WCDMA RAN

Handover
Feature Parameter Description Copyright Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 2010. All rights reserved.
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Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Scope 1.2 Intended Audience 1.3 Change History

2 Overview of Handover 3 Intra-Frequency Handover

3.1 Overview 3.2 Intra-Frequency Handover Procedure 3.3 Intra-Frequency Handover Measurement 3.4 Intra-Frequency Handover Decision and Execution 3.5 Rate Reduction After an SHO Failure 3.6 Signaling Procedures for Intra-Frequency Handover 3.6.1 Intra-NodeB Intra-Frequency Soft Handover Signaling Procedure 3.6.2 Intra-RNC Inter-NodeB Intra-Frequency Soft Handover Signaling Procedure 3.6.3 Inter-RNC Intra-Frequency Soft Handover Signaling Procedure 3.6.4 Intra-RNC Inter-NodeB Intra-Frequency Hard Handover Signaling Procedure 3.6.5 Inter-RNC Intra-Frequency Hard Handover Signaling Procedure

4 Inter-Frequency and Inter-RAT Handover

4.1 Overview 4.2 Inter-frequency and Inter-RAT Handover Switches 4.3 Signaling Procedures for Inter-Frequency Handover 4.3.1 Inter-Frequency Handover Within One RNC 4.3.2 Inter-Frequency Handover Between RNCs 4.4 Signaling Procedures for Inter-RAT Handover 4.4.1 3G-to-2G Handover in the CS Domain 4.4.2 3G-to-2G Handover in the PS Domain 4.4.3 3G-to-2G Handover in Both CS Domain and PS Domain 4.4.4 2G-to-3G Handover in the CS Domain 4.4.5 2G-to-3G Handover in the PS Domain

5 Coverage or QoS Handover

5.1 Coverage or QoS Handover Procedure 5.2 Coverage or QoS Handover Measurement 5.2.1 Coverage or QoS Handover Measurement Report Modes 5.2.2 Coverage or QoS Handover Measurement Quantity 5.2.3 Coverage or QoS Handover Measurement Events 5.2.4 BSIC Verification Requirements for 2G Cells

5.3 Coverage or QoS Handover Decision and Execution 5.3.1 Inter-Frequency Coverage or QoS Handover Decision and Execution 5.3.2 3G-to-2G Coverage and QoS Handover Decision and Execution 5.4 Rules for 3G-to-2G Coverage or QoS Handover 5.5 3G-to-2G NACC 5.6 3G-to-2G PS Handover 5.7 2G-to-3G Handover

6 Load Handover
6.1 Inter-Frequency LDR Handover 6.1.1 Inter-Frequency LDR Handover Procedure 6.1.2 Inter-Frequency LDR Handover Measurement 6.1.3 Inter-Frequency LDR Handover Decision and Execution 6.2 Inter-RAT LDR Handover 6.2.1 Inter-RAT LDR Handover Procedure 6.2.2 Inter-RAT LDR Handover Measurement 6.2.3 Inter-RAT LDR Handover decision and Execution 6.3 Inter-RAT Service Handover 6.3.1 Switches for Inter-RAT Service Handover 6.3.2 Inter-RAT Service Handover Procedure 6.4 Rules for Enabling Inter-RAT LDR or Service Handover 6.5 Interchanging Inter-RAT Load Information

7 HSPA Handover
7.1 HSDPA Handover 7.1.1 HSDPA Intra-Frequency Handover 7.1.2 HSDPA Inter-Frequency Handover 7.1.3 HSDPA Inter-RAT Handover 7.2 HSUPA Handover 7.2.1 HSUPA Intra-Frequency Handover 7.2.2 HSUPA Inter-Frequency Handover 7.2.3 HSUPA Inter-RAT Handover 7.3 HSPA+ Handover 7.3.1 Overview 7.3.2 Preselection Phase 7.3.3 Fallback Phase 7.3.4 Retry Phase 7.4 Anti-Frequent Serving Cell Change 7.5 HSPA Retry

8 HCS Handover
8.1 Overview

8.2 HCS Handover Procedure 8.3 UE Speed Estimation 8.4 HCS Handover Measurement 8.5 HCS Handover Execution 8.6 Signaling Procedure of HCS Handover 8.7 Interoperability Between HCS Handover and Other Handovers

9 Blind Handover 10 Handover Protection

10.1 Anti-Ping-Pong 10.2 Handover Retry 10.2.1 Inter-Frequency Handover Retry 10.2.2 Inter-RAT (3G to 2G) Handover Retry 10.3 Inter-RAT Multimedia Fallback 10.4 Transfering Event Report to Periodical Report

11 Neighboring Cell Combination 12 Compressed Mode 13 Parameters 14 Counters 15 Glossary 16 Reference Documents

1 Introduction
1.1 Scope
The document describes the handover functional area. It provides an overview of the main functions and goes into details regarding handover.

1.2 Intended Audience

This document is intended for:
  

Personnel who are familiar with WCDMA basics Personnel who need to understand handover Personnel who work with Huawei products

1.3 Change History

This section provides information on the changes in different document versions.

There are two types of changes, which are defined as follows:

 

Feature change: refers to the change in the handover feature. Editorial change: refers to the change in wording or the addition of the information that was not described in the earlier version.

Document Issues
The document issues are as follows:
  

02 (2010-06-20) 01 (2010-03-30) Draft (2009-12-05)

02 (2010-06-20)
This is the document for the third commercial release of RAN11.0. Compared with 02 (2009-06-30) of RAN11.1, this issue incorporates no feature changes. Change Type Feature change Editorial change Change Description None. None. Parameter Change The parameter EHSPACMPermissionInd is added to 12 Compressed Mode. None.

01 (2010-03-30)
This is the document for the first commercial release of RAN12.0. Compared with issue Draft (2009-12-05) of RAN12.0, this issue optimizes the description.

Draft (2009-12-05)
This is the draft of the document. Compared with issue 02 (2009-06-30) of RAN11.0, this issue incorporates the changes described in the following table. Change Type Feature change Change Description HCS traffic absorption is removed. Parameter Change The parameters deleted are as follows:


INTER_FREQ_TA

HSPA+ handover is moved from HSPA+ Feature Parameter Description to this document.

None

Change Type

Change Description Compatibility Switch for Dual-frequency Receiver is introduced in RAN12.0

Parameter Change The parameters added are as follows:



CMP_UU_ADJACENT_FREQ_CM_SWIT CH Editorial change None None

2 Overview of Handover
Handover is a basic function of the cellular mobile network. The purpose of handover is to ensure that a UE in CELL_DCH state is served continuously when it moves. Figure 2-1 shows the handovers supported by the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), which include intra-frequency handover, inter-frequency handover, and inter-RAT handover.

Figure 2-1 Handovers supported by the UMTS

3 Intra-Frequency Handover
3.1 Overview
Intra-frequency handover is classified into:


Intra-frequency soft handover: Multiple radio links are connected to the UE at the same time.

Intra-frequency hard handover: Only one radio link is connected to the UE.

Intra-Frequency Soft Handover

Intra-frequency soft handover is more commonly used than intra-frequency hard handover. The types of intra-frequency soft handover are as follows:


Intra-NodeB soft handover (WRFD-020201 Intra Node B Softer Handover, also known as softer handover) Intra-RNC inter-NodeB soft handover (WRFD-020202 Intra RNC Soft Handover) Inter-RNC soft handover (WRFD-020203Inter RNC Soft Handover)

 

Intra-frequency soft handover is characterized by the function that the UE can be connected to multiple Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) access points at the same time. Addition and/or release of radio links are controlled by the ACTIVE SET UPDATE procedure. Table 3-1 Differences between soft handover and softer handover Item Scenario Softer Handover When the UE is in the overlapped coverage area of multiple neighboring cells of a NodeB with combined RLs When the UE communicates with multiple cells by setting up multiple channels over the Uu interface Uplink signal Using maximum-ratio combination Downlink signal Using maximum-ratio combination Soft Handover When the UE is in the overlapped coverage area of two neighboring cells of different NodeBs When the UE communicates with different cells by setting up multiple channels over the Uu interface Using selective combination Using maximum-ratio combination Occupying more Iub bandwidth

Resource use Occupying less Iub bandwidth

The HO_INTRA_FREQ_SOFT_HO_SWITCH parameter is used to determine whether to enable both soft handover and softer handover. By default, this switch is set to ON, indicating that both soft handover and softer handover are enabled. After the RNC receives the event 1A, 1B, 1C, or 1D report, it initiates the corresponding soft handover procedure for the UE. For example, the RNC can add or delete links. The DivCtrlField parameter indicates whether maximum-ratio combination is enabled in the uplink during softer handover. When the NodeB decides not to perform maximum-ratio combination (softer combination), the RNC performs selective combination.

Intra-Frequency Hard Handover

Intra-frequency hard handover (WRFD-020301 Intra Frequency Hard Handover) refers to a handover where all the old radio links are released before the new radio links are established. Compared with soft handover, intra-frequency hard handover uses fewer resources. The scenarios of intra-frequency hard handover are as follows:


No Iur interface is present between RNCs. In this scenario, intra-frequency hard handover instead of soft handover can be performed between two RNCs.

The Iur interface is congested between RNCs. In this scenario, also intra-frequency hard handover instead of soft handover can be performed between two RNCs. The intra-frequency soft handover fails and intra-frequency hard handover is allowed. When intra-frequency soft handover fails because of a congestion problem of the target cell, the RNC tries an intra-frequency hard handover with a lower service bit rate.

The HO_INTRA_FREQ_HARD_HO_SWITCH parameter is used to determine whether to enable intra-frequency hard handover. By default, this switch is set to ON.

Inter RNC Handover

When the target cell under the target RNC fulfils the criteria for intra-frequency soft handover, intraor inter-frequency hard handover, the conditions that the handover over Iur is triggered are as follows: Whether the Iur interface is available depends on the setting of the following two parameters according to handover types:
 

Whether intra- or inter- frequency hard handover is allowed over the Iur interface depends on the setting of the HHOTRIG parameter. Whether inter RNC soft Handover is allowed depends on the setting of the SHOTRIG parameter.

The SHOTRIG parameter consists of three subswitches:



CS_SHO_SWTICH: If CS_SHO_SWTICH is checked, soft handover for CS service over the Iur interface is allowed. HSPA_SHO_SWTICH: If HSPA_SHO_SWTICH is checked, soft handover for HSPA service over the Iur interface is allowed. NON_HSPA_SHO_SWTICH: If NON_HSPA_SHO_SWTICH is checked, soft handover for nonHSPA PS service over the Iur interface is allowed.

If the RRC connection has been set up but the Radio Bearers (RBs) have not, whether a cross-Iur soft handover can be executed is determined by HO_MC_SIGNAL_IUR_INTRA_SWITCH parameter. Only if the switch is set to ON, can the cross-Iur soft handover be executed.

3.2 Intra-Frequency Handover Procedure

The intra-frequency handover procedure involves three phases: handover measurement, handover decision, and handover execution. After the UE transits to the CELL_DCH state in connected mode during a call, the RNC sends a MEASUREMENT CONTROL message to instruct the UE to take measurements and report the measurement event results. The MEASUREMENT CONTROL message carries the following information:
   

Event trigger threshold Hysteresis value Event trigger delay time Neighboring cell list

Upon the reception of an event report from the UE, the RNC makes a handover decision and performs the corresponding handover, as shown in Figure 3-1.

Figure 3-1 Intra-frequency handover procedure

3.3 Intra-Frequency Handover Measurement

In the measurement phase, the UE takes measurements according to the MEASUREMENT CONTROL message received from the RNC. When the event triggering conditions are met, the UE sends measurement reports to the RNC according to the rules defined in the MEASUREMENT CONTROL message.

Intra-Frequency Handover Measurement Quantities

Intra-frequency handover uses Ec/No or RSCP of the CPICH as the measurement value. Intrafrequency handover measurement quantity can be configured through the parameter IntraFreqMeasQuantity.

Intra-Frequency Handover Measurement Events

In intra-frequency handover, the UE reports measurement results to the RNC through event reporting. Event 1A Description A primary CPICH enters the reporting range. This indicates that the quality of a cell is close to the quality of the best cell in the active set. A relatively high combined gain can be achieved when the cell is added to the active set. A primary CPICH leaves the reporting range. This indicates that a cell has a lower quality than the best cell in the active set. The cell has to be deleted from the active set. A non-active primary CPICH becomes better than an active primary CPICH. This indicates that the quality of a cell is better than the quality of the worst cell in the active set. The RNC replaces a cell in the active set with a cell in the monitored set. The best cell changes.

1B 1C

1D

Triggering of Event 1A
Event 1A is triggered under the following condition:

10 x Log(MNew)+ CIONew u W x 10 x Log(

 

) + (1 - W) x 10 x Log(MBest) - (R1a - H1a/2)

MNew is the measurement value of the cell in the reporting range. CIONew is equal to the sum of CIO and CIOOffset, which adjusts the cell boundary in the handover algorithms. This parameter is determined by network planning according to actual environment configuration. To facilitate handover in neighboring cell configuration, the parameter is set as a positive value; otherwise, the parameter is set as a negative value. W represents Weighted factor, which is determined by the parameter Weight. The total quality of the best cell and the active set is specified by W. Mi is the measurement value of a cell in the active set. NA is the number of cells not forbidden to affect the reporting range in the active set. The parameter CellsForbidden1A indicates whether adding the cell to the active set affects the relative threshold of event 1A. MBest is the measurement value of the best cell in the active set. R1a is the reporting range or the relative threshold of soft handover. The threshold parameters of the CS non-VP service, VP service, and PS service are as follows:
IntraRelThdFor1ACSVP IntraRelThdFor1ACSNVP IntraRelThdFor1APS

 

 

 

For the PS and CS combined services, the threshold for CS services is used. For the single signaling connection of the UE, the threshold for CS services is used.

H1a represents 1A hysteresis, the hysteresis value of event 1A

Figure 3-2 shows the triggering of event 1A. In this procedure, the default parameter values are used. If the signal quality of a cell that is not in the active set is higher than Th1A for a period of time specified by TrigTime1A (that is, Time to trigger in Figure 3-2), the UE reports event 1A. Th1A = (CPICH Ec/No of the best cell in the active set) - (reporting range for event 1A)


If Weighted factor> 0, then Th1A = (general signal quality of all the cells in the active set) (reporting range for event 1A). Reporting range for event 1A is equal to the value of IntraRelThdFor1ACSVP, IntraRelThdFor1ACSNVP, or IntraRelThdFor1APS.

Figure 3-2 Triggering of event 1A

  

A: signal quality curve of the best cell in the active set B: signal quality curve of a cell in the monitored set C: curve of Th1A

Triggering of Event 1B
Event 1B is triggered under the following condition:

10 x Log(Mold)+ CIOold e W x 10 x Log(

 

) + (1-W) x 10 x Log(MBest) - (R1b+H1b/2)

MOld is the measurement value of the cell that becomes worse. CIOOld is equal to the sum of CIO and CIOOffset, which is the offset between the cell in the reporting range and the best cell in the active set. W represents Weighted factor, used to weight the quality of the active set. The total quality of the best cell and the active set is specified by the parameter Weight. Mi is the measurement value of a cell in the active set. NB is the number of cells not forbidden to affect the reporting range in the active set. The parameter CellsForbidden1B indicates whether adding the cell to the active set affects the relative threshold of event 1B. MBest is the measurement value of the best cell in the active set. R1b is the reporting range or the relative threshold of soft handover. The threshold parameters of the CS non-VP service, VP service, and PS services are as follows: IntraRelThdFor1BCSVP
IntraRelThdFor1BCSNVP IntraRelThdFor1BPS

 

 

 

For the PS and CS combined services, the threshold for CS services is used. If the UE currently has only signaling connections, the threshold for CS services is used.

H1b is the hysteresis value of event 1B, which is determined by the parameter Hystfor1B.

