Scribd
Upload
702 views11 pages

TP - RTT Calculation UMTS

This document discusses performance indicators related to user distribution in mobile networks. It describes Timing Advance (TA) in 2G networks, which allows estimating user location based on signal propagation delay. In 3G, the equivalent is Propagation Delay. Counters of TA and Propagation Delay values are used to analyze user concentration areas. The document presents a methodology to standardize these indicators across technologies into a unified PDTA range for comparative analysis of user distributions.

Uploaded by

Shahnawaz Anjum
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
702 views11 pages

TP - RTT Calculation UMTS

This document discusses performance indicators related to user distribution in mobile networks. It describes Timing Advance (TA) in 2G networks, which allows estimating user location based on signal propagation delay. In 3G, the equivalent is Propagation Delay. Counters of TA and Propagation Delay values are used to analyze user concentration areas. The document presents a methodology to standardize these indicators across technologies into a unified PDTA range for comparative analysis of user distributions.

Uploaded by

Shahnawaz Anjum
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 11

Goal

Learn the Performance Indicators related to the users distribution in a multi-technology


mobile network, and also learn how to use these indicators together in analysis.

TA in 2G (GSM)
We've already talked about TA in GSM in another tutorial, so let's just remember the most
important concept.
TA (Timing Advance) allows us to identify the distribution of 2G (GSM) users regarding its
serving cell, based on signal propagation delay between the the UE's and the BTS. The GSM
mobile (from now on, we will call here UE too - as in 3G) receives data from BTS, and 3
time slots later sends its data. It is sufficient if the mobile is close to the BTS, however,
when the UE is far away, it must take into account the delay that the signal will have to go
through the radio path.
So: the UE sends the TA data together with other measures for the necessary time
adjustments to be made.
In this way, we indirectly get a map with the distribution of users, or their probable location
area, corresponding to the coverage area of the cell, with a minimum and maximum radius.
The following figure shows this more clearly, for an antenna with 65 HBW, and maximum
(1) and minimum (2) radius.

And in 3G and 4G (WCDMA, LTE), does we also have TA?


The expected question here is: does we have TA in 3G/4G? The answer is Yes, but in
WCDMA the name is another, it is called Propagation Delay. (In LTE, we have both
parameters - TA and PD).
So, let's learn a little more about it.

Propagation Delay in 3G (WCDMA)


As we've told, in 3G the corresponding parameter to TA in 2G (GSM) is the Propagation
Delay. With this parameter, we can estimate the distance between the UE and the serving
cell, in the same way as we do in GSM.
But in 3G it has some different characteristics. To begin with, 3G measurements are made
by the RNC, and not by the UE.
In one recent 'RRC and RAB' tutorial we have seen how an RRC connection is established,
where the UE sends a 'RRC CONNECTION MESSAGE' message. When the RNC receives this
message, it sends another message back to NodeB, to set up a Radio Link ('RADIO LINK
SETUP REQUEST') (1). This message contains the Information Element with the Propagation
Delay data, that is, the delay that has already been checked and adjusted to allow
transmissions and reception synchronization.

As already mentioned, the information does not come from the UE as in GSM, but is the
information that the RNC already has to make the communication possible: the information
of this delay, the Propagation Delay Information Element (IE) is sent every 3 chips.

So let's do some math.


We know that the WCDMA has a constant rate equal to 3.84 Mcp chip/s.
We also know (we consider) that the speed of light is 300,000 km/s.
In 1 second I have 3.84 M chips, in how many seconds I have 3 chips? Answer: 0.26 ps
(pico seconds).
As we have seen that the information is sent every 3 chips, the total is 3 x 0.26 = 0.78 ps
ps, which is the Propagation Delay time granularity.
And now let's translate this minimum value into Distance: If I run 300,000 miles in 1
second, what distance I run in 0.78 ps? Answer: 234 meters.

In other words, have the Propagation Delay with granularity of 234 meters!
Note: it is important to know that this distance information is available to the system not
only in the establishment of the call, but also during the entire existence of it.

Round Trip Delay - Round Trip Time (RTT)


When we talk about Propagation Delay, there's another very important concept, related to
the subject and used in several other areas that involve communication between two points:
the Round Trip Delay & Time.
Let's understand what it is with an example. Imagine a simple communication between two
people, where the first say 'Hi', and the second one also answers 'Hi'.

In an ideal world, first person speech travels up to the second one, taking a certain amount
of time (t1), and the speech of the second person returns with a time (t2). So, we have a
total time elapsed from when the first person said 'hi' till he received the other guy's
answer. This time is the Round Trip Time, or the time at which a signal travels a route until
the response is received back at the source.
Bringing this analogy to an UE and a NodeB, we have the image below.

