®

NetSim
Accelerate Network R & D

5G NR

A Network Simulation & Emulation Software

By

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Table of Contents

1 Introduction to 5G simulation with NetSim ................................................................ 7

2 Simulation GUI ............................................................................................................. 8

2.1 Create Scenario .................................................................................................... 8
2.2 NetSim 5G Network Setup .................................................................................... 9
2.2.1 Deployment Architecture ........................................................................... 9
2.2.2 Device Placement.................................................................................... 10
2.2.3 NSA Deployment Device Connectivity ..................................................... 10
2.2.4 Grid Settings............................................................................................ 11
2.3 Devices Specific to NetSim 5G NR Library.......................................................... 11
2.4 GUI Parameters in 5G NR .................................................................................. 12
2.4.1 Devices: Click and drop into environment ................................................ 19

3 Model Features........................................................................................................... 21
3.1 The 5G Frame Structure ..................................................................................... 21
3.2 Data Transmission Overview .............................................................................. 22
3.3 5G NR Stack ....................................................................................................... 23
3.4 SDAP (Specification: 37.324) .............................................................................. 24
3.4.1 5G QoS characteristics ............................................................................ 25
3.5 RLC (Based on specification 38.322) .................................................................. 25
3.6 RLC-AM (Based on specification 38.322) ........................................................... 30
3.6.1 Transmit Operations ................................................................................ 31
3.6.2 Receive Operations ................................................................................. 32
3.6.3 Actions when a RLC PDU is received from a lower layer ......................... 33
3.6.4 Reception of a STATUS report ................................................................ 33
3.7 PDCP (Based on specification 38.322) ............................................................... 33
3.8 MAC Layer .......................................................................................................... 34
3.8.1 Overview ................................................................................................. 34
3.8.2 MAC Scheduler: Introduction ................................................................... 34
3.8.3 Round Robin Scheduler........................................................................... 35
3.8.4 Proportional Fair Scheduler ..................................................................... 35
3.8.5 Max Throughput Scheduler ..................................................................... 36
3.8.6 Special cases .......................................................................................... 37
3.8.7 Log File ................................................................................................... 38
3.9 PHY Layer .......................................................................................................... 38
3.9.1 Overview of the PHY implementation ...................................................... 38
3.9.2 Digital Beamforming ................................................................................ 39
3.9.3 MIMO (Digital) Beamforming Assumptions in NetSim .............................. 41

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 3.9.4 Analog beamforming in the SSB .............................................................. 42
3.9.5 Minimum guard band and transmission bandwidth configuration ............. 45
3.9.6 Fast fading............................................................................................... 45
3.9.7 NR Frequency Bands .............................................................................. 46
3.9.8 UE channel bandwidth ............................................................................. 48
3.9.9 Frame structure and physical resources .................................................. 48
3.9.10 Channel state information ........................................................................ 51
3.9.11 Efficiency ................................................................................................. 53
3.9.12 Modulation order, target code rate, and TBS determination ..................... 53
3.9.13 Transport block size (TBS) determination ................................................ 58
3.9.14 HARQ ...................................................................................................... 60
3.9.15 Segmentation of transport block into code blocks .................................... 64
3.9.16 BLER and MCS selection ........................................................................ 65
3.9.17 Out of coverage ....................................................................................... 66
3.9.18 Carrier Aggregation ................................................................................. 67
3.9.19 CA Configuration Table (based on TR 38 716 01-01 Rel 16 NR) ............. 67
3.9.20 PHY: Omitted Features............................................................................ 74
3.10 Supported max data rate..................................................................................... 74
3.11 Propagation Models (Per 3GPPTR38.900) ......................................................... 76
3.11.1 Overview ................................................................................................. 76
3.11.2 Pathloss formulas .................................................................................... 77
3.11.3 LOS probability ........................................................................................ 80
3.11.4 O2I penetration loss ................................................................................ 80
3.12 Additional Loss Model ......................................................................................... 82
3.12.1 Configuration ........................................................................................... 82
3.12.2 Running Simulation ................................................................................. 86
3.13 Downlink Interference Model ............................................................................... 88
3.13.1 Configuration ........................................................................................... 88
3.13.2 Graded distance-based Wyner model...................................................... 88
3.13.3 Exact Geometric Model ........................................................................... 92
3.13.4 Interference modeling in OFDM in NetSim............................................... 93
3.14 5G Core .............................................................................................................. 94
3.14.1 5G Interfaces ........................................................................................... 97
3.14.2 Cell Selection and UE attach procedure .................................................. 98
3.14.3 5G Core connection management process ............................................ 101
3.15 5G Non-Stand Alone (NSA) .............................................................................. 102
3.15.1 Overview ............................................................................................... 102
3.15.2 Option 3/3a ............................................................................................ 104
3.15.3 Option 4/4a ............................................................................................ 105
3.15.4 Option 7/7a ............................................................................................ 107

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 3.16 NSA Packet Flow .............................................................................................. 109
3.16.1 Option 3 ................................................................................................. 109
3.16.2 Option 3a ............................................................................................... 110
3.16.3 Option 4 ................................................................................................. 112
3.16.4 Option 4a ............................................................................................... 115
3.16.5 Option 7 ................................................................................................. 117
3.16.6 Option 7a ............................................................................................... 119
3.17 Handover .......................................................................................................... 122
3.17.1 Use of SNR instead of RSRP ................................................................ 122
3.17.2 Handover algorithm ............................................................................... 122
3.17.3 Ping pong handovers ............................................................................. 123
3.17.4 Packet flow during handover.................................................................. 123
3.17.5 Handover Interruption Time ................................................................... 125
3.17.6 Buffer transfer and timers ...................................................................... 126
3.18 LTENR Results, Packet Trace and Plots ........................................................... 126
3.18.1 LTE NR Packet trace ............................................................................. 127
3.18.2 PDCP and RLC Headers logged in Packet Trace .................................. 127
3.18.3 LTENR Event Trace .............................................................................. 128
3.19 Radio measurements log file ............................................................................. 131
3.20 Radio resource allocation log file ...................................................................... 134
3.21 Enable detailed logs in 5G NR .......................................................................... 136

4 Featured Examples .................................................................................................. 139

4.1 Understand 5G simulation flow through LTENR log file ..................................... 139
4.2 Effect of distance on pathloss for different channel models ............................... 148
4.2.1 Rural-Macro........................................................................................... 149
4.2.2 Urban-Macro ......................................................................................... 152
4.2.3 Urban-Micro........................................................................................... 155
4.2.4 Indoor-Office.......................................................................................... 158
4.3 Effect of UE distance on throughput in FR1 and FR2 ........................................ 161
4.3.1 Frequency Range - FR1 ........................................................................ 162
4.3.2 Frequency Range - FR2 ........................................................................ 164
4.4 Impact of MAC Scheduling algorithms on throughput, in a multi-UE scenario ... 166
4.4.1 UEs at different distances and channel is not time varying .................... 167
4.4.2 UEs equidistant with time varying channel. RR vs. PF scheduling ......... 169
4.5 Max Throughput for various bandwidth and numerology configurations ............ 170
4.6 Max Throughput for different MCS and CQI ...................................................... 173
4.7 Outdoor vs. Indoor Propagation ........................................................................ 175
4.7.1 Outdoor ................................................................................................. 176
4.7.2 Indoor .................................................................................................... 178

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 4.8 4G vs. 5G: Capacity analysis for video downloads ............................................ 180
4.8.1 4G ......................................................................................................... 180
4.8.2 5G ......................................................................................................... 182
4.9 5G-Peak-Throughput ........................................................................................ 185
4.9.1 3.5 GHz n78 band ................................................................................. 185
4.9.2 26 GHz n258 band ................................................................................ 187
4.10 Impact of distance on throughput for n261 band in LOS and NLOS states ........ 188
4.10.1 DL: UL Ratio 4:1 .................................................................................... 189
4.10.2 DL: UL Ratio 3:2 .................................................................................... 193
4.11 Urban gNB cell radius for different data rates.................................................... 195
4.11.1 3.5 GHz n78 urban gNB cell radius for different data rates .................... 196
4.11.2 26 GHz n258 urban gNB cell radius for different data rates ................... 198
4.12 Impact of numerology on a RAN with phones, sensors, and cameras ............... 199
4.13 Impact of UE movement on Throughput ............................................................ 205

5 Omitted Features ..................................................................................................... 210

6 5G NR Experiments in NetSim ................................................................................ 211

7 Reference Documents ............................................................................................. 211

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1 Introduction to 5G simulation with NetSim
NetSim 5G NR library allows for end-to-end simulation of all layers of the protocol stack as well as
applications running over the network1. The 5G devices available in NetSim are the 5G core devices:
(i) AMF, (ii) SMF, (iii) UPF, and RAN devices: (i) gNBs (ii) UEs. Simulation is discrete event and
done at a packet level abstraction. This 5G library is architected to connect to the base component
of NetSim (and in turn to other components), which provides functionalities such as the TCP/IP
Network Stack, Routing algorithms, Mobility, Output Metrics, Animation, Traces etc.

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Figure 1-1: NetSim’s 5G NR design window, the results dashboard and the plots window

1 For an introduction to 5G see chapter 1

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NetSim’s protocol source C code shipped along with (standard / pro versions) is modular and
customizable to help researchers to design and test their own 5G protocols.

2 Simulation GUI

2.1 Create Scenario

Open NetSim and click N Sm a → 5G N as shown Figure 2-1.

Figure 2-1: NetSim Home Screen

5G NR comes with a palette of various devices like Wired & Wireless Nodes, L2 Switch & Access
Point, AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), UPF (User Plane Function), SMF (Session
Management Function) & Router, gNB (Equivalent of eNB in LTE), UE (User Equipment), and
Building. Devices are connected using 3GPP defined interfaces; O-RAN defined interfaces are not
available.

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2.2 NetSim 5G Network Setup

Figure 2-2: NetSim 5G Network Setup window

2.2.1 Deployment Architecture

The deployment options have been grouped into 2 categories. Standalone (SA) option where there
is only one independent access network (LTE or 5G NR) that is connected to either the EPC or the
5G Core and the Non-Standalone options where both LTE and 5G NR radio access technologies
are present, where one of the access networks assist the other in connecting to either an EPC or a
5GC.

Stand Alone: In 5G Stand-alone mode of operation in NetSim, the network can be created using
the 5G Core devices which includes a single AMF, SMF and UPF to which the gNB can be connected
via Layer 2 Switches. The RAN part consists of gNBs and UEs and the UEs can handle both Uplink
and Downlink data transfer to and from the Data Network (DN) via the UPF.

Non-Stand Alone: In the Non-Stand-alone mode of operation in NetSim, the users can design the
network scenario using different deployment options.

The NSA modes in NetSim’s module includes:

1. Option 3 where only LTE core/ EPC is present and no 5G Core devices are present. Option 3 is
categorized into:
a. Option 3: Only eNB connects to EPC and eNB and gNB connects to the XN interface.
b. Option 3a: Both eNB and gNB connects to the EPC. gNB connects to the XN interface and
eNB does not XN interface.

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2. Option 4 where only 5G Core devices are present, and EPC is not available. Option 4 is
categorized into:
a. Option 4: Only gNB connects to all the 5G Core interfaces. eNB connects to the XN interface.
b. Option 4a: gNB connects to all 5G Core interfaces and eNB connects to AMF and UPF
through respective interfaces.
3. Option 7 where only 5G Core devices are present, and EPC is not available. Option 7 is
categorized into:
a. Option 7: eNB connects to all 5G Core interfaces. gNB connects only to the XN interface.
b. Option 7a: gNB connects to all the 5G Core interfaces. eNB connects to AMF and UPF
through the respective interfaces.

2.2.2 Device Placement

NetSim places the 5G core devices (AMF, SMF, UPF and Switches) / LTE EPC by default on to the
grid.

a. Only one 5G Core and/or LTE EPC is currently supported.

b. Users cannot remove 5G Core devices and/or LTE EPC, or their interconnecting links.
c. User may move these devices in the grid.
▪ Users can drop gNBs/eNBs which get automatically connected to 5G Core. If a gNB/eNB is
removed, the connected links to the core switches are automatically removed.
▪ Users can drop UEs and must connect them to gNBs/eNBs via links.
▪ Users can drop Routers and connect them to the UPF/EPC for connectivity to the data-
network (DN).
▪ IP addressing is automatically set by NetSim. It is recommended not to change the default IP
addresses.

2.2.3 NSA Deployment Device Connectivity

The device connectivity rules are explained below. Example screen shots are available in the section
3.15.

2.2.3.1 Option 3 / 3a

▪ UE should mandatorily be connected to the master node (MN) first. In option 3, the MN is eNB
▪ UE should mandatorily be connected to the secondary node (SN) next. In option 3, the SN is
the gNB
▪ UE cannot be connected to any other device.
▪ The data (external) network connects to the EPC. This is achieved by first connecting a router
( et’s call it R1) to the EPC.
▪ Switches, nodes, APs and other routers can now be connected to R1

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 ▪ Connectivity rules for the devices within the data network is per the Internetwork library
document.

2.2.3.2 Option 4 / 4a

▪ UE should mandatorily be connected to the master node (MN) first. In option 4, the MN is gNB
▪ UE should mandatorily be connected to the secondary node (SN) next. In option 4, the SN is
the eNB
▪ UE cannot be connected to any other device.
▪ The data (external) network connects to the 5G core through the UPF. This is achieved by first
connecting a router (let’s call it R1) to the UPF.
▪ Switches, nodes, APs and other routers can now be connected to R1
▪ Connectivity rules for the devices within the data network is per the Internetwork library
document.

2.2.3.3 Option 7 / 7a

▪ UE should mandatorily be connected to the master node (MN) first. In option 7, the MN is eNB
▪ UE should mandatorily be connected to the secondary node (SN) next. In option 7, the SN is
the gNB
▪ UE cannot be connected to any other device.
▪ The data (external) network connects to the 5G core through the UPF. This is achieved by first
connecting a router (let’s call it R1) to the UPF.
▪ Switches, nodes, APs and other routers can now be connected to R1.
▪ Connectivity rules for the devices within the data network is per the Internetwork library
document.

2.2.4 Grid Settings

▪ NetSim allows users to design the network on a square grid. The major and minor grid lines
are displayed; major grid line values along X and Y co- i te is is ye . e i e’s X,
Y co-ordinate is determined by its location on the grid.
▪ Users can choose the grid size prior to placement of the first device. The grid size cannot be
changed after the first device has been placed on the grid.
▪ The grid length can be in the range of 10m to 1,000,000m.

2.3 Devices Specific to NetSim 5G NR Library

▪ UE: User Equipment.
o Each UE has a single LTE NR interface with an infinite buffer. It can connect to a gNB
(Base Station or BS) in both FR1 (𝜇-Wave) and FR2 (mm-Wave) bands.
o A UE can be stationary or mobile.

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 o e ’s ti is ete mi e by its X, Y -ordinate on the grid or by its (Lat,
Lon) when using a map background.
▪ gNB: This represents a base station (BS) with all the components i.e., antennas, radio,
baseband, and the protocol stack. NetSim currently does not allow for the gNB to be split into
RU, DU and CU.
o It has a 5G RAN interface for wireless connectivity to UEs.
o A gNB can be configurated as a 𝜇-Wave (FR1, sub 6GHz) or a mm-Wave (FR2) BS by
appropriately selecting the frequency of operation.
o It has a 5G_N3 interface for wired connectivity to UPF through L2_Switch,
o It has a 5G_N1_N2 interface for wired connectivity to AMF through L2_Switch, and
o It has a _XN i te e ie e ti ity bet ee t e N ’s t 2_S it . gNB
has an infinite buffer.

▪ UPF (User Plane Function): User Plane Function has 5G_N4 interface for wired connectivity
to SMF, 5G_N3 interface for wired connectivity to gNB through L2_Switch, and 5G_N6
interface for wired connectivity to router in NG core which in turn can connect to Switches,
APs, Servers etc

▪ SMF (Session Management Function): Session Management Function has 5G_N11

interface for wired connectivity to AMF and 5G_N4 interface for wired connectivity to UPF.
▪ AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function): Access and Mobility Management
Function has 5G_N11 interface for wired connectivity to SMF and 5G_N1_N2 interface for
wired connectivity to N ’s t 2_S it .
▪ Building: Users can place gNBs, UEs inside buildings to simulate indoor RF propagation
effects.

Figure 2-3: 5G NR Device Palette in GUI

2.4 GUI Parameters in 5G NR

The 5G NR parameters can be accessed by right clicking on a gNB or UE and selecting Interface
Wireless (5G RAN) Properties → Datalink and Physical Layers.

gNB Properties
Interface (5G RAN) – Datalink Layer
Parameter Type Range Description
The scheduler serves equal portion
to each queue in circular order,
Scheduling Type Local Round Robin
handling all processes without
priority.

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 Schedules in proportional to the CQI
Local Proportional Fair
of the UEs
Schedules to maximize the total
Local Max Throughput throughput of the network by giving
scheduling priority accordingly
UE Measurement Report It is a time interval between UE
Local 120 ms - 40960 ms
Interval Measurement Report
The UE needs to first decode MIB for
it to receive other system
information. MIB is transmitted on
the DL-SCH (logical channel: BCCH)
with a periodicity of 80 ms and
RRC MIB Period (ms) Local 80
variable transmission repetition
periodicity within 80 ms.
MIB packets can be seen in the
NetSim packet trace post simulation
under Control Packet type
SIB1 also contains radio resource
configuration information that is
common for all UEs. SIB1 is
transmitted on the DL-SCH (logical
channel: BCCH) with a periodicity of
RRC SIB Period (ms) Local 160 80 ms and variable transmission
repetition periodicity within 80 ms.
SIB1 is cell-specific
SIB1 packets can be seen in the
NetSim packet trace post simulation
under Control Packet type.
Header compression of IP data flows
using the ROHC protocol,
PDCP Header Compression Link Global True / False
Compresses all the static and
dynamic fields.
The discard Timer expires for a
PDCP SDU, or the successful
delivery of a PDCP SDU is confirmed
50/150/300/500/750/
PDCP Discard Delay Timer Link Global by PDCP status report, the
1500
transmitting PDCP entity shall
discard the PDCP SDU along with
the corresponding PDCP Data PDU.
Complete PDCP PDUs can be
delivered out-of-order from RLC to
PDCP Out of Order Delivery Link Global True / False
PDCP. RLC delivers PDCP PDUs to
PDCP after the PDU reassembling.
This timer is used by the receiving
side of an AM RLC entity and
PDCP T Reordering Timer Link Global 0-500ms receiving AM RLC entity in order to
detect loss of RLC PDUs at lower
layer.
This timer is used by the receiving
side of an AM RLC entity in order to
RLC T Status Prohibit Link Global 0-2400ms
prohibit transmission of a STATUS
PDU.
This timer is used by the receiving
side of an AM RLC entity and
receiving UM RLC entity in order to
detect loss of RLC PDUs at lower
RLC T Reassembly Link Global 0-200ms layer. If t-Reassembly is running, t-
Reassembly shall not be started
additionally, i.e. only one t-
Reassembly per RLC entity is
running at a given time.

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 This is used by the transmitting side
RLC T Poll Retransmit Link Global 5-4000ms of an AM RLC entity in order to
retransmit a poll.
This parameter is used by the
transmitting side of each AM RLC
RLC Poll Byte Link Global 1kB-40mB
entity to trigger a poll for every
pollByte bytes.
This parameter is used by the
p4-p65536 transmitting side of each AM RLC
RLC Poll PDU Link Global
(In multiples of 8) entity to trigger a poll for every
pollPDU PDUs.
This parameter is used by the
t1, t2, t3, t4, t6, t8, transmitting side of each AM RLC
RLC Max Retx Threshold Link Global
t16, t32 entity to limit the number of
retransmissions of an AMD PDU.
The handover process in NetSim is
based on event A3 i.e., the target
signal strength is offset (3 dB) higher
than the source signal strength.
Handover interruption time (HIT) is
Handover_Interruption_time Link Global 0-100ms
added at the time of handover
command is delivered to the UE.
During this time there is no data
plane traffic flow to the UE from the
source/target.
Note: For detailed information on RLC, please refer RLC (Based on specification 38.322)

Interface (5G_RAN) – Physical Layer

Parameter Type Range Description
Frame Duration
Fixed 10ms Length of the frame.
(ms)
Sub Frame
Fixed 1ms Length of the Sub-frame.
Duration (ms)
NR defines physical resource block (PRB)
Subcarrier Number
Fixed 12 where the number of subcarriers per PRB is the
Per PRB
same for all numerologies.
gNB Height Local 10-150m It is the height of the gNB.
TX Power (dBM) Local -40dBm to 50dBm It is the signal intensity of the transmitter.
INTER_BAND_CA
INTRA_BAND_CO Carrier Aggregation (CA) is used in LTE/5G in
NTIGUOUS_CA order to increase the bandwidth, and thereby
CA_Type Local INTRA_BAND_NO increase the bitrate. CA options are intra-band
NCONTIGUOUS_C (contiguous and non-contiguous) and inter-
A band
SINGLE_BAND
Drop down provides the various bands
Depends on CA
CA_Configuration Local available for the selected CA type (Eg: n78,
Type
n258, n261 etc)
Depends on CA Single or multiple carriers depending on the
CA_Count Fixed
Type CA_Type chosen
In TDD, the upstream and downstream
transmissions occur at different times and share
TDD, the same channel.
Duplex Mode Local
FDD In FDD, there are different frequency bands
used uplink and downlink, The UL and DL
transmission an occur simultaneously
Note: For detailed information to Frequency Range (FR1 & FR2), Please, refer
PHY Layer

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 Mixed, Mixed supports DL and UL traffic
Slot Type Local Downlink, Downlink supports only DL traffic
Uplink, Uplink supports only UL traffic
Frequency band for 5G NR is separated into
two frequency ranges. First, is Frequency
Frequency Range Local FR1 & FR2 Range 1 (FR1) that includes sub-6 GHz and
Frequency Range 2 (FR2) that includes
frequency bands in the mmWave range.
Represents the ratio in which slots are assigned
to downlink and uplink transmissions. The value
is in the form of a:b::DL:UL. Note that the ratio
DL/UL Ratio Local a:b
1:0 or 0:1 might lead to NIL data transmissions
since the initial attachment procedures require
both UL and DL control packet transmissions.
n34, n38, n39, n40,
n41, n50, n51, n77, The 5G-NR operates in different operating
Operating Band Fixed n78, n79, n257, bands corresponding to Frequency Ranges
n258, n259, n260, FR1 and FR2 respectively.
n261
Lowest frequency of the Uplink/Downlink
F_Low (MHz) Fixed 2010-4400 MHz
operating band.
Highest frequency of the Uplink/Downlink
F_High (MHz) Fixed 2025-5000 MHz
operating band.
It is the numerology value which represents the
Numerology Local µ = 0, 1, 2, 3
subcarrier spacing.
Channel Bandwidth The frequency range that constitutes the
Local 5-400 MHz
(MHz) channel.
PRB stands for physical resource block. The
PRB count is determined automatically by
PRB Count Local 11-264
NetSim as per the other inputs and cannot be
edited in the GUI.
Guard band is the unused part of the radio
Guard Band (KHz) Local 242.5-9860 KHz spectrum between radio bands, for the purpose
of preventing interference.
Subcarriers are mapped on the subset/superset
of the PRB grid for subcarrier spacing of 15kHz
Subcarrier Spacing Local 15-120 KHz in a nested manner in the frequency domain.
The value for Subcarrier Spacing is set
to 15 kHz.
Physical Resource Block Bandwidth is a range
of frequencies occupied by the radio
Bandwidth PRB Local 180-1440 KHz
communication signal to carry most of PRB
energy.
Slot within a frame is depending on the slot
Slot per Frame Local 10, 20, 40, 80
configuration.
Slot within a Subframe is depending on the slot
Slot per Subframe Local 1, 2, 4, 8
configuration.
Slot duration gets different depending on
125, 250, 500, 1000 numerology. The general tendency is that slot
Slot Duration (ms) Local
ms duration gets shorter as subcarrier spacing gets
wider.
Cyclic prefix is used to reduce ISI (Inter Symbol
Interference), If you completely turn off the
signal during the gap, it would cause issues for
Normal,
Cyclic Prefix Local an amplifier. To reduce this issue, we copy a
Extended
part of a signal from the end and paste it into
this gap. This copied portion prepended at the
beginning is called 'Cyclic Prefix'.
The number of OFDM symbols within a slot is
Symbol per Slot Local 12, 14
14 for all slot configurations.

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 Symbol Duration 71.43, 35.71, 17.86, Symbol duration is depending on the subcarrier
Local
(ms) 8.93, 20.83 spacing.
A Bandwidth Part (BWP) is a contiguous set of
physical resource blocks (PRBs) on a given
carrier. These PRBs are selected from a
contiguous subset of the common resource
BWP Local Disable
blocks for given numerology (u). This parameter
was included in NetSim v13.1, as is reserved for
future use. It therefore currently always set as
disabled.
ANTENNA
1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64,
The number of transmit antennas. Power is split
TX_Antenna_Count Local 128 in gNB
equally among the transmit antennas.
(1, 2, 4, 8, 16 in UE)
1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64,
RX_Antenna_Count Local 128 in gNB The number of receive antennas
(1, 2, 4, 8, 16 in UE)
PDSCH CONFIG
QAM64LOWSE,
MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) is related to
MCS Table Local QAM64,
Modulation Order.
QAM256
XOH0, Accounts for overhead from CSI-RS,
XOH6, CORESET, etc. If the xOverhead in PDSCH-
X Overhead Local
XOH12, ServingCellconfig is not configured (a value
XOH18 from 0, 6, 12, or 18), N_oh^PRB the is set to 0.
PUSCH CONFIG
MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) is related to
Modulation Order. This is based on 3GPP
38.214-Table 5.1.3.1-1, 5.1.3.1-2 and 5.1.3.1-3
QAM64LOWSE,
Users must set the MCS and CQI tables in the
MCS Table Local QAM64,
following combination
QAM256
QAM64: CQI Table 1
QAM 256: CQI Table 2
QAM 64 LOWSE: CQI Table 3
Transform Precoding is the first step to create
DFT-s-OFDM waveform. Transform Precoding
is to spread UL data in a special way to reduce
Transform Precoding Local Enable/Disable PAPR (Peak-to-Average Power Ratio) of the
waveform. In terms of mathematics, Transform
Precoding is just a form of DFT (Digital Fourier
Transform).
CSIREPORT CONFIG
The CQI indices and their interpretations are
chosen from Table 1 or Table 3 for reporting
CQI based on QPSK, 16QAM, and 64QAM.
The CQI indices and their interpretations are
chosen from Table 2 for reporting CQI based on
Table1, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM and 256QAM.
CQI Table Local Table2, This is based on 3GPP Table 5.2.2.1-2, Table
Table3 1, Table 2 and Table 3.
Users must set the MCS and CQI tables in the
following combination
QAM64: CQI Table 1
QAM 256: CQI Table 2
QAM 64 LOWSE: CQI Table 3
CHANNEL MODEL
3GPPTR38.901-
None represents an ideal channel with no
Pathloss Model Local 7.4.1
pathloss.
NONE

Ver 13.2 Page 16 of 211

 TR 38.901_Standard Table 7.4.2-1 means
pathloss will be calculated per the formulas in
this standard
For RMa, we need to specify the Building
Height and Street Width.
Rural Macro
Local Buildings can be used in the scenario. UEs can
(RMa)
be inside/outside buildings but gNBs can only
be outside buildings.
Outdoor Scenario Buildings can be used in the scenario. UEs can
Urban Macro
Local be inside/outside buildings but gNBs can only
(UMa)
be outside buildings.
Buildings can be used in the scenario. UEs can
Urban Micro
Local be inside/outside buildings but gNBs can only
(UMi)
be outside buildings.
It is the height of the building in meters. The
building-height parameter shown in gNB, eNB
Physical layer is for the Rural Macro
environment.
However, the properties won't be available
when users choose other environments like
Urban Macro or Urban Micro.
Building Height Local 5-50m
Note: This Building-height parameter is an input
parameter to the stochastic pathloss model and
is t e te t t e “b i i ” t t e
and dropped into the environment. Buildings in
the GUI are present to differentiate between
indoor and outdoor propagation. They do not
have height as a parameter.
Street Width Local 5-50m It is the width of the street in meters.
Automatically chosen by NetSim in case the UE
is within an indoor building.
The Indoor Office parameter will be
automatically chosen by NetSim depending on
Indoor Scenario Fixed Indoor Office the scenario (whether the device is inside the
building or outside).
In the case of LTE, this parameter will be
automatically chosen as Outdoor since
buildings are not present.
Mixed-Office The pathloss will be per the chosen option when
Indoor Office Type Local
Open-Office the UE is within a building
This choice determines how NetSim decides if
3GPPTR38.901- the gNB-UE communication is Line-of-sight or
LOS_NLOS Selection Fixed Table 7.4.2-1 Non-Line-of-Sight. In case of USER_DEFINED
USER_DEFINED the LOS probability is user defined. Else it is
standards defined.
If LOS Probability =1, the LOS mode is set to
Line-of-Sight and if the LOS Probability =0, the
LOS mode as set to Non-Line-of-Sight. For a
LOS Probability Local 0 to 1
value in between the LOS is determined
probabilistically.
By default, value is set to 1.
Select NONE to Disable Shadowing Select
NONE LOG_NORMAL to Enable Shadowing Model,
Shadow Fading Model Local
LOG_NORMAL and the Std dev would be per 3GPP TR38.901-
Table 7.4.1-1
NO_FADING_MIM RAYLEIGH WITH EIGEN BEAMFORMING:
Fading and O_UNIT_GAIN, When fading and beamforming is enabled,
Local
Beamforming NO_FADING_MIM NetSim uses the rich scattering in the channel
O_ARRAY_GAIN, to form spatial channels. The number of spatial

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 RAYLEIGH_WITH_ channels is equal to the number of layers (in
EIGEN_BEAMFOR turn equal to Min (Nt, Nr)). The beamforming
MING gains in the spatial channel is equal to the eigen
values of the channel covariance (wishart)
matrix.
NO FADING: To disable the fading and
beamforming.
The composition of low and high loss is a
simulation parameter that should be
determined by the user of the channel models
None,
O2I_Building_Penetrat and is dependent on the buildings and the
Local Low Loss Model,
ion_Model deployment scenarios.
High Loss Model,
None to disable O2I Loss.
Low-loss model is applicable to RMa.
High-loss model is applicable to UMa and UMi.
Additional Loss model can be set to None or
NONE, MATLAB, if set to MATLAB then MATLAB will
Additional Loss Model Local
MATLAB be automatically called by NetSim during
execution.
INTERFERENCE MODEL
DL interference options are No interference,
Graded Distance based Wyner model and
NO_INTERFEREN
Exact geometric models. If no interference is
CE,
chosen then in the SINR calculations, the
GRADED_DISTAN
Downlink_Interference values of I is set to zero. Wyner and geometric
Local CE_BASED_WYN
_Model models compute interference. Wyner is an
ER_MODEL,
approximate model used by the research
EXACT_GEOMET
community while the geometric model is exact.
RIC_MODEL
Technical details of the two models are
provided in the 5G NR manual.
ERROR MODEL AND MCS SELECTION
Block Error Rate Model (BLER) is used to
BLER Model Global ZERO_BLER decide code block and transport block error in
5G and LTE.
MCS Selection Model determines how
modulation and coding scheme is determined in
5G and LTE.
IDEAL_SHANNON The following Models are supported:
_THEOREM_BASE Ideal Shannon Theorem-Based Rate: Spectral
D_RATE, Efficiency is computed as
MCS Selection Model Global
SHANNON_RATE_ SpectralEfficiency = log(1+SINR)
WITH_ATTENUATI S te it Atte ti t α:
ON_FACTOR Spectral Efficiency is computed as
S e t i ie y = α x 1+S N
Spectral Efficiency - MCS Table is looked up to
select the MCS.
Atte ti t α t es e bet ee 0.
Attenuation Factor Global 0.5-1
and 1 with the default value of 0.75.
Propagation Model: Refer mmWave Propagation Models (Per 3GPPTR38.900 Channel Model) for
technical information.
UE Properties
Interface (5G_RAN) – Physical Layer
Parameter Type Range Description
UE Height (m) Local 1-22.5 It is the height of the UE in meters
It is the signal intensity of the transmitter. The
higher the power radiated by the transmitter's
TX Power (dBM) Local -40dBM to 50dBm
antenna the greater the reliability of the
communications system.
ANTENNA

Ver 13.2 Page 18 of 211

 Number of transmit antennas. NetSim uses
TX_Antenna_Count Local 1,2,4,8,16
this parameter in MIMO operations.
Number of receive antennas. NetSim uses
RX_Antenna_Count Local 1,2,4,8,16
this parameter in MIMO operations.
The antenna gain provided by signal
Beamforming Gain
Local 0dB to 100dB processing techniques for directional
(dB)
transmissions
Table 2-1: 5G Config Properties

2.4.1 Devices: Click and drop into environment

a. AMF, UPF, and SMF:

▪ Exactly one set of these devices are automatically placed by NetSim into the environment and
connected appropriately to switches.
▪ These devices are part of the 5G core.
▪ These devices which are placed onto the environment cannot be deleted by the user.
b. Add a gNB:
▪ Click the gNB icon on the toolbar and place the gNB in the grid it will automatically connect to
the L2_Switches connected to the AMF and UPF. The logical connectivity of the different
interfaces (Xn, N1-N2, and N3) are broken out into different physical links.
▪ gNBs can also be placed inside the building based on the network scenario created.
▪ Every gNB should be connected to at least one UE.
c. Add a User Equipment (UE):
▪ Click the UE icon on the toolbar and place the UE in the grid.
▪ ’s also be placed inside the building based on the network scenario created. e ’s
are always assumed to be connected to one gNB.
▪ A UE can never be connected to more than one gNB, and neither can it be out-of-range of all
gNBs.
d. Add a Router: Click on Router and drop it onto the environment. At least one Router should be
connected to a UPF. A router is not a mandatory requirement.
e. Add a L2 Switch or Access Point: Click the L2 Devices > L2_Switch icon or L2 Devices >
Access_Point icon on the toolbar and place the device in the grid.
f. Add a Wired Node and Wireless Node: Click the Node > Wired_Node icon or Node >
Wireless_Node icon on the toolbar and place the device in the grid.
g. Add a Building: Click the Building icon on the toolbar and place the building in the grid.
▪ Buildings will have an impact on RF propagation losses if Pathloss_Shadowfading_O2I is
selected
▪ A building occupies a minimum 1 cell on the grid and a maximum size equal to the complete
grid. The default size is 10 cells * 10 cells.
▪ An empty space of 10 cells * 10 cells within the grid is required to place a building.
▪ Two buildings cannot be overlap one another.

Ver 13.2 Page 19 of 211

 ▪ The resizing corners of a building includes South and East edges and South-East corner.
▪ The maximum number of buildings supported in NetSim is ten (10)
h. Connect the devices in 5G NR network by using Wired/Wireless Links present in the top
ribbon/toolbar. While connecting gNB and UE, the following connections are allowed:
▪ Outdoor gNB to Outdoor UE.
▪ Outdoor gNB to Indoor UE.
▪ Indoor gNB to Indoor UE.
▪ Connecting Indoor gNB to Outdoor UE is not allowed in NetSim.
▪ Based on gNBs/UEs placed inside or outside of the buildings NetSim automatically chooses
the indoor/outdoor propagation models during simulation.
i. Configure an application as follows:
▪ Click the application icon on the top ribbon/toolbar.
▪ Specify the source and destination devices in the network.
▪ Specify other parameters as per the user requirement.
j. Set the properties of UPF, AMF, SMF, gNB, UE, and other devices as follows:
▪ Right-click an UPF, AMF, and SMF click Properties and modify the interface and layer-wise
properties to your requirement.
▪ Right-click a gNB or UE, click Properties and specify the parameters.
o The TX_Power_per_layer (dBm) parameter (Interface 5G_RAN - Physical_Layer) is local
and if you change this parameter in gNB or UE, manually update the parameter for the other
devices.
o The PDCP_Header_Compression, PDCP_Discard_Delay_Timer,
and PDCP_Out_of_Order_Delivery parameters (Interface 5G_RAN - DataLink_Layer)
are local and if you change any of these parameters in gNB or UE, manually update the
parameter for the other devices.
▪ Right-click an Access_Point, L2_Switch, Wireless_Node or Wired_Node and specify the
parameters.
o The Interface_Wireless > Physical Layer and Interface_Wireless > DataLink Layer
parameters are local and if you change any of these parameters in Access_Point or
Wireless_Node, manually update the parameter for the other devices.

Ver 13.2 Page 20 of 211

3 Model Features
3.1 The 5G Frame Structure
In 5G-NR the physical time and frequency resources correspond to OFDM symbols (time) and
subcarriers (frequency) respectively. The physical radio resources in each frame (or subframes) can
be considered as a resource grid made up of OFDM subcarriers in the frequency domain, and OFDM
symbols in the time domain. The smallest physical resource, known as the resource element (RE),
comprises one subcarrier (frequency) and one OFDM symbol (time).

5G NR supports a flexible OFDM numerology to support diverse spectrum bands/types and

deployment models. The numerology, 𝜇, can take values from 0 to 4 and specifies the Sub-Carrier-
1
Spacing (SCS) as 15 × 2𝜇 kHz and a slot length of 2𝜇
ms. With 𝜇 varying from 0 to 4, SCS varies

from 15 to 240 kHz. NetSim supports 𝜇 = 0, 1, 2 for FR1 and 𝜇 = 2, 3 for FR2. The setting 𝜇 = 0
corresponds to the LTE (4G) system configuration.

Figure 3-1: NR Frame Structure when numerology 𝝁 is set to 3

In the time domain (to support backwards compatibility with LTE) the frame length in 5G NR is set
to 10 ms, and each frame is composed of 10 subframes of 1 ms each. The 1 ms subframe is then
divided into one or more slots in 5G, whereas LTE had exactly two slots in a subframe. The slot
1
length depends on the numerology, 𝜇, and is equal to ms. The number of OFDM symbols per slot
2𝜇

is 14 for a configuration using normal cyclic prefix. For extended cyclic prefix, the number of OFDM
symbols per slot is 12. See section 3.9.7.2 - Numerologies, for more information.

Ver 13.2 Page 21 of 211

In the frequency domain, the number of subcarriers per physical resource block (PRB) is fixed to 12,
and the Sub-Carrier-Spacing (SCS) is 15 × 2𝜇 kHz.

Physical Resource Block (PRB): The PRB is the minimum unit of resource allocation in the
frequency domain, i.e., the width of a resource block, 180 kHz. It is a system-level constant. For
example, a PRB can either contain 12 subcarriers of 15 kHz each. As a formula, 𝑃𝑅𝐵𝑊𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ =
12 × 15 × 2𝜇 kHz.

Resource Block (RB): It is the minimum unit of resource allocation, i.e., 1 PRB by 1 slot. NetSim’s
scheduler performs resource allocation every subframe (TTI, transmission time interval), however,
the granularity of resource allocation is 1 slot in time, i.e., the duration of a resource block, and 1
PRB in frequency. One sub-carrier by one symbol is defined as a resource element.

3.2 Data Transmission Overview

▪ In NetSim only the DL and UL traffic channels (PDSCH and PUSCH) are modelled. The control
signals and control channels are abstracted; these abstractions are explained is various parts
of this document.

▪ In TDD operation the UL and DL transmissions are separated in the time-domain over different
frames/subframes/slots/symbols and use the same carrier frequency. In FDD operation UL
and DL transmissions are separated in the frequency domain, with different frequencies used
for UL and for DL transmission.

▪ Higher layer packets arrive at the RLC buffer for each UE and each gNB.

▪ Prior to transmission, the MAC scheduler in the gNB determines the allocation of PRBs (PHY
resources) to users. In this module the Transport block size (TBS) (explained in 3.9.13) is
computed using the channel quality index (CQI). The CQI is determined by the Adaptive
Modulation and Coding (AMC) function based on the SNR.

