Product Description

_________________________________________________________________________________________
Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025
Document Issue: 01.07/ EN
Document Status: Standard
Date of Issue: 29/July/2010
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Radio Network Controller
(9370 RNC)
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
2 / 84


Copyright 2010 Alcatel-Lucent. All Rights Reserved.
About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service
providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video
communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband
networking, IP technologies, applications, and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end
solutions that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work and on
the move. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: www.alcatel-lucent.com
Notice
The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. At the time
of publication, it reflects the latest information on Alcatel-Lucents offer, however, our policy
of continuing development may result in improvement or change to the specifications
described.
Trademarks
Alcatel, Lucent, Alcatel-Lucent and the Alcatel-Lucent logo are trademarks of Alcatel-Lucent.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Alcatel-Lucent assumes no
responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein.

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
3 / 84


CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................7
1.1 OVERVIEW..................................................................................................... 7
1.2 SCOPE OF THIS DOCUMENT..................................................................................... 8
2 ALCATEL-LUCENT RNC BENEFITS...........................................................................9
2.1 MARKET LEADER MULTI-SERVICE PLATFORM..................................................................... 9
2.2 HIGHEST DENSITY.............................................................................................. 9
2.3 ONE ARCHITECTURE FOR ALL TRAFFIC PROFILES ................................................................10
2.4 HIGH SCALABILITY ............................................................................................10
2.5 MULTI-SERVICE TRANSMISSION AND IP UTRAN ................................................................11
2.6 PROVEN CARRIER GRADE ......................................................................................11
2.7 EFFICIENT RADIO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.....................................................................12
3 ARCHITECTURE .............................................................................................. 15
3.1 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION .........................................................................................15
3.2 UMTS RNC ARCHITECTURE...................................................................................16
3.2.1 RNC System Architecture ........................................................................16
3.2.2 Modules.............................................................................................17
3.2.3 RNC Software Architecture......................................................................24
3.3 TRANSPORT NODES: 7670 RSP AND 7750 SR.................................................................25
3.3.1 7670 Routing Switch Platform (RSP) ...........................................................25
3.3.2 7750 Service Router (SR).........................................................................26
3.4 RNC CAPACITY...............................................................................................27
3.4.1 RNC Capacity Metrics.............................................................................27
3.4.2 9370 RNC UA7.1.2 Capacity and Scalability ...................................................27
3.4.3 RNC Capacity Border Limits .....................................................................27
4 INTERFACES .................................................................................................. 29
4.1 UTRAN TRANSPORT ATM TO IP EVOLUTION.................................................................29
4.2 IP TRANSPORT ON IUB........................................................................................30
4.3 RNC TO CORE NETWORK (IU).................................................................................32
4.3.1 Definition ..........................................................................................32
4.3.2 Implementation ...................................................................................33
4.4 IU-PC INTERFACE.............................................................................................34
4.4.1 Definition ..........................................................................................34
4.4.2 Implementation ...................................................................................34
4.5 RNC TO NODE B (IUB) .......................................................................................37
4.5.1 Definition ..........................................................................................37
4.5.2 Implementation ...................................................................................38
4.6 RNC TO RNC (IUR)..........................................................................................38
4.6.1 Definition ..........................................................................................38
4.6.2 Implementation ...................................................................................40
4.7 IU-BC INTERFACE.............................................................................................40
4.7.1 Definition ..........................................................................................40
4.8 OMC CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS TO THE RNC....................................................................41
4.9 NATIVE INTERFACES SPECIFICATIONS ...........................................................................42
4.9.1 OC-3/STM1 .........................................................................................42
4.9.2 Gigabit Ethernet Interface ......................................................................42
Synchronization ...............................................................................................43
4.10 INTERFACE COMPLIANCE ...................................................................................44
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
4 / 84


5 RNC FUNCTIONALITY ....................................................................................... 45
5.1 RADIO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (RRM) .......................................................................45
5.1.1 Admission Control ................................................................................46
5.1.2 Congestion Control ...............................................................................47
5.1.3 Packet Switched Call Management .............................................................47
5.2 MOBILITY.....................................................................................................48
5.3 HSPA .......................................................................................................50
5.3.1 HSPA Background..................................................................................50
5.3.2 Alcatel-Lucent HSPA Implementation..........................................................50
5.3.3 Dynamic Power Control ..........................................................................51
5.3.4 Multi-carrier HSDPA Traffic Segmentation....................................................51
5.3.5 HSDPA Mobility....................................................................................51
5.3.6 Always-On on HSDPA..............................................................................52
5.3.7 Iub Bandwidth Limitation Handling ............................................................52
5.3.8 HSPA+...............................................................................................52
5.4 MBMS .......................................................................................................53
5.5 OTHER ALCATEL-LUCENT RNC FUNCTIONS ....................................................................54
5.5.1 Security Features .................................................................................54
5.5.2 Security between RNC and OMC ................................................................55
6 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE .......................................................................... 58
6.1 HARDWARE...................................................................................................58
6.1.1 Memory.............................................................................................58
6.1.2 CP4 ..................................................................................................58
6.2 HARDWARE HANDLING ........................................................................................59
6.3 SOFTWARE HANDLING.........................................................................................59
6.3.1 Software Management ...........................................................................59
6.3.2 Fault Management ................................................................................61
6.3.3 Configuration Management......................................................................62
6.3.4 Performance Management.......................................................................62
7 PROVISIONING AND ENGINEERING ........................................................................ 64
7.1 MARKET CONFIGURATIONS.....................................................................................64
7.1.1 Scalability..........................................................................................64
7.1.2 Configuration Upgrades..........................................................................64
7.2 CONNECTIVITY................................................................................................64
7.3 INSTALLATION AND COMMISSIONING ............................................................................64
7.3.1 Start-up Tool ......................................................................................64
7.3.2 Software Upgrading ..............................................................................64
8 FUTURE EVOLUTION........................................................................................ 66
8.1 CAPACITY ROADMAP ..........................................................................................66
8.2 9370 RNC WITH MCPS ......................................................................................66
8.3 COMBO GSM BSC/W-CDMA RNC ...........................................................................67
8.4 RNC USER PLANE SERVER................................................................................68
8.5 RELIABILITY ..................................................................................................69
8.5.1 Principles...........................................................................................69
8.5.2 Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) ...........................................................70
8.5.3 Maintainability ....................................................................................70
8.5.4 Overload Control..................................................................................71
8.6 REGULATORY COMPLIANCES ............................................................................72
8.6.1 Environmental Constraints ......................................................................72
8.6.2 Electromagnetic Compatibility .................................................................73
8.6.3 Safety Requirements .............................................................................73
8.6.4 RNC RoHS Compliance............................................................................73
8.7 POWER SUPPLY ...............................................................................................74
8.8 VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING ..........................................................................74
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
5 / 84


8.9 PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS ........................................................................................75
8.9.1 RNC Cabinet .......................................................................................75
8.10 OFFICE LAYOUT & FOOTPRINT.............................................................................76
8.11 RNC ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS ...................................................................76
9 APPENDICES .................................................................................................. 78
9.1 APPENDIX A: REFERENCES.....................................................................................78
9.2 APPENDIX B: REGULATORY STANDARDS ........................................................................79
9.3 APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY OF TERMS.............................................................................81
9.3.1 Acronyms ...........................................................................................81
9.3.2 Glossary ............................................................................................84

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
6 / 84


LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 UTRAN High-Level Architecture ....................................................................................................... 8
Figure 2 - Packet Server Physical view........................................................................................................... 10
Figure 3 9370 RNC Availability ......................................................................................................................... 11
Figure 4 Alcatel-Lucent 9370 UMTS RNC Cabinet View............................................................................. 15
Figure 5 9370 RNC Architecture .................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 5 Dual Core Packet Server FP Module .............................................................................................. 19
Figure 6 - 16p OC3/STM1 Card......................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 7 - 4pt Gigabit Ethernet Module .......................................................................................................... 21
Figure 8 - Fabric Module.................................................................................................................................... 22
Figure 9 Processor Role Assignment in the 9370 RNC (10 DCPS Hybrid ATM/IP Configuration).......... 25
Figure 10 - Alcatel-Lucent RNC ATM Transport ............................................................................................. 29
Figure 11 - Alcatel-Lucent RNC Seamless Evolution to IP Transport.......................................................... 30
Figure 12 - Alcatel-Lucent RNC Native IP IuB ................................................................................................ 30
Figure 13 - Iu-CS Protocol Stacks ATM and IP.............................................................................................. 32
Figure 14 - Iu-PS Protocol Stacks ATM and IP.............................................................................................. 33
Figure 15 - Iu-PC Protocol Stack ...................................................................................................................... 36
Figure 16 - Iub Protocol Stack ATM............................................................................................................... 37
Figure 17 IuB protocol stack IP ................................................................................................................... 37
Figure 18 IuR Protocol Stack ATM............................................................................................................... 39
Figure 19 - IuR Protocol Stack IP................................................................................................................... 39
Figure 20 Iu-BC Interface Protocol Structure Towards Broadcast Domain............................................. 40
Figure 21 Cell Broadcast Centre Basic Network Structure........................................................................ 41
Figure 22 - OMC Connectivity (In-Band and Out-of-Band) ........................................................................... 41
Figure 23 Admission Control .......................................................................................................................... 46
Figure 24 - Radius and IPsec security to OMC and RNC................................................................................ 56
Figure 25 - Alcatel-Lucent RNC Capacity Roadmap ...................................................................................... 66
Figure 26 RNC User Plane Server ..................................................................................................................... 68
Figure 27 - Cooling Unit..................................................................................................................................... 74
Figure 28 - RNC Rear View................................................................................................................................ 75
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 9370 RNC Scalability with UA06 Software and CP4...................................................................... 27
Table 2 9370 RNC Scalability with UA07 Software and CP4........................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Table 3 - RNC Module MTBF.............................................................................................................................. 70
Table 4 - Environmental Conditions ................................................................................................................ 73
Table 5 - RNC Cabinet Dimensions................................................................................................................... 75
Table 6 - RNC Environmental Characteristics ................................................................................................ 76

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
7 / 84


1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview
The Radio Network Controller (RNC) is a pivotal element in the success of any UMTS
Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) deployment. As such, it is imperative that deployed
RNCs have the ability to scale efficiently and to cater for flexible deployment scenarios. It is
also essential that the RNC possess the capability to improve performance over time, given
the likely exponential growth of wireless data. This performance improvement must be
achieved by applying upgrades that do not interrupt service.
This document provides a description of the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS 9370 Radio Network
Controller (9370 RNC) and its hardware evolution. Its main evolution option doubles RNC's
capacity whilst still only using half of a single cabinet, thus producing the highest density and
capacity RNC on the market.
The 9370 RNC is compliant to the European Union Environmental Directive on the Restriction
of Hazardous Substances (RoHS -2002/95/EC/Article 4). RoHS compliancy is only compulsory
for newly deployed systems (it is not applicable to systems that are already installed).
Alcatel-Lucent's UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) equipment comprises the
Alcatel-Lucent UMTS Node B Family, the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS 9370 RNC and also uses key
elements from Alcatel-Lucents market-leading portfolio of IP products including the 7670,
7750 SR and 7705 SAR IP and ATM multi-service network equipment. Figure 1 illustrates the
position of the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC and the standardized interfaces in the UMTS
network. The RNC acts as the gateway into the Radio Access Network (RAN) with direct
connection to the Alcatel-Lucent 9353 WMS (Wireless Management System) to ensure
continuity of service hence maximizing revenue generation.
For further information about any Alcatel-Lucent products please refer to your local Alcatel-
Lucent representative.

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
8 / 84


Iu-cs
Iu-ps
UTRAN
OMC
Itf-B
Itf-R
RNC
Iur
RNC
Iub
Node B
Iu-ps
Iu-cs
Uu
UE
Iub
Node B
Iub
Node B
Iub
Node B
Uu
UE UE
Uu
UE
Uu
CORE NETWORK
Packet/Circuit Switched

Figure 1 UTRAN High-Level Architecture
1.2 Scope of This Document
This document gives customers an overview of the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS 9370 RNC product and
its HW evolutions.
Although this document provides information on Alcatel-Lucent RNC functions, it cannot be
considered as a detailed feature list or a Plan of Record (PoR). This information is provided in
dedicated documents on a per software release basis (e.g. UA05 Feature Planning Guide).
A lot of the terms used in this document refer to definitions of the 3GPP standards. Any time
an Alcatel-Lucent specific term is used, it is explicitly elaborated.
This document is updated regularly under change control. The basis for this document is the
UA07 software release.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
9 / 84


2 ALCATEL-LUCENT RNC BENEFITS
The Alcatel-Lucent 9370 RNC product cements Alcatel-Lucents leadership in the RNC product
market for UMTS. The 9370 RNC is the highest density, smallest footprint and simplest to
operate RNC product in the market place. It is also compliant to the European Union
Environmental Directive on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS -
2002/95/EC/Article 4).
2.1 Market Leader Multi-Service Platform
As the number of UMTS subscribers grow and services become more complex, it is important
for operators to protect their initial investment. The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC delivers
investment protection by using the flag-ship multi-service data platform MSS. The MSS
platform leverages best-in-class industry technology to evolve the following three dimensions:
external interface cards; internal switching fabric; and processing speeds. Providing a proven
packet multi-service platform as part of the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC proves that all of the
related transmission features will be in place and operational from day one. These features
are already operating and running worldwide on the MSS platform. MSS can scale from 40
Gbit/s to 56 Gbps non-blocking internal switching fabric. In addition to over 1000 mature ATM
and IP features on MSS, the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC supports an open architecture
integrating leading edge processors to deliver high-speed high-touch bearer services. This is
indeed the case with the Dual Core Packet Server(DSCP), which uses cutting edge computing
8641D dual core processors to provide unsurpassed processing power.
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC increases operators profit margins by increasing revenue along
with decreasing both Operational Expenses (OPEX) and Capital Expenses (CAPEX).
2.2 Highest Density
With up to 2.9 Gbps(1 shelf) or 5.8 Gbps (2 shelves) on IuB interface at application layer for a
HSPA+ traffic profile (see [1] for call profile details) and an evolution path for smooth
capacity upgrade, Alcatel-Lucent supports the highest capacity available using half of a single
cabinet. This capacity leadership translates into the following key value-adds:
A reduced number of RNCs, which will lower the overall initial CAPEX and lower OPEX
A reduced number of inter-RNC handovers that will translate into optimal usage of
network resources across the access network and the core network, to support more
subscribers and subsequently increase revenue
A reduced footprint because fewer RNCs are required. This will lower CAPEX
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC is based on off-the-shelf processing technology.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
10 / 84


2.3 One Architecture for all Traffic Profiles
In the Control Plane as well as in the User Plane, only one kind of processor module (Dual Core
Packet Server FP) deals with either voice traffic, and/or data traffic. The Dual Core Packet
Server FP performs RLC, MAC, AAL2 conversion, Iu, Iur and Iub User Plane protocols, plus all
the Control Plane functions. Figure 2X provides a view of the PS.
This results in a large capacity gain when compared to a solution where each board is
dedicated to a particular task: the available CPU power will be dynamically allocated to the
specific tasks (either AAL2 or RLC/MAC or Macro Diversity, Radio Resource Management,
etc), and not statically to the tasks that network engineers have foreseen at network
deployment time. It also allows the RNC to seamlessly handle changes in traffic profiles as
compared to ASICs dedicated to particular tasks. The general purpose PS enables Alcatel-
Lucent to introduce HSPA, HSPA and MBMS support on the same platform through a software
upgrade. In addition, Alcatel-Lucent is introduced a next generation Dual Core Packet Server
(DCPS) that can significantly increase 9370 RNC processing capacity.
Furthermore, such a flexible architecture reduces OPEX, since there are a small number of
module types to keep for maintenance purposes.