Configuration rule and restriction

  

The value of IntraRelThdFor1BCSNVP has to be larger than that of IntraRelThdFor1ACSNVP. The value of IntraRelThdFor1BCSVP has to be larger than that of IntraRelThdFor1ACSVP. The value of IntraRelThdFor1BPS has to be larger than that of IntraRelThdFor1APS.

Figure 3-3 shows the triggering of event 1B. In this procedure, the default parameter values are used. Figure 3-3 Triggering of event 1B

  

A: signal quality curve of the best cell in the active set B: signal quality curve of the best cell in the monitored set C: curve of Th1B

Th1B = (CPICH Ec/No of the best cell in the active set) - (reporting range for event 1B) Where,


Reporting range for event 1B is equal to the value of IntraRelThdFor1BCSVP, IntraRelThdFor1BCSNVP, or IntraRelThdFor1BPS. If Weight> 0, then Th1B = (general signal quality of all the cells in the active set) - (reporting range for event 1B).

If the signal quality of a cell in the active set is lower than Th1B for a period of time specified by TrigTime1B (Time to trigger in the figure), the UE reports event 1B.

Triggering of Event 1C
Event 1C is triggered under the following condition: 10 x Log(MNew)+ CIONew u 10 x Log(MInAS) + CIOInAS + H1c/2
 

MNew is the measurement value of the cell in the reporting range. CIONew is the cell individual offset value of the cell in the reporting range. It is equal to the sum of CIO and CIOOffset, which is the offset between the cell in the reporting range and the best cell in the active set. MInAS is the measurement value of the worst cell in the active set. H1c is the hysteresis value of event 1C, which is determined by the parameter Hystfor1C.

 

Figure 3-4 shows the triggering of event 1C. In this procedure, the default parameter values are used. Figure 3-4 Triggering of event 1C

    

A: signal quality curve of the best cell in the active set B: signal quality curve of a cell in the active set C: signal quality curve of the worst cell in the active set D: signal quality curve of a cell in the monitored set E: curve of Th1C

Th1C = (CPICH Ec/No of the worst cell in the active set) + (hysteresis/2) Where,


Hysteresis is equal to the value of Hystfor1C.

If the signal quality of a cell not in the active set is higher than Th1C for a period of time specified by TrigTime1C (Time to trigger in the figure), the UE reports event 1C, as shown in the figure. The UE reports event 1C for qualified cells after the number of cells in the active set reaches the maximum value. The maximum number of cells in the active set can be set by the MaxCellInActiveSet parameter.

Triggering of Event 1D
Event 1D is triggered under the following condition: 10 x Log(MNotBest)+ CIONotBest u 10 x Log(MBest) + CIOBest + H1d/2
 

MNotBest is the measurement value of a cell that is not the best cell. CIONotBest is equal to the sum of CIO and CIOOffset, which is the offset between the cell in the reporting range and the best cell in the active set. MBest is the measurement value of the best cell in the active set. CIOBest is the cell individual offset value of the best cell. This parameter is not used for event 1D. H1d is the hysteresis value of event 1D, which is determined by the parameter Hystfor1D.

  

Figure 3-5 shows the triggering of event 1D. In this procedure, the default parameter values are used. Figure 3-5 Triggering of event 1D

   

A: signal quality curve of the best cell in the active set B: signal quality curve of a cell in the active set or the monitored set C: curve of Th1D Hysteresis is equal to the value of Hystfor1D.

If the signal quality of a cell not in the active set is higher than Th1D for a period of time specified by TrigTime1D (Time to trigger in the figure), the UE reports event 1D.

3.4 Intra-Frequency Handover Decision and Execution

The intra-frequency handover decision and execution procedure depends on the different measurement events that the RNC receives. When receiving an event 1A, 1C, or 1D report, the RNC adds a target cell to the active set only when the CPICH Ec/No of the target cell is higher than the absolute threshold SHOQualmin. Table 3-2 lists different types of intra-frequency handover decision and execution based on different events.

Table 3-2 Intra-frequency handover decision and execution Event Decision and Execution 1A When receiving an event 1A report, the RNC decides whether to add a cell. For event 1A, the UE can report more than one cell in the event list in one measurement report. These cells are in the list of the MEASUREMENT CONTROL message, and they are sequenced in descending order of measurement quantity. For the cells in the list, the RNC adds the radio link to the active set only if the number of cells in the active set does not reach the maximum value. This operation is not required if the number of cells in the active set reaches a specified value. 1B When receiving an event 1B report, the RNC decides whether to delete a cell. For event 1B, if there is more than one radio link in the active set, the RNC decides whether to delete a radio link. This operation is not required if there is only one radio link in the active set. 1C When receiving an event 1C report, the RNC decides whether to change the worst cell. For event 1C, the UE reports a list that contains good cells and the cells to be replaced, and sequences the cells in descending order by measurement quantity. After receiving the list from the UE, the RNC replaces the bad cells in the active set with the good cells in the list. 1D As stipulated in related protocols, an event 1D report includes information about only one cell. This cell can be listed in an active set or a monitored set. The RNC learns that the quality of this cell is better than that of the serving cell and takes one of the following actions: If the reported cell is in the active set, the RNC decides whether to change the best cell or reconfigure measurement control. If the reported cell is in the monitored set, then:


If the number of cells in the active set has not reached the maximum value, the RNC adds the cell to the active set. If the number of cells in the active set has reached the maximum value, the RNC replaces the worst cell in the active set with the reported cell. The best cell is changed to the reported cell.

The RNC determines whether the intra-frequency hard handover scenarios are applicable. If any scenario is applicable, the RNC performs an intra-frequency hard handover.

3.5 Rate Reduction After an SHO Failure

If the radio link fails to be added for a soft handover, the rate reduction is triggered for R99 Non Real Time (NRT) services to increase the probability of a successful soft handover.

Estimation Procedure for Rate Reduction

If the RNC receives a 1A, 1C, or 1D measurement report, the RNC tries to add the corresponding cell to the active set. If the addition fails, the RNC performs the estimation procedure for rate reduction.

Figure 3-6 Estimation procedure for rate reduction

1. The RNC evaluates whether the measurement quantity of the cell failing to be admitted meets the condition of rate reduction.
If

the condition is met, the RNC performs a rate reduction process for the access service immediately, as described in the next section Procedure of Rate Reduction Execution. the condition is not met, the RNC performs the next step (Step 2). is the CPICH Ec/No measurement value of the cell failing to be admitted. is the CPICH Ec/No measurement value of the best cell in the active set. is a parameter.

If

The condition of rate reduction is as follows: Mnew > Mbest_cell - RelThdForDwnGrd

Mnew Mbest_cell

RelThdForDwnGrd

2.


The RNC evaluates whether the number of SHO failures in the cell exceeds the ShoFailNumForDwnGrd. If the number of SHO failures in the cell is smaller than the ShoFailNumForDwnGrd:
If If

the timer has not been started, the RNC starts it.

the timer has been started, the RNC increments the SHO failure counter by one. The timer length is set through the parameter ShoFailPeriod.

The SHO failure counter of a cell is used to record the number of SHO failures in this cell. For each UE, the RNC records the number of SHO failures in three cells at most. For SHO failures in any other cells, the RNC does not record the number. Before the SHO failure evaluation timer expires, no action is taken and the RNC waits for the next measurement report period. When the SHO failure evaluation timer expires, the RNC sets the SHO failure counter of the corresponding cell to 0 and ends the evaluation.

If the number of SHO failures in the cell is larger than or equal to the parameter ShoFailNumForDwnGrd, the RNC performs a rate reduction process for the access service,

Procedure of Rate Reduction Execution

Figure 3-7 Procedure of rate reduction execution

1. The RNC performs a rate reduction process for the access service. The method of determining the access rate after the rate reduction is the same as that described in Rate Negotiation of Load Control Feature Parameter Description. 2. After the rate reduction succeeds, the RNC immediately attempts to add this cell to the active set without measurement:


If the cell succeeds in admitting the UE, the RNC adds the radio link and sets the SHO failure counter of the cell to 0 and ends the execution. If the cell fails to admit the UE, the RNC starts the penalty timer (DcccShoPenaltyTime) to avoid an increase in the rate triggered by DCCC within the period. Also in this period, the RNC sets the SHO failure counter of the cell to 0 and ends the execution.

If the RNC fails to perform a soft handover again, it performs the estimation procedure and the execution procedure, as previously described.

3.6 Signaling Procedures for Intra-Frequency Handover

3.6.1 Intra-NodeB Intra-Frequency Soft Handover Signaling Procedure
This section describes the signaling procedure for intra-frequency soft handover within a NodeB. Figure 3-8 shows the procedure for intra-frequency soft handover when the UE moves from one cell to another cell within the same NodeB. Figure 3-8 Procedure for intra-NodeB intra-frequency soft handover

The connections involved in the intra-NodeB intra-frequency softer handover change are as follows:
  

Before the softer handover, only cell 1 is connected to the UE. During the softer handover, both cell 1 and cell 2 are connected to the UE. After the softer handover, only cell 2 is connected to the UE. Cell 1 is removed from the active set.

Figure 3-9 Signaling procedure for intra-NodeB intra-frequency soft handover

3.6.2 Intra-RNC Inter-NodeB Intra-Frequency Soft Handover Signaling Procedure

This section describes the signaling procedure for intra-RNC inter-NodeB intra-frequency soft handover. Figure 3-8 shows the procedure for intra-RNC inter-NodeB intra-frequency soft handover.

Figure 3-10 Procedure for intra-RNC inter-NodeB intra-frequency soft handover

  

Before the soft handover, only NodeB 1 is connected to the UE. During the soft handover, both NodeBs are connected to the UE. After the soft handover, only NodeB 2 is connected to the UE. The active set of NodeB 1 is removed.

Figure 3-11 Signaling procedure for intra-RNC inter-NodeB intra-frequency soft handover

3.6.3 Inter-RNC Intra-Frequency Soft Handover Signaling Procedure

This section describes the signaling procedure for inter-RNC intra-frequency soft handover. Figure 3-8 shows the procedure for inter-RNC intra-frequency soft handover.

Figure 3-12 Procedure for inter-RNC intra-frequency soft handover

 

Before the soft handover, the UE is connected to NodeB 1 and NodeB 2. After the SRNC makes a soft handover decision, it sets up a connection between NodeB 3 under another RNC and the UE, and releases the connection between NodeB 1 and the UE.

Figure 3-13 Signaling procedure for inter-RNC intra-frequency soft handover

3.6.4 Intra-RNC Inter-NodeB Intra-Frequency Hard Handover Signaling Procedure

The signaling procedure of intra-NodeB intra-frequency hard handover is similar to that of Intra-RNC inter-NodeB intra-frequency hard handover. This section describes the signaling procedure for only the intra-RNC inter-NodeB intra-frequency hard handover.

Figure 3-14 Procedure for intra-RNC inter-NodeB intra-frequency hard handover

Figure 3-15 Signaling procedure for intra-RNC inter-NodeB intra-frequency hard handover

As shown in Figure 3-15, NodeB 1 is the source NodeB and NodeB 2 is the target NodeB.

3.6.5 Inter-RNC Intra-Frequency Hard Handover Signaling Procedure

Figure 3-16 shows the procedure for intra-frequency hard handover when a UE moves from one NodeB in an SRNC to another NodeB in a DRNC. Figure 3-16 Procedure for inter-RNC intra-frequency hard handover

Figure 3-17 Signaling procedure for inter-RNC intra-frequency hard handover

As shown in Figure 3-17, NodeB 1 is the source NodeB and NodeB 2 is the target NodeB.

4 Inter-Frequency and Inter-RAT Handover

4.1 Overview
Based on the handover triggering causes, the inter-frequency and Inter-RAT handover falls into five categories, as described in Table 4-1.

Inter-RAT handover refers to the handover performed between 3G network and 2G network. This section mainly describes the 3G-to2G coverage handover and QoS handover. Except the cause of the triggering is different, the handover procedure is the same for the coverage handover and QoS handover. Table 4-1 Types of inter-frequency and inter-RAT handover Type Coverage handover Description Coverage handover involves the following features:
 

WRFD-020302 Inter Frequency Hard Handover Based on Coverage WRFD-020303 Inter-RAT Handover Based on Coverage

If a moving UE leaves the coverage of the current frequency, the RNC needs to trigger the coverage-based inter-frequency or inter-RAT handover to avoid call drops. For details, see 5 Coverage or QoS Handover. QoS handover QoS handover involves the following features:
 

WRFD-020304 Inter Frequency Hard Handover Based on DL QoS WRFD-020309 Inter-RAT Handover Based on DL QoS

If the link quality becomes worse, the Link Stability Control Algorithm may trigger the QoS-based inter-frequency or inter-RAT handover to avoid call drops. For details, see 5 Coverage or QoS Handover. LDR handover When the LDR function detects the basic congestion, the RNC chooses some UEs and performs the inter-frequency or inter-RAT handover according to user priorities and service priorities to balance the load between inter-frequency or inter-RAT cells. For details, see 6 Load Handover. Service handover Service handover involves the feature WRFD-020305 Inter-RAT Handover Based on Service Based on layered services, the traffic of different classes is handed over to different systems. For example, when an Adaptive Multi Rate (AMR) speech service is requested, this service can be handed over to the 2G network. For details, see 6 Load Handover. HCS handover HCS handover involves the feature WRFD-021200 HCS. Inter-frequency or inter-RAT handover can be triggered by the UE speed estimation algorithm of the HCS. To reduce frequent handovers, the UE at a higher speed is handed over to a cell under a larger coverage, whereas the UE at a lower speed is handed over to a cell under a smaller coverage. For details, see 8 HCS Handover.

4.2 Inter-frequency and Inter-RAT Handover Switches

Some switches are important for inter-frequency handover because they decide whether the handover can be performed successfully. These switches are the parameter values of handover algorithm switches in the command SET UCORRMALGOSWITCH, as described below.

HO_INTER_FREQ_HARD_HO_SWITCH: The switch decides whether the RNC allows interfrequency handover. HO_INTER_RAT_PS_OUT_SWITCH: The switch decides whether the RNC allows inter-RAT handover of the PS domain from the UTRAN. HO_INTER_RAT_CS_OUT_SWITCH: The switch decides whether the RNC allows inter-RAT handover of the CS domain from the UTRAN. HHOTRIG: The switch decides whether intra- or inter- frequency hard handover is allowed over the Iur interface. HO_MC_SIGNAL_SWITCH:The switch decides when the RNC performs the active set signal quality measurement before the RB setup. If the UE is at the cell verge or the signal is weak signals after accessing the network, the RNC can trigger inter-frequency or inter-RAT handover when the UE sets up the RRC.


If the switch is set to ON, the RNC initiates the active set quality measurement after the RRC connection setup is completed (before the RB setup). If the switch is set to OFF, the RNC initiates the active set quality measurement after the RB setup is completed. The switch is set to OFF by default.

HO_MC_MEAS_BEYOND_UE_CAP_SWITCH: The switch decides whether the neighboring cell will be sent in the inter-frequency measurement control message when the frequency of the neighboring cell is not included in the measurement capability of the UE. The reported measurement capability of the UE is not the same as the actual measurement capability of the UE. Measurement capability at some frequencies may not be reported due to the limitation of the version of UE protocol.


If the switch is set to ON, the RNC sends the inter-frequency measurement control message with the neighboring cell, whose frequency is not included in the measurement capability of the UE. If the switch is set to OFF, the RNC sends the inter-frequency measurement control message without the neighboring cell, whose frequency is not included in the measurement capability of the UE. The switch is set to OFF by default.

4.3 Signaling Procedures for Inter-Frequency Handover

4.3.1 Inter-Frequency Handover Within One RNC
Figure 4-1 shows the inter-frequency handover for a UE that moves from NodeB 1 to NodeB 2 within one RNC. Before the handover, the UE sets up a connection to NodeB 1. After the handover, the UE sets up a connection to NodeB 2. The signaling procedure of inter-frequency handover within one NodeB is similar to that between NodeBs within one RNC.