▪ Now, the received SNR is determined from a) large scale pathloss and shadowing calculated
e t e3 ’s st sti ti m e s, and b) the small-scale fading which leads to
beamforming gains when using MIMO2. These models provide signal attenuation as an output.
Several parameters are used in the model, including the distance between the transmitter and
the receiver. These computations are executed each associated UE-gNB pair, in DL and UL,
at the start of simulation and again at every mobility event. In calculating SNR, the noise power
is obtained from 𝑁 = 𝑘 × 𝑇 × 𝐵.

▪ Note that the SNR/CQI is not computed/fed-back using reference signals/control channels but
is computed on the data channel (PDSCH and PUSCH). Then it is assumed to be

2 MIMO and beamforming are explained in section 3.9

Ver 13.2 Page 22 of 211

 instantaneously known to the transmitter and receiver. This assumption is known as perfect
CSIT and CSIR. With perfect CSIT the transmitter can adapt its transmission rate (MCS)
relative to the instantaneous channel state (SNR).

▪ Based on this SNR the AMC determines a wideband CQI which indicates the highest rate
Modulation and coding scheme (MCS), that it can reliably decode, if the entire system
bandwidth were allocated to that user. The modulation scheme defines the number of bits, that
can be carried by a single RE. Modulation scheme supported by 5G include QPSK (2 bits), 16
QAM (4 bits), 64 QAM (6 bits), and 256 QAM (8 bits). The code rate defines the proportion of
bits transmitted that are useful. It is computed as the ratio of useful bits by total bits that are
transmitted. The modulation order 𝑄𝑚 , which denotes the number of bits per RE, and the code
rate denoted by 𝑅 are jointly encoded as modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index. These
values of 𝑄𝑚 and 𝑅 are then passed to the TBS determination function.

▪ At each gNB a frame of length 10ms is started. Each frame in turn starts 10 sub frames each
of length 1ms. Each sub frame then starts a certain number of slots based on numerology.

▪ The PHY layer in NetSim then notifies the MAC about the slot start. The MAC sub layer in turn
seeks a buffer status report from the RLC layer and invokes the MAC scheduler. It then notifies
the RLC of the transmission. The RLC then transmits the transport block to the PHY layer. The
downlink and uplink data channels (PDSCH, PUSCH) receive this transport block as its service
data unit (SDU), which is then processed and transmitted over the radio interface.

3.3 5G NR Stack

UE gNB
Figure 3-2: User Plane Protocol Stack

Ver 13.2 Page 23 of 211

 UE gNB EPC (PGW&SGW)
Figure 3-3: Control Plane Protocol Stack

3.4 SDAP (Specification: 37.324)

The features in NetSim SDAP are:

▪ Mapping between a QoS flow and a data radio bearer (DRB) per the new QoS framework

▪ Marking QoS flow ID (QFI) in both DL and UL packets.

Figure 3-4: 5G Quality of Services (QoS)

In NetSim the SDAP module’s SetMode function maps the Application QoS Type (which can be
set i NetSim’s to RLC mode.

Application QoS (Set in NetSim GUI) RLC Mode Priority

nrtPS, ertPS, rtPS, UGS UM Mode GBR

BE AM Mode Non-GBR
Table 3-1: Mapping of Application QoS to RLC mode in NetSim

In the same function, the logical channel is also set to DTCH which is the dedicated traffic channel.
Next, comes the MAC_OUT function. This function determines what the current device is connected

Ver 13.2 Page 24 of 211

to i.e., if it is a UE, it finds the associated gNB, else if the current device is a gNB it finds the
associated UEs. The SDAP header is then added which contains the QFI. Recall that the NetSim
5G NR library only supports unicast transmissions (i.e., broadcast/multicast is not supported).

After this is the SendToNetwork function. This function is called when a packet is at MAC-IN at the
receiever. The function creates the Network Event, sets all the Event-Details and sends the packet
to IP layer. And finally, the HandleMacIN function decides whether the packet must be sent to
another interface (if intermediate device) or sent to network layer (if end device). The header is
stripped off.

3.4.1 5G QoS characteristics

5G Quality of Service (QoS) model is based on QoS Flows. Each QoS flow has a unique identifier
called QoS Flow Identifier (QFI). There are two types of flows: Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) QoS
Flows and Non-GBR QoS Flows. Every QoS flow has a QoS profile that includes QoS parameters
and QoS characteristics. Applicable parameters depend on GBR or non-GBR flow type. QoS
characteristics are standardized or dynamically configured.

The current NetSim COTS build does not implement 5G QoS. All traffic flowing is categorized as
non-GBR. A framework has been provided for users to modify the underlying code to implement
QoS flow categorization in terms of:

1 Resource Type (GBR, Delay critical GBR or Non-GBR);

2 Priority Level.
3 Packet Delay Budget.
4 Packet Error Rate.

3.5 RLC (Based on specification 38.322)

NetSim RLC entity is based on 3GPP Technical specification 38.322. The RLC layer sits between
PDCP and MAC layer. The RLC has three different modes of operation: TM (Transparent Mode),
UM (Unacknowledge Mode) and AM (Acknowledge mode) as shown in diagram below Figure 3-5.

Ver 13.2 Page 25 of 211

 Figure 3-5: RLC Modes of operation and RLC Entities

A brief summary of key features of these modes is as follows:

▪ TM: No RLC Header, Buffering at Tx only, No Segmentation/Reassembly, No feedback (i.e,

No ACK/NACK)

▪ UM: RLC Header, Buffering at both Tx and Rx, Segmentation/Reassembly, No feedback (i.e.,
No ACK/NACK)

▪ AM: RLC Header, Buffering at both Tx and Rx, Segmentation/Reassembly, Feedback (i.e.,
ACK/NACK)

Each of these modes can both transmit and receive data. In TM and UM, separate entity is used for
transmission and reception, but in AM a single RLC entity perform both transmission and reception,

NetSim implements all the 7 entities for the RLC that are shown in Figure 3-5: RLC Modes of
operation and RLC Entities. Note that each of logical channels use a specific RLC mode:

▪ BCCH, PCCH, CCCH use RLC TM only.

▪ DCCH use RLC AM only.

▪ DTCH use RLC UM or AM. (Which mode is used for each DTCH channel, is determined by
RRC message).

The RLC entities provide the RLC service interface to the upper PDCP layer and the MAC service
interface to the lower MAC layer. The RLC entities use the PDCP service interface from the upper
PDCP layer and the MAC service interface from the lower MAC layer.

Ver 13.2 Page 26 of 211

 Figure 3-6: Implementation Model of PDCP, RLC and MAC entities

The main call at the transmit side RLC is done in the function
fn_NetSim_LTENR_RLC_HandlePDUFromUpperLayer() in the file LTENR_RLC.c

Then the MAC Layer calls the following function in LTENR_RLC.c

UINT fn_NetSim_LTENR_RLC_BufferStatusNotificaton(NETSIM_ID d, NETSIM_ID in, NETSIM_ID

r, NETSIM_ID rin, LTENR_LOGICALCHANNEL logicalChannel) to know the buffer status in order
to do the scheduling

Once the MAC Layer allocates resources it calls the following function in LTENR_RLC.c

void fn_NetSim_LTENR_RLC_TransmissionStatusNotification(NETSIM_ID d, NETSIM_ID in,

NETSIM_ID r, NETSIM_ID rin, UINT size, LTENR_LOGICALCHANNEL logicalChannel)

UM stands for 'Unacknowledged Mode'. 'Unacknowledged Mode' means 'it does not require any
reception response from the other party'. 'Reception response' simply mean 'ACK' or 'NACK' from
the other party. (UM mode is similar to TM mode in that it does not require any ACK/NACK from the
other party, but it is different from TM in that it has its own header)

Per the figure below the RLC transmit side (All the RLC UM functionality is available in the file
LTENR_RLC_UM.c in the project LTE_NR).

▪ Buffers the data and generates RLC Header. This is handled in NetSim by the function void
LTENR_RLC_UM_HandlePDUFromUpperLayer()

Ver 13.2 Page 27 of 211

 ▪ Segmentation of the RLC SDU and modification RLC Header (Some fields in RLC header may
be changed based on the segmentation status)

▪ Adds RLC header.

o The above two functionalities are handled in NetSim by the function UINT
LTENR_RLC_UM_SEND_PDU (NETSIM_ID d, NETSIM_ID in,NETSIM_ID r, NETSIM_ID
rin, UINT size, LTENR_LOGICALCHANNEL logicalChannel) which in turn calls the function
static NetSim_PACKET*
LTENR_RLC_UM_FRAGMENT_PACKET (NetSim_PACKET* p, UINT size, UINT sn) and
the function static int LTENR_RLC_UM_ADD_HDR(NetSim_PACKET* p
NOTE: If you compare this in LTE process, it seems that UM RLC does not perform any
'Concatenation'. According to following statement from 38.322 v0.1.0, the 'concatenation' process is
moved to MAC layer. From RAN2 NR#1: Working assumption on no RLC concatenation taken at
RAN2#96 is confirmed (i.e., concatenation of RLC PDUS is performed in MAC).

The main call at the receive side RLC is done in the function void
fn_NetSim_LTENR_RLC_HandleMACIN() in the file LTENR_RLC.c

The RLC on the receive side:

▪ Buffers. Here the RLC waits for all the fragments to arrive.
o This is handled in NetSim by the function void LTENR_RLC_UM_RECEIVE_PDU(). If
there is no fragments then call LTENR_CallPDCPIN(); else call
LTENR_RLC_UM_RECEIVE_PDU_WITH_SN();
▪ Reorders, if required
▪ Strips the RLC header
▪ Reassembles
o The above three functionalities are handled in NetSim by the code in the region #pragma
region RLC_UM_RECEPTIONBUFFER

Ver 13.2 Page 28 of 211

 Figure 3-7: RLC UM working

NetSim GUI RLC Configurable parameters

The following timers are configured per TS 38.331 [5]:

a. t-PollRetransmit: This timer is used by the transmitting side of an AM RLC entity in order to
retransmit a poll. Default value in NetSim is set to ms5(5 milli seconds). Range is provided in the
GUI dropdown menu.
b. t-Reassembly: This timer is used by the receiving side of an AM RLC entity and receiving UM
RLC entity in order to detect loss of RLC PDUs at lower layer. If t-Reassembly is running, t-
Reassembly shall not be started additionally, i.e., only one t-Reassembly per RLC entity is running
at a given time. Default value in NetSim is set to ms5(5 milli seconds). Range is provided in the
GUI dropdown menu.
c. t-StatusProhibit: This timer is used by the receiving side of an AM RLC entity in order to prohibit
transmission of a STATUS PDU. Default value in NetSim is set to ms5(5 milli seconds). Range is
provided in the GUI dropdown menu. The following parameters are configured per TS 38.331 [5]:
d. maxRetxThreshold: This parameter is used by the transmitting side of each AM RLC entity to
limit the number of retransmissions corresponding to an RLC SDU, including its segments.
Default value in NetSim is set to t1. Range is provided in the GUI dropdown menu.
e. pollPDU: This parameter is used by the transmitting side of each AM RLC entity to trigger a poll
for every pollPDU PDUs. Default value in NetSim is set to p4(PDUs). Range is provided in the
GUI dropdown menu.

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f. pollByte: This parameter is used by the transmitting side of each AM RLC entity to trigger a poll
for every pollByte bytes. Default value in NetSim is set as kB25 (KBytes). Range is provided in
the GUI dropdown menu.

3.6 RLC-AM (Based on specification 38.322)

AM stands for 'Acknowledge Mode'. This means an ACK/NACK is required from the receiver unlike
RLC-UM where no ACK/NACK is required from the receiver. The code for RLC-AM mode is written
in the file LTENR_RLC_AM.c

Figure 3-8: RLC AM Working

The functionality of RLC-AM is:

After RLC transmitters does the segmentation/concatenation process, it adds RLC header and then
it creates two identical copies and transmit the one copy of the data out to lower layer (MAC) and
sends another copy to Retransmission buffer.

If the RLC gets Nack or does not get any response from the receiver for a certain period of time, the
RLC PDU in the retransmission buffer gets transmitted again. If the RLC get ACK, the copy of the
packet in retransmission buffer is discarded.

There are four buffers maintained in RLC-AM. There is no size defined in the standard and hence
NetSim implements an infinite buffer (see LTENR_RLC.h and LTENR_RLCBuffer.c for related
code). There are 3 buffers for transmit operations and 1 for receive operation:

1. Transmission buffer: Queues SDUs received from higher layer (PDCP)

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 2. Transmitted buffer: Queues SDUs that has been transmitted but for which ACK/NACK has not
yet received.
3. Re-transmission Buffer: Queues RLC SDUs which are considered for retransmission. (i.e. for
which NACK has been received)
4. Reception Buffer: Queues fragments of SDUs (receiver side)

The MAC sub layer then seeks a Buffer Status Report from the RLC.

The entry functions for RLC-AM is defined in the section #pragma region RLCAM_OUT. The first
function called is void LTENR_RLCAM_HandlePDUFromUpperLayer()

Here the packet is added to the Transmission Buffer. Then based on the MAC scheduler, the MAC
layer sends a notification to RLC, which in turn sends a packet by first checking the Re Transmission
Buffer followed by the Transmission-Buffer. These functions are also in the same region.

The T_POLLRetransmit determines if a packet needs to be re-transmitted. If RLCAM- Ack is not

received packet is moved from transmitted buffer to retransmission buffer. The codes for
T_POLLRetransmit are in the section #pragma region RLCAM_T_POLLRetransmit.

3.6.1 Transmit Operations

The transmitting side of an AM RLC entity shall prioritize transmission of RLC control PDUs over
AMD PDUs. The transmitting side of an AM RLC entity shall prioritize transmission of AMD PDUs
containing previously transmitted RLC SDUs or RLC SDU segments over transmission of AMD
PDUs containing not previously transmitted RLC SDUs or RLC SDU segments. The transmitting
side of an AM RLC entity shall maintain a transmitting window according to the state variable

TX_Next_Ack as follows:

- a SN falls within the transmitting window if TX_Next_Ack <= SN < TX_Next_Ack +

AM_Window_Size;

- a SN falls outside of the transmitting window otherwise.

The transmitting side of an AM RLC entity shall not submit to lower layer any AMD PDU whose SN
falls outside of the transmitting window.

For each RLC SDU received from the upper layer, the AM RLC entity shall:

- associate a SN with the RLC SDU equal to TX_Next and construct an AMD PDU by setting the SN
of the AMD PDU to TX_Next;

- increment TX_Next by one.

When submitting an AMD PDU that contains a segment of an RLC SDU, to lower layer, the
transmitting side of an AM.

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RLC entity shall:

- set the SN of the AMD PDU to the SN of the corresponding RLC SDU.

The transmitting side of an AM RLC entity can receive a positive acknowledgement (confirmation of
successful reception by its peer AM RLC entity) for an RLC SDU by the following:

- STATUS PDU from its peer AM RLC entity.

When receiving a positive acknowledgement for an RLC SDU with SN = x, the transmitting side of
an AM RLC entity shall:

- send an indication to the upper layers of successful delivery of the RLC SDU;

- set TX_Next_Ack equal to the SN of the RLC SDU with the smallest SN, whose SN falls within the
range

TX_Next_Ack ≤ SN ≤ TX_Next and for which a positive acknowledgment has not been received
yet.

3.6.2 Receive Operations

The receiving side of an AM RLC entity shall maintain a receiving window according to the state
variable RX_Next as follows:

- a SN falls within the receiving window if RX_Next ≤ SN < RX_Next + AM_Window_Size;

- a SN falls outside of the receiving window otherwise.

When receiving an AMD PDU from lower layer, the receiving side of an AM RLC entity shall:

- either discard the received AMD PDU or place it in the reception buffer.

- if the received AMD PDU was placed in the reception buffer:

- update state variables, reassemble and deliver RLC SDUs to upper layer and start/stop t-
Reassembly as needed when t-Reassembly expires, the receiving side of an AM RLC entity shall:

- update state variables and start t-Reassembly as needed.

After submitting an AMD PDU including a poll to lower layer, the transmitting side of an AM RLC
entity shall:

- set POLL_SN to the highest SN of the AMD PDU among the AMD PDUs submitted to lower layer;

- if t-PollRetransmit is not running:

- start t-PollRetransmit.

- else:

- restart t-PollRetransmit

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3.6.3 Actions when a RLC PDU is received from a lower layer

At the Receive side the functionality is handled in the section #pragma region RLCAM_IN. The entry
function in the receive side is void LTENR_RLC_AM_RECEIVE_PDU(). The receives the AMPDU
and checks if

1. It is within the receive window.

2. The packet is not already received i.e. not duplicate

If both the conditions are true, the AMPDU is placed in the Reception Buffer and starts the
ReassemblyTimer. If the PDU has a PollRequest then it starts constructing the StatusPDU. The code
for this is in the section #pragma region RLCAM_STATUSPDU_SEND

3.6.4 Reception of a STATUS report

Upon reception of a STATUS report from the receiving RLC AM entity the transmitting side of an AM
RLC entity shall:

- if the STATUS report comprises a positive or negative acknowledgement for the RLC SDU with
sequence number equal to POLL_SN:

- if t-PollRetransmit is running:

- stop and reset t-PollRetransmit

3.7 PDCP (Based on specification 38.322)

The PDCP layer receives a packet (data/control) from the upper layer, executes the PDCP functions
and then transmits it to a lower layer.

PDCP Entity: The PDCP entities are located in the PDCP sublayer. NetSim currently implements
one PDCP entity per UE (users can add more by modifying the code). The same PDCP entity is
associated with both the control and the user plane.

The source code files related to PDCP are:

▪ LTENR_PDCP.c
▪ LTENR_PDCP.h

and the primitives are void fn_NetSim_LTENR_PDCP_TransmitPDCPSDU(), to send the PDCP

SDU to a lower layer, and fn_NetSim_LTENR_PDCP_ReceivePDCPSDU()

The PDCP functionality supported (see LTENR_PDCP.c) in NetSim is:

▪ Transmit PDCP SDU

o Sets the PDCP Sequence Number
o Adds RLC Header.
o Calls RLC service primitive.
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 ▪ PDCP Association
o This call back function is invoked when the UE associates/dissociates from a gNB.
▪ Maintenance of PDCP sequence numbers (to know more check the PDCP entity structure)
▪ Discard Timer:
o When the discardTimer expires for a PDCP SDU, or the successful delivery of a PDCP SDU
is confirmed by PDCP status report, the transmitting PDCP entity shall discard the PDCP
SDU along with the corresponding PDCP Data PDU.
o Discarding a PDCP SDU already associated with a PDCP SN causes a SN gap in the
transmitted PDCP Data PDUs, which increases PDCP reordering delay in the receiving
PDCP entity.
o NetSim Specific (can be seen in the event trace upon completion of simulation)
• Event Type: TIMER_EVENT
• Sub Event Type: PDCP_DISCARDTIMER
▪ Transmission Buffer (size is assumed to infinite): This is where PDCP SDU's are stored before
being sent down to a lower layer.
▪ PDCP Entity: The PDCP Entity structure is defined in LTENR_PDCP.h
▪ PDCP State variables.
▪ TREORDERING Timer.
▪ Receive buffer.

3.8 MAC Layer

3.8.1 Overview

NetSim 5G NR MAC implements the following features:

▪ Multiplexing/de-multiplexing of MAC SDUs into/from transport blocks for DL-SCH and UL-SCH
data transfer
▪ Buffer status reporting
▪ MAC Scheduler

3.8.2 MAC Scheduler: Introduction

Base stations (gNBs) generally deal with multiple mobile stations UEs, some of which require larger
bandwidths than others and some of which have better connections (signal quality) than others. In
ideal circumstances the base station has plenty of resources (e.g., bandwidth) and each UE gets the
resources it needs. However usually resources are limited, and the base station needs some way of
fairly allocating the resources between the UEs.

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At each base station the MAC scheduler decides the PRB allocation, per carrier, per TTI (slot), in
the PDSCH (DL) and in the PUSCH (UL). Control packets such as the buffer status report (BSR)
and UL assignment, are assumed to be sent out of band. The resources for transmission of these
control packets are part of Overhead as defined in 3.9.20.

3.8.3 Round Robin Scheduler

It divides the available PRBs among the active flows, i.e., those logical channels which have a non-
empty RLC queue. The MCS for each user is calculated according to the received CQIs.

3.8.4 Proportional Fair Scheduler

The Proportional Fair (PF) scheduler works by scheduling a user when its instantaneous channel
quality is high relative to its own average channel condition over time. The PF scheme is based on
information such as a presently available data rate for each user and an average data rate over an
immediately prior predetermined interval for each user.

In comparison with the round-robin (RR) scheduler in which UEs are cyclically scheduled irrespective
of the channel condition, the PF scheduler maximizes the system throughput while maintaining long-
term fairness in the allocation of resources between users.

3.8.4.1 Implementation

Let 𝑖, 𝑗 denote generic users and let 𝑡 be the slot index. Since NetSim uses a flat fading model, the
resource block index 𝑘 is not considered. Let 𝑀𝑖 (𝑡) be the MCS seen by user 𝑖 at time (slot) 𝑡. The
channel CQI (derived from the data channel SINR) is used by the adaptive modulation and coding
(AMC) module to determine the MCS. We denote by 𝑆(𝑀, 𝐵) the TB size in bits for a given MCS, 𝑀,
and a given number of physical resource blocks (PRBs), 𝐵. The achievable rate 𝑅𝑖 (𝑡) in bit/s for
user 𝑖 in slot 𝑡 is defined as

𝑆(𝑀𝑖 (𝑡), 1)
𝑅𝑖 (𝑡) =
𝜏

where 𝜏 is the TTI, i.e., 1 slot duration. At the start of each slot 𝑡, the user index 𝑖 ∗ (𝑡) - selected by
the scheduler - t i e ie s e t t se ’s em is ssi e t time 𝑡 is determined
as

𝑅𝑗 (𝑡)
𝑖 ∗ (𝑡) = 𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑚𝑎𝑥 ( )
𝑗=1,…,𝑁 𝑇𝑗 (𝑡)

This selection is carried out by the scheduler till all PRBs in slot 𝑡 are allocated. In the above
expression, 𝑇𝑗 (𝑡) is the past throughput performance perceived by the user 𝑗, and is defined as

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 1 1
𝑇𝑗 (𝑡) = (1 − ) 𝑇𝑗 (𝑡 − 1) + 𝑇̂𝑗 (𝑡)
𝛼 𝛼

where 𝛼 is the time constant (in units of slots) of the exponential moving average. NetSim uses 𝛼 =
50, and 𝑇̂𝑗 (𝑡) is the actual throughput achieved by the user 𝑖 in the subframe 𝑡. If 𝐵̂𝑗 (𝑡) is the number
of PRBs allocated to user 𝑗, we finally get

𝑆(𝑀𝑗 (𝑡), 𝐵̂𝑗 (𝑡))

𝑇̂𝑗 (𝑡) =
𝜏

The value of 𝛼 can be changed by the user by editi t e NetSim’s s e e; it t be

changed via the GUI. The PF scheduler thus selects a user having the maximum among values
obtained by dividing a present possible data rate by an average data rate during a predetermined
interval at every scheduling time point.

3.8.4.2 Remarks

R1. The solution to the multi-carrier short term proportional fair scheduling is prohibitively
complex to obtain. In the optimal solution, in each slot, each RB’s allocation should depend
on other RB allocations. NetSim’s implementation is a long term near optimal PF scheduler.
R2. When there is no channel variation, the throughput of PF scheduler approximately equals
that of the round robin scheduler.
R3. The difference between the RR and PF schedulers can be seen when the radio channel
varies (i) the SINR sufficiently to move the MCS up or down, and (ii) in a time scale of the
order of the slot duration (i.e., order of milli seconds).
R4. Mobility cases: NetSim pathloss computations don't follow continuous math since it will mean
a very large number of calculations. These PL calculations are discrete time instants i.e.,
every time a UE moves with the UE movement update determined per the update interval
parameter in the UI or via a mobility file. Let us denote the time difference between updates
as Δ𝑇. The UE is assumed to instantaneously move to a point 𝑃𝑇 at time 𝑇 and stay there till
just before time (𝑇 + Δ𝑇). At the moment, (𝑇 + Δ𝑇), the UE instantaneously moves to
point 𝑃𝑇+Δ𝑇 . Pathloss is computed at (𝑃𝑡 , 𝑇) and then at (𝑃𝑇+Δ𝑇 , 𝑇 + Δ𝑇). Therefore, (and
again) differences between the RR and PF scheduler will be appreciable only if the update
interval is of the order of milli seconds.
R5. The PF algorithm is known to possess the following optimality property: it maximizes
∑𝑘 log(𝑇𝑘 ) i.e., it maximizes the sum of the log throughputs of all UEs.

3.8.5 Max Throughput Scheduler

The Max Throughput (MT) scheduler aims to maximize the overall throughput of the Base station
(gNB or eNB). It allocates each PRBs to the user that can achieve the maximum achievable rate in
the current TTI. The highest achievable rate is calculated by wideband MCS, that is derived from the

Ver 13.2 Page 36 of 211

CQI which in-turn is computed from the SINR. The scheduler allocates the required PRBs to this UE
in the current TTI (slot). The calculation of achievable rate similar to what is explained in PF
scheduler.

We denote 𝑆(𝑀, 𝐵) as the TB size in bits for a given MCS, 𝑀, and a given number of physical
resource blocks (PRBs), 𝐵. The achievable rate 𝑅𝑖 (𝑡) in bit/s for user 𝑖 at slot 𝑡 is defined as

𝑆(𝑀𝑖 (𝑡), 1)
𝑅𝑖 (𝑡) =
𝜏

where 𝜏 is the TTI i.e., 1 slot duration. At the start of each slot 𝑡, the user index 𝑖 ∗ (𝑡) - selected by
the scheduler - t i e ie s e t t se ’s em is ssi e t time 𝑡 is determined
as

𝑖 ∗ (𝑡) = 𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑚𝑎𝑥 (𝑅𝑗 (𝑡))

𝑗=1,…,𝑁

While MT can maximize cell throughput, it cannot provide fairness to the UEs that experience poor
channel condition.

When there are several UEs having the same achievable rate, NetSim implements RR scheduling
amongst these UEs that have the same achievable rate.

3.8.6 Special cases

C1. Carrier aggregation case: the scheduler runs on a per carrier basis.
a. PF Scheduler: 𝑇̂𝑗 (𝑡) is computed and maintained independently for each carrier.
C2. NSA mode: Traffic is split between 4G and 5G (eNB and gNB) above the MAC. The scheduler
runs independently on the eNB and gNB.
C3. Association and Handover: PF Scheduler: At time of association or handover, say 𝑡𝑎 , NetSim
sets 𝑇𝑗 (𝑡𝑎 ) = 1
C4. Application priorities and heterogenous traffic: In 5G, the types of QoS are
a. GBR, which is transmitted in RLC UM mode. In NetSim, Applications which have UGS
priority set are transmitted in UM mode.
b. Non-GBR, which is transmitted in RLC AM mode. In NetSim, Applications which do
not have UGS priority set are transmitted in AM mode.
c. Control channel traffic, which is transmitted in RLC TM mode. NetSim assume ideal
t e be i es ’t m e t ese t smissions.
C5. The MAC scheduler allocates resources on a combined (UM plus AM) RLC requirement.
Once UE wise allocation is complete, RLC would first transmit the UM mode traffic followed
by the AM mode traffic, to that UE. And so on for all UEs.

Ver 13.2 Page 37 of 211

3.8.7 Log File
𝑅𝑗 (𝑡)
The resource allocation and the rank, i.e., ( ) computations are logged in the Radio Resource Allocation
𝑇𝑗 (𝑡)
csv file.

S t

ie
A te s

A i be s its e

ti e ie e s t bet ee e N its ss i te s
Figure 3-9: Radio resource allocation log file showing allocation per carrier per slot between each gNB and
its associated UEs

3.9 PHY Layer

3.9.1 Overview of the PHY implementation

NetSim is a packet level simulator for simulating the performance of end-to-end applications over
various packet transport technologies. NetSim can scale to simulating networks with 100s of end-
systems, routers, switches, etc. NetSim provides estimates of the statistics of application-level
performance metrics such as throughput, delay, packet-loss, and statistics of network-level
processes such as buffer occupancy, collision probabilities, etc.

In order to achieve a scalable simulation, that can execute in reasonable time on desktop level
computers, in all networking technologies the details of the physical layer techniques have been
abstracted up to the point that bit-error probabilities can be obtained from which packet error
probabilities are obtained.

Of all the wireless access technologies implemented in NetSim, the most sophisticated is 5G NR, in
which the physical layer utilizes a variety of techniques that go well beyond even 4G LTE. These
include multiple subcarrier bandwidths in the same system, slot lengths that depend on the
subcarrier bandwidth, flexible time-division duplexing, a wide range of constellation sizes and coding
rates, multiuser MIMO-OFDM, etc. Particularly with regard to MIMO-OFDM, with the attendant
channel estimation (the errors therein), and the complexities of signal processing, NetSim has taken
the design decision to replace these by idealized, symbol level models, where the statistics of the
effective stochastic channel gains, and the statistics of the effective stochastic noise and interference
are modelled in an idealized setting. Such models then permit the calculation of the required bit error
rates, and thereby code block error rates, etc.
Ver 13.2 Page 38 of 211
Overview of the 5G NR PHY:

▪ 5G NR utilizes an implementation of OFDMA, with several different carrier bandwidths, and a

wide range of modulation and coding schemes.
▪ Users would be sharing the same RF bandwidth but would be using different modulation
schemes and thus obtaining different bit rates. As the devices involved in the communication
move around, the radio channel between them also keeps changing.
▪ The received SNR is determined from pathloss calculated per the 3 ’s st sti
propagation models. The models provide signal attenuation as an output. Several parameters
are used in the model, including the distance between the transmitter and the receiver.
▪ A CQI is computed for all the symbols in one TB, based on the SNR calculated on the data
channels (DL and UL). The SNR calculation is done at the start of the simulation, then every
UE measurement interval and also at every instant a UE moves. In calculating SNR, the noise
power is obtained from 𝑁 = 𝑘 × 𝑇 × 𝐵.
▪ Based on the SNR, the Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC) functionality determines the
values of 𝑄, the modulation order, and 𝑅, the code rate, in the TBS formula. The SNR is
computed on a per UE level for UL and DL.
▪ The transport block size in NetSim is as per the MAC procedure for TBS determination
standardized in TS 38.214 Section 5.1.3.2 (DL) and 6.1.4.2 (UL).
▪ An approximate estimate of the TBS per carrier is.
𝑟𝑏
𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 = 𝑅 × log 2 𝑄 × 𝜈 × 𝑛𝑠𝑐 × 𝑛𝑠𝑦𝑚𝑏𝑜𝑙 × 𝑁𝑃𝑅𝐵 × (1 − 𝑂𝐻)

𝑟𝑏
Where 𝑅 is the code rate, 𝑄 is the modulation order, 𝜈 is the number of MIMO layers, 𝑛𝑠𝑐 is
the number of sub carriers per resource block, 𝑛𝑠𝑦𝑚𝑏𝑜𝑙 is the number of symbols per slot, 𝑁𝑃𝑅𝐵
is the number of PRBs and 𝑂𝐻 is the overheads specified in the standard.
▪ The available PHY resource is shared dynamically between the users, with the resource
allocation being dynamically adjusted per user demands and channel conditions. The MAC
Scheduler determines the data (how much to and from, which UE and gNB) that is to be
transmitted, from the higher layer RLC buffer, in units of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs). It
is transmitted at a rate determined using 𝑅, code rate and 𝑄, modulation order of the UE –
gNB channel.

3.9.2 Digital Beamforming

▪ For a transmitter (gNB or eNB) with 𝑡 antennas and a receiver with 𝑟 antennas, the 𝑟 × 𝑡
channel gain matrix (between every transmit-receive antenna pair) has complex Gaussian
elements. We assume in the standard model that the complex Gaussian elements are
statistically independent across elements, and each element is a circularly symmetric
Gaussian. We denote this matrix by 𝐻.

Ver 13.2 Page 39 of 211

 ▪ For the channel matrix 𝐻 being defined as above, the Wishart Matrix is defined as follows:

𝑊 = 𝐻 𝐻† 𝑟 < 𝑡,
𝑊 = 𝐻†𝐻 𝑟≥𝑡

Therefore, letting 𝑚 = min(𝑟, 𝑡), 𝑊 is an 𝑚 × 𝑚 nonnegative definite matrix, with eigenvalues

𝜆1 ≥ 𝜆2 ≥ 𝜆3 ≥ ⋯ ≥ 𝜆𝐿 > 0 = 𝜆𝐿+1 = ⋯ = 𝜆𝑚 . It is these eigenvalues that are used in the
parallel SISO models described below.

▪ NetSim permits the user to enable or disable a stochastic fading model. Fading is modelled by
the elements of 𝐻 being time varying, with some coherence time. Such time variation results
in the eigenvalues of 𝑊 also varying. NetSim models such time variation by letting the user
define a coherence time during which the eigenvalues (fast fading gains) are kept fixed. For
each (𝑟, 𝑡) value, NetSim maintains a list of samples of eigenvalues for the corresponding
Wishart matrix. To model fading, a new set of eigenvalues is used by NetSim in successive
coherence times.
▪ Putting the above discussions together, if fast fading with eigen-beamforming is enabled in
NetSim’s GUI, then the MIMO link is modelled by several SISO channels (see below), with the
symbol level channel gain being derived from the eigenvalues of the Wishart matrix.
𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑚𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔𝐺𝑎𝑖𝑛 (𝑑𝐵) = 10 log10(𝐸𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒)
It must be noted that the eigenvectors are not required as they are only a part of the receive
and transmit signal processing, and NetSim only needs to work with the equivalent symbol-
by-symbol flat fading SISO channels.
▪ If fast fading is disabled, NetSim reduces the MIMO transmission to a set of parallel,
independent channels with constant gain, since the Beam forming gain does not change with
time.
▪ Note that the LOS probability parameter in NetSim is solely used to compute the large scale
pathloss per the 3GPP 38.901 standard. This parameter is not used in the channel rank (MIMO
layers) computations. The Fading and Beam Forming parameter is used to determine (i) the
number of MIMO layers and (ii) the gains in each layer, as shown in the table below.

Parameter drop down option No. of MIMO layers Beamforming Gain and Model
Unity (0 dB).
No fading MIMO unit gain Min (𝑁𝑡 , 𝑁𝑟 ) A theoretical model useful for
benchmarking.
Max (𝑁𝑡 , 𝑁𝑟 )
Assumes Matched Filter Precoding
No fading MIMO array gain Min (𝑁𝑡 , 𝑁𝑟 )
(MFP) and Maximal Ratio
Combining (MRC)
Eigen values of the Wishart Matrix.
Rayleigh with Eigen Beamforming Min (𝑁𝑡 , 𝑁𝑟 )
Assumes MFP and MRC

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3.9.3 MIMO (Digital) Beamforming Assumptions in NetSim

NetSim makes the following assumptions to simplify MIMO operations for a packet-simulator:

▪ Operation in spatial multiplexing mode only and not in transmit diversity mode.
▪ The LayerCount = Min (Nt , Nr ) where Nt is the number of transmit antennas and Nr is equal to
the number of receive antennas.
▪ e t e e is ss me t be e t t e ye t. NetSim es ’t perform
any Rank indicator (RI) computations.
▪ Each layer is reduced to a flat fading SISO channel, i.e., for layer j, 1 ≤ j ≤ LayerCount,

yj = √λj xj + wj

where, xj is the symbol transmitted, λj is the corresponding eigenvalue of the Wishart matrix
obtained as in the previous section, wj is circular symmetric complex Gaussian noise, and yj
is the complex valued baseband received symbol.
▪ Since the distance between the transmitter and receiver is much larger than the antenna
spacings, a common pathloss is assumed for every layer. The pathloss is modelled, as usual,
using distance dependent pathloss (power law), log normal shadowing, and a statistical model
for fast fading (e.g., Rayleigh fading).
▪ Then, given the transmit power in the symbol xj , the layer SNR can be obtained directly from
the flat fading SISO equivalent model displayed above.
▪ It is assumed that the transmit power is equally split between all Layers transmitted. At a high
SNR, (iterative) water-filling will lead to nearly equal power allocation across all subcarriers
and all layers [1].
▪ The transmit power (or total radiated power) is not split equally among the antennas. The per-
antenna power depends on the beamforming vector used. For example, if the (eigen)
beamforming vector is [1, 0]T in the 2 antenna case, all the power is radiated out of the first
1 1 T
antenna. If it is [ , ] , then the power is split equally among the antennas ... and so on.
√2 √2

NetSim abstracts out the actual beamforming operation and computes the received SINR
when the beamforming vectors are used.
▪ Downlink parallel transmission to multiple users is enabled by utilising multiple parallel
resource blocks. Within each resource block, all MIMO layers are transmitted to the same UE.
▪ UEs receive no interference from other gNBs, and a gNB does not receive interference from
UEs connected to any other gNB.
▪ Error free channel: This arises due to the practical fact that the adaptive MCS algorithm
chooses the modulation order and coding scheme based on the SNR, in such a way that the
data is decoded successfully at the receiver with a very high probability.

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 ▪ The MAC scheduler will assign the subcarriers to the UEs. If required all available subcarriers
can also be assigned to a single UE.
▪ The channel is flat across the bandwidth per user. Modeling frequency selective fading within
each user has been avoided to reduce computation time; NetSim already chooses a different
fading gain every coherence time. Hence a further averaging over frequency is not modelled.
Note that scheduler does not allot RBs based on CQI feedback and hence modelling frequency
selectivity is not necessary.

Figure 3-10: An example NetSim output showing SINR vs. time for each MIMO layer, as the UE moves away from the
gNB. The beamforming gain is recalculated every coherence time

In summary, NetSim models the effect of eigen-beamforming in MIMO systems via the eigenvalues
of the gram matrix formed using (random) channel instantiations. These eigenvalues are used to
compute layer-wise SNRs and the corresponding CQI. The CQI values are used by a scheduler to
fix the TBS parameters, and this in turn determines the throughput.

NetSim's power lies in its ability to incorporate the impact of link-level factors (such as beamforming)
on the network-level performance with high precision and computational efficiency. This, in turn,
allows the simulator to scale to 10s of gNBs and 100s of UEs, and yet return performance results in
a short time.