Figure 2 - Packet Server Physical view
2.4 High Scalability
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC allows scalable growth from a minimum configuration at
network launch to full capacity configuration through software upgrades and interface board
additions.
Increasing the RNCs capacity is extremely easy and flexible for an operator.
A multitude of interfaces are provided, allowing connectivity at E1/T1, STM-1 Channelized
electrical and/or optical interfaces in the 7670 RSP and 7750 SR Transport Nodes, providing
scalability, investment protection and a future evolution path. Additional modules can be
added to the Transport Nodes without affecting service.
Increased traffic processing (Erlangs, Subscribers, Mbps throughput) only requires the addition
of Packet Servers (PS).
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
11 / 84


In the UA08 release, Alcatel-Lucent introduces the MCPS which will double 9370 RNC capacity,
providing up to 48K Erlangs in a fully populated cabinet comprising two single shelf RNCs.
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC provides a smooth upgrade path which allows operators to
optimize their investment: the high scalability of the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC maps to the
subscriber growth in the network.
2.5 Multi-Service Transmission and IP UTRAN
Alcatel-Lucent supports a variety of transmission interfaces and can therefore be included in
many types of transmission networks, thanks to the high flexibility of connectivity boards in
the 7670 and 7750 Alcatel-Lucent portfolios.
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC is future proof by being IP ready from DAY ONE. Within the
RNC, UMTS application layers (including radio) are independent of the lower layers (transport
layers). An IP deployment is then an operators decision driven by business requirements and
not based on vendor technology availability.
With the Alcatel-Lucent solution, migration to all IP UTRAN can be achieved through software
upgrade and the insertion of redundant Gigabit Ethernet interface cards. The 7670 RSP, 7750
SR and the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC (based on the MSS15K platform) are multi-service
platforms that already support IP.
Alcatel-Lucent supports an ALL IP UTRAN (Iu, IuR and IuB) in UA07.1.
2.6 Proven Carrier Grade
Alcatel-Lucent has a history of delivering highly available, carrier grade and fault redundant
products. The 9370 RNC is the most reliable RNC on the market. Field measurements indicate
that the 9370 RNC has been operating at > 99.999% availability with every software release
since UA4.2. Actual 9370 Availability has consistently beat Alcatel-Lucent predictions as
shown in Figure 3.
M
i
n
u
t
e
s

o
f

d
o
w
n
t
i
m
e
/
s
y
s
/
y
e
a
r
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
UA4.0 UA4.1 UA4.2 UA5.X UA6.0 UA7.0
RNC DPM
(min/Year)
Measured
RNC DPM
(min/Year)
Prediction
Measured >99.999%
in UA4.2
M
i
n
u
t
e
s

o
f

d
o
w
n
t
i
m
e
/
s
y
s
/
y
e
a
r
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
UA4.0 UA4.1 UA4.2 UA5.X UA6.0 UA7.0
RNC DPM
(min/Year)
Measured
RNC DPM
(min/Year)
Prediction
Measured >99.999%
in UA4.2

Figure 3 9370 RNC Availability

This performance is demonstrated on a large installed base running high traffic levels:
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
12 / 84


Over 1400 RNCs shipped
100% of installed RNCs are running HSPA
Average of 170 GBytes of HSPA data per day
The 9370 RNCs best in class reliability is achieved thanks to Alcatel-Lucents rigorous carrier
grade development program which makes availability a focus at all stages of development
from requirements definition through to system level test.
The carrier grade features of the 9375 RNC include:
Minimize frequency and impact of unscheduled outages:
RNC availability is >99.999% available or 5.25 mins downtime per RNC/year
Minimize outages associated with scheduled maintenance procedures:
Provide a hitless (zero outage) patching capability to apply minor bug fixes
RNC major SW Upgrades involve an outage of < 9 mins
RNC intra release SW Upgrades involve an outage of < 7 mins
All critical processors in the RNC are 1+1 spared
If the active processor is taken out of service for any reason (e.g. fault or
maintenance action) there will be no disruption in RNC service
All traffic carrying processors in the RNC are N+P spared using load-balancing (all
traffic carrying processors are active and when one fails the traffic is re-distributed
across the remaining processors)
- The Alcatel-Lucent RNC does not support 1+1 sparing of the traffic carrying
processors as this would significantly increase system cost and lower the capacity of
the RNC
- Reducing outages (scheduled and unscheduled events) release over release
eliminates the need for a 1+1 sparing model for traffic


2.7 Efficient Radio Resource Management
The Alcatel-Lucent Radio Resource Management (RRM) is an essential piece of the UMTS RNC
software that controls the allocation and maintenance of the radio resources during a
communication. Efficient radio resource allocation and management is required to guarantee
QoS (Quality of Service) at maximum capacity.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
13 / 84


The main functions related to Alcatel-Lucent's RRM solution are:
Admission Control
The purpose of Admission Control is to admit or deny new users. Alcatel-Lucent's admission
control mechanism consists of two steps and is described in [2]:
RAB Matching Performs the mapping of the requested RAB onto one of the supported
Radio Bearer (RB) configurations. This step includes a RAB to RB mapping table which
provides a mechanism to admit a RAB at a rate lower than the requested Maximum Bit
Rate (MBR) according to the cell load and user priority. This function, called intelligent
RAB Mapping (iRM), only applies to RABs with an Interactive or Background Traffic
Class (TC).
Call Admission Control (CAC) Located in the CRNC, it is the function responsible for
deciding whether a request to establish a RAB can be admitted in the UTRAN or not
based on the available resources. Radio CAC is based on power and OVSF codes in the
downlink (DL)and on interference in the uplink (UL) (note that other CAC decisions are
performed at transport and node level i.e. Node B and RNC). CAC is applied:
At initial admission
On RB reconfiguration: RB bit rate downgrading/upgrading, CELL_FACH to
CELL_DCH transition, etc
On mobility: SHO, Inter-frequency HHO & 2G to 3G HHO
The Alcatel-Lucent RNC supports AAL2 CAC i.e. admission control and reservation at
the AAL2 channel level as part of establishing new connections.
Congestion Control
The task of congestion control is to monitor, detect and handle situations when the system is
reaching an overload situation with users that are already connected.
Alcatel-Lucent's congestion control provides two ways to fight against overload:
Preventive actions to avoid overload, using iRM
If overload happens, congestion handling mechanisms bring the system back to normal
load, this is achieved by the iRM pre-emption feature, described in [3]
Note: Congestion Control is not the same as Overload Control (please refer to section 8.5.4).
Power Control
This group of functions controls the level of transmitted power in order to minimize
interference and maintain the quality of the connections. Alcatel-Lucent supports:
DL and UL Outer Loop Power Control
DL and UL Inner Loop Power Control and DL power balancing
UL Open Loop Power Control
Alcatel-Lucent Power control features are described in [5].
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
14 / 84


Radio Measurements
This function performs measurements on radio channels (located in UE and UTRAN). The
UTRAN processes these measurements and uses them for RRM.
In addition to these functions, Alcatel-Lucent's RRM solution also provides a set of
sophisticated features allowing an operator to make the best use of his radio resources such
as:
Switching from CELL_DCH to CELL_FACH and further to CELL_PCH/URA_PCH (and vice
versa) based on user activity (Always-On feature), described in [4]
RB bit rate downgrading and upgrading based on radio conditions (iRM Scheduling
feature), described in [2]
Adapt the RB to the application data rate (RB Rate Adaptation Feature), described in
[4]
UA05 is a major content release. A detailed description of the new features introduced in that
release can be found in the UMTS 5.0 Access Network Feature Planning Guide.
HSPA Supported
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC and the entire Node B portfolio support HSPA (both DL and UL)
from day one i.e. it is possible to support HSPA technology in Alcatel-Lucents UTRAN solution
with a software upgrade only (assuming the presence of an iCEM on the Node B). Alcatel-
Lucent introduced HSDPA in the UA04.2 software release and HSUPA/E-DCH in UA05. For a
detailed description of Alcatel-Lucents HSPA solution please refer to [6] and [18].
HSPA+ Supported
The Alcatel-Lucent UTRAN supports HSPA+ services starting in UA07 to allow support of
category 12 and 14 terminals. HSPA+ services are supported in the RNC with a software
upgrade only
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
15 / 84


3 ARCHITECTURE
3.1 System Description
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC is based
on a single shelf and single platform
occupying the lower part of the
cabinet: The RNC platform leverages
best-in-class industry technology,
allowing the UMTS RNC an easy
evolution with the upgrade of the
Packet Server module. The upper
shelf can be populated with a second
UMTS RNC, further increasing
performance per footprint. Above and
beyond taking advantage of over 1000
mature ATM and IP features on MSS,
the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC
transparently incorporates leading
edge processor modules to deliver
high-speed, high-touch bearer
services as well as support of control
plane functionalities and Radio
Resource Management.


Figure 4 Alcatel-Lucent 9370 UMTS RNC Cabinet View
The Alcatel-Lucent 9370 RNC provides many connectivity options:
OC3 or STM1 clear channel
E1 or T1 connectivity *
STM1 or OC3 Channelized electrical or optical *
Gigabit Ethernet
Fast Ethernet *
OC12 *
PoS interface *
Note (*): Using optional 7750 SR, 7670 RSP or 7670 ESE Transport Nodes
Expansion Space
for 2
nd
UMTS RNC
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
16 / 84


3.2 UMTS RNC Architecture
The Alcatel-Lucent RNC is responsible for UMTS call and signalling processing along with the
integrated access network OA&M. It also provides layer 2 radio protocol processing as well as
all external interfaces.
The Alcatel-Lucent RNC is based on the Multi-service Switch 15000 system which supports IP,
ATM and voice services. The mapping of the RNC functions, to the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC
are:
The RNC is contained within a single shelf, which includes the Control Plane, User
Plane, Interfaces and OAM systems
All of the external physical interfaces of the RNC are implemented on the same shelf
(IuCS, IuPS, IuPC, IuBC, IuR, and IuB)
The packet distribution function is implemented via HW segmentation/reassembly
functions on each card that enable packets to be effectively transported transparently
across the Multiservice switching fabric
Both User Plane functions and Control Plane functions are implemented by the Dual
Core Packet Server (DCPS) modules
The Iub physical interface terminates in the RNCs 16pOC-3/STM-1 module for ATM and
4ptGigE module for IP. The RNC can support the Iub with direct ATM SPVC and PVC in Clear
Channel OC-3/STM-1 &/or IP Gigabit Ethernet interfaces.
All common equipment is fully duplicated and protected, with continuous in-service and out-
of-service fault detection.
3.2.1 RNC System Architecture
The entire Alcatel-Lucent RNC architecture is based on the Packet Server. The PS makes use
of off-the-shelf commercial standard compliant processors i.e. PCI mezzanine cards (PMCs).
Figure 4X describes the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC system architecture.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
17 / 84



Figure 5 9370 RNC Architecture
3.2.2 Modules
The Alcatel-Lucent RNC is based on a Multi-Service platform, composed of redundant 56.3
Gbps switch fabrics interconnecting 14 functional processors (FPs) and a redundant pair of
control processors (CPs). Each FP and CP is connected to each of the switch fabrics via 3.52
Gbps link. The following sections describe all the RNC HW Modules for the 9370 RNC.
3.2.2.1 Control Processor (CP4)
The Control Processor manages all MSS resources, interfaces with the MDM/MDP management
system and contains a local disk for loads and logs.
It is responsible for the following functions:
Control of base RNC functions such as loading, fault detection and sparing
Disk management (20 Gbytes disks minimum)
Ethernet access to MDM/MDP via TCP/IP for Out of band OAM connectivity
IP routing function for IuPS and OMC-B/Node Bs links
The CP4 is introduced in UA6.0 and replaces the CP3. CP4 provides the following benefits:
Highest capacity RNC in the market (with DCPS)
Improved reliability compared to CP3
Higher-reliability 5400 RPM 20G IDE disk drive
ECC detection and correction on CP4 main memory
IP &/or ATM
Iub, Iur, Iu
CP4
CP4
CP4
CP4
Fabric
Fabric
Fabric
Fabric
Network Management
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
Master
Master
Master
Master
OMU
OMU
OMU
OMU
NI
NI
NI
NI
. . .
RAB
RAB
RAB
RAB
RAB
RAB . . .
TMU
TMU
TMU
TMU
TMU
TMU
. . .
Upto 12
Upto 40
Upto 14
DCPS Functions (Logical view)
2 per RNC
2 per RNC
2 per RNC
IP
4pt
GigE
4pt
GigE
4pt
GigE
4pt
GigE
DCPS
16pt
STM1
16pt
STM1
16pt
STM1
16pt
STM1
IP &/or ATM
Iub, Iur, Iu
CP4
CP4
CP4
CP4
Fabric
Fabric
Fabric
Fabric
Network Management
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
Master
Master
Master
Master
OMU
OMU
OMU
OMU
NI
NI
NI
NI
. . .
RAB
RAB
RAB
RAB
RAB
RAB . . .
TMU
TMU
TMU
TMU
TMU
TMU
. . .
Upto 12
Upto 40
Upto 14
DCPS Functions (Logical view)
2 per RNC
2 per RNC
2 per RNC
IP
4pt
GigE
4pt
GigE
4pt
GigE
4pt
GigE
DCPS
16pt
STM1
16pt
STM1
16pt
STM1
16pt
STM1
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
18 / 84


Enable memory parity checking on EMEM
Improved performance
5400 RPM 20G IDE disk (vs. 4200 in CP3), 8 M cache
Faster seeks (10 ms vs. 12 ms) and latency (4 ms vs. 7 ms with CP3)
Improved memory technology - DDR memory supporting DMA bursts at 266 MHz
Up to 2G memory (256 M with CP3)
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
19 / 84



3.2.2.2 Dual Core Packet Server (DCPS)
The Dual Core Packet Server FP is responsible for all main RNC functions, namely:
Supporting Radio Resource Management
Performance, Configuration and Fault Management
Call processing, Cell and Node B Management
Call Trace Management
Overload controls and load balancing of Control Plane resources
Terminating Radio network interface protocols i.e. RANAP, RNSAP, NBAP
High-touch Bearer processing (for example RLC/MAC Ciphering and Integrity)
Radio protocol handling (MAC, RLC and PDCP)
Interface bearer protocols
Macro-Diversity Handover (frame selection, buffering, synchronization,
combining/splitting)
The DCPS uses three Dual-Core 1.3 GHz 8641D PowerPC processors with a total of six PowerPC
CPU cores with 512 MB per core. The DCPS supports a faster serial rapid IO bus and IP Packet
handling (PQC12). Furthermore, the DCPS is DMA capable and its robustness is improved with
Serial Rapid IO.
The Dual Core Packet Server is provisioned in load sharing redundancy scheme. The load is
shared between the processor cores with an engineering margin i.e. if one PS fails then the
other PSs take over processing.