Figure 4-1 Inter-frequency handover between NodeBs within one RNC

Figure 4-2 Signaling procedure for inter-frequency handover between NodeBs within one RNC

As shown in Figure 4-2, NodeB 1 is the source NodeB, whereas NodeB 2 is the target NodeB. From step 1 through step 6, a new connection is set up. From step 7 through step 9, the original connection is released.

4.3.2 Inter-Frequency Handover Between RNCs

Figure 4-3 shows the signaling procedure for inter-frequency hard handover for a UE that moves from a NodeB to another NodeB between the RNCs. Before the handover, the UE sets up a connection to NodeB 1. After the handover, the UE sets up a connection to NodeB 2. Figure 4-3 Inter-frequency hard handover between the RNCs

Figure 4-4 Signaling procedure for inter-frequency hard handover between the RNCs

NodeB 1 is the source NodeB, whereas NodeB 2 is the target NodeB. From step 1 through step 10, a new connection is set up. From step 11 through step 13, the original connection is released.

4.4 Signaling Procedures for Inter-RAT Handover

4.4.1 3G-to-2G Handover in the CS Domain
Figure 4-5 shows the signaling procedure for the 3G-to-2G handover in the CS domain. The 2G messages shown in Figure 4-5 are for your reference only.

Figure 4-5 3G-to-2G handover in the CS domain

4.4.2 3G-to-2G Handover in the PS Domain

When a UE in idle mode or connected mode, if the SGSN changes with the shift of the system that the UE accesses from 3G network to 2G network, the inter-SGSN handover will be performed. The handover procedures are different in the following two cases:


When the UE is in CELL_DCH state The 3G-to-2G handover in the PS domain is triggered after the UTRAN sends a CELL CHANGE ORDER FROM UTRAN message.

When the UE is in CELL_FACH, CELL_PCH, or URA_PCH state The 3G-to-2G handover in the PS domain is triggered through the cell reselection.

The following figure shows an example of handover for the UE in CELL_FACH, CELL_PCH, or URA_PCH state. When the UE is in idle mode, the cell reselection procedure does not include the elementary procedures marked "UE CONNECTED" in Figure 4-6. Figure 4-6 Example of the 3G-to-2G handover in the PS domain

4.4.3 3G-to-2G Handover in Both CS Domain and PS Domain

This section describes the 3G-to-2G handover in both CS domain and PS domain in detail.

Inter-RAT Handover in Both CS Domain and PS Domain

For a UE in CELL_DCH state using both CS and PS domain services, the inter-RAT handover procedure is based on the measurement reports from the UE but is initiated from the UTRAN. The UE performs the inter-RAT handover from UTRA RRC connected mode to GSM connected mode first. After the UE sends a HANDOVER COMPLETE message to the GSM/BSS, the UE initiates a temporary block procedure towards the GPRS to suspend the GPRS services. After the CS domain services are released on the GSM side, the inter-RAT handover in the PS domain is initiated and then completed. If the inter-RAT handover from UTRA RRC Connected Mode to GSM Connected Mode succeeds, the handover is regarded as successful, no matter whether the UE initiates a temporary block procedure towards the GPRS. In case of inter-RAT handover failure, the UE may go back to the UTRA RRC Connected Mode and re-establish the connection in the original state.

SGSN Service Suspend and Resume

When the CS connection is terminated, the BSS may send a RESUME message to the SGSN. However, resume is impossible since the radio access system has changed. Therefore, the SGSN acknowledges the resume through a RESUME NACK message. The UE sends a ROUTING AREA UPDATE REQUEST message to the SGSN to resume the GPRS service. The update mode depends on the network operation mode in use. Figure 4-7 Intra-SGSN service suspend and resume

Figure 4-8 Inter-SGSN service suspend and resume

4.4.4 2G-to-3G Handover in the CS Domain

When a GSM cell has a neighboring UMTS cell, the measurement control information is contained in the system information. The dual-mode MS performs the inter-RAT measurement in idle timeslots and reports the measurement result. Then, the BSC decides whether to start the inter-RAT handover according to the measurement result. The GSM system uses time division multiple access technology, and the inter-RAT measurement is performed in idle timeslots. Therefore, the GSM need not support the compressed mode.

Figure 4-9 2G-to-3G handover in the CS domain

4.4.5 2G-to-3G Handover in the PS Domain

Figure 4-10 shows the 2G-to-3G handover in the PS domain.

Figure 4-10 2G-to-3G handover in PS domain

5 Coverage or QoS Handover

If a moving UE leaves the coverage area of the current frequency or the link quality degrades, the RNC triggers the coverage-based or QoS-based inter-frequency or inter-RAT handover to avoid call drops. The QoS handover procedure is the same as the coverage handover procedure.

5.1 Coverage or QoS Handover Procedure

Figure 5-1 shows the procedure for the coverage or QoS handover. Figure 5-1 Coverage or QoS handover procedure

In the triggering phase If the CPICH of the current cell becomes worse, the UE reports the event 2D. Then the RNC initiates the coverage handover. If the link quality of the current service deteriorates, the Link Stability Control Algorithm makes a QoS handover decision. Then the RNC initiate the QoS handover.

In the measurement phase The RNC sends an inter-frequency measurement control message to the UE, requesting the NodeB and UE to start the compressed mode. The RNC also requests the UE to perform the interfrequency or inter-RAT handover measurement. If the CPICH of the current cell becomes better, the UE reports the event 2F. Then the RNC stops the compressed mode and the coverage handover. In this phase, the method of either periodical measurement report or event-triggered measurement report can be used.

In the decision phase

After the UE reports event 2B or 3A, the RNC performs the handover. Or the UE periodically generates measurement reports, and the RNC makes a decision after evaluation.


In the execution phase The RNC executes the handover procedure.

5.2 Coverage or QoS Handover Measurement

In the measurement phase of inter-frequency or inter-RAT handover, the UE takes measurement according to the MEASUREMENT CONTROL message received from the RNC. When the measurement report conditions are met, the UE sends measurement reports to the RNC according to the rules defined in the MEASUREMENT CONTROL message. For detailed information on the quality estimation, see section "Frequency Quality Estimate" in 3GPP TS 25.331.

5.2.1 Coverage or QoS Handover Measurement Report Modes

The coverage-based and QoS-based handover use event-triggered or periodical measurement report mode.
   

InterFreqReportMode: The measurement report mode of inter-frequency handover. InterRatReportMode: The measurement report mode of inter-RAT handover. PrdReportInterval: The periodical measurement report interval of inter-frequency handover. InterRATPeriodReportInterval: The periodical measurement report interval of inter-RAT handover.

The advantage of periodical measurement report is that if the handover fails, the RNC reattempts the handover to the same cell after receiving the periodical measurement report from the UE. This increases the probability of the success of inter-frequency handover. Based on the measurement control message received from the RNC, the UE periodically reports the measurement quality of the target cell. Then, based on the measurement report, the RNC makes the handover decision and performs handover.

5.2.2 Coverage or QoS Handover Measurement Quantity

Measurement quantities vary according to the type of inter-frequency or inter-RAT handover. The used frequency belongs to a UMTS cell and the used frequency measurement quantities are set as follows:


In inter-frequency or inter-RAT coverage or QoS handover, event 2B/2D/2F or periodical measurement takes both CPICH Ec/No and RSCP as measurement quantities. In coverage-based inter-RAT handover, the system delivers both CPICH Ec/N0 and CPICH RSCP for 2D/2F measurement. To deliberately limit the types of measurement quantity, you can set the corresponding threshold of the limited measurement quantity to the minimum value. For example, if event 2D of CS service Ec/No can be reported but the RSCP cannot, the parameter InterRATCSThd2DRSCP or InterFreqCSThd2DRSCP is set to the minimum value, that is, -115.

In inter-RAT coverage handover, the event 3A measurement quantity is set through the parameter MeasQuantityOf3A. In inter-RAT QoS handover, the event 3A measurement quantity is set through the parameter UsedFreqMeasQuantityForQos3A.

The unused frequencies belong to a GSM cell, and the unused frequency measurement quantity is referred to as to GSM RSSI.

5.2.3 Coverage or QoS Handover Measurement Events

When the measurement thresholds are reached, the UE reports the events to the RNC to trigger related handover procedures. Table 5-1 describes the measurement events involved in inter-frequency or inter-RAT handover. Table 5-1 Measurement events involved in inter-frequency handover Event 2D 2F 2B Description The estimated quality of the currently used frequency is below a certain threshold. The estimated quality of the currently used frequency is above a certain threshold. The estimated quality of the currently used frequency is below a certain threshold and the estimated quality of a non-used frequency is above a certain threshold. The estimated quality of the currently used UTRAN frequency is below a certain threshold and the estimated quality of the other system is above a certain threshold.

3A

Triggering of Event 2D
After the conditions of event 2D are fulfilled and maintained until the TimeToTrig2D is reached, the UE sends the event 2D measurement report message. Event 2D is triggered on the basis of the following formula: QUsed TUsed2d - H2d/2
 

QUsed is the measured quality of the used frequency. TUsed2d is the absolute quality threshold of the cell that uses the current frequency. Based on the service type and measurement quantity, this threshold can be configured through one of the following parameters: Inter-frequencyparameters InterFreqCSThd2DEcN0
InterFreqR99PsThd2DEcN0 InterFreqHThd2DEcN0 InterFreqCSThd2DRSCP InterFreqR99PsThd2DRSCP InterFreqHThd2DRSCP

Inter-RAT parameter
InterRATCSThd2DEcN0 InterRATR99PsThd2DEcN0

InterRATHThd2DEcN0 InterRATCSThd2DRSCP InterRATR99PsThd2DRSCP InterRATHThd2DRSCP

The parameters related to HSPA handover are valid only when the switch HO_ALGO_OVERLAY_SWITCH is set to ON. Otherwise, all the PS domain services will take the parameters related to R99 PS service as a measurement event threshold.
For If 

the PS and CS combined services, the threshold is set to the higher one of CS or PS services.

the UE has only signaling connections currently, the thresholds for CS services are used. H2d is the event 2D hysteresis value set through the parameter HystFor2D.

Triggering of Event 2F
After the conditions of event 2F are fulfilled and maintained until the parameter TimeToTrig2F is reached, the UE reports the event 2F measurement report message. Event 2F is triggered on the basis of the following formula: QUsed TUsed2f + H2f/2 Where,
 

QUsed is the measured quality of the used frequency. TUsed2f is the absolute quality threshold of the cell that uses the current frequency. Based on the service type and measurement quantity, this threshold can be configured through one of the following parameters: Inter-frequency parameters InterFreqCSThd2FEcN0
InterFreqCSThd2FRSCP InterFreqR99PsThd2FEcN0 InterFreqR99PsThd2FRSCP InterFreqHThd2FEcN0 InterFreqHThd2FRSCP

Inter-RAT parameters InterRATCSThd2FEcN0

InterRATR99PsThd2FEcN0 InterRATHThd2FEcN0 InterRATCSThd2FRSCP InterRATR99PsThd2FRSCP InterRATHThd2FRSCP

The parameters related to HSPA handover are valid only when the switch HO_ALGO_OVERLAY_SWITCH is set to ON. Otherwise, all the PS domain services will take the parameters related to R99 PS service as a measurement event threshold.
For

the PS and CS combined services, the threshold is set to the higher one of CS or PS services.

If 

the UE has only signaling connections currently, the thresholds for CS services are used. H2f is the event 2F hysteresis value set through the parameter HystFor2F.

Triggering of Event 2B
After the conditions of event 2B are fulfilled and maintained until the parameter TimeToTrig2B is reached, the UE reports the event 2B measurement report message. Event 2B is triggered on the basis of the following formula: QNoused TNoused2b + H2b/2 QUsed TUsed2b - H2b/2 Where,
   

QNoused is the measured quality of the cell that uses the other frequencies. QUsed is the measured quality of the used frequency. H2b is the event 2B hysteresis value set through the parameter HystFor2B. TNoused2b is the absolute quality threshold of the cell that uses the other frequencies. Based on the service type and measurement quantity, this threshold can be configured through one of the following parameters: TargetFreqCsThdEcN0
TargetFreqCsThdRscp TargetFreqR99PsThdEcN0 TargetFreqR99PsThdRscp TargetFreqHThdEcN0 TargetFreqHThdRscp

TUsed2b is the absolute quality threshold of the cell that uses the current frequency.

TUsed2b is set in the following way:



Based on the service type and measurement quantity, this threshold can be configured through one of the following parameters: If event 2D with the CPICH RSCP value is received by the RNC:
TUsed2b

of event 2B with the CPICH RSCP value can be:

UsedFreqCSThdRSCP UsedFreqR99PsThdRSCP UsedFreqHThdRSCP

TUsed2b

of event 2B with the CPICH Ec/No value is configured as the maximum value 0 dB.

According to 3GPP specifications, TUsed2b of event 2B with the CPICH Ec/No value should be configured as the maximum value 0 dB. If the event 2F with the CPICH Ec/No value is received by the RNC and TUsed2b of event 2B with the CPICH Ec/No value is modified, TUsed2b is reset to 0 dB. If event 2D with the CPICH Ec/No value is received by the RNC:
TUsed2b

of event 2B with the CPICH Ec/No value can be: UsedFreqCSThdEcN0 UsedFreqR99PsThdEcN0

UsedFreqHThdEcN0
TUsed2b

of event 2B with the CPICH RSCP value is configured as the maximum value 25 dBm.

According to 3GPP specification, TUsed2b of event 2B with the CPICH RSCP value should be configured as the maximum value 25 dBm. If event 2F with the CPICH RSCP value is received by the RNC and TUsed2b of event 2B with the CPICH RSCP value is modified, TUsed2b is reset to 25 dBm.


The parameters related to HSPA handover are valid only when the switch HO_ALGO_OVERLAY_SWITCH is set to ON. Otherwise, all the PS domain services will take the parameters related to R99 PS service as a measurement event threshold. For the PS and CS combined services, the threshold is set to the higher one of CS or PS services. If the UE has only signaling connections currently, the thresholds for CS services are used.

 

Triggering of Event 3A
When the conditions for event 3A are met and maintained in time-to-trigger specified by TrigTime3A the UE sends the measurement report of event 3A. Event 3A is triggered on the basis of the following formula: QUsed TUsed - H3a/2 and MOtherRAT + CIOOtherRAT TOtherRAT + H3a/2 Where,
 

QUsed is the measurement value of the cell at the currently used frequency. TUsed is the absolute quality threshold of the cell that uses the current frequency. Based on the service type and measurement quantity in the coverage-based handover, TUsed can be configured through the following parameters UsedFreqCSThdEcN0
UsedFreqCSThdRSCP UsedFreqHThdEcN0 UsedFreqHThdRSCP UsedFreqR99PsThdEcN0 UsedFreqR99PsThdRSCP

In the Coverage-based handover, based on the measurement quantity (CPICH Ec/No or RSCP), TUsed is configured as follows:
If

the measurement quantity is CPICH Ec/No:

If 2D is triggered by RSCP, TUsed is configured as the maximum value 0 dB. If 2D is triggered by Ec/No, TUsed is configured as the Ec/No threshold specified by the previous parameters.
If

the measurement quantity is CPICH RSCP:

If 2D is triggered by RSCP, TUsed is configured as the RSCP threshold specified by the previous parameters.. If 2D is triggered by Ec/No, TUsed is configured as the maximum value -25 dBm. In the uplink QoS-based handover, based on the measurement quantity (CPICH Ec/No or RSCP), TUsed is configured as the maximum value according to 3GPP specifications, as described below:
If

the measurement quantity is CPICH Ec/No, TUsed is configured as the maximum value 0 dB.