3.9.4 Analog beamforming in the SSB

1. In Analog beamforming, multiple antennas are used to concentrate the radiated power towards a
particular direction (e.g., a part of a sector), thus improving the received SINR and the probability of
detecting the SSB from the gNB (at a UE.)
2. Analog beamforming and digital beamforming are different as shown in the table below

Analog Beamforming Digital Beamforming

Benefit Array gain Spatial Multiplexing/Diversity

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 Use the antennas to steer the main
lobe towards the users in a particular Transmit and receive coding to
area (e.g., a sector, and e.g., using create parallel channels
a phased array)
Principle
Eigen vector based
Directional (Spatial)
Channel dependent
Channel independent
mmWave Low and Mid Band
Use Case Short range Medium and long ranges
LOS NLOS
Table 3-2: Difference between Analog and digital beamforming
3. In NetSim, downlink Analog beamforming is implemented only in the control plane, i.e., broadcast
beams for the SS/PBCH channel. If Analog beamforming is enabled in the UI then it will be used in
signal strength calculations for purposes of Initial access (association) and Handovers.
4. The Analog beam forming gain computed is a wideband estimate.
5. A certain fraction of the (time-frequency) resources is deducted for control plane operations, when
computing available resources in the PDSCH. This fraction is termed as overheads (OH) and the
fractions are different for DL, UL and for FR1, FR2 as explained in section 3.9: Beamforming in
NetSim. Analog beamforming measurements are assumed to be part of this overhead.
6. The Initial access and handover decisions are based on received SSB SNR, defined as
𝑅𝑥𝑆𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑙𝐿𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙 (𝑑𝐵) + 𝐴𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝐵𝐹𝐺𝑎𝑖𝑛(𝑑𝐵)
𝑆𝑁𝑅 =
𝑁0 × 𝑊
where 𝑁0 is the noise spectral density and 𝑊 is the channel bandwidth. Recall, that rate (MCS
selection) is based on PDSCH SINR.
o Given the directional beamforming and the periodic transmission bursts we assume that SSB
interference from other gNBs to be NIL. The probability of two SSB (directional) beams from two
gNBs arriving at the same time at a UE is low. Even if this were to occur then both beams would
be impacted almost equally by interference and the relative impact is negligible. This stems from
the fact that UEs would see nearly equal powers from each gNB when H/O is occurring. Hence
𝑆𝑁𝑅 is used.
o In the above formula
𝑅𝑥𝑆𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑙𝐿𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙 = 𝑔𝑁𝐵𝑇𝑥𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 + 𝑃𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 + 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤𝐹𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔
7. The 𝑔𝑁𝐵𝑇𝑥𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 is the transmit power in the SSB. This is different from the per layer transmit power
that NetSim uses in PDSCH transmissions. The SSB power is set equal to the total power across all
layers in the data channel (PDSCH).
8. NetSim does not (currently) implement Analog beamforming in the PDSCH or in the PUSCH. Digital
beamforming can be enabled in the PDSCH/PUSCH as explained in section 3.9.
9. Analog beamforming is support in 5G (gNBs) only since 4G (eNBs) does not support beamforming
the SSB

Ver 13.2 Page 43 of 211

3.9.4.1 Assumptions

A1. e ’s tim e ei e be m is e e t y i e t t e N ’s tim t smit be m. As

shown in the figure below, UE needs to measure RSRP based on the selected best SSB from
serving cell and neighbouring cells, respectively. In the figure, UE measures the SS-RSRP from
SSB with analog beamforming direction 3 from the serving cell, and from SSB from analog
beamforming direction 1 from neighbouring cell. In this example, NetSim assumes beam 3 from
s-gNB and beam 1 from neighbor gNB in perfectly aligned wit t e ’s e ei e be ms

Figure 3-11: UE Measuring RSRP using Beamforming

A2. Based on A1, NetSim computes an upper bound on the average Analog beam forming gain (dB)
as 10 log10 (𝑁𝑡 × 𝑁𝑟 ). Here 𝑁𝑡 is the transmit antenna count at the gNBs and 𝑁𝑟 is the receive
antenna count at the UE.
A3. The beam selection and alignment are assumed to occur instantaneously. There is no time
delay to account for beam-selection, SSB burst periodicity etc. Users requiring such time delays
can attempt modelling it using the Handover interruption time variable available in the gNB
properties. In any case, the beam selection/monitoring of the best beams from both serving and
neighbouring cells are assumed to be occurring in parallel with the other data processing taking
place at the UE.

3.9.4.2 Logging

There is a change in radio measurements data logging in comparison with v13.1.

• The column DL/UL is being replaced as "Channel" and will have three types of entries (i)
PDSCH (ii) PUSCH and (iii) SSB.
• PUSCH/PDSCH transmit/receive powers will continue to be logged on a per MIMO layer
basis.

Ver 13.2 Page 44 of 211

 • The SSB is transmitted/received as a single stream using all Tx/Rx antennas. Hence this will
have a single value for Tx-power (equal to the gNB Tx-power set in UI), for Rx-power and for
AnalogBFGain.

3.9.5 Minimum guard band and transmission bandwidth configuration

The minimum guard band for each UE channel bandwidth and SCS is specified below.

SCS 50 100 200 400

(kHz) MHz MHz MHz MHz
60 1210 2450 4930 N/A
120 1900 2420 4900 9860
Standards Table 5.3.2-1: Minimum guard band for each UE channel bandwidth and SCS (kHz)

The minimum guard bands have been calculated using the following equation:
(𝐵𝑊𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑙 × 1000(𝑘𝐻𝑧) − 𝑁𝑅𝐵 × 𝑆𝐶𝑆 × 12) − 𝑆𝐶𝑆
2
where 𝑁𝑅𝐵 are from Table 5.3.2-1. The minimum guard band of receiving BS SCS 240 kHz for each
UE channel bandwidth is specified below.

SCS 100 200 400

(kHz) MHz MHz MHz
240 3800 7720 15560
Standards Table 5.3.3-2: Minimum guard band (kHz) of SCS 240 kHz

3.9.6 Fast fading

For a transmitter (gNB or eNB) with t antennas and a receiver with r antennas, the 𝑁𝑟 × 𝑁𝑡 channel
gain matrix (between every transmit-receive antenna pair) on a given subcarrier has complex
Gaussian elements. We assume in the standard model that the complex Gaussian elements are
statistically independent across elements (which is the case the antennas are spread sufficiently far
apart, e.g., of the order of a few wavelengths), and each element is a circularly symmetric Gaussian.
We denote this matrix by H.

In NetSim, Fast-Fading is modeled by the elements of the H-Matrix being time-varying, with some
coherence time. NetSim abstracts out the actual (digital) beamforming operation and computes the
received SINR when the beamforming vectors are used. The MIMO link is modelled by parallel SISO
channels, and the beamforming gain/loss would be equal to Eigenvalues of the Gram matrix of H
(which would also be time-varying). This is the case when the transmitter/receiver use Eigen
beamforming to precode/combine the signals across antennas, respectively. In turn, it assumes the
availability of channel state information at both the transmitter and receiver. In the case where
multiple layers are transmitted to different users, the interference is calculated by considering its
statistics, by assuming that the channels between the base station and the different users to be
independent of each other.

Ver 13.2 Page 45 of 211

3.9.7 NR Frequency Bands

The definition of frequency ranges is per the table given below Table 3-2.

Frequency range Corresponding frequency

designation range
FR1 410 MHz – 7125 MHz
FR2 24250 MHz – 52600 MHz
Table 3-3: NR Frequency Bands Ranges

3.9.7.1 NR Band – FR 1

The FR1 bands (per 3GPP TS 38.101-1 V15.5.0 (2019-03)) implemented in NetSim are those that
run:

• TDD single band in Duplex mode, namely n34, n38, n39, n40, n41, n50, n51, n77, n78, n79,
n259, n260, n261 and n262 as shown below in Table 3-3.
• FDD Single band in Duplex mode, namely n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n66,
n70, n71 and n74 as shown below in Table 3-4.

Uplink (UL) operating Downlink (DL) operating

NR operating band band
Duplex Mode
band BS receive / UE transmit BS transmit / UE receive
FUL_low – FUL_high FDL_low – FDL_high

n1 1920 MHz – 1980 MHz 2110 MHz – 2170 MHz FDD

n2 1850 MHz – 1910 MHz 1930 MHz – 1990 MHz FDD
n3 1710 MHz – 1785 MHz 1805 MHz – 1880 MHz FDD
n5 824 MHz – 859 MHz 869 MHz – 894 MHz FDD
n7 2500 MHz – 2570 MHz 2620 MHz – 2690 MHz FDD
n8 880 MHz – 915 MHz 925 MHz – 960 MHz FDD
n12 699 MHz – 716 MHz 729 MHz – 746 MHz FDD
n20 832 MHz – 862 MHz 791 MHz – 821 MHz FDD
n25 1850 MHz – 1915 MHz 1930 MHz – 1995 MHz FDD
n28 703 MHz – 748 MHz 758 MHz – 803 MHz FDD
n34 2010 MHz – 2025 MHz 2010 MHz – 2025 MHz TDD
n38 2570 MHz – 2620 MHz 2570 MHz – 2620 MHz TDD
n39 1880 MHz – 1920 MHz 1880 MHz – 1920 MHz TDD
n40 2300 MHz – 2400 MHz 2300 MHz – 2400 MHz TDD
n41 2496 MHz – 2690 MHz 2496 MHz – 2690 MHz TDD
n50 1432 MHz – 1517 MHz 1432 MHz – 1517 MHz TDD
n51 1427 MHz – 1432 MHz 1427 MHz – 1432 MHz TDD
n66 1710 MHz – 1780 MHz 2110 MHz – 2200 MHz FDD
n70 1695 MHz – 1710 MHz 1995 MHz – 2020 MHz FDD
n71 663 MHz – 698 MHz 617 MHz – 652 MHz FDD
n74 1427 MHz – 1470 MHz 1475 MHz – 1518 MHz FDD
n75 N/A 1432 MHz – 1517 MHz SDL
n76 N/A 1427 MHz – 1432 MHz SDL
n77 3300 MHz – 4200 MHz 3300 MHz – 4200 MHz TDD
n78 3300 MHz – 3800 MHz 3300 MHz – 3800 MHz TDD
n79 4400 MHz – 5000 MHz 4400 MHz – 5000 MHz TDD

Ver 13.2 Page 46 of 211

 n80 1710 MHz – 1785 MHz N/A SUL
n81 880 MHz – 915 MHz N/A SUL
n82 832 MHz – 862 MHz N/A SUL
n83 703 MHz – 748 MHz N/A SUL
n84 1920 MHz – 1980 MHz N/A SUL
n86 1710 MHz – 1780 MHz N/A SUL
n259 39500 MHz – 43500MHz 39500 MHz – 43500MHz TDD
n260 37000 MHz – 40000MHz 37000 MHz – 40000MHz TDD
n261 27500 MHz – 28350MHz 27500 MHz – 28350MHz TDD
n262 47200 MHz – 48200MHz 47200 MHz – 48200MHz TDD
Table 3-4: NR operating bands in FR1 in NetSim

3.9.7.1.1 Maximum transmission bandwidth configuration

The maximum transmission bandwidth configuration NRB for each UE channel bandwidth and
subcarrier spacing is specified below Table 3-4.

5 10 15 20 25 30 40 50 60 80 90 100
SCS
MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz
(kHz)
NRB NRB NRB NRB NRB NRB NRB NRB NRB NRB NRB NRB
15 25 52 79 106 133 160 216 270 N/A N/A N/A N/A
30 11 24 38 51 65 78 106 133 162 217 245 273
60 N/A 11 18 24 31 38 51 65 79 107 121 135
Table 3-5: Maximum transmission bandwidth configuration NRB

3.9.7.1.2 Minimum guard band and transmission bandwidth configuration

The minimum guardband for each UE channel bandwidth and SCS is specified below Table 3-5.

SCS 5 10 15 20 25 30 40 50 60 80 90 100
(kHz) MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz
15 242.5 312.5 382.5 452.5 522.5 592.5 552.5 692.5 N/A N/A N/A N/A
30 505 665 645 805 785 945 905 1045 825 925 885 845
60 N/A 1010 990 1330 1310 1290 1610 1570 1530 1450 1410 1370
Table 3-6: Minimum guardband for each UE channel bandwidth and SCS (kHz)

NOTE: The minimum guardbands have been calculated using the following equation:
(𝐵𝑊𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑙 × 1000(𝑘𝐻𝑧) − 𝑁𝑅𝐵 × 𝑆𝐶𝑆 × 12) − 𝑆𝐶𝑆
2
where 𝑁𝑅𝐵 are from Table 5.3.2-1.

3.9.7.2 NR Band – FR 2

The FR2 bands (per 3GPP TS 38.101-2 V15.5.0 (2019-03)) implemented in NetSim as shown below
Table 3-6.

Ver 13.2 Page 47 of 211

 Operating Uplink (UL) operating band Downlink (DL) operating band Duplex
Band BS receive BS transmit Mode
UE transmit UE receive
FUL_low – FUL_high FDL_low – FDL_high
n257 26500 MHz – 29500 MHz 26500 MHz – 29500 MHz TDD
n258 24250 MHz – 27500 MHz 24250 MHz – 27500 MHz TDD
n259 39500 MHz – 43500 MHz 39500 MHz – 43500 MHz TDD
n260 37000 MHz – 40000 MHz 37000 MHz – 40000 MHz TDD
n261 27500 MHz – 28350 MHz 27500 MHz – 28350 MHz TDD
n262 47200 MHz – 48200 MHz 47200 MHz – 48200 MHz TDD
Table 3-7: NR operating bands in FR2 in NetSim

3.9.7.2.1 Maximum transmission bandwidth configuration

The maximum transmission bandwidth configuration NRB for each UE channel bandwidth and
subcarrier spacing is specified below.

50 100 200 400

SCS
MHz MHz MHz MHz
(kHz)
NRB NRB NRB NRB
60 66 132 264 N/A
120 32 66 132 264
Standards Table 5.3.2-1: Maximum transmission bandwidth configuration NRB

3.9.8 UE channel bandwidth

3.9.8.1 General

All UEs connected to BS (gNB) have the same channel bandwidth. This is a user settable bandwidth
available in the gNB properties. Bandwidth is a single parameter in TDD; in FDD users can set DL
bandwidth and UL bandwidth. It is currently not possible in NetSim to configure different channel
bandwidths to different UEs connected to a BS.

The above is true even in case of carrier aggregation (CA). All component carriers (CCs) are
assigned to all UEs, and the pooled OFDM resources are shared between the UEs.

3.9.9 Frame structure and physical resources

3.9.9.1 Numerologies

Multiple OFDM numerologies are supported as given by Table 4.2-1 where 𝜇 and the cyclic prefix
for a bandwidth part are obtained from the higher-layer parameter subcarrierSpacing and
cyclicPrefix, respectively.

 f = 2  15 [kHz] Cyclic prefix

0 15 Normal
1 30 Normal
2 60 Normal, Extended
3 120 Normal
4 240 Normal
Standards Table 4.2-1: Supported transmission numerologies

Ver 13.2 Page 48 of 211

3.9.9.2 Frames and subframes

Downlink and uplink transmissions are organized into frames with 𝑇𝑓 = 10ms duration, each
consisting of ten subframes of 𝑇𝑠𝑓 = 1ms duration. The number of consecutive OFDM symbols per
s b me,𝜇 s t s b me,𝜇
subframe is 𝑁symb = 𝑁symb 𝑁s t . Each frame is divided into two equally-sized half-frames

of five subframes each with half-frame 0 consisting of subframes 0 – 4 and half-frame 1 consisting
of subframes 5 – 9.

There is one set of frames in the uplink and one set of frames in the downlink on a carrier.

Uplink frame number 𝑖 for transmission from the UE shall start 𝑇𝑇𝐴 = (𝑁𝑇𝐴 + 𝑁𝑇𝐴,𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑠𝑒𝑡 )𝑇𝑐 before the
start of the corresponding downlink frame at the UE where N TA,offset is given by [5, TS 38.213].

Downlink frame i

Uplink frame i

Standards Figure 4.3.1-1: Uplink-downlink timing relation

3.9.9.3 Slots

𝜇 s b me,𝜇
For subcarrier spacing configuration 𝜇, slots are numbered 𝑛s ∈ {0, … , 𝑁s t − 1 } in increasing
𝜇 me,𝜇
order within a subframe and 𝑛s, ∈ {0, … , 𝑁s t − 1 } in increasing order within a frame. There are
slot slot
𝑁symb consecutive OFDM symbols in a slot where 𝑁symb depends on the cyclic prefix as given by
𝜇
Tables 4.3.2-1 and 4.3.2-2. The start of slot 𝑛s in a subframe is aligned in time with the start of
𝜇
slot
OFDM symbol 𝑛𝑠 𝑁symb in the same subframe.

OFDM symbols in a slot can be classified as 'downlink', 'flexible', or 'uplink'. Signaling of slot formats
is described in subclause 11.1 of [5, TS 38.213].

In a slot in a downlink frame, the UE shall assume that downlink transmissions only occur in
'downlink' or 'flexible' symbols.

In a slot in an uplink frame, the UE shall only transmit in 'uplink' or 'flexible' symbols.

A UE not capable of full-duplex communication among a group of cells is not expected to transmit in
the uplink in one cell within the group of cells earlier than 𝑁 x- x 𝑇 after the end of the last received
downlink symbol in the same or different cell within the group of cells where 𝑁 x- x is given by Table
4.3.2-3

A UE not capable of full-duplex communication among a group of cells is not expected to receive in
the downlink in one cell within the group of cells earlier than 𝑁 x- x 𝑇 after the end of the last

Ver 13.2 Page 49 of 211

transmitted uplink symbol in the same or different cell within the group of cells where 𝑁 x- x is given
by Table 4.3.2-3.
frame,𝝁 subframe,𝝁 frame,𝝁 subframe,𝝁
𝝁 𝑵slot
symb 𝑵slot 𝑵slot 𝝁 𝑵slot
symb 𝑵slot 𝑵slot
0 14 10 1 2 12 40 4
1 14 20 2 Standards Table 4.3.2-2: Number of OFDM symbols
2 14 40 4 per slot, slots per frame, and slots per subframe for
3 14 80 8 extended cyclic prefix
4 14 160 16
Standards Table 4.3.2-1: Number of OFDM symbols
per slot, slots per frame, and slots per subframe for Transition time FR1 FR2
normal cyclic prefix 𝑵Tx- x 25600 13792
𝑵 x-Tx 25600 13792
Standards Table 4.3.2-3: Transition time 𝑁 x- x and 𝑁 x- x

3.9.9.4 Slot structure in NetSim

We show below the slot structure, in NetSim, for two examples of 𝜇 = 0 and 𝜇 = 1.

1. If we take 𝜇 = 0, the number of slots in a sub frame is 1. The total number of slots, therefore,
in a frame is 1 × 10 = 10. For different DL:UL ratios the slot structures are as follows
Ratio 1:1 Ratio 1:4 Ratio 4:1
Sub Frame ID Slot Type Sub Frame ID Slot Type Sub Frame ID Slot Type
1 UL 1 UL 1 UL
2 DL 2 DL 2 DL
3 UL 3 UL 3 DL
4 DL 4 UL 4 DL
5 UL 5 UL 5 DL
6 DL 6 UL 6 UL
7 UL 7 DL 7 DL
8 DL 8 UL 8 DL
9 UL 9 UL 9 DL
10 DL 10 UL 10 DL

2. For 𝜇 = 1, the number of slots in a sub frame is 2. The total number of slots, therefore, in a
frame is 2 × 10 = 20. For different DL:UL ratios the slot structures are as follows

Ratio 1:1 Ratio 1:4 Ratio 4:1

Sub Frame ID Slot Sub Frame ID Slot Sub Frame ID Slot
1 Type
UL 1 Type
UL 1 Type
UL
1 DL 1 DL 1 DL
2 UL 2 UL 2 DL
2 DL 2 UL 2 DL
3 UL 3 UL 3 DL
3 DL 3 UL 3 UL
4 UL 4 DL 4 DL
4 DL 4 UL 4 DL
5 UL 5 UL 5 DL
5 DL 5 UL 5 DL
6 UL 6 UL 6 UL
6 DL 6 DL 6 DL

Ver 13.2 Page 50 of 211

 7 UL 7 UL 7 DL
7 DL 7 UL 7 DL
8 UL 8 UL 8 DL
8 DL 8 UL 8 UL
9 UL 9 DL 9 DL
9 DL 9 UL 9 DL
10 UL 10 UL 10 DL
10 DL 10 UL 10 DL

For a DL/UL mixed configuration, the first slot in NetSim always UL and the second slot is always
DL, and subsequent slots are based on the DL:UL ratio set.

3.9.10 Channel state information

Perfect CSIT and CSIR: The channel matrix H is assumed to be known perfectly and instantaneously
at the transmitter and receiver, respectively. With perfect CSIT the transmitter can adapt its
transmission rate (MCS) relative to the instantaneous channel state (SNR).

3.9.10.1 Channel quality indicator (CQI)

The CQI indices and their interpretations are given in Table 5.2.2.1-2 or Table 5.2.2.1-4 for reporting
CQI based on QPSK, 16QAM and 64QAM. The CQI indices and their interpretations are given in
Table 5.2.2.1-3 for reporting CQI based on QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM and 256QAM.

A CQI is computed for all the symbols in one TB, based on the SNR calculated on the data channels
(DL and UL). The SNR calculation is done at the start of the simulation, then every UE measurement
interval and at every instant a UE moves. In calculating SNR, the noise power is obtained from 𝑁 =
𝑘 × 𝑇 × 𝐵. Based on the SNR, the Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC) functionality determines
the values of Q, the modulation order, and R, the code rate, in the TBS formula. The SNR is
computed on a per UE level for UL and DL.

The modulation order and code rate is based on the table chosen by the user. In the GUI users can
se e t “t b e1” corresponding to Table 5.2.2.1-2), “t b e2” (corresponding to Table 5.2.2.1-3) or
“t b e3” (corresponding to Table 5.2.2.1-4). Block error probability is currently not implemented in
NetSim and hence is not used for deciding the table.

NetSim does not implement Sub-band Offset. The AMC determines a wideband CQI which indicates
the highest rate Modulation and coding scheme (MCS), that it can reliably decode, if the entire
system bandwidth were allocated to that user.

A combination of modulation scheme and transport block size corresponds to a CQI index if:

- the combination could be signaled for transmission on the PDSCH in the CSI reference
resource according to the Transport Block Size determination described in Subclause 5.1.3.2,
and

- the modulation scheme is indicated by the CQI index, and

Ver 13.2 Page 51 of 211

 - the combination of transport block size and modulation scheme when applied to the reference
resource results in the effective channel code rate which is the closest possible to the code
rate indicated by the CQI index. If more than one combination of transport block size and
modulation scheme results in an effective channel code rate equally close to the code rate
indicated by the CQI index, only the combination with the smallest of such transport block sizes
is relevant.

CQI modulation code Efficiency

index rate x
1024
0 out of range
1 QPSK 78 0.1523
2 QPSK 120 0.2344
3 QPSK 193 0.3770
4 QPSK 308 0.6016
5 QPSK 449 0.8770
6 QPSK 602 1.1758
7 16QAM 378 1.4766
8 16QAM 490 1.9141
9 16QAM 616 2.4063
10 64QAM 466 2.7305
11 64QAM 567 3.3223
12 64QAM 666 3.9023
13 64QAM 772 4.5234
14 64QAM 873 5.1152
15 64QAM 948 5.5547
Standards Table 5.2.2.1-2: 4-bit CQI Table 1
code
modulation rate x Efficiency
CQI 1024
0 out of range
1 QPSK 78 0.1523
2 QPSK 193 0.3770
3 QPSK 449 0.8770
4 16QAM 378 1.4766
5 16QAM 490 1.9141
6 16QAM 616 2.4063
7 64QAM 466 2.7305
8 64QAM 567 3.3223
9 64QAM 666 3.9023
10 64QAM 772 4.5234
11 64QAM 873 5.1152
12 256QAM 711 5.5547
13 256QAM 797 6.2266
14 256QAM 885 6.9141
15 256QAM 948 7.4063
Standards Table 5.2.2.1-3: 4-bit CQI Table 2

Ver 13.2 Page 52 of 211

 CQI modulation code rate Efficiency
index x 1024
0 out of range
1 QPSK 30 0.0586
2 QPSK 50 0.0977
3 QPSK 78 0.1523
4 QPSK 120 0.2344
5 QPSK 193 0.3770
6 QPSK 308 0.6016
7 QPSK 449 0.8770
8 QPSK 602 1.1758
9 16QAM 378 1.4766
10 16QAM 490 1.9141
11 16QAM 616 2.4063
12 64QAM 466 2.7305
13 64QAM 567 3.3223
14 64QAM 666 3.9023
15 64QAM 772 4.5234
Standards Table 5.2.2.1-4: 4-bit CQI Table 3

3.9.11 Efficiency

In NetSim efficiency is calculated per the Shannon rate as

𝐸𝑏
𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔2 (1 + )
𝑁0
𝐸𝑏
Where 𝑁0
is the ratio of the signal to noise in linear power scale, while SNR is the ratio in

logarithmic decibel scale.

3.9.12 Modulation order, target code rate, and TBS determination

To determine the modulation order, target code rate, and transport block size(s) in the physical
downlink shared channel, the UE shall first.

- determine the modulation order (𝑄𝑚 ) and target code rate (𝑅) based on the procedure
defined in Subclause 5.1.3.1, and

and second

- the UE shall use the number of layers (𝜐), the total number of allocated PRBs before
rate matching (𝑛𝑃𝑅𝐵 ) to determine to the transport block size based on the procedure
defined in Subclause 5.1.3.2.

The UE is not expected to handle any transport blocks (TBs) in a 14 consecutive-symbol

duration for normal CP (or 12 for extended CP) ending at the last symbol of the latest PDSCH
transmission within an active BWP on a serving cell whenever

′ 𝐶𝑖′ X 1
2max (0,𝜇−𝜇 ) . ∑ ⌊ ⌋ 𝑥𝑖 . 𝐹𝑖 > ⌈ ⌉ . . 𝑇𝐵𝑆𝐿𝐵𝑅𝑀
𝐿𝑖 4 𝑅𝐿𝐵𝑅𝑀
𝑖∈𝑆

Ver 13.2 Page 53 of 211

where, for the serving cell,

- S is the set of TBs belonging to PDSCH(s) that are partially or fully contained in the
consecutive-symbol duration

- for the 𝑖th TB

- 𝐶𝑖′ is the number of scheduled code blocks for as defined in [5, 38.212].

- 𝐿𝑖 is the number of OFDM symbols assigned to the PDSCH

- 𝑋𝑖 is the number of OFDM symbols of the PDSCH contained in the consecutive-symbol

duration
𝑗 𝑗
- 𝐹𝑖 = max (min(𝑘0,𝑖 + 𝐸𝑖 , 𝑁𝑐𝑏,𝑖 )) based on the values defined in Subclause 5.4.2.1 [5,
𝑗=0,...,𝐽−1

TS 38.212]
𝑗
- 𝑘0,𝑖 is the starting location of RV for the 𝑗th transmission

𝑗
- 𝐸𝑖 = min(𝐸𝑟 ) of the scheduled code blocks for the 𝑗th transmission

- 𝑁𝑐𝑏,𝑖 is the circular buffer length

- 𝐽 − 1 is the current (re)transmission for the 𝑖th TB

- 𝜇′ corresponds to the subcarrier spacing of the BWP (across all configured BWPs of a
carrier) that has the largest configured number of PRBs

- in case there is more than one BWP corresponding to the largest configured number of
PRBs, 𝜇′ follows the BWP with the largest subcarrier spacing.

- 𝜇 corresponds to the subcarrier spacing of the active BWP

2
- 𝑅𝐿𝐵𝑅𝑀 = 3 as defined in Subclause 5.4.2.1 [5, TS 38.212]

- 𝑇𝐵𝑆𝐿𝐵𝑅𝑀 as defined in Subclause 5.4.2.1 [5, TS 38.212]

- 𝑋 as defined for downlink in Subclause 5.4.2.1 [5, TS 38.212].

If the UE skips decoding, the physical layer indicates to higher layer that the transport block is
not successfully decoded.

For a 𝑗th serving cell, if higher layer parameter processingType2Enabled of PDSCH-

ServingCellConfig is configured for the serving cell and set to enable, or if at least one 𝐼𝑀𝐶𝑆 >
𝑊 for a PDSCH, where 𝑊 = 28 for MCS tables 5.1.3.1-1 and 5.1.3.1-3, and 𝑊 = 27 for MCS
table 5.1.3.1-2, the UE is not required to handle PDSCH transmissions, if the following
condition is not satisfied:

Ver 13.2 Page 54 of 211

 ∑𝑀−1
𝑚=0 𝑉𝑗,𝑚
𝜇 ≤ 𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒𝐶𝐶
𝐿 × 𝑇𝑠

where

- 𝐿 is the number of symbols assigned to the PDSCH

- 𝑀 is the number of TB(s) in the PDSCH

𝜇 10−3
- 𝑇𝑠 = 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡 where  is the numerology of the PDSCH
2𝜇 ∙𝑁𝑠𝑦𝑚𝑏

𝐴
- for the 𝑗th TB, 𝑉𝑗,𝑚 = 𝐶′ ∙ ⌊𝐶 ⌋

- 𝐴 is the number of bits in the transport block as defined in Subclause 7.2.1 [5, TS 38.212]

- 𝐶 is the total number of code blocks for the transport block defined in Subclause 5.2.2
[5, TS 38.212]

- 𝐶′ is the number of scheduled code blocks for the transport block as defined in Subclause
5.4.2.1 [5, TS 38.212]

- 𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒𝐶𝐶 [Mbps] is computed by the approximate maximum data rate given by

Subclause 4.1.2 in [13, TS 38.306] from the band/band combination signaling for the
serving cell, including the scaling factor 𝑓(𝑖).

3.9.12.1 Modulation order and target code rate determination

The user can select from the following MCS tables, for each gNB and associated UEs, from
the GUI:

▪ QAM64 Table 5.1.3.1-1

▪ QAM256 Table 5.1.3.1-2
▪ QAM64LowSE Table 5.1.3.1-3

The UE and gNB then uses this table to determine the modulation order 𝑄𝑚 and Code Rate,
𝑅. Different tables can be chosen for DL (gNB to UE) and for UL (UE to gNB). The UL table
index selection based on transform precoding selection in the GUI is given below.

Transform Precoding MCS Table (PUSCH Config) MCS Table Index

Enabled QAM256 5.1.3.1 – 2

Enabled QAM64LowSE 6.1.4.1 – 2
Enabled QAM64 6.1.4.1 – 1
Disabled QAM256 5.1.3.1 – 2
Disabled QAM64LowSE 5.1.3.1 – 3

Ver 13.2 Page 55 of 211

 Disabled QAM64 5.1.3.1 – 1

Table 3-8: Uplink MCS Table index determination based on transform precoding and MCS table
selection in GUI

MCS Index Modulation Order Target code Rate R x [1024] Spectral

IMCS Qm efficiency
0 2 120 0.2344
1 2 157 0.3066
2 2 193 0.3770
3 2 251 0.4902
4 2 308 0.6016
5 2 379 0.7402
6 2 449 0.8770
7 2 526 1.0273
8 2 602 1.1758
9 2 679 1.3262
10 4 340 1.3281
11 4 378 1.4766
12 4 434 1.6953
13 4 490 1.9141
14 4 553 2.1602
15 4 616 2.4063
16 4 658 2.5703
17 6 438 2.5664
18 6 466 2.7305
19 6 517 3.0293
20 6 567 3.3223
21 6 616 3.6094
22 6 666 3.9023
23 6 719 4.2129
24 6 772 4.5234
25 6 822 4.8164
26 6 873 5.1152
27 6 910 5.3320
28 6 948 5.5547
29 2 Reserved
30 4 Reserved
31 6 Reserved
Standards Table 5.1.3.1-1: MCS index table 1 for PDSCH

Ver 13.2 Page 56 of 211

 MCS Index Modulation Order Target code Rate R x [1024] Spectral
IMCS Qm efficiency
0 2 120 0.2344
1 2 193 0.3770
2 2 308 0.6016
3 2 449 0.8770
4 2 602 1.1758
5 4 378 1.4766
6 4 434 1.6953
7 4 490 1.9141
8 4 553 2.1602
9 4 616 2.4063
10 4 658 2.5703
11 6 466 2.7305
12 6 517 3.0293
13 6 567 3.3223
14 6 616 3.6094
15 6 666 3.9023
16 6 719 4.2129
17 6 772 4.5234
18 6 822 4.8164
19 6 873 5.1152
20 8 682.5 5.3320
21 8 711 5.5547
22 8 754 5.8906
23 8 797 6.2266
24 8 841 6.5703
25 8 885 6.9141
26 8 916.5 7.1602
27 8 948 7.4063
28 2 Reserved
29 4 Reserved
30 6 Reserved
31 8 Reserved
Standards Table 5.1.3.1-2: MCS index table 2 for PDSCH
MCS Index Modulation Target code Rate R x [1024] Spectral
IMCS Order efficiency
Qm
0 2 30 0.0586
1 2 40 0.0781
2 2 50 0.0977
3 2 64 0.1250
4 2 78 0.1523
5 2 99 0.1934
6 2 120 0.2344
7 2 157 0.3066
8 2 193 0.3770
9 2 251 0.4902
10 2 308 0.6016
11 2 379 0.7402
12 2 449 0.8770
13 2 526 1.0273
14 2 602 1.1758
15 4 340 1.3281
16 4 378 1.4766
17 4 434 1.6953
18 4 490 1.9141
19 4 553 2.1602
20 4 616 2.4063
21 6 438 2.5664
22 6 466 2.7305
23 6 517 3.0293
24 6 567 3.3223

Ver 13.2 Page 57 of 211

 25 6 616 3.6094
26 6 666 3.9023
27 6 719 4.2129
28 6 772 4.5234
29 2 Reserved
30 4 Reserved
31 6 Reserved
Standards Table 5.1.3.1-3: MCS index table 3 for PDSCH

3.9.13 Transport block size (TBS) determination

The procedure for TBS determination is standardized in TS 38.214 Section 5.1.3.2 (DL) and
6.1.4.2 (UL). The standard specifies the TBS determination through Step 1, Step 2, Step 3,
and Step 4, all which are implemented in NetSim.

NetSim first determines the TBS as specified below:

1) The UE shall first determine the number of Res (NRE ) within the slot.
′
- A UE first determines the number of REs allocated for PDSCH within a PRB (𝑁𝑅𝐸 ) by
′ 𝑅𝐵 𝑃𝑅𝐵 𝑃𝑅𝐵 𝑃𝑅𝐵 𝑅𝐵
𝑁𝑅𝐸 = 𝑁𝑠𝑐 × 𝑁𝑠𝑦𝑚𝑏 − 𝑁𝐷𝑀𝑅𝑆 − 𝑁𝑜ℎ , where 𝑁𝑠𝑐 = 12 is the number of subcarriers in
sh
a physical resource block, Nsymb is the number of symbols of the PDSCH allocation
PRB
within the slot, NDMRS is the number of REs for DM-RS per PRB in the scheduled
PRB 𝑃𝑅𝐵
duration and Noh is the overhead configured by higher layer parameter and 𝑁𝑜ℎ is
set to 0.
- A UE determines the total number of REs allocated for PDSCH (NRE ) by 𝑁𝑅𝐸 =
′ )
min(156, 𝑁𝑅𝐸 × 𝑛𝑃𝑅𝐵 , where 𝑛𝑃𝑅𝐵 is the total number of allocated PRBs for the UE.

2) Intermediate number of information bits (𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 ) is obtained by 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 = 𝑁𝑅𝐸 × 𝑅 × 𝑄𝑀 × 𝑣.

3) When 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 ≤ 3824, TBS is determined as follows
′ 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜
- quantized intermediate number of information bits 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 = 𝑚𝑎𝑥 (24, 2𝑛 ⌊ 2𝑛
⌋), where

𝑛 = 𝑚𝑎𝑥(3, ⌊log2 (𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 )⌋ − 6).

′
- use Table 5.1.3.2-1 find the closest TBS that is not less than 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 .
Index TBS Index TBS Index TBS Index TBS
1 24 31 336 61 1288 91 3624
2 32 32 352 62 1320 92 3752
3 40 33 368 63 1352 93 3824
4 48 34 384 64 1416
5 56 35 408 65 1480
6 64 36 432 66 1544
7 72 37 456 67 1608
8 80 38 480 68 1672
9 88 39 504 69 1736
10 96 40 528 70 1800
11 104 41 552 71 1864

Ver 13.2 Page 58 of 211

 12 112 42 576 72 1928
13 120 43 608 73 2024
14 128 44 640 74 2088
15 136 45 672 75 2152
16 144 46 704 76 2216
17 152 47 736 77 2280
18 160 48 768 78 2408
19 168 49 808 79 2472
20 176 50 848 80 2536
21 184 51 888 81 2600
22 192 52 928 82 2664
23 208 53 984 83 2728
24 224 54 1032 84 2792
25 240 55 1064 85 2856
26 256 56 1128 86 2976
27 272 57 1160 87 3104
28 288 58 1192 88 3240
29 304 59 1224 89 3368
30 320 60 1256 90 3496
Standards Table 5.1.3.1-4: TBS for N inf o  3824

4) When 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 > 3824, TBS is determined as follows.

′
- quantized intermediate number of information bits 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 = 𝑚𝑎𝑥 (3840, 2𝑛 ×

𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 −24
𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ( )), where 𝑛 = ⌊log2 (𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 − 24)⌋ − 5 and ties in the round function are
2𝑛

broken towards the next largest integer.

- if 𝑅 ≤ 1⁄4
′ ′
𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 +24 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 +24
𝑇𝐵𝑆 = 8. 𝐶 ⌈ 8.𝐶
⌉ − 24, where 𝐶 = ⌈ 3816
⌉

else
′
if 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 > 8424
′ ′
𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 +24 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 +24
𝑇𝐵𝑆 = 8. 𝐶 ⌈ ⌉ − 24, where 𝐶 = ⌈ ⌉
8.𝐶 8424

else
′
𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜 + 24
𝑇𝐵𝑆 = 8 ⌈ ⌉ − 24,
8
end if
end if
else if Table 5.1.3.1-2 is used and 28 ≤ 𝐼𝑀𝐶𝑆 ≤ 31.

Ver 13.2 Page 59 of 211

3.9.14 HARQ

3.9.14.1 Introduction

We start with a brief and simplistic explanation of the HARQ mechanism.

1. Hybrid automatic repeat request (hybrid ARQ or HARQ) is a combination of

retransmissions and error correction. The HARQ protocol runs in the MAC and PHY
layers.
2. In the 5G PHY, a code block group (CBG) is transmitted over the air by the transmitter to
the receiver. If the CBG is successfully received the receiver sends back an ACK, else if
the CBG is received in error the receiver sends back a NACK (negative ACK).
3. If the transmitter receives an ACK, it sends the next CBG. However, if the transmitter
receives a NACK, it retransmits the previously transmitted CBG.
4. In 5G, the incorrectly received CBG is not discarded but stored at the receiver. When the
re-transmitted CBG is received, the two CBGs are combined. This is called Hybrid ARQ
with chase-combining (HARQ-CC).

3.9.14.2 Implementation in NetSim

1. HARQ is implemented in 4G (eNB) and in 5G (gNB) in both downlink and uplink.

2. A HARQ entity is defined for each gNB-UE pair, separately for Uplink and Downlink and
for each component carrier. The HARQ entity handles the HARQ processes.
a. Max number of HARQ processes is 8 in 4G
b. Max number of HARQ processes is 16 in 5G
3. Each HARQ process transmits one Transport Block (TB) at any time
4. When operating in MIMO, each layer handles a different TB. This means that one TB is
not transmitted across multiple layers.
5. Each TB is split into Code blocks (CBs) and CBs are grouped into Code Block Groups
(CBGs).
6. At the receiver the CBGs are given to a multiplexer which combines the CBGs into a TB.
7. CBGs are always retransmitted at the same MCS as the first transmission. This restriction
comes from the specification of the rate matcher in the 3GPP TS 38.212 standard.

Ver 13.2 Page 60 of 211

 Tx x

( )
N ( )

( ) NA +
( )
( )
A
Y S

Figure 3-12: We see the HARQ transmission process. The transmitter sends CBG1 which is errored.
Therefore, the receiver sends a NACK. CBG1 is then retransmitted (transmission attempt 2). The
receiver then soft combines the first and second transmissions, which is successful and hence
sends back an ACK
8. In HARQ-CC, every retransmission contains the same coded bits (information and coding
bits). We abstract soft combining and model it by summing (in linear scale) the SINRs of
transmitted and retransmitted CBGs. The BLER is then looked up for the combined SINR.
9. The New Data Indicator (NDI) flag is set (both in UL and DL) true for transmission of a
new TB
10. HARQ entity is terminated during handover-triggered de-association from a gNB and re-
created at the new gNB after the handover procedure is completed.
11. HARQ retransmissions have priority over new data transmissions. Within a HARQ
process, new data transmissions are not taken up when retransmission data is in the
queue.
12. HARQ processes are multiplexed in time (slots) in a round robin fashion. For example, if
we had a case with 4 HARQ processes then:

Slot 1 – HARQ Process 1 > Success

Slot 2 – HARQ Process 2 > Success
Slot 3 – HARQ Process 3 > Error
Slot 4 – HARQ Process 4 > Success
Slot 5 – HARQ Process 1 > Success
Slot 6 – HARQ Process 2 > Success
Slot 7 – HARQ Process 3 > Retransmission Success
... and so on

3.9.14.3 Assumptions and limitations

1. The HARQ ACK/NACK is sent out-of-band by the receiver immediately after receipt (𝛥𝑡 →
0+ ). It is then instantaneously and correctly received at the transmitter. The ACK/NACKs
are not logged.

Ver 13.2 Page 61 of 211

2. If DL/UL transmission can occur, then reverse direction (UL/DL respectively) ACK/NACK
will be successful. Specifically, even if the UL data link is in outage, ACK/NACK
transmitted in the UL will be correctly received by the gNB.