Figure 6 Dual Core Packet Server FP Module
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
20 / 84



3.2.2.3 OC3 / STM1 FP
The 16 Port OC-3/STM-1 FP (PQC and MS3 variants available) is a standard MSS 15000 FP which
implements all of the Alcatel-Lucent RNC physical interfaces. The connections created on it
are standard ATM PVCs or SPVC with AAL2 and AAL5 (IP) traffic including OAM flow.
The OC3/STM1 FP has 16 ports and is available in single and multi-mode (multi-mode available
optionally with the MS3 variant). This FP contains 16 OC-3/STM-1 duplex fibre optic
transceivers and supports either one user-network interface (UNI) or one ATM network-
network interface (NNI) for each port. The FP can operate from either side of the
user/network boundary.
Each OC-3/STM-1 ATM port supports a line rate of 155.52Mbit/s that operates in B-ISDN mode.
The OC3 FP runs on Motorola Power PC 750 processors at 233 MHz and with 128 MB of RAM.
It is provisioned in a 1+1 redundancy scheme and supports Automatic Protection Switching and
as such is able to recover from board failure within 50 ms.

Figure 7 - 16p OC3/STM1 Card
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
21 / 84


3.2.2.4 4-port Gigabit Ethernet FP
The 4-port Gigabit Ethernet (4pGe) FP provides four full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet ports (via SFP
module sockets that support either optical or electrical SFP modules). Separately ordered
small form-factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceiver modules are required to provide optical
signal reception and transmission. For a port on the 4pGe card to be operational, the SFP
socket must be equipped with the appropriate SFP module. The software name (card type) of
the NTHW49 is 4pGe.
Operators wishing to deploy the Alcatel-Lucent RNC in an IP UTRAN simply add 1+1 4ptGigE
cards to the system. If operators want to continue to support ATM on some Iu interfaces e.g.
Iub, then they maintain the 16pOC3 1+1 cards in addition. As there are 16 slots on the RNC
shelf this means that a maximum of 10 PSs can be supported when both OC3 and GigE are
used.

Figure 8 - 4pt Gigabit Ethernet Module
3.2.2.5 MSS15K Fabric
The two MSS15K fabric cards provide high-speed serial links between the processor cards
(Control Processor and Function Processor) of the switch.
Key Fabric attributes:
MSS 15000 has two 56.3 Gbit/s redundant switching fabric cards. Each non-blocking
fabric card interconnects the processor cards in a full mesh network configuration.
Sixteen 3.52 Gbit/s bi-directional serial links connect each fabric card to the sixteen
CP and FP cards of the shelf.
Cell switching is connectionless and self-routing cells to be switched by the fabric
contain QoS and routing tags. The fabric switches cells based on these tags.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
22 / 84


With a disabled fabric, the node is in single-fabric (still 56 Gbps capacity) mode and all
processor card cells run on the enabled fabric. MSS 15000 automatically switches between
single and dual-fabric mode depending on the state of the individual fabrics.


Figure 9 - Fabric Module
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
23 / 84


3.2.2.6 Breaker Interface Panel
The Breaker Interface Panel (BIP) provides a central location where redundant DC power feeds
(nominal -48/-60 V) of up to 100A are connected to the switch and routed to up to four
breaker modules.
Power is distributed from these breaker modules to the shelves and cooling units.
The RNC supports the use of either a two- (single shelf) or a four-breaker (dual shelf) BIP.
The BIP also contains an alarm unit, which monitors system components and generates alarm
indications.
The BIP provides A and B redundant power supplies to each 9370 RNC shelf. Both A and B
distribute power to the shelf via 4 x 25 amp breakers plus 1 x 5 amp for the cooling unit.

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
24 / 84


3.2.3 RNC Software Architecture
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC software architecture has been designed to provide high
performance, scalability, and robustness. The architecture is aligned with 3GPP standards
objectives of separating control and user plane functionality.
The Processor Cores on the Dual Core Packet Server cards run a well defined set of software
components (see Figure 10). The software running on each core is indicated by its role. The
processor roles supported by the 9370 RNC are the following:
Master: there are two PMC-M per RNC. It is used for the management of all the other
Application Processors. It contains the Resource and Transport managers. PMC-Ms are 1+1
spared i.e. 1 active and 1 standby per RNC and must be on separate PSs.
Protocol Converter (PC): there is one per PSFP, with a maximum of 12 per RNC. The
functionalities handled by the PC are AAL2 and Segmentation and reassembly (SAR) functions
to do IP/AAL5 conversions and vice versa. PCs are shared N+1.
Radio Access Bearers (RAB): up to 40 per RNC. The functionalities handled by PMC-RAB are
high-touch bearer processing, Radio Protocol Handling (MAC, RLC...), Interface bearer, Macro
Diversity Handover. PMC-RABs work in load sharing redundancy.
Network Interface (NI): there are two NI per RNC. PMC-NI hosts the functionality of the
MTP3b and SCCP layers of the SS7 stack. PMC-NIs is 1+1 spared i.e. 1 active and 1 standby per
RNC and must be on separate PSs.
Traffic management units (TMU): Up to 14 per RNC. This TMU terminates Radio network
interface protocols i.e. RANAP, RNSAP and NBAP. It also supports Radio Resource Management
functionalities. TMUs are shared N+P.
OAM Management Units (OMU): there are two OMU per RNC. It manages Control Plane
functions on 9370 RNC (equivalent to Master of user plane), like Performance, Configuration
and Fault management, Call Trace management, Overload Controls and load balancing of
Control Plane resources, Radio Network Subsystem OAM&P. OMUs are 1+1 spared i.e. 1 active
and 1 standby per RNC and must be on separate PSs.
Application role assignment is deterministic in the 9370 RNC as shown in Figure 10. The Dual
Core Packet Server cards in slots 14 and 15 can be replaced by 4 port Gigabit Ethernet cards if
IP interfaces are required.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
25 / 84


TMUTMUTMUTMU TMU TMU
TMUTMUTMUTMU TMU TMU
PC PC PC PC PC PC
PC PC PC PC PC PC
RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB
RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB
RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB
NI NI RABRAB RAB RAB
Master RAB RAB Master RAB RAB
OMUOMU RAB RAB RAB RAB
RAB RAB RAB RAB TMU TMU
RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB
C
P
4
C
P
4
O
C
-
3

/

S
T
M
-
1
O
C
-
3

/

S
T
M
-
1
TMUTMUTMUTMU TMU TMU TMUTMUTMUTMU TMU TMU
TMUTMUTMUTMU TMU TMU TMUTMUTMUTMU TMU TMU
PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC
PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC
RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB
RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB
RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB
NI NI RABRAB RAB RAB NI NI RABRAB RAB RAB
Master RAB RAB Master RAB RAB Master RAB RAB Master RAB RAB
OMUOMU RAB RAB RAB RAB OMUOMU RAB RAB RAB RAB
RAB RAB RAB RAB TMU TMU
RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB RAB RABRAB RAB RAB RAB
C
P
4
C
P
4
O
C
-
3

/

S
T
M
-
1
O
C
-
3

/

S
T
M
-
1

Figure 10 Processor Role Assignment in the 9370 RNC (10 DCPS Hybrid ATM/IP Configuration)
3.3 Transport Nodes: 7670 RSP and 7750 SR
7670 RSP and 7750 SR transport nodes are optional and allow RNC traffic to scale
independently of connectivity: they are used to provide additional connectivity options in
addition to OC3 / STM1 and Gigabit Ethernet. The 7670 RSP is a medium/large RNC transport
node primarily used for RNC aggregation i.e. N:1 (RNC:RSP). The 7750 SR is a carrier grade
multi-service IP/MPLS router. following sections describe the 7670 RSP and 7750 SR equipment
in more detail.
3.3.1 7670 Routing Switch Platform (RSP)
The Alcatel-Lucent 7670 Routing Switch Platform (RSP) is a highly scalable and configurable
switching and routing platform designed to provide carriers with the utmost flexibility to
increase revenue generating opportunities. Optimized for the next generation multi-service
Internet Protocol (IP) network, the Alcatel-Lucent 7670 RSP delivers new VoIP, IP VPN and
multimedia services as well as existing data services and service level agreements.
This multi-service IP platform delivers multiple Layer 3 and Layer 2 services reliably and
concurrently. Any service can be provided, using IP, MPLS, ATM, time division multiplexing
(TDM), frame relay, Gigabit Ethernet (GigE), 10/100 Ethernet, and packet over SONET (POS).
By allowing service providers to harmoniously mix new and traditional services on their
existing infrastructure, they can protect established, high revenue services and role out new
services quickly, throughout the entire serving area.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
26 / 84


Currently in the Alcatel-Lucent UTRAN portfolio the following interfaces are deployed:
8p OC3/STM1oCh
8p STM1eCh
2p OC12oCh
16p OC3/STM1c
16p OC3/STM1oPOS
3.3.2 7750 Service Router (SR)
The 7750 SR is a multi-service edge router, optimized for the delivery of high performance
data, voice and video services, the 7750 is available in three chassis sizes (1-slot, 7-slot and
12-slot) all offering a wide range of interfaces with unmatched density and service
performance.
The choice of interfaces offered on the 7750 SR through its cards, MDAs and small-form
pluggable modules allow for great flexibility and can adapt to any mobile networking
requirement. On the other hand, the capacity and port density of the 7750 SR allow for
scalability which is critical for mobile network environments.
Unique platform resiliency and high availability feature enable robust network architectures
that increase overall service availability to > 99.999%.
Currently, in Alcatel-Lucent UTRAN portfolio, the following interfaces are deployed:
60 port 10/100 Base T (Copper)
10 port Gigabit Ethernet
20 port Gigabit Ethernet
20 port 10/100/1000 Base T (copper)
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
27 / 84


3.4 RNC Capacity
The objective of this section is to provide the reader with basic information on the capacity of
the Alcatel-Lucent UMTS 9370 RNC, focusing on key elements allowing, for instance, to
compare the performance of RNCs from different suppliers. The information provided here is
for information purposes only. Please refer to the Alcatel-Lucent RNC Capacity Roadmap [1]
for official capacity commitments and call profile details.
3.4.1 RNC Capacity Metrics
The RNC capacity is defined in three dimensions:
traffic
coverage
connectivity
These dimensions are independent, thus the RNC capacity is determined by the most
constraining limit. A definition of the metrics and call profile(s) Alcatel-Lucent uses to provide
capacity commitments are provided in the RNC Capacity Roadmap [1].
3.4.2 9370 RNC UA7.1.2 Capacity and Scalability
The Alcatel-Lucent RNC is a very scalable platform, and can be configured to meet different
network capacity needs, as shown in Table 1.
9370 RNC Market Models

4 DCPS 6 DCPS 8 DCPS 10 DCPS 12 DCPS
Node B
600 1000 1400 2000 2400
Cells
600 1000 1400 2000 2400
Speech (Erlangs)
2940 4800 7200 9900 12000
HSPA+ (IuB Mbit/s)
402 672 985 1344 1472
Table 1 9370 RNC Scalability with UA07.1.2 Software and CP4
3.4.3 RNC Capacity Border Limits
Border limits define the maximum operating range of the RNC for a given release i.e. the
maximum capacity figures that cannot be exceeded irrespective of call profile.
The following border limits exist on the RNC:
310 Mbps Iu DL throughput on the current 16pOC3/STM1 (PQC based) Card
A new version of the 16pOC3/STM1 (MS3 based) is being introduced in UA05 that
supports line rate (up to 2.5Gbps) IP forwarding
CELL_PCH and URA_PCH RRC context states are introduced.
A fully configured UA07 9370 RNC with DCPS can support:
- Max number of CS RRC contexts: 14520
- Max number of PS (DCH+FACH) RRC contexts: 17280
- Max number of FACH RRC contexts: 14040
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
28 / 84


- Max number of CELL_PCH RRC Contexts: 14040
- Max number of total CELL_PCH and URA_PCH RRC contexts: 64080

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
29 / 84


4 INTERFACES
The Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC provides standard defined interfaces towards core networks
(Iu), Node Bs (IuB) and other RNCs (IuR). It also provides an interface to the OMC-R network
management subsystem, along with optional transport facilities to carry OMC-B signalling
between Node Bs and OMC-B. All interfaces are supported over both ATM and IP.
4.1 UTRAN Transport ATM to IP Evolution
Alcatel-Lucent UTRAN and 3GPP transport over ATM is based on a feature rich ATM
implementation. The RNC supports multiple ATM service categories on each interface (Iu, Iur
and Iub). Operators who deploy Alcatel-Lucents UTRAN solution do not have to overbook
scare Iub resources (T1/E1s). Furthermore, Alcatel-Lucent supports Soft PVCs on each Iu, IuB
and IuR interface which provides path redundancy i.e. if a path fails, PNNI will re-route traffic
on a separate S-PVC.

Figure 11 - Alcatel-Lucent RNC ATM Transport
A seamless transition from ATM to IP UTRAN transport is supported through a software
upgrade and the addition of new Gigabit Ethernet interface cards. The Alcatel-Lucent RNC can
simultaneously support IP and ATM interfaces, essential as operators upgrade from ATM Node
Bs to IP Node Bs. Also, operators may wish to keep Node Bs with E1/T1 connectivity over ATM
as Alcatel-Lucents ATM implementation provides the most efficient usage of scarce
bandwidth.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
30 / 84



Figure 12 - Alcatel-Lucent RNC Seamless Evolution to IP Transport
4.2 IP Transport on IuB
In addition to ATM, the Alcatel-Lucent RNC supports IP transport on the IuB interface. This is a
key step towards a full IP-RAN network providing OPEX and CAPEX savings to UMTS operators.
Support for a native IP IuB interface (3GPP compliant IP User and Control plane stacks) is
introduced for IP Node Bs (Figure 13).
A native IP IuB interface is introduced through a software upgrade and the addition of two
4ptGigE Cards on the RNC. No forklift is required and the existing STM1 cards can be used for
any interfaces that remain on ATM transport.
Node B
IP Network IP Network IP Network IP Network
GigE
Ethernet
x
C
C
M
SGW
Node B
IP Network IP Network IP Network IP Network
GigE
Ethernet
x
C
C
M
SGW

Figure 13 - Alcatel-Lucent RNC Native IP IuB
The introduction of the native IP IuB Interface does not modify the existing RNC carrier grade
mechanisms e.g. 1+1 on critical processors and N+P on traffic processors, continue to function
as is.
Hybrid
MacroBTS
ATM
Transport
Networks
ATM
Transport
Networks
ATM
Transport
ATM
Transport
IP Transport
IP Transport
9370 RNC
IuB
IuCS, IuR, IuPS
ATM
MacroBTS
IP
Transport
Networks
IP
Transport
Networks
CS Core
Network
Elements
PS Core
Network
Elements
IP Virtual Router
Traffic Separation
VLAN
GE
VLAN
GE
Hybrid
MacroBTS
Hybrid
MacroBTS
RNCs
ATM
Transport
Networks
ATM
Transport
Networks
ATM
Transport
ATM
Transport
IP Transport
IP Transport
IuB
IuCS, IuR, IuPS
ATM
MacroBTS
ATM
MacroBTS
All traffic on ATM
HSPA on IP
R99 & optionally HSPA
IP
Transport
Networks
IP
Transport
Network
CS Core
Network
Elements
PS Core
Network
Elements
IP Virtual Router
Traffic Separation
VLAN
GE
VLAN
GE
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
31 / 84


The Alcatel-Lucent RNC has the ability to segment the IuB control from the other IP interfaces
thanks to the implementation of a dedicated IuB Virtual Router. If segmentation is not
required, a common virtual router can be used for Iub and other interfaces.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
32 / 84


4.3 RNC to Core Network (Iu)
4.3.1 Definition
The Iu interface connects the UTRAN to the Core network. The Iu interface towards the PS-
domain of the core network is called Iu-PS, and the Iu interface towards the CS-domain is
called Iu-CS.
The SCCP is used to support signalling messages between the Core Network Domains and the
RNC. One user function of the SCCP, called Radio Access Network Application Part (RANAP), is
defined. The RANAP uses one signalling connection per active UE and Core Network Domain
for the transfer of layer 3 messages.
Both connectionless and connection-oriented procedures are used to support the RANAP.
The Alcatel-Lucent RNC supports IuFlex which enables many-to-many relations between RNCs,
SGSNs and MSCs.
ATM and IP stacks for Iu-CS and Iu-PS are shown in Figure 14 and Figure 15, respectively. Note,
that Alcatel-Lucent supports IP over Gigabit Ethernet only i.e. IP over AAL5 for control plane is
not planned. IP over AAL5 for PS User plane is also supported.


