2G Handover analysis and improvement

1.
Introduction

Handover is an important function in mobile communication systems. As a means of radio linkcontrol,

handover enables users to communicate continuously when they traverse different cells.The HOSR is the ratio
of the number of successful handovers to the number of handover requests.The major purpose of handover is
to guarantee call continuity, improve speech quality, reducecross interference in the network, and thus provide
better services for mobile station (MS)subscribers.

1.1 Theory

The HOSR is an important KPI of the call hold type. According to the processes, this KPI can bedivided into two
types: Handover Success Rate and Radio Handover Success Rate. According tothe relations between involved
network elements (NEs), this KPI can be divided into three types:Success Rate of Intra-BSC Handover, Success
Rate of Incoming BSC Handover, and Success Rateof Outgoing BSC Handover. The HOSR is an important KPI
assessed by operators because thevalue of the HOSR directly affects the user experience.

1.2 Recommended Formula

The HOSR is obtained through traffic measurement. The recommended formula for calculatingthis KPI is as
follows:

 Handover Success Rate = Successful Handovers/Handover Requests

 Radio Handover Success Rate = Successful Handovers/HandoverCommands
1.3 Measurement Point

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 Figure 1: Intra-BSC Handover

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 Figure 2: Inter-BSC Handover

The measurement points illustrated in figures above are as follows:

 A1——Measurement point of Incoming Internal Inter-Cell Handover Requests and Internal Intra-Cell
Handover Requests
 B1——Measurement point of Incoming Internal Inter-Cell Handover Responses (Incoming Internal
Inter-Cell Handovers) and Internal Intra-Cell Handover Commands
 C1——Measurement point of Successful Incoming Internal Inter-Cell Handovers and Successful
Internal Intra-Cell Handovers
 A2——Incoming External Inter-Cell Handover Requests
 B2——Incoming External Inter-Cell Handover Responses (Incoming External Inter-Cell Handovers)
 C2——Successful Incoming External Inter-Cell Handovers
 A3——Outgoing External Inter-Cell Handover Requests
 B3——Outgoing External Inter-Cell Handover Commands (Outgoing External Inter-CellHandovers)
 C3——Successful Outgoing External Inter-Cell Handovers

Replaced with corresponding measurement points, the formulas for calculating different types of HOSR can be
as follows:

 Success Rate of Handover: (C1+C3)/(A1+A3)

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  Success Rate of Radio Handover: (C1+C3)/(B1+B3)
 Success Rate of Intra-BSC Handover: C1/A1
 Internal Radio Handover Success Ratio per cell: C1/B1
 Success Rate of Incoming BSC Handover: C2/A2
 Success Rate of Incoming BSC Radio Handover: C2/B2
 Success Rate of Outgoing BSC Handover: C3/A3
 Success Rate of Outgoing BSC Radio Handover: C3/B3
1.4 Influencing Factors

According to the cases and experience of the existing network, the factors that influence the handover include
the following types:

 Hardware and transmission failures

 Data configuration
 Congestion
 Coverage problems, and uplink and downlink imbalance
 Interference
 Clock problems
 Failed inter-BSC/inter-MSC handovers
2. Analysis Process and Optimization Method

This chapter provides solutions to the problems about the handover when the following conditions are all met:

 The data configuration complies with the baseline of related parameters.

 There is no problem about the engineering quality.
 The coverage is good.
2.1 Process of Analyzing Handover Problems

Generally, there are the following types of handover problems:

 Call drops due to no timely occurrence of handovers

 Failed handovers
 Frequent (ping-pong) handovers
 Poor downlink quality caused by slow handovers

These problems directly result in poor experience of end users, which is inclined to cause complaints.
Therefore, it is necessary to work out a method for optimizing the HOSR quickly or even automatically to
improve the network quality and user experience.

2.1.1 Methods for Optimizing Handover Problems

Generally, handovers occur between two cells. The relationship between cells may be:

 Between different BTSs in a BSC

 In the same BTS in a BSC
 Between different BSCs

Therefore, after you know how to locate and optimize the handover problems between two cells, you can solve
the handover problems in an entire network. Handover problems may be caused by:

 Hardware and transmission failures (bad TRXs or problems about the combiner of the feeder and
antenna system)

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  Improper data configuration
 Congestion problems
 Clock problems
 Interference problems
 Coverage problems, and uplink and downlink imbalance

If a low HOSR occurs, do as follows:

1. Identify the problem.

2. Troubleshoot the problem based on the factors such as hardware, data configuration, congestion,
clock, interference, and coverage
3. Improve the HOSR according to the automatic optimization of neighboring cells.
2.2 Classification of Handover Problems
2.2.1 Classification Description