3.9.14.4 Transmission flow

1. Packets are either split or combined into transport blocks (TBs) depending on the packet
size and the TB size. It is the TB that needs to be transmitted over the air.

a. Users can set the application layer packet size in NetSim GUI > Application
properties. The packet size at the MAC is the application packet size plus transport
layer and IP layer overheads. Users can obtain the MAC layer packet size from the
packet trace.

b. The TB size is determined by the LTE and 5G NR protocol running in the MAC/PHY.
Users can obtain the TB size from the code block log file (explained subsequently in
section 3.9.13)

2. TB are then split to Code blocks (CBs). The code block size calculation and TB
segmentation is explained in section 3.9.15 below.

3. CBs are grouped into code block groups (CBGs).

a. The max number of CBGs per TB can be set in the NetSim GUI (based on RRC
parameter MAX_CBG_PER_TB in the NetSim GUI)

4. TBs are transmitted by transmitting CBGs, which is in turn comprises of CBs

5. BLER is applied upon CBG reception at the receiver

6. If any CB is in error, the transmitter retransmits the entire CBG to which that CB is a part
of.

7. The receiver then soft combines the first transmission and all subsequent retransmissions

a. Soft combining is modelled by adding their SINRs in the linear scale. For example, if
there were 2 retransmissions, then the combined SINR would be given by

𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅3𝑇𝑥 = 𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅3𝑇𝑥 + 𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅2𝑇𝑥 + 𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅1𝑇𝑥

8. BLER is applied on the improved (combined) SINR by tossing a biased coin

9. If any CB is in error, go to step 6, subject to transmit limit of 4 (retransmit limit of 3).

a. The transmit limit is user settable in NetSim, and by default is set to 4.

10. If all CBGs (in a TB) are successful, then at the receiver, the TB is sent up to the RLC

11. Else, the entire TB is dropped

Ver 13.2 Page 62 of 211
3.9.14.5 Special cases

1. If there is a retransmission scheduled in a multi-layer scenario, then the scheduler cannot

retransmit data in one layer and transmit new data in another layer to the same UE. Hence
during retransmissions, the scheduler allows other UEs to use the resources. The reason
is: the next TB can only be sent after receiving a successful ACK or if the current TB is
dropped. Therefore, another TB (to the same UE) cannot be scheduled on the remaining
resources. For example, if Max-throughput scheduling is used, when a CBG is received
in error the NDI flag is false. When the NDI flag is false, the UE is not passed through the
scheduler function; only the CB that needs to be transmitted is Hence remaining PRBs
left - after retransmitting the errored CBG - must be allocated to a not Max-SINR UE. Also
note that, the not Max-S N ’s sm y s be e e i i se t se s
need to be retransmitted. This above complicating factor leads to a break down in the
general belief that Max-throughput scheduler leads to Max-SINR UE getting all throughput
with other UEs getting NIL throughput.

2. Again, consider a multi-layer scenario with CBG errors in 2 or more layers. How many
PRBs should then be allocated for retransmissions and how many for new data from
different UEs? In such cases NetSim calculates the PRBs required for retransmission as
the max of PRBs required for retransmission in each layer.

3.9.14.6 Logging

Figure 3-13: HARQ log file showing code block transmission. Here CBS_ represents the information
bits within a code block (CBS column).
1. Transmission attempts 1, 2, 3 and 4 are indexed as 0, 1, 2, 3. If the 4th attempt is errored,
the CBG is dropped.

2. et t e y s“ et” , es t s, s et . ee e,
the packet trace logs a packet in the MAC OUT of the transmitter and subsequently if
received successfully at the MAC IN of the receiver. If the packet errored, it is also marked
in the packet trace.

Ver 13.2 Page 63 of 211

3. Note that if a TB is in error than all the packets that were part of the TB will be marked as
error.

4. The transmission/re-transmission of CBs is logged in the Code Block logfile.

5. The remarks column would have messages for HARQ preparation and would be blank for
actual transmissions.

6. TBS is always logged on a per layer basis.

7. CBGID is also on a per layer basis

8. SINR reported in the CBG log is the post-soft combining SINR.

Figure 3-14: HARQ log showing HARQ working via information provided in the Remarks columns

3.9.14.7 HARQ turn off

There are ongoing discussions of abandoning of HARQ for the 1 ms end-to-end latency use
case of URLLC. This decision implies that the code rate had to be lowered such that a single
shot transmission, i.e., no retransmissions and no feedback, achieves the required BLER.

NetSim allows users to turn HARQ OFF via the GUI. Note that the code block log will continue
to be written. Users will notice that errored CBGs are not retransmitted if HARQ is turned OFF.
Since the CB/CBG is in error, that entire TB to which it belongs will be in error.

Users can inspect the packet trace and will see large numbers of packets errors if HARQ is
turned OFF and if the UE is seeing a high BLER.

3.9.15 Segmentation of transport block into code blocks

1. If the transport block size is larger than 3824, a 16-bit CRC is added at the end of the
transport block or 24-bit CRC is added.

2. The transport block is divided into multiple equal size code blocks when the transport
block size exceeds a threshold.

Ver 13.2 Page 64 of 211

 3. For quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check code (QC-LDPC) base graph 1, the threshold
is equal to 8448.

4. For QC-LDPC base graph 2, the threshold is equal to 3840. In 5G NR, the maximum
code block size number is 8448.

5. An additional 24-bit CRC is added at the end of each code block when there is a
segmentation.

6. A CBG can have up to 2/4/6/8 CBs.

7. Maximum transport block size - 1,277,992.

LDPC BG 1, CBS Max, (𝐾𝑐𝑏 ) = 8448, LDPC BG 2, CBS Max, (𝐾𝑐𝑏 ) = 3840

Y S

Y S N G S

N
= =
=

𝐿 = Extra CRC bits, 𝐶 = Number of Code blocks, 𝑇𝐵𝑆 = Size of Transport block,
𝐾′ = Information bits in code block. The base matrix expansion factor 𝑍𝑐 is calculated by
selecting minimum 𝑍𝑐 in all sets of lifting size tables, such that: 𝐾𝑏 × 𝑍𝑐 ≥ 𝐾. 𝐾𝑏 denotes the
number of information bit columns for the lifting size 𝑍𝑐.

3.9.16 BLER and MCS selection

NetSim GUI allows users set the BLER, via the BLER drop down option. This option has two
settings, and each setting in-turn has different options for MCS selection. Both BLER and MCS
selection are global options and will apply to all gNBs and UEs in both DL and UL in the
network scenario.

1. Zero BLER

▪ MCS Selection: Ideal Shannon theorem-based rate

▪ MCS is chosen from the 3GPP (spectral efficiency to MCS) table assuming ideal
Shannon rate whereby

Ver 13.2 Page 65 of 211

 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 = log 2 (1 + 𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅)

▪ Data is transmitted at this MCS with zero BLER

▪ The spectral efficiency to MCS table is explained in section 3.9.12.1 (Modulation

order and target code rate determination)

▪ MCS Selection: Shannon rate with attenuation factor

▪ MCS is chosen from the 3G (spectral efficiency to MCS) table per the following
expression provided in TR 36.942:

𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 = α × log 2 (1 + 𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅)

▪ 𝛼 is the attenuation factor and generally 0.5 ≤ 𝛼 ≤ 1.00. Default: 0.75

▪ Data is transmitted at this MCS with zero BLER

A more general formula, available in literature, is 𝑆𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 = 𝛼 × log 2 (1 +

𝛽 × 𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅) with 0 < 𝛽 ≤ 1. This can be easily programmed in NetSim by modifying the code to
include 𝛽 and then rebuilding it.

3.9.17 Out of coverage

As explained in the assumptions, NetSim does not model physical control channels or
reference signals. All measurements are made on the physical data channels. The downlink
received SNR is determined from large scale pathloss and shadowing calculated per the
stochastic propagation models in the 3GPPTR38.900 standard, and fast fading calculated
from the H matrix. This SNR calculation is done at the start of the simulation, and then at every
instant a UE moves. It is a single wideband measurement at the center frequency. Interference
from other gNBs is not considered in the SNR calculations.

Out of coverage in NetSim is based on the calculated spectral efficiency of the physical data
𝐸
channel. Spectral Efficiency is equal to 𝑙𝑜𝑔2 (1 + 𝑁𝑏 ). A UE is out-of-coverage when this
0

spectral efficiency falls below a threshold. This threshold is the value of the spectral efficiency
of index 1 per 3GPP 38.214 Table 5.2.2.1.-2 for CQI Table 1, or 5.2.2.1.-3 for CQI Table 2, or
5.2.2.1.-4 for CQI Table 3.

The NetSim log would report CQI as 0 whenever this condition occurs. Note that the RRC
connection is not released and NetSim does not currently model Radio Link Failures (RLF). If
t e ’s s e t e i ie y, it t e s me se i N i sses t e t es , data
transmissions . e t m bi ity, i t e ’s s e t e i ie y m i ee t N ,
crosses threshold then handover procedure is initiated.

Ver 13.2 Page 66 of 211

3.9.18 Carrier Aggregation

In NetSim carrier aggregation (CA) is done in both DL and in the UL. When doing CA, the PHY
layer is separate for each component carrier (CC). Thus, each CC will have a different
pathloss, SINR and TBS. Then the resources of all component carriers (CCs) are pooled at
the MAC, and scheduling is across the pooled resources. However, in practice each UE may
be ssi e es es m ti . Si e NetSim es ’t m e e e y selective
channel fading, there is generally negligible difference in network performance between
allotting from a pool vs. allotting from one CC. The exception is when the data demand from
any UE is greater than the capacity of a CC.

3.9.19 CA Configuration Table (based on TR 38 716 01-01 Rel 16 NR)

The Intraband CA configuration is based on TR 38716 01-01 Rel 16 NR. The interband CA
configuration is based on 38 than716 02-00 for 2 bands DL / x bands UL, and TR 38.716 03
01 for 3 bands DL and 1 band UL. Carrier aggregation can be configured in the gNB's Physical
layer properties. Following are the various configuration options that are available:

TDD Bands
CA Configuration Table
CA Configuration CA CA Type Frequency Uplink Low Uplink High
Count Range (MHz) (MHz)
INTER_BAND_CA
CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 1880, 2496 1920, 2690

CA_2DL_2UL_n39_n41 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 1880, 2496 1920, 2690

CA_2DL_1UL_n41_n79 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2496, 4400 2690, 5000

CA_2DL_2UL_n41_n79 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2496, 4400 2690, 5000

CA_2DL_1UL_n40_n41 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2300, 2496 2400, 2690

CA_2DL_2UL_n40_n41 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2300, 2496 2400, 2690

CA_2DL_1UL_n50_n78 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 1432, 3300 1517, 3800

CA_2DL_2UL_n50_n78 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 1432, 3300 1517, 3800

CA_2DL_1UL_n41_n50 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2496, 1432 2690, 1517

CA_2DL_2UL_n41_n50 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2496, 1432 2690, 1517

CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n79 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 1880, 4400 1920, 5000

CA_2DL_2UL_n39_n79 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 1880, 4400 1920, 5000

CA_2DL_1UL_n40_n78 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2300, 3300 2400, 3800

CA_2DL_2UL_n40_n78 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2300, 3300 2400, 3800

CA_2DL_1UL_n40_n79 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2300, 4400 2400, 5000

CA_2DL_2UL_n40_n79 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2300, 4400 2400, 5000

Ver 13.2 Page 67 of 211

 CA_2DL_1UL_n77_n258 2 CA1, CA2 FR1, FR2 3300, 24250 4200, 27500
CA_2DL_2UL_n77_n258 2 CA1, CA2 FR1, FR2 3300, 24250 4200, 27500
CA_2DL_1UL_n78_n258 2 CA1, CA2 FR1, FR2 3300, 24250 3800, 27500
CA_2DL_2UL_n78_n258 2 CA1, CA2 FR1, FR2 3300, 24250 3800, 27500
CA_2DL_1UL_n79_n258 2 CA1, CA2 FR1, FR2 4400, 24250 5000, 27500
CA_2DL_2UL_n79_n258 2 CA1, CA2 FR1, FR2 4400, 24250 5000, 27500
CA_2DL_1UL_n78_n257 2 CA1, CA2 FR1, FR2 3300, 26500 3800, 29500
CA_2DL_2UL_n78_n257 2 CA1, CA2 FR1, FR2 3300, 26500 3800, 29500
CA_2DL_1UL_n41_n260 2 CA1, CA2 FR1, FR2 2496, 37000 2690, 40000
CA_2DL_2UL_n41_n260 2 CA1, CA2 FR1, FR2 2496, 37000 2690, 40000
INTRA_BAND_CONTIGOUOUS_CA

CA_2DL_n41C_1UL_n41A 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2496, 2496 2690, 2690

CA_2DL_n257G_2UL_n257G 2 CA1, CA2 FR2 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_3DL_n257H_3UL_n257G 3 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3 26500 29500
CA_3DL_n257H_3UL_n257H 3 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3 26500 29500
CA_4DL_n257I_4UL_n257G 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_4DL_n257I_4UL_n257H 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_4DL_n257I_4UL_n257I 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_5DL_n257J_5UL_n257G 5 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5 26500 29500
CA_5DL_n257J_5UL_n257H 5 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5 26500 29500
CA_5DL_n257J_5UL_n257I 5 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5 26500 29500
CA_5DL_n257J_5UL_n257J 5 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5 26500 29500
CA_6DL_n257K_6UL_n257G 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_6DL_n257K_6UL_n257H 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_6DL_n257K_6UL_n257I 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_6DL_n257K_6UL_n257J 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_6DL_n257K_6UL_n257K 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_7DL_n257L_7UL_n257G 7 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7 26500 29500
CA_7DL_n257L_7UL_n257H 7 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7 26500 29500

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 CA_7DL_n257L_7UL_n257I 7 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7 26500 29500
CA_7DL_n257L_7UL_n257J 7 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7 26500 29500
CA_7DL_n257L_7UL_n257K 7 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7 26500 29500
CA_7DL_n257L_7UL_n257L 7 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7 26500 29500
CA_8DL_n257M_8UL_n257G 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7, CA8 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_8DL_n257M_8UL_n257H 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7, CA8 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_8DL_n257M_8UL_n257I 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7, CA8 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_8DL_n257M_8UL_n257J 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7, CA8 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_8DL_n257M_8UL_n257K 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7, CA8 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_8DL_n257M_8UL_n257L 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7, CA8 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_8DL_n257M_8UL_n257M 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA3, CA4, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA5, CA6, 26500, 26500, 29500, 29500,
CA7, CA8 26500, 26500 29500, 29500
CA_n258B 2 CA1, CA2 FR2 24250, 24250 27500, 27500
CA_n258C 3 CA1, CA2, FR2 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA3 24250 27500
CA_n258D 2 CA1, CA2 FR2 24250, 24250 27500, 27500
CA_n258E 3 CA1, CA2, FR2 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA3 24250 27500
CA_n258F 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA3, CA4 24250, 24250 27500, 27500
CA_n258G 2 CA1, CA2 FR2 24250, 24250 27500, 27500
CA_n258H 3 CA1, CA2, FR2 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA3 24250 27500
CA_n258I 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA3, CA4 24250, 24250 27500, 27500

Ver 13.2 Page 69 of 211

 CA_n258J 5 CA1, CA2, FR2 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA3, CA4, 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA5 24250 27500
CA_n258K 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA3, CA4, 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA5, CA6 24250, 24250 27500, 27500
CA_n258L 7 CA1, CA2, FR2 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA3, CA4, 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA5, CA6, 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA7 24250 27500
CA_n258M 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA3, CA4, 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA5, CA6, 24250, 24250, 27500, 27500,
CA7, CA8 24250, 24250 27500, 27500
INTRA_BAND_NONCONTIGUOUS_CA

CA_2DL_n41(2A)_1UL_n41A 2 CA1, CA2 FR1 2496, 2496 2690, 2690

CA_n260(5A) 5 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5 37000 40000
CA_n260(6A) 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5, CA6 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(7A) 7 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5, CA6, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA7 37000 40000
CA_n260(8A) 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5, CA6, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA7, CA8 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(2D) 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(2G) 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(3G) 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5, CA6 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(4G) 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5, CA6, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA7, CA8 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(2H) 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5, CA6 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(2O) 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(3O) 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5, CA6 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(4O) 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5, CA6, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA7, CA8 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(2P) 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5, CA6 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n260(4P) 12 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,

Ver 13.2 Page 70 of 211

 CA5, CA6, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA7, CA8, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA9, CA10, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA11, 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA12
CA_n260(2Q) 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA3, CA4, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA5, CA6, 37000, 37000, 40000, 40000,
CA7, CA8 37000, 37000 40000, 40000
CA_n261(2H) 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA5, CA6 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
CA_n261(2I) 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA5, CA6, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA7, CA8 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
CA_n261(2D)_n261A 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
CA_n261(2G)_n261A 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
CA_n261(3G)_n261A 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA5, CA6 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
CA_n261(4G)_n261A 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA5, CA6, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA7, CA8 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
CA_n261(2O)_n261A 4 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
CA_n261(4O)_n261A 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA5, CA6, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA7, CA8 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
CA_n261(7O)_n261A 14 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA5, CA6, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA7, CA8, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA9, CA10, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA11, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA12, 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
CA13,
CA14
CA_n261(2P)_n261A 6 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA5, CA6 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
CA_n261(2Q)_n261A 8 CA1, CA2, FR2 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA3, CA4, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA5, CA6, 27500, 27500, 28350, 28350,
CA7, CA8 27500, 27500 28350, 28350
SINGLE_BAND

n34 1 CA1 FR1 2010 2025

n38 1 CA1 FR1 2570 2620
n39 1 CA1 FR1 1880 1920
n40 1 CA1 FR1 2300 2400
n41 1 CA1 FR1 2496 2690
n50 1 CA1 FR1 1432 1517
n51 1 CA1 FR1 1427 1432
n77 1 CA1 FR1 3300 4200

Ver 13.2 Page 71 of 211

 n78 1 CA1 FR1 3300 3800
n79 1 CA1 FR1 4400 5000
n257 1 CA1 FR2 26500 29500
n258 1 CA1 FR2 24250 27500
n259 1 CA1 FR2 39500 43500
n260 1 CA1 FR2 37000 40000
n261 1 CA1 FR2 27500 28350
n262 1 CA1 FR2 47200 48200
FDD Bands
CA Configuration CA CA Type Frequency F_Low (MHz) F_High (MHz)
Count Range
INTER_BAND_CA
CA_n1A_n8A 2 CA1_UL FR1 1920 1980
CA2_UL 880 915
CA1_DL 2110 2170
CA2_DL 925 960
CA_n1A_n28A 2 CA1_UL FR1 1920 1980
CA2_UL 703 748
CA1_DL 2110 2170
CA2_DL 758 803
CA_n3A_n8A 2 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1785
CA2_UL 880 915
CA1_DL 1805 1880
CA2_DL 925 960
CA_n3A_n28A 2 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1785
CA2_UL 703 748
CA1_DL 1805 1880
CA2_DL 758 803
CA_n7A_n28A 2 CA1_UL FR1 2500 2570
CA2_UL 703 748
CA1_DL 2620 2690
CA2_DL 758 803
CA_n7A_n66A 2 CA1_UL FR1 2500 2570
CA2_UL 1710 1780
CA1_DL 2620 2690
CA2_DL 2110 2200
CA_n20A_n28A 2 CA1_UL FR1 832 862
CA2_UL 703 748
CA1_DL 791 821
CA2_DL 758 803
CA_n25A_n71A 2 CA1_UL FR1 1850 1915
CA2_UL 663 698
CA1_DL 1930 1995
CA2_DL 617 652
CA_n66A_n70A 2 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1780
CA2_UL 1695 1710
CA1_DL 2110 2200
CA2_DL 1995 2020
CA_n66B_n70A 2 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1780
CA2_UL 1695 1710
CA1_DL 2110 2200
CA2_DL 1995 2020
CA_n66(2A)_n71A 2 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1780
CA2_UL 663 698
CA1_DL 2110 2200
CA2_DL 617 652
CA_n70A_n71A 2 CA1_UL FR1 1695 1710
CA2_UL 663 698
CA1_DL 1995 2020

Ver 13.2 Page 72 of 211

 CA2_DL 617 652
CA_n66A_n70A_n71A 3 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1780
CA2_UL 1695 1710
CA3_UL 663 698
CA1_DL 2110 2200
CA2_DL 1995 2020
CA3_DL 617 652
CA_n66B_n70A_n71A 3 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1780
CA2_UL 1695 1710
CA3_UL 663 698
CA1_DL 2110 2200
CA2_DL 1995 2020
CA3_DL 617 652
CA_n66(2A)_n70A_n71A 3 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1780
CA2_UL 1695 1710
CA3_UL 663 698
CA1_DL 2110 2200
CA2_DL 1995 2020
CA3_DL 617 652
INTRA_BAND_CONTIGUOUS_CA
CA_n1B 2 CA1_UL FR1 1920 1980
CA2_UL 1920 1980
CA1_DL 2110 2170
CA2_DL 2110 2170
CA_n7B 2 CA1_UL FR1 2500 2570
CA2_UL 2500 2570
CA1_DL 2620 2690
CA2_DL 2620 2690
CA_n66B 2 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1780
CA2_UL 1710 1780
CA1_DL 2110 2200
CA2_DL 2110 2200
CA_n71B 2 CA1_UL FR1 663 698
CA2_UL 663 698
CA1_DL 617 652
CA2_DL 671 652
INTRA_BAND_NONCONTIGUOUS_CA
CA_n3(2A) 2 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1782
CA2_UL 1710 1785
CA1_DL 1805 1880
CA2_DL 1805 1880
CA_n7(2A) 2 CA1_UL FR1 2500 2570
CA2_UL 2500 2570
CA1_DL 2620 2690
CA2_DL 2620 2690

CA_n25(2A) 2 CA1_UL FR1 1850 1915

CA2_UL 1850 1915
CA1_DL 1930 1995
CA2_DL 1930 1995
CA_n66(2A) 2 CA1_UL FR1 1710 1780
CA2_UL 1710 1780
CA1_DL 2110 2200
CA2_DL 2110 2200
SINGLE_BAND
n1 1 CA1 FR1 1920 1980
n2 1 CA1 FR1 1850 1910
n3 1 CA1 FR1 1710 1785
n5 1 CA1 FR1 824 859

Ver 13.2 Page 73 of 211

 n7 1 CA1 FR1 2500 2570
n8 1 CA1 FR1 880 915
n12 1 CA1 FR1 699 716
n20 1 CA1 FR1 832 862
n25 1 CA1 FR1 1850 1915
n28 1 CA1 FR1 703 748
n66 1 CA1 FR1 1710 1780
n70 1 CA1 FR1 1695 1710
n71 1 CA1 FR1 663 698
n74 1 CA1 FR1 1427 1470
Table 3-9: CA Configuration Table
3.9.20 PHY: Omitted Features

The currently omitted features include:

▪ BLER
NetSim currently assumes an error free channel. While received SNR is calculated
NetSim currently does not further calculate the BLER based on the received SNR
▪ HARQ
▪ Physical control channels
While calculating the TBS capacity, a fixed overhead is reduced to account for the
control channels. This overhead fraction varies for UL and DL, across FR1 and FR2,
and is provided in the standard.
▪ Detailed antenna models: NetSim currently supports only Omnidirectional antennas. As
yet there are no options to set (i) antenna patterns and (ii) the elevation and azimuth
angles to represent the antenna orientation
▪ Random access procedure
▪ Power control
▪ Uplink interference.

3.10 Supported max data rate

For NR, the approximate data rate for a given number of aggregated carriers in a band or band
combination is computed as follows.
𝐽 𝐵𝑊(𝑗),𝜇
(𝑗) (𝑗) 𝑁𝑃𝑅𝐵 . 12
𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒(𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑏𝑝𝑠) = 10 −6
∑ (𝑣𝐿𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑠 ) . 𝑄𝑚 . 𝑓 (𝑗) . 𝑅 𝜇 (1 − 𝑂𝐻 (𝑗) )
𝑇𝑠
𝑗=1

Where,

- 𝐽 is the number of aggregated component carriers in a band or band combination

𝑅𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 948/1024.
(𝑗)
- For the 𝑗-th Component Carrier, 𝑣𝐿𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑠 is the maximum number of supported layers
given by higher layer parameter maxNumberMIMO-LayersPDSCH for downlink and

Ver 13.2 Page 74 of 211

 maximum of higher layer parameters maxNumberMIMO-LayersCB-PUSCH and
maxNumberMIMO-LayersNonCB-PUSCH for uplink.
(𝑗)
- 𝑄𝑚 is the maximum supported modulation order given by higher layer parameter
supportedModulationOrderDL for downlink and higher layer parameter
supportedModulationOrderUL for uplink.
- 𝑓 𝑗 is the scaling factor given by higher layer parameter scalingFactor and can take the
values 1, 0.8, 0.75, and 0.4.
- 𝜇 is the numerology (as defined in TS 38.211 [6]).
𝜇 𝜇
- 𝑇𝑠 is t e e e symb ti i s b me me y μ, i.e., 𝑇𝑠 =
10−3
.
14.2𝜇

- Note that normal cyclic prefix is assumed, which has 14 ODFM symbols per slot or
14 × 2𝜇 symbols per millisecond.

𝐵𝑊(𝑗),𝜇
- 𝑁𝑃𝑅𝐵 is the maximum Resource Block allocation in bandwidth 𝐵𝑊 (𝑗) with
numerology 𝜇 as defined in 5.3 TS 38.101-1 [2] and 5.3 TS 38.101-2 [3], where 𝐵𝑊 (𝑗)
is the UE supported maximum bandwidth in the given band or band combination. The
number of subcarriers per physical resource block (PRB) is fixed to 12.

- 𝑂𝐻(𝑗) is the overhead and takes the following values.

0.14, for frequency range FR1 for DL

0.18, for frequency range FR2 for DL

0.08, for frequency range FR1 for UL

0.10, for frequency range FR2 for UL

NOTE: Only one of the UL or SUL carriers (the one with the higher data rate) is counted for a
cell operating SUL.

The approximate maximum data rate can be computed as the maximum of the approximate
data rates computed using the above formula for each of the supported band or band
combinations.
For EUTRA in case of MR-DC, the approximate data rate for a given number of aggregated
carriers in a band or band combination is computed as follows.
𝐽
−3
𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒(𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑏𝑝𝑠) = 10 ∑ 𝑇𝐵𝑆𝑗
𝑗=1

Where,

Ver 13.2 Page 75 of 211

 - 𝐽 is the number of aggregated EUTRA component carriers in MR-DC band
combination.
- 𝑇𝐵𝑆𝑗 is the total maximum number of DL-SCH transport block bits received within a
1ms TTI for j-th CC, as derived from TS36.213 [22] based on the UE supported
maximum MIMO layers for the j-th carrier and based on the modulation order and
number of PRBs based on the bandwidth of the j-th carrier.
- The approximate maximum data rate can be computed as the maximum of the
approximate data rates computed using the above formula for each of the supported
band or band combinations.
- For MR-DC, the approximate maximum data rate is computed as the sum of the
approximate maximum data rates from NR and EUTRA.

3.11 Propagation Models (Per 3GPPTR38.900)

3.11.1 Overview

The pathloss and channel between a UE and a BS depends on:

• Location: e t ss e e s t e ’s ti -gNB distance) and is

calculated separately for each connected UE. The pathloss computations are
recomputed every time a UE moves.
• Scenario: Rural Macro (RMa), Urban Macro (UMa), Urban Micro (Umi). This
parameter is available as Outdoor Scenario in gNB properties > Interface (5G_RAN) >
Physical Layer > Channel Model. Each scenario has a different pathloss model defined
in the standard. This property is common for the gNB and all connected UEs.
• Whether the UE-gNB is Line-of-sight or Non-line-of-sight (LOS/NLOS): This
parameter is available as LOS probability in gNB properties > Interface (5G_RAN) >
Physical Layer > Channel Model. The pathloss models defined in the standard differ
for LOS and NLOS. This property is common for the gNB and all connected UEs.
However, a different (uniform) random number is sampled for each associated UE so
that different UEs will see different LOS/NLOS channels. For each UE, the LOS/NLOS
random variable is sampled every time a UE moves, and hence a UE may switch from
LOS to NLOS if it moves.
• Shadow fading: This parameter is available as Shadow fading model in gNB
properties > Interface (5G_RAN) > Physical Layer > Channel Model. This property is
common for the gNB and all connected UEs. In this case, a different log-normal random
variable is sampled for each associated UE. For each UE, the shadow fading random
variable is sampled every time a UE moves.

Ver 13.2 Page 76 of 211

 • Fading and beamforming: Fast fading is enabled by turning on the parameter Fading
and Beamforming in gNB properties > Interface (5G_RAN) > Physical Layer > Channel
Model. Please see sections 3.9.2 and 3.9.3 for a detailed explanation. In essence, the
eigen value of an (𝑁𝑟 × 𝑁𝑡 ) random matrix is the fast-fading gain. Since the random
matrix would be different for each gNB-UE pair the gains would be different. The fast-
fading gains are recomputed every (user settable) coherence time whose default value
is 10ms. The coherence time is common to all UEs attached to a gNB.

NetSim also features Indoor and Outdoor pathloss (PL) models.

• NetSim GUI (gNB properties > Interface (5G_RAN) > Physical Layer > Channel Model)
allows users to configure both indoor and outdoor PL models. Both indoor and outdoor
options are shown in the GUI irrespective of the underlying scenario.
• Based on gNBs/UEs placement within or outside a building NetSim automatically
chooses the indoor/outdoor propagation models. The selection is as follows:
o Outdoor gNB to Outdoor UE: Outdoor PL model
o Outdoor gNB to Indoor UE: Outdoor PL till building, then penetration (O2I) loss,
and finally indoor PL within the building
o Indoor gNB to Indoor UE: Indoor PL model
o An Indoor gNB cannot be connected to an Outdoor UE in NetSim

3.11.2 Pathloss formulas

The pathloss models are summarized in Table 7.4.1-1 and the distance definitions are
indicated in Figure 7.4.1-1 and Figure 7.4.1-2. Note that the distribution of the shadow fading
is log-normal, and its standard deviation for each scenario is given in Table 7.4.1-1.

Figure7.4.1-1: Definition of 𝒅𝟐𝑫 and 𝒅𝟑𝑫 Figure 7.4.1-2: Definition of 𝒅𝟐𝑫−𝒐𝒖𝒕 , 𝒅𝟐𝑫−𝒊𝒏 ,
for outdoor UTs and 𝒅𝟑𝑫−𝒐𝒖𝒕 , 𝒅𝟑𝑫−𝒐𝒖𝒕 for indoor UTs

Note that,

Ver 13.2 Page 77 of 211

 𝑑3D−out + 𝑑3D−in = √(𝑑2D−out + 𝑑2D−in )2 + (ℎBS − ℎUT )2 (7.4.1-2)

Table 7.4.1-1: Pathloss model

Pathloss [dB], fc is in GHz and d is in meters, see note 6 Shadow Applicability range,
LOS/NLOS

fading antenna height

Scenario

std [dB] default values

𝑃𝐿 10𝑚 ≤ 𝑑2D ≤ 𝑑BP 𝜎SF = 4 ℎBS = 35m

𝑃𝐿RMa−LOS = { 1 , see note 5
𝑃𝐿2 𝑑BP ≤ 𝑑2D ≤ 10km ℎUT = 1.5𝑚
𝜎SF = 6 𝑊 = 20𝑚
𝑃𝐿1 = 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 40𝜋𝑑3D 𝑓𝑐 /3) + 𝑚𝑖𝑛( 0.03ℎ1.72 , 10) 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑑3D )
LOS

ℎ = 5𝑚
− 𝑚𝑖𝑛( 0.044ℎ1.72 , 14.77) + 0.002 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( ℎ)𝑑3D h = avg. building height
W = avg. street width
𝑃𝐿2 = 𝑃𝐿1 (𝑑BP ) + 40 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑑3D /𝑑BP ) The applicability
RMa

ranges:
𝑃𝐿RMa−NLOS = 𝑚𝑎𝑥( 𝑃𝐿RMa−LOS , 𝑃𝐿′RMa−NLOS ) 5𝑚 ≤ ℎ ≤ 50𝑚
for 10𝑚 ≤ 𝑑2D ≤ 5km 5𝑚 ≤ 𝑊 ≤ 50𝑚
𝜎SF = 8 10m ≤ ℎBS ≤ 150𝑚
NLOS

𝑃𝐿′RMa−NLOS = 161.04 − 7.1 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑊) + 7.5 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( ℎ) 1𝑚 ≤ ℎUT ≤ 10𝑚

− (24.37 − 3.7(ℎ/ℎBS )2 ) 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( ℎBS )
+ (43.42 − 3.1 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( ℎBS ))(𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑑3D ) − 3)
+ 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑓𝑐 ) − (3.2(𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 11.75ℎUT ))2 − 4.97)

′ 𝜎SF = 4 1.5𝑚 ≤ ℎUT ≤ 22.5𝑚

𝑃𝐿 10𝑚 ≤ 𝑑2D ≤ 𝑑BP
𝑃𝐿UMa−LOS = { 1 ′ ℎBS = 25m
𝑃𝐿2 𝑑BP ≤ 𝑑2D ≤ 5km, see note 1

𝑃𝐿1 = 28.0 + 22 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑑3D ) + 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑓𝑐 )

LOS

𝑃𝐿2 = 28.0 + 40 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑑3D ) + 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑓𝑐 )

′
− 9 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( (𝑑BP )2 + (ℎBS − ℎUT )2 )
UMa

𝑃𝐿UMa−NLOS = 𝑚𝑎𝑥( 𝑃𝐿UMa−LOS , 𝑃𝐿′UMa−NLOS ) 𝜎SF = 6 1.5𝑚 ≤ ℎUT ≤ 22.5𝑚

for 10𝑚 ≤ 𝑑2D ≤ 5km
ℎBS = 25m
NLOS

Explanations: see note

𝑃𝐿′𝑈𝑀𝑎−𝑁𝐿𝑂𝑆 = 13.54 + 39.08 log10 ( 𝑑3𝐷 ) + 20 log10 ( 𝑓𝐶 ) 3
− 0.6(ℎ𝑈𝑇 − 1.5)
Optional PL = 32.4 + 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 (𝑓𝑐 ) + 30 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 (𝑑3D ) 𝜎SF = 7.8

′ 𝜎SF = 4 1.5𝑚 ≤ ℎUT ≤ 22.5𝑚

𝑃𝐿1 10𝑚 ≤ 𝑑2D ≤ 𝑑BP
𝑃𝐿UMi−LOS = { ′
𝑃𝐿2 𝑑BP ≤ 𝑑2D ≤ 5km , see note 1 ℎBS = 10𝑚
UMi - Street Canyon

LOS

𝑃𝐿1 = 32.4 + 21 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑑3D ) + 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑓𝑐 )

𝑃𝐿2 = 32.4 + 40 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑑3D ) + 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑓𝑐 )
′
− 9.5 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( (𝑑BP )2 + (ℎBS − ℎUT )2 )
𝑃𝐿UMi−NLOS = 𝑚𝑎𝑥( 𝑃𝐿UMi−LOS , 𝑃𝐿′UMi−NLOS ) 𝜎SF 1.5𝑚 ≤ ℎUT ≤ 22.5𝑚
NLOS

= 7.82 ℎBS = 10𝑚

for 10𝑚 ≤ 𝑑2D ≤ 5km Explanations: see note
4

Ver 13.2 Page 78 of 211

 𝑃𝐿′𝑈𝑀𝑖−𝑁𝐿𝑂𝑆 = 35.3 log10 ( 𝑑3𝐷 ) + 22.4 + 21.3 log10 ( 𝑓𝐶 ) − 0.3(ℎ𝑈𝑇
− 1.5)
Optional PL = 32.4 + 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 (𝑓𝑐 ) + 31.9 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 (𝑑3D ) 𝜎SF = 8.2

𝑃𝐿InH−LOS = 32.4 + 17.3 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑑3D ) + 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( 𝑓𝑐 ) 𝜎SF = 3 1𝑚 ≤ 𝑑3D ≤ 150𝑚

LOS
InH - Office

𝑃𝐿InH−NLOS = 𝑚𝑎𝑥( 𝑃𝐿InH−LOS , 𝑃𝐿′InH−NLOS ) 𝜎SF 1𝑚 ≤ 𝑑3D ≤ 150𝑚

= 8.03
NLOS

𝑃𝐿′InH−NLOS = 38.3 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 (𝑑3D ) + 17.30 + 24.9 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 (𝑓𝑐 )

Optional 𝑃𝐿′InH-NLOS = 32.4 + 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 (𝑓𝑐 ) + 31.9 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 (𝑑3D ) 𝜎SF 1𝑚 ≤ 𝑑3D ≤ 150𝑚
= 8.29

𝟒×𝒉′𝑩𝑺 ×𝒉′𝑼𝑻 ×𝒇𝒄

Note 1: Breakpoint distance 𝒅′𝑩𝑷 = , where 𝒇𝒄 is the centre frequency in Hz, 𝒄 =
𝑪

𝟑 × 𝟏𝟎𝟖 𝒎/𝒔 is the propagation velocity in free space, and 𝒉′𝑩𝑺 and 𝒉′𝑼𝑻 are the effective antenna
heights at the BS and the UT, respectively. The effective antenna heights h'BS and h'UT are
computed as follows: 𝒉′𝑩𝑺 = 𝒉𝑩𝑺 − 𝒉𝑬 , 𝒉′𝑼𝑻 = 𝒉𝑼𝑻 − 𝒉𝑬 , where 𝒉𝑩𝑺 and 𝒉𝑼𝑻 are the actual
antenna heights, and 𝒉𝑬 is the effective environment height. For UMi 𝒉𝑬 = 𝟏. 𝟎𝒎. For UMa
𝟏
𝒉𝑬 = 𝟏𝒎 with a probability equal to and chosen from a discrete uniform distribution
𝟏+𝑪(𝒅𝟐𝑫 ,𝒉𝑼𝑻 )

uniform (𝟏𝟐, 𝟏𝟓, … , (𝒉𝑼𝑻 − 𝟏. 𝟓)) otherwise. With 𝐂(𝒅𝟐𝑫 , 𝒉𝑼𝑻 ) given by

𝟎 , 𝒉UT < 𝟏𝟑𝒎

𝑪(𝒅2D , 𝒉UT ) = { 𝒉UT −𝟏𝟑 𝟏.𝟓 ,
( ) 𝒈(𝒅2D ) , 𝟏𝟑𝒎 ≤ 𝒉UT ≤ 𝟐𝟑𝒎
𝟏𝟎

Where,

𝟎 , 𝒅2D ≤ 𝟏𝟖𝒎
𝒈(𝒅2D ) = {𝟓 𝒅2D 𝟑 −𝒅2D .
( ) 𝒆𝒙𝒑 ( ) , 𝟏𝟖𝒎 < 𝒅2D
𝟒 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝟏𝟓𝟎

Note that 𝒉𝑬 depends on 𝒅𝟐𝑫 and 𝒉𝑼𝑻 and thus needs to be independently determined for every
link between BS sites and UTs. A BS site may be a single BS or multiple co-located BSs.

Note 2: The applicable frequency range of the PL formula in this table is 𝟎. 𝟓 < 𝒇𝒄 < 𝒇𝑯 GHz, where
𝒇𝑯 = 𝟑𝟎 GHz for RMa and 𝒇𝑯 = 𝟏𝟎𝟎 GHz for all the other scenarios. It is noted that RMa
pathloss model for > 𝟕 GHz is validated based on a single measurement campaign conducted
at 24 GHz.

Note 3: UMa NLOS pathloss is from TR36.873 with simplified format and

𝐏𝐋 𝑼𝑴𝒂−𝑳𝑶𝑺 = 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑼𝑴𝒂 𝑳𝑶𝑺 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐.

Note 4: 𝑷𝑳 𝑼𝑴𝒊−𝑳𝑶𝑺 = 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑼𝑴𝒊 − 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏 𝑳𝑶𝑺 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐.

𝟐𝝅×𝒉𝑩𝑺 ×𝒉𝑼𝑻 ×𝒇𝒄

Note 5: Break point distance 𝒅𝑩𝑷 = , where 𝒇𝒄 is the centre frequency in Hz, 𝒄 =
𝑪

𝟑 × 𝟏𝟎𝟖 𝒎/𝒔 is the propagation velocity in free space, and 𝒉𝑩𝑺 and 𝒉𝑼𝑻 are the antenna
heights at the BS and the UT, respectively.