AAL2
UDP/IP
RTP/
RTCP*)
Data Link
ATM ATM
Data Link
M3UA
Q.2630.2
RANAP
Iu UP Protocol
Layer
Transport
Network
Layer
Physical Layer
Transport
User
Network
Plane
Control Plane User Plane
Transport
User
Network
Plane
Transport Network
Control Plane
Radio
Network
Layer
SSCOP
AAL5
SSCOP
SSCF-
NNI
AAL5
MTP3b MTP3b
SCCP
SSCF-
NNI
IP
SCTP
ATM
Q.2150.1
*) RTCP is optional.

Figure 14 - Iu-CS Protocol Stacks ATM and IP

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
33 / 84


IP SSCOP
AAL5
SCTP
MTP3-B M3UA
SCCP

M3UA
RANAP
Iu UP Protocol Layer
T
r
a
n
s
p
o
r
t

N
e
t
w
o
r
k

L
a
y
e
r

Physical Layer
Transport
User
Network
Plane
Control Plane User Plane
Transport
User
Network
Plane
Transport
Network
Control Plane
R
a
d
i
o

N
e
t
w
o
r
k

L
a
y
e
r


AAL5
IP
UDP
GTP-U
Physical Layer
ATM Data Link
IP
SCTP
Data Link ATM
IP
UDP
GTP-U
SSCF-NNI

Figure 15 - Iu-PS Protocol Stacks ATM and IP
4.3.2 Implementation
AAL5 virtual circuits are used to transport IP packets across the Iu interface towards the
packet switched domain. Multiple VCs can be used over the interface. There is a one-to-one
relationship between the VC and the IP address as required by Classical IP over ATM.
AAL2 Signalling Protocol (Q.2630.1 formerly referenced as Q.aal2) is used for establishing
AAL2 connections towards the PSTN/ISDN domain.
Dynamic management of GTP tunnel is ensured by user plane towards PS domain.
The physical layer is supported by OC3/STM1, and provides APS/MSP protection.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
34 / 84


4.4 Iu-PC Interface
4.4.1 Definition
As wireless communication is inherently mobile, the emergency E911 (in North America) or
E112 (in Europe) service has not been available due to the lack of knowledge of the location
of the user. One method of overcoming this limitation is the Global Positioning System (GPS)
which can be used to locate any point on the earth to within 10 metres under good conditions.
Network A-GPS introduced in UA03.2, consists of locating the geographical position of a
mobile with A-GPS positioning technologies. This location based technology is capable of
enabling a wireless network to pinpoint a users location within 10 metres of the exact
geographical location. To support this technology, the UE must be equipped with a GPS
receiver. The RNC supports an integrated SMLC (iSMLC) from software release UA07.0 or can
be connected to a Standalone A-GPS SMLC (SAS).
The Iu-PC interface is a logical interface for the interconnection of the SAS and the RNC. The
SAS provides information and processing for assisted position calculation. The RNC
communicates between the UE and the Core Network in order to aid the position calculation
and communicate that position to the Core Network.
4.4.2 Implementation
Standalone SMLC
The RNC connects to the operators IP network using ATM while the SAS connects using
Ethernet. The operator is free to choose at which point in the IP network the Iupc traffic will
pass through an ATM/Ethernet router/gateway.
The Position Calculation Application Part (PCAP) provides the signalling services between the
RNC and the SAS. The Iupc protocol is only defined between the external ATM interface on the
RNC and the external Ethernet interface on the SAS. Within the SAS or the RNC the PCAP
traffic may be carried by different transport mechanisms.
PCAP requests and responses between a PMC-TMU and the SAS are handled by the TCP
Application Layer (TAL) relay function in the PMC-NI. The PCAP based messages are
transported over TCP/TAL/IP/AAL5/ATM. The Iupc transport uses the existing MSS ATM and IP
capabilities to provision IP connectivity between the Iupc address and the SAS IP addresses.
Integrated SMLC
The integrated SMLC (iSMLC) consists of RNC software that implements a combination
geolocation algorithms (e.g. AGPS, Cellid/RTT) within the RNC. The integrated SMLC (iSMLC),
introduced in UA07, is connected to an external Satellite Reference Service (SRS) through
TCP/IP links. The assistance data generation function in the iSMLC makes use of information
from the external SRS to facilitate generation of GPS assistance data. Additionally, the iSMLC
interworks with other subsystems in the RNC which collect measurements from applicable
cells and the UE of interest. Network measurements are forwarded to the particular iSMLC
function which calculates the UE position for network-based positioning methods.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
35 / 84


4.4.2.1 Types of A-GPS
Unfortunately, a GPS receiver can take a significant amount of time (one or more minutes) to
determine its exact position (the time to fix) without knowing its approximate position first,
which is obviously not desirable in an emergency. To overcome this limitation two types of
Assisted GPS (A-GPS) services are defined:
UE-assisted: where the location calculation is performed in the network
UE-based: where the location calculation is performed in the handset
To support a UE-assisted positioning attempt involving a single UE, the RNC provides an SAS
with one or more sets of GPS measurement data. Subsequently, the SAS calculates the
position estimate of the specific UE and returns this result to the RNC.
In the UE-based mode, assistance data is transmitted by the wireless network to the UE (as
opposed to waiting for the information from the satellites) with which the location calculation
can be made quickly, thus significantly reducing the time to fix.
A-GPS can reduce the time to fix to less than five seconds, an acceptable delay in an
emergency.
4.4.2.2 A-GPS Services
Position Calculator Service
Are related to a single UE and involve the transfer of GPS measurement data and UE position
estimate data over the Iupc interface between the SRNC and the SAS. They utilize
connectionless signalling transport provided by the Iupc signalling bearer.
Information Exchange Service
Involves the transfer of GPS related data over the Iu-PC interface between the RNC and the
SAS on demand, on modification, or at regular intervals. They use connection-oriented
signalling transport provided by the Iu-PC signalling bearer.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
36 / 84



Figure 16 - Iu-PC Protocol Stack
Note: For the UA04.x release the standard transport network layer Iupc protocol stack
(shaded in grey) is not supported.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
37 / 84


4.5 RNC to Node B (IuB)
4.5.1 Definition
The Iub interface connects the RNC to a Node B allowing negotiation of radio resources, for
example to add and delete cells controlled by the Node B to support communication of the
dedicated connection between UE and SRNC.

Figure 17 - Iub Protocol Stack ATM
Note: Alcatel-Lucents implementation of the IuB interface is fully compliant with 3GPP.
Support for ALCAP (Q.2630.2) is optional and will be supported by the Alcatel-Lucent
RNC in UA06 release. An ALCAP protocol is not required in case both UTRAN nodes are
using the IP transport option.
In order to support a seamless transition to IP, the Alcatel-Lucent RNC will simultaneously
support ATM and IP interfaces. The IP Iub control and user plane stacks are shown in Figure
18.

Figure 18 IuB protocol stack IP
NBAP
SCTP
Iub FPs
UDP
IP
Ethernet
C-Plane U-Plane
NBAP
SCTP
Iub FPs
UDP
IP
Ethernet
C-Plane U-Plane
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
38 / 84


Logical O&M is the signalling associated with the control of logical resources (channels, cells)
owned by the RNC but physically implemented in the Node B. The RNC controls these logical
resources. A number of O&M procedures physically implemented in the Node B impact the
logical resources and therefore require an information exchange between the RNC and Node
B. All messages needed to support this information exchange are classified as Logical O&M
forming an integral part of NBAP over the Iub interface.
4.5.2 Implementation
The signalling bearer for NBAP is a point-to-point protocol. There may be multiple point-to-
point links between an RNC and a Node B.
ATM
The signalling bearer in the Radio Network Control Plane is SAAL-UNI over ATM in R99. ATM
and AAL2 are used at the standard transport layer for Iub RACH, FACH, and DSCH data
streams. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and ATM Adaptation Layer type 2 (AAL2) are used
as a transport layer for DCH data streams on Iub interfaces. It is possible to multiplex several
DCH for one user on the same connection. Service Specific Segmentation and Reassembly
(SSSAR) sub layer for AAL2 is used for the segmentation and reassembly of AAL2 SDUs.
The ATM physical layer is supported:
Either by OC3/STM1, with APS protection, if a Transport Node is not used
Or by fractional E1 supporting IMA, if a Transport Node is used
IP
The signalling bearer in the Radio Network Control Plane is NBAP over SCTP over IP. ALCAP
(Q2630.2) is not required on IuB when both nodes are IP based. In Alcatel-Lucents IuB over IP
implementation, Alcatel-Lucent will only support an Ethernet interface (GigE, Fast Ethernet)
and E1 / DS1s L1 interfaces with a transport node. Alcatel-Lucent does not currently plan to
support IP over AAL5.
4.6 RNC to RNC (IuR)
4.6.1 Definition
The IuR interface enables the exchange of signalling information between two RNCs; one or
more IuR data streams may exist.
The SCCP is used to support signalling messages between two RNCs. One user function of the
SCCP, called the Radio Network Subsystem Application Part (RNSAP), is defined. The RNSAP is
terminated at both ends of the Iur interface by an RNC.
Both connectionless and connection-oriented procedures are used to support the RNSAP.
Note: The SCCP/M3UA/SCTP/IP/AAL5 stack is not implemented in the RNC.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
39 / 84



Figure 19 IuR Protocol Stack ATM
Note: Alcatel-Lucents implementation of the IuR interface is fully compliant with 3GPP.
Support for ALCAP (Q.2630.2) is optional and will be supported by the Alcatel-Lucent
RNC in UA06 release. An ALCAP protocol is not required in case both UTRAN nodes are
using the IP transport option.

Figure 20 - IuR Protocol Stack IP
RNSAP
SCTP
Iur FPs
UDP
IP
Ethernet
C-Plane
U-Plane
M3UA
SCCP
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
40 / 84


4.6.2 Implementation
The ATM IuR implementation is as follows
The Signalling bearer for RNSAP is either the SS7 through SSCOP or IP. PVC is
established through AAL5.
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and ATM Adaptation Layer type 2 (AAL2) are used as
a transport layer for DCH data streams on IuR interfaces.
Service Specific Segmentation and Re-assembly (SSSAR) sub-layer for AAL2 is used for
the segmentation and re-assembly of AAL2 SDUs.
AAL2 signalling protocol Capability Set 1 is the signalling protocol to control AAL2
connections on Iur interface.
MTP-3B and SAAL-NNI are used as a signalling for AAL2 signalling. Signalling Transport
Converter for MTP-3B is applied.
The physical layer is supported by OC3/STM1, and provides APS protection.
The IP IuR implementation is as follows:
The signalling bearer in the Radio Network Control Plane is RNSAP/SCCP/M3UA over SCTP over
IP. ALCAP (Q2630.2) is not required on IuR when both nodes are IP based. In Alcatel-Lucents
IuR over IP implementation, Alcatel-Lucent will only support an Ethernet interface. Alcatel-
Lucent do not currently plan to support IuR over IP over AAL5.
4.7 Iu-BC Interface
4.7.1 Definition
The Iu-BC interface, supported from UA05, connects the UTRAN to the Broadcast Domain in
the CN. There shall not be more than one Iu-BC interface from an RNC towards the CN. Figure
21 shows the protocol structure for the Iu-BC.

SABP Protocol
Layer
Transport
Network
Layer
SA Broadcast Plane
Transport
User
Network
Plane
Radio
Network
Layer
Data Link ATM
AAL5
IP
TCP
IP
TCP
Physical Layer

Figure 21 Iu-BC Interface Protocol Structure Towards Broadcast Domain
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
41 / 84


In Alcatel-Lucents implementation, the TCP/IP/AAL5/ATM stack is available.
The Service Area Broadcast Protocol (SABP) is the protocol between Cell Broadcast Centre
(CBC) and RNC needed for the CBC Application. The basic network structure of the CBS is
shown in Figure 22.
Uu
Cell
Broadcast
Center
(CBC)
UTRAN
RNC
Node B
Node B
UE
UE
1
Iub
IuBC

Figure 22 Cell Broadcast Centre Basic Network Structure
The CBC is part of the core network and connected to a routing node e.g. a 3G SGSN via the
Bc reference point. Thus the CBC can reach every RNC via the user plane of the Iu interface.
On the logical interface between the CBC and the RNC a mandatory protocol shall be defined.
4.8 OMC Connectivity Options to the RNC
The OMC-R link is unique per RNC and is based on TCP/IP over Ethernet (Out-of-Band OMC
connectivity), through the CP board.
In order to deal with sites with no Ethernet connectivity for OAM data, In-Band OAM
management will also be provided, by simply leveraging ATM switching capabilities of the MSS
platform. In this case, IP flow containing OAM signalling will be sent to the OMC-R on top of
AAL5 ATM on the same STM1 that is used to carry Iu protocol. This type of OMC connectivity is
handled by the 16ptOC3/STM1 board. In-Band connectivity will also be supported through the
IP over Ethernet when the 4ptGigE card is available in UA06.