Before analyzing the problem about the HOSR, determine the following points about handover classification:

1. Decide the scope of the failed handover. If the low HOSR occurs in all the cells, check the problem
from such aspects as the handover feature parameters, the A interface circuits, and the BSC clock.
2. If the low HOSR does not occur in all the cells, find out the TOP n poorest cell. Then, proceed with the
following steps specific to the cell.
3. Distinguish whether there is any problem in the wireless interfaces according to the differences
between the HOSR and the Radio HOSR. The Radio HOSR must be greater than or equal to the HOSR. If
the HOSR is much smaller than the Radio HOSR, analyze the problems about the terrestrial links and
the capacity. If the HOSR is a little different from the Radio HOSR, consider the problems about the
coverage and the interference.
4. Query the success rates of outgoing/incoming external/internal inter-cell handovers in the handover
performance measurement to analyze whether a failed outgoing or incoming handover occurs.
Analyze the performance measurement of outgoing and incoming external inter-cell handovers of the
faulty cell. From the performance measurement of outgoing external intercell handovers, find out to
which cells the handover fails. Analyze counters of the cells where incoming handovers fail, such as
the Failed Incoming External/Incoming Inter-Cell Handovers (No Channel Available), the Traffic Volume
on TCH, and the Congestion Ratio on TCH(All Channels Busy), to decide whether the congestion of the
target cell causes the failed handover.
5. Query such counters as the TRX Availability and the TCH Availability of the target cell to check whether
any device is faulty.
6. Query relevant alarms to analyze whether any terrestrial link device is faulty.
2.2.2 Traffic Measurement Analysis

By registering and analyzing the following counters, you can decide the scope and the basic cause of a
handover problem:

 Incoming Internal Inter-Cell Handover Measurement per Cell

 Outgoing Internal Inter-Cell Handover Measurement per Cell
 Incoming External Inter-Cell Handover Measurement per Cell
 Outgoing External Inter-Cell Handover Measurement per Cell
 Incoming Inter-RAT Inter-Cell Handover
 Outgoing Inter-RAT Inter-Cell Handover Measurement per Cell
 Measurement of MRs upon Handover Initiation per Cell
 Channel Assignment Failure Measurement per Cell
 Traffic Volume on TCH

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3. Handover problems resolution
3.1 Hardware and Transmission Failure

Symptom: The alarm system reports relevant alarm information. To rectify a hardware fault, clear the alarms
about the hardware failure. If the alarms are cleared, check the traffic measurement information and analyze
handover counters. A hardware failure may involve the following hardware devices:

 BTS transmission management unit

 BTS TRXs
 BTS combining and distribution unit
 BTS feeder and antenna system
3.1.1 Handling Process
1. Check the data configuration of the hardware. If none of the data configuration of the faulty cell and
its neighboring cells is changed recently, consider whether the handover problem is caused by a BTS
hardware failure. If the handover problem occurs in only one cell under the BTS, consider whether the
problem is caused by the hardware failure of the cell. If a TRX is damaged, a call fails to be handed
over to this TRX. If a similar problem also occurs in a co-site neighboring cell of this cell, consider
whether the problem is caused by the failure of the common hardware of the cells, for example, the
TMU failure. You can block some TRXs to verify the preceding problems. If the HOSR returns to normal
after a TRX is blocked, check whether this TRX is faulty or whether the CDU or the antenna related to
this TRX is faulty. If the uplink and downlink signals of a TRX are unbalanced, handover problems such
as frequent handover and lower HOSR often occur.
2. Trace the Abis interface, and observe whether the signaling of the faulty cell is normal and whether
the uplink and downlink receiving quality in the measure report is good. If the receiving level quality of
half rate or full rate channel in the measurement report is poor, the hardware of the cell is faulty or
signaling cannot interact normally due to serious interference in the cell. As a result, a handover
problem occurs.
3.1.2 Alarm Analysis

Observe whether any alarms with the following IDs are reported. If yes, refer to the BSS Alarm Guide to handle
the alarms.

Alarm
ID Name
4102 TRX LAPD Link Interrupt Alarm
4104 TRX Config Mismatch Alarm
4108 Radio link critical Alarm
4114 TRX Interior I/O Alarm
4136 TRX Hardware Critical Alarm
4144 TRX VSWR alarm
4192 TRX communication alarm
4714 E1/T1 Local Alarm
5286 CDU Level 1 VSWR Critical
5284 CDU Level 2 VSWR Critical Alarm
5326 Level 1 VSWR alarm
5328 Level 2 VSWR alarm
3.2 Improper Data Configuration
3.2.1 Handling Process

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Symptoms: An MS does not initiate any handover or frequently initiates handovers, which affectsthe HOSR.