If

the measurement quantity is CPICH RSCP, TUsed is configured as the maximum value 25 dBm. the measurement quantity is CPICH Ec/No, TUsed is configured as the maximum value 0 dB.

In the downlink QoS-based handover:

If If

the measurement quantity is CPICH RSCP, based on the service type , TUsed can be configured as one of the following sums:

UsedFreqCSThdRSCP

and DlRscpQosHyst UsedFreqR99PsThdRSCP and DlRscpQosHyst

UsedFreqHThdRSCP

and DlRscpQosHyst

 

MOtherRAT is the measurement value of the cell (in another RAT) in the reporting range. CIOOtherRAT is the cell individual offset value of the cell (in another RAT) in the reporting range which is equal to the sum of CIO and CIOOffset. TOtherRAT is the absolute inter-RAT handover threshold. Based on different service types (CS , PS domain R99 service, or PS domain HSPA service), this threshold can be configured through the following parameters:
TargetRatCsThd TargetRatR99PsThd TargetRatHThd

 

H3a is 3A hysteresis, the hysteresis value of event 3A. For the PS and CS combined services, the threshold for CS service is used.

5.2.4 BSIC Verification Requirements for 2G Cells

During inter-RAT measurement, it is recommended that the UE report the 2G cell to the RNC after the Base Transceiver Station Identity Code (BSIC) of the cell is verified. This greatly enhances the reliability of handover. The parameter BSICVerify is the control switch for the BSIC verification.

5.3 Coverage or QoS Handover Decision and Execution

5.3.1 Inter-Frequency Coverage or QoS Handover Decision and Execution
The coverage-based and QoS-based inter-frequency handovers are categorized into two types according to the following two measurement report modes: periodical measurement report mode and event-triggered measurement report mode. Each mode corresponds to a different decision and execution procedure. HOCovPrio specifies the neighboring cell priority for coverage based inter-frequency handover.

Inter-Frequency Handover in Periodical Measurement Report Mode

After receiving the periodical measurement report of the inter-frequency cell, the RNC starts the following decision procedures: 1. Decide whether both the CPICH Ec/No value and CPICH RSCP value of the pilot signal of the target cell meet the requirement of inter-frequency handover. The evaluation formula is listed below: Mother_Freq + CIOother_Freq Tother_Freq + H/2

Where,
Mother_Freq

is the CPICH Ec/No or CPICH RSCP measurement value of the target cell reported by the UE. Both of the two measurement values of the inter-frequency cell must satisfy the formula. is the cell individual offset value of the target cell. It is equal to the sum of CIO and CIOOffset.

CIOother_Freq Tother_Freq

is the decision threshold of inter-frequency hard handover. Based on the service type and measurement quantity, this threshold can be configured through one of the following parameters: TargetFreqCsThdEcN0 TargetFreqCsThdRscp TargetFreqR99PsThdEcN0 TargetFreqR99PsThdRscp TargetFreqHThdEcN0 TargetFreqHThdRscp

These thresholds are the same as the quality threshold of event 2B.
H

is the inter-frequency hard handover hysteresis value set through the parameter HystForPrdInterFreq. Start the hard handover time-to-trigger timer, which is configured through the parameter TimeToTrigForPrdInterFreq.

2.

3. If Mother_Freq + CIOother_Freq< Tother_Freq - H/2, stop the timer. 4. Select the cells in sequence, that is, from high quality cells to low quality ones, to initiate interfrequency handover in the cells where the hard handover time-to-trigger timer expires. Each cell in the measurement report shall be evaluated as mentioned previously. When the hard handover time-to-trigger timers of more than one cell expire at the same time, the latest measurement report is used for selecting the best inter-frequency neighboring cell for handover. For example, the cell with the highest CPICH RSCP in the latest measurement report is selected, as shown in Figure 5-2.

Figure 5-2 Selecting the cell with the highest CPICH RSCP

Inter-Frequency Handover in Event-Triggered Measurement Report Mode

After receiving the event 2B measurement reports of CPICH RSCP and CPICH Ec/No of the interfrequency cell, the RNC starts the following procedure: 1. Add all the pilot cells that trigger event 2B to a cell set and arrange the cells according to the measurement quality of CPICH_Ec/No in descending order. 2. Select the cells in turn from the cell set to perform inter-frequency handover.

5.3.2 3G-to-2G Coverage and QoS Handover Decision and Execution

The coverage-based and QoS-based 3G-to-2G handover is categorized into two types according to the following two measurement report modes: periodical measurement report mode and eventtriggered measurement report mode. Each mode corresponds to a different decision and execution procedure.

3G-to-2G Coverage and QoS Handover in Periodical Report Mode

After receiving the periodical measurement report of GSM cells, the RNC performs the following decision and execution procedures: 1. Decide whether the quality of 2G cells meets the conditions of inter-RAT handover. The evaluation formula is listed below: Mother_RAT + CIOother_RAT Tother_RAT + H/2 Where,
Mother_RAT

is the measurement result of inter-RAT handover received by the RNC. is the cell individual offset value of the target cell. It is equal to the sum of CIO and

CIOother_RAT

CIOOffset.

Tother_RAT

is the decision threshold of inter-RAT hard handover.

Based on the service type and measurement quantity, this threshold can be configured through the following parameters: TargetRatCsThd TargetRatR99PsThd TargetRatHThd
H

is the inter-RAT handover hysteresis value set through HystforInterRAT.

For

the PS and CS combined services, one or more handover thresholds for CS services are used.

2. Start the evaluation of the cells that meet the quality requirement and start the time-to-trigger timer. If the measurement report meet the following formula and time-to-trigger timer does not expire, stop the time-to-trigger timer. Mother_RAT + CIOother_RAT< Tother_RAT - H/2 The length of the time-to-trigger timer is configured through the parameter TimeToTrigForVerify (with BSIC acknowledged) or the parameter TimeToTrigForNonVerify (with BSIC unacknowledged). 3. Select the cells in sequence, that is, from high quality cells to low quality ones, to initiate 3G-to2G handover in the cells where the handover time-to-trigger timer expires.

3G-to-2G Coverage and QoS Handover in Event Report Mode

After receiving the event 3A measurement report of 2G cells, the RNC performs the following decision and execution procedures: 1. Put all the 2G cells that trigger event 3A into a cell set and arrange the cells according to the measurement quality in descending order. 2. Select the cells in sequence from the cell set to perform inter-RAT handover.

5.4 Rules for 3G-to-2G Coverage or QoS Handover

The rules for enabling the 3G-to-2G handover are based on the Service Handover Indicator and the capability requirement. The rules vary according to the types of inter-RAT handover.

Capability Requirement
Before deciding the 3G-to-2G handover, the RNC considers 2G cell capability, service capability and UE capability.


2G cell capability: 2G cell capability is configured through the parameter RatCellType. This parameter indicates whether the cell supports the GSM, GPRS, or EDGE. Service required capability: The Required 2G Capability (Req2GCap) specifies the capability of 2G cells required by inter-RAT handover. This indicates whether the service is supported by the GSM, GPRS, or EDGE. UE capability: Upon the reception of the UE capability information message, the RNC decides whether to start the inter-RAT measurement. The information indicates whether the UE supports the GSM, GPRS, or EDGE.

The following tables describe the impacts of different types of capability on handover decision. If the capability of all 2G neighboring cells does not meet the requirement, the inter-RAT measurement will not be triggered.

Table 5-2 Impacts of different types of capability on handover decision 2G Cell Capability EDGE UE Capability Service Required Capability EDGE EDGE GPRS GSM Allowed Allowed Not allowed GPRS Allowed Allowed Not allowed Not allowed Allowed Allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed GSM Allowed Allowed Allowed Not allowed Allowed Allowed Allowed Not allowed Allowed Allowed Allowed Not allowed

Not supported by 2G Not allowed GPRS EDGE GPRS GSM Allowed Allowed Not allowed

Not supported by 2G Not allowed GSM EDGE GPRS GSM Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed

Not supported by 2G Not allowed

Service Handover Indicator

The RNC initiates the coverage- or QoS-based UMTS-to-GSM handover only when Service Handover Indicator is as follows:
 

HO_TO_GSM_SHOULD_BE_PERFORM HO_TO_GSM_SHOULD_NOT_BE_PERFORM

The IE Service Handover Indicator indicates the CN policy for the service handover to the 2G network. This IE is indicated in the Radio Access Bearer (RAB) assignment signaling assigned by the CN, or provided by the RNC side. The algorithm switch HoSwitch: HO_INTER_RAT_RNC_SERVICE_HO_SWITCH decides whether the service attribute of inter-RAT handover is based on the RNC or the CN.


If the switch is set to ON, the service attribute of inter-RAT handover is based on the parameter configured on the RNC side. If the switch is set to OFF, the service attribute of inter-RAT handover is first based on the CN when the indicator is contained in the RAB assignment signaling assigned by the CN. If the CN does not allocate a service indicator, the service attribute of inter-RAT handover is based on the RNC side.

Through the SHIND parameter, the service handover indicators are set as follows:


HO_TO_GSM_SHOULD_BE_PERFORM: means that the handover to the 2G network is performed when 2G signals are available.

HO_TO_GSM_SHOULD_NOT_BE_PERFORM: means that the handover to the 2G network is performed when 3G signals are weak but 2G signals are strong. HO_TO_GSM_SHALL_NOT_BE_PERFORM: means that the handover to the 2G network is not performed even when 3G signals are weak but 2G signals are strong.

By default, the RNC does as follows:



For a UE with a single signaling RAB, the RNC supports the handover to the GSM. But it is not recommended. For the UE accessing combined services (with CS services), the RNC sets the service handover indicator of the UE to that of the CS service, because the CS service has the highest QoS priority. For the UE accessing combined services (with only PS services), the RNC sets the service handover indicator of the UE to that of the PS service with the highest QoS priority

If the service handover indicators are not configured by the CN, each indictor can be set to the service parameter index of a service on the RNC. Eachservice parameter index is the index of one typical service RAB, which involves a set of service type, source description, CN domain ID, and maximum rate (bit/s).

5.5 3G-to-2G NACC

This section describes the featureWRFD-02030801 NACC (Network Assisted Cell Change). The Network Assisted Cell Change (NACC) function can efficiently reduce the delay of UMTS-toGSM handover. Some services have requirements for the delay. If the handover takes too long, TCP may start slowly or data transmission of the service stream may be interrupted due to the overflow of the UE buffer. The introduction of NACC enables the system information exchange between different BSSs, or between BSS and RAN. Thus the inter-system delay, especially inter-system delay in PS domains, can be reduced. With NACC, the RNC sends the UE a cell change order, which contains the GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) system information, when the 3G-to-2G handover in the PS domain is triggered. To enable the NACC function, do as follows:


Run the SET UCORRMALGOSWITCH command to set HoSwitch: HO_INTER_RAT_PS_3G2G_CELLCHG_NACC_SWITCH to ON. Run the ADD UEXT2GCELL / MOD UEXT2GCELL command to set SuppRIMFlag to TRUE.

5.6 3G-to-2G PS Handover

This section describes the featureWRFD-02030802 PS Handover between UMTS and GPRS PS handover is similar to the inter-RAT handover in the CS domain. If the HO_INTER_RAT_PS_3G2G_RELOCATION_SWITCH is turned on, the PS handover from the 3G network to the 2G network is performed in the relocation process. When the switch is not on, the PS handover from the 3G network to the 2G network is performed in the cell change order process. To enable the PS HO function, do as follows:


Run the SET UCORRMALGOSWITCH command to set HoSwitch: HO_INTER_RAT_PS_3G2G_RELOCATION_SWITCH parameter to ON. Run the ADD UEXT2GCELL / MOD UEXT2GCELL command to set SuppPSHOFlag to TRUE.

5.7 2G-to-3G Handover

The 2G-to-3G handover is initiated by the 2G network, where the dual-mode (GSM and WCDMA) mobile terminals are required. Both the GSM MSC and the GSM BSS must support the GSM-toUMTS handover.

6 Load Handover
Load handover is used to balance the load among inter-frequency or inter-RAT cells. Load handover falls into the following categories:
  

Inter-frequency LDR handover Inter-RAT LDR handover Inter-RAT service handover

6.1 Inter-Frequency LDR Handover

6.1.1 Inter-Frequency LDR Handover Procedure
The inter-frequency LDR handover (WRFD-020103 Inter Frequency Load Balance) suits co-sited cells covering the same area.


In the triggering phase The Load Reshuffling (LDR) module detects that the current cell is in basic congestion and then initiates an inter-frequency handover.

In the decision phase For Inter-frequency LDR blind handover, the RNC decides to trigger an inter-frequency blind handover if the corresponding conditions are met. After the inter-frequency handover is triggered, the RNC chooses a decision algorithm according to whether the conditions of direct blind handover are met. For inter-frequency LDR measure-based handover, the RNC requests the UE to perform the interfrequency measurement. Based on the measurement results, the RNC chooses a target cell to perform inter-frequency hard handover.

In the execution phase The RNC performs the handover according to the decision result.

For details of LDR, see Load Control Feature Parameter Description.

6.1.2 Inter-Frequency LDR Handover Measurement

The Inter-frequency LDR handover uses the periodical report mode.
 

In Inter-frequency LDR blind handover, CPICH RSCP of the used frequency is measured. In inter-frequency LDR measure-based handover, both CPICH_RSCP and CPICH_Ec/No of the target frequency are measured.

6.1.3 Inter-Frequency LDR Handover Decision and Execution

The LDR algorithm may trigger an inter-frequency handover. The following describes the procedure for handover decision and execution.

The inter-frequency LDR handover can be performed based on blind handover or measurement that can be decided by the parameter InterFreqLDHOMethodSelection.

Inter-Frequency LDR Blind Handover Decision

1. The LDR algorithm learns that a cell is in basic congestion and provides target cells and the UE with low priority for handover. 2. The RNC determines to trigger an inter-frequency blind handover. If the UE is not in soft handover state, the RNC directly performs Inter-frequency LDR blind handover. If the UE is in soft handover state, the RNC operates based on the following conditions:


If the HO_ALGO_LDR_ALLOW_SHO_SWITCH is set to ON, The RNC determines whether the cell that triggers LDR is the best cell.
If

this cell is the best cell, the RNC initiates an intra-frequency measurement for Inter-frequency LDR blind handover. The intra-frequency measurement is used to estimate quality of the interfrequency cell of the same coverage. this cell is not the best cell, the RNC does not initiate a Inter-frequency LDR blind handover.

If 

If the HO_ALGO_LDR_ALLOW_SHO_SWITCH is set to OFF, the RNC does not initiate a Interfrequency LDR blind handover.

Inter-Frequency LDR Blind Handover Execution

The inter-frequency cells with the same coverage area have the same CPICH RSCP values. By measuring the CPICH RSCP of the cell, the quality of the cells with the same coverage area can be determined, which increases the probability of successful blind handover. 1. The RNC initializes the timer of intra-frequency measurement for blind handover. The timer is specified by internal algorithm and need not be configured. 2. The RNC initiates a periodical intra-frequency measurement. The measurement report mode is set to periodical report. The reporting period is BlindHOIntrafreqMRInterval.
The The The

number of measurement reports is BlindHOIntrafreqMRAmount. intra-frequency handover measurement quantity is CPICH RSCP. list of measured cells contains only the cells that trigger LDR.

3.

After receiving from the UE the intra-frequency measurement reports for conditional blind handover, the RNC checks whether the following condition is met: CPICH RSCP of the cell in the measurement report >= BlindHOQualityCondition
If

the condition is met, the RNC increments the counter of the number of intra-frequency measurement reports for blind handover by 1. the condition is not met, the RNC does not perform a blind handover to the cell that triggers LDR and stops intra-frequency measurement for blind handover.

If

4. When the counter reaches the value of BlindHOIntrafreqMRAmount, the RNC initiates a blind handover to the target cell. If the counter does not reach this value, the RNC waits for the next intra-frequency measurement report from the UE.