Figure 23 - OMC Connectivity (In-Band and Out-of-Band)
9370 RNC
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
42 / 84


4.9 Native Interfaces Specifications
4.9.1 OC-3/STM1
The Iu, IuR and IuB interfaces will be supported over the OC-3/STM1 Line Module.
The OC-3 Line Module consists of 16 physical SONET/SDH interfaces configured as STS-3c or
STM-1. The function of the OC-3/STM-1 module is to perform all physical layer functions
necessary in the MSS15K. This includes SONET/SDH overhead processing and transmission
convergence. All physical layer overhead is terminated at the OC-3/STM-1 Line Module. On the
fabric side of the MSS15K, the OC-3/STM-1 module passes and receives ATM cells which are
encapsulated into a proprietary format (Falcon cells) which enable MSS to be multi-service (IP,
Frame-Relay, ATM, MPLS, Ethernet).
The optical budget for the OC3/STM-1 interface is as follows:
Single mode Optical fibre
1310 nm Intermediate Reach (can be used for distances of < 20km)
Laser Output Power: -15.0 dBm
Guaranteed Receiver Sensitivity: -28.0 dBm
Maximum Receive Level: -8.0 dBm
Guaranteed System Gain: 13.0 dB. This interface is compliant with the applicable
sections of the following standards :
ITU-T I.432 ITU-T G.783 ITU-T G. 957
4.9.2 Gigabit Ethernet Interface
The Iu, IuR and IuB interfaces will be supported over the Gigabit Ethernet Line Module.
The 4-port Gigabit Ethernet (4pGe) FP provides four full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet ports (also
known as optical module sockets). Separately ordered small form-factor pluggable (SFP)
optical transceiver modules are required to provide optical signal reception and transmission.
The 4pGe requires that an SFP module be plugged into each of its four optical module sockets
(ports) in order for the card to operate.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
43 / 84


Synchronization
The RNC synchronization scheme follows the MSS 15K synchronization scheme. The MSS
network clock synchronization system ensures that the clock used by MSS interfaces is the
identical clock used by all interfaces across the network such that the clock rate of data
entering and leaving are the same. In this way, a MSS node can join a stratum-synchronized
network. Synchronization minimizes frame slips and data loss for the access services that use
it.
Each MSS can run in one of three synchronization modes:
Internal Timing Reference
External Timing Reference
Line timing Reference
4.9.2.1 Internal Timing Reference
The MSS has a Stratum 3 clocking including holdover capability. This is compliant with
Telcordia GR-1244-CORE and meets the following characteristics:
Accuracy: +/- 4.6x10-6 (+/- [email protected] MHz / [email protected] MHz) )
Stability: +/- 3.7x10-7/day for the initial 24 hours of holdover
Pull in range: +/-4.6x10-6
4.9.2.2 External Timing Reference
The MSS15K can accept two external timing reference sources (A and B) for redundancy. These
external timing reference sources should originate on a BITS or SSU clock, and must be
traceable to a Stratum 1 PRC/PRS with better than Stratum 3 holdover performance. The
chosen timing reference will then be distributed to all outgoing links.
These external timing reference inputs on the RNC must be either E1 (International) or DS-1
(North America) electrical carriers that meet the electrical requirements in ITU-T G.703.
These signals are framed, but cannot be used to carry traffic.
In case of failure of the two external timing reference sources, the RNC will enter holdover
operation: in this mode, the RNC's internal Stratum 3 clock continues to operate at its last
adjusted frequency, preserving that frequency until one or both external references are
restored. In normal operation, the clocks distributed outward on the optical carriers (OC-
3/STM-1) must meet the synchronization requirements for optical interfaces.
4.9.2.3 Line Timing Reference
The timing reference is extracted from selected incoming traffic interfaces (STM1 or OC-3).
These interfaces must be traceable to a Stratum 1 network clock, and must meet the relevant
standards for the types of interfaces (SONET or SDH). Three incoming signals can be
configured as Primary Reference, Secondary Reference and Tertiary Reference at
provisioning time, for redundancy".
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
44 / 84


The chosen timing reference will be distributed to all outgoing interfaces. The clocks
distributed on the optical carriers (OC-3/STM-1) meet the synchronization requirements for
optical interfaces (Telcordia GR-253 for SONET, G.813 for SDH).
In case of failure of all of these incoming signals, the RNC will go to the Holdover Mode: in this
mode, the stratum 3 Clock of the RNC continues to operate at its last adjusted frequency and
does not update its frequency.
4.10 Interface Compliance
In UA07.0, the reference release is 3GPP Rel 7 for all interfaces applicable to the 9370 RNC.
The reference versions of the 3GPP specifications correspond at least to the versions available
after 3GPP #31 (March 2008) for the specifications that are applicable to the RNC and
specifically at minimum on a per interface basis, the RNC compliance is as follows:
Uu: Rel 7, March 08
Iu: Rel 7, March 08
IuB: Rel 7, March 08
IuR: Rel 7, March 08
IuBC: Rel 7, March 08
IuPC: Rel 7, March 08
For more details on the RNCs 3GPP release compliance, please refer to the High Level
Compliance to 3GPP specifications document [15].
Alcatel-Lucent is an active member of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the
Network Vendors Interoperability Testing (NVIOT) forum.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
45 / 84


5 RNC FUNCTIONALITY
The objective of this section is to describe the software functions of the Alcatel-Lucent RNC,
which will help the operator to differentiate their offer in the marketplace.
Alcatel-Lucent designed the RNC in order to deliver to the operators a solution that:
Maximizes the efficiency of spectrum usage, i.e. the capacity of the system,
Delivers first class Quality of Service to the subscriber,
Reduces the resources necessary to deploy and optimize the network.
5.1 Radio Resource Management (RRM)
Alcatel-Lucent is in a unique position in the industry to offer a complete RRM solution which
maximizes the number of subscribers i.e. revenue increase with no additional investment
while ensuring the desired Quality of Service (QoS) levels to the final customer.
The UMTS RNC is powered with enhanced Radio Resource Management (RRM) algorithms built
on Alcatel-Lucent extensive CDMA and data experience: enabling UMTS operators to
differentiate customers and services, by having the ability to optimize the spectrum to match
the respective market demographics.
Alcatel-Lucents RRM is responsible for allocating and managing radio resources in the most
effective way. In fact, efficient RRM enables QoS in the radio without wasting resources and
achieving maximum capacity. Alcatel-Lucents RRM main functions are:
Admission control admits or denies new users.
Congestion control - monitors, detects and handles situations when the system is
reaching an overload with the users that are already connected.
Power control - a group of functions that control the level of transmitted power in
order to minimize interference and maintain the quality of the connections. Although
these functions are not described in this document, Alcatel-Lucent supports:
DL and UL Outer Loop Power Control
DL and UL Inner Loop Power Control and DL power balancing
UL Open Loop Power Control
In addition, the Alcatel-Lucent RRM solution also provides a set of sophisticated features
allowing an operator to efficiently support data traffic on the radio interface primarily when
dedicated channels are used:
Traffic volume based Radio Bearer (RB) bit rate downgrading and upgrading
Adaptation of dedicated channel bit rate according to the observed volume of user
traffic
Switch from CELL_DCH to CELL_FACH and further to Cell_PCH/URA_PCH (and vice
versa) based on user inactivity (Always-On feature)
RB bit rate downgrading and upgrading based on radio conditions (iRM Scheduling
feature)
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
46 / 84


5.1.1 Admission Control
The purpose of admission control is to admit or deny new users, new Radio Access Bearers
(RAB) or new Radio Links (RL) due to mobility. The admission control function prevents from
overload situations and bases its decisions on available resources in both uplink (UL) and
downlink (DL) directions.
Alcatel-Lucents admission control can be divided into two main steps:
1 RAB Matching this is the RAB to RB mapping function, which is responsible for
selecting the RB configuration onto which the service is supported. It operates
independently on both UL and DL RAB parameters. For PS RAB mapped on DCH
(Streaming, Interactive or Background) it includes a function called intelligent RAB
Mapping (iRM) allowing adaptation to the selected bit rate between the Maximum Bit
Rate and the Guaranteed Bit Rate from the RAB, based on the cell load (UL & DL) and
the DL radio conditions.
2 Call Admission Control (CAC) this is the UTRAN function responsible for deciding
whether a request to establish a RAB can be admitted based on the available
resources.
iRM
CAC
RAB request
1. RNC builds a list of candidate
RB and selects a Reference
RB as the highest bit rate in the
ordered list.
2. For Interactive/Background,
Reference DL RB can be replaced
by a lower RB bit rate according
to UE radio conditions and cell
congestion status
MIB
Supported RB
bit rate
4. RNC checks resources
availability for selected RB
Admitted :
Yes/No
Already established
RB, e.g. voice call
Selected RB
RAB Matching
Candidate RB
selection
RB Selection
3. Reference RB is combined
with SRB and already
established RB (if any)

Figure 24 Admission Control
The radio Call Admission Control function for the DL consists of checking the availability of DL
power and OVSF codes. For the UL, the CAC ensures that the UL load is kept under affordable
level. The UTRAN also performs checks on other resources such as transport or Node B (e.g.
Channel Element).
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
47 / 84


5.1.2 Congestion Control
The task of congestion control is to monitor, detect and avoid overload in the UTRAN as well
as to ensure the system remains stable.
Although a CAC is implemented to prevent new users from accessing the system when it is
already overloaded, the purpose of the load control mechanism is to maintain the use of radio
resources under the limits that would cause the capacity to shrink and the quality of ongoing
calls to be negatively impacted.
Load control mechanisms include:
1 Evaluation of system load (DL and UL) at cell level
2 Congestion handling algorithms responsible for taking the proper actions to control the
load in the system. This can be further divided into two parts:
Preventive actions to avoid overload
If overload happens, congestion handling mechanisms take the proper actions to
bring the system back to the load state defined by the operator.
5.1.2.1 Cell Load Determination
Alcatel-Lucent congestion control algorithms rely on the following load information:
Uplink cell load
UL noise rise estimated from the variation of the RTWP, which is periodically
reported by the Node B to the RNC (NBAP common measurement). The reference
value for the no-load scenario is acquired by the Node B which tracks the minimum
value that this measurement reports
Uplink Node B CEM load
Downlink cell load
OVSF code tree load
Node B transmitted power (represents the interference in DL), which is periodically
reported by the Node B to the RNC (NBAP common measurement)
IuB load
Downlink Node B CEM load
5.1.3 Packet Switched Call Management
Alcatel-Lucent has developed specific algorithms to handle packet data sessions and optimize
radio resources. Principally, these consist of:
Always-On Many data applications (e.g. e-mail or web browsing) transported by the
UMTS PS domain are bursty in nature and have long periods of inactivity (e.g. web page
reading time). The role of Always-on is to save capacity during periods of inactivity by
releasing dedicated resources i.e. an inactivity monitor. Always-on, which is based on
the volume of user traffic, relies on transitions of 3GPP defined RRC states (namely
CELL_DCH, CELL_FACH and CELL_PCH/URA_PCH). This function is applicable to DCH,
HSDPA and HSUPA.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
48 / 84


RF based downgrading/upgrading (iRM Scheduling) When mapped to DCH, coverage
of a given DL bit rate is determined by the maximum power the BTS is allowed to
transmit for that rate. To limit the interference and optimize the power amplifier
usage, high DL bit rates are usually confined to the centre of the cell. Consequently, if
the UE is moving out of the high bit rate coverage, the call is likely to drop. To avoid
such a call drop and ensure service continuity, the radio bearer can be downgraded to
a bit rate (i.e. fallback bit rate) for which continuous coverage is ensured.
RB Rate Adaptation - This feature further saves capacity as the RNC is able to
dynamically adapt the RB bit rate (UL & DL) as closely as possible to the real
application traffic needs: the DCH is reshaped according to the actual user throughput.
When DL is mapped on HSDPA, RB adaptation works in the UL direction if mapped on
DCH (R5 UE).
5.2 Mobility
In any cellular system, and in particular in UMTS, which intends to offer high quality of service
to the subscriber, mobility is obviously a key feature. Alcatel-Lucent proposes a complete set
of mobility procedures to operators, focusing on two major objectives:
Continuous Quality of Service: the Alcatel-Lucent solution guarantees perfect quality of
service for the end user.
Addressing requirements following network evolution: Alcatel-Lucent believes that
network deployment will go through several phases; initial deployment, interactions
with 2G systems, an optimization phase when the network load increases, micro-cell
layer introduction, HSDPA introduction, etc. Alcatel-Lucent will address the specific
needs of the operator in each of those phases.
In a first phase up to release UA4.1, the necessary mobility functionality was provided to
ensure the best possible user perception when deploying a single or multi-carrier Release 99
UMTS network. The main mobility features available are:
UMTS intra-frequency mobility
Best in class Soft Handover, intra and inter-RNC
3G/2G integration
UMTS to GSM mobility for service continuity when losing UMTS coverage,
GSM to UMTS mobility to benefit from services and QoS services provided by the
UMTS network
Introduction of Multiple Carriers, to increase network capacity with either Hotspot
deployments or two overlaying layer deployments
Inter-Frequency cell reselection
Inter-Frequency hard handover with Measurements (intra and inter-RNC)
Seamless National Roaming to limit network deployment costs:
Inter-Frequency cell reselection
Inter-Frequency hard handover without Iur
IMSI-based handover
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
49 / 84


In the second phase which was supported with UA4.2 release, the main focus was on HSDPA
introduction. Release 99 traffic is nonetheless taken into account with the possibility of
redirecting speech calls to 2G in case of overload. The main Traffic Management and Mobility
features available are:
HSDPA intra-frequency mobility to cope with the following cases:
a HSDPA UE moving from a HSDPA cell to another HSDPA cell, in which case the HS-
DSCH Radio Link is deleted on the former primary cell and it is re-established under
the new primary cell using an synchronous reconfiguration.
a HSDPA UE moving from a non-HSDPA cell to a HSDPA cell, in which case the call is
switched to a HS-DSCH channel
a HSDPA UE moving from an HSDPA cell to non HSDPA cell, in which case the call is
downgraded to a DCH channel
Multi-carrier HSDPA Traffic segmentation, to deal with a multi-layer scenario where
HSDPA is deployed on a dedicated carrier. With Traffic Segmentation, mobiles are
redirected to the right layer at RRC connection establishment in order that mobiles
eligible for HSDPA are directed towards the HSDPA layer and that those not eligible are
directed towards the non-HSDPA layer.
HSDPA Alarm Handover, to handover to 2G when 3G coverage is lost
3G to 2G Redirect for Speech calls, which improves call establishment success rates for
Speech calls. Effectively, in the case that no resources are available to establish a
speech call in a 3G cell, the RNC will attempt to re-direct the call to the 2G network.
In the third phase, starting with release UA05, we focus on network growth and densification,
as well as HSUPA introduction.
Alcatel-Lucent believes that efficient multi-carrier management can lead to a significant
increase of UTRAN capacity. Therefore, some advanced Multi-Layer Management features are
introduced, in particular:
Cell reselection control in a Hierarchical Cell Structure (HCS). This allows prioritizing of
cells a mobile should be camping on in idle mode, by giving different HCS priority
levels and thresholds, according to the strategy of the operator. For instance, the
operator could deploy micro cells and assign them a higher priority so as to push the
traffic onto those cells. At the same time, the algorithm also takes into account fast
moving UEs so that for instance, those UEs are kept in a macro cell instead of going to
the micro layer.
Intelligent Multi-Carrier Traffic Allocation (iMCTA): In a multi-carrier network, user
traffic can be unbalanced between carriers without multi-carrier management. That
would lead to the non-optimal use of resources: the second carrier F2 is underutilized
while carrier F1 starts blocking. Good multi-carrier management improves trunking
efficiency and provides an increase in cell Erlang capacity. iMCTA is an algorithm that
intelligently allocates traffic across all carriers available. The algorithm is invoked
during certain events in order to check if the call should preferentially be redirected to
another carrier. It does not have any effect on mobiles which are idle. It takes into
account mobile the requested Service Type, the Priority among different carriers for
that service type, the current Load of the originating cell and target cells, the UE
Capabilities regarding HSxPA and optionally the Service Handover Information if
received from the core network.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
50 / 84


unifiedRRM: the fundamental concept of Alcatel-Lucents unifiedRRM Solution is to
provide the ability to assign the user the best suited radio resource taking into account
various factors such as the Service type, the UE capabilities, and the loading across the
GSM and UMTS layers. With unifiedRRM, there is an increase in capacity in both UMTS
and GSM networks through load balancing mechanisms, an Enhanced QoS by reduced
call blocking, and an investment protection because it maximizes the lifetime of GSM
and GPRS infrastructure. The unifiedRRM can be considered the first step towards the
re-farming of GSM spectrum with UMTS technology.
SRNS Relocation: this procedure is used to move the UTRAN anchor point from the
serving RNC to another RNC (the UTRAN anchor point is the node in which the mobile-
network RRC connection and RLC/MAC radio protocols are terminating). Depending on
the network topology, a SRNS relocation may be either intra or inter MSC or SGSN.
Mobility in Cell_PCH AND URA_PCH RRC States: This feature is applicable when the call
enters in Cell/URA PCH state.
5.3 HSPA
5.3.1 HSPA Background
HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) is a
UTRAN technology for WCDMA networks. This technology is implemented in the Node B and
the RNC and as a system will inter-work with existing R99 UTRAN. HSDPA is specified in the
3GPP R5 standards and HSUPA is specified in the 3GPP R6 standards.
HSDPA increases the throughput (5 times greater than R99), increases capacity (2 times more
than R99) and achieves high peak data rates (between 384 kbps and 2 Mbps) compared to R99
based UTRAN.
Coupling the usage of both HSDPA in DL and HSUPA in UL greatly enhances the spectral
efficiency of W-CDMA networks. Indeed, HSPA maximizes the number of high data rate users
with high peak throughput while minimizing the UL/DL service delay.
HSDPA and HSUPA dynamically adapt and maximize the data rate of each subscriber according
to cell load and UTRAN resource availability.
Alcatel-Lucent delivers HSPA through software-only upgrades on the UTRAN. The Alcatel-
Lucent UMTS BTS and RNC are HSPA hardware ready and therefore will not require a hardware
change.
5.3.2 Alcatel-Lucent HSPA Implementation
The full benefits of Alcatel-Lucents overall high speed UTRAN data solution are as follows
Leverages the 1xRT EV-DO Commercial experience
Less risk during commercial deployment
A complete HSDPA solution Day One enabling:
Full flexibility in terms of coverage and capacity
Multi and mono carriers
HSDPA ready BTS & RNC available since Dec 2000
Pooled CEM for HSDPA Lower CAPEX on introduction
Performance advantage with 45W MCPA
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
51 / 84