Ver 13.2 Page 79 of 211

Note 6: 𝒇𝒄 denotes the center frequency normalized by 1GHz, all distance related values are
normalized by 1m, unless it is stated otherwise.

NetSim enforces the following

• RMa, UMa, UMI: If 𝑑2𝐷 < 10𝑚 then 𝑑2𝐷 = 10𝑚

• InH: If 𝑑2𝐷 < 1𝑚 then 𝑑2𝐷 = 1𝑚

3.11.3 LOS probability

The Line-Of-Sight (LOS) probabilities are given in Table 7.4.2-1

Scenario LOS probability (distance is in meters)

RMa 1 , 𝑑2D-out ≤ 10𝑚
𝑃𝑟LOS ={ 𝑑2D-out − 10
𝑒𝑥𝑝 (− ) , 10𝑚 < 𝑑2D-out
1000
UMi - Street 1 , 𝑑2D-out ≤ 18𝑚
canyon 𝑃𝑟LOS ={ 18 𝑑2D-out 18
+ 𝑒𝑥𝑝 (− ) (1 − ) , 18𝑚 < 𝑑2D-out
𝑑2D-out 36 𝑑2D-out
Uma 1 , 𝑑2D-out ≤ 18
3
𝑃𝑟LOS = { 18 𝑑2D-out 18 5 𝑑2D-out 𝑑2D-out
[ + 𝑒𝑥𝑝 (− ) (1 − )] (1 + 𝐶 ′ (ℎUT ) ( ) 𝑒𝑥𝑝 (− )) , 18𝑚 < 𝑑2D-
𝑑2D-out 63 𝑑2D-out 4 100 150
where
0 , ℎUT ≤ 13𝑚
′
𝐶 (ℎUT ) = { ℎUT − 13 1.5
( ) , 13𝑚 < ℎUT ≤ 23𝑚
10

Indoor - Mixed 1 , 𝑑2D-in ≤ 1.2𝑚

office 𝑑2D-in − 1.2
𝑒𝑥𝑝 (− ) , 1.2m < 𝑑2D-in < 6.5𝑚
𝑃𝑟LOS = 4.7
𝑑2D-in − 6.5
{𝑒𝑥𝑝 (− 32.6
) ⋅ 0.32 , 6.5𝑚 ≤ 𝑑2D-in

Indoor - Open 1 , 𝑑2D-in ≤ 5𝑚

office 𝑑2D-in − 5
𝑒𝑥𝑝 (− ) , 5𝑚 < 𝑑2D-in ≤ 49𝑚
𝑃𝑟LOS = 70.8
𝑑2D-in − 49
{𝑒𝑥𝑝 (− 211.7 ) ⋅ 0.54 , 49𝑚 < 𝑑2D-in

Note: The LOS probability is derived with assuming antenna heights of 3m for indoor, 10m for UMi,
and 25m for Uma
Standards Table 7.4.2-1: LOS probability

3.11.4 O2I penetration loss

3.11.4.1 O2I building penetration loss

The pathloss incorporating O2I building penetration loss is modelled as in the following:

𝑃𝐿 = 𝑃𝐿𝑏 + 𝑃𝐿𝑡𝑤 + 𝑃𝐿𝑖𝑛 + 𝑁(0, 𝜎𝑃2 ) (7.4-2)

Ver 13.2 Page 80 of 211

where PL𝑏 is the basic outdoor path loss given in Subclause 7.4.1, where 𝑑3D is replaced by
𝑑3D−out + 𝑑3D−in . 𝑃𝐿𝑡𝑤 is the building penetration loss through the external wall, 𝑃𝐿𝑖𝑛 is the
inside loss dependent on the depth into the building, and 𝜎𝑃 is the standard deviation for the
penetration loss.

𝑃𝐿𝑡𝑤 is characterized as:

𝐿𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙_𝑖
𝑃𝐿𝑡𝑤 = 𝑃𝐿𝑛𝑝𝑖 − 10𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ∑𝑁
𝑖=1 (𝑝𝑖 × 10 −10 ) (7.4-3)

PL𝑛𝑝𝑖 is an additional loss is added to the external wall loss to account for non-perpendicular
incidence; 𝐿𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙_𝑖 = 𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙_𝑖 + 𝑏𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙_𝑖 , 𝑓 is the penetration loss of material 𝑖 example
values of which can be found in Table 7.4.3-1; 𝑝𝑖 is proportion of 𝑖-th materials, where ∑𝑁
𝑖=1 𝑝𝑖 =

1; and 𝑁 is the number of materials.

Material Penetration loss [dB]

Standard multi-pane glass 𝐿glass = 2 + 0.2𝑓
IRR glass 𝐿IIRglass = 23 + 0.3𝑓
Concrete 𝐿concrete = 5 + 4𝑓
Wood 𝐿wood = 4.85 + 0.12𝑓
Note: f is in GHz
Standards Table 7.4.3-1: Material penetration losses

Table 7.4.3-2 gives 𝑃𝐿𝑡𝑤 , 𝑃𝐿𝑖𝑛 , and 𝜎𝑃 for two O2I penetration loss models. The O2I
penetration is UT-specifically generated and is added to the SF realization in the log domain.

Indoor
Path loss through external Standard
loss:
wall: deviation:
PLin in
PLtw in [dB] σP in [dB]
[dB]
−𝐿glass

Low-loss 5 − 10 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 (0.3 ⋅ 10 10 + 0.7 0.5

−𝐿concrete 4.4
model 𝑑2D−in
⋅ 10 10 )
−𝐿IIRglass

High-loss 5 − 10 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 (0.7 ⋅ 10 10 + 0.3 0.5

−𝐿concrete 6.5
model 𝑑2D−in
⋅ 10 10 )
Standards Table 7.4.3-2: O2I building penetration loss model

𝑑2D−in is minimum of two independently generated uniformly distributed variables between 0

and 25 m for UMa and UMi-Street Canyon, and between 0 and 10 m for RMa. 𝑑2D−in shall be
UT-specifically generated.

Both low-loss and high-loss models are applicable to UMa and UMi-Street Canyon.

Only the low-loss model is applicable to RMa.

Ver 13.2 Page 81 of 211

3.11.4.2 O2I model usage

The O2I Models such as Low Loss and High Loss are associated with the type of material
used in the buildings and is used to calculate the penetration loss in case of an indoor
scenario. In case of scenario where UE's are not inside a building these parameters will not
have any impact on the results. In an indoor scenario, users will be able to notice difference in
the SNR.

3.12 Additional Loss Model

Apart from the channel losses per the 3GPPTR38.900 specifications, NetSim allows modelling
additional losses using MATLAB. This includes attenuation due to rain, fog, and gas.

Note that this implementation interfaces with MATLAB R2020(a/b). Lower versions of MATLAB
are not directly supported.

The following is required to run these models:

▪ An installed version of MATLAB R2020(a/b) in the same system where NetSim is

installed or in a different system in the same network.
▪ Registration of MATLAB as a COM server. Reference:
https://in.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2020a/matlab/ref/comserver.html?s_tid=doc_
ta

3.12.1 Configuration

A iti ss e be i e i t e N ’s _ AN i te e properties under

channel models section of Physical Layer as shown below:

Ver 13.2 Page 82 of 211

 Figure 3-15: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
Simi y, t is be i e i t e eN ’s i te e e ties under channel models
section of Physical Layer as shown below:

Ver 13.2 Page 83 of 211

 Figure 3-16: eNB >Interface (LTE) >Physical layer properties
Additional Loss Model is set to NONE by default. When MATLAB is selected, MATLAB
MODEL drop down with options GAS, FOG, and RAIN will appear along with associated
parameters as shown below:

Ver 13.2 Page 84 of 211

 Figure 3-17: Additional Loss Model set to MATLAB in gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer
properties
Each model has associated parameters that can be configured, which is listed in the table
below:

Additional Loss
Associated Parameters Value
Model
Rain Rate (mm/hr) 16(default), Range 0 to 100
Tilt Angle 0(default), Range -90 to 90
RAIN
Elevation Angle 0(default), Range -90 to 90
Exceedance Rain (%) 0.01(default), Range 0.001 to 1
Ambient Temperature (Celsius) 15(default), Range -50 to 50
101300(default), Range 50000 to
GAS Dry Air Pressure (pa)
300000
Water Vapor Density (𝑔/𝑚3 ) 4(default), Range 1 to 10
Ambient Temperature (Celsius) 15(default), Range -50 to 50
FOG 3
Liquid Water Density ((𝑔/𝑚 ) 0.5(default), Range 0 to 5
Table 3-10: Parameters in the various MATLAB additional loss models
Note: Rain and Gas models support frequencies from 1 to 1000 GHz and Fog model supports
frequencies from 10 to 1000 GHz only.

Ver 13.2 Page 85 of 211

3.12.2 Running Simulation

When Additional Loss Model option is set to MATLAB NetSim Simulation console waits for
MATLAB Interface process to connect.

Figure 3-18: NetSim Simulation console waits for MATLAB Interface process to connect
MATLAB Interface process can be started and connected to the running instance of NetSim
simulation using one of the following methods depending on where MATLAB is installed:

▪ If MATLAB is installed in the same system where NetSim is installed. MATLAB Interface
process can be launched directly from the design window of NetSim.
o Go to Options Menu and select the Open MATLAB Interface option as shown below:

o Click on the OK button when the following message is displayed.

Figure 3-19: MATLAB Interface warning message

Ver 13.2 Page 86 of 211

 ▪ If MATLAB is installed in a different system in the same network, then
MATLABInterface.exe (present in <NetSim_Install_Directory>/bin folder), can be started
in that system, manually from command prompt and the IP address of the system where
NetSim simulation has started can be passed as an argument as shown below:

Figure 3-20: MATLAB interface over an IP address

In both above cases, the MATLAB Interface process starts MATLAB process (MATLAB
command window will open in minimized state) after which simulation in NetSim will start.
During the simulation communication between NetSim and MATLAB is established to send
inputs from NetSim to MATLAB pathloss models and to receive pathloss from MATLAB to
NetSim happens via the MATLAB Interface process as shown below:

Figure 3-21: Runtime MATLAB interfacing window

The pathloss value obtained from MATLAB is added to the total loss calculated as per the
3GPPTR38.900 specifications. At simulation end the MATLAB Interface process closes the
MATLAB process that it started.

Ver 13.2 Page 87 of 211

3.13 Downlink Interference Model
3.13.1 Configuration

Downlink I te e e e e be i e i t e N ’s _ AN i te e e ties
under channel models section of Physical Layer as shown below.

Figure 3-22: gNB >Interface (LTE) >Physical layer properties

Downlink Interference Model is set to NO_INTERFERENCE by default.

3.13.2 Graded distance-based Wyner model

The Wyner model is widely used to due to its simplicity and analytical tractability. In this model:

• Only interference from (two) adjacent cells is considered

• Random user locations and path loss variations are ignored, and
• The interference intensity from each neighbouring base station (BS) is characterized
by a single fixed parameter (0 ≤ 𝛼 ≤ 1). The channel gain between BS and its home
user is 1 and the intercell interference intensity is 𝛼. Thus, a user sees a constant
interference irrespective of its location.

Ver 13.2 Page 88 of 211

These three simplifications lose a lot of information. We alter the Wyner model to address
these flaws by:

• Considering interference from arbitrary number of BSs

• Factoring in the user location. The UEs distance from the interfering BS is an obvious
factor that determines the interference intensity since the amount of interference
caused depends on the signal attenuation with distance, the path loss law. Since the
Wyner model uses relative interference, the ratio of a UEs distance from serving and
interfering BSs is used as one of the interference parameters.
• Using a graded interference intensity model, whereby a UE will see a different value of
𝛼 at different locations, thereby modelling the effect of interference more accurately.

3.13.2.1 Technical description

• We model DL interference from any number of interfering BSs. Let 𝐵𝑆𝑖 be the serving
BS to 𝑈𝐸𝑘 . Let 𝐵𝑆𝑗 be any other BS (𝑗 ≠ 𝑖). Then the distance between 𝑈𝐸𝑘 and 𝐵𝑆𝑖
𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
is denoted as 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖𝑘 , while the distance between UE and 𝐵𝑆𝑗 is denoted as 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑗𝑘 .
𝐵𝑆𝑗 𝐵𝑆
(𝐷𝑈𝐸 −𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖 )
• A UE sees interference if 𝐾
𝐵𝑆𝑗
𝐾
is within a user defined threshold (for example,
𝐷𝑈𝐸
𝐾
𝐵𝑆
𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖 𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
20%). This ratio is also equal to 1 − 𝐵𝑆𝑗
𝑘
. When 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾𝑖 ≤ 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾𝑗 , we see that 0 ≤
𝐷𝑈𝐸
𝐾
𝐵𝑆𝑗 𝐵𝑆
(𝐷𝑈𝐸 −𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖 ) 𝐵𝑆
𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
𝐾
𝐵𝑆𝑗
𝐾
≤ 1. The ratio is 0 when 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖𝐾 = 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑗𝐾 and is 1 when 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾𝑖 = 0. When
𝐷𝑈𝐸
𝐾
𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖𝐾 = 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾𝑗 the UE is equidistant from both BS i.e., at the cell edge. When 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖𝐾 = 0,
the UE is at the centre of the serving BS, 𝐵𝑆𝑖 .
• Users at the cell-edge will see out of cell interference; as the user moves closer to the
cell centre, it sees lesser interference.
• We call this user defined threshold as differential distance ratio threshold and denote
it by 𝐷𝐷𝑅𝑡ℎ . The DDR threshold is used to define 𝐾 thresholds, which are in turn used
to determine the out of cell interference experienced by 𝑈𝐸𝑘 , as explained below. First,
𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
we bin the 𝐷𝐷𝑅𝑡ℎ , conditional on 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖𝐾 ≤ 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑗𝐾 , into K steps, as follows:

𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
(𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾𝑗 − 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖𝐾 ) 𝐷𝐷𝑅𝑡ℎ
0≤ 𝐵𝑆 <( )×1
𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾𝑗 𝐾

𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
𝐷𝐷𝑅𝑡ℎ (𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑗𝐾 − 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖𝐾 ) 𝐷𝐷𝑅𝑡ℎ
( )×1 ≤ 𝐵𝑆𝑗 <( ) ×2
𝐾 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾 𝐾

Ver 13.2 Page 89 of 211

 …

…
𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
𝐷𝐷𝑅𝑡ℎ (𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑗𝐾 − 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖𝐾 ) 𝐷𝐷𝑅𝑡ℎ
( ) × (𝐾 − 1) ≤ 𝐵𝑆 <( )×𝐾
𝐾 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾𝑗 𝐾

𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
𝐷𝐷𝑅𝑡ℎ (𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾𝑗 − 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾𝑖 )
( )×𝐾 ≤ 𝐵𝑆
𝐾 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝐾𝑗

Where 𝐷𝐷𝑅𝑡ℎ , is a user input varying from 0.00 to 1.00 (default is 0.1 or 10%), and K,
the number of steps, is a user input varying from 1 to 4 (default is 1). For example: if
the given value for the DDR is 0.2 and nSteps is 4, then the range of the curves will be
0.2
from 0 to 4
= 0.05, i.e 0 to 0.05, 0.05 to 0.10, 0.10 to 0.15, 0.15 to 0.2.

• The relative interference for each of these steps would be 𝐼𝑛 (0 ≤ 𝑛 ≤ 𝐾) where 𝐾 is

the number of steps and 𝑛 represents each individual step (𝑛 = 𝑝 if the 𝑝𝑡ℎ inequality
in the above is satisfied, counting the first inequality as the zeroth inequality).
• We specify the interference power relative to the power received from 𝐵𝑆𝑖 . Therefore,
given the value of 𝐼𝑛 , interference power is calculated as the received power from 𝐵𝑆𝑖
(excluding beamforming gain) less 𝐼𝑛 . Thus
𝑗
𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚𝐵𝑆𝑗 (𝑑𝐵) = 𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚𝐵𝑆𝑖 (𝑑𝐵𝑚) − 𝐼𝑛 (𝑑𝐵)
𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
Therefore, we have 𝐼𝑛𝑖 (𝑑𝐵) = 𝑃𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 (𝑑𝐵𝑚) − 𝑃𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 (𝑑𝐵𝑚). This is equivalent to
𝐵𝑆
𝑃𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔
the Wyner model with 𝛼 = 𝐵𝑆 in the linear scale; however, note that in our
𝑃𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔

interference model, 𝛼 e e s t e ’s ti , be se 𝐼𝑛 depends on the

distance.
• This interference powers (linear) from all interfering BSs are added to the noise power
(in linear scale) and then
𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐵𝑆𝑖 + 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑚𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔𝐺𝑎𝑖𝑛
𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅 =
𝑁𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 + ∑ 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
• Each 𝐼𝑛 is a user input. It is subject to the limits 0 ≤ 𝐼𝑛 ≤ 20 𝑑𝐵. NetSim will enforce the
sanity check 20 ≥ 𝐼𝐾−1 ≥ … ≥ 𝐼0 ≥ 0. Here 𝐼𝐾 is the relative interference seen when
the UE is near 𝐵𝑆𝑖 and 𝐼0 is the relative interference seen when the UE is nearly
equidistant from its two nearest BSs (and hence far from 𝐵𝑆𝑖 ).
• In an ideal case, when the user is at the cell edge, the received power from 𝐵𝑆𝑖 will be
roughly equal to the received power from 𝐵𝑆𝑗 (since it is equidistant from the two BSs),
and so 𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅𝐶𝑒𝑙𝑙𝐸𝑑𝑔𝑒 will necessarily be less than 0 dB.

Ver 13.2 Page 90 of 211

 • As the UE moves away from the cell edge and towards 𝐵𝑆𝑖 , the received power from
𝐵𝑆𝑖 increases and that from 𝐵𝑆𝑗 decreases, and so the SINR improves. For this reason,
we have the limits on 𝐼𝑛 as 0 𝑑𝐵 ≤ 𝐼𝑛 ≤ 20 𝑑𝐵. If the user sets 𝐼𝑛 to a large value, it
will be equivalent to having no inter-cell interference.

Figure 3-23: Interference zones are the regions within the four curves and the cell boundary of 𝒈𝑵𝑩𝒊 .
This example is for a case involving just 2 BSs with 𝑫𝑫𝑹 = 𝟎. 𝟒 and 𝑲 = 𝟒. The four curves are
𝑩𝑺𝒋 𝑩𝑺
(𝑫𝑼𝑬 −𝑫𝑼𝑬𝒊 ) 𝒌 𝟐𝒌 𝟑𝒌 𝟒𝒌
𝑲 𝑲
therefore the equations where 𝑩𝑺𝒋 is equal to = 𝟎. 𝟏, = 𝟎. 𝟐, = 𝟎. 𝟑, and = 𝟎. 𝟒. The
𝑫𝑼𝑬 𝟒 𝟒 𝟒 𝟒
𝑲
handover interference region is also shown.

𝐵𝑆𝑗 𝐵𝑆
(𝐷𝑈𝐸 −𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖 )
• In case 𝐾
𝐵𝑆𝑗
𝐾
> 𝐷𝐷𝑅𝑡ℎ , the out of cell interference seen at the UE is set to 𝐼𝐾 .
𝐷𝑈𝐸
𝐾

The default value of 𝐼𝐾 is 0, i.e., cell centre users do not see any out of cell interference.
The default values of 𝐼𝑘 for 𝑘 = 1, 2, … , 𝐾 − 1 is 10 dB.
• In NetSim, handover is triggered when the signal strength from 𝐵𝑆𝑗 is offset (3dB by
default) higher than signal strength from 𝐵𝑆𝑖 . A handover is not triggered when 𝑈𝐸𝑘 is
equidistant from both BSs but only when it is slightly nearer to 𝐵𝑆𝑗 . Therefore, the short
𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
time when 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖𝐾 ≥ 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑗𝐾 is a special case requiring a different interference power. We

te m t is i te e e e s “H e i te e e e” is se te se i t.
Handover interference is denoted as 𝐼−1 and −3𝑑𝐵 ≤ 𝐼−1 ≤ 0 𝑑𝐵.
• Sample interference file format and example:

Ver 13.2 Page 91 of 211

 <gNB_i>, <gNB_j>, <DDRth>, <nSteps>,<i_-1>,<i_0>,<i_1>,<i_2> … <i_(n-1)>

gNB_11, gNB_12, 0.2, 4, -1, 1, 2, 3, 4

3.13.3 Exact Geometric Model

In this model NetSim computes interference from one or more interfering base-stations (BS or
gNB) at a UE, based on (i) the gNB UE locations and (ii) the pathloss between the interfering
gNB and the UE.
NetSim supports various 3GPP propagation models to calculate the pathloss between every
BS (gNB) and every UE. One of the parameters in the pathloss equations is the distance
between the BS and the UE. Some of the other user settable parameters used in the 3GPP
models are (i) Centre frequency (chosen from the band selected) (ii) Rural or Urban
environments (iii) UE-BS channel is in LOS or NLOS (iv) Shadow-fading in the UE-BS channel
(v) Indoor or outdoor UE location, etc., Complete details of the 3GPP pathloss models
supported in NetSim are given in 3.11.1.
Let 𝐵𝑆𝑖 be the serving BS to 𝑈𝐸𝑘 . Let 𝐵𝑆𝑗 be any other BS (𝑗 ≠ 𝑖). 𝑈𝐸𝑘 communicates with
𝐵𝑆𝑖 while all other BSs (𝑗 ≠ 𝑖) act as interferers. The uplink interference from the UEs in the
system is not modeled in NetSim at present. Thus, only downlink connections experience
interference.
𝐵𝑆
The distance between 𝑈𝐸𝑘 and 𝐵𝑆𝑖 is denoted as 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑖𝑘 , while the distance between UE and
𝐵𝑆
𝐵𝑆𝑗 is denoted as 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑗𝑘 . The power of the interfering signal from any 𝐵𝑆𝑗 at any 𝑈𝐸𝑘 depends

on (i) the transmit power of the interfering BS and (ii) pathloss between the interfering BS and
the UE. It can therefore be expressed as
𝐵𝑆 𝐵𝑆
𝐼𝑈𝐸𝑗𝑘 = 𝑃𝐵𝑆𝑗 − 𝑃𝐿𝑈𝐸𝑗𝑘
𝐵𝑆
where 𝑃𝐵𝑆𝑗 is the transmit power of 𝐵𝑆𝑗 , 𝑃𝐿𝑈𝐸𝑗𝑘 represents the 3GPP model based pathloss
𝐵𝑆
between 𝐵𝑆𝑗 and 𝑈𝐸𝑘 . This pathloss is dependent on 𝐷𝑈𝐸𝑗𝑘 and the channel between 𝐵𝑆𝑗 and

𝑈𝐸𝑘 . The interference powers (linear) from all interfering BSs (i.e., apart from the serving BS)
are added to the noise power (in linear scale) and we get the expression

𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐵𝑆𝑖 + (𝐸𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑛)𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑚𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔𝐺𝑎𝑖𝑛

𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅𝑈𝐸𝑘 = 𝐵𝑆
𝑁𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 + ∑𝑗 𝐼𝑈𝐸𝑗𝑘

SINR determines the 5G PHY rate (throughput) that the UE would get. This is because the
PHY Rate depends on the CQI/MCS which is in turn depends on SINR. Section 3.2 explains
the details.

The Wyner model is approximate but is computationally faster, while the geometric model is
precise but computationally slower due to the calculations involved.

Ver 13.2 Page 92 of 211

3.13.4 Interference modeling in OFDM in NetSim

NetSim es ’t m e t e ti s e i i subcarriers to individual users. The aggregate

es es e i i e m st t e s e s’ e i eme ts t es e i it m.

• The received power at 𝑈𝐸𝑘 from 𝐵𝑆𝑖 , with transmit power 𝑃𝑖 is given (in the linear scale)
as

𝐵𝑆 𝑃𝑖
𝑃𝑈𝐸𝑘𝑖 = ( 𝐵𝑆𝑖 )
𝑃𝐿𝑈𝐸𝑘

𝑗
• 𝐼𝑖𝑘 or the interference in linear scale at a 𝑈𝐸𝑘 (associated with 𝐵𝑆𝑖 ) from 𝐵𝑆𝑗
• To normalize the power should we further multiply by the ratio given below
𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡
𝑗 𝑅𝐵𝑈𝐸 𝑘
𝐼𝑖𝑘 = Σ𝑗 𝐼𝑖𝑘 × ( 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡 )
𝑅𝐵𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙
• Assumptions:
A1. The above formula assumes the interference seen by 𝑈𝐸𝑘 is proportional to the
number of RBs allotted to 𝑈𝐸𝑘
A2. Fast fading is not accounted for in the interfering signal calculations since it
would require too much computational time, given that it needs to be re-
calculated every coherence time, not just between BS and its associated UEs
but between a BS and all the UEs in all cells. Hence NetSim calculates average
interfering signal power and not instantaneous interfering signal power, which
is a well-accepted assumption in multi-cell MIMO literature. Recall that NetSim
accounts for fast fading in the direct signal power calculations.
• The total noise seen will be
𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡
𝑘 × 𝑇 × 𝑅𝐵𝑈𝐸 𝑘

𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡
𝐵𝑆 𝑅𝐵𝑈𝐸
• The signal power 𝑃𝑈𝐸𝑘𝑖 × ( 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡
𝑘
)
𝑅𝐵𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙

Therefore,
𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡
𝐵𝑆 𝑅𝐵𝑈𝐸
𝑘
𝑃𝑈𝐸𝑘𝑖 × ( ) 𝐵𝑆
𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡
𝑅𝐵𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑈𝐸𝑘𝑖
𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅 = 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡
= 𝑗
𝑅𝐵𝑈𝐸 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡
𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑗 𝑘 𝑘 × 𝑇 × 𝑅𝐵𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 + Σ𝑗 𝐼𝑖𝑘
𝑘×𝑇× 𝑅𝐵𝑈𝐸 𝑘
+ Σ𝑗 𝐼𝑖𝑘 ×( 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡 )
𝑅𝐵𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙

3.13.4.1 Interference in MIMO

𝑗
• If 𝑈𝐸𝑘 is receiving from 𝐵𝑆𝑖 in multiple layers, the interference power 𝐼𝑖𝑘 is the same
for all layers.

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 𝐵𝑆
𝑃𝑈𝐸𝑘𝑖 × 𝜆𝐿
𝑆𝐼𝑁𝑅𝐿 = 𝑗
𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡
𝑘 × 𝑇 × 𝑅𝐵𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 + Σ𝑗 𝐼𝑖𝑘

Where 𝐿 represents a MIMO layer.

• Note that neither the noise nor the interference is divided by the layer count, because
the combining vector has unit norm.

3.13.4.2 Fast fading component of interfering signals

NetSim accounts for the Rx power from neighbouring cells, in a statistical sense, as explained
below. Let us consider an example of two BSs and two UEs with BS1 transmitting to UE1 and
BS2 transmitting to UE2. The BSs employ digital (Eigen) beamforming to the UE they are
transmitting to, so there is no channel-dependent beamforming between BS1 and UE2 or BS2
and UE1.

e t t is, t e i te e e e see by 2 et S1’s t smissi i e e t ei e

product between the beamforming vector employed by BS1 (which depends only on the
channel between BS1 and UE1) and the channel between BS1 and UE2 (which is independent
of the channel between BS1 and UE1.)

Now, since we model the fast-fading component of the channel as having i.i.d. circularly
symmetric complex Gaussian entries, the expected interference power at UE2 is simply the
transmit power by BS1 times the path loss between BS1 and UE2. This because the long-term
statistical average of the square of the magnitude inner product between the (unit-norm)
beamforming vector employed by BS1 and the channel between BS1 and UE2 is unity.

3.13.4.3 Limitations

• In the above interference formula NetSim assumes that all interfering BSs transmit data
in that slot.
• The interference calculations need to be done for each slot. Enabling interference will
slow down the simulation.

3.14 5G Core
NetSim 5G core functionality was introduced in NetSim v13. This 5G core includes entities,
which reside within the core devices (and partially within the gNB) such as Session
Management Function (SMF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and User
Plane Function (UPF) and the protocols these entities use for operation.

The NetSim 5G core model provides users the means to simulate the end-to-end IP
connectivity. It supports interconnection of multiple UEs to the Internet/Cloud via the Radio

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Access Network or RAN. The RAN consists of multiple gNBs. These gNBs connect to the 5G
core in the backhaul. In NetSim, the 5G core comprises of a single AMF, SMF and UPF.

Figure 3-24: 5G Network scenario consisting of multiple UEs and gNBs connected to 5G Core - AMF,
SMF and UP. The UPF is connects out to the Data Network/ Internet.
NetSim 5G Core model has been designed as follows:

1. The Packet type supported in NetSim 5G Core is IPv4.

2. A single set of SMF/UPF/AMF entities are only available. Scenarios with inter SMF mobility
/ inter AMF mobility are not supported in NetSim.
3. It is possible for a single UE to use different applications with different QoS models. Hence,
multiple EPS Bearers are supported for each UE. This includes necessary classification of
TCP/UDP traffic over IP done at the UE in the Uplink and at the UPF in the downlink.
4. The NetSim 5G model allows users to perform an XN based handover between two gNBs.

In the 5G standalone architecture, the roles played by each of the entities are different.

1. A UE has the following interactions:

a. The random-access procedure to initiate communication with the gNB.
b. Setup the RRC connection with the gNB.
c. Perform NAS level authentication.
d. Handle the RRC Reconfiguration from the gNB and this message sets up the default
PDU session.
e. The UE concludes the registration procedure.
f. Data flow takes place in both the downlink and uplink directions.
2. The gNB acts as a bridge between the UE and the 5G Core. The gNB:

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 a. Handles the random-access request from the UE and assign resources for initiating the
RRC connection.
b. Sets up the RRC connection with the UE. SRB1 is set up at this point. Starting at this
point the gNB starts assigning downlink and uplink resources to the UE.
c. Transports the Registration Request from the UE to the AMF.
d. Carries the NAS signalling between the UE and the gNB.
e. The 5G Core initiates the default PDU session setup. A Registration Accept is also
received from the UE.
f. Activates the default PDU session via the RRC Reconfiguration message. It also
transports the Registration Complete message to the AMF.
g. The downlink and uplink data flow takes place between the UE and the Internet.
3. The AMF or Access Mobility Function coordinates the 5G Standalone registration
procedure.
a. Handles the Initial UE Message from the gNB. This message carries the Registration
Request from the UE.
b. On receiving the Registration Request, the AMF obtains the UE context.
c. AMF updates the SMF context and sends an Initial Context Setup Request to activate
the default PDU session. The message also carries the Registration Accept message
from the AMF.
d. When the gNB signals that the Initial Context setup has been completed, the AMF
updates the SMF context.
e. The AMF also notifies the SMF when the session is ready for uplink and downlink data
transfer.
f. All messages related to session management are forwarded over the N11 reference
interface to the Session Management Function (SMF).
4. The SMF or Session Management Function serves as a control plane entity and it is
responsible for the session management.
a. The SMF assigns an IP address to be used for sending uplink data.
b. The SMF selects the UPF to be used for the session.
c. The SMF updates the UPF using PFCP messages via the N4 control-data plane
interface.
5. The UPF or User Plane function is a data plane component that handles user data.
a. The UPF is completely controlled from the SMF using the N4 interface. The SMF uses
the Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) to update the data plane.
b. The UPF is responsible for packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, QoS
handling, and external PDU session for interconnecting Data Network (DN), in the 5G
architecture.
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 c. The UPF represents the data plane evolution of a Control and User Plane Separation
(CUPS) strategy and is introduced as an extension to existing Evolved Packet Cores
(EPCs).
d. The UPF identifies user plane traffic flow based on information received from the SMF
over the N4 reference point. The N4 interface employs the Packet Forwarding Control
Protocol (PFCP).

3.14.1 5G Interfaces

5G Interfaces present in NetSim are as follows:

1. 5G_N1_N2: N1-N2 is the reference point between the gNB (gNodeB) and the AMF.
2. 5G_N3: Interface between the RAN (gNB) and the (UPF).
3. 5G_N4: Interface between the Session Management Function (SMF) and the UPF
4. 5G_N6: Interface between the Data Network (DN) and the UPF.
5. 5G_N11: Interface between the SMF and AMF.
6. 5G_XN: Interface between two RAN (gNB) nodes.

Figure 3-25: 5G Network scenario depicting the 5G Interfaces in NetSim

The NG-AP interface (N2) provides control plane interaction between the gNB and the AMF.
In NetSim, this interface is modelled in an abstract manner, with direct interaction between the
gNB and the AMF. The encoding of NGAP messages and information elements specified in
[TS36413] is not implemented.

The NG-AP primitives that are modelled are:

1. INITIAL UE MESSAGE AND REGISTRATION REQUEST

2. INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST
3. INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE AND REGISTRATION COMPLETE
4. PATH SWITCH REQUEST

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5. PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE

The N11 interface provides control plane interaction between the SMF and the AMF using the
GTPv2-C protocol specified in [TS29274]. In NetSim, this interface is modelled with direct
interaction between the SMF and the AMF objects, without implementing the encoding of the
messages.

The N11 primitives that are modelled are:

1. CREATE SESSION REQUEST

2. CREATE SESSION RESPONSE
3. MODIFY BEARER REQUEST
4. MODIFY BEARER RESPONSE

Of these primitives, the first two are used during the initial UE attachment for the establishment
of the N2-U bearers; the other two are used during handover to switch the N2-U bearers from
the source gNB to the target gNB as a consequence of the reception by the AMF of a PATH
SWITCH REQUEST NG-AP message.

3.14.2 Cell Selection and UE attach procedure

Figure 3-26: A 5G network scenario with a Single UE connected to a gNB which is connected to the
5G Core and the UE downloads data from the Server (Wired Node)
As an example, consider a 5G network scenario with 5G Core devices (which consists of AMF,
SMF, UPF and three L2 Switches), a UE which is connected to a gNB, and in the server side,
a Wired Node which is connected to a Router which is connected to the 5G core via UPF.

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 Figure 3-27: UE Attach Procedure
The attachment process is as follows:

1. Radio Resource Control – MIB(Master Information Block) packets are broadcast by each
gNB to all the UEs. These packets are transmitted periodically every 80 ms.

▪ If the number of gNBs is ‘m’ t e mbe s is ‘ ’, t e t e mbe

ets t smitte e time i be ‘m x ’

▪ The transmission of MIB packet starts from the MAC Layer. The transmission time can
be calculated from the MAC Layer Arrival Time in the packet trace.

▪ The size of each MIB packet is 8 Bytes and can be observed in the Phy Layer Payload
field in the packet trace.

2. RRC System Information Block 1 packets are broadcast by the gNBs to all the UEs. These
packets are transmitted periodically every 160ms.

▪ The transmission of SIB1 packet starts from the MAC Layer. The transmission time can
be calculated from the MAC Layer Arrival Time in the packet trace.

▪ t e mbe N s is ‘m’ t e mbe s is ‘ ’, t e t e mbe

ets t smitte e time i be ‘m x ’

▪ The size of each SIB1 packet is 8 Bytes. This can be observed in the Phy Layer Payload
field in the packet trace.

3. After the first set of packets, the cell selection occurs as explained below.
Ver 13.2 Page 99 of 211
 ▪ The UE attaches itself initially to the gNB from which it receives the highest SNR.

▪ If SNR from multiple gNBs is equal, the UE will attach to the gNB with the lowest ID.

▪ The gNB to which the UE is connected by the user in NetSim GUI at the network design
stage, is only for visual purposes. It plays no role in determining which gNB the UE will
attach to

4. RRC System Information are broadcast by the selected gNBs to all UEs when the cell
selection is complete.

▪ The SI packet is sent only once during the simulation. It is not sent after every Handover.

▪ It occurs at 160.9ms.

▪ The transmission of SI packet starts from the MAC Layer. The transmission time can be
calculated from the MAC Layer Arrival Time in the packet trace.

▪ The size of each SI packet is 8 Bytes. The size of the packet can be calculated from the
Phy Layer Payload field in the packet trace.

5. The RRC Setup Request will be sent by the UE to the connected gNB within 2.5ms of
receipt of RRC SI packet

▪ The RRC Setup Request is sent with the random UE-Identity and an establishment
cause. This can be observed in the Headers column of the packet trace.

6. The RRC Setup message is used to establish SRB1.

▪ Selected gNB sends the setup to UE which contains RRCTransactionIdentifier,

RRCResponsetype, PDCP Properties: UEID and GNBID, DiscardDelayTimer,
T_Reordering, Hdr Type, SN=0, dcBit.

▪ RRC Setup Packet Size is 24 Bytes. The size of the packet can be calculated from the
Phy Layer Payload field in the packet trace.

▪ UE stops the timer (T300) when it receives the RRC Setup message.

▪ UE makes a transition to RRC connected mode.

7. The RRC Setup Complete message is used to confirm the successful completion of an
RRC connection establishment.

▪ UE sends this message on receipt of the RRC Setup message.

▪ Contains RRCTransactionIdentifier, SelectedPLMNIdentity, AMFIdentifier, Gaumi Type,

Hdr Type, SN, dcBit

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8. UE sends UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT to the connected gNB. The measurement
report is sent by each UE to its serving gNB and it contains SINR from all gNBs

If the SNR from another gNB is offset greater than SNR from serving gNB, it leads to handover.
After the handover procedure is completed RRC Reconfiguration would happen between
target gNB and UE. The UE will then send the UE MEASUREMENT REPORT to this gNB.

These can be observed in the NetSim Packet Trace.

Figure 3-28: RRC connection establishment in Packet Trace

3.14.3 5G Core connection management process

This functionality is based on (3gpp 38.413)

1. The gNB will introduce the UE to the 5G Core after the initial gNB- UE attachment process.
2. The gNB will send Initial UE message and Registration request to the selected AMF (In
NetSim, there is only one AMF). The message will be transmitted when gNB receives the
first NAS message to be transmitted from the radio link after the RRC Setup Complete
3. Upon receiving the UE message and registration request, the AMF will send Create Session
Request to the SMF in-order to create a session for the UE.
4. The SMF will send the PFCP Session Request to UPF to denote that the UE is present in
the network and the data packet flow may occur to UPF and to create/ establish/ modify
PFCP session for UE.
5. Further, AMF will send the Initial Context Setup Request to the gNB to confirm the setup of
a UE context.
6. The gNB will send Initial Context Setup and Registration Complete message to the AMF
and then the UE will be associated with the core.

These can be observed in NetSim Packet Trace file

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 Figure 3-29: 5G Core connection management process
When the UE attachment is completed, the data packets will be transmitted from the source
to the destination via the UPF.

3.15 5G Non-Stand Alone (NSA)

3.15.1 Overview

NSA leverages the existing LTE radio access and core network (EPC) to anchor 5G NR using
the Dual Connectivity feature. This solution provides a seamless option to deploy 5G services
with very less disruption in the network. The eNB is connected to the EPC through the LTE_S1
interface and to the gNB through the XN interface. The gNB can be connected to the EPC
through the LTE_S1 interface and other gNBs through the XN interface. Similarly, the eNBs
and gNBs will be connected to 5G Core through the N1_N2, and N3 interfaces and gNB-eNB
and gNB-gNB connections through the XN interface. The control packets like RRC MIB, RRC
SIB1, RRC SI in NSA modes will be transmitted from the master nodes to the UE. Similarly,
the UE will send the UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT and RRC_SETUP messages to the
master nodes. The master node will be selected according to the deployment option selected.

The NSA modes in NetSim 5G module includes:

1. Option 3 where only LTE core/ EPC is present and no 5G Core devices are present. Here,
eNB is the Master Cell and gNB is the Secondary Cell. Option 3 is categorized into:
a. Option 3: Only eNB connects to EPC and eNB and gNB connects to the XN interface.
b. Option 3a: Both eNB and gNB connects to the EPC. gNB connects to the XN interface
and eNB does not XN interface.
2. Option 4 where only 5G Core devices are present, and EPC is not available. Here, gNB is
the Master Cell and eNB is the Secondary Cell. Option 4 is categorized into:
a. Option 4: Only gNB connects to all the 5G Core interfaces. eNB connects to the XN
interface.