5.

If the timer of intra-frequency measurement for blind handover expires, the RNC does not perform a blind handover to the target cell and stops intra-frequency handover measurement for blind handover.

If the inter-frequency handover based on coverage or QoS is triggered, the RNC stops the intrafrequency measurement for conditional blind handover.

Inter-Frequency LDR Measure-based Handover Decision and Execution

1. The LDR algorithm learns that a cell is in basic congestion and provides target cells and the UE with low priority for handover. 2. The RNC selects the target cell based on the measurement results. The report period is specified by the parameter PrdReportInterval. The target cell must meet the following conditions: The CPICH RSCP value of the target cell is larger than TargetFreqThdRscp.
The The

CPICH Ec/No value of the target cell is larger than TargetFreqThdEcN0 target cell is not in the basic congestion state.

The RNC performs an inter-frequency hard handover to the target cell directly.

6.2 Inter-RAT LDR Handover

6.2.1 Inter-RAT LDR Handover Procedure
When the load of the 3G network is heavy and all the RABs of the UE are supported by the 2G network, the Inter-RAT (3G-to-2G) LDR handover (WRFD-020306 Inter-RAT Handover Based on Load) is triggered. Figure 6-1 Inter-RAT LDR handover procedure

In the triggering phase

When the load of the 3G cell that the UE accesses is higher than the related threshold, the Load Reshuffling (LDR) algorithm makes a handover decision. For detailed information of the LDR, see Load Reshuffling in the Load Control Feature Parameter Description.


In the measurement phase The RNC enables the compressed mode and starts the inter-RAT handover measurement. In the decision phase After the UE reports event 3C, the RNC makes a handover decision. In the execution phase The RNC initiates a handover procedure.

6.2.2 Inter-RAT LDR Handover Measurement

For Inter-RAT LDR handover, the measurement report is triggered only by event. In inter-RAT LDR handover, event 3C takes only GSM RSSI as measurement quantity. When the estimated quality of other system is higher than a certain threshold, the UE reports event 3C to the RNC. When the conditions for event 3C are met and the delay requirement specified by the TrigTime3C parameter can be satisfied, the UE sends the measurement report of event 3C. Event 3C is triggered on the basis of the following formula: MOtherRAT + CIOOtherRAT TOtherRAT + H3c/2 Where,
 

MOtherRAT is the measurement value of the cell (in another RAT) in the reporting range. CIOOtherRAT is the cell individual offset value of the cell (in another RAT) in the reporting range, which is equal to the sum of CIO and CIOOffset. TOtherRAT is the absolute inter-RAT handover threshold. Based on different service types (CS , PS domain R99 service, or PS domain HSPA service), this threshold can be configured through the following parameters: TargetRatCsThd
InterRATNCovHOPSThd

 

H3c is 3C hysteresis, the hysteresis value of event 3C. For the PS and CS combined services, the threshold(s) for CS services is (are) used.

6.2.3 Inter-RAT LDR Handover decision and Execution

After receiving the event 3C measurement report of 2G cells, the RNC performs the following handover decision and execution procedure: 1. Put all the 2G cells that trigger event 3C into a cell set and arrange the cells according to the measurement quality in descending order. 2. Select the cells in sequence from the cell set. To avoid the impact of the UE (in long-term measurement of compressed mode) on the radio network, the parameter InterRATHOAttempts is set to restrict the maximum attempts of the 3G-to2G LDR-based or service-based handover. The parameter indicates the handover attempts made to

the same cell or different cells. If the number of attempts exceeds the parameter value, the RNC does not initiate the handover.

6.3 Inter-RAT Service Handover

Inter-RAT service handover supports 3G-to-2G handover based on service attributes. When 3G and 2G networks coexist, this feature enables the 3G traffic to be directed to the 2G network. This feature can balance the load between the two systems by transferring some kind of appropriate services to GSM/GPRS.

6.3.1 Switches for Inter-RAT Service Handover

To perform the service-based 3G-to-2G handover, the RNC must turn on the related switches for services in the CS and PS domains.


When a single CS service is initially set up by the UE, the RNC allows the 3G-to-2G service-based handover if CSServiceHOSwitch is set to ON. When a single PS service is initially set up by the UE, the RNC allows the service-based 3G-to-2G handover if PSServiceHOSwitch is set to ON.

For the combined services, no service-based handover is triggered.

6.3.2 Inter-RAT Service Handover Procedure

Figure 6-2 Service-based 3G-to-2G handover procedure

Except for the triggering phase, the procedure of Inter-RAT service Handover is the same as that of the Inter-RAT LDR handover. For details, see section 6.2.3 "Inter-RAT LDR Handover decision and Execution." When a service is established, the RNC requests the handover to the GSM based on the service type and service handover indicator assigned by the CN. Figure 6-3 shows an example of rules for the indicator of the 3G-to-2G handover based on load and service.

Figure 6-3 Example of rules for indicator of 3G-to-2G handover based on load and service

6.4 Rules for Enabling Inter-RAT LDR or Service Handover

The RNC initiates the 3G-to-2G load handover only when Service Handover Indicator (SHIND) is as follows:
 

HO_TO_GSM_SHOULD_BE_PERFORM HO_TO_GSM_SHOULD_NOT_BE_PERFORM

The RNC initiates the service-based 3G-to-2G handover only when the Service Handover Indicator is HO_TO_GSM_SHOULD_BE_PERFORM. Before deciding the 3G-to-2G handover, the RNC considers 2G cell capability (RatCellType), service required capability (Req2GCap) and UE capability. The following table describes the impacts of different types of capability on handover decision. Table 6-1 Impacts of different types of capability on handover decision Cell Capability EDGE UE Capability Service Capability (Required by 2G) EDGE EDGE GPRS GSM Not supported by 2G Allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed GPRS Allowed Allowed Not allowed Not allowed GSM Allowed Allowed Allowed Not allowed

Cell Capability GPRS

UE Capability

Service Capability (Required by 2G) EDGE GPRS Allowed Allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed GSM Allowed Allowed Allowed Not allowed Allowed Allowed Allowed Not allowed

EDGE GPRS GSM Not supported by 2G

Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed

GSM

EDGE GPRS GSM Not supported by 2G

If the capability of all neighboring 2G cells does not meet the requirement, the inter-RAT measurement will not be triggered.

6.5 Interchanging Inter-RAT Load Information

In Inter-RAT LDR handover or service handover, load information is interchanged between 2G and 3G networks to facilitate inter-RAT handover (WRFD-020310 3G/2G Common Load Management). The load status between the source cell and the target cell can be acquired by interchanging load information between a 3G cell and a 2G cell during the LDR handover and service handover. Thus, whether to further conduct the handover can be determined to avoid the 2G cell overload and possible handovers to congested cells.

Interchanging Load information in 3G to 2G Handover

The procedure for load information interchanging between the 3G source cell and 2G target cell is described as follows: 1. When the RNC sends a RELOCATION REQUIRED message to the 3G CN, If the switch SndLdInfo2GsmInd is set to ON, the RELOCATION REQUIRED message includes the Old BSS To New BSS Information IE that includes the load information of the 3G source cell. If the switch SndLdInfo2GsmInd is set to OFF, then the RELOCATION REQUIRED message does not include the Old BSS To New BSS Information IE. 2. When the RNC receives the RELOCATION COMMAND message from the 2G CN, If the switch NcovHoOn2GldInd is set to ON, the RNC obtains the load information of the 2G target cell by reading the Inter-System Information Transparent Container IE, which is included in the RELOCATION COMMAND message.
If

the 2G load is lower than CSHOOut2GloadThd (for CS service), or if the 2G load is lower than PSHOOut2GloadThd (for PS service), the RNC continues the inter-RAT handover procedure; otherwise, the RNC returns the Relocation Cancel message to the CN to cancel this inter-RAT handover and makes another handover attempt to the next candidate cell generated in the cell list based on inter-RAT measurement.

If

the Inter-System Information Transparent Container IE, is not included in the RELOCATION COMMAND message, the load information of the 2G target cell is not considered and this interRAT handover is continued.

If the switch NcovHoOn2GldInd is set to OFF, the RNC continues the inter-RAT handover procedure without considering the thresholds.

Interchange Load Information in 2G-to-3G Handover

In 2G-to-3G handover based on load or service, the RNC can make a decision about admission considering the load information of the 3G target cell. This can avoid the worsening of the 3G system performance caused by 2G-to-3G handover based on load or service if the 3G system load is high. The procedure is described as follows: 1. When the RNC sends a RELOCATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message to the 3G CN,
If

the switch SndLdInfo2GsmInd is set to ON, the RELOCATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message includes the New BSS To Old BSS Information IE, which includes the load information of the 3G target cell. the switch SndLdInfo2GsmInd is set to OFF, the RELOCATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message does not include the New BSS To Old BSS Information IE. Depending on the network requirement, the 2G network decides whether to use the load information sent to the 3G network for judgment.

If

2.

3. When the RNC receives the RELOCATION REQUEST message from the 3G CN,
If If

the 3G cell is not in the basic congestion state, the RNC continues the inter-RAT handover procedure. the 3G cell is in the basic congestion state, the RNC returns RELOCATION FAILURE message to the CN to cancel the inter-RAT handover.

For the concept of "basic congestion", see the Load Control Feature Parameter Description.

7 HSPA Handover
7.1 HSDPA Handover
7.1.1 HSDPA Intra-Frequency Handover
This section describes the decision and execution of intra-frequency handover, and the handover between a cell that supports the F-DPCH and a cell that does not support the F-DPCH after the introduction of HSDPA.

Handling of Event 1A
After receiving an event 1A report, the RNC proceeds as follows:


If the number of cells in the active set does not reach the maximum value, the RNC adds the cell to the active set. If the number of cells in the active set reaches the maximum value, the RNC does not add the radio link to the active set.

Handling of Event 1B
After receiving an event 1B report, the RNC determines whether to delete a cell.
 

If the cell to be deleted is not an HSDPA serving cell, the cell is directly removed. If the cell to be deleted is an HSDPA serving cell, then:
If

the new best cell supports HSDPA, the new best cell is reconfigured to be an HSDPA serving cell. If the reconfiguration fails, the service is reconfigured onto DPCH. the new best cell does not support HSDPA, the service is reconfigured onto DPCH to ensure the continuity of the service.

If

Handling of Event 1C
After receiving an event 1C report, the RNC decides whether to change the worst cell.
 

If the cell to be replaced is not an HSDPA serving cell, the cell is directly removed. If the cell to be replaced is an HSDPA serving cell, then:
If

the best cell supports HSDPA, the best cell is reconfigured to be an HSDPA serving cell. If the reconfiguration fails, the service is reconfigured onto DPCH. the best cell does not support HSDPA, the service is reconfigured onto DPCH to ensure the continuity of the service.

If

Handling of Event 1D
After receiving an event 1D report, the RNC proceeds as follows:


If the downlink service is carried on the HSDPA, then:

If

the new best cell in the active set supports HSDPA and the HSPA hysteresis timer (HspaTimerLen) expires, the new best cell is reconfigured to be an HSDPA serving cell. the new best cell in the active set does not support HSDPA, the downlink service is directed to the DCH through the reconfiguration. Figure 7-1 shows an example of how to handle event 1D in this situation. Assume that the UE moves from HSDPA cell 1 to HSDPA cell 2, that the two cells are intra-frequency neighboring cells, and that all the cells in the active set support HSDPA. The RNC updates the HSDPA serving cell according to the reported event and keeps the HSDPA serving cell consistent with the best cell.

If

Figure 7-1 Intra-frequency handover between HSDPA cells when the best cell changes

If the downlink service is carried on the DCH, then: The UE is handover to the target cell, and the service is carried on DCH. After handover, the RNC may retry to configure the service on HS-DSCH. For details, see 7.5 HSPA Retry.

In the execution procedure mentioned above, CMP_UU_SERV_CELL_CHG_WITH_ASU_SWITCH of the CmpSwitch parameter is used to determine whether the update of the active set and the change of the serving cell are synchronized. This switch is applicable to only R6 UEs.


If the switch is ON, the UE supports the synchronization of the update of the active set and the change of the serving cell. If the switch is OFF, the UE reconfigures the change of the serving cell by allocating physical channels after updating the active set.

During the update of the HSDPA serving cell, set the NBMMachsResetAlgoSelSwitch parameter to determine whether to reset the UE MAC-hs.

7.1.2 HSDPA Inter-Frequency Handover

Inter-frequency handover can be triggered on the basis of coverage, load, and hierarchical cell structure (HCS). The following describes the three possible scenarios in which an inter-frequency handover occurs.

Scenario 1: Inter-Frequency Handover from an HSDPA Cell to an R99 Cell

As shown in Figure 7-2, when the UE moves from cell 1 (an HSDPA cell) to cell 2 (an R99 cell), the inter-frequency handover conditions are met and event 2B is triggered. The RNC makes a handover decision for HSDPA services according to the neighboring cell measurement report, and reconfigures the service onto the DPCH of cell 2.

Figure 7-2 Inter-frequency handover from an HSDPA cell to an R99 cell

Scenario 2: Inter-Frequency Handover from an R99 Cell to an HSDPA Cell

As shown in Figure 7-3, when the UE moves from cell 2 (an R99 cell) to cell 1 (an HSDPA cell), the inter-frequency handover conditions are met and event 2B is triggered. The RNC hands over the UE to the DPCH first, and then to the HS-PDSCH if the service can be carried on the HS-PDSCH. Figure 7-3 Inter-frequency handover from an R99 cell to an HSDPA cell

Scenario 3: Inter-Frequency Handover Between HSDPA Cells

As shown in Figure 7-4, when the UE moves from cell 1 (an HSDPA cell) to cell 2 (an HSDPA cell) and the inter-frequency handover conditions are met, the UE is handed over from cell 1 to cell 2. The target cell becomes the new serving HS-PDSCH cell. If the serving or target cell is in load congestion when the UE performs a serving cell update for interfrequency or inter-RAT handover, the service is reconfigured from the HS-PDSCH to the DPCH. The hard handovers of an HSDPA cell is the same as those of an R99 cell.

Figure 7-4 Inter-frequency handover between HSDPA cells

7.1.3 HSDPA Inter-RAT Handover

When the UE is handed over to a cell that supports the F-DPCH from another system and a UL or DL event 4A is reported, the RNC decides whether to change the bearer mode of TRB and SRB. If the TPC command is carried on the F-DPCH between the UE and the UTRAN, the SRB and the TRB are carried on the HS-DSCH. If a cell that does not support the F-DPCH is added to the active set, all the F-DPCHs are deleted. In addition, new DPCHs between the UE and all the cells in the active set are set up to carry the SRB and TPC commands.

7.2 HSUPA Handover

This section involves the feature WRFD-01061204 HSUPA Mobility Management.

7.2.1 HSUPA Intra-Frequency Handover

This section describes the decision and execution procedure of intra-frequency handover, and the handover between E-DCHs of 10 ms TTI and 2 ms TTI after the introduction of HSUPA.

Handling of Event 1A
After receiving the measurement report, the RNC proceeds as follows: If the target cell supports HSUPA and the uplink service is carried on the E-DCH, then:


If the current number of cells in the E-DCH active set is smaller than the value of MaxEdchCellInActiveSet, the target cell is added to both the DCH and E-DCH active sets. Otherwise, the target cell is added to only the DCH active set.

After deciding that a cell can be added to the E-DCH active set,


If the admission in the downlink fails, the cell is added to neither the E-DCH active set nor the DCH active set. It waits for the next event 1A report for retry.

Otherwise, if the admission in the downlink succeeds, the RNC perform the HSUPA admission in the uplink.
If If

HSUPA admission in the uplink succeeds, the cell is added to the E-DCH active set and the DCH active set.