OPEX Reduction w/ Iub Bandwidth Management
Multi-carrier PA Power Pooling
100% capacity gain with Alcatel-Lucent HS-SCCH Power Control and Multi-user
scheduling
Multi-Carrier Traffic Segmentation i.e. Always put HSDPA capable UEs on HSDPA layer
HSUPA in UA05
The RNC specific attributes of this implementation are discussed in the subsequent sections.
5.3.3 Dynamic Power Control
This feature supports dynamic power adjustment so that the remaining power after all
common and DCH channels are served is made available to the HS-DSCH channels. Minimum
power can also be reserved for HSDPA in order to avoid starvation of the HSDPA service due to
power.
Flexible power management for HSDPA ensures a dynamic usage of the Node B PA
power versus cell DCH or HS-DSCH traffic for cell HSDPA operation. The entire Node B
PA power is managed in order to ensure the highest HS-DSCH throughput assuming a
low cell load in terms of the number of users. The feature ensures a maximum Node B
PA power resource for DCH traffic (pure R99 and associated HSDPA DCH) leaving the
remaining power for HS-DSCH as defined by the 3GPP standard for HSDPA behaviour.
RNC CAC enhancement for remaining power usage.
5.3.4 Multi-carrier HSDPA Traffic Segmentation
This feature enables operators to deploy HSDPA on a separate frequency by redirecting traffic
at call setup time. In this manner, a Node B may control HSDPA and non-HSDPA calls on
different frequencies.
If HSDPA is deployed on one frequency layer on top of the R99 layer, it will be possible
to re-direct UEs on the proper frequency layer at RRC connection setup depending on
the UE type and requested traffic class.
Both R99 to R5 redirection and R5 to R99 redirection are triggered on certain
conditions. One or both re-directions can be activated. Redirection triggers are the UE
type (R99 or R5), the traffic class (establishment cause), and whether there is HSDPA
carrier presence or not.
Emergency calls are not candidates for R5 to R99 redirection.
5.3.5 HSDPA Mobility
Since Alcatel-Lucents UA04.2 HSDPA Intra-Frequency mobility support is as follows:
HSDPA-to-HSDPA mobility upon change of primary cell from HSDPA cell to HSDPA cell
HSDPA-to-DCH mobility upon change of primary cell from HSDPA cell to non-HSDPA cell
DCH-to-HSDPA mobility upon change of primary cell from non-HSDPA cell to HSDPA cell
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
52 / 84


HSDPA-to-DCH mobility upon change of primary cell from serving RNC cell to drift RNC
cell
DCH-to-HSDPA mobility upon change of primary cell from drift RNC cell to serving RNC
HSDPA cell
The RNC may control HSDPA and non-HSDPA cells.
Intra-frequency mobility is required to allow the following scenarios:
An HSDPA UE moving from an HSDPA cell to another HSDPA cell (that is, HS-DSCH
following the primary cell)
An HSDPA UE moving from a non-HSDPA cell to an HSDPA cell (that is, HS-DSCH
transition)
When a call is already in HSDPA and a new RAB (either CS or PS) is added for multi-
service mode, the current HSDPA RAB is switched to a DCH RAB
The call is downgraded to DCH when the primary cell moves to a Drift RNC. The call is
upgraded to HSDPA, if possible, when the primary cell returns to the SRNC.
During a HSDPA call, handover to a 2G cell can be triggered when the alarm criteria is
reached. The call is maintained thus avoiding a dropped call.
In UA05, Alcatel-Lucent introduced support for inter-frequency hard handover and HSDPA over
IuR, rather than falling back to DCH before performing the handover. In UA06 Alcatel
introduced support for HSUPA over IuR.
5.3.6 Always-On on HSDPA
While DL user traffic is carried over the HS-DSCH, UL traffic is carried over an associated DCH
channel. To save capacity, the UL dedicated channel is not maintained during periods of
inactivity.
The UE is moved to Cell_FACH if user traffic falls below a given threshold during a
certain period of time using the T1 inactivity timer.
When coming back from Always On, the choice between HS-DSCH and DCH is made
according to the same criteria at initial admission.
HSDPA Alarm HO can be disabled to allow cell re-selection
5.3.7 Iub Bandwidth Limitation Handling
This feature is required to allow HSDPA bearers to operate with under-provisioned transport
bandwidth over the Iub links. The benefit is that Iub bandwidth utilization is improved when
HSDPA is activated.
Iub is provisioned with less bandwidth than what would normally be expected to carry
the entire Node B traffic when HSDPA is activated.
Minimum bandwidth can be allocated to HS-DSCH traffic on the Iub.
5.3.8 HSPA+
The Alcatel-Lucent UTRAN supports HSPA+ services to allow support of Category 12 and 14
terminals. These services include:
- 64 QAM for HSDPA
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
53 / 84


- L2 support for flexible RLC and Mac-ehs
- Streaming over HSUPA
- 16 QAM for HSDPA with MIMO
9370 RNC supports HSPA+ services through a software upgrade. No hardware upgrade is
required to support HSPA+ services.
5.4 MBMS
The Alcatel-Lucent UTRAN supports MBMS broadcast services starting in UA07.1. These
services include:
Point to Multipoint (PTM) transmission
Streaming & Background Traffic Classes
Str. @ 64/128/256 kbps, Bckgd @ 64 kbps
MBMS on any carrier with FLC/FLD
Selective/Soft Combining
Dynamic power / code allocation
Advanced RRM
Iub optimization
9370 RNC supports MBMS services through a software upgrade to UA07. No hardware upgrade
is required to support MBMS.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
54 / 84


5.5 Other Alcatel-Lucent RNC Functions
5.5.1 Security Features
Security is a major concern for all parties involved in the telecommunication market: from the
subscriber to the service provider, including the wireless access network (i.e. the UMTS PLMN)
operator.
UMTS makes use of WCDMA, which is inherently more secure than 2G/GSM due to its spread
spectrum capability and scrambled code support.
Many threats to 3G systems have been identified, especially against the radio interface
between the mobile and the network.
The following are seen as the primary threats against the radio interface:
Violation of integrity, characterized by the modification of sensitive data. The use of a
false BTS can provide means to modify part of the messages exchanged between the
mobile subscriber and the network.
Violation of confidentiality, characterized by an unauthorized access to sensitive data.
This can be achieved by:
Eavesdropping of user traffic, of signalling data
Masquerading
Analysis of the traffic (be it a passive attack or an active one).
Support of two essential security mechanisms: integrity protection & ciphering of radio
interface messages.
As far as security of the radio access link is concerned, Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC provides two
essential mechanisms, ensuring both:
the integrity
the confidentiality of the messages exchanges between the mobile user and the
network.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
55 / 84


Integrity protection of the radio interface is a new and mandatory requirement for 3G
systems. Integrity protection applies to signalling messages but not to user traffic data. This
mechanism ensures that messages received by one party of the dialogue come from the
expected remote party and prevents the use of a false BTS. For that purpose, integrity
protection appends a signature to each signalling message; this signature is generated by an
algorithm named f9.
Integrity protection is defined as mandatory by 3GPP and hence is supported by Alcatel-
Lucents UMTS 9370 RNC as from the first release.
Ciphering (also named Encryption) is already provided by 2G systems but has been enhanced
for 3G. Ciphering ensures the confidentiality of signalling messages and of user traffic data.
This mechanism makes the content of messages exchanged not readable, not understandable
by external parties other than the two ends of the dialogue. For that purpose, the initial
content of the message is replaced by an encrypted message generated by an algorithm
named f8. Support of ciphering enables secure packet services such as eCommerce.
Hence, the Alcatel-Lucent RNC implements Ciphering as from the first commercial release.
However, as far as UMTS R99 standards are concerned, Ciphering suffered late corrections
from 3GPP, the implementation of which is essential for ensuring the interoperability between
the mobiles and the network.
Some differences to be noted between 2G and 3G systems and as far as the network is
concerned are:
In 2G systems ciphering is performed in the BTS (for the CS domain) or in the SGSN (for
the PS domain);
In 3G systems ciphering is performed in the RNC (for the CS domain and for the PS
domain).
5.5.2 Security between RNC and OMC
Supporting IPSec on the RNC is required to secure OAM traffic between OMC-R and RNC CP
management virtual router. IPsec improves the security of the UMTS RNC OAM Plane toward
the following Network Threats:
Denial of Service
Hacking
Intrusion
Modification of Data
In order to improve the level of security toward the threats listed above, this feature
introduces a secured data channel between the RNC site and the OMC site of network. The
secured data channel would make use of the IPSec technology. IPSec in 9370 RNC will support:
Data integrity
Data authentication
Manual ESP
In addition to securing the data between the RNC and OMC, supporting Radius provides
centralized password management.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
56 / 84



Figure 25 - Radius and IPsec security to OMC and RNC
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
57 / 84





















This page has been intentionally left blank






9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
58 / 84


6 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
This section describes the operations and maintenance of Alcatel-Lucents 9370 UMTS RNC.
3GPP specifications define the OMC-R and the OMC-B logical entities which correspond to the
wireless specific management of the RNCs and the Node Bs respectively. These two entities
(OMC-R and OMC-B) are managed by the same Alcatel-Lucent OA&M platform, the Wireless
Management System( WMS). This OA&M Platform will provide fault management, configuration
and performance management.
Connection from the RNC to the WMS is done either in band (via 16pOC3/STM1 or 4ptGigE
card) or out of band (directly IP / 100Bt to the Cp3).
6.1 Hardware
6.1.1 Memory
All the modules have Flash EEPROM. This Flash memory includes the operational load, so the
boot is very quick (all modules in the RNC boot from Flash memories).
6.1.2 CP4
OMU handles most of the functionalities for the 20 GB multi-partitioned shared disks. The CP3
has a 20 GByte multi-partitioned shared disk. The disk has three partitions whereby the first
partition has been created to save alarms and field traces and the second and third partitions
are used to store the MIB. The shared disks are identical and are only seen by the active PMC-
OMU. In the case of a PMC-OMU switch, their content is not altered, and is always identical.
The replacement of a faulty disk by a new one is detected and its content is copied from the
active disk. Reads are shared and writes are made on the two volumes. Some functions to
speed up the disk management are also handled in the CP.
The Control Processor provides the most direct method for managing the RNC, using a VT100
terminal (or a PC executing a TELNET session) plugged directly into its V.24 port. This local
access provides a text interface to enter commands and view alarms. When direct connection
is not possible, the RNC can be managed from a remote site using a telnet application.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
59 / 84


6.2 Hardware Handling
Start-up or Module Insertion
An RNC object is automatically generated at RNC creation on the WMS Platform. The RNC will
send notification indicating the hardware configuration detected on the corresponding
platform object.
This information is stored on the CP disk and sent to the WMS Platform. It can be read on the
CP disk, even when a module is out of service. This information is also stored at WMS Platform
level and can be displayed on operator request.
Module Extraction
Modules must be 'locked' before they can be removed from their slots. A specific event is sent
indicating a state change of the object that was previously in the slot (it can also happen for
some hardware faults). On reception of this state change, the WMS Platform will delete the
corresponding logical object.
Plug and Play
The RNC supports hardware plug and play capability, but only for FPs that have been
provisioned via the WMS. After the FPs has been provisioned, the system will automatically
detect when the FP is inserted, load the FP and bring it into service. For a PSFP, new calls will
be allocated to the PMCs but the cells are not redistributed to the new hardware, unless a
sparing event causes this to happen later. It also detects when an FP is removed.
6.3 Software Handling
The RNC software is designed using special description languages. Thus software design and
test efficiency are improved by allowing the use of automatic tools.
6.3.1 Software Management
6.3.1.1 Software Delivery
For each version and edition, the complete RNC software will be delivered on a unique CDROM
that contains, for each node, the following files:
Package files: this is the smallest loadable unit of the software product. The packages are
separately installable units that can operate independently from the other packages of that
software product.
A description file: this details all the packages of the delivery for the given node. The
description file is used by SRS, OMC-R and the RNC to perform software coherency checks.
This volume can be used at WMS Platform. It is sufficient for all upgrades from any authorized
version (typically N-2 and N-1 versions).
The first installation of the software in the disks is made in the factory, which has to install
the version/edition ordered by the customer, so the commissioning is reduced.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
60 / 84


6.3.1.2 Software Upgrade
An RNC upgrade consists of resetting the standby CP and loading it with the new version of
software. Once it is back in service, the standby CP communicates with the active CP. The
active CP performs a shelf reset causing a reset of the PSs and 16pOC-3/STM-1s. They are
loaded and provisioned in parallel.
6.3.1.3 RNC upgrade from WMS
The RNC can be comprised of two components: the RNC itself and the optional Transport
Node, used to provide E1 connectivity. An upgrade involves installation and activation of new
software on each of these nodes individually.
An upgrade operation consists of downloading and activating a new software version or
edition on the RNC.
The downloading of a software version can be done remotely during daylight hours, without
any operational impact. Only modified files in the new version are downloaded. The complete
RNC software is downloaded from the WMS Platform to the RNC.
From the UMTS Access specific windows of the WMS Platform, the Graphical User Interface
(GUI) allows the user to download and/or activate relevant versions of software to the RNC.
To make operations easier, the GUI is a wizard GUI (set of windows having a dedicated
linking).
For both Download Software and Activate Software, the wizard windows allow the user to:
Select the type of Network Element (NE) to activate/download (Node B or RNC)
Select the new software version to download/activate from Software Repository Server
(SRS).
Select the RNC to download.
Launch the download and/or activate operation on the selected RNC.
A general monitoring window called Upgrade Manager is automatically launched once the
downloading or activation wizard has been completed, allowing, for example, the user to
monitor the advancement of the upgrade procedure (downloading and/or activation).
6.3.1.4 Patch Management
Patch management is one of the biggest benefits of the RNC. Emergency patch loads (EPL) are
often used to introduce bug fixes. An EPL is effectively a non-scheduled Maintenance Load
(MNCL) build, which is a full software load. EPLs require full upgrade procedures to deploy
that involve a < 10 mins outage and scheduled maintenance window to deploy. An EPL
contains a bundle of several software fixes (CRs) therefore, unless there is a critical issue.
RNC patching offers a hitless mechanism to introduce new software for bug fixes or minor
features. All boards on the RNC can be patched i.e. CP3, OC3 and PSs. Alcatel-Lucent
estimate that approximately 70% of RNC software is patchable; However, greater than 90+ %
of bugs can be patched through workarounds in software. Of course RNC will continue to
support EPLs, but will require them far less frequently and only when a change that cannot be
patched is required for example, MIB changes.
RNC Patching will provide a far less disruptive and operationally less intensive method of
doing minor software upgrades or applying bug fixes.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
61 / 84