The handover parameters control the handover decision algorithm. If the handover parameters are set
improperly, the MS may not initiate any handover or frequently initiates handovers. In this case, consider the
cause from the following aspects:

 Whether the PBGT HO Threshold in the data configuration is set properly. Avoid difficult handovers
due to too great values of the handover thresholds or frequent handovers due to the too small values.
Proper settings can prevent ping-pong handovers. Do not set the thresholds to the values deviating
greatly from the baseline values.
 Whether the parameters related to the handover candidate cell in the data configuration are set
properly. Avoid the case that the MS cannot be handed over to a neighboring cell due to the missed
setting of the neighboring cell.
 Whether the handover hysteresis parameters in the data configuration are set properly. Avoid difficult
handovers due to too large values of the handover hysteresis parameters or frequent handovers due
to too small values.
 Whether the N and P counters in the data configuration are set properly. Avoid insensitive handover
decision or difficult handovers due to the too large values of the parameters, or the case that the
target cell of a handover is not the optimal due to the too small values of the parameters. Avoid
configuring the neighboring cells that share the same BCCH or the same BSIC for a cell.

Abnormal circuit identification code (CIC) circuits may cause failed handovers. For example, the CIC circuit
allocated through a Handover REQ message received by the target BSC is identified in the BLOCK state in the
target BSC. Therefore, the BSC responds to the MSC with a Handover Failure message whose cause value is
Requested Terrestrial Resource Unavailable. In this case, check the statuses of the circuits at the two sides of
the A interface and ensure that the circuits are in the same state.

You can trace the A interface signaling on the maintenance console to check whether the failed handover is
caused by the inconsistency of the circuit statuses. Do as follows:

 Trace the A interface signaling.

 Filter the Handover Failure message.
 Check whether the cause value is Requested Terrestrial Resource Unavailable.
3.2.2 Handover timer

When an abnormal handover occurs, promptly check the handover timer and ensure that the handover timer is
not less than the preset default value. II lists the handover timers commonly used.

Default Value
Timer (ms) Description
Timer for sending outgoing external inter-cell
T7 10000 handover requests and handover commands
Timer for running outgoing external inter-cell
handover commands and handover completion or
T8 10000 clearance
From the time when an intra-cell or inter-cell
T310 handover command is executed to the time of an
3 10000 intra-cell or inter-cell handover completion

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 During an asynchronous handover, from the time
when the BTS sends the MS a physical message to
T310 the time when the BTS receives the set
5 70 asynchronous balanced mode (SABM) from the MS
During an asynchronous handover, from the time
when the MS sends the network a handover access
T312 Burst message to the time when the MS receives a
4 320 physical message from the BTS
3.3 Congestion of the Target Cell
3.3.1 Handling Process

Symptoms: After an MS initiates a handover request, the handover fails because no channel is obtained.

The possible causes of cell congestion are:

 The number of users in the cell soars and exceeds the designed number.
 Improper settings of the network optimization parameters cause redundant users in the cell.
 Improper settings of the handover parameters cause the increase of the users accessing the cell.

After a handover fails because congestion occurs in the target cell, penalize the target cell to prevent the MS
from retrying to be handed over to this target cell. It is recommended that Penalty Allowed be set to Yes.

Check whether the channel the congested cell is normal. If a TRX is faulty or a channel is abnormal, rectify the
relevant faults.

If full rate channels cannot be converted to half rate channels, it is recommended that you change the channel
attributes on the BSClocal maintenance terminal (LMT). That is, set the TCH Rate Adjust Allow of all the TRXs
under this cell to Yes. If the full rate channels can be converted to half rate channels, properly reduce the value
of TCH Traffic Busy Threshold(%) to allocate half rate channels ahead of time and thus increase the system
capacity. If the preceding methods cannot solve the congestion problem, divide the cell or expand the capacity
of the cell.

Since capacity expansion cannot be completed in a short time, you can set Channel Type to 1 or 2 to reserve
channels for handovers. In this way, the failed handovers caused by congestion can be reduced, and thus the
HOSR improves.