HSUPA admission in the uplink fails, the cell is added only to the DCH active set. If the DCH admission in the uplink still fails, the cell is added to neither the E-DCH active set nor the DCH active set. It waits for the next event 1A report for retry.

Handling of Event 1B
If the number of radio links in the DCH active set is larger than one, then:
 

If the cell to be removed is not an HSUPA serving cell, the cell is directly removed. If the cell to be removed is an HSUPA serving cell, then:
If

the new best cell supports HSUPA, the new best cell is reconfigured to be an E-DCH serving cell. the new best cell does not support HSUPA, the uplink service is redirected to the DCH through the RB reconfiguration.

If

If the current service is CS Voice over HSPA and the cell to be removed is an E-DCH serving cell, then:
If If

the new best cell supports both HSDPA and HSUPA, the cell is reconfigured to be an HSDSCH serving cell or an E-DCH serving cell. the new best cell supports HSDPA but not HSUPA, the current service is changed from CS Voice over HSPA to CS Voice over DCH. If there remain other HSDPA services, the serving cell should be updated and the new best cell should be the HS-PDSCH serving cell. the new best cell supports neither HSUPA nor HSDPA, the current service is reconfigured to be CS Voice over DCH.

If

Whether the cells under the adjacent RNC support CS Voice over HSPA is determined by the RNClevel parameter CSVoiceoverHSPASuppInd. After the best cell of a UE changes, if the size of the DCH or E-DCH active set of the new best cell is different from those of the old best cell, the RNC removes or reconfigures radio links to adapt to the size and configuration of the new best cell.

Handling of Event 1C
When event 1C is triggered, the UE reports the event-triggered list that contains good cells and the cells to be replaced, and sequences the cells from the highest to the lowest quality according to measurement quantity. After receiving the measurement report, the RNC proceeds as follows:


If the new cell supports HSUPA, then:

If

the current number of cells in the E-DCH active set is smaller than the value of MaxEdchCellInActiveSet, the new cell is added to the E-DCH active set. the current number of cells in the E-DCH active set is equal to the value of MaxEdchCellInActiveSet and the cell to be replaced is also included in the E-DCH active set, the new cell joins the E-DCH active set through replacement. the current number of cells in the E-DCH active set is equal to the value of MaxEdchCellInActiveSet and the cell to be replaced is not included in the E-DCH active set, the new cell is added only to the DCH active set.

If

If

If the current service is CS Voice over HSPA and the cell to be removed is an E-DCH serving cell, then:
If If

the new best cell supports both HSDPA and HSUPA, the cell is reconfigured to be an HSDSCH serving cell or an E-DCH serving cell. the new best cell supports HSDPA but not HSUPA, the current service is changed from CS Voice over HSPA to CS Voice over DCH through the reconfiguration. If there remain other HSDPA services, the serving cell should be updated and the new best cell should be the HSPDSCH serving cell. the new best cell supports neither HSUPA nor HSDPA, the current service is reconfigured to be CS Voice over DCH. If the cell to be removed is an E-DCH serving cell, the HS-DSCH serving cell must be removed at the same time. Thus, a new E-DCH serving cell or HS-DSCH serving cell must be determined. The method is the same as that of removing the serving cell, as described in the previous section of Handling of Event 1B.

If

If the new cell does not support HSUPA, the cell is added to only the DCH active set.

Handling of Event 1D
If the criteria for intra-frequency hard handover are fulfilled, the RNC performs intra-frequency hard handover after receiving the event 1D report. If the criteria for intra-frequency hard handover are not fulfilled, the RNC performs intra-frequency soft handover based on the measurement report. If the uplink service is carried on the E-DCH, then:


If the new best cell in the active set supports HSUPA and the HSPA hysteresis timer (HspaTimerLen) expires, the E-DCH serving cell becomes the best cell. The HSPA hysteresis timer is restarted after the cell change. If the new best cell in the active set does not support HSUPA,
The

uplink service is directed to the DCH through the reconfiguration. If the reconfiguration fails, the service is still carried on the E-DCH. The UE is connected to the new best cell only on the DCH.

If the uplink service is carried on the DCH, then:



The uplink service is still carried on the DCH. After handover, the RNC may retry to configure the service on E-DCH. For details, see 7.5 HSPA Retry

If the current service is CS Voice over HSPA, then:



If the new best cell supports both HSUPA and HSDPA, the cell is reconfigured to be an HSPA serving cell. Otherwise, the service is changed from CS Voice over HSPA to CS Voice over DCH through the reconfiguration.

Triggering of Event 1J
Event 1J is triggered under the following condition: 10 x Log(MNew)+ CIONew u 10 x Log(MInAS) + CIOInAS + H1j/2
  

MNew is the measurement result of the cell not in the E-DCH active set but in the DCH active set. CIONew and CIOInAS refer to the offset of each cell. MInAS is the measurement result of the cell in the E-DCH active set with the lowest measurement result.

  

H1J is the hysteresis parameter for event 1J and is determined by Hystfor1J. If the measurement result is CPICH-Ec/No, MNew and M InAS are expressed as ratios. If the measurement result is CPICH-RSCP, MNew and M InAS are expressed in mW.

Figure 7-5 Triggering of event 1J

   

A: signal quality curve of a cell in the E-DCH active set B: signal quality curve of the worst cell in the E-DCH active set C: signal quality curve of a cell not in the E-DCH active set but included in DCH active set D: signal quality curve of a cell not in the E-DCH active set but included in DCH active set

In Figure 7-5, the hysteresis and the cell individual offsets for all cells equal 0. The first measurement report is sent when primary CPICH D becomes better than primary CPICH B. The "cell measurement event result" of the measurement report contains the information of primary CPICH D and CPICH B. On the assumption that the E-DCH active set has been updated after the first measurement report (E-DCH active set is now primary CPICH A and primary CPICH D), the second report is sent when primary CPICH C becomes better than primary CPICH A. The "cell measurement event result" of the second measurement report shows that primary CPICH C is better than primary CPICH A in quality. The following parameters need to be set on the RNC LMT:
    

Hystfor1J: hysteresis of event 1J TrigTime1J: time to trigger event 1J PeriodMRReportNumfor1J: number of periodic reports for event 1J ReportIntervalfor1J: report interval for event 1J after change to the periodic report HO_INTRA_FREQ_RPRT_1J_SWITCH: measurement control switch for event 1J. When the switch is ON, the UE version is R6 and event 1J is included in the intra-frequency measurement control message.

After receiving the intra-frequency measurement report from the UE, the RNC decides whether to go to the execution phase, depending on the information in the report.

Handling of Event 1J
Event 1J provides the solution to the issue of how to add an HSUPA cell in a DCH active set to an EDCH active set. This event is triggered when a non-active E-DCH but active DCH primary CPICH becomes better than an active E-DCH primary CPICH. When event 1J is triggered, the UE reports the event-triggered list that contains good cells and the cells to be replaced, and sequences the cells from the highest to the lowest quality according to measurement quantity. After receiving the measurement report, the RNC proceeds as follows:


If the current number of cells in the E-DCH active set is smaller than the value of MaxEdchCellInActiveSet, the cell where event 1J is triggered is reconfigured to E-DCH. If the current number of cells in the E-DCH active set is equal to the value of MaxEdchCellInActiveSet, the RNC searches the measurement report for the non-serving Cell_EDCH with the lowest measured quality in the E-DCH active set. Then, the uplink of the cell where event 1J is triggered is reconfigured from DCH to E-DCH, and the uplink of CELL-EDCH is reconfigured from E-DCH to DCH.

Handover Between E-DCHs of 10 ms TTI and 2 ms TTI

For HSUPA, 2 ms TTI and 10 ms TTI are applicable but not all the cells support 2 ms TTI. When both 2ms-TTI-capable and 2ms-TTI-incapable cells exist in a network, a UE may undergo handovers between E-DCHs of 10 ms TTI and 2 ms TTI (WRFD-01061404 HSUPA 2ms/10ms TTI Handover).. Only when all the cells in the E-DCH active set support 2 ms TTI can the services be configured to the E-DCH with 2 ms TTI. If any cell in the E-DCH active set does not support 2 ms TTI, the services are configured on the E-DCH with 10 ms TTI. The detailed principles are as follows:


When the uplink service is carried on the E-DCH with 2 ms TTI, if a cell that supports only 10 ms TTI is to be added to the E-DCH active set, the source cell undergoes a radio bearer reconfiguration to 10 ms TTI. A soft handover to the target cell is performed. Upon each handover, if a radio link needs to be added, removed, or replaced, the RNC judges whether all the cells in the E-DCH active set and the UE support 2 ms TTI.

If they all support 2 ms TTI and the uplink service is currently carried on the E-DCH with 10 ms TTI, the RNC reconfigures the service to the E-DCH with 2 ms TTI.
If If

the reconfiguration fails, a timer is started for periodic retries to the E-DCH with 2 ms TTI. the handover is performed before the timer expires, the timer is stopped. the handover, the RNC decides whether to start the timer, based on the handover result.

After

7.2.2 HSUPA Inter-Frequency Handover

Inter-frequency handover can be triggered on the basis of coverage, load, and hierarchical cell structure (HCS). The introduction of HSUPA does not affect the triggering conditions and decisions of these types of inter-frequency handover. During the execution phase, whether to reconfigure the services from E-DCH to DCH depends on the HSUPA capability of the target cell. After the handover, a decision must be made about whether to reconfigure the services from DCH to E-DCH.

Table 7-1 describes the three possible scenarios for inter-frequency handover. Table 7-1 Scenarios for inter-frequency handover Scenario Description Scenario 1 Inter-frequency handover from an HSUPA cell to another HSUPA cell  The UE moves from one HSUPA cell to another HSUPA cell.


Event 2B is triggered.

Scenario 2 Inter-frequency handover from an HSUPA cell to a non-HSUPA cell

 

The UE moves from an HSUPA cell to a non-HSUPA cell. Event 2B is triggered.

Scenario 3 Inter-frequency handover from a non-HSUPA cell to an HSUPA cell

 

The UE moves from a non-HSUPA cell to an HSUPA cell. Event 2B is triggered.

If the current service is CS Voice over HSPA and the target cell supports both HSDPA and HSUPA, the target cell is reconfigured as an HSPA serving cell. Otherwise, the service of CS Voice over HSPA must first be reconfigured as CS Voice over DCH. Whether the target RNC supports CS Voice over HSPA is determined by the parameter CSVoiceOverHspaSuppInd.

Scenario 1: Inter-Frequency Handover from an HSUPA Cell to Another HSUPA Cell

Assume that the UE moves from HSUPA cell 1 to HSUPA cell 2 and that the two cells are interfrequency neighboring cells, as shown in Figure 7-6. Figure 7-6 Inter-frequency handover from an HSUPA cell to another HSUPA cell

During this procedure, event 2B is triggered. The HSUPA admission request is made for the target cell by the RNC.

If the request is accepted, the handover is performed through the physical channel reconfiguration message. If the request is rejected, the RB reconfiguration is implemented, and the services on the E-DCH are reconfigured for the DCH.

Scenario 2: Inter-Frequency Handover from an HSUPA Cell to a NonHSUPA Cell

Assume that the UE moves from HSUPA cell 1 to non-HSUPA cell 2 and that the two cells are interfrequency neighboring cells, as shown in Figure 7-7. Figure 7-7 Inter-frequency handover from an HSUPA cell to a non-HSUPA cell

During this procedure, event 2B is triggered, and the target cell does not support HSUPA. The DCH admission request is made for the target cell. After the request is accepted, the RB reconfiguration is implemented, and the services on the E-DCH are reconfigured for the DCH.

Scenario 3: Inter-Frequency Handover from a Non-HSUPA Cell to an HSUPA Cell

Assume that the UE moves from non-HSUPA cell 1 to HSUPA cell 2 and that the two cells are interfrequency neighboring cells, as shown in Figure 7-8.

Figure 7-8 Inter-frequency handover from a non-HSUPA cell to an HSUPA cell

During this procedure, event 2B is triggered. The inter-frequency handover on DCH is performed, and the HSUPA admission request is made for the target cell by the RNC. After the request is accepted, the RB reconfiguration is implemented, and the services on the DCH are reconfigured for the E-DCH.

7.2.3 HSUPA Inter-RAT Handover

If the current service is CS voice service and the UE is handed over from a 2G cell to a 3G cell,


If the UE supports CS Voice Over HSPA and the target 3G RAN supports CS Voice Over HSPA, the service is configured as CS Voice over HSPA when the UE is handed over to the 3G system. Otherwise, the service is configured as CS Voice Over DCH when the UE is handed over to the 3G system.

7.3 HSPA+ Handover

7.3.1 Overview
The basic mechanisms of handover remain unchanged after the introduction of HSPA+. New functions are added to handle the scenario where the source cell and target cell support different HSPA+ technologies or where admission control prevents the UE from using the preferred technologies. Whether a neighboring cell supports HSPA+ technologies can be set through the parameter CellCapContainerFdd. Figure 7-9 shows the procedure of HSPA+ technology configuration.

Figure 7-9 Procedure of HSPA+ technology configuration

The procedure of HSPA+ technology configuration is as follows: 1. In the preselection phase (during handover decision) The RNC preselects HSPA+ technologies based on the technologies provided for the UE in the source cell and the capability of the target cell. 2. In the fallback phase (during handover execution) The RNC attempts to apply the preselected technologies to the UE in the target cell. If the RNC fails to do so, it selects technologies with lower ranking and attempts to apply them to the UE. 3. In the retry phase (after handover) After the handover, the RNC attempts to apply the preselected technologies that failed to be applied to the UE in the target cell.

7.3.2 Preselection Phase

HSPA+ technologies are preselected in the preselection phase (during handover decision). For DC-HSDPA, MIMO+64QAM, MIMO, 64QAM, downlink enhanced L2, and HS-SCCH Less Operation, the preselection schemes are as follows:


If the target cell supports the same technologies as the source cell and the bearer scheme allows the target cell to continue using them, the RNC preselects these technologies for the target cell. Otherwise, the RNC preselects the technologies supported by the target cell and used by the UE in the source cell.

For uplink 16QAM, uplink enhanced L2 and DTX/DRX, the preselection schemes are as follows:


During an intra-frequency soft handover, the RNC preselects HSPA+ technologies if both of the following conditions are met:
All

the cells in the active set support the technologies. target cell supports the technologies.

The

Otherwise, the RNC does not preselect them.



During an intra- or inter-frequency hard handover, the RNC preselects the technologies supported by the target cell and used by the UE in the source cell. For example, if the UE uses MIMO and downlink enhanced L2 in the source cell and the target cell supports only downlink enhanced L2, the RNC preselects only downlink enhanced L2 for the UE.

7.3.3 Fallback Phase

HSPA+ technologies with lower ranking are selected in the fallback phase (during handover execution). In this phase, the RNC performs admission control based on the preselected technologies. If the admission is unsuccessful, the RNC selects DCH to carry services. If the admission is successful, the RNC sends a configuration message to the NodeB. If the NodeB fails to allocate required resources because of insufficient resources, the RNC selects technologies with lower ranking. In other words, the technologies are degraded as follows:
   

From DC-HSDPA to SC-HSDPA From MIMO+64QAM to 64QAM From MIMO to HSDPA (downlink enhanced L2) From DTX_DRX to HSPA

For uplink 16QAM, it is degraded to DCH to carry services regardless of whether the admission fails or the resource allocation by the NodeB fails.

7.3.4 Retry Phase

In the retry phase, if both the UE and the network meet the requirements for configuring higherranked technologies, the RNC attempts to apply them, which may not be pre-selected in the preselection phase or fails to be applied in the fallback phase. For example, the RNC attempts to use DC-HSDPA instead of SC-HSDPA. The retry procedure is as follows: 1. The RNC starts the handover protection timer (ChannelRetryHoTimerLen). 2. After the timer expires, the RNC attempts to apply higher-ranked technologies. 3. If the retry fails, the RNC starts the retry timer (ChannelRetryTimerLen) for periodic retry attempts.