6.3.2 Fault Management
Fault management (FM) provides monitoring capabilities to diagnose and rectify hardware,
software, and network problems. FM attempts to limit the effects of a failure on the network.
Faults generated by the RNC are received at the WMS, where they are integrated.
6.3.2.1 Preventive Maintenance
The architecture of the Alcatel-Lucent RNC allows for easy preventive maintenance, since
every module is used in normal operation and internal tests are performed periodically on
unused/spare resources.
Moreover, the operator has a real time display of the RNC hardware state at WMS Platform
level. The degraded availability status is managed at RNC level.
It provides a way of detecting required preventive maintenance actions. A synthetic
preventive maintenance report is periodically sent to the WMS Platform.
6.3.2.2 Alarm Handling
The most important piece of troubleshooting information is alarms. A component of the RNC
generates an alarm when it detects a problem. The alarm contains useful information about
the problem, including the OSI state and status of the component.
For complex service problems, you can use the Trace System to monitor data flow on a
service.
Alarms are your primary indication that there is a problem on your RNC. When a component
detects a problem it issues an alarm, which, by default, displays on all operator sessions. A
component generates an alarm in the following situations:
quality of service degradation
processing error
hardware failure
change of administrative OSI state
security violation
software error
Alarm information includes the OSI state and status values at the time the component
generated the alarm as well as the severity, type, and probable cause of the alarm.
An alarm can also include a comment that contains brief information about the cause, impact,
and recovery of the problem.
Whenever the OSI state of a component changes, the RNC issues a state change notification
(SCN). The WMS Platform uses this information to update its network model.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
62 / 84


6.3.3 Configuration Management
Configuration Management (CM) provides the operator with the ability to assure correct and
effective operation of UTRAN as it evolves. CM actions have the objective to control and
monitor the actual configuration on the Network Elements (NEs) and network resources, and
they may be initiated by the operator or by functions in the Operations Systems (OSs) or NEs.
CM actions may be requested as part of an implementation program (e.g. additions and
deletions), as part of an optimization program (e.g. modifications), and to maintain the
overall Quality of Service (QoS). The CM actions are initiated either as a single action on a NE
of network or as part of a complex procedure involving actions on many NEs.
6.3.3.1 On-line Configuration
On-line configuration is used to change the UTRAN configuration in real time. On-line tools
include command-line interfaces (CLI) and GUIs from the OMC-R. For example, local operator
and Telnet sessions are hosted by the CP. These can be used to make adjustments to the
network by either tuning the performance of a network element or by executing
troubleshooting procedures.
6.3.3.2 Off-line Configuration
Off-line configuration implies the use of a database where provisioning information for a
network element (NE) is maintained and, at a later date, downloaded to the NE itself. The
manipulation of configuration data is not done on the NE itself. Off-line configuration is
performed by a Wireless Provisioning System (WPS) application running on a client PC. CM bulk
creations and modifications are performed on the RNC from the WPS.
6.3.4 Performance Management
Performance Management (PM) permits users to monitor the traffic load on the network. The
main goal is to detect any gradual degradation before it impacts QoS.
6.3.4.1 Counters
The RNC platform provides many hardware counters (change CPU, Memory usage, protocol
status, disk usage) and UMTS logical resources counters (Radio resources usage, radio links
quality, etc..). These statistics are collected by the WMS via FTP.
6.3.4.2 Call Trace System
Incoming and outgoing data of a particular service can be monitored using the call trace
system. This detailed information can help you troubleshoot complex network problems.
Trace does not interrupt regular network activities.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
63 / 84





















This page has been intentionally left blank






9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
64 / 84


7 PROVISIONING AND ENGINEERING
7.1 Market Configurations
7.1.1 Scalability
The Alcatel-Lucent RNC is a scalable platform which can be configured to satisfy different
network capacity needs. Five market models are supported: 9370 RNC with 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12
DCPS modules.
7.1.2 Configuration Upgrades
With advanced planning, upgrades from one of the existing configurations to a higher capacity
configuration can be done with zero downtime of the RNC. These upgrades consist of adding
DCPSs.
7.2 Connectivity
The RNC provides a set of physical interfaces towards other network elements to be easily
integrated in the customers transport network.
OAM connectivity is based on standard IP over Ethernet for both OMC-R/OMC-B, MDM/MDP,
and maintenance and commissioning tools.
All of the Iub, Iur and Iu interfaces are optical SDH/STM-1 or SONET/0C-3 in UA05. They are
provided by the 16pOC-3/STM-1 modules providing single-mode STM-1 or SONET OC-3 fibres
carrying ATM cells at 155 Mbps. There are two 16 ports OC-3/STM-1 modules with active and
standby roles for redundancy purpose. IP will be supported via two 4ptGigE cards in the RNC.
Additional connectivity options (E1/T1, STM1 channelized, etc.) can be provided by adding an
additional Transport Node.
7.3 Installation and Commissioning
7.3.1 Start-up Tool
The purpose of the installation and commissioning tool is to limit any manual operations
required to initially configure a node locally. The startup tool runs on a laptop and allows the
installer to run startup on the CP to perform basic provisioning and local testing so that the
Wireless Provisioning System (WPS) can take over after the switch goes into service.
7.3.2 Software Upgrading
Upgrading to another load is performed from the OMC-R and MDM, although it can be
performed by the start-up tool as well. The WPS performs configuration operations.

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
65 / 84



















This page has been intentionally left blank






9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
66 / 84


8 FUTURE EVOLUTION
8.1 Capacity Roadmap
The RNC capacity evolution leverages the unique software development and optimization
skills of the Alcatel-Lucent Research and Development department. In UA05.1.2 Alcatel-
Lucent introduced the Dual Core Packet Server card to double RNC capacity. Further capacity
gains are achieved in UA06 and UA07.1 through software optimization. In UA08, Alcatel-
Lucent introduces the Next Generation MCPS increasing RNC capacity through increased
processing to provide 24,000 Erlangs in a single shelf (48,000 Erlangs in a dual RNC hosted in
single cabinet).











Figure 26 - Alcatel-Lucent RNC Capacity Roadmap
8.2 9370 RNC with MCPS
Alcatel-Lucent plans to introduce a new packet server evolution in release UA08 in order to
provide further capacity evolution within the same footprint of the 9370 RNC.
The Multi Core Packet Server (MCPS) aligns with the Alcatel-Lucent 9370 RNC strategy of
increasing compute density to deliver significant capacity gains within the same half cabinet
footprint. MCPS, like the PSFP and DCPS will use the latest in commercial off the shelf
computing (COTs).
Alcatel-lucent will continue to support new software releases on the PSFP and DCPS even after
the introduction of MCPS.
2011 2010 2012
Erlangs
1
PS Gbps
2
Smartphone
Capacity
Increase
3
9370 RNC- DCPS 9370 RNC- MCPS
9370 RNC w/
aTCA Data Server
24,000 48,000 120,000
2.9 4.9 12
+45% +150% +150%
+20%
RNC
Capacity
+100% +150%
2011 2010 2012
Erlangs
1
PS Gbps
2
Smartphone
Capacity
Increase
3
9370 RNC- DCPS 9370 RNC- MCPS
9370 RNC w/
aTCA Data Server
24,000 48,000 120,000
2.9 4.9 12
+45% +150% +150%
+20%
RNC
Capacity
+100% +150%
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
67 / 84


9370 RNC with MCPS is Alcatel-Lucents next generation RNC; the key benefits of this product
for a UMTS operator are:
Increased number of Node Bs per RNC, allowing the expected network expansion and
densification without the requirement for any additional RNCs
Increased number of Mbit/s per RNC. The added Mbit/s will absorb traffic growth
without the need to install new RNCs
Increased number of subscribers per RNC. The 3G subscriber base will grow and the
RNC can absorb this growth without the need to install new RNCs.
Reduce operational costs thanks to a unique software upgrade and optional upgrade of
the OC3/STM1 interface card.
For every release, there will be one single SW stream and architecture for all the PS Flavours
(PS1, DCPS and MCPS). This will which ensure Iso-Functionality for the RNC e.g. 5*9s.
Please refer to Alcatel-Lucents 9370 UMTS RNC capacity roadmap for more detailed
information [1].
8.3 Combo GSM BSC/W-CDMA RNC
The combo BSC/RNC consists of a 9130 BSC and 9370 RNC in a single cabinet with shared
power infrastructure. The BSC shelf is hardware and software compatible with the standalone
9130 BSC and the RNC shelf is hardware and software compatible with the standalone 9370
RNC.
The combo GSC/RNC reduces the footprint requirements and associated costs in sites where a
GSM BSC and W-CDMA RNC are both required. In addition, the BSC and RNC share the same
power infrastructure which further reduces capital and operating costs.
Migration from GSM to W-CDMA is made easier with the combo BSC/RNC. The GSM BSC can be
installed with the cabinet first. The cabinet and power will already be in place when the
operator decides to add a W-CDMA RNC or fully migrate the 2G network to 3G.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
68 / 84


8.4 RNC User Plane Server
In UA09 Alcatel-Lucent will introduce the RNC User Plane Server to further increase the
capacity and scalability of the 9370 RNC. The User Plane server is an extension shelf based on
the industry standard aTCA architecture which can be used with a 9370 RNC shelf to provide
additional user plane processing for RNC sites with high capacity requirements. The User
Plane server configuration is illustrated in Figure 27.


Node B
Node B
OMC
Node B
Node B
Node B
RNC
User Plane
Server
Node B Node B
RNC
User Plane
Server
RNC
Control Plane
Node
IP connections
IP connections
RNC
User Plane
Server
9370 shelf
Node B Node B
Node B Node B
OMC
Node B
Node B
Node B
RNC
User Plane
Server
Node B Node B
RNC
User Plane
Server
RNC
Control Plane
Node
IP connections
IP connections
RNC
User Plane
Server
9370 shelf
OMC
Node B Node B
Node B Node B
Node B Node B
RNC
User Plane
Server
Node B Node B Node B Node B
RNC
User Plane
Server
RNC
Control Plane
Node
RNC
Control Plane
Node
IP connections
IP connections
RNC
User Plane
Server
9370 shelf

Figure 27 RNC User Plane Server
In the user plane server configuration, the 9370 RNC shelf is converted via a software upgrade
into a control plane server. All of the control plane processing will be done by the existing
9370 RNC shelf. User Plane processing will be done on the User Plane Server. Separation of
the control plane and user plane in this way allows the user plane and control plane capacity
to be scaled independently. Additional User Plane server shelves can be added as capacity
needs increase.
Like the 9370 RNC shelf, the User Plane Shelf will use generic compute modules which will
utilize common off the shelf (COTS) multi-core processor technology.
The software architecture will be the same as the 9370 RNC shelf, the main difference being
that on the User Plane server the processor roles will be allocated to User Plane processing
task while on the 9370 RNC hardware, they will be allocated to Control Plane processing tasks.
The User Plane server will provide investment protection by using hardware that will be used
in Alcatel-Lucents LTE MME gateway. The User Plane server does not have to be co-located
with the 9370 RNC hardware which means that migration to LTE can be facilitated by
deploying the User Plane server at the location of a future MME Gateway. When the traffic
needs shift from 3G to LTE, the User Plane Server can be converted to an MME Gateway. The
9370 RNC shelf can be converted back to a single shelf 9370 RNC or decommissioned if it is no
longer required.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
69 / 84


HARDWARE TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
8.5 Reliability
8.5.1 Principles
As the RNC is potentially a central point of failure in the UMTS access network, the RNC is
designed to have very high availability. The focus of the Carrier Grade program is as follows:
Minimize the impacts and frequency of unscheduled outages
Minimize outages associated with scheduled maintenance procedures
All critical processors in the RNC are 1+1 spared
All traffic carrying processors in the RNC are N+P spared.
All RNC modules are built to last with very low failure rates and high component MTBF
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
70 / 84


8.5.2 Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)
The predicted MTBF, return rates and failure rate per module for a MTTR = 4 hours is shown in
Table 2.
Committed
Description Code
Failure
Rate (FITS)
MTBF
(Years)
MTBF (Hours)
RR / Year
Shelf Backplane NTHR08 180 634 5555555 0.0%
16 Port OC-3 PQC FP NTHW31 8640 13 115741 7.6%
16 Port PC-3 MS3 FP NTHW48 4883 23 204792 4.3%
4 Port GigE FP NTHW49 4977 23 201369
Dual Core PS NTHX20 7851 14.43 127372 6.88%
Control Processor 4 NTPN08 2756 41 3662844 2.42%
56G Fabric Card NTHR16 1148 99 871080 1.0%
Cooling Unit (Up or
Low)
NTHR51/52 772 148 1295337 0.7%
BIP Backplane PCP NT6C6002 38 3002 26315789 0.0%
Breaker Module PCP NT6C60PA 106 1076 9433962 0.1%
Alarm Module PCP NT6C60PB 249215 458531 40160644651163 0.2%
Power Interface
Module
NTHR15 14 8148 71428571 0.0%
Optical fibre 30 3803 33333333 0.0%
MAC 1 NTHR11 79 1444 12658228 0.1%
ALARM/BITS 1 NTHR13/14 103 1108 9708738 0.1%

Table 2 - RNC Module MTBF
8.5.3 Maintainability
The Mean Active Time to Repair (MTTR): the operational time needed to identify that the RNC
requires active maintenance, plus the time required to repair/restore the RNC to normal
operation shall not exceed 4 hours for all modules, with the exception of the backplane which
requires 24 hours to replace.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
71 / 84


8.5.4 Overload Control
RNC overload occurs when the offered load of any resource in the RNC is beyond its rated
engineered capacity. The Alcatel-Lucent overload control mechanisms adapt the behaviour of
the RNC to the encountered overload situation in order to limit overload severity and to avoid
resource starvation.
Gradual Overload
Gradual overload mechanisms provide a smooth adaptation by progressively restricting some
functionalities of the RNC as overload increases. It concerns either call processing or OAM
activities and gives preference to already established services and communications versus new
establishments. The actions taken to limit overload severity are as follows:
On local and global overload: progressive filtering of requests, with preference given to
established calls and emergency calls
On local overload: load balancing of calls to other processors.
Panic Overload
Panic mode overload mechanisms prevent resource exhaustion with a simple defence
mechanism to avoid a crash, until gradual overload mechanisms react. Panic overload controls
rely on the concept of discardable application messages. These discardable messages are
dropped when message queues reach their panic threshold levels.
Core Network Overload Message Handling
RANAP overload messages from the Core Network are handled by the Alcatel-Lucent RNC. This
is useful for both the Alcatel-Lucent automatic barring mechanism and the Iu-Flex feature.
Automatic Cell Barring On Service Outage
Cell and access class barring mechanisms are triggered automatically by the RNC under
certain conditions. This allows throttling of traffic and causes traffic reselection to protect
the system in following situations:
Core network overload
RNC overload
Iu interface failure
Manual control and invocation of the cell and access class barring mechanism is also
supported.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
72 / 84


