Handover Control in

CDMA Radio Networks

Hongying Yin
Feb. 11th 2003
Helsinki University of Technology
hongying.yin@nokia.com

1 S-72.333 Post–graduated Course in Radio Communication,

 Content
1. Handover
• Soft handover
• Softer handover
• Inter-frequency handover
• Intra-frequency handover
• Inter-system handover
2. Cell info for Handover Measurement Reporting
• Neighbour cell definitions
• Cell List
3. Measurement Reporting Criteria
• Intrafrequency measurements
• Interfrequency and Intersystem Measurements
• UE Internal Measurements
4. Reporting Measurement Results

2 S-72.333 Post–graduated Course in Radio Communication,

 Soft Handover (1/2)
In a soft handover, a terminal is connected
simultaneously to more than one base station via
several handover branches. The group of base
stations communicating with the terminal during
soft handover is called the active set.

Based on signal strength decisions involving various

thresholds, branches can be added to or removed
from the connection at any time, in other words
base stations can be added to or removed from
the active set. Such actions are referred to as
”active set update” procedures.

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Soft Handover (2/2)

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 Softer Handover (1/2)
A softer handover is performed between two
adjacent sectors of the same base station.
 In downlink, soft and softer handover is very
similar from the terminal point of view (signal
replicas are simply combined in the Rake
receiver).
 In uplink, there is a major difference between
soft and softer handover.
– In soft handover branches, signal replicas can only be
combined within the Radio Network Controller (RNC)
– In softer handover branches, signal replicas can be
combined earlier - within the base station.

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Softer Handover (2/2)

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 Hard Handover

This type of handover is well-known from GSM. A

hard handover may take place:
 Between channels carried by two different frequencies
within the same cell or adjacent cells (both cases are
referred to as interfrequency handovers);
 Between UTRA FDD and UTRA TDD channels (intermode
handover);
 Between UMTS and GSM channels (intersystem
handover)
 In addition, in such situations where the Iur interface
between two RNCs is not available for soft handover, a hard
handover can be performed - using the same frequency -
from a cell belonging to one RNC to a cell belonging to the
other RNC (intrafrequency handover).

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Hard/Interfrequency Handover

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Hard/Intrafrequency Handover

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Inter-System Handover

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Handover Measurement Reporting
- Neighbour cell definitions
 Intrafrequency neighbour list:
The UE must be able to monitor at least 32 cells on the same WCDMA
carrier frequency as the serving cell.

 Interfrequency neighbour list:

The UE must be able to monitor at least 32 cells in all on two WCDMA
carrier frequencies in addition to the serving cell.

 Intersystem neighbour lists:

A separate list is needed for each neighbouring PLMN. Max of 32
interfrequency neighbour must be supported by UE.

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Handover Measurement Reporting
- WCDMA Neighbour Cell List Info

 Global RNC Identifier (PLMN id MCC and MNC, RNC

id)
 Cell ID
 Location Area Code (LAC)
 Routing Area Code (RAC)
 UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number
(UARFCN)
 Scrambing code of the Primary Common Pilot Channel
(P-CPICH)

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Handover Measurement Reporting
- GSM Neighbour Cell List Info
 Cell Global ID
CGI = MCC + MNC + LAC + CI
 BCCH frequency
 Base Station ID Code
BSIC = BCC + NCC

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 Measurement Reporting Criteria
- Intrafrequency Measurements
 Mobile Equipment Handover Type (MEHO)
 RAN broadcasts the measurements reporting
criteria for intrafrequency measurements in
BCCH.
 When criteria is fulfilled, UE reports the
measurement results to RNC.
 RNC makes the HO decisions.

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 Measurement Reporting Criteria
- Interfrequency and Intersystem Measurements
 Network Handover Type (NEHO)
 Interfrequency and Intersystem measurements are
made only when RNC sends orders.
 A separate measurements reporting criteria is sent to
UE.
 UE will periodically reports the results to RNC.
 The measurement is controlled by:
– Reporting duration
– Reporting interval

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 Measurement Reporting Criteria
- UE Internal Measurements
 UE internal measurements criteria are
controlled:
– cell-by-cell basis
and

– parameters common to all cells in the whole RNC.

 Network sends the measurement information
on DCCH rather than BCCH.
 UE reports the measurement results to RNC
when the measurement criteria is fulfilled.

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 Measurement Results Reporting
 Event-triggered intrafrequency measurement
report
 Periodic intrafrequency measurement report
 Interfrequency measurement report
 Intersystem measurement report
 Measurement reports on common channels
 Quality deterioration report

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 Measurement Results Reporting
- Reporting of the Intrafrequency Measurements
 UE is constantly monitoring
– P-CPICH Ec/I0 neighbor cells
– Evaluating the reporting criteria
 UE sends an event-trigger report when one of
the events is fulfilled.
 Some other factors also taken into accounts
during the measurements.

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Report of the Measurement Results
- Time-to-Trigger Mechanism

 Frequent reporting  excessive signalling

load
 Each report event can be connected with timer

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Report of the Measurement Results
- Event-Triggered/Periodic Reporting
 Event-triggered reporting results in an access
stratum update.
 If access stratum can not be updated because of
lack of capabilities or HW resources, UE will
send periodic report.

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 Exercise
 Explanation of what is soft handover, softer
handover and hard handover.

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 Abbreviation and Definition
 BCCH: broadcast control channel
 CPICH: common pilot channel
 DCCH: dedicated control channel
 Ec/I0: ratio in decibels (dB) of the pilot energy accumulated over one PN chip period
(Ec) to the total power spectral density in the received bandwidth (I0)
 FDD: frequency division duplex
 Iur: logical interface for the interconnection of two radio network controller (RNC)
components of the UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) system.
 MCC: mobile country code
 MNC: mobile network code
 TDD: time division duplex
 UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
 UTRA: UMTS terrestrial radio access
 Uu: Radio interface between the UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN)
and user equipment (UE)

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 References
1. Jaana Laiho, Achim Wacker, and Tomás Novosad: “Radio Network
Planning and Optimisation for UMTS”, Wiley 2002.
2. Jens Zander and Seong-Luyn Kim: “Radio Resource Management for
Wirless Networks”, Artech House 2001.
3. Holma & Toskala: "WCDMA for UMTS, Radio Access for Third
Generation Mobile Communications", John Wiley & Sons.
4. T. Ojanpera &etc. ”wideband CDMA for Third Generation Mobile
Communications” , Artech House Publishers.
5. Gordon L. Stüber: ”Principle of Mobile Communication”, 2nd edition,
Kluwer Academic Publishers.
6. Nokia Internal training materials for CDMA/WCDMA/UMTS.

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