The HSPA+ technologies that can be retried are specified by the parameter RetryCapability.

7.4 Anti-Frequent Serving Cell Change

HSPA serving cell change is usually triggered by event 1D. To avoid frequent serving cell change which may affect the system performance, a protection timer HspaTimerLen is introduced. This timer shall be started when the serving HS-DSCH cell changes or the E-DCH serving cell changes. And no more 1D-triggered serving cell change shall be performed until the timer expires. However, this timer shall not restrict HSPA serving cell change to another cell in the active set if current serving cell is to be removed from the active set. The value 0 means this timer shall not be started and serving cell change be initiated immediately.

7.5 HSPA Retry

If a UE has a HSDPA/HSUPA suitable service, the RNC tries to reconfigure the service onto the HSDSCH/E-DCH as soon as possible.

After handover or radio bearer setup, the HSPA suitable service may be set up on the DCH or FACH in a cell. If the cell is capable of HSPA or the cell has a HSPA capable neighboring cell, the RNC retries to configure the service on the HS-DSCH/E-DCH in this cell or in its neighboring cell. To avoid frequent handovers at the boundary between an HSPA cell and an R99 cell, a protection timer (ChannelRetryHoTimerLen) is used. After a handover, the timer starts. After this timer expires, the RNC retries to configure the service of the UE onto the HS-DSCH or E-DCH if either of the following two conditions is met:
 

The target cell supports HSDPA or HSUPA. The target cell does not support HSDPA or HSUPA but has a DRD neighboring cell.

If the admission fails during the reconfiguration, the timer (ChannelRetryTimerLen) is started. Periodic retries to HS-DSCH or E-DCH are performed.

8 HCS Handover
8.1 Overview
HCS handover (WRFD-021200 HCS) is one type of inter-frequency handover and inter-RAT handover. HCS handover is based on UE speed estimation, and is also called speed-based handover. In a 3G network, hot spots in radio communication may appear with the increase of subscribers and traffic. This requires more cells to increase the network capacity. More cells and smaller cell radius lead to more frequent handovers of UEs. For a UE in fast movement, frequent handovers reduce call quality, increase uplink interference, and increase signaling load. Here, Hierarchical Cell Structure (HCS) is a mechanism that arranges different cells at different layers. HCS handover instructs UEs to stay at different layers based on speed estimation, thus increasing the network capacity. Figure 8-1 shows an HCS example with three layers. Figure 8-1 HCS with three layers

The features of different cells are as follows:



Macro cell
Large

coverage coverage environment

Continuous Low

requirement for capacity

Fast-moving

Micro cell
Densely High

populated areas environment

requirement for capacity

Slow-moving 

Pico cell
Indoor

coverage blind spot coverage environment

Outdoor

Slow-moving

The pico cell has the highest priority and the macro cell has the lowest priority. Based on speed estimation, the RNC instructs a fast-moving UE to select a cell with a lower priority to decrease the frequency of handovers, and instructs a slow-moving UE to select a cell with a higher priority to increase the network capacity. The cell with a lower priority has larger coverage, and the cell with a higher priority has smaller coverage. RNC supports the HCS with eight layers. The priority level of a cell is set by the HCSPrio parameter. To allow HCS handover, the RNC must enable the function through the HoSwitch: HO_ALGO_HCS_SPEED_EST_SWITCH parameter.

8.2 HCS Handover Procedure

HCS handover is based UE speed estimation. Figure 8-2 shows HCS handover procedure.

Figure 8-2 HCS handover procedure

In the triggering phase The RNC receives the handover request from the HCS speed estimation function. The HCS handover is of two types: handover from the macro cell to the micro cell and handover from the micro cell to the macro cell. For different types of handover, the RNC acts differently.

In the measurement and decision phases

If

the handover is performed from a macro cell to a micro cell, the RNC sends an inter-frequency measurement control message. After the UE reports event 2C for inter-frequency handover or 3C for inter-RAT handover, the RNC performs the handover decision. the handover is performed from a micro cell to a macro cell, the RNC directly performs blind handover, ignoring the measurement procedure.

If

In the execution phase The RNC initiates a handover procedure.

If

the handover is performed from a micro cell to a macro cell and the target cell allows blind handover (configured through the parameter BlindHOFlag), the RNC performs blind handover to the target cell.

If

the blind handover fails or the handover is performed from a macro cell to a micro cell, the RNC starts the inter-frequency (or inter-RAT) measurement procedure and performs the handover procedure to the cell with the best quality after receiving event 2C or 3C from the UE.

8.3 UE Speed Estimation

This section describes high-speed estimation, low-speed estimation, and anti-ping-pong event 1D recording. Based on the number of changes of the best cell within a specified period, the speed estimation algorithm estimates the moving speed of the UE. Then, the RNC decides the UE speed. The procedure for high-speed estimation is as follows:


If HO_ALGO_HCS_SPEED_EST_SWITCH is set to ON and the cell is layered with a not lowest priority, the RNC initiates a high-speed estimation for the UE after receiving an event 1D report. If the number of changes of the best cell for the UE is higher than the NFastSpdEst within the TFastSpdEst, the RNC decides that the UE is in fast movement.

The procedure for low-speed estimation is as follows:



If the HO_ALGO_HCS_SPEED_EST_SWITCH is set to ON and the cell is layered with a not highest priority, the RNC starts the timer TCycleSlow after the RRC connection is set up. When the timer TCycleSlow expires, the RNC initiates a low-speed estimation for the UE. If the number of changes of the best cell for the UE is lower than the NSlowSpdEst within the TSlowSpdEst, the RNC decides that the UE is in slow movement.

 

If frequent changes of the best cell occur, several events 1D for the same cell may be recorded. This may lead to inaccurate UE speed estimation. Therefore, a mechanism is used for anti-pingpong event 1D recording.


During the recent period specified by TRelateLength, if multiple event 1Ds are reported for a certain cell, only the first one is recorded.

8.4 HCS Handover Measurement

In the case of handover from high layer to the low layer (from micro cell to macro cell), the UE does not perform measurement. The RNC decides the blind handover for the UE. For the handover from low layer to the high layer (from macro cell to micro cell), the HCS handover uses the measurement and the UE uses event-triggered report mode.
 

In inter-frequency HCS handover, event 2C takes only CPICH Ec/No as measurement quantity. In inter-RAT HCS handover, event 3C takes only GSM RSSI as measurement quantity.

Triggering of Event 2C
When the estimated quality of a non-used frequency is above a certain threshold, the UE report event 2C to the RNC. After the conditions of event 2C are fulfilled and maintained until the parameter TrigTime2C is reached, the UE reports the event 2C measurement report message.. Event 2C is triggered on the basis of the following formula: QNoused TNoused2c + H2c/2

Where,
  

QNoused is the measured quality of the cell that uses the other frequencies. TNoused2c is the absolute quality threshold of the cell that uses the other frequencies, namely, InterFreqNCovHOThdEcN0. H2c is the event 2C hysteresis value Hystfor2C.

8.5 HCS Handover Execution

HCS handover execution based on UE speed estimation falls into two categories: inter-layer handover in fast movement and inter-layer handover in slow movement. The inter-layer handover algorithm initiates the corresponding handover based on speed estimation:
  

If the UE is in fast movement, the RNC instructs the UE to select a cell with a lower priority. If the UE is in slow movement, the RNC instructs the UE to select a cell with a higher priority. If the UE is in normal movement, no inter-layer handover occurs.

When the RNC instructs the UE to select a cell with a lower or higher priority, the neighboring cells whose frequency band is not supported by the UE are not taken into account. If there are neighboring cells with several candidate frequencies, the RNC selects one of the frequencies randomly.

Inter-Layer Handover in Fast Movement

When deciding that the UE is in fast movement, the RNC instructs the UE to select a cell with a lower priority (handover from micro cell to macro cell).


If the UE is located in the overlap between the cell with a higher priority and the cell with a lower priority, a blind handover is initiated.

1. The RNC selects the neighboring cells with a lower HCS priority level to generate a cell list. The neighboring cells whose frequency band is not supported by the UE are not taken into account. If there are neighboring cells with several candidate frequencies, the RNC selects one of the frequencies randomly. 2. The RNC searches for neighboring cells for blind handover according to BlindHOFlag from the cell list generated in step 1. 3. The RNC chooses a neighboring cell whose BlindHOQualityCondition value is the smallest for blind handover. The RNC determines whether the target cell supports the current service. If the target cell does not support the current service, the RNC does not perform the blind handover. The target cell can be a UMTS cell or a GSM cell. The priority of an intra-RAT inter-frequency blind handover is higher than that of an inter-RAT blind handover.


If the neighboring cell for blind handover is not configured or the blind handover fails, a measurement is initiated for cells with a lower priority.

The target cell is decided on the basis of the measurement report from the UE.

Inter-Layer Handover in Slow Movement

When deciding that the UE is in slow movement, the RNC instructs the UE to select a cell with a higher priority (handover from macro cell to micro cell).

The inter-layer handover algorithm initiates a measurement for cells with a higher priority and then decides the target cell based on the measurement report from the UE.

8.6 Signaling Procedure of HCS Handover

The signaling procedure for HCS handover is the same as that for inter-frequency handover and inter-RAT handover.

8.7 Interoperability Between HCS Handover and Other Handovers

This section describes the following aspects:
  

Interoperability between HCS handover and intra-frequency handover Interoperability between HCS handover and inter-frequency handover Interoperability between HCS handover and inter-RAT handover

Interoperability Between HCS Handover and Intra-Frequency Handover

If an intra-frequency handover is requested when an HCS handover measurement is initiated and an intra-frequency cell measurement is ongoing, the HCS handover measurement is not disrupted. After the intra-frequency handover is finished,
 

If the best cell remains unchanged, the HCS measurement continues. If the best cell changes, the high-speed estimation for the UE is triggered.

Interoperability Between HCS Handover and Inter-Frequency Handover

An inter-frequency handover is triggered by one of the following factors:
   

Reporting of event 2D QoS problem caused by the quality imbalance between uplink and downlink Imbalance of load between inter-frequency cells UE speed decision in HCS

Reporting of event 2D indicates that the inter-frequency handover based on coverage is triggered, which is of high priority to be processed.


If the HCS handover algorithm is performing inter-frequency measurement when event 2D is reported, the measurement control is modified according to the algorithm of inter-frequency handover based on coverage. If the RNC is performing inter-frequency measurement after event 2D is reported, HCS handover will not be executed. If the measurement due to other causes stops, then HCS handover measurement is restarted. Other causes may be reception of event 2F, expiration of measurement control, or others.

When a speed-based inter-frequency handover is triggered, the RNC determines first whether the timer specified by IFAntiPingpangTimerLength expires.
 

If the timer does not expire, the RNC cancels this handover. If the timer expires, the RNC performs the handover.

Interoperability Between HCS Handover and Inter-RAT Handover

It is strongly recommended that the inter-RAT handover to 2G not be used in HCS handover. Set the UseOfHcs parameter to NOT_USED to disable HCS priority setting for neighboring GSM cells.

9 Blind Handover
Overview
There are two types of blind handover: emergent blind handover and non-emergent blind handover.


Emergent blind handover is triggered by 1F event which indicates the used frequency becomes worse. The UE must perform emergent handover to avoid call drops. Non-emergent blind handover may be triggered by LDR, DRD, or HCS speed estimation.

For details about LDR and DRD, see Load Control Feature Parameter Description. For details about HCS speed estimation, see chapter 8 "HCS Handover." The parameter BlindHoFlag is configured for neighboring cells and determines whether a blind handover to this cell is allowed. The parameter BlindHOPrio indicates the blind handover priority of the cell. The value 0 represents the highest priority.

Triggering of Event 1F
After the conditions of event 1F are fulfilled and maintained until the parameter TrigTime1F is reached, the UE reports the event 1F measurement report message. Event 1F is triggered on the basis of the following formula: 10LogMOld T1f - H1f/2 Where,
 

MOld is the measurement value of the cell that becomes worse. T1f is an absolute threshold. It is set through the parameter IntraAblThdFor1FRSCP or IntraAblThdFor1FecNo. H1f is the event 1F hysteresis value set through the parameter Hystfor1F.

Blind Handover Based on Event 1F

When there is only one cell in the active set, the RNC performs inter-frequency blind handover after receiving event 1F. 1. The RNC gets the actual best cell from event 1F. If the quality of the best cell meets the blind handover condition (BlindHORSCP1FThreshold), the RNC gets neighboring cells for blind handover of the best cell, and filtrates the cells which belong to the frequency bands that UEs don't support. If the quality of the best cell is lower than BlindHORSCP1FThreshold, the UE is at the edge of the network coverage and the blind handover is not allowed. 2. If there are multiple neighboring cells for blind handover, the RNC chooses the cell with the lowest value of BlindHOQualityCondition and the cell must support all the current services of UE. When there are multiple such cells, the RNC choose the neighboring cell for blind handover randomly.

10 Handover Protection
10.1 Anti-Ping-Pong
Inter-Frequency Anti-Ping-Pong
After an inter-frequency handover based on coverage or an inter-frequency blind handover based on event 1F occurs, the RNC starts the anti-ping-pong algorithm to prevent frequent switching between inter-frequency handovers triggered by different causes. The inter-frequency anti-ping-pong algorithm is as follows: 1. When a coverage-based inter-frequency handover or an inter-frequency blind handover based on event 1F occurs, the RNC starts the timer specified by IFAntiPingpangTimerLength for the UE. 2. When a non-coverage-based inter-frequency handover is triggered, the RNC determines whether the timer specified by IFAntiPingpangTimerLength expires.
If If

the timer does not expire, the RNC cancels the handover. the timer expires, the RNC performs the handover.

Inter-RAT (2G-to-3G) Anti-Ping-Pong

For the 2G-to-3G handover, the measurement control message is delivered through a system information broadcast of 2G when the 2G cell has a neighboring 3G cell. The dual-mode MS performs the inter-RAT measurement in idle timeslots and reports the measurement results. Based on the reported measurement values, the BSC decides whether to perform the handover to the 3G network. To avoid the ping-pong handover between 2G and 3G, the 2G-to-3G handover penalty algorithm is used. When the UE is handed over from 2G to 3G and if any CS domain service exists, the system increases the hysteresis of event 3A through the parameter InterRATPingPongHyst to prevent the UE from the ping-pong handover between 2G and 3G in the period specified by the parameter InterRATPingPongTimer. During the penalty time, the previous periodical report will be changed to the event 3A report. The value 0 indicates that the system does not take measures to avoid pingpong handover between 2G and 3G networks.

10.2 Handover Retry

10.2.1 Inter-Frequency Handover Retry
If an inter-frequency handover based on event-triggered measurement report mode fails, the RNC initiates the inter-frequency handover attempt according to inter-frequency retry algorithm.
 

After the inter-frequency handover fails, the retry timer for the cell is started. After the retry timer expires, the UE makes a handover attempt to the cell again until the retry number exceeds the maximum allowed retry number. If the handover succeeds or two new event 2B reports are received, the periodical retry is stopped.