8.6 REGULATORY COMPLIANCES
8.6.1 Environmental Constraints
The regulatory specifications listed are based on the following assumptions:
Regulatory approvals are required for the USA, Canada and Europe and do not
presently cover other countries. Other markets could add additional design
specifications.
The RNC will always be connected to an Underwriters Laboratory/Canadian Standards
Association (UL/CSA) certified CSU (or other Network Terminating equipment) that
provides the secondary protection for lightning and AC power faults.
The following regulatory labels are required on the RNC product (depending on the intended
market):
Consumer Electronics (CE) Mark
CSA marking (bi-national standard) for US and Canada
FCC (Part 15 and Part 68) declaration
Alcatel-Lucent have also elected to include the voluntary VCCI Class B emissions logo on the
regulatory label to indicate compliance to Japanese EMC requirements. The VCCI regulatory
body have granted authorization for the RNC to bear the logo.
A summary of the environmental and regulatory specifications of the RNC are as follows(for a
complete list, please see Appendix B: Regulatory Standards):
Storage requirements: the RNC meets the requirements of ETS 300 019-2-1, class 1.2.
Transport requirements: the RNC meets the requirements of ETS 300 019-2-2, class
2.3
Operational requirements: the RNC meets the requirements of ETS 300 019-2-3, class
2.3
Ingress protection: the product has been evaluated for water and dust ingress
protection according to IP20 (refer to IEC 529)
Noise: RNC complies with ETS 300 753, allowing operators to install this product in
"Telco centre unattended" and "Power room" sites. In further releases, Alcatel-Lucent
RNC will also comply with "Business centre" sites.
Seismic shock: the RNC can be installed in seismic areas up to Zone 4 (it corresponds
to the highest areas, according to Telcordia GR-63-CORE).
Table 3 summarizes the normal operating conditions of the RNC.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
73 / 84



Parameter Range
Normal operating temperature 5C (41F) to 40C (104F)
Normal relative operating humidity 10% to 90% relative humidity (no condensing)
Short term operating humidity 5% to 90% relative humidity at 25C (77F)
Temperature variation 30C (86F) per hour
Earthquake Up to zone 4
Altitude 4000 m above sea level
Vibration 0.1 G (1 m/s2) over the range 5 -200 Hz
Table 3 - Environmental Conditions
8.6.2 Electromagnetic Compatibility
According to the European standards ETS 300 386 and EN 55022, the Alcatel-Lucent 9370 RNC
is a Class B telecommunication product allowing operators to install this product in any
domestic environment.
Note: For NAR markets only, the product is Class A, hence it should be installed within
telecom centres.
8.6.3 Safety Requirements
The Alcatel-Lucent RNC is compliant to EN 60950 (Europe) and CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1-03
Bi-National Standard (US/Canada).
8.6.4 RNC RoHS Compliance
The Alcatel-Lucent RNC complies to the European Union Environmental Directive on the
Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS -2002/95/EC/Article 4). Alcatel-Lucent take the
lead exemption for telecommunication products. RoHS compliancy is only compulsory for
newly deployed systems i.e. RoHS does not apply to extensions or upgrades/spares to systems
which have been put on the market prior to July 1st 2006.
The new RoHS elements have been re-designed so as to have a seamless transition towards the
RoHS compliant module: i.e. there is no UTRAN software impact. RoHS and Non RoHS
modules can co-exist in the same RNC system. Note that EuED does not permit Non RoHS
modules to be added to a RoHS system sold after July 1
st
2006, but RoHS modules can be put
in Non RoHS systems.
Please refer to [14] Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC Portfolio Evolution: RNC ROHS Compliance for
a full list of the RoHS PECs and conversion plans.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
74 / 84


8.7 Power Supply
Alcatel-Lucent provides an RNC which is DC powered, the nominal input voltage value of the
RNC cabinet is 48 / 60 VDC. The acceptable variations in the input voltage of the equipment,
under normal operation, range from -40 VDC to -72 VDC.
8.8 Ventilation and Air Conditioning
The heat transfer is achieved by air forced cooling system. Two cooling units are placed in the
middle of the frame:
The upper cooling unit pushes air from the fans under modules to the top of the upper shelf
assembly.
The upper cooling unit is only installed if the upper shelf has been installed
The lower cooling unit pulls air from the bottom of the frame to the rear of the lower
shelf assembly
The maximum dissipation of the RNC cabinet is of 2600 W.
To cope with the risk of dust, the ventilation system must be equipped with a filter which
complies with ETS 300 019-1-3 and for which maintenance is periodically performed.

Figure 28 - Cooling Unit
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
75 / 84


8.9 Physical Dimensions
8.9.1 RNC Cabinet
The dimensions of the RNC cabinet are as follows:
Without cosmetic panel With cosmetic panel
Width (mm) 600 660
Depth (mm) 600 600
Height (mm) 2125 2125
Table 4 - RNC Cabinet Dimensions


Figure 29 - RNC Rear View
All Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC models support optional side panels and doors
Side panels provide a cosmetic finish to the exposed side of a frame, either at the end
of a bolt together line-up or applied to sides of a standalone frame
Doors complete with locks are available for the front and rear of the frame. Mesh door
panels maintain ventilation for system cooling.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
76 / 84


8.10 Office Layout & Footprint
The layout of the RNC requires:
a minimum ceiling clearance of 2.4 m (0.3m clearance above the RNC)
a minimum safety distance for front and rear maintenance activities of 0.9 m
The footprint of the RNC requires:
600 mm W x 600 mm D = 0.360 m without cosmetic panels
660 mm W x 600 mm D = 0.396 m with cosmetic panels
66 mm increase in front and rear for a total depth of 732 mm when optional doors are
used.
8.11 RNC Environmental Characteristics
Table 5 provides the environmental characteristics of the RNC.
Characteristics Unit 9370 RNC Single
W x D x H (without cosmetic side panels) mm
Inches
600 x 600 x 2125
23.6 x 23.6 x 83.7
W x D x H (with cosmetic side panel) mm
Inches
660 x 600 x 2125
25.9 x 23.6 x 83.7
Max Weight for fully populated RNC with 12DCPS Kg/lbs 411/906
Voltage V dc
Nominal
-48 or -60
Typical Power consumption for fully populated RNC
with 12 DCPSs
W 1881
Max Power consumption for fully populated RNC with
12PSs (estimated)
W 2900
Max Heat Dissipation W/m2 2900
Normal Operating Temperatures C
F
5 to 40
41 to 104
Short Term Operating Temperatures C
F
-5 to 50
23 to 122
Temperature Variation C / hour
F / hour
30
86
Normal Relative Operating Humidity (non-condensing) % 10 to 90
Short Term Relative Operating
Humidity (non-condensing)
% 5 to 90
Acoustic Noise Level (normal conditions) dba < 60
Earthquake Zone Up to Zone 4
Max Altitude m 4000 above sea level
Table 5 - RNC Environmental Characteristics
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
77 / 84


Notes:
Typical power consumption is the measured operating power of the 9370 operating at
25 degrees Celsius with varying traffic levels. The operational power figures should be
used for OPEX calculations.
Maximum power consumption is maximum power consumption under worse case
conditions. Although it is not expected that these power figures will be seen by the
operator the site engineering must account for the worse case scenario. These figures
should be used for sizing the power and cooling infrastructure at the site.
As shown in this table, Alcatel-Lucent RNC supports -48V and -60V power input. The
acceptable variations in the input voltage of the equipment, under normal operation,
range from -40 VDC to -72 VDC.
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
78 / 84


9 APPENDICES
9.1 Appendix A: References
[1] UMT/PLM/INF/004862 Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC Capacity Roadmap, v1.12
[2] UMT/SYS/DD/00128 Intelligent RAB mapping, v3.02
[3] UMT/SYS/DD/10672 iRM Pre-Emption, v1.02
[4] UMT/SYS/DD/0034 PS Call Management, v4.04
[5] UMT/SYS/DD/0086 Power management, v4.02
[6] UMT/SYS/DD/013319 HSDPA System Specification, v1.07
[7] MD-1998.0632 Passport 15000 Product Specification Agreement
[8] 241-1501-200 Passport 15000 Hardware Description
[9] Alcatel-Lucent 7670 ESE and RSP Hardware Description
[10] UMT/SYS/INF/0025 UA02 Access Network Feature Planning Guide v1.13
[11] UMT/SYS/INF/0043 UA03 Access Network Feature Planning Guide v1.14
[12] UMT/SYS/INF/07906 UA04.1 Access Network Feature Planning Guide v1.11
[13] UMT/SYS/INF/12239 UA04.2 Access Network Feature Planning Guide v1.07
[14] UMT/COM/INF/016063 Alcatel-Lucent UMTS RNC Portfolio Evolution: RNC-1500 ROHS
Compliance v3.07
[15] UMT/SYS/DD/009966 High Level Compliance to 3GPP specifications v05.02 UA05.0
[16] UMT/SYS/INF/016608 UA05 Access Network Feature Planning Guide
[17] UMT/SYS/DD/0054 UMTS Radio Mobility
[18] UMT/SYS/DD/018827 E-DCH System Specification
9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
79 / 84


9.2 Appendix B: Regulatory Standards
Safety (IT Equipment) Description
UL60950-1 covered by CSA NRTL Mark Safety of Information Technology Equipment
(United States)
CSA22.2 No 60950-1-03
Safety of Information Technology Equipment
(Canada)
EN60950-1 (December 2001) Safety of Information Technology Equipment
(Europe)
IEC 60950-1, edition 1(2001) Safety of Information Technology Equipment
(International)
CB Report to cover above Standards with
National Deviations
Safety of Information Technology Equipment
generated by CSA from the above testing and
used for international markets

Safety (Optical) Description
FDA 21CFR Part 1040.10 North America Laser Safety
IEC 60825-1 & IEC 60825 -2 International Laser Safety

EMC Emissions
Class Limits Regulatory Standards Description
Class A FCC Part 15 United States (Federal Communications
Commission FCC)
Class B ICES 003 Canada
Class B EN 300-386 European EC member Countries
Class B CISPR 22 International (other than EC Countries
Class B AS/NZS 3548 Australia/New Zealand
Class B VCCI Japan
Class B CNS13438 (CISPR 22) Taiwan Regulatory Certificate BSMI

EMI Immunity
Regulatory Standards Region
ETSI 300-386-2 Europe
CISPR 22 International

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
80 / 84



Interconnect Compliance
Regulatory Standards Region Description
ITU-T G.707, G.825, G. 957 Europe Optical Interfaces
CTR24 / TBR14 Europe E3 Interfaces

Network Synchronization Compliance
Regulatory Standards Region Description
ITU-T G.813 Europe Optical Interfaces
ITU-T G.823 Europe E1 Interfaces
ITU-T G.824, Telcordia GR-1244, ANSI T1.101 N. America Electrical Interfaces
ITU-T G.813, Telcordia GR-1244, Telcordia GR-
253, ANSI T1.101
N. America Optical Interfaces

Customer Requirements (Coverage for North America & Europe)
GR-1089-CORE, Issue 4, June 2006 Electromagnetic Compatibility and Electrical
Safety Generic Criteria for Network
Telecommunications Equipment
GR-63-CORE, Issue 3, March 2006 Network Equipment-Building System
Requirements: Physical Protection

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
81 / 84


9.3 Appendix C: Glossary of Terms
9.3.1 Acronyms
A H
AAL2 ATM Adaptation Layer 2
AAL5 ATM Adaptation Layer 5
ALCAP Access Link Control Application Part
AP Application Processor
APC Application Processing Complex
AS Access Stratum
CAC Call Admission Control
CBC Cell Broadcast Centre
CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
CN Core Network
CPICH Common Pilot Channel
CRNC Controlling RNC
DC/DC Direct Current to Direct Current
DCH Dedicated Channel
DRNS Drift RNS
E1 Standard European PCM link nickname
EC European Community
EMC Electromagnetic Compatibility
ESD ElectroStatic Discharge
ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute.
FDD Frequency Division duplex
FPG Feature Planning Guide
GPRS General Packet Radio Service
GSM Global System for Mobile communications
GUI Graphical User Interface
H/W Hardware
HSS Half Split Shelf

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
82 / 84


IM
I/F Interface
I/O Input/Output
ICP IMA Control Protocol Cell
IMA Inverse Multiplexing ATM
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
MAC Medium Access Control
MIB Managed Information Base.
MPLS Multi Protocol Label Switching
MS Mobile Station
MTBF Mean Time Between Failure
MTP Message Transfer Part
MTTR Mean Time To Repair
N-R
NAS Non Access Stratum
NBAP Node B Application Part
NE Network Element
O&M Operation and Maintenance.
OA&M Operation, Administration and Maintenance.
OAM&P Operations, Administration, Maintenance and Provisioning
OC-3 Optical Carrier level 3 (SONET)
OMC-R Operations and Management Console for Radio
OS Operating System
PCM Pulse Code Modulation
PMC PCI Mezzanine Card
PoC Point of Concentration
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
QoS Quality of Service

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
83 / 84


R-S
RAB Radio Access Bearer
RAN Radio Access Network
RANAP Radio Access Network Application Part
RLC Radio Link Control
RNC Radio Network Controller
RNS Radio Network Subsystem
RNSAP Radio Network Subsystem Application Part
RRC Radio Resource Control
SABP Service Area Broadcast Protocol
SARing ExecutING frame Segmentation And Re-assembly
SCCP Signalling Connection Control Part
SIR Signal over Interference Ratio
SRNS Serving RNS
SRS Software Repository Server
SS7 Common Channel Signalling number 7
STM-1 Synchronous Transport level 1 (SDH)
SWACT Switch of ACTivity
T-Z
TDD Time Division duplex
TRAU TRAnscoding Unit
UE User Equipment
UMTS Universal Mobile telecommunication System
UTRAN UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network
VCCI Voluntary Control Council for Interference by Information Technology
Equipment
WCDMA Wideband CDMA
WMS Wireless Management System

9370 RADIO NETWORK CONTROLLER (RNC) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION JULY 2010

Document Number: UMT/RAN/INF/012025 | Document Issue: 01.07 / EN | Document Status: Standard
Alcatel-Lucent Proprietary
See Notice on Page 2
84 / 84


9.3.2 Glossary
Node B The element in a UMTS network which interfaces with the mobile station,
analogous to a Base Station in a GSM network.
MIB The Managed Information Base (MIB) contains all the configuration elements
for the 9370 RNC equipment itself as well as the configuration parameters of
the radio access network which are under the control of the 9370 RNC.
PCM Pulse Code Modulation is commonly used to refer to the primary rate signals
which consist of multiplexed 64 kbit/s Channels sometimes containing PCM
encoded voice.
PMC PCI Mezzanine Card is a standard of daughter board for VME SBCs.
SWACT SWitch of ACTivity refers to a sparing action where an inactive board takes
control over a faulty active board.