:: RTT = (t1 + t2)

In fact, the approach above is very close to real. But we have to consider also the time in
which the receiver takes to 'process' the information, or the time it takes to respond after
receiving the information.
Considering then this 'latency' time (TL), the RTT is so as:

:: RTT = (t1 + t2) + TL

So, we understand then what is RTT. But how do I use it?


This information is very important to the system, and can be used for several purposes. One
of them for example, can be also to find UE's locations. Our goal today is to know all means
to find the location information of the UE's, remember?
Well, this is another method (in addition to the counters, as we shall see soon). When the
NodeB sends a message to the UE it knows exactly what time is. And then, when it receive
a response from the UE, it also knows exactly that other time!
So, it just do the subtraction of the times to find the RTT, and calculate the distance! Note:
the time used for the calculation is half of the RTT as the RTT is the round-trip path. In this
case, the latency time on the receiver is 'disregarded'.
With this distance information we can draw a circle with the likely area where the UE is. And
if it is being served by various cells, the intersection of the circles of each one of them gives
us a more accurate positioning (it is what we call 'Triangulation'). And these calculations are
even more accurate when other information is used togheter, such as 'CellID', MCC, RNC,
LAC and Call Logs (CHR), with much more detailed information.

But let's go back to the case where we only use the information of Propagation Delay - that
is our focus today - and that already gives us sufficient allowance for several very
interesting analysis.

TA and PD (Propagation Delay) counters


The Propagation Delay information are (also) available in simple form of Performance
counters.
These types of counters are available in pre-set ranges according to each vendor. The
ranges vary from 1 Propagation Delay to several 'grouped' Propagation Delay.
For example in Huawei have some TA ranges in GSM, and other PD ranges in WCDMA
(Note: Huawei calls these propagation delay counter s as TP instead of PD). For an 'ideal'
scenario, we would have counters for 'each' Propagation Delay.

Actually, that's not what happens, because as we told before, they may be grouped into
ranges. Note: the reason for this is not the case, but really too many ranges may even
disrupt analysis.
TP (Propagation Delay WCDMA in Huawei) has 12 ranges.

In the above figure we have PDTA from 0 to 11.

For TP_0 the UE is between 0 and 234 meters from NodeB;


For TP_1 the UE is between 234 and 468 meters from NodeB;
...
For TP_36_55 the UE is between 8.4 and 13.1 km from NodeB;
And for TP_56_MORE the UE is more than 13.1 km from NodeB.

In the GSM (Huawei) have the same concept.

Note: See however that the amount of ranges here (GSM) is much bigger, and only begin to
be grouped from 30 (from almost 17 km!).
With the counters organized in so different ways, be grouped by different ranges
granularities, different distance (550 m for GSM and 234 m for WCDMA) it is very difficult to
analyze the propagations, or rather, it is almost impossible to compare them...
And so what does we do, since we need to analyze the distribution of the UE's in a generic
way, doesn't matter if it is using 2G or 3G?
The solution that we found in telecomHall was to make an 'approach', that is, a way to be
able to see where we have more concentrated UE's, no matter if at the time they are using
2G or 3G. Even because, this 'distribution' among Technologies and Carriers depends on
several factors, such as selection and handover parameters, and also physical adjustments
of radiant system. But the 'concentration' of users does not depend on these factors: the
total amount of users in a particular area is always the same!

To this, the module 'Hunter Propagation Analyzer' uses a methodology and 'particular'
counters, allowing to do this approach: we have created a range, and called it PDTA. As the
3G (Huawei, which we are using as an example) has less ranges - only 12, we made the
initial PDTA definition based on it. The result can be seen in the table below.

Of course this approach or 'methodology' is not perfect, but in practice the outcome is very
efficient. In addition, if you need a more detailed analysis (for example if you need to know
with more accuracy than the approach presented here) just look to the original table, which
contains each counter in its standard range in original granularity.
For other vendors, the ranges may be different, but the methodology is always the same.

In Ericsson for example, the Propagation Delay WCDMA counter is 'pmPropagationDelay',


and it is collected by the RNC just like in Huawei.
It has 41 bins, being the first to indicate the maximum delay in chips (Cell Range), and
other (1 to 40) to inform the number of samples in the period, referring to the percentage
of the maximum Cell Range.
When the UE try to connect at one point greater than the Cell Range it will fail.
Regarding to bins, the distribution goes from 0 to 100%, as the rule below:
bin1: samples between 0 and 1% of Cell Range (for example, if the Cell Range is 30 km, bin1 has
the samples between 0 and 300 m from NodeB);

bin2: samples between 1% and 2% of Cell Range;



bin40: samples between 96% and 100% of Cell Range.
And the 'adjust' of PDTA can be done the same way, depending on your need.
Conclusion: Different vendors have different propagation counters, and in different formats
- but the information is always the same! In all cases we can do the calculations that bring
the analysis to the same comparison universe, with the benefits that we've illustrated
above.

You might also like