For the inter-frequency handover based on coverage or QoS, the following two parameters determine the retry period and the maximum number of retry times:

 

Retry timer: PeriodFor2B Maximum number of retry times: AmntOfRpt2B

For the inter-frequency handover based on speed, the following two parameters determine the retry period and the maximum number of retry times:
 

Retry timer:PeriodFor2C Maximum number of retry times:AmntOfRpt2C

10.2.2 Inter-RAT (3G to 2G) Handover Retry

For an inter-RAT handover failure, if the cause of the failure is not a configuration failure and the retry timer expires, the UE makes attempts to hand over to the cell again until the retry number exceeds the maximum retry number. The retry timer and maximum retry number for coverage-based and QoS-based inter-RAT handover are:
 

Retry timer:PeriodFor3A Maximum number of retry times:AmntOfRpt3A

The retry timer and maximum retry number for LDR-based and service-based inter-RAT handover are:
 

Retry timer: PeriodFor3C Maximum number of retry times:AmntOfRpt3C

The inter-RAT handover retry algorithm works in the following two signaling procedures:

Signaling Procedure for Iu Relocation

1. The RELOCATION REQUIRED message is initiated on the Iu interface. 2. If the RNC receives the RELOCATION PREPARATION FAILURE message, the inter-RAT handover fails. If the cause of the failure is one of the following configuration failure, the RNC does not make a handover retry to the cell.
Relocation Relocation Relocation

Failure in Target CN/RNC or Target System, or not supported in Target RNC or Target System, or Target not allowed

Otherwise, the related retry timer for the cell is started. After the retry timer expires, the UE makes handover attempts to the cell again until the retry number exceeds the maximum retry number. 3. If the RNC receives the RELOCATION COMMAND message, the handover on the Uu interface continues. 4. If the handover succeeds or the new event 3A or 3C report is received, the periodical retry is stopped.

Signaling Procedure for Service-based Handover on the Uu Interface



For CS services or CS and PS combined services, the HANDOVER FROM UTRAN signaling procedure on the Uu interface is performed only when the handover based on CS services is made.

For a PS service or combined PS services, the CELL CHANGE ORDER FROM UTRAN or HANDOVER FROM UTRAN signaling procedure on the Uu interface is performed. If the HANDOVER FROM UTRAN FAILURE or CELL CHANGE ORDER FROM UTRAN FAILURE message is received, the handover on the Uu interface fails.

If the "Inter-RAT handover failure cause" in HANDOVER FROM UTRAN FAILURE message is "Configuration unacceptable", or if the "Inter-RAT change failure cause" in CELL CHANGE ORDER FROM UTRAN FAILURE message is "Configuration unacceptable", the RNC does not make a handover retry to the cell. Otherwise, the related retry timer for the cell is started. After the retry timer expires, the UE makes a handover attempt to the cell again until the retry number exceeds the maximum number. If the handover succeeds or the new event 3A or 3C report is received, the periodical retry is stopped.

10.3 Inter-RAT Multimedia Fallback

This section involves the feature "WRFD-020307 Video Telephony Fallback to Speech (AMR) for Inter-RAT HO. Before the RNC performs handover for the UE that is enjoying the video phone (VP) service, the RNC initiates multimedia fallback to change the VP service to the Adaptive Multi Rate (AMR) speech service, that is, to perform the 3G-to-2G handover based on the CS AMR speech service.

Overview of Fallback Service

Compared with the traditional speech service of the GSM, the VP service of the UMTS can transmit not only speech services between the calling party and the called party, but also the images and videos captured by both parties. Since the actual implementation is limited by terminals and networks, the VP service sometimes carries only speech and may fail to transmit images or videos. In this scenario, the Service Change and Unrestricted Digital Information Fallback (SCUDIF) provide the fallback mechanism that changes a video call to a common speech call. As specified in 3GPP TS 23.172, the fallback service of the VP is categorized into the following two types:


The process of changing multimedia services back to speech services during call setup. The RNC does not take part in the process. Therefore, the detailed description of fallback process is not given hereinafter. The process of changing multimedia services back to speech services during the call.

Triggering of Fallback Service

Currently, the network-initiated multimedia fallback is performed only for the 3G-to-2G handover. Service changes triggered by the UEs are not supported. Fallback is initiated when both of the following occasions are met:


The RNC decides to send an inter-RAT handover request after receiving periodical measurement reports of event 1A, 3A, or 3C. The service is combined with a VP, and the "Alternative RAB Parameters" in the RAB ASSIGNMENT message is a valid AMR speech format.

Procedure of Service Change

Figure 10-1 shows the service change procedure for the 3G-to-2G handover. The network initiates the service change, that is, the RNC initiates the change from the VP service to the speech service during the call. Figure 10-1 Service change procedure for the 3G-to-2G handover in the CS domain

1. The CN sends the SRNC a RANAP RAB ASSIGNMENT REQUEST message to set up the VP service. 2. During 3G-to-2G handover, the SRNC sends a RANAP RAB MODIFY REQUEST message to change the VP service to the AMR speech service. In the 3GPP R6 protocol, the information element (IE) Alternative RAB Configuration Request is also added to the RAB MODIFY REQUEST message, which enables the RNC to request the CN to change the VP service to the AMR speech service. 3. The MSC initiates the Bearer Capability (BC) negotiation with the UE. 4. After the negotiation, the RNC is requested to perform service change. When the multimedia fallback ends, the RNC decides whether to perform the 3G-to-2G handover according to the current measurements reported by the UE. At the beginning of the service setup, the RNC saves the RAB parameters. The CN initiates the RAB reconfiguration to request both parties to perform the multimedia fallback. The single VP service falls back to the single AMR speech service. The multi-RAB service combined with VP falls back to the multi-RAB service combined with AMR. If the multimedia fallback succeeds, that is, the video phone in the service falls back to speech successfully, the inter-RAT handover is initiated. Otherwise, the inter-RAT handover fails.

10.4 Transfering Event Report to Periodical Report

After a UE reports event 1A, 1C or, 1J to the RNC, the RNC may miss the measurement reports. If the reported cell does not join active set in a specified period of time, the UE starts to report the event periodically to avoid missing of measurement reports. This parameter specifies the reporting period of event 1A. That is, event 1A is reported at each reporting interval.
  

ReportIntervalfor1A ReportIntervalfor1C ReportIntervalfor1J

The following parameters specify the number of reporting times of events for periodical reporting. When the actual reporting times exceeds the set value, the periodical reporting ends.
  

PeriodMRReportNumfor1A PeriodMRReportNumfor1C PeriodMRReportNumfor1J

11 Neighboring Cell Combination

Overview
After the active set is updated, the RNC updates the neighboring cell list by using the neighboring cell combination algorithm according to the status of the active set. This list includes the new intrafrequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT neighboring cells. The combination methods of intrafrequency handover, inter-frequency handover, and inter-RAT handover are the same. If the radio link of the drift RNC (DRNC) is added to the active set, the source RNC (SRNC) buffers the intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT neighboring cell lists of the DRNC until the radio link of the DRNC is released. The neighboring cell combination result is contained in the MEASUREMENT CONTROL message and sent to the UE, which instructs the UE to perform intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT measurement and handover procedures. The maximum number of neighboring cells of a cell that can be configured is as follows:
  

The maximum number of intra-frequency neighboring cells is 32, which includes the cell itself. The maximum number of inter-frequency neighboring cells of single carrier is 32. The maximum number of inter-frequency neighboring cells of 2 carriers is 64. No more than 2 carriers of inter-frequency cells can be configured. The maximum number of inter-RAT neighboring cells of multi-carrier is 32

Neighboring Cell Combination Switch

HO_MC_NCELL_COMBINE_SWITCH is the neighboring cell combination switch.


If the switch is set to ON, measurement objects are chosen from the neighboring cells of all the cells in the active set.

If the switch is set to OFF, measurement objects are chosen from the neighboring cells of the best cell.

HO_MC_NCELL_COMBINE_SWITCH is set to ON by default.

Procedure of the Neighboring Cell Combination

After obtaining the intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT neighboring cells of each cell in the active set, the RNC calculates the combined neighboring cell set, which is referred as Sall, by using the following method. These neighboring cells and active cells are added to Sall in the following order until the number reaches the maximum number of neighboring cells: Step 1 The best cell in the active is added to Sall. The best cell is reported on event 1D. Step 2 Other cells in the active set are added to Sall in the in descending order by CPICH Ec/No. Step 3 The neighboring cells of the best cell in the active set are added to Sall. NprioFlag (the flag of the priority) and Nprio (the priority of the neighboring cell), which are set for each neighboring cell, are used to change the order of adding the neighboring cells to Sall.
 

When NprioFlag is switched to FALSE, NPrio is cleared. When NprioFlag is switched to TRUE, NPrio is set simultaneously.

Step 4 The neighboring cells of other cells in the active set are added to Sall in descending order by CPICH Ec/No values of these cells in the active set. The number to be repeatedly added of each neighboring cell is recorded. The neighboring cells of the same cell in the active set are added according to Nprio. If the number of the cells in Sall is more than maximum number of neighboring cells, delete the neighboring cells whose repeated number in Sall is less. The best cell and its neighboring cells will not be deleted. ----End

12 Compressed Mode
Overview
Compressed mode control is a mechanism whereby certain idle periods are created in radio frames during which the UE can perform measurements on other frequencies. The UE must use the compressed mode if the UE needs to measure the pilot signal strength of an inter-frequency cell or inter-RAT cell and has a single-frequency receiver only.

Figure 12-1 Compressed mode

Compressed Mode Switches

The parameter DlSFLimitCMInd decides whether to start the DL compressed mode according to the parameter LimitCMDlSFThd.


If DlSFLimitCMInd = True,
When

the downlink spreading factor is smaller than or equal to the parameter LimitCMDlSFThd, the compressed mode is disabled. the downlink spreading factor is greater than the parameter LimitCMDlSFThd, the compressed mode is enabled.

When

If DlSFLimitCMInd = False, the compressed mode is not limited by the downlink spreading factor.

The uplink 384kbps uses SF4. The method of SF/2 is not allowed for the services of SF4. CMCF_UL_PRECFG_TOLERANCE_SWITCH under CmcfSwitch determines whether to set up the uplink RB of SF4 during the preparation for SF/2 compressed mode.


IfCMCF_UL_PRECFG_TOLERANCE_SWITCH is set to ON, the RB of SF4 can be set up duringthe preparation for SF/2 compressed mode. The inter-frequency or inter-RAT handover measurement, however, cannot be triggered, because SF4 cannot be compressed to SF2. If CMCF_UL_PRECFG_TOLERANCE_SWITCH is set to OFF, the RB of SF4 cannot be set up duringthe preparation for SF/2 compressed mode. The system can trigger the SF/2 compressed mode measurement.

CMCF_WITHOUT_UE_CAP_REPORT_SWITCH under CmcfSwitch determines whether to use the frequencies beyond the range of UE reports on the compressed mode measurement. To initiate the high layer scheduling, set the following two switches:


If the algorithm switch CMCF_DL_HLS_SWITCH in the command SET UCORRMALGOSWITCH is set to ON, the DL high-layer scheduling for the compressed mode is allowed. If the algorithm switch CMCF_UL_HLS_SWITCH in the command SET UCORRMALGOSWITCH is set to ON, the UL high-layer scheduling for the compressed mode is allowed.

Compression Methods
There are two methods to implement the compressed mode as follows: Method Description

SF/2

The SF is reduced by half to improve the rate on the channel. It takes less time to transmit the same volume of data. In this way transmit gaps are created. The SF must be larger than 4. The SF/2 mode consumes more system resources and therefore this mode is recommended only for low-rate users.

High layer scheduling

High layer limits the allowed TFC (Transport Format Combination) to create gaps without data to be transmitted. The high-layer scheduling mode requires variable multiplexing positions of transport channels and is applicable to a relatively narrow range. In addition, this approach affects the transmission rate of users. Therefore, this mode is recommended only when the SF/2 approach is unavailable or there are high-rate users.

The RNC automatically determines the type of compressed mode on the basis of the spreading factor used in the uplink or the downlink.


When the downlink spreading factor is greater than or equal to the parameter DlSFTurnPoint, the SF/2 approach is preferred. Otherwise, the high layer scheduling is used. When the uplink spreading factor is greater than or equal to the parameter UlSFTurnPoint, the SF/2 approach is preferred. Otherwise, the high layer scheduling is used.

Compression Types
The compression types are as follows:
  

Inter-frequency measurement Inter-RAT measurement Coexistence of inter-frequency and inter-RAT

The parameter InterFreqRATSwitch determines the compression types allowed by the RNC


If the parameter is set to INTERFREQ, the RNC allows the UE to perform only inter-frequency measurement If the parameter is set to INTERRAT, the RNC allows the UE to perform only Inter-RAT measurement. If the parameter is set to SIMINTERFREQRAT, the RNC allows the UE to perform both interfrequency and inter-RAT measurement.

During the concurrent inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurement, the parameter CoexistMeasThdChoice decides the event 2D threshold:


When the parameter is set to COEXIST_MEAS_THD_CHOICE_INTERFREQ, the inter-frequency measurement threshold for event 2D is used. When the parameter is set to COEXIST_MEAS_THD_CHOICE_INTERRAT, the inter-RAT measurement threshold for event 2D is used.

Measurement Timer Length

When the UE takes a long time to perform the inter-frequency measurement in compressed mode, the radio network will be affected. To avoid the influence, the RNC stops the inter-frequency

measurement and disables the compressed mode if no inter-frequency handover occurs upon expiry of the inter-frequency measurement timer.


The timer is specified by InterFreqMeasTime in inter-frequency handover based on coverage, load or HCS. The timer is specified by InterRATMeasTime in inter-RAT handover based on coverage, load, or service.

The timer is specified by DLQosMcTimerLen or ULQosMcTimerLen in inter-RAT handover based on downlink or uplink QoS respectively.

Compatibility Switch for Dual-frequency Receiver

If the UE has a dual-frequency receiver, it can perform inter-frequency measurement without starting the compressed mode if all of the following conditions are met:
 

The CMP_UU_ADJACENT_FREQ_CM_SWITCH is on. The value of the IE "Adjacent frequency measurements without compressed mode" reported by the UE is TRUE. For the UE that supports dual-carrier HSDPA(DC-HSDPA):
If If

the UE has a DC-HSDPA service, all the cells involved in inter-frequency measurement are at the same frequency as the supplementary carrier. the UE does not have a DC-HSDPA service, all the cells involved in inter-frequency measurement are at the same frequency, with a 5 MHz spacing from the current cell, but within the same band as the current cell.

Each physical frame can provide three to seven timeslots for the inter-frequency or inter-RAT cell measurement.

Compatibility Switches for HSPA

There are some UEs that do not support the CM when an HSPA+ or HSDPA or HSUPA service is active. For compatibility reasons with these UE, compatibility switch parameters have been introduced. The parameter HsdpaCMPermissionInd is used to enable or disable CM for HSDPA users.


If this parameter value is TRUE, CM is permitted on HSDPA and HSDPA can be activated with CM activated. If this parameter value is FALSE, H2D is needed before CM activated when HSDPA exists and HSDPA can't exist when CM is activated.

The parameter HsupaCMPermissionInd decides whether the compressed mode (CM) can be used on HSUPA.
 

If the parameter is set to Permit, the UE in E-DCH state performs measurement. If the parameter is set to Limited, the reconfiguration from E-DCH to DCH is required before CM is activated because HSUPA does not support CM. If the parameter is set to BasedOnUECap, the RNC determines whether to perform E2D procedure before CM activated based on the UE capability.

The parameter EHSPACMPermissionInd indicates whether the compressed mode (CM) can coexist with the HSPA+ service.

When the EHSPACMPermissionInd value is FALSE the switch is deactivated and the RNC, before request to the UE to start the CM, starts a RB RECONFIGURATION procedure to degrade the HSPA+ service to DCH, than requests the UE to start the COMPRESSED MODE.
After

the Hard Handover is completed the RNC starts a RB RECONFIGURATION procedure to promote the DCH service to HSPA+ this switch is disabled all the HSPA+ UEs (CM and not CM capable) are degraded to DCH before the CM procedure.

When

When the EHSPACMPermissionInd value is TRUE the switch is activated and the RNC does not triggers the RB RECONFIGURATION procedure before to request the CM. Not affected UEs are capable to start the measurements during the HSPA+ service and can perform the Hard Handover without service degrades. On the contrary, UEs that do not support the CM during HSPA+ are not capable to complete the Hard Handover procedure successfully.