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 b. Option 4a: gNB connects to all 5G Core interfaces and eNB connects to AMF and UPF
through respective interfaces.
3. Option 7 where only 5G Core devices are present, and EPC is not available. Here, eNB is
the Master Cell and gNB is the Secondary Cell. Option 7 is categorized into:
a. Option 7: eNB connects to all 5G Core interfaces. gNB connects only to the XN
interface.
b. Option 7a: gNB connects to all the 5G Core interfaces. eNB connects to AMF and UPF
through the respective interfaces.

Figure 3-30: NSA deployment - Option 3, Option 3a Networking modes

Figure 3-31: NSA deployment - Option 4, Option 4a Networking modes

Figure 3-32: NSA deployment - Option 7, Option 7a Networking modes

In Options 3, 4 and 7, the secondary node is not directly connected with the LTE-EPC/ 5G-
Core. On reception of a packet, the secondary node, transmits all packet to the master node
via the XN interface for uplink cases and for downlink cases, the core / EPC transmits the
packets to the master node and the master node splits the traffic between itself and the

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secondary node, since there is no connection between the core and secondary node. The
master node also transmits the packets to the UE.

In options 3a, 4a and 7a, the split happens at the EPC/UPF.

3.15.2 Option 3/3a

The standardized NSA EPC networking architecture includes Option 3, and Option 3a

Non-standalone option 3 is where radio access network is composed of eNBs as the master
node and gNBs as the secondary. The radio access network is connected to EPC (Evolved
Packet Core).

3.15.2.1 Option 3

Option 3 represents a network having both LTE and NR radio access but using only the EPC
core of LTE to route the Control signals. In this option, LTE is used as the control plane anchor
for NR, and both LTE and NR are used for user data traffic (user plane).

Option 3 involves routing of 5G data through the eNB.

All uplink/downlink data flows to and from the LTE part of the LTE/NR base station, i.e., to and
from the eNB. The eNB then decides which part of the data it wants to forward to the 5G gNB
over the XN interface. The gNB never communicates with the 4G core network directly.

In the Option 3 networking mode, the XN interface traffic between eNB and gNB.

Traffic is split across 4G and 5G at eNodeB. Hence, eNB is the Master Cell.

In NetSim Option 3 of NSA mode connects the eNB to the EPC using LTE_S1 interface. The
gNBs and eNBs are inter-connected in option 3 using the XN interface via a Layer 2 Switch
and the UEs present in the network consists of two interfaces, an LTE interface and a 5G_RAN
interface.

The data flows from the eNB and the eNB decides which part of data is to be forwarded to the
gNB over the XN interface.

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 Figure 3-33: NSA deployment - Option 3 networking mode in NetSim

3.15.2.2 Option 3a

In the option 3a, both the eNB and the gNB can directly talk to the LTE core network but they
cannot directly talk with each other over the XN interface. This means that a single data bearer
cannot share the load over LTE and NR.

There is only control plane traffic in the XN interface. The dynamic switching between 5G and
4G is not supported in Option 3a. The traffic is split across 5G and 4G at the EPC.

In NetSim Option 3a of NSA mode connects the eNB and gNB to the EPC using LTE_S1
interface. Hence, the eNB and gNB can directly communicate with the EPC. Since XN interface
is not present for eNB and it is present for gNB in this deployment option, gNB and eNB cannot
communicate with each other. the UEs present in the network consists of two interfaces, an
LTE interface and a 5G_RAN interface.

Figure 3-34: NSA deployment - Option 3a networking mode in NetSim

3.15.3 Option 4/4a

The EPC or the LTE Core in Option 3/3a is replaced by the 5G Core in Option 4. The master
node is the LTE NR cell or gNB and the secondary node is LTE cell or eNB.

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3.15.3.1 Option 4

In Option 4 of Non-Stand-alone mode, both LTE and 5G NR radio access technologies are
deployed and controlled through only the 5G Core, i.e., AMF, SMF and UPF.

The gNB has both the NG-U and NG-C interfaces. Both eNB and gNB connects over the XN
interface. The interface between gNB and AMF is called N2 interface and the interface
between gNB and UPF is called N3 interface, So the control plane is over N2 interface and
user plane is over N3 interface.

The eNB is not connected to 5G Core, hence data traffic is split over the XN interface. The
gNB is connected to 5G Core with NG-U and NG-C.

In NetSim, the gNB is connected to the UPF via Switch_4 using the 5G_N3 interface and to
the AMF via Switch_5 using the 5G_N1_N2 interface, hence, gNB communicates directly with
the 5G Core and eNB does not communicate directly with the 5G Core. The gNBs and eNBs
are inter-connected using the XN interface via a Layer 2 Switch and the UEs present in the
network consists of two interfaces, an LTE interface and a 5G_RAN interface.

Figure 3-35: NSA deployment- Option 4 networking mode in NetSim

3.15.3.2 Option-4a

In Option 4a, the eNB is not connected to gNB over XN interface, but it is connected to 5G
Core over the NG-U interface.

The gNB has both NG-U and NG-C interface. Data traffic is split between 4G and 5G at the
5G Core, specifically the UPF.

Ver 13.2 Page 106 of 211

In NetSim, the gNB and eNB are connected to the UPF via Switch_4 using the 5G_N3 interface
and to the AMF via Switch_5 using the 5G_N1_N2 interface. The gNBs we can inter-connected
using the XN interface and does not have XN interface for eNBs. hence direct communication
between eNB and gNB is not possible. The UEs present in the network consists of two
interfaces, an LTE interface and a 5G_RAN interface.

Figure 3-36: NSA deployment- Option 4a networking mode in NetSim

3.15.4 Option 7/7a

The eNB has NG-U and NG-C interfaces to 5G Core and eNB connects with gNB over XN
interface. The master node is the LTE cell or eNB and the secondary node is the LTE-NR cell
or gNB in these deployment options.

3.15.4.1 Option-7

In Option 7, the gNB does not communicate to 5G Core. Data traffic flows through eNB
communicating to and from the 5G Core. Some part of the data can be transferred through
gNB over the XN interface.

In NetSim, the eNBs are connected to the UPF via Switch_4 using the 5G_N3 interface and
to the AMF via Switch_5 using the 5G_N1_N2 interface. The gNBs and eNBs are inter-
connected using the XN interface and hence direct communication between eNB and gNB is
possible. The UEs present in the network consists of two interfaces, an LTE interface and a
5G_RAN interface. The data is delivered to the UE when it comes to the 5G NR through the
LTE-RAN.

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 Figure 3-37: NSA deployment- Option 7 networking mode in NetSim

3.15.4.2 Option-7a

In Option 7a, eNB and gNB are not connected via the XN interface and instead gNB is
connected to 5G Core over NG-U. The eNB is connected to 5G Core over NG-C and NG-U.
Data traffic is split at the 5GC (UPF).

In NetSim, the gNB and eNB are connected to the UPF via Switch_4 using the 5G_N3 interface
and to the AMF via Switch_5 using the 5G_N1_N2 interface. The gNBs does not have an XN
Interface and eNBs inter-connected using the XN interface and hence direct communication
between eNB and gNB is not possible. The UEs present in the network consists of two
interfaces, an LTE interface and a 5G_RAN interface.

The user data goes directly from the 5G Core to the gNB and then to the UE.

Figure 3-38: NSA deployment- Option 7a networking mode in NetSim

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3.16 NSA Packet Flow
3.16.1 Option 3

Consider the following network scenario:

Figure 3-39: NSA deployment - Option 3 networking mode in NetSim

All the devices have the default properties, application start time was set to 1s and scenario is
simulated for 10s.

eNB is the Master Node and gNB is the Secondary Node in Options 3, 3a.

The packet flow in the network takes place as explained below:

1. The MN, eNB will broadcast the RRC_MIB packets to the UE every 40 ms and RRC_SIB1
every 80 ms.
2. After the transmission of the RRC_MIB and RRC_SIB1 packets, the eNB will send RRC_SI
packet to the UE.
3. After reception of RRC_SI packet, UE will send RRC_Setup_Request to the eNB.
4. On receiving the RRC_Setup_Request packet, the eNB will acknowledge the request by
transmitting RRC_Setup packet to the UE.
5. The UE will send back the RRC_Setup_Complete packet on the receipt of RRC_Setup
message.
6. After the RRC connection, the MN node will send DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_REQUEST
to the SN via the L2Switch.
7. On the receipt of this secondary cell addition request, the SN sends back the response
packet, i.e. DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_RESPONSE.
8. The UE will now send the UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT every 120 ms to the MN which
contains the SNR information. The time interval at which the measurement report is to be
transmitted can be set by the user in the eNB/ gNB properties-> Interface_ LTE/ 5G_RAN
-> Datalink Layer.
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 9. After the UE attachment procedure, the data packets will be transmitted from the server to
the UE based on the splitting algorithm.
10. As per the current splitting algorithm in NetSim, the first data packet will be transmitted to
the EPC and from the EPC it goes to the MN, eNB, and from the eNB it will be transmitted
to the UE.
11. The second data packet will flow to eNB from EPC and then to the gNB through the
L2Switch (via XN interface) and then to the UE.
12. Similarly, the third packet will flow through the MN, fourth through the SN and so on.

et be yze si NetSim’s et A im ti . et be yze

using the Packet Trace log file as shown below:

Figure 3-40: Packet flow can be analyzed using the Packet Trace
3.16.2 Option 3a

Consider the following network scenario:

Ver 13.2 Page 110 of 211

 Figure 3-41: NSA deployment - Option 3a networking mode in NetSim
All the devices have the default properties, application start time was set to 1s and scenario is
simulated for 10s.

The packet flow in the network takes place as explained below:

1. The MN, eNB will broadcast the RRC_MIB packets to the UE every 40 ms and RRC_SIB1
every 80 ms.
2. After the transmission of the RRC_MIB and RRC_SIB1 packets, the eNB will send RRC_SI
packet to the UE.
3. After reception of RRC_SI packet, UE will send RRC_Setup_Request to the eNB.
4. On receiving the RRC_Setup_Request packet, the eNB will acknowledge the request by
transmitting RRC_Setup packet to the UE.
5. The UE will send back the RRC_Setup_Complete packet on the receipt of RRC_Setup
message.
6. After the RRC connection, the MN node will send
DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_REQUEST to the SN via the EPC.
7. On the receipt of this secondary cell addition request, the SN sends back the response
packet, i.e. DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_RESPONSE.
8. The UE will now send the UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT every 120 ms to the MN which
contains the SNR information. The time interval at which the measurement report is to be
transmitted can be set by the user in the eNB/ gNB properties-> Interface_ LTE/ 5G_RAN
-> Datalink Layer.
9. After the UE attachment procedure, the data packets will be transmitted from the server to
the UE based on the splitting algorithm.
10. As per the current splitting algorithm in NetSim, the first data packet will be transmitted to
the EPC and from the EPC it goes to the MN, eNB, and from the eNB it will be transmitted
to the UE.

Ver 13.2 Page 111 of 211

11. The second data packet will flow from EPC to the gNB and then to the UE.
12. Similarly, the third packet will flow through the MN, fourth through the SN and so on.

et be yze si NetSim’s et A im ti . et be yze

using the Packet Trace log file as shown below:

Figure 3-42: Packet flow can be analyzed using the Packet Trace
3.16.3 Option 4

Consider the following network scenario:

Ver 13.2 Page 112 of 211

 Figure 3-43: NSA deployment - Option 4 networking mode in NetSim
All the devices have the default properties, application start time was set to 1s and scenario is
simulated for 10s.

gNB is the Master Node and eNB is the Secondary Node in Options 4 and 4a.

The packet flow in the network takes place as explained below:

1. The MN, gNB will broadcast the RRC_MIB packets to the UE every 80 ms and RRC_SIB1
every 160 ms.
2. After the transmission of the RRC_MIB and RRC_SIB1 packets, the gNB will send RRC_SI
packet to the UE.
3. After reception of RRC_SI packet, UE will send RRC_Setup_Request to the gNB.
4. On receiving the RRC_Setup_Request packet, the gNB will acknowledge the request by
transmitting RRC_Setup packet to the UE.
5. The UE will send back the RRC_Setup_Complete packet on the receipt of RRC_Setup
message.
6. The gNB will send INITIAL_UE_MSG_AND_REGISTRATION_REQUEST to the AMF via
L2Switch_5 through the N1_N2 interface.
7. AMF will send CREATE_SESSION_REQUEST to SMF through N11 interface.
8. SMF will send PFCP_SESSION_REQUEST to UPF through N4 interface.
9. UPF will send back the response packet to SMF, i.e, PFCP_SESSION_RESPONSE
10. SMF will send back the response packet to AMF, i.e., CREATE_SESSION_RESPONSE
11. AMF will send the INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_REQUEST to the gNB via Switch_5.
12. On the receipt of Context setup request, gNB will send
INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_RESPONSE_REGISTRATION_COMPLETE packet to the
AMF via switch_5 through the N1_N2 interface.
13. This marks the completion of UE registration process.

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14. After the UE registration, the MN node will send DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_REQUEST
to the SN via the L2Switch_6.
15. On the receipt of this secondary cell addition request, the SN sends back the response
packet, i.e. DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_RESPONSE.
16. The UE will now send the UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT every 120 ms to the MN which
contains the SNR information. The time interval at which the measurement report is to be
transmitted can be set by the user in the eNB/ gNB properties-> Interface_ LTE/ 5G_RAN
-> Datalink Layer.
17. After the UE attachment procedure, the data packets will be transmitted from the server to
the UE based on the splitting algorithm.
18. As per the current splitting algorithm in NetSim, the first data packet will be transmitted to
the UPF through the N6 interface and from the UPF it goes to the MN, gNB via Switch_4
through the N3 interface, and from the gNB it will be transmitted to the UE through the RAN
interface.
19. The second data packet will flow from UPF to the gNB via Switch_4 and from the gNB, the
packet gets transmitted to the eNB via Switch_6 through the XN interface and then to the
UE.
20. Similarly, the third packet will flow through the MN, fourth through the SN and so on.

et be yze si NetSim’s et A im ti . et be yze

using the Packet Trace log file as shown below:

Ver 13.2 Page 114 of 211

 Figure 3-44: Packet flow can be analyzed using the Packet Trace
3.16.4 Option 4a

Consider the following network scenario:

Figure 3-45: NSA deployment - Option 4a networking mode in NetSim

All the devices have the default properties, application start time was set to 1s and scenario is
simulated for 10s.

The packet flow in the network takes place as explained below:

1. The MN, gNB will broadcast the RRC_MIB packets to the UE every 80 ms and RRC_SIB1
every 160 ms.
2. After the transmission of the RRC_MIB and RRC_SIB1 packets, the gNB will send RRC_SI
packet to the UE.
3. After reception of RRC_SI packet, UE will send RRC_Setup_Request to the gNB.
4. On receiving the RRC_Setup_Request packet, the gNB will acknowledge the request by
transmitting RRC_Setup packet to the UE.

Ver 13.2 Page 115 of 211

 5. The UE will send back the RRC_Setup_Complete packet on the receipt of RRC_Setup
message.
6. The gNB will send INITIAL_UE_MSG_AND_REGISTRATION_REQUEST to the AMF via
L2Switch_5 through the N1_N2 interface.
7. AMF will send CREATE_SESSION_REQUEST to SMF through N11 interface.
8. SMF will send PFCP_SESSION_REQUEST to UPF through N4 interface.
9. UPF will send back the response packet to SMF, i.e, PFCP_SESSION_RESPONSE
10. SMF will send back the response packet to AMF, i.e., CREATE_SESSION_RESPONSE.
11. AMF will send the INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_REQUEST to the gNB via Switch_5.
12. On the receipt of Context setup request, gNB will send
INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_RESPONSE_REGISTRATION_COMPLETE packet to the
AMF via switch_5 through the N1_N2 interface.
13. This marks the completion of UE registration process.
14. After the UE registration, the MN node will send
DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_REQUEST to the SN via the Switch_4.
15. On the receipt of this secondary cell addition request, the SN sends back the response
packet, i.e. DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_RESPONSE.
16. The UE will now send the UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT every 120 ms to the MN which
contains the SNR information. The time interval at which the measurement report is to be
transmitted can be set by the user in the eNB/ gNB properties-> Interface_ LTE/ 5G_RAN
-> Datalink Layer.
17. After the UE attachment procedure, the data packets will be transmitted from the server to
the UE based on the splitting algorithm.
18. As per the current splitting algorithm in NetSim, the first data packet will be transmitted to
the UPF through the N6 interface and from the UPF it goes to the MN, gNB via Switch_4
through the N3 interface, and from the gNB it will be transmitted to the UE through the RAN
interface.
19. The second data packet will flow from UPF to the eNB via Switch_4 and then to the UE.
20. Similarly, the third packet will flow through the MN, fourth through the SN and so on.

et be yze si NetSim’s et A im ti . et be yze

using the Packet Trace log file as shown below:

Ver 13.2 Page 116 of 211

 Figure 3-46: Packet flow can be analyzed using the Packet Trace
3.16.5 Option 7

Consider the following network scenario:

Figure 3-47: NSA deployment - Option 7 networking mode in NetSim

All the devices have the default properties, application start time was set to 1s and scenario is
simulated for 10s.

Ver 13.2 Page 117 of 211

 eNB is the MN and gNB is the SN in deployment options 7, 7a.

The packet flow in the network takes place as explained below:

1. The MN, eNB will send broadcast the RRC_MIB packets to the UE every 40 ms and
RRC_SIB1 every 80 ms.
2. After the transmission of the RRC_MIB and RRC_SIB1 packets, the eNB will send RRC_SI
packet to the UE.
3. After reception of RRC_SI packet, UE will send RRC_Setup_Request to the eNB.
4. On receiving the RRC_Setup_Request packet, the eNB will acknowledge the request by
transmitting RRC_Setup packet to the UE.
5. The UE will send back the RRC_Setup_Complete packet on the receipt of RRC_Setup
message.
6. The eNB will send INITIAL_UE_MSG_AND_REGISTRATION_REQUEST to the AMF via
L2Switch_5 through the N1_N2 interface.
7. AMF will send CREATE_SESSION_REQUEST to SMF through N11 interface.
8. SMF will send PFCP_SESSION_REQUEST to UPF through N4 interface.
9. UPF will send back the response packet to SMF, i.e, PFCP_SESSION_RESPONSE
10. SMF will send back the response packet to AMF, i.e.,
CREATE_SESSION_RESPONSE.
11. AMF will send the INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_REQUEST to the eNB via Switch_5.
12. On the receipt of Context setup request, eNB will send
INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_RESPONSE_REGISTRATION_COMPLETE packet to the
AMF via switch_5 through the N1_N2 interface.
13. This marks the completion of UE registration process.
14. After the UE registration, the MN node will send
DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_REQUEST to the SN via the Switch_6.
15. On the receipt of this secondary cell addition request, the SN sends back the response
packet, i.e., DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_RESPONSE.
16. The UE will now send the UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT every 120 ms to the MN which
contains the SNR information. The time interval at which the measurement report is to be
transmitted can be set by the user in the eNB/ gNB properties-> Interface_ LTE/ 5G_RAN
-> Datalink Layer.
17. After the UE attachment procedure, the data packets will be transmitted from the server to
the UE based on the splitting algorithm.
18. As per the current splitting algorithm in NetSim, the first data packet will be transmitted to
the UPF through the N6 interface and from the UPF it goes to the MN, eNB via Switch_4

Ver 13.2 Page 118 of 211

 through the N3 interface, and from the eNB it will be transmitted to the UE through the LTE
interface.
19. The second data packet will flow from UPF to the eNB via Switch_4 and then from eNB to
the gNB via Switch_6 through XN interface and then to the UE.
20. Similarly, the third packet will flow through the MN, fourth through the SN and so on.

et be yze si NetSim’s et A im ti . et be yze

using the Packet Trace log file as shown below:

Figure 3-48: Packet flow can be analyzed using the Packet Trace
3.16.6 Option 7a

Consider the following network scenario:

Ver 13.2 Page 119 of 211

 Figure 3-49: NSA deployment - Option 7a networking mode in NetSim
All the devices have the default properties, application start time was set to 1s and scenario is
simulated for 10s.

The packet flow in the network takes place as explained below:

1. The MN, eNB will send broadcast the RRC_MIB packets to the UE every 40 ms and
RRC_SIB1 every 80 ms.
2. After the transmission of the RRC_MIB and RRC_SIB1 packets, the eNB will send RRC_SI
packet to the UE.
3. After reception of RRC_SI packet, UE will send RRC_Setup_Request to the eNB.
4. On receiving the RRC_Setup_Request packet, the eNB will acknowledge the request by
transmitting RRC_Setup packet to the UE.
5. The UE will send back the RRC_Setup_Complete packet on the receipt of RRC_Setup
message.
6. The eNB will send INITIAL_UE_MSG_AND_REGISTRATION_REQUEST to the AMF via
L2Switch_5 through the N1_N2 interface.
7. AMF will send CREATE_SESSION_REQUEST to SMF through N11 interface.
8. SMF will send PFCP_SESSION_REQUEST to UPF through N4 interface.
9. UPF will send back the response packet to SMF, i.e, PFCP_SESSION_RESPONSE
10. SMF will send back the response packet to AMF, i.e., CREATE_SESSION_RESPONSE.
11. AMF will send the INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_REQUEST to the eNB via Switch_5.
12. On the receipt of Context setup request, eNB will send
INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_RESPONSE_REGISTRATION_COMPLETE packet to the
AMF via switch_5 through the N1_N2 interface.
13. This marks the completion of UE registration process.
14. After the UE registration, the MN node will send
DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_REQUEST to the SN via the Switch_4.

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15. On the receipt of this secondary cell addition request, the SN sends back the response
packet, i.e. DC_SEC_CELL_ADDITION_RESPONSE.
16. The UE will now send the UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT every 120 ms to the MN which
contains the SNR information. The time interval at which the measurement report is to be
transmitted can be set by the user in the eNB/ gNB properties-> Interface_ LTE/ 5G_RAN
-> Datalink Layer.
17. After the UE attachment procedure, the data packets will be transmitted from the server to
the UE based on the splitting algorithm.
18. As per the current splitting algorithm in NetSim, the first data packet will be transmitted to
the UPF through the N6 interface and from the UPF it goes to the MN, eNB via Switch_4
through the N3 interface, and from the eNB it will be transmitted to the UE through the
LTE interface.
19. The second data packet will flow from UPF to the gNB via Switch_4 and then from gNB to
the UE.
20. Similarly, the third packet will flow through the MN, fourth through the SN and so on.

et be yze si NetSim’s et A im ti . et be yze

using the Packet Trace log file as shown below:

Ver 13.2 Page 121 of 211

 Figure 3-50: Packet flow can be analyzed using the Packet Trace

3.17 Handover
3.17.1 Use of SNR instead of RSRP

NetSim is a packet-level simulator for simulating the performance of end-to-end applications

over various packet transport technologies. NetSim can scale to simulating networks with 100s
of UEs, gNBs, routers, switches, etc. In order to achieve a scalable simulation, that can
execute in reasonable time on desktop-level computers, many details of the physical layer
techniques have been abstracted.

In 5G, NetSim does not model control channels; there are no pilots/reference/synchronization
signals. The channel matrix H is assumed to be known perfectly and instantaneously at the
transmitter and receiver, respectively. Hence there is no RSRP, and all signal power related
calculations are done using the data channel itself. Therefore, the hand-over is based on the
SNR measured at the s-gNB and the t-gNB. Since the noise power would be the same at s-
gNB and t-gNB, in effect the handover is based on received signal level on the PDSCH.

3.17.2 Handover algorithm

The handover logic of NetSim 5G library is based on the Strongest Adjacent Cell Handover
Algorithm (Ref: Handover within 3GPP LTE: Design Principles and Performance. Konstantinos
Dimou. Ericcson Research). The algorithm enables each UE to connect to that gNB which
provides the highest SNR. Therefore, a handover occurs the moment a better gNB - adjacent
cell has offset stronger RSRP (measured as SNR in NetSim) - is detected. If there is more
than one gNB with offset higher signal strength, then the gNB with the highest signal strength
becomes the target gNB. If carrier aggregation and MIMO is enabled then the SNR is averaged
over all carriers and over all layers.

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This algorithm is similar to 38.331, 5.5.4.4 Event A3 e ei Nei b e ’s S be mes
set bette t se i e ’s S . N te t t i NetSim e t-type is periodical and
not eventTrigerred since NetSim is a discrete event simulator and not a continuous time
simulator. Therefore, the signal strength comparisons between source-gNB and all other gNBs
is done every time a UE Measurement report is received at the source gNB. Note that:

• The signal strength compared is the average of all layers across all carriers.
• NetSim assumes that admission control during handover is always successful. Hence
there are no handover failures on this count.

3.17.3 Ping pong handovers

The above algorithm is susceptible to ping-pong handovers; continuous handovers between

the serving and adjacent cells on account of changes in SNR due mobility and shadow-fading.
At one instant the adjacent cell's SNR could be higher and the very next it could be the original
serving cell's RSRP, and so on. To solve this problem the algorithm uses:

▪ Hysteresis (Hand-over-margin, HOM) which adds a SNR threshold

(Adjacent_cell_SNR - Serving_cell_SNR > Hand-over-margin or hysteresis), and
▪ Time-to-trigger (TTT) or hysterisis which adds a time threshold.

This HOM is part of NetSim implementation while TTT can be implemented as a custom project
in NetSim.

Users may also be interested in measuring Ping pong handovers. For this, users should log
the gNB to which the UE is attached. Users can then simulate scenarios where UE would
attach to gNB1 then to gNB2, back to gNB1, again to gNB2 ... and so on, within a short time
frame. Ping pong handovers can then be calculated per some (user-defined) criteria. Such
scenarios can be simulated by enabling shadow-fading and fading-and-beamforming (fast
fading). These phenomena would cause SINR to fluctuate over short distances and even over
time at the same location.

Custom coding is required to log the "attached gNB" for each UE. NetSim radio measurements
workspace (available in file-exchange/ GitHub) can serve as the base for this development
effort.

3.17.4 Packet flow during handover

NetSim implements on those aspects of the 5G handover procedure that directly affects
network performance. Other aspects of the handover, for example security, are either not
implemented or abstracted since they do not affect network performance. Handovers can
occur in RRC_CONNECTED (during active Tx or Rx) or in RRC_IDLE states (no Tx or Rx).

Ver 13.2 Page 123 of 211

 Figure 3-51: Control packet flow in the 5G handover process
The packet flow (which can be observed from the packet trace) is as follows:

1. Once the UE connection and association procedures are completed, the UE sends a
UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT every UE_Measurement_Report_Interval to the
connected gNB. UE_Measurement_Report_Interval is by default set as 120ms in NetSim
and is a user configurable parameter.
2. At some time, neighbor cell RSRP (measured as SNR in NetSim) becomes offset higher
than serving cell RSRP.
3. Immediately after receiving the next UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT, source gNB (also
sometimes called serving gNB) sends a HANDOVER REQUEST to the target (neighbor)
gNB. This packet is sent through the Xn interface via a 5G-Core Switch. All the links in the
5G Core are by default 10 Gbps.
4. The Target gNB sends back HANDOVER REQUEST ACK to serving gNB, again via the
Xn interface. If the HANDOVER REQUEST or the HANDOVER REQUEST ACK are
errored then if the target gNB signal strength continues to be offset higher than source
gNB signal strength, step 1 is repeated at the next UE_MEASUREMENT_REPORT.
5. After receiving HANDOVER REQUEST ACK the serving gNB sends the HANDOVER
COMMAND to UE.
6. Then HANDOVER COMMAND packet is send by source gNB to the UE.
7. The target gNB then sends RRC Reconfiguration msg to UE. If UE is in RRC Connected
mode than the target gNB is assigned as new source gNB for the UE.

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8. The target gNB will send the PATH SWITCH packet to the AMF through the N1-N2
interface (via a core switch).
9. When the AMF receives the PATH SWITCH packet, it sends MODIFY BEARER
REQUEST to the SMF. This is over the N11 interface.
10. The SMF on receiving the MODIFY BEARER REQUEST sends back the MODIFY
BEARER RESPONSE to the AMF.
11. On receiving the MODIFY BEARER RESPONSE from the SMF, AMF acknowledges the
Path switch request sent by the target gNB by sending the PATH SWITCH ACK packet
back to the target gNB. This is over the N1-N2 interface, via a 5GC switch.
12. The target gNB the sends a UE CONTEXT RELEASE to source gNB, and the source gNB
sends back UE CONTEXT RELEASE ACK to target gNB. The context release request and
ack packets are sent between the source and target gNB via the Xn interface.
13. Then RRC Reconfiguration takes place between target gNB and UE.
14. UE starts sending the UE MEASUREMENT REPORT to the new source gNB

Figure 3-52: Screen shot of NetSim packet trace file showing the control packets involved in
handover. Some columns have been hidden before the last column.
3.17.5 Handover Interruption Time

During this period the UE can neither transmit nor receive user data. Handover Interruption
time can be configured in the Datalink layer properties of the gNB as shown below

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 Figure 3-53: Screen shot showing handover interruption time in gNB properties
The value can range from 0.0 to 500.0 milliseconds. The handover process in NetSim is based
on event A3 i.e., the target signal strength is offset (3 dB) higher than the source signal
strength. Handover interruption time (HIT) is added at the time of handover command is
delivered to the UE. During this time there is no data plane traffic flow to the UE from the
source/target. The time at which the path switch is sent from the target cell to the AMF will get
delayed by the Handover interruption time. This can be observed in the packet trace log file.

3.17.6 Buffer transfer and timers

During handover buffer is transferred from s-gNB to t-gNB, and active timers such as t-poll
retransmit are stopped in the s-gNB.

3.18 LTENR Results, Packet Trace and Plots

Parameter Description
AppID Application ID
QFI QOS Flow ID
SDAP Entity SDAP Entity
SrcID Source ID
DestID Destination ID
SrcIP:Port Tuple of Source IP and Port Number
DestIP:Port Tuple of Source IP and Port Number
Packet Tx Total packets transmitted for a QFI
Packet Rx Total packets received for a QFI
Delay Average delay of all received packets within an average window
PER (Packet Error Rate) Packet Error Rate Plot
PDB (Packet Delay Budget) Packet Delay Budget Plot
Table 3-11: LTENR results Packet trace parameter descriptions

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3.18.1 LTE NR Packet trace

The LTE NR packet trace file has in its last column the field LTENR_PACKET_INFO. This field
has information relating to PDCP header and RLC header. The packet trace file can be opened
from results dashboard.

Figure 3-54: LTE NR Packet Trace. Depending on Excel settings in some cases the entire header
may not be displayed. User can do Ctrl + A (Select All) -> Right Click -> Format Cells -> Alignment ->
Wrap Text to view the complete header.
3.18.2 PDCP and RLC Headers logged in Packet Trace

e e e ie s e e i t e N _ A _N ie NetSim’s
packet trace.

The PDCP header fields are:

▪ D/C field termed as dCBit in NetSim. This is 0 for control PDU and 1 for Data PDU
▪ SN field termed SN in NetSim. This provides the sequence number of the PDCP PDU

The RLC header fields are:

▪ Header Type: If the packet is TMD, UMD or AMD PDU

▪ Segment Information (SI) field: The meaning of each possible SI field value is defined in
the table below Table 3-12.

Ver 13.2 Page 127 of 211

 Value Description
SI=ALL Data field contains all bytes of RLC SDU
SI=FIRST Data field contains first segment of an RLC SDU
SI=LAST Data field contains last segment of an RLC SDU
SI=MIDDLE Data field contains neither the first nor the last segment of RLC SDU
Table 3-12: RLC header fields
▪ SN: The SN field indicates the sequence number of the corresponding RLC SDU. For
RLC AM, the sequence number is incremented by one for every RLC SDU. For RLC
UM, the sequence number is incremented by one for every segmented RLC SDU. RLC
service data units (SDUs) coming from the upper layer are segmented or concatenated
to RLC protocol data units (PDUs) which has a predefined size. Each PDU is assigned
its own sequence number (SN). RLC AM on receiver side will reassemble these PDUs
into SDUs using the sequence number.
▪ SO: The SO field indicates the position of the RLC SDU segment in bytes within the
original RLC SDU. Specifically, the SO field indicates the position within the original RLC
SDU to which the first byte of the RLC SDU segment in the Data field corresponds.
▪ Pollbit: The P field indicates whether or not the transmitting side of an AM RLC entity
requests a STATUS report from its peer AM RLC entity. 0 indicates that the Status report
is not requested, while 1 indicates that the Status report is requested.

3.18.3 LTENR Event Trace

3.18.3.1 Sub event types

1. LTENR_StartFrame
▪ Downlink and uplink transmissions are organized into frames.
▪ There is one set of frames in the uplink and one set of frames in the downlink on a carrier.
▪ This event is triggered when a frame is formed.
▪ As frame length is 10ms, the event gets triggered every 10ms.
(LTENR->LTENR_Phy.c-> LTENR_addStartFrameEvent() )
2. LTENR_Start_Subframe
▪ Each frame consists of 10 subframes.
▪ Event gets triggered every 1 ms
(LTENR->LTENR_Phy.c-> LTENR_addStartSubFrameEvent ())
3. LTENR_StartSlot
▪ Sub frames are divided into slots.
▪ Slot size depends on Numerology (µ)
1
▪ Event gets triggered every 2𝜇 ms

(LTENR->LTENR_Phy.c-> LTENR_addStartSlotEvent ())

4. LTENR_Generate_RRC_MIB

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 ▪ The timer event triggered every 80ms to generate and broadcast MIB packets from gNBs
to all UEs.
(LTE-NR->LTENR_GNBRRC.c->fn_NetSim_LTENR_GNBRRC_GenerateMIB())
5. LTENR_Generate_RRC_SIB1
▪ The timer event triggered every 160ms to generate and broadcast SIB1 packets from
gNB to all UEs.
(LTE-NR-> LTENR_GNBRRC.c-> fn_NetSim_LTENR_GNBRRC_GenerateSIB1())
6. LTENR_Generate_RRC_SI
▪ Timer event triggered when the selected gNB broadcasts RRC_SI packets to all the UEs.
▪ This event is triggered only once, at 160.9ms, during the initial attachment process.
(LTE-NR->LTENR_GNBRRC.c->fn_NETSIM_LTENR_SUBEVENT_GENERATE_SI())
7. LTENR_Generate_RRC_Setup_Request
▪ Triggered when RRC setup request gets transmitted by UE to connected gNB
8. LTENR_RRC_T300
▪ The timer event triggered when RRC_Setup_Request is sent by UE to gNB.
▪ The timer T300 stops when the RRC_setup message is received by the UE
(LTENR->LTEGNBRRC.c->LTENR_RRC_START_T300()
and LTENR_RRC_STOP_T300() (line #1290))
9. LTENR_Generate_RRC_Setup
▪ Event triggered when RRC_Setup message is sent by the selected gNB to the UE.
▪ The RRC_Setup message is generated to establish the RRC connection between the
UE and the gNB.
(LTENR->LTEGNBRRC.c->fn_NetSIM_LTENR_RRC_GENERATE_RRCSETUP())
10. LTENR_Generate_RRC_Setup_Complete
▪ Timer event triggered during the successful establishment of RRC connection.
11. LTENR_Generate_RRC_UE_Measurement_Report_Request
▪ Timer event triggered every 120ms, when the gNB sends measurement report request
to UE.
12. LTENR_Generate_RRC_UE_Mesurement_Report
▪ Timer event triggered when UE sends measurement report to the serving gNB which
contains SINR information from all the gNBs.
▪ Triggered at 240ms after RRC connection establishment and then triggered every
120ms.
13. PDCP_DiscardTimer
▪ When the discardTimer expires for a PDCP SDU, or the successful delivery of a PDCP
SDU is confirmed by PDCP status report, the transmitting PDCP entity shall discard the
PDCP SDU along with the corresponding PDCP Data PDU
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 ▪ Discarding a PDCP SDU already associated with a PDCP SN causes a SN gap in the
transmitted PDCP Data PDUs, which increases PDCP reordering delay in the receiving
PDCP entity.
(LTENR->LTENR_PDCP.c-LTENR_PDCP_START_DISCARD_TIMER ())
14. LTENR_Generate_NAS_Handover_Request
▪ Timer event triggered when the initial Handover_Request is sent by the serving gNB.
The handover request is triggered when the SNR from target gNB exceeds the serving
gNB by a margin of 3db.
15. Handover_Request_Ack
▪ Timer event triggered when the target gNB receives handover request from the serving
gNB and sends back an acknowledgement for the handover request.
16. Handover_Request_Command
▪ Triggered when gNB sends Handover_Command to UE after receipt of Handover
Request Ack
17. Handover_Request_Command_Handle
▪ Event triggered when UE dissociates from interface of serving gNB and associates with
interface of target gNB during a handover.
▪ Functions like FindInterface(), pathswitch() and RRC_Reconfiguration() are called in this
function
(LTENR->LTENR_NAS.c-
>fn_NetSim_LTENR_NAS_GENERATE_HANDOVER_COMMAND_HANDLE())
18. Path_Switch
▪ Triggered when the target gNB sends the pathswitch packet to the EPC in order to
transfer the data path from serving gNB to target gNB.
19. Path_Switch_Ack
▪ Triggered when EPC sends acknowledgement to the target gNB on the receipt of the
path-switch request.
20. UE_Context_Release
▪ Event triggered after successful handover procedure.
▪ Triggered when target gNB sends context release packet to the serving gNB
21. UE_Context_Release_Ack
▪ Triggered when acknowledgement is provided by serving gNB to the target gNB on
receipt of context release packet.

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3.19 Radio measurements log file
NetSim 5G Radio measurements csv log file records pathloss, shadowfadingloss, received
power, SNR, Interference Power, SINR, MCS, CQI, and Beamforming gain. This log file can
be enabled or disabled in the LTE_NR.h file by commenting or uncommenting the line #define
LTENR_RADIO_MEASUREMENTS_LOG respectively.

By default, the log is written for all gNBs and UEs in the network. To get the log written only
for specific UEs in the network, the UE_ID_LIST defined in the LTENR_RadioMeasurments.c
file can be modified suitably.

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 ex m e, i t e is t be itte y ’s 10, 11 12 t e t e ist be
modified as shown below:

UINT UE_ID_LIST[] = { 11, 12, 13 };

The 5G_LTE_Parameter_Log.csv file will contain the following information:

• Time in Milliseconds
• gNB/eNB Name
• UE Name
• Distance between the gNB/eNB and the UE in meters
• Association Status (True/False)
• Carrier ID
• Channel Type (PDSCH/PUSCH/SSB)
• MIMO Layer ID
• Transmitter Power in dBm
• Total Loss in dB
• Pathloss in dB
• Shadow Fading Loss in dB
• Received Power in dBm
• SNR in dB
• SINR in dB
• Interference Power in dBm
• Beamforming gain in dB
• CQI Index
• MCS Index

The log file can be accessed from the Simulations Results Window under the log file drop
down in the left pane.

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Implementation details and Assumptions:

• The PDSCH channel corresponds to downlink.

• The PUSCH channel corresponds to uplink.
• The SSB channel corresponds to control channel.
• Parameters associated with PDSCH and PUSCH channels are logged at every slot
only for associated gNB-UE pairs.
• Parameters associated with SSB channel are logged once at initialization and further
during each mobility event.

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 • Initially only SSB channel entries will be found in the log since gNB-UE association
takes time.
• Interference is not modelled for uplink.
• The SSB control channel transmission is over a single layer. Analog Beamforming gain
is logged for this channel and is used for SSB received power computation.
• Interference is not modelled for the SSB channel and hence SINR and Interference
Power parameters are not logged.
• The SNR computed for SSB channel is used for control decisions such as Association
and Handover. It is not used to calculate the MCS/CQI Index which is used to
determine PDSCH/PUSCH rate.

3.20 Radio resource allocation log file

NetSim 5G Radio Resource Allocation csv log file records information related to physical
resource block allocation such as the Total PRBs, Slot Start Time(ms), Slot End, BitsPerPRB,
BufferFill, Allocated PRBs, etc. This log file can be enabled or disabled in the LTE_NR.h file
by commenting or uncommenting the line #define LTENR_PRB_LOG respectively.