3.3.2 Traffic Measurement Analysis

1. Register the measurement unit Channel Assignment Failure Measurement per Cell. By analyzing the
traffic measurement, you can be familiar with the number of the times that all the channels are busy
or that none of the channels is configured when the BSC allocates SDCCHs, TCHFs, or TCHHs in the
processes such as immediate assignment, assignment, internal intra-cell handover, incoming internal
inter-cell handover, and incoming external inter-cell handover.
2. Change relevant parameters for the target cell according to the cause of the failed handover. If the
failed handover is caused by the SDCCH congestion, set SDCCH Dynamic Allocation Allowed to Yes. If
the failed handover is caused by the TCH congestion, reduce the value of the TCH Traffic Busy
Threshold(%) to allocate half rates ahead of time and thus relieve congestion. In addition, you can set
Channel Type to 1 or 2 to reserve channels for handovers.

SN Measurement Counter:

 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) in ImmediateAssignment

Procedure (SDCCH)

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  Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) in Immediate Assignment
Procedure (TCHF)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) in Immediate Assignment
Procedure (TCHH)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) in Assignment Procedure
(TCHF/TCHH)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) in Internal Intra- Cell
Handover Procedure (SDCCH)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) in Internal Intra-Cell
Handover Procedure (TCHF/TCHH)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) in Incoming Internal Inter-
Cell Handover Procedure (SDCCH)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) in Incoming Internal Inter-
Cell Handover Procedure (TCHF/TCHH)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) in Incoming External Inter-
Cell Handover Procedure (SDCCH)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) in Incoming External Inter-
Cell Handover Procedure (TCHF/TCHH)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) (SDCCH)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) (TCHF)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) (TCHH)
 Channel Assignment Failures (All Channels Busy or Channels Unconfigured) (TCH)
3.4 Clock Problems
3.4.1 Handling Process

Asynchronization and instability of the BTS clock are major causes of call drops during a handover. Therefore,
keep the BTS clock stable. Otherwise, handovers often fail and call drops occur frequently.

A 13 MHz unlocked alarm is generated. The BSIC cannot be decoded. The HOSR of the concerned cells
decreases.

The clock source is abnormal and deviation may occur between the BTS clock and other BTS clocks. As a result,
MS abnormalities may occur during handovers.

To solve the problems about the unlocked clock and abnormality of the clock source, do as follows:

1. Check alarms. That is, check whether there is a 2214 E1 local alarm or 2216 E1 remote alarm. If there
is, follow the concerned alarm handling manual to handle the alarm. Then, observe the HOSR.
2. Check the transmission link clock of the BTS. That is, use a frequency meter to test the frequency
deviation of the transmission link clock of the BTS. If the frequency deviation is greater than or equal
to 0.05 ppm, the transmission link clock is abnormal, and the E1 or the optical transmission link may
be faulty or the clock source is faulty. Rectify the transmission link fault through link-by-link self-loop
until the alarm handling is complete.
3. If the clock problem is not solved, reset the BTS (level-4) and observe alarms and the HOSR.
4. If the problem remains unsolved, replace the TMU.
3.4.2 Alarm Analysis

Observe whether any alarms with the following IDs are reported. If yes, refer to the BSS Alarm Guide to handle
the alarms.

Alarm Name

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 ID
4154 TRX main clock alarm
4156 TRX slave clock alarm
4184 TRX Clock Critical Alarm
Clock Reference Abnormal
4708
Alarm
4732 TMU clock critical alarm
4734 Master TMU clock alarm
4760 13M Maintenance Alarm
3.5 Interference Problems
3.5.1 Handling Process

Severe interference in the network is inclined to cause the decrease in the receiving quality. As a result,
interference handovers or handovers in poor quality increase, the proportion of the power budget (PBGT)
decreases, and the quality of service (QoS) of the existing network is reduced to some degree. Thus, user
experience and the HOSR are affected.

Currently, the common interferences are intra-frequency and inter-frequency channel interferences, Unicom
CDMA interference, and mass multiplexing of the EGSM. If the idle Burst function is not manually disabled after
it is enabled, the interference of the entire network rises, the noise floor increases, and the quality of the entire
network decreases, thus affecting the HOSR.

The remote source signals of some optical fiber repeaters are inclined to cause intra-frequency interference.
Therefore, during optimization, you need to check the frequency of the source signals and the frequencies of
the cells close to the repeaters so that the frequency space is over 400 kHz.

To solve interference problems, do as follows:

 Find out the cell or the frequency where large interference exists through drive tests.
 Optimize the radio frequency (RF) by the following regular means:
o Adjust the tilt angle of the antenna.
o Replace the frequency.
o Change the transmit power and the coverage area of the cell.

You can also register the measurement results of interference fringes by auxiliary means to estimate downlink
interferences.

