and 975..1023, 0
GSM 1800:
512..885
GSM 1900:
512..810
Note! Max. 63 Frequencies
mobileAllocationId
1 128
usedMobileAllocation
1 128
hoppingSequenceNumber1 0 63
(0 = cyclic, 1 ... 63 = pseudorandom)

RF hopping management
BCCH
BCCHTRX,
TRX,does
doesnot
nothop.
hop.
RTSL-0 RTSL-1 RTSL-2 RTSL-3 RTSL-4 RTSL-5 RTSL-6

RTSL-7

TRX-1

BCCH

TRX-2

TRX-3

TRX-4

HSN-1
HSN-1

MAIOs
MAIOshave
haveto
to
be
different
for
be different for
different
differentTRXs
TRXs
within
the
within thesame
same
hopping
group
hopping group
->
->no
nocollisions.
collisions.

MA = {f1}

MA = {f2, f3, f4,..}

TDMA frame:

MAI / freq. :
0 / f1

2 / f3

0 / f1

1 / f2

2 / f3

0 / f1

1 / f2

2 / f3

0 / f1

TRX-1
TRX-2

TCH-1 (MAIO 0)
TCH-2 (MAIO 1)

1 / f2

MA list

f1

f2

f3

MAI

MAI = (S + MAIO) modulo N

S = calculated on frame basis by MS and BTS
using GSM hopping algorithm and
MA/HSN/FN parameters
N = length of MA list

(sector 1)
(sector 2)

BTS-1

(sector 3)

BTS-2
BTS-3

MAIO HSN
offset
TRX-1

MAIO
BCCH

TRX-2

TCH

TRX-3

TCH

TRX-4

TCH

TRX-5

BCCH

TRX-6

TCH

TRX-7

TCH

TRX-8

TCH

TRX-9

BCCH

TRX-10

TCH

TRX-11

TCH

TRX-12

TCH

f1

f2

f3

f4
f5
f6
f7
f8
f9
f10
f11
f12

TypeUnitOrDepartmentHere
TypeYourNameHere

TypeDateHere

Sector HN
S
1
N

MAIO-offset

MAIO-step TRX

MAIO value for all RTSLs

12

BCCH, not allowed to hop

MAIO=0
MAIO=2
MAIO=4
BCCH, not allowed to hop
MAIO=6
MAIO=8
MAIO=10
BCCH, not allowed to hop
MAIO=12
MAIO=14
MAIO=16

TRX-1
TRX-2
TRX-3
TRX-4
TRX-5
TRX-6
TRX-7
TRX-8
TRX-9
TRX-10
TRX-11
TRX-12

Parameters

Value

MaioStep
UnderlayMaioStep

1..62

1..62

RADIO RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT

Flexible MAIO Management

Allows More Flexible RF Hopping

enables Frequency Sharing i.e. sharing an MA list between the sectors

at same site
longer MA lists possible
minimised interference
New MAIO Step Parameter in BSS7
When used together with MAIO offset, no successive MAIOs will be
allocated for TCHs sharing the same MA list

RADIO RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT

Single MA/HSN per Site - with MAIO Step

MA = f1, f2, f3, f4,....

HSN same for all sectors

Sector

HSN MAIO Offset MAIO step TRX

1
1

2
2

3
3

12

Operator can set the lowest

MAIOs for the cells

MAIO, same for all

RTSLs within the TRX

TRX-1

BCCH, not hopping

TRX-2

TRX-3

TRX-4

TRX-5

BCCH, not hopping

TRX-6

TRX-7

TRX-8

10

TRX-9

BCCH, not hopping

TRX-10

12

TRX-11

14

TRX-12

16

Operator can also set the

MAIO step size

MA list can include

adjacent frequencies

Band allocation:
BCCH

Hopping Freq's

Nor co-channels
neither adj.
channels
used
simultaneouly if
number of
frequencies >
2*number of TRXs

RADIO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

RF-FH with reuse '1/1'using fractional loading

MAIO Offset

Hopping
Hoppingfrequencies
frequenciesMAIO Offset + Step

Band allocation:

Band allocation:
BCCH

BCCH

MA list

Hopping Freq's

MA list

MA list and BCCH need planning

No need for MA list planning

MA list possibly shorter -> reduced gain

BCCH frequencies planned as

usual

One MA list per site

One MA list can contain a continuous band
No risk of co-channel nor adjacent channel being used
simultaneously within a site
Single MA/HSN possible -> only BCCH frequency planning
More tighter reuse possible e.g. RF-FH (1/1) and thus
more capacity can be achieved

Parameter

Value

MaioStep 1..62
UnderlayMaioStep
1..62
BackgroundMaioStep
1..62 / ND
BackgroundUnderlayMaioStep
1..62 / ND

Example 3/9 Reuse with MAIOManagement

Frequency band is divided into 3 groups.

MA-lists are allocated one per site following 3/3 (omni)

reuse pattern.
Each cell in a sectorised site uses all the frequencies, but the
same frequency is never used in two cells at the same time.

2
3
1

Example ( a site using MA-list with 3 frequencies):

MA-list: 3

9
3
2

TDMA frame n-1

TDMA frame n

TDMA frame n+1

MA1 = f1, f4, f7

MA2 = f2, f5, f8
MA3 = f3, f6, f9

F6
F3

Initially 3/9 Cluster,

3/3 with Frequency sharing

F6

F6
F3

F9

F9
F1
F7

F2
F8
F4

F5

As the hopping is random and

sites not synchronised, adjacent
channels are used at times
in neighbouring sites

F7
F4

F6
F3

F3

F9

F8
F5
F1

F2

F9
F1
F7

F5
F2
F4

F8
F3
F9

F6

F3
F9

F6
Time

Cyclic:

Random vs Cyclic hopping

sequences
Where to use?

In the areas where the interference is NOT a problem (low traffic areas)

Random:
In the areas where the interference is a problem (high traffic areas)

Hard/soft blocking
Hard
Hardblocking
blocking
The
Thewhole
wholeradio
radioresource
resourceis
isin
inuse
use--no
nomore
morecalls
callscan
canbe
beestablished
established
due
dueto
tolack
lackof
offree
freeradio
radiotimeslots.
timeslots.
Dominates with large reuse factors

Soft
Softblocking
blocking
The
Thecapacity
capacityof
ofindividual
individualcells
cellsis
islimited
limitedby
bythe
thelevel
levelof
ofthe
theinterference
interference
rather
than
the
number
of
TRXs
available
rather than the number of TRXs available
Is dominating with tight reuse patterns.

Frequency load, RF FH
75 %

HW
HWload
loadisis75%
75%
Fractional
load
Fractional loadFL
FLisis
33TRX
TRX/ /55FF==0.6
0.6==60%
60%
Frequency
load
is
Frequency load is
HWL
HWL**FL
FL==45%
45%

25 %

TRX-1

BCCH

f1

TRX-2

f2, f3, f4, f5, f6

TRX-3

f3, f4, f5, f6, f2

TRX-4

f4, f5, f6, f2, f3

Active
Activeslots
slots

Empty
Emptyslots
slots

TRX-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Frequency Load

TRX-2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
TRX-3 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
TRX-4

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

frequency
frequency1:
1:
17
active
slots
17 active slots/ /55frames
frames
40
slots
totally
/
5
frames
40 slots totally / 5 frames
frequency
frequencyload
loadisis
17/40
17/40==42.5
42.5%
%

f1
f1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Active
Activeslots
slots

Empty
Emptyslots
slots

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

f2
f2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

f3
f3 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
f4
f4

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

f5
f5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
frame 1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
frame 2

frame 3

frame 4

frame 5

time
time

How to allocate a fixed

band?
1
1
1

FAR

1
1
1
1

1
1
1

1
1
1
1

1
2
3
1

3
1
2

1
2
3
1

4
2
4
2

1
3
1

2
4
2
4

1
5
7
2

3
6
1

7
2
4
3

1
5
7

Worsening C/I at the cell border

Increasing collision probability

Max. frequency
load

8%

30%

~40%

~70%