The LTE_Radio_Resource_Allocation.csv file will contain the following information:

• gNB ID
• Component Carrier ID
• Slot ID
• Slot
• Total PRBs

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 • Slot Start Time(ms)
• Slot End Time(ms)
• UE ID
• BitsPerPRB
• BufferFill(B)
• Rank
• Allocated PRBs
• New Rank

The log file can be accessed from the Simulations Results Window under the log file drop
down in the left pane.

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Implementation details and Assumptions:

• In case of sc e i it ms s s x t e ’s e te
to one UE, the entries for the other UEs for which allocation did not happen is not
written to the log file.
• Rank is a metric used for resource allocation.

3.21 Enable detailed logs in 5G NR

A detailed 5G NR log can be enabled by a user, by going to the file LTE_NR.c, and then onto
the function bool get_ltenr_log_status(), and changing the return status to true.

Figure 3-55: Enable LTE_NR log file in visual studio

Then rebuild the code and run the simulation.

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 Figure 3-56: Rebuild 5G Project
The log file will be available under Log Files menu in the left panel of the Results Window.

Figure 3-57: Results Window

Among various values noted in the log file is the CQI and MCS information. For example, a
user would see in the log file:

CQI Table

15 256QAM 948 7.406300

MCS Table

27 256QAM 8 948.000000 7.406300

The CQI information is according to the 38-214 Table 5.2.2.1-2, 5.2.2.1-3, 5.2.2.1-4. And in
the above example:

▪ CQI Index: 15
▪ Modulation: 256QAM
▪ Code Rate x [1024]: 948
▪ Efficiency: 7.406300

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The MCS information is according to the 38-214 Table 5.1.3.1-1, 5.1.3.1-2, 5.1.3.1-3. And in
the above example:

▪ MCS Index:27
▪ Modulation: 256QAM
▪ Modulation Order: 8
▪ Target code Rate x [1024]: 948.000000
▪ Spectral efficiency: 7.406300

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4 Featured Examples

4.1 Understand 5G simulation flow through LTENR log file

Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR ->5G Log File and Packet Trace then click on the
tile in the middle panel to load the example as shown in below screenshot

Figure 4-1: List of scenarios for the example of 5G Log File and Packet Trace
The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays when you open the
example configuration file.

Figure 4-2: Network set up for studying the 5G Log File and Packet Trace

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Settings done in example config file:

1. CBR application source id as 10 and destination id as 8 with Packet_Size as 1460 and

InterArrival_Time as 20000 (Generation rate of 0.584 Mbps). Transport Protocol is set to
UDP.
2. Set other properties to default.
3. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.
4. Enable Plots, Packet Trace and Run Simulation for 10s.

To view and study the 5GNR design/flow of the simulation, use the LTENR.log file which can
be opened post simulation from Results Window > Log Files.

For logging additional information relating to Buffer-status-notification, open the source code
and inside the LTE NR project, uncomment the lines given below in stdafx.h

stdafx.h

#define LTENR_SDAP_LOG

#define LTENR_PDCP_LOG

#define LTENR_RLC_BUFFERSTATUSREPORTING_LOG

Figure 4-3: LTENR code to log Buffer-status-notification and Transmission-status-notification

Rebuild the code to enable logs per Section 3.18 in the 5G-NR manual. Note that log files
would generally be quite large (>10 MB of size). In the GUI enable packet trace and event
trace before running the simulation. Run the simulation. Open the packet trace and ltenr.log
file from the results window.

1. The Physical Resource Block (PRB) list is formed at the beginning of the log file. This
1
corresponds to 1 slot (2𝜇 𝑚𝑠) in time-domain and 15 ∗ 12 ∗ 2𝜇 kHz in frequency domain.

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 Figure 4-4: LTE NR Log File- PRB List
2. The naming convention used in the ltenr log file is gNB <gnb ID>:<Interface>. For example,
gNB 7:4 means gNB 7 interface 4.

▪ For each numerology and carrier, a resource grid of (max. number of resource blocks
for that numerology) * (number of sub-carriers per resource block) and (number of
symbols per sub-frame of that numerology) is defined.
▪ In this example the GUI settings (gNB 5G-RAN interface Physical Layer) are:
o 𝜇 (numerology) is set 0.
o No. of resource blocks (PRB count) = 52
o No. of sub-carriers per PRB = 12
o No. of symbols per sub-frame of numerology (0) = 1.
▪ The log file explains the PRB list for gNB (7) on interface (4):
o The lowest (F_Low_MHz) and highest frequency (F_High_MHz) for the
Uplink/Downlink operating bands are logged first along with the channel bandwidth
(MHz), PRB bandwidth(kHz) and guard bandwidth(kHz).
o The list defines the lower frequency, upper frequency, and central frequency in MHz
for each physical resource block of the PRB count.

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 Figure 4-5: LTE NR Log File- Lower, Higher and Central Frequencies for PRB List
3. The UE association/dissociation is done which is logged. UE (8) on interface (1) associates
with gNB (7) on interface (4). During UE association:

▪ The Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC) information is initialized for Uplink and
Downlink:
o AMC information: Links Spectral efficiency is calculated and based on this Channel
quality indicator (CQI) (Includes the CQI index, modulation, code rate and efficiency)
and Modulation coding scheme (MCS) (Includes the MCS index, modulation,
modulation order, code rate and spectral efficiency) is read from the standard table
and setup for both Downlink and Uplink.

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 Figure 4-6: LTE NR Log File- UE Association
4. The numerology is equal to 0, hence the slots/sub-frame = 1 and there will be 10 sub-
frames per frame. Accordingly, the frames, sub-frames and slots are created as shown
below:

▪ A new frame gets started for the gNB, where the frame id=1, start time and the end time
of the frame are logged.
▪ After the frame-1 starts, the sub-frame for the same gnb is started within the frame. The
frame id=1, sub-frame id=1, start time and end time are logged
▪ Within frame-1, sub-frame-1 a slot is started. This slot’s ID (1), slot type (Uplink), start
time and end time are logged.

Figure 4-7: LTE NR Log File- Frame and Sub Frame list with start time and end time

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5. The RLC-sublayer will check the UE buffer for packets. Based on the logical channel
(DTCH) and the transmission mode (UM, AM), the entity is identified, and the buffer size of
each mode is read. The combined buffer size of all the modes gives the total buffer size
(number of bytes to be processed).

6. The RLC sub-layer then processes the transmission status notification for downlink:

▪ Initially the RLC transmission for the control takes place, where the transmission status
for each of the control logical channels i.e., BCCH, CCCH, DCCH and PCCH is
calculated based on the mode (TM & AM) they support.
▪ While calculating the transmission status for control, the RLC sends the Physical Data
Unit (PDU) based on the mode (TM or AM).
▪ Later the RLC transmission for the data packet happens, where the transmission status
for traffic logical channel i.e., DTCH is calculated based on the AM and UM mode it
supports.
▪ DTCH channel supports Un-Ack mode (UM). t e s t eb e i t eb e is ’t
NULL:
o It will find the buffer that matches the logical channel, and it only proceeds further if
the size of the PDU is within the minimum RLC PDU size.
o If the message packet is NULL (or) message type is user data & the payload of PDU
is greater than size of PDU, it fragments the UM data buffer packet (or else) the buffer
is marked for removal.
o Then the RLC sends the PDU to the MAC layer. And then the RLC buffer gets
updated.

7. At time 1000502.4 µs packet arrives at the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) sub
layer in the gNB:

▪ As the packet arrives at the SDAP sub-layer, the SDAP header is appended to the
Packet with header size.
▪ SDAP sets the RLC mode (here, acknowledge mode) based on QoS, and the logical
channel (DTCH) is chosen.

8. The packet is passed to the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) sub-layer at gNB:

▪ Packet is enqueued to the transmission (Tx) buffer and discard time is started.
▪ PDCP header is added, and packet is passed to the RLC sub-layer.

9. The packet is then passed to the Radio Link Control (RLC) sub-layer at gNB and is added
to the transmission buffer.

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 Figure 4-8: LTE NR Log File- SDAP, PDCP and RLC sublayers
10. Now a new sub frame id - 2 with slot id - 1 gets created for the frame id - 1. Here the slot
type (Downlink)

Figure 4-9: LTE NR Log File- Frame Id and slot Id

11. The RRC related packets like RRC_MIB, RRC_SIB1 arrives are RLC Sub-layer and the
packets are added to the transmission buffer.

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 Figure 4-10: LTE NR Log File- RRC Packet details
12. The data packet is sent from the transmission buffer in DTCH logical channel (for downlink)
from gNB to UE. This packet is sent to the MAC sub-layer and the packet is then added to
the transmitted buffer.

13. The packet enters the Radio Link Control (RLC) protocol sub-layer in the MAC layer at the
UE:

▪ The PDU (Physical Data Unit) is received at the UE, specific to RLC mode:

▪ The AMPDU header of the packet is received and logged. If the sequence number of the
PDU is outside the receiving window, the PDU is discarded.

▪ It checks if the PDU is already present in the reception buffer. If present it drops the PDU
and if the PDU is not present in the reception buffer, then it is added to the reception
buffer: The sequence index (SI), sequence number (SN), and sequence order (SO) for
the corresponding mode also get updated.

▪ Checks if all the Service Data Unit (SDU) byte segments of the PDU packet have been
e ei e . t, it its t e em i i S ’s be e t smitti et. e
reassembly is done for all the SDU if all the SDU byte segments of PDU packet are
received.

▪ Checks if the reassembly timer is started or not and stops if started and vice-versa.

▪ And the status report of RLC-AM is set as delayed.

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 Figure 4-11: LTE NR Log File- MAC sublayer, AMDPDU Header
14. If the header exists, the STATUSPDU is constructed, else the status will be marked as
delayed and the packet will pass to TM mode for transmission. PDU is handed over to RLC
TM mode and packet gets added to transmission buffer.

Figure 4-12: LTE NR Log File- STATUSPDU Construction

15. The packet is received by the PDCP sub-layer. The PDCP state variables like the receive
sequence number(sn), receive hyper frame number(hfn) and the receive count are
calculated.

16. Next the STATUSPDU gets transmitted from the UE to the gNB (See Packet Trace)

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 Figure 4-13: 5G NR Packet Trace
17. The packet enters the Radio Link Control (RLC) protocol sub-layer in the MAC layer at the
UE. Specific to the RLC mode (TM), it receives the Physical Data Unit (PDU) at the UE:

▪ Based on the control data type of the packet, the case is chosen.
▪ Since it is STATUSPDU type, the STATUSPDU packet is received accordingly at the
gNB. And the RLCAM transmitted buffer is cleared, and poll retransmit timer is
stopped.

4.2 Effect of distance on pathloss for different channel

models
Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR ->Distance vs Pathloss then click on the tile in the
middle panel to load the example as shown in below screenshot

Figure 4-14: List of scenarios for the example of Distance vs Pathloss

Ver 13.2 Page 148 of 211

The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays when you open the
example configuration file.

Figure 4-15: Network set up for studying the Distance vs Pathloss

4.2.1 Rural-Macro

4.2.1.1 Line-of-Sight (LOS)

Settings done in example config file

1. Set distance between gNB_7 and UE_8 as 30m.

2. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN) → PHYSICAL_LAYER.

Properties
CA Type INTER_BAND_CA
CA Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
Outdoor_Scenario RURAL_MACRO
LOS_NLOS_Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS_Probabillity 1
Shadow Fading Model None
Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN
O2I Building Penetration Model None
Table 4-1: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
3. CBR application source id as 10 and destination id as 8 with packet size as 1460Bytes and
te _A i _time s 20000μs Generation Rate=0.584). Transport Protocol is set to UDP.
Additionally, the “S ar T m ( )” parameter is set to 1s, while configuring the application.
4. Set UE height as 10m.
5. Set other properties to default.
6. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.

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7. Run Simulation for 20s, after the simulation completes Go to metrics window expand Log
Files option and open LTE Radio Measurement Log.csv and note down the Pathloss.

Figure 4-16: Results window

Figure 4-17: LTENR Radio Measurement Log.csv

Go back to the scenario and change the distance between gNB and UE as 30, 50, 70, 100,
300, 500, 700, and 1000 and note down Pathloss value from the log file.

4.2.1.2 Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS)

Settings done in example config file

1. Set distance between gNB_7 and UE_8 as 30m.

2. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN) → PHYSICAL_LAYER.
Properties

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 CA Type INTER_BAND_CA
CA Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
Outdoor_Scenario RURAL_MACRO
LOS_NLOS_Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS_Probabillity 0
Shadow Fading Model None

Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN

O2I Building Penetration Model None
Table 4-2: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
3. Set all other properties same as LOS example.
4. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
5. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.
6. Run Simulation for 20s, after the simulation completes Go to metrics window expand Log
Files option and open ltenr.log file.

Go back to the scenario and change the distance between gNB and UE as 30, 50, 70, 100,
300, 500, 700, and 1000 and note down Pathloss value from the log file.

4.2.1.3 Result

Distance(m) LOS Pathloss(dB) NLOS pathloss (dB)

CA 0 CA 1 Avg CA 0 CA 1 Avg
30 67.60 70.30 68.95 69.03 71.73 70.38
50 72.17 74.87 73.52 77.97 80.67 79.32
70 75.19 77.89 76.54 83.86 86.56 85.21
100 78.41 81.11 79.76 90.11 92.81 91.46
300 88.46 91.16 89.81 109.35 112.05 110.70
500 93.28 95.98 94.63 118.29 120.99 119.64
700 96.55 99.25 97.90 124.18 126.88 125.53
1000 100.14 102.84 101.49 130.43 133.13 131.78
Table 4-3: Results Comparison for LOS and NLOS pathloss vs. Distance

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 140

120

Avg Pathloss(dB)
100

80

60

40

20

0
10 100 1000
Distance(m)
LOS NLOS

Figure 4-18: Plot of Distance vs. Avg Pathloss

4.2.2 Urban-Macro

4.2.2.1 Line-of-Sight (LOS)

Settings done in example config file

1. Set distance between gNB_7 and UE_8 as 30m.

2. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN) → PHYSICAL_LAYER

Properties
CA Type INTER_BAND_CA
CA Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
Outdoor_Scenario URBAN_MACRO
LOS_NLOS_Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS_Probabillity 1
Shadow Fading Model None
Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN
O2I Building Penetration
None
Model
Table 4-4: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
3. CBR application source id as 10 and destination id as 8 with packet size as 1460Bytes and
Inter_Arrival_time s 20000μs e e ti te=0. 84 . Transport Protocol is set to UDP.
Additionally, the “S ar T m ( )” parameter is set to 1s, while configuring the application.
4. Set UE height as 10m.
5. Set other properties to default.
6. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
7. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.

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8. Run Simulation for 20s, after the simulation completes Go to metrics window expand Log
Files option and open LTE Radio Measurement Log.csv and note down the pathloss.

Figure 4-19: Result window

Figure 4-20: LTENR Radio Measurement Log.csv

Go back to the scenario and change the distance between gNB and UE as 30, 50, 70, 100,
300, 500, 700, and 1000 and note down Pathloss value from the log file.

Note: The minimum distance for rural macro and urban macro is 35m. Below 35m, the 2D and 3D
distance will be 10m in ltenr log file.

4.2.2.2 Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS)

Settings done in example config file

1. Set distance between gNB_7 and UE_8 as 30m.

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2. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN) → PHYSICAL_LAYER
Properties

CA Type INTER_BAND_CA
CA Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
Outdoor_Scenario URBAN_MACRO
LOS_NLOS_Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS_Probabillity 0
Shadow Fading Model None

Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN

O2I Building Penetration Model None
Table 4-5: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
3. Set all other properties same as LOS example.
4. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
5. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18
6. Run Simulation for 20s, after the simulation completes Go to metrics window expand Log
Files option and open ltenr.log file. Note down the Pathloss.

Go back to the scenario and change the distance between gNB and UE as 30, 50, 70, 100,
300, 500, 700, and 1000 and note down Pathloss value from the log file.

4.2.2.3 Result

Distance(m) LOS Pathloss(dB) NLOS pathloss (dB)

CA 0 CA 1 Avg CA 0 CA 1 Avg
30 66.07 68.77 67.42 71.74 74.44 73.09
50 70.95 73.65 72.30 80.41 83.11 81.76
70 74.16 76.86 75.51 86.12 88.82 87.47
100 77.57 80.27 78.92 92.17 94.87 93.52
300 88.07 90.77 89.42 110.82 113.52 112.17
500 92.95 95.65 94.30 119.49 122.19 120.84
700 96.16 98.86 97.51 125.20 127.90 126.55
1000 99.57 102.27 100.92 131.25 133.95 132.60
Table 4-6: Results Comparison for LOS and NLOS pathloss vs. Distance

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 140

120
Avg Pathloss (dB)
100

80

60

40

20

0
10 100 1000
Distance (m)
LOS NLOS

Figure 4-21: Plot of Distance vs. Avg Pathloss

4.2.3 Urban-Micro

4.2.3.1 Line-of-Sight (LOS)

Settings done in example config file

1. Set distance between gNB_7 and UE_8 as 30m.

2. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN) → PHYSICAL_LAYER
Properties

CA Type INTER_BAND_CA
CA Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
Outdoor_Scenario URBAN_MICRO
LOS_NLOS_Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS_Probabillity 1
Shadow Fading Model None

Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN

O2I Building Penetration Model None
Table 4-7: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
3. CBR application source id as 10 and destination id as 8 with packet size as 1460Bytes and
Inter_Arrival_time s 20000μs e e ti te=0. 84 . Transport Protocol is set to UDP.
Additionally, the “S ar T m ( )” parameter is set to 1s, while configuring the application.
4. Set UE height as 10m.
5. Set other properties to default.
6. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.

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7. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.
8. Run Simulation for 20s, after the simulation completes Go to metrics window expand Log
Files option and open LTE Radio Measurement Log.csv and note down the Pathloss.

Figure 4-22: Result window

Figure 4-23: LTENR Radio Measurement.csv

Go back to the scenario and change the distance between gNB and UE as 30, 50, 70, 100,
300, 500, 700, and 1000 and note down Pathloss value from the log file.

4.2.3.2 Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS)

Settings done in example config file

1. Set distance between gNB_7 and UE_8 as 30m.

2. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN) → PHYSICAL_LAYER.

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 Properties

CA Type INTER_BAND_CA
CA Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
Outdoor_Scenario URBAN_MICRO
LOS_NLOS_Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS_Probabillity 0
Shadow Fading Model None

Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN

O2I Building Penetration Model None
Table 4-8: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
3. Set all other properties same as LOS example.
4. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
5. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.
6. Run Simulation for 20s, after the simulation completes Go to metrics window expand Log
Files option and open ltenr.log file. Note down the Pathloss.

Go back to the scenario and change the distance between gNB and UE as 30, 50, 70, 100,
300, 500, 700, and 1000 and note down Pathloss value from the log file.

4.2.3.3 Result

Distance(m) LOS Pathloss (dB) NLOS pathloss (dB)

CA 0 CA 1 Avg CA 0 CA 1 Avg
30 68.99 71.69 70.34 77.92 80.80 79.36
50 73.65 76.35 75.00 85.76 88.63 87.195
70 76.72 79.42 78.07 90.91 93.79 92.35
100 79.97 82.67 81.32 96.38 99.26 97.82
300 89.99 92.69 91.34 113.22 116.10 114.66
500 94.65 97.35 96.00 121.06 123.93 122.495
700 97.72 100.42 99.07 126.21 129.09 127.65
1000 100.97 103.67 102.32 131.68 134.56 133.12
Table 4-9: Results Comparison for LOS and NLOS pathloss vs. Distance

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 140

120
Avg Pathloss (dB)
100

80

60

40

20

0
10 100 1000
Distance (m)
LOS NLOS

Figure 4-24: Plot of Distance vs. Avg Pathloss

4.2.4 Indoor-Office

The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays when you open the
example configuration file.

Figure 4-25: Network Topology for this experiment

4.2.4.1 Line-of-Sight (LOS)

Settings done in example config file

1. Drop the building and drop gNB and UE inside the building.
2. Set distance between gNB_7 and UE_8 as 10m.
3. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN) → PHYSICAL_LAYER.

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 Properties

CA Type INTER_BAND_CA
CA Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
Outdoor_Scenario RURAL_MACRO
LOS_NLOS_Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS_Probabillity 1
Indoor Scenario INDOOR_OFFICE
Shadow Fading Model None

Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN

O2I Building Penetration Model None
Table 4-10: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
4. CBR application source id as 10 and destination id as 8 with packet size as 1460Bytes and
te _A i _time s 20000μs e e ti te=0. 84 . Transport Protocol is set to UDP.
Additionally, the “S ar T m ( )” parameter is set to 1s, while configuring the application.
5. Set UE height as 10m.
6. Set other properties to default.
7. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
8. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.
9. Run Simulation for 20s, after the simulation completes Go to metrics window expand Log
Files option and open LTE Radio Measurement Log.csv and note down the Pathloss.

Figure 4-26: Results Window

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 Figure 4-27: LTENR Log file

Go back to the scenario and change the distance between gNB and UE as 10, 20, 30, 40, 50,
60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 and note down Pathloss value from the log file.

4.2.4.2 Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS)

Settings done in example config file

1. Drop the building and drop gNB and UE inside the building.
2. Set distance between gNB_7 and UE_8 as 10m.
3. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN) → PHYSICAL_LAYER.
Properties

CA Type INTER_BAND_CA
CA Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
Outdoor_Scenario RURAL_MACRO
LOS_NLOS_Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS_Probabillity 0
Indoor Scenario INDOOR_OFFICE
Shadow Fading Model None

Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN

O2I Building Penetration Model None
Table 4-11: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
4. Set all other properties same as LOS example.
5. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
6. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.

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 7. Run Simulation for 20s, after the simulation completes Go to metrics window expand
Log Files option and open ltenr.log file. Note down the Pathloss.

Go back to the scenario and change the distance between gNB and UE as 10, 20, 30, 40, 50,
60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 and note down pathloss values from the log file.

4.2.4.3 Result
Distance(m) LOS Pathloss (dB) NLOS pathloss (dB)
CA 0 CA 1 Avg CA 0 CA 1 Avg
10 55.27 57.97 56.62 62.54 65.90 64.22
20 60.48 63.18 61.83 74.07 77.43 75.75
30 63.52 66.23 64.875 80.81 84.17 82.49
40 65.69 68.39 67.04 85.59 88.96 87.27
50 67.36 70.06 68.71 89.31 92.67 90.99
60 68.73 71.43 70.08 92.34 95.70 94.02
70 69.89 72.59 71.24 94.90 98.27 96.58
80 70.89 73.59 72.24 97.12 100.49 98.80
90 71.78 74.48 73.13 99.08 102.45 100.76
100 72.57 75.27 73.92 100.84 104.20 102.52
Table 4-12: Results Comparison for LOS and NLOS pathloss vs. Distance

120

100
Avg Pathloss(dB)

80

60

40

20

0
10 Distance(m) 100
LOS NLOS

Figure 4-28: Plot of Distance vs. Avg Pathloss

4.3 Effect of UE distance on throughput in FR1 and FR2

In this example we understand how the downlink UDP throughput of a UE varies as its distance
from a gNB is increased. Rebuild the code to enable logs per Section 3.18 in this manual.
Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR ->Distance vs Throughput then click on the tile in
the middle panel to load the example as shown in below screenshot

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 Figure 4-29: List of scenarios for the example of Distance vs Throughput
The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays when you open the
example configuration file.

Figure 4-30: Network set up for studying the Distance vs Throughput

4.3.1 Frequency Range - FR1

Settings done in example config file

1. Set grid length as 2500m from Environment setting.

2. Set distance between gNB_7 and UE_8 as 100m.
3. Go to Wired link properties and set the following properties as shown below.
Wired Link Properties
Uplink_Speed 1000Mbps
Downlink_Speed 1000Mbps
Uplink and downlink BER 0.0000001

Table 4-13: Wired Link Properties

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 4. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN) → PHYSICAL_LAYER, set the following
properties as shown below Table 4-14.
Properties
CA_Type INTER_BAND_CA
CA_Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
CA1
Numerology 2
Channel Bandwidth 40 MHz
CA2
Numerology 2
Channel Bandwidth 100 MHz
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
Shadow Fading Model None

Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN

O2I Building Penetration Model Low Loss Model
Outdoor_Scenario URBAN_MACRO
LOS_NLOS_Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS_Probabillity 0
Table 4-14: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
5. Set Tx_Antenna_Count and Rx_Antenna Count in gNB as 2 and 2.
6. Set Tx_Antenna_Count and Rx_Antenna_Count in UE as 2 and 2.
7. Go to Application properties and set the following properties as shown below Table 4-15.
Application Properties
Source_Id 10
Destination_Id 8
QoS UGS
Transport Protocol UDP
Packet_Size 1460Bytes
Inter_Arrival_time 23μs
Start_Time 1s
Table 4-15: Application properties
8. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.
9. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
10. Run Simulation for 2s, after simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput value from application metrics.

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Go back to the scenario and change the distance between gNB and UE as 200, 300, 400, 500,
600, 700, 800, 900, and 1000m and note down throughput from the results window. The other
parameters in table shown below can be noted down from the LTE NR log file.

4.3.2 Frequency Range - FR2

Settings done in example config file

1. Set grid length as 2500m from Environment setting.

2. Set distance between gNB_7 and UE_8 as 50m.
3. Go to Wired link properties and set the following properties as shown below Table 4-16.
Wired Link Properties
Uplink Speed 10000Mbps
Downlink Speed 10000Mbps
Uplink and downlink BER 0.0000001

Table 4-16: Wired Link Properties

4. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN) → PHYSICAL_LAYER, set the following
properties as shown below Table 4-17.

Properties
Physical Layer Properties
Frequency Range FR2
CA Type INTRA_BAND_NONCONTIGUOUS_CA
CA Configuration CA_n261(7O) _n261A
Numerology Channel Bandwidth (MHz) per carrier
CA1, CA2, CA3,
CA4, CA5, CA6,
CA7, CA8, CA9, 3 100
CA10, CA11,
CA12, CA13, CA14
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1

Shadow Fading Model None

Fading and Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN

O2I Building Penetration Model Low Loss Model

Outdoor Scenario URBAN_MACRO

LOS NLOS Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS Probability 0
Table 4-17: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
5. Set Tx_Antenna_Count and Rx_Antenna Count in gNB as 2 and 2.
6. Set Tx_Antenna_Count and Rx_Antenna_Count in UE as 2 and 2.

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 7. Go to Application properties and set the following properties as shown below Table 4-18.
Application Properties
Source_Id 10
Destination_Id 8
QoS UGS
Transport Protocol UDP
Packet_Size 1460Bytes
Inter_Arrival_time 2μs
Start_Time 1s
Table 4-18: Application properties
8. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.
9. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
10. Run Simulation for 1.05s, after simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput value from application metrics.
Go back to the scenario and change the distance between gNB and UE as 50, 100, 150, and
200 and note down throughput from the results window. The other parameters in the table
shown below can be noted down from the LTENR Radio Measurement log.csv

Results

Note: Filter the CA_ID to 1 in the LTE Radio measurement log file and same values have been
considered in the tables given below. (SNR and CQI are shown for downlink Layer1).

Code Code
Pathloss SNR CQI Rate Rate Throughput
Distance(m) Modulation
(dB) (dB) Index R*[1024] R*[1024] (Mbps)
(CQI) (MCS)
100 97.34 37.46 15 64QAM 948 772 505.10
200 109.05 25.74 15 64QAM 948 772 505.10
300 115.93 18.86 15 64QAM 948 772 505.10
400 120.80 13.98 13 64QAM 772 772 448.09
500 124.59 10.20 11 64QAM 567 567 289.32
600 127.68 7.11 9 16QAM 616 616 183.52
700 130.30 4.49 8 16QAM 490 490 129.69
800 132.56 2.22 6 QPSK 602 602 79.58
900 134.6 0.22 5 QPSK 449 449 51.35
1000 136.35 -1.55 4 QPSK 308 308 36.19
Table 4-19: FR1 - Variation of pathloss, SNR, CQI, Modulation, code rates and throughput as the
distance of the UE from the gNB is increased.
Code Code
Pathloss SNR CQI Rate Rate Throughput
Distance(m) Modulation
(dB) (dB) Index R*[1024] R*[1024] (Mbps)
(CQI) (MCS)
50 109.10 21.72 15 64QAM 948 772 4095.9

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 100 120.68 10.13 11 64QAM 567 567 3074.4
150 127.53 3.28 7 16QAM 378 378 1305.8
200 132.40 -1.58 4 QPSK 308 308 512.5
Table 4-20: FR 2 - Variation of pathloss, SNR, CQI, Modulation, code rates and throughput as the
distance of the UE from the gNB is increased.
Increase in distance leads to an increase in pathloss, which in turn hence leads to lower
received power (and lower SNR). The lower SNR leads to a lower MCS, in turn a lower CQI
and thereby results in lower throughputs. The drop for FR2 happens at a much faster rate in
comparison to FR1. Note that the number of information bits is got from then Transport Block
Size Determination calculations given in Transport block size (TBS) determination. The
throughput would depend on the TBS.

4.4 Impact of MAC Scheduling algorithms on throughput, in

a multi-UE scenario
In this example we understand how the scheduling algorithm affects the UDP download
throughput of a multi-user (UE) system where the UEs are at different distances from the gNB.
Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR ->Scheduling then click on the tile in the middle
panel to load the example as shown in below screenshot

Figure 4-31: List of scenarios for the example of Scheduling

The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays when you open the
example configuration file.

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 00m 1 00m

1000m

Figure 4-32: Network set up for studying the Scheduling

4.4.1 UEs at different distances and channel is not time varying

Configuring the scheduling algorithm, and parameter settings in example config files

1. Set grid length as 5000m from Environment setting.

2. Set distance as follows.
a. gNB_7 to UE_8 = 1000m
b. gNB_7 to UE_9 = 1500m, and
c. gNB_7 to UE_10 = 2000m
3. Go to Wired link properties and set the following properties as shown below Table 4-21.
Wired Link Properties
Uplink Speed 5000 Mbps
Downlink Speed 5000 Mbps
Uplink and downlink BER 0.0000001
Table 4-21: Wired Link Properties
4. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN), set the following properties as shown below
Table 4-22. In the first sample the scheduling type is set to Round Robin, in the second to
Proportional fair, and in the third to Max throughput.

Properties
Data Link Layer Properties

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 Varies: Proportional Fair, Max
Scheduling Type
throughput
Physical Layer Properties
CA Type SINGLE_BAND
CA Configuration n78
CA1
Numerology 1
Channel Bandwidth 100 MHz
Outdoor_Scenario URBAN_MACRO
LOS NLOS Selection USER_DEFINED
LOS Probabillity 1
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
Shadow Fading Model None
Fading and Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN
O2I Building Penetration Model Low Loss Model
Table 4-22: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Data Link layer properties
5. Set Tx_Antenna_Count as 2 and Rx_Antenna_Count as 1 in gNB properties.
6. Set Tx_Antenna_Count as 1 and Rx_Antenna_Count as 2 in all the UEs.
7. Go to Application properties and set the following properties as shown below Table 4-23.

Application Properties
Application 1 Application 2 Application 3
Application Type CBR CBR CBR
Source ID 12 12 12
Destination ID 8 9 10
QoS UGS UGS UGS
Transport Protocol UDP UDP UDP
Packet Size 1460Bytes 1460Bytes 1460Bytes
Inter-arrival time 10μs 10μs 10μs
Start Time 1s 1s 1s
Table 4-23: Application properties
8. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
9. Run Simulation for 1.5s and note down throughput value in the results window in each
sample. Recall that each sample has a different scheduling algorithm configured.

Results and discussions

The results with all the three UEs simultaneously downloading data is as given below.

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 Throughput (Mbps)

Scheduling Application 1 Application 2 Application 3 Aggregate

Round Robin 170.55 88.81 42.46 301.82

Proportional Fair 170.55 88.81 42.46 301.82

Max Throughput 510.36 0 0 510.36

Table 4-24: UDP download throughputs for different scheduling algorithms when all three 3 UEs
simultaneously downloading data
Next, consider a scenario with only one of the UEs seeing DL traffic e ’t i e i b it
configuration file for this, and since it is a simple exercise for a user) First, run for the UE at
1000m, then for UE at 1500m and finally for UE at 2000m. This gives the maximum achievable
throughput per node since the gNB resources (bandwidth) is not shared between 3 UEs and
is fully dedicated to just one UE. The results are below.

Distance from gNB (m) Application ID Throughput (Mbps) Remarks

UE 1 alone has full
1000 1 510.36
buffer DL traffic
UE 2 alone has full
1500 2 266.77
buffer DL traffic
UE 3 alone has full
2000 3 127.56
buffer DL traffic
Table 4-25: UE throughputs if they were run standalone (without the other UEs downloading data)

The PHY rate is decided per the received SNR. Therefore, a UE closer to the gNB will get a
higher date rate than a UE further away. In this example the distances from the gNB are such
that UE10_Distance > UE9_Distance > UE8_Distance.

In Round Robin PRBs are allocated equally among all three nodes. However, throughputs are
in the order UE8 > UE9 > UE10 because of their distances from the gNB. The individual
1
throughputs seen by each of the UEs is exactly 3 of the throughput as shown in Table 4-25.The

PF scheduler results will match that of the RR scheduler since the channel is not time varying.
In Max throughput scheduling the PRBs are allocated such that the system gets the maximum
download throughput. The nearest UE will get all the resources and its throughput will be 3
times the throughput of the UE which got the max throughout in RR.

4.4.2 UEs equidistant with time varying channel. RR vs. PF scheduling

A difference is the performance of the RR and PF schedulers is seen only if the channel is
time varying, of the order of the coherence time which is 10𝑚𝑠. We consider the following
case: all UEs are initially at a distance 𝑑 = 300 𝑚 from the gNB. Then the UEs move away
from the gNB at the same speed of 0.1𝑚 every 10𝑚𝑠 (or 0.01𝑠 ), which is a speed of 10𝑚/𝑠.
The simulation is run for 10s, and the UEs end up at a distance of 300 + 10 × 10 = 400𝑚 from

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the gNB. Note that UEs are at all times equidistant from the gNB and hence pathloss is the
same (at all times) for all UEs. To induce time varying randomness in the channel we enable
log normal shadow fading. Thus, every time the UE moves, NetSim draws a normally
distributed (dB) loss from 𝑁 ~(0, 4) 𝑑𝐵. Under these conditions, the RR scheduler would allot
resources to the UEs in a round robin fashion, whereas the PF scheduler would give
preference to the UE which sees the best channel. Recall that channel quality is dependent
on the draw from 𝑁 ~ (0, 4) since all UEs pathlosses are equal. The results are shown below.

UE ID RR Throughput PF Throughput
UE1
UE2
UE3

Table 4-26: Comparison of PF vs. RR throughput in a case involving time varying channels

4.5 Max Throughput for various bandwidth and numerology

configurations
Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR ->Max Throughput vs Bandwidth and
Numerology then click on the tile in the middle panel to load the example as shown in below
screenshot

Figure 4-33: List of scenarios for the example of Max Throughput vs Bandwidth and Numerology
The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays when you open the
example configuration file.

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 Figure 4-34: Network set up for studying the Max Throughput vs Bandwidth and Numerology
Settings done in example config file

Bandwidth CA1=10 and CA2=10 Sample

1. Set grid length as 1000m from Environment settings.

2. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN), set the following properties as shown below
Table 4-26.
Properties
Physical Layer Properties
CA_Type INTER_BAND_CA
CA_Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
Frequency Range FR1
MCS Table QAM256
CQI Table TABLE2
Pathloss Model None
Table 4-27: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
3. Set Tx_Antenna_Count as 2 and Rx_Antenna_Count as 1 in gNB propertis > Interface
5G_RAN > Physical Layer.
4. Set Tx_Antenna_Count as 1 and Rx_Antenna_Count as 2 in UE propertis > Interface
5G_RAN > Physical Layer.
5. Go to Wired link properties and set the following properties as shown below Table 4-27.
Wired Link Properties
Uplink_Speed (Mbps) 100,000
Downlink_Speed (Mbps) 100,000
Uplink & Downlink BER 0.0000001
Table 4-28: Wired Link Properties

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6. Go to Application properties and set the following properties as shown below Table 4-28.
Application Properties
Source_Id 10
Destination_Id 8
Transport UDP
Protocol
Start_Time 1s
Packet_Size 1460 Bytes
Inter_Arrival_time 1μs
Generation Rate 10,000 Mbps
Table 4-29: Application properties
7. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
8. Run Simulation for 1.01s, after simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput and delay value from application metrics.

For the first time set Numerology value as 1 in gNB properties and change CA1 bandwidth
value as 10, 20, 30, and 40, CA2 bandwidth value as 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 90, and 100
note down throughput.

For the second time set CA1 bandwidth value as 40, CA2 bandwidth value as 50 in gNB
properties and change the Numerology value as 0, 1, and 2 and note down throughput.

Result:
Numerology = 𝟏
Bandwidth Throughput (Mbps)
CA1=10, CA2=10 120.30
CA1=20, CA2=20 259.29
CA1=30, CA2=30 405.29
CA1=40, CA2=40 550.12
CA1=40, CA2=50 643.56
CA1=40, CA2=60 744.01
CA1=40, CA2=80 934.40
CA1=40, CA2=90 1031.34
CA1=40, CA2=100 1128.28
Table 4-30: Results Comparison with constant Numerology vs. Bandwidth and throughput

Bandwidth Numerology Throughput (Mbps) Delay (μs)

CA1=40, CA2=50 0 581.66 5104.65
CA1=40, CA2=50 1 643.56 4903.86
CA1=40, CA2=50 2 650.57 4808.65
Table 4-31: Results Comparison with different Numerology vs. Bandwidth, throughput and Delay
As Numerology increases the throughput remains almost the same while delay reduces.

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4.6 Max Throughput for different MCS and CQI
Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR ->Max Throughput vs MCS and CQI then click on
the tile in the middle panel to load the example as shown in below screenshot

Figure 4-35: List of scenarios for the example of Max Throughput vs MCS and CQI
The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays when you open the
example configuration file.

Figure 4-36: Network set up for studying the Max Throughput vs MCS and CQI
Settings done in example config file:

1. Set grid length as 1000m from Environment setting.

2. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN), set the following properties as shown below
Table 4-31.

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 Properties
Physical Layer Properties
Frequency Range FR2
CA_TYPE INTER_BAND_NONCONTIGUOUS_CA
CA_Configuration CA_n261(2Q) _n261A
Numerology Channel Bandwidth (MHz)
CA1 2 100
CA2 2 100
CA3 2 100
CA4 2 100
CA5 2 100
CA6 2 100
CA7 2 100
CA8 2 100
Pathloss Model None
Table 4-32: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
3. Go to Wired link properties and set the following properties as shown below Table 4-32.

Wired Link Properties

Uplink_Speed (Mbps) 100000
Downlink_Speed (Mbps) 100000
Uplink and Downlink BER 0.0000001
Table 4-33: Wired Link Properties
4. Go to Application properties and set the following properties as shown below Table 4-33.
Application Properties
Source_Id 10
Destination_Id 8
Transport Protocol UDP
Start_Time 1s
Packet_Size 1460Bytes
Inter_Arrival_time 1μs
Generation Rate 10000Mbps
Table 4-34: Application properties
5. Set TX_Antenna_Count as 2 and RX_Antenna_Count as 1 in gNB properties.
6. Set TX_Antenna_Count as 1 and RX_Antenna_Count as 2 in UE properties.
7. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
8. Run Simulation for 1.002s, after simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput and delay value from application metrics.

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For this Scenario set MCS Table as QAM64LOWSE and CQI Table as TABLE3 and note
down throughput.

Go Back to the Scenario and set MCS Table as QAM64 and CQI Table as TABLE1 and note
down throughput.

Go Back to the Scenario and set MCS Table as QAM256 and CQI Table as TABLE2 and note
down throughput.

Result:

MCS Table CQI Table Throughput (Mbps)

QAM64LOWSE TABLE3 1763.68
QAM64 TABLE1 2225.04
QAM256 TABLE2 2902.48
Table 4-35: Results Comparison

4.7 Outdoor vs. Indoor Propagation

Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR -> Outdoor vs Indoor then click on the tile in the
middle panel to load the example as shown in below screenshot

Figure 4-37: List of scenarios for the example of Outdoor vs Indoor

The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays when you open the
example configuration file.