3.6 Coverage Problems, and Uplink and Downlink Imbalance

3.6.1 Handling Process

Symptoms of signal coverage problems: The HOSR is low. Call drops occur frequently. There are noises and
metallic rings during conversations. The voice quality and the user experience are poor. There are three types
of signal coverage problems:

 Low HOSR caused by cross coverage: Low values of the fringe thresholds, the large BTS power, and an
improper tilt angle cause cross coverage, thus forming intra-frequency interference and affecting the
HOSR.
 Failed handovers caused by island effects: For example, the coverage area of the serving cell is much
larger than that of its neighboring cells, and the neighboring relation between the serving cell and the
neighboring cells of its neighboring cells is not configured. In this case, failed handovers easily occur at
the fringe of the serving cell.

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  Loopholes formed due to weak coverage: This section does not describe it in detail.

To solve signal coverage problems, do as follows:

 Find out the coverage problems in the existing network through drive test reports of network
optimization.
 Optimize the RF.

The low HOSR caused by uplink and downlink imbalance generally occurs when uplink signals are weak. For
example, there are problems in the hardware such as the CDU combiner, the uplink channel loss is large, the
uplink signals are weak, and the success rate of incoming external intercell handover is low. This low HOSR is
generally caused by data problems (such as CGI errors in the cell description data table, lack of measurement
frequencies in BA list 1 and BA list 2, or intrafrequency and inter-frequency interferences), coverage dead zones
in high traffic, or MS access difficulties due to weak uplink signals. To test and analyze the low HOSR caused by
uplink and downlink imbalance, do as follows:

1. Check whether the hardware and maintenance boards of the relevant cell are in the normal state, and
whether there are any alarms about hardware failures and the standing wave ratio (SWR). Refresh the
channel status and check whether the TCHs can be normally occupied.
2. After hardware and channel problems are solved, check the handover data configuration and ensure
that the handover data complies with the parameter baseline.
3. Register the traffic measurement results of cell-level handovers. Check whether the HOSR between
some cells is always low.
a. Make a field test for the cells where the HOSR is always low. That is, perform a switchover
and lock the main BCCH to act as the calling and called parties respectively. Then decide the
uplink and downlink problems accordingly.
b. If the uplink loss is large, it is recommended that you replace the combiner to carry out an
observation and a test.

Coverage problems and uplink and downlink imbalance are solved through RF optimization. For detailed
analysis, refer to the related document

3.6.2 Traffic Measurement Analysis

Register the measurement unit Uplink-and-Downlink Balance Measurement per TRX about the cells where the
HOSR is low. Collect the uplink and downlink balance cases and carry out analysis.

3.7 Failed Inter-BSC/Inter-MSC Handovers

3.7.1 Handling Process

Symptoms: Inter-BSC or inter-MSC handovers fail. The possible causes are that:

 The data of the cells relevant to inter-MSC handovers is set wrongly.

 The data of the cells relevant to the inter-BSC handovers is set wrongly.
 The MSC and the BSC have different understandings of A interface handover signaling. As a result, the
cooperation at the A interface fails.
 The clocks between BSCs are not synchronous.

To solve this problem, do as follows:

1. Check whether the MSC data relevant to the cells where handovers fail is set correctly, for example,
the CGIs and the office direction of the cells. Ifany data is set incorrectly, correct it and observe
whether handoverssucceed.

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 2. Check whether the neighboring cells of the source and the destination BSC are set correctly. If there is
any abnormality, correct it and observe whether handovers succeed.
3. Trace A interface signaling. Check whether there is any abnormality in the signaling cooperation of the
handover process between the source BSC and the MSC, and between the MSC and the destination
BSC. For example, check whether such a process that the MSC abnormally releases a handover exists.
If there is any abnormal process, find out the cause and observe whether handovers succeed after
such a problem is solved.
4. Check whether the source and the destination BSCs relevant to handovers are locked with the clock of
the upper-level MSC. If not, find out the cause that the clock cannot be locked. Observe whether
handovers succeed after this problem is solved.
4. Diagrams

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 Start

False IS HOSR low?

True
Check HO thresholds and parameters on BSC level

Some cells impacted?

True Check clock problem

Check A and Abis and Ater parameters and KPIs

False

Is linked to Hardware and transmission or clock?

Rectify hardware or transmission or clock
True

False

Is linked to data configuration?

True Adjust relevant parameters

False

Is target cell congestionned?True

Make congestion relief actions on target cell (refer to relevant document)

False

False Check external interference

Is linked to interference
True Is intra network interference

Check frequency configuration

True
False

True
Is linked to Coverage or umbalance?
Solve coverage problem (refer to coverage check document)

False

Check
Problem in coBSC co handover
MSC? True data configuration and Cells configuration between BSC and MSC.

False
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End