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 Figure 4-38: Network set up for studying the Outdoor
4.7.1 Outdoor

Settings done in example config file:

1. Set grid length as 1000m from Environment setting.

2. Set the following property as shown in below Table 4-35.
General Properties
X Coordinates Y Coordinates
gNB Properties 300 200
UE Properties 150 400
Table 4-36: Device Positions
3. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN), set the following properties as shown below
Table 4-36.

Properties
Physical Layer Properties
gNB Height (m) 10
Tx_Power (dBm) 40
Duplex Mode TDD
CA_Type Inter Band CA
CA Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
DL_UL_Ratio 1:1
CA-1
0
Numerology
5
Bandwidth (MHz)
CA-2
Numerology 0
Bandwidth (MHz) 10
Channel Model
Pathloss Model 3G99TR38.901-7.4.1
Outdoor Scenario Rural Macro

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 LOS_NLOS_Selection User Defined
LOS Probability 1
Shadow Fading Model LOG_NORMAL
ShadowFading_Standard_Deviation 3G99TR38.901-7.4.1-1
Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN
O2I Building Penetration Model LOW_LOSS_MODEL
Table 4-37: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
4. Set TX_Antenna_Count as 2 and RX_Antenna_Count as 1 in gNB properties.
5. Set TX_Antenna_Count as 1 and RX_Antenna_Count as 2 in UE properties.
6. Set the CBR application between source id 10 and destination id 8 with Packet Size 1460
B and IAT 20000 µs and Transport Protocol is set to UDP.
7. Set application start time as 1 sec.
8. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.
9. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
10. Run simulation for 11 sec.
Go to metrics window expand Log Files option and open LTENR.log file.

Figure 4-39: Results Window

Note down the Total Propagation Loss, Pathloss, Shadow Fading Loss, O2I Penetration Loss,
Thermal Noise, and SNR values for downlink Layer1 ad Uplink Layer1.

Ver 13.2 Page 177 of 211

 Figure 4-40: LTENR Log file
4.7.2 Indoor

The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays when you open the
example configuration file.

Figure 4-41: Network set up for studying the Indoor

Settings done in example config file:

1. Set grid length as 1000m from Environment setting.

2. Set the following property as shown in below Table 4-37.
General Properties
X Coordinate Y Coordinate
Building Properties 50 100
gNB Properties 300 200

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 UE Properties 150 400
Table 4-38: Devices Positions
3. Go to the building properties, set Length_X as 105.52m and Breadth_Y as 118.51m.
4. Go to gNB properties → Interface (5G_RAN), set the following properties as shown below
Table 4-38.

Properties
Physical Layer Properties
gNB Height (m) 10
Tx_Power (dBm) 40
Duplex Mode TDD
CA_Type Inter Band CA
CA Configuration CA_2DL_1UL_n39_n41
DL_UL_Ratio 1:1
CA-1
0
Numerology
5
Bandwidth (MHz)
CA-2
0
Numerology
10
Bandwidth (MHz)
Channel Model
Pathloss Model 3G99TR38.901-7.4.1
Outdoor Scenario Rural Macro
LOS_NLOS_Selection User Defined
LOS Probability 1
Shadow Fading Model LOG_NORMAL
ShadowFading_Standard_Deviation 3G99TR38.901-7.4.1-1
Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN
O2I Building Penetration Model LOW_LOSS_MODEL
Table 4-39: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
5. Set TX_Antenna_Count as 1 and RX_Antenna_Count as 1 in gNB properties.
6. Set TX_Antenna_Count as 1 and RX_Antenna_Count as 1 in UE properties.
7. Set the CBR application between source id 10 and destination id 8 with Packet Size 1460
B and IAT 20000 µs and Transport Protocol is set to UDP.
8. Set application Start_Time as 1 sec.
9. The log file can enable per the information provided in Section 3.18.
10. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
11. Run simulation for 11 sec.

Note down the Total Propagation Loss, Pathloss, Shadow Fading Loss, O2I Penetration Loss,
Thermal Noise, and Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)

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Result:

Note: The values of Carrier_Id=0 present in the log file have been considered in the tables
given below. (SNR values shown for downlink Layer1 ad Uplink Layer1).
Outdoor Indoor

Total Propagation Loss (dB) 90.16 108.38

PathLoss (dB) 86.77 86.77

Shadow Fading Loss (dB) 3.38 3.38

O2I Penetration Loss (dB) 0 18.22

Thermal Noise (dB) -106.84 -106.84

Uplink Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) (dB) 39.67 21.45

Downlink Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of Layer 1 53.66 38.45

Table 4-40: Outdoor and Indoor result comparisons

4.8 4G vs. 5G: Capacity analysis for video downloads

Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR -> 4G vs 5G then click on the tile in the middle
panel to load the example as shown in below screenshot

Figure 4-42: List of scenarios for the example of 4G vs 5G

4.8.1 4G

Under 4G click on 20 Nodes Sample, the following network diagram illustrates, what the
NetSim UI displays when you open the example configuration file.

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 Figure 4-43: Network set up for studying the 4G
Settings done in example config file:

1. Set grid length as 1000m from Environment setting.

2. Set the following property as shown in below given Table 4-40.

eNB Properties -> Interface (LTE)

CA Type Intra Band Non- Contiguous CA
Frequency Range FR1
CA_Configuration CA_4DL_42C_2UL_42C_BCS1
DL_UL Ratio 1:1
CA1, CA2, CA3, CA4
Numerology 0
Channel Bandwidth 20 MHz
MCS Table QAM64
CQI Table TABLE1
Pathloss Model None
Table 4-41: eNB >Interface (LTE) >Physical layer properties
3. Frequency range FR1, Numerology = 0, Bandwidth = 20 MHz with QAM 64 MCS table
represents a 4G configuration
4. Set Uplink speed and Downlink speed as 10000 Mbps and BER as 0 in all wired links.
5. Set Tx_Antenna_Count as 2 and Rx_Antenna_Count as 1 in eNB > Interface LTE >
Physical Layer.

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6. Set Tx_Antenna_Count as 1 and Rx_Antenna_Count as 2 in UE > Interface LTE > Physical
Layer.
7. ‘Configure the 20 applications Source id as 4 and Destination id as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 and set the properties as shown below.
This would generate 2.5 Mbps of traffic per user. Transport Protocol is set to UDP in all the
application.

Application Properties
Frame Per Sec 50
Pixel Per Frame 50000
Mu 1
Start_Time 1s
Table 4-42: Application properties
8. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
9. Run simulation for 2 sec. After simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput and delay value from application metrics.

e se mbe ’s mbe i ti s s 40, 60, 80, 100 te

throughput and delay value from application metrics.

4.8.2 5G

Under 5G click on 20 Nodes Sample, the following network diagram illustrates, what the
NetSim UI displays when you open the example configuration file.

Figure 4-44: Network set up for studying the 5G

Settings done in example config file:

1. For the above 5G scenario set the following given properties Table 4-42.

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 gNB Properties -> Interface (5G_RAN)
Pathloss Model None
DL_UL_Ratio 1:1
Frequency Range FR2
CA_Type INTRA_BAND_NONCONTIGUOUS_CA
CA_Configuration CA_n261(2Q) _n261A
Numerology Channel Bandwidth (MHz)
CA1, CA2, CA3, CA4,
CA5, CA6, CA7 and 3 100
CA8
MCS Table QAM256
CQI Table TABLE2
Table 4-43: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
2. The Tx_Antenna_Count was set to 2 and Rx_Antenna_Count was set to 1 in gNB >
Interface 5G_RAN > Physical Layer.
3. The Tx_Antenna_Count was set to 1 and Rx_Antenna_Count was set to 2 in UE > Interface
5G_RAN > Physical Layer.
4. Frequency range FR2, Numerology = 3, Bandwidth = 100 MHz with QAM 256 MCS table
represent a 5G configuration
5. The Uplink and Downlink speed was set to 10000 Mbps and BER as 0 in wired links.
6. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
7. Run simulation for 2 sec. After simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput and delay value from application metrics.

e se mbe ’s mbe i ti s s 40, 60, 80, 100 te

throughput and delay value from application metrics.

𝑆𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑠 (𝑀𝑏𝑝𝑠)

𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑃𝑒𝑟 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑟 (𝑀𝑏𝑝𝑠) =
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑟

𝑆𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝐷𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑠 (𝜇𝑠)

𝐷𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑃𝑒𝑟 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑟 (𝜇𝑠) =
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑟

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Result:

4G (Devices downloading video) 5G (Devices downloading video)

Number Throughput (Mbps) ay (μ ) Throughput (Mbps) ay (μ )

of Users
per Average per Average
Aggregate Aggregate
user Delay user Delay
20 2.44 48.95 3886.56 2.46 49.27 500.63
40 2.43 97.55 6216.01 2.44 97.98 682.15
60 2.45 147.23 8505.414 2.45 147.20 812.41
80 2.44 195.95 10815.42 2.46 197.19 940.64
100 2.14 214.75 71807.78 2.46 246.17 1075.48
120 1.79 214.86 143552.3 2.46 295.75 1219.19
140 1.53 214.91 194969.3 2.46 345.05 1347.99
Table 4-44: Aggregated and Average throughput and delay per user with different number of users for
LTE 4G and 5G NR

For the given settings, the 4G network has a max download capacity available of about 217
Mbps. When this capacity is ready, as the number of users increases the throughput per user
starts dropping in 4G. And the latency shoots up once this threshold is crossed. However, 5G
can provide necessary bandwidth (has a capacity of 5+ Gbps) for each user to download at
the full rate of 2.5 Mbps.

2.5
Throughput per User (Mbps)

1.5

0.5

0
20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Number of Devices

4G 5G

Figure 4-45: Throughput vs Number of Devices for 4G and 5G. The 4G per user throughput starts
falling after 80 devices.

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 250000

200000
Average Delay(micro second)

150000

100000

50000

0
20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Number of Devices
4G 5G

Figure 4-46: Plot of Latency vs Number of Devices. The 5G Network average delay is insignificant i.e.,
many orders of magnitude lower, and hence not visible in the plot.

4.9 5G-Peak-Throughput
Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR -> 5G Peak Throughput then click on the tile in the
middle panel to load the example as shown in below screenshot

Figure 4-47: List of scenarios for the example of 5G Peak Throughput

4.9.1 3.5 GHz n78 band

The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays on clicking.

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 Figure 4-48: Network set up for studying the 5G Peak Throughput
Settings done in example config file:

1. Set the following property as shown in below given Table 4-44.

gNB Properties -> Interface (5G_RAN)

Pathloss Model None
Frequency Range FR1
CA_Type SINGLE_BAND
CA_Configuration n78
DL/UL Ratio 4:1
CA1
Numerology 2
Channel Bandwidth 50 MHz
MCS Table QAM256
CQI Table TABLE2
Table 4-45: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
2. The Tx_Antenna_Count was set to 8 and Rx_Antenna_Count was set to 4 in gNB >
Interface 5G_RAN > Physical Layer.
3. The Tx_Antenna_Count was set to 4 and Rx_Antenna_Count was set to 8 in UE > Interface
5G_RAN > Physical Layer.
4. Wired link properties set Uplink speed and Downlink speed as 100000 Mbps and BER as
0.
5. Set 2 applications Downlink source node as 10, and destination node as 8, Uplink source
node as 8, and destination node as 10. Transport Protocol is set to UDP in all the
application.

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 Application Properties
App_CBR_UDP_DL
Start Time (s) 1
Packet Size (Byte) 1460
Inter Arrival Time (µs) 2.92
App_CBR_UDP_UL
Start Time (s) 1
Packet Size (Byte) 1460
Inter Arrival Time (µs) 5.84
Table 4-46: Application properties
6. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
7. Run simulation for 1.1 sec. After simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput value from application metrics.

Go back to the Scenario and change channel bandwidth to 100 MHz, run simulation for 1.1
sec and note down throughput value from application metrics.

Result:

Throughput (Mbps) Throughput (Mbps)

Bandwidth (MHz)
CBR_UDP_UL CBR_UDP_DL
DL/UL Ratio of 4:1, with 8 DL MIMO and 4 UL MIMO layers
50 209.07 1574.81
100 439.63 3319.45
Table 4-47: Results Comparison
4.9.2 26 GHz n258 band

Settings done in example config file:

1. Set the following property as shown in below Table 4-47.

gNB Properties -> Interface (5G_RAN)

Pathloss Model None
Frequency Range FR2
CA_Type SINGLE_BAND
CA_Configuration n258
DL/UL Ratio 4:1
CA1
Numerology 3
Channel Bandwidth 200 MHz
MCS Table QAM256
CQI Table TABLE2
Table 4-48: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties

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2. The Tx_Antenna_Count was set to 8 and Rx_Antenna_Count was set to 4 in gNB >
Interface 5G_RAN > Physical Layer.
3. The Tx_Antenna_Count was set to 4 and Rx_Antenna_Count was set to 8 in UE > Interface
5G_RAN > Physical Layer.
4. Wired link properties set Uplink speed and Downlink speed as 100000 Mbps and BER as
0.
5. Set 2 applications Downlink source node as 10 destination node as 8, Uplink source node
as 8 destination node as 10. Transport Protocol is set to UDP in all the application.
Application Properties
App_CBR_UDP_DL
Start Time (s) 1
Packet Size (Byte) 1460
Inter Arrival Time (µs) 1
App_CBR_UDP_UL
Start Time (s) 1
Packet Size (Byte) 1460
Inter Arrival Time (µs) 4
Table 4-49: Application properties
6. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
7. Run simulation for 1.1 sec. After simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput value from application metrics.

Go back to the Scenario and change channel bandwidth to 400 MHz, run simulation for 1.1
sec and note down throughput value from application metrics.

Result:

Bandwidth Throughput (Mbps) Throughput (Mbps)

(MHz) CBR_UDP_UL CBR_UDP_DL
DL/UL Ratio of 4:1, with 8 DL MIMO and 4 UL MIMO layers
200 842.01 6195.30
400 1691.38 10773.51
Table 4-50: Results Comparison
4.10 Impact of distance on throughput for n261 band in LOS
and NLOS states
Objective: We observe throughput of a UE (operating in the n261 band with a channel
bandwidth of 100 MHz), moving away from the gNB from 1m to 3.5 Km. The variation of
throughput is plotted in both LOS and NLOS states. Since 5G simulations take a long time to
complete, and given our goal of studying throughput vs. distance, we have set an unrealistic
speed of 20m every 10ms to complete the UE movement in a short time duration.

Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR -> Distance vs Throughput n261 band then click
on the tile in the middle panel to load the example as shown in below Figure 4-49.
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 Figure 4-49: List of scenarios for the example of Distance vs Throughput n261 band
NetSim UI displays the configuration file corresponding to this experiment as shown below in
Figure 4-50.

Figure 4-50: Network set up for studying the Distance vs Throughput n261 band
4.10.1 DL: UL Ratio 4:1

4.10.1.1 LOS and NLOS

The following settings were done to generate this sample:

Step 1: A network scenario is designed in NetSim GUI comprising of 1 gNB, 5G-Core, and 1
UE and 1 Router and 1 Wired Node in the “5G N ” Network Library.

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Step 2: Grid Length was set to 5100 m x 5100 m.

Step 3: The device positions are set as per the table given below.

Device UE_8 gNB_7

x- axis 500 500
y- axis 0 0

Table 4-51: Device general properties

Step 4: The following properties were set in Interface (5G_RAN) of gNB

Parameter Value
Tx_Power 40
gNB Height 10m
CA Type Single Band
CA Configuration n261
DL-UL Ratio 4:1
Numerology 3
Channel Bandwidth 100 MHz
MCS Table QAM64LOWSE
CQI Table TABLE3
Outdoor Scenario Urban Macro
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
LOS_NLOS_Selection User Defined
LOS Probability 1
Shadow Fading Model None
Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN
O2I Building Penetration Model Low Loss Model
Table 4-52: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
Step 5: Set Tx_Antenna_Count and Rx_Antenna_Count as 2 and 2 in gNB properties >
Interface(5G_RAN) > Physical Layer.

Step 6: Set Tx_Antenna_Count and Rx_Antenna_Count as 2 and 2 in UE properties >

Interface(5G_RAN) > Physical Layer.

Step 7: In the General Properties of UE 8, set Mobility Model as File Based Mobility

Step 8: Two CBR Application were generated from between the Wired_Node_10 and UE_8
with the following values.

Parameter Value
APP1_CBR_DL
Source Wired_Node_10
Destination UE_8
Start Time (s) 1
Packet Size (Bytes) 1460
IAT (µs) 11.68
Generation Rate (Mbps) 1000
Transport Protocol UDP
APP2_CBR_UL
Source UE_8
Destination Wired_Node_10
Start Time (s) 1
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 Packet Size (Bytes) 1460
IAT (µs) 97.33
Generation Rate (Mbps) 120
Transport Protocol UDP
Table 4-53: Application Properties
File Based Mobility: In File Based Mobility, users can write their own custom mobility models
ei et em eme t t e m bi e se s. e te m bi ity.txt i e ’s i e i
mobility with each step equal to 4 sec with distance 100 m. The NetSim Mobility File
(mobility.txt) format is as follows:

$time 1.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 50 0.0"

$time 1.01 "$node_(7) 500.0 70 0.0"

..

..

$time 2.72 "$node_(7) 500.0 3490 0.0"

$time 2.73 "$node_(7) 500.0 3510 0.0"

Step 9: Plots is enabled in NetSim GUI.
Step 10: Run simulation for 2.75s.
Step 11: Similarly, in LOS, set the LOS Probability to 0 in gNB properties and simulate the
scenario for 1.3s.

Results:

Downlink Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Plots

Figure 4-51: Downlink Application Throughput Plot in LOS mode

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 Figure 4-52: Downlink Application Throughput Plot in NLOS mode

Uplink Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Plots

Figure 4-53: Uplink Application Throughput Plot in LOS mode

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 Figure 4-54: Uplink Application Throughput Plot in NLOS mode
Discussion: The downlink throughput of 479.17 Mbps is maintained till ~550m in LOS
whereas, it is maintained till 150m in NLOS. Similarly, the uplink throughput of 133.52 Mbps is
maintained till 150m in LOS whereas, it is maintained till 130m in NLOS. The Uplink throughput
falls to the lowest level at ~750m in LOS and at ~150m in NLOS.

4.10.2 DL: UL Ratio 3:2

4.10.2.1 LOS and NLOS

Step 1: All the properties were set as in DL: UL-Ratio 4:1.

Step 2: In the gNB properties-> Interface 5G_RAN, the DL:UL ratio was set to 3:2.

Step 3: The following settings were done in application properties:

Parameter Value
APP1_CBR_DL
Source Wired_Node_10
Destination UE_8
Start Time (s) 1
Packet Size (Bytes) 1460
IAT (µs) 11.68
Generation Rate (Mbps) 1000
Transport Protocol UDP
APP2_CBR_UL
Source UE_8
Destination Wired_Node_10
Start Time (s) 1
Packet Size (Bytes) 1460
IAT (µs) 38.93
Generation Rate (Mbps) 300
Transport Protocol UDP
Table 4-54: Application Properties

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Step 3: Run simulation for 2.75s.

Step 4: Similarly, in LOS, set the LOS Probability to 0 in gNB properties and run simulation for
1.3s.

Results:

Downlink Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Plots

Figure 4-55: Downlink Application Throughput Plot in LOS mode

Figure 4-56: Downlink Application Throughput Plot in NLOS mode

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Uplink Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Plots

Figure 4-57: Uplink Application Throughput Plot in LOS mode

Figure 4-58: Uplink Application Throughput Plot in NLOS mode

Inference: The downlink throughput of 359.74 Mbps is maintained till ~550m in LOS whereas,
it is maintained till 130m in NLOS. Similarly, the uplink throughput of 238.50 Mbps is
maintained till 130m in LOS whereas, it is 35.97 Mbps maintained till 130m in NLOS. The
Uplink throughput falls to the lowest level at ~750m in LOS and at ~150m in NLOS.

4.11 Urban gNB cell radius for different data rates

Open NetSim, Select Examples->5G NR ->gNB cell radius for different data rates then
click on the tile in the middle panel to load the example as shown in below screenshot

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 Figure 4-59: List of scenarios for the example of gNB cell radius for different data rates
4.11.1 3.5 GHz n78 urban gNB cell radius for different data rates

The following network diagram illustrates, what the NetSim UI displays on clicking.

Figure 4-60: Network set up for studying the gNB cell radius for different data rates
Setting done in example config file:

1. Set the following property as shown in below Table 4-55.

gNB Properties -> Interface (5G_RAN)

gNB Height 10m
Tx Power 40
CA Type Single Band
CA Configuration n78
DL: UL 4:1
Numerology 2
Channel Bandwidth 50 MHz

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 MCS Table QAM256
CQI Table TABLE2
Outdoor Scenario Urban Macro
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
LOS_NLOS Selection 3GPPTR38.901-Table7.4.2-1
Shadow Fading Model None
Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN
O2I Building Penetration Model None
Table 4-55: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
2. Set the Tx_Antenna Count as 8 and Rx_Antenna Count as 1 in gNB> Interface 5G_RAN >
Physical Layer.
3. Set the Tx_Antenna Count as 1 and Rx_Antenna Count as 8 in UE> Interface 5G_RAN >
Physical Layer.
4. Set Uplink speed and Downlink speed as 100000 Mbps and BER as 0.
5. Set the following application properties:

App_1_CBR
Source Id 10
Destination Id 8
Packet Size 1460
IAT 1.94 µs
Start time 1s
Transport Protocol UDP
Generation Rate 6 Gbps
Table 4-56: Application properties
6. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
7. Run simulation for 1.1 sec. After simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput value from application metrics.

Go back to the Scenario and change distance between gNB and UE to 100m, 130m, 150m,
170m, 190m, 200m, 300m, 330m, and 350m and run simulation for 1.1 sec.

Result:
Cell Radius (m) Data Rate (Mbps). Downlink
≈1500 Mbps Downlink
100 1574.81
130 1335.72
150 1205.37
≈1000 Mbps Downlink
170 1096.75
190 955.42
200 825.07
≈500 Mbps Downlink
300 499.20

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 330 412.30
350 303.68
Table 4-57: Results Comparison
4.11.2 26 GHz n258 urban gNB cell radius for different data rates

Setting done in example config file:

1. Set the following property as shown in below given table:

gNB Properties -> Interface (5G_RAN)

gNB Height 10m
Tx Power 40
MCS Table QAM256
CQI Table TABLE2
CA Type Single Band
CA Configuration N258
DL: UL 4:1
Numerology 2
Channel Bandwidth 200 MHz
Outdoor Scenario Urban Macro
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
LOS_NLOS Selection 3GPPTR38.901-Table7.4.2-1
Shadow Fading Model None
Fading _and_Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN
O2I Building Penetration Model None

Table 4-58: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties

2. Set the Tx_Antenna Count as 8 and Rx_Antenna Count as 1 in gNB> Interface 5G_RAN >
Physical Layer.
3. Set the Tx_Antenna Count as 1 and Rx_Antenna Count as 8 in UE> Interface 5G_RAN >
Physical Layer.
4. Set Uplink speed and Downlink speed as 100000 Mbps and BER as 0.
5. Set the following application properties:

App_1_CBR
Source Id 10
Destination Id 8
Packet Size 1460
IAT 1.94 µs
Start time 1s
Transport Protocol UDP
Generation Rate 6 Gbps
Table 4-59: Application properties

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6. Plots are enabled in NetSim GUI.
7. Run simulation for 1.1 sec. After simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput value from application metrics.

Go back to the Scenario and change distance between gNB and UE to 20m, 110m, and 150m
and run simulation for 1.1 sec.

Result:

Cell Radius (m) Data Rate (Mbps). Downlink

≈6000 Mbps Downlink
20 5986.81
≈1000 Mbps Downlink
110 724.86
≈ 𝟓00 Mbps Downlink
150 298.07
Table 4-60: Results Comparison
4.12 Impact of numerology on a RAN with phones, sensors,
and cameras
Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR -> Impact of numerology on a RAN with phones
sensors and cameras then click on the tile in the middle panel to load the example as shown
in below Figure 4-61.

Figure 4-61: List of scenarios for the example of Impact of numerology on a RAN with phones sensors
and cameras

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Network Scenario3: To model a real-world scenario, we base our simulation on the setup
shown in Figure 4-62. The link between the gNB and the L2_Switches that represents the Core
Network (CN) is made with a point-to-point 10 Gb/s link, without propagation delay. The Radio
Area Network (RAN) is served by 1 gNB, in which different UEs share the connectivity. We
have 25 smartphones, 6 sensors, 3 IP cameras. The bandwidth is 100MHz and Round Robin
MAC Scheduler. The position of the devices in the reference scenario depicted in Figure 4-62
is quasi-random.

Figure 4-62: Network set up for studying the with 25 smartphones, 6 sensors and 3 cameras
communicating with respective cloud servers
In terms of application data traffic, the camera (video) and sensor nodes have one UDP flow
each, that goes in the UL towards a remote node on the Internet. These flows are fixed-rate
flows: we have a continuous transmission of 5 Mb/s for the video nodes, to simulate a 720p24
HD video, and the sensors transmit a payload of 500 bytes each 2.5 ms, that gives a rate of
1.6 Mb/s. For the smartphones, we use TCP as the transmission protocol. These connect to
data base servers. Each phone has to download a 25 MB file and to upload one file of 1.5 MB.
These flows start at different times: the upload starts at a random time between the 25th and
the 75th simulation seconds, while each download starts at a random time between the 1.5th
and the 95th simulation seconds.

3 This example is adapted from [3]

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 Flows Traffic
Segment / File Size TCP ACK
(No of Rate RAN Dir.
(B) Dir.
devices) (Mbps)
3
Camera (UDP) 5 500 UL -
Sensor (UDP) 6 1.6 500 UL -
Smartphone
25 - 1,500,000 UL DL
Upload (TCP)
Smartphone
Download 25 - 25,000,000 DL UL
(TCP)
Table 4-61: Various parameters of the Traffic flow models for all the devices
The numerology 𝜇 can take values from 0 to 3 and specifies an SCS of 15 × 2𝜇 kHz and a
1
slot length of 2𝜇
ms. FR1 support 𝜇 = 0, 1 and 2, while FR2 supports 𝜇 = 2, 3. We study the

impact of different numerologies, and how they affect the end-to-end performance. The metrics
measured and analysed are a) Throughput of TCP uploads & downloads, and b) Latency of
the UDP uploads

Settings done in example config file:

1. For the above scenario set the following given properties:

gNB Properties -> Interface (5G_RAN)

Pathloss Model None
Frequency Range FR1
CA Type Inter Band CA
CA_Configuration CA_2DL_2UL_n40_n41
CA1
Numerology 0, 1, and 2
Channel Bandwidth 50 MHz
DL_UL Ratio 1:4
CA2
Numerology 0, 1, and 2 Link Properties (All wired links)
Channel Bandwidth 50 MHz Uplink/ Downlink Speed (Mbps) 10000
DL_UL Ratio 1:4 Uplink/ Downlink BER 0
MCS Table QAM64 Uplink/ Downlink Propagation 5
CQI Table TABLE1 e y μs
Table 4-62: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) Table 4-63: Wired Link Properties
>Physical layer properties

2. The following Application properties set to the above scenario:

Sensor UL UDP Camera UL UDP

Generation Rate (Mbps) 1.6 Generation Rate (Mbps) 5
Transport Protocol UDP Transport Protocol UDP
Application Type Custom
Application Type Custom
Packet Size (Bytes) 500
Packet Size (Bytes) 500
I r Arr va T m (μ ) 2500
Table 4-64: Sensor Application Properties for te A i ime μs 800
UL UDP Table 4-65: Camera Application Properties for
UL UDP

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 Phone DL TCP Phone UL TCP
Transport Protocol TCP Application Type FTP
1.5 + 4(𝑡), Where, Transport Protocol TCP
Start Time (s)
𝑖 = 0, 1, 2, … … , 48 25 + 2(𝑖 − 1)
Stop Time (s) 95 Start Time (s) Where, 𝑖=
File Size (Bytes) 25,000,000 1, 2, … … , 25
200 (Simulation Stop Time (s) 95
Inter Arrival Time ends at 100s and File Size (Bytes) 1,500,000
(s) hence only one file 200 (Simulation ends
Inter Arrival Time
is sent) at 100s and hence
(s)
Application Type FTP only one file is sent)
Table 4-66: Phone Application Properties for Table 4-67: Phone Application Properties for
DL TCP UL TCP
3. The Tx_Antenna_Count was set to 2 and Rx_Antenna_Count was set to 4 in gNB >
Interface 5G_RAN >Physical Layer.
4. The Tx_Antenna_Count was set to 4 and Rx_Antenna_Count was set to 2 in UE > Interface
5G_RAN >Physical Layer.
5. Run simulation for 100 sec. After simulation completes go to metrics window and note down
throughput and delay value from application metrics.

Result and Analysis:

Numerology(μ)
Camera Sensor Smartphone
Uplink Uplink Uplink Downlink
Throughput Delay Throughput Delay Throughput Throughput
(Mbps) (μ ) (Mbps) (μ ) (Mbps) (Mbps)
4.99 1845.51 1.6 2274.02 89.80 0.00
4.99 1848.21 1.6 2272.62 89.80 0.00
4.99 1850.91 1.6 2279.64 89.80 0.00
1.6 2278.24 89.80 0.00
1.6 2276.83 89.80 0.00
1.6 2275.43 89.80 0.00
89.80 0.00
89.80 0.00
89.80 0.00
89.80 80.50
89.80 85.69
90.00 75.43
3.62 86.27
0.23 86.26
0.35 86.27
0.17 86.27
0.27 86.27
0.36 86.27
1.35 86.27
1.51 86.27
0.69 86.27

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 2.36 86.27
2.34 86.27
1.85 86.27
1.39 86.27
Table 4-68: Throughput and delay for Camera, Sensors and Smartphones, When 𝝁 = 𝟎

Numerology(μ)
Camera Sensor Smartphone
Uplink Uplink Uplink Downlink
Throughput Delay Throughput Delay Throughput Throughput
(Mbps) (μ ) (Mbps) (μ ) (Mbps) (Mbps)
4.99 35801.94 1.60 1523.71 154.02 0.00
4.99 35720.37 1.60 1522.31 154.02 0.00
4.99 35948.59 1.60 1529.32 154.02 0.00
1.60 1527.92 154.02 0.00
1.60 1526.52 154.02 0.00
1.60 1525.11 154.02 0.00
154.02 0.00
154.02 0.00
154.02 0.00
154.02 0.00
154.02 172.52
154.02 172.52
153.72 171.37
0.52 171.37
0.54 171.37
0.66 171.37
0.63 171.37
0.68 171.37
4.56 171.37
7.14 171.37
6.61 171.37
1.11 171.37
5.58 171.37
5.68 171.37
2.09 171.37
Table 4-69: Throughput and delay for Camera, Sensors and Smartphones, When 𝝁 =
𝟏

Numerology(μ)
Camera Sensor Smartphone
Uplink Uplink Uplink Downlink
Throughput Delay Throughput Delay Throughput Throughput
(Mbps) (μ ) (Mbps) (μ ) (Mbps) (Mbps)
5.00 78284.10 1.60 773.57 149.33 0.00
5.00 79995.75 1.60 772.17 149.33 0.00
5.00 52688.39 1.60 779.18 149.33 0.00
1.60 777.78 149.33 0.00

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 1.60 776.38 149.33 0.00
1.60 774.97 149.33 0.00
149.33 0.00
149.33 0.00
149.33 0.00
149.33 0.00
149.33 344.74
149.33 344.73
149.33 342.61
4.62 342.61
4.63 342.61
5.50 342.61
6.60 342.61
8.56 342.61
10.32 342.61
11.48 342.61
11.46 342.61
11.41 342.61
11.44 342.61
11.44 342.61
11.40 342.61
Table 4-70: Throughput and delay for Camera, Sensors and Smartphones, When 𝝁 = 𝟐

5
Avg. Throughput (Mbps)

0
0 1 2
Numerology (µ)
Camera Sensor

Figure 4-63: The average uplink throughput for camera and sensors remains the same as numerology
is increased. This is because the flow is UDP.

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 400
350

Avg. Throughput (Mbps)

300
250
200
150
100
50
0
0 1 2
Numerology (µ)

Smartphone Uplink Smartphone Downlink

Figure 4-64: Smartphone Uplink, and Smartphone Downlink average throughput vs. Numerology (µ)

2.5

2
Avg. Delay (ms)

1.5

0.5

0
0 1 2
Numerology (µ)
Camera Sensor

Figure 4-65: Camera Uplink, and Sensor Uplink Latency vs. Numerology. The latency drops as the
numerology increases
For UDP applications the 𝜇 does not impact the throughput. However, higher 𝜇 leads to an
obviously lower delay. The variation of delay vs. 𝜇 is as follows:

Avg Delay (Camera) Avg Delay (Sensor)

𝝁=𝟎 1.838 ms 2.286 ms
𝝁=𝟏 0.930 ms 1.536 ms
𝝁=𝟐 0.476 ms 0.780 ms
Table 4-71: Variation of delay vs. numerology for Camera and Sensors
The TCP throughput is inversely proportional to round trip time. Therefore, for applications
running over TCP the throughput increases with higher numerology. This is because higher
Numerology leads to reduced round-trip (end-to-end) times.

4.13 Impact of UE movement on Throughput

Open NetSim, Select Examples ->5G NR -> UE Movement vs Throughput then click on the
tile in the middle panel to load the example as shown in below Figure 4-66.
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 Figure 4-66: List of scenarios for the example of UE Movement vs Throughput
NetSim UI displays the configuration file corresponding to this experiment as shown below in
Figure 4-67.

Figure 4-67: Network set up for studying Throughput vs. UE Movement

The following set of procedures were done to generate this sample:

Step 1: A network scenario is designed in NetSim GUI comprising of 1 gNB, 5G-Core, and 1
UE and 1 Wired Node in the “5G N ” Network Library.

Step 2: Grid Length was set to 5100 m x 5100 m.

Step 3: The device positions are set as per the table given below Table 4-72.

Device UE_8 gNB_7 Wired_Node_10

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 x- axis 500 500 3500
y- axis 1 0 1020
Table 4-72: Device general properties
Step 4: The following properties were set in Interface (5G_RAN) of gNB

Parameter Value
Tx_Power 40
gNB Height 10m
CA Type Single Band
CA Configuration n78
DL-UL Ratio 4:1
Numerology 0
Channel Bandwidth 10 MHz
MCS Table QAM64LOWSE
CQI Table TABLE3
Propagation Model Urban Macro
Pathloss Model 3GPPTR38.901-7.4.1
LOS_NLOS_Selection User Defined
LOS Probability 0
Shadow Fading Model None
Fading and Beamforming NO_FADING_MIMO_UNIT_GAIN
O2I Building Penetration Model Low Loss Model
Table 4-73: gNB >Interface (5G_RAN) >Physical layer properties
Step 5: Set Tx_Antenna_Count and Rx_Antenna_Count as 2 and 1 in gNB properties >
Interface(5G_RAN) > Physical Layer.

Step 6: Set Tx_Antenna_Count and Rx_Antenna_Count as 1 and 2 in UE properties >

Interface(5G_RAN) > Physical Layer.

Step 7: In the General Properties of UE 8, set Mobility Model as File Based Mobility

Step 8: A CBR Application was generated from Wired Node 10 i.e. Source to UE 8 i.e.
Destination with Packet Size remaining 1460Bytes and Inter Arrival Time remaining 1168µs.

Step 9: The Transport Protocol was set to UDP.

Step 10: Additionally, the “S ar T m ( )” parameter is set to 1s, while configuring the
application.

File Based Mobility: In File Based Mobility, users can write their own custom mobility models
and define the movement of the mobile users. Create a mobility.txt fi e ’s i e i
mobility with each step equal to 4 sec with distance 100 m.

The NetSim Mobility File (mobility.txt) format is as follows:

$time 0.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1.0 0.0"

$time 4.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 101.0 0.0"
$time 8.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 201.0 0.0"
$time 12.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 301.0 0.0"
$time 16.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 401.0 0.0"

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$time 20.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 501.0 0.0"
$time 24.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 601.0 0.0"
$time 28.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 701.0 0.0"
$time 32.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 801.0 0.0"
$time 36.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 901.0 0.0"
$time 40.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1001.0 0.0"
$time 44.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1101.0 0.0"
$time 48.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1201.0 0.0"
$time 52.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1301.0 0.0"
$time 56.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1401.0 0.0"
$time 60.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1501.0 0.0"
$time 64.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1601.0 0.0"
$time 68.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1701.0 0.0"
$time 72.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1801.0 0.0"
$time 76.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 1901.0 0.0"
$time 80.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 2001.0 0.0"
$time 84.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 2101.0 0.0"
$time 88.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 2201.0 0.0"
$time 92.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 2301.0 0.0"
$time 96.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 2401.0 0.0"
$time 100.0 "$node_(7) 500.0 2501.0 0.0"
Step 11: Plots is enabled in NetSim GUI.

Step 12: Run simulation for 100s.

Results:

Figure 4-68: Plot of Throughput (Mbps) vs Time (sec)

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Discussion

As the UE moves away from the gNB, the Application throughput starts reducing. The
maximum throughput of 10 Mbps is obtained until 40 sec. At 40s the UE is 1000m away from
the gNB. Then the throughput drops to 9.3 Mbps at 40 sec and at time 48 sec (when UE is
1200m away from gNB), the throughput drops to 6 Mbps and at time 52 sec (when UE is
1300m away from gNB), the throughput drops to 3.26 Mbps and subsequently keeps dropping
as till the end of the simulation as the UE continues to move further away from the gNB.

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5 Omitted Features
▪ The omitted features in the PHY layer are mentioned in 3.9.2.
▪ Wireshark packet capture for 5G MAC
▪ Broadcast and multicast transmissions
▪ Implementation of ROHC (rfc 5795) for header compression and decompression of IP
data flow
▪ Application
o Different resource type and priority levels for applications
▪ RRC
o Modification and release of RRC connection
▪ PDCP
o ciphering and deciphering
o integrity protection
o for split bearers, routing
▪ MAC
o HARQ
o Random access procedure
o PCH
o BCH
o DRx
o S-cells
o BWP operation
o SUL operation
o Beam failure detection
o MAC CE
o RNTI
o MAC header
▪ Miscellaneous
o In-sequence delivery of upper layer PDUs at re-establishment of lower layers
o Duplicate elimination of lower layer SDUs at re-establishment of lower layers for radio
bearers mapped on RLC AM.
o Timer based discard.
o Duplicate discarding.

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6 5G NR Experiments in NetSim
Apart from examples, in-built experiments are also available in NetSim. Examples help the
user understand the working of features in NetSim. Experiments are designed to help the user
(usually students) learn networking concepts through simulation. The experiments contain
objective, theory, set-up, results, and inference. The following experiments are available in the
Experiments manual (pdf file).

1. Simulate and study 5G Handover procedure.

7 Reference Documents
[1] S. A. J. N. J. S. V. Andrea Goldsmith. [Online]. Available:
https://web.stanford.edu/class/archive/ee/ee359/ee359.1062/cup_mimo.pdf. [Accessed
20 11 2020].

[2] E. Telatar, "Capacity of Multi-antenna Gaussian Channels," [Online]. Available:

http://web.mit.edu/18.325/www/telatar_capacity.pdf. [Accessed 08 11 2020].

[3] N. Patriciello, S. Lagen, L. Giupponi and B. Bojovic, "5G New Radio Numerologies and
their Impact on the End-To-End Latency," IEEE 23rd International Workshop on Computer
Aided Modeling and Design of Communication Links and Networks (CAMAD), 2018.

[4] M. Mezzavilla, M. Zhang, M. Polese, R. Ford, S. Dutta, S. Rangan and M. Zorzi, "End-to-
End Simulation of 5G mmWave Networks," IEEE Communication Surveys & Tutorials, Vol
20, No. 3, Third Quarter, 2018.

[5] 3G PPP Standards (Rel 15): 37.324, 38.300, 38.321, 38.322, 38.323, 23.501, 38.901
V15.0.0 (2018-06)

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